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CanadianInquirer CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER
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@PhilCanInquirer OCTOBER 4, 2019 www.canadianinquirer.net VOL. 10 NO. 391

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte arrives at a hotel in Moscow, Russian Federation on October 2, 2019. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

8
Duterte says hazing
cannot be eliminated
unless fraternities Star City fire under control;
will be closed Christmas
2019

are banned 11
BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA impossible to get rid of violent initiation
Philippine Canadian Inquirer rites in the country. We street-proof our kids.
“Hindi mo talaga matanggal ‘yan (You Why aren’t we data proofing
cannot eliminate that). Unless you ban them?
DESPITE SIGNING Anti-Hazing Act fraternity for all time. Make it a crimi- Mocha not covered by
of 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte on ❱❱ PAGE 27 appointment ban
Tuesday, October 1, admitted that it is ❱❱ PAGE 12 Duterte says on losing poll bets

Get the latest

news & updates
www.canadianinquirer.net
2 OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY

Solon wants Grab to ‘Hilaw pa ‘yan:’ Duterte

shoulder canceled orders yet to comment on
BY RAYMOND CARL DELA
CRUZ
validate orders.
He added that cashless pay-
customer were found to be the
source of the failed transac-
proposed US travel
Philippine News Agency ments must be encouraged to tion.
help ease, if not eliminate, the
risk in their GrabFood delivery
“After waiting for more than
20 minutes at the drop-off
ban vs. PH officials
MANILA – Senator Sherwin service. point, the delivery-partner pro-
Gatchalian on Sunday said he On Saturday, GrabFood re- ceeded to treat the transaction BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA of Congress,” he said.
has filed a bill which seeks to leased a statement on the saidas a no-show,” Grab said. Philippine Canadian Inquirer “I do not deal individually
transfer the “risk” of custom- incident and initial investiga- However, Grab said their with the congressman or sena-
er no-shows to ride-sharing tion showed that the delivery-no-show and reimbursement tors there. Hindi pa hinog ‘yan
company Grab Philippines, partner did not incur personalpolicy was not followed by their PRESIDENT RODRIGO (It is not ripe yet). It is not an
following an incident where losses or needed to pay with his
delivery-partner which pre- Duterte chose not to comment act of state. It does not carry
a GrabFood delivery man was cash as the order was paid in a
scribed the drinks to be surren- for now on the proposal of two the mandate of the entire Sen-
allegedly forced to sell 14 un- cashless transaction. dered immediately to Grab. American senators to ban from ate,” he added.
claimed orders Afterwards, the United States (US) those But once it passed the US Sen-
of milk tea due to the customer Philippine officials behind the ate, then, Duterte said, it would
a customer no- tried to claim the detention of opposition Sena- be the time for him to raise the
show. drinks but was tor Leila de Lima. issue to the US State Depart-
In a Twitter After waiting for more than 20 too late. “I have the best adjective for ment or to his counterpart, US
post, Gatchalian minutes at the drop-off point, the The company that pero at this time, I will just… President Donald Trump.
said aside from delivery-partner proceeded to treat added that they Hilaw pa ‘yan eh (It is still unripe). Contrary to the Chief Ex-
the bill, he has the transaction as a no-show. have reimbursed At the — hilaw pa ‘yan (it is still ecutive’s remarks, Presidential
also filed a reso- the customer unripe). When it becomes ripe, Spokesperson Salvador Panelo
lution to investi- and compensat- then I will say my piece,” Duterte described last week the propos-
gate the incident. ed the driver for said during his press conference al as a “brazen attempt” to in-
The senator said Grab should “The cashless payment capa- his time and effort. on Tuesday, October 1, prior to his trude into the Philippines’ legal
provide the money for purchas- bility is currently available in Grab also reminded its Grab- departure for Russia. processes and “outright disre-
ing goods ordered by their cus- select merchants and is being Food drivers that unclaimed It was US Senators Dick spect” to Filipinos’ clamor for
tomers instead of its delivery tested as a solution to limit the orders are fully-reimbursed by Durbin and Patrick Leahy law and order.
partners. need for our delivery-partners the company. who put forward the proposal “We continue to mind our
Verifying the legitimacy of to carry cash or working capi- “We also encourage our cus- which, the former said, has own business, as each nation
buyers was also needed, Gatch- tal,” Grab said. tomers to review their orders been approved by the US Sen- has enough problems that its
alian said, noting that even fast- Language differences and and ensure accuracy of delivery ate appropriations committee. government should focus on.
food giant McDonald’s asks for miscommunication between details before placing an order,” The President, however, does We hope that the Senate panel
legitimate landline numbers to the delivery-partner and the Grab said. ■ not consider the move an “in- of these United States of Amer-
terference” because it was just ica shares the same policy,”
a “proposal” which has yet to be Panelo said in a statement.

Palace condoles with family of acted upon by the US Congress.

“These are the voices of
members of a committee. And if
De Lima, one of the vocal
critics of Duterte, has been
detained at Camp Crame in

UP student implicated ian hazing that committee will report the

BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Malacañang on
Monday sympathized with
family and friends of a Univer-
sity of the Philippines (UP) stu-
dent and frat member who died
after an exposé on the alleged
hazing activities committed by
him and other members against
their neophyte.
Presidential Spokesperson
Salvador Panelo extended con-
dolences but at the same time,
respected the wish of student’s
family for privacy.
“While we are aware of the
request of his school and his
family to keep the matter pri-
vate, the Office of the Presi-
dent simply wishes to relay and
express its sincere and heart-
felt condolences to the family,
friends, classmates, and loved
ones of the deceased for the
tragic loss,” Panelo said in a
statement.
The Palace official, mean-
while, reminded the public to
act kindly towards others espe-
cially in an age where technolo-
gy has become more prevalent.
“We hope that this will serve
as a gentle reminder to every-
one to extend kindness, pa-
tience and understanding to all,
regardless of the circumstanc-
es, especially as we are now in
the age of interactive comput-
er-mediated technology,” Pan-
elo said.
Reports showed that an
anonymous Twitter account
posted screenshots of an al-
leged online conversation be-
tween supposed members of
resolution to the plenary and
the plenary would adopt or join
Quezon City for more than
two years due to drug-related
charges which she repeatedly
them, and that would be the act denied. ■
the UP Sigma Rho Fraternity
exposing their hazing activities.
The UP Diliman administra-
tion said it would conduct an
investigation into the incident.
Likewise, the UP Diliman Of-
fice of the Chancellor appealed
to students, faculty, and staff to
stop posting and forwarding so-
cial media messages related to
the student’s death.
“Let us do this out of sense
of decency and respect for the
privacy of the family,” the UPD
Office of the Chancellor state-
ment read.
“Administrative action was
initially initiated immediately
after the hazing expose, to-
wards the pursuit of justice for
the hazing victims, and we will
keep the public updated on
these cases,” it added. ■
ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
Support efforts to free states from drugs, crime,
Locsin to UN
BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Foreign Affairs Secretary
Teodoro Locsin Jr. has rallied members
of the United Nations to support gov-
ernment efforts to rid the Philippines of
drug and criminality.
In his speech at the 74th Session of the
UN General Assembly in New York over
the weekend, he reiterated the Philip-
pines aspiration “to be free of drugs and
safe from crime.”
“Aligned with the Sustainable Devel-
opment Goals, our development plan
points to the direction of achieving the
aspirations of the Filipino people,” he
shared, listing the country’s goals of get-
ting its citizens out of poverty and secur-
ing their safety by stopping crime, espe-
cially drug dealing.
“I know, I know: drug dealing falls
somewhere between race, religion, po-
litical belief and gender as something
to be equally protected. Admittedly, the
drug experience is a bit religious. So tak-
ing it down is a crime against humanity
up there with the others,” he said.
“But drugs is the reason my govern-
ment was elected by a landslide; a man-
date that has only grown to 80% because
of unceasing criticism. In defending it,
the public now own it,” he added.
To drive his point, he also linked the
problem of illegal drugs to peace and se-
curity, one of the triggers that sparked
the bloody war in Marawi City.
“The fight to retake the city of Marawi,
DFA to protest presence
of Chinese ships near
Ayungin Shoal
BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Foreign Affairs Secretary
Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday or-
dered the filing of a diplomatic protest
against the reported presence of Chi-
nese vessels near the Ayungin Shoal, a
feature within the country’s Kalayaan
Island Group in the West Philippine Sea.
“I’m in Moscow. Do I have to fly home
to file the goddamned diplomatic pro-
test myself? File now!” Locsin said on
his official Twitter account.
The order comes following the Phil-
ippine military’s report that some Chi-
Philippine News 3
which left it looking like Swiss cheese,
was triggered by an attempt to serve a
warrant of arrest for drug trafficking on
the leader of Islamic jihad,” he narrated.
“Some would argue; we should have just
let him get on with his business. Unfortu-
nately, my President won’t oblige. He wants
to eliminate the drug trade,” he added.
Despite criticisms, Locsin said what
lies in the administration is “decency.”
“How we fight, how we protect, how
we defeat our enemies with arms when
we are attacked with arms; with the
truth when attacked with lies; always
and ever — all constitutions mandate
it — with only victory in mind; refusing DFA Sec. Teodoro Locsin Jr. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
anything less,” he said.
“Compromise throws away the advan- at the unilateral prompting of great the UN has achieved one of its key goals
tage gained in a fight for survival, giving powers or violent or civil non-state ac- for peace: the spread of democracy be-
the other side time and space to recover tors,” he added. cause they incline more to peace than
and rally. But always and ever the fight Locsin stressed that a “strong govern- war,” he said.
must be fought with a decent regard for ment is better,” as a government is cre- “Some in the rest of the world may not
the civilized opinion of mankind.” ated initially to get things done. And like the electoral result; but the people
As he defended the country’s aspira- though the international body is far back home are happy with their choice.
tions, he also pointed out that “predictions from dying, the top diplomat said it can It is theirs to make; and regret; but it is
are rife of the demise of multilateralism.” only remain strong so long as its mem- not the UN’s to decide. The next election
“One evidence proferred is the demo- bers make it. may change it more to one’s liking…or
cratic election of strong governments “The growing electoral trend toward not. Still we are warned of states eroding
that talk tough and brush aside UN de- strong governments does not change its multilateralism by each one asserting
mands — well-meaning for the most democratic character. This trend proves “too much sovereignty,” he noted. ■
part, about how governments should do
their job kinder by standards more hon-
ored in the breach than the observance
in the West,” he said.
“Weak governments, unable to pro-
tect their people, appear desirable; be-
cause they make the case for multilat-
eral intervention at the prompting of
conscience of course — but sometimes
nese vessels sailed near Second Thomas
Shoal or the Ayungin Shoal, an area be-
ing manned by Filipino soldiers aboard
the BRP Sierra Madre.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Noel
Clement was quoted as saying that “the
mere presence there, if there is no re-
quest for passage prior to that, will have
to be reported.”
But whether it is a violation or not
“will be up to our Department of Foreign
Affairs,” Clement said.
Last May, a Chinese vessel also
blocked three Philippine civilian ships
that were on a resupply mission to the
BRP Siera Madre, an “objectionable” ac-
tion recently flagged by Malacañang. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
4 Philippine News
Albayalde urges next
PNP chief to continue
key programs
BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD
CALIWAN
Philippine News Agency
BAGUIO CITY — Philippine National Po-
lice (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde on
Saturday urged his successor to continue
key policies, such as the strict implemen-
tation of practical programs for crime pre-
vention and suppression, the intensified
campaign against illegal drugs, and the
internal cleansing, among ranks.
“It is very important for the successor,
especially if you are the chief or com-
mander whether in the police or mili-
tary, the keyword is continuity. We are
not like other institutions where one’s
project will be different from that of
the successor. Hopefully, before I retire
as PNP chief, we see it to it that we are
able to institutionalize our Patrol Plan
2030, our internal cleansing program,
our internal discipline in the PNP and
all other operational thrusts,” Albayalde
told reporters on the sidelines of the tes-
timonial parade and review in his honor
at the Philippine Military Academy
(PMA) here.
He, however, noted that the next PNP
chief can make improvements to these
programs.
Meanwhile, the outgoing PNP chief
recounted his experiences as a PMA ca-
det and its vital role in his career.
“More than half of my life was cen-
tered here and I started my dream here.
This was where I learned as a soldier, as
an official and as a leader. So I would like
to express my deepest gratitude to my
alma mater, the PMA,” Albayalde said.
Asked on the legacy that he will be
known for, the PNP chief said it is up for
PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde. PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE / FACEBOOK
www.canadianinquirer.net
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
the Filipinos to judge him.
“I really do not know. Let the people
judge me. I don’t know what the people
will say. Whatever they will say I will ac-
cept. For myself, I did everything. I gave
my best,” he said.
He said he is not privy on why an old
allegation linking him to illegal drugs
resurfaced.
“I don’t know. I really do not know
why a very old and recycled issue was
brought up again. Well, I just thought
that things are really like that. It’s all
part of public service,” he said.
Albayalde, who also served as Pampan-
ga provincial police chief, was relieved
from post due to command responsibil-
ity after several of his men were found to
be involved in illegal drugs activities in
Mexico town in 2014. The case, however,
was dismissed.
Albayalde, a member of the PMA Sin-
agtala Class 1986, took over the helm of
the 190,000-strong PNP in April 2018,
replacing Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa.
He will step down upon reaching the
mandatory retirement age of 56 on No-
vember 8.
After graduating from the PMA, Albay-
alde joined the elite PNP Special Action
Force (SAF).
He also holds a Master’s degree in
Public Administration at Manuel L.
Quezon University in Manila.
Prior to his appointment as PNP
chief, Albayalde served as director of the
National Capital Region Police Office
(NCRPO) in July 2016.
During Albayalde’s term as NCRPO
chief, some 20,000 Metro Manila po-
licemen secured the 31st Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Sum-
mit in 2017. ■
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019 5

www.canadianinquirer.net
6 Philippine News
Commuters await Panelo unfazed by possible
PUV modernization entry ban to US
BY CHRISTINE CUDIS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — As the nationwide
transportation strike took
place on Monday, the public got
a hold of what it looks like hav-
ing traditional and old-fash-
ioned jeepneys phased out on
the roads.
This, as the country is poised
to welcome the modern public
utility vehicles (PUV) in June
2020.
In an interview with the Phil-
ippine News Agency, commut-
ers in the metro expressed pos-
itive responses to the proposed
transportation set-up.
Anju de Vera, a 25-year-old
freelance creative artist, who
stays in Mandaluyong and
takes public transport to meet
clients, said he is looking for-
ward to the modernization of
PUVs, although worries about
its affordability for the drivers.
“Yes [I’m in favor], as long as
di pahirap sa mga jeepney driv-
ers especially sa cost of the up-
grade (as long as the jeepney
drivers won’t have to suffer
so much due to cost of the up-
grade),” he said.
The Land Transportation
Franchising and Regulatory
Board (LTFRB) has earlier an-
nounced it will provide five-
percent equity, six-percent
interest and a payment period
of seven years for the mod-
ern jeepneys that cost around
PHP1.2 million to PHP1.8 mil-
lion.
Congress also agreed to pro-
vide an PHP80,000 subsidy per
unit.
Apart from the price of the
new transport system, some are
having a hard time accepting
that with the modern jeepneys
coming in, the traditional ones
that served as an “icon” on the
roads of the country will no lon-
ger be seen.
Austrian businessman
Harald Tomintz, who has been
staying in the country for 37
years, said “the [traditional]
jeepney will still stay with us
for some time but eventually be
gone in years to come by slowly
getting phased out.”
“Perhaps a few of the
Jeepneys remain but with the
technical upgrade to make
them compliant with the
times,” he added.
“It’s a good move of the (De-
partment of Transportation)
DOTr to modernize the PUV
transport system. This is done
with foresight and considered
future oriented. Of course, a
proper phase in (short- medi-
um – long term) plan be neces-
sary since change can’t be done
in a rush. And by doing so the
riding public is getting used to
and become aware of a more
comfortable and environmen-
tally friendly ride,” Tomintz
added.
On the other hand, journal-
ist Monsi Serrano, who stays
in Paranaque and frequents to
Makati to do business, thinks
the ‘dated’ jeepneys “are run-
ning coffins.”
“There are so many violations
with the jeepneys, [there’s] pol-
lution, overloading– the maxi-
mum capacity is not followed.
Hence, risks are so high. [It is a]
a health hazard,” he said, add-
ing that the PUV moderniza-
tion has several benefits in the
environment and economy.
His colleague, Edd Usman,
agreed to this, saying the mod-
ernization program is “long-
delayed and there’s no reason
to delay it further.”
Usman also said that some
drivers lack discipline.
“Walang disiplina, sarili
lang iniisip. Wala disiplina sa
pagda drive, kahit saan kahit
sa bawal huminto, hindi naman
lahat. Meron pa mga bastos sa
pasahero (Some drivers are not
disciplined; they only think of
themselves. Others would stop
wherever even if it’s prohibited.
Some are not polite to their
passengers too),” he continued.
The PUV modernization
program (PUVMP) is a flag-
ship project of the Duterte
administration which envi-
sions a restructured, modern,
well-managed and environ-
mentally sustainable transport
sector where drivers and op-
erators have stable, sufficient
and dignified livelihoods while
commuters get to their des-
tinations quickly, safely and
comfortably. ■
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Presidential
Spokesperson Salvador Panelo
on Monday said he remains un-
fazed by the possibility that he
and other Philippine govern-
ment officials may be barred
from entering the United
States.
Panelo said he would not
mind being barred from enter-
ing the U.S. because he has been
there before and that there
were many other countries to
visit.
“I’ve been there several times
over…it’s not the only country
that you can go to and enjoy the
sites and the sounds,” Panelo
said. Pres. Spokesperson Salvador Panelo. YANCY LIM / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOS
Panelo made this com-
ment after U.S. Senators Dick eh; it’s legal,” he added. You know, the usual convenient
Durbin and Patrick Leahy filed refuge of political chameleons
an amendment in the 2020 Interference is that they easily change their
State and Foreign Operations Panelo slammed the amend- beliefs on the basis of a political
(SFOPs) appropriations bill to ment anew, describing it as a agenda,” Panelo said.
bar the entry to the U.S. of Phil- brazen attempt at “interfer- He also explained that the
ippine government officials in- ence” of Philippine sovereign U.S. government only had the
volved in the imprisonment of affairs. right to bar entry in the U.S. for
Senator Leila de Lima. He acknowledged that al- individuals who have commit-
Both senators described de though foreign officials have ted transgression on their laws.
Lima’s case as “wrongful im- the right to criticize, they could “While the U.S. can ban – just
prisonment.” like our country
The Palace of- can – there must
ficial also said be some basis for
that he would not that, like if you
discourage other You know, the usual convenient are declared per-
government of- refuge of political chameleons is sona non grata,
ficials from en- that they easily change their beliefs you have commit-
tering the U.S., on the basis of a political agenda. ted any transgres-
stressing that sion of their laws
the amendment then you can cer-
was only a “pro- tainly be banned,
posal.” Panelo said.
“That ban is just a proposal in not make assumptions based The Palace official also in-
a Senate committee and I think on information fed by De Lima, sisted that there was nothing
the views of the two senators supporters, and other critics of wrongful about de Lima’s im-
are in the minority; otherwise, the administration. prisonment because she was
some senators would have sup- “I cannot understand where accorded due process.
ported that. In other words, that this Senator Leahy and another “Senator de Lima was given
ban will be only effective upon one, Senator Durbin, are com- all her rights, due process was
the approval of both Houses of ing from. The problem with strictly observed, she was af-
Congress of the United States,” them is that they listen to the forded the right to preliminary
Panelo said. critics of the Administration investigation, she submitted
Moreover, he emphasized that and believe what they hear or countervailing evidence, the
the proposed ban is with refer- what they receive as info hook, prosecutor found probable
ence only to government officials line and sinker,” Panelo said. cause that’s why she was for-
who have something to do with Panelo said that the Palace mally charged and the Consti-
de Lima’s imprisonment. would have accepted the two tution requires the judge before
“Unang-una (Firstly), can it U.S. senators’ criticisms if they issuing warrant of arrest to per-
be credible when you say that were based on official records. sonally examine the evidence
this official has something “What is their basis for to determine if there is proba-
to do; pangalawa, (secondly) wrongful imprisonment? Just ble cause to justify the issuance
wrongful. Hindi nga (It’s not because Ms. De Lima and her of a warrant of arrest and he did
even a) wrongful imprisonment supporters are saying that it is? that,” Panelo said. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019 Philippine News 7

All must cooperate to solve

Metro Manila traffic: Palace
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Executive
Branch needs cooperation with
other branches of government
to ease traffic congestion in
Metro Manila, Malacañang said
on Thursday.
Presidential Spokesperson Sal-
vador Panelo made this remark in
response to a report by the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) which
showed that Metro Manila is the
most congested city in Asia.
The report found that among
cities with a population greater
than five million, the Philip-
pines transport system had a
congestion value of 1.5 when
the average congestion of all
sampled cities was at 1.24.
Panelo said President Ro-
drigo Duterte has long been
asking for emergency powers
to address traffic woes but Sen-
ate continues to doubt the ad-
ministration’s commitment to
ensure it is free from abuse and
corruption.
“O ’di ba sinabi ni Presidente,
‘Eh gusto kong gawan ng para-
an, ayaw ninyo naman (Didn’t
the President say, ‘I want to
do something about it but you
don’t want to help’),” Panelo
said in a Palace briefing.
The Palace official said the
Executive Branch could not
work alone when it came to ad-
dressing the traffic problem.
“Kailangan kasi (What we
need is that) all branches must
cooperate with each other,”
Panelo said.
“Hindi pupuwedeng isang
branch lang ng gobyerno ang
mamamahala at tutugon sa
pangangailangan ng mga ka-
babayan natin, otherwise, ta-
lagang mahihirapan (It can’t be
that there’s only one branch of
government managing and ad-
dressing the needs of our citi-
zens, otherwise, we will really
have difficulty),” he added.
Panelo said he was hopeful
that ongoing infrastructure
projects such as San Miguel
Corp.’s plan to build a 10-lane
elevated expressway that would
run the length of Epifanio delos
Santos Avenue (Edsa) and ease
traffic in Metro Manila.
“Hopefully. Kagaya ng sinabi
ko sa inyo, iyong proposal ni
Mr. Ramon Ang, maganda iyon;
kapag nagawa niya iyon in two
years, walang trapik ang Edsa
(As I said, Mr. Ramon Ang has a
good proposal; if they can finish
that in two years, there won’t be
traffic in Edsa),” Panelo said.
He said measures to improve
the traffic condition will be dis-
cussed during the next Cabinet
meeting
Although not against grant-
ing emergency powers, Senator
Grace Poe, chair of the Senate
Committee on Public Services,
stood pat on her decision not to
grant them unless backed by a
well-studied master plan.
“Let me stress that I am not
against emergency powers. In
fact, granting it does not solely
rely on me. I am just one vote in
the Senate. Like my colleagues,
I have to be convinced why it is
needed,” Poe said in a statement.
“I am for anything that will
solve traffic. We are all victims of
this. I am for it if it is guaranteed
that they have a plan. For you to
give something as immense as
the emergency powers, you have
to be sniper accurate, it cannot be
a shotgun approach,” she added.
Even without emergency
powers, Poe insisted that there
are laws and policies to speed
up government projects to al-
leviate traffic woes. ■

DFA warns vs. fake PNP chief denies influencing

websites posing as case vs. former subordinates
PH gov’t agencies
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Department
of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on
Tuesday warned Filipinos and
foreign nationals against trans-
acting with entities posing as a
Philippine government agency
following the spread of fake
websites online.
In a bulletin, the DFA said
there have been reports of a
website that posed as a Philip-
pine government agency that
handles public procurements
in the Philippines.
The said website solicits busi-
nesses and companies transact
with it regarding the procure-
ment of goods and services for
the Philippines.
“Please note that government
procurement in the Philip-
pines is implemented through
the Government Procurement
Reform Act of 2003 (Republic
Act No. 9184) which mandates
the use of streamlined procure-
ment processes and monitoring
of government procurement
activities by the public,” the
DFA said.
“More importantly, RA 9184
created the Government Pro-
curement Policy Board (GPBB)
as the central policy and moni-
toring body in all government,”
it added.
The agency also underscored
that notices of bids for govern-
ment procurement contracts
in the Philippines are posted
on PhilGEPS (https://www.dti.
gov.ph/transparencyseal/phil-
geps-procurement).
PhilGEPS is the sole central-
ized electronic portal that is the
official and definitive source of
information of Philippine gov-
ernment procurement.
“For assurance of the legiti-
macy of any Philippine govern-
ment organization that wishes
to transact with foreign-based
businesses and companies,
concerned parties may get in
touch with the Philippine Em-
bassies and Consulates General
abroad,” it noted. ■
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
drug raid, was relieved from his
post due to command responsi-
Albayalde, meanwhile, ad-
mitted that he asked Aquino
Philippine News Agency bility. about the status of the case but
“There was a time when denied influencing or asking
General Albayalde called me. I for any favor regarding the case
MANILA — Philippine National cannot recall kung anong (the) against his former men.
Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Oscar specific date but it’s between “Yes, I asked him the status,
Albayalde on Tuesday denied July and December 2016. Nag- only the status. I could not pos-
trying to influence the outcome tatanong siya ng (He was asking sibly influence a regional direc-
of the case against his former about the) status of the case,” tor or an upper class(man),” Al-
subordinates allegedly involved Aquino said. bayalde said.
in the recycling The 13 erring
of seized illegal cops were or-
drugs following a dered dismissed
buy-bust in Pam- but the penalty
panga in Novem- I could not possibly influence was reduced to
ber 2013. a regional director or an upper demotion af-
During a Sen- class(man). ter a motion for
ate hearing, reconsidera-
Philippine Drug tion was filed on
Enforcement March 14, 2016.
Agency (PDEA) chief Aaron “I told him na gusto ko i-re- The police officers involved
Aquino, who was then the PNP view muna yung kaso na yun. were Superintendent Rodney
Region 3 (Central Luzon) di- Sinabi niya sa akin ’for the Raymundo Baloyo, Senior In-
rector, said Albayalde, who was meantime, i-pareview niyo muna spector Joven de Guzman Jr.,
then the acting head of the Na- yan and i-pacheck kasi gusto ko Senior Police Officers 1 Jules
tional Capital Region Police malaman kung ano talaga yung Maniago, Donald Roque, Ron-
Office (NCRPO) in 2016, called magiging result ng investigation ald Santos, Rommel Vital, Al-
him to ask about the status of na yan’. (I told him that I want- cindor Tinio, Eligio Valeroso,
the case against the 13 Pampan- ed to review the case. He told Police Officers 3 Dindo Dizon,
ga police officers. me, ‘for the meantime, review Gilbert de Vera, Romeo Guer-
Albayalde, who served as and check the case because I rero Jr., Dante Dizon, and Po-
Pampanga provincial police want to know the result of the lice Officer 2 Anthony Lacsa-
chief at the time of the anti- investigation),” he added. mana. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net
8 Philippine News OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY

Star City fire under control;

will be closed Christmas 2019
BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD
Correspondent/Hosts CALIWAN
Bea Kirstein T. Manalaysay Philippine News Agency
Joanna Belle Deala
Gianna Llanes
Arianne Grace U. Lacanilao
Violeta Arevelo MANILA — The fire that struck the pop-
Babes Newland
ular amusement park, Star City, in Pasay
Graphic Design has been declared under control early
Shanice Garcia Wednesday.
Ginno Alcantara
Arlnie Colleene Talain Singca
Pasay City Fire Marshal Paul Pili said
the fire has been declared under control
Account Manager at 4:32 a.m.
Kristopher Yong
The fire started around 12:22 a.m.
Director/Producer Wednesday in the stockroom of stuff
Boom Dayupay toys and other prizes and later spread to
Photographers/Videographers
other areas inside the facility.
Ginno Alcantara Fire officers said the blaze quickly spread
Maria Crizandra Baylon to other parts of the building and huge
Sales
plumes billowed into the sky as firefighters
Aireen De Asis immediately responded to control it.
Dennis Cruz Aside from the amusement park, the
Operations and Admin
Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC),
Victoria Yong a sister company of Star City, was also
Amelia Insigne gutted by fire.
Management
No casualties were reported in the fire
Alan Yong that reached Task Force Alpha status at
Victoria Yong 2:32 a.m.
After two hours, the blaze was raised
For photo submissions, please email to Task Force Bravo, meaning 19 fire
editor@canadianinquirer.net trucks were deployed to the area. Star City on fire. NEOBAUTISTA STUDIOS / TWITTER

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Investigation showed the roof of the
Snow World attraction collapsed while
the Star Theater was also destroyed.
In a statement, the MBC management
said that they are closely coordinating
with authorities to determine the cause
of the fire.
“Despite the catastrophe, MBC FM
stations Love Radio, Yes the Best, and
Easy Rock will continue regular broad-
casting operations while DZRH is ex-
pected to go back on-air within 48 hours
or less,” the company said.
“Star City, which was hit hard by the
fire, will be closed through the Christ-
mas season,” it added.
Star City spokesperson Rudolph Ju-
larbal said the amusement park might
only reopen in October 2020.
He said they are considering giving
financial support to affected employ-
ees. ■

Email: info@canadianinquirer.net,
sales@canadianinquirer.net BI tightens watch on foreign transit passengers
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channel/UCGvCxcZGXZVbAWhNLRJIfTw
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every Friday.
Copies are distributed free throughout Metro
Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Greater Toronto.
The views and opinions expressed in the articles
(including opinions expressed in ads herein) are those
of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of
Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editorial Team.
PCI reserves the right to reject any advertising which
it considers to contain false or misleading information
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Member
BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD
CALIWAN
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Bureau of Immigra-
tion (BI) on Wednesday said it is strictly
monitoring foreigners arriving as tran-
sit passengers to stop international syn-
dicates that are again attempting to use
Manila as a jump-off point to smuggle
illegal aliens to Western countries.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime
Morente has issued directives to the
heads of the bureau’s Port Operations
Division (POD) and Travel Control and
Enforcement Unit (TCEU) to tighten
their watch on foreigners.
“We should not allow these syndicates
to negate the gains we made by letting
them use our airports as venues for fa-
cilitating the entry of illegal aliens to
other countries,” Morente said in his di-
rective.
The BI chief also ordered the TCEU to
thoroughly screen transiting passengers
before allowing them to board their con-
necting flights to make sure that they
are legitimate travelers with valid docu-
ments.
“Transiting passengers caught with
spurious visas and other fraudulent
travel documents should not be allowed
to proceed to their intended destina-
tions,” Morente said in his directive to
BI-TCEU chief Timotea Barizo.
The issuance of the directives
stemmed from reports that three for-
eign transit passengers with bogus trav-
el papers were intercepted at the NAIA
last month before they could board their
connecting flights.
On Sept. 26, a Vietnamese was inter-
cepted at the Ninoy Aquino Interna-
tional Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 after
he was caught using a fake Malaysian
passport.
The fake passport holder, Yang Gong
An, 27, was transiting from Manila to
New Zealand.
He admitted his real nationality af-
ter immigration officers were alerted
by airline staff that his Malaysian name
was not in the manifest of his connect-
ing flight to New Zealand.
Upon checking with BI’s forensic doc-
ument laboratory it confirmed that his
Malaysian passport is bogus.
On Sept. 1, Pakistanis Murtaza Gh-
ulam, 29; and Sultan Muhammad
Tayyab, 24; both bound for Vancouver,
Canada were stopped at the NAIA Ter-
minal 2 for possession of fake Canadian
visas and electronic travel authorization
(ETA) papers.
Both allegedly admitted during ques-
tioning that they acquired their fraudu-
lent papers from a syndicate in Malaysia
for which they paid USD200 each.
All three passengers were sent back to
their port of origin and later placed on
the BI blacklist of undesirable aliens. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
DOJ welcomes SC Palace to agencies: Support PH
suit challenging hosting of 10th Asean Para Games
revised GCTA IRR
BY BENJAMIN PULTA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Justice officials
welcomed Monday the peti-
tion challenging the validity of
the revised implementing rules
and regulations (IRRs) of the
Expanded Good Conduct Time
Allowance law before the Su-
preme Court (SC) even as he
conceded it will be up to the
high court to decide the IRR’s
fate.
“I cannot comment on the
petition itself. It is the OSG (Of-
fice of the Solicitor General)
who will represent the public
respondents and submit the
proper comment on their be-
half. All I can say is that I’ve ea-
gerly awaited the filing of this
petition,” Justice Secretary Me-
nardo Guevarra told reporters.
“Considering that some im-
portant provisions of RA 10592
have been interpreted differ-
ently by various groups, I have
as much interest as anyone in
knowing the correct legal in-
terpretation. Only the Supreme
Court has the final word on the
issue and I hope that it will af-
firm mine,” he added.
Justice spokesman Under-
secretary Markk Perete for his
part confirmed that the legal
challenge was expected.
“We actually expected a pe-
tition coming from them. So I
think the revised IRR that we
prepared will withstand legal
scrutiny so we are pretty con-
fident that the petition will be
heard by the court of course but
we do believe that the revised
IRR that we prepared is in con-
sonance with the law.” he said.
Perete said criticism that the
IRR engages in executive legis-
lation is improper.
“We’ve addressed that in
so many levels before. As I’ve
said we’ve called a number of
laws in order to come up with
the interpretation that is most
suited based on the provisions
of RA 10592 and we’ve also re-
lied on existing jurisprudence
and that where our confidence
is based against this particular
challenge.”
Perete said there can be no
violation of the constitutional
equal protection clause in the
IRR since “(H)einous crime
convicts are in fact segregated
by the Constitution itself,”
He added that the constitu-
tion itself “says that heinous
crimes convict may be penal-
ized by the death penalty so we
do not think that the equal pro-
tection clause is a valid basis
for impugning the basis of the
IRR,”
A petition before the SC has
been filed by lawyers repre-
senting inmates from the New
Bilibid Prison (NBP) and asked
the Supreme Court to stop the
Bureau of Corrections (BuCor)
and the Bureau of Jail Manage-
ment and Penology (BJMP)
to refrain from retroactively
applying the exclusions intro-
duced under Section 1 of the
Expanded GCTA law and rela-
tions to provisions of the IRR.
The petitioners told the high
court that said provisions are
“disadvantageous to any pris-
oners.”
The Expanded GCTA law has
increased the reward of time
that are deducted off a per-
son deprived of liberty (PDLs)
prison term. The petitioners
said “it becomes clear that the
deprivation of application of
greater GCTA and consequent
prolongation of imprisonment
of herein petitioners and those
similarly situation constitute
violation of their substantive
rights.”
They said that the public out-
rage about the supposed “erro-
neous” application of GCTA led
the DOJ and DILG to revise the
IRR.
“Ultimately, herein petition-
ers and those who are similarly
situated are the ones who are
suffering and are continuing to
suffer. Unless these issues befit-
ting our country are clarified by
judicial pronouncement of no
less than the Supreme Court,
they shall continue to suffer
from it,” the petition read. ■
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — President Rodrigo
Duterte has directed all govern-
ment agencies and instrumen-
talities, including government
owned or controlled corpora-
tions, to support the Philippine
hosting of the 10th Association
of Southeast Asian (Asean)
Para Games.
Under Memorandum Circu-
lar No. 67, signed by Executive
Secretary Salvador Medialdea
by authority of President Ro-
drigo Duterte on Sept. 26, all
agencies and instrumentalities
must extend their support to
the Philippine Sports Commis-
sion (PSC) and the Philippine
Paralympic Committee (PPC)
in the preparation, organiza-
tion, and hosting of the event.
The Asean Para Games is a bi-
ennial, multi-sport event orga-
nized by the Asean Para Sports
Federation for athletes with
physical, visual, or intellectual
disabilities.
“The successful organization
and hosting of the 10th Asean
Para Games requires the involve-
ment, coordination and support
of concerned government agen-
cies, the different national sports
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Philippine News 9
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR. / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOS
associations, local government directed to render full support
units, and the private sector,” the and assistance, consistent with
memorandum read. their respective mandates to
To ensure the smooth hosting the PSC and the PPC.
of the event, the memorandum Meanwhile, local govern-
tasks the PSC, PPC and all con- ment units, non-government
cerned national sports associa- organizations, the private busi-
tions to coordinate and support ness sector, educational insti-
each other and work together tutions, and the general public
for the full and effective par- are encouraged to lend their
ticipation of the Philippine del- cooperation and support to en-
egates in these events. sure the successful conduct of
All departments, bureaus, the event.
agencies, and instrumentali- The New Clark City sports
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trolled corporations and state which the country will host for
universities and colleges, are the fourth time later this year. ■
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10
Fishermen in Recto Bank incident PH archbishop
urged to file insurance claim named Papal Nuncio
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Malacañang on
Monday urged the 22 Filipino
fishermen whose boat sank af-
ter it was allegedly rammed by
a Chinese vessel off Recto Bank
(Reed Bank) to file an insur-
ance claim to get their compen-
sation.
“Hindi ba ang sabi ng Chinese
government (Didn’t the Chinese
government say), we have to
file an insurance claim. That is
why they should file. Hindi ka
naman basta bibigyan, siyempre
may insurance iyong shipping
company (They won’t just be
given, of course, the shipping
company has insurance),” Pres-
idential Spokesperson Salvador
Panelo said in a Palace briefing.
Panelo said he has no knowl-
edge whether the 22 fishermen
have already filed an insurance
claim but noted that the fisher-
men have received assistance
from government and other
groups.
“Don’t underestimate the
fishermen. They can go to their
mayor, for instance, and ask
help. Oh di dadalhin sila ng may-
or doon sa proper entity (They’ll
be brought by the mayor to the
proper entity),” Panelo said.
Despite this, the Palace of-
ficial insisted that the Chinese
boat owner should compensate
the Filipino fishermen.
“Kailangan dahil sila ang
may kasalanan eh — iyong ship.
Moreover, ‘di ba inamin naman
nila. Sabi nila, they are willing
to pay kahit na aksidente lang
(They have to because it’s their
fault –their ship’s. Moreover,
didn’t they admit it. They said
they are willing to pay even if
it’s just an accident),” Panelo
said.
In a memorandum penned
to Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.
Philippine News
Photo shows the first batch of the 22 fishermen rescued in waters off Recto
Bank (Reed Bank), who were abandoned after their fishing vessel, F/B Gemver,
was hit by an alleged Chinese vessel on the night of June 9, 2019.
which was posted by the Depart-
ment of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
last month, a letter from an un-
named association relayed the
Chinese shipowner’s apologies.
Reports showed that the let-
ter sender came from Chen
Shiquin, president of the
Guangdong Fishery Mutual In-
surance Association.
“It is fortunate that there
were no casualties. I feel deep
regret that this accident had to
happen and I would like to ex-
press my deep sympathy to the
Filipino fishermen. The ship-
owner of the Chinese fishing
boat involved, through our As-
sociation, would like to express
his sincere apology to the Fili-
pino fishermen,” it read.
Panelo accepted the Chinese
shipowner’s apology and wel-
comed his humility to take re-
sponsibility and acknowledge
that compensation must be pro-
vided to cover the actual loss.
Needs verification
Panelo, meanwhile, refused
to comment on a Washington-
based think tank’s study that
Chinese Coast Guard vessels
patrolling features in the West
Philippine Sea are purposely
PHILIPPINE NAVY VIA PNA
making their presence felt.
He said the Palace will ask the
Department of National De-
fense to validate that observa-
tion released by the Asia Mari-
time Transparency Initiative
(AMTI).
“Assuming that it’s true. Iba-
validate pa nga natin eh (We
have to validate it). Then if that
is validated, then we file the
usual diplomatic protest,” Pan-
elo said.
“The fact alone na nag-file ka
ng diplomatic protest eh di may
nangyari na (you’re filing a dip-
lomatic protest means some-
thing happened). You’re com-
plaining,” he added.
In its Sept. 26 report, the
AMTI identified 14 Chinese
Coast Guard vessels broadcast-
ing automatic identification sys-
tem (AIS) signals while patrol-
ling the West Philippine Sea.
“CCG vessels elsewhere in
the South China Sea often do
not broadcast AIS or do so only
when entering and leaving port.
But those patrolling Luconia
Shoals, Second Thomas Shoal,
and to a lesser degree, Scarbor-
ough Shoal appear to broadcast
far more frequently,” the report
read. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
to Spain, Andorra
BY FERDINAND PATINIO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Pope Francis’ ap-
pointment of Archbishop Ber-
nardito Auza as Vatican Am-
bassador to Spain and Andorra
brings to three the total num-
ber of Apostolic Nuncios from
the Philippines.
According to an article post-
ed on the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) website, the appoint-
ment was announced in Rome
at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Auza, who is fluent in Span-
ish, will succeed retired Italian
Archbishop Renzo Fratini, who
had served the post for 10 years
since 2009.
Fratini turned 75 in July, the
mandatory age for bishops to
submit their resignation to the
Pope, as stated in the canon law.
Prior to his appointment, the
archbishop had been the Holy
See’s Permanent Observer to
the United Nations in New York
since 2014.
Auza, a native of Talibon in
Bohol province, was ordained
a priest for the Diocese of Tag-
bilaran in 1985. He was incardi-
nated to the then newly-formed
Diocese of Talibon in 1986.
In 1990, he entered the dip-
lomatic service of the Holy See.
His first assignment was in
Madagascar from 1990 to 1993,
and he became a member of the
Permanent Mission of the Holy
See to the UN before assuming
his post in Haiti in 2008.
Likewise, the archbishop
served in the Secretariat of
State in the Vatican, after his
assignment to the respective
Apostolic Nunciatures in Bul-
garia and Albania.
Aside from Auza, the oth-
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
er two Filipino bishops who
became Ambassadors of the
Vatican to other countries are
Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana,
Apostolic Nuncio to Australia;
and Archbishop Francisco Pa-
dilla, Apostolic Nuncio to Qa-
tar.
The appointment also came
less than two years before the
country celebrates the 500th
anniversary of the arrival of
Christianity through Spanish
missionaries.
Balanga Bishop Ruperto San-
tos said it is “very significant
and meaningful” that the new
papal envoy to Spain would be
a Filipino.
“On the forthcoming grace-
filled event of 500 years of
Christianization of our country,
the Philippine Church gives her
gift and gratitude in the person
of Archbishop Auza,” he said.
“God’s graces and the Gos-
pel our Spanish missionaries
have sown in us are our fruits
for Spain and for the whole
world. It is indeed a call for us
to celebrate with gratitude and
with deep appreciation our 500
years of Christianization,” San-
tos added. ■
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
Gordon dismayed with PDEA chief’s ‘softening’ narrative
BY JOSE CIELITO
REGANIT
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Senator Richard
Gordon on Wednesday said
he was very disappointed by
the “softening” statements of
Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency (PDEA) Director Gen-
eral Aaron Aquino, saying the
former police officer’s narra-
tion of events was different
from what he earlier told the
senator in an earlier meeting.
In an interview with re-
porters, Gordon said Aquino
claimed during a meeting with
the senator that Philippine Na-
tional Police (PNP) chief Gen.
Oscar Albayalde called him
sometime in 2016 about the
dismissal case filed against 13
Pampanga police officers in-
volved in an irregular anti-drug
operation in 2013.
“I am very disappointed.
Nung kausap ko siya, sabi niya:
Ito ang nangyari, sir, kinausap
ako (When I talked to him, he
said: this is what happened, sir,
he talked to me),’” Gordon said,
citing his conversation with
Aquino referring to Albayalde.
When asked if Aquino told
them that Albayalde request-
ed the dismissal order not to
Mocha not covered by appointment ban
on losing poll bets
BY FERDINAND PATINIO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Newly-appointed
Overseas Workers Welfare Ad-
ministration (OWWA) Deputy
Administrator Esther Margaux
‘Mocha’ Uson is not covered by
the ban on the appointment of
losing candidates in the May
2019 elections, the Commis-
sion on Elections (Comelec)
said Monday.
Comelec spokesman James
Jimenez explained that the
one-year ban is not applicable
to party-list nominees.
“Candidates are the ones cov-
ered by the one-year ban. Party-
list nominees are not covered,”
he said in an interview.
The poll body official added
that the organizations are con-
be implemented, Gordon an-
swered in the affirmative, add-
ing that Senator Franklin Dril-
on was also present during the
meeting that happened Sunday
afternoon.
However, in an interview
with reporters Tuesday, Aqui-
no said Albayalde did not in-
tervene in the dismissal order
and only asked for a review and
status of the operation, echoing
Albayalde’s defense during the
Senate hearing.
“Mali yun. ‘Yun ang sinasabi
ko na lumambot (That’s wrong.
That’s why I said he softened
his statement),” Gordon said.
The chair of the Blue-Ribbon
Committee said he was even
more dismayed with Aquino’s
excuse when he talked with the
former police officer after the
hearing.
“Nung kausapin ko siya ka-
hapon, I am very disappointed.
Sabi niya: ‘nalito ako.’ You’re a
general, hindi ka pwede malito.
Pati si General Magalong was
very disappointed,” Gordon
said.
(When I talked to Aquino yes-
terday, I am very disappointed.
He said: ‘I got confused.’ You’re
a general, you should not get
confused. Even General Mag-
along was very disappointed.)
When asked of the possible
sidered as the candidates and
not the nominees under the
party-list election system.
Under the 1987 Constitution,
“no candidate, who has lost in
any election, shall, within one
year after an election, be ap-
pointed to any office in the
government or any govern-
ment-owned or controlled cor-
porations or in any of their sub-
sidiaries.”
Uson was a nominee of the
AA-Kasosyo party-list during
the last May 2019 elections.
The group’s advocacy is to help
overseas workers become suc-
cessful entrepreneurs.
On the other hand, OWWA
Administrator Hans Leo Cac-
dac welcomed Uson’s appoint-
ment, noting that she is a
known supporter of overseas
Filipino workers.
reason why Aquino heeded the
alleged request, the senator
pointed to “peer pressure.”
“Pag may peer pressure ka na,
may class pressure, mahihira-
pan ka na. D’yan mo makikita
kung tunay kang lalaki,” Gor-
don noted.
(When there is peer pressure,
there is class pressure, you will
find it difficult. That’s when you
will know if you are a real man.)
Drilon corroborated Gor-
don’s claim on Aquino’s sudden
change of tone.
The Senate Minority Leader
confirmed that he was invited
to a meeting by Gordon to lis-
ten to Aquino, saying though
he “could not recall the exact
words.”
“Pero ang nakiusap na huwag
muna i-implement (But the re-
quest to not yet implement) is
something in substance that I
remember to be the narration
of General Aquino of his tele-
phone conversation with Gen-
eral Abayalde,” Drilon said in a
separate interview.
He also pointed to the seem-
ing “hesitancy” of Aquino dur-
ing Tuesday’s public hearing.
“He said what he said during
the open hearing although we
noticed some hesitancy during
the public hearing,” the Senate
leader said.
“I know Mocha to be a defend-
er of OFW rights and welfare.
So we look forward to working
with her in furtherance of OFW
rights, welfare, and interests,”
he said in his Twitter account,
@HansLeoCacdac.
Meanwhile, a non-govern-
ment organization that special-
izes in labor migration is giv-
ing the new OWWA official a
chance to prove herself.
“OWWA is heavily under-
staffed and needs a lot of help
in communicating its programs
and services. I expect her to be
on full learning mode and de-
velop teamwork and camarade-
rie with the rest of the OWWA
team,” said Susan Ople, head of
Blas F. Ople Policy Center in a
statement.
“She is in a very good agency
and I wish her the best of luck,”
www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
“I am not prepared to con-
clude that there was a substan-
tial change in the statement.
What I am prepared to say is
that there was some very clear
hesitancy to repeat what he
told us,” Drilon said.
However, the lawmaker de-
clined to provide any possible
reason with Aquino’s hesitance,
only that he was disappointed
with the former police officer’s
sudden change of tone.
“I’m just putting on record
my impression that he became
hesitant. What is the cause of
that hesitancy I have no knowl-
edge?,” he said.
“Certainly, I am disappoint-
ed, because I think he was more
forthright when he met with
us,” Drilon added.
Albayalde’s credibility
tarnished
What is certain, Drilon said,
is that Albayalde’s credibil-
ity has been tarnished with the
turn of events.
“Whatever happens, indeed,
his stint as PNP chief is tar-
nished by this revelation. It’s
a very serious allegation,” the
lawmaker said.
“I don’t know really what he
can do, but that his credibility is
tarnished one month before he
retires is something that he has
she added.
Before joining the May 2019
polls, Uson served as Assistant
11
to contend with,” Drilon said.
Despite this, Drilon believed
that the allegations against
Albayalde are not enough to
implicate the PNP chief in any
criminal complaint.
“What appears to be the
shortcoming of Abayalde is he
made the call. That call does not
implicate him from a criminal
case,” he pointed out.
“But certainly, on a general
description of impropriety, it
is improper… very improper.
Whether or not it was simply
to find out what the status of
the case was, the fact that the
phone call was made, to me, it’s
improper,” Drilon said.
As for calls for Albayalde’s
resignation, Drilon said it will
be up to the PNP chief to resign
from his post — that is if Presi-
dent Rodrigo Duterte does not
fire him first.
“It’s a situation which calls
for his reassessment of whether
he can continue commanding a
150,000-police force in the next
30 days. Judgment call sa kanya
(to him),” he said.
“Of course, he has to have the
continued trust and confidence
of the President. And the Presi-
dent can take an independent
action,” Drilon said. ■
MOCHA USON BLOG / FACEBOOK
Secretary of the Presidential
Communications Operations
Office (PCOO). ■
12 Philippine News OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY

PH on UN vote: Rohingya issue needs long-

considered approach
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Rohingya cri-
sis needs a long-considered
approach rather than “harsh
short-term solution actions”
imposed on the country con-
cerned, the Philippine Mission
to the United Nations in Gene-
va said as it voted against a UN
resolution on the human rights
situation of Rohingya Muslims
in Myanmar.
Reading the country’s posi-
tion at the 42nd Session of the
Human Rights Council (HRC)
on Thursday was Philippine
Deputy Permanent Represen-
tative to the UN in Geneva Ma-
ria Teresa Almojuela.
Almojuela said the Philip-
pines is concerned over the
rising number of mandates on
pendent Investigative Mecha-
nism for Myanmar) amount
to a staggering USD35 million,
all of it spent on (UN) staff and
consultant salaries and travel —
none on concrete programs on
the ground,” she said.
Almojuela said the Council
should direct its discussions
and pursue actions towards
constructive and comprehen-
sive cooperation with Myan-
mar, including to support the
government in building and
strengthening domestic ac-
countability mechanisms.
“The Philippines underlines
the importance of continued
support for ensuring the safety
and for all communities in Ra-
khine state, the provision of
humanitarian assistance to dis-
placed Rohingyas and other mi-
norities, and the dialogue and
coordination between
Myanmar and Bangladesh
cive environment that promotes
harmony and reconciliation
among the various communi-
ties, as well as to ensure sustain-
able and equitable development
in Rakhine State and other parts
of Myanmar,” she added.
Reiterating Manila’s call for
“durable solutions” that would
take root in the context of the
democratic transition that is
being pursued by Myanmar
within its legitimate political
processes, Almojuela said the
Philippines voted against the
resolution.
Adopted by the UNHRC dur-
ing its 42nd regular session, the
resolution on the Rohingya is-
sue urges Myanmar to sustain
the democratic transition, by
bringing all national institu-
tions, including the military,
under a democratically elected
civilian government.
It also welcomes the entry Geneva Maria Teresa Almojuela. DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS/WEBSITE

Myanmar, which have already
cost the Southeast Asian state
millions of dollars.
“We find it alarming that
the cost of maintaining these
mandates from 2018 to 2020
(including that of the UN Inde-
to facilitate the repatriation of
displaced persons from Rakh-
ine State,” she said.
“We see the need for a com-
prehensive and durable solution
to address the root causes of the
conflict and to create a condu-
of the UN Independent Inves-
tigative Mechanism for Myan-
mar, established by Human
Rights Council 39/2, to collect
evidence of the most serious in-
ternational crimes to facilitate
independent proceedings in an
international court or tribunal.
In another statement at
HRC42, the Philippines reiter-
ated the need to not undermine
and prejudge the ongoing work
of the Independent Commis-
sion of Enquiry which was es-
tablished by Myanmar in July
2018 as a step toward ensur-
ing accountability for human
rights violations. ■

Duterte says...
❰❰ 1 nal offense by joining
a fraternity. But that
would raise so many
constitutional issues. Hindi
mo talaga mapigilan ‘yan (You
cannot stop it),” he said before
leaving for his trip to Russia.
Duterte issued his statement
after a 20-year-old Philippine
Military Academy (PMA) ca-
det died due to an alleged haz-
ing last month. The death of
Darwin Dormitorio sparked
outrage from the public and led
to the resignation of the PMA’s
head, Lieutenant General Ron-
nie Evangelista, as well as the
commandant of cadets, Briga-
dier General Bartolome Bacar-
ro.
During his speech, Duterte
shared that he himself went
through violent initiation rites,
saying he was “hospitalized for
three days” due to “massive he-
matoma.”
Duterte is a member of Lex
Talionis Fraternitas, a frater-
nity based at the San Beda Col-
lege of Law. The President said
he and some fellow frat broth-
ers asked their fraternity “to do
away with the physical” but did
not work.
The Chief Executive believes
that such rites in fraternities
should not go too far to the
point that it would claim some-
one’s life.
“Ang tingin mo pagka ma-
brod mo na, anong tingin mo sa
kanya? Anong tingin niya sa iyo
(If you are brods already, what
do you think of him? What does
he think about you)? That will
create a lifetime animosity,” he
said.
“‘Yang tamang-tama lang.
‘Yang ‘pag madala sa ospital,
mabuhay. ‘Wag naman ‘yung
mamatay (Just enough. That
he should still be alive when
brought to the hospital and
should not lead to his death),”
he continued.
Regarding the case of Dor-
mitorio, the President said he
would await results of the in-
vestigation by authorities.
“Patapusin mo muna (Let
them finish first),” he said.
“‘Wag mo akong tanungin
kasi (Do not ask me because)
eventually the administrative
case pupunta ‘yan sa akin (will
reach me) for final. Kung mag-
reconsider (If there will be a) —
motion for reconsideration, the
final appeal administratively is
to the Commander-in-Chief,
ako (me). So prudent would say
or demand that I’ll just keep it
to myself,” he added.
In 2018, Duterte signed Re-
public Act (RA) No. 11053 which
prohibits all forms of hazing in
fraternities, sororities, and or-
ganizations in schools, includ-
ing citizens’ military training
and citizens’ army training.
The prohibition also applies
to non-school based fraterni-
ties, sororities, and organiza-
tions.
The law was signed after the
death by hazing of University of
Santo Tomas (UST) law student
Horacio “Atio” Castillo III in
2017. ■
Senate commends
Filipino teachers
BY FILANE MIKEE
CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Senate on
Tuesday approved a resolution
honoring and commending the
Filipino teachers for their hard
work and commitment to shap-
ing learners of all generations.
The approval of Senate Reso-
lution No. 142 came in light of
the celebration of the National
Teachers’ Month from Septem-
ber 5 to October 5.
Senator Bong Revilla, the au-
thor of the resolution, said Fili-
pino teachers take on an “indis-
pensable role” in molding the
country’s future.
Revilla called on all Filipinos
to use the occasion to pay trib-
ute to the “indelible” contribu-
tion of teachers in educating the
youth to maximize their poten-
tials and become productive and
globally-competitive citizens.
Senate Majority Leader
Juan Miguel Zubiri, who co-
sponsored the resolution, reaf-
firmed his commitment to the
teachers and promised that the
chamber will work hard to in-
stitutionalize the pay increase
basic education teachers this
18th Congress.
“This National Teachers’
Month is a recognition of all that
work, inside and outside the
classroom. But a month is hardly
enough recognition, given how
the teaching profession demands
full devotion. One does not just
work as a teacher—one is a teach-
er, day in and day out,” Zubiri said.
“In this way, even long after
the National Teachers’ Month is
over, we can continue to thank
our teachers by giving them the
compensation that they right-
fully deserve,” he added. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019 Philippine News 13

Dormitorio’s death Bikoy says perjury raps filed by

won’t affect PMA opposition figures ‘misleading’
cadets’ routine BY BENJAMIN PULTA
Philippine News Agency

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD been PMA doing before this

CALIWAN happened?),” he added. MANILA — Embattled whistle-
Philippine News Agency Afan said the cadets continue blower Peter Joemel Advin-
to mourn Dormitorio’s death cula alias ‘Bikoy’ on Tuesday
but at the same time, they formally refuted the perjury
BAGUIO CITY — The Philip- maintain their normal study charge filed against him by law-
pine Military Academy (PMA) routine inside the academy. yers Theodore Te, Jose Manuel
on Saturday said the death of There are an estimated 300 Diokno and Lorenzo Tañada III
Cadet 4th Class Darwin Dormi- plebes at the academy, he said. who are among the 36 persons
torio due to alleged maltreat- “We were told to give them named in sedition raps in con-
ment has no negative impact on regular check-ups. If you will nection with supposed efforts
the routine of its cadets. ask how regular, we leave that to undermine the administra-
PMA spokesperson Maj. Rey- to the PMA Hospital. What is tion during the May elections.
nan Afan said the incident is an important is we give the fourth “(T)he present complaint is a
isolated case. class cadets, the plebes, exten- vain attempt to mislead, or con-
“Patuloy po ang pag-aalaga sive check-ups,” Afan said. fuse the authorities in the in-
ng PMA sa (mga) kadete. Noong Meanwhile, Police Regional vestigation of the case referred
nangyari ito, naging bukas ang Office Cordillera (PROCOR) di- to the DOJ by the CIDG-PNP,
PMA sa lahat ng rector, Brig. Gen. and that to charge the under-
klaseng imbesti- Israel Ephraim signed ...is clearly a nuisance Mugshot and booking procedure of Peter Joemel Advincula alias "Bikoy."
gayon with prop- Dickson said Po- or harassment suit,” Advincula PNP-PIO VIA PHIL NEWS AGENCY/TWITTER

er authorities at lice Col. Allen said in his three-page counter-

wala po siyang Rae Co, Baguio affidavit as he urged the com- ate assertion of falsehood are are Vice President Leonor Ro-
itinago at cover- police direc- plainants to face the complaints evidentiary in nature which the bredo, former senator Antonio
up na ginawa tor, will be filing against them filed by the Philip- undersigned will prove once (a Trillanes IV, Eduardo Acierto,
(The PMA con- He also charges against pine National Police-Criminal piece of ) criminal information Senator Ana Theresia N. Hon-
tinues to nurture revealed the six PMA cadets Investigation and Detection is filed in court,” he added. tiveros-Baraquel, former Inte-
its cadets. When police might tagged in Dor- Group (PNP-CIDG). The cases filed by the PNP- grated Bar of the Philippines
this incident also file a case mitorio’s death The DOJ panel — Senior As- CIDG arising from Advincula, (IBP) president Abdiel Fa-
happened, PMA of criminal next week. sistant State Prosecutor Olivia in connection with the so-called jardo, IBP president Domingo
became open to negligence Co said the L. Torrevillas and Assistant “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video” Egon Cayosa, former Supreme
all kinds of in- against two murder case may State Prosecutors Gino Paolo S. against 36 opposition figures, is Court spokesperson Theodore
vestigation with medical likely be added Santiago and Michael John M. now submitted for resolution Te, lawyers Minerva Ambro-
proper authori- personnel to another case Humarang — set the next hear- by the prosecution panel of the sio, Serafin Salvador and Philip
ties and there of the PMA for violation of ing for the case on October 15. DOJ following the submission Sawali.
was no cover- station the Anti-Hazing Advincula argued that of counter-affidavits by the re- Senatorial candidates in the
up),” Afan said hospital. Law they would “whether the statements (he spondents. recent polls Samira Gutoc-To-
in a media inter- file against the made) in the affidavit-com- Two respondents, former mawis, Paolo Benigno A. Aqui-
view on the side- suspects. plaint were all assertions of Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary no, lawyers Lorenzo “Erin” R.
lines of the tes- He said the falsehood and was done with Alejano and Jonell Sangalang Tañada III, Florin Hilbay and
timonial parade murder case deliberate intent to lie, is a mat- opted not to file a counter-affi- Romulo Macalintal were also
and review for would stand ter of defense which the herein davit. charged.
outgoing Philip- since investi- complainants should disprove Assistant Solicitor General Also charged were Yolando
pine National gation showed by presenting their evidence to Angelita Villanueva-Miranda Villanueva Ong, Fr. Flaviano
Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Oscar there was “evident premedita- the contrary before the special earlier urged the DOJ panel to Villanueva, Fr. Albert E. Alejo,
Albayalde at the PMA grounds tion” from the suspects to harm panel of prosecutors.” reconsider and order the issu- Fr. Robert Reyes, Bro. Armin A.
here. the 20-year-old PMA cadet. The complaint arose as a re- ance of subpoena for Jude Sa- Luistro, Cubao Diocese Bishop
Despite the incident, Afan However, Co said it would sult of the affidavit-complaint bio, a lawyer of former senator Honesto F. Ongtioco, retired
said no cadet has expressed in- still be up to the prosecutor’s for sedition, inciting to sedi- Antonio Trillanes; Davao busi- Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Ba-
tention to quit training. office which appropriate charge tion, cyber libel and harboring nesswoman Guillermina Bar- cani Jr., Caloocan Bishop Pablo
He also assured parents of should be filed in court. criminals/obstruction of jus- rido; and consumer advocate Virgilio S. David, former Catho-
cadets and those who intend He also revealed the police tice earlier filed against various Perfecto Jaime Tagalog. lic Bishops’ Conference of the
to enter the academy that their might also file a case of criminal individuals. This after the CIDG filed new Philippines (CBCP) president
sons and daughters will be negligence against two medical Advincula claimed the per- evidence in the sedition, incit- Archbishop Socrates Villegas,
treated properly. personnel of the PMA station jury complaint against him “is ing to sedition, cyber libel, libel, publicist Boom Enriquez, Vi-
“Siguro po ang magandang hospital. nothing more but a harassment estafa, harboring a criminal/ cente R. Romano III, and film
mapagnilayan nating lahat, pati The medical staff supposedly suit, and is intended to deter obstruction of justice cases. actor/activist Joel Saracho.
mga magulang ng mga kadete, diagnosed Dormitorio as hav- the undersigned from further Barrido and Tagalog have A certain alias “Sentrix” and
ano ba ginawa ng PMA nang ing urinary tract infection and testifying and disclosing the filed their sworn statements “John Doe,” along with “Bikoy,”
nangyari ito? At saka ano ang discharged him after a four- facts and participation of the before the PNP. The testimony were also named for their
ginawa ng PMA bago nangyari hour observation on September various individuals in the said of the three would have been part in the so-called Project
ito? (I think a good thing to re- 17 but the cadet died the next sedition cases,” corroborative to the initial Sodoma, which was allegedly
flect on, including for parents day. ■ “(A)s to whether the facts I al- complaint filed by the PNP- hatched to discredit adminis-
of cadets, what has PMA done leged in my affidavit-complaint CIDG. tration candidates in the May
after the incident? What has are true or were only a deliber- Also named in the complaint 13 elections. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net
14

Scheer, Trudeau talk
platforms, firearms in
Toronto; Singh stays in B.C.
BY JOANNA SMITH
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — The federal Lib-
eral election platform is out,
and it’s brimming with talk-
ing points not only for Justin
Trudeau, but for his political
rivals as well.
There’s billions in new
Canada News
portant point of distinction be-
tween the two parties.
“We must elect a Conserva-
tive government that will live
within its means,” Scheer said
in suburban Whitby, Ont., be-
fore announcing a Conserva-
tive government would make
it easier for thousands of Cana-
dians to access the federal dis-
ability tax credit.
servative leader never finished
the licensing process to become
an insurance broker, a job he
says he had before politics. The
party says he was accredited,
but left the industry before get-
ting his licence.
On Monday, Scheer said he
worked in an insurance office
for about six or seven months
in 2003 and that his tasks in- LEFT: ANDREW SCHEER / FACEBOOK, RIGHT: JAGMEET SINGH / FACEBOOK

spending — $57 billion worth,
according to the Conserva-
tives’ critical math — to be fi-
nanced in part by new taxes on
the wealthy, large international
corporations, foreign housing
speculators and tech giants.
“Liberals are proposing to
continue to invest in Canadians
because it is working to grow
our economy, create opportu-
nities for everyone,” Trudeau
said Monday in Toronto as he
repeated his explanation for
continuing to increase spend-
ing.
There’s billions in red ink,
too: the platform projects a
$27.4-billion deficit next year,
falling to $21 billion by the
fourth year of what would be
a second Liberal mandate,
should Trudeau’s growth-and-
investment approach win out
over what he calls the cuts and
austerity of Andrew Scheer’s
Tories.
Scheer began his own set of
campaign appearances Monday
by highlighting what Conserva-
tives consider Liberal disregard
for the federal balance sheet
— an image Trudeau seemed
to lean into Sunday as an im-
“(Trudeau) has made billions
of dollars in uncosted prom-
ises that will force him to either
raise taxes, break promises or
break the bank,” Scheer said.
Trudeau spent Monday
morning in Toronto talking
to health-care professionals
about what he has promised a
re-elected Liberal government
would do about guns. That’s a
hot topic in a city that has seen
340 shooting incidents this
year alone, with 503 victims —
28 of them fatal — according to
Toronto police data.
That includes outlawing the
semi-automatic AR-15, which
was used in many recent U.S.
mass shootings, as well insti-
tuting a buy-back program for
legally purchased assault rifles.
“These are the things that
people are calling for,” Trudeau
said. “They are concrete ac-
tions, not just statements of
urgency, because we recognize
the public-health emergency
that gun violence is becoming,
as highlighted by these profes-
sionals.”
Scheer faced questions, too.
The Liberals are trying to make
hay with the fact that the Con-
cluded supporting more senior
staff, answering questions from
customers and providing in-
formation to people who came
into the office. He said licensed
brokers finalized transactions.
The Conservative campaign
has more stops planned in To-
ronto and nearby Brampton
— part of the electorally impor-
tant suburban belt ringing Can-
ada’s most populous city.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh
continued to focus his efforts
on the Vancouver area, where
he promised to bring in univer-
sal child care, costing no more
than $10 per day, across the
country by 2030.
He also said voters in On-
tario and elsewhere should not
believe Trudeau when he says
the election is about a choice
between the Liberals and Con-
servatives.
“Mr. Trudeau is going to scare
you and say you have to settle
for less, but you don’t have to
settle for less,” Singh said.
Green Leader Elizabeth May
is beginning her day in Vancou-
ver, while People’s Party Lead-
er Maxime Bernier travels to
Windsor, Ont. ■
Scheer, Singh
campaign in their
parties’ regions
of relative strength
BY ANDY BLATCHFORD
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Conservative
Leader Andrew Scheer and
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh
kept their campaign machines
rolling Saturday — and they fo-
cused their efforts on their par-
ties’ historic strongholds.
Scheer promoted the Con-
servatives’ pledge to build a
national energy corridor dur-
ing a stop in Edmonton, where
he took the stage with an old
friend: Alberta Premier Jason
Kenney.
Scheer, who also planned to
visit Saskatoon on Saturday,
urged cheering supporters to
help his party recapture ridings
in Alberta that the party lost in
the 2015 election. Four years
ago, the Liberals won four seats
from the Tories in Calgary and
Edmonton. The New Demo-
crats have also had a beachhead
in one Edmonton riding.
“I need your help, I need you
to go door to door,” Scheer said
after being introduced by Ken-
ney, a former minister in Ste-
phen Harper’s Conservative
government.
“We need to win seats in Al-
berta, we need to win seats here
in Edmonton and Calgary that
❱❱ PAGE 22 Scheer, Singh

www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
Canada Post racking up close to $1 million a year
in parking fines, data show
BY COLIN PERKEL
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — Canada Post is
racking up close to $1 million
annually in parking tickets as
drivers struggle to navigate
increasingly congested city
streets, data show.
The information, obtained
by The Canadian Press through
freedom of information re-
quests, indicates the bulk of the
citations are in and around To-
ronto.
“To meet the needs of Cana-
dians, our employees have to
routinely park their vehicles,”
said Canada Post spokesman
Jon Hamilton. “With the con-
centration of addresses in ur-
ban downtown cores and a ris-
ing demand for pickups and
deliveries, this can cause chal-
lenges, not just for Canada Post
but for all delivery companies.”
Data show the Crown corpo-
ration has paid out almost $7.5
million in parking fines over
the past decade. The worst year
was in 2016 with $943,293 paid,
slightly more than last year’s
$914,831, and almost quadruple
Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg
greeted as star at Montreal march
BY SIDHARTHA BANERJEE
The Canadian Press
MONTREAL WAS hit by Greta-
mania Friday as teen Swedish
environmental activist Greta
Thunberg took the city by
storm, bringing her message
that urgent action is needed
against climate change.
Arriving via New York City,
driven in an electric car provid-
ed by former California gover-
nor and Hollywood star Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s, she marched
in a climate protest that was
part of a global movement she
helped spark just over a year
ago.
Her name was on the lips
of just about everyone in the
city on Friday — culminating
with chants of “Greta” roar-
ing through a crowd spanning
the $289,908 recorded in 2009.
Under the federal Canada
Post Act, the corporation has,
with some exceptions, the “sole
and exclusive privilege of col-
lecting, transmitting and deliv-
ering letters to the addressee
thereof within Canada.” The
corporation has a fleet of al-
most 13,000 vehicles that deliv-
ered close to eight billion pieces
of mail last year.
Eric Holmes, a spokesman for
the City of Toronto, said mail-
box placements are approved
with the “general preference”
they not be placed along high-
volume streets.
“Illegally parking, stopping,
or standing a vehicle is danger-
ous for pedestrians, cyclists and
other motorists and creates
congestion,” Holmes said. “En-
forcement of parking violations
is one way the City of Toronto
helps deter this behaviour.”
Hamilton said the corpora-
tion was an “active participant”
in partnerships with Toronto,
Montreal and Vancouver that
aim to ease congestion, espe-
cially in downtown cores and
along major access routes.
“We also review our opera-
several blocks as she addressed
marchers before receiving the
key to the city from Montreal
Mayor Valerie Plante.
Her ascent is nothing short of
amazing says environmentalist
David Suzuki, who described
Thunberg as an exceptional
person — “the right person at
the right time.”
“There is no question that
Greta has had an impact that is
greater than all of us environ-
mentalists put together,” Suzu-
ki said. “But I think it’s because
of the circumstances, the real-
ity of climate change now, are
so very obvious.”
He said Thunberg “has punc-
tured the ceiling, she has just
gone through and taken it to a
different level and got the mes-
sage that we’ve been trying to
get across for years: Listen to
the science.”
tions to make changes, such as
adjusting pickup and delivery
times, where possible,” Ham-
ilton said. “It’s a bigger discus-
sion than simply designating
more delivery zones.”
Overall, the fines are barely a
rounding error for Canada Post,
which lost $270 million last year
on revenue of $6.6 billion dol-
lars — three-quarters of the cor-
poration’s total revenues. The
company initially refused a June
2016 request for the ticket data,
citing “commercial sensitivity.”
It relented in June after be-
lated intervention from the
information commissioner
and released the total value
of tickets by region paid from
2009 until mid-2016. Asked for
updated figures, the country’s
largest retail network insisted
on receiving a new formal ac-
cess-to-information request
before providing them.
All regions of Canada show
ticketing of branded Canada
Post vehicles, but most cita-
tions are in major urban cen-
tres, where thousands of mail
addresses can be concentrated
in a few blocks. Despite the
daunting logistics of pickup and
Bonjour Montréal! Je suis très heureuse d'être ici au Canada au Québec! Ca me
rappelle la maison. Merci!
Her image as a passionate,
fiery, sometimes polarizing fig-
ure gave way to that of your ev-
eryday 16-year-old as she met
a throng of national and local
media in a lush garden near the
www.canadianinquirer.net
Canada News
RAYSONHO @ OPEN GRID SCHEDULER / GRID ENGINE/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CC0
delivery, a Toronto traffic po-
lice spokesman was blunt:
“This is an easy one,” Sgt.
Brett Moore said. “There is no
preferential treatment for Can-
ada Post.”
In general, Canada Post’s
drivers are on the hook for traf-
fic violations. However, com-
pany policy makes allowance
for parking tickets — with an
excuse — except in designated
accessibility spots.
Emilie Tobin, with the Cana-
dian Union of Postal Workers,
said the idea of parking exemp-
GRETA THUNBERG/FACEBOOK
foot of Mount Royal, fresh from
telling Canada’s prime minister
he hasn’t done enough to com-
bat climate change.
“I don’t have anything pre-
pared,” she said with a nervous
15
tions for Canada Post vehicles
is a complex topic given that
the company is federally regu-
lated but drivers have to follow
varying provincial and munici-
pal bylaws.
“In some areas, it is difficult
to find a legal parking space, so
our members do have to park il-
legally and some do incur park-
ing tickets,” Tobin said. “It’s
not an ideal system and postal
workers would prefer that
routes could be structured in a
way that allowed for legal park-
ing 100 per cent of the time.” ■
laugh. “I’m very excited to be
here, and it is going to be very
much fun today, to once again
stand together, people from all
around the world, for one com-
mon cause that is very empow-
ering. It is very moving to see
everyone, everyone who is so
passionate to march and strike,
people of all ages, all genera-
tions, so yeah, it is a very good
day, I would say.”
She was greeted as a “young
warrior lady” by Assembly of
First Nations National Chief
Perry Bellegarde and marchers
honoured her with signs de-
claring, “Make the world Greta
again.”
Pier-Luc Journault, bran-
dishing such a sign, said he ap-
preciated Thunberg’s straight
talk.
❱❱ PAGE 18 Teen climate
16
Nothing ‘sinister’ about airport questioning
of Huawei exec Meng Wanzhou: Crown
BY LAURA KANE
The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — The actions of
Canadian officials during the
arrest of Huawei Technologies
executive Meng Wanzhou at
Vancouver’s airport were “not
at all sinister” and followed
their legal obligations, a Crown
prosecutor says.
Robert Frater, a lawyer repre-
senting the Attorney General of
Canada, said the defence has al-
leged that Canadian and United
States officials conspired to
conduct a covert criminal in-
vestigation at the airport on
Dec. 1, 2018.
Border officers held Meng for
three hours before the RCMP
executed a provisional arrest
warrant at the request of the
U.S., which is seeking her extra-
dition on fraud charges linked
to the alleged violation of sanc-
tions against Iran.
There is “nothing to” the
defence allegations that the
Mounties and the Canada Bor-
der Services agency ignored
their legal obligation to execute
the arrest warrant immediately
or covered up a secret illegal
investigation, Frater told a B.C.
Supreme Court judge on Mon-
day.
“The RCMP and CBSA car-
ried out their duties in accor-
dance with their statutory ob-
ligations,” the lawyer said. “The
evidence of a conspiracy is non-
existent. Because the conspir-
acy is non-existent, there was
nothing to cover up.”
Meng, who is the Chinese
tech giant’s chief financial of-
ficer and the daughter of its
founder, denies any wrongdo-
ing. Her lawyers are in B.C. Su-
preme Court seeking further
documents ahead of her extra-
dition trial in January.
The defence is requesting
Meng Wanzhou. STOCKED HOUSE STUDIO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
documents that it believes will
prove its allegations of an un-
lawful arrest and coverup. But
the Crown argued that it has
already produced voluminous
disclosure, including officers’
notes and surveillance video.
Frater said Meng’s question-
ing at the airport was hardly
“covert,” since various activi-
ties were videotaped, audio
taped and subject to notes, and
if it was an “investigation” it
produced paltry results.
It produced two statements
from Meng, neither of which
remotely prejudiced her rights
or demonstrated any impropri-
ety by officers involved, he said.
Frater added her electronic
devices and passcodes were le-
gally seized, but the items were
not searched by the RCMP or
border officers. Since the Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation
has said it doesn’t want the de-
vices, Canada has been trying
for two months to return them
to Meng, Frater said.
The defence has claimed that
the seizure of electronic devices
was a U.S. priority that Canada
accepted “without question.”
However, Frater said an offi-
cer’s notes merely state that ev-
idence should be preserved as
there will be a request from the
FBI. All these notes establish
is that there was co-operation
between Canadian and U.S. au-
thorities, because by definition
extradition is a form of interna-
tional co-operation, he said.
The defence’s argument
amounts to a “provocatively
stated proposition” unsup-
ported by facts that does not ad-
vance their case one bit, he said.
“That is the sort of technique
that is usually found in the
tackle box of someone on a fish-
ing expedition,” he added.
Frater said the defence alleges
that on Nov. 30, 2018, the RCMP
hatched a plan to board Meng’s
plane when it landed and im-
mediately arrest her. He said the
defence claims the plan changed
during a morning meeting on
Dec. 1, when it was decided the
border agency would conduct
a covert criminal investigation
www.canadianinquirer.net
and cover it up.
Although it’s true that border
officers present at the meet-
ing didn’t take notes, RCMP
officers did take notes that
mentioned the border agency’s
presence at the table, Frater
said.
There is nothing improper
and much that is logical about
delaying an arrest until a per-
son is admitted into a country,
he added. Border officers are
required by law to examine a
traveller’s admissibility and do
not have the authority to ex-
ecute an arrest warrant under
the Extradition Act, he said.
The defence has said it was
a “foregone conclusion” that
Meng would enter Canada to be
arrested and, further, the CBSA
did not actually finish Meng’s
admissibility examination. It
instead suspended it without
a decision, at which point the
RCMP executed the warrant.
Meng’s lawyers have also
questioned why a border of-
ficer asked Meng about Hua-
wei’s business dealings in Iran.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
Frater responded that the bor-
der agency must ask questions
about any alleged criminal be-
haviour to determine a travel-
ler’s admissibility.
Justice Heather Holmes
pushed back on this point,
questioning what would have
happened if Meng had admitted
to criminality in the interview
with the border officer.
“He would make a decision
about admissibility,” Frater re-
plied.
Later, Crown lawyer Diba
Majzub said even if a travel-
ler is deemed inadmissible, the
RCMP can execute an arrest
warrant while the person is in
detention or after they’ve been
released with conditions pend-
ing a hearing.
Frater also said there was
nothing inappropriate about
the search of Meng’s seven bags
of luggage, noting travellers are
often subjected to this inconve-
nience at the border.
He said the Crown has al-
ready produced more disclo-
sure than is legally required. On
Monday, they turned over more
documents, including addi-
tional notes taken by an RCMP
officer several days after he at-
tended the Dec. 1 meeting.
But he said the defence is
“fishing” by asking for docu-
ments from people tangentially
involved in the case, such as
individuals copied on an email
chain.
“They have the notes of the
RCMP officers at the meet-
ing. They have the notes of the
CBSA officers and they know
the CBSA officers’ notes don’t
deal with the meeting,” Frater
said.
“My friends are annoyed be-
cause none of this substanti-
ates their theory that this is the
meeting where the covert crim-
inal investigation and a coverup
were launched.” ■
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
Fire damages historic
Winnipeg building that’s
being turned into a hotel
THE CANADIAN PRESS
WINNIPEG — Firefighters
were forced to remain outside
a blaze at a historic Winnipeg
high-rise on Sunday due to ren-
ovations that have been under-
way to turn the building into a
Hyatt Place hotel.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic
Service responded to the Kee-
wayden Building, also known
as the Crowley Building, at 2:35
a.m. and encountered heavy
flames that engulfed the roof of
the seven-storey structure.
Assistant chief Jay Shaw
told reporters at the scene
that burning roofing material
fell down the elevator shaft,
spreading the flames into the
basement.
Initially, Shaw says some fire-
fighters went into the building,
but a news release from the city
says they were forced to retreat
because the building’s water
suppression systems weren’t
working.
Shaw says crews lauched an
attack on the flames from the
Re-elected Liberals would still run
big deficits, despite new taxes
BY JOAN BRYDEN
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau
tried to make virtue out of red
ink Sunday as he released a Lib-
eral platform that promises to
impose new taxes on wealthy
individuals, large international
corporations, foreign housing
speculators and tech giants to
help cover the cost of billions
in new spending and tax breaks
for the middle class.
Even with the new taxes, the
platform projects another four
years of deficits if the Liber-
als are re-elected on Oct. 21 —
$27.4 billion next year, falling to
$21 billion by the fourth year of
the mandate.
But in a news conference
at the University of Toronto’s
outside, and were assisted by
some of the scaffolding on the
exterior of the building.
According to the city’s list
of historic resources, the Kee-
wayden Building near the cor-
ner of Portage and Main was
completed in 1909 and origi-
nally housed offices and later
became a clothing factory.
“On first arrival, crews did
make entry to try and see what
they could do. The stairwells
were full of smoke and heat.
And with the heavy load of fire
on the roof they retreated out
and started to set up a defensive
attack with aerial apparatus,”
Shaw said on Sunday morning.
Shaw said there were no re-
ports of injuries and no reports
of anyone having been inside.
At the time he spoke with re-
porters, Shaw said the flames
appeared to be contained to
the sixth and seventh floors. He
said he hoped they would be out
within several hours, and antic-
ipated crews would remain at
the scene until the evening.
The cause is under investiga-
tion.
Mississauga campus, Trudeau
made it clear he’s leaning in to
the old tax-and-spend Liberal
reputation in order to establish
“I can tell you that build-
ings are most at risk at birth,
at death, and at renovations,”
Shaw said.
An email from Sian Ryland-
er, a spokesperson for Hyatt,
confirmed that the building is
under development as a Hyatt
Place and experienced an “iso-
lated fire.” The email directed
further inquiries to local au-
thorities.
The city’s list of historic re-
sources says the building was
designed by Winnipeg architect
and contractor James McDi-
armid, who also completed the
Manitoba Legislative Building
and the Law Courts Building in
Winnipeg.
Originally it was an office
building for architects, insur-
ance companies and merchant
agencies. But in the late 1920s,
the Jacob-Crowley company
moved its clothing factory there
and stayed until 1954.
During the Second World
War, list of historic resources
says the company made 75,000
garments for the army and
navy. ■
JUSTIN TRUDEAU / FACEBOOK
an important point of distinc-
tion from his arch-rivals.
❱❱ PAGE 33 Re-elected Liberals
www.canadianinquirer.net
Canada News
Pope Francis. ALETEIA IMAGE DEPARTMENT / FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0
Canadian man’s
sculpture of refugees
unveiled by Pope
Francis in Vatican City
THE CANADIAN PRESS
VATICAN CITY — A Canadian
artist’s sculpture has been un-
veiled in St. Peter’s Square by
Pope Francis as part of a Mass
for the World Day for Migrants
and Refugees.
“I wanted this artistic work
here in St. Peter’s Square to
remind everyone of the evan-
gelical challenge of hospitality,”
Francis said.
The work in bronze and clay
by Timothy Schmalz of Kitch-
ener, Ont., depicts more than
100 migrants and refugees from
different cultural and racial
backgrounds and time periods.
Schmalz, who travelled to the
Vatican City for the unveiling, said
it was amazing that the sculpture,
called “Angels Unawares,” was in
the square as a visual reminder
that everyone is welcome.
It was inspired by a Bible pas-
sage and includes a pair of angel
wings rising from among the
crowd on a boat.
“The idea is spiritually cen-
tred, with the angel wings in the
centre,” he said. “It brings the
idea that we are sacred and we
are all, in a sense, worthy of hu-
man dignity and respect.”
Schmalz said it was an impor-
tant message to spread as people
become more fearful of strang-
ers and isolated by technology.
17
“What’s happening is a dis-
connect towards humanity.
What’s happening with this is a
fear of the other, big time.”
Schmalz, who described him-
self as a “hard core Christian,”
said he got the commission af-
ter the Vatican learned of his
sculpture depicting Jesus as
a homeless person, copies of
which are now touring in major
cities around the world.
The sculpture for St. Peter’s
Square was the culmination
of well over a year of “obses-
sive work, obsessive sculpting,”
with 140 people depicted in the
piece, he said.
Schmalz said that while he
and Francis did not speak the
same language, the pope still
gave him a message.
“He looked at me and he put
his hands on his heart, and that
was more than an artist could
possibly hope for.”
Many migrants and refugees
from conflicts throughout the
world attended the mass, which
closed with the unveiling of the
statue. During the mass, a mul-
tiethnic chorus sang and the in-
cense burned came from a refu-
gee camp in southern Ethiopia.
This report by The Canadian
Press was first published Sept.
29, 2019. ■
with files from The Associated
Press.
18
Teen climate...
❰❰ 15 “I think it’s a good thing, be-
cause leaders today don’t take
action, so we should listen to
her. Even though she’s young she has
great ideas,” Journault said.
“She was at the right place at the right
moment in the right era, and I think
she’ll go far.”
It was in August 2018 that she began her
weekly “strikes” dubbed Fridays for Fu-
ture in front of the Swedish parliament.
Now, in the space of a year, Thunberg has
joined the select group of international
celebrities recognizable by a single name.
Doug Miller, a member of the Montre-
al chapter of Elders for Environmental
Justice, says her appeal comes from her
“magnificent simplicity.”
“It’s absolutely simple, but it’s based
on science,” Miller said as he prepared to
march. “People are calling it an emotion-
al response. Listen to her. She’s giving you
the facts and laying it out very clearly.”
Miller, a grandfather of nine, said
Thunberg’s message is one that spans
generations.
“She really speaks for a generation
I believe and is so articulate, but she’s
not alone. Look around here,” he said.
“These are smart kids. They’re ready
to go, and if the elders aren’t listening,
they’re going to be in for a shock.”
Canada News
Eve Grenier Houde, who heads up the
local chapter of Fridays for Future and
has been organizing demonstrations
since February, said she was amazed
with the turnout.
“I remember in February, we were
stressed out, we were 100 and even the
police officers told us we had to be much
more,” Grenier Houde said. “To see the
mobilization today, I’m very happy, but
we have a lot more work to do.”
As for why Thunberg finds herself un-
der attack by certain segments of soci-
ety, the activist said doesn’t really know
why, but doesn’t mind it.
“I don’t understand why grown-ups
would choose to mock children and
teenagers for just communicating and
acting on the science when they could
do something good instead,” Thunberg
said. “But I guess they must feel like
their world view, or their interests, or
whatever it is, is threatened by us, and
that we should take as a compliment.”
Suzuki said Thunberg’s Asperger’s
syndrome — may be her saving grace.
“The Asperger’s may very well be …
she calls it her super power. The condi-
tion, you can tell, she doesn’t care what
the others are saying,” Suzuki said.
“I can’t even imagine the pressure
she’s under.” ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. ZELENSKYYUA / TWITTER
Ukraine’s leader: We can’t be
ordered to investigate Biden
BY ANGELA CHARLTON
AND DMYTRO VLASOV
The Associated Press
KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukraine’s president
says his country can’t be pressured into
opening an investigation into Demo-
cratic presidential candidate Joe Biden
or his son.
And both Ukraine and rival Russia are
pushing back at the White House for re-
leasing a transcript of a private phone
call between U.S. President Donald
Trump and another world leader.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is
trying to contain damage at home and
abroad after the world learned last week
that Trump pushed him to “look into”
Biden and his son Hunter, who served
on the board of a troubled Ukrainian gas
company.
“We cannot be ordered to do anything.
We are an independent country,” Zel-
enskiy told reporters Monday during a
visit to a Ukrainian military base, when
asked about Trump’s request.
“We are open, we are ready to in-
vestigate, but it has nothing to do with
me. Our independent law enforcement
agencies are ready to investigate any
violations of the law,” he said. He didn’t
elaborate on what could trigger an even-
tual probe.
The Ukrainian president reiterated
his criticism of the White House deci-
sion to release a rough transcript of the
July phone call in which Trump dis-
cussed the Bidens with Zelenskiy. The
call sparked a Congressional impeach-
ment inquiry now dominating the U.S.
political landscape.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine would prob-
ably not release its own transcript of the
call, because “there are certain nuances
and things that I think would be wrong
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
to publish.”
The Kremlin — accused of meddling
in the 2016 U.S. election in Trump’s fa-
vour — appears to agree.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s
spokesman said Monday that tran-
scripts of calls between him and Trump
can only be published by mutual accord.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that
“diplomatic practice doesn’t envisage
such publications.”
The political furor over the Trump-
Zelenskiy call has come as a severe test
for Zelenskiy, a comedian who promised
to uproot Ukraine’s endemic corruption
and end fighting with Russia-backed
separatists in Ukraine’s east. The tran-
script portrays Zelenskiy as flattering
Trump and trying to stay in his good
graces.
A top Ukrainian presidential adviser,
Andriy Yermak, insisted that Ukraine
wants to maintain good relations with
both Democrats and Republicans, and
doesn’t want to get tangled up in U.S. po-
litical tensions.
“What is happening there is internal
U.S. political doings, and we will not
take part in this in any way,” he said on
Ukraine’s 1+1 television Sunday night.
He noted that Ukraine wants to retain
good relations with both sides because it
needs U.S. support — no matter who is in
charge of the White House or Congress.
“We see the U.S. as our friend, our
strategic partner,” he said.
Yermak met with Trump lawyer Rudy
Giuliani earlier this year, as Giuliani
pressed Ukraine to investigate the
Bidens.
Zelenskiy sought to play down the
situation involving Biden and his son’s
activities in Ukraine, calling it just one
of many similar cases he discusses with
❱❱ PAGE 21 Ukraine’s leader
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
25 dead after Boris Johnson says UK will
extremists attack army submit concrete Brexit proposals
camps in central Mali
BY BABA AHMED
AND ARSENE KABORE
The Associated Press
BAMAKO, MALI — Al-Qaida-
linked groups attacked two
army bases in central Mali, kill-
ing at least 25 people and leav-
ing 60 missing, Mali’s govern-
ment said Tuesday.
Assailants rode into the com-
munity of Boulikessi with heavy
weaponry overnight Sunday to
Monday to attack a Malian bat-
talion of the regional G5 Sahel
Force, said a force commander,
Niger Gen. Oumarou Namatou
Gazama. He blamed “the ter-
rorist group” Ansarul Islam.
Mali’s government said that
after exchanges of gunfire, the
army had retaken Boulikessi,
killing at least 15 extremists
and destroying five of their ve-
hicles. It said a joint force with
Burkina Faso soldiers was pur-
suing the extremists behind the
attacks.
The attack on the camp
caused “heavy equipment loss-
es and major damage,” Malian
government spokesman Yaya
Sangare said earlier in a state-
Trump sought Australia’s help on Russia probe origins
BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President
Donald Trump recently asked
the Australian prime minister
and other foreign leaders to
help Attorney General William
Barr with an investigation into
the origins of the Russia probe
that shadowed his administra-
tion for more than two years,
the Justice Department said
Monday.
The revelation underscores
the extent to which Trump re-
mains consumed by special
counsel Robert Mueller’s inves-
tigation, and the ways in which
he has used the apparatus of the
United States government to
investigate what he believes are
its politically motivated origins.
It also highlights Barr’s hands-
ment.
Around the same time early
Monday, armed men attacked
another army camp in Mon-
doro.
A resident there said two ci-
vilians were among the casual-
ties. He spoke on condition of
anonymity because of fears for
his safety.
Meanwhile, nearly 30 people
have been killed in Burkina
Faso’s Bam province the past
two weeks, including 17 over
the weekend, according to the
provincial high commissioner,
Ambrose Ouedraogo. The vio-
lence in the municipalities of
Zimtenga and Bourzanga has
displaced nearly 19,000 people
in the past three days, he said.
Extremists have gained a
larger foothold in Burkina Fa-
so’s north in the past few years,
staging more attacks near its
borders with Mali and Niger.
Hundreds have been killed. ■
Associated Press writer Baba
Ahmed reported this story in
Bamako and AP writer Arsene
Kabore reported from Ouaga-
dougou, Burkina Faso.
on role in leading that inves-
tigation, including travelling
overseas for personal meetings
with foreign law enforcement
officials.
Trump’s interactions with
foreign leaders — and Barr’s
role in those discussions — are
under heightened scrutiny now
that the House has launched an
impeachment inquiry into the
president. The probe centres
on Trump’s summertime call
with Ukraine’s president, re-
vealed by a whistleblower CIA
intelligence officer, in which
Trump presses for help investi-
gating Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump has heaped praise on
Barr since he took the helm of the
Justice Department earlier this
year, viewing him as a key ally
for his political agenda, including
his push to “investigate the in-
vestigators” in the Russia probe.
BY JILL LAWLESS
The Associated Press
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
— British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson said Tuesday that “this
is the moment when the rubber
hits the road,” as his govern-
ment prepared at last to make
firm proposals for a new divorce
deal with the European Union.
Britain is due to leave the
28-nation bloc at the end of
this month, and EU leaders
are growing impatient with
the U.K.’s failure to set out de-
tailed plans for maintaining an
open border between Northern
Ireland and Ireland — the key
sticking point to a deal.
The U.K. plans to send them to
Brussels within days of the gov-
erning Conservative Party con-
ference ending in Manchester,
northern England, on Wednes-
day. Johnson said details would
be disclosed “very soon.”
Johnson says Britain will
leave the EU on the scheduled
Oct. 31 date, with or without
a deal on the terms. An agree-
ment between the EU and his
predecessor, Theresa May, was
rejected three times by the U.K.
Parliament, largely because of
opposition to the “backstop,”
But the Justice Department has
denied Barr had any knowledge
that Trump encouraged Ukraine
to work with him on a separate
investigation into Biden.
The president has sought,
without evidence, to implicate
the Bidens in the kind of cor-
ruption that has long plagued
Ukraine. Hunter Biden served
on the board of a Ukrainian gas
company at the same time his
father was leading the Obama
administration’s diplomatic
dealings with Kyiv.
Though the timing raised
concerns among anti-corrup-
tion advocates, there has been
no evidence of wrongdoing by
either the former vice-presi-
dent or his son. There is no evi-
dence that Biden’s son was ever
under investigation in Ukraine.
The July 25 call by Trump to
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr
www.canadianinquirer.net
World News
an insurance policy designed to
ensure there is no return to cus-
toms posts or other infrastruc-
ture on the Irish border.
An open border underpins both
the local economy and Northern
Ireland’s peace process.
U.K. Brexit supporters op-
pose the backstop because it
would keep the U.K. tightly
bound to EU trade rules in or-
der to avoid customs checks —
limiting its ability to strike new
trade deals around the world.
“There is no point in doing
Brexit if you stay locked in the
customs union and locked in
the single market with no say,”
Johnson told the BBC.
He didn’t say what Britain’s
proposed alternative is. So far
the U.K. has floated the idea of
Zelenskiy prodding him to dig
up dirt on Biden was separate
from the numerous conversa-
tions Trump had with foreign
leaders as part of the investiga-
tion into the Russia probe.
Justice spokeswoman Kerri
Kupec said Trump made those
calls on Barr’s behalf.
“At Attorney General Barr’s
request, the President has con-
tacted other countries to ask
them to introduce the Attorney
General and Mr. Durham to ap-
propriate officials,” Kupec said.
Trump was requesting help
for U.S. Attorney John Dur-
ham’s investigation into the
origins of special counsel Muel-
ler’s probe into Russian inter-
ference in the 2016 election.
The investigation outraged
Trump, who cast it as a politi-
cally motivated “witch hunt.”
Durham’s investigation has
19
BORIS JOHNSON / FACEBOOK
a common area for livestock
and agricultural products, plus
largely untested “technological
solutions.” The EU says that is
inadequate.
Ireland’s deputy prime min-
ister also rejected an idea float-
ed in preliminary U.K. papers
for customs posts a few miles
away from the border.
Simon Coveney called the
idea a “non-starter” and tweet-
ed: “Time the EU had a serious
proposal from the UK Govt if
a #Brexit deal is to be achiev-
able in October. NI and IRE de-
serves better!”
Johnson said the idea was
not going to be included in the
U.K.’s submission.
“That’s not what we’re pro-
posing at all,” he said. ■
been cheered by Trump allies,
who believe the original FBI
probe into Russia’s election in-
terference was driven by Dem-
ocrats.
Barr travelled to Italy last
week with Durham, where the
two met with government offi-
cials as part of the investigation,
a person familiar with the mat-
ter told The Associated Press.
As part of his investigation,
Durham is examining what led
the U.S. to open a counterin-
telligence investigation on the
Trump campaign and the roles
various countries played in that
probe. The attorney general’s
presence on the trip exempli-
fies how much of an active role
the nation’s chief law enforce-
ment officer is taking in over-
seeing the investigation.
❱❱ PAGE 20 Trump sought
20
China’s Xi renews commitment to Hong Kong
amid protests
BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
The Associated Press
BEIJING — Chinese Commu-
nist Party leader and President
Xi Jinping on Monday renewed
his government’s commitment
to allowing Hong Kong to man-
age its own affairs amid con-
tinuing anti-government pro-
tests in the semi-autonomous
Chinese territory.
Xi made his remarks at a re-
ception on the eve of a mas-
sive celebration of the People’s
Republic’s 70th anniversary
that threatens to be marred by
clashes between police and an-
ti-government demonstrators
in Hong Kong.
Demonstrators and police
clashed for a second straight
day on Sunday in Hong Kong,
sparking further chaos in the
city’s business and shopping
belt and drawing fears of more
ugly scenes during the week-
long National Day holiday.
“We will continue to fully and
faithfully implement the prin-
ciples of’One country, two sys-
tems’ (and) ‘Hong Kong people
administering Hong Kong,”‘Xi
said according to a printed copy
of his remarks.
China’s approach is to ensure
that Hong Kong and its fellow
semi-autonomous region of
Macao “prosper and progress
alongside the mainland and
embrace an even brighter fu-
ture,” Xi said.
Earlier Monday, Xi led other
top officials in paying respects
to the founder of the Commu-
nist state, Mao Zedong, ahead
of the massive celebrations em-
phasizing China’s rise to global
prominence.
Trump sought...
❰❰ 19 Mueller wrapped
up his report ear-
lier this year with
an inconclusive finding about
Trump — the president was
not charged with any crimes,
but Mueller pointedly said he
did not exonerate Trump. The
president promptly called for
an investigation into the origins
of the Mueller probe.
Justice officials said that has
involved seeking help from
World News
The unusual move saw Xi
bow three times to Mao’s statue
at his mausoleum in the centre
of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square
and pay his respects to Mao’s
embalmed corpse, which has
lain in state in the hulking
chamber since soon after his
death in 1976. It was believed
to be the first visit to the mau-
soleum by Xi and other officials
since 2013, the 120th anniver-
sary of Mao’s birth.
Xi also ascended the nearby
Monument to the People’s He-
roes to pay further tribute on
what has been designated Mar-
tyr’s Day, just ahead of Tues-
day’s National Day festivities,
which will be marked by a mas-
sive military parade through
the centre of the city of 20 mil-
lion people.
Along with other top party
officials, more than 4,000 Chi-
nese, including elderly military
veterans and retired senior offi-
cials, “relatives of martyrs, hon-
orees of national medals and
honorary titles,” and members
of the party’s youth organiza-
tion visited the monument to
lay flowers and wreaths.
Sept. 30 was designated Mar-
tyr’s Day by China’s legislature
in 2014, a year after Xi became
president and began redou-
bling propaganda efforts to
promote patriotism and glorify
the party, as well as to cultivate
a cult of personality surround-
ing himself unseen since the
time of Mao.
The nationwide celebrations
seek to highlight China’s enor-
mous transformation from an
impoverished state ravaged
by Japan’s World War II inva-
sion and a following civil war
into the world’s second-largest
numerous foreign countries,
including Australia. The FBI’s
counterintelligence investi-
gation that later became the
Mueller probe was triggered,
in part, from a tip from an Aus-
tralian diplomat. George Pa-
padopoulos, a former Trump
campaign adviser, had told the
diplomat, Alexander Downer,
in May 2016 that Russia had
thousands of stolen emails that
would be potentially damaging
economy. China now sits on the
cutting edge of breakthrough
technologies such as artificial
intelligence and 5G communi-
cations and its growing military
and diplomatic clout increas-
ingly challenges U.S. leadership.
On Tuesday, Xi is expected
to preside from atop iconic Ti-
ananmen Gate over a parade
that will display China’s rapidly
developing arsenal, possibly
including the nuclear-capable
Dongfeng 41 missile that could
reach the United States in 30
minutes. Plans call for 15,000
troops, more than 160 aircraft
and 580 pieces of military
equipment to take part in the
event.
The display of military prow-
ess is seen as a way to under-
score Beijing’s ambition to en-
force claims to self-governing
Taiwan, virtually the entire
South China Sea and territory
held by Japan.
The anniversary comes as
China appears more stable than
ever, 30 years after the party
used its military to crush a pro-
democracy movement centred
on Tiananmen Square. Xi has
revived theatrical expressions
of love of party and state that
were popular under Mao and
has rallied the nation to his call
for the attainment of a “Chi-
nese Dream” of global promi-
nence, all while cracking down
ruthlessly on any sign of politi-
cal dissent.
Xi faces no serious politi-
cal rivals and has brought the
party to heel through a wide-
ranging anti-corruption drive.
Last year, he cemented his role
as China’s most powerful ruler
of the modern era by amend-
ing the constitution to remove
to Hillary Clinton.
Papadopoulos, who served
as a foreign policy adviser to
Trump’s campaign, had learned
from a Maltese professor that
Russia had “dirt” on Clinton in
the form of stolen emails. The
FBI’s investigation into po-
tential co-ordination between
Russia and the Trump cam-
paign later morphed into part
of Mueller’s probe.
One official said Trump told
www.canadianinquirer.net
Chinese Communist Party leader and President Xi Jinping.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE / FLICKR, CC BY 2.0
presidential term limits, sweep-
ing away years of efforts to sys-
tematize leadership transitions
and prevent the concentration
of power in any one individual.
At the same time, Xi faces a
slowing economy, an aging pop-
ulation and an ongoing dispute
over trade and technology with
the U.S. that has restricted Chi-
na’s access to American tech-
nology and hit its imports with
tariffs. Beijing has responded
with duties on American prod-
ucts, and the escalating trade
war threatens the global econ-
omy.
The protracted unrest in
Hong Kong, approaching four
months, has meanwhile bat-
tered the city’s economy, with
tourism plunging.
Many people view China as
chipping away at the autonomy
and freedoms Hong Kong was
promised when the former
British colony returned to Chi-
nese rule in 1997, while Beijing
has accused the U.S. and other
foreign powers of fomenting
Prime Minister Scott Morrison
that the attorney general would
be contacting his Australian
counterpart.
Morrison’s office said in a
statement, “The Australian
government has always been
ready to assist and co-operate
with efforts that help shed fur-
ther light on the matters under
investigation.”
“The P.M. confirmed this
readiness once again in con-
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
the unrest in a bid to smear its
reputation and weaken its con-
trol.
Despite speculation that
China may be running out of
patience with the protests, Bei-
jing has yet to take radical steps
such as sending in military
forces to quell unrest.
Elsewhere in his remarks,
Xi hailed China’s develop-
ment achievements over the
last seven decades, especially
its success in largely wiping
out absolute poverty. He at-
tributed those successes to the
party’s leadership and called
for absolute unity around the
90 million-member body to
write a “more brilliant chapter”
toward realizing the “Chinese
Dream.”
Xi also touched on the issue
of Taiwan, which China has
vowed to annex by force if nec-
essary.
Taiwan’s incorporation into
China is “an inevitable trend”
and “no one and no force can
ever stop it,” Xi said. ■
versation with the President,”
the statement said, referring to
Morrison.
Papadopoulos pleaded guilty
to lying to the FBI about the
2016 conversation with the
professor, Joseph Mifsud, and
served a nearly two-week sen-
tence in federal prison. ■
Associated Press writer Rod Mc-
Guirk in Canberra, Australia,
contributed to this report.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
Hong Kong police fire tear gas at rally ahead
of anniversary
BY EILEEN NG
The Associated Press
HONG KONG — Riot police fired tear
gas Sunday after a large crowd of pro-
testers at a Hong Kong shopping district
ignored warnings to disperse in a second
straight day of clashes, sparking fears of
more violence ahead of China’s National
Day.
Police cordoned off part of a street at
Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay area after a
large crowd started to amass for an anti-
China rally. Shops were shuttered and
the atmosphere was tense as protesters
chanted slogans and hurled abuse at po-
lice.
The crowd swelled to more than 1,000
people, with many spilling into adjacent
streets. Police issued several warnings
to the crowd that they were participat-
ing in an illegal assembly. Officers later
fired tear gas canisters to clear a main
thoroughfare after some protesters
threw bottles and other objects in their
direction. Several people were detained.
Sunday’s gathering, a continuation of
monthslong protests for greater democ-
racy in the semi-autonomous Chinese
territory, is part of global “anti-total-
itarianism” rallies planned in over 60
cities worldwide to denounce “Chinese
tyranny.”
On Saturday, police also fired tear
gas and water cannons after protesters
threw bricks and firebombs at govern-
ment buildings following a massive rally
in downtown Hong Kong. The clashes
were part of a familiar cycle since pro-
tests began in June over a now-shelved
extradition bill and have since snow-
balled into an anti-China movement.
Protesters are also planning to march
on Tuesday despite a police ban, spark-
ing fears of more ugly scenes that could
embarrass Chinese President Xi Jinping
as his ruling Communist Party marks its
70th year in power.
Many said they will wear mourning
black in a direct challenge to the author-
ity of the Communist Party, with posters
calling for Oct. 1 to be marked as “A Day
of Grief.”
Ukraine’s leader...
❰❰ 18 foreign leaders.
The head of Ukraine’s Spe-
cialized Anti-Corruption
Prosecutor’s Office said last week that
Ukrainian authorities have not yet seen
information that would signal possible
wrongdoing by Biden or his son or a rea-
son to question them.
Meanwhile, Zelenskiy sought Mon-
World News 21
Hong Kong’s government has already
scaled down National Day celebrations
in the city, cancelling an annual firework
display and moving a reception indoor.
Despite security concerns, the gov-
ernment said Sunday that Chief Execu-
tive Carrie Lam will lead a delegation of
over 240 people to Beijing on Monday
to participate in the festivities. She will
be represented by Chief Secretary Mat-
thew Cheung in her absence and return
to the city on Tuesday evening.
Lam held her first community dia-
logue with the public on Thursday in a
bid to diffuse tensions but failed to per-
suade protesters, who vowed to press
on until their demands including direct
elections for the city’s leader and police
accountability are met.
Earlier Sunday, hundreds of pro-Bei-
jing supporters gathered at a waterfront STUDIO INCENDO / FLICKR, CC BY 2.0
cultural centre in a counter show of
solidarity for Chinese rule. Wearing red Hong Kong’s freedom and accused the plementation of the “one country, two
and carrying Chinese flags and posters, U.S. and other foreign powers of foment- systems” policy. Tung, the first leader
they chanted “I am a citizen of China” ing the unrest to weaken its dominance. after Hong Kong’s return to China, was
and sang the national anthem and hap- In Beijing on Sunday, former Hong among 42 people who received national
py birthday to China. They were later Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa was rec- medals and honours from Xi for their
bused to the Victoria Peak hilltop for the ognized for devoting himself to the im- contributions to the country. ■
same repertoire.
Organizer Innes Tang saidthe crowd,
all Hong Kong citizens, responded to his
invitation on social media to “promote
positivityand patriotism” and urged
protesters to replace violence with dia-
logue.
“We want to take this time for the
people to express our love for our coun-
try China. We want to show the interna-
tional community that there is another Are you an
voice to Hong Kong” apart from the pro- Internationally
tests, he said.
Mobs of pro-Beijing supporters have Trained Professional
appeared in malls and on the streets in in need of financial
recent weeks to counter pro-democracy
protesters, leading to brawls between support for your
the rival camps. Foreign Credential
Many people view the extradition bill,
that would have sent criminal suspects Recognition?
to mainland China for trial, as a glaring
example of the erosion of Hong Kong’s
For more information contact:
autonomy under the “one country, two
systems” policy when the former British 778-372-6609
colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. globaltalentloans@issbc.org
issbc.org/globaltalentloans
China has denied chipping away at
Global Talent Loans program
is delivered in partnership with
Funded in part by the Government
of Canada’s Foreign Credential
Recognition Program
day to show he is taking control of his
domestic political problems by firing
his national security chief, Oleksandr
Danilyuk. The move came after infight-
ing among camps in Ukraine’s power
structures. ■
Global Talent Loans Program
Yuras Karmanau in Minsk and Vladimir
Isachenkov in Moscow contributed.
www.canadianinquirer.net
22
Hong Kong activist Joshua
Wong to run for local office
BY EILEEN NG
The Associated Press
HONG KONG — Prominent
Hong Kong activist Joshua
Wong announced plans Satur-
day to contest local elections
and warned that any attempt
to disqualify him will only spur
more support for monthslong
pro-democracy protests.
His announcement came
ahead of a major rally later Satur-
day to mark the fifth anniversary
of the Umbrella protests, where
he first shot to fame as a youth
leader. During the Umbrella
Movement, protesters occupied
key thoroughfares in the city for
79 days to demand for free elec-
tions for the city’s leaders but
failed to win any concession.
Wong, 22, said he will run in
district council elections in No-
vember and that the vote is cru-
cial to send a message to Beijing
Scheer, Singh...
❰❰ 14 we didn’t win in the
last election.”
Kenney, who drove
Scheer to the event in a blue
pickup, told the crowd that his
pal will be a prime minister “we
will never have to be embar-
rassed about.”
The Conservatives have been
trying to sell voters on their
pledge to construct a cross-
Canada energy corridor to
transport oil, gas, hydroelec-
tricity and telecommunica-
tions. Scheer insisted it would
improve certainty for investors,
address environmental and so-
cial concerns up front, and de-
liver economic benefits for all
Canadians.
He didn’t provide a cost or a
timeline for the project, which
would likely face tough negoti-
ations with Indigenous Peoples
and the provinces — especially
Quebec.
Singh, meanwhile, cam-
paigned for a fifth consecutive
day in British Columbia, where
the NDP won 14 seats in 2015.
He’s running for re-election in
the Vancouver-area riding of
Burnaby South.
Singh made an announce-
ment aboard a ferry en route
from Victoria on Vancouver
World News
that the people are more de-
termined than ever to win the
battle for more rights.
“Five years ago, we claimed
that we will be back and now
we are back with even stronger
determination,” he told a news
conference. “The battle ahead
is the battle for our home and
our homeland.”
Wong, who has been arrested
and jailed repeatedly, saidhe is
aware that he could be disquali-
fied. Members of theDemo-
sisto party that he co-founded
in 2016 have in the past been
disqualified from serving and
running for office because they
advocated self-determination.
He said the political censor-
ship by Beijing showed an ero-
sion of Hong Kong’s autonomy
under the “one country, two
systems” framework when the
former British colony returned
to Chinese rule in 1996.
“If they disqualify me, it will
Island, a critical battleground
where the NDP is trying to hold
off the Greens.
An NDP government, Singh
said, would provide an addi-
tional $30 million of federal
funding towards British Co-
lumbia’s ferry system to help
provide more services and to
lower costs for commuters.
Singh has been making promis-
es tailored to B.C., in areas such
as housing affordability and
coastline protection.
“We know that B.C. is also a
province that also feels neglect-
ed — being on the West Coast
a lot of times people feel like
they’re ignored and I want to
make sure people in B.C. know
that I’ve got their back,” he said
when asked about all the at-
tention he’s been paying to the
province.
“We’re running a national
campaign and I’m looking for-
ward to being in every part of
Canada. I have the honour of be-
ing a national leader and it’s my
job to represent all of Canada.”
Singh, however, later said he
would “try” to visit every part
of Canada during the campaign.
He was asked by a reporter to
clarify whether that meant he
might not make stops in Alber-
just generate more and more
momentum … they will pay the
price,” he said.
Wong is on bail after he was
rearrested with several others
last month and charged with or-
ganizing an illegal rally. It didn’t
stop him from going to the U.S.,
Germany and Taiwan to drum
up support for the protest move-
ment that started in June over
an extradition bill but has since
snowballed into an anti-China
campaign. The now-shelved bill,
which would have sent some
criminal suspects for trial in
mainland China, is seen as a jar-
ring example of China’s intru-
sion into the city’s autonomy.
Wong’s activities have made
him a target of the Chinese gov-
ernment, which has used him
to accuse foreign powers of col-
luding with anti-China separat-
ists to foment unrest. Wong ac-
cused the government of trying
to frame prominent activists
ta, Prince Edward Island and in
every province.
“We will try,” Singh repeated
in French following an event in
Burnaby with poet and author
Rupi Kaur.
“It’s an election, it’s difficult
to anticipate everything that
will happen. But my commit-
ment is to be, as much as pos-
sible, everywhere in Canada.”
Since the start of the cam-
paign, the NDP leader has paid
considerable attention to B.C.
and Ontario. Singh has yet to
campaign in Alberta, Saskatch-
ewan, Newfoundland and Lab-
rador or P.E.I.
He visited New Brunswick
last Monday for the first time
since winning the party’s lead-
ership two years ago. He apol-
ogized for not getting there
sooner.
The NDP is trying to keep its
spending under control follow-
ing years of weak fundraising
and deep debt from the 2015
election. Second-quarter fund-
raising results released by Elec-
tions Canada showed the NDP
raised just $1.43 million during
those three months — slightly
less than the Greens and much
less than the Conservatives and
Liberals.
www.canadianinquirer.net
Joshua Wong during HK Protests 2014. SEADER, CC BY-SA 4.0
such as himself as a warning
to other protesters, but said it
would fail as the current unrest
has no centralized figureheads.
Apart from Saturday’s rally in
the city centre, protesters are
also planning global “anti-to-
talitarianism” rallies on Sunday
in Hong Kong and over 60 cities
worldwide to denounce what
they called “Chinese tyranny.”
But the biggest worry for
the government is on Tuesday.
Protesters plan a major march
downtown, sparking fears of a
Liberal Leader Justin
Trudeau was off the campaign
trail Saturday, pausing in Otta-
wa for the day before an expect-
ed platform-revealing event in
Mississauga, Ont., on Sunday.
Green Leader Elizabeth May
campaigned on Vancouver Is-
land and People’s Party Leader
Maxime Bernier was scheduled
to attend a fundraiser in his
Quebec riding of Beauce.
In Edmonton, Scheer was
asked about his biography on
the Conservative website, which
says he worked in the private
sector as an insurance broker
before entering public life.
A report published Saturday
by the Globe and Mail said it
found no record of Scheer ever
receiving the licence required
by law to work as an insurance
agent or a broker in his home
province of Saskatchewan.
“I did receive my accredita-
tion under the Canadian ac-
credited insurance broker pro-
gram and … I left the insurance
office before the licensing pro-
cess was finalized,” he said.
Scheer also defended his de-
cision to appear at a rally with
Kenney. The Alberta premier
has been a vocal cheerleader for
the province’s oil sector, which
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
bloody showdown that could
embarrass China’s ruling Com-
munist Party as it marks its
70th year in power with grand
festivities in Beijing. Pro-Bei-
jing groups have also vowed to
come out, adding to the tension.
Police have banned the
march but protesters have in
the past turned up anyway.
Hong Kong’s government has
toned down National Day cel-
ebrations, cancelling an annual
firework display and moving a
reception indoor. ■
is deeply unpopular in Quebec
due to Quebecers’ environmen-
tal concerns.
The Conservatives are hop-
ing to pick up more seats in
Quebec.
“I believe that Quebecers
know that it’s better to have
Canadian oil instead of oil that
comes from the United States,”
Scheer said in French, repeat-
ing an explanation he’s given
frequently.
“I don’t want to continue a
situation where the money of
Quebec consumers goes to the
economy of Donald Trump.
It makes no sense. I made my
choice, I prefer our own oil.”
Later in the day, Scheer said
that nothing drives him “more
crazy” than when people pro-
test Canadian energy being tak-
en out of the ground with what
he called the highest environ-
mental standards. He argued
profits from the sector pay for
roads, bridges and hospitals.
“I see people chaining them-
selves to trees or laying down in
front of bulldozers, but I don’t
see them lining up and down
the St. Lawrence (River) to pro-
test tanker after tanker of for-
eign oil coming into Canadian
markets.” ■

Entertainment
‘Abominable’ No.1 with $20.9M; Model wins $15M
Zellweger’s ‘Judy’ sings out rape lawsuit
BY JAKE COYLE
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — The Dream-
Works animated adventure
“Abominable” topped the box
office with $20.9 million in
ticket sales over the weekend,
according to studio estimates
Sunday, while the Renee Zell-
weger-led Judy Garland tale
“Judy” got off to a strong start.
“Abominable,” the week-
end’s sole new wide release, is
a co-production between Uni-
versal’s DreamWorks and the
Shanghai-based Pearl Studios.
So the $75 million-film’s per-
formance when it opens Tues-
day in China will be vital to its
worldwide success.
The film, written and di-
rected by Jill Culton, is about
a Shanghai teenager (Chloe
Bennet) who discovers a lost
yeti on the roof of her apart-
ment building. She and a pair
of friends traverse China to re-
turn the creature, whom they
name “Everest,” home to the
Himalayas. “Abominable” gar-
nered positive reviews (80% on
Rotten Tomatoes) and a warm
reception from audiences (an A
CinemaScore) eager for a fam-
ily friendly option.
“Abominable” marks the
seventh No. 1 film this year for
Universal, or eight if you count
“Downton Abbey,” released
by the studio’s specialty label,
Focus Features. “Downton,”
last week’s top film, slid to sec-
ond with $14.5 million. The
big-screen encore for the Brit-
ish series has already grossed
$107.1 million worldwide.
That gives Universal the
most No.1 movies of any stu-
dio this year, passing Disney.
Though Disney still commands
an overwhelming market share
of about 34%, Universal has
had a strong year with a varied
slate (“Us,” “Hobbs & Shaw,”
“Yesterday”). The studio ac-
counts for all three of the year’s
No.1-debuting original releases:
“Abominable,” “Us” and “Good
Boys.”
“It’s not going to be all su-
perheroes all the time. That’s
not necessarily going to be ev-
eryone’s cup of tea,” said Jim
Orr, distribution chief for Uni-
versal. “When we have films
like ‘Abominable,’ ‘Yesterday,’
‘Good Boys,’ ‘Us,’ we’re bring-
ing a lot of different people into
the theatres and that’s good for
everyone. That’s good for the
entire industry.”
It’s been a good run for origi-
nal films lately at the box office.
The stripper drama “Hustlers,”
from STX Entertainment, con-
tinued to hold strong with $11.5
million in its third week, drop-
ping just 32%. It’s now made
$80.6 million altogether. “Hus-
tlers” potentially got a boost by
having its star — Jennifer Lopez
— announced this week as next
year’s Super Bowl halftime act,
along with Shakira.
And one of the weekend’s
biggest successes was “Judy,”
which opened with $3.1 million
on 461 screens. The film, direct-
ed by Rupert Goold, is about
the final act of Judy Garland’s
life, when the “Wizard of Oz”
star was plagued by drug addic-
tion, health woes and financial
troubles. The film’s main draw
is Zellweger’s lauded perfor-
mance as Garland, which has
made her the best-actress Os-
car front-runner.
Roadside Attractions rolled
out “Judy” with a rare medium-
sized platform release that the
23
against Grammy
winning producer
BY ANDREW DALTON suits that all the allegations
The Associated Press against him are false, and have
led to his losing all work and be-
ing evicted.
LOS ANGELES – A model and Buch said in her suit that she
aspiring singer who alleged in met Fisher at a recording stu-
a lawsuit that she was raped dio when she was working as a
and sexually and emotionally model after arriving in Los An-
abused by Grammy-winning geles from Indiana in 2016.
music producer Detail has been She said Fisher had agreed
awarded 15-million dollars. to help her launch a music ca-
FESTIVAL ANNECY / FLICKR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 A Los Angeles Superior Court reer and had started making
judge made the ruling this week recordings with her, but soon
distributor has found success for Kristina Buch against Noel became aggressive and abu-
with before on films like 2012’s Fisher, known professionally as sive, demanding sex and tell-
“Mud” and this summer’s “The Detail. ing her it was necessary to get
Peanut Butter Falcon.” The lat- He won a Grammy for co- somewhere in the industry, and
ter is a Mark Twain-inspired writing the Beyonce and Jay-Z eventually raping her when she
adventure starring Zack Gott- hit “Drunk in Love” and has also refused.
sagen, who has Down syn- produced hits for Lil Wayne, Buch is one of six women,
drome, and Shia LaBeouf. This Nicki Minaj and Wiz Khalifa. some established profession-
weekend, it became the year’s Buch sued Fisher late last als and others music-industry
top indie platform release with year, but neither Fisher nor at- newcomers, who have spoken
$18.1 million over eight weeks, torneys responded to summons out publicly against what they
passing A24’s “The Farewell.” or filed any documents, leading said was Fisher’s sexual aggres-
Howard Cohen, co-president to Wednesday’s default judg- sion.
and co-founder of Roadside, ment. At least two, both former as-
says the 16-year-old distributor Fisher has said in court docu- sistants, have filed their own
has succeeded by seeking popu- ments filed in two other law- lawsuits. ■
list indies. (“Judy,” for which
the audience was almost 80%
over the age of 35, will expand
nationwide further next week.)
“It’s a very challenging time
in film distribution for in-
dies and everyone but Disney,
maybe,” said Cohen. “We like
movies that can draw an audi-
ence, that are crowd-pleasers.
In a challenging environment,
you have to give people a re-
ally strong reason to leave their
house.”
“The movies have to be prop-
erly released and promoted,”
he added. “But I think the audi-
ence is still there.”
The two-and-half-month
break from superheroes atop
the box office is expected to
end next weekend when War-
ner Bros.’ “Joker” hits theatres,
along with Fox Searchlight’s
“Lucy in the Sky” and Netflix’s
“Dolemite Is My Name.” ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
24
Kidoodle.TV sees changes at YouTube as
opportunity to win advertisers, creators
BY DAVID PADDON
The Canadian Press
KIDOODLE.TV CO-FOUND-
ER Neil Gruninger says adver-
tisers and content producers
who want to reach children
under the age of 13 are increas-
ingly turning to the Calgary-
based startup as an alternative
to YouTube’s global platform.
“We get content producers,
and YouTubers, knocking on
our door every day now be-
cause of the success we’ve had,”
Gruninger says. “They know
the types of revenue they can
make from Kidoodle.TV.”
He says the Kidoodle.TV me-
dia platform — which switched
last year from a completely
ad-free model to a hybrid ad-
subscription business — has at-
tracted content producers who
are worried about changes at
Google’s YouTube unit.
Google recently agreed to pay
US$170 million to settle alle-
gations that YouTube violated
the U.S. Children’s Online Pri-
vacy Protection Act (COPPA)
by collecting personal data on
children without their parents’
Third man charged with drug counts
in Mac Miller’s death
THE CANADIAN PRESS
LOS ANGELES — A third man
has been arrested and charged
with drug offences in connec-
tion with rapper Mac Miller’s
overdose death last year.
Court documents show Ste-
phen Walter is suspected of
selling counterfeit oxycodone
pills laced with fentanyl that
Miller possessed before he died
last September of an acciden-
tal overdose of cocaine, alcohol
and fentanyl, a powerful opioid
contributing to an epidemic
that’s claimed thousands of
lives in the U.S.
Walter is accused of being the
source of the pills that another
man, Cameron Pettit, sold to
Miller. Court documents un-
sealed Tuesday say Pettit kept
getting drugs from Walter
Entertainment
consent.
YouTube’s creative partners
were informed in September,
in accordance with the settle-
ment, that they have only a few
months to ensure they’re not
using behavioural data to target
child audiences on its platform.
“If applicable, this may result
in a decrease in revenue from
some creators,” YouTube said
in a Sept. 4 statement.
Gruninger says Kidoodle.TV
has never collected the kind
of behavioural data that got
Google and YouTube in trou-
ble with the U.S. Federal Trade
Commission and New York’s at-
torney general.
Moreover, Gruninger says
Kidoodle.TV pays its content
producers on the basis of user
downloads, with flat rates per
thousand views regardless of
advertising — so it’s possible for
them to earn more than they
would with YouTube.
To help generate more ad
revenue, Kidoodle.TV has also
enlisted one of Canada’s big-
gest media companies — Corus
Entertainment, owner of the
Treehouse and YTV specialty
channels — as its Canadian ad-
through August.
Ryan Reavis, who was ar-
rested earlier this week in
Lake Havasu City, Arizona, is
accused of serving as Walter’s
“runner” who delivered the
pills to Pettit.
None of the men have been
directly charged with Miller’s
death or have entered pleas in
their cases.
Walter, who is on supervised
release in a 2005 drug case, is
in custody and has already been
ordered to serve five months in
prison for violating the terms of
his release.
Prosecutors handling the
case, which was first reported
Thursday by celebrity website
TMZ, are asking that Walter re-
main in custody while he awaits
trial, calling him a serious flight
risk.
A phone message left with his
vertising representative.
“We feel we’re going to be
able to do a lot more here in
Canada (with Corus) compared
to what we would do on our
own,” Gruninger says.
It’s not that there’s a shortage
of competition facing Kidoodle.
TV, either for advertisers or
viewers.
DHX Media, for instance, has
seen so much growth at its ad-
vertising-supported video-on-
demand unit that the company
will be renamed WildBrain and
lawyer wasn’t immediately re-
turned.
Pettit was charged in federal
court on Sept. 4, and his attor-
ney has declined to comment.
Pettit is scheduled to be ar-
raigned Oct. 10.
Miller’s rhymes included
frank discussion of his depres-
sion and drug use, earning him
fans among some of the biggest
names in hip-hop.
The Pittsburgh native whose
real name was Malcolm James
Myers McCormick was also in a
two-year relationship with sing-
er Ariana Grande that ended ear-
lier in 2018. After his death, she
posted an affectionate video of
him on her Instagram page and
released a song, “Thank U Next,”
that lovingly mentioned him.
Miller is among the musi-
cians whose deaths have been
linked in recent years to opi-
www.canadianinquirer.net
its AVOD service will be re-
named WildBrain Spark.
The Halifax-based company
— which is a global distribu-
tor and content producer with
several Canadian specialty TV
channels including Family and
Family Jr. — said WildBrain
Spark had nearly 33 billion
views worldwide last year.
Regarding YouTube’s recent
decision to ban “interest based”
children’s advertising — which
is tailored to individual users,
DHX president Josh Serba told
Mac Miller. DAVE ROSENBLUM / FLICKR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
oid abuse. Prince died in 2016
when he took counterfeit pills
laced with fentanyl that looked
like a generic version of the
painkiller Vicodin.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
analysts that WildBrain uses
“contextual” advertising.”
“These are ads which rely on
audience measurement and de-
mographics. And to put in plain
terms, it’s how advertising has
always worked on television,”
Serba said.
“We know that we have a
great collection of quality con-
tent that attracts massive au-
diences, and we believe that
advertising will continue to be
an important part of the mon-
etization.”
At Kidoodle.TV, which sourc-
es its content from third-party
creators including animated
content from Corus’s Nelvana
unit, Gruninger acknowledges it
faces a few other child-oriented
video platforms with advertis-
ing — including Google’s own
YouTube Kids and the indepen-
dent Toon Goggle — but that
doesn’t diminish his optimism.
“We have contextualized pro-
gramming that is completely
COPPA-compliant,” Gruninger
says. “That’s been a huge win
for us and I think that’s why a
lot of advertisers are coming
our way, and coming back for
more.” ■
Matthew Roberts, guitarist
for the band 3 Doors Down, also
died of an overdose in 2016 and
had fentanyl and hydrocodone
in his system. ■
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019 Entertainment 25

Ready for some hockey?

Green Day song may be
new NHL anthem
BY STEPHEN WHYNO
The Associated Press
The NHL could be on the way to its
version of “Are You Ready For Some
Football?”
The league is announcing a two-year
partnership with Green Day that in-
cludes an opening song for NBC Sports’
“Wednesday Night Hockey.” The song,
“Ready, Fire, Aim” isn’t custom-made
for the NHL and will be on Green Day’s
next album, though it’s likely a matter of
Miss Earth candidates visit Philippine Army. PHILIPPINE ARMY / FACEBOOK time until Green Day or another band
follows what Hank Williams Jr. and lat-
The band will also perform at the All-
Star Game in St. Louis in late January,
and new singles from its album will be
released on “Wednesday Night Hockey.”
“We’re going to try some bold thing,”
Mayer said. “The performance that
we’re talking about at All-Star will be
epic.”
Green Day songs will be incorporated
into arena mixes around the NHL and
provide the soundtrack for much of the
season on NBC Sports Network and
NBC.
“We think it fits really well with hock-
ey,” NBC Sports executive producer Sam
Flood said. “The song and the way it’s ex-

Miss Earth bets visit er Carrie Underwood did for the NFL.
“That I think will probably be the evo-
lution,” NHL chief content officer and
ecuted is really fun.”
Fourteen of the band’s upcoming tour
stops will come in NHL markets, includ-

Army headquarters executive Vice-President Steve Mayer

said. “If you look at our season and how
many times this thing is going to be on,
ing Seattle, which will join the league in
2021.
“Green Day, just the energy, how they
it’ll become an anthem. The song, we’re have this great history but they keep on
BY PRIAM NEPOMUCENO Department of Environment and Natu- using slap shots, it’s about scoring and sort of reinventing themselves, they just
Philippine News Agency ral Resources to help in the protection speed — “Fire, Ready, Aim” — I think work for us,” Mayer said. “Their music
of our forests. These men and women people will start associating this.” is going to be part of a lot of what we’re
in uniform do so much for the people Green Day’s open will debut Oct. 9. doing.” ■
MANILA — Officers, enlisted and civil- and their environment, so we wanted to
ian personnel of the Philippine Army meet them,” Sophia Schuck Velasco, of
(PA) welcomed Miss Earth delegates the Carousel Productions Inc., said.

PSYCHIC
who visited PA headquarters in Fort After the said activities, the delegates
Bonifacio, Taguig City Monday. paid a courtesy call on the PA chief Lt.
PA spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Za- Gen. Macairog S. Alberto at the Com-
gala, in a statement Tuesday, said the mander’s Lounge which was followed by

FAITH
visit of the delegates is in line with the a quick lesson on gun safety and shoot-
“Adopting-a-delegate” partnership of ing held at the Army Shooting Range.
the Carousel Production, Inc. and the “[Visiting the Army] is such a senti-
Armed Forces of the mental thing for all
Philippines (AFP). of us. It really shows
The AFP is hosting you that no matter
the Miss Earth dele- what country you
gates for a day to con-
duct environmental
Miss Earth
chose to
are in there is always
a sense of safety be-
Reader, Healer and Adviser
and cause-oriented partner with the cause people are
activities, he added. AFP because of choosing to protect TELL PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE
Miss Earth is an in- its advocacy to you and their sac-
ternational environ- do more than rificing their lives,
mental event by Car- their sworn their time with their specializes on removing all types negative
ousel Productions, duty. loved ones in putting energy, bad luck and evil influences
Inc. themselves danger’s
As part of the part- way to make sure
nership, the PA wel- that we have a better helps in all life problems such
comed delegates from Spain, Sierra Le- quality of life,” Mattea Henderson, from as love life, business matters,
one, Korea, Canada, Armenia, Belgium, Canada, said.
Poland, South Africa, Hungary, Ven- “We would like to thank Miss Earth immigration and family issues
ezuela, Australia, USA, Chile, Germany, for recognizing our efforts in helping
Honduras, Philippines, Singapore and protect our environment and for intro- A l l i n P r i v a t e a n d C o n fi d e n t i a l
Mauritius on a cleanup drive and tree ducing our organization to these del-
planting activity held at the Las Piñas- egates from various parts of the world. Call today for a better tomorrow
Parañaque Critical Habitat and Eco- We hope that when they go back to their

778-379-4070
tourism Area (LPPCHEA). home countries, they will bring with 99% OVER
“Miss Earth chose to partner with them the inspiring stories of our sol-
the AFP because of its advocacy to do diers who serve the people and secure ACCURATE 30 YRS EXP
more than their sworn duty. Members the land in ways that go beyond the bat-
of the AFP have been deputized by the tlefield,” Alberto added. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net
26

Greta Thunberg’s radical climate change fairy
tale is exactly the story we need
BY JENNIFER ELLEN GOOD
Associate Professor
Communication Popular
Culture and Film Brock
University, The Canadian Press
IT HAS been just over a year
since 16-year-old Greta Thun-
berg started her “school strike
for climate” outside the Swed-
ish parliament in Stockholm.
Since then, she has spoken to
increasingly large crowds — in-
cluding most recently in Mon-
treal.
But there are many rea-
sons why people are still talk-
ing about Thunberg’s Sept. 23
speech at the United Nations
Climate Action Summit. She
spoke with knowledge, clar-
Lifestyle
nomic growth. She highlights
that endless growth will lead to
“blowback… which is now hap-
pening with the climate system,
oceans and forests.”
Prof. Thomas Homer-Dixon
succinctly offers that “it’s be-
coming increasingly clear that
endless material growth is in-
compatible with the long-term
viability of Earth’s environ-
ment.” And writer Naomi Klein
refers to the “god of economic
growth,” powerfully proposing
that “our economic system and
our planetary system are now at
war.”
Where are the stories?
Thoughtful and well-re-
searched scholarship makes
clear that economic growth GRETA THUNBERG / FACEBOOK

ity and passion well beyond her
years.
What I find especially signifi-
cant about the talk is her inclu-
sion of a critique of economic
growth in the climate change
story frame. “We are in the be-
ginning of mass extinction, and
all you can talk about is money
and fairy tales of eternal eco-
nomic growth,” Thunberg said.
Scholars and activists share
Thunberg’s concerns about the
current system of endless eco-
nomic growth. For example,
Prof. David Barash powerfully
equates endless growth to a
Ponzi scheme. It is a system, he
says, “predicated on the illusion
that it will always be possible to
make future payments owing to
yet more exploitation down the
road.”
Economist Juliet Schor simi-
larly warns about the resource
depletion implications for eco-
and environmental crises are
related. And yet non-academic
writing linking endless growth
economics and climate change
is almost non-existent.
I have conducted a content
analysis on the Canadian Ma-
jor Dailies database. In the 12
months prior to Thunberg’s
talk there were 850 newspa-
per articles (including opinion
editorials and letters) with “cli-
mate change” in the headline.
Of these, 372 — or 44 per cent
— were related to the economy.
And yet only one letter to the
editor raised concerns about
economic growth in the era of
climate change.
This is what makes Thun-
berg’s mention of “fairy tales
of eternal economic growth” so
remarkable — she put econom-
ic growth and climate change
into the same frame.
It is easy to think that eco-
nomic growth is essential —
that we have always had growth
at the core of economic policy.
But scholars point out that this
is not the case. Bill McKibben
and Peter Victor point out that
our “fixation” on economic
growth as an “explicit object of
government policy” began in
the mid-20th century.
And in those 50 years, McK-
ibben highlights that economic
growth has not only devastated
the planet, but also fostered
inequity, insecurity and “is no
longer making us happy.”
Cognitive scientist and lin-
guist George Lakoff offers that
“all of our knowledge makes
use of frames, and every word
is defined through the frames it
neurally activates. All thinking
and talking involves frames.”
In other words, we under-
stand and act upon climate
change based on what has been
framed with the climate change
stories we are told.
Time to change the story
frames
The good news is that climate
change stories can change. Not
that long ago, there were few
stories about climate change.
Today, the number has dramat-
ically increased.
Until recently, there were not
many stories that linked cli-
mate change to extreme weath-
er events. Increasingly, these
stories are being told.
Now it is time to question
economics and foster discus-
sions about the hard decisions
and changes that need to be
made. It is clear that we cannot
simply consume differently —
we must consume less.
Now it is time to frame cli-
mate change stories with eter-
nal economic growth critiques.
Now is the time for climate
change frames that question
whether a finite planet can sus-
tain eternal growth. Now is the
time for climate change frames
to include voices like Klein’s,
who proposes that “the frenetic
and indiscriminate consump-
tion of essentially disposable
products can no longer be the
system’s goal.”
And now is the time to be
grateful for a 16-year-old who
sailed across the ocean and
dared to tell the world’s leaders
that the fairy tale must end. ■
This article is republished from
The Conversation under a Cre-
ative Commons license. Disclo-
sure information is available on
the original site.

www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
We street-proof our kids. Why Uniqlo taps
aren’t we data proofing them? various local
BY SIOBHAN O’FLYNN
Lecturer University of Toronto,
The Canadian Press
GOOGLE RECENTLY agreed
to pay a US$170 million fine for
illegally gathering children’s
personal data on YouTube with-
out parental consent, which is a
violation under the Children’s
Online Privacy Protection Act
(COPPA).
The United States Federal
Trade Commission and the
New York State Attorney Gen-
eral — who together brought
the case against Google — now
require YouTube to obtain con-
sent from parents before col-
lecting or sharing personal in-
formation. In addition, creators
of child-directed content must
self-identify to restrict the de-
livery of targeted ads.
The $170 million fine is a
pittance given Alphabet Inc.’s
(Google’s holding company)
valuation of more than US$700
billion.
Our digital identities com-
prise data collected across our
activities, making personal
or identifying information ir-
relevant. Children today are
subjugated to a scale of data
collection and targeting that
we cannot fathom. Right now,
we also have no clue about the
consequences, and regulatory
protections to data-proof their
futures are far from certain.
My ongoing research on how
big tech and media conglom-
erates are using dark pattern
design to bypass privacy regu-
lations protecting personal
information has revealed how
vulnerable children are to data
collection and how Canada’s
legislation in particular is fail-
ing them.
Incomprehensible scale
For adults and children,
Google has access to everything
from search queries to on-
line purchases to any app and
website associated with gmail
accounts – including deleted
accounts – or linked via cross-
browser finger-printing.
As a parent, you create a
network of cross-connections
when you input information to
make purchases for your child
online or set up accounts for
your child on apps and web-
sites. Added to this is all your
child’s activity on YouTube and
YouTube Kids, search data to
clicks on recommended videos
to rewinds and duration of play
time.
Then add cross-browser fin-
gerprinting and most recently,
Google’s “GDPR workaround,”
secret buried web tracking pag-
es that act as pseudonymous
markers that track user activity
across the web.
This latter violation of data
privacy was revealed in a com-
plaint to the Irish Data Protec-
tion Commission filed the same
day Google’s fine was made
public.
We are talking about vast
fields of data, the scale of which
is difficult to comprehend; this
data is used to feed Google’s ar-
tificial intelligence recommen-
dation algorithms that now
steer everything from employ-
ment application processes to
dating apps.
Children in the United States
and Canada have another
significant, persistent arena
where information is being pro-
duced by them and collected
by Google. Google entered the
educational sphere in 2012, and
now dominates educational
technology market in the U.S.,
giving Google unprecedented
parent-sanctioned access to
children’s data through kinder-
garten to Grade 12.
Dominance in the educational
sphere
Alphabet Inc. dominates
child-directed and child-fea-
tured content online through
YouTube Kids and has now colo-
nized online educational spaces
through Google Docs, G-Suite,
Chromebooks and the associat-
ed Gmail accounts for children
that are required for use.
This means that Google’s ac-
cess to children’s data spans
entertainment (YouTube and
YouTube Kids), search and pur-
chase histories (via associated
parental accounts), and educa-
tional sectors.
The uptake numbers in the
educational technology sphere
are staggering. Between 2012
and 2016, Google Chromebooks
went from less than one per
cent of the U.S. school market
to over 50 per cent — more than
30 million Chromebooks are
currently being used in Ameri-
can classrooms.
By 2017, more than 58 per
cent of devices purchased for
U.S. schools were Google de-
vices; more than 80 million
instructors and children use
them globally.
Given Google’s history of pri-
vacy violations, it’s no surprise
that Google’s rollout of Chrome-
books again violated children’s
data privacy. Initially, Google
resisted complying with the fed-
eral Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA), pro-
viding links to its security poli-
cies, which FERPA rejected.
In 2015, the Electronic Fron-
tier Foundation (EFF) filed
an FTC complaint because
Chromebook default settings
initially allowed Google to col-
lect user data including “Web
❱❱ PAGE 32 We street-proof
www.canadianinquirer.net
Lifestyle
artists; launches
new collection
BY MA. CRISTINA
ARAYATA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Japanese apparel
retailer Uniqlo on Thursday
afternoon launched its winter/
fall collection, and its partner-
ship with various local artists.
The announcement coin-
cides with the first anniversary
of its flagship store, the largest
in Southeast Asia, located in
Makati City.
“Today, we recognize local
game changers who help drive
Manila forward. There are 10
local artists whose illustrations
will be available for customers
to use for their personalized
t-shirts as we launch ‘UTme’,
our own digital t-shirt print-
ing service, exclusive here at
Uniqlo Manila, said Geraldine
Sia, co-chief operations officer
of Uniqlo Philippines.
Customers could use these
designs on their shirts and tote
bags. They could add their pho-
tos and some texts, too.
The available designs were
made by Manix Abrera, Isa-
bel Weber, Happy Garaje, Rob
Cham, Ev Yu, Mika Bacani, Otto
Bjornik, Myka Arnado, Auggie
FLAGSHIP STORE. Uniqlo co-COO Geraldine Sia talks about the latest collection
on Thursday (September 26) at the Uniqlo flagship store in Makati City.
Customers could use designs made by local artists on their shirts and tote bags.
27
Fontanilla, and Soleil Ignacio.
Citing the company’s efforts
to empower Filipinos to pur-
sue their passion, Sia also an-
nounced Uniqlo’s partnership
with world-renowned furniture
designer, Kenneth Cobonpue,
as well as with outdoor brand,
Celeste Cycles.
Their works will be show-
cased in Uniqlo Manila.
The collaboration with local
artists is part of Uniqlo’s “Our
Future is Here” campaign, rec-
ognizing Manila as “a city full of
life, diversity, and always mov-
ing forward,” Sia said.
Cobonpue was not able to at-
tend the launch. In a statement,
however, he said he had always
valued “simple elegance and
timeless design” which he be-
lieves Uniqlo embodies.
Starting Sept. 27, customers
can avail of Uniqlo’s winter/fall
collection.
As a treat, customers who
would avail of select items from
the collection would receive a
packable bag for a minimum
purchase of PHP3,000. They
can also get PHP300 discount
coupon for a minimum pur-
chase of PHP2,000.
The promo runs from Sep-
tember 27 until October 23. ■
CRISTINA ARAYATA/PNA
28
North Korea born YouTubers offer peek into
lives in homeland
BY HYUNG-JIN KIM
The Associated Press
SEOUL, KOREA, REPUBLIC
OF — Wearing a fedora, Jang
Myung-jin shouts “Hello, com-
rades!” as he starts his You-
Tube broadcast, titled “A North
Korean man, Tango.” Then,
he talks about whether North
Koreans raise pet dogs, what
type of profanity they use and
whether there are any trans-
gender people in the country.
The 32-year-old Jang is
among a handful of young
North Korean refugees in South
Korea who have launched You-
Tube channels that offer a rare
glimpse into the everyday lives
of people in North Korea, one of
the world’s most secretive and
repressive countries.
While mainstream outside
media reports on North Korea
focus on heavy subjects like the
North’s nuclear program or its
internal power hierarchy, these
young YouTubers feed a grow-
ing demand for softer news re-
lated to daily life in their former
home country.
Their rise comes amid in-
creased public attention to
North Korea, whose young
leader, Kim Jong Un, has made
global headlines with a provoc-
ative run of weapons tests and
high-stakes nuclear diplomacy
with President Donald Trump.
“There are people who yearn
for real scenes showing how
people in North Korea live.
There is a niche market for
that,” said Jeon Young-sun, a
research professor at Seoul’s
Konkuk University. “Simply
speaking, some people are curi-
ous about what beer North Ko-
reans drink and what cookies
they eat.”
Jang uses his Samsung
smartphone to film himself at
his small Seoul apartment, and
sometimes invites fellow North
Korean refugees as guests and
has friends shoot him when he
ventures out. He often appears
with his trademark dark fedora,
but sometimes with a colorful
wig, a false moustache or even a
Kim Jong Un mask.
Video clips uploaded on
Jang’s 2-year-old channel
showed him saying that or-
dinary North Koreans usu-
ally raise dogs, rabbits, pigs
Lifestyle OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
and chickens, but to either eat escapee who regularly appears
or sell to markets. He said that on two YouTube channels and
calling someone “a baby born two TV programs, is called
by a young female slave” is con- “Princess Na-ra” by her fans.
sidered a profanity in North The 22-year-old with long,
Korea, and that people there brown-dyed hair said she has a
say “Do you want to have the 200-member fan club that has
order of your ribs revolutionar- sent her a cake topped with a
ily reorganized?” when trying mini-Kang doll on her birthday
to intimidate others. for the past three years.
He also said he never heard When Kang, dressed in a
about the existence of trans- North Korean military uni-
gender people in North Korea, form, showed how to put on
though he heard about gays in North Korean-style makeup
the country. on her YouTube channel, her
Jang, who has about 7,000 subscribers wrote, “You are so
subscribers to his channel, said pretty even without makeup”
he does manual labour and de- and “You’re such a beauty.”
livers fried chicken as a means “I like communicating with
of living because his YouTube- people by posting responses to said Lee Kwang Baek, the South Jang hasn’t posted his escape
related income is too small. But the messages that they put on Korean head of a YouTube story yet because he said he
he feels it’s worth it to keep his my channel,” said Kang, wear- channel on North Korea. wants to fill his channel with
YouTube career going because ing two rings on each of her Their YouTube programs more amusing content.
some subscribers have left hands. “I want to let the people are also believed to help ad- He said his family left North
messages saying his broadcasts know about North Korean cul- dress the widespread misinfor- Korea in 1998 to escape a fam-
helped resolve their misunder- ture and show more about how mation about North Korea in ine that killed hundreds of thou-
standings of North Korea. I am living in South Korea.” the South. Jang said a middle sands of people, including his
“They cheer me up and make The YouTubers, however, school student once asked him first love and school desk mate in
me be positive. They are the also have anti-fans who often if North Koreans eat dirt when the northeastern city of Onsong.
reasons why I shoot YouTube vent their anger at them when they’re hungry, while another Jang said he had a big crush
videos today and tomorrow,” North Korea does something escapee-turned-YouTuber, on the 11-year-old girl with fair
Jang said, petting his Maltese. provocative like conduct a Lee Pyung, said he was asked skin and big eyes, who lived
He said the term “Tango” in weapons test. whether North Koreans give with her grandmother. He re-
his channel’s title is an abbrevi- Kang said she feels a “little potatoes instead of money to a called how the two would hold
ation of Korean words meaning sad” when she reads malicious driver when they take a bus. hands when he walked her to
“a plump cat,” a The YouTu- her house.
reference to his bers’ most popu- After the girl didn’t come to
friends joking lar content is school for two to three weeks,
that the round- stories of their their teacher asked Jang to go
faced Jang has a I want to let the people know dangerous es- and check on her. When he ar-
cat-looking face. about North Korean culture and capes to South rived at her home, he found the
Although he show more about how I am living in Korea. girl, then all skin and bones,
knew that tango South Korea. Kang’s escape lying dead with her eyes and
in English is a story, posted on mouth open, while her grand-
type of dance, someone else’s mother had disappeared.
he decided to go YouTube chan- Terrified, Jang immediately
ahead with that word because messages from people such as nel last year, has received about bolted out of the house and re-
the liveliness of the dance “Go back to your country” and 1.7 million views. She said she ported the girl’s death to neigh-
matches what he seeks from his “Why does a Red live here?” thought she was going to die bours before crying all day.
channel. Jang said some messages when she was carried away by A few months later, he fled
Other North Korea-born have been left for him wishing water while crossing the Tu- North Korea with his parents
YouTubers talk about why they for him to be assassinated with men River to go to China before and younger brother.
left their homeland and the ex- a poisoned needle or banished coming to South Korea in De- Before his family walked
periences they’ve had in South to a North Korean coal mine. cember 2014. across the frozen Tumen River,
Korea. Some also broadcast While there have been some Kang said she ran away from his father told him to turn back
themselves putting on North TV programs in the South fea- her home in North Korea after and look at the country they
Korean-style makeup or eating turing North Korean refugees, fighting with her stepmother. wouldn’t likely return to.
foods from the country. some experts say they don’t Then her biological mother, “While looking at my home-
The young YouTubers are fully carry the escapees’ voices who had already resettled in town for about five minutes, I
mostly stylish, contrary to the because they were directed, South Korea, hired brokers who thought about that girl,” Jang
stereotype of North Korean filmed and edited by South Ko- helped her come to the South said.
refugees as being rough and reans. about two weeks later. “I thought that her only fault
unsophisticated. About 32,000 “On YouTube, defectors can Besides her longing for her was being born in the wrong
North Koreans have fled to the speak whatever they want with- mother, Kang said her wishes country,” he continued. “If she
South over the past two decades out being filtered and edited. … to wear jeans, dye her hair and had come to South Korea, she
to avoid poverty and political Given that, I would say their date handsome South Korean wouldn’t have starved to death
repression. programs provide content that men also pushed her to make a … and could have become a You-
Kang Na-ra, a North Korean the TV shows can’t provide,” perilous journey to the South. Tuber like me.” ■
www.canadianinquirer.net

Chris Paul happy to Pangasinense ‘esports’ athlete
return to NBA roots to compete in 30th SEA Games
in Oklahoma City
BY CLIFF BRUNT
The Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — Chris
Paul is happy to be back where
his professional career began.
Paul started his career in
Oklahoma City with the Hor-
nets when they relocated after
Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He
was rookie of the year during
the 2005-06 season, the first of
two years he spent in Oklahoma
City.
Now he’s 34, a nine-time All-
Star who came back to where it
all started by way of a trade that
sent Thunder cornerstone Rus-
sell Westbrook to the Houston
Rockets in exchange.
Paul still has fond memories
of the community that wel-
comed him to the NBA.
“The people here, the fans
here, make this city what it
is,” he said. “It’s crazy. Our life
comes full circle. Now I have
two kids. To bring them out
here — they came out here this
weekend to see me, them and
my wife — it’s cool to give them
perspective because it chang-
es.”
Chris Paul. VERSE PHOTOGRAPHY / FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0
Sports
Paul, who averaged 15.6
points and 8.2 assists last sea-
son, said he holds no resent-
ment toward the Rockets for
trading him. He still feels he has
plenty left to offer, and he looks
forward to working with coach
Billy Donovan and being a ma-
jor piece of the rebuilt Thunder.
“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s
funny because a lot of people try
to tell your truth, try to tell your
story, say what you want and a
lot of different kind of stuff. I’m
excited about the opportunity,
excited about our team and ex-
cited about Billy.”
Here are some things to
watch as the Thunder head into
training camp Tuesday:
New faces
Center Steven Adams had
played his entire NBA career
in Oklahoma City with West-
brook. He said it’s a bit strange
not having him around.
“In terms of personal rela-
tionships, like it just affects
that a little bit, you know,”
Adams said. “Still going to be
there, but you’re thinking argh,
❱❱ PAGE 31 Chris Paul
BY AHIKAM PASION
Philippine News Agency
DAGUPAN CITY — A
24-year-old Pangasinense is set
to represent the Philippines in
the esports category, a form of
competition using video games,
in the 30th Southeast Asian
Games (SEA Games) on No-
vember 30.
Kyle Jefferson ‘Vindiicated’
Padlan, a member of the Sibol,
the Philippine Esports Team,
is one of the seven players who
made the final roster to com-
pete in Arena of Valor (AoV).
The Sibol Team is the coun-
try’s newest brand of athletes
to be fielded by the Philippines
in the biennial event.
Padlan is set to take the role
of Dark Slayer (DS) Lane, also
called the solo/side lane.
Born and raised in Calasiao
town, he now works as a net-
work engineer in Metro Manila
and who has found himself im-
mersed in esports for the past
two years.
In an interview Monday, Pad-
lan said he has participated in
a lot of tournaments since his
days in Bren Esports, a Phil-
ippine-based Southeast Asian
professional esports team,
most notably for garnering
fourth place in the Valor Cup
Road to AoV World Cup.
Padlan has been passionate
about video games since child-
hood that drove him to play
AoV, and eventually turn it into
his sporting career.
“For me it’s just my passion
since I was a kid, I just like play-
ing games on every platform I
get my hands on,” he recalled.
Being drawn into AoV, his
current squad Oro-Digitos
breezed through the qualifiers
for Sibol AoV, making him eli-
gible to take a shot at the SEA
Games.
This year’s SEA Games will
be the first time esports will be
integrated as a medal sport.
Post SEA Games, win or lose,
Padlan has decided to continue
engaging in esports both for fun
www.canadianinquirer.net
Kyle Padlan. KYLE PADLAN / FACEBOOK
and as a career, while doing his
job as a network engineer in
Metro Manila.
For their preparations for
the upcoming event, the sev-
en-man roster trains for eight
grueling hours a day, analyzing
hero picks and counterpicks,
lane tactics, team strategies,
and lane rotation.
“Akala kasi ng iba porke video
games, casual na talaga. Hindi.
Strategy ito. Ginagamitan ng
utak (Other might think this is
just video games, its casual but
it’s not. This requires strategy.
We need to use minds here,”
Padlan said.
Padlan shares responsibil-
ity with his team in redefining
video games and esports in the
country, as esports is still being
frowned upon by other Filipi-
nos, especially older ones.
“There will always be a nega-
tive stigma in esports but in
the end, time can only tell how
esports will grow here in the
country. It will depend on how
esports will be marketed,” he
added.
Meanwhile, Padlan urged
parents to support their chil-
dren in whatever path they
choose, including esports.
Padlan also initially suffered
prejudice from his parents
due to his indulgence in video
games.
“At first they have doubts.
But when I started getting rec-
ognition, traveling to other
places to represent the country
in tournaments, they became
29
proud. Eventually, they began
supporting me and giving me
100-percent (support),” he dis-
closed.
However, Padlan reminded
the youth to focus and finish
their studies.
“Set your priorities straight,
if you can make a job out of your
passion then go for it, just make
sure you won’t regret choosing
the path you wanted,” he added.
Padlan graduated from Cre-
ative Montessori Center and
Francisco Q. Duque Medical
Foundation Special Science
High School and Saint Louis
University in Baguio City in
college.
Aside from Padlan, the Sibol
Arena of Valor squad consists
of Jeremiah ‘1717’ Camarillo,
Jevan Lorenzo ‘Bents’ delos
Santos, Kevin Kio ‘Gambit’ Di-
zon, Miguel Klarenz ‘Miggie’
Banaag, Lawrence Anthony
‘Rubixx’ Gatmaitan and Bradie
Ryan ‘Yats’ Velasquez. They are
coached by Rafael ‘Cyriux’ Al-
bert.
Prior to the SEA Games,
members of the Sibol AoV
Squad are set for Thailand this
October to represent the coun-
try in the AoV International
Championship (AIC).
AoV is a multiplayer online
battle arena (MOBA) game
played through the smart-
phone.
Published by Tencent games
and launched in the Philippines
in 2017, AoV has grossed over
USD140 million outside China. ■
30
DTI, e-payment No money, no problem: A guide
providers partner to for aspiring entrepreneurs
ease biz registrations
BY MA. CRISTINA
ARAYATA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Now it’s easier and
more convenient for Filipinos
to register and renew business
names as the Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI) part-
ners with digital payment ser-
vice providers.
“(Now), there is no need (for
the entrepreneurs) to take a
leave of absence, or to commute
just to pay for business transac-
tions,” said national treasurer
Rosalia De Leon at the signing
of memorandum of agreement
among DTI, partners, Land-
bank and the Bureau of the
Treasury on Friday.
The move, she said, is crucial
as it reduces the risks related to
cash transactions.
“For the longest time, the
government has not adapted
with the e-payments. We have
long relied with cash pay-
ments,” said De Leon, adding
that the government needs
to keep abreast with financial
technology to provide effective
public service.
As such, the DTI has tapped
e-payments service provid-
ers, PayMaya and GCash for
the “BNRS Next Gen” (Busi-
ness Name Registration Sys-
tem Next Generation), an on-
line platform where the public
could register or renew busi-
ness names, wherever they are.
This can be accessed at https://
bnrs.dti.gov.ph/.
“They would no longer need
to go to business centers. They
could just use this platform,”
the national treasurer said.
DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez
noted that the agency is trying
to convert everything to an e-
payment scheme.
“This is aligned with Presi-
dent Duterte’s mandate on the
ease of doing business. The ad-
vantage of e-payments is that
it is stronger and a more stable
Business
system,” he said.
Lopez said the DTI is working
with the Department of Infor-
mation and Communications
Technology (DICT) in creating
a single system that could fast-
track business processes.
In this system, users would
no longer need to retype per-
tinent details required by vari-
ous government agencies, such
as the DTI, and Social Security
System (SSS).
“We target to make every-
thing digitized this year,” he
said
With the BNRS, for instance,
anyone could make transac-
tions 24/7, using their mobile
phones.
Lopez said many people own
mobile phones, thus, the BNRS
would make it safer and easier
for the public to do business
transactions online.
Streamlining cash payments
in the government, he said, is
a way to provide better public
service since the government
provides more options for pub-
lic convenience.
Meanwhile, one of the BNRS’
partners, PayMaya, is also
working on partnerships with
government offices with regard
to offering the e-payment op-
tion in transactions.
“We are talking to around 15
agencies, including local gov-
ernment units of Manila and
Quezon City, regarding this,”
PayMaya chief executive officer
Orlando Vea said.
These agencies include the
SSS and the Bureau of Internal
Revenue, he said.
Landbank, which has an e-
payment platform called “Link.
BizPortal” that allows custom-
ers to pay products and services
via the Internet, is also a part-
ner in the BNRS.
Both representatives from
PayMaya and GCash, mean-
while, expressed gladness to
be a partner of the govern-
ment. ■
BY MA. CRISTINA
ARAYATA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Putting up a business
requires capital. This often hin-
ders aspiring entrepreneurs from
starting their own businesses.
However, even if one is cash-
less at the moment, there are
several ways to start a business.
Rebecca Bustamente, a for-
mer overseas Filipino worker
(OFW) and now president of the
Asia CEO Awards, shared some
tips in an interview with the
Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Be credible
“With credibility, I mean
what I say. That is why, it came
to a point when (business peo-
ple) would reply to me after just
one text message,” she said.
Bustamante noted that being
a nobody when she and husband,
Richard, started, people were
hesitant to trust them. However,
she said they were able to prove
their vision, and thus, little by
little, sponsors eventually part-
nered with them.
Now on its 10th year, the Asia
CEO Awards gives recognition
to top-performing Filipino
business leaders across Asia.
“We started with just 18 peo-
ple. We didn’t even have proper
food to offer. Our first Awards
were attended by only 350 peo-
ple,” she added.
Know your purpose
“Know your whys. You’ve got
to have a vision, because if you
don’t, it would be like driving a
car without knowing where to
go,” Bustamante said.
The executive also suggested
that it really works when some-
one creates a timeline of his or
her goals.
It’s a must, she said, for some-
one to set a certain period as to
when he or she would like to
achieve a specific goal.
Keep going
“Nothing can stop you,” she
said, adding that one must nev-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Asia CEO Awards president Rebecca Bustamante (center), together with
leaders of different companies/awards sponsors, leads the announcement of
finalists of the 10th Asia CEO Awards held in Pasay City on Sept. 20, 2019.
er give up.
Bustamante herself has been
through a lot. At 19, she had to
take the responsibility of send-
ing her siblings to school, as well
as pay their bills. At that age, too,
she was mistreated as a domes-
tic helper (DH) in Singapore.
Back then, her vision was
clear — that she must not be a
DH forever.
“How can I help my siblings if
I won’t be able to help myself?
Now, my siblings are also suc-
cessful,” she said.
Don’t waste your time
“We all have 24 hours in a day.
The question is, ‘How are we
going to spend it?’” Bustamante
said, noting that she, for exam-
ple, used her evenings as DH to
study and read books. She used
to listen to motivational tapes
while mopping the floor.
“Millennials are so lucky.
These days, they can learn every-
thing online. However, (some of
them) don’t make use of this, and
act as if things must adjust for
them,” she commented.
The youth, she said, must
use their time to develop their
skills. Also, getting a degree is
different from learning from
the experts and from experi-
ence, Bustamente added.
Find your niche
Bustamante confirmed that
one only need be courageous to
become an entrepreneur, even if
he or she does not have capital.
CRISTINA ARAYATA/PNA
“Money will come. What’s
more important is that you
know your purpose,” she said.
Many services do not require
capital, according to Bustamante.
“Your skills should be different
from what the others are offer-
ing. It’s important for an aspiring
entrepreneur to determine what
he can offer,” she said.
One cannot just talk about
skills, but rather show them,
she added.
For 10 years now, Bustaman-
te has been focusing on the Asia
CEO Awards, a business awards
that recognizes leaders in the
country and across the Asian
region. She also founded Chalre
Associates, which focuses its
Senior Manager Staffing servic-
es in emerging countries of the
Asia Pacific.
She previously told the PNA
that the Asia CEO Awards was
conceptualized to recognize
the struggles of CEOs.
“It’s for the people at the bot-
tom to be inspired. I want them
to realize that these CEOs were
also at the bottom before, and
have struggled to slowly climb
the ladder,” she said earlier.
Even if she has been success-
ful, Bustamante said she has
not changed.
“I still feel the same. I don’t
feel different. The only differ-
ence now is that I could buy
food and clothes that I want. I
used to wear worn-out slippers.
Before, I was already lucky if I
had ‘tuyo,’” she said. ■
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019 Business 31

Forever 21 fashion chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Low-price fash-
ion chain Forever 21, a one-
time hot destination for teen
shoppers that fell victim to
its own rapid expansion and
changing consumer tastes, has
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection.
The privately held company
based in Los Angeles said Sun-
day it will close up to 178 stores.
As of the bankruptcy filing, the
company operated about 800
stores globally, including more
than 500 stores in the U.S.
The company said it would
focus on maximizing the value
of its U.S. stores and shutter
certain international locations.
Forever 21 plans to close most
of its locations in Asia and Eu-
rope but will continue operat-
ing in Mexico and Latin Amer-
ica.
“The decisions as to which
domestic stores will be closing
are ongoing, pending the out-
come of continued conversa-
tions with landlords,” it said in
the statement. “We do, howev-
er, expect a significant number
of these stores will remain open
and operate as usual, and we
do not expect to exit any major
markets in the U.S.”
Forever 21 joins Barneys
New York and Diesel USA in a
growing list of retailers seek-
ing bankruptcy protection as
they battle online competitors.
Others like Payless ShoeSource
and Charlotte Russe have shut
down completely.
The numbers bear out the cri-
sis facing traditional retailers.
So far this year, publicly traded
U.S. retailers have announced
they will close 8,558 stores and
open 3,446, according to the
global research firm Coresight
Research. That compares with
5,844 closures and 3,258 open-
ings in all of 2018.
Coresight estimates the store
closures could number 12,000
by the end of 2019.
MIKE MOZART / FLICKR, CC BY 2.0
Forever 21 was founded in
1984 and, along with other so-
called fast fashion chains like
H&M and Zara, rode a wave of
popularity among young cus-
tomers that took off in the mid-
1990s.
Their popularity grew dur-
ing the Great Recession, when
shoppers sought fashion bar-
gains.
But over the last year or so,
fast fashion has fallen out of
style. Young customers are
losing interest in throw-away
clothes and are more interested
in buying eco-friendly products.
They’re also gravitating toward
rental and online second-hand
sites like Thredup, where they
see clothes worn again instead
of ending up in a landfill.
These trends are happening
while discounters like Target
have spruced up their fashion
assortments, stealing away cus-
tomers.
Forever 21 has also been more
vulnerable than some other
chains because of its large foot-
prints in major malls, which are
attracting fewer shoppers. ■

Chris Paul...
DOF exec cites need
to impose tariff ❰❰ 29 I don’t get to see them
as often, you know.
So obviously it’s a bit
season after the Thunder trad-
ed Westbrook and George. He’s
not focused on that.
season.
“It still affects you in some
way. You know, because you’re

on sugar imports tough, mate, but you know, you

BY JOANN VILLANUEVA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Philippine gov-
ernment’s quantitative restric-
tion (QR) on sugar needs to be
replaced by tariffs to make the
industry competitive and make
it grow at par with that of other
members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nation (Ase-
an).
In an economic bulletin, De-
partment of Finance (DOF)
Undersecretary Gil Beltran
said reforms are needed to lift
the domestic sugar industry.
“Quantitative restrictions
need to be replaced by tariffs and
safeguard measures (for subsi-
dized products) to allow for more
transparent, competitive pricing
and allow downstream indus-
tries to become more viable and
grow as fast as their Asean coun-
terparts,” he said.
Beltran said sugar has an ef-
fective protection rate (EPR)
of 247.8 percent based on the
wholesale prices to date.
This, he said, is the reason for
its high domestic price, which
hinders the industry’s growth.
He noted that because of QR
on sugar imports, the wholesale
price of refined sugar rose by
235.8 percent in the last eight
years to about PHP2,283 per
50-kilogram sack in 2018.
This is way expensive com-
pared to the PHP842 for a 50-
kg. sack of sugar in Thailand
and the PHP430.22 per 50-kg.
sack based on the United Na-
tion’s (UN) Food and Agricul-
tural Organization (FAO) rates.
Beltran said imports restric-
tion directly affects domestic
prices beyond the 5 percent tar-
iff protection provided for un-
der the Asean Trade in Goods
and Agreement (ATIGA).
“Many Asean countries like
Thailand and Malaysia em-
barked on industrialization by
modernizing agriculture and
boosting food processing sec-
tor. This strategy did not work
for the Philippines due to a high
EPR rate of the basic food pro-
cessing input,” he added. ■
deal with it. Still above ground.”
“Personally, I try not to
worry about everything that
the league or the media says in
human, and you care,” he said.
“If you care about something
— obviously I care about the
Backcourt depth terms of things like tanking and organization here. But again,
Paul has a chance to mentor things like that, expectations we’re here because we’re trying
guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexan- for us,” he said. “I think if we’re to support the organization it-
der and Dennis Schroder. focus on ourselves, try to get self, and the organization needs
Gilgeous-Alexander aver- better every day, and play to the to do well, right? So you have to
aged 10.8 points and 3.3 as- best of our ability the best we keep that in mind. You’re just
sists as a rookie last season. can, it’ll take us where it takes here to help.”
He joined the Thunder in the us. Whether it be the playoffs,
deal that sent Roberson’s
All-Star forward return
Paul George to F o r w a r d
the Los Angeles Andre Rober-
Clippers. Sch- Multiple ball handlers down on son, one of the
roder is the top the floor. You want to be able league’s best pe-
returning scorer to incorporate all those guys so rimeter defen-
after averaging that they’re flowing and playing sive players, is
15.5 points last together. expected to play
season. in the preseason
Donovan said after missing the
all three could past 1 1/2 seasons
play together at times. not the playoffs, finals run, nev- with a left knee injury. He said
“I think that’s what it comes er know.” he learned a lot during his time
down to,” Donovan said. “Mul- away.
tiple ball handlers down on the Adams’ role “A lot of ups and downs,” he
floor. You want to be able to in- Adams’ numbers could jump said. “It’s taught me a lot about
corporate all those guys so that this season. The 7-foot centre myself, about my body, just
they’re flowing and playing to- averaged 13.9 points and 9.5 re- about the game in general and
gether.” bounds last season while shoot- just kind of the effect on my life.
ing nearly 60% from the field. It’s just been a great charac-
No tanking He heard his name in trade ter builder and great to see the
Gilgeous-Alexander knows talks this summer, but he’s fo- game from a different perspec-
media expectations are low this cused on what he can do this tive.” ■

www.canadianinquirer.net
32
Schneider Electric launches first ‘HyperPod’ in PH
BY LILYBETH ISON
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Schneider Electric,
the leader in digital transfor-
mation of energy management
and automation, on Tuesday
launched its first containment
solution in the Philippines
that helps businesses become
smarter consumers of energy.
With its newest innovation,
“HyperPod”, the company
transforms the way data cen-
ters are managed and main-
tained.
As more and more businesses
continue to transform their op-
erations and integrate different
types of technology, informa-
tion technology (IT) is being
deployed rack by rack rather
than server by server which
scales up and takes up larger
room spaces.
In a statement, Schneider
Electric said its HyperPod en-
ables data centers to be de-
We street-proof...
❰❰ 27 browsing histories,
search-engine results,
YouTube viewing
habits and saved passwords.”
Harry Brignull, a user expe-
rience specialist, coined the
term “dark pattern” to describe
a “user interface that has been
carefully crafted to trick users
into doing things, such as buy-
ing insurance with their pur-
chase or signing up for recur-
ring bills.”
Gmail accounts for children
remain a standard practice in
schools today. Standard prac-
tice continues to be that chil-
Technology
signed, deployed, and upgraded
faster at a lower total installa-
tion cost.
This new offering is scalable
and highly customizable to sup-
port various business applica-
tions.
With HyperPod, Schneider
Electric aims to share with dif-
ferent businesses a contain-
ment solution with various
benefits when it comes to hav-
ing an improved and innova-
tive data center management
system.
These include efficiency and
flexibility, swift installation,
scalability, among others.
Tony Kang, business vice
president, Secure Power-
Schneider Electric Philippines,
said the newest innovation en-
ables businesses gain maximum
productivity while achieving
savings and efficiency.
“With containment solution
called HyperPod, we hope to
reshape industries by provid-
ing Innovation at Every Level
dren are enrolled by schools
en masse into Gmail accounts,
often without parental consent,
using their full names, and “into
other services that collect data
without any notification.” This
data collection is presented as
benign, optimizing your child’s
experience, enriching educa-
tion, democratizing access to
21st century online resources.
Updating the laws
What Google has done is cre-
ate a dynamic, adaptive system
of data collection that has al-
ready colonized our children’s
#SchneiderElectric’s HyperPod solution brings pod architecture to the data
centre, reducing capex costs and deployment time significantly with its flexible
design.
through our scalable and flexi-
ble innovation that is fit for any
business’ data center needs.
Our partnership with VST-ECS
Philippines showcases what
futures, given what we now
know of how ad targeting can
manipulate behaviour. We have
no way of knowing how this
depth of data collection may be
used in years to come.
In March 2019, U.S. senators
Ed Markey and Josh Hawley
introduced a bipartisan bill to
update COPPA, banning target-
ing ads to children, extending
privacy protections to 13- to
15-year-olds so data cannot be
collected without user permis-
sion and an “eraser button” that
would allow parents and kids to
delete personal information.
www.canadianinquirer.net
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC / FACEBOOK
efficiency truly means and we
hope to share this with every-
one,” he said.
Schneider Electric currently
offers HyperPod to colocation
This proposed update to
COPPA is crucial legislation
that Canadians should be
studying – in addition to the
European Union’s General
Data Protection Regulation – as
again, there are multiple docu-
mented instances of Alphabet’s
subsidiaries failing to protect
children’s privacy.
This legislation, if passed,
would have enormous impact
on the revenue of the digital ad
market for Google and Face-
book, as digital ad revenue in
the U.S. totalled $107 billion in
2018 We should anticipate sus-
providers, cloud providers, large
telecommunications compa-
nies, and large enterprises.
Since it is scalable, it can also
cater to small and medium en-
terprises that house their own
data centers.
The cost of installation of Hy-
perPod varies depending on the
size and scale of data centers.
Businesses’ savings are ex-
pected to reach up to 16 percent
when they start making the
shift.
Meanwhile, Tom Pascual
Jr., assistant vice president for
Technology and Product Solu-
tions Division, VST-ECS Phil-
ippines, said Schneider Electric
is “more than just a partner to
VST-ECS.”
“We strongly believe in their
mission when it comes to us-
ing technology to create in-
novations that businesses and
consumers can use to optimize
their operations for maximized
productivity and efficiency,” he
said. ■
tained resistance from Alpha-
bet’s subsidiary companies and
the other major platforms.
A focus on how we can en-
sure the consistent protection
of the data privacy of children
and youth must be central to
our discussions of technology
globally and to Justin Trudeau’s
proposed Digital Charter na-
tionally in Canada. ■
This article is republished from
The Conversation under a Cre-
ative Commons license. Disclo-
sure information is available on
the original site.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
Coming soon:
Alexa in your ear
and on your finger
BY JOSEPH PISANI
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Amazon wants
Alexa everywhere.
The online shopping giant
said Wednesday that it will
soon start selling wireless ear-
buds, finger rings and prescrip-
tion eyeglasses with its Alexa
voice assistant built in.
The goal: Get Alexa outside
the home and wherever cus-
tomers are.
“You can have Alexa with you
24/7,” said Werner Goertz, a
personal technology analyst at
Gartner.
It also launched its first ce-
lebrity voice for Alexa: actor
Samuel L. Jackson. For $4.99,
Alexa users can now ask Jack-
son to sing them happy birth-
day or tell them the weather.
There will be a “clean” version
for those who don’t want to
hear Jackson curse. Amazon
said other celebrity voices will
be added next year.
While Amazon has succeed-
ed in getting people to buy its
voice-activated Echo speakers
for their living rooms or kitch-
en counters, it hasn’t found
that same success outside the
home.
Rivals Apple and Google have
smartphones, watches and
other devices that have their
voice assistants built in. But
Amazon’s smartphone failed to
catch on and was discontinued
several years ago.
With the Echo Buds, which
cost $130, users can order an
Uber ride or find the nearest
coffee shop as they stroll down
the street. And later this year,
Whole Foods shoppers wear-
ing the black buds can ask Alexa
what aisle they can find canned
tomatoes or other groceries.
Its Echo Frames eyeglasses
and Echo Loop ring can do
similar tasks, but both have a
button that needs to be pressed
before speaking to Alexa. For
now, Amazon said it will sell a
limited number of the glasses
and rings to those invited to
buy them and provide feedback
on improving them.
The company also unveiled
several other products Wednes-
day. Among them: a $30 multi-
colored lamp that pairs with Al-
exa and a $250 voice-controlled
oven that can warm, cook or air
fry food. ■
Re-elected Liberals...
❰❰ 17 “We are making a
different choice than
Conservatives do,”
Trudeau said in response to re-
peated questions about the per-
sistent Liberal deficit.
“We’re choosing to invest in
middle-class Canadians, in-
vest in people’s communities
because, quite frankly, that is
what has worked over the past
four years. Responsible invest-
ments have led to the creation
of over a million new jobs,
most of them full time, and lift-
ing 900,000 people, including
300,000 kids, out of poverty.
“Conservatives are still mak-
ing the argument that the way
to grow the economy is through
cuts and austerity and tax
breaks that go to the wealthiest.
We disagree.”
Conservative Leader Andrew
Scheer was taking a break from
the campaign trail Sunday. But
his finance critic, Ottawa MP
Pierre Poilievre, told a news
conference that Trudeau is ef-
fectively saying “Canada will
literally go on adding debt for-
ever.” He predicted that a re-
elected Liberal government
would wind up imposing “mas-
sive tax increases to fund this
irresponsible and costly plat-
form” that would add $56 bil-
lion in new spending over four
years.
“He expects Canadians to be-
lieve that money falls out of the
sky or grows on trees,” Poilievre
scoffed.
In B.C., NDP Leader Jagmeet
Singh spent a sixth straight day
stumping for west-coast votes,
promising a $100-million fund
to help keep young people out
of gangs and mitigate the grow-
ing problem of organized crime.
And in Vancouver, Green
party Leader Elizabeth May
said her party would introduce
a “robot tax” if elected — a levy
to be paid by a company every
time it replaces a worker with
a machine, part of a strategy to
ease the impact of the growth of
artificial intelligence.
But Sunday was mostly about
the Liberal platform, which
Trudeau described as a “fiscally
responsible” plan under which
the Canada’s debt-to-GDP ra-
tio — already the best among
G7 countries, at 30.9 per cent
— would decrease every year
of a second mandate. As well,
he said Canada will retain its
triple-A credit rating, shared
with only one other G7 country:
Germany.
www.canadianinquirer.net
Technology
According to the platform,
the proposed new taxes, com-
bined with revenue from the
Trans Mountain pipeline ex-
pansion project, would fatten
federal coffers by $5.2 billion in
the first year, rising to $7.2 bil-
lion in the fourth year.
But the extra monies would
be eclipsed by 48 new spend-
ing and tax break initiatives
for the middle class, which the
platform estimates would cost
$9.3 billion next year, rising to
nearly $17 billion by the fourth
year of a second mandate. The
platform does not, however, in-
clude costing for several prom-
ises, including the promise to
introduce a national pharma-
care program which Trudeau
said will have to be negotiated
with the provinces.
An advisory panel created
by Trudeau and led by former
Ontario health minister Eric
Hoskins has pegged the cost of
phasing in pharmacare over 10
years at $3.5 billion in 2022, ris-
ing to $15.3 billion annually by
2027. The Liberals are prom-
ising an extra $6 billion over
four years to the provinces for
health care priorities, includ-
ing what Trudeau has called “a
down payment” on an eventual
pharmacare plan.
Singh said the absence of
money to back up the phar-
macare promise proves that
Trudeau has “clearly walked
away from universal pharma-
care.” he also criticized the plat-
form for doing too little to pro-
vide affordable housing and to
help post-secondary students.
The platform also doesn’t
provide costing for a promise
to create a guaranteed family
leave benefit for new parents
who don’t qualify for paid leave
through Employment Insur-
ance during the first year of
their child’s life.
The parliamentary budget of-
ficer was asked to cost the big
ticket items in the platform,
but the Liberals did not ask him
to review every promise or the
platform in its entirety.
In 2015, the Liberals won
election promising to run up
modest deficits of no more than
$10 billion for several years be-
fore returning to balance by the
end of the mandate. Instead,
they ran up much larger-than-
anticipated deficits and have
now abandoned any pretence
of balancing the budget in the
short term. The platform, like
the Liberal government’s bud-
33
gets before it, proposes no tar-
get date for staunching the flow
of red ink.
The platform does promise
that a re-elected Liberal gov-
ernment would impose an addi-
tional 10 per cent excise tax on
luxury cars, boats and personal
aircraft with price tags of more
than $100,000.
Tech giants like Google, Ama-
zon and Facebook with global
revenues of at least $1 billion a
year and Canadian annual rev-
enues of at least $40 million
would face a three per cent tax
on revenue generated by the
sale of online advertising and
users’ personal data.
And non-resident foreigners
who own vacant property in cit-
ies like Vancouver and Toronto,
where speculation is a concern,
would face a “consistent na-
tional tax.”
The Liberals would also crack
down on tax loopholes that they
say allow large corporations to
excessively deduct debt to ar-
tificially reduce the amount of
taxes they pay. And they would
review government spending
and tax expenditures in search
of measures that dispropor-
tionately benefit the wealthiest
individuals and large corpora-
tions — a measure the platform
estimates would bring in $2 bil-
lion in the first year, rising to $3
billion by the fourth year.
The Liberal campaign has
been rocked by the revelation
that Trudeau appeared in black
or brownface makeup several
times in the past, as recently as
18 years ago. Trudeau has apol-
ogized profusely but some peo-
ple of colour have suggested he
needs to prove he’s changed by
doing more to combat racism.
The platform, written before
the blackface scandal erupted,
promises a number of measures
to combat racism, including
doubling funding for the feder-
al anti-racism strategy and re-
quiring all judges to take man-
datory training on unconscious
bias and cultural sensitivity.
The Liberals would also regu-
late online hate speech, exploi-
tation and harassment, starting
with requiring social media gi-
ants to remove illegal content,
including hate speech, from
their platforms within 24 hours
or face “significant financial
penalties.” ■
 OCTOBER 4, 2019 34

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www.canadianinquirer.net

SBMA to foreclose Ocean
Adventure Park
BY RUBEN VELORIA
Philippine News Agency
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT ZONE
— Subic’s popular theme park,
Ocean Adventure, and its relat-
ed facilities are set to be repos-
sessed by the Subic Bay Metro-
politan Authority (SBMA) due
to multiple contract violations
and failure to fulfill develop-
ment commitments.
SBMA Chairman and Ad-
ministrator Wilma T. Eisma
on Friday said the agency has
served a notice of pre-termi-
nation of contract to the Subic
Bay Marine Exploratorium Inc.
(SBMEI), which operates the
marine theme park complex
under a lease agreement signed
in 2007.
Aside from its failure to com-
ply with its lease contract, the
SBMEI also committed viola-
tions like illegal subleasing of
property, constructing without
permits, improper storing of
waste, and closing public roads.
The company also has ar-
rears of about PHP25 million
on its payment scheme, as well
as PHP7 million on its current
billing, SBMA records showed.
“This is actually sad news for
us, because Ocean Adventure
Park is the pioneer theme park
in the Subic Freeport and is a
hugely popular tourist desti-
nation. However, its multiple
contract violations have been
a long-festering problem that
must be addressed now,” Eisma
said.
She explained that the SBMA
has notified SBMEI of its vio-
lations as early as July and as-
siduously provided guidance
to solve the problems, but the
company did not submit a satis-
factory proposal to correct the
violations.
“We wanted them to stay, of
course, but there was not much
concrete action from their
side,” Eisma said.
“So after months of negotia-
tion and attempts to help SB-
MEI keep its lease, there is no
longer any other recourse but
Travel
to apply the law and pre-termi-
nate the company’s lease agree-
ment,” she added.
The SBMA official also
stressed that SBMEI’s failure
to deliver its development com-
mitments not only constituted
violations of its contract, “but
also prejudiced the SBMA’s fi-
nancial interest because it cur-
tailed the agency’s earning po-
tential.”
She added that even if the
SBMA was willing to reconsid-
er SBMEI’s decades-old breach
of contract, the park operator
along with two other locators
came out with a story accusing
the Subic agency of not adher-
ing to the “ease of doing busi-
ness” law.
Eisma said the news report
only served as a further irritant
between the parties, since the
SBMA has already put in place
various measures to further
ease business in the Freeport,
including putting up a one-stop
shop for permits and extending
the validity of the Certificate of
Registration and Tax Exemp-
tion (CRTE) from one to three
years.
“We’re firm but fair,” Eisma
pointed out, adding that “we
agree that the SBMA should
adhere to the ‘ease of doing
business’ law, but that does not
mean we have to relax our rules
to the detriment of the govern-
ment.”
OCEAN ADVENTURE SUBIC BAY / FACEBOOK
Under the pre-termination
order, the SBMA will repossess
all of the SBMEI’s 493.16 hect-
ares of undeveloped property
upon the lapse of the 30-day
reckoning period. Then, it will
give the SBMEI 24 months to
slow down its activities at the
11.6-hectare developed area
that includes the Ocean Adven-
ture Park, Camayan Beach, and
the newly-opened Adventure
Water Park.
“We are giving them suffi-
cient time to wind down their
operations at the marine park,
remove all their animals and
movable property, and vacate
the premises. We are also con-
cerned about the disruption
and stress this would cause to
the animals, hence the two-year
leeway,” Eisma said.
The Ocean Adventure Park
started operations in 2000 un-
der a contract that covered only
the marine park.
In 2007, the SBMEI entered
into a new agreement for the
lease of a total of 436.89 hect-
ares of land, and 67.87 hectares
of bay area with a commitment
to develop 101.71 hectares for
more tourism activities.
Eisma said the SBMA has al-
ready informed the Office of
the President of its decision to
foreclose the SBME.
However, she said the agency
has not yet closed the door to
renegotiation. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
Palawan among
CNN’s most
beautiful islands list
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Philippine
government, through the De-
partment of Tourism (DOT),
welcomed the continuous
recognition of Palawan for its
pristine beaches and clear wa-
ter with CNN Travel recently
citing the island’s allure to for-
eigners.
“Our rehabilitation efforts to
preserve the beauty of Palawan
did not go unnoticed. We are
thankful for this CNN citation
of our tourist destinations,”
Tourism Secretary Bernadette
Romulo-Puyat said Thursday.
The island of Palawan, de-
scribed as “a gorgeous haven of
pale sand and clear water,” was
listed by the CNN as one of the
10 ‘World’s Most Beautiful Is-
lands.’
Palawan, which was also fea-
tured in the popular Spanish
series Money Heist for its post-
card-ready landscape, is home
to impressive limestone cave
systems.
CNN’s Jen Rose Smith noted
35
that Palawan’s “most remark-
able hiding place might be in
Puerto Princesa Subterranean
River National Park, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site where an
underground river slips through
a maze of limestone caverns.”
Romulo-Puyat, for her part,
lauded local government ef-
forts in promoting sustainable
tourism and practicing the car-
rying capacity of the country’s
longest subterranean river
even before it was a norm.
The coastal province of Pala-
wan hosts a multitude of tourist
attractions in Puerto Princesa,
El Nido, Coron, and the emerg-
ing San Vicente, an identified
tourism enterprise zone.
Joining Palawan in the CNN
list are Milos, Greece; Bar-
tolomé, Ecuador; Fregate, Sey-
chelles; St. Lucia, Lesser An-
tilles; Jura, Scotland; Komodo
Island, Indonesia; and Kaua’i,
United States.
Last July, Palawan, along
with Cebu and Boracay, were
included in the 2019 Travel +
Leisure’s World’s Best Awards.
At the T+L list, Palawan
ranked second on the 15 Best
Islands in the World list. ■
36
Eleven bridges lead visitors on a tour of Alberta’s
coal mining past
BY DAN HEALING
The Canadian Press
DRUMHELLER, ALTA. —
There’s something about the
last few kilometres through a
deep-sided canyon to the west-
ern ghost town of Wayne, Alta.,
that Edmonton motorcyclist
Ron Woodford just can’t get
enough of.
The Harley-Davidson enthu-
siast got a taste for the road that
follows the winding Rosebud
River over 11 single-lane bridg-
es in the 1990s when massive
motorcycle rallies were held in
Wayne — but he keeps coming
back, more than a decade after
those events ended.
“I’m kind of addicted. There’s
something special when you
ride into that chasm on a mo-
torcycle,” he says, adding the
lack of Wi-Fi and cellphone
coverage adds to the quiet of
the place.
“You go over all those bridges.
It’s really unique. When you’re
looking for a bike route, you
want more than just a straight
road.”
Located 15 kilometres south
of the southeastern Alberta
Badlands capital of Drumhell-
er, Wayne is a link to the not-so-
distant past, a town of 29 resi-
dents where 2,500 people once
lived and worked in a dozen un-
derground coal mines.
Most of those people’s homes
have disappeared — moved,
burned or destroyed by flood-
ing — since the last working
mine, Sovereign, closed in 1957.
Visitors to Wayne are mainly
tourists and music buffs these
days. The town is about 150 ki-
Japan’s Amakusa City taps NegOcc as tourism partner
BY ERWIN NICAVERA
Philippine News Agency
TALISAY CITY, NEGROS OC-
CIDENTAL – The Amakusa
City in Japan is tapping Negros
Occidental as its tourism part-
ner in the Philippines.
On Thursday, the Amakusa
Tourism Promotion Team pre-
sented attractions to Negrense
stakeholders in a meeting,
Travel
lometres east of Calgary, mak-
ing it a perfect motoring day
trip with a noon-hour stop for
a Harley-themed burger at the
Last Chance Saloon.
Visitors from farther afield
can rough it at the attached
106-year-old Rosedeer Hotel
(seven rooms on the second
floor, shared showers and toi-
lets down the hall) or stay in
one of two campgrounds.
The Drumheller region,
which attracts tourists mainly
because of the Royal Tyrrell
Museum and other dinosaur-
themed attractions, features 10
hotels and motels, 20 bed-and-
breakfasts, two dozen camp-
grounds and numerous Airbnb
listings.
The owner of the saloon
and hotel, Dave Arsenault, 59,
laughingly insists he intends
to maintain a “dinosaur-free
zone” at Wayne.
“It’ll often be a spectacle
here,” he said. “You’ll have 100
bikers and black leather all over
the place. But everyone is just
here to have fun.”
Arsenault had to learn ev-
erything about the hospitality
industry from scratch when he
retired from a land surveying
business in nearby Drumheller
and became the proprietor of
Wayne’s largest business six
years ago.
He bought it from Fred Day-
man, whose family had owned
it for 65 years, and who re-
mains the “unofficial mayor” of
Wayne in retirement.
Soon after, Arsenault hired
banker Paula Sutherland as
manager — she had worked
part-time at the hotel before
— and the two who started out
which is part of the Tourism
Business Exchange Program
between the two areas, held at
Nature’s Village Resort here.
Sakie Urakami-Saito, of the
National Licensed English-
Speaking Guide in Japan, said
the major tourism offerings of
Amakusa include its rich heri-
tage, culture, and history.
Situated in the center of Ky-
ushu, southwest of Kumamoto,
Amakusa consists of approxi-
as owner-employee are now a
couple.
WayneStock, a three-day an-
nual music festival with musi-
cal acts on three stages in and
around the saloon, posted re-
cord attendance of about 2,000
people in its fifth rendition in
September.
A side benefit of the festival
is that musicians who apply to
play (150 acts this year) are of-
ten hired to perform on week-
ends during the summer and
for special occasions during the
slower winter season.
The three-storey wooden
hotel was built in 1912 by the
Rosedeer Coal company and
the saloon added a few years
later.
Sutherland loves to show visi-
tors around the saloon, which is
packed with historical pictures,
maps and other treasures.
Rosedeer Coal built the sa-
loon so that workers, who were
being paid in company scrip,
could buy a meal or a beer, she
says. The miners’ scrip was
suddenly worthless when the
coal company went bankrupt
in 1934, remembered as the
year there was no Christmas in
Wayne.
Archive photos show hous-
es all around the hotel and
bar. Some were moved, oth-
ers burned, some destroyed by
flooding. The United Church
once located across from the
hotel was moved south and be-
came the community centre.
The saloon is also a living
repository of kitsch, donated
items including a ceiling-
mounted bearskin rug, a stuffed
boar’s head, an airplane model,
an antique animatronic “Band
mately 120 islands of various
sizes and designated as Unzen-
Amakusa National Park center-
ing on its coastlines.
What makes Amakusa unique
from other destinations in Ja-
pan like Tokyo and Osaka is its
“countryside” feel.
“Tourists cannot imagine
what the countryside of Japan
is, if they only visit Tokyo and
Osaka. The life of the local peo-
ple there can be experienced in
www.canadianinquirer.net
Box” music player, mining
equipment and postcards from
Australia.
Framed on one wall of the bar
are three bullet holes, created
in the 1970s when a trigger-
happy bartender wanted to en-
courage a group of patrons to
pay their tab.
The hotel rooms rent for $65
per night ($75 for the larger
rooms) but Sutherland admits
the rooms get “unbearably hot”
in the summer. And there’s no
TV or air conditioning because
the ancient electrical system
won’t allow it.
Some think the third floor,
which is locked up and used
only for storage these days, is
haunted. The hotel was fea-
tured in Season 3 of the Cana-
dian ghost-hunting TV show,
“The Other Side.”
“People come with their
Ouija boards and crystals, some
have actually broken into the
third floor,” said Sutherland,
adding the floor is actually
closed because it would cost too
much to upgrade it to modern
hotel standards.
Amakusa,” Urakami-Saito said.
Amakusa, which remains
home to early Christian cul-
ture, offers rare traces of his-
tory including introduction,
propagation, oppression, hid-
ing and revival.
Sakitsu Village is one of the
“Hidden Christian Sites” in the
Nagasaki Region. It forms part
of the area declared as United
Nations Educational, Scien-
tific and Cultural Organization
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
NICOLETTE SAINA / FACEBOOK
Still, she said: “There’s an en-
ergy here. We’ve heard and seen
things.
“When I first started here,
three of us heard a female
moaning in distress. But it’s not
just the third floor, it’s through-
out the building.”
If you go
The Last Chance Saloon and
Rosedeer Hotel are found be-
tween the ninth and 10th of 11
single-lane metal bridges on a
six-kilometre stretch over the
winding Rosebud River, just
south of Drumheller.
The saloon is open during the
off season from Wednesday to
Sunday from 11 a.m. until 7 or 9
p.m. Watch for events at http://
visitlastchancesaloon.com/.
One of the top rated disc or
Frisbee golf courses in Canada
can be found across the road
from the hotel, with 18 “holes”
scattered up and down the
steep walls of the canyon.
Drumheller is home to the
Royal Tyrrell Museum, open
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Oct.
1 to May 14. It’s closed Mondays,
unless they are holidays. ■
(Unesco) World Heritage Site
in July 2018.
“These are on top of other tour-
ism offerings — from food to a
variety of natural attractions and
views,” Urakami-Saito added.
After the meeting, the
10-member Amakusa Tourism
Promotion Team led by Ryuichi
Yokoshima met with Governor
Eugenio Jose Lacson at the
❱❱ PAGE 38 Japan’s Amakusa

Does outsourcing affect our personal connection
to food?
BY MELISSA RAYWORTH
The Associated Press
THE GROWING options for
outsourcing meal planning,
grocery shopping and cooking
can be called time-saving bless-
ings or culture-destroying curs-
es. In the end, they're probably
a complicated mix of both.
The positive spin goes some-
thing like this: Assuming you
can afford it, you'll save pre-
cious time by clicking a few dig-
ital boxes and getting someone
else to choose your vegetables
and deliver your groceries.
No time to plan a meal? An
ever-expanding list of meal kit
services including Blue Apron
and HelloFresh will send you
premeasured ingredients to
whip up a variety of recipes —
complete with step-by-step,
photo-enhanced instructions.
All that for around $8 to $10 per
person.
No time to cook? Get a week's
worth of frozen meals delivered
courtesy of Home Chef, Freshly
or a host of other local and na-
tional services: It's the mod-
ern version of a TV dinner, but
it tastes better. And if hunger
strikes and you need immedi-
ate gratification, you're no lon-
ger stuck ordering a pizza or a
few containers of takeout Chi-
nese: Uber Eats, DoorDash and
GrubHub stand ready to deliver
anything you crave.
But as people increasingly
limit their involvement in meal
prep, the question of how that
affects our personal connection
to food is debatable.
“As we exist at a greater dis-
tance from where these foods
originated, we tend to forget —
or now, perhaps not even learn
— where things come from,”
says Jason Seacat, a professor
of psychology at Western New
England University, who stud-
ies the relationship between
people and food. “This grow-
ing disconnect not only con-
tributes to a loss for humans,
but also for our natural world
because greater disconnect of-
37
Food
ten equals less concern for the
natural environments that pro-
duce the food.”
Dana White, an associate pro-
fessor and sports dietitian at
Quinnipiac University, doesn't
see the situation as black and
white: “It depends on what the
baseline was before.”
If you're someone who never
cooks and eats out at fast food
places all the time, ordering
groceries or meal kits could be a
step in the right direction
But “if it's taking you away
from the farmer's market and
you stop putting the basil plant
in your backyard,” White says,
these services may do more
harm than good.
Mark Jenike, associate pro-
fessor and chair of the depart-
ment of anthropology at Law-
rence University in Appleton,
Wisconsin, says food is both
biological and cultural, and the adults have no idea how to which may present problems of offering an entire Thanksgiv-
approach to it needs to take scramble an egg or cook rice. its own. ing dinner in a box and they've
both into account. White often sees “students that If that isn't enough to con- followed up with other holiday
“It fulfills biological needs come to college and they have cern you, try this: In his work boxes, including one for Moth-
but is imbued with meaning no idea how to feed themselves. studying what “comfort food” er's Day. Is this the end of fam-
that makes it very cultural as They don't know how to gro- really is, Jordan Troisi has ily recipes, or is it possible that
well,” Jenike says. “So I could cery shop. They don't have ba- found that the psychological having the basics covered helps
certainly see for some people sic cooking skills.” comfort we get from foods has home cooks really focus on
that getting a to do with the making a few family favourites
meal kit allows social meaning from scratch as holiday side
them to focus we attach to it. dishes?
on bonding and We're comfort- Donna Talarico-Beerman
together time as This growing disconnect not only ed by spaghetti and her husband Kevin tried or-
they prepare and contributes to a loss for humans, and meatballs dering groceries. But with their
consume a meal but also for our natural world not necessar- hectic work schedules, produce
together. That because greater disconnect often ily because of would sit in the refrigerator in-
could be a very equals less concern for the natural the tasty carbs, stead of being used.
appealing op- environments that produce the but because it's “I call our crisper drawer 'The
tion.” food. what our family Mush Factory,”' Talarico-Beer-
If an hour that always ate. man, of Lancaster, Pennsylva-
would've been “Food is a nia, says. “We have good inten-
spent driving to physiological tions, but we waste a lot of food.”
the grocery store and rushing Jenike notices the same thing need for humans,” Trioisi says. Coming up with meal ideas
through the aisles is instead at his university: “One of the “As a consequence, itt gets at- after a long day of work often
spent purposefully simmering real problems with things like tached to so many other needs felt like too much trouble, so
a sauce, a home cook could be- Uber Eats and eating out all the that we have, including feel- they'd end up ordering take-
come more connected to their time and food delivery is that so ings of safety, feelings of con- out. But since they've begun
food. And if a meal kit includes many kids now grow up without nection, feeling a sense that in ordering frozen meals from
everything premeasured down the skills to prepare their own times of stress, things are going Schwan's, a service their own
to the last half-teaspoon of chili food.” to be OK.” parents used years ago, “we def-
powder, White says, people A company called Starship But what happens, he won- initely eat more at home,” she
who find cooking intimidating Technologies has begun de- ders, to a kid who doesn't grow says. And it's been good.
might discover it's actually kind livering takeout via A.I.-con- up with any “family recipes” “Even if we're reheating
of fun. trolled robots on a few college because the meal kits they were stuff,” Talarico-Beerman says,
But there are downsides. campuses nationwide. No need raised on changed every week? “we're setting the table togeth-
A growing number of young to even say hi to a delivery guy, Last year, HelloFresh began er.” ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
38
McDonald's takes a Duck meat: A nutritious
nibble of the plant replacement for pork
based burger
BY MELISSA RAYWORTH
The Associated Press
MCDONALD'S IS finally tak-
ing a nibble of the plant-based
burger.
In a very limited test in Can-
ada, McDonald's said Thursday
that it's introducing the PLT, or
the plant, lettuce and tomato
burger. It will be available for
12 weeks in 28 restaurants in
Southwestern Ontario by the
end of the month.
The limited test is rolling out
about six months after rival
Burger King began testing the
plant-based Impossible burger,
which no surprise, is a rival to
Beyond Meat. It's now selling
those burgers nationwide.
Meat alternatives are being
introduced across the fast food
sector, with Beyond Meat and
Impossible Foods battling to get
their plant-based products into
as many restaurants as possible.
KFC last month began test-
Japan’s Amakusa...
❰❰ 36 provincial capitol in
Bacolod City.
The team included
officials from Amakusa Tourism
Promotion Division, Amakusa
Airline, Amakusa Takarajima
Tourism Association, Amakusa
Hondo Ryokan and Hotel Asso-
ciation, and Amakusa City In-
dustrial Policy Division.
Provincial Supervising Tour-
ism Operations Officer Cristine
Mansinares said the provincial
ing plant-based chicken nug-
gets and boneless wings at an
Atlanta restaurant in partner-
ship with Beyond Meat. Carl's
Jr. and Del Taco also selling Be-
yond Meat products. Tim Hor-
tons has tested a Beyond Meat
breakfast sausage in Canada.
Impossible Foods announced
in May that it was making meat-
less “sausage” crumbles for the
Little Caesars pizza chain in
some states.
Ann Wahlgren, McDonald's
vice-president of global menu
strategy, said in a blog post that
the chain's been keeping a close
eye on the growing demand for
meat alternatives and spoke to
the size of the test beginning at
the end of the month.
“Why just a small test? We're
in learning mode, so testing is
a major part of how we develop
our menu,” Wahlgren wrote. “It's
how we look- before we leap.”
Before the opening bell
Thursday, shares of Beyond
Meat Inc. soared 17%. ■
government is linking the pro-
motion team from Japan to lo-
cal tour operators in Negros
Occidental.
Mansinares said that while
the group is promoting Ama-
suka to the Negrenses, it is also
an opportunity for the province
to promote its tourism industry
in Japan.
“We want to strengthen the
relations between the two tour-
ism areas,” she added. ■
BY MA. TERESA
MONTEMAYOR
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Amid the African
Swine Fever scare, many moth-
ers today are looking for a healthy
replacement for pork and pork
products apart from chicken.
Celebrity Chef Pablo “Boy”
Logro told the Philippine News
Agency (PNA) in an interview
that now is the right time to
introduce duck meat to chil-
dren as part of regular dishes or
meals in Filipino homes.
“Maganda source of protein
ang duck kagaya ng pork at
kumpara sa manok, masasabi
ko na mas masarap ito, dagda-
gan mo pa ng mga vitamins and
minerals na makukuha mo dito
(Duck is a great source of pro-
tein just like pork, I can say that
it is tastier, and you can get vi-
tamins and minerals from it),”
Logro said.
According to a 2015 study in
the Journal of Applied Animal
Research, duck meat is nutri-
tious — containing a variety of
vitamins, minerals, and anti-
oxidants.
“Its most nutritious aspect is,
its protein together with small
amounts of copper, folate, iron,
omega-6 fatty acids, phospho-
rus, potassium, selenium, zinc
and vitamins A, B12, and K,” the
study said.
While duck skin is consid-
ered fatty like chicken skin, the
study said duck meat has less
cholesterol.
Duck dishes
Logro shared making meat
likeable to children could be
challenging since it is not as
popular as chicken and pork.
“We can create duck burger
patties instead of beef burger
patties so that millennials will
know that there’s also duck
meat and not just beef. Kulang
lamang lang po talaga tayo ng
teknolohiya (We just really lack
the technology),” he added.
Citing that some Filipinos
find duck meat tough compared
to chicken, Logro emphasized
that style of cooking plays a vi-
tal role in its softness or tender-
ness.
He added boiling and grind-
ing usually work for duck meat.
To get rid of its sliminess,
www.canadianinquirer.net
Logro advised cooking it with
garlic, lemon grass or turmeric
especially if it would be mixed
with pasta.
“For fried chicken, kailangan
muna pakuluan bago ito iprito.
Para naman sa mga matatanda,
puwede magluto ng sinampalu-
kan, ginataan, kaldereta at af-
ritada (it needs to be boiled be-
fore frying it. For older people,
you can cook sinampalukan,
ginataan, kaldereta and afrita-
da),” he said.
Logro stressed that duck
meat is also budget-friendly
because it costs cheaper com-
pared to chicken.
Duck industry in PH
Agriculture Secretary Wil-
liam Dar said duck industry in
the Philippines is only second
to the chicken industry.
“And, I say, the product we
derive from this industry is
mostly the eggs –the balut (fer-
tilized egg)– which is globally
marketed in the US and other
countries. But we are yet to ex-
plore the importance of ducks
when it comes to their meat,”
Dar said.
In line with this, Dar cited
that the country needs to trans-
form its agriculture “to achieve
the level where agri-industry
is the mainstay of the business
sector.”
“So, we have to introduce
agri-industrialization so that
we can transform a commodity
like ducks into a duck indus-
try. The growth of Thailand,
for example, in terms of agri-
business, has gone early in op-
timizing every commodity that
they have turning them into an
industry,” he said.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FRIDAY
“For us, were just starting
in that direction. We’re going
to set an export oriented-agri-
cultural industry because this
is the way many economies in
the Asean have grown leaps and
bounds,” he added.
Duck Day Manila
On September 10, exporter
Donny's Choice brought the
finest duck brand Dalee to the
Philippines to celebrate the
first Duck Day Manila.
The brand launch gathered
various celebrities, business-
men, media, Thais and Filipi-
nos at Conrad Hotel in Pasay
City who enjoyed duck special-
ties prepared by Filipino celeb-
rity chefs Boy Logro, Rosebud
Benitez and Gene Gonzalez,
and Thai Celebrity Chef Will-
met Leong.
Every duck dish was fused
with Filipino cuisine.
"We were very excited to
bring Dalee in the Philippines
and introduce new flavors and
new high-quality options to
Filipino cuisine. We are a na-
tion rich with food inspired by
our very own culture and his-
tory but we don't shy away from
fusing these traditional recipes
with flavors from other coun-
tries and Dalee's duck meat will
definitely work well with that,"
Dalee Brand Manager Jesse
Contrata.
Duck Day Manila is the be-
ginning of a yearly celebra-
tion as Donny's Choice aims to
make September 10 as National
Duck Day in the Philippines
with the official celebration of
Office of the President and Na-
tional Commission for Culture
and the Arts. ■
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019 39

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