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A Philippine legacy goes up in flames

Farmers to file charges vs PNP, etc, and vice-versa

P-Noy on the offensive

Iceland’s leader is first victim of offshore holdings leak

Fliers brace for big security lines at airports

Toronto and Vancouver markets charge ahead despite mortgage rule changes

CALOOCAN CAMPAIGN Presidential candidate Grace Poe is hugged by a supporter during the proclamation rally of Caloocan mayoral candidate Enrico Echiverri and other local candidates at the Munting Nayon Covered Court in Bagong Silang village.

RAFFY LERMA / PDI

Raps readied vs gov, PNP exec

BY JEROME C. ANING AND CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer LAWYERS ARE preparing a raft of criminal, civil and administrative charges against the governor of North Cotabato province and the provincial police commander over the violent dispersal of a peasants’ protest in Kidapawan City

that led to the deaths of three farmers and the wounding of scores of others on Friday.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), its affiliate Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM), and other groups have formed a team of at least 10 lawyers to bring the charges against Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza,

Fil-Can in Focus: Patrick Cruz

BY CRAIG WONG The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Moves by Ottawa to tighten mortgage lending rules did little to cool the country’s two hottest real estate markets as home sales in Toronto and Vancouver continued to charge ahead last month.

The Toronto Real Estate Board on Tuesday reported record high sales volumes and another jump in prices in the first quarter, anchored by a strong March, the first full month for the latest change in mortgage regulations that require larger down payments on some homes.

The results followed a report Monday by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver that home sales there hit a monthly record in March.

TD Bank economist Diana Petramala was surprised by the relative

❱❱ PAGE 25 ❱❱ PAGE13 Raps readied

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❱❱ PAGE 20 Toronto and

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APRIL 8, 2016

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Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

2 high rollers in cyberheist in China

BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer

3

‘INC meeting was on judicial reform’

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer

has so far conducted three hearings to get to the bottom of the laundering of the stolen Bangladeshi funds through RCBC and Midas and Solaire casinos.

Wong last week returned $4.63 million of the stolen money in his possession. According to Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, authorities could recover $34 million of the $81 million if they moved swiftly.

TWO CHINESE high rollers accused by casino junket operator Kim Wong of being the ones who brought to the Philippines $81 million stolen from Bangladesh’s central bank are now back in China, according to Sen. Serge Osmeña.

Osmeña said getting Beijing’s cooperation to track down the pair may be a 4th hearing tomorrow problem because of the strain in their In the same radio interview, Osmeña relations caused by a territorial dispute said the resumption of the Senate hearin the South China Sea. ing tomorrow would see senators seekThe Senate blue ribbon committee, ing an explanation from Philrem owners which is looking into the bank heist, has Salud and Michael Bautista of Wong’s received a preliminary report that Gao testimony that they had not remitted Shuhua and Ding Zhize were no longer $17 million of the stolen money to the in the Philippines and had returned to two Chinese high rollers.

China, according to the senator.

The Bautistas last week denied Wong’s Speaking on radio on Saturday, Os- claims. meña said the committee had been seekOsmeña said the role of remittance ing cooperation from police agencies to companies in the heist had not yet been track down Gao and Ding, who Wong tackled by the committee. claimed had brought Asked whether in the $81 million stohe found it suspilen by hackers from cious that the Bauthe account of the tista couple omitted Bangladesh central mentioning Wong’s bank in the US Federinvolvement in the al Bank of New York remittance of the and wired to Rizal We don’t know if stolen money in the Commercial Bankthe government first two hearings, ing Corp. (RCBC) on of China will the senator acknowlFeb. 5. cooperate. This edged that there Wong told the blue may become a were many gaps and ribbon committee on problem. We discrepancies that Tuesday that it was don’t have nice needed to be clarified Gao, a close friend relations with in the testimonies of based in Beijing, who China at this time. some of the resource introduced him last persons. year to Ding, a Macau “Not everybody investor. is telling the whole Wong said he truth. They only say helped Gao opened what is favorable to last year the RCBC them,” he said. bank accounts that Osmeña also said received the stolen that whatever findfunds and from which foreign exchange ings the committee would produce, it firm Philrem Service Corp. remitted the would submit these for investigation to money to certain people and two casi- the Department of Justice and the Nanos. tional Bureau of Investigation.

“We don’t know if the government of So far, he said the committee had China will cooperate. This may become gathered only 30 percent of information a problem. We don’t have nice relations it needed and that it would submit recwith China at this time,” Osmeña said. ommendations once it gathered 60-70 Manila and Beijing’s ties continue to percent of the needed information. be icy, especially now that the United Commenting on Wong’s return of Nations arbitration tribunal is set to de- some of the stolen money, Osmeña said cide anytime soon on the Philippines’ it was a good gesture. case against Chinese occupation of He expressed hope that the authorireefs, islets and shoal within its exclu- ties’ efforts to have the stolen money sive economic zone. returned to Bangladesh would help salChina is not taking part in the UN pro- vage the country’s reputation, noting ceedings as it questions its jurisdiction that the “biggest cyberheist in history” over the maritime dispute. has placed the Philippines as the monThe Senate blue ribbon committee ey-laundering center in the world. ■

SEN. GRACE Poe said she discussed her program of judicial reform with the political affairs chief of the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) last week but she did not expressly ask for the sect’s endorsement.

The presidential candidate said her courtesy call was part of her campaign to reach out to as many organizations as possible to discuss her platform of governance.

Poe met with INC political affairs chief Eraño Codera on Wednesday.

“It would be disingenuous to say that you don’t pay courtesy calls in various areas. I did this voluntarily. Specially for an independent candidate like me, you would need to share your platform, and whoever would express support, thank you,” she told reporters late Saturday night.

“But it is clear to me that while I am thankful for any support, there will be equal treatment for all,” she added.

According to her, she and Codera did not discuss the pending cases against INC leaders and allegations of harassment concerning the church. What they discussed was how people should be treated equally under the law, she said.

“What we talked about was how under my government, there would be equal treatment under the law, whether you

are rich, and especially if you are poor.

You should have proper representation,” she said.

They also discussed reforms in the judiciary, as well as the need for more lawyers in the Public Attorney’s Office and for the proper handling of case documents and evidence, she said.

Poe was earlier criticized when she said INC members were just defending their faith when they held mass protests recently against the Department of Justice’s handling of an illegal detention case against a church leader. The INC rallies snarled traffic in Manila and along Edsa for four days.

As for the presence of Mike Defensor, a former member of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Cabinet, Poe said he was already at the INC office when she arrived.

It was just coincidence that their visits to the INC took place at the same time. There were also other politicians in the waiting area, she said, although she declined to name them.

On Friday, she said Defensor’s association with the previous administration was “incompatible with my crusade for transparent governance and electoral reform.”

Politicians regularly troop to the INC to seek the support of the religious organization, whose two million voters are instructed to vote as a bloc based on the advice of the church’s top leaders. ■

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APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

A Philippine theater legacy goes up in flames The fire at the UP Faculty Center last April 1 burned more than just professors’ offices, precious books and papers; it also reduced priceless memorabilia from the university’s premier theater company to ashes

BY CATHY CAÑARES YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer ON THE last day of Fire Prevention Month, a young assistant professor at the University of the Philippines had a strange but nagging feeling that something bad would happen.

“Kinakabahan ako, feeling ko may masamang mangyayari na naman (I feel nervous, as if there is something bad that will happen again),” Dexter Martinez Santos told a friend via private message on social media early Thursday morning.

Hours later, Santos, associate artistic director of Dulaang UP, the university’s official performing troupe, attended a meeting in the office of a female colleague in the decades-old UP Faculty Center, fondly referred to as FC by students, alumni and professors.

Santos noticed a charming old rocking chair. His friend said it belonged to a retired professor.

Later that afternoon, Santos went to another faculty member’s office in the same building. After their chat, he noticed two framed sketches—“an angel and a head of a male saint.”

“In my mind, I said, ‘Ganda talaga

nito, hingin ko na nga lang ulit (This is really beautiful, I should ask for it again),’” Santos posted in a Facebook entry.

But the frames belonged to a female professor long gone who probably wanted them to stay in that office. So Santos thought, “‘Wag na nga. Ginusto ni ma’am na maiwan ’yan dito sa room (Maybe not, after all. Ma’am would have wanted it to remain in the room).”

Santos proceeded to his department’s office and noticed a stack of hardbound theses that needed his signature. “Bukas na nga lang, and ‘yan lang naman ‘yan (I’ll work tomorrow, it’s not like it will leave),” he thought.

Santos then went to meet some friends. He still had some business to do at the FC but decided to return another time. After all, the papers he needed to work on would just be there.

No April Fool’s joke

The next morning, Santos wished the Facebook message was just a mean April Fool’s joke. The recipient of his ominous message the day before wrote back that FC had been ravaged by fire. “‘Yung office mo wala na din… Kinilabutan ako sa sinabi mo… naalala ko lang kahapon eto sabi mo, eh… (Your

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office is also gone... I felt goosebumps, rereading what you said... I remembered...)” the message trailed off. Attached to the message was Santos’ unwitting warning of an unknown evil that was to come.

UP Chancellor and INQUIRER columnist Michael Tan looked anguished when he faced reporters in an ambush interview early Friday morning.

Tan managed to say it succinctly when he pointed out that more than the loss of the building itself, the tragedy of the fire is “more about the memories” that also went up in smoke.

It is highly improbable for any student at UP Diliman not to have set foot inside FC. It was here that a student consulted with a professor on class requirements, and where he or she went to claim the bluebook of the past final exams and class cards.

On some occasions, FC is also where a student would stake out a professor to plead for special consideration if, for some reason or another, he/she couldn’t enlist in the teacher’s class during regular enrollment.

There were also special exams held at FC. This writer once witnessed an elocution contest in Spanish where three male students outdid each other in reciting “Mi Ultimo Adios” in front of a bored-looking professor.

Just last year, a fire hit the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association (CASAA) food center. Many bemoaned the destruction of the popular student hangout, but FC is different.

In a phone interview, Dean Amihan Ramolete of the College of Arts and Letters said the damage would be hard to quantify.

While the building housed 250 offices of professors from five departments, as well as the Institute of Creative Writing, the university also lost “a lot of historical documents, cultural artifacts, original theater scripts and photos,” she said.

Mabesa himself was grieving the destruction of Tanghalang Hermogenes Ylagan, housed at FC. (INQUIRER contributing editor and occasional Dulaang UP actor Alya Honasan noted that the theater, also known as the FC studio, is home to the UP Playwright’s Theater, where works of homegrown playwrights like Floy Quintos and Nick Pichay are premiered. The venue is where readings and rehearsals begin before a play is staged at the bigger Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater in Palma Hall.)

Mabesa, a Philippine theater icon who is also a film and TV thespian, said he learned about the fire, while on a seminar in Clark, from the Dubai-based mother of one of his stage actors.

“He said, ‘Check Facebook.’ Lo and behold! Alex noted the sad fact that all the archival treasures of Dulaang UP have gone with the wind,” Mabesa said.

While Mabesa is Dulaang UP’s founding artistic director, Cortez is co-founder and spent eight years as its artistic director before retiring recently.

Cortez said the fire destroyed everything in his office. “All my Dulaang UP files, all memories of 40 or so years are gone,” he said.

He still works as a professorial lecturer after retirement and feels fortunate that the university allowed him to keep the office where he kept all hard copies that documented his life and experience in theater.

“All my things were already in boxes because supposedly they would be transported to the archives. All the programs from 1976 to the present of both Dulaan and the UP Playwright’s Theater. I am really so devastated,” he said.

Cortez has been serving as de facto archivist of Dulaang UP: “I don’t throw away things. I have complete research materials so this is really very sad.”

Cortez noted that through those years, FC served as haven for budding artists as well as professional actors from TV and film.

Lost sanctuary

Difficult to quantify

Ramolete, associate artistic director of Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas, explained that, aside from teaching, many of the professors “are researchers or artists so there are works, a lot of artistic works plus reference materials. There are also historical books, hard-to-find books, it’s so difficult to quantify. The loss is so difficult to express.”

Professor Emeritus Tony Mabesa and Professor Alex Cortez joined Ramolete at the adjacent Palma Hall hours after officials declared “fire out” inside the UP campus.

“She lost her office. We are now at the Dulaang UP office right across,” Mabesa whispered over the phone.

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“We lost a sanctuary of sorts. That’s really painful because of all the memories you cannot recreate,” he added.

The fire could not have come at a worse time. Cortez and company are supposed to close the current 40th season with “The Dressing Room.”

Turning wistful, Cortez said, “Gan’un talaga ang mga pangyayaring hindi inaasahan (There are really things that occur without prior knowledge). Now we have to be more careful. Unfortunately, we are not sophisticated when it comes to storing things, so now we have to start filing all these precious things in digital ❱❱ PAGE 14 A Philippine

Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

5

New President will appoint 10 SC justices, says Mar

BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer VOTERS SHOULD be conscientious in choosing the next occupant of Malacañang as President Aquino’s successor would be appointing 10 magistrates of the 15-member Supreme Court.

Liberal Party (LP) presidential contender Mar Roxas issued this reminder at a dialogue with business leaders hosted by the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines in Makati City on Wednesday.

In his speech, Roxas said systemic problems in the country’s judicial system had not been thoroughly addressed by the candidates in the May 9 general elections.

He said resolving the issues besetting the judiciary would help “unleash the energies of the private sector of our economy.”

“The next President gets to appoint 10 Supreme Court justices. The wrong choice might mean that black becomes white and white becomes black or red becomes blue and blue becomes red. Because they can interpret (our laws),” Roxas said in a serious tone.

“And that’s why we need to be very, very careful. It will change the entire character of our judicial system. It will, therefore, change the entire character of the rules and regulations under which we live as a society and… build our businesses as an economy,” he added.

Mr. Aquino, who was voted into office in 2010, has so far named six of the 15 members of the high court, which has the constitutional mandate as the final arbiter of all judicial questions.

While there is a public perception that a sitting President’s appointees would just be his rubber stamp in the high court, the magistrates designated by Mr. Aquino voted against several of his executive and legislative agenda, among them the legality of the Disbursement Acceleration Pro-

gram.

Roxas also raised his concern over the failure of the judiciary to immediately resolve legal woes, which, he said, had practically held hostage some P3 trillion in assets.

The LP standard-bearer said this problem rendered the “assets locked up in litigation” useless for the economy.

“They cannot be transacted.

They cannot be propagated.

Nothing could be done to them because they’re locked up in litigation,” he said, adding: “Imagine this potential in our economy that’s not being used, that’s not being deployed. So there is a great deal of blockage. There is a great deal of potential in unlocking these assets that are tied up in litigation.”

If elected President, Roxas said he would push for the holding of “continuous trial” to resolve court cases as soon as possible.

The delays in the judicial process, he said, were even more detrimental to poor Filipinos who could barely afford a lawyer to defend their interests.

“They don’t have the money to keep paying the lawyer to show up. They don’t have the resources to keep after a long protracted legal process. So (holding) continuous trials is one of our goals,” he said.

Roxas said he initiated close coordination among the main pillars of the judiciary— the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government—to expedite the trial of criminal cases.

He said these pillars were able to harmonize the judicial processes through the “justice ecozone,” which was first implemented in Quezon City, referring to the system used in economic zones.

“That’s what we’re going to do for the rest of the country. That way you can have meaningful justice all across our country,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd. ■

Presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe.

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Pleas vs Poe top SC summer agenda

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer

Leonardo-de Castro that Poe was not compliant with the 10year residency requirement for presidential candidates as THE SUPREME Court begins mandated by the Constitution. its summer session in Baguio The four private petitioners City tomorrow, with the mowho sought Poe’s disqualifitions for reconsideration on its cation—former Sen. Franciso ruling allowing Sen. Grace Poe Tatad, De La Salle University to run for president on top of its political science professor Anagenda. tonio Contreras, former GovThe motions for reconsideraernment Service Insurance tion filed by the Commission System counsel Estrella Elamon Elections (Comelec) and the paro and former University of four private petitioners in the the East College of Law dean disqualification cases against Amado Valdez—also filed their Poe will be deliberated, and joint motion for reconsiderapossibly voted, upon by tomortion on March 18. row, according to sources in the They warned of repercushigh court. sions from the The sources, majority rulwho asked not ing, saying that to be named for it “will cause lack of authorBut if the court reverses itself and the election of ity to speak to upholds her disqualification, a second a true nuisance the media, said motion for reconsideration, this candidate or the the high tributime from Poe’s camp, may still be disenfranchisenal considered entertained. ment of millions the Poe case and of Filipinos.” other cases reThey also conlated to the comtested the majoring elections a “priority” since Based on the decisions they ity opinion that presumed Poe there is only about a month left wrote or concurred with, five to be a natural-born Filipino before the polls. justices dissented from the ma- based on circumstances such as The Supreme Court will be jority opinion but three limited physical appearance as well as deciding whether or not to re- their opinions on whether or statistical probability. consider the majority ruling not the Comelec committed On Friday, Tatad asked the that the Comelec committed a grave abuse of discretion in high court to consider the posigrave abuse of discretion when canceling Poe’s certificate of tion of the Integrated Bar of the it disqualified Poe for material candidacy.

Philippines (IBP) and several misrepresentations in her citiChief Justice Ma. Lourdes prominent lawyers in resolving zenship and residency eligibili- Sereno, however, had claimed the appeals. ties for the presidency. that the seven comprised a maThe IBP board of governors Should the high court affirm jority of the 12 justices; the re- said in a recent statement that its 9-6 vote and stand firm on maining three having been ex- legal questions on Poe’s eligibilits ruling in favor of Poe, the cluded from the count as they ity still stood since the Supreme decision would then become did not take part in the delib- Court ruling did not resolve final. But if the court reverses erations. the issues involving her qualiitself and upholds her disqualiOn the residency issue, the fication as a natural-born and fication, a second motion for Comelec cited the dissent- 10year resident of the Philipreconsideration, this time from ing opinion of Justice Teresita pines. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Poe’s camp, may still be entertained.

In its 56-page motion for reconsideration, the Comelec asked the high court to rethink its March 8 decision, undertake new deliberations and conduct another round of voting, arguing that there was no majority vote finding Poe a natural-born Filipino qualified to become president.

The poll body echoed the dissenting opinion of Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio who said that only seven out of 15 justices—one less than the required majority of eight—voted that Poe was a natural-born Filipino.

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Philippine News

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

25 families flee as grass, forest fires continue in Mt. Matutum PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY GENERAL SANTOS CITY — At least 25 families in an upland village in Polomolok town in South Cotabato have evacuated due to the grass and forest fires in parts of Mt. Matutum.

Engr. Jonathan Pabulare, head of the Polomolok Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), said Tuesday residents in portions of Barangay Kinilis were forced to leave their homes as the raging fires continued to spread in the last several days.

He said the evacuees, who came from Puroks 7 and 8, are

currently taking temporary shelter at the barangay hall grounds of Kinilis.

“They decided to evacuate mainly for safety reasons and most of them could no longer stand the thick smoke and haze coming from the fires,” he said in a radio interview.

Pabulare said the local government has initially provided food and other relief items to the evacuees.

He said the provincial government has also delivered food packs through personnel from the Philippine Red Cross.

As of Tuesday morning, Pabulare said the fires already destroyed around 100 hectares of grass and forest areas in Barangay Kinilis, which is part of the

14,000-hectare Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape.

The first major fire in the area started last March 23 in Purok 7 and destroyed around 10 hectares of grass lands.

Officials earlier noted the fires appeared to be man-made and likely caused by the illegal activities of forest poachers and “kaingineros” or slash-andburn farmers.

Another fire broke out in another portion of Kinilis last April 2 that spread to around 90 hectares of grass and forest areas.

Pabulare said the situation in Barangay Kinilis remained volatile as the grass and forest ❱❱ PAGE 14 25 families

An avid female supporter embraces Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas during a campaign sortie.

OLIVER MARQUEZ / PNA

Mar Roxas on ‘Yolanda’: No regrets

BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer PILLORIED FOR his role in the government’s response to Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Mar Roxas yesterday maintained there was no ounce of regret in his actions in the aftermath of the strongest typhoon to ever hit land.

“I don’t have any regrets,” Roxas told reporters in an interview after visiting a coconut water bottling plant in General Santos City. “I went there not just because it was my job, but because the people there were distressed.”

Roxas was the interior secretary and vice chair of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council when Yolanda’s powerful winds whipped up tsunami-like storm surges on Nov. 9, 2013.

Millions homeless

Close to 7,000 people died and millions of residents were left homeless by the destructive weather disturbance, mostly in the impoverished region of Eastern Visayas.

Along with Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Roxas and other national government officials flew to Tacloban City, now regarded as the ground zero of the tragedy, a day before the catastrophic incident happened.

In a previous interview, Roxas said he, Gazmin and their team were practically typhoon victims themselves as the hotel where they were staying was also destroyed.

Roxas said many of those who had criticized him and the govwww.canadianinquirer.net

ernment did not even step foot in Tacloban and other ravaged areas right after Yolanda struck.

“I did not go home. I was there until the situation stabilized,” he said.

He also expressed disappointment over how he was ridiculed after he was photographed when a motorcycle he was driving crashed while he was rushing to Dolores town, Samar province, to check on the residents affected by Typhoon “Ruby” in December 2014.

‘I feel for them’

“I chose to go to Dolores because that’s the ground zero of Ruby. Because the road was slippery, covered with mud and strewn with debris, I used a motorcycle,” he said.

“I could have just stayed in Manila because it would be comfortable for me. But I did not. I went to help the people not just because it was my job, but because I feel for them,” he said.

When his motorcycle crashed, Roxas said his rivals wanted the public to just focus on the accident that happened to him.

“They failed to understand that I met an accident because I wanted to reach a far-flung area even if the road was slippery and muddy. Where are they?

They were in air-conditioned rooms,” Roxas said.

“I was there before, during and after Ruby until the (situation) stabilized just like in Yolanda. They were attacking me because I did something.

How about them? They were in their offices. We cannot criticize them because they were just in their offices,” he said. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

7

Gov’t hit for not acting on demands

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA, NIÑA P. CALLEJA AND DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer CANDIDATES IN the May 9 national elections yesterday condemned the violent police dispersal of protesting farmers in North Cotabato province that led to the deaths of two farmers and the wounding of 13 others.

Leading presidential candidate Grace Poe called for justice for the farmers who were shot dead by police and for the wounded.

The farmers, numbering about 6,000, had been barricading the main highway in Kidapawan City since Wednesday demanding government assistance after drought linked to El Niño destroyed their farms.

Poe said the farmers had a legitimate grievance, but the government had been slow listening to them.

“The farmers staged their activity to demand government aid amid the drought in the province, which is killing their crops and depriving them of harvests and food to eat,” Poe said.

She said the government agencies concerned should have attended to the farmers’ problems from the start, and quick action could have prevented the mass action.

Immediate investigation

Poe called for an immediate investigation of the police action and for justice for the victims.

“The situation calls for authorities and agencies concerned to immediately investigate and resolve this case, and

bring to justice those responsible,” she said.

Poe’s running mate, Sen. Francis Escudero, expressed dismay at the violent dispersal of the farmers.

“I believe that every citizen has a right to freedom of assembly and the concerns of these poor farmers are valid. The least the government could do is listen to their concerns and do something about [them],” Escudero said.

He said the authorities should have exercised maximum tolerance and convinced the farmers to disperse peacefully.

Escudero said he had been calling on the government to allocate funds to help farmers affected by drought since the weather bureau issued drought warnings last year.

Administration blamed

The camp of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte blamed the violence against the farmers on the Aquino administration.

Maribojoc, Bohol, Mayor Leoncio Evasco Jr., Duterte’s campaign manager, called the incident a “carnage.”

“President Aquino cannot escape blame and responsibility for the bloody assault on hungry farmers demanding food after a prolonged dry spell,” Evasco said.

“Hungry people demanding food do not deserve to be shot,” he said.

He called on the government to order all the policemen involved in the shooting “to be disarmed, investigated and dealt with the full might and extent of the law.”

Evasco also called on the Human Rights Commission to condemn the attack on the

farmers.

Liberal Party presidential candidate Mar Roxas and his running mate, Camarines Sur Leni Robredo, added their voices to the condemnation of the violence against the farmers.

“I strongly condemn the violence that happened in Kidapawan. The report on the violence that erupted between the authorities and the [farmers] was alarming,” Roxas said in a statement.

“I call on the (Philippine National Police) and other concerned agencies to investigate... the true cause of the clash and, if warranted, punish those who may be accountable,” he added.

In a separate statement, Robredo said she was saddened by what happened in Kidapawan.

“It’s just right to look into the real cause of this violent incident and make those responsible for it accountable,” she said.

‘Inhuman’

Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor-Santiago called the violence against the farmers “inhuman.”

Santiago said the government should be held accountable for the violence, as the dispersal of the farmers violated the constitutional right to freedom of assembly.

Those responsible should be swiftly brought to justice, she said in a statement.

“It is vile enough that this administration has failed to support the farmers and lumad of Kidapawan during the prolonged drought in Mindanao.

But it is downright inhuman for them to shoot at the same people begging for help,” she said.

Santiago’s running mate, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also condemned the violent dispersal of

the farmers, saying the use of guns was “completely unnecessary.”

“I deplore the use of bullets to answer the legitimate demands of our farmers and their families in North Cotabato. They are hungry and they are just asking for food so they can feed their families. The violent dispersal was completely unnecessary,” Marcos said in a statement.

Marcos said an interagency committee should be formed to deal with the situation and start a dialogue.

He said the Department of Agriculture should account for the P2.1 billion specially earmarked to assist farmers affected by drought.

Lawmakers outraged

The police action against the farmers triggered outrage and a flurry of condemnation from lawmakers, some of whom drew parallels between the incident and the 1987 Mendiola massacre and the 2004 Hacienda Luisita killings.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, a senatorial candidate, said there was no justification for the shooting of the protesting farmers.

“This is like the Mendiola and Luisita massacres all over again,” he said, referring to two other bloody dispersals by state forces of protesting farmers in the past three decades.

The Mendiola incident took place in January 1987 when riot police opened fire on farmers marching to Malacañang, killing 13 of them.

The Hacienda Luisita incident happened in November 2004 when police and soldiers killed seven farmworkers during a protest where the farmers were seeking genuine land reform at the Cojuangco-Aquino owned sugar plantation.

Colmenares said the Kidapawan dispersal exposed the Aquino government’s lack of understanding the plight of farmers.

“They say they are profarmers and that they will help farmers, but instead of giving them rice and food, they shot them.

What kind of government is this? They answer calamity with blood[y] calamity,” he said.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said he was outraged by the Philippine National Police’s “utter disregard for the lives of ordinary citizens.” ■

Cayetano thankful for One Cebu endorsement PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, the running mate of PDP-LABAN standard bearer and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, called the endorsement of One Cebu ranking leaders as an “answered prayer.”

“Salamat sa Diyos, (Thank

you God), it is an answered prayer for me and Mayor Duterte to garner more support,” Cayetano said.

“The endorsement is mutual.

We also support the tandem of Winston and Nerissa… We believe in the WinNer (Winston Garcia and Nerissa Soon-Ruiz) team and in One Cebu,” he added.

One Cebu gubernatorial bet

Winston Garcia and his running mate, Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, officially declared their support for Duterte and Cayetano last Sunday. “(Cayetano) and my brother, Pablo John, are good friends. I am a good friend of his father and I know what kind of person he is,” Garcia said.

“The WinNer team supports Cayetano... We choose him as www.canadianinquirer.net

our candidate because I know him, and he is a very reliable friend,” he stressed.

Garcia said that based on the surveys they conducted, Cayetano continues to be the leading vice presidential bet in Cebu.

He also vowed to deliver one million votes for the senator.

Ruiz, meanwhile, stressed that Cayetano had been her

personal choice even before their party declared support for Duterte’s presidential bid.

She noted how the senator has helped Cebuanos in the past by providing medical assistance for indigent patients in the province. She said this is why Cayetano landed as the number one senator in Cebu among all senatorial bets during the 2013 elections. ■

Philippine News

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APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Kidapawan protest: Farmers to file charges against PNP, others, and vice-versa Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Inc. Correspondents Jane Moraleda Socorro Newland Bolet Arevalo Katherine Padilla Community Editor Mary Ann Mandap maryann.mandap@canadianinquirer.net Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Photographers Angelo Siglos Solon Licas Vic Vargas For photo submissions, please send to editor@canadianinquirer.net Operations and Marketing Head Laarni Liwanag (604) 551-3360 laarni.liwanag@canadianinquirer.net Advertising Sales Alice Yong (778) 889-3518 alice.yong@canadianinquirer.net Emy Rose Figueroa salesphilippines@canadianinquirer,net emy.figueroa@canadianinquirer.net Nelson Wu (647) 521-5155 salestoronto@canadianinquirer.net nelson.wu@canadianinquirer.net Amelia Insigne 1-416-574-5121 amelia.insigne@canadianinquirer.net PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Christelle Tolisora Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 11951 Hammersmith Way, Suite 108 Richmond, B.C. V7A 5H9 Canada Tel. No.: +1 (888) 668-6059, +1 (604) 484-9243, +1 (778) 889-3518 | Email: info@canadianinquirer.net, sales@ canadianinquirer.net Philippine Canadian Inquirer is published weekly every Friday.

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BY KATHERINE PADILLA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) and several groups supporting the farmers killed and wounded in a bloody dispersal of a protest in Kidapawan City on Friday, April 1 have readied charges against one another.

PNP has arrested and jailed 50 individuals at Kidapawan City jail for attacking policemen. They will be charged with direct assault while the PNP determines the groups and individuals liable for the violent incident.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) and Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) will also file administrative, civil and criminal charges against Gov. Emmylou TaliñoMendoza, police Supt. Alex Tagum and others, NUPL told Inquirer.net.

Civic group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) has also expressed intent to join the group in filing charges.

The protest in front of the National Food Authority (NFA) in Kidapawan City was conducted by 6,000 droughtstricken farmers from North Cotabato, Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Sultan Kudarat. The farmers protested against the government’s failure to extend assistance to them and demanded that the government provide them 15,000 sacks of rice grains for their subsistence.

On Friday morning, riot police tried to disperse the protesters using water cannon which resulted in a brawl between the protesters and the riot police. Rocks were thrown and gunshots were fired as the two groups clashed.

According to NUPL, 3 protesters — Rotello Daelto, Victor Lumandag and Enrico Pabrica — were dead, 116 were wounded and 89 of the protesters are still missing.

PNP reported that 99 of their men were injured and one is in critical condition.

PNP’s Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) reported to have recovered two empty shells of caliber .45 pistol in an area occupied by the protesters and a caliber .38 bullet in the station of the policemen.

PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said one of the three farmers killed in the incident showed positive result in the paraffin test.

However, results could not be relied upon since elements like nicotine and soil can tamper result.

Presidential candidates in the upcoming election condemned the incident that caused lives of three protesting farmers and wounded many.

Roland Jampas, one of the many protesters wounded in the bloody dispersal of protesting farmers in Kidapawan City.

KILAB MULTIMEDIA

“Vice President Jejomar C. Binay deplores the use of violence to disperse farmers in Kidapawan demanding rice from government,” Atty. Rico Quicho, spokesman for presidential candidate Jejomar Binay said.

“Hunger is a reality that must be addressed not by violence but by compassion and concrete programs to improve the lives of the poor,” he added.

“Hungry people demanding food do not deserve to be shot,” Rodrigo Duterte’s camp said in a statement.

Duterte called on the administration to disarm, investigate and deal with the individuals involved in the shooting.

“An unarmed, defenseless throng of people asking for food poses no danger.

In fact they are in danger… This government has been impervious to the suffering of the people,” the statement read.

Sen. Grace Poe said in a statement that she believed the farmers “staged their activity for a rightful demand.”

“This should have been attended to by the concerned agencies at the outset that would have prevented the farmers from taking to the streets… The situation calls for authorities and concerned agencies to immediately investigate and resolve this case, and bring to justice those responsible,” she said.

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago echoed the sentiments of her co-candidates. As a constitutional expert, she believed that the violence towards the farmers “violated the constitutional right to freedom of assembly.”

“It is vile enough that this administration has failed to support the farmers and lumads of Kidapawan during the prolonged drought in Mindanao. But it is downright inhuman for them to shoot at the same people begging for help,” she said.

Manuel “Mar” Roxas II called the violent incident ‘worrisome.’

“I call on the PNP and other concerned agencies to investigate as to the true cause of the clash and, if warranted,

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punish those who may be accountable,” Roxas said.

On the other hand, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in an interview with dzRB that many are exploiting the situation to mislead the people and advance anti-government propagandas.

“Kailangang maunawaan ng ating mga kababayan na ito ay isang kaganapang hindi naman natin nais maganap at hindi rin dapat ito maging okasyon upang tayo ay linlangin at lokohin ng mga nais maghasik ng kasinungalingan (Our countrymen should understand that we did not want this incident to happen and this should not be the occasion for us to be deceived and mislead by those who want to propagate lies),” Coloma said.

The Commission on Human Rights condemned the police for using guns during the incident. The commission has sent a fact-finding team in Kidipawan City to conduct investigation.

In a statement released to The Standard, CHR Region 12 Director Erlan Deluvio said that the police who shot at protesters violated the latter’s human rights.

The five-member CHR team in Kidapawan has gathered information and took statements from witnesses who were under oath. They have also prepared a formal report.

However, the CHR team in Kidapawan is yet to gather statements from the police and examine their culpability in the incident. They will also determine if the provincial police director of Kidapawan and the chief of the Philippine National Police should be held liable.

Deluvio added that the government’s failure to provide help the farmers needed is also a violation of their human rights.

The CHR team is expected to submit their report by April 8. Their findings will be sent to the House of the Representatives and the United Nations. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

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Hacking of Comelec voters’ list continues

Romualdez vows to ensure PWD law is enforced

BY NANCY C. CARVAJAL Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY GIL CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE ATTACK on the website of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) continues but will not affect the outcome of the elections, according to the National Bureau of Investigation.

The hacking earlier breached the master list of registered voters found in the precinct finder database.

NBI head agent Ronald Aguto of the cybercrime division said the Comelec had sought the assistance of the bureau in identifying and looking for the hackers who were also able to deface the Comelec website.

“It does not contain crucial data related to the upcoming elections aside from the voters’ master list, which is public record anyway,” Aguto said.

He said “hackers cannot add to or remove names [from the master list] unless it would be uploaded to a fake website, which could be quickly shut down by authorities. The least it (hacking) could do is briefly sow confusion.”

The cybercrime head agent downplayed the hacking incident despite the continued attack on the poll body’s website.

“The hacking could not cause disenfranchisement because the master list is intact,” Aguto said.

He said his team had met with Comelec employees and asked them to submit the website’s activity log.

“We suggested that the

Comelec review its website after the incident, check its databases and strengthen its fire wall, or a software program that prevents hackers from infiltrating a website or a computer system.” Aguto said.

He said there was no cause for alarm because the list was intact.

“Although the attack continues, Comelec has strengthened its wall and our investigation is focused on the hackers and on whether the master list was downloaded,” Aguto said.

The cybercrime head agent downplayed the impact of the breach, saying “the list was open to the public and did not contain confidential data.”

He assured the public that the breach on the website could not affect the results of the May 9 general elections.

“The system used in the counting and transmitting of votes is separate from the Comelec website that was hacked,” Aguto said.

When asked if the voters’ master list could be tampered with and manipulated to help certain candidates and cause disenfranchisement, he said, “We could not discount the possibility, but the chance is very remote.”

He added that his team had obtained the information on the location of the servers used by the suspects, who claimed to be members of Anonymous Philippines.

The hackers urged the poll body to strengthen its security measures to ensure clean elections. ■

Members of Anonymous Philippines allegedly hacked Comelec’s website, urging the poll body to strengthen its security measures in the coming national elections.

FACEBOOK PHOTO

AFTER GETTING his bill on persons with disabilities (PWD) signed into law, senatorial candidate Martin Romualdez said his next goal was to ensure that establishments give the full discounts.

In a radio interview, Romualdez said he would lead a broad, information campaign to ensure that all establishments from fast-food stores to drugstores to transportation firms would grant the full 32-percent discount—20percent PWD discount and 12-percent exemption from value added tax—to PWDS. With the law to take effect the middle of this month, Romualdez said he would push for the completion of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) as soon as possible.

Romualdez’s House Bill No. 1039 was signed into law by the President on March 24. It grants PWDs exemption from the 12 percent VAT to ensure

that they enjoy the full 20-percent discount they were entitled to Republic Act No. 7277, also known as the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability.

The discount is applicable for medical and dental services; purchase of medicines in all drugstores; public railway, skyway and bus fares; admission fees charged by theaters, cinema houses, concert halls, circuses, carnivals and other places of culture, leisure and amusement; and all services in hotels and similar lodging establishments, restaurants and recreation centers.

Romualdez said that private and government establishments would be protected from fraud since PWDs could only avail of the discounts with their cards issued by local government units just like for senior citizens. He said the IRR should also provide channels to address grievances of PWDs on establishments that do not give them their perks.

On why he chose the PWD’s case as his advocacy, Romualdez said he believed that all Filipinos

have relatives who have disabilities. He revealed that he has a cousin who was a “special child” who could not play with them or engage in normal activities when they were both growing up.

“I realized that these individuals needed special attention,” said Romualdez.

Romualdez carried his soft heart for PWDs in his teenage years when he volunteered to visit special schools for the disabled. He said that he was even inspired to make a photo essay at age 16 to give deeper look into the plight of the disabled.

Romualdez said he was grateful to the President, his fellow lawmakers and the PWD community for helping him shepherd his bill into law.

Although only 1.5 million PWDs were officially registered, Romualdez said he believed the number of beneficiaries could rise to between 5 and 10 million beneficiaries especially in the provinces where most residents hide from public view their kin or friends with disabilities. ■

PNP forms fact finding team to probe Kidapawan dispersal

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD T. CALIWAN Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Philippine National Police organized a Fact Finding Team in connection with the alleged violent dispersal of a mass action by farmers in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato on April 1, PNP Spokesperson Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said on Tuesday.

“The PNP has activated a fact-finding team to know the truth behind the incident. Our policy is to be transparent which means we do not condone any violation of the rules and regulations committed by our colleagues. This means that all who committed mistakes shall be punished,” Mayor explained.

“We will be open for investigation. We also encourage other concerned government agencies www.canadianinquirer.net

to join us in seeking the truth regarding the matter. With this, we assure that the PNP will be open and transparent in its probe on the incident,” he added.

Mayor said PNP Director for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) PDir Dominador E. Aquino Jr. has issued Letter Orders No. 538 dated April 5 which designates police officers who will be part of the fact finding team on.

Director for Integrated Police Operations for Western Mindanao (DIPO-WM), Police Director Isagani Nerez, a lawyer, shall act as the Team Leader and he will be assisted by officers from the different Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (RCIDU) and Mindanao Area Police Intelligence Office (MAPIO) namely: Police Superintendent Danilo Macerin – Chief, RCIDU 11; Police Senior Superintendent Felix Servita –

Chief, RCIDU 12; Police Superintendent Rainiero De Chavez – Chief, MAPIO; with Police Senior Superintendent Daniel Macatlang – Ex-O, DIPO-WM as the Team Secretariat.

As for the time frame for the releases of the results of the investigation, Mayor did not give any specific date but assured that the public will know the truth as soon as the probe is finished.

“We want this to be finished (as soon as possible) so that everyone will be enlightened on what really happened in Kidapawan City. We symphatize with everyone, especially with those whose loved ones were hurt or died in the incident. The same goes for our uniformed personnel. Nobody wanted this to happen. What we are asking is to be given the chance to probe the incident in order to uncover the truth,” he noted. ■

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APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

‘Let’s make policies, not comics’

BY ERIKA SAULER Philippine Daily Inquirer INSTEAD OF creating comics, we should make policies to avoid repeating the shortcomings of the past, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez said yesterday.

The senatorial candidate, who is pushing for the creation of a Department for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response, was alluding to the comic book “Sa Gitna ng Unos” depicting presidential candidate Mar Roxas as a hero during the Supertyphoon “Yolanda” catastrophe.

In a media forum in Quezon City, Romualdez, who represents the district hardest hit by the strongest typhoon to make landfall, said comics, “especially when used for political purposes, should be based on facts.”

“When you, as they say, try to revise history, this is when critics come out and become vocal,” Romualdez said even as he dodged questions on whether Roxas was a Yolanda hero. “I’d rather not pass judgment. I respect everyone’s right to project themselves in the manner they see fit. It’s for the people to judge.”

His cousin, Tacloban Mayor Alfred

Romualdez, was more vocal in criticizing Roxas, calling the comic book malicious and fictitious. Caritas Philippines executive secretary Fr. Edwin Gariguez also called the depiction a “shameful” and “unacceptable” propaganda.

Romualdez, who is aspiring to be the next Waray to land a Senate seat after more than 60 years, said he wanted to move forward and have the lessons instituted into policies.

“Whatever happened, we’ve learned a lot. I am advocating for a Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management that will be in a better position to assess situations. So you don’t have to pull out Cabinet secretaries from their respective portfolios who might not necessarily be the best in that field,” he said.

While there is a coordinating body (the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council), Romualdez said there should be an agency that would be accountable in calamity response.

“Until now they’re pointing fingers.

What happened to the relief goods, why did these rot? Where’s the cash donations, why hasn’t it reached the typhoon victims?” Romualdez said. ■

On-site Career Info Sessions Introduced at MOSAIC Job Fair ONE OF Vancouver’s largest job fairs is introducing multiple career information sessions that will help job seekers to learn more about employment opportunities in various sectors. MOSAIC’s 5th Annual Job and Career Fair is taking place on April 12 with 50 employers who are scouting for new recruits.

The idea for the information sessions developed as clients of MOSAIC – lead operator of the Work BC office for Vancouver Northeast, and provider of employment services for newcomers –have increasingly indicated interest and willingness to work in areas outside their own training and/or experience.

“Technology and other advancements have created so many changes – opening up areas while making others obsolete – that a strategy for jobseekers now is to be flexible and investigate options related to their training and experience.”

Abraham Asrat, Manager of Employer Relations also commented that employers and associations are equally interested and willing to invest in educating job seekers about opportunities in their sectors. www.canadianinquirer.net

The career information sessions taking place at the MOSAIC Job and Career Fair are as follows: • Opportunities in manufacturing – presented by Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) • Careers in banking – presented by RBC • Employment options in the IT sector – presented by Poludo Institute of Technology and Media • Certification options for technicians and technologists – presented by ASTTBC Technology Professionals The job fair is open to all, but attendees should register early for the above sessions to ensure they have a seat. Registration information and a list of participating employers will be available at MOSAICBC.com. The job fair will take place 10am – 4 pm on April 12, 2016 at the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. ■ MOSAIC is a non-profit organization and the primary settlement and employment services agency in Vancouver assisting newcomers in Canada with over 40 programs and 30 client sites across Metro Vancouver.

Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

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Basilan folk finally get their dream highway

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer IF MANILANS complain about daily gridlock on Edsa, residents of Basilan, almost 1,500 kilometers to the south, are thankful for getting a simple, concrete road, something many people in the capital take for granted.

When the Basilan Circumferential Road was finally completed in December last year, the fear and insecurity the locals had endured for decades vanished.

Its symbolism and significance are not lost on the people of the strife-torn province: the road stands for peace and development.

It has cut travel time from the provincial capital, Isabela City, to Sumisip from eight hours to 45 minutes, allowed the transportation of goods and the establishment of businesses, and, most important, it serves as a deterrent to extremism and violence.

The road starts from Isabela and traverses Lamitan City and the municipalities of Al-Barka, Tipo-Tipo, Ungkaya Pukan, Sumisip, Maluso, Lantawan, and ends back in the capital.

Violent incidents

These are areas that have become synonymous to unforgettable violence: the Lamitan siege in 2001 where Abu Sayyaf fighters held hostage hospital staff and American missionary couple Grace and Martin Burnham; the beheading in Al-Barka in July 2007 of Marine troops who clashed with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas while searching for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi; a nine-hour gun battle as government forces tried to take over an Abu Sayyaf camp in Ungkaya Pukan that left 19 Marines dead in August 2007; and the clash between the MILF and Army Special Forces in Al-

Barka in 2011.

Basilan is the hometown of Abu Sayyaf ideologues Isnilon Hapilon and Khadaffy Janjalani, and has long been a stronghold of the group that was once considered the most potent terrorist organization in the country.

With such a background, it is easy to see why it took 16 years to complete the 138-km circumferential road.

The project had to be guarded 24/7 that the withdrawal of the military for combat operations meant a halt in construction, leaving the road muddy, bumpy and unsafe, as workers and their equipment became vulnerable to harassment by lawless elements.

cumferential Road, it only takes 45 minutes whether on a jeepney, a van or a motorcycle,” she said.

Mannan is relieved that since the completion of the road, more armed men have left her hometown—armed men who used to kidnap teachers like her.

Rubber-tree farmer Aslan Dansalan, 50, said after the road had been completed, he and his colleagues from the Tipo-Tipo Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Agricultural Development Cooperative (Tarbadeco) could now easily and regularly deliver their products.

Now, too, they no longer waste time repairing their trucks, which in the past broke down due to the rough ride on the rutted road, especially dur-

P-Noy at inauguration

Ballaho, Manna and Dansalan spoke about the road on its inauguration on March 21, with President Aquino joining the event held in Barangay Tumahubong in Sumisip.

Mr. Aquino was the first President to visit Tumahubong, one of the most dangerous villages in Basilan.

The night before the President’s visit, two blasts rocked Sumisip, and a homemade bomb was detonated on a roadside.

Despite the incidents, Mr. Aquino insisted on going to the inauguration of the road, which had to be held under heavy security.

“I would be there for only a few hours while Changes the people who To hear the live there have people of Basilan been facing (unspeak with exLife was difficult ... and people felt certainty) all citement about forgotten by the government. No their lives,” the what to city folk one else wanted to care for us. We President exis an ordinary didn’t feel real service from the plained. thing is perhaps government.

The new road the most signifi“could spell the cant change the difference in road has brought those people’s to the island since the project ing the rainy season. lives,” he said. was completed.

The new road also allowed The difficulty posed by the Ibrahim Hadji Sali Ballaho, farmers and traders to take the absence of a passable road made the 35-yearold head of Barangay bigger vessels going to Zambo- it easy for terrorists and other Balas in Lamitan, proudly spoke anga City instead of making do criminals to thrive and play cat about 30 tricycles now going with the rickety pump boats and mouse with security forces. around his village when the place called timpil, because they can “Because we did not have a used to have only two jeepneys. now reach the port in Isabela decent road, we were consumed “We now also have nice facili- faster, Dansalan said. by fear,” Ballaho said. ties such as a barangay hall, a In the past, it took residents Frequent firefights kept peocovered court, children’s play- of TipoTipo, Dansalan’s home- ple inside their homes. Starting ground, a public market, a fish town, two hours to go to Isabe- a business, a normal activity in port, and many others,” Ballaho la. Now it takes them only 30 to other parts of the country, was said.

50 minutes. unimaginable in Basilan.

Fruits from Isabela are now Dansalan said his town now “Life was difficult ... and peoavailable in markets in Sumisip had an ambulance and it could ple felt forgotten by the governbecause of the faster and easier actually run emergencies on ment. No one else wanted to travel, said Isnira Mannan of the new road. care for us. We didn’t feel real Buli-Buli, Sumisip.

“It used to be difficult to service from the government,” It was a far cry from the six to transfer emergency cases, like Ballaho said. eight hours she used to spend in mothers giving birth, because of This was the reason, he said, traveling from Sumisip to Isa- the long travel (from Tipo-Tipo why many residents felt hopebela, where she went to college. to Isabela City where there is a less. Disheartened and deject“Now with the Basilan Cir- hospital),” he said. ed, they joined rebel groups.

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But with a functional road, trade and commerce are now possible and people can actually move around, busy going about their daily activities.

The military hopes the road will be instrumental in keeping the guns silent in Basilan.

Ranking military officials credit the completion of the road to the tenacity of Mujiv Hataman, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), who is a native of Sumisip.

They said Hataman worked well with the military and worked hard at negotiating with armed groups whenever they tried to harass the road project.

Return to Basilan

One officer said the completion of the circumferential road could encourage Basilan residents who had migrated to other places to return to their province and “contribute” to its growth.

According to a Malacañang brief, only a 61.77-km stretch, or 47 percent, of the road was concrete and in good condition when the Aquino administration began to work on it in January 2012.

“Traversing the road was inconvenient, time consuming and prone to accidents, as some sections were rocky, muddy and slippery and impassable during the rainy season. Some [portions of the road] were also dangerous to take, as lawless elements engage in highway robbery, ambush and [vehicle theft]. Transport service was also scarce and expensive,” the brief said.

The Aquino administration spent P1.83 billion for the concreting of 51.56 km of the road’s unpaved sections. Some old parts of the road were also rehabilitated.

Basilan’s 450,000 residents now benefit from the road— residents like Ballaho who said that with the completion of the road, “there’s no more fear in our hearts.” ■

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APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

P-Noy takes up cudgels for Mar

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT AQUINO on Wednesday night chided presidential candidate Grace Poe for what seemed to be the senator’s choice of an arms race as a strategy to resolve the Philippines’ territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. In a speech to thousands of voters at Bonifacio Circle in Caloocan City, Mr. Aquino touched on the South China Sea dispute—rarely discussed by the presidential candidates on the stump, where national security and foreign policy take a backseat to poverty, employment, education and corruption. Mr. Aquino said that one of the country’s problems is the territorial dispute, where the Philippines is up against a “giant nation”—obviously referring to China, the second largest economy in the world and a rising military power.

He warned that without thorough study, acquiring a surfaceto-air missile system might provoke a “preemptive strike” by a country feeling threatened by it.

At the presidential debate in Cebu City on March 20, Poe hit the administration for setting aside the surface-to-air missile program of the military in favor of buying weapons and protective gear for the Philippine Army.

Mr. Aquino referred to Poe as “this candidate” in his speech.

“When this candidate talks, you would think [she had] studied all the aspects involving this issue,” the President said in Filipino.

Right timing

He said having a surface-to-air missile system was not necessarily a force projection that would prompt “our big foe” in the South China Sea not to belittle the Philippines, as Poe had suggested.

Mr. Aquino said it was not like the government does not want to have missiles to protect the Philippines’ territory, but it has to determine the timing of adding such a program to the country’s defenses.

“If we put it in the Kalayaan Island Group, would our foe in this dispute not take notice? They might even think their forces are in danger. They might even think of taking the first step and launch what we call a preemptive strike,” Mr. Aquino said.

The President reiterated what he had told Asian journalists earlier on Wednesday: “All I want to emphasize is, it is foolish to engage in an arms race with a giant nation.”

Social services The President said that if the government funds the accumulation of weapons just to establish superiority, there will be no money left to fund social

services such as the conditional cash transfer program, building schools and other infrastructure.

“Moreover, we accumulate these arms that we do not want to use, because once we use them, it means we are at war.

But the equipment that the soldiers use in fighting the Abu Sayyaf, the NPAs (New People’s Army) are needed to protect us,” the President said.

“We have to choose between something that we need tomorrow against something that we need today,” he said.

Campaigning in Pampanga province yesterday, Poe said she did not feel slighted by the President’s remarks and that she still respected him.

“Let’s just let him be,” Poe told reporters. “I just said what I think we should do.”

Poe clarified that she was not espousing an arms race, as the missiles were primarily for the country’s defense.

“This administration bought 12 fighter jets, but we never used them to bomb any country,” she said.

The Department of National Defense (DND) said last year that while it had studied the feasibility of the P6.5-billion shorebased missile system (SBMS) under the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, it had not called for tenders, much less signed a contract with any supplier.

Instead, senior defense leaders informed President Aquino that there was a more urgent need for soldiers’ individual force protection equipment.

In his speech, President Aquino said it was his “obligation” to protect the Philippines’ territory and thus he embarked on a rules-based, diplomatic approach to fight for the country’s rights against all odds.

He said he constantly brought up the need for a code of conduct for all claimants in the South China Sea dispute at meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

to your Vice President,” Mr. Aquino said.

As to the plan of Vice President Jejomar Binay to expand the conditional cash transfer program but at the same time cut taxes, the President said he was baffled.

Addressing the women in the crowd, Mr. Aquino said: “When your husbands tell you that next month your budget will be cut but you should buy more [food for the family], how many of you here would say that is impossible?”

“That is what [Binay] is promising us,” the President said.

Binay’s offsetting plan

Duterte hit

Mr. Aquino said he was severely criticized for his strategy, with not a few blaming him for creating a problem that he “only inherited” from previous administrations.

The President also did not spare Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s criticism in his speech on Wednesday, as well as in his speech in Sta. Rosa, Laguna province, yesterday.

Mr. Aquino said that presidents do not “resign” from their jobs if they fail to fulfill their promises to the people.

Duterte said early in the campaign that he would step down if he failed to wipe out corruption and criminality in six months.

“When you are President you don’t quit and hand the job over

Binay’s camp said the Vice President had a plan to compensate for potential revenue losses arising from tax cuts.

Joey Salgado, Binay’s communication director, referred the INQUIRER to the Vice President’s statement issued on Wednesday criticizing Bureau of Internal Revenue chief Kim Henares for rejecting tax reductions.

In that statement, Binay said potential revenue losses from tax cuts could be “offset by going after smugglers.”

Binay noted that the Aquino administration loses P230 billion a year to the smuggling of agricultural products, P30 billion annually to the smuggling of oil products, and P12 billion yearly to the smuggling of tobacco. ■

Lawyers get into the act vs Poe

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer PULLING OUT all the stops, critics of Sen. Grace Poe are set to file in the Supreme Court today a pleading seeking judicial notice of “public reactions” condemning the tribunal’s decision that allowed the independent presidential candidate to pursue her b Manuelito Luna, counsel for former Sen. Francisco Tatad, will file this afternoon a manifestation asking the high court to take cognizance of a lawyers’ opinion on its March 8 ruling that granted Poe’s plea to undo the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) cancellation of her certificate of candidacy (COC).

“This is a very controversial case which split not just the nation but the court and legal community as well,” Luna said yesterday.

The manifestation represents deans of law schools and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), whose board of governors came out with the opinion, Luna said.

The IBP is the organization of the country’s lawyers with an estimated 56,000 members.

Luna said two law deans and four columnists will also join in the manifestation.

“The IBP and law deans’ positions will carry much weight,” Luna added.

Luna’s client, Tatad, and others who had filed cases against Poe—the Comelec, former UE

law dean Amado Valdez, former GSIS chief legal counsel Estrella Elamparo and De La Salle University professor Antonio Contreras—have pending pleas for reconsideration before the Supreme Court.

They are pleading for a reversal of the high court ruling that found the Comelec committed a grave abuse of discretion in canceling Poe’s COC. The SC held that Poe was a natural-born Filipino even while she was a foundling who became an American citizen in 2001, then reacquired Filipino citizenship in 2006. The court also ruled that she satisfied the 10-year residency requirement for presidential candidates.

The respondents were one in calling for another vote in the www.canadianinquirer.net

Presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe lights a candle at the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran, Paranaque City.

AVITO C. DALAN / PNA

case, saying there had been no clear majority in the court decision affirming Poe’s citizenship and residency.

The tribunal had voted 9 to 6 to overturn the Comelec’s disqualification of Poe. A separate vote on Poe’s naturalborn status saw seven justices agreeing and five dissent-

ing. Three did not take part.

The court also voted separately on the residency question, with seven in favor and six against, affirming that Poe satisfied the residency requirement.

Only a majority vote—eight of the 15 justices—made a ruling a legal precedent, the respondents asserted. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

13

Raps readied... police Supt. Alex Tagum and others responsible for the violence.

In a text message to the INQUIRER yesterday, NUPL secretary general Edre Olalia said the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) had also expressed willingness to join the legal action as cocomplainant.

Six thousand farmers from different parts of North Cotabato whose farms were ravaged by drought caused by El Niño had been protesting in front of the National Food Authority (NFA) in Kidapawan for three days, demanding food aid from the provincial government, when riot police tried to disperse them with water cannon on Friday morning.

The farmers stood their ground and a scuffle between them and riot police who charged their barricade ensued, protest leader Norma Capuyan said after the melee.

Rocks were hurled and gunshots fired as the two sides clashed, Capuyan said.

She said panicked protesters picked their bloodied companions from the highway across from the NFA building and treated their wounds by the roadside as they were sprayed with water from fire trucks.

“Everyone was angry. The police were hitting us. It was a real commotion,” she said, adding that the protesters left the highway and retreated to a nearby Methodist church.

Capuyan claimed 116 protesters were wounded while 89 others were missing.

She reported that two male farmers in their 40s were killed in the shooting, but later reports raised the death toll to three after another shooting victim died.

The slain farmers were identified as Rotello Daelto, Victor Lumandag and Enrico Pabrica.

The Philippine National Police said 40 of its men were also hurt in the ruckus, two of them in critical condition. ❰❰ 1

Rice for farmers

NUPL assistant secretary general for legal services Atty. Rey Cortez (second from left) discussed possible legal defense and actions against the local government and provincial police over the violent dispersal of a protest in Kidapawan City.

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ernor Mendoza exhibited unparalleled remorselessness, arrogance and selfrighteousness. By saying that the issue ‘is not about rice,’ she betrayed herself as [a snobbish aristocrat],” Olalia said.

The NUPL has also asked the national leadership of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to issue a resolution for an investigation of the violent dispersal of the farmers’ protest, Olalia said.

The IBP chapter in North Cotabato also committed to assist detained farmers, he added.

Manila-based social justice lawyer Vladimir Cabigao warned of a further “breakdown of governance” if the plight of suffering farmers were not remedied.

San Beda College Alabang law professor Bruce Rivera blamed the government for not spending for preparations for the drought brought by El Niño.

“This was the reason why the farmers starved, and hunger makes one angry. Our leaders should understand that a person who has hunger pangs turns into an animal. This is not understood by a leader who is an oligarch or by the aristocratic ones who want to become leaders. In a leadership where those who prevail are the few who control the country’s wealth, hunger alleviation has been forgotten,” he said.

Taking responsibility

Governor Mendoza told a news conference after the melee that she was taking “full responsibility” for the incident and that the farmers had no permit for a prolonged rally.

Lawmakers, including candidates in national elections on May 9, condemned the violent dispersal of the protesting farmers and Malacañang promised an investigation.

The Commission on Human Rights also condemned the police use of guns and said it would send a fact-finding team to Kidapawan to investigate.

The NUPL planned legal action immediately after the clash on Friday.

“In stubbornly justifying the premeditated attack on unarmed, starving, protesting farmers as a ‘clearing operation’ purportedly due to a lack of a permit to peaceably assemble, which she is empowered to issue in the first place, Gov-

‘That’s a lie’

Malacañang countered that the government had long been dealing with the effects of El Niño.

Speaking on state-run radio yesterday, Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the government laid down a mitigation program as early as August last year to ease the effects of El Niño.

He said President Aquino formed a Cabinet task force to ensure food security, enough water to drink and for irrigation, and prepare communities for calamities drought might cause.

“If we did not get any report of any crisis or calamity that happened in different areas, probably it’s because of [the] government’s immediate response to [El Niño],” Coloma said.

He said the latest report submitted to the President on March 18 by the task

force coordinator, the National Economic and Development Authority, listed measures implemented, including extensive cloud seeding, distribution of droughtresistant crop seeds to farmers for planting, and development of small water-impounding projects for irrigation.

Coloma said cash-for-work programs were also launched by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and among the beneficiaries were farmers in North Cotabato.

“That’s why it would be too simplistic to just say that what the farmers were asking for was not granted. That’s a lie, because the program implemented and still being implemented by the government [is] comprehensive,” he said.

Rice donations have started to pour in for the victims of last Friday’s dispersal, with movie actor Robin Padilla giving them 200 sacks of rice on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, donors from Davao City sent in 65 sacks of rice for the farmers sheltering at the Methodist church in Kidapawan.

At lease 300 of the farmers returned to their homes yesterday, but 300 others from Makilala town arrived at the church for a share of the donated rice.

Police, however, refused to let the farmers in.

Antonio Flores, secretary general of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), said the new group came from six villages in Makilala.

He said the farmers came to get a share of the donated rice because they failed to get assistance from the local government in their town.

Just following orders

But Supt. Jerson Birrey, commander of the police public safety battalion in Kidapawan, said he was just following his immediate superior’s orders.

Governor Mendoza said 15,000 sacks of rice demanded by the protesters would be released soon through the local governments.

She said farmers who wanted to continue the protest could do so as long as they did not block the highway. ■

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A Philippine... format.”

What Cortez would probably miss the most were the costumes for the “Noli Me Tangere” production designed by Gino Gonzales.

“The materials were from Irene Araneta. That’s inabel.

Magaganda ‘yun (Those are beautiful)! They were here at FC because we didn’t want them included in the morgue of theater props. A lot of sentimental things! Very, very sad.”

While Cortez and Mabesa lament the loss of Teatro Ylagan, young professor Santos is devastated by the loss of his books. “Sobrang dami. Maraming libro na binili ko ever since I was a student (There were so much. Books that I bought back when I was a student),” he posted on Facebook.

Also gone were the bound copies of theses from students (including that of successful alumni like actor Eugene Domingo), VHS tapes, VCDs, DVDs, newspaper clippings, souvenir programs “from 1995 till the present,” added Santos.

“Everything has turned into ashes. I have been teaching for 11 years… paano pa kaya ang ibang senior faculty (how about the other senior faculty [members])?” he asked.

Santos added he was disturbed upon realizing that the precious photographs and videos of old Dulaang UP productions stashed in Cortez’s office are all gone.

“Sobrang sakit nito. Yakap sa lahat ng nasunugan at nawalan (It really hurts. I can only offer comfort to all those who are grieving). I am still in shock,” his post concluded.

UP assistant vice president for public affairs Jose Wendell Capili, in a separate Facebook entry, bewailed the loss of “furniture… from my parents and ❰❰ 4

grandparents, paintings from friends and former students, precious memorabilia. Sic transit Gloria mundi.”

In the meantime, social media continues to fill with posts from those whose memories of FC are now blurred with ash.

Dulaang UP regular actor Leo Rialp posted a one-liner: “The womb of UP’s theater has been incinerated and its memory deleted.”

Floy Quintos, who counts many plays premiered at the Tanghalang Hermogenes Ylagan for the UP Playwright’s Theater, posted a haunting photograph of a fireman silhouetted against the flames outside the studio. It was accompanied by these poignant words: “A strangely apt photograph that says it all about what regularly took place in this very space, from the late 1970s up to only two weeks ago. The Tanghalang Hermogenes Ylagan was the rehearsal space for every Dulaang UP production, performance space for UP Playwright’s Theater and Dulaang Laboratoryo productions, and classroom for most theater arts courses. Every play I have written has been rehearsed here, every theater friendship I treasure has been forged here, every intangible family tie I value has been nurtured here.

“How apt that the last play rehearsed here, ‘The Dressing Room,’ is about theater ghosts reliving their nostalgia. And true to the nature of the theater, the show opens next week!

So, while it is a very sad photograph, I choose to see it as a reminder of the incendiary nature of the theater we all made in this space. The flames may have consumed everything, but the fire in our hearts will not go out.” ■

APRIL 8, 2016

DENR enhances campaign for coastal, marine ecosystems’ protection

BY CATHERINE J. TEVES Philippines News Agency MANILA — Government aims further protecting Philippine coastal and marine ecosystems from climate change and other threats, noting the cost of inaction on the matter can reach some Php3 billion to Php5 billion annually.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) marine key biodiversity areas project manager Dr. Vincent Hilomen said such ecosystems are vital to sustaining life and the economy but climate change and other threats are negatively impacting these so there’s urgency in acting on the matter.

“Our 2016 budget includes some Php500 million for helping DENR personnel concerned build capacity to better protect the ecosystems,” he said Tuesday (April 5) on the side of a climate change policy forum the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) spearheaded in MetroManila.

He said the budget is also for enabling such personnel to help in baselining and mapping the ecosystems.

“We must know the status of such ecosystems to better map out protection strategies,” he said.

DENR will coordinate with other agencies and research institutions concerned so available data on the ecosystems can serve as baseline information for a planned database, he noted.

Hilomen highlighted urgency for action, warning destruction

RICO H. BORJA / PNA

Dr. Laura David, Marine Science Institute professor of the University of the Philippines, Diliman discusses climate change impacts on the Philippine Marine Environment during the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines Science and Technology Policy Forum on Research Findings on the effects of Climate Change on the Philippine Marine Resources.

BEN BRIONES / PNA

and loss of coastal and marine ecosystems will fuel food insecurity and economic decline nationwide while lessening natural means of sequestering carbon dioxide, one of the climate changedriving greenhouse gases.

He said such ecosystems’ destruction and loss will also make coastal communities more vulnerable to sea surges and tsunamis.

Climate change-induced sea level rise will lead to coastal instability, he noted.

Aside from triggering coral bleaching, he said warming of sea waters will cause tropical species to migrate towards cooler waters in either higher latitudes or deeper portions of seas — making fishing more difficult for local fisherfolk.

“Sedimentation and pollution from land-based human activities will worsen coastal and marine ecosystems’ plight,” he warned further.

Marine Science Institute professor Dr. Laura David not-

ed sound land use and sustainable development are essential in addressing human activities’ negative impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems nationwide.

“We must ensure such negative impacts don’t occur further,” she said at the forum.

Reforestation will help reduce erosion causing sedimentation in such ecosystems, she noted.

De La Salle University professor Dr. Wilfredo Licuanan agrees much can be done to curb human activities that are the main causes of ecosystem destruction.

“People mainly cause such destruction but we can do something,” he said at the forum.

He cited need to coordinate action on protecting coastal and marine ecosystems in the country.

NAST is planning to spearhead other policy fora this month.

Such fora are among activities in the run-up to NAST’s 38th annual scientific meeting in Metro Manila. ■

fire lines and prevent the fires from further spreading.

Aside from Barangay Kinilis, another fire erupted last Saturday at Sitio Datal Ngisi of Barangay Kablon in Tupi town, which is also a part of the Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape.

Fire Insp. Eugene Mangilaya, Tupi fire marshal, said the fire has so far destroyed around five hectares of mostly grassy area in Sitio Datal Ngisi.

Last week, about one-fourth hectare of a forest area in Pu-

rok Bong Datal of Sitio Glandang in Barangay Kablon was destroyed by a fire that was believed to have originated from a camp site of forest poachers.

The Mt. Matutum Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) ordered the closure of the entire area to trekkers starting on Thursday last week as result of the grass and forest fires.

Mt. Matutum, which South Cotabato’s highest peak, straddles the towns of Tupi, Polomolok and Tampakan. ■

25 families... fires have not yet been totally extinguished.

“The fires are continuing as of the moment. They sometimes slow down and then blow up again,” he said.

The official said personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, MDRRMO and the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office as well as local volunteers are presently trying to put out the fires.

He said they dug up trenches in portions of the area to serve ❰❰ 6

A fire hit the Faculty Center of the University of the Philippines, which houses the offices of UP teachers for many years, in the early hours of April 1, 2016.

FRIDAY

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Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

15

P-Noy on the offensive Aquino slams Duterte, Marcos in scathing speeches

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer WITH JUST five weeks to go before the nation votes, President Aquino is on the offensive, launching his strongest attack yet on the rivals of his chosen candidates.

In two different towns in Cavite on Friday, the President gave lengthy speeches urging voters not to allow the return of martial law and not to vote for quitters, references to vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte.

In Kawit, Mr. Aquino told a huge, excited crowd that he did not want to see the country regretting in 2022 the choice it made in 2016, and realizing it had squandered the gains of the past six years.

“If we allow the noisy (candidates) to talk, they might be able to convince the undecided.

We have to speak out as well.

That is the essence of democracy. We exchange points of view, right? And if we have the right message, then the people will take our side,” Mr. Aquino said.

He told the crowd that the Vice President is not a “spare tire,” emphasizing to the voters that choosing a Vice President is as important as voting for a President.

Pitching for Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, Mr. Aquino said the administration chose a “strong candidate for Vice President” precisely because the second in command must be as outstanding as the President.

“The minute something happens to the President, we need a Vice President who is just as excellent, someone treading in the same direction, someone as smart and skilled as the Presi-

dent, because the responsibility to lead the country might suddenly be passed on to (the Vice President),” Mr. Aquino said.

Stumping hard

With Senator Marcos now sharing the lead with Sen. Francis Escudero in the polls, it is likely President Aquino is stumping hard to dissuade voters from allowing the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to come within a heartbeat of Malacañang.

Robredo has climbed to second place in the latest Pulse Asia poll. While she is behind Escudero and Marcos by 4 percent, she is the candidate who has made the biggest leap in the polls—getting 21-percent voter support compared with the 1 percent she had before President Aquino endorsed her as the vice presidential running mate of Liberal Party (LP) presidential standard-bearer Mar Roxas.

Roxas remains in fourth place, behind Vice President Jejomar Binay, Duterte and Sen. Grace Poe. In Carmona, where he presided over the inauguration of an elementary school building, President Aquino said that perhaps his generation experienced the dark days of martial law to allow them to “clearly see the difference between right and wrong.”

Repeating a mistake

He stressed that Filipinos should see the difference clearly to this day, with his reformoriented administration as proof of what the Philippines could attain if its people chose the right leaders.

The President said that for him, the biggest letdown would be if Filipinos allowed themselves to repeat a mistake that

would bring back the country’s old problems.

“I don’t have a wife. I don’t have children. But I have nephews and nieces. To me, failure is when each Filipino generation goes through the same problems repeatedly,” the bachelor Mr. Aquino said in Filipino, referring to martial law.

“On May 9 we all cast our votes. What is important is we study (the situation). If we like what is happening now, we will say we have to continue it. If we will be indifferent, those who would bring us back to the old ways might hit the jackpot and be elected,” he said.

“We are responsible for the changes that we want to happen. Let us use our power (to vote) and be responsible to ensure a better future for the Philippines,” he said.

In his speech in Kawit, Mr. Aquino said that as a citizen, he also has the right to examine the statements by those who aspire to succeed him in June.

“I am just asking. Tomorrow, they will say I am attacking them again. But I am a citizen, too, and I have a right to ask.

Isn’t it that we have a saying in Filipino that marriage isn’t like hot rice that you can spit out if it burns your mouth?” he said.

Reply to Duterte

Mr. Aquino’s statement was a clear reply to the claim of the followers of Duterte that the administration was in “panic mode,” prompting the President to launch an offensive against the Davao City mayor.

Duterte’s camp claimed that the presidential offensive was forced by Roxas’ poor showing in the polls.

Mr. Aquino earlier criticized Duterte for saying that he would step down if he failed to wipe out criminality in six months.

www.canadianinquirer.net

President Benigno S. Aquino III. ROLANDO MAILO / MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU / PNA

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said on Friday that “Duterte is long on sound bite but short on implementation other than killing every child and adult offender.”

“He [has been] mayor [of Davao] for 20 years [but] crime [remains] rampant [in the city].

How can he expect crimes to be solved in three to six months?

Will he [unleash] his death squads [on the whole] country [to] spread [a] reign of terror?”

Lacierda said in a statement.

In Kawit, the President expressed confidence that the Philippines has “changed a lot” since 2010.

But he questioned the mindset of people who say that with the country’s accomplishments, there is no way to go but up regardless of who wins the presidential election.

“But what if it is someone who is callous, someone who can tell a barefaced lie? What if it is someone who prevaricates? There is one who has said, ‘I will run (for President), I won’t run, I will run, I won’t run, I was forced to run. When I become your President, I will fix this problem and if I fail after six months, I will resign,’” Mr. Aquino said, referring to Duterte.

Mr. Aquino added that the presidency is like being married to the country without any prenuptial agreement.

Individual decision

No candidate is forced to seek the presidency because filing a certificate of candidacy is an individual decision, he said.

“When I sought your votes, I promised you that I would put this country in a much better state. That means that in six years, there will be ups and downs. It can be frustrating, but we have to be together in good times and in bad times. You don’t just let go. We have a contract,” the President said.

And when a candidate talks of resigning in the middle of his term, Mr. Aquino said, it is only reasonable to ask him to clarify if he “really wants to serve (the country) or not.”

Mr. Aquino is banking on his popularity and high trust rating in campaigning for Roxas, Robredo and the administration’s senatorial ticket, hoping it will work and the reforms he has introduced will continue. ■

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APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

ANALYSIS

Is Poe’s poll rating a bubble?

By Amando Doronila Philippine Daily Inquirer IN THE LAST five weeks of the May 9 elections, the latest poll survey finds Sen. Grace Poe leading the five presidential candidates with a precarious margin that warns her survey ratings could blow up in her face, like an overstretched bubble as the campaign virulence heats up.

The survey on voters preference, conducted by Pulse Asia from March 15 to 20, showed Poe was the top choice of 28 percent of respondents, or nearly three in 10 Filipino voters would elect her as the next President if the balloting took place during the survey period.

According to the survey, trailing her were Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, 24 percent; Vice President Jejomar Binay, 23 percent; former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, 19 percent; and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, 2 percent. At this stage, the presidential election has narrowed into a three-way race.

Last week, a Pulse Asia survey showed Poe and Duterte statistically tied at No. 1 with 26 percent, respectively, followed by Binay with 22 percent, Roxas with 20 percent and Santiago with 3 percent.

Poe improved her rating in the latest survey by 2 points. This result shows that her meagre gain has not made her lead irrevocable and there is no way for her to claim that she has established a momentum to lock the

results in the remaining few weeks of the campaign. The problem with Poe is she has come to believe in the irreversibility of her narrow lead.

As some independent commentators in the academic community have pointed out, the race is “still neck and neck” and the “gap between Poe and Duterte is not yet that big.” According to this assessment, the next opinion surveys “will probably be more telling,” and if Poe retains her lead in the next survey and the ranking does not change, “that may already be the trend.”

Duterte’s camp echoed the assessment of independent commentators that surveys are indications that everyone is within striking distance and that “the race is still up for grabs.”

The game plan of Poe appears to be using the survey results to drive her campaign, but, in my view, there is nothing in the results to show that respondents are influenced in their choice by voters assessment of whether she is qualified to run the country as President. The respondents were not asked by the surveys why they made so and so candidate as their first choice for the next President.

All talk, no substance The factors behind the results of the March 15-20 survey were revealed

by Pulse Asia, as follows: prior to and during the conduct of the survey, the following preoccupied the voters: The presidential debates in Cebu City on March 20 and in Cagayan de Oro

City on Feb. 21 gave voters a chance to explain the candidates’ policy platforms and programs, and to observe their extemporaneous response to issues raised against them in debates. The debates proved to be a disappointment in crystallizing the issues because the speakers were allowed only a few minutes to explain and respond to questions. These debates turned out to be an exchange of sound bytes and one-liners that hardly touched the substance of issues.

None of the debaters gave an outstanding and brilliant performance, particularly Poe. There was nothing in her performance to give evidence there was something cerebral between her ears, except knee-jerk repartees. The voter’s preference poll was conducted as Poe faced questions over whether she met the legal requirements to run for the presidency, such as being a natural-born citizen with 10-year residency, and the Supreme Court ruled on March 8 in her favor by overturning the Commission on Elections decision disqualifying her from running for President. This case before the Supreme Court was irrelevant as it had little to do with the issue of her competence to govern if she were elected.

On graft and corruption, an issue that was specifically raised against Binay, Poe, who is not accused of corruption, made matters worst for herself, when she glibly sidetracked the issue by saying that she was “pressing the need to fight poverty and govern-

ment free from corruption.”

What then is her program to fight poverty and curb corruption, the question being asked her by the public. There was hardly anything on her voluminous policy statement, when she launched her candidacy for the presidency.

Unmasking pretenders Poe’s spokespersons have muddled this issue by attributing her “strong” debate performance to “her visit to as many places in the county as possible and communicate her platform to the people.”

Her mouthpieces should be asked, how much nonsense has she disseminated to the public in these forays to deserve her ratings in the surveys?

We are afraid all her statements in the campaign have not been helpful in giving the public an idea of what she plans to implement all those promises she has concocted for her vision.

The impression that she has left from her campaign visits to the provinces is that she is trying very hard to show she has intellectual substance—something which is not her strongest suit to aspire for the presidency.

The remaining few weeks of the campaign would be critical to the frontrunners—in uncovering the sham and the pretenders to the next generation of national leadership. have two years to achieve my personal goals before I start considering a family of my own.”

After helping countless women cope with breakups and motivate them to

move forward with “Dear Alex, Break Na Kami. Paano?! Love, Catherine,” the actress recently released her follow-up book, which offers a guide to the different stages of dating.

Practical advice The second book in the series, titled “Dear Alex, We’re Dating. Tama, Mali?! Love, Catherine,” was launched in March at the National Book Store Glorietta 1 branch in Makati City.

Adding appeal to the book are practical pieces of dating and relationship advice from her parents and sister.

“They have so many rules—don’t do this, don’t do that! My book, however, is not a rule book, but is simply a guide,” said Alex, adding that she also shared her dating experiences with the same wit and brutal frankness that fans loved in Book 1.

Being the fun and perky host that she is, Alex entertained the crowd by indulging them with witty tips and hilarious retorts during the Q&A portion. She gamely took selfies with her fans and signed their books after the program.

Published by ABS-CBN Publishing, “Dear Alex, We’re Dating. Tama, Mali?! Love, Catherine” is the latest addition in ABS-CBN Publishing’s line of best-selling books.

Aside from Alex, its roster of authors include Sen. Miriam DefensorSantiago, Georgina Wilson, Solenn Heussaff, Ramon Bautista and Juan Miguel Severo. ■

LOOKING BACK

From Paris: how Manila Bay was lost

By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer MANY YEARS ago on trips to Paris, I camped out on the living room sofa of Marc and Ofelia Tequi because the arrangement did not require me to occupy one of their children’s beds. The sofa was the most comfortable spot in the apartment and had played host to a number of visiting notables before me. But what made staying on that sofa memorable was that it was situated near the shelves that held rare French works on the Philippines from the 17th to 19th centuries. The collection of 20thcentury French detective stories set in the Philippines was kept on a shelf, with other paperbacks, in the bathroom!

While the household slept, I was awake reading books from Marc Tequi's rare Filipiniana till daylight broke over the Paris landscape outside. When I was too lazy to read, I just looked at the pictures. There was an illustrated book on Philippine birds that I liked, and two profusely illustrated travel accounts of the Philippines by J. de Montano, “Voyage aux Philippines” (1886), and by Alfred Marche, “Luçon

et Palaouan, six années de voyages aux Philippines” (1887). Just looking at the engravings made from these two travel accounts was itself a journey into a foreign country—the Philippines in the 19th century.

In time I joined Marc Tequi on Sunday book hunts in the flea market, and there built a modest collection of Filipiniana in French. What caught my fancy were the French accounts of the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War, the tone of which was often sympathetic to the Philippine side.

One of the interesting works was an article in the Revue de Paris by a person who hid under the pseudonym “Lt. X”; he was later identified as Lt. Ernst Motsch who published in 1904 the book “La Guerre Hispano-Americaine aux Philippines: du 21 avril au 16 aout 1898” (The Spanish-American War in the Philippines from 21 April to 16 August 1898). The book provides a different version of the Battle of Manila Bay that has always been told from the point of view of the victor, George Dewey and the US Asiatic Squadron that sunk the Spanish fleet in Cavite on May 1, 1898.

If you study the loser’s side of the story, you will see that when news reached Manila that the US Asiatic Squadron was en route to the Philippines, Spanish Rear Adm. Patricio Montojo y Pasaron looked sadly at the Spanish Far Eastern Fleet, which was best described as “floating antiques” compared to the modern armored US ships. But despite this handicap, Montojo mounted a decent defense.

Montojo had been promised “protected cruisers.” But when the Isla de Cuba and the Isla de Luzon arrived, he found that these were mere gunboats, leaving him with only the Reina Cristina and the Castilla that were defective cruisers with guns missing. The leaking wooden Castilla was practically impotent: It had no power in its engines and had to be towed everywhere, including at the scene of battle!

Manila did have its share of mines and torpedoes, but these were outdated, barnacle-infested weapons that were too sparsely distributed to be of any use. Guns were to be found on Corregidor and El Fraile on the approach to Manila, but even these were better suited for a museum

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rather than modern warfare. Spanish guns were not equipped with modern sighting and range-finding devices.

To make matters worse, the Spaniards were low in ammunition, leaving Manila practically defenseless.

To spare the capital from unnecessary bombardment, Montojo planned to move the area of engagement farther away by fortifying Subic. But on April 11, 1898, he was told that shore batteries could not be installed because cement was lacking. Someone suggested crafting makeshift mines, but even that was not feasible because there was no nitroglycerine to be had.

Montojo cabled an urgent request for nitroglycerine to the Spanish consul in Hong Kong, but was sent eight miles of electric wire instead.

The torrent of cables to Madrid from Manila will make you laugh. A read-through of a sampling of the cables between Montojo and Madrid (as gleefully reproduced in an American book) will explain the ease of George Dewey’s takeover of Manila Bay that led to the eventual occupation of Manila on Aug. 13, 1898.

On March 26, 1898, Montojo cabled

Madrid: “…I have been actively taking all precautions. Torpedoes and boats few and deficient. I await superior orders.

I have no instructions.” The response from Madrid was received the next day, March 27. It read: “…[A]pprove all precautions taken in these circumstances regretting not being able to send reinforcements since they are needed here…”

On April 11, Montojo warned Madrid that the Americans “have more than 50 cannons. Mean speed 17 knots. They will come soon as war is declared.” Madrid calmly replied the next day: “…Hope your own zeal and activity will supplement deficiencies.”

A week later, on April 19, Madrid ordered Montojo to “shut island ports with defensive line of torpedoes…” An exasperated Montojo cabled back on April 21: “Your Excellency knows I have no torpedoes.” On April 23, he explained his plan to move the area of engagement to Subic and received this reply: “Received your telegram dated yesterday.”

There is much to be rewritten in the events of 1898 that we know in outline in textbook history. Details that will make the narrative move and give us the larger picture are so lacking. ■

Opinion

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

17

PUBLIC LIVES

Grieving for the UP Faculty Center

By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer THOUGH IT is far from being an iconic structure, it is difficult to find another place in the University of the Philippines Diliman campus that is quite like the Faculty Center. Until it was gutted by fire last Friday morning, the FC, or Bulwagang Rizal, was the single biggest structure in the university to house faculty offices.

Its occupants, across generations, referred to it with pride and humor as the densest concentration of brainpower in the country.

As a venue for forums, debates, lectures, seminars, and symposia, there was nothing like its circular conference hall. Occupying two floors on its east wing, this academic venue epitomized everything that a university stands for: reasoned argument, fearless commitment to truth, respect for contrary views, high-mindedness, passionate scholarship, and the life of the mind.

But, it was the faculty cubicles that served as the sanctuary for everything that UP academics valued. This is where they retreated and spent long hours resting and reflecting, after they were done with their daily work as teachers. This is where they kept their most precious tools and memo-

rabilia as academics—their books, center dedicated to the study of global year. There, the rooms were spacious journals, and notes, their personal imperialism, Third World dictator- and well lit, had built-in bookshelves, papers and official documents, their ships, and social movements. quiet air-conditioners, and tall ceillaptops, their priceless collections of At a time when one could be ar- ings. It was the perfect nook for an artwork, souvenirs, CDs and photo- rested for merely having coffee with a emeritus professor, but I sensed graphs, their favorite working chairs small group of kindred spirits, the FC something missing—the patina of and desks, etc. In short, their entire became the hub of irrepressible con- past conviviality. Long after the ensupport system for an active life as versation. Every political detainee tire department had moved to its new members of an academic community. newly released from Marcos’ prisons location, I would sometimes absentThe fireman who placed the dam- found an instant community in this mindedly park my car behind the FC, age from the fire at P3 million saw building. Here, they were greeted not climb three flights of stairs, and stand only what was least valuable about just with warm embraces, but also, before the door of my old room, fumthe faculty center—its physical struc- quite often, with research assistant- bling for the keys. Habits die hard, ture. To be able to particularly when say that, one would they are born out of Occupying two floors on its east wing, this academic venue have to speak from deep feelings of revepitomized everything that a university stands for: reasoned a total ignorance of erence for a place argument, fearless commitment to truth, respect for contrary views, the rich and irrethat had been a part high-mindedness, passionate scholarship, and the life of the mind. placeable intellecof your life. tual culture and inOn that fateful tangible memories the building held. ships to tide them over while they Friday, I couldn’t resist taking a final During martial law, it was not un- pondered their future. look at the venerable lady even beusual for the FC’s cramped cubicles to This is where I grew up as an aca- fore the last fire truck had left. Faint double as transient dormitories—safe demic. Returning from graduate stud- smoke was still seeping from its sides. harbors for comrades on the run. The ies abroad in the early 1970s to do Where my third floor room had been, military raided these rooms at the on- fieldwork, I was assigned Room 3084 there was now only a patch of sky. set of the Marcos dictatorship, search- on the third floor, where my depart- The whole roof had collapsed. ing for activists and subversive ma- ment, Sociology, shared spaces with I remember the inner courtyard terials. Yet, we clung to the belief that Psychology, Political Science, Anthro- that was visible from my room whenacademic freedom would shield these pology, Philosophy and Speech and ever I opened the windows to let intellectual cloisters from any form of Theater Arts. I worked in this same cigarette smoke out. I used to puff state inspection and censorship. In the room for more than 40 years until my strong Indonesian kreteks that gave midst of martial law, it was here where retirement as a full professor in 2011. out a powerful scent of burnt cloves. we opened the first office and library By coincidence, my department On many afternoons, the historianof the Third World Studies Program, a moved to a new building that same anthropologist William Henry Scott,

who taught courses in anthropology, would come by with cups of coffee and his own local black-colored cigarettes. We would talk for hours about the Cordilleras and precolonial Philippines amid clouds of smoke. That was way before the strong lobby against smoking colonized most of UP’s enclosed spaces.

The only conversations that compare with those I had with Scotty were the spontaneous ones I struck with the psychologist Alfredo V. Lagmay, usually at the parking lot or in the corridor between sociology and psychology. We would chat standing, oblivious of the time, about philosophy, politics, culture and the Filipino psyche. What I learned in UP as a young professor I drew from casual encounters with scholars like them.

In those years, much of the pleasure of having an office at the Faculty Center came from the chance to run into the likes of Leopoldo Yabes, Ricardo Zarco, Remigio Agpalo, Francisco Arcellana, F.G. David, Virgilio Enriquez, Petronilo Bn. Daroy, Oscar Alfonso, Nieves and S.V. Epistola, Concepcion Dadulfalza, Behn Cervantes, and many others who are now long gone. It is their intellectual footprints and the memories of their engaging personas that went up in flames last Friday. ■

AT LARGE

A New York Holy Week

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer ONLY ONCE did someone remind me that it was Holy Week. My daughter and I were walking down a thoroughfare in Harlem when twomen peddling CDs spotted us. “Oh, two Asian women! Sisters, would you like to buy my CD?” said one. We ignored them and went on our way. Then, after taking a closer look at us, the outspoken one declared: “Hey, I know! You’re from the Philippines! My girlfriend is from the Philippines!” As we walked on, picking up speed, he started to follow us, exclaiming: “Won’t you help me and buy a CD? Why are you ignoring me? Don’t you know it’s Good Friday? You’re committing a sin!”

Either he was feeding on our wellknown Filipino Catholic sense of guilt, or he knew we had just had a sumptuous lunch on what is traditionally the most abstemious day in the Catholic calendar. But it was jarring to be reminded of Holy Week in a city (and a country, it seems) where it was “business as usual,” whereas back home we heard that the usually traffic-choked streets were clear and everybody seemed occupied with penitence and

prayer or fervid leisure.

We had just come from lunch at Sylvia’s Queen of Soul Food Restaurant (on Malcolm X Boulevard), which is famous for Southern-style cuisine but especially so for its fried chicken.

My daughter Miya proclaimed it “the best chicken I ever tasted,” to which I replied, incredulously: “Better than Chicken Joy or Max’s?” And you know what, it was the best chicken I also ever had. Its breaded skin remained crisp despite being “smothered” in gravy, while the flesh was tender, moist and flavorful. These are claims most chicken restaurants make, to varying degrees of success, but I must say only Sylvia’s has lived up to the hype. And I must say, too, that the “sides” I ordered, candied sweet potato and mac ‘n’ cheese, complemented the chicken spectacularly.

Miya was still hankering for chicken, but felt she should stick to a seafood dish (opting for breaded catfish) because it was Good Friday. She frowned skeptically when I told her I was exempt from the “meatless” mandate because I was already a senior citizen, something she said she never learned in catechism class. THE day before, Miya brought me to another

favorite of hers: Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, a joint that is so popular there was a long queue at its Chelsea branch even if it was already 3 p.m.

My daughter warned me they served huge slices, so we opted for a selection of three slices (a whole pizza was truly huge!) including of course the classic artichoke. We found ourselves seated at the bar because the place was packed and, interviewing the bartender, I found out their most popular beer on tap was the Belgian Stella Artois. And no, they didn’t have San Miguel.

Artichoke Basille’s is owned by two cousins: Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, who cut their pizza teeth in the familyowned Basille’s on Staten Island. Food Channel enthusiasts might recognize them as they have a show, “Pizza Masters,” where they visit pizza parlors around the United States and try variations of this very popular dish. Judging from their offerings at their own restaurant, I can say the cousins truly have the “k” to be passing judgment on the products of other pizzerias. *** FROM Artichoke Basille’s we walked a few blocks to take a lift to High Line, a unique park born of an abandoned freight rail line that hovered several

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stories above New York’s streets and was used to deliver goods to factories in Chelsea and The Meatpacking District. Ever since Anthony Bourdain featured High Line in a show in tribute to his home city, I’d dreamed of visiting the park. A collaboration between the New York city government and private groups led by the “Friends of the High Line,” the abandoned railway was saved from demolition and creatively reused as an urban oasis, giving both residents and tourists a bird’s eye view of the Lower West Side.

A portion of the park, which opened to the public in 2014, features wooden benches arranged amphitheater style and facing a bank of glass windows from which park goers could get a street-side view. A few meters away, wooden benches even allow the public to recline and take in a view of the Hudson River. Further along lies the Whitney Museum, a modern glass edifice devoted to modern art and conceptual pieces.

The High Line is said to have become the centerpiece of a “gentrifying” trend that has saved its once deteriorating surroundings. Part of the trend is the Chelsea Market, a food emporium located in the old Nabisco

Factory, which I visited some years back. But while the area has become safer and trendier, it has also led to fervid development and the shuttering of smaller neighborhood establishments. Ah, the price of progress. *** WHEN my husband and I learned that Miya had moved into an apartment she was to share with three friends in Harlem, we imagined the worst: our daughter walking the streets of blighted neighborhoods in the ghetto.

But while Harlem still has pockets of poverty, it has also gentrified in some parts, and is in fact fast becoming a tourist draw in itself. I felt a thrill, in fact, walking past the Apollo Theater which was the center of African-American culture in the years when blacks weren’t even allowed to enter mainstream entertainment venues.

I stayed with Miya in the last two days of my stay in New York, and thanks to her “roomies”—Anne Lagamayo, Bianca Consunji and Nisha Shrestha—I felt right at home listening to them discuss “That’s Entertainment” and unintentionally amusing music videos of Jose Mari Chan. Of such memories is a New York Holy Week made. ■

18

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Canada News

Canadian bank fined $1.1 million for failing to report suspicious dealing

BY JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The federal antimoney laundering agency has levied a $1.1-million penalty against an unnamed Canadian bank for failing to report a suspicious transaction and various money transfers.

It is the first time the Ottawabased Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, known as Fintrac, has penalized a bank — and it’s being billed as a warning to thousands of other businesses.

Generally, the centre tracks cash flows linked to terrorism, money laundering and other crimes by sifting through millions of pieces of data annually from banks, insurance companies, securities dealers, money service businesses, real estate brokers, casinos and others.

In this case, Fintrac spokesman Darren Gibb said he cannot legally discuss details of the bank’s infractions, and the federal agency is exercising its discretion to withhold the identity of the financial institution, which recently paid the penalty of $1,154,670.

But Fintrac wants to send a strong message that it will take whatever measures are needed to encourage compliance with the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. The agency depends on a steady flow of reports about suspicious dealings, electronic fund transfers and large cash transactions in order to produce needed intelligence, Gibb said in an interview.

“The reporting to us is absolutely critical. Without those reports, Fintrac is out of business,” he said Tuesday.

“We’re going to be extra-diligent to ensure that entities are submitting suspicious transaction reports when they should be.”

TransCanada shuts down Keystone pipeline after oil spill in South Dakota

BY IAN BICKIS The Canadian Press

“The obligations are in place to ensure that we get the reporting that we need to provide financial intelligence to our partners.”

Some 31,000 businesses across the country must furnish Fintrac with reports. The agency, in turn, provided 1,260 disclosures of financial intelligence to police and national security partners in 2014-15.

The penalty announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny of Canadian financial institutions due to publication of leaked files, known as the Panama Papers, about dubious global dealings.

The fine was levied against the bank for failing to report: • an attempted or actual suspicious transaction; • receipt of $10,000 or more in a single transaction; • an electronic funds transfer of $10,000 or more to a destination outside Canada; • receipt from outside Canada of an electronic funds transfer of $10,000 or more.

In addition, the bank was penalized for failing to apply written compliance policies and procedures that are kept up to date and approved by a senior officer.

Gibb said he could not divulge exactly how the unreported transactions came to Fintrac’s attention, nor could he discuss the nature of them.

“I can’t say to you that we’ve

identified money laundering or terrorism financing. What I can say is that we’ve identified an entity that has not fulfilled its obligations” under the law, he said.

“The obligations are in place to ensure that we get the reporting that we need to provide financial intelligence to our partners.”

The Canadian Bankers Association declined to make anyone available for an interview.

In an emailed statement, the association said Canadian banks have a strong track record of compliance with the anti-money laundering regime, noting they process billions of transactions in Canada every year.

On the rare occasion when a problem arises, “a bank will take immediate steps to resolve the issue and ensure that it is in compliance going forward,” the association added.

Fintrac received 92,531 suspicious transaction reports from businesses across Canada in 2014-15, an 11 per cent increase over the previous year.

“Yes, we’ve made significant progress, and we’re pleased by that,” Gibb said. But he quickly added: “Some sectors still have some work to do.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

CALGARY — TransCanada said Monday it has shut down its Keystone pipeline because of an oil spill in South Dakota, drawing fresh criticism about the risks pipelines pose.

Mark Cooper, a spokesman for TransCanada, said a local landowner noticed signs of an oil spill around noon local time Saturday and informed the company.

The pipeline, which carries about 500,000 barrels of oil a day, was shut down in minutes, Cooper said.

“As soon as we got that report in we immediately began efforts to shut down the pipeline and crews were immediately dispatched to the site,” Cooper said.

Greenpeace campaigner Keith Stewart said it was worrisome that it was a landowner — and not TransCanada’s spill detection system — that noticed the spill.

“The company has been making big claims at the Energy East Pipeline hearings in Quebec about how their spill detection system will identify a leak within minutes, but the truth is that most pipeline spills aren’t detected until the oil makes it way to the surface where it can be seen and smelt,” said Stewart in an email.

Cooper said it’s still too early to say what caused the leak but the company is investigating.

He said it was difficult to determine precisely how much oil was spilled, though the company said it covered a “small surface area” with no significant impact to the environment observed.

The spill was found about six kilometres from TransCanada’s Freeman pump station, which sits roughly 60 km southwest of Sioux Falls, S.D.

The company said it has notified landowners and local agencies in the area as well as regulatory agencies including the National Response Center and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The Keystone pipeline, which opened in 2010, carries oil from Hardisty, Alta., east through to Manitoba before it turns south to markets in the American Midwest and U.S. Gulf Coast.

TransCanada said it has notified customers that the pipeline running from Hardisty to Cushing, Okla., and to terminals in Illinois would remain shut until at least Friday, while the Gulf Coast extension of the pipeline remains active.

The incident comes as TransCanada continues to push forward its proposed 4,600-kilometre Energy East Pipeline that would ship Alberta crude to New Brunswick.

The company hit a major setback in its pipeline expansion plans when U.S. President Barack Obama rejected its proposed Keystone XL pipeline last November.

Environmental groups had opposed the pipeline, which would have run from Hardisty to Nebraska, both because it would allow increased exports of oilsands crude and because of potential spills.

Anthony Swift at U.S.-based Natural Resources Defense Council said the spill reinforces the need for the Obama administration to require a thorough environmental review for Enbridge’s Alberta Clipper line and other efforts to expand the Midwest pipeline system.

“This weekend’s Keystone oil spill is the latest stark reminder that all too often with pipelines it’s not whether they will leak but when,” said Swift in a statement. ■

Canada News

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

19

Canada well-positioned for any Chinese volatility despite deepening ties: BoC

BY ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press

The bank, she added, has been exploring how Canada might be affected by any shocks that could emerge as China’s maturing economy slows to a more sustainable pace of growth.

“Canada is not immune to the risks that China’s transition poses to the global economy,” Wilkins said.

“But it’s nonetheless well-positioned to manage them.”

Her speech said Canadian banks have little direct ex-

value of China’s currency — the renminbi — could disrupt the global financial system, which would have consequences for THE BANK of Canada says the Canada. economy is well-positioned to “Canadian financial instituride out any economic shocks tions have the capital and the from China — even though the liquidity in place to handle Asian country has become Canthese kinds of adverse shocks,” ada’s second-biggest trading Wilkins said. partner.

The text of her prepared Senior deputy governor speech said Bank of Canada Carolyn Wilkins said Tuesmodels have shown Canadian day that if growth in China’s banks can withstand a shock economy comes larger than what in one percentoccurred during age point lower the 2008 finanthan projections, cial crisis. then Canadian Canada is not immune to the risks Wilkins said growth would that China’s transition poses to the the Bank of Canslip one-tenth global economy. ada believes Chiof a percentage na has the potenpoint. tial to grow at an By compariannual rate of son, if the same decline hap- posure to China and that any about six per cent over the next pened to the United States, negative reverberations would 15 years. In January, the bank the impact on Canada’s gross mostly be felt through a slow- predicted the Chinese economy domestic product would be six down in trade and weaker com- would grow by 6.4 per cent in times greater, Wilkins said in a modity prices.

2016 and 6.2 per cent next year. speech to the Vancouver Board She noted, however, that a She noted that two-way trade of Trade. sudden, significant drop in the between Canada and China has

Bank of Canada head office at Wellington Street.

BANK OF CANADA’S WEBSITE

increased more than five-fold over the last 15 years and that about 400 Canadian companies now have footholds there.

Canadian exports to China now exceed $20 billion a year, Wilkins added.

“It’s hard to overstate just how quickly economic links between our two countries have developed,” her speech said.

Last month, the federal government said in its budget that it’s committed to expanding its

trade relationship with China.

Ottawa’s budget also noted that the International Monetary Fund has warned there are risks that growth in China could slow more quickly than anticipated.

“Rebalancing in China could result in a sharper-than-expected slowdown in growth, prompting further volatility in financial markets and greater declines in global commodity prices,” the budget said. ■

British Columbia man’s underwear gag for his wife leads to modelling gig

BY DIRK MEISSNER The Canadian Press LANGFORD, B.C. — Brendon Williams freely admits his paunchy belly and bushy-black chest don’t qualify him as typical chiselled male-model material.

But the man from Langford, B.C., has gained international exposure after a daring series of boudoir birthday poses landed him a starring role in an antiimage advertising campaign with American Eagle.

It started as a husband’s private birthday gag for his wife Amanda, and resulted in him playing a feature role in an advertising campaign supporting underwear for regular people, Williams says.

It has also been a huge confidence boost for the 29-yearold father, who says he hasn’t always had the strongest body image but is completely comfortable lounging at home in his briefs.

“This has actually improved my self esteem,” says Williams in a bedroom interview at his suburban Victoria home, wearing only his underpants. “Not so much that I think I look better on the whole, but I think it’s more that I don’t have to be concerned about my flaws as much. I don’t think I have the greatest body in the world, obviously, but this has made me go a little bit easier on myself.”

The would-be professional golfer who earns a living playing online poker says he flew to Los Angeles last month for a photo shoot with the U.S.-based clothing chain for the launch of its (fictitious) Aerie line of comfortable underwear for men.

Williams, who says he’s a practical joker and not an actor, played a character named Doug in the ad, which runs almost two minutes.

“Oh yeah, I’ve always liked being in my underwear,” Williams says in the ad while sitting on a couch in nothing but underwear. “It makes me feel

more free.”

While the line of underwear was a hoax, the brand says the ad’s message is all too real — that men should accept their bodies as they are.

Williams knew from the beginning the ad was a gag but it was clear to him American Eagle was sincere about the faux campaign’s body-positive message, he says.

There are three other underwear-clad men and a woman in the ad. Each character talks about being comfortable with themselves while doing house and yard chores. Just one man appears to have the stereotypical model looks.

The company announced it would forego retouching its male models in its underwear and swim images and used its history of April Fool’s hoaxes to raise awareness around body diversity.

Williams bends to touch his toes in one scene and the word Flexy is written on the rear of his white briefs. www.canadianinquirer.net

“Healthy body image to me is loving who you are,” he says in the ad. “The real you is sexy.”

He auditioned for the ad over Skype.

“I told them I’m not an actor, I don’t know what I’m doing,” Williams says. “I was really uncomfortable, but I got the job done. And now to be in an actual underwear commercial and see that it’s been in Times Square, it seems fake really. It doesn’t seem real.”

His underwear adventure started with a joke for his wife’s birthday, giving her a set of campy boudoir photos.

The pictures show him relaxing on a bed, stretching in a bubble bath and gazing into the distance out of a window.

But it backfired because his wife loved the gift and the photos created a sensation online.

Williams, who weighs about 220 pounds and is six feet two inches tall, says he still can’t believe the adventure since the photos were posted on Facebook and viewed and shared by

thousands.

“I saw some boudoir photography done by a friend and I thought it would be a funny idea if I had some photography of myself done in that same way as a birthday gift,” he says. “I thought (my wife) was going to laugh, but she truly, genuinely enjoyed it.”

At one point, Facebook removed the photos after complaints about nudity, but the photographer simply cropped the photos and reposted them.

Williams said he’s also noticed people appreciated his willingness to celebrate himself, even though he may not fit the image of a person who poses in public.

“I’ve seen a lot of people comment that it’s nice not to see a hairless guy with a six-pack for once,” he said. “Obviously people do enjoy that, but that’s maybe not reality for everyone.

I’m a pretty normal looking guy and I think that’s what people enjoy.” ■

20

Canada News

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Money a factor in 2015 election results, but no guarantee of success: analysis

BY JORDAN PRESS AND JOAN BRYDEN The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Money can’t buy you votes.

Or so it would seem, according to campaign financial reports filed with Elections Canada by the men and women who were seeking a House of Commons seat in last fall’s federal election.

More often than not, the biggest spenders did not win on Oct. 19, an analysis by The Canadian Press indicates.

And while spending big bucks didn’t necessarily guarantee victory, not spending enough to at least stay competitive with

rival candidates was an almost certain path to defeat, the analysis shows.

Of the top 100 spenders in the election, 57 failed in their election bids, with 12 of those losing to a competitor who also cracked the top 100.

The results among the top 50 spenders were even worse, with about three-fifths of them — 31 candidates in all — running unsuccessfully. Of those, six lost to another candidate in the top 50.

The analysis is based on expenses reported by candidates that counted as part of their legal spending limits. It did not include personal and other expenses — like gas and mileage for a personal vehicle, child care or

Toronto and... strength for March.

“January and February were really strong as well, so I thought maybe that was activity being pulled forward to get ahead of the new rules,” she said.

Ottawa has tightened mortgage lending rules five times in recent years, including increasing the minimum down payment and reducing the maximum amortization period.

March was the first full month for the latest change.

It requires a minimum down payment for new insured mortgages of at least 10 per cent on the portion of a home that costs more than $500,000.

The changes were aimed at slowing the torrid rise in prices in the red-hot markets of Toronto and Vancouver without hurting sales in other markets.

Petramala said the federal government had already done quite a bit to push first-time homebuyers out of the market before the latest change.

“The majority of people who get an insured mortgage or have that small of a down payment are generally buying homes that are worth less than $500,000 anyway,” she said.

“It goes back to that notion that only four per cent of overall sales in Toronto and Vancouver are both within that price range — $500,000 to $1 million — and insured.” ❰❰ 1

National Bank senior economist Marc Pinsonneault said sales growth outpaced new listings growth in both cities.

“As a result, the number of houses listed for sale fell to their lowest level for a first quarter in at least 12 years,” Pinsonneault said.

“The combination of high demand and low supply of course puts pressure on prices.”

In Toronto, there were 22,575 sales through the real estate board’s members in the first three months of the year, including 10,326 in March.

That was up about 16 per cent compared with the same month and quarter last year.

Meanwhile, Vancouver home sales totalled 5,173 in March, up 27.4 per cent from the 4,060 sales in the same month last year.

The record sales come as many raise concerns about housing affordability in Vancouver and the impact of speculation and foreign buyers on the market.

The B.C. government said last month it will work to impose changes to protect sellers in cases of contract flipping where real estate agents flip a property multiple times at higher prices before a deal closes.

The new rules will require the original seller to provide informed consent for multiple sales and that profits would go back to that seller. ■

thank-you receptions for volunteers — which must be reported to Elections Canada but don’t count against the spending cap.

The analysis may help explain why the marathon 11week campaign came down to a battle between the better-resourced Liberals and Conservatives, with the NDP and Greens squeezed out.

On average, Conservative candidates spent $90,665, outpacing the average $71,660 spent by Liberals. The average New Democrat candidate spent just $54,404 while the average Green spent a measly $12,642.

University of Manitoba political scientist Royce Koop said there’s no doubt money can

Green Party candidate Gord Miller (left) was the top spending candidate in the fall federal elections as shown by counted campaign expenses. @GORD4GUELPH / INSTAGRAM

help a candidate win, particularly in a close-fought riding.

NDP MP Kennedy Stewart, for instance, spent almost $180,600 on his campaign in Burnaby South, while his Liberal opponent, Adam Pankratz, spent $33,902. Pankratz lost by

a margin of just one percentage point, a result Koop suggests might have been different had the Liberal been more competitive financially.

“Most Canadians vote with ❱❱ PAGE 47 Money a

Ontario kids with autism aged 5 and older cut off of government paid therapy

BY ALLISON JONES The Canadian Press TORONTO — Ontario children with autism aged five or older no longer qualify for government-funded intensive therapy, a move critics say is leaving many families in the lurch.

The Liberal government announced a new Ontario Autism Program with $333 million in funding, but changes include limiting Intensive Behavioural Intervention to children between two and four.

Children and Youth Services Minister Tracy MacCharles said advice from experts was to focus on children in that developmental window.

“I know it’s a transition, I know it’s challenging,” said MacCharles, whose son has special needs.

“The research has said before and most recently with our clinical expert committee that the best window for IBI is those younger years, the two to four, and we’re also going to be launching four early intervention diagnosis pilots so that kids are showing markers, not necessarily being diagnosed, can potentially get that diagnosis earlier.”

Families with kids five and www.canadianinquirer.net

older on the IBI wait list will get $8,000 to pay for treatment as they are cut off the wait list.

Lisa Meunier, a Brampton, Ont., mom whose nearly fiveyear old daughter has been on the IBI wait list for almost three years, said that amount will only pay for a few weeks of therapy.

“I’m disappointed that the government would do that to our children,” she said. “There’s so many kids that it’s crucial that they need this therapy to help them. It’s sad enough that our children were born with this and having to struggle and there is a therapy out there that can help our children and now they’re just taking that away from them.”

Jacques Sturgeon’s son turned five in November and was supposed to start therapy in July. The Ottawa father said he doesn’t understand why those few months mean the therapy is less likely to be successful for his son.

“He’s not getting this intensive behaviour intervention at a time when he needs it,” Sturgeon said. “He’s low-functioning and he has a very hard time with integration.”

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she is very concerned for the children who have “had the rug pulled out from under them.”

“Do you reduce the wait time by kicking people off the list? Is that the game?” she said. “This government likes to game things in their favour, things that make them look good, without very much attention whatsoever to the impact is has on real people.”

Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown said the government’s move is disappointing.

“The notion that the government’s now saying that that treatment is not needed when you’re five — autism doesn’t end when you’re five,” he said.

“I think this was a short-sighted decision and I hope the government will correct course and will acknowledge they made a mistake.”

The changes to the program mean that 16,000 more children will get access to services, mostly Applied Behaviour Analysis, a less intensive form of therapy, the government said.

The new program combines both types of therapy into a single program, which the government says will lead to faster and more individualized services. It hopes to cut wait times at least in half, on average, within two years and to have average wait times of six months or less by 2021. ■

21

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

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22

World News

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Iceland’s leader is first victim of offshore holdings leak

BY JILL LAWLESS AND DAVID MCHUGH The Associated Press LONDON — The leak of millions of records on offshore accounts claimed its first highprofile victim Tuesday as Iceland’s prime minister resigned amid outrage over revelations he had used such a shell company to shelter large sums while Iceland’s economy was in crisis.

The fall of Icelandic leader Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson is the biggest fallout so far from the publication of the names of rich and powerful people linked to the leaks, dubbed the Panama Papers.

China and Russia, meanwhile, took the opposite approach, suppressing the news and rejecting any allegations of impropriety by government officials named in the leak of more than 11 million financial documents from a Panamanian law firm.

Officials in Ukraine, Argentina and other countries are also facing questions about possibly dubious offshore tax-avoidance schemes.

The reports are from a global group of news organizations working with the Washingtonbased International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. They have been processing records from the Mossack Fonseca law firm that were first leaked to Germany’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

The announcement that Gunnlaugsson was stepping down came from the country’s agriculture minister. It followed the refusal by Iceland’s president to dissolve parliament and call a new election, and after thousands of Icelanders protested outside the parliament building in Reykjavik.

No replacement has yet been named, and Iceland’s president did not immediately confirm that he had accepted the resignation.

Gunnlaugson has denied any wrongdoing and said he and his wife have paid all their taxes. He also said his financial holdings didn’t affect his negotiations with Iceland’s creditors during the country’s acute financial crisis.

Gunnlaugson sought to call a snap election Tuesday, but President Olafur Ragnar

Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson.

FRANKIE FOUGANTHIN / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Grimsson refused, saying he ings rankle many. sations, I have no comment,” wanted to consult with other China, on the other hand, dis- Hong told reporters at a reguparty leaders before agreeing to missed as “groundless” reports larly scheduled news conferend the coalition government that the Panamanian law firm ence. between Gunnlaugsson’s cen- had arranged offshore comMeanwhile, Ukraine’s presitre-right Progressive Party and panies for relatives of at least dent was accused of abusing the Independence Party. eight present or past members his office and of tax evasion by The leaked documents allege of the Communist Party’s Polit- moving his candy business offthat Gunnlaugsson and his buro Standing Committee, the shore, possibly depriving the wife set up a company called apex of power in China. country of millions of dollars in Wintris in the British Virgin Among those named in the taxes.

Islands with the help of the leaked documents was the Shell companies aren’t in Panamanian law firm. Gunn- brother-in-law of President Xi themselves illegal. People laugsson is acor companies cused of a conmight use them flict of interest to reduce their for failing to tax bill legally, by disclose his inGunnlaugson has denied any benefiting from volvement in the wrongdoing and said he and his wife low tax rates in company, which have paid all their taxes. He also said countries like held interests in his financial holdings didn’t affect his Panama, the failed Icelandic negotiations with Iceland’s creditors Cayman Islands banks that his during the country’s acute financial and Bermuda. government was crisis.

But the pracresponsible for tice is frowned overseeing. upon, particuIceland, a vollarly when used canic North Atlantic island Jinping. State media have ig- by politicians, who then face nation with a population of nored the reports and searches criticism for not contributing 330,000, was rocked by a pro- of websites and social media to their own countries’ econolonged financial crisis when its for the words “Panama docu- mies. main commercial banks col- ments” were blocked.

Because offshore accounts lapsed within a week of one anChina’s Foreign Ministry and companies also hide the other in 2008. spokesman Hong Lei said he names of the ultimate ownSince then Icelanders have would not discuss the reports ers of investments, they can be weathered a deep recession and further and declined to say used to illegally evade taxes or been subjected to tough capital whether the individuals named launder money. controls — another reason the would be investigated.

Mossack Fonseca says it prime minister’s offshore hold“For these groundless accu- obeys all laws relating to comwww.canadianinquirer.net

pany registrations and does not advise people how to evade taxes.

The firm said in a statement that “our industry is not particularly well understood by the public, and unfortunately this series of articles will only serve to deepen that confusion.

“The facts are these: While we may have been the victim of a data breach, nothing in this illegally obtained cache of documents suggests we’ve done anything wrong or illegal, and that’s very much in keeping with the global reputation we’ve worked hard to build over the past 40 years of doing business the right way.”

Members of the Group of 20 — which includes China — have agreed on paper to tighten laws relating to shell companies and make sure authorities can find out who the real owners are.

Actual legislation at the national level has lagged behind the promises, however.

The appearance of offshore accounts in political scandals is far from new. Shell companies played a role in the corruption scandal involving the Petrobras oil company in Brazil. The U.S. Justice Department said in an indictment last year that offshore accounts were used to mask the transfer of bribes to officials at FIFA, the global soccer federation.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, working with Germany’s NDR and WDR public television stations, reported Monday that 14 German banks had used Mossack Fonseca’s services to set up 1,200 letterbox companies for clients.

The report said use of offshore company registrations had spiked after the European Union introduced regulations in 2005 requiring countries to exchange tax information on individual people, but not for companies. Many of the accounts, however, have since been closed.

The EU has since tightened its rules on offshore companies under its Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which is being phased in as national governments pass local laws to comply by June 26, 2017. The new rules tighten requirements for companies to keep accurate information on their real owners and to make that available to authorities. ■

23

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

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m info@canadianinquirer.net sales@canadianinquirer.net

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24

World News

APRIL 8, 2016

Pope may visit Greek island to highlight refugees’ plight

BY NICOLE WINFIELD AND ELENA BECATOROS The Associated Press VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, will visit the Greek island of Lesbos next week to highlight the plight of refugees, the Greek government said, as refugees and other migrants are being deported back to Turkey under the European Union’s controversial program to ease Europe’s migrant problem.

Under the EU’s deal with Turkey reached last month, those arriving on Greek islands from March 20 onwards who do not apply for asylum in Greece or whose application is rejected or deemed inadmissible will be deported back to Turkey.

For every Syrian returned to Turkey, another Syrian there will be relocated to a European country.

But after the initial return of 202 people Monday from the islands of Lesbos and Chios, most of the roughly 4,000 people earmarked for deportation were submitting asylum applications, leading to delays in the system.

No deportations were carried out Tuesday, and a Turkish interior ministry official said no further returns were expected until Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.

Francis, the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, has been outspoken about Europe’s moral obligation to welcome refugees and his visit to Greece will likely embarrass EU leaders already under fire from human rights groups over the deportations.

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, the decision-making body of the Greek church, said Francis had asked to come to highlight the plight of refugees. It said the request had been accepted and the island of Lesbos suggested, adding it had also extended an invitation to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, to visit the island on

Facebook programs computers to describe photos for the blind

BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN The Associated Press

JEFFREY BRUNO / ALETEIA

the same day.

The Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate confirmed Bartholomew would visit the island.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Tuesday that no decision had been made but in an email to The Associated Press he said “I don’t deny that there are contacts about a possible trip.”

The Greek government issued a note saying the pope and patriarch would be visiting Lesbos on April 14-15 along with Athens Archbishop Ieronymos, and that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras would join them.

Francis has made the plight of migrants a priority of his three-year pontificate, insisting in particular that Europe and other countries open their doors and hearts to people fleeing persecution and poverty.

He told the Vatican’s diplomatic corps in January that Europe had the means to welcome refugees without compromising its security or culture and that the continent bore the “moral responsibility” to care for others who have fled their homes to seek a better life.

Europe’s deal with Turkey has come under fierce criticism from human rights groups and aid organizations, who accuse European countries of ignoring their commitments to protect vulnerable refugees.

Judith Sunderland, acting deputy Europe director at Human Rights Watch, said Monday that trying to close the Aegean migration route by shipping people — back to uncertain fates in Turkey” would just make them seek potentially

more dangerous and expensive ways to reach the EU. “This whole deal involves throwing human beings down legal loopholes,” she said. “Turkey is not a safe country, and rights on paper are not the same as rights in practice.”

The deal and its accompanied closing of land borders to migrants have also led to more than 52,000 people being stranded in Greece.

European officials have billed the deal as the only way to deter people from risking the dangerous if brief sea journey from the Turkish coast to Greek islands.

Maria Stavropoulou, director of Greece’s Asylum Service, told state TV that some 3,000 people held in deportation camps on the islands are seeking asylum, with the application process to formally start by the end of the week.

Asylum applications typically take about three months to process, she said, but would be “considerably faster” for those held in detention.

“There will be a difficult few months ahead,” Stavropoulou said. “We are dealing with people who speak 70 different languages and many have travelled to Greece without papers because they are escaping war.”

Only 30 of 400 migration officers from other EU countries have arrived in Greece so far, Stavropoulou said, while additional locally hired staff would take “several months” to train and integrate into the Asylum Service. ■ Becatoros reported from Athens.

Ayse Wieting in Istanbul contributed. www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Facebook is training its computers to become seeing-eye guides for blind and visually impaired people as they scroll through the pictures posted on the world’s largest online social network.

The feature rolling out Tuesday on Facebook’s iPhone and iPad apps interprets what’s in a picture using a form of artificial intelligence that recognizes faces and objects. VoiceOver, a screen reader built into the software powering the iPhone and iPad, must be turned on for Facebook’s photo descriptions to be read. For now, the feature will only be available in English.

Until now, people relying on screen readers on Facebook would only hear that a person had shared a photo without any elaboration.

The photo descriptions initially will be confined to a vocabulary of 100 words in a restriction that will prevent the computer from providing a lot of details. For instance, the automated voice may only tell a user that a photo features three people smiling outdoors without adding that the trio also has drinks in their hands. Or it may say the photo is of pizza without adding that there’s pepperoni and olives on top of it.

Facebook is being careful with the technology, called “automatic alternative text,” in an

attempt to avoid making a mistake that offends its audience.

Google learned the risks of automation last year when an image recognition feature in its Photos app labeled a black couple as gorillas, prompting the company to issue an apology.

Eventually, though, Facebook hopes to refine the technology so it provides more precise descriptions and even answers questions that a user might pose about a picture.

The vocabulary of Facebook’s photo-recognition program includes “car,” “sky,” “dessert,” “baby,” “shoes,” and, of course, “selfie.”

Facebook also plans to turn on the technology for its Android app and make it available through Web browsers visiting its site.

The Menlo Park, California, company is trying to ensure the world’s nearly 300 million blind and visually impaired people remain interested in its social network as a steadily increasing number of photos appear on its service. On an average day, Facebook says more than 2 billion photos are posted on its social network and other apps that it owns, a list that includes Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. In a Tuesday post, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed the photo description tool as “an important step towards making sure everyone has equal access to information and is included in the conversation.” ■

RAWPIXEL.COM / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

25

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS:

Patrick Cruz: Connecting to his roots through his paintings

BY LAARNI LIWANAG Philippine Canadian Inquirer HIS FATHER is a musician who plays in a band; his mother also draws, while his brother is a hairdresser of note. It is all in the genes. That is how to describe best the talent of young Filipino upcoming artist, Patrick Cruz, the winner of RBC Canadian Painting Competition held in November 2015.

His winning creation from among the 600 Canada wide artists submission was an acrylic on canvass titled “Time Allergy”. His inspiration came from the busy street life in the Philippines and how the Spaniards who colonized the Philippines for more than 400 years brought the concept of time to the Filipinos. He said it is a reflection of the post colonial condition of the Philippines.

He was rewarded with $25,000 cash prize and a valuable recognition as the best artist in the competition.

Patrick grew up in the Philippines and migrated to Canada with his family in 2005. They settled in Surrey where he spent a big part of his growing up dreaming of becoming another Santiago Bose, his model artist whose works amazed him tremendously. He lights up as

he describes Bose’ works – the execution, the drawn up lines with lots of collage, and the unconventional ways of doing his paintings.

He was on his first year in Fine Arts at the Philippines when his parents, who were both educators and earning decent income, decided to go to Canada, purposely to look for more economic opportunities and give a better future for the family.

For him, the move was a struggle. He had to leave his friends, his way of life, his roots, and get a foothold in a country which culture is different from what he grew up with. It was not easy. But eventually, he learned to cope up. He learned how to earn a living.

His first job was to fry chick-

en in a fast food center, a classic immigrant experience which every young immigrant considers “rite of passage”. However it was an experience that taught him how to be responsible in life. He continued with his studies first at Emily Carr University of Arts and Design in British Columbia, and then went to University of Guelph, Ontario for his Masters Degree in Fine Arts.

For his part, looking back at his roots, Cruz is bringing back his artistry to his hometown – Kamias, Quezon City. He is calling it “Kamias Trinale”, an experimental art show which is meant to take place every three years at his grandparents backyard in Kamias QC, Philippines.

It involves Canadian artists and Filipino artists with works de-

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BERT QUIBUYEN

picting a dialogue between the two places, a way of engaging two separate places that have strong connections — knowing full well the strong Filipino presence in Canada, now the third largest visible minority in the country.

Cruz’ paintings were exhibited recently at Center A in Chinatown, Vancouver, BC last

March 4, 2016. And he is preparing for more exhibits in the coming months.

Patrick Cruz, young, talented, ambitious, yet disciplined, is worthy of emulation which every aspiring artist should look up to as a role model. He is proud to be a Filipino and every Filipino should be proud of him. ■

China blasts reports on hidden wealth of leaders’ families

BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN The Associated Press BEIJING — China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denounced as “groundless” reports based on documents leaked from a Panama-based law firm that name relatives of current and retired Chinese politicians, including President Xi Jinping, as owning offshore companies.

Spokesman Hong Lei said he would not discuss the reports further and declined to say whether the individuals named would be investigated.

“For these groundless accu-

sations, I have no comment,” soccer player Lionel Messi and “powerful force” was behind Hong told reporters at a regu- others featured in the docu- the document leak. It said the larly scheduled news confer- ments who are not related to main targets were opponents ence.

China. of the West, especially Russian State media President Vladiare ignoring remir Putin. ports on the rev“The Westelations. Search ern media have results of webThe government’s response came taken control of sites and social as no surprise, but many Chinese the interpretamedia for the are likely to have heard about the tion each time words “Panama ICIJ reports by finding ways around there has been documents” the censors or by discussing them such a docuwere blocked indirectly. ment dump, and Tuesday.

Washington has The blocking demonstrated was not total, particular influhowever, with some searches The nationalistic tabloid ence in it. Information that is for Panama-related news re- Global Times published an edi- negative to the U.S. can always sulting in stories mentioning torial saying an unidentified be minimized, while exposure www.canadianinquirer.net

of non-Western leaders, such as Putin, can get extra spin,” said the newspaper, published by the party’s flagship People’s Daily.

The paper made no mention of any involvement by Chinese figures.

The reports by an international coalition of media outlets working with the Washingtonbased International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, or ICIJ, are based on documents from the Panamabased law firm Mossack Fonseca, one of the world’s biggest creators of shell companies. ❱❱ PAGE 27 China blasts

26

Community News

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Rice not bullets: Social and climate justice for Filipino farmers

BY CHAYA OCAMPO GO AFTER THREE long months of El Niño drought and famine, 6,000 farmers and Lumads formed a barricade at Kidapawan City demanding food and calamity relief. On Apr. 1, they were met with gunfire by the police and military.

Migrante BC held emergency vigil to demand justice on Apr. 3, at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Filipino Farmers & Chronic Poverty

The people growing our food are the hungriest. This painful irony has been reported by the Institute for Food Development Policy or Food First as the unchanging prevalence of poverty and undernourishment in the world despite the rising levels of global food production (Lappé & Collins, 2015). Scarcity is certainly not the problem, but a systemic injustice in the ways abundance and wealth are distributed across political and socio-economic systems.

Like many agrarian countries in the Global South, the Philippines remains in a state of 'permanent crisis’, according to political economist, Walden Bello (2004). Our landless farmers are locked in chronic cycles of poverty by persisting feudal economies, oligopolies in the rice and coconut industries, and

the stronghold of landed elites.

The over 6,000-hectare Hacienda Luisita sugar plantation in Tarlac for example, remains a sore case for the ill failings of the country’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

A blockade of striking farm workers of Hacienda Luisita demanding higher wages and the implementation of land reform were gunned down by police and soldiers in November 2004. Seven farm workers were killed, 121 were seriously injured, including children, and hundreds were arrested.

Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in favour of the farmers, majority of the Cojuangcoowned estate remains unreturned in 2016. A more recent historical movement is the “KM71 Martsa ng Magniniyog” or the 1,750-kilometer long march of 71 coconut farmers representing nine national farmers’ federations. They walked on foot from Davao City for Manila to demand a just redistribution of the 71 billionpeso Coco Levy Fund.

Our farmers are the face of the poorest. Their hands and feet attest to struggles that are centuries old. As a deep paradox, hunger is known to many of them who grow food for a living.

Farmers & the Climate Crisis

Today our farmers are not only the victims of feudal op-

pressions, but are increasingly made more vulnerable in the context of climate change. On November 8th 2013, super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)—the strongest storm in recorded history—ravaged through the central region of the Philippines.

This plunged the Eastern Visayas, a region primarily of fishers, rice and coconut farmers, into deadlier levels of poverty.

Farmers lost 33 million coconut trees in a single day. When entire landscapes lay dead with headless coconut trees, it is not surprising that such desperation has formed what is now ranked as the poorest province in the country. Yet, why does armed violence always follow such crises of survival?

The IBON Foundation reports that Yolanda is “the most militarized disaster response” (2015, p. 63). Although the army is dispatched to oversee order and security in the chaotic times of post-disaster, reports of ongoing militarization prove how disaster response are often acts of State counterinsurgency in disguise.

But are these just riots, or uprisings? Farmers of North Cotabato have been suffering from three months of drought and famine since January 2016.

In fact, a case of suicide was reported to be linked to the drought (Maitem, 2016). As victims of the El Niño heat and the

Migrante held a protest action in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Apr. 3, to demand justice for the Kidapawan victims CECILE DOCTO / FACEBOOK

local government’s neglect to disburse its calamity fund, over 6,000 farmers demonstrated in Kidapawan City on April 1st 2016 to demand their promised rations of rice. They were met with gunfire by the police armed with M-16s. Left with little or close to no other means for survival, starving farmers will engage in mass demonstrations. When will those in power recognize one clear fact: Bullets do not feed the hungry. #BigasHindiBala #BugasDiliBala [Rice Not Bullets].

Urgent Call for Solidarity Action

Our farmers remain in Kidapawan, and we remain with them ever vigilant. As members of the Filipino global diaspora, we invite everyone to join solidarity actions spreading all across Canada organized

by Migrante BC and its allies.

On Apr. 3, vigils were held simultaneously across all the cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal.

These public gatherings serve to: (1) condemn the violence inflicted upon the farmers at Kidapawan, (2) to remember with candles those who were killed, and (3) to resound a loud call for justice. While political and economic oppressions remain headstrong in the Philippines, intensifying weather conditions create greater vulnerabilities for our farming communities who work directly on the land and subsist from their harvests.

Social and climate justice will only be served when Filipino men and women farmers are given ownership to the land they are due; paid right for their harvest and labour; and receive calamity fund and assistance in times of climate crisis. ■

Ambassador Garcia hosts Music to Dine For in Ottawa PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN OTTAWA IN SUPPORT of young musicians, including Filipino-Canadian artists, Philippine Ambassador Petronila P. Garcia opened the doors of Tahanang Rizal, the Embassy’s official residence, to a quartet from the Young String Performers Foundation and their patrons known as the Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Friends of Naco) on Mar. 30.

Dubbed “Music to Dine For”, the program provides a venue for classical music enthusiasts to promote music education and

help finance scholarships and awards for budding musicians.

The string quartet regaled the Ambassador’s guests with renditions of Mozart’s Divertimento in D major, Joplin’s The Entertainer, Anderson’s Plink Plank Plunk and a Bach solo for cello featuring Filipino-Canadian Iñigo Gauthier Mamaril who comes from a well-regarded family of musicians. In her introduction, Music to Dine For Committee Chair Pamela Robinson recognized Joan Milkson as the driving force behind the featured young musicians who have gone from strength to strength.

“I am elated to host the

Friends of Naco this evening and doubly charmed that a Filipino-Canadian was part of the string quartet that played beautiful music tonight,” Ambassawww.canadianinquirer.net

dor Garcia said in her welcome remarks. “Our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, after whom this residence was named, would have been pleased by their excel-

lent performance, as he himself studied the violin,” she added.

A four-course dinner prepared by award-winning Filipino-Canadian chef Jil Aranas complimented the musical aperitif.

In his response, Friends of Naco President Robert La Fleur thanked Ambassador Garcia for supporting Music to Dine For, a project that has helped to significantly increase bursaries for young musicians.

He likened the program to his core memory of the Philippines which struck him as a nation of families that work and socialize in groups all the time and everywhere. ■

Community News

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

27

The new man on Western Union block

Tomas Avendano (seated, centre) with officers and members of the Health and Skilled Workers Cooperative.

Health and skilled workers’ coop elects new officers THE HEALTH and Skilled Workers Co-op recently elected a new set of officers. Named to the board of directors are Tomas Avendano Sr.; Erlinda Cruz; Venus Ceballo; Norilyn Delos Reyes; Vivian Cadiz; Jessica Auxilio; and Jeanette Dotimas.

These officers are expected to jointly oversee the mission of the cooperative which, according to Avendano, “is to help live-in caregivers, health and skilled workers achieve financial independence through savings, lending and investing on business projects.”

“The main focus of our advocacy are the caregivers and skilled workers in Canada. We work in partnership with our cooperative members to present a united front and achieve our common goals of financial independence,” Avendano, cofounder of the Multi-Cultural Helping House Society and recipient of the 2014 Paul Yuzyk Award for Multiculturalism, added.

Another officer, Norilyn Delos Reyes said the cooperative's main business endeavors are micro-lending and providing a more convenient and cost-effective money remittance system for its members through “We Care Padala”.

The group started in November 2012, with less than 20 members. Today, it has grown to 323 caregivers and Overseas Foreign Workers with over $100,000-fund for micro-lend-

ing. Avendano said about 90 percent of this fund are being used by member-borrowers.

The coop offers a range of benefits to members. According to Delos Reyes, these include “financial assistance; availing oneself of co-op products and services at reasonable costs; increased earnings through profit sharing and patronage refund; learning financial skills through free financial literacy classes; achieving empowerment; acquiring relevant knowledge and skills necessary for job search; achieving social, economic and personal growth though networking and becoming financially independent.”

To be a member, an applicant must complete a membership information workshop which are scheduled once a month.

He or she may schedule a workshop under special circumstances. Then, the applicant has to pay an annual membership fee of $5 or a lifetime membership fee of $25 and invest on a minimum of one membership share of $100.

The services offered to members are micro-lending; money remittance, on-line remittance; cargo box; fly now pay later loan’ pahiram ng miembro sa coop; SSS and Pag-Ibig payments.

Avendano said their longterm goal is to recruit more members and to encourage regular depositors. “We want to make this big,” he said. – MRM

CUSTOMERS, COMMUNITY, CARE – the significant 3 C’s in business govern how John Chua handles his new role as manager of Marketing and Community Development of Western Union.

Travelling most of the time is part of his job. Getting to know people and the communities all over Canada is part of the challenge which he is taking by heart.

At 29 years of age, he approaches his job with the dexterity of a seasoned manager and the enthusiasm of a young professional with eyes focused on achieving the goal. His wife, Stephanie, is very supportive of his career.

He was born and raised in a close knit family in Quezon City, Philippines, which courtesy and honesty were instilled in the consciousness of all the siblings. Good moral character is the foundation of a civilized society, they were taught, and this guided him all through the years.

He got his business mindset from his father, who is of Chinese descent but was born and grew up in the Philippines, and his charm and winning attributes from his natural born Filipina mother. He fondly recalls that in his youth, he was more interested in reading business magazines rather than books of fiction, and watched business related documentaries rather than TV shows which excited children his age.

They moved to Canada in his teen years. He went to Sheridan College where he obtained an Associate Degree in Mar-

Chua (L) with PCI's Alan Yong.

keting. Fresh from College, he was hired by Sony which gave him an opportunity to hone his marketing skills. But he never stopped trying to learn. He enrolled at University of Toronto and took Management courses.

At Sony, his talent was noticed by management. He was promoted to manage Sony’s Retail and E-Commerce Marketing in Canada at Sony Canada’s headquarters in Toronto.

His marketing skills became well known among his peers. In late 2015, Western Union took the opportunity and offered him the company’s Marketing and Community Development Managerial position, which he gladly accepted.

John is still into learning the ropes of his new job. He came to British Columbia in early March of 2016 to get to know the people working for Western Union and also to take a

close look at the geographical market. It was an experience for him. He was welcomed by everyone and given valuable information which he will incorporate in his decision making.

He was glad to work for Western Union. He says, “Western Union is a wonderful organization from the top down. Management is approachable. I look forward to long years of stay.” And he concluded, I am so humbled to be given the chance to serve million of customers sending money to their loved ones back home in their countries, including to my country, the Philippines.”

John Chua, the Yuppei, the Canadian, who still calls Philippines his home, despite living in Canada half of his life, is a perfect example of a Filipino who is bound to succeed because of his talent, good character, and determination. ■

came as no surprise, but many Chinese are likely to have heard about the ICIJ reports by finding ways around the censors or by discussing them indirectly, said Zhang Lifan, a Beijingbased independent historian and political observer.

“As usual, the first reaction of the Chinese government is to block the information from spreading,” Zhang said.

“It is difficult to prevent that, but they may be able to put the situation under control, unless someone within the system attempts to take advantage of the incident,” Zhang said.

The family lives and personal finances of Chinese leaders are taboo subjects for Chinese media and reports on them in the international press can draw angry responses from Beijing.

Previous reports by Bloomberg News and the New York Times about wealth accumulated by Xi’s family and the even-greater fortune built up by relatives of former Premier Wen Jiabao prompted China to block access to their websites within China and refuse to grant visas to their reporters to work in China. ■

China blasts...

A lack of legal guarantees in China has motivated many of the country’s newly wealthy to hide their riches through complicated legal arrangements that place them beyond the reach of the authorities.

The ICIJ said Mossack Fonseca had arranged offshore companies for relatives of at least eight present or past members of the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of power in China.

Among those it mentioned was Xi’s brother-in-law.

The government’s response ❰❰ 25

www.canadianinquirer.net

28

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Travel A LONG WAIT:

Fliers brace for big security lines at airports

BY SCOTT MAYEROWITZ The Associated Press NEW YORK — An expedited screening program called PreCheck was supposed to be the answer to maddeningly long security lines at the airport.

But four years after its launch, the Transportation Security Administration is far short of enrolling enough travellers to make a difference, spelling trouble for summer travel season.

Fliers can expect massive security lines across the country, with airlines already warning passengers to arrive at least two hours early or risk missing their flight.

The TSA cut its airport screener staff by 10 per cent in the past three years, anticipating PreCheck would speed up the process. When not enough fliers enrolled, the agency tried to make up for that shortfall by randomly placing passengers into the express lanes. But it recently scaled back that effort for fear dangerous passengers were being let through. That’s when the lines started growing, up to 90 minutes in some cases.

The TSA is shifting some resources to tackle lines at the nation’s biggest airports, but says there is no easy solution to the problem with a record number of fliers expected this summer.

“We had unacceptable line waits at the majority of our hubs,” says Robert Isom, chief operating officer of American Airlines. “Based on what the TSA is telling us, there is no relief in sight.”

Launched nationwide in 2012, PreCheck gives previously vetted passengers special screening. Shoes, belts and light jackets stay on. Laptops and liquids stay in bags. And these fliers go through standard metal detectors rather than the explosive-detecting full-body scanners most pass through.

PreCheck lanes can screen 300 passengers an hour, twice that of standard lanes.

The TSA offered Congress a

The TSA is shifting some resources to tackle lines at the nation’s biggest airports, but says there is no easy solution to the problem with a record number of fliers expected this summer.

ARINA P HABICH / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

lofty goal of having 25 million fliers enrolled in the program.

Based on that and other increased efficiencies, the TSA’s front-line screeners were cut from 47,147 three years ago to 42,525 currently. At the same time, the number of annual fliers passing through checkpoints has grown from 643 million to more than 700 million.

As of March 1, only 9.3 million people were PreCheck members. Applicants must pay $85 to $100 every five years.

They must also trek to the airport for an interview before being accepted. Getting oncea-year fliers to spend the time or the money to join has been a challenge. While 250,000 to 300,000 people are joining every month, it will take more than four years at that pace to reach the target.

“It hasn’t been a failure; it just isn’t moving as quickly as it needs to move,” says Sharon Pinkerton, senior vice-president for legislative and regulatory policy at airline trade group Airlines for America.

Without enough members, the TSA faced a problem: PreCheck lanes were nearly deserted while other lines snaked throughout terminals. Keeping empty PreCheck lanes open

was a waste of staff. But without them, passengers who paid to join would be aggravated.

So the agency created workarounds to allow passengers who hadn’t been fully vetted to still get expedited screening.

Those who flew 50,000 miles a year or more with an airline sometimes got the PreCheck designation on their boarding pass at check-in. Others would randomly get it based on demographic information.

As a further step, the TSA in 2013 created a program called Managed Inclusion where it randomly pulls people out of the normal line when it grows too long. Fliers’ behaviour is monitored, they are screened for explosives and then allowed to use the faster PreCheck lane.

The Associated Press has made repeated requests under the Freedom of Information Act for details on how many fliers are allowed into PreCheck through each method, but has been denied the information for unspecified security reasons.

Lines did get shorter. By Thanksgiving 2014 nearly 50 per cent of fliers were getting expedited screening.

Then last year, two back-toback embarrassing inspector general reports came out, highwww.canadianinquirer.net

lighting TSA security lapses.

One disclosed that the agency let a convicted domestic terrorist use PreCheck. The second revealed that in 67 out of 70 tests across the nation, screeners failed to find mock weapons and explosives.

In response, TSA agents stopped pulling passengers out of line unless there was an explosive-detecting canine team present. That change went into effect in September, right after the Labor Day rush.

The move forced about 10 per cent of all passengers — some 70 million fliers a year — to go back to normal screening.

Longer lines soon followed.

By February, just 26 per cent of passengers were screened through PreCheck, according to Associated Press calculations on TSA data obtained through a public records request.

During the week of spring break in mid-March, 6,800 American Airlines passengers missed their flights because of long checkpoint lines, foreshadowing the headaches airlines fear during the peak summer travel months.

“The TSA is more or less suggesting that we need to live with it,” says Isom, American’s chief operating officer.

At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport waits have topped out at 90 minutes, with the typical morning rush averaging 45 minutes to an hour, says Wendy Reiter, the airport’s director of security and emergency preparedness. In the first week of March, 50 Delta Air Lines passengers missed international flights — the type of flight that only departs once a day.

Last week, officials in Charlotte, North Carolina were warning passengers of waits exceeding 75 minutes, saying the lines were “extremely heavy.”

At the world’s busiest airport, in Atlanta, general manager Miguel Southwell told the TSA last month that “things appear to be only getting worse.”

And in Minneapolis, executive director Jeffrey Hamiel told the TSA that “we are experiencing unacceptably long security wait times during peak periods.”

The TSA knows there is no quick fix.

“The real answer to the volume growth is to ideally get a fully-vetted trusted traveller population,” TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger told The Associated Press.

For now though, the agency is relocating 28 of its 142 canine teams to the 20 busiest airports so it can randomly put more fliers into PreCheck. The TSA won’t say which airports are losing the teams and could therefore have longer lines.

An additional 200 screeners are being trained each week, but that is offset by the average 103 screeners the TSA loses weekly through attrition. The agency is asking airlines to enforce carry-on bags restrictions before checkpoints so it has fewer bags to screen. Airport and airline staff will also take over some non-security related tasks, such as returning empty bins to the start of the checkpoint.

There has been one bright side: the TSA says there is a direct correlation between longer lines and a spike in PreCheck enrollments. ■

29

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:

FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS Every week, the Philippine Canadian Inquirer celebrates the unwavering Filipino spirit through a feature called “Filipino-Canadian in Focus.”

The feature recognizes the achievements of Filipinos living in Canada who have shown concern for the community, success in spite of trials, and the uniquely Pinoy practice of “bayanihan.”

This year, we are welcoming nominations for the next subject of “Filipino-Canadian in Focus.”

MECHANICS: - All nominees must have (a) Filipino heritage/ancestry - All nominees must be residing in Canada at the time of nomination - Nominees from all industries are welcome (e.g. medical/health, politics, community service, business, entertainment, charity institutions, etc.)

- Who can nominate? Anybody.

Fill up the nomination form online by scanning the code with your smartphone or by visiting InFocus.canadianinquirer.net.

www.canadianinquirer.net

30

Travel

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Cruise tourism unveils unique stories of Capul

BY ROEL T. AMAZONA Philippines News Agency

Tour de l'ile de Montreal in 2012.

JEAN GAGNON / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

In Montreal, a Frenchflavoured festival on bicycles

BY CALVIN WOODWARD The Associated Press MONTREAL puts the sizzle on its status as a cycling and cultural beehive with a bike festival May 29-June 5. It’s anchored by a bicycle tour of the cityisland that rivals New York’s Five Boro cycling extravaganza in size, adds a distinctive French twist and shows Americans how very far their dollar can go in Canada these days.

Tour de l’lle de Montreal is the iconic event for a bicycle-mad city that Joelle Sevigny of Velo Quebec, the province’s bicycle association and festival organizer, calls “little Copenhagen in North America.”

The festival is far from little. The Sunday tour on closed-off streets, June 5, typically draws 25,000 people, and follows a Friday night ride that brings together 15,000 in good weather. The classic Sunday ride is 30 miles (50 kilometres), with an “express” option for fast cyclists to leave before the mob.

Shorter hops are part of the mix, as is a

60-mile (100-kilometre) ride that ventures beyond streets closed to traffic.

Tour la nuit, on the Friday night, takes cyclists 14 miles (23 kilometres) and invariably brings out plenty of bikers and spectators in goofy costumes with some wild homemade illumination on the bikes.

Tour de l’lle de Montreal began in 1985 with 3,500 people and mushroomed as the cycling ethic took hold.

Cycling is a year-round form of commuting and recreation despite the bitter winters in a province that is home to Route Verte, the vast bike network that made Quebec the world’s top cycling destination, according to National Geographic.

The Go Bike Montreal Festival opens May 29 with “metropolitan challenge” rides in the countryside. The main Sunday ride costs $30.50 to $41 Canadian dollars for an adult, depending when booked. The exchange rate, about even a few years ago, has tilted heavily in favour of the U.S. dollar, meaning discounts of one-third or more for Americans in Canada in recent months. ■

Loyola Parish Church is a church fortress first built by Jesuits friars in 1500 using nipa and hardwood.

A stone church was later on constructCAPUL, NORTHERN SAMAR — The ed by Franciscans friars to serve as forvisit of 60 foreign tourists in this island tress from Moro invaders, who are into town on board of cruise ship unveils the slave trade. island’s unique history and culture to The Acapulco beach is where galleon the world, a top official of the Depart- ship docks during Acapulco-Manila Galment of Tourism (DOT) said. leon Trade. The name was derived from DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Acapulco a major seaport in Mexico that Tiopes said that shore excursion in was important for galleon trade.

Capul was different from cruise tourThe tourist also experienced riding ism offered in other places because it fo- habal-habal ride, the transportation syscused more into knowing the local cul- tem in the island. ture and tradition.

“It was very challenging ride but the The town was the capital of Samar driver was very good,” said Joan who from 1848 to 1852. The name Capul had a minor surgery before their trip to came from the word Acapulco, an old country due to broken wrist. trading post in Mexico.

Locals also served the best foods and Capul also has distinctive language delicacies to tourists. called Inabaknon, different from the Phyllis Lisanti, a retired faculty memnative language used ber of a nursing by other residents in school in New York Samar Island that is and her husband, JoWinaray and Bisaya. seph, a graphic artist The language is enjoyed tasting local considered to be 8th We are glad to be food. of the rarest dialects here and we love The couple also in the Philippines. the Philippines. loved how locals welIt is similar to the comed them when dialect of the Badjao they arrived in the people of Sulu. island.

Prior to the Galle“The people open on Trade, the island their hearts to us,” was formerly known Joseph shared. as Abak after the name of the chieftain Lawyer Carmen Mascort, from Barof a group of people that migrated from celona, Spain said that she was thrilled the south. Their name of their language visiting the island and meeting people. was also derived from the name of the “We are glad to be here and we love the chieftain.

Philippines,” she told a throng of chilCouple Ronald and Joan Schwartz dren, who welcomed them at Acapulco from the United States described their beach. visit as “very different and very inforAlso part of their shore excursion was mative.” the entertainment provided by children The couple who will celebrate their of Capul singing two local songs.

50th year of marriage next year are both Highlight of the visit was the distriscientists. bution of school supplies to elementary In Capul, places they toured were Tore students. de Capul or the Capul lighthouse that Tiopes explained that the distribuwas built in October 1893 and was first tion of school supplies was part of Sharp lit on December 1896; the 16th century Travel and M/S Caledonian Sky introold Capul Church and Acapulco Beach. ducing their clients to their social and The Capul lighthouse, located in corporate responsibility.

Titoog Point in San Luis village on the Around 400 students elementary northern tip of Capul, serves as beacon learners received school bags with and guidepost for Acapulco-Manila gal- school supplies. Roofing materials were leon trade vessels passing through the also turned over to Capul school. treacherous waters of San Bernardino Tourists who toured the island on Strait.

March 25, were on-board of M/S CaleVisitors can be mesmerized by the donian Sky brought by Zegrahm Expeview of San Bernadino Strait and from dition and Sharp Travel, the same firms afar, they can also view Mt. Bulusan of that brought tourist to the island last Sorsogon. year.

The National Historical Commission The easiest way to go to Capul is to fly of the Philippines declared the light- to Calbayog, Samar or Catarman, Northhouse as a historical sitein 2012. ern Samar from Manila. Travel by land Capul Church or the San Ignacio de to Allen, then take the boat to Capul. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

31

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

Entertainment

Arci Muñoz on dealing with loss, making music

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer “MY GREATEST fear was to lose my dad. Now that he’s gone, I’m fearless,” said actressmusician Arci Muñoz, whose father Manuel Ramon Muñoz passed away in February. “In fact, I am now more curious of what life after death is, of where my dad went.”

“There are days when I get depressed. When I’m home, I just go to his room and I pray.

There will always be things that will remind me of him. I put my faith in the Lord that my dad is in a happy place now.”

At Wednesday’s launch of Dickies Intimates, which she endorses, Arci told reporters: “Honestly, I’m numb right now.

I still have yet to absorb everything that has happened. As a way of coping, I spend as much time with my family.”

Arci said her dad had been very supportive of her career as an actress and as Ramona Thornes, the lead vocalist of rock band Philia. “I hope I was able to make him proud. Now, I dedicate everything to him.

That’s why I’m still driven. He’s

Arci Muñoz.

now my guardian angel.”

Opportunities

The 27-year-old actress added: “I’m thankful for the opportunities that come my way. Work enables me to divert my attention. I said to myself that in order to show my dad how much I appreciated him, I would take care of the people he loved. That would make him happy and more at peace. My

@RAMONATHORNES / INSTAGRAM

mom is still here, and she is also grieving.”

Arci admitted that she considered giving up on show business last year. “I’ve been in the industry for 10 years, that’s a long time. I guess you just have to be patient—don’t give up on your dreams. It’s the journey that’s important. I’ve learned so much. I’m now content with what has happened to my career. I pray hard that good proj-

ects will continue to pour in.”

Her drama series, “Pasion de Amor,” aired its finale recently. The screen rom-com, “Always Be My Maybe,” where she teamed up with Gerald Anderson, was a surprise box-office hit.

“I’m grateful to have had the chance to work with good directors,” said Arci of Dan Villegas (“Always”) and Eric Quizon (“Pasion”). She said an actor’s

performance is dependent on how well a director motivates her. “If my directors didn’t pay close attention to my performance, I wouldn’t have been as convincing as I was in those roles.”

She said she was grateful for the break from acting and used it to spend more time with Philia, which she once described as “a grunge-melodic-post hardcore band.”

Arci added: “The kind of music we do is not very popular here in the Philippines. The typical impression of Pinoys is that it’s evil. I just want the audience to try our music, that’s all. I write our songs, along with our guitarist.”

At the same event, Philia performed its original tunes, “Disease” and “Killers,” and did its cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

While she said she was satisfied with how her career was doing, Arci said she has yet to achieve her dream project: “I want to be the voice of a Disney character. I grew up watching Disney classics. If I hear that they’re in need of a voice talent, even for a new character, I’m ready to audition,” she said. ■

Novel 10-country initiative aims to examine Asean identity

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer BECAUSE 10 heads are better than one, the Film Asean Foundation recently announced its plan to produce a film that would enable collaboration among its member countries, according to its president, Briccio Santos.

Santos is also the chair of the country’s lead agency for cinema, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).

Aside from the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are members of the Film Asean (Association of

Southeast Asian Nations).

Conceptualized in 2013, the Film Asean is a forum of the lead government agencies in film development within the group’s 10-member states.

It was created with the goal of strengthening film-related programs in the region, said Santos.

Santos was recently in Bangkok to visit the Thailand Ministry of Culture and the Thailand Film Office “to accelerate the activation of the full board” of the Film Asean before its next general meeting in Manila in the first week of July.

He also met with Thein Htun Aung, former director of the Myanmar Motion Picture Development Department, and

Win Maw, the CEO of Forever Group—the leading multimedia entertainment group in Myanmar, to finalize the plan for the production of the first-ever Asean-collaborated film.

This novel initiative, said Santos, would integrate narratives that would depict the ways of life of the Asean communities.

He added that the project was “expected to open the door for more films that would help develop the Asean identity, as well as provide the avenue, through films and audiovisual images, for sharing these stories in the region.”

According to an FDCP report, the meeting in Bangkok also “centered on how the different Ministries of Thailand, www.canadianinquirer.net

such as culture, tourism, sports and commerce, could work together, with the support of the private sector, in pushing forward the Thai film industry and support Film Asean’s agenda.”

Santos said Thailand, being one of the leading Asean countries in the production of foreign films, has “a prominent role in advancing the Film Asean programs as they are meant to support the film development programs of the 10-member countries.”

For the first time this year, a Film Asean pavilion was mounted at the Martin Gropius Bau venue of the European Film Market (EFM)—a component of the recent Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale, in Germany.

“The pavilion drove traffic because market participants dealt not only with one country, but the Southeast Asian region as a whole. It was a win-win for the Philippines and the 10 member states,” Santos said.

“Next destination [for the Film Asean pavilion] is the Cannes film festival,” declared Santos, adding that the cost of mounting the pavilion was shared among the participating countries. “It paved the way for a model that will eventually become more prominent and cost-effective.”

The FDCP promoted Philippine filmmaking, particularly Filipino-produced films and coproductions, under the Philippine Film Export Services Office (PFESO), at the EFM. ■

32

Entertainment

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

‘Encantadia’ requel’s Nora: Film is advocacy She calls for safe, healthy working hours, too new Sang’gres

BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — In GMA-7’s remake of the popular fantasy series “Encantadia,” Kapuso actresses Glaiza de Castro, Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia and new artist Sanya Lopez take on the much-coveted roles of the four Sang’gres (princesses).

De Castro will portray Pirena, the ambitious keeper of the fire gem originally played by Sunshine Dizon.

Padilla, on the other hand, will play the role of Amihan, the skilled keeper of the wind gem played before by Iza Calzado.

She later succeeds her mother as Queen of Lireo.

Gabbi will take on the mantle of Alena, the powerful keeper of the water gem previously portrayed by Karylle Yuzon.

And Sanya Lopez will be Da-

naya, the youngest of the sisters and keeper of the earth gem previously played by Diana Zubiri.

Meanwhile, celebrity couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, are given the roles Raquim and Ynang Reyna.

Completing the cast are Kapuso stars John Arcilla, Solenn Heussaff, Rochelle Pangilinan, Rocco Nacino, Ruru Madrid, Christian Bautista, Migo Adecer, Vaness del Moral, Klea Pineda, Kate Valdez, Mikee Quintos, Pancho Magno, Carlo Gonzalez, Noel Urbano, and Buboy Villar.

Of the “requel” or retelling of the fantaserye which first aired in 2005, Director Mark Reyes has this to say: “We will try to make it better than the first one. Expect bigger and better things!”

Encantadia is set to premier on July in GMA-7’s Telebabad block. ■

The cast of the Encantadia reboot: Sanya Lopez, Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia and Glaiza de Castro.

GMA ENCANTADIA / FACEBOOK

Kristine Hermosa, Oyo Boy Sotto expecting 4th child

BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — Actress Kristine Hermosa is pregnant with their fourth child, shared husband Oyo Boy Sotto in his Instagram account.

The proud father posted an ultrasound of their baby and

captioned it, “And another one!

You never fail to surprise us God. Thank you for this blessing!? #6weeks …”

Kristine and Oyo Boy tied the knot in 2011. They are proud parents to three kids: 7-yearold adopted son Kaleb Hanns, 4-year-old daughter Ondrea Bliss, and 1-year-old youngest son Kristian Daniel. ■

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer NORA AUNOR reveals a littleseen vulnerable side.

These days, she constantly worries about her youngest brother, former actor Eddie Villamayor, who suffered a stroke last year. She admits that she sometimes feels guilty because she can’t be with him as often as she wants.

“Minsan, kausap ko si Buboy [Eddie’s nickname],” she recalls in an exclusive interview with the INQUIRER. “’Yung nararamdaman mo, ’yung sakit mo sa katawan, labanan mo. Tayong dalawa na lang ang natitira dito sa Pilipinas. Walang ibang magdadamayan kundi tayong dalawa. Kung susuko ka…sino na ang kakampi ko? Sino na ang magtatanggol sa akin? (I was talking to Buboy. I told him: ‘Stay strong in spite of the pain you’re feeling. Keep fighting.

We are the only ones who can depend on each other. If you give up, who will remain by my side? Who will defend me?’)”

With pride, she tells Adolfo Alix Jr., the director of her latest film, “Whistleblower”: “Buboy is a good actor. A natural. I produced a movie for him, ‘Niño Valiente.’ He was in ‘Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo,’ too.”

Family is a topic that never fails to make Aunor’s famous eyes sparkle. When she heard about the heroic deed of her son Ian de Leon, she was filled with a mother’s joy. (De Leon brought a 10-year-old kid, who was run over by a motorcyclist, to the hospital.)

Even though they have little misunderstandings, she says she’s proud of her son. “Masaya ako. Magandang gesture ang ginawa niyang pagtulong. Saludo ako sa kanya! (I am happy. The help he gave to the child was a beautiful gesture. I salute him!)”

Film is another topic that she feels passionately about. Both as actress and producer, she has never shied away from making movies of substance and significance—works that tackled social issues, even at the height of the martial law regime in the 1970s.

With the relative freedom afforded by the indie film movewww.canadianinquirer.net

Nora Aunor.

ment these days, she has found wider space to collaborate with young filmmakers and pursue various advocacies at the same time.

“Whisteblower,” Alix’s latest political thriller from Unitel and Quento Media, is right up her alley, she says. Half in jest, she admits she’s no expert when it comes to the film’s subject matter, the pork-barrel scandal. “I told Direk: ‘Kahit hindi ko naiintindihan masyado, sama ako diyan!’ (Even if I don’t totally understand it, count me in!)”

Suffice it to say that the porkbarrel scam is a story that all Filipinos should be aware of, she clarifies. “I’ve known about those controversies for a long time. Na ang pera ng mga mamamayan ay hindi napupunta sa tamang proyekto. Kasi nga, napupunta sa bulsa ng kung sinu-sino. (That the people’s money doesn’t go to the right projects, but to the pockets of some people.)”

It’s a lot like what happened after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” devastated Tacloban—a reality that she saw with her own eyes when she shot Brillante Ma. Mendoza’s “Taklub.” “’Yung mga donation, hindi napunta sa mga survivor ng bagyo (The donations didn’t go to the survivors),” she recounts. “’Yon ang pinakagrabe sa lahat. (That was the worst.)”

What our country needs, she insists, is “a leader whom peo-

CARVIN DELEON / FLICKR

ple will follow—someone who is intelligent and not corrupt.”

She boldly wore a baseball cap that showed off her political colors (she supports Sen. Grace Poe) during the launch of “Whistleblower.”

When talk turns to a raging industry issue, she remains just as fierce, batting for safe and healthy working hours—a concern sparked by the passing of three directors in a month’s time.

“I have a cut-off time,” she points out. “I only work until 10 or 11 p.m. I also ask for a break between taping days. We all need to rest—especially those who are no longer as young.”

As a producer, she understands where the studios are coming from, as well. “Before I sign the contract, I ask for my cut-off time. If they agree, then good. No matter how great an actor you are, if you work from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., your brain will eventually get tired.”

She recalls a specific incident when she arrived on the set at 7 a.m., but the cameras only started grinding at 4 p.m. “It was because the other stars had previous commitments. We had to wait for them.”

Such delays can be avoided, she notes, if the production is planned well. Like in “Whistleblower,” she relates, “Even though we have a big cast, we were able to finish the film without any problem. It’s all in the planning.” ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

33

The Weeknd big winner at Junos, Justin Bieber gets fan choice award

BY LORI EWING The Canadian Press CALGARY — International superstar the Weeknd is going to need a bigger trophy shelf.

The Toronto-born hitmaker won five Juno awards this weekend, three at a gala event held in Calgary on Saturday night and another two handed out during Sunday’s televised show.

The album of the year trophy for “Beauty Behind the Madness” and single of the year award for “Can’t Feel My Face” took his career total to nine Junos.

The crowd rose to their feet as the R&B singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, accepted his second award of the night.

“I want to thank the fans,” he said after taking a moment to survey the auditorium. “Without you I wouldn’t be here.”

“And, of course, I want to thank my mom,” he added.

“Thank you for putting up with all my, uh, all my bull for so long.”

Among the other big winners of the night was Justin Bieber, who was voted in by viewers for

the fan choice award.

Pop newcomer Alessia Cara won breakthrough artist of the year after opening the show with her hit “Here” and new single “Wild Things.”

“I was just telling my mom it really doesn’t feel like it’s happening,” Cara told reporters after the show.

“It hasn’t processed in my brain.”

Dean Brody’s “Gypsy Road” won country album of the year and Walk off the Earth collected the group of the year award.

Burton Cummings received a long, rousing standing ovation as he was honoured with an induction into the Canadian Hall of Fame for his solo work.

The former Guess Who frontman dedicated the award to Winnipeg — his hometown — shortly before returning to the stage as part of a tribute performance that also featured Jann Arden, Shawn Hook and the Tenors.

After the show, Cummings said he was grateful for the performance and that he loved meeting fellow musicians at the bash.

“I’d never met Nickelback before and now I think we’re

actually pals,” he said from the media room, wearing a black button-up shirt emblazoned with a small Superman logo.

“Chad Kroeger sang me part of ‘Your Backyard,’ one of my songs.... This today, for me, was one of the biggest days of my life.”

The fast-paced show featured performances from a number of established and rising Canadian performers who have had success on Canadian radio over the past few months. The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes and Bryan Adams were among the marquee performers.

The show began with a feisty monologue from co-hosts Arden and Jon Montgomery. The singer and Olympic gold medallist fired jokes back and forth about their memories of Calgary, where Arden was born.

Arden, a second-time Juno host, also took a moment to draw links between the Olympics and the music business, highlighting at least one thing they don’t have in common.

“Thankfully in music there is no drug testing, or there wouldn’t be a single soul here tonight,” she said to cheers from the audience.

The Weeknd.

Before the show began, Kroeger caused quite a stir when he walked the red carpet with Avril Lavigne.

The couple, who announced last year that they were separating, also attended a preGrammys event together in February.

Kroeger also joined his Nickelback bandmates — who were

HELGA ESTEB / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

up for the best rock album Juno on Saturday night — on the red carpet and gave a shout out to Calgary, which has been hit hard by the downturn of oil prices.

“I think the province needs something like this — it’ll boost the morale,” he said.

“It’s nice to have another excuse to come back to Alberta.” ■

Love blooms onstage and off at the Shaw theatre festival in Ontario

BY VICTORIA AHEARN The Canadian Press TORONTO — Behind the scenes at the renowned Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., the next generation of potential theatre company members are cooing and crawling and learning the alphabet instead of lines.

They’re the children of actors who fell in love while working together at the Bernard Shawinspired company, which has seen a remarkable amount of romantic hookups over the years, resulting in several marriages and babies.

“We’re all here together in this pretty small town for very long periods of time, intensely working together, so the likelihood is pretty high,” says artistic director Jackie Maxwell.

“We have so many kids now.

We’ve got toys and high chairs in the green room. That’s what happens.”

Several real-life couples will star alongside each other this season when the festival kicks off April 9.

They include Jennifer Dzialoszynski and fiance Wade BogertO’Brien in “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” Kristi Frank and husband Jeff Irving in “Sweeney Todd,” and Kate Besworth and husband Charlie Gallant in “Our Town.”

Maxwell is inadvertently responsible for many of the love links, having cast some of the actors in the very productions in which their relationships blossomed.

“People say that when I leave here, I should hang up a shingle, like a singles agency or something,” she says with a laugh.

“A few weddings have actually happened here at the theatre,

because we have these beautiful grounds.... I, every now and again, get a certain amount of thanks (in the toast).”

Dzialoszynski says the running joke is that Maxwell will start a dating site called Jackiematch.com.

“People talk about having show crushes a lot and they’re either serious or not,” she says.

“But it’s easy in that very intimate space of rehearsing a play where people are coming together and finding themselves in each other.

“It’s easy to recognize somebody on a level that you wouldn’t normally if you’re just having a coffee.”

Maxwell says she can usually spot a budding connection between two actors, even before they do. Sometimes it’s them laughing uproariously at each other’s jokes, or in the case www.canadianinquirer.net

of Dzialoszynski and BogertO’Brien, it was a mutual interest in flying kites.

Dzialoszynski says a lot of the company members hang out with each other after-hours and have to make themselves open and vulnerable to each other during rehearsals. They also often share a similar sensibility and are like-minded.

“Our actors have to be very intelligent, because our texts are complicated,” says Maxwell. “It’s a big schedule, they have to play at least two parts, they have to work hard, so they have a good work ethic.

“They have to want the idea that they’re going to be out of the city for at least nine months in the year.”

Maxwell admits she has worried about couples breaking up mid-production, but adds that they’re all professionals who

wouldn’t let a split affect their performances.

Largely, the trend seems a positive one. For instance, if a couple is starring alongside each other, they already have a chemistry and connection.

“There’s a certain ease,” says Dzialoszynski.

“There’s no awkward kind of: ‘Is it OK if we rehearse the kiss now?’

Or: ‘Are you sick, do you want to do it later?’ There’s no bumbling that normally happens.”

Then, there are the children resulting from such relationships.

“Sometimes on a weekend you go out on a lunch break and the place is just full of little people charging around,” says Maxwell.

“Some of us who have older children, they become very indemand babysitters,” she adds.

“So there’s a whole ecology that happens.” ■

34

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Lifestyle

Nicole Coson: The scion–on her own

Inspired by the Zen garden and the ‘scholar’s stones,’ the artist explores the monotype

BY ERIC S. CARUNCHO Philippine Daily Inquirer INTUITION SEEMS to govern Nicole Coson’s approach to art—and to life, for that matter.

When faced with a major decision, she says, she imagines traveling back in time and visiting her 5-year-old self.

“I don’t ever want to disappoint that person,” she says. “If I tell her, ‘This is what you’ll become’ and she’s not disappointed, that’s how I know I’m making the right decision.” It seems to be working for her so far. The 23-year-old visual artist now divides her time between Manila and London, where she studied art at Central St. Martin’s College, and shows her work in galleries in both cities.

London was another intuitive leap; she chose St. Martin’s not so much because she did her last two years of high school at the British School Manila, as because it was mentioned in the opening lines of “Common People,” a song by the Britpop band Pulp that she liked.

“I love London,” she says.

“But I’d never been there, I had never even been to Europe. I went only when I started studying there. But I was into Pulp when I was in high school.”

As it happens, East London is now one of the global hotspots for contemporary art, and Coson is right in the thick of it, her studio within spitting distance of some of the top galleries in the world.

In fact, she was plucked right out of university by Display Gallery, an independent art gallery, as a promising young visual artist.

“In June I’m going to have a show in London,” she says. “But my shows in Manila are much more meaningful to me, so I work much harder on them. I don’t know why. To me it’s more intimidating.”

That might have to do with the fact that she’s the granddaughter of the wealthiest man in the Philippines—her mother

is business magnate Teresita SyCoson (of SM and BDO)— and Filipino audiences tend to judge her motivations and her work because of that.

“Yeah,” she says. “It could be.

That’s why I think it’s really important for me to do a good job.”

Kyoto

cess to achieve the same effect.

But her fascination with natural forms dates farther back to her discovery of “scholar’s stones.” These are weathered rocks, sculpted by time and the elements into evocative shapes, so named because ancient Chinese scholars prized them, and displayed them like sculptures on elaborately-carved rosewood pedestals.

Like the Zen garden, scholar’s stones are not so much art objects as tools for contemplation.

Coson’s canvases are intended to inspire the same heightened state of awareness, the

the process.

Making a monotype involves working the thick, greasy ink onto a large metal plate with her hands, and making a single impression on canvas with a huge 100-yearold mechanical press, the biggest one in London she says.

“I really like the fact that in the printmaking process, there’s a clear start and an ending,” she says. “Unlike painting, where you can always keep on adding more to the canvas.”

We are in the cavernous warehouse gallery of Finale Art File in Makati to preview “Process of Elimination,” Coson’s sixth solo exhibit, which opens April 6. The artist looks fresh in a pair Sansó of black Carhartt overalls, black Coson’s affinity to the visual Adidas trainers and a white Tarts began when she was barely shirt. Even in her in her teens. Her wardrobe, Coson father, the late likes to limit her lumber tycoon palette, but not Louie Coson, her freedom of I’m using my work as a way to try to collected art, movement. understand the elusive mystery of the so it was always Consisting of rock garden, and why it had such a around while 10 large monocathartic effect on my emotions. she was growing types on canup. But her invas, the as-yet terest was really untitled works piqued when she are austerely monochromatic, Zen master’s “direct seeing into saw art being made. a few splashes of pale blue the the essence of reality,” art that “I was always hanging out only hint of color in an other- has antecedents in such diverse with my grandfather’s friend, wise black-and-white world. forms as Zen calligraphy and [Juvenal] Sansó, and he taught The works were inspired by a the abstract expressionism of me how to draw when I was just recent trip to Ryoanji, a Zen Bud- Pollock and Rothko. a kid,” she recalls. “He really just dhist temple in Kyoto famous for opened up that world to me.” its rock garden. It is considered Element of chance She remembers painting the epitome of the Japanese aesCoson’s favored medium, the leaves and rocks in Sansó’s garthetic of wabi, or “austere, sub- monotype, is considered the den with brush and ink, and dued beauty,” and Coson isn’t the most “painterly” of the graphic one could consider her current first artist to be inspired by the arts because the artist can make work an evolution of these early abstract arrangement of natural only one impression from the efforts. objects that seems to put viewers metal plate.

Sansó also encouraged the in a meditative trance.

“I can’t really see what I’m young Nicole to try printmak“I’m using my work as a way doing until I open the plate,” ing. Upon his urging, she took to try to understand the elusive she says. “There’s an element of a one-day printmaking workmystery of the rock garden, and chance, something that’s not so shop run by the Philippine why it had such a cathartic ef- controlled, and I really like that Association of Printmakers, fect on my emotions,” she says. about the process.” where she was taught etching “I definitely felt the calming ef“It has a lot to do with intu- by “the other Bencab,” graphic fects of it.” ition,” she continues. “I used artist Benjamin Cabrera.

The 10 canvases are maps of to paint portraits based on pic“After that I fell in love with the arrangement of rocks and tures—so boring. I really like using these huge machines,” the flow of energy around them, how these new works are work- she says. she adds. It’s a silent tableau, a ing with feelings, and capturing recreation of her experience of something intangible. When How to think the Zen garden. you’re capturing the spirit of Her art studies at St. Martin’s Where raked patterns on something, it’s more interest- reinforced these early leanings. the pebbles are used to suggest ing, more fun.”

“The St. Martin’s course rethe lines of energy, Coson uses She also relishes the ana- ally leaves you to your own depaint splatters and “happy ac- logue nature of the monotype vices,” she notes. “You don’t recidents” from the printing pro- print, the sheer physicality of ally learn how to draw, but they www.canadianinquirer.net

teach you how to think. They let you find out what kind of questions you want to ask, and you look for the answers. They just guide you along.”

Coson’s obsession with natural forms and basic methods was partly a reaction to being “exoticized” as a female Asian artist—one of the pitfalls of working in a Western culture.

“They really wanted something from me that would make me into ‘the other,’” she points out. “I wanted them to push me toward natural forms rid of any cultural significance. It’s a great thing to talk about where you’re from, but a part of me at the time felt that I wanted to be able to choose what I would talk about.”

Ironically, her desire to escape cultural stereotyping led her back to her Asian roots, to Zen gardens and scholar’s rocks.

In any case, it’s less of a concern now, specially when she’s showing in Manila.

“It’s tempting to come back here because it seems really really exciting,” she says. “The art scene is just exploding here.”

Her Danish boyfriend of four years, Kristian, is also a frequent Manila visitor. Likewise a visual artist, he will show his own work in a separate gallery at Finale while Coson has her show.

But then, London also holds its attractions for the young artist, not least of which is the independence it offers, away from the inescapable closeknit, family-centered life in the Philippines, doubly so for a business scion.

“In London I get to pave my own way,” she says. “I definitely don’t need to use my mom’s connections to get anywhere. I really like the fact that I get to see it through myself.”

Nevertheless she appreciates the way her mother is supportive without being overprotective.

“She’s kind of confident in my being able to survive,” she says.

“She knows I’ve always wanted to be a painter.” ■

Lifestyle

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

35

High intensity workout injuries spawn cottage industry

BY KELLI KENNEDY The Associated Press MIAMI — After a few weeks of working out at CrossFit, Charles Banfield says his back hurt constantly and his joints felt terrible. The 47-year-old’s aches and pains were so bad, he initially blamed his bed and purchased a new mattress.

After feeling a searing pain during a particularly grueling exercise, the Los Angelesbased CEO of an event planning company learned he’d torn his Achilles tendon.

“You miss one step and you could really hurt yourself,” Banfield said.

Though there have not yet been in-depth studies, some chiropractors, doctors and trainers say stories like Banfield’s have become more frequent with the increasing popularity of high-intensity interval training espoused by CrossFit and other similar hybrid workout gyms.

Such workouts include highimpact moves like jumping onto platforms and are performed during a shorter period of time, often without a break to maximize benefits, but some experts say they strain participants’ bodies beyond what they’re meant to endure as they sling sledgehammers over their shoulders and perfect headstand pushups.

The notion that people are overdoing it has spawned an

offshoot industry aimed at delivering lower-impact exercise or to help those recovering from injuries to continue breaking a sweat but without exacerbating their problems.

Many people who do the high-intensity workouts aren’t adequately conditioned for such rigorous workouts, or have back and spine conditions that could worsen, said Marc Umlas, chief of orthopedic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, who said his office has seen an increase in injuries from workouts at CrossFit and similar programs.

“They plunge headfirst into a high intensity workout and they get injured,” Umlas said.

Torn tendons and ligaments are a common result, he added.

“Every CrossFit athlete that I see as patients, they have something going on as a result of being in CrossFit,” said Dr. Tyler Kallenbach, a Los Angelesbased chiropractor who noted knee and shoulder injuries like torn rotator cuffs are common.

He estimated 60 per cent of his patients at one point were seeking treatment from CrossFit workouts, where Kallenbach says overtraining is common.

“I’ve got a guy in here who needs his shoulder repaired, a girl who keeps throwing her back out repeatedly. It’s always something with them,” he said.

A spokesman for CrossFit says its likely more doctors are seeing injured CrossFitters but only because so many people

are doing CrossFit — not because it’s a more dangerous workout. The brand has over 13,000 locations worldwide. A training program that’s completely safe would be ineffective, company spokesman Russell Berger said.

CrossFit is known for varied workouts that include gymnastics-style moves like handstands and pull-ups, weightlifting, burpees, running and jumping onto platforms, performed at relatively high intensity.

“There’s this view in the fitness industry that they treat safety as the golden calf, that the most important variable in training is safety and that’s just honestly not true. CrossFit is relatively safe and is as safe as anything else you could be doing,” he said.

Although strength training while injured may seem counterintuitive, experts say it’s the best way to heal.

“Stretching can be complementary to a rehab program, but the focus is usually on the strengthening. Often what we’re trying to do is create a balance between strength and flexibility,” said Dr. Kelly McInnis, a sports medicine physiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital who is a consultant for the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox. Most CrossFit and similar high intensity workouts are not meant for average gymgoers, said Jorden Gold, who

“They plunge headfirst into a high intensity workout and they get injured.”

founded Stretch Zone, which has 33 locations in Florida and three other states. During the 30-minute sessions, therapists use bolsters and belts to stretch clients on a table from angles that are nearly impossible to stretch on one’s own. Unlike massage, clients are clothed and are stretched in a room with several others.

“The majority have no business being there in the first place. ... It’s Olympic training,” said Gold. “It’s probably only (suitable for) a very, very small per cent that go.”

Los Angeles-based trainer Lauren Roxburgh has created an entire workout around the foam roller, a narrow tube often relegated to post-workout stretching, which she says can smooth out connective tissue, stimulate the lymphatic system and deliver highly effective core strengthening. Roxburgh noticed many clients struggling with injuries from high-intensity workouts and an obsession

with training harder and longer.

“In our lifestyle it’s been very much about the doing. ... It’s all about pushing through, doing, doing, doing, and it hasn’t been enough about the yin, which is the being, being in the moment, being present in our bodies,” she said.

At LIT Method, a Los Angeles studio that specializes in low-impact workouts for those who are injured, clients rotate between cardio sessions on rowing machines and strength training using resistance bands.

Sessions always end with foam rolling and participants’ injuries are written on the side of their rower.

“Eighty-five to 90 per cent of our clients are coming in with some sort of injury and they don’t want to get hurt anymore,” said LIT Method cofounder Justin Norris.

He said classes sell out a week in advance: “There was a huge, huge need for this.” ■

Tribe can seek potentially millions from Urban Outfitters

BY FELICIA FONSECA The Associated Press FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ. — A federal judge cleared the way for the Navajo Nation to seek potentially millions of dollars in its 2012 lawsuit over Urban Outfitters’ use of the “Navajo” name in clothing, jewelry and other merchandise.

The tribe did not unreasonably delay a trademark infringement challenge against the clothing retailer, U.S. District Judge Bruce Black in New

Mexico ruled Thursday.

Urban Outfitters Inc. had claimed the tribe knew or should have known that the name had been used in items such as necklaces, jackets and underwear for years and delayed filing a lawsuit, prejudicing the company. The retailer started using the “Navajo” descriptor in 2001, according to court documents.

There was no evidence anyone legally associated with the Navajo Nation knew the retailer used the tribe’s trademarks until June 2011, Black said. The

tribe sent a cease and desist letter to Urban Outfitters and followed up with the lawsuit.

“We’re happy with the ruling and hope to resolve the matter expeditiously for the benefit of the Navajo people,” Paul Spruhan, an attorney for the tribe, said Friday.

Court documents do not quantify the amount the Navajo Nation could recover if it’s successful in its lawsuit, but it could amount to millions of dollars dating to 2008.

On some claims, the tribe wants all the profits generated www.canadianinquirer.net

from the Navajo-themed sales.

On others, it wants $1,000 per day per item, or three times the profit generated by marketing and retail of products using the name.

Lindsay DeMoss, one of a handful of attorneys listed for Urban Outfitters, declined to comment. The company had said in court documents that granting the tribe a monetary windfall for a situation it created with unexplained silence “would be inequitable and unjust.”

Black’s ruling applies to Urban Outfitters and one of its

subsidiaries, Anthropologie.

The judge held off on determining whether it also applies to subsidiary Free People LLC until a company representative could be interviewed.

The tribe’s lawsuit alleges violations of federal and state trademark laws, including the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which makes it illegal to sell arts or crafts in a way to falsely suggest they are made by American Indians.

Urban Outfitters says “Navajo” is a generic term for a style or design. ■

36

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Business

Many barriers continue to hamper trade with US

BY AMY R. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer COMPLEX BARRIERS continue to hamper the expansion of trade between the Philippines and the United States as American exporters still face restrictive policies and regulations that make it more difficult for them to do business here.

In the 2016 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, the Office of the US Trade Representative said these barriers included foreign investment restrictions; pervasive corruption; the country’s sanitary and phytosanitary regulations; continued imposition of high in-quota tariffs for agricultural products and quantitative restrictions; irregularities in customs, and government procurement laws that reportedly tend to favor local firms.

Also identified by the USTR as barriers were the subsidies be-

ing provided to local firms; pos- ment of any agricultural product percent on agricultural prodsible lapses in intellectual prop- and to transmit the permit to the ucts like sugar, corn, coffee and erty rights (IPR) protection, and exporter. This adds costs, com- coffee extracts, potatoes, pork foreign equity restrictions in plicates the timing of exports and poultry products. Sugar has servicerelated industries such and prevents the transshipment the highest inquota tariff at 50 as telecommunications. of products to the Philippines in- percent, followed by rice, cofThe report explained that in tended for other markets. fee, poultry, and potatoes at 40 terms of sanitary and phytosIn terms of tariffs, the USTR percent. The inquota tariff for anitary policies, the Philippines said the Philippines continued corn is 35 percent, while pork maintained a and raw coffee two-tier system have 30 percent. for regulating The USTR also the handling lamented the of frozen and Reports of corruption and country’s sigfreshly slaughirregularities in customs processing nificant restrictered meat for persist, resulting in undue and costly tions on foreign sale in local “wet” delays for American exporters. investment as markets.

Unstated under the der this system, Foreign Investthe Philippines ment Negative imposes more burdensome re- to implement high in-quota List (FINL) as well as on the quirements on the sale of frozen tariffs for agricultural products ownership of land and equity in meat, which was primarily im- under the Minimum Access service-related sectors such as ported, than it did on the sale of Volume (MAV) system, which telecommunications. freshly slaughtered meat, which significantly inhibited US exAlso, the local Board of Investwas only raised domestically. ports to the Philippines. Un- ments imposes a higher export The local Department of Agri- der the MAV system, the Phil- performance requirement on culture also required importers ippines imposes a tariff rate foreign-owned enterprises (70 to obtain a permit prior to ship- quota ranging from 30 to 50 percent of production) than on

Philippine-owned companies (50 percent of production) when providing incentives under the Investment Priorities Plan.

The USTR further claimed that the Philippines also provided subsidies through a wide array of fiscal incentives offered for export-oriented investment, particularly investment related to manufacturing. These incentives are available to firms located in export processing zones, free port zones and other special industrial estates registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. The Philippines, however, has maintained that it did not provide export subsidies.

Reports of corruption and irregularities in customs processing persist, resulting in undue and costly delays for American exporters.

Meanwhile, government procurement laws and regulations tend to favor Philippine companies and locally produced materials and supplies. ■

Canadian trade deficit triples, growing to $1.9 billion, Statistics Canada says

BY LORI EWING The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Canada’s trade deficit grew to $1.9 billion in February, more than triple the shortfall of $628 million the month before, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.

Economists had expected a deficit of $900 million for January, according to Thomson Reuters.

While exports fell from a record high in January, TD Bank economist Dina Ignjatovic said they “remain quite elevated” and noted that growth for the first quarter is tracking ahead of the bank’s forecast.

“Indeed, the sizable gains in export volumes recorded in recent months, combined with the underperformance of import volumes, suggests that net trade will contribute positively

to overall growth in the first quarter,” she wrote in a note to clients.

“With the Canadian dollar expected to hover in the mid-70 US cent range over the remainder of the year, and the American economy on solid footing, Canada’s export sector should remain a key source of strength going forward.”

Statistics Canada says exports fell 5.4 per cent to $43.7 billion in February after the record high of $46.0 billion the month before.

The drop was led by consumer goods, energy products, and motor vehicles and parts, partially offset by higher exports of aircraft and other transportation equipment and parts.

Imports slipped 2.6 per cent to $45.6 billion in a widespread decline driven by a drop in energy products.

The disappointing trade figures follow a series of better than expected economic data including a report last week that the economy grew much faster than economists expected in January.

“After the strong January GDP print, we assumed some giveback in the coming months, and today’s data falls in line with that story,” CIBC economist Nick Exarhos said.

“However, putting things into context, growth should still come in close to three per cent in the first quarter, well above where expectations were set just a few months ago.”

In its most recent forecast, the Bank of Canada predicted the economy would grow by 1.4 per cent this year, but that did not account for the billions in new spending in the federal budget announced last month. www.canadianinquirer.net

Vancouver is Canada's busiest port for importing goods from Asia in containers and shipping them across the continent by rail.

PETE SPIRO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

The central bank is expected to update its outlook when it publishes its monetary policy report next week.

Canada’s trade surplus with the United States, its biggest trading partner, slipped to $2.7 billion in February compared with $3.8 billion in January.

February exports to the U.S. fell 5.6 per cent to $33.1 billion and imports dropped 2.7 per

cent to $30.5 billion.

The trade deficit with countries other than the U.S. increased to $4.6 billion in February compared with $4.4 billion in January.

Exports to the rest of the world fell 4.8 per cent to $10.5 billion, while imports from countries excluding the U.S. dropped 2.4 per cent to $15.1 billion. ■

Business

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

Choose right leader to join big league, PH told

BY DORIS DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer AS THE presidential race heats up, the global community is counting on Filipinos to elect leaders with integrity, spirit of innovation, compassion and ability to lead the country into the big league.

Josette Sheeran, president of New Yorkbased Asia Society, said in a recent interview with INQUIRER that the new Philippines had been “rising out of its challenges,” transforming for the better and now at the cusp of many opportunities.

Asked about the upcoming presidential elections, Sheeran said: “We need great leaders.

We need leaders with integrity, with a spirit of innovation... compassion. We need leaders who are willing to tackle the challenges and transform and address issues such as poverty and opportunity ... who can tackle big issues such as the threat of terrorism.”

“I think this is a time that demands good leaders and the Philippines, I feel, is at the cusp of opportunity and has done so much to position itself for the next decade,” she said.

Founded in 1956 by John Rockefeller, Asia Society is a leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context.

Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, the organization provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a shared future.

Sheeran said an AT Kearney research had predicted Metro Manila as the next great city to rise on the global stage. “This a moment of opportunity for the Philippines, so the Philippines needs and deserves the kind of leader that can open those kinds of opportunities for the country,” she said, adding that the next leaders should be open to embrace new models and ideas.

She said the Philippines

No respite for property sales in Vancouver area’s scalding housing market THE CANADIAN PRESS

“Aspirations of the new generation coming up is really the big challenge for global leaders.”

MARTYNOVA ANNA / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

“should and could produce the next Jack Ma”—referring to the Chinese billionaire who founded e-commerce giant Alibaba, which had made a $21.8-billion stock debut in New York in 2014.

She said the Philippines “should and could help the world figure out the next solutions at a scale that works for the kind of development challenges that the Philippines has.”

For the Philippines, she said solutions, like how to get access to clean water or ensure access to services, were paramount. A key challenge, she said, would be the use of technology to bring the country to the next level. She said young people—who were increasingly finding ways to create solutions to everyday problems—could help “leapfrog over the decades of development needed to find faster solutions with technology.”

“What I like here is that young people are really embracing technologies in new ways. I think the Philippines can play a role and, historically, Philippines has great ties in the region. I think those friendships and bridges are really important,” she said.

“Aspirations of the new generation coming up is really the big challenge for global leaders.

Because with the global slowdown, people need jobs and they need opportunities. With the Internet, people are now

connected and they know what opportunity looks like and so world leaders are challenged with meeting the expectations of a new generation,” Sheeran said.

At present, she said the world was facing the proverbial “best of times and the worst of times.”

For Sheeran, there has never been greater opportunity in the world to transform and end poverty, hunger and some of the worst diseases that have caused so much sufferings to humanity.

“We have the tools, the knowhow, the capacity to do it and new innovation models are making those accessible and affordable around the world,” she said.

“Yet, we are also facing some of the worst challenges that the world has ever faced—because of the spread of terrorism and hacking of financial institutions, all these kinds of challenges,” she said.

Sheeran said there were a lot of challenges in the world that requires good leadership—not just from heads of governments but also from citizens who would take leadership roles in different areas.

"This is an impatient generation and I love that! This generation should not have patience. They are not waiting for the government to fix the problems, not waiting for someone out there to solve the problems.

They are taking matters in their own hands,” Sheeran said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

37

VANCOUVER — Metro Vancouver’s blistering housing market shows no signs of cooling as March home sales reach record-breaking figures.

Numbers from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver show nearly 5,200 residential properties were sold last month, a hike of 24 per cent over February, and 56 per cent above the 10-year sales average the month.

Board president Dan Morrison says March was the highest selling month in the organization’s history, and that activity touches every neighbourhood in the region.

A release from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver also shows new listings for all types of properties, from apartments to detached homes, continue to climb compared with last month.

The composite benchmark price for all residential properties across Metro Vancouver is $815,000, a 23 per cent hike in one year, while the average price for detached properties soared to more than $1.3-million, up 27 per cent.

The real estate board covers property sales from South Delta north to Whistler and from Vancouver east to Maple Ridge, but does not include North Delta, Surrey or Langley. ■

Gov’t seeks breakthrough in trade deal with Europe

BY AMY R. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer PHILIPPINE TRADE officials are embarking on a roadshow to Europe this month for a series of cooperation meetings, including the possible signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Free Trade Association (Efta).

Trade Secretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. said last week they would be flying to Switzerland for a joint economic commission meeting with their counterparts. The meeting was aimed at building on the bilateral cooperation between the two countries that began in 2013.

Trade Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado, meanwhile, would also be going to Europe this month for “trade promotion [and possibly] back-to-back with the Efta signing.”

“We’re going to be in Switzerland, Netherlands and Czech Republic. We’re still thinking which other countries to visit, and how

to string it,” Terrado said.

Trade officials, however, weremum on whether the signing of an FTA with the Efta, composed of four member states Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland, would push through this month.

Cristobal said the FTA was still being finalized following the fifth and last round of negotiations in February. Results of that meeting showed the Philippines and Efta are nearing the signing of the FTA. Having an agreement with Efta is deemed strategic as these countries, while small, are rich and can be a significant source of trade, investment and technology. Improving market access to Europe will encourage investments in the services and non-services sector.

Total commodity trade between the Efta countries and the Philippines has been growing steadily over the last years, showing an increase of 40 percent from 2011 to 2015. Total trade in 2015 alone reached $863 million. ■

38

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Sports

Canada’s Duhamel and Radford win gold at world figure skating championships

BY LORI EWING The Canadian Press BOSTON — In the final few seconds of their gold-medal skate, when she was soaring high above Eric Radford’s head, Meagan Duhamel was already celebrating.

“I don’t even think I was saying words. I was just like ‘Yeahhhh!’” Duhamel said with a wide smile.

The Canadians captured their second consecutive world pairs title in emphatic fashion Saturday, and by the time they hit their final lift in front of a roaring TD Garden crowd, “I knew it was over, I knew we had done enough,” Duhamel said.

“When we hit that very last position, I heard her scream, and it just brought a little smile to my face,” Radford added.

“When you can have those little bursts of a moment in the middle of a program, it’s surreal.”

Skating to Adele’s “Hometown Glory” and dressed in matching deep blue, the Canadians landed both their quad throw Salchow — the only skaters in the competition to do so — and side-by-side triple Lutzes en route to a clean program, earning a personal best 153.81 points. They scored 231.99 overall.

The jam-packed crowd in the 17,565-seat arena rose to its feet as Duhamel and Radford knelt on the ice in a long embrace. In the kiss-and-cry, as they await-

ed their marks, they gleefully held up oversized likenesses of their faces.

“Eric’s always the calm to my storm at the end of really great skates,” Duhamel said. “But he is just as excited as I am.”

China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, the leaders after the short program, won silver with 224.47 points. Germany’s Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot took the bronze with 216.17 points.

Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto were seventh while Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., were eighth.

The pairs gold was Canada’s only medal at these world championships.

Later Friday, Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., was ninth in a women’s singles event won by 16-year-old Russian Evgenia Medvedeva.

The back-to-back golds for Duhamel and Radford marks the first time Canada has had repeat champions in pairs since Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul won four straight from 1957 to ‘60.

And their victory came after a frustrating season that at times appeared destined for world championship disappointment. They had utterly dominated pairs last season, but by their own admission they wandered into this season “floating around,” aimless.

Their perfect streak ended

with a second-place finish at the Grand Prix Final. They had a less-than-great skate at the Canadian championships. There were times, they said, that they wondered if they’d done all they could in the sport. They arrived in Boston as “underdogs.”

“It feels great because it’s difficult not to doubt yourself when everyone else has that expectation of you,” Radford said.

“You work so hard, and that frustration, it hurts you so deeply, and it just feels so good when it all comes together,” Duhamel said. “And I can’t keep anything inside me, I was waiting for him to put up that last lift, because I was just going to explode.”

They did an about-face after the Canadian championships, following a particular meeting with their choreographer Julie Marcotte. Like flicking on a lightswitch, “it really was like a change in one day,” Radford said.

Duhamel and Radford teamed up in 2010 after each failed to qualify for the Vancouver Olympics with their previous partners. Their first world championships, in 2011 in Moscow, was memorable because Duhamel badly broke Radford’s nose during a lift in their short program, soaking his shirt in blood. They went on to finish seventh.

They’ve maintained a steady march up the global standings ever since, and won world bronze in both 2013 and ‘14.

www.canadianinquirer.net

Duhamel tweeted: "What words could possibly describe the most amazing moment of your life? #thankyouUniverse #nevergiveup @Worlds2016."

MEAGAN DUHAMEL (@MHJD_85) / TWITTER

Iliushechkina and Moscovitch, meanwhile, scored 199.52 for their program to Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2.

“It was a bit of work but a lot of fun,” said Moscovitch. “We did a great job of working our way through the program. We kept our focus on the choreography and enjoyment of the program and that really pulled us through.”

Moore-Towers and Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., scored 190.90 in their first world championships as a team.

“With two personal best performances here it sets us up well for next season,” said Moore-Towers. “I’m thrilled.”

Daleman scored 195.68, a huge 53-point improvement over last season, and afterward the 18-year-old fought back the tears.

“It’s just tears of being proud,” Daleman said. “Last year was not a good year for me at all… so I’m so proud of how far I’ve come, what I’m able to do and now I know I can be with the top skaters, and now I’m just going to go home, push myself even more and get ready for

next year.”

Medvedeva scored 223.86 to capture the gold, while American Ashley Wagner won silver with 215.39, and another Russian teen Anna Pogorilaya was third with 213.69.

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was 17th.

Daleman admitted to feeling nauseous with nerves all day, but the moment her music started, the nerves disappeared.

“As soon as I heard the first beat of my music, no one was there, there was no judges, no audience, just me on the ice, doing what I love, and what I do every day,” she said.

Chartrand fought back tears for a different reason. The 20-year-old skater who was so solid in winning the Canadian championships had two shaky programs in Boston.

“I should have more confidence than I do,” she said. “I was really disappointed after the short, hoping to come back with a strong long program, something like I did at nationals. I know I can do that, I did that so often. I just didn’t feel that same level of comfort.” ■

Sports

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

39

Pacman, Timothy still far from ideal weights

BY ROY LUARCA Philippine Daily Inquirer HOLLYWOOD — If they are on a seesaw, Manny Pacquiao will be on top and Timothy Bradley at the bottom.

That’s exactly the situation as far as their weights are concerned: Bradley is overweight while Pacquiao is still trying to gain extra poundage.

Based on their stripped-tothe-waist poses on social media and in newspapers, Bradley clearly had the edge as far as bulk and built are concerned.

Bradley tipped the scales at 153 pounds, six over the welter-

weight limit a week before the fight, while Pacquiao weighed 141—a difference of 12 lb.

“Timothy is peaking. He’s peaked,” said Rougely, Bradley’s strength and conditioning coach on Friday as the five-time world champion gave the media and fans alike a peek on his current physical shape.

Pacquiao is closer to being a junior welter (140 lb) while Bradley is closer to being a junior middleweight (154).

Of course, the protagonists are expected to hit or at least approximate 147 pounds on fight night.

As things stand, Bradley must reduce by one pound a day to

Scott looking forward to being a Montreal Canadien, even for just one game THE CANADIAN PRESS BROSSARD, QUE. — John Scott only expects his latest stint in the NHL to last one game.

“Unless I score a hat trick,” he told reporters with a laugh.

Scott will play an NHL game for the first time since being traded to Montreal, and the first time in over four months, when the Canadiens host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

“I’m glad I can get into a game,” Scott said. “The fans (in Montreal) have always been the best. I’ve been here a few times and it’s just one of the best arenas to play at, so I’m excited to be on the home side of it this time.”

The Canadians recalled Scott form the American Hockey League’s St. John’s IceCaps on Sunday. His return to the big leagues caps a wildly up-anddown season for the affable enforcer.

He was elected into the NHL all-star game in a write-in campaign that started as a joke, and then was traded from Arizona to Montreal, buried in the minors and told he didn’t belong at the all-star showcase in

Nashville.

The NHL allowed him to keep his elected place as Pacific Division all-star captain amid appeals from fans and players, and he made headlines by scoring two goals at the three-onthree tournament en route to being named the all-star weekend’s most valuable player.

On top of that, Scott and his wife welcomed the arrival of twin daughters.

“It’s definitely been a whirlwind,” Scott said, reflecting on his season. “Getting back to the NHL is going to be a big deal.

Obviously the twins are number one but this is going to be up there.”

Scott said he had a chance to talk to his new teammates, as well as some familiar ones.

“Half the team I met in St. John’s,” he joked.

The timing to give Scott another taste of the NHL makes sense for Montreal, which has been eliminated from playoff competition.

“From everything we heard he’s an unbelievable teammate, and with the year he’s had he’s deserving of the opportunity to be here,” Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher said. ■

keep up with the training regimen laid out by Teddy Atlas.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, needs to go through an eating binge to bulk up.

The last time Pacquiao went under 140 was in 2009, when he weighed 138 and annihilated British icon Ricky Hatton in just two rounds.

Since then, he’d never gone lighter than 143.

When they first fought in 2012, Bradley was also the heavier fighter, coming in at an exact 147 against Pacquiao’s 146.

In their 2014 rematch, Pacquiao also checked in lighter at 145, just half a pound off Bradley. ■

Pacman and Bradley previously faced-off back in 2012 and 2014.

SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE

Free agent NCAA defenceman Stecher “dreamed about playing for Canucks” as a kid

BY JOSHUA CLIPPERTON The Canadian Press

of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks in 2009, but chose instead to play three seasons with the Penticton Vees of the secondVANCOUVER — Troy Stecher tier BCHL to get stronger and wouldn’t mind coming home. hone his game before eventually The defenceman for the Unicommitting to North Dakota. versity of North Dakota is getting In his three years with the ready for the NCAA Frozen Four Fighting Hawks, Stecher has tournament this week in Tampa, 13 goals and 39 assists in 117 Fla., but win or lose will soon games and was named an ashave to make a big decision. sistant captain for the 2015-16 A junior with the Fighting campaign.

Hawks, Stecher is on of U.S. colThe Canucks — who selected lege hockey’s most sought-after Brock Boeser, a winger with undrafted free North Dakota, agents and could 23rd overall at sign with an last June’s draft NHL team once — are a club in reNorth Dakota’s At the end of the day it’s a business build mode that season ends. and you kind of have to look past that is thin on defence He also has the factor of it being your hometown. prospects. option to return But Stecher to school for his said that, while senior year, but if tempting, the Stecher decides chance to play to ink a professional contract, the ticed after being overlooked in front of family and friends native of nearby Richmond, B.C., numerous times in his career. in Vancouver won’t impact his says the Vancouver Canucks are “You’re not drafted (to the decision. on his list of potential suitors.

NHL) so you’re pretty disap“At the end of the day it’s a “My dad used to have season pointed,” he said. “Now you’re business and you kind of have tickets to the Canucks with finally starting to get a lot of in- to look past that factor of it behis old company,” Stecher said terest from different teams, so ing your hometown,” he said. in a phone interview Mon- you feel excited.

“It’s a place I’m interested in day. “When I was a little kid I “It can be distracting, but at and at the end of the season I’m dreamed about playing for the the same time I’m trying to live going to have a tough decision Canucks.” in the moment. We’re in a great whether I want to sign with one Stecher, who will turn 22 on place right now.” of the teams or if I want to come Thursday when North Dakota Stecher was a late-round pick back (to North Dakota).” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

meets the University of Denver Pioneers in one of two national semifinals, has eight goals and 20 assists in 41 games this season.

At five foot 11 and 191 pounds, he was passed over in three straight NHL drafts from 2012 to 2014, but started to turn heads as a sophomore while helping North Dakota to a second straight Frozen Four appearance.

A smooth-skating defender who can jump into the rush, Stecher is finally getting no-

40

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Technology

Apple still strong at 40, but are best years behind it?

BY BRANDON BAILEY The Associated Press

CUPERTINO, CALIF. — Apple turned 40 on Friday, and it’s a very different company from the audacious startup that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak launched in a Silicon Valley garage in 1976.

Today, the maker of iPhones and Mac computers is the world’s most valuable public corporation, with 100,000 employees and a new, multibillion dollar headquarters in VIEW APART / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Cupertino, California, set to open next year. But despite its astounding financials — Apple even decline this year. than anybody else,” said Greg reported $53 billion in profit As it enters middle age, Apple Joswiak, a 30-year employee on $233 billion in sales last year may find it difficult to maintain and vice-president for product — some critics have suggested its leadership in the industry. marketing. He listed the iPod, Apple’s best years are behind it, Some experts say it’s getting iPhone, iPad, iTunes and the as it has struggled to come up harder to come up with new company’s online App Store, with new products and match advances to distinguish Apple’s the new Apple Watch and rethe phenomenal success it has products from those of its com- cent initiatives to create new had in recent years. petitors. health-tracking and medicalNot surprisingly, longtime “Apple is still as good as it research apps for the iPhone employees like software vice- used to be, but everyone else and Watch. president Guy Apple is widely “Bud” Tribble believed to be disagree. exploring new “We still businesses, from think we’re goSome experts say it’s getting harder electric cars to ing to change to come up with new advances to virtual reality, the world,” said distinguish Apple’s products from but analysts say Tribble, one of a those of its competitors. developing prodhalf-dozen Apple ucts in those staffers selected categories could by the company take years. to briefly remi“We want to nisce with reporters this week. has gotten better than they go into new industries ... and reTribble started with Apple in used to be,” said James Mc- ally challenge the status quo,” 1980 and worked on the origi- Quivey, a tech analyst with For- said Divya Nag, a former medinal Macintosh team. He added: rester Research. cal researcher and entrepreneur “We had no idea back then that He cited longtime rival Mi- hired in 2014 to work on Apple’s Apple would grow to the size crosoft, once viewed as an in- health projects. Always secretive that it is.” dustry laggard, but now cred- about specific plans, Apple deThe company now boasts ited with pioneering tablet clined to provide Nag’s job title. that more than 1 billion Apple computers with detachable Her resume shows a track record devices — iPods, iPhones, iPads, keyboards — a category even of helping win FDA approval for Macs and Apple Watches — are Apple is embracing with the new medical inventions. in regular use around the world. business-oriented iPad Pro. By Apple’s growth hasn’t been Those products are widely ad- contrast, he noted, Apple’s lat- smooth. Jobs was forced out in mired and imitated. But Apple est iPhone is a downsized ver- the 1990s, leading to a revolvdepends on the iPhone for two- sion of earlier models. ing door for chief executives thirds of its revenue. And afLongtime staffers said Apple until he returned in 1997, as the ter selling a record number of still has the zeal to create revo- company he co-founded was on iPhones last year, analysts say lutionary products. sales are levelling off and may “We’ve done this more times ❱❱ PAGE 47 Apple still www.canadianinquirer.net

BlackBerry maintains enthusiasm for smartphones despite lacklustre sales

BY ALEKSANDRA SAGAN The Canadian Press WATERLOO, ONT. — A drop in smartphone sales in BlackBerry’s fourth quarter, despite the launch of the Priv, hasn’t dampened the company’s enthusiasm for its hardware business.

BlackBerry (TSX:BB) said Friday it sold about 600,000 smartphones over the three-month period ending Feb. 29 — 100,000 fewer than it did in the previous quarter. That came even though it released the Priv, its first Android-powered device, with much fanfare last November.

Apple, on the other hand, sold nearly 75 million phones in its first quarter of 2016 that ended Dec. 26, 2015.

BlackBerry has a lot riding on the Priv as some industry watchers anticipate its success or failure will dictate whether BlackBerry continues to make smartphones.

Executive chairman and CEO John Chen admitted hardware revenue fell short of the company’s expectations. But he said he remains optimistic about the company’s future in the smartphone market.

“I still believe that we have a shot at it,” he said during a conference call with investors in Waterloo, Ont., where the company is headquartered.

“Hopefully, I’m not naive.”

In fact, Chen said he plans to release another smartphone that would also run on an Android operating system to replace BlackBerry’s Z10. The company is aiming to put out the phone for $300 to $400 by September, less than half the cost of a Priv, according to BlackBerry’s website.

Chen said he is hopeful the company will at least break even in its smartphone business by September. It needs to sell about three million Privs for an average price of about $300 to break even on the product, he said.

But if BlackBerry’s smart-

phone segment continues to dial up losses come September, Chen said he will consider exiting the hardware business.

“I will let the math and the market tell me that,” he told a media roundtable later.

Chen partly attributed the drop in phone sales in the last quarter to lengthy contract negotiations with major cellphone carriers that pushed new distribution deals, like one with Verizon Wireless, into the next quarter.

BlackBerry plans to tackle distribution, which Chen identified as the main issue, to help increase sales. He said he wants to target more carriers’ enterprise clients, like governments and banks.

The Priv is now available in 34 countries, he said — up from four since the previous quarter.

BlackBerry’s other businesses performed better in the last quarter. Its software and services revenue was up 106 per cent for the same quarter year over year.

One of the company’s priorities is ramping up this segment of its business and it is projected to grow about 30 per cent this fiscal year, which began March 1, Chen said. He suggested this could tie into hardware sales.

BlackBerry reported a US$238 million net loss in its fourth quarter, with much of the red ink attributed to costs related to restructuring and acquisitions. The loss amounted to 45 cents US per share.

After adjustments that exclude the restructuring and acquisition costs, the loss was three cents per share — less than analyst estimates of 10 cents per share.

Revenue was US$464 million, including a writedown of deferred revenue associated with recent acquisitions. Without that, it would have been US$487 million.

The revenue was below analyst estimates of US$563 million, according to Thomson Reuters. ■

Technology

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

41

Orders for lower priced Tesla hit 198,000

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN AND JUSTIN PRITCHARD The Associated Press HAWTHORNE, CALIF. — Demand for Tesla Motors’ new lower-priced electric car surprised even the company’s CEO Friday as 198,000 people plunked down $1,000 deposits to reserve their vehicles.

“Definitely going to need to rethink production planning,” a surprised CEO Elon Musk said on his Twitter feed.

Musk unveiled the car Thursday night at a design studio near Los Angeles. It starts at $35,000 and has a range of 215 miles per charge, which is far more than most people drive each day.

The orders came from across the globe even though the car isn’t scheduled for sale until late in 2017. But they could jeopardize a $7,500 U.S. electric car tax credit that many buyers are counting on to reduce the price. The tax credits gradually phase out after a company hits 200,000 in U.S. sales.

A Tesla spokeswoman wouldn’t say how many of the 198,000 orders came from the U.S. Thursday night, Musk said Tesla had 115,000 orders since

the company started taking them earlier in the day in Australia. There were long lines at Tesla stores from Hong Kong to Austin, Texas, reminiscent of crowds at Apple stores for early models of the iPhone. But the number kept rising into Friday.

“Thought it would slow way down today, but Model 3 order count is now at 198k,” Musk tweeted during the afternoon, saying the wait time for the car is “growing rapidly.”

The news pushed Tesla shares to a Friday closing price of $237.59, up 3.4 per cent from Thursday.

The Model 3 is less than half the cost of Tesla’s previous models, and its range is about double what drivers get from current competitors in its price range, such as the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3.

On Twitter, Musk estimated that the average selling price of a Model 3 with options would be around $42,000. So the sales would bring more than $8.3 billion in revenue to Tesla.

Prototypes looked like a shorter version of Tesla’s Model S sedan. The Model 3 has a panoramic glass roof and an elongated hood. Inside, it seats five and has the same large touchscreen dashboard as other

Red Tesla Model 3 at the unveiling event in Hawthorne, California.

STEVE JURVETSON / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Teslas. It also has Tesla’s suite of semi-autonomous driving features, including automatic lane changing and lane keeping. Musk said it will accelerate from zero to 60 in less than 6 seconds.

Tesla has a history of missing deadlines for its vehicles to hit the market, but Musk said Thursday that he feels “fairly confident” that the Model 3 will come out next year.

The lower-priced car is the

most serious test yet of 13-yearold Tesla’s ability to go from niche player to a full-fledged automaker. It could be the car that finally makes electrics mainstream — or consumers could continue to be skeptical that electrics will work for everyday use. In the U.S., they still make up less than 1 per cent of annual sales. Either way, the Model 3 is already changing the industry, spurring competitors to speed development of elec-

WEATHER UPDATE VANCOUVER

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tric cars.

General Motors Co. is set to start selling the Chevrolet Bolt electric car at the end of this year with a similar price tag and a 200-mile range. Hyundai’s Ioniq, which has a 110-mile electric range and could match Tesla on price, goes on sale this fall.

Audi will follow with an electric SUV in 2018.

The orders show there’s real, underlying demand for reasonably priced electric cars with high range, says Edmunds.com senior analyst Jessica Caldwell.

Customers put down $1,000 knowing that they’ll probably have to wait two years to get their cars, leading Caldwell to believe it’s more about the cultural phenomenon of Tesla.

“You’re not seeing people wait in long lines to purchase a Chevy Bolt, considering it comes out much sooner and the range is about the same,” she said.

During his Thursday night presentation, Musk gave details on how electric cars can fit into people’s lives, she said. “You felt like the lifestyle was attainable in his talk,” she said. ■ Durbin reported from Detroit, where Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed.

Long term forecast from www.theweathernetwork.com CALGARY

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www.canadianinquirer.net

Events

42

APRIL 8, 2016

New WelcomePack Canada Distribution Centre

By WelcomePack Canada Inc. WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 5 p.m., Mon, Tues, Thu & Fri at the Filipino Centre Bldg., 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, On. MORE INFO: Call (416) 928-9355

Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto, 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, ON MORE INFO: For registrations, call 416928-9355. The office, at 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 6 p.m.

Tagalog Class

By Filipino Center Toronto WHEN/WHERE: 10 to 11 a.m., every Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto

Forum on Good Governance by Loida Nicolas Lewis

By Global Pinoy Diaspora WHEN/WHERE: 6:30 p.m., Apr. 9 at St. Bonaventure Parish Centre (Toronto) MORE INFO: Topic: How the values of anti-corruption can firmly take root in Filipino society.

Homework/Tutorial Class

By FCT WHEN/WHERE: 11a.m. to 12 nn, every

YUKON

CANADA EVENTS

To have your events featured on PCI, please email events@canadianinquirer.net

Consular Outreach in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island By the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa WHEN/WHERE: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Apr. 12; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Apr. 13, at Calvary Christian Church Gym, 9 Capital Dr. cor Route 2, Charlottetown, PEI

NUNAVUT

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

MANITOBA

SASKATCHEWAN

Family History with A Smartphone Workshop Series

By Pacific Canada Heritage Council-Museum of Migration WHEN/WHERE: 1 p.m., Apr. 9, UBC Learning Exchange, Vancouver, B.C. 5th Annual Job and Career Fair

By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: Apr. 12 at the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver.

MORE INFO: Mosaic is introducing career information sessions to help jobseekers understand the opportunities and options available to them in the manufacturing, banking, IT and certified technology sectors. Fifty employers will be recruiting.

Youth Employment Connect Program Info Session

By S.u.c.c.e.s.s.

WHEN/WHERE: 2 p.m., Apr. 05, 12 and 19, at Tri-City Service Centre at 2058-1163 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam.

MORE INFO: Interested persons please call 604468-6007, or email to: youthemploymentconnect@ success.bc.ca.This is a free employment program funded by the government. The program provides skills training for youth aged from 15 to 29. Program participants will learn resume writing and interview skills and receive short-term certificate trainings in a four-week group based environment.

Free Tax Clinic for Low-Income Newcomers

By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: For full eligibility criteria, please visit www.mosaicbc.com/settlement-services. Call to make an appointment: Vancouver: 604-254-9626 (serves permanent residents, work permit holders and naturalized citizens) Burnaby: 604-438-8214 (serves permanent residents only).

Temporary Foreign Workers Uncontested Divorce Clinic

By Law Courts Center

ONTARIO

View all events by scanning this QR code or visiting

http://bit.ly/ PCI-Events

Pagbabago

By Duterte Supporters WHEN/WHERE: 10 a.m., Apr. 9, Centennial Flame, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, On.

Formal Wear Showcase Dinner Dance

By Samahang Ala Eh! Ng Ottawa Valley WHEN/WHERE: 5:30 p.m., Apr. Stop Corruption, Criminality, 30, Centurion Conference Centre, Drugs. Duterte Para sa Tunay na 170 Colonnade Rd., Ottawa, On. NEWFOUNDLAND

BRITISH COLUMBIA ALBERTA

FRIDAY

QUEBEC

WHEN/WHERE: Saturdays from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Justice Education Society at the Provincial Court of BC Room 260 800 Hornby St., Vancouver B.C. MORE INFO: To book an appointment, call/text 778322-2839 or email: tfw.divorce@gmail.com Skills Now: Project-based Training for Immigrants in Retail and Administration

By ISS of BC WHEN/WHERE: Call or email at 604-684-2581 (ext 2193 Nanki) skillsnow@issbc.org MORE INFO: Receive a certificate or skills training in retail or administration; job search workshops; and strong employment opportunities.

10 Weeks of English Conversation

By South Vancouver Neighbourhood House WHEN/WHERE: up to Apr. 9, 18 locations in Metro Vancouver MORE INFO: Call Amie to register – 604-324-6212 ext 142 Mentoring Programme for Immigrant High School Students: Breakfast & Baon 101

By Mentorship & Leadership for Youth Programme WHEN/WHERE: 10 a.m. to 12 nn at Corpus Christi College (near UBC) 5935 Iona Dr. Vancouver BC. Free pick up and drop off service.

MORE INFO: Meet young professionals plus learn to cook. Call/text Anna de Quito 604-763-2210.

Free Counselling Support Group

By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., every last Monday of the month, at Mosaic Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway, Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Call Darae (604)254-9626 Canadian Citizenship Preparation

By Mosaic www.canadianinquirer.net

WHEN/WHERE: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Apr. 6 & 7 at New Westminster NOVA Public Library Main Branch, 716 6th Ave. NW, B.C. SCOTIA MORE INFO: Call Faustin: 778-591-9334 Seniors ESL Conversation Circle

By Vancouver Public Library WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 2:30 p.m., Thursdays up to Apr. 7, Champlain Hts. Br., 7110 Kerr St., Vancouver, B.C. Raymond Maliwat Art Exhibit WHEN/WHERE: 7 to 9:30 p.m. Apr. 7, at Evergreen Gallery Cannabis Dispensary 2868 West 4th Ave. Kitsilano,Vancouver B.C. Greased Lightning Spring Dance

By University of the Philippines Alumni Association in BC WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m. to 12 mn, Apr. 9, at St. Monica Parish Hall, Richmond, B.C. MORE INFO: Tickets at $20 includes dinner Forum on Good Governance with Loida Nicolas Lewis

By Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada and Vancouver Friends for Mar and Leni WHEN/WHERE: 1:30 to 4 p.m., Apr. 10, St. Patrick’s Parish Basement, 2881 Main St., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Call Treenee Lopez at 604-773-9192.

I Belong Support Group

By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: 5:30–7:30 p.m., Apr. 11, at Mosaic Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Call Darae: 604-254-9626 Christian Vistan Exhibit at Monthly Open Studio: Sunset Table

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APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

Food

Tips for getting the most flavour and juice out of lemons

BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press FRESH LEMON — including the juice and the peel — is one of my all-time favourite ingredients, in part because it’s just so versatile. It can be the star of the show (as in this recipe) or a brilliant supporting actor (as in so many of my everyday dishes). It’s indispensable in fish dishes and pairs beautifully with all sorts of vegetables, raw and cooked. I also reach for it regularly to brighten up soups, stews and sautes.

The great thing about lemon peel, also known as the zest, is that it adds intense lemon flavour to a recipe without all the acid that is found in the juice. I use grated lemon zest in scrambled eggs and creamy pasta dishes and combine it with chopped herbs as a finishing touch for braised meats.

Whichever parts you use, it’s important to start with the best possible lemons. The winning candidates will boast a bright yellow colour and a thin skin. A thin skin signals more juice and less pith (the bitter-tasting white layer between the peel and the fruit itself ). When grating the peel, you want to stop short of the pith. How do you know a given specimen has a thin skin? It will give a little when you squeeze it.

Once home with your lemons, scrub each one lightly under water to remove the edible wax with which it was covered to protect the fruit on its journey to the market. If your recipe calls for zest and juice, grate the zest before you juice the lemon. But don’t grate the zest until just before you’re ready to add it to the rec-

ipe. Zest quickly dries out and loses its oomph if it sits around for very long.

My favourite tool for grating zest is a wand-style grater. Once upon a time, the tool of choice was the fine-side of a foursided grater. Unfortunately, this gadget often grabbed too much of the pith — not to mention the tips of your fingers — in the process. I do my grating over a piece of kitchen parchment, which allows me to pick up and measure the zest easily. The yield is roughly 1 tablespoon of zest per large lemon. If your recipe calls for zest but not juice, wrap the unused lemon in plastic wrap when you’re done and do your best to use it up within a few days. A lemon stripped of its protective layer of zest dries out pretty quickly.

There are several ways to make sure you squeeze the maximum amount of juice from your lemon. First, soften up the fruit by rolling it on the counter and pressing down as you do. Second, heat it, either by microwaving it for 20 seconds or so or by stashing it in the oven at 350 F for 10 to 12 minutes. Finally, cut the lemon in half crosswise and juice it.

I like to juice using an old-fashioned and brightly-colored Mexican hand press. But there’s also a more unorthodox, if equally effective, way to do it.

Place the cut lemon half in between the two arms of a set of tongs, right at the top where the arms are joined. Then squeeze the bottom ends together. I learned this little trick from Ming Tsai, who picked it up from Jasper White, two of my favourite chefs. One large lemon will give up about 1/4 cup of juice.

These muffins are quite rich, better suited to dessert than breakfast (though they would indeed be a delightful morn-

ing splurge on a special occasion). Made with juice and zest, their deep lemon flavour is complemented by the raspberries. They are a very good reason to be glad for spring.

LEMON RASPBERRY POUND CAKE MUFFINS

Start to finish: 45 minutes (15 minutes active) Servings: 8 • 1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) cake flour (not self-rising) • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder • 1/4 teaspoon table salt • 1/4 cup grated lemon zest • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened • 3/4 cup granulated sugar • 3 large eggs • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/4 cup heavy cream • 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided • 1 pint raspberries • 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons powdered sugar Heat the oven to 325 F. Line a cupcake tin with 8 paper cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition,

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then beat in the vanilla. Add half the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

Beat in the cream and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Add the remaining flour mixture, beating just until combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them halfway. Press 4 raspberries gently into the centre of the batter in each cup, then top with more batter, filling the cups just up to the tops of the liners. Bake the cupcakes on the oven’s centre shelf until golden on top and a toothpick inserted at the centre comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool completely.

While the cupcakes are baking, make the glaze. In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and remaining lemon juice until smooth. When the cupcakes are cooled, drizzle the glaze over each cake.

Nutrition information per serving: 300 calories; 150 calories from fat (50 per cent of total calories); 16 g fat (10 g saturated; 0.5 g trans fats); 120 mg cholesterol; 120 mg sodium; 36 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 20 g sugar; 4 g protein.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton is the host of public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals.” She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows, including “Cooking Live.” Her latest cookbook is “Home Cooking 101.”

Seen & Scenes: Vancouver

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

CELEBRITY BASKETBALL Friendly competition between Max’s Restaurant Edmonton and Calgary Barrio Fiesta boys at the All-Star Celebrity Basketball Tournament (Photos by Evelyn Lopez).

PICPA SEMINAR ON INCOME TAX PREPARATION The Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Picpa) Vancouver chapter recently conducted a seminar on Income Tax Preparation with Bert Parungao serving as resource person.

Parungao has been doing taxes for the past 20 years. Picpa-Vancouver is now under the leadership of Pamela Gonzales, president.

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Seen and Scenes

APRIL 8, 2016

FRIDAY

COLOR OF SPRING “Memories of Eden” painting by Michelle Chermaine exhibited in the Art Square Gallery. View more of Michelle’s work at www.michellechermaine. com Below: TV host/artist Michelle Chermaine and gallery owner Levent Gokyilmaz pose in front of Michelle’s painting at the Art Square Gallery’s opening reception of the Colour of Spring.

CULTURAL MIXER MBA students of the University of New Brunswick held an ethnic show to help raise awareness of the different associations housed at the Cultural Centre.

The event entitled, “A Cultural Mixer: Supporting Refugee Services,” featured a diverse range of entertainment, food from around the world, and a silent auction featuring exclusive items not found in Canada (Photos from the Filipino Community of New Brunswick).

RADIO SHOW Toronto Pinoy Radio’s broadcast guests and hosts of the “Sunday Talk Show With Randy” on Apr. 3 (Photos by Tony San Juan).

For photo submissions, please email info@canadianinquirer.net. www.canadianinquirer.net

Food

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016

47

U.S. companies won’t label genetically modified products in Canada

BY LOIS ABRAHAM The Canadian Press TORONTO — Companies planning to voluntarily label products in the U.S. containing genetically modified ingredients aren’t going to follow suit in Canada.

Health Canada does not require labelling on genetically modified food because the items have been assessed for safety and nutritional adequacy. Before selling or advertising a genetically modified food in Canada, manufacturers and importers must submit data to Health Canada for a safety assessment, which takes years to complete, the agency says on its website.

Food giant General Mills Inc. said earlier this month that it would start nationwide labelling in the U.S. on products that

contain genetically modified ingredients to comply with a law that takes effect in Vermont on July 1. The company said it’s not practical to do separate labelling for just one state.

Campbell Soup Co. said it is also printing new national labels in preparation for Vermont’s law, although it opposes state-by-state labelling requirements.

But they and several other international food companies have no plans to change their labelling practices in Canada.

Leslie Brams-Baker, corporate affairs manager for Mars Canada, said the company complies with labelling laws in Canada and other countries where its products are sold.

“We firmly believe in the safety of the GMO ingredients.

Food developed through biotechnology has been studied extensively and judged safe

by a broad range of regulatory agencies, scientists, health professionals, and other experts around the world,” Brams-Baker wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.

“All of the ingredients we use in our products — including GM ingredients — comply with our own strict internal quality and safety requirements, as well as all applicable laws and regulations.”

Kellogg Canada said it decided to label nationally in the U.S. “because a special label for Vermont would be logistically unmanageable and even more costly for us and our consumers.”

Spokespeople for Campbell Company of Canada and General Mills Canada echoed the comments while ConAgra Foods Canada did not reply to requests for comment.

Genetically modified seeds are engineered in laboratories

Money a... the party in mind, so local spending and local volunteers are going to have a much more substantial influence in closer races,” said Koop, who studied the spending habits of local campaigns in the last election.

“If you run a good campaign, well-funded campaign, wellstaffed, you’re going to be able to get just ahead of your opponent and it turns out Canadian elections are getting more competitive. We’re seeing more of these competitive races, so the importance of local campaigns and local spending and local campaign workers has become more important.”

Candidate spending limits for the 2015 campaign varied from riding to riding, based on geographic size and population — from a high of $279,227 in Kootenay-Columbia to a low of $169,928 in Egmont. Under new election rules imposed by the previous Conservative government, the spending caps for the lengthy campaign were more than twice what they would have been for a more typical five-week federal contest.

That was widely seen as bene❰❰ 20

Health Canada does not require labelling on genetically modified food because the items have been assessed for safety and nutritional adequacy.

to have certain traits, such as resistance to herbicides. The food industry in the U.S. says about 75 per cent to 80 per cent of foods contain genetically modified ingredients.

The Food and Drug Administration says they are safe, and there is little scientific concern about the safety of those GMOs on the market. But advocates

for labelling say not enough is known about their risks.

Among supporters of labelling are many organic companies that are barred by law from using modified ingredients in their foods.

Those advocates have been fighting state by state to enact the labelling, with the eventual goal of a national standard. ■

Apple still... fiting the Conservatives, whose riding associations across the country had amassed much deeper war chests. A previous analysis of electoral district associations’ 2014 financial returns found Tory associations ended the year with net assets totalling more than $19 million — more than the riding associations of the Liberals, New Democrats, Greens and Bloc Quebecois combined.

Yet the analysis of the more than 1,500 candidate spending reports filed thus far suggests few took advantage of the increased limits.

Combined, candidates for the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP and Greens — the parties which ran full or nearly full slates in all 338 ridings across the country — were entitled to spend $296 million. Yet their actual spending fell far short: just under $63.1 million in total.

Even adding in the personal and other expenses, total spending amounts to $72.6 million.

All candidates were required to file their financial reports by Feb. 19 but many were granted an extension. Some 200 have yet to file.

Analysis of the reports filed thus far further suggests that the Liberals and Conservatives ran fewer Potemkin campaigns — where candidates had their names on the ballot but few resources to mount a serious challenge — than the NDP or, especially, the Greens.

The returns show the Conservatives had the highest number of candidates — 127 — who spent over $100,000, followed by the Liberals with 73, the NDP with 47 and the Greens with just 10.

On the flip side, more than 180 Greens spent less than $10,000, including about 50 who spent less than $1,000 — more than the low spenders of the Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats combined.

Green party Leader Elizabeth May spent the most of any leader, almost maxing out the amount she was allowed to spend in her B.C. riding, but was the only Green elected.

“If parties have money to spend, they’ll concentrate it in winnable ridings, not ridings where they’re going to have a runaway victory and not ridings where they’re going to lose,” Koop said. www.canadianinquirer.net

the brink of collapse.

“There was a time when you were worried about keeping engineers here,” said Cheryl Thomas, a vice-president for software engineering who joined Apple in 1989.

And in 2000, when the dotcom bubble burst, Joswiak said Jobs refused to cut spending when competitors were tightening their belts. Joswiak said Jobs pledged to “invest in ourselves more than ever before.

We then suffered through 11 straight quarters” of dismal financial returns.

Jobs’ death from cancer in 2011 led to the elevation of current CEO Tim Cook, who’s intense but softer spoken. Tribble credits Cook with maintaining Apple’s focus on quality products, even as Cook has taken his own path in running the company.

Far more than Jobs, Cook uses his prominence to speak out on social issues, from global warming to civil rights and individual privacy. He recently challenged the U.S. government in a high-stakes legal dispute over an encrypted iPhone used by an extremist killer. While ❰❰ 40

that drew criticism from top Justice Department officials and GOP presidential contender Donald Trump, Joswiak said he was proud of Apple for taking what he considers a principled stand.

Apple remains one of the most sought-after brands. BAV Consulting, a firm that tracks brand reputation, said that after reaching a low in 2001, just before the iPod came out, Apple is now in the top 1 per cent of American brands. And it’s in the top 2 per cent of brands “being worth paying more for” — which means it can get away with charging more for its products, according to BAV. Even at 40, the company hasn’t lost its passion, Thomas said. She said she wanted to work there since seeing the famous 1984 Macintosh commercial, in which a young woman hurls a hammer at the giant image of a Big Brother figure.

The idea of joining what was then a tech upstart didn’t sit well with her father, a career IBM scientist, who advised Thomas: “You need to think with your head and not your heart.”

But Thomas said: “I thought with my heart.” ■

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APRIL 8, 2016

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