CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER www.canadianinquirer.net
VOL. 4 NO. 61
APRIL 26, 2013
WHAT’S INSIDE
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Federal Court backs immigration suit
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Mover & Shaker: Prof. Leonora Angeles
The Tories’ move to reopen the federal skilled-worker program is all fair and square, says Federal Court.
EYE-CATCHING. The President’s sister and incidentally the country’s No. 1 taxpayer, Kris Aquino, at the state luncheon hosted by her
brother for Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah who was here on a 2-day visit.
PHOTO BY EDWIN BACASMAS
‘Crush NPA checkpoints’
A professor, a scholar, a writer: FilipinoCanadian Leonora “Nora” Angeles receives the Queen’s Medal for her many achievements.
P-Noy vows action vs Guingona attackers BY MICHAEL LIM UBAC AND MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT Aquino ordered the police and the military to dismantle New People’s Army (NPA) checkpoints and protect politicians campaigning in areas controlled by the communist insurgents. Mr. Aquino issued the order two days after NPA guerrillas attacked and wounded Gingoog City Mayor Ruth de Lara Guingona, wife of former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., at a makeshift checkpoint in the hinterland village of Alatagan in
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Misamis Oriental province. The President, campaigning in Misamis Oriental with his senatorial candidates in May’s midterm elections, said he was saddened by the attack on Mayor Guingona, a member of the ruling Liberal Party. Mr. Aquino took time out from the campaign and visited the mayor at Capitol University Medical City (CUMC) in Cagayan de Oro City. He issued the order after the mayor’s son, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, questioned the NPA’s authority to set up checkpoints and enforce its will on a country that has only “one government” and governed by just “one President.”
Accountability
“I pledge, within my power and abilities (as President), and in the name of the law, to exact accountability from those responsible for this,” Mr. Aquino said in a speech during a rally in Jose Pelaez Roa Park in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental. Police said Mayor Guingona was returning from a village fiesta with a sixmember escort when a group of about 50 NPA guerrillas attacked her entourage in the remote village of Alatagan in Barangay Upper Kapitulangan, Gingoog City, late Saturday. Mayor Guingona, 78, survived a hail ❱❱ 12 ‘Crush NPA
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Filipino-Canadians in Politics
31-32
Liberals vs. NDP
Get to know your fellow Filipino-Canadians in politics: Mable Elmore, Gaby Kalaw, Hector Bremner, and Celyne Sia Sherst.
A 101 on the Grits and the New Democrats. Plus: exclusive Q&As with the Liberals’ Christy Clark and NDP’s Adrian Dix.
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Team Pnoy hurls Arroyo tag at UNA BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer IT’S THE TURN of the Team PNoy coalition to throw back the Arroyo-ally tag at the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). Weeks after the opposition brought to mind administration candidate Bam Aquino’s ties to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a Team PNoy supporter coined the term “UNArroyo” to indicate the alleged collusion between the opposition ticket and Arroyo forces. Harvey Keh, convenor of the good governance advocacy group Kaya Natin! Movement, also denied UNA’s allegation that the administration was buying votes through Kaya Natin’s distribution of National Bookstore and Mercury Drug gift certificates in Quezon City’s third congressional district. “Perhaps UNA and the camp
of former President (Arroyo) are already in connivance with each other, that’s why they are allowing themselves to be used by former (QC third district) Rep. Mat (Defensor),” Keh said. “Hindi kaya UNA-rroyo na ito (Could this be UNA-rroyo?)” he said in a news conference at Team PNoy headquarters in Makati City. Defensor, a former LakasCMD stalwart and staunch ally of Arroyo’s, is UNA’s official candidate for the third district of Quezon City against incumbent Rep. Jorge Banal, of the Liberal Party. Keh said that there was a strong possibility the opposition UNA was in a convenient alliance with the camp of former President Arroyo considering that two GMA allies—Juan Miguel Zubiri and Mitos Magsaysay—were in the senatorial lineup of UNA. “They did it in 2010, they’re doing it again now,” Keh said. ■
Don’t leave Comelec, P-noy tells Brillantes BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT Aquino has sent a message to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr., urging him not to go through with his threat to resign in protest against successive Supreme Court rulings adverse to the Comelec. “I’ll talk to our chair. The elections are less than a month away, and it would be difficult to appoint a new chair at this late point,’’ the President told reporters in Lapu-Lapu City. Mr. Aquino, however, said he was relieved to read Brillantes’ most recent comments, that his threat to resign was made on the “spur of the moment,’’ and that he would think things over this weekend. “I think he will see that the country needs him to chair the Comelec at this crucial period. So do we need to meet? I’m at his disposal. When he feels that
he’s ready to meet with me, I’m always ready to meet with him,” he said. In a news conference in Lapu-Lapu City, Mr. Aquino said he would ask Brillantes to stay on because it would be difficult for him to look for a replacement now. He urged Brillantes to “think more soberly and less emotionally” before making his decision. Rebuffed by high court
Brillantes threatened to quit last Tuesday after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against a Comelec resolution restricting airtime for political advertisements during the campaign for the May 13 elections. The Comelec limits each national candidate to 120 minutes of TV campaign commercials, and 180 minutes of radio commercials, and each local candidate to 60 minutes of TV
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‘Reach out to all bets, not dynasties’ P-noy: Honor belongs to the Filipino people
BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer
WHILE other Catholic prelates have endorsed specific candidates, the Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro City has urged his flock to be “pan-partisan” but to junk political dynasties. In a four-page pastoral letter, Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J. said exercising panpartisanship meant “reaching out to all political affiliations” while voting against political dynasties, going against vote selling and vote buying, and caring for the environment. “To be partisan in Philippine politics does not necessarily mean to side with one party only … voters are expected to follow their conscience in choosing public officials that will serve the common good and help in the development of their community,” said former CBCP vice president Ledesma in a report on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.
BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer
Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J. led the Mindanao launch of Movement Against Dynasties (MAD), a people’s initiative that stood against political dynasties. PHOTO FROM CDODEV.COM
On March 3, Ledesma led the Mindanao launch of the Movement Against Dynasties (MAD) at the St. Augustine
Metropolitan Cathedral Cagayan de Oro.
in
❱❱ 13 ‘Reach out’
PH picked for WB ‘green accounting’ project BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINES has been chosen along with four other countries for the pilot implementation of a World Bank-led project to develop “green accounting,” or the inclusion of the value of natural resources in measuring a nation’s economic progress. Environment Secretary Ramon Paje made the announcement on Saturday from Washington D.C., where he represented the country at a high-level ministerial meeting on “natural capital accounting (NCA)” or “green accounting” organized by the WB on April 18. Paje said the Philippines, along with Botswana, Colombia, Costa Rica and Madagascar, were selected as the implementing partners of the Wealth Accounting
and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) project of the World Bank. WAVES is a global partnership that aims to promote sustainable development by ensuring that the national accounts used to measure and plan for economic growth include the value of natural resources. In a statement, Paje said the Philippines was selected as a pilot country for the WAVES program because it was one of the very few nations that had been conducting an accounting of natural resources since the 1990s. Accurate information
“The country was noted for accounting for our natural resources such as minerals and forests to provide policy makers with accurate information that could help them make better decisions regarding development priorities and investments that are feasible
and sustainable,” he said. Paje said his participation at the meeting underscored the Aquino administration’s focus on preserving the environment while pursuing sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth. “It is very important for us to account for our natural wealth, to uphold the principle of intergenerational equity wherein we protect the interest of future generations by protecting our natural resources, especially those that are finite such as minerals,” he said. Classic example
Paje cited Executive Order No. 79, which institutionalizes and reforms the mining industry, as a “classic example of accounting for natural wealth for future development.” “While increasing excise taxes from mining companies makes sure that the state gets ❱❱ 38 PH picked
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IT WAS a moment of glory for President Aquino, but the honor of landing in Time’s 100 most influential people of the world in 2012 belongs to the country, the Chief Executive told reporters in an interview in LapuLapu City. Mr. Aquino said he was merely the “face” of Filipinos, who have always been there for him. “First they gave me the chance to serve, and they continue to support me. I’m accepting that honor on their behalf, rather than for myself,” he said. “This is a recognition of all our countrymen, of the whole country, more than anything. And I’m just the face; by way of speaking, I’m the first to respond to a problem. That’s fine by me. But if we achieve success, this is the success of everyone,” he said. The President landed second on the Leaders’ List, behind Rand Paul, junior US senator from Kentucky, and ahead of US President Barack Obama, who is No. 3. The list is categorized into five—Titans, Leaders, Artists, Pioneers and Icons. In his article for Time, writer Howard Chua-Eoan cited Mr. Aquino’s courage in pushing the reproductive health (RH) law despite opposition from the Catholic Church, and brave stance in the regional confrontation with China over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Mr. Aquino rallied lawmakers to approve the measure aimed at moderating rapid population growth, reducing poverty and cutting down high maternal mortality, and signed it into law last December. In March, the Supreme Court issued a 120day status quo ante order against the RH law. Rebuking Cambodia PM
At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Phnom Penh in November last year, Mr. Aquino rebuked Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for claiming that member-countries had reached a consensus against internationalizing the West Philippine Sea conflict.
On his intervention, the Asean issued a joint communiqué excluding Hun Sen’s remarks. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the article recognized “the true grit which characterizes his (Mr. Aquino’s) leadership, and the optimism, dynamism and renewed pride which has restored the standing of our nation in the eyes of Filipinos and the world.” “We take pride in how the ideas of good governance and inclusive growth that are the major thrusts of the Aquino presidency resonate not just with Filipinos but with the entire world. This is especially relevant today, as countries all over are trying to become more inclusive economically, politically, and even culturally, President Aquino is already doing it in the Philippines,” he said. Impossible now possible
In his speech at the groundbreaking of the Mactan Circumferential Road in Lapu-Lapu City, the President announced that the backlog of 66,800 classrooms would be erased by the end of the year. Initially the backlog seemed daunting, he said. In the six years of his administration, the government could only fund the construction of 8,000 classrooms a year or 48,000 classrooms in six years. “Solving this problem seemed impossible, but there’s cooperation. DepEd (Department of Education) promised that by 2013, there won’t be any classroom backlog of 66,800,” he said, but did not explain how the department would go about this. “This will be matched by 60,000 teachers.” Such reform became doable because of the Filipino people’s solidarity, Mr. Aquino said. “The impossible is now possible. What our predecessor has failed to do in nine years, we’ll accomplish in three years, and this will even be fast-tracked. But could Noynoy do this on his own? Of course not. We’ve been given the chance to serve because of you. If reforms are taking place, that’s because of you. If these are going to be carried out sooner, that’s all because of you,” he said. ■
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FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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Burgos tops gov’t priority list of 101 cases, says De Lima BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer YET ANOTHER government body will take up the case of missing activist Jonas Burgos, son of the late press freedom icon Jose Burgos Jr. The investigation of Burgos’ abduction in 2007 will be among the “priority cases” of the super body created by President Aquino last year to look into past and present cases of human rights violations in the country, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said. De Lima said the committee’s technical working group had initially identified 101 priority cases of extralegal killings reported to the authorities from 2001 to 2012. The committee, she said, would make a thorough review of the cases on the list within the week before finalizing those which should be taken up immediately. “In the initial list that we had, the Jonas Burgos case was included,” De Lima said. De Lima, former chair of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), presided over the third regular meeting in Camp Aguinaldo of the ninemember interagency committee tasked with investigating cases of extralegal killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other grave human rights violations. “Yes, definitely. [ The case of] Burgos is on the priority list,” the justice secretary told reporters after the meeting. Besides the justice secretary, the chair of the Presidential Human Rights Committee, the secretaries of the interior and of national defense, and the presidential advisers on the peace process and for political affairs were named members of the committee. Also assigned to help the body were the chiefs of the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the
National Bureau of Investigation. Independent probe
She explained that the committee’s probe of Burgos’ disappearance would be independent of the investigation that the NBI would conduct as ordered by Mr. Aquino. The super body’s work will also be different from the respective investigations to be carried out by the PNP, AFP and CHR, which were all directed by both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals to continue their own inquiry into Burgos’ abduction. “The mandate of this committee is to monitor the progress of the investigation [by the NBI] independent of what has been directed by both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals,” De Lima said. Operational guidelines
During the closed-door meeting, De Lima said representatives of concerned agencies approved the operational guidelines in the implementation of Administrative Order No. 35, which the President signed in November 2012, creating the committee. She said the operational guidelines spelled out the definitions and elements of extralegal killings, torture, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations. The justice secretary said the guidelines also included the creation of various teams tasked with investigating and monitoring cases of extrajudicial killings. Oversight teams
Oversight teams and other groups will be assigned to revisit and solve unsolved cases, and monitor pending cases. “We have already presented the list of priority cases which should be taken up first and which should be monitored, as they are already under preliminary investigation or trial,” De Lima said.
In line with the operational guidelines, the committee set a timetable for each team to conduct and conclude an investigation, De Lima said. “There will be mechanisms prescribed or outlined in the operational guidelines regarding the period, which the teams should follow in conducting special investigations for new and existing cases, and for special oversight teams,” she said. Agriculturist
Burgos was an agriculturist involved in promoting organic farming among the rural folk in Bulacan province. Previous news reports attributed to the military suggested that the young Burgos was a communist guerrilla commander. He was 36 years old when he was abducted by unidentified men on April 28, 2007, at Ever Gotesco Mall in Quezon City. He has not been seen since. His father published hardhitting newspapers against then President Ferdinand Marcos and was detained several times during the martial law regime in the 1970s and early 80s. On April 1, Burgos’ mother, Edita, petitioned the Supreme Court to order the Court of Appeals to put on trial military officers and men for her son’s abduction, claiming she has a new “bomb” of an evidence against them. Maj. Harry Baliaga Jr.
The appellate court on March 18 ruled that Burgos’ abduction was an enforced disappearance and held Maj. Harry Baliaga Jr. and the Army responsible. It also tasked the PNP with conducting an “exhaustive investigation” of the disappearance. In her urgent petition, Edita said she had confidential documents that would show that officers and enlisted personnel of intelligence units of the 7th Infantry Division and 56th Infantry Battalion, operating
Edita Burgos holds a photo of her son, disappeared since April 28, 2007. Burgos was at a Quezon City mall when unidentified men kidnapped him; Edita came forward April 1 to state that she had conclusive evidence against the suspects. PHOTO FROM FREE JONAS BURGOS MOVEMENT ON FACEBOOK
together, had abducted Burgos. After-apprehension report
The documents, which she submitted in a sealed package to the Supreme Court, purportedly included confidential official reports on file in the Army, including an after-apprehension report, a psychosocial processing
report and an autobiography of Burgos. The papers contained the identities of officers and men of the two units. Edita earlier claimed that a military memo she had seen listed her son in an “order of battle” of communist guerrillas and that next to his name was written the word “neutralized.” ■
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Customs chief blames lean season for shortfall BY JERRY E. ESPLANADA Philippine Daily Inquirer CUSTOMS Commissioner Ruffy Biazon offers a host of reasons for a P7.83-billion shortfall in targeted revenue collections in the first three months of the year. But hope springs eternal. The first quarter, he said in a text message to the INQUIRER, is “traditionally a lean season”—a period that “comes immediately after the high demand Christmas season and the slowdown during the Chinese New Year.” “In addition, stricter measures were implemented in March to target traders who undervalue and misdeclare, making those who play the ‘cat and mouse’ game to adopt a wait-and-see attitude,” he said. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) had set out to collect P76.3 billion during the period, but netted only P68.5 billion. Calls for Biazon’s resignation were made earlier this month following a disclosure by Petron
PHOTO FROM RUFFYBIAZON.PH
CEO Ramon Ang that massive smuggling of oil products had cost the government between P30 billion and P40 billion in lost revenues annually. Commentators say the figure cited by Ang matched deficiencies of around P50 billion in annual collection targets. Last week, Malacañang said Biazon continued to enjoy the trust of President Aquino,
meaning the customs chief is not going to be sacked any time soon. Reshuffle
In the meantime, the former Muntinlupa representative is considering re-jiggering his graftinfested bureau. “The evaluation of our port personnel’s revenue collection performance will be included in the assessment of who will
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A good year
The bureau blamed globalization, trade liberalization, and a sluggish international trade, as well as the strong peso, for the steady decline in its revenue collections. Despite the shortfalls, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima cited the agency, saying “2012 will probably be remembered best as the year when the BOC’s public image began to improve dramatically as demonstrated by the results of the recent public trust ratings survey conducted by Social Weather Stations.” The same year will also be remembered as “the period when its efforts to prosecute smugglers finally resulted in convictions,” Purisima said. “And although 2012 revenue collections fell short of the annual target, the bureau still managed to produce a 9.3-percent increase with total collections reaching P289.85 billion compared to P265.1 billion in 2011,” he noted. ■
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be moved in the next round of customs reshuffle,” Biazon said. He noted “the movement of officials to assignments where they would be most effective is paying off.” “We may have found the right chemistry among our officials to enable us to meet our collection target for 2013 although it remains to be seen as we progress through the year …. I won’t hesitate to undertake more rounds of reconfigurations should I find it necessary if only to ensure our meeting our collection target this year,” he said. In March, the bureau failed to reach its target with collections of only P21.09 billion, or P6.91 billion short of its P28-billion goal for the 31-day period. In a report, a copy of which was furnished the INQUIRER, the bureau disclosed that during the first quarter, only five of its 17 collection districts met their revenue targets—the Subic Freeport, Clark International Airport, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Iloilo.
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Biggest ever: Lucio Tan Sabah not on Asean agenda firm ‘IPO’ nets P38B BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer
BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer RIDING on the country’s newly minted investment grade rating, the Lucio Tanled conglomerate LTG Group Inc. raised $920 million (P37.72 billion) from the sale of shares of stocks in a landmark equity deal that commanded unprecedented global investor interest and a hefty market premium. It was the biggest ever equity offering overseas by a Philippine firm. The pricing of P20.50 per share put a 21-percent premium on the three-month average before the deal. Analysts said the deal price— which was set right at the top end of the indicative price range of P18 to P20.50—was not cheap. But they noted that offshore investors were likely banking on the favorable Philippine macroeconomic backdrop alongside rosy longterm prospects for LTG. On news of LTG’s equity deal, the company’s shares surged 11.11 percent to a record high P23 per share. The group’s selling proposition for LTG is that it’s a large conglomerate owned by one of the Philippines’ most prominent businessmen, with two-thirds of its business focused on consumer-based segments and most of which were quite dominant in their business lines. Investors based in Asia accounted for 42 percent of the deal. Those in Europe acquired 23 percent and those from the United States, 36 percent. Long-term global institutional investors constituted 82 percent of the transaction, while hedge funds and private banks constituted 18 percent, said Lauro Baja III, managing director at UBS Philippines which acted as the sole book runner, sole global coordinator and lead manager for this transaction. “Lucio Tan’s debut into the equity capital markets has broken many records in dealmaking in the Philippines. The phenomenal success is a great tribute to him and his
management team. He has now crystallized the value of the business empire he built in the country and has set the stage for future expansion,” Baja said in a text message from New York. Formerly Tanduay Holdings, LTG was converted by the Lucio Tan group into a conglomerate with the infusion of other key businesses: Philippine National Bank (the surviving entity in the merger with Allied Bank); Fortune Tobacco Corp., Asia Brewery Inc. (and subsidiaries) and Eton Properties Inc. Expansion
About a third of the proceeds will be used to expand LTG’s banking business, another third to the liquor and property businesses and the remainder for the repayment of certain debts. “It’s good that they were able to sell at that price. Probably it’s due to the good timing as there’s a lot of interest in Philippine stocks and they (overseas investors) are looking for something big aside from the usual large-cap stocks such as those from the Ayala or SM groups,” said Joseph Roxas, president of local stock brokerage Eagle Equities. Before the LTG deal, the two largest IPOs completed in the country were those conducted by the Henry Sy-led SM Investments Corp. and budget carrier operator Cebu Air Inc. SMIC raised P28.8 billion in 2005 and Cebu Air, P23.33 billion in 2010. Technically, a ‘re-IPO’
Technically, LTG’s exercise was a re-IPO or a follow-on offering after the group infused key businesses in what used to be a purely liquor company, Tanduay Holdings. For those looking at a 12month horizon, the pricing was expensive, said Jose Mari Lacson, head of research at Campos Lanuza & Co. “It’s hard to justify as cheap because of the impact of the sin tax on earnings of key businesses. “The group must earn at least like Ayala Corp. at P12 billion in 2013 to make sense. Also, better ❱❱ 11 Biggest ever
THE SABAH question does not figure at all in the Philippines’ list of things to bring up for discussion at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit of leaders in Brunei next week, officials said. What President Aquino will be pushing for, with the backing of the leaders of Brunei and other Southeast Asian countries, is an early conclusion of the talks for the adoption of a code of conduct in the South China Sea, the officials said. Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the foreign affairs spokesperson, said the government does not plan to raise the Sabah problem, a long festering issue between the Philippines and Malaysia over the former’s still unresolved claim to the territory, also known as North Borneo. The long dormant issue erupted in violence last February when about a thousand of the followers of the Sultan of Sulu, the proprietary owner of Sabah, entered the Malaysiancontrolled territory apparently to press the Sultan’s claim to the property. “We’re not raising it. This is considered a bilateral issue,” Hernandez told a briefing in Malacañang. No meeting scheduled
He said because of tight programming of the April 24-25 summit, there was no bilateral meeting scheduled for Presdient Aquino to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak nor with other leaders Southeast Asian leaders. The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam, together with Taiwan, are engaged in dispute with China over territories in the South China Sea (the West Philippine Sea) that they claim wholly or in part. “I think it’s more because of the short period of this summit. People are busy and this is actually a very short summit and not like the one that we had last November,” said Hernandez, explaining why Sabah was being skirted. Nor was the Sabah question tackled during the two-day state visit here of Brunei Sultan www.canadianinquirer.net
Hassanal Bolkiah, who paid a courtesy call on Mr. Aquino in Malacañang last Tuesday, he said. Sabah, or North Borneo, was given to the then Sultan of Sulu by the Brunei Sultan in the 18th century for helping put down a rebellion. The Sultan leased the territory in the early 19th century to English and Dutch adventurers who eventually gave their lease rights to Britain. The latter formally annexed Sabah and then passed it on to the newly formed Federation of
conduct on the South China Sea to reduce the risk of conflict in the international waterway. Given that Brunei, this year’s Asean summit host, was “very supportive” in discussing maritime security and cooperation in the South China Sea, the Philippines would be able to push for an early conclusion of the talks on the code, he said. Asean has agreed on the “draft elements” of the code, and was hopeful China would agree to these, he said.
PHOTO FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Malaysia in 1963. The “incursion” of the followers is seen as an attempt by Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to press the sultanate’s proprietary claim after the Philippine government allowed it to lie dormant for decades. While Malaysia claims to have “decimated” the Sultan’s estimated 1,000 followers, it has yet to declare the crisis over. Apart from reviving the Sultanate of Sulu’s claim to Sabah, the conflict has led to the death of more than 70 people, mostly Kiram’s followers, and sent thousands of undocumented Filipinos fleeing the state. Mr. Aquino meanwhile has ordered a thorough study of the much-studied decades-old claim. Early conclusion
Hernandez said Asean was eager to push for the early conclusion of the negotiations on a legally binding code of
“We are confident that there will be a unanimous decision to push the code of conduct in the summit and, later on with China, when they (Asean leaders) agreed to discuss this issue,” Hernandez said. The Philippines and other claimant-countries have been pushing for a system to resolve disputes in the South China Sea, but China has maintained that the time to discuss this wasn’t ripe yet, and preferred to negotiate individually with each country. The two-day summit opens on April 24 with a working dinner to be hosted by the Brunei sultan. This will be followed the next day by the Retreat Session, which will revolve around these points in the agenda: Asean Community 2015; the Asean’s central role and the regional architecture; Asean’s future direction; and exchange of views on regional and international issues. ■
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Military officer charged in arrest, torture of ‘Morong 43’ steps down BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer A SENIOR military officer facing charges for the alleged illegal arrest and torture of 43 health workers in Morong, Rizal, three years ago is bowing out of the service on reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56. Lt. Gen. Jorge Segovia will turn over leadership of the Eastern Mindanao Command to Maj. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz at Camp Panacan in Davao City.
also said the arrest was based on a defective arrest warrant. In December 2010, President Aquino ordered the withdrawal of the criminal complaints which led to the release of 38 members of the group. P15-M civil suit
Four months after their release, six of the health workers filed a P15million civil suit against former President Gloria MacapagalArroyo, Segovia and nine others for illegal arrest and torture. The case is pending. Despite the allegations of PHOTO FROM ECOWASTECOALITION.BLOGSPOT.COM
...the 43 were subjected by the military to “psychological torture and were denied counsel.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista will preside over the change of command, AFP spokesperson Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said. A member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1980, Segovia was commander of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division when his men swooped down on a resort in Morong on Feb. 6, 2010, and arrested a group of health workers on suspicion they were communist rebels. The workers, who came to be known as the Morong 43, denied being members of the communist New People’s Army. Criminal charges
The military filed criminal charges against them after firearms and bombmaking ingredients were allegedly seized from the group. But then Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chair Leila de Lima said the 43 were subjected by the military to “psychological torture” and were denied counsel. The CHR
human rights abuse, Burgos credited Segovia with leading the military’s “comprehensive” humanitarian assistance and disaster response operation after Typhoon “Pablo” devastated the Davao region last year. He said Segovia was also instrumental in the holding of the first National Youth Leaders Summit in October 2012 which was attended by over 700 youth leaders. “Under his leadership, Davao City became a suitable pretext for the election of NYLS national officers,” he said. Burgos said Cruz will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Daniel Lucero as commander of the 1st Infantry Division based in Zamboanga City. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Edgar Fallorina will take over the 1st Air Division of the Air Force, replacing retired Maj. Gen. Ricardo Banayat. Fallorina, on the other hand, will be replaced by Col. John Estoesta as deputy commander of the 3rd Air Division. ■
Toxic skin creams still sold in Divisoria, Quiapo BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE Philippine Daily Inquirer THEY come in kitschy brand names like “Miss Beauty” and “Yoko Gentleman.” A number of stores in Manila are still selling skin whitening products already banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for having excessive amounts of mercury and posing health risks to consumers, an environmental watchdog reported on Sunday. The continuing defiance of their sellers is making Manila the “cosmetoxic capital” of the country and should be a cause for concern among those running for office in the local elections if they are really serious about public service, according to EcoWaste Coalition. The group said its members were able to buy 14 products blacklisted by the FDA, from about a dozen stores that sell Chinese medicines and cosmetics in the Divisioria, Sta. Cruz and Quiapo districts. This health issue should be on the agenda of local candidates, particularly those seeking seats in the Manila city council, www.canadianinquirer.net
where an ordinance proposed last year could have already “crushed the illegal trade,” said EcoWaste national coordinator Aileen Lucero. “The electorate should ask candidates to take cognizance of the problem and act to combat this illegal trade that is making Manila the ‘cosmetoxic’ capital of the country,” she said. Among the purchased items was a cream containing 50,600 parts per million (ppm) of mercury, way above the allowable limit of 1 ppm under the Asean Cosmetics Directive. Asean stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose 10 members include the Philippines. Sold with impunity
Lucero noted that “dangerous cosmetics loaded with mercury are sold with impunity despite repeated health warnings by the authorities.” These products are not only bad for the health but also for the environment, she said, “since mercury in cosmetics is discharged into wastewater that ultimately goes into storm drains, rivers and seas.” The group cited warnings from
the World Health Organization which said inorganic mercury found in these creams could cause a host of health problems, from skin rashes, discoloration and scarring, reduced skin resistance to bacterial and fungal infections, and even kidney damage. The banned items, which were still being sold in the Manila stores for P15 to P150 each, included the following: Beauty Girl Green Cucumber Double Whitening Soft Essence Cream (mercury content measured at 50,600 ppm, banned since 2012); Jiaoli Miraculous Cream, Jiaoli 7-Days Eliminating Freckle AB Set and S’Zitang (all banned since 2010); Natural Orange Whitening and AntiAging Package and Yoko Whitening Cream with SPF-15 (both banned since March this year); Yoko Gentleman Cream (banned since 2011); Aichun Pawpaw Fade Out Cream, Bai Li Tou Hong Cream, Aichun Beauty Cream with Green Tea Essence, Aichun Beauty Green Tea Whitening Speckle Removing Series Cream and Miss Beauty Excellent Therapy Whitening Cream. ■
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FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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Debates needed for wise choice, says Angara BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer AURORA Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara challenged his fellow senatorial candidates to a debate on relevant national issues in an effort to help voters make informed decisions on election day. Angara made the remark weeks after United Nationalist Alliance senatorial bet and Vice President Jejomar Binay’s daughter Nancy Binay turned down Risa Hontiveros’ invitation to battle it out with her on stage, saying she needs the remaining time in the campaign period to reach out to voters. “Kung kampanya pa lang ayaw mo na magsalita, paano pa kung nakaupo ka na? Ano
yun, sa committee on silence ka (If you refuse to speak out on the campaign trail, what would happen when you win a Senate seat? Would you join the committee on silence?)” Angara said in a statement. “Aside from ads and sorties, debate is an effective channel for voters to know and understand the advocacies of candidates and their stand on the most pressing issues of the country. So I call on some candidates who still avoid participating in debates to join in,” he added. Angara, a Harvard University alumnus, said debate is considered a de facto election process in the United States, especially during presidential elections. “It has become customary for the Democratic and Republican
Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara PHOTO FROM OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE
candidates in the United States to face off late in the election cycle. It aims to guide the undecided voters, those who tend not to be partial to any party, on whom to choose. In fact, some elections have been decided by these debates,” Angara said. Consistently making the top 12 in the surveys, the younger Binay said there will be plenty of time to debate when she’s already in the Senate. Administration candidate Hontiveros, on the other hand, has yet to break into the winning circle. “Debates are really necessary. I try my best to attend every debate or forum that I am invited to. I hope my cocandidates realize the significance of the process,” Angara said. ■
‘PH a torture-risk state’ BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer SAYING the Philippines was a “torture risk state,” an official of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has criticized the Hong Kong Immigration Department for its decision denying the claim for protection of Myrna Reblando, widow of slain Manila Bulletin correspondent Bong Reblando, one of the victims in the Maguindanao massacre. Danilo Reyes, acting deputy director of the Hong Kongbased AHRC, said Reblando had cited enough incidents in the torture claim she filed before the immigration department to show the risks she faced should she return to her country.
Denied claim
The Hong Kong Immigration Department denied the torture claim of Reblando and her young daughter, which they filed so they wouldbe allowed to stay in Hong Kong while waiting for the result of their pending application for asylum before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. With the immigration department’s ruling, Reblando and her daughter face deportation to the Philippines. There is no ruling yet on their plea for asylum. The immigration department said it did not believe Reblando would be tortured should she return to the Philippines, noting that the Ampatuans, the main suspects in the gruesome
killings, had not physically harmed her. Prevent torture
Reyes, in a statement to the INQUIRER, said the Hong Kong government’s obligation was not just to provide remedies to victims of torture, but to prevent torture from being committed against persons claiming such a risk. Given the situation in the Philippines, the risk to Reblando and her daughter are clear, he said. “The AHRC and its sister organization, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), have gathered substantial proof that the Philippines is a ‘torture risk state’ and there are ‘substantial grounds for the belief’ that the claimants would be tortured,
The certification of the CHR is clear and compelling evidence of the absence of adequate domestic protection. DANILO REYES, ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR THE HONG KONG BASED ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (AHRC)
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extrajudicially killed and forcibly disappeared once they are returned,” he said. He added that the interviews, reports and documents culled by the AHRC and ALRC from victims, their families and lawyers, human rights organizations and their engagement with the government supported this finding. Clear evidence
Reyes also pointed out that Reblando’s decision to leave their home was based on “credible recommendations,” one of which had come from the Philippines’ Commission on Human Rights in 2011. He said the CHR had a report on the real risk and threats that the Reblandos faced. “The certification of the CHR is clear and compelling evidence of the absence of adequate domestic protection,” he said. He also said the AHRC had been aware of the dangers facing them and Reblando’s other children who had remained in the Philippines even after Reblando and her daughter had left the country. Appeal for safety
The AHRC had appealed to the Philippine government asking it to ensure the security and safety of Reblando’s other children after
they had been the target of overt surveillance and harassment at their home. This same appeal was included as evidence in Reblando’s torture claim filed in Hong Kong, Reyes said. The AHRC has also not received any official investigation report on the matter, and is unaware if they had been provided with adequate protection. Reyes also contested the immigration department’s finding that there was no government involvement when it came to the threats against Reblando. Security escort
He said one of the security escorts that the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines had provided for Reblando used to work for the Ampatuans, and later appeared to have tried to act as an emissary for the latter. Reyes noted Reblando’s statement to Hong Kong authorities that upon learning from her escort that he used to work for Zaldy Ampatuan, she tried to trick him by saying she would be amenable to a P100-million offer from the Ampatuans. The escort disappeared for two days after that. When he came back, he told Reblando that the Ampatuans could not afford the amount. ■
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Sultan, P-noy vow closer cooperation BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT Aquino vowed closer cooperation with visiting Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and other regional leaders to find a peaceful solution to territorial conflicts in the South China Sea. At a state luncheon for the Sultan, the President said the government wanted to “move forward” with negotiations on a code of conduct to reduce disputes in the international waterway. The President referred to rival claims by the Philippines and fellow Asean members Malaysia and Vietnam, along with Taiwan and China over the Spratly islands and the Scarborough
Shoal in the South China Sea. “This is our pledge: to continue working with our neighbors in implementing the commitments of Asean member states in the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and in moving forward with negotiations for the adoption of a Code of Conduct,” Mr. Aquino said. The Sultan’s visit comes a week before leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations converge in Bandar Seri Begawan on April 24 and 25 for their 22nd summit. Brunei is this year’s chair of Asean, which includes the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Burma (Myanmar). Bolkiah, for his part, vowed to foster peace and stability in
Southeast Asia. He also praised Mr. Aquino for his peace initiatives with Moro rebels in Mindanao. Bolkiah said Brunei, as Asean chair this year, would “continue to work closely with the Philippines towards achieving concrete outcomes in economic growth and social progress, and in promoting regional peace and stability.” Mr. Aquino welcomed Bolkiah to Malacañang at past 10 a.m. after the latter laid a wreath at the monument of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal at the Rizal Park. A 21-gun salute boomed as the President and the Sultan stood on a platform while the anthems of both countries were played. Bolkiah was set to fly out at around 3 p.m. ■
Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei and its first and incumbent Prime Minister. PHOTO FROM WWW.KREMLIN.RU
PH has SE Asia’s lowest forest cover BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE Philippine Daily Inquirer THERE’S more sobering news on the state of the country’s environment, according to an environment official during the celebration of Earth Day: The Philippines has the second-lowest forest cover in Southeast Asia and its biodiversity is among the most threatened in the world; despite the country having one of the most extensive coral reef areas in the world, only 2 percent of them remain in excellent condition. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officer in charge and Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio made this assessment in his Earth Day address, even as he assured the public that the government was working to reverse the country’s environmental degradation. “Our forests have dwindled in the past 100 years [from 30 million hectares] to only 7.2 million, or 24 percent of our land area,” Ignacio said, adding that it has resulted in the country having the second-lowest forest cover in Southeast Asia. “Our coastal and marine areas
poor health, scarcity in natural resources, poverty, unmitigated flooding, as well as death and destruction with the onset of climate change. On road to recovery
PHOTO FROM POWERHOUSE MUSEUM COLLECTION
are equally problematic,” the DENR official said. “We have one of the most extensive coral reef areas in the world [but] 40 percent of these are in poor condition and only 2 percent are still in excellent condition.”
Ignacio noted that while the country’s biodiversity is considered one of the richest in the world, it is also among the most threatened. As for major urban centers, particularly Metro Manila, the www.canadianinquirer.net
official said air pollution was a common problem while bodies of water in these areas remained unfit for human activity. Ignacio said such environmental deterioration had resulted in a degraded ecosystem,
Speaking at Earth Day rites at Quezon Memorial Circle, the environment official also apologized to the public for the government’s inability to fully deliver on the Filipinos’ constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology, but added that [the country] was “now on the road to recovering the environment we have lost.” Ignacio cited several measures being undertaken by the government to heal the environment, among them the total log ban in all natural forests and the national greening program, a reforestation effort aimed at planting 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million ha within six years. “Wewill plant more trees in six years than what we [have] planted the past 50 years,” Ignacio said. “If we do not do this, it will take us 240 years to reforest our country,” he added. ❱❱ 18 PH has
News-Phils
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
Don’t leave... commercial time and 90 minutes of radio advertisements for the entire campaign period. The national television networks and radio stations, which stood to lose a lot in potential revenues, and reelectionist Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano went to the high court seeking a stop to the Comelec resolution. It was the fourth adverse ruling against Comelec resolutions brought before the high court, including the party-list groups that the Comelec had disqualified, the Comelec order against the Diocese of Bacolod on its “Team Buhay/Team Patay” tarpaulins, and the election protest case on the Imus, Cavite, mayoralty race. Brillantes said that he would meet with the President to find out if he should stay on as the Comelec chair. But in a radio intervieW, he said he was seeking a meeting with Mr. Aquino to press him to appoint the new commissioners to replace the two that had retired. Malacañang announced the appointment of Al L. Parreño and Louie Tito F. Guia earlier that day. ❰❰ 3
P-Noy for airtime limits
At the Lapu-Lapu City news conference, the President said he agreed that limits should be set on airtime for campaigning candidates as letting officials spend indiscriminate amounts for an election campaign only encouraged corruption. He recalled that he had voted
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Biggest ever... against a similar measure while he was still a lawmaker. “I don’t subscribe to the idea of adding to the costs of an election. It would only encourage officials running for office to succumb to temptation. You make the elections more costly. There will be more temptations to become corrupt,” he said. He noted that there was a significant difference between the salaries of public officials and the amount a candidate spends during an election campaign, such as the cost of a 15-second ad on radio or TV. Wide consultations
On the appointment of the two new election commissioners, Mr. Aquino said he had consulted a wide range of people, including Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa and the chief presidential legal counsel, among others, before he made the decision. “I’m not a lawyer. They’re not in the circle of people I’m normally with. It’s important that people who have more competence in coming up with advice were consulted,” he said. Mr. Aquino said he selected the best even if they might not know it. Guia, he said, is known internationally as an election expert whose services were tapped by Kosovo during its transition from authoritarian rule to a democracy. ■
valuation will require more information on the restructured group, which has not been fully disclosed yet. That’s why annualizing may not be a completely accurate basis,” Lacson said. “But if you’re an institutional investor with a horizon over 12 months, it would make sense,” he said. At the deal price of P20.50 per share, Lacson said this translated to 33 times LTG’s earnings in 2012 while most conglomerates were trading at only close to 18 times earnings. Assuming a 15-percent growth, this would translate to a pricetoearnings multiple of 29 times prospective 2013 earnings. ❰❰ 7
Testament to PH economy
But due to a strong demand from the international market, LTG was able to sell 1.84 billion common shares worth $920million and the option to upsize by 15 percent was exercised. The orders built at the end of a global road show amounted to over $3.5 billion with the participation of over 130
PHOTO FROM OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE
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institutional investors, said Baja. Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan acted as co-lead managers. “We are extremely pleased with the strong level of interest that the LTG Group received from the global investor community and we welcome them as our shareholders. This is a testament to the positive longterm outlook on the Philippine economy and we remain fully committed to support the continuous growth of our country and LTG,” said LTG president Michael Tan, considered the heir-apparent to the Lucio Tan empire. Tan and some LTG key officers closed the deal after an international road show that covered the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, London, New York and Boston. “This offering validates LTG’s position as a leading conglomerate in the Philippines. We look forward to the next stage of LTG’s evolution as a leading conglomerate in the Philippines,” LTG chair Lucio Tan said. The elder Tan, 78, is the second wealthiest man in the country,
based on the latest roster drawn up by Forbes Magazine. He ranked 248th globally this year’s list with an estimated net worth of $5 billion, improving his global ranking from 314th. But apart from his businesses in the Philippines, Tan has vast investments in China, Papua New Guinea, Guam and other offshore markets. Oversubscribed
The deal was structured as a top-up offering in which LTG’s principal shareholder Tangent Holdings lent secondary shares to facilitate a quick equity deal. This was also the first equity deal that capitalized on the first Philippine sovereign investment grade rating issued by Fitch Ratings before the Lenten break. “The transaction was already oversubscribed even before the road show. There were 11 worldclass long-term cornerstone investors that committed to subscribe to one billion shares before the official book build— the first time such process was ever done in the Philippines,” Baja said. ■
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‘Crush NPA... of bullets and grenade blasts, but two of her civilian bodyguards, who shielded her with their bodies, were killed. A policeman in her entourage and another civilian bodyguard were wounded. The rebels withdrew after a 10-minute exchange of fire with policemen in the mayor’s group. Mayor Guingona suffered bullet wounds in the arms and legs. She was also wounded by shrapnel from a grenade blast. Chief Supt. Catalino Rodriquez Jr., police chief for Northern Mindanao, said the police would bring criminal and war crimes charges against the NPA rebels who carried out the attack on the mayor. The military’s Human Rights Office said the communist rebels violated nine human rights laws as well as election rules. ❰❰ 1
Stable condition
Senator Guingona told reporters that his mother was in stable condition after undergoing surgery at CUMC. A bullet shattered the bone in Mayor Guingona’s right arm. Doctors removed the fragments and used metal to link the two ends of the arm bone, the senator said. The doctors also successfully extracted slugs from the mayor’s body, but the “numerous shrapnel” from the grenade blast would be removed later, the senator said. Dr. Jesus Jardin, CUMC medical director, said the mayor was recovering from the operation. Military pursuit
Government security forces went after the NPA band that attacked Mayor Guingona. Maj. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz, who took over the leadership of the military in Eastern Mindanao, said government troops caught up with and engaged the guerrillas in a place near the site where the mayor was attacked in Barangay Upper Kapitulangan. “The NPA rebels were the same ones who ambushed Mayor Guingona. It was near the (ambush) site,” Cruz said. There was no report of a body count, but Cruz said the security forces found matèriel in the area. NPA permits
Military and police officials called the attack on Mayor Guingona an “ambush,” but the NPA said its fighters were only forced to return fire when the mayor’s group tried to shoot its way through a roadblock the rebels had set up to enforce a prohibition on firearms in the area. The insurgents prohibit candidates from campaigning in areas under their control without permit, for which they must pay. The rebels also forbid candidates to bring armed bodyguards or carry firearms except if the weapons are for protection against bandits. But the candidates must have NPA gun permits, which they must also pay for. Don’t pay
Malacañang advised candidates in May’s midterm elections not to pay protection money to the NPA and instead seek help from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) if they are campaigning in rebel-infested areas. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told reporters that the Palace had ordered the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to explain why the NPA could freely set up checkpoints in areas the rebels supposedly controlled.
of dismantling them, he said. Lacierda said Interior Secretary Mar Roxas had ordered the police to provide security to local candidates campaigning in areas influenced by the NPA. Security operations
Lt. Gen. Allan Luga, AFP vice chief of staff, said the military would send one Army battalion to Misamis Oriental within the week to intensify security operations. Luga said two Army battalions were already in the province helping the police keep the peace during the campaign for the local elections. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it might include Gingoog City on the list of election hot spots after the attack on Mayor Guingona. Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes told reporters that the election watchdog may tag areas where NPA attacks occurred recently as “areas of immediate concern.” He said seven more areas would be added to the 15 provinces the police had listed as areas of concern and election hot spots. NDF apologizes
The National Democratic Front (NDF) in Mindanao apologized to the Guingonas for the injuries and deaths in Alatagan and promised to extend medical assistance to the
My heart is sorrowful and I am saddened very much by what happened. I thank God that my wife was able to survive. TEOFISTO GUINGONA, JR., FORMER VICE PRESIDENT
Lacierda said the Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion was spearheading an investigation into NPA checkpoints. Local candidates may report NPA checkpoints to the DILG and the military would take care
civilians wounded and indemnify the families of those killed. But Jorge Madlos, a spokesperson for the NDF, insisted that Mayor Guingona’s group had failed to secure NPA permission to campaign and to www.canadianinquirer.net
PHOTO FROM PHILIPPINEREVOLUTION.NET
comply with the NPA prohibition on the carrying of firearms in areas controlled by the guerrillas. Mayor Guingona is not a candidate, but her daughter, Marie, is running to take her place in Gingoog City Hall. Military and police officials said the mayor was not campaigning but was returning from a village fiesta when her group was attacked. Not ready to forgive
Former Vice President Guingona said his family was not ready to forgive the NPA for the attack on his wife. Speaking at a news conference in Cagayan de Oro City, Guingona said it would take some time before his family could forgive the rebels for the assault on the Gingoog mayor, whom the family described as “an elderly woman who was bowing out of public service.” Guingona said his family was going through a “harrowing experience” and should be given time for healing. “My heart is sorrowful and I am saddened very much by what happened,” Guingona said. “I thank God that my wife was able to survive.” Senator Guingona called for a resumption of the peace negotiations between the government and the communist rebels. “It is only when we have a genuine peace agreement that we can move forward,” the senator
said. He praised the military and the police for rescuing his mother, who was trapped inside her car and was recovered early on Sunday, seven hours after the attack. The mayor was found under the lifeless bodies of brothers Nestor and Bartolome Velasco, civilian aides who took the bullets to save their boss’ life. Bartolome Velasco had been the mayor’s driver-bodyguard for eight years. Nestor Velasco had been employed at the mayor’s office for just a month. Rosalie Velasco, sister of the two men, said Bartolome was hit several times. Nestor was hit once in the head. “When I was told that the mayor was found under their bodies, I could not help but think about their promise to protect her,” Rosalie said. “Tome had always been saying he was ready to give up his life for the person who helped to feed his family,” she said, referring to Bartolome by his nickname. The bodies of the brothers were taken to their parents’ home in Gingoog City for the wake. Cristy Velasco, Bartolome’s wife, could not look at the body of her slain husband. Instead of braving it, she called their daughter Cherry Mae and told her, “[Child], go take a look at your father.” Then, turning to the INQUIRER, she said, “I want justice for my husband.” ■
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‘Reach out... “Political dynasties are correlated with corruption because there are no longer checks and balances when people from the same families are in office and helping one another,” Ledesma said. He noted that studies conducted by the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and the Asian Institute of Management all showed a correlation between political dynasties and corruption, poverty and violence. “The larger the political dynasties in the government, the more poverty seems to persist in our economy,” he said, adding that another study showed that at least 70 percent of the country’s public officials belonged to a political dynasty. “It is, I think, a sad commentary that our leadership cannot be more widely spread among people who are perhaps more competent, more conscientious ❰❰ 4
PHOTO FROM PINOYPROFILE.COM
Despite ethics case, Madrigal, Villar kiss and make up BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer MORE than three years after she filed an ethics case against then Senate President Manuel Villar over a road extension project in southern Metro Manila, former Sen. Jamby Madrigal on Sunday night received the endorsement of Villar and his family before their local leaders and supporters in Las Piñas City. The Villars—Manny, his wife Cynthia (a senatorial candidate) and son Mark (a reelectionist Las Piñas congressman)— welcomed Madrigal and other members of the Team PNoy senatorial ticket to their residential compound that was big enough to hold a campaign rally in for their favored national and local candidates. Manny Villar welcomed Madrigal with a buss on the cheek in an air-conditioned cabana, where the candidates retired for dinner following what the Villars called “a gathering” of supporters. At the dinner table, Madrigal sat between Cynthia and Mark and was conversing animatedly with the congressman and Sen. Loren Legarda’s son Lean. “Our leaders know that we have to support the whole slate of Team PNoy.
and more committed than members of political dynasties,” Ledesma said. The prelate reminded everyone that the Constitution includes provisions against political dynasties. “As monopolies in business, monopolies in politics limit the entry of those that can bring in new ideas and better service. Political dynasties breed corruption and ineptitude,” Ledesma said. “A related advocacy is the campaign against pork barrel allocations—which impels political dynasties to expand in order to control the largesse of public funds,” he said. Ledesma’s archdiocese has also launched an “Our Votes are Not for Sale” campaign against the “rampant” practice of vote buying. “More profoundly, vote buying as well as vote selling are offenses against the dignity of the voter himself who exchanges his reasoning and
freedom for a fleeting sum of money,” Ledesma said. The archbishop also urged the public to always remember the lessons of Tropical Storm “Sendong,” which devastated areas of northern Mindanao in December 2011. “Typhoon Sendong has taught us the bitter lessons from the wanton degradation of our watershed areas surrounding the Cagayan de Oro River and other tributaries. The continued bleeding of the Iponan River through hydraulic flush mining also has to be stopped,” Ledesma said. “The rehabilitation and protection of our environment should be a pan-partisan concern of all candidates for public office,” he added. The archbishop also urged voters to “choose candidates with the five C’s” or those who have “Character, Conscience, Competence, Compassion and Commitment.” ■
“Attracting and retaining the best international talent to fill skills shortages in key occupations is critical to Canada’s economic success.”
There are no permanent friends and enemies in politics,” Cynthia told reporters when asked about endorsing Madrigal’s candidacy to “Las Piñeros.” “The President has been very nice to us and we should be very nice and supportive of each other. We are united to continue the reforms of President Aquino. We are always campaigning for 12-0,” Cynthia added. Aside from Cynthia and Madrigal, the other Team PNoy senatorial candidates who attended the dinner were reelectionist Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Antonio Trillanes IV, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara and former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. Also in attendance was Team PNoy campaign manager Sen. Franklin Drilon, who was again introduced as the next Senate President. “What we had differences over was issue-based and was nothing personal,” Madrigal told reporters. “I am happy and honored to be welcomed here.” More than 2,000 local leaders and supporters gathered at the Villars’ garden. A rock concert by Alamid was held after the rally. “This is something we did for our team, to show our people that we are indeed united,” Cynthia said. ■
- Hon. Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration & Multiculturalism
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Palace hails bomber’s arrest
‘Soften the blow,’ DENR union asks gov’t
BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer
BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer
MALACAÑANG lauded the arrest of a suspect in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured more than 170 others. “We’re happy that the second suspect has been arrested,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in an interview on state-run radio. After door-to-door searches, US policemen cornered Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, in a boat in the Boston suburb of Watertown. Tsarnaev’s elder brother Tamerlan, 26, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police during a highspeed chase across Boston. Others detained
Valte also welcomed news that
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured Friday night in Watertown. At 19, the pre-med student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is “Suspect No. 2” in Boston Marathon’s bombing. “Suspect No. 1” was his brother, Tamerlan, 26, who died in a shootout with the police.
several other people had been taken into custody in connection with the two explosions that marred the marathon last Monday. No Filipino runner was hurt in the bombings. “It’s good that they are already in custody. They are already under process of the law. And we hope that this will serve to lessen the grief that is being experienced by the families of those who have gone too soon and to the families of those who are injured and are struggling to get back on their feet, literally and figuratively, to start their lives again,” she said. President Aquino has condemned the perpetrators of
the bombings and expressed sympathy with the families of the victims. No travel advisory
Malacañang also ruled out any travel advisory to the United States following an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, that killed at least 15 people and injured more than 160 others. “What happened in [West], Texas, that wasn’t a bombing. It was an explosion in a fertilizer plant, so it wasn’t a bombing. The [Department of Foreign Affairs] hasn’t mentioned anything about coming out with a travel advisory,” Valte said. ■
THE EMPLOYEES union of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is appealing to the government to “soften the blow” of the looming rationalization program that is seen to cut the agency’s workforce by at least 20 percent. Leaders of the DENR Employees Union (DENREU) asked Environment Secretary Ramon Paje to help find “creative
grades 1-6 whose ranks include drivers and clerks, but staffers and officers in higher positions. The union also asked for assistance from the department to suitably “prepare” those who would lose their jobs by offering alternative forms of livelihood. Under the government’s rationalization program, mandated by Executive Order No. 366 issued in October 2004, all government entities in the executive branch are required to review their organizational charts and submit rationalization plans
PHOTO BY LORRAINE BOOGICH
ways to mitigate the impact” of the program that would eliminate redundancies in personnel. In an assembly, union members spoke out against the rationalization, noting that many of those who would be affected were “small, lowly paid workers” belonging to the lowest salary grades. “We understand that it’s a national policy, and that under the global political economy, rationalization is the way to go. We also understand that rationalization at the DENR is long overdue,” DENREU president Julie Gorospe-Ibuan said. “But what we are asking for is that the sacrifice need not be made by just the small, lowly paid workers,” she said. “The burden has to be shared by everyone.” Assistance
Ibuan said the rationalization should not affect only those in salary www.canadianinquirer.net
to the budget department. Options
The order states that employees belonging to less significant positions shall not be forced to leave the government, but would instead be given the option to be reassigned to another agency, or resign or retire early and receive benefits. But Ibuan said the union had been kept mostly in the dark about the rationalization plan, which would leave little time for those who may lose their jobs to prepare themselves and their families. “On May 1, we will be in the streets to ventilate our grievances,” she said, noting that they had not had the chance to raise the issue with Secretary Paje, who has appointed Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio as officer in charge in his absence. ■
News-Phils
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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A vacation looks good Binay touts his popularity in right about now–P-noy campaign stop BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer AFTER close to three years in office, he longs for a quiet, stress-free vacation. After an overnight stay at the Shangri-La Mactan, President Aquino said he woke up Friday morning to a refreshing sight: Tourists taking a dip in the sea or in the hotel pool. “Then I remembered it’s really nice to be on vacation. It’s been a long time since I had one,” Mr. Aquino told local officials and residents of Toledo City during a pep talk Friday afternoon. “It’s in the Labor Code, I’m entitled to one day a week. I told myself, I should file a suit. But against whom? I’m the Chief Executive; I might end up suing myself. It’s not going to happen,” he joked. Toledo City was Mr. Aquino’s third stop in a hectic four-city swing through Cebu province last Friday to pitch for the Team PNoy senatorial candidates. In his previous out-of-town speeches, the 52-year-old bachelor-President said he looked forward to the day he’d be traveling to the countryside— no longer as the country’s top CEO, but as a tourist, or even a honeymooner. He revealed that he often gets reminders from Cabinet officials, especially Health Secretary Enrique Ona, to take some time off and go on a holiday. Mr. Aquino then segued to the wonders that tourism could do to the local economy. He said that tourists had plenty to choose from, citing the many beaches and destinations in the province. “So what if there are tourists? Well, the arrival of one tourist, especially from abroad, creates one job for a Filipino. There’ll be a need for a tourist guide, a place to stay and eat, and of course, somebody will craft souvenirs, among many other things,” he said. To meet the influx of tourists, whose arrivals have been breaking records, Mr. Aquino said the government was upgrading the Cebu Mactan Airport to increase its capacity from 1.6 million travelers to 6.5
million a year. “In short, we’re expanding your facilities to ensure convenience for the arriving tourists. We’re adding facilities to encourage more tourists to come here and bring more opportunities to the Filipinos,” he said. The initial phase of the expansion of the Mactan circumferential road was now undergoing bidding, and its original cost has been cut down from P300 million to P251 million, Mr. Aquino said. Expensive lampposts
BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer AGOO, La Union—Vice President Jejomar Binay paraded his high trust rating during a crucial campaign stretch in northern Luzon, hoping his popularity the past three years would help the senatorial candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in the May 13 elections. “Never in our political history has the Vice President been always No. 1 for past three years in trust and confidence,” he told local leaders during a rally at the Eriguel compound here Friday. “Because of your trust and confidence, I am facing you to endorse candidates who will be like me in terms of work in government,” he said during his 20-minute speech.
He then reminded the residents of the scandal that surrounded the 2006 purchase of P365-million worth of decorative street lamps for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Cebu the following year. “Those were very expensive lampposts. If the Mactan circumferential road was constructed in 2006, it would have been finished in 2009 at the latest,” he said. The local tourism industry would have benefited from the road. “It’s clear no tourists would come here just to take a look at the lampposts. They don’t light up anymore, and, worse, some are even missing.” The trick, the President, was to abide by the 5Rs: Right project, right time, right price, right people and right reason. “It should go through all this, not something else. If you ask me, I don’t have any ambition of landing in the Guinness World Records for having the most expensive lampposts in the world,” he quipped. He then made a pitch for Hilario Davide III and acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale, candidates for governor and vice governor, respectively, among other local officials, saying that they were his partners in governance. “My job is tough—I know you know this. We have a problem in the Philippines, and beyond. We have an estimated OFW community of 10 million. If there’s piracy in Somalia, it’s likely a Filipino has been held hostage,” he said. On May 13, Mr. Aquino said, the people have two choices: Side with change or stick with the old system. “This is just my appeal: Let’s speed up the momentum of change in our country because in 2016, perhaps around 11 a.m. of June 30, 2016, we will step down from office. I would like any Filipino to look back and together we’ll say: ‘The Philippines has changed a lot,’” he said. ■
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Binay described himself as the “model” for a “new kind of politics.” “It’s a kind of politics that understands governance,” he said. Binay went on to endorse each of UNA’s nine senatorial candidates, citing their individual track records and campaign platforms. He acknowledged that the decision to take in Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, a known ally of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, raised questions. But he cited Magsaysay’s legislative work and the importance of having a dissenting opinion in a democracy. Binay tackled the importance of “delicadeza” (propriety) in endorsing former Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who quit the Senate amid allegations of cheating.
Then it was time to introduce Nancy Binay, the Vice President’s eldest daughter who is running for senator with the UNA ticket. The elder Binay said he often described himself in political gatherings as “the father of Nancy.” He later joked that she was his “legitimate child,” triggering guffaws from the crowd. “When I said my child was legitimate, your clapping became louder. Perhaps you’re getting lots of rumors here in La Union,” he went on. “Levity aside, just to be serious about it, my daugher has the capability,” he said, defending Nancy from criticism that she lacked both a private career and government experience. Binay cited his daughter’s work as his assistant when he was the mayor of Makati City and later, as Vice President. ■
Opinion THERE’S THE RUB
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BY CONRADO DE QUIROS, PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
Victims THE BOSTON bombings didn’t just explode on the runners and spectators, they exploded on the media. Among them CNN. “I’m responsible, (but) I’m not racist,” John King defended himself on Twitter. That was after the backlash he got from reporting that the police had arrested “a dark-skinned male” in the wake of the bombing. The story turned out to be false, little helped by Wolf Blitzer earlier repeatedly praising his colleague’s report as an exclusive. Fox swiftly picked up on it, as did the Boston Globe. A slew of reporters rushed to the Boston police station only to find out no one had been arrested, let alone a dark-skinned male. Jon Stewart called CNN “the human centipede of news” after it backtracked from its report. “It’s exclusive,” he said, “because it was completely f---ing wrong.” The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People put it this way: “The fact that this information was false is only part of the problem. Our concern is that CNN used an overlybroad, unhelpful and potentially racially inflammatory categorization to describe the potential suspect. History teaches us that too often people of color are unfairly targeted in the aftermath of acts of terrorism.” As it turned out, the perpetrators were
more light than dark, of Chechen origin. They were brothers, one of whom was killed after trading shots with police and the other captured. Their motive for their attack remains unknown. One of their uncles, furious at the shame they’ve given family and ethnicity, suggests they were “losers” who couldn’t fit and resented those that did. I can imagine why even CNNwouldmake that gaffe. Though it normally exudes journalistic excellence—its coverage of the US elections did so—it’s feeling the competition too. Not just from the other networks but from the social media too. That’s what’s been jacking up the ante of late. Twitter, Facebook, and accounts are getting there faster than the speed of, well, thought. That puts pressure on newspapers—which now constantly update their stories online—and TV to try to catch up with them, if not outdo them. No wonder Blitzer was beside himself thinking they had wrought a coup, or scoop. It’s the new reality we’re living in: We’re a world that’s now governed by Facebook, Twitter, cell phones, and other tools of instant communication. Which is good and bad. The good is that very little now takes place that’s unseen or unreported. If spouses can be caught by their partners in acts of infidelity because
of Facebook and cell phones, criminals can be caught by the authorities in acts of crime because of Facebook and cell phones. The bad is that very little now takes place that’s unseen but often wrongly interpreted. The new reality can also magnify biases and spread them with the speed of, well, thoughtlessness. The culprits in the bombing were caught largely because of the social media. The FBI got the pictures of the Tsarnaev brothers in the first place
History teaches us that too often people of color are unfairly targeted in the aftermath of acts of terrorism. - NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE
from people who had contributed them, spectators who had taken shots of the Boston marathon with their cell phones. After the FBI released the photos, more people contributed their own pictures, improving the resolution of the images. The brothers had nowhere to turn to, they had nowhere to hide. That accounted for
AT LARGE
the speed with which they were caught. But there was a huge downside to it too. Before the brothers were caught, several people were identified wrongly in the mainstream and social media as suspects. The first was a “Saudi national” who was running away from the blasts like everybody else. Police picked him up because he looked like, well, a Saudi national. Which he was, a 21-yearold Saudi studying English. The New York Post ran the story saying he was a suspect. Another was a student from Brown University in Pennsylvania who had gone AWOL and whose name happened to be Sunil Tripathi. Reddit and 4chan users saw him with a backpack at the marathon and named him a suspect. Yet another person named Mike Mulugeta was tweeted as a suspect by the hacker group Anonymous. It was picked up by others and retweeted 3,200 times. And then there was Salah Eddin Barhoum. Barhoum is a 17-year-old track runner from Revere High School who arrived at the marathon late and had to settle for watching it at the end line. Next day, he found his and his friend’s, Yassine Zaime’s, photo splashed in Reddit with the caption “Bag men: Feds seek these two pictured at Boston Marathon.” The pictures ended up in the Boston Post. Barhoum immediately went
to the police station to clear his name. But not before—and after—getting all sorts of hate mail from strangers. “How could you do that?” one said. “Did you even think about the consequences?” For days, Barhoum, who moved to America with his Moroccan parents and two sisters five years ago, feared for his life and was scared to go to school and to a bakery where he helps out. He still does, saying some people might still do him harm thinking he was somehow involved in the crime. What they all have in common of course is a foreign-sounding name, which is not unlike the description, “a dark-skinned male.” The point is simple. With the awesome power to communicate instantly today, you’d think media would exercise more restraint and prudence. But, no, the need to provide instant information as well encourages the opposite. With scary implications for a country whose Senate just rejected background checks on people who want to buy assault rifles, where self-styled patriots run around vowing to defend America—from what, or whom, they do not say—whose rightist and righteous elements are fanning a fear of immigrants. They don’t watch out and things like the Boston attacks will claim more victims. Will have more dead.
BY RINA JIMENEZ-DAVID, PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
Newbies and what they will bring RECENTLY, retired Bishop Teodoro Bacani remarked that he was “happy” that senatorial candidate Risa Hontiveros was lagging in the Senate race, remaining outside the “winning circle” even if she is part of “Team PNoy” that is dominating the rankings. The reason for the good bishop’s “happiness”? Because Risa was and is one of the more prominent personalities supporting the Reproductive Health Law. She has been pushing for it even while she was a party-list representative, and even after she left the House after her third term. In the 2010 elections, Risa placed a surprising 13th among the “senatoriables”—not good enough to put her among the winners, but a good showing especially for someone whose background lies more in the NGO world than in partisan politics. But these days, Risa seems to be lagging in the surveys, and Bishop Bacani, for one, takes her poor showing as proof of the public dislike for the RH Law, never mind the consistent findings in favor of it in public opinion surveys. “Nalulungkot ako (I am saddened),” Risa said when I brought up Bishop Bacani’s statement during the second installment in the University of Baguio gym of the INQUIRER Senate Forum. “I must also say it’s rather uncharitable.” But, she added: “I am slowly inching
forward and I hope voters will look at my track record, especially my work for pro-women measures and on health issues.” Later, asked what she would bring to the Senate as a relative newcomer, Risa said she would “honor the communities I have served in my life as an activist—the peace movement, the women’s movement, poor communities, and human rights victims.” *** BUT on the issue of “RH,” Risa received no love from other members of the panel, also relative neophytes like herself. Mitos Magsaysay, an outgoing third-term representative running under the UNA banner, declared that “population is not the reason people are poor.” Instead, Filipinos can be made more productive “through education,” she said, and declared that if and when she makes it to the Senate, she would be a “hands-on legislator” who will carry out to the full a legislator’s duty to “fiscalize” or check the spending power of the other branches of government. JC delos Reyes, who lost in his 2010 presidential run and is now seeking a Senate seat under the Kapatiran Party, acknowledged that the party stance has always been “anti-RH,” an issue that has “rightly” divided the nation. But the population issue, he declared, “should not be used in politics.”
For his part, former Councilor Greco Belgica said he felt the entire RH debate is based on the “wrong premises.” He added: “Don’t blame children for the poverty we face. Rather, blame the government for its failings.” *** WHEN the candidates were asked by my co-moderator, Inquirer.net editor in chief Abel Ulanday, what they could
What I found most refreshing about Atty. Marwil Llasos was his awareness of his poor chances of making it to the Senate but carrying with him no bitterness or regret for his choice. bring to the Senate and perhaps change it, Bam Aquino said he has been called “anak ng (child of) People Power.” This is because Bam received his political education even at an early age, starting with the assassination of his uncle Ninoy that led to the People Power revolution. Running as a representative of the youth, Bam cited the unique qualities that young leaders possess: a global
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orientation, a willingness to start innovations, tolerance in a world of diversity, and “passion and willingness to serve,” all of which, I might say, Bam possesses in full measure. Indeed, his youth-orientation was obvious during the Forum, saying he would concentrate his legislative work on easing the burden of young, promising but poor students, mainly for scholarships as well as job placement assistance upon graduation. The others seemed to me to be singing “one-note sambas,” harping on their favorite themes and issues: anticorruption and “God-given governance” (Delos Reyes), a flat tax (Belgica), “securitization” (Bal Falcone) and antidynasty laws (Christian Señeres). Because the majority of the audience was made up of students (of UB and other schools from as far away as Pangasinan), most of the candidates batted for scholarships for poor students, with Kristel Tejada looming large in the background. *** ONE candidate, though, in my estimation, can be an “emerging star” on the political firmament, if only he hadn’t set his sights on a national position so early in the game. Marwil Llasos of Kapatiran, a lawyer and educator and a “consecrated lay Dominican,” waxed nostalgic for what he called “the Golden Age of Philippine
politics,” when “decisions were based on principles” and such revered names as Diokno, Salonga, Recto and even Aquino dominated the chamber. When the candidates were asked what made them so “special” to deserve a Senate seat, Llasos said he thought he was quite “ordinary,” being the son of an OFW mother, and confessing that he is “not an actor, not a star, I don’t even have a car!” Toward the end, Llasos even thanked the event’s organizers for giving him “one moment in time,” a chance to command national attention through the INQUIRER Senate Forum. What I found most refreshing about him, though, was his awareness of his poor chances of making it to the Senate but carrying with him no bitterness or regret for his choice. It seemed he had decided to make the best of the situation, even if a national campaign demanded amazing sacrifices. For instance, from Baguio, Llasos was joining his team for a sortie in Isabela. At the prep room, the other candidates mentioned Llasos’ unique talent of mimicry. When we asked him to give us a sample, he demurred, speaking remarkably like ex-President GMA. It would have been a real highlight at the Forum if he had chosen to “perform,” but maybe such pleasures need to wait until after the polls.
Opinion
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
17
AS I SEE IT
BY NEAL H. CRUZ, PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
Where are the billionaires and the superrich? MANY PEOPLE found it strange that Kris Aquino, the queen of massacre movies, paid a bigger income tax than the superrich Filipinos. While it explains why Kris does not have any difficulty changing gigolo-husbands, it does not explain why the richest Filipinos paid less. Where are the taipans and the tycoons? Where are the captains of industry? Where are the richest Filipinos on the Forbes Magazine list? Where are the 10 richest senators and 10 richest congressmen who appear on the annual list of the richest Filipinos? Where are Henry Sy, Lucio Tan, Ramon Ang, John Gokongwei, Manny V. Pangilinan, Manny Villar? Where are the Ayalas and the other billionaires? Yes, they are on the top 500 list but way below Kris. The Lopezes, owners of ABSCBN, First Gen and Rockwell Land, complained, asking why they are not on the list at all. And Megaworld owner Andrew Tan sent a statement to the INQUIRER, showing he paid more than P60 million in income taxes in 2011, bigger than the P49.8 million that Kris paid. So what happened to their income tax returns (ITRs)? Did they earn less than Kris? Did they cheat on their ITRs? Do they have smarter accountants and tax lawyers? Not necessarily. It is because the list of the 500 biggest individual income
taxpayers is limited to those who filed individual ITRs only. If you had substitute filing (meaning, your company withheld income taxes for you and remitted them straight to the BIR, just like in the case of regular employees), you are not on that list. As Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares explained, “If you did not file an ITR because you had substitute filing... it doesn’t matter how big your salary and tax payments are. You will not appear on the list.” Let me explain further: The list of the Top 500 Individual Income Taxpayers published by the Bureau of Internal Revenue is determined by the amount of taxes paid by individuals on income earned from compensation, or from the practice of a profession or from business that is run as a sole proprietorship. The following types of income received by most businessmen are not included in the individual ITR because they are already subjected to a final tax at source: 1. Dividends from investments in shares of stocks are subject to a final withholding tax of 10 percent. 2. Interest on bank deposits, money market placements and other deposit substitutes are subject to a 20-percent withholding tax. 3. Trading gains on the sale of shares
of stocks listed and traded in the local stock exchange are subject to the 0.5to 1-percent stock transaction tax that stockbrokers withhold and remit directly to the BIR. The assets of many businessmen consist of investments in shares of stocks in various corporations: 1. We can call these shares of stocks in listed companies as “paper money”—that is, not actual “cash money.” 2. This “paper money” is the basis of
Where are the Ayalas and the other billionaires? Yes, they are on the top 500 list but way below Kris.
the Forbes list of the richest Filipinos. Its value is based on the prevailing stock prices of the businessmen’s listed companies at the time that the Forbes listing is being prepared. 3. Their corporations also pay corporate income taxes aside from the individual businessman/shareholder’s. The corporations generate employment and business opportunities
(for manufacturers, distributors, retailers, suppliers, contractors, middlemen, and the like), thus greatly contributing to the overall development and growth of the economy. Employment and business opportunities generated by these companies translate into more tax collections for government. *** This coming May 1, Labor Day, labor groups will again be marching to ask for higher wages and more benefits for workers, as they do without fail every Labor Day. They will ask for more mandatory wage increases and the abolition of the hated “contractualization” system (by which employers, instead of hiring permanent employees, farm out the work they need— e.g., janitorial and security services—to other companies; or employ workers for five months only, then replace them with another batch for the next five months to skirt a provision of law mandating that an employee automatically becomes permanent after he/she shall have served for six consecutive months in the same company). This time, however, the three biggest labor groups—Federation of Free Workers (FFF), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), and Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)— are aiming at different objectives. FFF and KMU are
PUBLIC LIVES
pushing, as usual, for higher wages while TUCP is calling for the creation of more jobs. As TUCP president and former Sen. Ernesto Herrera said, our immediate problem is the lack of jobs. Millions of Filipinos are unemployed. Labor should help government and investors create more jobs. We need more investors to put up more factories and businesses. Right now, investors don’t want to come to the Philippines because of corruption, red tape, high power rates, and traffic jams (which delay the delivery of raw materials and finished products). If the labor component becomes too costly, investors stay away. If production costs are too high, the investors cannot compete in the international market. Products from China and Korea are very strong in the world market because their labor costs are relatively lower. They can therefore sell their products for less. Products from the United States and other well-developed countries, on the other hand, are finding it hard to compete because they cost more to produce. Because of strong labor unions in these countries, wages are high and, therefore, production costs are also high. “Let’s create jobs, first,” said Herrera. Let’s accept lower wages first. Then when the companies improve, we can ask for higher wages.
BY RANDY DAVID, PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
Riding and dining in Panay I HAD strong reservations about going on a long motorcycle ride in this sweltering summer heat. When you are on a bike and you are going fast, you don’t notice you are sweating. The water your body secretes to cool you down evaporates in the wind as quickly as it forms on the skin. Dehydration occurs faster than the brain can process what’s happening. I’ve seen a fellow biker literally wilt in the sun, drop his bike, pick himself up, and remember nothing afterwards. But, I figured that if I spent too much time calculating the risks, I would have to give up riding altogether. I should be staying home instead, reading books and taking photographs of birds that stop by the small pond in my garden. I love doing these safe things, but they do not sum up my idea of graceful aging. And so, last week, after filing my column in advance, I joined 10 other riders, almost all of them in their 50s, on a tour of Panay Island. I belong to a loose brotherhood of big bike enthusiasts who call themselves “Hombres,” in mocking reference to the machismo suggested by the dangerous hobby that binds us together. In truth, “Foodies on Bikes” may be a more accurate description of our group, as I will try to show. As planned, the ride is to take us,
first, to the port of Batangas, where we board an evening RoRo boat to Caticlan on the northwest tip of Panay. From there, wedrive south toward Antique, tracking the western coastal road of the island. We then head east and spend the night in Iloilo City. From Iloilo, we proceed north to Roxas City via the more direct center route, and then on to Kalibo, Aklan, wherewe rest for the night. From there, we ride back to Caticlan in the morning to catch the same boat that will ferry us back to Batangas. I have learned not to worry too much about the logistics of such a trip, knowing how intimidating they can be. Neither do I count the pleasures or benefits to be derived from this activity. I know I will feel rewarded enough when, after a long day, driving along a coastal road at dusk, I see the pigments of our motorcycle tanks— red and orange, gray and blue, yellow and white—reflected in the slowly darkening sky as if in affirmation of the sheer joy of moving along with time. One has to be generously predisposed to open oneself to the willful surprises of circumstances to be able to participate in the joys of group riding. For us, these surprises have usually come in the form of good food. So we ride in quest of remote places that feature little known
menus and hidden dishes. This particular ride begins, ominously, with a lunch stop at A&M restaurant in Villa Neneng in Batangas City. I did not think that a steaming bowl of stewed beef would be suitable lunch fare for summer. But we are in bulalo country. My initial resistance promptly collapses when the clear soup filled with cartilage-laden bones
One has to be generously predisposed to open oneself to the willful surprises of circumstances— in our case, in the form of good food—to be able to participate in the joys of group riding. is brought in. Beside the soup, almost like a contrapuntal touch, is a huge plate of freshly fried tawilis, their crunchy silvery scales slightly raised from their fatty flesh. The centerpiece of the meal, however, is the side dish locally known as tinumis. Batangas tinumis is a nonmeat dish, made from grated green paho (a variety of tiny mangoes) and chopped
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puso ng saging, soaked and mashed in light bagoong balayan . I cannot think of a more perfect match for the bulalo and the tawilis. A siesta would have rounded off the meal, but soon we must hit the road again to get to the port in time to position our bikes for loading. As it turns out, the boat is delayed and we have about four hours to waste. Someone suggests we spend the rest of the afternoon in a nearby mall and maybe have a bowl of halo-halo. The word rings out like a call from an oasis. The icy concoction suffused with the sweetness of boiled fruits and capped with leche flan and ube ice cream is glorious. And I begin to understand why many of our people have taken to attending Mass not in churches but in air-conditioned malls. Burdened by a full stomach, I barely sleep on the boat. The following morning, I nibble on some dates and skip breakfast. But a late breakfast comes unexpectedly at our first stop in Bugasong, Antique, where we meet up with our Ilonggo hosts. Floring’s Carinderia is a favorite pit stop of bikers. We go in intending to get some bottled water, and end up consuming four plates of Floring’s adobong manok. More like a cross between afritada and asado, this native chicken dish has a
delicate saffron sauce spiced with long green chilies. It is memorable. But, a full lunch awaits us in Anini-y, Panay’s southernmost tip. In a secluded diving resort run by Boy Saldaña, brother-in-law of Dr. Rollie Tiongson, one of our hosts, we are served the freshest sinigang and grilled fish, and fried talangka. The subtle taste of the fish is complemented by homemade lightly salted bagoong fermented from freshly gathered tiny shrimps. Our first day in Panay is capped by an elegant garden dinner at the home of Gilly Dulalia, one of our biker buddies. His wife, Tess, and son, Dominic, a chef, have prepared a wide selection of the best of Ilonggo fine dining: baked oysters, baked fish in salt, beef smoked to perfection, charcoal-broiled rib-eye, garlic prawns in shell, and for dessert, a delicate tres leches cake and an unforgettable key lime pie. There’s not enough space here for a full recounting of Panay’s hidden food treasures. But I will name just three more: Madge Café in La Paz market, which serves Singapore-style coffee; golden brown Mascobado sugar, the real thing, which can make the most ordinary cup of coffee taste special; and in Kalibo, Ramboy’s grilled liempo, a succulent barbecue laced with the scent of kalamansi.
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PH has... ❰❰ 10
Carbon emissions
Among the initiatives of the national greening program are the reduction of carbon emissions in the atmosphere, the absorption of runoff water and the distribution of geohazard maps to all communities to mitigate the loss of lives and property during extreme weather events triggered by climate change, Ignacio said. He added that such government initiatives had earned the country a high ranking as a strong environmental performer in the 2012 Environmental Performance Index Report of Yale and Columbia Universities. The Philippines ranked 42 out of 132 countries and outperformed South Korea, Australia, Singapore and the United States, Ignacio said. To highlight the theme, “Earth Day Everyday, Everywhere for Everyone,” the DENR and the Earth Day Network Philippines Inc. (EDNPI) launched the Mini(mize) Carbon Olympics
among 32 high schools and 15 colleges and universities in the National Capital Region in a yearlong competition to showcase the best practices to reduce carbon emission. Sound practices
“The [schools] would basically be competing with themselves on improving existing environmentally sound practices as a way of addressing climate change,” said EDNPI executive director Voltaire Alferez. During the activity set to start in June, the schools will be taught how to “audit” greenhouse gas emissions and their energy consumption, he added. Alferez said among these practices were energy efficiency measures that may be as simple as replacing incandescent bulbs with LED lights, as well as good solid waste management, greening initiatives and efforts to reduce energy consumption. The Earth Day celebration officially started with a “walk for nature” activity participated in by
PHOTO BY FRANS LANTING
hundreds of environmentalists, including government officials and members of nongovernmental organizations, who walked around the Elliptical Road before gathering at Quezon Memorial Circle for the ceremonies. Meanwhile, reelectionist senatorial candidate Sen. Loren Legarda promised to embark on an “Oplan Linis” operation immediately after the May 13 election, to remove and recycle her campaign materials all over
the country. “All over the country, all campaign plastics, tarpaulins, reusable calendars, pins and ballers, will be collected and recycled,” the senator added. Legarda, a proponent of several environmental legislation, and chair of the Senate committee on climate change, called for the Earth Daythemed press conference to promote environmental protection as a “gut issue.”
“Environmental issues are hunger and food scarcity issues,” she said, adding that the most victimized by “climate injustice” were the poor and marginalized. The senator also announced plans to furnish local government units with geo- hazard maps, and to legislate communitybased disaster risk reduction and eco- tourism through the establishment of “living ecological museums.” ■
After 2... and redwoods, considering them best suited to absorb massive volumes of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas primarily responsible for climate change. “If we get enough of these trees out there, we’ll make a difference,” said Jared Milarch, the group’s executive director. Archangel has an inventory of several thousand clones in various stages of growth that were taken from more than 70 redwoods and giant sequoias. NASA engineer Steve Craft, who helped arrange for David Milarch to address an agency gathering, said research shows that those species hold much more carbon than other varieties. The challenge is to find places to put the trees, people to nurture them and money to continue the project, Jared Milarch said. The group is funded through ❰❰ 39
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donations and doesn’t charge for its clones. “A lot of trees will be planted by a lot of groups on Arbor Day, but 90 per cent of them will die,” David Milarch said. “It’s a feelgood thing. You can’t plant trees and walk away and expect them to take care of themselves.” The recipients of Archangel redwoods have pledged to care for them properly, he said. The first planting of about 250 took place in December on a ranch near Port Orford, Ore. Others will be planted during Earth Day observances Monday at the College of Marin in Kentwood, Calif., and in parks and private estates in the other six countries. “I know the trees will thrive here,” said Tom Burke, landscape manager at the College of Marin. “We’ve had redwoods in this area since God planted them.” ■
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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Canada News Federal Court backs government in immigration suit
NEWS BRIEFS
AIR CANADA STOCK TAKES BEATING AFTER RESULTS MONTREAL—The dramatic recovery of Air Canada’s shares took a step back Monday as they plummeted after the airline reported disappointing first-quarter results. The airline’s shares fell 14 per cent or 42 cents at $2.58 in morning trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange after the airline reported preliminary results that included a bigger loss than investors expected, in part due to the cost of a stormy winter.
ALL KIDS AT RISK ONLINE, LAUREEN HARPER SAYS OTTAWA—When a young person’s private photos suddenly go public, it makes no difference who the parents are—even if they happen to live at 24 Sussex Drive.And Laureen Harper says kids need to know there are ways to they can cope with the problem. The Canadian Press OTTAWA—The rights of wouldbe immigrants were not trampled when the Conservative government closed their files and refunded their application fees to get rid of a massive backlog, the Federal Court has ruled. The court’s decision came out as the Tories pushed ahead with plans to reopen the federal skilled-worker program to a select group of in-demand occupations that includes engineers of all stripes, medical professionals and computer programmers. Eight applicants from places as diverse as the Philippines, Syria, Pakistan and China—who in turn represented about 1,400 potential immigrants—went to court over the Conservatives’ move, announced in last year’s federal budget, to wipe out an existing backlog in the skilledworkers program by returning and refunding thousands of applications. In a decision released Thursday,
Federal Court Justice Donald Rennie said the move did not break any rules or violate the applicants’ charter rights. However, he sympathized with the plight of those who had their applications tossed. “As noted earlier, the applicants have waited in the queue for many years only to find the entrance door closed,” Rennie wrote in his decision. “They see the termination of their hope for a new life in Canada to be an unfair, arbitrary and unnecessary measure.” The government stopped accepting new applications under the federal skilled-worker program last July in advance of rejigging the system. On Thursday, Citizenship and Immigration Canada unveiled its list of the 24 occupations that qualify under the revamped federal skilledworker program, which is set to reopen May 4. The department also named four organizations that will assess the
credentials of applicants who studied outside of Canada. These assessments are now mandatory and must be done before applications to the skilledworker program are submitted. Ottawa is also limiting the total number of applications to 5,000— including caps in each of the 24 eligible occupations. A different kind of foreign-worker flap has lately been a thorn in the side of Stephen Harper’s Conservatives. The opposition parties have raised questions about temporary foreign workers replacing Canadian workers in jobs for which there appears to be no labour shortage, such as cashiers at fast-food restaurants. But the Conservatives say their rivals are hypocrites, and released several letters written by New Democrat and Liberal MPs— including a 2009 letter from newly minted Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau—seeking approval for temporary foreign-worker permits on behalf of their constituents. ■
PROPERTY TAX DEFERRAL SET FOR ALBERTA SENIORS SHERWOOD PARK—Alberta’s seniors minister says a property tax deferral for homeowners 65 or older is now available. George VanderBurg says he expects the program will free up $50 million over the next three years for more than 23,500 seniors households.
HOLT RENFREW TO OPEN NEW STORE IN MISSISSAUGA MISSISSAUGA, Ont.—Luxury retailer Holt Renfrew announced plans Friday to open a new, 120,000 square-foot store at the Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Ont., in the spring of 2016. The new store comes as the high-end retailer renovates and expands a number of its stores across Canada ahead of the arrival of U.S. department store chain Nordstrom, which is expected to target similar customers.
Canada News
Call for new U.S. crossing fee at land borders criticized in both countries BY COLIN PERKEL The Canadian Press
prefer the U.S. government focus on ways to reduce obstacles at the border that hinder trade and tourism,” MacKenzie said Monday. “People feel like maybe they’re being nickel and dimed a little bit and politicians are taxing people who can’t vote, which makes sense politically but it just sends the wrong message.” Currently, air passengers pay to enter the U.S. but the fee is included in the price of the plane ticket. Drivers and pedestrians do not pay a specific entry fee, although bridges spanning the border charge tolls that go to the bridge authorities. In its proposal, the Department of Homeland Security urges a study of setting up and collecting a crossing fee for both pedestrians and passenger vehicles along the Canadian and Mexican borders. Among other things, the study
TORONTO—A proposal to charge travellers a new crossing fee at U.S. land border crossings has drawn condemnation in both countries. The call to study a new levy— contained in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s proposed budget for 2014—is needed to defray increased security costs, proponents say. However, Michael MacKenzie, executive director of the 70,000-member Canadian Snowbird Association, said Monday that Washington is trying to ease its “desperate financial situation” on the backs of Canadian travellers. “While we appreciate the fiscal challenges faced by our friends in the United States, we would
would examine the feasibility of collecting from “existing operators on the land border, such as bridge commissions, toll operators, commercial passenger bus, and commercial passenger rail.” Given the early stages of the proposal, just how such a fee might work—whether it might apply to travellers leaving the U.S. as well and what it might cost—is far from clear. Nevertheless, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday it would “vigorously lobby against this proposal.” The Canadian Chamber of Commerce also weighed in, saying charging a toll to drive into the United States would be a “serious mistake” and pledging to lobby against the idea. “Any fee on travellers crossing the border is bad for individuals and for the economy,” the
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chamber said. “Building the walls higher and making the border stickier and thicker is exactly the wrong way to go.” In testimony two weeks ago to a Homeland Security Committee, the head of the department Janet Napolitano said fees that support processing more than 350 million travellers a year have not been adjusted, in many cases, for more than a decade. “As the complexity of our operations continues to expand, the gap between fee collections and the operations they support is growing, and the number of workforce-hours fees support decreases each year,” Napolitano said. The budget proposal, she said, calls for hiring more customs and immigration officers through adjustments in inspection user fees “to recover more of the costs associated with providing services.” Critics warn that fee collection could slow already clogged border crossings.
Last week, Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins from Buffalo said any fee could hurt cross-border business. “At a time when we are looking to increase economic activity at our northern border, we should not be authoring proposals that would do the reverse,” Higgins said in a letter to Napolitano, according to the Buffalo News. Given the importance of cross-border traffic, successive Canadian governments— including that of Prime Minister Stephen Harper—have made the free flow of goods and people a priority. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said any new fee would break down the sense of North American community Canada and the U.S. have been working to build. MacKenzie said there are already numerous fees and taxes to cross the border and a new tax could be a “sizable economic burden” to people who cross the border regularly or amateur sports teams. ■
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FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
World News
Tempers flare at Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration bill
BOSTON—A week after the Boston Marathon bombings, a seriously wounded Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged in his hospital room with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill—a crime that carries a possible death sentence. Bostonians and many of their far-flung wellwishers observe a moment of silence for the victims of the blasts, and the first funeral service is held for one of them—a 29-year-old restaurant owner who was watching one of her friends finish the race. By David Crary and Steve Peoples.
BOSTON MARATHON SUSPECT’S WIFE Clockwise: Senators Chuck Grassley, Chuck Schumer, Jeff Sessions, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, Rand Paul, House Speaker John Boehner. PHOTOS FROM GAGE SKIDMORE, PETE LABROZZI, LINGJING BAO, JUDICIARY.SENATE.GOV
cast a shadow over the proceedings. The attacks were carried out by two ethnic Chechen immigrant brothers; both arrived legally and one was a naturalized U.S. citizens. Leahy used part of his opening statement to chastise those who would link the bombings to the legislation. “Let no one be so cruel as to try to use the heinous acts of these two young men last week to derail the dreams and futures of millions of hardworking people,” Leahy said. He said the bill would strengthen
deal with immigration to make sure that every base is covered,” Grassley said. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican and possible presidential contender in 2016, raised similar concerns in a letter Monday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Demo0crat, telling him, “We should not proceed until we understand the specific failures of our immigration system.” Paul also said that national security protections must be part of any immigration legislation to ensure the federal government does everything it can to keep immigrants
Let no one be so cruel as to try to use the heinous acts of two young men last week to derail the dreams and futures of millions of hardworking people. SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, D-VT., CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Leahy, a Democrat, banged his gavel to settle the proceedings. The exchange came as the Judiciary Committee opened its second hearing on sweeping legislation to strengthen border security, allow tens of thousands of new high- and low-skilled workers into the country, and provide an eventual path to citizenship for some 11 million immigrants now here illegally. As happened at the first hearing Friday, the Boston Marathon bombings
NEWS BRIEFS BOSTON MARATHON EXPLOSIONS
BY ERICA WERNER The Associated Press WASHINGTON—Tempers flared at a U.S. Senate hearing on immigration legislation Monday as a Republican senator objected to a Democrat’s criticism of attempts by some to link the Boston Marathon bombings to the immigration bill. “I never said that! I never said that!” Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, interjected as Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, suggested that some were using the Boston bombings as “an excuse” to slow down or stop the bill. Schumer said he was not talking about Grassley, who said last week that the bombings raised question about gaps in the U.S. immigration system that should be examined in context of the new bill. Meanwhile Sen. Jeff Sessions, a Republican, accused Schumer of “demeaning” several witnesses called to Monday’s Judiciary Committee hearing by the Republican side. Schumer had complained about Sessions saying that business and labour officials backing the Democratic side on immigration were “special interests,” noting that the immigration bill has widespread support and asserting that the three witnesses scheduled to testify against the bill were “far more special interest.” Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick
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national security by focusing on border security and enforcement. Grassley bridled at Leahy’s comments, saying that when Leahy proposed gun legislation, “I didn’t accuse you of using the Newtown killings as an excuse.” He was referring to a school shooting in a Connecticut city in December that left 26 people dead, most of them small children. “I think we’re taking advantage of an opportunity where once in 25 years we
“with malicious intent” from using the immigration system to enter the country to commit acts of terror. The leader of the House, Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, also weighed in on the matter Monday, telling an interviewer on Fox News’ “American Newsroom”, “I’m in the camp of, if we fix our immigration system, it may actually help us understand who all is here, why they’re here, and what legal status they have.” ■
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NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.—Katherine Russell was a talented artist, a good student who grew up Christian, the daughter of a doctor in a Rhode Island suburb. Then she went off to college in Boston. A few years later, she had dropped out, had a baby and gained a husband, and had converted to Islam. That man, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, is now believed to have been one of the two Boston Marathon bombers and been killed in the getaway. By Michelle R. Smith, Katie Zezima and Jack Gillum.
EARTHQUAKE IN CHINA LUSHAN, China—The tent village that sprang up in two days to house quake survivors in mountain-flanked Lushan is no ordinary refugee camp. China’s full range of disaster response is on display: Trucks with X-ray equipment, phone-charging stations, bank tellers-onwheels— even a tent for insurance claims. The efforts in mountainous Sichuan province after a quake Saturday that killed at least 188 people show the government has honed its disaster response since earthquakes in 2008 and 2010. By Gillian Wong.
CHILDREN MISSING IN INDIA NEW DELHI—A child disappears. Police are called. Nothing happens. Child rights activists say the rape of a 5-year-old girl who was left in a locked room for two days is just the latest case in which Indian police failed to act on a report of a missing child. More than 90,000 children go missing in India each year; more than 34,000 are never found. Some parents say they lost valuable time because police wrongly assumed their missing children were runaways. By Nirmala George.
Immigration
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Time to prepare for Federal Skilled Worker Program BY ANGIO LEDESMA MBA, RCIC “FOR TOO long, too many immigrants to Canada have experienced under-employement (sic) and unemployment, and this has been detrimental to these newcomers and to the Canadian economy,” said Minister Kenney. “Our transformational changes to the FSWP will help ensure that skilled newcomers are able to contribute their skills fully to the economy as soon as possible. This is good for newcomers, good for the economy, and good for all Canadians.” With these words as quoted in the news released last December 19, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced the changes in the Federal Skilled Workers |Program (FSWP). These changes and criteria were explained in detail in my
November 2012 article found in my blog. The whole idea is to ensure that Canada gets the skilled immigrants that it needs and more importantly, make the latter productive in their profession or skill set. But the reality is, getting them employed can be challenging and getting them employed in their profession and jobs aligned with their skills is even more challenging. In the end, Canada is not getting what it wants and the skilled immigrants end up frustrated and disillusioned about their situation. This is the primary reason why changes were made to the FSW Program as it needs to be made relevant in today’s economy. The qualities of skilled immigrants are focused on language, education, experience, age, arrange employment and adaptability factors. The criteria is the same as before, but changes were made in the number of points/ weights to be awarded. If only to show emphasis on the ideal
candidate, language and age are to be awarded more points than previously. As the new program is set to start on May 4, 2013, and considering that the program has been suspended since July 2012, it is anticipated that there is a growing number of applicants out there waiting and getting ready to submit their application by the start date. Therefore, only last March 01, 2013, CIC announced as a reminder the factors that will affect the FSWP by the start date and that applicants should take note of them. On April 18, 2013, CIC released the following factors: • overall cap of 5,000 new applications and sub-caps of 300 applications in each of the 24 occupations on the list; refer to: www.cic.gc.ca • introduction of the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). The designated organizations are: Comparative Education
INFORMATION SESSION FOR KABABAYANS
TOPICS COVERED: BASIC RIGHTS, CONSULAR SERVICES, SETTLEMENT SERVICES, JOB SEARCH FOR MORE DETAILS, EMAIL CONSULARMATTERS@PHILCONGENTORONTO.COM
Date:
27 April 2013, Saturday 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Venue: FILIPINO CENTER IN TORONTO 597 Parliament St., Toronto M4X 1W3
An information project of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto
Service: University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies; International Credential Assessment Service of Canada; World Education Services; and Medical Council of Canada. • proof that they meet the minimum threshold of Canadian Language Benchmark 7 in all four language skill areas: speaking, reading, writing and oral comprehension These criteria, as announced recently, can now be focused on, but much of the groundwork should have been done early on. In summary, take time to
prepare for such an undertaking. It is not just an exercise of submitting an application, but a life-changing decision worth every investment of time. Good luck! ■ Note: All articles written and published are for information purposes only and some views and opinions made are purely personal. For detailed information, you may refer to: www.cic.gc.ca. If you have any comments or queries, kindly write to me at my website www. jacledesma.wordpress.com or live.n.canada@gmail.com.
Eligible occupations (with their corresponding 2011 National Occupation Classification code): • 0211 Engineering managers • 1112 Financial and investment analysts • 2113 Geoscientists and oceanographers • 2131 Civil engineers • 2132 Mechanical engineers • 2134 Chemical engineers • 2143 Mining engineers • 2144 Geological engineers • 2145 Petroleum engineers • 2146 Aerospace engineers • 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers/designers) • 2154 Land surveyors • 2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers • 2243 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics • 2263 Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety • 3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists • 3142 Physiotherapists • 3143 Occupational Therapists • 3211 Medical laboratory technologists • 3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants • 3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists • 3215 Medical radiation technologists • 3216 Medical sonographers • 3217 Cardiology technicians and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c. (not elsewhere classified)
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Immigration
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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Ashton College accepting applications from new immigrants for 2013 Lilian To Bursaries VANCOUVER, BC: Ashton College is now accepting applications for the Lilian To Bursaries from new Canadian immigrants who would like to improve their education and pursue a more fulfilling career. The bursaries, presented in partnership with Canadian Immigrant Magazine, will be awarded to four outstanding students and cover full-time tuition for a range of Ashton College programs. Newcomers to Canada often face seemingly insurmountable barriers when it comes to job searching in their adopted country. Unable to secure a role matching their level of education and expertise, many recent immigrants are unable to gain relevant Canadian work experience. And with college fees costing thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, many people do not have the option of returning to school to upgrade their skills. Often, the only obstacle between an immigrant and employment is recognized credentials. That’s why Ashton College is offering new immigrants the chance to advance
their career prospects, embark upon exciting opportunities, fuel their self-worth and empower them to achieve their highest potential. For Lourena Dicdiquin, her career transformed when she received a Lilian To Bursary in 2008. Like many immigrants, Lourena moved to Canada searching for greener pastures, only to discover that her degree was not recognized here. She credits the bursary and Ashton College’s Human Resources Management program with enabling her to retrain in her field and gain hands-on skills. “It was life-changing,” she says. “It gave me so much knowledge about the workplace in Canada and it was a wonderful experience.” Last year’s winner, Melissa Remulla-Briones, immigrated from the Philippines to provide her children with more opportunities, which is why she used her bursary to pursue an Immigration Consultant Diploma. “It was a way for me to obtain what I want for my family, which is to have a better life,” she says. “When I won, I thought, ‘I’m a step closer to my dream.’ It gave
Left: Lourena Dicdiquin, Diploma in Human Resources Management (DHRM), 2008 winner. Right, Melissa RemullaBriones, Immigration Consultant Diploma (IMCD), 2012 winner
me the push that things will be better for us in Canada.” The bursaries honour the life of Lilian To, who was a crusader for immigrants as the long-time executive director and CEO of SUCCESS, a multi-
service community organization that provides assistance to new immigrants. To died suddenly of a heart attack 2005 and the bursaries ensure that her work with immigrants continues by addressing the challenges they
face when trying to secure a stable career in Canada. ■ For more information about the submission requirements for the Lilian To Bursaries, visit www. ashtoncollege.com/grants.
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Seen and Scenes
▲ Consul General Jose A.P. Ampeso of the Philippine Consulate, Vancouver led the induction of the newly elected Officers and Directors of the UAP- BC Chapter at the Induction Ceremony at Kentizen Restaurant in Vancouver on April 14, 2013. ▼ UAP-BC President Joe Larano presented the Plaque of Appreciation to Mr. Tom “Tatay” Avendano during the Induction Ceremony.
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UAP-BC CHAPTER INAUGURATES NEW OFFICERS AND MEMBERS Vancouver, B.C.—The United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) British Columbia Chapter inaugurates its new officers and members in its Induction Ceremony held last April 14, 2013 at the Kentizen Fusion Lounge Restaurant in Vancouver, BC. The new officers, directors and committee chairs for the fiscal year 2013-2014 are: Joe Larano, Jr. - President Edna Avenido Lim - VP, Professional Development Edwin Antonio Rigor - VP, Operations Clarissa Raymundo - Secretary Ace Algas - Treasurer Arleen Landayan - Asst. Treasurer Carlo Borja - Auditor Sherwin Ruiz - Chair, Graphics and Media Karen San Pedro - Chair, Professional Accreditation Erich Pablo - Chair, Membership Henry Maramo - Vice chair, Membership Denick Carullo - Chair, Continuing Education Jasby Barredo - Chair, Sports & Socials
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CHRISTINE & CHARL’S WEDDING Photo shows Pastor Teck Uy (3rd from left) of the congregation of the Friends of Jesus Christ Canada together with his wife, Myra, and children posed for a souvenir photo after the wedding ceremonies of eldest daughter, Christine (Twinkle) Uy to Charl Van Rooyen on March 9, 2013. — Romy Zetazate, St. Jamestown News Service
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
Seen and Scenes
KNIGHTS OF RIZAL INTERNATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND CONFERENCE
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Knight of Rizal Canada represented by Sir Mario Alpuerto, KCR, Toronto Cahpter Commander (2nd from left), Sir Joe Damasco, KGOR, (3rd from left) Commander Central West Area, join the delegates to the 19th International General Assembly and Conference in Manila. Photo taken during the wright laying at the Luneta park before the assembly in Baguio City. The Canada delegation was headed by Sir George Pblete, KGCR, Canada Region Commander, Sir Jimmy Marasigan, KGOR, Deputy Commander, Canada Region.
‘SIMPLY NO DEBT’ OPENING BATANGAS CLUB Batangas Club of BC’s Spring Dance held at St. Patrick Community Centre on April 1. It was attended by close to 400 people and had Mable Elmore (MLA, Vancouver-Kensington) as their special guest. The President of the Club is Ms. Lutchie Lirio. Photos by Bert Morelos.
Simply No Debt officially opened its office on Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 9912 Lougheed Hiway, Burnaby BC. Consul General Jose Ampeso cut the ribbon. In Photo is Simply No Debt President Jay Razon. He is supported by his partners Francisco Romantico and Maria Javier and friends
CRISTIE LANE SOTANA WEDDING Cristie Lane Sotana finally tied the knot with long time boyfriend Genilo Tayde. The civil ceremony was held in Surrey followed by a reception at the Sotana’s residence.
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My Story
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OUTSTANDING FILIPINO-CANADIAN MOVER AND SHAKER
Prof. Leonora Angeles Awarded the Queen’s Medal
Vancouver, B.C—Prof. Leonora Calderon Angeles, Associate Professor at the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice and the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia (UBC), was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal at the Multicultural Helping House Society Awards Ceremony at the UBC Liu Institute last February 28, 2013. She was one of the 25 recipients of the Diamond Jubilee Medal which was created not only to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada but also to honour the significant contributions and achievements by 60,000 deserving Canadians. Dr. Angeles is also a faculty research associate at the UBC Centre for Human Settlements where she has been involved in a number of applied research and capacity-building research projects in Brazil, Vietnam and South East Asian. Her continuing research and interests are many and diverse – from
community and international development studies and social policy to participatory planning and governance, participatory action research, the politics of transnational feminist networks, and women’s movements and agrarian issues, particularly in the South East Asian region. “Nora”, as she is fondly called by her friends, is not only a professor but also a scholar and writer with a staggering list of published research works, articles and books. She has facilitated field schools for her students in UBC and has also taken them to the Philippines to study planning, sustainability and local governments in action, thereby connecting the network of scholars, teachers and students with that of the community outside of the walls of the academe. The work and research interests of Prof Angeles cut across borders, communities, issues, and generations. Since March 2009, she continues to be a volunteer consultant for the Comprehensive Community Planning Process with the Gwa’sala-Nakwaxda’xw First Nations, Tsulquate Reserve
in Port Hardy. She helped organize participatory workshops for Filipino immigrants on leisure and recreation access to community-based Philippine history courses. She has been involved in a number of applied research, community engagement, and capacity-building research projects in Brazil, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. One of her many community partnerships was with Migrante BC to organize the community event “Diaspora, Diversity, Dialogue: Cross-Cultural Conversations About Art, Justice and Sustainability” in September 2012 that featured a communityled art exhibit and forum at the UBC’s Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. Migrante BC acknowledges the support that Prof. Angeles continues to extend to the grass roots organization of Filipino im/migrants. Prof Angeles helped found RESPECT (Responsive Society of Professionals for Empowerment and Collective Transformation), a new community association committed to the mentoring and professional development of
Don’t be deceived by her youthful face and her petite stature. Nora is full of energy, generosity, enthusiasm, and she has the keen intelligence and tremendous sense of community that makes her so precious! BETH DOLLAGA, CANADA-PHILIPPINES SOLIDARITY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS www.canadianinquirer.net
immigrants and newcomers in B.C. Cognizant of the need and the demand to have a Philippine History course available and accessible to the Filipino community, she put together and delivered a community-based Philippine studies program, a first in the community, in the hope that colleges and universities in B.C. in the near future would take this on. Grounded in her community, critical and sharp in her analysis, patient, generous with her time,resources and advice, and with a keen sense of humour, she is respected and accepted by groups, regardless of political bent and persuasions because of her openness and willingness to work on common goals for the community good. “Don’t be deceived by her youthful face and her petite stature,” said Beth Dollaga of the Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights, “Nora is full of
energy, generosity, enthusiasm, and she has the keen intelligence and tremendous sense of community that makes her so precious!” Muralist and cultural educator Bert Monterona was thrilled to know that Prof. Nora was given the Jubilee medal and shared, “I am very happy that Nora’s contributions as an immigrant, as a woman, scholar, and community mover are recognized. She truly deserves this medal and there are many, many people who will agree with me.” Prof Angeles has a Ph.D. in Political Studies from Queen’s University, a Diploma in Women and Development from the University of Nottingham and a BA and Masters in Political Science from the University of the Philippines. Prof. Leonora Angeles is married to geologist Murray Forster and is mother to Nathan and Seneca. Congratulations, Prof. Nora Angeles! ■
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jUke sv
0%
Fin. up to
up to
84 mo.
Three Year No-Charge oil aNd FilTer ChaNges iNCluded
SELLING PRICE
22,228
2013 nissan rOGUe 2.5 s CVt, all power options, $ CD, a/C 25,728 - $ 3,500 0% Fin. $
SPECIAL SAVINGS
CuStomER PAyS
up to
60 mo.
Three Yea rN
o-Charge oil aNd
$ 36,248 - $ 4,0 00
INCLuded
lu
aNges iNC
FilTer Ch
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to
0.9%
CVt, 3.5 V6, al l w he el drive, all power options
anO 3.5 ded s
013 niss an mU r
PRICE
2
SELLIN G
NGS
SPECIA L SAVI
CuSto PAyS mER
to
48 mo.
Fin. up
0%
sentsraan
new 201 3 nis
60 mo.
the all
n o D o w n Payme nt
$ 1 7 9/mo
sPecial lease
$ 32,248
ALTImA sedAN
wITH New 2013
GAs CArd
pre-pAId
$500
FINANCING UP TO 84 MO. SELLING PRICE
$
SPECIAL SAVINGS
CuStomER PAyS
25,593
2013 nissan altima 2.5 s CVt, a/C, CD, aBs $ all power options 26,593 - $ 1,000 0% Fin.
Three Year No-Charge oil aNd FilTer ChaNges iNCluded
0%
INCLuded
CHANGe
oIL & FILTer
No CHArGe
3 YeAr
72 m o .
inCluDeD with all new anD Pre-OwneD PurChases
3 Year-nO-charGe Oil & Filter chanGe CHANGe
er rge oil aNd FilT
$ 1,693 2 - $ 1,500
Cluded
20,193
2013 nissan6 speed, all power options
-Cha Three Year No
ICE SELLING PR
$
VINGS SPECIAL SA
CuStomER PAyS
CV
0%
84 mo.
Fin. up to
sl versa 1.8 k hbarc hat,ta/Cc options , CD, all powe
Ter ChaNges iN arge oil aNd Fil
Three Year No-Ch
2012 nissan
ICE SELLING PR
$ 0,545 2 - $ 4,000
$ 6,545 1
VINGS SPECIAL SA
CuStomER PAyS
(0% finance rate available)
Manager’s DeMo’s anD pre owneD nissans
nOw $15,888
only 58,550 stk#101038 was $30,588
nOw $28,888
2010 nissan murano 3.5sl leather, sunroof, bose sound, loaded was $16,998
2010 nissan rogue 2.5sl leather, sunroof, loaded, only 42,640kms
2012 sentra 2.0 cvt, a/c, alloy wheels, power group, only 15,316kms , stk#121021
stk#101039 was $25,788
stk#91028A was $18,388
nOw $16,988
nOw $11,988
2008 versa 1.6 sl sedan cvt, a/c, alloy wheels, power group, 74,000kms
stk#81029 was $13,588
nOw $18,588
nOw $23,988
2012 altima 2.5 s a/c, cd, power group, only 31,000kms stk#121008
stk#80903A was $24,888
nOw $25,888
stk#51020 was $13,888
nOw $20,988
nOw $12,988
View more with
2005 altima 2.5 sl cvt, leather, sunroof, bose sound, only 47,000kms
Richmond Auto Mall
1-866-787-9280
13220 Smallwood Place
stk#91026A was $27,588
2009 murano sl awd, leather, sunroof, only 69,700kms
2008 rogue 2.5 sl awD leather, sunroof, power group, 44,700kms
nOw $10,988
was $20,888
nOw $15,388
stk#90974A was $12,988
2009 versa 1.8sl hatchback cvt, a/c, alloy wheels, power group, 66,800kms
nOw $27,988
2011 nissan Quest 3.5sv 7 passenger, all options, cd, abs, only 17,750kms stk#11Q011 was $36,998 Stk# 111023 was $16,588
2009 nissan altima 2.5sl cvt, leather, sunroof, loaded, only 77,900kms
Model codes are as follows, 2013 Rogue (W6RG13 AA00), 2012 Versa Hatchback (B5SG12 AE00), 2012 Xterra (8CLG72 AE00), 2013 Murano (L6RG13 AA00), 2012 Maxima (U4SG12 AA00), 2013 Juke (N5RT53 AA00), 2013 Altima (T4RG13 AA00), 2013 Versa Sedan (B4RG53 AA00), 2013 Sentra (C4LG53 AA00). All advertised prices are for cash and cannot be combined with Nissan’s special low interest finance rates. 2012 Versa Hatchback, 2013 Rogue qualify for 0% financing up to 84 Mo. 2012 Maxima and 2013 Altima Sedan qualify for 0% financing up to 60 Mo. 2013 Sentra qualifies for 0% financing up to 48 Mo. 2013 Juke qualifies for 0% financing up to 72 Mo. 2013 Murano and Versa Sedan qualify for 0.9% up to 60 Mo. 2012 Xterra qualifies for 1.9% financing up to 48 Mo. All prices are pluss $499 doc fee and all applicable taxes. Lease on Sentra is for 60 Months and requires no down payment, just startup fees. Total paid is $11,638 plus taxes. Lease has a residual of $6,236.16. Lease interest rate is 0.9% and you are given 120,000Kms for the duration of the lease. Lease is plus taxes. Vehicles may not be exactly as shown in pictures. Vehicles may not be in stock and may be subject to locate. Three year “NO-CHARGE” oil and filter changes are for all new and pre-owned vehicles sold between March 11th and April 30th but GTR and European vehicles are excluded. Maximum two oil changes per calendar year . Extra charges will apply for Mobil One synthetic oil, ester oil, and all new and pre-owned trucks and large SUV’s due to large engines. Offer expires April 30th. $500 Gas Card is for 2013 Altima only. Gas Card is for in stock units only.
nOw $28,628 (0% finance rate available)
2013 altima 2.5sl Leather, sunroof, power group stk#13A027 was $31,428
nOw $31,797 (0% finance rate available)
2013 altima 3.5sl V6, leather, sunroof, power group stk#13 A001 was $34,597
2012 370Z coupe 6 spd, leather, bose sound, sport package, only 10,000kms stk#121043 was $46,818 nOw $36,588
nOw $15,995
2012 versa sl hatchback ctv, abs, a/c, power group, only 7,100kms stk#12 V087 2011 sentra 2.0 cvt, a/c, alloy wheels, spoiler, power group, only 11,218kms was $20,714
Pan Pacific Nissan Richmond www.panpacificnissanrichmond.com
PROUDLY SERVING THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
28
Elections in B.C. FILIPINOS IN POLITICS
Gabby Kalaw
MLA Mable Elmore
BC Liberal Candidate for Vancouver-Kensington
NDP Candidate for Vancouver-Kensington Q: What is your immigrant story? Mable Elmore: My mother is from Tuburan, Cebu and she came to Regina, Saskatchewan as a nurse in 1965. She arrived in Canada in search of better opportunities. My father worked in the pulp and paper industry. They met at Prince Rupert General Hospital. And my mom was working there as a nurse when my father was visiting his brother, who had a broken leg. It just so happened that my mom was looking after my uncle. They met and the rest, as they say, is history. I was born in Langley, BC. And I was raised getting the benefit of the values and traditions of both cultures. Q: Why did you enter politics? Mable Elmore: I want to change the world. I want to bring an end to poverty, inequality and discrimination. I feel that we can do better as a society, that we should take care of one another and ensure opportunities for success for everyone. Q: Why did you choose the party that you are in? Mable Elmore: The NDP shares the same values that I have: engaging people in decisions, a desire to work towards greater equality, a sense of hope for what BC can be, and respect for both people and the environment. Every government has to make tough decisions when it comes to spending - but the NDP understands that when money is tight, you have to make the choice to sometimes spend less on the fun stuff (like partisan ad campaigns or the recent Bollywood awards). Instead, we need to use that money to either protect public services people depend on—like healthcare and education—or invest in industries
that produce good paying jobs. It’s about priorities that put people’s basic needs first, versus Liberal or Conservative ones that seem to put corporations and the wealthy ahead of working families. So I chose to represent the NDP in Vancouver-Kensington because they are the only party who really represents and defends the values of the people, families and small business owners. Q: What do you stand for? Mable Elmore: My first priority is to connect with people: to reach out, to listen, to help when I can, to empower where possible, and to connect them with others so we can build strength in numbers. It’s about making the lives of people better. And that happens when we have a government who understands what is important to people. It’s about a good education for our kids, so they have equal access to opportunities later in life; quality healthcare, in hospitals that are safe and clean; support for our aging parents; increased assistance for immigrant families, who have chosen to make this province their home; investments that support small business owners and local economies. This means I stand for fairness, for equal opportunity for all of us, and for optimism about the potential in change. Q: Why should the people vote for you? Mable Elmore: I hope people will vote for me because of who I have shown them to be over my last four years in government: somebody who is honest, hard-working, inclusive, committed and passionate. I have the experience to know how government works, and what we need to do in order to make change for the better happen.
And I’m driven to help make BC a better place to work, live and raise a family. It won’t be easy, but it can be done by electing an NDP government...a government that will listen to people and make better choices based on fairness and long-term stability. Q: What is your message to Canadians of Filipino descent? Mable Elmore: I am humbled and proud to be elected as the first MLA of Filipino descent. And I’m honoured by the support of so many people within our community. Together, we’re working to genuinely empower and increase the profile of Filipino community. In addition to strengthening and celebrating what our community has, we’re also reaching out to others and building bridges that benefit all of us. After all, many of the concerns, values and dreams we have are those shared by others as well. And, united as a team, we can continue to build and grow. I hope I can count on your support again in this coming election because there’s still much that we need to do. Sana sa darating na halalan, muli po tayong magsamasama para sa mas magandang kinabukasan nating lahat. (In the coming election, let us come together and work for a better tomorrow for all of us.) ■
Q: What is your immigrant story? Gabby Kalaw: It was 1982 when we came to Canada. I have a big family, and given the political climate in the Philippines at the time, Canada was seen as the place where my nine siblings and I could have the best opportunity for success. We picked Richmond as our new home since we already had some family here. I’m not even sure if my parents had ever been to Canada before we got here. As a young child, I was more concerned about my first ever plane ride. (In fact I wouldn’t go on another one until I was an adult ). Coming to Canada was a shock to me, at the time I barely spoke English if at all. The families of my classmates had no idea where the Philippines was, let alone speak Tagalog. Eventually though, I was able to make many friends from a variety of backgrounds, many of whom I am still in touch with today. Q: Why did you enter politics? Gabby Kalaw: My decision to run for politics was largely because of my upbringing in Canada - I wouldn’t have been the same if my family didn’t choose Canada as our new home. Canada is a place where immigrant families like mine could come and write a completely new
story for ourselves. After university I was able to go to work in Africa as a human rights journalist. There I was able to make a difference in other people’s lives. It was there I came to realize how our government gives every Canadian the ability to impact lives. Canada is an inclusive country, and I have benefited from Canada’s democracy and good government. I came back from Africa inspired, and have since realized that by participating in politics, I can lead and inspire other Canadians to make a difference in our great country, and abroad. Q: Why did you chose the party that you are in? Gabby Kalaw: I chose to run for the BC Liberals because the BC Liberals’ values are in line with my own. I believe we all have an obligation to our future generation and that it is our duty to leave our future generation better off than we found it. As a Canadian, I feel I have a responsibility to contribute whatever I can to make this country better. I believe we can be self-reliant, and for an immigrant population like ours, just making it to Canada is proof of that selfreliance. However that is only half the story - it is what we do in Canada that will make our stories ❱❱ 30 Gabby Kalaw
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Elections in B.C.
30
Hector Bremner
Celyna Sia Sherst
B.C. Liberal Candidate for New Westminster
BC Liberal Candidate for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant
Q: Why did you enter politics? Hector Bremner: I have been very fortunate in my life to have had the opportunity to work with many community organizations and charitable societies through my small business, my belief is that those organizations deserve a voice in government that will work for them and I feel I can be that voice.
Q: Why should the people vote for you? Hector Bremner: As your MLA I will be a strong voice of the people of New Westminster, as opposed to a voice of the party to the people. I am here for you, the citizens of New Westminster, to represent our city in government and ensure New Westminster has a voice.
Q: Why did you choose the party that you are in? Hector Bremner: The BC Liberal Party has a strong record of supporting families and small business, something I believe very strongly in. I feel that with this party I have the chance to join a strong team of community minded individuals and make a difference.
Q: What is your message to
Q: What do you stand for? Hector Bremner: I stand for a strong New Westminster, I want to ensure that New Westminster has the resources to create and keep high quality jobs; that our neighbourhoods are receiving the support they need to provide a healthy, safe, inclusive and prosperous standard of living for everyone. I stand for the idea that politicians should no longer merely represent their government to the people but rather should represent the voice of the people to government
Canadians of Filipino descent? Hector Bremner: Having had the pleasure of seeing firsthand the rich and vibrant Filipino culture thriving here in Canada, I can say that if elected I will work hard to ensure the issues that matter to Canadians of Filipino descent are heard in government and I will strive to always provide a voice for all Filipino people within the Legislature. ■
Although not a Filipino, Hector has strong ties to the Filipino community because of Fil-Canadian wife, Virginia.
Gabby Kalaw... interesting. That is what I stand for. I want to deliver on a promise to make Canada a better place, like how my parents’ taught me. Right now, one of the ways we can deliver that promise is to build a debt-free BC for future ❰❰ 28
generations. Q: Why should the people vote for you? Gabby Kalaw: British Columbia and Canada has been great to me: I am the proud product of BC and our families’ contribution and
hard work - your hard work. The timing is right for me to carry on the torch, so that I can build on the solid foundations that our parents have built. It is my way of saying thanks for being such good model for my generation and for giving us everything we can enjoy today. Q: What is your message to Canadians of Filipino descent? Gabby Kalaw: To my fellow Filipino Canadians, the spotlight is on us now. We are now the largest immigrant source in Canada. Now is the time for us to show the rest of Canada what we have to offer and how we can add to what it means to be Canadian. We are fortunate to live in a such an open democracy - make the best of it. Aim high, pray, and let’s show them what we can do! ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
Q: What is your immigrant story? Celyna Sia Sherst: I migrated to Canada on May 17, 1981 as a landed immigrant and was sponsored by my younger sister, Lissa and her brother-in-law, Bobby. My main reason was that I wanted to be with my younger sister and to live a better life in Canada. I also wanted to explore the beautiful scenery around British Columbia. Q: Why did you enter politics? Celyna Sia Sherst: Politics is something that has been an interest in my family, and I recently decided to take a more active role. As a Filipino, I am sure all of those who are Canadians of Filipino descent will say that I am right that our Moms are always there to support us! My Mom’s principles and her values were instilled in me from a very young age, and she is a big part of my decision to get more involved. My Mom taught me that hard work and persistence pay off. I was brought up in a good faith environment as a Roman Catholic with a strong family around me, and they are my main motivation for entering politics. Q: Why did you chose the party that you are in? Celyna Sia Sherst: I’m running for Today’s BC Liberals because they have a comprehensive, knowledgeable and businessfriendly platform. They are
focused on building the economy to make sure people have jobs. The platform, called Strong Economy, Secure Tomorrow, is available on the party’s website at www.todaysbcliberals.ca. Premier Christy Clark believes in growing the economy - not the size of government. Developing the BC Jobs Plan will protect the jobs we have and help the private sector create more. Q: What do you stand for? Celyna Sia Sherst: I stand for growing our economy, keeping spending under control and making sure that families have jobs to support their children. Q: Why should the people vote for you? Celyna Sia Sherst: The people should vote for me because Premier Christy Clark has the best plan to build a strong economy for a secure tomorrow. I am the right person to speak up for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant because I want to help families ensure that they have the best possible opportunities for their children’s future. Q: What is your message to Canadians of Filipino descent? Celyna Sia Sherst: This election is about which party has a better plan to grow our economy. Today’s BC Liberals will build our economy and keep taxes low, while the NDP will overspend and hurt BC’s economy. ■
Elections in B.C.
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
31
Grits 101: Canada’s Liberal Party BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer CANADA’S Liberal Party. The Grits, colloquially. Parti libéral du Canada, French-ily. Its poster-boy is Justin Trudeau: media darling; eldest son of Margaret Trudeau and former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau; and, on April 14, 2013, elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Initially elected as Member of Parliament for Papineau on October 14th, 2008, Justin Trudeau’s platform is to uphold Canadian values, bring forward a new perspective on the relationship between government and its citizens, and to help Canada be a model for the world. Hope and Hard Work … Be part of the change is their current aspirational / inspirational slogan. It is the oldest federal political party in Canada, espousing the lofty ideals of—to state the obvious— liberalism: liberty, equality, free and fair elections, civil rights, freedom
of the press, freedom of religion, free trade, and private property. Canadian Liberals stand for: • Equality of opportunity, believing that when individuals and families are provided the opportunity for success, this strengthens the economy; ultimately strengthening Canada and Canadians. • True fiscal responsibility, whereby deficits are turned into surplus, with the growth of the economy and the creation of new jobs through competent, accountable and successful economic management. • A clean environment and a clean energy economy, given the inter-dependence of environmental and energy concerns and solutions. • Affordable access to postsecondary education, with the firm belief that all Canadians have the right to access an affordable education. • Sustainable universal public health care; providing Canadians high quality and relevant health care through an efficient,
THE FACE OF CANADA’S LIBERAL PARTY, JUSTIN TRUDEAU: Vanguard of Canadian values,
working towards making Canada a model for the world. PHOTO BY FRED CHARTRAND/THE CANADIAN PRESS
accountable, and sustainable public health system. • Open, fair, and strong democratic representation, with the Parliament belonging to the people, not the Prime Minister. • An evidence-based crime policy, implementing a “smart on crime” approach, with real criminals as the target, in order to keep the communities safe. This involves dealing with crime at its root causes, in order to achieve real results. The Liberal Party of Canada is generally positioned at the center of Canada’s political spectrum; to the right of the New Democratic Party,
and the left of the Conservative Party of Canada. Historically, the party has set the tone of the Canadian political landscape, being the major force in federal politics throughout the greater portion of Canada’s history; a total of 69 years in the 20th century. As a result, the party is, on occasion, referred to as Canada’s “natural governing party.” However, it has been noted that over the course of the last 10 years, the party has seemingly lost some ground and support, benefitting both the Conservative Party and the NDP. The most recent federal
elections held on May 2, 2011 saw the party at its poorest showing in history; capturing only 19 per cent of the popular vote and winning 34 seats. This put the Liberal Party at a third-place ranking in the House of Commons: a first for the political powerhouse. As Canada gears up for its 40th provincial elections on May 14, 2013, the Liberal Party’s Premier Christy Clark embarks on an election campaign that will be the toughest fight of her political life. ■ For more on the Canadian Liberal Party, visit www.liberal.ca.
B.C. Premier Christy Clark B.C. Liberal Candidate for Vancouver-Point Grey Q: Why did you enter politics? Premier Christy Clark: I want to make life better for families in British Columbia. I want to make life better for my family and yours. I want to control spending and grow the economy so our children can have a secure tomorrow filled with opportunity. Q: Why did you choose the party that you are in? Clark: The NDP believes in big government. The BC Liberals believe in you. We believe in lower taxes and controlling spending so you and your family can succeed and your family can have a future full of opportunity. I am joined by an exceptionally strong team of candidates of lawyers, doctors, small business people, mayors and more. We have Gabby Kalaw and Celyna Sia Sherst, the most number of Filipinos to ever run for a provincial party and we are very proud to have www.canadianinquirer.net
them on the team. Together, we will build a strong economy and a secure tomorrow. Q: What do you stand for? Clark: I stand for growing our economy and controlling spending to create a DebtFree BC for our future. In this provincial election, British Columbians will face a choice between Today’s BC Liberals’ plan to control spending and grow the economy or going back to the NDP whose out of control spending will create debt for our children’s future. In the 1990s when the NDP was in power, people had to leave their families in British Columbia to find work. It was the dark days in BC. Starting in 2001, the BC Liberals controlled spending, kept taxes low taxes and grew the economy, putting BC on the map. Now, we’re at a crossroads. Do we keep moving forward, or do we risk sliding back?
Q: If elected, how will you improve the economic conditions of Canadians and Canadian businesses in British Columbia? Clark: With our balanced budget and the BC Jobs Plan, Today’s BC Liberals want to grow the economy and control spending to eliminate the provincial debt. A key part of this plan is taking advantage of our once-in-a-generation opportunity to develop a new industry by exporting Liquefied Natural Gas to Asian markets. Over the next 30 years, this clean resource has the potential to generate $1 trillion in economic activity, $100 billion for the BC Prosperity Fund, and 100,000 high-paying jobs. We will also reduce small business taxes by 40%.
❱❱ 40 Christy Clark
Elections in B.C.
32
The Socialists: NDP 101 BY APRIL SESCON Philippine Canadian Inquirer
Thomas Muclair, leader of the New Democratic Party. PHOTO BY PAUL
THE New Democratic Party (Nouveau Parti Démocratique) or NDP is left-of-center in Canada’s political spectrum. At present, it has 36 Members in the House of Commons, the second most in number and, as such, it is the Official Opposition, the first time in its history that it achieved the influential status. Thomas Mulclair was elected NDP Leader in 2011, following former leader Jack Layton’s death. The NDP was founded in Ottawa in 1961. The party was formed from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). At its core are populist, agrarian, and socialist philosophies: the New Democrats champion “the people” in favor of the elite; they campaign for equal land distribution; they stand for social equity and strive for a mixed public-private economy by way of collective decision-making, income distribution based on contribution, and public ownership of capital and natural resources. Advocacies
• Human rights protection; workers’ and aboriginal peoples’ rights; LGBT equality. • Environmental protection and international peace. • Public interest over corporate
CHIASSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
interest; increasing corporate taxes and decreasing taxes for small businesses; reducing poverty and class inequality. • Expanding funding for public transportation and health care. • Better retirement and education plans; national dental care and child care programs; social assistance and unemployment insurance tailored to the citizens’ needs. Recently
• The NDP leaked a 17-page document sent by and to Liberal Party members detailing a “quickwin” strategy to secure ethnic voters in the upcoming elections. The Grits’ “Multicultural Strategic Outreach Plan” detailed strategies to woo the multicultural community into voting for the Liberals. The NDP criticized its language and its agendas to manipulate multicultural voters. • The NDP is the main proponent behind the Climate Change Accountability Act, which aims to cut carbon emissions across Canada by 80% before 2050. The bill passed Commons in 2010. It was voted down in the Senate, but the NDP reintroduced the bill in 2011. • The NDP lauded the United Nation’s global Arms Trade Treaty,
which seeks to regulate international trade in arms, from guns to tanks and aircraft and warships. The NDP has historically favored international political intervention through peaceful efforts by the UN, as opposed to military action by the US. It has stood against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Canada’s military alliance with the US, Britain, and other western European nations. The party also disapproved of the North American Air Defence Agreement (NORAD), which merged Canadian and US air force. • The past several years saw the NDP at its most influential under the leadership of the late Jack Layton. A city councilor of Toronto for 20 years, Layton was elected NDP leader in 2003. His popularity brought the New Democrats into the Official Opposition in 2011, the largest Opposition in the past 31 years. In 2005, Layton took $4.6 billion in corporate tax giveaways from the budget and allocated it instead to housing, job training and public transit. Layton died of cancer in August 2011. Thomas Mulcair
Mulcair was elected March 24, 2012 with 57.2% of the vote. He
MLA Adrian Dix NDP Candidate for Vancouver-Kingsway Q: Why did you enter politics? Adrian Dix: I believe very strongly in justice and fairness, and that we need to tackle the big challenges we face such as poverty, inequality and increasing opportunity for all citizens, no matter what their background. Making a difference in people’s lives is my main motivation and definitely the greatest satisfaction I get as an MLA. That’s true everywhere but especially in my riding of Vancouver-Kingsway, where there is a high proportion of more vulnerable citizens, including those in immigrant communities.
Why did you choose the party that you are in? Adrian Dix: Quite simply, because the values of the NDP are my values. I believe very strongly that we can build a more caring and generous society, and that we can make life better for British Columbians. Providing equality of opportunity, caring for those who are vulnerable and building a strong economy that provides good jobs with good pay—these are the values of the NDP and I could not be more proud of what we stand for. www.canadianinquirer.net
was born in Ottawa and raised in Montreal. A lawyer, a professor, he worked at Legislative Affairs in Quebec’s Ministry of Justice and in the Legal Affairs Directorate of the Superior Council of the French Language. In 1983 he was named Director of Legal Affairs at Alliance Quebec, a group that lobbied on behalf of Englishspeaking Quebecers. In 2003 Mulcair became Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks in Quebec. He launched Quebec’s Sustainable Development Plan. Among its propositions: that to live in a healthy environment was a human right. The plan was adopted unanimously in April 2006. Mulcair became Jack Layton’s Quebec lieutenant in 2007. He was elected as the MP for Outremont in 2007, 2008 and 2011; with Libby Davies, he was appointed deputy leader of the NDP. Mulcair stands strongly for a more supportive free trade policy, in contrast with other NDP leaders. He campaigns against the Keystone XL and Northern Gateway pipelines; he favors, instead, a local pipeline to carry oil from west Canada to be refined in the east coast.
Trivia
What do you stand for? Adrian Dix: I stand for reducing inequality and giving everyone the opportunity to pursue their dreams, no matter what their background. I think especially, giving young people the opportunity to gain the skills and education they need to thrive in our modern economy is crucial. If we don’t do that, we run the risk of a society in which we have people without jobs, and jobs without people. Providing accessible, affordable skills training helps provide ladders of opportunity for young people and provides business with the skilled workers it needs to grow the economy and create jobs.
Canadian businesses in British Columbia? Adrian Dix: Education and skills training is a key challenge. We need to remain competitive on taxes, but we also need to avoid the kind of instability and uncertainty that the Liberals have created since the last election. By bringing in the HST after saying explicitly they would not, they damaged the economy bringing it in and taking it out. That’s why we need to a more open and upfront approach to politics, and that’s what we’ve tried to do by saying what we’ll do and how we will pay for every one of our commitments.
If elected, how will you improve the economic conditions of Canadians and
❱❱ 38 Adrian Dix
Since 1971, the NDP has fought to end the “war on marijuana.” NDP introduced a bill to decriminalize marijuana possession in 1971. In 1993, NDP MP Jim Fulton introduced a bill to legalize marijuana. In 2004, members and friends of NDP formed End Prohibition— the initiative intends to replace present restrictions and laws against cannabis in Canada with a “non-punitive system based upon accurate education, reduction of harm, regulated access and responsible use.” In 2011 and 2012, Deputy NDP Leader Libby Davies was a guest speaker at Vancoucer’s 4/20 Cannabis Celebration. Just last year, NDP Leader Thomas Mulclair confirmed that the party stands firmly for decrimininalizing marijuana, urging for “a national discussion that will focus on a non-punitive, regulatory approach to marijuana use.” (Source: Dana Larsen, founder of the BC Marijuana Party and now member of the NDP since 2003.) ■ NDP official website: www. ndp.ca, Sources: Wikipedia; thecanadianencyclopedia.com.
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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Entertainment Jepsen bests Bieber to win Juno Awards for album, single and pop album of year BY NICK PATCH The Canadian Press REGINA—The 42nd Juno Awards dialled in on Carly Rae Jepsen, celebrating the cheerful singer/songwriter and her rollercoaster summer smash “Call Me Maybe” with three trophies that all came at the expense of the teen superstar who helped discover her: Justin Bieber. Jepsen had the biggest haul of the weekend with marquee wins for single, album and pop album of the year—all categories in which the absent 19-year-old pop pinup/ tabloid spectacle from Stratford, Ont., was also nominated—at a briskly paced Prairies party at the Brandt Centre. The Mission, B.C., native seemed particularly stunned that her gold-selling DayGlo valentine to ‘80s pop “Kiss” triumphed in the biggest category of the evening, album of the year, over multi-platinum efforts from Bieber and Celine Dion. “Wow. I don’t even know what to say. There are so many people who deserve this, and what an honour,” she said, her voice repeatedly cracking. “I want to thank all of you here tonight. Everyone! This is truly a dream come true for me. If I could only
explain how I feel. “I’m sorta speechless,” she added, having thanked Bieber himself in a previous speech. “This is amazing. Thank you so much.” Backstage, she said she expected Bieber would be happy for her. “I think in general (it’s) a shared success,” said Jepsen, who said she hadn’t heard from him yet but was “sure he’ll send some love.” “The fact that he has really been my main supporter and he signed me, and because of that I was able to make the record ‘Kiss’ and sort of be exposed to the world beyond Canada. So I have nothing to say to him other than thank you and I know he’s been rooting for me just as much as his own stuff.” Meanwhile, a confident Michael Buble gave the show its biggest dose of star power and was introduced to a boisterous response from the audience. He opened the show with a selfdeprecating pre-taped bit in which a series of celebrities—including Kelly Ripa, Gerard Butler, Dr. Phil and former host Russell Peters—doubted his ability to competently steer the program. “You may not have the career of William Shatner. You don’t have the street cred of a Drake, I’ll admit that. You don’t have the
musical talent of a Justin Bieber— but you can do this,” said Dr. Phil, with Buble reclined on his couch. “Man up man. You can do this. Get out there and do it. He then paused. “No way he can do this. They should have got Jim Cuddy.” In a brief monologue, Buble was earnest in discussing how honoured he was to take the lead on the broadcast, stressing how much the Junos have meant to him over the years. He made the obligatory reference to the hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders and gently poked fun at the host city—“I have a tip for all my musician friends out here: I just want you guys to know that potash is not what you think it is.” The most barbed remark among his pithy speech began with an innocent comment about his impending fatherhood. “I have heard the horror stories about no sleep and the late-night feeds and the little poopy diapers and the puking,” he said. “Truth is, I figure it’s just like being on tour with Justin Bieber.” When some of the kinder souls in the crowd hooted their disapproval, he added: “I’m one minute into my monologue and you guys are either booing me or going ‘Buuu-ble!’” He did make an ongoing joke
PHOTOS FROM CARLYRAEMUSIC.COM
out of the apparent inevitability of his failure and his insecurity over appearing onstage. Chatting via satellite with of-the-moment British teen heart-throbs One Direction, he pretended to steel his nerves with an awkward selfpep talk before butchering the interview. “Do you guys like um, stuff?” he asked. When they answered in the affirmative, he grinned with relief. “Me too. Stuff’s awesome. So cool.” Seventy-eight year old Montreal troubadour Leonard Cohen was also feted in the Saskatchewan capital, wresting his second Juno of the year—fifth of his career—for songwriter of the year after releasing his platinum-certified “Old Ideas,” a pitch-black rumination on mortality, aging and faith that topped the charts in Canada. The award was accepted by his son, singer Adam Cohen, who said his father considered Canada “the beating heart of his career.” “I’d like to say I haven’t had much contact with my dad recently because he’s been on tour in Canada,” Cohen said of his father, who also won artist of the year. “He only called the other day to say, ‘What’s the user name and password at the house?’ But I know that he has deep, deep fondness for the love that Canada has always expressed to him.” But other than Cohen, the evening really belonged to the kids. While Bieber might have been licking his wounds after another
so-so night of Juno returns, he could be comforted with his fourth career Juno win, this time for the fan choice award. Surely, if the Junos’ voting bloc doesn’t consider the recently troubled teen worthy of celebration, his droves of devotees still do—it’s the third time they’ve carried him to that particular honour. And Marianas Trench, the dramatic Vancouver pop outfit, won group of the year despite missing out on other nominations for their platinum concept record “Ever After,” while 27-year-old frontman Josh Ramsay also shared in the elation at Jepsen’s single of the year win given his co-write of her Skittles-sweet smash. It doesn’t stop there. Retrominded Hamilton classic rockers Monster Truck—as obviously rooted in the ‘70s as a well-worn shag carpet—claimed a win in the competitive breakthrough group of the year category over buzzy YouTube sensations Walk Off the Earth even though their debut full-length isn’t due until next month. It’s the Juno win itself that might actually inspire their breakthrough. “Wow, wow,” frontman Jeremy Widerman said after reading comments from his phone. “Breakthrough group of the year when you’re 30 years old is nothing to scoff at.” Backstage, he admitted he ❱❱ 36 Jepsen bests
Entertainment
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Ongpaucos miffed by Chiz interview: Stop skirting issues BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PARENTS of Heart Evangelista challenged Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, the actress’ boyfriend, to stop “skirting the issues about his character” and answer them. Rey and Cecile Ongpauco earlier demanded an apology from the senator, whom they accused of being disrespectful and arrogant, and “manipulating” their daughter into “going against her family.” The Ongpaucos appealed to Chiz: “Leave our daughter alone.” In a statement sent to the INQUIRER, Rey said he was “very offended” by Chiz’s “glib comments” in an interview published on Sunday in the INQUIRER. Rey accused the senator of “instructing” Heart to tell the media that her parents were telling lies. He dared Chiz to refute his claim that the latter was alcoholic. Rey believes this was one of the “dark reasons” that Chiz’s exwife, singer Christine Flores, left the senator.
that Chiz said when he visited the INQUIRER office on April 4. For instance, the senator said he also had children and he would have problems with them for sure when they grew up, but he would not call a press conference “to say bad things about them.” The Ongpaucos called a press con on March 14, during which Cecile claimed the senator had “seduced” Heart into thinking he would become president by 2016 and she would be first lady. Cecile said the family found Chiz’s relationship with their daughter “unacceptable” because the
that Chiz was wearing a pink-andblack bracelet that had Heart’s name on it. He said she wore one that had his name. They bought the love bands, he said, during their four-day trip to the United States in February. “They were being sold on the sidewalk for $9 a piece. You get to choose the color of the yarn and they make the bands while you wait,” Chiz said. The trip is his most expensive gift to Heart so far, he volunteered. “She wanted to take time off work. We went to San Francisco, where I got to meet her half-
I am ready to take a lie detector test anytime. Is Chiz [ready]? REY ONGPAUCO
‘Living together’
Famous actress, singer, model, and TV personality Heart Evangelista, age 28, revealed in the media June 2012 that she was dating the senator, 15 years her senior. INSTAGRAM PHOTOS BY EVANGELISTA
Rey then revealed that Chiz and Heart had been “living together” since July. “He pounced on Heart as early as July (2012) … He acts like the owner of her condos and her cars, and orders her [not to talk] to her own parents.” Rey challenged Chiz to admit that he gave Heart an “expensive, diamond-encrusted” watch. He also claimed the senator had “boasted” that he could order the deportation of Heart’s ex-boyfriend, JapaneseBrazilian model Daniel Matsunaga, “or even send him to jail.” With the elections coming up, Rey said Chiz, whom he described as “a smooth-talking politician,” was out to “clean up his backyard.” The Ongpauco patriarch said it was a “tragedy” that his daughter had “turned hostile toward her own parents.” Rey added: “Chiz can have Heart … However, his political ambitions do not give him the right to libel me and my wife, [to claim] that we’re lying. I am ready to take a lie detector test anytime. Is Chiz [ready]?” Senator says
The Ongpaucos issued the statement in reaction to things www.canadianinquirer.net
senator was unable to give their 28-year-old daughter a Church wedding. Chiz’s first marriage was annulled by the court last year. His Church wedding has not been annulled. Chiz, 43, said Heart was “devastated” by the conflict, but that she was “getting better.” He related, “What you saw on TV was basically how she was after the incident (the parent’s press con) and the week after that.” Heart gave an interview to GMA 7’s talk show, “Hot TV,” on March 24. With a friend
But Chiz insisted that Heart was staying at “a friend’s house.” The actress has left her condominium unit in Makati, where her parents also live. “She feels uneasy, I guess,” he added. He’s not one to burn bridges, though, he said: “That’s why, as best I can, I’m maintaining respect [sic]. Heart and I would never say anything negative against [her parents]. We just try to understand where they’re coming from.” Reporters present on the night of his INQUIRER visit noticed
sister, then to Napa Valley for some wine-tasting,” he said. “I’m no connoisseur, though. My only requirement of wine is that it should cost P300 a bottle, or less.” Because of Heart, the senator said, “I smile more often [now].” He hardly hangs out with Heart’s friends from show biz, but gets to check out party places like Republiq in Pasay City and Privé in Taguig City with her. While he is affected by the row with her parents (“Hindi po ako ‘Pusong Bato’”), he said he wasn’t about to consider suicide, like Romeo to Heart’s Juliet. Chiz’s current favorite song is Christina Perri’s “AThousand Years,” theme of the romantic hit movie, “Breaking Dawn.” He explained: “It’s about a lasting relationship.” From time to time, he said, he gives Heart pieces of advice on her finances … and twice he surprised her at work. Chiz recounted: “First I asked if it was OK to bring food. She said I didn’t have to—there are over 200 crew members. But on her last birthday, I did. And since it was also Valentine’s Day, I gave flowers to all the women on the set.” ■
Entertainment
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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2 PH films on war, progress to compete in Cannes fest BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer FILIPINO filmmakers Lav Diaz and Adolfo Alix Jr. describe the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes International Film Festival as the “serious, experimental” part of the world’s biggest cinema event. Un Certain Regard, in which the two indie directors are participating this year, aims to “showcase films of wideranging visions and styles” and “recognizes young talent and encourages innovative and daring works,” according to online accounts. Diaz, famous for lengthy, introspective pieces, told the Inquirer, “It’s famous for showing art films.” His entry, “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan (Norte, The End of History),” clocks in at four hours and was filmed on location in Ilocos Norte. Alix fielded “Death March,” which has a running time of one hour and 45 minutes and was shot completely in a studio. It’s a Cannes debut for Diaz, who has won twice in the Orizzonti section of the Venice festival, another upper-tier gathering—in 2007 for “Death in the Land of Encantos” and in 2008 for “Melancholia.” Second time
“Death March” is Alix’s second movie in the French fest, now on its 66th year.
In 2009, “Manila,” which he codirected with Raya Martin, was shown in the Special Screenings section. Unlike Diaz’s previous works that were in black and white, “Norte” is in color— all the better to show off, he said, the “diverse terrain” of northern Philippines. He explained: “Ilocos is beautiful, dry, wet, lush. There are sand dunes, mountains, coastline communities as well as a bustling city.” He first wanted to shoot in Bicol, but finally went for Ilocos Norte, specifically Brgy. La Paz in Paoay town, an area undergoing a major makeover. “It used to be an impoverished neighborhood,” said Diaz. “But it is home to a lot of Overseas Filipino Workers, and it is changing rapidly.” The film tackles the themes of progress and migration, Diaz said. Produced by Wacky O Productions, “Norte” features Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayani, Archie Alemania, Hazel Orencio, Soliman Cruz, Mae Paner, Angelina Kanapi, Perry Dizon, Noel Sto. Domingo, Moira, Dea Formacil and Kristian Chua in the cast. “(Ilocos Norte Gov.) Imee Marcos suggested the location,” Diaz recalled. “The local government and the residents were very cooperative during the shoot.” The script was a collaboration between Diaz and playwright Rody Vera, who also wrote
“Death March.” Vera admitted, “I’m happy and proud, but not overly so. Like Woody Allen, I tend to be anhedonic when it comes to festivals and awards.” Apart from Vera, Alix’s war drama shares another thing with “Norte”—lead actor Lucero who plays a soldier, along with fellow mainstream stars Zanjoe Marudo, Sam Milby, Jason Abalos, Carlo Aquino, Felix Roco and Jacky Woo. Alix related that the actors, despite their busy schedules, readily joined the production because of its historical theme. “For Jason, it was also very personal; his grandfather was in the real Death March.” The film recounts how over 60,000 Filipino and American prisoners, many of them wounded, were forced by the occupying Japanese Army to walk for 128 kilometers during World War II. Surprised
“I was surprised when (Japanese actor) Jacky agreed not only to star in, but to produce, this film. He said that this movie could encourage people to talk about that tragic part of our shared history,” Alix noted. After brainstorming with Vera, Alix decided to shoot the entire movie in a studio. “The script had a lot of surreal elements that could be achieved in a studio. The mountains, the trees, the scenery were hand-painted by production designer Art Nicdao and his team.”
‘Wowowillie’ summoned
Sam Milby in Adolf Alix Jr.’s “Death March” INSTAGRAM PHOTO BY MILBY
It’s Alix’s most audacious piece of work—a fitting finale to his trilogy on the “dementia of solitude.” He explained, “I tackled the same themes of war, loneliness and madness in my two previous films ‘Liberacion’ and ‘Kalayaan.’” He is looking forward to attending the festival from May 15 to 27. Always special
“Cannes is always special,” Alix said. “It’s chaotic, crowded, but where else can you watch commercial flicks side by side with art-house films?” Diaz, who is currently wrapping up his film’s final cut,
BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer THE MOVIE and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has summoned the TV5 noontime show “Wowowillie” once again to a hearing “due to the skimpy outfits and excessive flesh exposure of female dancers.” In a statement sent to the INQUIRER, the board singled out a specific episode of the game-variety show, hosted by Host Willie Revillame
www.canadianinquirer.net
is undecided about traveling to France for the event. Diaz, however, pointed out that two Filipino films in Un Certain Regard is good news for the country’s emergent cinema. “It shows the world that Filipino filmmakers are continuously experimenting, working, creating.” Alix agreed: “It’s a big deal.” Only 50 of some 1,700 films submitted to Cannes this year will be screened during the 11-day event, according to the festival site. Diaz and Alix were honorees in the first Inquirer Indie Bravo! Tribute in 2010. ■
Willie Revillame, that was aired on April 16. The board explained that the meeting is being called because of its “concern over the welfare of both women and children.” At the meeting, TV5 and Wil Productions representatives are expected to “explain concrete and permanent to avoid similar offensive the future, according statement. Last month, the MTRCB summoned TV5 and to a hearing castigated cohost Ethel air on the show’s Feb. ■
Entertainment Jepsen bests...
Janine Tugonon breaks up with boyfriend
PHOTOS FROM LAST.FM AND TWITTER
JANINE Tugonon’s relationship status: Single. This was the Miss Universe 2012 first runner-up’s big reveal on morning talk show Kris TV last April 16. She said, “Actually, honestly ngayon, we are not in good terms. Siguro may nangyari lang na hindi ko ini-expect na mangyayari. Honestly po kasi break talaga kami ngayon.” (To be honest, we [referring to ex-boyfriend Jaypee Santos and herself] are not on good terms. I guess there were some things that happened that I didn’t expect. Actually, we’ve already broken up.) Tugonon might be pertaining to the incident with Dublin-based rock band The Script. The beauty queen reportedly met the band’s vocalist, Danny O’Donoghue, in a concert. The 23-year-old UST Magna Cum Laude said: Nanood kami ng concert. Kasi hindi ba sa Araneta kapag may meet-and greet, since kilala ako ang staff ng Araneta, sabi ko sa kanila ‘sobra akong fan ng The Script, pwede bang ma-meet ko?’ So, na-meet niya ako, nandoon siya si (Santos) ipinakilala ko nga siya. Kasi tinanong niya (O’Donoghue), ‘Do you have a
boyfriend?’ Sabi ko, ‘Yeah, that’s my boyfriend.’ Tapos ’yon sabi niya, ‘Follow me on Twitter and I will follow you back.’ Tapos nag-direct message siya. (We watched the concert at Araneta Coliseum. There was what you call a ‘meet and greet,’ so I asked some people I knew from Araneta if I could meet the band. I met the band, Jaypee was also there, and I even introduced him as my boyfriend. Then, Danny O’Donoghue told me, ‘Follow me on Twitter and I will follow you back.’ Then, he sent me a direct message). Tugonon admitted that her then-boyfriend got angry. “Oo nagalit siya kasi sabi niya kung ayaw mo talaga sa taong ’yan hindi mo siya kokontakin.” (Yes, he got angry. He said if you really didn’t like that person, you wouldn’t contact him). The beauty queen, who hails from Balanga, Bataan, said that they had an argument that eventually led to their breakup. Janine explained her side. “Kasi nga ayaw ko naman na may iba akong iniisip. Sabi ko lang sa kanya siguro, I need some time to think talaga.” (I don’t want to think of other things. I told him that I need some time to think things over.) Although Tugonon denied rumors that she and O’Donoghue are already in a relationship, she
wasn’t optimistic going into the show: “I thought there was no way, to be honest.” With the gala’s youthful bent, Serena Ryder actually seemed a grizzled veteran next to some of her newbie peers. She won adult alternative album of the year—her fourth career Juno—for her goldcertified “Harmony” and the huskyvoiced singer/songwriter with the astonishing vocal range put in a roof-rattling performance of her propulsive recent hit “Stompa.” “This is absolutely amazing,” she said in accepting her award. “I almost started crying before I left my seat and that’s not cool.” In other performances, Toronto new-wave act put in a sleek, stylish take on the propulsive “Synthetica,” Marianas Trench performed a mashup of “Fallout” and “Stutter” with help from a blue-robed church choir and Jepsen’s medley of “Call Me Maybe” and her new single “Tonight I’m Getting Over You” found her shedding her modest duds and trotting across the stage in an atypically revealing getup before blowing kisses at the crowd, which provoked a leering comment from Buble. “She was so hot—did you see those little shorts? They looked good on her but they’d look better crumpled up on my bedroom floor if you know what I mean,” he said, as the camera panned to catch his wife, Luisana Lopilato. “Oooh. It’s my pregnant wife. Hiii baby,” he added, as she gave him the cut off sign. Of course, there was also the incomparable k.d. lang, the native of Consort, Alta., who has ❰❰ 33
Left: Janine Tugonon with now exboyfriend Jaypee Santos. Top: The Script’s vocalist, Danny O’Donoghue
BY KATHERINE MARFAL-TEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer
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admitted that the band’s vocalist is texting her every day, since they had their concert in the Philippines. She added that Danny O’Donoghue expressed his intention to get to know her better. Tugonon’s boyfriend for a year said that he respects his exgirlfriend’s decision, but that he’s still determined to win her back. Janine, who’s also a licensed pharmacist, has been always in defense of Santos, who, many have opined is not good enough for a beauty queen like her. She has said that “I don’t need a ‘Brad Pitt.’” She also expressed her love for Santos in a past TV interview after the Ms. Universe 2012 pageant in December, where she finished first runnerup. “Basta sa ’kin, don’t worry about my faithfulness. We’re both Christians and I’m gonna live up to it. I’m gonna be faithful to you kahit sino pang ma-meet ko, kahit ano pang gawin ko sa buhay ko. You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.” (You don’t have to worry about my faithfulness. We’re both Christians and I’m going to live up to it. I’m going to be faithful to you, no matter who I meet and whatever it is that I decide to do with my life. You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.) ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
already delivered her share of devastating Junos moments in the past. She didn’t disappoint on this night, singing her gently swaying “Sing It Loud” and delivering the evening’s high-point with an eloquent speech after being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by Anne Murray. “The first time I saw k.d. lang, she was stomping around the stage in a cowgirl outfit and I thought: ‘What the heck?”‘ Murray said. “But she made me smile. And she could sing. The second time I saw her, she was accepting a Juno Award in a wedding gown and I found myself smiling again. I loved her sense of fun, her spunk, her gumption. And she could sing. “She went on to prove that a great voice can sing just about anything it wants. She defied labelling, and I cheered her on.” As lang took the stage, she and Murray locked in a long embrace. “I had the biggest crush on her. I still do,” lang said. “I think the fact that I’m standing here receiving this award actually says more about Canada than it does about me. Because only in Canada could there be such a freak as k.d. lang receiving this award. Only in Canada could there be people like Stompin’ Tom Connors and Rita MacNeil. “So I am here to tell you my friends and my countrymen that it is OK to be you. It is OK to let your freak flags fly and embrace the quirkmeister that’s inside of all of us. And I’m not even just talking artists, I’m talking every single person in this nation has the right to be themselves, live life . . . I love you Canada, thank you so much.” ■
PHOTO FROM KDLANG,COM
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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Lifestyle The Divine Fits (left) and Skylar Grey (right).
PHOTOS FROM FACEBOOK
Twitter’s music service helps unearth artists you didn’t know you’d like BY RYAN NAKASHIMA The Associated Press LOS ANGELES—Until now, my problem with social music services has been this: Following friends doesn’t really turn up much music I actually want to hear. We didn’t become friends because we share musical tastes, and too few of them are using the services I’m trying out. Twitter’s new music service solves this problem. It helps that it’s free. With it, I’m able to sneak a peek into the musical interests of the artists I like. For example, I discovered that Gotye likes the Divine Fits, a Los Angeles-based band I’d never heard of until now, because he follows them on Twitter. With a tap on the colorful photo representing the band, I can listen to a 30-second preview of a song that is being used as the Divine Fit’s calling card, “Like Ice Cream.” It was catchy enough for me to want to hear more. Artists on Twitter are able to feature a song apiece through this service. After listening to a preview, you can tap a button to buy the track on iTunes or listen to the full song through a $10-a-month subscription from Spotify or Rdio. You can also
find other songs from the artist through those outside services. As a discovery tool, Twitter’s #music service provides a convenient, visually pleasing way to filter through the deluge of music that’s out there. Sure, I could have replicated this feature by digging through Gotye’s Twitter profile and individually going into the profiles of people he’s following to determine if they’re artists. Then I could search elsewhere for their songs or music videos. But that’s more work than I’m ready to put into this. The #music service highlights the artists for you and features the song preview right there. The service also has a tab for emerging artists that it somehow digs out from tweets. I’m not sure how they’re selected, but random poking around this page is how I found the broody music of Skylar Grey. Finding new music can be tough. It’s easy to get hit over the head by the chart-toppers, who are everywhere. There’s also a “popular” tab in #music for a rundown of which artists are trending on Twitter. It’s way more difficult to find music you like if you never knew a band existed. This provides a way. For now, #music is available as an iPhone app and on the
Web at www.music.twitter.com. Twitter says an Android version is coming, but it didn’t say when. Beyond its usefulness for music discovery, the Twitter #music app is fun to play with. It is far more engaging than Twitter’s regular app, and swiping around makes the squares representing artists bounce around. Tapping to play a song clip generates a spinning icon with album cover art that harkens back to the heyday of vinyl records. True, this is a marketing tool and I was skeptical to start. And #music is not perfect for listening. Artists have only one song apiece on their profiles, so if you want to hear more you’ve got to go elsewhere. And even if you buy a song from iTunes after discovering it here, tapping the play button on the artist’s square again will still play the 30-second preview. I discovered this after buying Skylar Grey’s “Final Warning” for 69 cents. To hear the full version, I had to go back to the iPhone’s music player. It also didn’t track the #NowPlaying tag very well, despite putting it in all my tweets from the service. There was a considerable lag in showing these tweets from people I follow compared with my normal Twitter feed.
For full song plays within the service, you have to sign up for a premium subscription to Spotify or Rdio, each of which costs $10 a month. This made using #music much better, although I discovered more artists by listening to just 30 seconds, making a quick decision and moving on—kind of like speed dating for music. The clips will play back-to-back, which can make for a jarring listening experience. But you also can focus your time on quick music discovery and go elsewhere to learn more. Connecting the service to my Rdio account helped because the
songs I played through #music showed up on the Rdio app’s history list. That way, I could switch to Rdio to listen to the whole album. Thanks to #music, I discovered that I like the Divine Fits and Skylar Grey within, say, a half hour of fiddling with the service. That makes it worth downloading, in my view. I’ll go back to it when I’m on the hunt again for music I didn’t know was there. ■ Twitter music service: www. music.twitter.com Follow Ryan Nakashima: @ rnakashi
Lifestyle
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Paulo Coelho’s new ‘Manuscript’ This extremely quotable novel from the Brazilian author is the new essential Coelho title BY RUEL S. DE VERA Philippine Daily Inquirer BECAUSE OF the unusual way he wields his words, Paulo Coelho is perhaps the world’s most quotable novelist. The Brazilian writer likes to load paragraphs with lovely, lithe sentences that stay with readers longer than the book’s plot does. These sentences are often wise, spiritual and inspiring, most potent for repeated quotation. People find epiphany within singular passages. Coelho’s most important novel, 1987’s “The Alchemist,” is the prototypical Coelho novel, with its protagonist going on a journey of self-discovery; the book’s chapters are laced with his distinctive sayings. That novel and its similar sequels have made Coelho a world-famous author, with over 100-million copies sold and his work translated into over 70 languages.
More importantly, his readers are more followers than fans, held rapt by the transformative nature of his written thoughts more than by the mere pull of plot. His newest novel, “Manuscript Found in Accra” (translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2013, 190 pages), is something his many fans will welcome. The novel itself is supposed to be a papyrus found in 1974 and sourced all the way to the ancient city of Accra. But it did not originate from there. The papyrus tells the story of one night in the walled city of Jerusalem in 1099, written that fateful evening before the Crusaders are to breach its walls. REVIEW: The Copt
Within the waiting city, a Greek wise man simply called The Copt walks to the city square where a crowd of anxious people has gathered. The people ask The Copt about different
concerns, and he answers. That is pretty much the synopsis of “Manuscript.” In that sense, it is similar to 1997’s “Manual of the Warrior of Light,” so, if you liked that, you’ll like this even more. The book then is actually almost 100-percent Coelho words of wisdom, bound together by topic and effectively unadulterated by narrative. The result is the most concentrated, most quotable Coelho novel ever written. It is Coelho explaining everything to the reader. “I am poet, farmer, artist, soldier, father, trader, seller, teacher, politician, sage, and someone who merely takes care of home and children,” Coelho writes. “What is success? It is being able to go to bed at night with your soul at peace.” Random questions
As the seemingly random crowd of people ask seemingly random questions, The Copt— and by extension, Coelho— manages to wax lyrically about
Adrian Dix... How will you deal with the problems in the province, including debts, the pipeline issue and immigration? Adrian Dix: In the last two years, the Liberal government has added $11 billion to the provincial debt and plans to add another $13.3 billion in the next three years. Yet they are campaigning on a promise to magically eliminate the debt. We need a more serious approach to these issues than saying one thing while doing exactly the opposite. Protecting the environment is also very important to all British Columbians. On pipelines, we will take back control of decisionmaking from Ottawa. All proposals will undergo a rigorous, madein-BC environmental assessment. This would apply to both the Enbridge and Kinder Morgan proposals. The Kinder Morgan proposal would dramatically transform the Port of Vancouver into a major oil sands export facility, which is not something British Columbians will support. ❰❰ 32
solitude, beauty, love, sex, luck, God, miracles and the future, among many others. Coelho states these thoughts in lovely little patches of prose like this: “Well, I will
forget everything I learned about the stars, and they will be transformed once more into angels or children or whatever I feel like believing at that moment.” ■
PH picked... My parents were immigrants. This province and this country was built on the hard work of immigrants. We need to help ensure ensure success for immigrant youth in schools, which includes increasing support for ESL students. We also need to improve recognition of foreign credentials and ensure proper protection for temporary foreign workers. Why should the people vote for you? Adrian Dix: BC voters have a clear choice between more of the same from the Liberals or change for the better from the NDP. More of the same means continued failure to tackle poverty and inequality, and a government that takes a “quick win” approach to governing, rather than getting down the hard work of making life better for British Columbians. Change for the better means growing the economy and increased opportunities for our kids. It means a more prosperous
and generous society, and protecting our environment. That’s change for the better. What is your message to Canadians of Filipino descent? Adrian Dix: New Democrats are proud of the impact Canadians of Filipino descent have had in British Columbia - Vancouver is home to the second largest Filipino community in Canada. I was honoured to be a sponsor for the first celebration of Philippine Independence Day in Slocan Park in Vancouver. New Democrat Mable Elmore became the first Filipino-Canadian to be elected as an MLA in VancouverKensington. The Liberals used Bill 29 to rip up signed healthcare contracts, causing thousands of workers, mostly women and new immigrants, to lose their jobs or take significant pay cuts. The Supreme Court of Canada found much of Bill 29 to be unconstitutional. An NDP government will eliminate the remaining sections of Bill 29. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
its rightful share from mineral resources … there is a need to account for the resulting increase in government revenues by investing them in certain long-term infrastructure and programs, such as education and research,” he said. “This way, even though the nonrenewable resources are extracted, future generations can still, though indirectly, enjoy them through improved goods and services and additional infrastructure,” he said. The four-year project costs $1.45 million and will begin implementation in the second half of this year, with the National Economic and Development Authority, National Statistical Coordination Board and the Laguna Lake Development Authority as collaborating agencies. ❰❰ 4
Program of action
WAVES was launched in October 2010 during the Conference of Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan. The partnership was able to formulate and propose a program of international action on ecosystems accounting at the Earth Summit held in June 2012. Advocates argue that “green accounting” is more accurate in determining economic growth and its sustainability, rather than relying on traditional economic indicators such as gross domestic product. With the GDP, for example, while income from mining or timber harvesting is recorded in national accounts, the simultaneous depletion of natural forest assets and mineral reserves is not accounted for. The GDP also fails to explicitly identify critical ecosystem services such as tourism, regulating water cycles, preventing erosion and flooding, and carbon sequestration, resulting in misleading economic signals about economic growth and development. ■
Lifestyle
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Run for the earth–and plant a tree The next National Geographic Channel Earth Day Run will award winners with seedlings instead of medals BY IRENE C. PEREZ Philippine Daily Inquirer INSTEAD OF GIVING away finisher’s medals, three trees will be planted in each runner’s name in this year’s National Geographic Channel Earth Day Run. The race will be held on April 28, at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. The seedlings, 30,000 different varieties, will be planted in private and government-owned properties in Camarines Sur, Bataan, Subic, with the assistance of the WWF, a nongovernment conservation organization. Fox International Channels Philippines has been holding the Earth Day Run annually since 2009 in celebration of Earth Day, which falls on April 22. Earth Day is a global event that advocates protection and preservation of the environment. According to Jude Turcuato,
vice president and territory head for Fox Philippines, the Earth Day Run started with the intention of promoting sustainable and green practices. It has since been adapted in other countries like Taiwan. There are four distances: 3K, 5K, 10K and 21K. Turcuato said the bulk of runners so far went for the 10K and 21K distances, most of them “graduates” of the 5K which used to be the category with the most number of participants. Earth Day Run attracted over 9,000 runners in 2012, and 10,000 are expected to join this year. Top runners will receive cash prizes. Controversy
The Earth Day Run last year earned flak online when a controversial photo went viral. It showed paper cups marked with the National Geographic logo scattered on the running path. The negative picture contradicted the channel’s image of being pro-
JUDE Turcuato, vice president and territory head for Fox Philippines, says 9,000 runners joined the National Geographic Channel Earth Day Run in 2012 (above), and more are expected to join the longer distances this year. PHOTO FROM INQUIRER
environment. “We made sure all the garbage from the previous runs was properly disposed of,” Turcuato explained during the run’s launch in Buddha Bar, Makati City. “As an additional measure, reusable water containers instead of cups will be provided in the race kits, and there will be more trash bins.” He added that the bibs are made of recycled materials. The NatGeo team is also practicing a paperless
registration process through a centralized system. Runners may register until April 20 at the NatGeo kiosk in Greenbelt 3 in Makati City, or online at www.natgeorun.com via creditcard payment. Joining fee is P500 for 3K, P600 for 5K, P700 for 10K and P900 for 21K. It is inclusive of a kit with a singlet, bib and water bottle; this may be delivered for an additional fee. A finisher’s shirt will be given to 21K runners.
Upon registration, runners will be asked to sign their or their loved ones’ name on small wooden markers that will serve as “name plates” for the seedlings. Previous Earth Day Runs have benefited The Mind Museum, a educational museum in Taguig, and the Design Against the Element project, a global design contest that addressed climate change. ■ Visit www.natgeorun.com.
After 2 decades of tracking down world’s oldest trees, group ready to begin planting clones BYJOHN FLESHER The Associated Press
PHOTO BY MELINDA CHAN
COPEMISH, Mich.—A team led by a nurseryman from northern Michigan and his sons has raced against time for two decades, snipping branches from some of the world’s biggest and most durable trees with plans to produce clones that could restore ancient forests and help fight climate change. Now comes the most ambitious phase of the quest: getting the new trees into the ground. Ceremonial plantings of two dozen clones from California’s mighty coastal redwoods will take place Monday in seven nations: Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Germany and the U.S. Although measuring just 18-inches tall, the laboratoryproduced trees are genetic www.canadianinquirer.net
duplicates of three giants that were cut down in northern California more than a century ago. Remarkably, shoots still emerge from the stumps, including one known as the Fieldbrook Stump near McKinleyville, which measures 35 feet in diameter. It’s believed to be about 4,000 years old. The tree was about 40 stories high before it was felled. “This is a first step toward mass production,” said David Milarch, co-founder of Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a non-profit group spearheading the project. “We need to reforest the planet; it’s imperative. To do that, it just makes sense to use the largest, oldest, most iconic trees that ever lived.” Milarch and his sons Jared and Jake, who have a familyowned nursery in the village of Copemish, Mich., became concerned about the condition of
the world’s forests in the 1990s. They began crisscrossing the U.S. in search of “champion” trees that have lived hundreds or even thousands of years, convinced that superior genes enabled them to outlast others of their species. Scientific opinion varies on whether that’s true, with skeptics saying the survivors may simply have been lucky. The Archangel leaders say they’re out to prove the doubters wrong. They’ve developed several methods of producing genetic copies from cuttings, including placing branch tips less than an inch long in baby food jars containing nutrients and hormones. The specimens are cultivated in labs until large enough to be planted. In recent years, they have focused on towering sequoias ❱❱ 18 After 2
Business
Meralco clinches deals in Africa PH firm takes part in powering up Nigeria’s utilities BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA Electric Co., the country’s largest power distribution utility, has gained a foothold in Africa as part of a consortium that bagged crucial deals to take over two electricity distribution firms privatized by the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In an interview, Meralco president Oscar Reyes confirmed market news that Meralco would invest in Nigerian power distribution as the technical partner of Lagos-based Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Ltd. (IEDM), a company that distributes and markets electricity in Nigeria. Established in 2006, IEDM is a “well respected” group in Nigeria, Reyes told the INQUIRER. “We were [asked] sometime last year ... if we wanted to help support or work with one of the major bidders for the Nigeria privatization,” Reyes said at the sidelines of the Bank of the Philippine Islands’ annual stockholders meeting. As part of Nigeria’s effort to privatize its power industry, the government first auctioned off generation assets and distribution assets.
Reyes said Meralco was introduced to IEDM by a European advisory firm that was also helping the Nigerian government in its privatization efforts. After some discussions, Reyes said, Meralco agreed to provide technical support to the group. “We were technical partners in the bidding, but the technical partner also has a small equity stake,” Reyes said. The stake that Meralco will get is still under discussion. But Reyes estimated that it should be at least 5 percent. The consortium backed by Meralco ended up winning all four of the power distribution contracts that the Nigerian government would cede to the private sector. But Reyes said that, under the rules, the group can only take over two of the distribution utilities. Asked about how much Meralco would need to invest in the venture, Reyes said the company would still have to value the deals. Reyes said Meralco’s partner IEDM was “very pleased” especially because the selection was mostly anchored on the technical partners’ capability. At the same time, he said, a lot of international groups participated in the auction, including Kepco (Korea Electric Power Corp.), which also has interests in the Philippines. “It’s a good recognition of Meralco,” Reyes said of the venture. The deal will also increase Meralco’s footprint overseas. Last month, Meralco and its controlling stockholder First Pacific Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong sealed a $488-million deal to acquire a 70-percent stake in a liquefied natural gas (LNG)fired power plant in Singapore. Meralco, which is part of the group led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, had a market capitalization of P406.88 billion based on the close. ■
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Monetary Board decides to ease forex rules anew BY MICHELLE V. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas has again eased the rules on foreign exchange to give the public wider access to the enormous dollar resources kept in the country’s banking system. Also, the liberalized foreign exchange rules are expected to help tame a strengthening peso by making it easier for people and companies to bring foreign currencies out of the country and tempering the effect of foreign currency inflows on the exchange rate. “The decision of the Monetary Board to approve further liberalization of existing foreign exchange regulations aims to simplify foreign exchange transactions of the general public with banks,” BSP Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said in a briefing. This is the sixth time since 2007 that the BSP eased foreign exchange rules. The last such action was done in 2011. “Now, residents can buy higher amounts of foreign exchange to meet the costs of various things, like education and medical bills incurred offshore or the cost
of foreign travel without need for supporting documents,” the central bank official said. Wilhelmina Mañalac, the central bank’s managing director for international sub-sector, detailed the six new rules on foreign exchange. First is the increase in the amount of foreign currencies that may be bought by residents from banks and other foreign exchange institutions without documentary requirements from $60,000 to $120,000. Second is the increase in the amount of foreign exchange that may be purchased using unspent pesos by foreign tourists or “balikbayans” without documentary requirements from $5,000 to $10,000. Third is the expansion of the list of allowed sources of funding of a peso account that a foreigner may open. This will include income earned in the Philippines. Fourth is the expansion of list of foreign assets that Filipinos may buy and for which foreign currencies may be used. This will include global and mutual funds, unit investment trust funds, re al properties, debt securities issued offshore by residents and are part of asset inventory of local banks,
and equity securities issued by residents that are publicly listed abroad. Fifth, the regulator will allow banks to sell foreign exchange to investors who want to convert their investment fund plus the corresponding interest earned back in the original currency. Sixth is the two-year extension, or up to Dec. 28, 2016, of the temporary rule allowing locals to borrow foreign currencies from banks without prior BSP approval for the purpose of funding projects under the public-private partnership (PPP) program of the government. According to Mañalac, the liberalization of foreign exchange rules will also discourage people from going to the black market for their foreign exchange needs. The flow of foreign currencies to the Philippines, led by remittances, foreign portfolio investments, and investments in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, has been on the rise. The inflows led to the peso’s sharp appreciation which, last year, strengthened by 7 percent against the US dollar to become one of the fastest rising currencies against the greenback. ■
what it will be tomorrow. Q: Why should the people vote for you? Clark: Does British Columbia keep moving forward, or do we risk sliding back to our darker past? That’s the question that matters on May 14, 2013. Choosing Today’s BC Liberals means choosing a balanced budget, controlled spending, and growing the economy. We will reduce taxes and government spending to let you succeed and so your children can have opportunity. Returning to the NDP means a return to bigger government, reckless spending, more debt, and higher taxes. If it isn’t okay for parents to leave their children with debt, then it isn’t okay for government to leave future generations saddled with debt either. That’s why I want to pay off our public
debt. And that’s why Today’s BC Liberals are the right choice for British Columbia.
Christy Clark... Q: How will you deal with the problems in the province, including debts, the pipeline issue and immigration? Clark: First and foremost, we will control spending. We will develop natural gas and create the BC Prosperity Fund, which will eliminate the public debt and invest in future generations. We have set out five clear conditions for any heavy-oil pipeline, including world-leading environmental standards, First Nations participation, and a fair share of benefits for British Columbia. We support expanding BC’s economy, and it is critical to our prosperity that we continue to attract people to British Columbia from all over the world. Filipinos have helped build our province into what it is today. Filipinos will help build our province into ❰❰ 31
www.canadianinquirer.net
Q: What is your message to Canadians of Filipino descent? Clark: When I visited Manila, I was touched by a warm culture that values family and values their future. Filipinos who have come to British Columbia have overcome many challenges and sacrifices so their families can have a better future. Our people, our natural resources and our strong government have built BC into what it is today. The Filipino community has played a strong role in building BC. As parents, we all want to provide our children with choice and opportunity. I believe that government should think the same way. Let’s make the right decisions today, and allow our children to inherit a Debt-Free BC. ■
Sports/Horoscope
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PH hosts Asian wushu tilt Global trips Pasargad, regains top BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINES will host the 7th Asian Junior Wushu Championship on Aug. 8 to 12 in Makati. Thirty-eight countries are expected to field athletes in the event that has received strong support from President Aquino, who has declared the month of August as Philippine WushuMonth. It will mark the first time that the country is hosting a wushu tournament of this magnitude since the Wushu Federation of the Philippines staged the Asian Wushu Championship in 1996. “This is a big boost to our efforts to ramp up Philippine wushu to even higher level,” said WFP president Tan She Ling. “As in WFP’s organizing the Asian Wushu Championship way back in 1996, we are leaving no
stone unturned to make the Asian Junior Wushu Championship a rousing success—a showcase of the organizational acumen and management savvy of the Filipino.” Wushu has been listed as one of the 10 priority sports of the government and through the Proclamation No. 554 dated Feb. 28, President Aquino urged departments and agencies to support the event. The continental event has already received the backing of Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. and Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia. “The POC is giving full support to the WFP’s domestic and international activities and we are confident the 7th Asian Junior Wushu Championship to be another feather in the cap of Wushu Federation of Asia and International Wushu Federation,” Cojuangco said. ■
BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer BUOYED by strong effort from its substitutes, Global regained top spot in the United Football League with a hard-earned 2-0 triumph over a stubborn Pasargad side Tuesday night at the Emperador Stadium in Taguig City. Izzo El-Habbib struck the opener in the 67th minute, but it was the reserves sent in by coach Brian Reid that changed the game for Global, which struggled to carve out openings in the first half, before finishing the match comfortably en route to its eighth win of the season. Turkish winger Koray Gondozuglo struck a sublime long-range effort five minutes from time to wrap up the win for Global, which now has 25 points from 10 matches, just one point
PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
ahead of Stallion Sta. Lucia. Loyola Meralco, getting four goals each from PhilYounghusband and Mark Hartmann, also returned to its winning ways with a 10-1 demolition of Army in the first match. Beaten by Stallion, 2-4, last Tuesday, the Sparks recovered their sharp form against the Armed Forces side with
Hartmann scoring in the third minute and Younghusband giving them a 2-1 lead at the break, after Luis Brilliantes equalized. Cashing in on the gaps on the Army defense, Matthew Hartmann and Jang Joo-won also found the back of the net for the Sparks, who now have 23 points on seven wins and a couple of draws. ■
HOROSCOPE ARIES
(MARCH 21 - APRIL 19) You woke up feeling happy and enthusiastic. Your intuition tells you that you will achieve whatever you set your mind to. Whatever your goals—career, education, or personal—you’re bound to succeed. If you don’t have a significant other by your side to support your progress, all signs indicate that you will meet someone soon.
TAURUS
(APRIL 20 - MAY 20)
CANCER
LIBRA
(JUNE 22 - JULY 22) Money matters are highlighted today. You can expect to spend a lot of time with the calculator as you balance your checkbook or begin to work on your budget. Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly good with numbers, you’ll do a great job. You’re conscientious. Success in all endeavors is indicated today.
(SEPT 23 - OCT 22) If you had to score your life right now, it would be a perfect ten. You look great, your career is going well, and your domestic life is harmonious. Could there be anything more to life? Don’t think so. You may receive news of more success at work when an important sale comes through or a project is completed. You have much to celebrate!
LEO
SCORPIO
(JULY 23 - AUGUST 22)
(OCT 23 - NOV 21)
CAPRICORN
(DEC 22 - JAN 19) You may be privy to some information today that will ultimately result in financial gain. You may get wind of a new company and be one of the first investors. Or perhaps what you hear gives you an idea for a new product that you bring to market yourself. The outlook for you is rosy indeed, although your success won’t come without putting your own skills and talents to use!
AQUARIUS
(JAN 20 - FEB 18) Whether you spend today with your feet on the ground or in an airplane, you’re eager and enthusiastic about your life direction. If you aren’t on your way to a distant land, it’s likely that you will be airborne soon. You’ve achieved tremendous success lately and that trend is going to continue. If this trip is a reward to yourself for all of your hard work, you deserve it!
GEMINI
An unexpected financial windfall could come your way today. You may stand there with an open envelope in your hand, unable to speak. Whether it’s an unanticipated bonus, gift, or surprising stock dividend, invest the money wisely. You’ve spent a lot of money recently, and it would be good for you to begin to replenish the bank account.
You have a lot to celebrate, Scorpio, especially where your love life is concerned. Today you may receive a message from your loved one that makes you yearn for this person’s company. You’ve been together a lot recently, attending many dinners and social gatherings, but you’ve had little one-onone time. Do what you can to rectify that tonight!
VIRGO
SAGITTARIUS
(MAY 21 - JUNE 21)
(NOV 22 - DEC 21)
(MAY 21 - JUNE 21) Success and good fortune are strongly indicated today, along with a sense of optimism. All sorts of changes and surprises lie in store for you. You may receive information from a business partner that will change your short-term plans. A trip may be in order, or you could have a visitor. Accept the change in plans with your usual good humor.
Even though you’re slaving away at work, your mind is very much on romance. Passion is running high, especially yours. If you already have a romantic partner, plan an intimate evening together. If you don’t have someone special in your life just yet, it’s likely you will meet someone today or soon thereafter. Make sure you look your best at all times!
There’s a lot of work to be done today, and much of it centers on finances. Whether you’re working on budgets or investments, you will easily finish the task. Your trusty computer will help you as you discover a new website that supports your efforts or as you post a question in a financial chatroom that yields many responses. Favorable advancement is likely, Sagittarius, if not today then quite soon.
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Expect to receive some great news today. Answer your phone and check email all day, because you never know when it will come. Indications suggest that success in all aspects of your life is coming. You may complete a project to acclaim or submit a report that’s accepted without question. These small successes boost your self-confidence, which brings more success. It’s a powerful cycle.
PISCES
(FEB 19 - MAR 20) Your optimistic nature has served you well. This quality makes you a great manager since you can motivate and inspire co-workers. Today you may be recognized for your leadership abilities and can-do attitude. Your reward might be a promotion or bonus, or perhaps another project even more challenging than the last. Your career efforts bring you success.
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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Travel Liliw: Tsinelas Capital of Laguna BY KATHERINE MARFAL-TEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer “TSINELAS” (slippers) have definitely traveled a long way. From the very first tsinelas that was made of abaca, we now have slippers made of rubber, fabric, synthetic resin, and many other, modern materials. Local and international companies have their own version, popularly known as flip-flops. Unique designs, outrageous colors, durability and style make tsinelas a staple item in footwear for all ages, and across the ages. Its tried and tested features: easy-to-wear, lightweight and affordable. But if you were to ask where you can find a wide array of highquality and affordable tsinelas in the Philippines, it could be nowhere but in the Tsinelas Capital of Laguna: Liliw. Sources from the town reveal that slippers and shoes from Marikina (known as the Shoe Capital of Metro Manila) also came from this small town. Last Holy Week, I was able to visit Liliw. I was amazed by the haven of Filipino footwear that welcomed me. The whole stretch of the town was filled with exciting and colorful tsinelas stores—all of them featured well-crafted and uniquely designed slippers at a lower price. I, along my husband, visited every store. The stories were true: there weref tsinelas, sandals and shoes everywhere along the town. Most of the town’s visitors hail from Manila and other provinces; some of them balikbayans who want to bring home unique sets of footwear. Tsinelas festival
Due to the growing industry of tsinelas in the Philippines, the local government, through the encouragement of the Southern Tagalog Tourism Council, launched the Gat Tayaw Tsinelas
Festival, in honor of the town’s founder, and of course, its major industry that is the tsinelas. The first Tsinelas Festival was held in 2002, and ran from April 5–7. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo served as the guest of honor. This year, the colorful festival was held from April 26–May 1. The activities lined up: • the parade of floats featuring the agricultural and industrial products of Liliw • a parade of bird mascots reminding the people of the origin of the name “Liliw” • Katutubong Palaro (native sporting activities) • Gabi ng Harana, musical arts and painting contests • Gawad Parangal for outstanding Liliweños for their exemplary service to the community The oldest shoe store
Being new to the town, we asked around where we can find the best shoe store. Residents and vendors directed us to a big store. It bore a banner that read “Badong.”
similar to the rest of the stores we’ve been to, so I was intrigued to know what set it apart from all the others. I asked a boy to whom the store belonged to, and he pointed to a white-haired man behind the counter. The man was busy
There must be something with this store that people would wait under the scorching sun...
before he opened his own. His previous experience granted him the know-how of the business inside and out. Badong said, “Being a worker then (he was 16 years old), I already knew the whole process of shoe- and tsinelas-making.” Now on its 50th year, Badong’s shoe and tsinelas store continues to sell 200-400 pairs of slippers and shoes in a day. As for the success it is reaping, Badong, who is now 72, credits it to the meticulous process their slippers and shoes go through before they’re delivered to the store. “Unlike other shoe stores, we don’t use glue for our slippers; we use 100% rugby to maintain its durability,” Badong explained. He also emphasized that they go by the policy of quality over quantity. Their materials usually come from China and Japan—he, along with his brothers and sister, personally look after the manufacturing of their products. Direct buyers and balikbayans are what kept them going through the years. “We have direct buyers who order in bulks; our balikbayans visit us every time they’re in the country,” shared Badong. For him, the good reputation that they had built through the years was integral to their success. “Sons and daughters of buyers from 20–30 years ago continue to patronize our slippers and shoes,” he said. Pasalubong
It was, indeed, the most crowded store. There was a line of people outside waiting for their turn to enter. There must be something with this store that people would wait under the scorching sun—it was noon, then—and troops of buyers were bustling about to grab a pair of slippers and shoes for themselves and their loved ones. We tried to squeeze in, and roamed around the store. Slippers and shoes of all sizes, colors and designs were displayed. It looked
entertaining buyers—the line was really long. I finally got the guts to move near the counter, and asked the man if he could grant me an interview—luckily, he was accommodating enough, despite the long line of customers. He was also with his daughter, who, meanwhile, took charge. Mang Badong
Salvador Montero or “Badong” (what his family calls him), was once a worker for a shoe store
They say that your visit would not be complete without bringing home slippers from the “Tsinelas Capital of Laguna.” For 100 pesos, you can already give three of your loved ones gorgeous and durable pairs of slippers. Their sandals and shoes cost around 200-400 pesos, depending on the design and material used. I, myself, brought home a few pairs of slippers for my family and friends. Next time you visit Liliw, make sure you come home with a new pair of slippers in your bag. ■
Travel
FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2013
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find what year a given ship was built. Many of the older ships tend to run all year long on the three-day itineraries and are more affordable. 4. LOOK FOR REPOSITIONING CRUISES
Ocean and buffets calling? Saving money on a cruise vacation requires timing, knowledge BY ALEX VEIGA The Associated Press RECENT images of a cruise ship limping back to port after an engine malfunction didn’t do the cruise industry any favours heading into the summer vacation season. And cringe-worthy accounts from passengers who had to make do without power or working toilets for five days may have turned some travellers off cruising for good. But for those undeterred by the mishap that befell the Carnival Triumph in February, nor that of several other headline-grabbing woes that afflicted some of Carnival Corp.’s other ships over the past year, this is a good time to save money on a cruise vacation, experts say. And it’s not just Carnival that has had to discount its fares to coax back passengers. An economic slowdown in Europe has opened the door to savings on cruises that sail around ports in the Mediterranean Sea, says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief, of Cruise Critic, an online cruise reviews guide published by The Independent Traveler Inc. “A lot of Europe is feeling the pinch of the recession,” she says. “There are some low prices and there’s a lot of availability.” Ready to set sail? Here are eight tips for saving money on a cruise vacation:
1. BOOK EARLY
The cruise industry touts offerpacked deals during its annual “Wave Season,” which runs from January through March. If you know exactly when you want to travel, say specifically in the summer when kids are out of school, it pays to book as soon as possible. Although you may get a lower price attempting to book at the last minute, by booking early you can often get perks, such as free airfare to the departure city, or on-board credits to spend on extras like a massage, or an upgraded cabin. In general to take advantage of these added incentives, travellers need to book at least four to six months in advance to get the ship, travel dates and state room of choice, adds Carrie Finley-Bajak, CEO of cruising information site CruiseBuzz.net. Also, if you aren’t picky about which cabin you get, you can save by accepting an unspecified cabin guarantee.
after the Easter holidays to nab a deal.” At this time of the year, different cruise ship itineraries become more affordable, too. With summer still a couple months away, Caribbean and Mediterranean cruises are more affordable, as is an Alaskan voyage, Spencer Brown says. 3. SAIL OLD SCHOOL
Another way to save money: Select a cruise with an older ship. It may not have as many amenities, but it also won’t have nearly as many of the cabins with balconies, which are pricier than the smaller, windowless interior cabins. Finley-Bajak recommends doing some research on the cruise line to Photos by Charles Pears and John Wang
2. AVOID PEAK TIMES
High season is generally during the summer and other times of the year when school is out. That includes spring break, around the December holidays, Thanksgiving, etc. For the best deals, book travel for other times of the year: During the school year. After Thanksgiving and before Christmas. And, incidentally, right now. “This is the season,” Spencer Brown says. “Spring is a great time www.canadianinquirer.net
Cruise lines move their ships from their rotation in one region to another every few months, usually as the high season in one region cools off and before the next destination heats up. For example, a ship will shift from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean for the winter, or vice versa. Or from the Caribbean to Alaska for the summer. Booking a vacation on one of these repositioning cruises can be significantly cheaper than a regular itinerary that hits several stops before returning to a home port. All told, you could pay from $35 to $65 per person, per day on a repositioning cruise, says Spencer Brown. However, one should consider that repositioning cruises are only one-way. The voyage also can take 10 days to two weeks, with fewer stops at ports of call along the way. 5. LOOK BEYOND PRICE
When selecting a cruise, price isn’t the only consideration, by far. There are the perks and incentives that could end up making the trip a better value. But a key factor is whether the cruise you select is right for you. That’s because cruise lines cater to different niches of travellers. An older traveller looking for a refined cruise probably wouldn’t be happy on a party ship festooned with nightclubs, basketball courts and other attractions aimed at younger passengers. Experts recommend you read up about specific ships and their itineraries to get a sense of whether the cruise fits what you’re looking for.
6. TARGET CHEAPER ITENIRARIES
The shorter the voyage, the less costly the cruise. If you’re looking for ultra-cheap, go for a three-day cruise, which tend to compete more on price. The weak economy in Europe makes a seven-day Mediterranean cruise a good value. Plus, as more cruise lines reposition ships there, competition will increase. That’s good for the consumer. Other ways to find deals: Monitor sites that advertise deals. Some of them include Cruisebuzz.net, Cruise.com and Cruisedeals.com In addition, getting on cruise company mailing lists can tip you off to sales in advance. 7. CONSIDER A TRAVEL AGENT
A cruise vacation has a lot of components to sort out, from air travel to the departure port, to offshore activities that often are not included in your cruise costs. Travel agents can help sort out the details. “A travel agent will have access to all the ships and current pricing and promotions,” says Finley-Bajak. 8. ACCOUNT FOR EXTRAS
The term all-inclusive is often associated with a cruise vacation, but in most cases, it’s far from the truth. “If anybody says cruising is all-inclusive, they’re crazy,” says Spencer Brown, adding that one always pays extra to gamble in the casino, visit the spa, use the Internet, eat at certain restaurants and onshore excursions. There may also be a hotel stay before your departure, government taxes, fees and gratuities to cover. Here’s a tool to help add up potential travel costs when you book a cruise: www.independenttraveler. com/travel-budget-calculator. ■
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B.C. youngster who’s fired up for politics aims to spark interest among peers BY REBEKAH FUNK The Canadian Press VANCOUVER—While many 12-year-olds may be watching YouTube, texting friends or reading celebrity gossip magazines, British Columbia pre-teen Jennifer Johnson spends her spare time running a political campaign. In an era when media, politicians and scholars bemoan the lack of youth involvement in political affairs, Johnson’s interest is an anomaly. The fresh-faced brunette races from school to her local Liberal candidate’s riding office in Vancouver-Kensington, the thrill of the upcoming May 14 provincial election driving her desire to door knock, cold call and attend political rallies. She’ll be premier or prime minister someday, Johnson predicted matter-of-factly, adding by the time she turns 25, she’ll already have 10 years of campaigning experience under her belt. An honorary member of the BC Young Liberals—she can’t officially join until she’s 14—Johnson has met politicians like Christy Clark, Colin Hansen, Lorne Mayencourt, Dennis Marsden and Jane Thornthwaite. But there’s still one top dog she’s waiting to shake hands with. “I would most love to meet Stephen Harper,” Johnson said. “I mean, I just look up to him.” Johnson hasn’t always been a political junkie—she said her affinity for governance stems from a Grade 5 school trip to the Legislature in Victoria. “I really fell in love there and I just thought, ‘Wow, I want to be a part of this,”‘ Johnson said, waving a Liberal candidate placard on high-traffic street corner in East Vancouver last week. “Almost everything that involves (us) happens in that room and behind those doors. It was so crazy to me that . . . I could be a part of making those laws and making life better for people,” she adds. Jumping into the political pool with the gumption of a seasoned cannon baller, Johnson made quite the splash among family and friends who initially called her crazy. While most mothers spend their time at sports venues or dance recitals when their children are growing up, Johnson’s mom said her life is a different story. “Everybody thought it was crazy—they called her crazy, they called me crazy,” Jackie Hollis said, standing outside an event in Burnaby, B.C., where Liberal Premier Christy Clark was rallying her supports. “I turned into the political mom, not the soccer mom,” Hollis said, adding she likely wouldn’t attend election events if not for her daughter. “If Jennifer played soccer or baseball or anything, I would go to that game. These
rallies, these functions—these are her games. And when she makes a home run, I’m there to see it.” While they’ve always considered it their duty to vote, Hollis said she and her husband’s political engagement doesn’t run too deep. That’s why, she said, her daughter’s zeal has been so surprising. It hasn’t been easy to fit homework around the busy campaign schedule but Hollis said she’s glad her daughter pursues her passion at a time when so many other young people have checked out of the political arena— or haven’t entered it at all. “She stuck it out for a year, sort of being laughed at and made fun of a little bit . . . and now her sister’s coming out, her sister’s friends are starting to come out. “I think parties need to really stop and look at their young people,” Hollis adds. “I think they’re missing a lot when they overlook them. You want the voters— but Jen is getting those voters for, not this election, but the next one.” While all parents brag about their children’s achievements and potential, Hollis has no doubt Jennifer is destined for 24 Sussex Drive. “I will be inviting you over for tea... at the Prime Minister’s house,” the proud mother said laughing. “She will rock this country.” Johnson is a breath of fresh air for those who’d like to see more political participation from Canadians aged 18 to 35. A relatively-young Liberal candidate himself, Gabby Kalaw jokes that Johnson is practically running his VancouverKensington campaign—helping out with everything from office administration to door knocking. “Every campaign has people who do a lot of the legwork early on and Jen has been one of those people,” the 34 year old said, juggling a massive self-portrait in the midst of a candidate sign-waving event along a Vancouver street. “She’s 12 years old but she’s gained an inordinate amount of experience that I’ve seen 20 year olds still don’t know how to do,” Kalaw adds. “If there’s anything in my office that she hasn’t done, I’d be surprised.” But whether or not Johnson’s infectious political spirit will stir others into widespread political action remains unclear, based on a 2011 research report from Elections Canada. The issue of how to engage a generation is a multifaceted one despite many attempts to target youth through new techniques, said one of the report’s authors, Peter Loewen. “There’s no easy solution,” the University of Toronto assistant professor of political science said in a telephone interview. The nation is changing—it’s long been known that people can be less likely to vote if they’re born outside of Canada or don’t consider themselves religious and that’s
Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editor Melissa Remulla-Briones editor@canadianinquirer.net Associate Editor Laarni de Paula Editorial Assistant April Sescon
Gabby Kalaw, Jennifer Johnson and Alexis Pears.
increasingly prevalent, Loewen said. Compounding this, he said is that young people aren’t growing up and assuming responsibility as soon as their parents did, and aren’t yet in a position to pay property taxes, own a home, or have kids, all milestones that prompt voting or political action. Higher levels of education and mobility of young people also contribute to low voter turnouts, as can a lack of general awareness of the campaign and candidates. But Loewen said one of the biggest influencers of abysmal voting statistics among the so-called Generation Y has little to do with politics. Young Canadians have a different set of values, Loewen said, adding they don’t consider voting a duty. “For better or for worse, people— especially young people—are less likely to think they have duties and obligations now than they did before,” Loewen said. An older generation went to the polls out of civic obligation, he said, even if they thought their votes didn’t matter or they didn’t like the parties. Less than a third of 18 to 34 year olds eligible to vote in the last provincial election actually did so, Elections BC statistics state. Close to 900,000 were eligible, yet less than 275,000 turned up at the polls in 2009. That’s compared to between 55 to 72 per cent of those aged 45 to 75, the statistics state. When it comes to government policy, the votes talk, Loewen said. “There’s a good reason why they pay more attention to older citizens. They matter more at election time.” But Johnson is doing her best to change that. “I think that if people got more involved, then they would realize it’s not a scary place,” Johnson said. “The government is yours and your parents and you own it. And you have every right to be involved and you should be . . . it’s really important to me that young people get out and vote.” With that, Johnson holds up her blue candidate poster and returns to work— practice for her own campaign. ■
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