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GREEN TASK

A worker of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Metro Parkway Clearing Group cares for the greenery in front of Eton Centris mall in Quezon City on Tuesday (Jan. 30, 2024).
The agency maintains green spaces around the metropolis to combat the air pollution caused by vehicle emissions.
ROBERT OSWALD P. ALFILER / PNA

PBBM: Talks with 21

solons, legal luminaries

on Charter reforms MARIA IN VANCOUVER:
Keeping the Spark Alive in
Long-term Relationships

constant 29
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-CARLOS tion with lawmakers and legal luminar- `
Philippine News Agency ies to get their insights on the proposed Here are some dos
reforms to the Constitution. and don’ts to help
In a media interview on the sidelines tackle ableism Eating leafy greens could be
MANILA – President Ferdinand R.
❱❱ PAGE 4 PBBM: Talks with better for oral health than
Marcos Jr. is in constant communica- PAGE 12 using mouthwash

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
Senate to 'move forward' from PI issue
but probe continues
BY WILNARD BACELONIA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Senate lead-
ership will refrain from com-
menting on the recent people's
initiative (PI) and will buckle
down to work by shifting their
focus to pending bills.
"I-slow down po natin ang
away Ngayon kasi ang impor-
tante dyan ay kapakanan ng
bayan (Let's slow down from
this fight because what's im-
portant is the welfare of our
people), and I think all these
fighting between the different
groups is not going to be good
for our economy, our country,
our children and children's
children," Senate President
Juan Miguel Zubiri said in an
ambush interview on Wednes-
day.
"Let's work together and
move forward from this PI issue
and let's start helping the peo-
ple who are in need the most,
dun sa kanilang economic issue,
yung gutom na nararamdaman
PBBM to Vietnamese bizmen:
PH ready for your expansion plans
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-
CARLOS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Ferdi-
nand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday
urged the Vietnamese business
community to consider the
Philippines as an investment
hub for their expansion plans.
“I encourage the esteemed
Vietnamese businesses to look
to the Philippines as their part-
ner for expansion,” Marcos said
in his remarks during a working
luncheon with the Vietnamese
and Filipino business com-
munity hosted by Vietnamese
Prime Minister Pham Minh
Chinh in Hanoi.
“The Philippines can serve as
a secondary location in support
nila, kawalan ng trabaho, pag-
dadag ng sweldo. Yan na muna
siguro ang tututukan namin
ngayon bilang Senado (on the
economic issue, hunger, lack of
jobs, and salary increase. That
will be our focus now as a Sen-
ate)," he added.
Zubiri assured that they will
proceed with the creation of the
subcommittee that will discuss
the proposed amendment of
the three economic provisions
of the Constitution in response
to the Resolution of Both Hous-
es No. 6 (RBH 6) that he recent-
ly filed after a series of discus-
sions with President Ferdinand
R. Marcos Jr. and House Speak-
er Martin Romualdez.
It was specified in the RBH
6 that only Section 11 of Article
XII or the National Patrimo-
ny and Economy; Paragraph
2, Section 4 of Article XIV or
the Education, Science and
Technology, Arts, Culture, and
Sports; and Paragraph 2, Sec-
tion 11 of Article XVI or the
General Provisions will be dis-
cussed and reviewed.
of your manufacturing oper-
ations in Viet Nam, especially
in key sectors such as energy,
infrastructure, automotive, and
services,” he added.
In his meeting with Vietnam-
ese President Vo Van Thuong,
Marcos acknowledged Viet-
nam’s crucial role in the Philip-
pines’ development.
Marcos said Vietnam con-
tinues to be the Philippines’
“steadfast partner,” consider-
ing the “robust bond” between
the two nations.
“I am also very happy to be
able to report that the Vietnam-
ese community that has grown
in the Philippines is continuing
to flourish. They have contrib-
uted greatly through our soci-
ety, to our workforce and have
become a very crucial part now
Stop PI and we'll talk
Meanwhile, Senator Imee
Marcos said, in a separate inter-
view, senators are willing to sit
down with Speaker Romualdez
and other congressmen with
the assurance that they will no
longer pursue PI.
Marcos, who is now leading
the investigation on the irregu-
larities in the PI, was answering
the call of congressmen to stop
the investigation and hasten the
passage of the RBH 6 instead.
She questioned why mem-
bers of the House of Represen-
tatives are interfering in the
affairs of the Senate.
The Senator said PI discred-
its the Marcos administration
and wastes a lot of political cap-
ital which "can never be recov-
ered again."
The senator is set to fly to
Davao on Friday to open the
second inquiry regarding the
PI with another set of witnesses
and more resource persons.
Retrieve signature lists
The Commission on Elec-
tions (Comelec), meanwhile,
of the areas where they live.
They have formed communities
that, again, are much appreciat-
ed by the Filipinos,” he said.
Citing the immense trade
opportunities between the two
nations, Marcos said the Philip-
pines seeks to expand bilateral
trade with Vietnam to USD10
billion from the current USD7
billion by exploring untapped
resources.
On Monday, Marcos met with
the executives of Vietnamese
real estate firm Vingroup Com-
pany and was informed of the
firm’s plan to invest in the Phil-
ippines for the production of
electric vehicle batteries.
Marcos embarked on a state
visit to Vietnam, with a hope to
attract more foreign investments.
The Philippines and Vietnam
www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
appealed to PI proponents to
retrieve the submitted signa-
ture sheets since the proceed-
ings for the measure have been
indefinitely suspended.
Comelec chairperson George
Erwin Garcia appealed since
many of their offices in cities/
municipalities lack space.
“Mas maganda kunin nyo
muna sa Comelec mga napa-
receive. Baka sakali mas maa-
lagaan nyo at mapoprotektah-
an ang mga documents. Kasi
ang liit ng opisina ng Comelec,
therefore, baka mawala pa,
mabasa, or anuman. Pero ang
commitment namin, aalagaan
namin mga document hang-
gang gusto nyo na pullout lahat
yan (It would be better if you
would retrieve these from the
Comelec. It’s more likely that
you would be able to preserve
and protect these documents.
Comelec offices are small.
These might be lost, get wet or
whatever. But our commitment
is we would take care of these
documents unless you pull
these out),” the poll body chief
have a total trade amounting to
USD6.18 billion in 2022, with ex-
ports valued at USD1.72 billion
and imports at USD4.46 billion.
The USD2.74-billion balance of
trade is in favor of Vietnam.
There are an estimated
7,003 Filipinos in Vietnam. In
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (JOAN BONDOC/PNA)
3
said in an interview Wednesday.
Garcia said those who would
like to retrieve the signature
sheets would have to return the
certification they have received
from the poll body.
On Monday, the poll body
halted all PI proceedings to give
way to a review of Resolution
10650 which sets guidelines for
this method of amending the
Constitution.
The poll body has so far re-
ceived a total of 1,129 city and
municipal Offices of Election Of-
ficer in 210 legislative districts.
‘Rumor-mongering’
Surigao del Norte 2nd District
Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said
certain anti-PI individuals could
have been intentionally spread-
ing false information through
rumor-mongering to derail the
good intention to amend the
economic provision of the 1987
Philippine Constitution.
Among the supposed fake
information, he said, are the
“abolition of the Senate," which
❱❱ PAGE 18 Senate to 'move
2022, remittances from Fil-
ipino workers amounted to
USD13,683,000.
The Philippines and Vietnam
established formal diplomatic
ties on July 12, 1976 and elevat-
ed their relations to a Strategic
Partnership in 2015. ■
 4 Philippine News
Korean visa application
made easier under
4 categories
BY MA. TERESA
MONTEMAYOR
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Embassy of
Korea in the Philippines will
streamline the visa application
requirements for elected pol-
iticians, government officials,
professional license holders, and
credit card holders starting Feb. 1.
“Please be aware that for those
who meet the following condi-
tions, only the stated financial
documents can be exempted or
replaced, and other general re-
quired documents must still be
submitted,” the Korean Embas-
sy said in a notice posted on its
website Tuesday.
On Jan. 9, the Korean Visa
Application Center (KVAC) in
Manila announced that “all visa
applicants may proceed direct-
ly to the 9th floor upon arriving
at the hotel."
"Although KVAC will start sup-
porting applicants to file applica-
tion from 9 a.m., Customer Wait-
ing Area on 9F opens at 7 a.m. to
comfort all applicants,” it said.
KVAC is located on 9/F (Zone
2) of the Brittany Hotel at 6
McKinley Parkway, Aura Com-
plex in BGC, Taguig City.
Below are the requirements
for Korean visa application by
category:
Elected politicians
PBBM: Talks with..
❰❰ 1 of his state visit to
Vietnam on Tuesday,
Marcos said he had
consulted Executive Secre-
tary Lucas Bersamin and Chief
Presidential Legal Counsel
Juan Ponce Enrile to determine
the “best thing” to do when it
comes to amending the 1987
Constitution.
“So the details have not yet
been decided upon. That is pre-
cisely what we will be working
on,” Marcos said when asked
how he intended to resolve the
issues about calls for amending
- Applicable for members of
the Senate, Congress, governors,
Provincial Board Members, and
mayors (city or municipality)
- (Immediate family mem-
bers): One's parents, spouse,
minor children (applicable for
adult children who can prove
to be students through docu-
ments), spouse's parents
Required Visa Application
Documents:
- Identification documents
(original copy) such as a certif-
icate of employment or certifi-
cate of appointment
- Submission of bank certifi-
cates, bank statements, and ITR
are exempted for the politician
and family members.
- Other documents, such as
proof of relationship, are required.
Government officials
- Applicable for persons with
the Charter through a People’s
Initiative (PI).
Marcos said he could not say
if PI was “still one of the options
that remains for us.”
He added that he has been
talking to the top leaders of the
Senate and the House of Repre-
sentatives in the past few days to
resolve their differing views on PI.
“In fact, before I left, I met
with our legal luminaries and
tried to find a way dahil ‘yan
naman talaga ang aabutin nila
(because that’s what would they
discuss) are the economic pro-
a rank higher or equal to Assis-
tant Secretary of the Executive
Branch of the Philippine Govern-
ment, and Brigadier General of
the Armed Forces of the Philip-
pines/Philippine National Police
- Immediate family mem-
bers: One's parents, spouse,
minor children (applicable for
adult children who can prove
to be students through docu-
ments), spouse's parents
Required Visa Application
Documents:
- Original Certificate of em-
ployment (It is necessary to
clearly specify the affiliated or-
ganization, working period, po-
sition, and salary. If the relevant
information is omitted or cannot
be verified due to a lack of contact
with HR, disadvantages may be
❱❱ PAGE 11 Korean visa application
visions that I have been talking
for many, many years already,”
Marcos said.
Marcos said the usual con-
flict between the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate
is whether to vote together or
separately.
He said he had asked congres-
sional leaders and some of the
“best” constitutional minds to
come up with a simpler solution
that would not stir controversy.
“Now there’s advice that we
are getting: the best analysis
and interpretation that we have
www.canadianinquirer.net
OCTA: 49% of
Filipinos see
quality of life
will improve in
6 months
BY FILANE MIKEE
CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Nearly half of
adult Filipinos expect their
quality of life to improve in the
next six months, according to a
recent survey conducted by the
OCTA Research group.
The poll, which was conducted
from Dec. 10 to 14, 2023, showed
that about 49 percent of the re-
spondents are optimistic that
their quality of life will improve
over the next six months, up by 15
percentage points from 49 per-
cent recorded in October 2023.
Meanwhile, some 45 percent
said their quality of life will stay
the same, and only 4 percent
expect it to worsen in the next
six months.
The number of those who
expect their lives to worsen de-
creased by three points from 7
percent in October 2023.
Across areas, the percentage
of Filipinos who think that their
quality of life will improve was
highest among respondents in Vi-
sayas at 58 percent, and the lowest
in Mindanao at 40 percent.
is that the legislature is of bi-
cameral nature and therefore
that implies that they will vote
separately,” Marcos said.
“So, how that will be done
now is what we are trying to fig-
ure out, how will it be done so
that both Houses’ role is in this
bicameral system is preserved
and that is what we are working
right now,” he added.
Marcos earlier said it is the
job of the Commission on Elec-
tions (Comelec) to look into
reports of alleged buying out of
signatures for a PI for amend-
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
The same survey also found
that about 38 percent of adult
Filipinos believe that the Phil-
ippine economy will improve
over the next six months.
OCTA said this is the "first
time in three quarters" that a
recovery in this data point was
observed.
"Optimism regarding the coun-
try’s economy among adult Fili-
pinos increased from 27 percent
in October 2023 to 38 percent in
December 2023," OCTA said.
The survey showed that 51
percent said the economy will
remain the same, while 8 per-
cent believe it will worsen.
Across major areas, the high-
est percentage of Filipinos who
anticipate improvement in the
Philippine economy over the
next six months is in Visayas at
53 percent, and the lowest is in
Balance Luzon at 30 percent.
"The latest optimism regard-
ing the Philippine economy
among adult Filipinos increased
in all major areas compared to
October 2023," OCTA said.
OCTA’s Tugon ng Masa sur-
vey had 1,200 respondents and
a ±3 percent margin of error at a
95 percent confidence level. ■
ing the Charter.
On Jan. 26, Socioeconom-
ic Planning Secretary Arsenio
Balisacan said “unnecessary
restrictions” in the economic
provision of the constitution
should be eliminated to entice
more foreign investors.
The following day, Albay
2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda
agreed with Balisacan, saying
constitutional amendments are
crucial in boosting investors’
confidence in the country. ■
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024 5

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6 Philippine News FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY

VAT removal on 21 medicines to benefit

more Pinoys – DOH chief
BY MA. TERESA
MONTEMAYOR
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – More Filipinos
may now benefit from more
affordable medicines follow-
ing the value-added tax (VAT)
exemption of 21 medicines for
cancer, diabetes, hypertension,
kidney disease, mental illness,
and tuberculosis.
On Tuesday, Bureau of Inter-
nal Revenue’s (BIR) Commis-
sioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. an-
nounced that the specified drugs
are now exempted from VAT.
Lumagui noted that the VAT ex-
emption is under Revenue Memo-
randum Circular No. 17-2024.
"I welcomed that because
these are the drugs that are
needed by people who are really
sick, so VAT exemption is very
important in lowering the price
of the medicine," Department
of Health (DOH) Secretary Te-
odoro Herbosa said in a media
forum on Wednesday.
"Mas marami akong mabibi-
gyan with the budget that leg-
islation gives me so kung mura
ang medicines because of re-
moval of the VAT, malaking tu-
long yun (If medicines cheaper
because of the removal of the
VAT, that's a big help. I can give
[medicines] to more people
with the budget that legislation
gives me),” he added.
About PHP 1.7 billion was al-
located for the DOH from the
national budget this year.
Herbosa said cases and deaths
due to cancer and tuberculo-
sis happen when patients have
limited access to medicines that
help control these diseases.
The same goes for non-com-
municable diseases like diabe-
tes and hypertension, he said.
“Kasi ‘yung mga mahihirap ay
humihinto ng pag-inom kasi nga
ang mahal ng gamot (The mar-
ginalized stop taking medicines
because they are expensive). So,
we want to make that medicine
available also to our poorest of
the Filipinos," he added.
In 2023, the BIR exempted a
total of 59 medicines from VAT
to ease the financial burden of
Filipinos taking medications
to improve their health condi-
tions and quality of life. These
included "maintenance" drugs
for diabetes, high cholesterol,
and hypertension. ■

PBBM dismisses PH palay output hits

rift with VP Sara: record high of 20.06
UniTeam still million metric tons
working
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-
CARLOS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Fer-
dinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tues-
day said Vice President Sara Z.
Duterte continues to enjoy his
trust and confidence.
Marcos made the clarifica-
tion in a media interview on
the sidelines of his state visit
to Vietnam, when asked about
the current status of his rela-
tionship with Duterte following
the recent verbal attacks hurled
against him by his predecessor
and the Vice President’s father,
Rodrigo Duterte.
“Well, it’s exactly the same
because she has -- of that na-
ture. And, wala naman siyang
sinasabi na ganyang klase. So,
hindi naman nagbabago (And
she did not say anything. So
nothing has changed),” he said.
Marcos said the Vice Presi-
dent will stay as head of the De-
partment of Education.
He added that the UniTeam
he and the younger Duterte
established when they ran in
the 2022 national elections re-
mains intact.
“I believe so because if you
remember UniTeam is not just
one party of two parties or three
parties. It’s the unification of
all political, hopefully all po-
litical forces in the Philippines
to come together for the good
country,” Marcos said.
“And that is still there. It is
still vibrant. It is still working,
and we will continue,” he added.
In a gathering in his home-
town of Davao City on Sunday,
the former president claimed
that when he was the city may-
or, he was shown evidence by
the Philippine Drug Enforce-
ment Agency (PDEA) that Mar-
cos was on the drug watchlist.
Marcos, in a media interview
on Monday, said he would “not
even dignify” the accusation
made by his predecessor, add-
ing that the use of Fentanyl may
be taking a toll on the former
chief executive’s health.
Also on Monday, the PDEA
said Marcos was never included
in the roster of individuals in-
volved in illegal drugs. ■
BY MA. TERESA
MONTEMAYOR
percent higher than the 2022
volume of 19.76 million MT.
rice -- an amount that allowed
the country to reduce rice im-
Philippine News Agency The 2022 harvest was a decline port volume to 3.5 million MT
from the previous record harvest from 3.8 million MT in 2022.
of 19.96 million MT in 2021. Earlier, the DA noted that
MANILA – The Department “Our goal is to push that rice rice consumption is estimat-
of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday harvest volume further but that ed at 13.5 million MT but a re-
reported that palay production could be a challenge this year quired 50-day buffer means the
in 2023 reached 20.06 million because of the water shortage country needs an additional
metric tons (MT), the highest we expect due to El Niño,” DA 1.85 million MT of rice supply.
harvest ever in the country. Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Hence, President Ferdinand
According to the Philippine Jr. said. R. Marcos, Jr. ordered the DA
Statistics Authority's latest data, The recorded palay harvest to modernize agriculture to in-
last year’s palay output was 1.5 translates to 13.2 million MT of crease food production, particu-
larly palay, to ensure food securi-
ty and increase farmers’ income.
The latest PSA data also
showed that agriculture and fish-
eries sector remained resilient
despite challenges faced in 2023,
posting a 0.7 percent growth in
terms of production value.
Tiu-Laurel cited the con-
tribution of the livestock and
poultry sectors, which record-
ed growth of 2.7 percent and
7.8 percent in terms of value,
respectively, even with the con-
tinuing cases of African swine
flu and avian influenza.
PRECIOUS GRAINS. Farmers rush to dry their “palay” (unhusked rice) harvest in He added that crop production,
Baliwag City, Bulacan to preserve quality after days of intermittent rains brought which shares a majority of 58.7
by a low-pressure area in this 2023 photo. The Department of Agriculture on percent of the total value of pro-
Tuesday (Jan. 30, 2024) said the Philippine Statistics Authority's latest data duction in agriculture and fisher-
showed that palay production in 2023 reached 20.06 million metric tons, the ies, exhibited a 0.1 percent growth
highest harvest ever in the country. (JOAN BONDOC/PNA) as compared to last year. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
Marcos says PH opts for ’peaceful’
resolution to SCS disputes
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-
CARLOS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Ferdi-
nand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday
maintained his stance to settle
the territorial disputes in the
South China Sea (SCS) with
China and other claimants in a
“peaceful” manner.
Amid the growing tensions
in the SCS because of China’s
provocative acts, Marcos told
Vietnamese President Vo Van
Thuong and Vietnamese Prime
Minister Pham Minh Chinh
in separate meetings in Ha-
noi that the Philippines wants
to address the maritime row
through peaceful dialogue and
consultations.
“On regional and interna-
tional issues, the South China
Sea remains to be a point of
contention,” Marcos said.
“We are firm in defending our
sovereignty, sovereign rights,
and jurisdiction against these
Chinese provocations. But at
the same time, we are also seek-
DepEd urged to include foreign language
learning in K to 12
BY FILANE MIKEE
CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The House of
Representatives on Tuesday
adopted a resolution urging
the Department of Education
(DepEd) to integrate foreign
language studies, other than
English, into the K to 12 Basic
Education program.
The chamber adopted House
Resolution 1502, which calls for
foreign language learning with-
in the basic education curricu-
lum to improve the employabil-
ity of K to 12 graduates.
Minority Leader Marcelino
Libanan, author of the measure,
said foreign language skills
ing to address these issues with
China and all other partners
through peaceful dialogue and
consultations as two equal sov-
ereign states,” he added.
Still, Marcos expressed dis-
may over China’s “unilateral
and illegal actions that vio-
late our sovereignty, sovereign
rights, and jurisdiction, and ex-
acerbate tensions” in SCS.
He lamented that China’s
aggressive actions led to “un-
fortunate” incidents involving
Chinese and Philippine vessels.
Despite this, Marcos said the
Philippine position on the SCS
“has been consistent, clear, and
firmly anchored in the 1982
United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea.”
“As a maritime nation, we
share a similar assessment of
the current state of our regional
environment with other mari-
time nations of the Asia-Pacific.
Our countries have crucial roles
to play in shaping the regional
security discourse and in up-
holding the rules-based inter-
national order,” he said.
“I also wish to stress that
shall reinforce the competitive
advantage of Filipino students
in the global labor markets of
the 21st century.
"The whole world has be-
come a global village with in-
tegrated multilingual labor
markets, thus creating a strong
demand for workers with for-
eign language skills," Libanan
said in a statement.
He noted that global corpora-
tions based in the United States,
China and Japan prefer hiring
staff who can speak a second for-
eign language besides English.
"Filipino graduates equipped
with foreign language skills
shall reinforce the labor ex-
port strategy that has made the
Philippines the world's fourth
largest recipient of foreign ex-
the Philippines has an inde-
pendent foreign policy. The
Philippines considers both the
United States and China as key
actors in maintaining peace and
security, as well as economic
growth and development of our
region,” Marcos added.
Marcos stressed that sail-
ings and air traffic over the
SCS must “remain free” for the
large amount of trade that goes
through the busy waterway.
Noting Vietnam’s contin-
ued interest in undertaking a
Satellite Picture of the South China Sea (SERG!O - SATELLITE PICTURES, FROM NASA
WORLD WIND GLOBE, VERSION 1.4/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PUBLIC DOMAIN)
change remittances from over-
seas workers, next only to India,
Mexico, and China," he said.
Libanan said the proposal
would be in line with Vice Pres-
ident and Education Secretary
Sara Z. Duterte's goal to make
the basic education curriculum
produce more competent, job-
ready, active, and responsible
citizens of the country.
During her Basic Education
Report (BER) 2024 on Jan.
25, Duterte said DepEd is now
preparing for the nationwide
phased implementation of the
MATATAG K-10 Curriculum,
the rollout of the National Math
Program and the National Sci-
ence and Technology Program,
and the institutionalization of
their comprehensive Peace Ed-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
Joint Submission on Extended
Continental Shelf to the Unit-
ed Nations Commission on the
Limits of the Continental Shelf
(CLCS), Marcos said the Phil-
ippines is willing to work with
for a joint submission “at the
appropriate time.”
Marcos said the Philippines
is committed to work with other
“like-minded” states to ensure
a rules-based international or-
der in the Asia-Pacific region
governed by international law.
“Our support for ASEAN
Grade 6 pupils attend a Rapid Language Assessment Testing briefing at the
Fernando Ma. Guerrero Elementary School on Pedro Gil Street, Paco, Manila,
on Tuesday (Sept. 27, 2022). (ALFRED FRIAS/PNA)
ucation Program which are the
results of thorough review and
utilization of the results of both
national and international as-
sessments.
MATATAG stands for MAke
the curriculum relevant to pro-
duce competent and job-ready,
active, and responsible citizens;
TAke steps to accelerate deliv-
ery of basic education facilities
7
(Association of Southeast
Asian Nations) centrality and
the ASEAN Outlook on the
Indo-Pacific as the foremost
regional framework and as
the architecture for collective
peace, stability and prosperity
remains steadfast,” he said.
Long-lasting resolution of
global conflicts
Meantime, Marcos called for
a “long-lasting” resolution of
international conflicts.
He cited his concern over the
escalating tensions in Taiwan
Strait, Myanmar, Gaza, Leba-
non and the Red Sea.
"The Philippines stands
ready to work with other coun-
tries towards a long-lasting
resolution to the conflict in
accordance with pertinent
UN (United Nations) Security
Council Resolutions and the
general principles of interna-
tional law,” Marcos said.
Marcos likewise thanked
Vietnam for supporting the
Philippines’ bid to the UN Se-
curity Council as a non-perma-
nent member for 2027-2028. ■
and services; TAke good care of
learners by promoting learner
well-being, inclusive education,
and a positive learning envi-
ronment; and Give support to
teachers to teach better.
"We will push forward. We
will not be deterred until we
bend the curve until we fulfill
the dream of every Filipino
child," Duterte assured. ■
8 Philippine News
Correspondent/Hosts
Arianne Grace Lacanilao
Matte Laurel
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Ginno Alcantara
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Alan Yong
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Member
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
DOLE ready to assist displaced
workers of CNN PH, Sky Cable
BY FERDINAND PATINIO not yet paid," Labor Secretary Bienveni- two companies at the start of the year.
Philippine News Agency do Laguesma said in a phone interview. In a statement, the Federation of Free
Laguesma noted that other assistance Workers (FFW) also called on the gov-
is also available to the affected employees. ernment to adopt measures that could
MANILA – The Department of Labor "We can make available to displaced help prevent job losses during corporate
and Employment (DOLE) said Tuesday it workers job facilitation our TUPAD restructuring processes.
is ready to assist more than 300 employ- (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Dis- CNN Philippines will cease opera-
ees of CNN Philippines and Sky Cable that advantaged/Displaced Workers) pro- tions on Wednesday due to financial
would be displaced due to their closure. gram and DOLE Integrated Livelihood losses, affecting 300 employees.
"We can offer them assistance in en- program," he added. On the other hand, Sky Cable will dis-
suring that benefits due them as a result On the other hand, a labor group ex- continue its operations effective Feb. 27,
of their separation are given to them, if pressed concern over the closure of the displacing 22 employees. ■
Comelec may hold simultaneous
PI signatures' check, voter sign-up
BY FERDINAND PATINIO “Yun lang hindi namin tatanggapin or petition. Since Comelec admitted that
Philippine News Agency bibilangin ang mga isa-submit nila. As of no petition has yet been filed for any ini-
1 p.m. Monday, may 1,129 cities and mu- tiative, then it is very clear that the act
nicipalities na nakatanggap na ng signa- of receiving these signature sheets is
MANILA – The Commission on Elec- tures. Comprise ito sa 210 legislative dis- premature and will not serve any useful
tions (Comelec) on Tuesday revealed a tricts (The only thing is that we would purpose,” the lawyer added.
possible plan to lessen the possible im- not accept or count the signatures that Meanwhile, the Legal Network for
pact of People’s Initiative (PI) proceed- they would submit. As of 1 p.m. Mon- Truthful Elections (LENTE) said they
ings on the resumption of voter registra- day, there are 1,129 cities and munici- will continue to be vigilant against the
tion which is set to start next month. palities that have received signatures. It move of PI proponents, amid reports
Comelec spokesperson John Rex Lau- comprises 210 legislative districts),” the that people are being promised of gov-
diangco said they are ready to verify sig- Comelec spokesperson added. ernment benefits or financial assistance
natures for PI and at the same time con- Stakeholders reaction in exchange for signing the PI petitions.
duct the voter registration activities. Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal The group added that they will work
“Hypothetically, should the Signature lauded the decision of the Comelec to with other organizations to make sure
Verification ensue (after a formal Petition stop proceedings on PI. that the process will be in accordance
for People's Initiative has been deemed “From the very beginning, it has been with the law.
sufficient in form and substance by the my position that receiving these signa- It also urged the public to report to
Commission en banc) during the period ture sheets is very premature because them if they have received offers, both
for Voter's Registration, the Election Of- the rules pertaining to the conduct of monetary or in kind, in exchange of their
ficer shall be the one to proceed with the initiative cannot be filed ahead of the signatures. ■
signature verification in the Office of the
Election Officer, while the Election Assis-
tant shall serve as acting Election Officer
for purposes of voter's registration spe-
cifically in Mall/Offsite/Satellite/Out-of-
Office Registration Sites,” the poll body
official said in a statement.
At the same time, he reiterated that
acceptance of signature sheets for the PI
has been indefinitely suspended.
“We restate for the record, however,
that with the suspension of Resolution No.
10650, all Comelec Offices have been di-
rected not to receive signature pages any-
more, and to stop from proceeding with: 1)
the counting of the signatures contained
therein, and 2) issuance of any certifica-
tion therefor,” Laudiangco added.
Meanwhile, he noted that though the
Commission en banc has issued the sus-
pension, proponents of the PI are not
prevented from gathering signatures. Palacio Del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila (ARIANNE LACANILAO/PCI)
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
Child poverty is on the rise in Canada,
putting over 1 million kids at risk of
life-long negative effects
BY NICOLE RACINE,
L’Université d’Ottawa/
University of Ottawa,
SHAINUR PREMJI,
University of York, UK
The Conversation
At first glance, Canada ranks
among the top third of coun-
tries for its work in addressing
child poverty. But that isn’t the
whole story.
Based on current rates of
and overall progress in reduc-
ing child poverty, the latest
UNICEF report card ranks Can-
ada 11th out of 39 of the world’s
wealthiest countries. Initially,
it seems Canada is doing well;
between 2012 and 2021, child
poverty fell by 23 per cent.
In reality, since 2021, the
number of children living in
monetary poverty has sharply
risen from 15.2 per cent in 2020
to 17.8 per cent in 2021, and
more than one million Canadian
children live in poverty today.
This means that one in five
children live in persistent fear
and stress, face barriers to hav-
ing their basic needs met, such
as stable housing and nutritious
food, and experience a lack of
opportunity, including access
to quality early childhood ex-
periences. As a child psycholo-
gist and a health economist, we
know that the consequences of
child poverty are lifelong and
are worth prioritizing.
We know that poverty per-
sists, generation by generation.
This is why, although Canada
ranks in the top third of coun-
tries, we shouldn’t lose sight of
our reality. Canada is present-
ly experiencing rising inflation
and interest rates, both driving
the cost of living crisis and the
increase in child poverty rates.
And while the economy contin-
Canada News
ues to place constraints on all
Canadians, it has a magnifying
effect on those most vulnerable,
including children.
Building a solid founda-
tion for the future
Child poverty is a perni-
cious childhood adversity that
has detrimental long-term
impacts on children’s health,
development and well-being
throughout life. Children liv-
ing in poverty have lower ac-
ademic outcomes, including
school readiness and academic
achievement, than financially
better-off children. Poverty is
also a risk factor for behavioural
and emotional difficulties.
These educational and social
gaps are associated with chron-
ic stress that persists over time,
leading to lower earning poten-
tial, poorer health and poorer
well-being. Poverty, including in-
come loss, housing insecurity and
material hardship, is also strongly
associated with abuse and neglect,
which are known toxic stressors
for children and youth.
Poverty reduction has the
potential to initiate a beneficial
cascade that would improve the
lives of children and youth. Tak-
en together, addressing child
poverty has the potential to put
children on a more optimal de-
velopmental course and reduce
their risk for poor outcomes.
Balancing today’s needs
with tomorrow’s
Between 2012 and 2021, Can-
ada made great strides in ad-
dressing child poverty. In 2016,
the Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
was introduced as a monthly
tax-free supplement for eligi-
ble families to support the cost
of raising children. Families in
low to middle-income house-
holds benefited the most; the
CCB reduced poverty by 11 per
cent in single-parent families
and 17 per cent in two-parent
families.
The Canada Emergen-
cy Response Benefit (CERB)
program provided additional
temporary relief for eligible in-
dividuals during the COVID-19
pandemic. And, in recent years,
the minimum wage has also in-
creased for Canadians.
Although there is evidence
that monetary interventions,
such as cash transfers, help re-
duce mental health symptoms
among youth experiencing pov-
erty, there remains debate on
whether these increases have
helped families overcome chal-
lenges to the cost of living.
Furthermore, the CERB, pro-
vided during the pandemic, has
now been discontinued, increas-
ing the hardship among Cana-
dian families. Until families are
provided with adequate sup-
port, the reality is Canada may
continue experiencing a rise in
rates of child poverty with sig-
nificant cascading effects.
Long-term payoffs of ad-
dressing child poverty
Addressing child poverty has
long-term payoffs. Child benefit
programs in Canada have been
www.canadianinquirer.net
shown to positively affect chil-
dren’s educational attainment
and improve mothers’ health and
mental health. These improve-
ments can subsequently lead
to improved health and mental
health among children, which re-
duces long-term public costs.
In addition to being a human
rights issue, addressing child
poverty makes economic sense.
This is why addressing child pov-
erty needs to remain a priority
for all Canadians. Governments,
employers and communities
must partner to reduce the risk
of poverty. They can do this by:
1. Adopting a national living
wage policy, where the hourly
minimum wage supports the
cost of living in Canadian com-
munities.
2. Reducing food insecurity
by enhancing access to nutri-
tional food through nationally
available school food programs.
3. Increasing school readi-
ness by providing universal ac-
cess to quality early childhood
development programs across
Canada.
Some are more at risk than
others
In its report card, UNICEF
9
identified single-parent fam-
ilies, families living in Indige-
nous communities, and fami-
lies with racialized or disabled
children as being at higher risk
of poverty. These risks come
with cascading health, social
and justice consequences. Fur-
ther multidimensional and tar-
geted approaches are needed to
support families that are more
severely affected.
The Government of Canada
has a legislated target to reduce
poverty by at least 50 per cent
relative to 2015 levels by 2030
in line with the Sustainable De-
velopment Goals.
As we saw before the pan-
demic, it is possible to reduce
child poverty in Canada. How-
ever, unless the impact of the
current economic climate on
families is considered and suit-
ably responded to, Canada may
continue experiencing a rise in
rates of child poverty, putting
our collective future at risk.
Canada can do better, and we
should do better for our kids. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
10
What Canada can learn from Ireland on
citizen engagement to bolster democracy
BY SEÁNA GLENNON,
L’Université d’Ottawa/
University of Ottawa
The Conversation
Canadian democracy is un-
der pressure. Recent challenges
have ranged from Ottawa’s so-
called Freedom Convoy protests
in 2022, which resulted in the
federal government invoking
the Emergencies Act (unjustifi-
ably, according to a recent court
ruling), to Ontario’s enactment
of legislation reducing the size
of Toronto City Council during
the 2018 municipal election.
Perhaps most worrying, how-
ever, is the consistent trend
that shows citizens are increas-
ingly disillusioned with their
democratic institutions.
This is a moment that calls
out for democratic renewal. In
the search for inspiration for
methods of re-engaging citizens,
Canada might look to Ireland.
Irish inspiration
Ireland has become a trail-
blazer internationally for in-
tegrating citizens’ assemblies
into its democratic process.
Citizens’ assemblies are a form
of what are known as “deliber-
ative mini-publics,” represen-
tative samples of ordinary cit-
izens who deliberate together
and make proposals for reform.
Modern examples of delib-
erative mini-publics stem from
American political scientist
Robert Dahl’s idea of what he
called “minipopulus” in which
a random cohort of citizens is
tasked with deliberating on an
issue with the assistance of ex-
perts. Ideally, it then produces a
reasoned judgment on the best
policies to pursue.
The judgments of the mini-
Canada News
populus, Dahl argued, would
represent the views of the wid-
er community if it was given the
opportunity to access the best
knowledge available and en-
gage in a deliberative process.
In other words, the legitima-
cy of the minipopulus’s views
would derive from the legitima-
cy of democracy itself.
One of the world’s first citi-
zens’ assemblies took place in
Canada in 2004, in the form of
the British Columbia Citizens’
Assembly which deliberated
on electoral reform. It set the
model for the subsequent On-
tario Citizens’ Assembly on the
same subject in 2007.
In each case, the assembly’s
recommendations were put to
referendum, but in neither case
did the referendum pass. The mo-
mentum around citizens’ assem-
blies in Canada has since faded.
Irish abortion laws
The Irish experience has
been different. Citizens’ assem-
blies in Ireland began in 2012 in
response to public distrust of
elite institutions following the
2008 recession.
The Constitutional Conven-
tion — an assembly including
both elected representatives
and ordinary citizens — was
mandated to make recommen-
dations on a range of matters,
from marriage equality to the
voting age.
In 2016, the Irish govern-
ment established the first cit-
izens’ assembly composed
entirely of randomly selected
citizens. Its first topic was Ire-
land’s constitutional position
on abortion.
Abortion was an explosive
issue in Ireland since the con-
troversial insertion of a 1983
amendment to the country’s
constitution that effectively
banned abortion in most cir-
cumstances. Public demand for
a referendum on the issue had
been building, and the govern-
ment’s decision to establish a
citizens’ assembly was criticized
by some as a stalling tactic.
Nonetheless, the assembly
ultimately recommended a
radical liberalization of the law
to allow for abortion without
restriction for the first time in
Irish history.
Following the resounding
referendum result in favour of
this proposal, lawmakers en-
acted a new legislative frame-
work, based around the model
recommended by the assembly
— an extraordinary example of
tangible mini-public impact on
a landmark legal reform.
Not a silver bullet
Of course, not all citizen pro-
cesses are so impactful. Indeed,
the Irish Citizens’ Assembly
has produced recommenda-
tions on other topics that have
not achieved the same — or any
— uptake.
www.canadianinquirer.net
But since 2016, citizens’ as-
semblies have started to be-
come part of the architecture
of constitutional and policy
change in Ireland. Since 2020,
assemblies have taken place on
gender equality, biodiversity,
models of local government and
drug use. It remains to be seen
how or if the recommendations
will eventually result in consti-
tutional or legislative changes.
Citizens’ assemblies are not
a silver bullet — their impact
depends on the appetite of pol-
iticians to implement their rec-
ommendations and many other
factors.
There is, however, a strong
case for revisiting citizens’ as-
semblies in Canada, not least
the significant contemporary
challenges facing Canadian de-
mocracy. The perceived failings
of prior Canadian experiments
with citizens’ assemblies are no
reason to abandon these efforts.
The disappointing outcomes
of the referendums that followed
those processes were not attrib-
utable to a failure of citizens to
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
deliberate and agree on reform;
the reasons for failure were
many, both legal and political.
By all accounts, the par-
ticipants in those assemblies
showed enthusiasm and energy
at becoming engaged in shaping
their country’s values.
Canadian opportunities
A raft of areas of law in Can-
ada are now in need of reform.
The federal government has
outlined a range of priorities for
the Law Commission of Cana-
da, including racism in the law,
reconciliation with Indigenous
Peoples, access to justice, cli-
mate change and technological
changes.
The Irish experience has
shown that citizens are capa-
ble not only of deliberating on
broad constitutional issues, but
technical legislative matters too.
What’s more, citizens’ as-
semblies can serve a particular-
ly important role when elected
representatives have a vested
interest. That includes on top-
ics like electoral reform because
it may be unrealistic to expect
politicians to substantially re-
form a system that resulted in
their election in the first place.
Citizens have no such conflicts.
Canada has so far avoided
the more extreme attacks on
democracy witnessed by its
nearest neighbour, the United
States. In the face of declining
public participation, however,
there is no room for compla-
cency. A fresh approach to cit-
izen engagement is an exciting
prospect, worthy of serious
consideration. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
How a ‘turn it off’ approach to energy
conservation could benefit Canada,
and the planet
BY JENNIFER ELLEN
GOOD, Brock University
The Conversation
The challenge for climate
change communicators a couple
of decades ago was conveying
what the research was showing:
that the burning of fossil fuels
was altering the planet’s climate.
That communication played a
vital role in facilitating the cur-
rent widespread understanding
that the climate is changing and
it is a crisis.
There remains, however, a
fundamental communication
challenge in moving the focus
from consuming different kinds
of energy to facilitating a revo-
lution of consuming less. Recent
electrical grid events in Alberta
offer a compelling case study.
On Jan. 13, 2024, extreme
cold hit Alberta — the cold-
est in half a century. As people
turned up their thermostats to
stay warm, Alberta’s power grid
was put under immense strain.
To avoid taking pressure off
the electrical grid with rolling
blackouts (rotating half an hour
power outages throughout Al-
berta), the Alberta Emergency
Management Agency sent an
alert to all Albertans.
This unprecedented use of
the emergency system, the first
of what would be four alerts,
asked Albertans to turn off un-
necessary electricity — lights,
electrical appliances and devic-
es — and use “essentials only.”
Korean visa application..
❰❰ 4 given to the applicant)
- Submission of
bank certificates,
bank statements, and ITR are
exempted for government offi-
cials and family members. Oth-
er documents, such as proof of
relationship, are required.
Professional license holders
- Applicable for those holding
a valid PRC license ID (IBP ID
for lawyer) with a profession of
Albertans responded. Within
minutes of the initial emergen-
cy alert being issued, demand
on Alberta’s power grid de-
creased by 150 megawatts and
continued to fall. Alberta pro-
duces around 16,330 megawatts
of electricity annually.
Because many people and
some businesses voluntarily
switched off appliances and
other electrical devices that
were not needed, there was no
need for the rolling blackouts.
Switching off
The brief experience of turn-
ing off highlighted a couple of
things. First, that people are will-
ing to change behaviours when
asked. Second, the behaviour
change, for some, was positive.
As one Albertan posted on Reddit
“Our kids made a game out of
it. Showered with a candle in the
bathroom, we had one small light
to read books, ALL the lights off
in and outside the house, no TV
obviously.”
Another poster on the same
Reddit thread offered that their
10-year-old excitedly asked that
all the lights and TV be turned
off and added: “It looks like the
alert does work.”
In the aftermath, the news
has focused on critiques of Al-
berta’s current energy genera-
tion and how to facilitate grow-
ing energy output in the future
as fossil-fuels continue to be
phased out. Politicians and ex-
perts wondered how the grid
could be more robust and fail-
safe so that there is no need to
physician, dentist, lawyer (in-
cluding judge, prosecutor), cer-
tified public accountant, phar-
macist, and veterinarian
- Immediate family mem-
bers: One's parents, spouse,
minor children (applicable for
adult children who can prove
to be students through docu-
ments), spouse's parents
Required Visa Application
Documents:
ask people to turn things off.
Critiques of solar and wind
were also quickly offered as
were the benefits of new pow-
er generation such as Alber-
ta’s Cascade Power Project — a
900 megawatt natural gas-fired
plant — and increased energy
generation flexibility.
But what if the opportunity
in Alberta’s power grid strug-
gles is not about producing dif-
ferent kinds of energy but con-
suming less?
Looking beyond supply
The January cold wave is a
critical moment to reflect upon
the status quo and reimagine a
system that values consuming
less, not producing more.
Alberta’s electrical grid alerts
gave us a glimpse, for a few
hours, of a topic largely absent
from climate communication:
we are consuming too much of
everything. We must use and
consume less. Less energy, less
stuff. We cannot consume our
way out of this crisis.
We must consume less, and
Albertans proved that this is
not only possible but can even
be a positive experience.
It is also important, in the
depths of an unprecedented
cold-weather event, to not lose
sight of the fact that globally 2023
was the warmest year on record
“by far” — beating 2016 (the pre-
vious record-setting year) by .15
degrees Celsius (also a record).
The 10 warmest years on re-
cord — since 1850 — have been
in the past 10 years and this
- Original Certificate of em-
ployment and copy of PRC li-
cense ID or IBP ID
- Submission of bank certifi-
cates, bank statements, and ITR
are exempted for professional li-
cense holder and family members.
Other documents, such as proof of
relationship, are required.
Credit card holders
- Applicable for BDO Gold or
BDO Elite Credit Card Hold-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Canada News
changing climate is causing ex-
treme wildfires, tornadoes, cy-
clones, drought, flooding, heat
and cold. Here and around the
world lives and habitats are in-
discriminately being destroyed.
This is our emergency alert.
A new normal
Shifting to turning off and re-
ducing consumption patterns
for individuals, businesses and
industry will be incredibly hard.
The global economy, and relat-
ed jobs, are built on consuming
more. But the climate crisis, as
well as growing inequality and
ecosystem destruction, will make
status quo levels of consumption
increasingly untenable.
The Alberta Emergency Man-
agement Agency sent emergen-
cy alerts asking people to turn off
because the alternative would
have been mandatory rolling
blackouts. Asking people to turn
off voluntarily allowed Alber-
ers (excluding supplementary
credit card holders)
- immediate family members:
One's parents, spouse, minor
children (applicable for adult
children who can prove to be
students through documents),
spouse's parents
Required Visa Application
Documents:
- Original certificate of em-
ployment, copy of credit card
11
tans to respond with thoughtful-
ness, dignity and agency.
We, collectively across Can-
ada and around the world, are
in an emergency. The climate
crisis is upon us and we have a
choice. We can delay structural
change and await the extreme
climate crisis consequences.
Or we can demand that govern-
ment and industry implement
the systemic changes required
to avert (or at least mitigate)
this catastrophe.
Regardless, the lessons from
Alberta are clear. We could all
try “turning off” from time to
time — saving money, helping
the planet and perhaps recon-
necting with friends and family.
That, if nothing else, could be a
benefit worth championing. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
(front only with complete in-
formation), and latest 3 months
credit card account monthly
billing statements (copy)
- Submission of bank certifi-
cates, bank statements, and ITR
are exempted for credit card
holders and family members.
Other documents, such as proof
of relationship, are required.
The new policy will be in ef-
fect until Dec. 31, 2024. ■
12
Here are some dos and don’ts
to help tackle ableism
BY MICHELLE STACK,
University of British Columbia,
HEIDI L. JANZ, University of
Alberta
The Conversation
When we met each other in
Grade 11 in Alberta, we were
far from the typical high school
success story. Heidi has cere-
bral palsy and was seen as too
disabled for regular schools,
and Michelle was a chronic tru-
ant and an activist.
Soon, we became friends and
made a pact to get our doctorates,
which we did. Over the past three
decades, we have researched,
taught classes and given talks on
disability and ableism.
Throughout the course of our
careers and lived experiences,
we have seen the daily ableism
people living with disabilities
contend with. As professors of
education and disability ethics,
we have put together the fol-
lowing list of dos and don’ts.
The dos
1. Listen to feedback even
if you’d rather not. Giving
people feedback on ableism
isn’t our idea of a good time,
but we’d like a society that isn’t
ableist. Try to be mindful and
understanding when someone
tells you that your words or ac-
tions are not helpful.
2. Listen to how people
identify themselves. Some
disabled people use identi-
ty-first language: “I am dis-
abled.” Others might use peo-
ple-first language: “I am a
person with disabilities.” This is
a personal and political choice.
The same goes for titles. When
we teach, we use Dr. Janz in-
stead of Heidi because it is of-
ten challenging for students
and colleagues to see Dr. Janz as
Canada News
having academic expertise.
3. Think about how of-
ten disability is used to de-
note something negative or
as an insult. Here are a few
we’ve heard recently: blind to
it, blindspot, deaf to it, schizo,
manic, lame or when talking
about a person who was chal-
lenging organizational norms
as “definitely autistic.”
4. Think about how you
can be more inclusive of peo-
ple with disabilities. Exclud-
ing or minimizing the experi-
ences of disabled individuals
often leads to flawed research,
policy and education of future
professionals. It’s essential to
integrate critical work by dis-
ability scholars for ethically
sound, and socially relevant re-
search and education.
5. Commit to fair compen-
sation. We can’t tell you how
many times it has been assumed
that Michelle should be paid but
that Heidi is happy as a clam to
do work for free. Disabled peo-
ple deserve compensation for
their work like everyone else.
Their costs are often far high-
er than those of someone who
does not travel with a person-
al care attendant and needs to
use accessible transportation
and accommodation — when
it is available. But even if they
didn’t need any of these things,
the assumption disabled people
should work for less or for free
is downright insulting.
6. Challenge the notion
that people are better off
dead. Despite the opposition of
major disability rights groups in
Canada and concerns expressed
by United Nations special rap-
porteurs on the rights of persons
with disabilities, Canada prom-
ised to expand Medical Assis-
tance in Dying (MAID) to people
with mental health challenges.
The expansion of MAID to
include individuals with mental
illness is likely to be postponed
following more testimonies from
mental health experts and advo-
cates arguing that MAID as a solu-
tion for mental illness is problem-
atic, especially considering the
high number of people who are
unhoused, living in poverty and
unable to access supports includ-
ing mental health and addiction
treatment services.
7. Understand the impact
of your government’s poli-
cies on disabled people. The
UN estimates that about 9.7
million people with disabilities
are displaced because of con-
flict and war. The late associate
professor of English, Y-Dang
Troeung, and gender, race, sex-
uality and social justice profes-
sor Jasbir Puar are two scholars
who examine how ableism, rac-
ism and geopolitics connect.
8. Think about who you see
as leaders and why. Democra-
cy is founded on representa-
tion. Twenty-seven per cent of
Canadians identify as having a
disability. Consider what gov-
ernment, workplaces, health
care, education and the justice
system would look and feel like
if a commitment to dismantling
ableism was a priority.
The don’ts
1. Don’t tell disabled people
you are their voice. Watch the
power tripping that comes with
assuming you are a voice for a
group you are not a part of, in-
cluding disability. Is it that you
are speaking for the voiceless? Or
for people with clear voices about
what needs to change — based on
their lived experience and exper-
tise — who are being ignored?
Voices come in many forms —
text, story, art, music, screams of
www.canadianinquirer.net
frustration, love and laughter.
Similarly, don’t ask a disabled
person to speak for all disabled
people. Not all disabled peo-
ple will agree with each other,
just as not all individuals in any
group share the same opinions.
Learn to listen.
2. Don’t ask disabled peo-
ple and other structurally
marginalized groups to be
patient. Consider what it is
like for disabled people asking
for the basics of life, such as
accessible housing, education,
health care and food security, to
constantly be told to be patient
while others decide what they
think is best for you. It’s import-
ant to clarify that the issue does
not lie with frontline staff, who
are often overstretched and un-
derpaid, but rather with the fair
distribution of public resources
to include disabled people.
3. Don’t assume disabled
people aspire to be your in-
spiration. Telling someone
you don’t know how they do it
or that you just wouldn’t cope
if disabled might seem harm-
less, but consider how such
comments might sound to a
disabled person. How should a
person, who might view their
life as pretty enjoyable, respond
to a comment that assumes it is
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
actually pretty awful?
4. Don’t assume you know
what a person’s quality of life
is. Dr. Janz, for example, always
needs an advocate with her
when in the hospital because,
too often, those paid to care
for her assume she wants to
be a DNR (do not resuscitate).
Ableism is life-threatening.
5. Don’t displace your dis-
comfort onto disabled peo-
ple. It is okay to be uncomfort-
able when you can’t understand
someone’s speech, or you don’t
understand why they are twirling
or rocking back and forth. What
isn’t okay is to blame disabled
people for your discomfort.
Ableism goes beyond indi-
vidual fear or prejudice. It in-
fluences who we see as having
a life worth living and who is
seen as a burden. That, in turn,
impacts our practices and pol-
icies. We all have a role to play
in challenging ableism, which
may sometimes leave us feeling
awkward or unsure if we’re do-
ing and saying the right things.
But, to our knowledge being
awkward isn’t deadly. Ableism
too often is. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
Drone attack on American troops risks
widening Middle East conflict – and
drawing in Iran-US tensions
BY SARA HARMOUCH,
American University
The Conversation
A drone attack that killed
three American troops and
wounded at least 34 more at a
base in Jordan has increased
fears of a widening conflict in the
Middle East – and the possibili-
ty that the U.S. may be further
drawn into the fighting.
President Joe Biden vowed to
respond to the assault, blaming
Iran-backed militias for the first
U.S. military casualties in months
of such strikes in the region.
But to what extent was Iran
involved? And what happens
next? The Conversation turned
to Sara Harmouch, an expert on
asymmetric warfare and militant
groups in the Middle East, to an-
swer these and other questions.
What do we know about
the group that claimed re-
sponsibility?
Al-Muqawama al-Islamiyah
fi al-Iraq, which translates as
the Islamic Resistance in Iraq,
has claimed responsibility for
the drone attack.
However, the Islamic Re-
sistance in Iraq is not a single
group per se. Rather, it is a term
used to describe an umbrella or-
ganization, which, since around
2020, has included various Iran-
backed militias in the region.
Initially, the Islamic Re-
sistance in Iraq emerged as a
response to foreign military
presence and political inter-
ventions, especially after the
2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq
acted as a collective term for
pro-Tehran Iraqi militias, al-
lowing them to launch attacks
under a single banner. Over
time, it evolved to become a
front for Iran-backed militias
World News
operating beyond Iraq, includ-
ing those in Syria and Lebanon.
Today, the Islamic Resistance
in Iraq operates as a cohesive
force rather than as a singular
entity – that is to say, as a net-
work its objectives often align
with Iran’s goal of preserving its
influence across the region, but
on a national level the groups
have their distinct agendas.
The collective is notorious for
its staunch anti-U.S. posture and
dynamic military campaigns,
such as a recent two-day drone
operation targeting American
forces at an Iraqi airbase.
Operating under this one
banner of Islamic Resistance,
these militias effectively con-
ceal the identities of the ac-
tual perpetrators in their op-
erations. This was seen in the
deadly Jan. 28, 2024, attack on
Tower 22, a U.S. military base in
Jordan. Although it is evident
that an Iranian-supported mi-
litia orchestrated the drone as-
sault, pinpointing the specific
faction within this broad coali-
tion remains elusive.
This deliberate strategy hin-
ders direct attribution and
poses challenges for countries
attempting to identify and retal-
iate against the precise culprits.
What do they hope to achieve
in attacking a US target?
Iranian-backed militias have
been intensifying attacks on
U.S. forces in recent months in
response to American support
for Israel in the Israel-Hamas
conflict, and also to assert re-
gional influence.
Since the beginning of the
conflict in October 2023, Irani-
an-backed militias have repeat-
edly struck American military
bases in Iraq and Syria, recently
expanding their attacks to in-
clude northeastern Jordan near
the Syrian border.
13
The deadly assault on Jan. 28 been definitively established, U.S has conducted these actions
marks a significant escalation, Tehran’s long-standing support outside Iranian territory.
though – it is the first instance of groups like the Islamic Resis- Iran’s denial of direct involve-
during the Israel-Hamas war that tance in Iraq is well document- ment in the attack further com-
American troops have been killed. ed, playing a significant role in plicates the situation and makes
The attack in Jordan forms the regional conflict dynamics it less likely that the U.S. attacks
part of a strategy by Irani- and geopolitical strategies. Iran in retaliatory strikes.
an-backed militias to counter What options does the US But adopting a targeted ap-
Washington’s support for Isra- have to respond? proach, such as striking militia
el in the Gaza conflict. But it is It isn’t clear how the U.S. in- leaders outside of Iran, raises
also aimed at advancing a wider tends to respond to the attack. questions about the effective-
goal of pushing U.S. forces out The Biden administration faces ness of U.S. tactics in deterring
of the Middle East entirely. complex dynamics when it comes Iran and its proxies.
By coordinating attacks un- to responding to attacks linked to This strategy has been em-
der the Islamic Resistance in Iranian-backed militias. ployed in the past, yet it has not
Iraq, these groups are trying to While a forceful military significantly curbed Iran’s or
display a unified stance against strike is an option that the its proxies’ aggressive actions.
U.S. interests and policy, show- Biden administration appears The concern is that while such
casing their collective strength to be looking at, targeting strikes are precise, they may
and strategic alignment across Iran directly on its own soil is not be enough to deter ongoing
the region. fraught with risks and may be or future attacks.
What role did Iran have in seen as a step too far. The key to the strategy’s
the attack? Even when targeting Iranian success may rest in identifying
Iran has officially denied any interests or personnel, such as the most influential factors, or
involvement in the drone strike. the assassination of Quds Force
But the Islamic Resistance in General Qassem Soleimani, the ❱❱ PAGE 20 Drone attack on
Iraq is known to be part of the
networks of militia groups that
Tehran supports.
Iran, through the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps’
Quds Force, has provided such
militias with money, weapons
and training. However, the ex-
tent of Iran’s command and co-
ordination in specific incidents
like the Jordan attack remains
unclear. At this stage, more
concrete evidence is necessary
to firmly implicate Iran.
As Iran expert Nakissa Jahan-
bani and I recently explained in
an article for The Conversation,
Iran’s strategy in the region in-
volves supporting and funding
militia groups while granting
them a degree of autonomy.
By doing so, Iran maintains
plausible deniability when it
comes to attacks carried out by
its proxies.
So while Iran’s direct in-
volvement in the attack has not
www.canadianinquirer.net
14
Why Trump’s control of the
Republican Party is bad for democracy
BY ERICA FRANTZ,
Michigan State University,
ANDREA KENDALL-
TAYLOR, Yale University,
JOSEPH WRIGHT, Penn
State
The Conversation
As former President Donald
Trump edges closer to clinch-
ing the Republican presidential
nomination in 2024, our politi-
cal science research has shown
that a second Trump presiden-
cy is likely to damage American
democracy even more than his
first term did. The reason has
less to do with Trump and his
ambitions than with how power
dynamics have shifted within
the Republican Party.
In our forthcoming book,
“The Origins of Elected Strong-
men: How Personalist Parties
Destroy Democracy from With-
in,” we explain the dangers
that arise when leaders come
to power backed by political
parties that exist primarily to
promote the leader’s personal
agenda, as opposed to advanc-
ing particular policies.
In general, typical political
parties select new leaders at reg-
ular intervals, which gives elites
in the party another chance to
win a nomination in the future
if the party is popular. And typ-
ical parties tend to select lead-
ers who rise up the ranks of the
party, having worked with other
party elites along the way.
But so-called personalist par-
ties, as political scientists like
us call them, are a threat to de-
mocracy because they lack the
incentives and ability to resist
their leader’s efforts to amass
more power.
From 1990 to 2020, in coun-
tries all over the world, elected
leaders backed by personalist
parties have gone on to under-
mine democracy from within.
There are three reasons person-
alist parties are harmful to de-
mocracy, all of which have clear
parallels to experiences with
Trump and the Republican Party.
1. Loyalty to the person,
not the party
Personalist party elites are
loyal to the leader. A classic in-
dicator of party personalization
World News
is the ouster of politically expe-
rienced people in the party elite,
who are often highly qualified
and more independent of the
leader – and their replacement
with less experienced people
who are personally loyal to the
leader. These people are more
likely to view their political suc-
cess as being intertwined with
that of the leader rather than the
party. They therefore are more
likely to support the leader’s
agenda, no matter how harmful
it may be for democracy.
In Turkey, for example, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and De-
velopment Party, known in Turk-
ish as the AKP, initially includ-
ed elites who were established
politicians, such as Ali Babacan,
Abdullah Gul and Bulent Arinc.
As time passed, however, Erdo-
gan weeded out these veterans
and replaced them with more
loyal supporters. This paved the
way for Erdogan to consolidate
control, including – among other
things – shifting power in 2018
from the parliament to the pres-
idency and expanding his powers
considerably.
2. Official endorsement of
leader’s actions
In personalist parties, elites
endorse the leader’s actions,
cueing voters to do the same.
Ordinary citizens who support
personalist parties often go
along with leaders’ efforts to
dismantle democracy, even if
they care about democracy, be-
cause they are highly receptive
to signals provided by the par-
ty elite. When the party high-
er-ups endorse – rather than
condemn – the leader’s undem-
ocratic inclinations, supporters
get the message that nothing is
wrong, and they fall in line.
In Brazil, for example,
then-President Jair Bolsonaro
generated doubts among sup-
porters that the 2022 presiden-
tial elections would be fair, sug-
gesting that electoral officials
might manipulate the results
in his opponent’s favor. The po-
litical elite, including members
of Brazil’s Congress, amplified
these claims.
These elite cues signaled to
Bolsonaro supporters that his
actions were compatible with a
healthy democracy, ultimately
setting the stage for them to re-
sort to violence when Bolsona-
ro lost the election in a contest
that independent observers
considered free and fair.
3. Polarizing society with
controversy
Leaders of personalist par-
ties polarize the societies they
govern.
While many kinds of leaders
demonize their political op-
ponents, we have found that
personalist party leaders’ an-
ti-democratic behaviors – such
as attempting to overturn an
election they’ve lost – split so-
ciety into polarized factions:
those who support them and
everyone else.
When opponents of the leader
raise concerns that the leader’s
actions are harmful to democracy,
as the Democrats regularly have
since Trump won office in 2016,
supporters dig in their heels in
defiance, incredulous that there
is cause for concern. Affective po-
larization, where citizens increas-
ingly dislike their opponents,
deepens. With the opponents vil-
ified, the leader has the political
support to take actions to keep
the other side out of power, even if
those actions undermine democ-
racy in the process.
Take Venezuela, historically
one of the most stable democ-
racies in Latin America. Former
President Hugo Chavez’s power
grabs splintered Venezuelan so-
ciety, dividing citizens over what
the rules of the game should be
Former US President Donald Trump (GAGE SKIDMORE/FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0)
www.canadianinquirer.net
and who should have access to
power. As the chasm between
his backers and the opposition
grew, so did the abuses of power
his supporters were willing to
accept to ensure his continued
rule. Chavez’s actions, which
faced no resistance from those
in his party, polarized society,
ultimately pushing the country
toward dictatorship.
The GOP is a personalist party
The present Republican Party
closely fits the personalist mold.
Conventionally, a party lead-
er rises through the party ranks.
But Trump didn’t do that, and
before seeking the presidency,
he didn’t have strong, collegial
relationships with key Repub-
lican figures in government.
Rather, he switched party alle-
giance several times and before
becoming president had never
held any elected office.
Since 2016, Trump has in-
creasingly sidelined the tradi-
tional party establishment to
remake the party into an instru-
ment to further his own person-
al, political and financial inter-
ests. As an indicator of this, the
party elite have grown fearful
of diverging from his agenda, so
much so that the 2020 GOP plat-
form essentially amounted to
“whatever Trump wants.” Today,
the main qualification for a Re-
publican candidate or appointee
appears to be loyalty to Trump
himself, not fealty to longstand-
ing GOP principles. Traditional
parties, including the pre-Trump
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
Republican Party, offer voters a
bundle of policy positions hashed
out among multiple elite factions
of the party.
Trump’s supersized control
over the Republican Party has
transformed other leading party
figures into sycophants, always
seeking Trump’s favor. Even
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, after
experiencing ridicule and abuse
from Trump, endorsed the for-
mer president’s bid to return to
the White House.
No resistance to a Trump
power grab
The personalist nature of the
Republican Party means that if
Trump were to win office again,
he is unlikely to face pushback
from the party on any issue.
All signs indicate that Trump,
if reelected, is likely to pursue
an authoritarian power grab by,
for example, purging profes-
sional bureaucrats, expanding
the Supreme Court or using the
Insurrection Act to deploy the
military against protesters. Par-
ty members may even support
him in that power grab.
Most elected leaders are am-
bitious and, like Trump, seek
to gain and hold onto power
for as long as they can. Indeed,
very few elected leaders resign
voluntarily. The octogenarians
who fill Congress attest to many
politicians’ unwillingness to re-
linquish the power they have.
We have found that what
matters for democracy is not
so much the ambitions of pow-
er-hungry leaders, but rather
whether those in their support
group will tame them.
As our research shows, the
most danger comes when per-
sonalist ruling parties hold
legislative majorities and the
presidency, meaning opposition
parties in the legislature can’t
stop the ruling party from dom-
inating. In those circumstances,
there is little that stands in the
way of a grab for power. For in-
stance, if Republicans won a slim
Senate majority, they might abol-
ish the filibuster. That would lim-
it Democrats’ ability to hold up
legislation they opposed.
Elected leaders backed by
personalist parties are there-
❱❱ PAGE 30 Why Trump’s control
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024 World News 15

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

faces a dilemma: Free the hostages or
continue the war in Gaza?
BY DOV WAXMAN,
University of California, Los
Angeles
The Conversation
As Israel’s war with Hamas
drags into its fourth month,
some Israelis are becoming
increasingly angry at Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Ne-
tanyahu and his government’s
inability to free the remaining
136 hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli protesters have called
for Netanyahu’s resignation,
while dozens of family mem-
bers of the hostages stormed
the Israeli parliament on Jan.
22, 2024, demanding a deal for
the hostages’ release.
The Conversation U.S. spoke
with Dov Waxman, a scholar of
Israeli politics and the Israeli-Pal-
estinian conflict, to better under-
stand the public pulse in Israel,
and why some experts – including
anyahu does not want to end
the war. Why would that be?
Netanyahu is widely unpop-
ular in Israel. Many Israelis,
including some of Netanyahu’s
supporters on the right, hold
him accountable for the cas-
cade of failures that resulted in
Hamas’ massive incursion and
horrific attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
To restore his domestic sup-
port, Netanyahu’s only hope is
to continue the war and try to
achieve the “total victory” over
Hamas that he has been prom-
ising. If he fails to deliver on
this, and on the release of the
hostages, his Likud party is like-
ly to lose the next election and
he’ll be out of office.
How does this political
pressure influence Netanya-
hu’s response to the war?
In order for Netanyahu to
hold his coalition government
together and avoid an election,
he has to appease the far-right
right wants to get rid of.
To keep his far-right allies in
the government, Netanyahu has
to block any post-war plan that
gives the Palestinian Authority
control over Gaza. Merely dis-
cussing the question of post-
war Gaza is treacherous for Ne-
tanyahu because the far-right is
calling for Israel to reestablish
Jewish settlements there. The
Biden administration opposes
any long-term Israeli presence
in Gaza and wants a “revamped
and revitalized” Palestinian Au-
thority to eventually return to
oversee the territory.
Netanyahu’s way to evade
these conflicting pressures is
to avoid any discussion of the
post-war governance of Gaza as
much as possible.
Netanyahu has only said that
Israel must have security con-
trol over Gaza, but what that ac-
tually entails is totally unclear.
What are most Israelis (BENJAMIN NETANYAHU - ‫והינתנ ןימינב‬/FACEBOOK)

him – are saying that Netanyahu
does not want to end the war.
How is Israeli public opin-
ion on the war shifting?
For the first three months
or so of the war, Israelis,
specifically Jewish Israe-
lis, strongly supported the
war and the government’s
declared goal of defeating
and dismantling Hamas.
That consensus and unity
are rapidly fraying.
Netanyahu says continu-
ing the war is the best way
to release the hostages, but
more and more Israelis, in-
cluding the families of the
hostages, are arguing that
with every passing day that
the war continues, the lives
of the hostages are in greater
danger.
There’s also growing doubts
about whether Israel can actual-
ly decisively defeat and destroy
Hamas. More than three months
into the war, Hamas is still stand-
ing and firing rockets into Israel.
While Israel has assassinated
mid-level Hamas commanders,
Hamas leaders are still alive and
able to call the shots.
You have said that Net-
and ultra-Orthodox parties
in his government. For the
ultra-Orthodox parties, that
means ensuring that their con-
stituents receive the generous
Israeli protesters
have called for
Netanyahu’s
resignation...
government subsidies and wel-
fare benefits that they depend
on, not requiring them to serve
in the Israel military – unlike
other Israeli Jews – and main-
taining the religious status quo
in Israel. For the far-right par-
ties, it means supporting Israeli
settlers in the West Bank and
expanding settlements there,
and also preventing anything
that will strengthen the Pales-
tinian Authority, which the far-
increasingly focused on, re-
garding the war?
Most Israeli Jews are focused
on the fate of the hostages and
on Israeli military casualties –
these are the stories that
dominate Israeli media
coverage. The families of
the hostages have made
sure that their plight is not
forgotten. And since some
of the hostages who were
released back in November
are recounting their har-
rowing experiences in cap-
tivity, this is also keeping
public attention focused on
the hostages still in Gaza.
The deaths of Israeli sol-
diers in Gaza also receive
a lot of attention – on Jan.
23, the Israeli military had its
deadliest day since the war
began when 24 soldiers were
killed. Most Israeli Jews have
served in the military, and most
have family members or friends
currently serving. So they are
very connected to the military,
and military deaths resonate
very powerfully in Israeli soci-
ety.
What most Israelis are not fo-
cusing on is the suffering of Pal-
www.canadianinquirer.net
estinian civilians in Gaza. Many
are not even aware of what is
happening to Palestinians in
Gaza, because it receives little
coverage in the Israeli media.
Families of the hostages are
speaking out against the Israe-
li government and its inability
to free the hostages. What kind
of pressure is this creating?
It has a big effect. There is great
empathy for what these families
are going through. There is also
a strong ethos that the state has a
moral obligation to rescue its cit-
izens, including its soldiers.
Many people feel that the
state fundamentally failed its
citizens on Oct. 7 because it
failed to prevent or stop the
massacre and abductions that
took place. So it is now espe-
cially incumbent on the gov-
ernment to bring the hostages
home. Even if Israel defeats
Hamas but doesn’t free the
hostages, it will leave an open
wound in Israeli society and
damage, if not rupture, the re-
lationship between the Israeli
state and its citizens.
Why is it unlikely that the
military can free the hostages?
The hostages are kept under-
ground in tunnels that are hun-
dreds of miles long. It’s likely
they are frequently moved
around, so it is next to impos-
sible to even locate them. And
even if they are located, actually
reaching them before they are
killed by their captors would be
very, very difficult.
The only feasible option to
free the hostages is to strike an-
other deal with Hamas. But it
will be very hard for Netanyahu
to accept the terms that Hamas
is demanding, particularly end-
ing the war. Netanyahu and his
defense minister argue that the
more military pressure Hamas
is under, the more likely it is to
accept a deal on terms that are
acceptable to Israel. But the
other members of the war cabi-
net, and growing numbers of Is-
raelis, now believe Israel should
make a deal to release the hos-
tages whatever the price, even
if that means ending the war
without defeating Hamas. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
16 World News FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY

Somalia, humanitarian US, China launch

agencies appeal for USD1.6 talks to counter
billion aid illicit synthetic
ANADOLU
Philippine News Agency drugs
MOGADISHU, Somalia – The
government and humanitarian
agencies are seeking USD1.6
billion to assist 5.2 million
people out of 6.9 million who
need life-saving humanitari-
an and protection assistance
in Somalia in 2024.
Mogadishu, the United
Nations in Somalia, and
humanitarian partners,
in a joint statement on
Tuesday, said the funding
requirements reflect a 37
percent reduction from
the USD2.6 billion that was re-
quired to meet the needs of 7.6
million people in 2023.
“In addition to climatic
shocks, conflict and insecurity,
widespread poverty and disease
outbreaks will continue to drive
humanitarian needs this year,”
George Conway, deputy special
representative of the UN chief
and resident and humanitarian
coordinator for Somalia, said.
More than 80 percent
of the displaced are
women and children...
Conway said aid agencies will
work towards collective outcomes
that “will help reduce needs, risks
and vulnerabilities, increase re-
silience and ensure that future
shocks do not lead to catastrophe”
in the Horn of Africa nation.
While the situation has im-
proved since 2023, around 4.3
million people, almost one-fourth
of the population, remain acutely
food insecure and two in five chil-
dren under the age of five suf-
fer from acute malnutrition.
An estimated 3.8 million
people are internally dis-
placed and a cholera out-
break is spreading in sever-
al districts, according to the
statement.
“More than 80 percent
of the displaced are women
and children and face serious
protection risks,” according
to Mohamud Moalim, com-
missioner of the Somalia Disaster
Management Agency (SODMA).
He said the government is
concerned about the humani-
❱❱ PAGE 23 Somalia, humanitarian
ANADOLU
Philippine News Agency
WASHINGTON – The US and
China launched a joint count-
er-narcotics working group on
Tuesday to combat global manu-
facturing and trafficking of illicit
synthetic drugs including fentanyl.
The move follows a summit last
year in San Francisco, California
where US President Joe Biden
and his Chinese counterpart Xi
Jinping agreed on cooperation
against the illegal drug trade and
to work to reduce the flow of pre-
cursor chemicals and pill presses
fueling the fentanyl crisis.
"By working to disrupt the
flow of fentanyl, this effort aims
to save lives in the United States
and around the world and halt
the corruption and violence
of drug traffickers," the White
House said in a statement.
According to the statement,
both sides emphasized the need
to coordinate on law enforcement
actions, address the misuse of
precursor chemicals, pill presses
and related equipment to man-
ufacture illicit drugs, target the
illicit financing of transnational
criminal organization networks
and engage in multilateral fora.
The delegations also discussed
the importance of the regular
sharing of information to ensure
a common understanding of the
dynamic illicit threat posed by
synthetic drugs. ■

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www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
Entertainment
‘Rewind’ is Manila Int'l Film Fest
now the highest- opens with 10 MMFF
grossing Filipino films in Hollywood
film worldwide
ABS-CBN
Still showing in 270 cinemas in
PH, UAE, USA, Canada, Austra-
lia, New Zealand, among others
Star Cinema’s family-drama
hit “Rewind” achieves anoth-
er all-time feat as the high-
est-grossing Filipino film, gar-
nering over P889 million sales
globally as of January 26, 2024.
Previously, “Rewind” also
made headlines in the indus-
try as the top-grossing film in
domestic box-office history a
month after its theatrical re-
lease—surpassing the records
set by co-Star Cinema block-
buster hits “Hello, Love, Good-
bye” and “The Hows of Us.”
The Dingdong Dantes and
Marian Rivera-led drama film
continues to take cinemas by
(ABS-CBN)
storm on its fifth blockbuster
week and is still showing in over
270 theaters not only locally
but also in UAE, USA, Cana-
da, Australia, New Zealand,
Singapore, Guam, and Saipan.
Audiences in Hong Kong will
also have the chance to watch
the highest-grossing Filipino
blockbuster soon.
Directed by Mae Cruz Alviar,
“Rewind” is the official entry
of ABS-CBN Film Productions
Inc. (Star Cinema), APT Enter-
tainment, Inc., and Agosto Dos
Pictures in the 2023 Metro Ma-
nila Film Festival (MMFF).
For film updates, follow ABS-
CBN Films on Facebook, X, Tik-
Tok, Instagram, and Threads.
For other news, follow @ab-
scbnpr on Facebook, X, TikTok,
Instagram, and Threads, or visit
www.abs-cbn.com/newsroom. ■
BY RAYMOND CARL DELA
CRUZ
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Manila Inter-
national Film Festival on Tues-
day began its screening of ten
Filipino films at the TCL Chi-
nese Theaters on Hollywood
Boulevard in California.
In a statement, the Metro
Manila Film Festival (MMFF)
said the ten movies being shown
are the same that premiered
during the most recent MMFF.
“These films will likewise
be given awards that are sepa-
rate and independent from the
MMFF awards given last De-
cember 2023. Filipino Ameri-
cans who are accomplished in
the film industry will serve as
jury members and will decide
the winners in nine categories,”
the MMFF said.
The awards will be given
during a gala at the Directors
Guild of America on Sunset
Boulevard and include a Best
Picture award that will come
with up to USD100,000 worth
Belle lightens up in new
EP "And Solemn"
ABS-CBN
Fresh from the success of her
album launch
Belle Mariano finds healing,
purpose, and determination in
her latest EP “And Solemn,” which
she unveiled in an album launch
last Saturday (January 27) at the
SM City North Edsa Skydome.
www.canadianinquirer.net
of camera rental equipment
plus support from other ven-
dors in the film industry.
“The package is valued overall
at USD200,000 with the support
of industry partners, Atlas Lens
Co., BlackOps Studios Asia, CMB
Film Services, Inc., and Myriad
Entertainment USA,” it said.
In addition, the winners of
Best Picture, Best Director, and
Best Screenplay will each receive
the latest version of Final Draft
film editing software valued at
USD250 through Birns & Sawyer.
“The two other MIFF recog-
nitions are the Audience Award
to be voted on by the MIFF
moviegoers at the screenings
which will run through Febru-
ary 1, and the Monty Manibog
Lifetime Achievement Award
which is set to be given to ac-
tress Hilda Koronel,” it said.
The remaining awards are the
Special Jury Prize, Best Actor,
Best Actress, Best Supporting
Actor, Best Supporting Actress,
and Best Cinematography.
The MIFF jurors are Marie
Jamora, one of the first Filipi-
nos in the Directors Guild of
The EP contains five tracks
including the key track “No-
body Else” composed by KZ
Tandingan. It speaks about
finding the right person and
yearning to spend the rest of
one’s life with them.
Other tracks included in the
EP are “Walang Pake” com-
posed by Trisha Denise, “Shot
Me Right Through” composed
17
America (DGA); Mari Acevedo,
CEO of Birns & Sawyer; Leah
Anova, a director of photogra-
phy; Reggie Lee, a TV, film, and
Broadway actor; David Maquil-
ing, academic and artistic direc-
tor of the School of Cinematic
Arts Summer Program at the
University of Southern Califor-
nia; and Sumalee Montano, a
television and film actress.
MMFF overall chair and
Metropolitan Manila Devel-
opment Authority (MMDA)
acting chair Don Artes said the
MIFF would be vital in uplift-
ing Filipino films and a testa-
ment to their “exceptional and
world-class” quality.
“I am confident that the suc-
cess of the MMFF in Manila
last December can be replicated
through the support of our Filipi-
no community in LA and the in-
ternational audience,” Artes said.
The 10 films to be screened
at MIFF are Becky and Badette,
Broken Heart’s Trip, Family of
Two (A Mother and Son Story),
Firefly, GomBurZa, (K)Ampon,
Mallari, Penduko, Rewind, and
When I Met You in Tokyo. ■
by Angelica Tagadtad, “I Choose
Me” composed by Anjila Lim,
and her collaboration with
Ben&Ben, “Autumn” composed
by Paolo Benjamin G. Guico
and Miguel Benjamin G. Guico
which serves as a soundtrack
for the hit series “Can’t Buy
Me Love.” All of the tracks are
❱❱ PAGE 27 Belle lightens up
 18
Spending too much time online? Try these
helpful tips to improve your digital wellness
BY BINDIYA DUTT,
University of Stavanger, MARY
LYNN YOUNG, University of
British Columbia
The Conversation
Using digital platforms is in-
creasingly the only option to
manage our daily lives, from
filling out forms at the doctor’s
office or government offices to
ordering food, booking a cab,
paying taxes, banking, shopping
or dating. Often, people are co-
erced into using apps or online
platforms by the absence of any
other options.
Our social lives are equally
entrenched in social media plat-
forms. While the availability of
services and opportunities on
digital platforms may offer eas-
ier access or create an impres-
sion of wider connections, it also
potentially harms our wellbeing.
The adverse impacts of digital
use have grown since the pan-
demic, as social isolation has
increased dependence on these
technologies. Impacts of exces-
sive use of digital technologies
range from physical problems
such as increasing eye strain or
dry eye to emotional concerns
such as social media depen-
dence. This in turn could trigger
mental health issues due to on-
line comparison and trolling.
Other effects of platform de-
pendence involve data privacy
concerns with artificial intel-
ligence and digital fraud. Like-
wise, social media comes with
peer pressure, including the
fear of missing out or social os-
tracism for not following digital
trends. These affect our phys-
ical, mental, emotional and fi-
nancial wellbeing.
Senate to 'move..
❰❰ 3 alarmed some Senate
members; term exten-
sion; and no-election
Lifestyle
Recognizing and managing
digital problems can improve
our digital wellbeing.
For some, digital autonomy
refers to being in charge of per-
sonal data or having the right to
withdraw consent from digital
platforms. For others, it may
be the ability to turn away from
digital use and access non-digi-
tal options.
Digital independence
Choosing to reduce or elimi-
nate the use of digital platforms
might seem like a feasible option.
However, the coercive nature of
these systems limits the avail-
ability of non-digital alternatives.
For example, Meta’s refusal
to share Canadian news media
content had real impacts, high-
lighting people’s dependence on
platforms for important news.
The question of our autono-
my as digital users is complex,
as seen in the current conver-
sation around smartphone use
and its potential ban in class-
rooms. This touches on issues
such as the relationship be-
tween self-regulation and gov-
ernment regulation.
Another example emerges in
the choices of how schools inte-
grate digital learning — access
versus screen time for example.
Schools sometimes provide de-
vices to students, and although
this bridges the digital divide, it
raises the question of whether
students should be constantly
available on digital devices?
What alternatives can there
be to digital platforms? How can
we create an environment with
varied choices while providing
non-digital alternatives to ac-
commodate individuals prone
to digital addiction? Conversely,
how might individuals averse to
scenario.
He said all these lies never
became a topic in any discus-
digital platforms or those lack-
ing digital accessibility avail
non-digital opportunities?
Achieving balance
Wellbeing comprises of cre-
ating a pleasant flow in all areas
of life including physical, men-
tal, emotional, financial and
spiritual.
Digital risks and digital over-
load can have detrimental ef-
fects on different areas of life
including interpersonal rela-
tionships, productivity, sleep
patterns and the quality of life.
Wellbeing in the digital space
largely depends on how we nav-
igate the challenges and oppor-
tunities presented by technol-
ogy. This could mean taking
actions like monitoring screen-
time, refraining from random
scrolling, partaking in offline
activities and understanding
the risks of digital overuse.
Focusing on balanced and
ethical use of technology while
addressing the potential nega-
tive consequences can help de-
flect negative impacts.
sion in the House of Represen-
tatives.
He said the only concern
www.canadianinquirer.net
Yet there are larger roles and
responsibilities for platform
creators and government bod-
ies to protect us from digital
dependence, such as offering
non-digital options. While we
do not yet have complete agen-
cy over our data privacy, we can
gain agency over our digital us-
age by encouraging opportuni-
ties for non-digital alternatives.
Tools for digital wellbeing
To manage digital depen-
dence and overload, service
providers can offer non-digital
options. Engaging with tech-
nology without becoming de-
pendent on it can contribute to
physical, psychological, social
and financial wellbeing. Incor-
porating some daily practices,
creating new digital habits, and
striking a healthy balance be-
tween digital use and non-use
can support wellbeing.
Tracking Paying attention to
our daily digital usage and mon-
itoring screen time helps us un-
derstand how, why and when
we get drawn to our devices.
under the initiative is for the
amendment of the restrictions
in the “economic provision” of
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
Using the devices purposefully
may assist in finding alternative
activities.
Taking screen breaks Turn-
ing off notifications or com-
pletely switching off for some
time each day encourages us to
take notice of the surroundings.
Creating a digital curfew Set-
ting up a specific cut-off time
for digital devices some hours
before bedtime can improve
sleep hygiene.
Tech-free days Assigning a day
in a week or month which is tech-
free helps to unplug digitally, lim-
it digital dependence and help re-
gain a sense of autonomy.
Assigning a specific space for
devices Allotting a space for
all devices helps to keep them
away from certain areas of the
home which are meant for rest.
Nature-based activities
Spending time in nature, yoga
and relaxation offer several
health benefits. Likewise, prac-
tising mindfulness helps recon-
nect with present surroundings.
Forming offline social con-
nections Staying away from
digital devices while meeting
friends in person can curb digi-
tal usage and bolster social con-
nections.
Being wary of digital red flags
Learning how to identify a scam
and validating websites before
making online payments helps
to avoid financial scams. Sim-
ilarly, exercising due diligence
when navigating online sites and
social media platforms can help
avert falling prey to cat-fishing
which can lead to both emotion-
al and financial losses. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
the Charter. (with from Zaldy
De Layola/Ferdinand Patinio/
PNA) ■
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024 Entertainment 19

‘I almost feel like stuck in a rut’:

how streaming services changed
the way we listen to music
BY MICHAEL JAMES vices render music more ubiq- been listening to and only gives This knowledge of how services […] I think I just feel more
WALSH, University of uitous across everyday life. you often slight variations on streaming services trace and passive with Spotify I guess, like,
Canberra As one interviewee explains, what that is because it doesn’t allow others to follow users less active. Because every time I try
The Conversation streaming: want to freak you out. And I comes to frame the experience to be active I just get frustrated at
has made it easier for me to guess that’s its job. It can be a lit- of using the service itself. not being able to find what I want
have it as a part of a soundtracktle limiting sometimes. Another interviewee de- […] Like, there was just so much
Music streaming can alter to my life, a part of what I do. Be-Who’s listening in? scribed once privately listening more effort involved in music before
what was once a private activity cause it’s just so integrated. With Because streaming services to songs on their iPod: whereas I think when something be-
into something more seemingly technology it just allows things to
also act as social media plat- it was sort of a bit anonymous comes less – less effortful perhaps it
public. be so simplified for us that we can
forms, your listening habits can as well. I like that you could just becomes less special, you know.
Around 2016, streaming be- just access music at a click of the
potentially be viewed by out- sort of you know … I could just These experiences could also
came the dominant way people finger. I think that therefore mu-
siders, the users I spoke to talk- be in bed, for example, with the partly explain the resurgence in
engaged with recordings of mu- sic is much easier for me to haveed of a need to navigate music headphones in listening and it physical formats such as vinyl
sic. Users engage in a constant it kind of flowing through. streaming carefully. wasn’t sort of necessarily record- and even cassette.
process of rent- One interview- ed online. And I suppose I have Streaming technologies not
ing music, by per- ee spoke of the to admit there’s a part of me that only change how we access mu-
petually paying to “social pressure” feels a little bit resentful that you sic recordings but also are asso-
use these services to curate what he can’t just sort of download things ciated with changes in the social
or by providing is listening to: the way you could in the past and experience of listening to music.
access to user Music streaming technologies seek I’m also slightly have it […] [to] listen indefinitely. Streaming allows people to
data. Streaming to shape how users engage with conscious of how Fading passions incorporate music ubiquitously
services operate much I’m listening While streaming undoubt- and musically inflect everyday
simultaneously music through algorithmic features... to something and, edly commands a significant life in increasingly varied ways.
in two types of you know, like it’s way we now engage with music, But it can also transform pri-
markets: the cir- not … is it embar- some interviewees also indicate vate acts of listening into public
culation of music rassing, but is it? it has changed their relation- ones to be viewed with risk if
for users; and the Am I listening to it ship with music: not managed carefully. ■
exploitation of too much? Should I guess having ownership over
users’ data and attention. Music streaming technolo- I be listening to more varied mu- music feels different to having, you This article is republished
With this sharing, music gies seek to shape how users sic because I want to seem, I don’t know, like a subscription. I feel from The Conversation under a
streaming has altered the so- engage with music through know, like should I listen to more less passionate about streaming Creative Commons license.
cial experience of listening to algorithmic features, such as varied music? And so that kind
music. Now, anyone with an platform-curated playlists. Us- of plays around in the back of my
account could potentially be ers are required to navigate fea- head as I’m choosing music as well.
listening in and seeing what tures that decide, filter and se- Other people recoil at being
music we choose to spend our lect what to expose listeners to. rendered into a series of data
time with. As one participant’s de- points.
So how does “Spotify snoop- scribes: As one participant suggests:
ing” and streaming music more I almost feel like stuck in a sometimes you listen to things
generally change the way we lis- rut… I’m like, ‘I actually do really in a personal context, you know, I
ten to music? want to find something new.’ And guess if the music you’re listening
The ubiquity of music I’ll go out and find that. But even to is reflective of how you’re feel-
To understand the changing though it’s not Spotify’s fault, I ing, you don’t necessarily want to
nature of music listening, I in- kind of feel a little [trapped] in reflect how you’re feeling or com-
terviewed 49 users of streaming the world that I’ve set up for my- municate how you’re feeling with
services about how they listen self by listening to certain types other people. Yeah, and if that’s
to music. of things. I guess the algorithm being broadcast, it’s a little bit off,
One key finding is these ser- promotes what you’ve already isn’t it? Awkward, you know.

www.canadianinquirer.net
 20
Who created the alphabet? A historian
describes the millennia-long story of the ABCs
BY JANE SANCINITO,
UMass Lowell
The Conversation
Who created the alphabet
and decided its order? – Priti C.,
age 12, Mumbai, India
A, B, C, D, E, F, G – makes
you want to hum the alphabet
song. But there’s no real reason
why people should learn these
letters in this order. There are
plenty of ways we could struc-
ture the alphabet; the computer
keyboard in front of me pro-
vides one alternative. Plenty
of other alphabets exist too, as
well as languages that don’t use
alphabets at all.
So why did we end up with
this one – and who’s responsi-
ble for it?
As a historian, I love “why”
questions. I often like them a
lot more than “who” questions,
because it’s actually really rare
for a single person to change the
world. Instead, most of history’s
biggest innovations come from
teamwork, collaboration and
groups figuring out how to make
life better, easier and more fun.
What is a letter?
The alphabet is a perfect
example of this process. Our
ABCs, known as the Latin al-
phabet, are the result of mil-
lions of people over thousands
of years slowly working togeth-
er and ultimately agreeing on
which letters to use and under
what circumstances.
To figure out why they settled
on the version we have today,
you first need to understand
what a letter is and what an al-
phabet is. Then, you can trace
your way back to the very first
examples of both.
Drone attack on..
❰❰ 13 “centers of gravity,”
that can effectively in-
fluence Iran’s behav-
ior. This means determining
key leaders, critical infrastruc-
ture or economic assets, which,
if killed, destroyed or seized,
could substantially alter Iran’s
decision-making or operational
capabilities.
Lifestyle
Letters are symbols, just like
emojis or crosswalk signs. Let-
ters are shapes that we – the us-
ers – associate with a sound in a
particular language.
But many letters change
sound completely when they ap-
pear in a different language. The
English “H,” for example, makes
a “ha” sound, but the same sym-
bol “H” is pronounced as “en” in
Russian; in the Cyrillic alphabet,
“H” makes a “n” sound.
Even when the shape and
sound of a letter stay the same
within a single language, the
letters themselves can have dif-
ferent names. In America, “Z”
is called “zee,” while in Canada,
the United Kingdom and pretty
much every other English-speak-
ing country, it is called “zed.”
All this variety is possible
because letters, like languages,
evolve and change over time
based on what local people do
out of habit or trend or just for
the fun of it.
What is an alphabet?
An alphabet is a collection of
letter-symbols that have been
more or less standardized, and
which often – though not al-
ways – reflect all of the sounds
made in a particular language.
Some languages, like Chi-
nese, don’t have alphabets at
all, using symbols to represent
whole words. Others, like Cher-
okee, use symbols that repre-
sent syllables.
The first alphabet was in-
vented in ancient Egypt, more
than 5,000 years ago, and was
developed to record religious
texts. That’s where its name
“hieroglyphs,” or “sacred carv-
ings,” comes from.
Hieroglyphs are beautiful
and they do a good job recording
The Biden administration’s
need to balance a strong re-
sponse with the geopolitical
consequences highlights the
difficulties of navigating a tense
and evolving situation.
How might the attack affect
the wider Middle East conflict?
How the U.S. responds could
reshape the Middle East’s geo-
prayers, but they are difficult to
write quickly, because they are
so detailed and often take the
form of animals, people or day-
to-day objects. Over time, peo-
ple developed simplified forms
of each glyph so they could take
notes and write informally.
While hieroglyphs were
mostly used by priests and
elites, common people, includ-
ing travelers and traders from
other places, learned informal
writing. These visitors realized
the Egyptians had developed
something useful – a way to re-
cord sales or send letters that
would be clear to those who
could read it but mysterious
to everyone else. Many people
never learned to read at all, be-
cause they did not need to or
because they were denied ac-
cess to education.
Vowels, consonants and
the letter ‘J’
political landscape and influ-
ence the dynamics of proxy
warfare in the region.
A strong military response
from Washington might deter
Iranian-backed militias from
future attacks, but it could also
provoke them into taking more
aggressive actions.
In the short term, any U.S. re-
www.canadianinquirer.net
The most important traders
in this period were from Phoe-
nicia – known today as Syria,
Lebanon and Israel – and they
spread the alphabet to the towns
and villages that surrounded the
Mediterranean Sea.
The Phoenicians established
alphabetical order to make it
easier to learn and share with
others. But the Phoenicians
and Egyptians used only conso-
nants; eventually, as people be-
gan to write more and more, and
more words needed to be creat-
ed to describe different things,
the Greeks adopted vowels.
The Greek alphabet looks a
lot like ours, but our letters took
their final form in Italy. First
the Etruscan people, and then
the Romans, adapted Greek let-
ters to fit their language. The
Romans spread their language,
Latin, and its alphabet all over
modern Europe, the Near East
taliation – especially if it targets
Iranian interests directly – could
escalate tensions in the region.
It could also exacerbate the cy-
cle of tit-for-tat strikes between
the U.S. and Iranian-backed forc-
es, increasing the risk of a broad-
er regional conflict.
And given that the attack’s
pretext involves the Isra-
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
and North Africa. The earliest
example of the Latin alphabet in
use is called the duenos inscrip-
tion and comes from the sixth
century BCE, 2,500 years ago.
Even then, the alphabet was
still incomplete, because Latin
didn’t have all the sounds that are
common today. The most obvi-
ous is the letter “J”; even though
the first month of the Roman cal-
endar was January, it was written
with an “I,” “ianuarius,” and pro-
nounced with a “ya” sound. The
“J” came into use during the Re-
naissance – during the 1500s in
Europe – two or three centuries
after the “W” was added, during
the Middle Ages.
And there’s no reason to think
the alphabet might not change
again. English, especially, has a
habit of borrowing words from
other languages, like karaoke
from Japanese, cookie from
Dutch and avatar from San-
skrit. Maybe, because of this
borrowing, we might eventually
need to add new symbols to our
alphabet. In short, as the world
grows more connected, the al-
phabet may have to adapt. It
won’t be the first time. ■
Hello, curious kids! Do you
have a question you’d like an
expert to answer? Ask an adult
to send your question to Curi-
ousKidsUS@theconversation.
com. Please tell us your name,
age and the city where you live.
And since curiosity has no age
limit – adults, let us know what
you’re wondering, too. We won’t
be able to answer every question,
but we will do our best.
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
el-Hamas war, any U.S. re-
sponse could indirectly affect
the course of that conflict, im-
pacting future diplomatic ef-
forts and the regional balance
of power. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
Keeping the Spark Alive in
Long-term Relationships
BY MATTE LAUREL-ZALKO
If, like me, you’re in a long-
term relationship, you probably
know this for a fact: it is inevi-
table for couples in long-term
relationships to lose the “spark”
and that your once passionate
love has transitioned to a more
compassionate love. Oftentimes,
it also feels as though you have
both transitioned from being lov-
ers to companions. But no wor-
ries, this is normal! And losing
the spark doesn’t mean it’s “the
end” of your relationship. Not
at all, especially if there’s still so
much love, respect, attraction,
and trust between the two of you
— think of losing the spark as just
a lull in your relationship. A lull
that is totally fixable.
Why do we lose the passion
in our relationships? For start-
ers, our daily life routine starts
to chip away at our romance.
Remember that you and your
partner are different people
to begin with — you each have
your own personality, identi-
ty and quirks. You might not
share the same energy and you
both like different things in life.
Also, when you have children,
your attention and focus tend
to shift away from your partner
to your kids. You’re so busy with
your career, you end up having
little to no sex at all. You both
don’t have time for each other
because you’re occupied with
other responsibilities.
Other reasons why the spark
has snuffed is because you’ve
physically let go of yourself and
you don’t feel sexy enough to
be intimate with your partner.
Also, you or your partner could
be going through some chal-
lenges in life. There’s no more
physical touch between the two
of you. Or you both find that you
prefer to spend more time with
other people than with each
other. All these reasons may
seem like it’s become difficult
to bring back the romance in
your relationship, but don’t de-
spair, because I will share with
you the different ways my own
husband and I do to keep our
passion alive and burning even
after being together for 6 years!
ALWAYS REMEMBER
THE REASONS YOU FELL
IN LOVE WITH EACH OTH-
ER. To bring the spark back
into your lives, try to remember
the reasons why you fell in love
with each other. Try to remem-
ber the good and positive things
about each other and focus on
these qualities. Remind your-
selves why you fell in love with
each other in the first place.
MAKE TIME FOR EACH
OTHER. My husband and I al-
ways find time to spend quality
moments with each other de-
spite our busy schedules running
our business together. We make
sure we take time out from our
business by doing various activ-
ities together outside our work
schedule. We enjoy doing our
grocery shopping together. We
enjoy running errands together.
We enjoy going for a drive togeth-
er. We enjoy going out together
with our friends and family. We
even enjoy doing chores together
at home! My husband and I truly
enjoy being together 24/7. It’s not
always smooth sailing, but our
genuine love for each other keeps
us together.
GO OUT ON ROMAN-
TIC DATES DURING THE
WEEKENDS. Part of making
time for each other is to keep
dating each other. Go for ro-
mantic candlelit dinners — my
husband and I love going out on
dinner dates because we’re both
foodies. Or you may both want
to go for leisurely walks along
the park, trail or beaches. Watch
a movie together and indulge in
popcorn. Get a couple’s massage
and relax in each other’s com-
pany. Go away for the weekend
with just the two of you — have
a mini honeymoon! Dating reg-
ularly is definitely one of the key
ways to keep the passion in your
relationship burning.
THE MAGIC OF TOUCH-
ING. This act of love is so im-
portant to have in your rela-
tionship as it conveys your love
for one another. Touching each
other frequently allows you both
to form a closer bond with each
other. Even a simple and slight
touch can produce the “oxy-
tocin”, which is also known as
the love hormone. Further, re-
search shows that touching can
lower your blood pressure and
reduce your heart rate making
you more calm and less stressed.
Touching can also increase your
intimacy with each other.
SPICE UP YOUR SEX LIFE!
Just like physical touch, sexual
activity can also strengthen your
intimacy and emotional connec-
tion. How do you achieve this?
Constantly change up your sexual
positions or be more adventurous
in the bedroom by learning new
enjoyable sexual positions! Hu-
mans are naturally wired for nov-
elty which could be what you both
need to inject in your sex lives as a
couple. Use safe sex toys that you
can both enjoy together. Create
the right atmosphere by dimming
your lights, lighting scented can-
dles, wearing sexy lingerie and
getting a little tipsy before sexual
activity. Use all your senses to give
pleasure to each other, perhaps
even arousing each other with a
prolonged foreplay.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR-
SELF PHYSICALLY AND
EMOTIONALLY. Don’t let
yourself go! Being in a long-term
relationship doesn’t mean you
have to be lazy with your physical
grooming. Prioritise your self-
www.canadianinquirer.net
care by being healthy both phys-
ically and emotionally. Watch
your diet and exercise regularly.
Pamper yourself by going to the
hair salon and beauty spa regu-
larly. Get rid of unwanted hair on
your body and face. Always wear
perfume and make sure you smell
nice every day. Looking beautiful
means feeling good about your-
self and your wellbeing. Having
self-care makes you even more
desirable to your partner.
CONSTANTLY FLIRT
WITH EACH OTHER. Don’t
underestimate the power of flirt-
ing! When you flirt with each oth-
er, your dopamine levels spike.
Send flirty and naughty text mes-
sages to each other during the
day or night. Flirting with each
other reminds you of what you
find sexy and attractive in each
other. Also, when you flirt with
each other, it’s actually a prelude
to hot sex! Flirting makes you
feel great about each other.
LEARN YOUR PARTNER’S
LOVE LANGUAGE. By under-
standing and knowing your part-
ner’s love language allows you to
meet your partner’s needs and
wants. Knowing each other’s love
languages strengthens and solid-
ifies your bond and connection
21
with each other. Recognizing
each other’s love languages leads
to a more satisfying and fulfilling
relationship. For instance, my
husband’s love languages are:
acts of service, words of affirma-
tion, and physical touch. My love
languages are physical touch,
words of affirmations, and qual-
ity time. Thus my husband and I
make sure that we practise each
other’s love languages to each
other. We both like to kiss each
other several times in the day. We
both like to hug and cuddle each
other. We like to compliment
each other every day. We like to
say “I love you” to each other sev-
eral times a day.
TRAVEL TOGETHER. Go
abroad and travel to romantic
places like Paris or Venice. Turn
your travels into a honeymoon!
Explore different countries and
cultures together. Apart from
cost-sharing, the other important
benefits of travelling together can
help strengthen your connection
with your partner and help boost
your relationship. Going on vaca-
tion together allows you to spend
relaxing time with each other.
Travelling together is an excellent
opportunity to explore and enjoy
each other’s company.
MAKE SMALL RANDOM
ACTS OF KIND AND LOV-
ING GESTURES. A small gen-
uine act of kindness goes a long
way, always remember that! I
really feel the love my husband
has for me each time he covers
me with a warm blanket in the
middle of the night. My hus-
band absolutely loves it when
I scrub his back whenever he
showers. You can also cook
his or her favourite dish. You
can offer to drive him or her to
work. You can offer to wash the
dishes after. You can surprise
each other with little gifts. I love
it when my husband gives me
gifts of appreciation especially
if I reached my quota in sales!
My husband loves it whenever
I give him what he likes for his
birthday or on our anniversary.
NEVER LOSE YOUR SENSE
OF HUMOUR WITH EACH
OTHER. When you share a sense
of humour with each other, you
❱❱ PAGE 30 Keeping the Spark
22
Hockey Canada’s issues go beyond
a few bad apples — the entire system
needs to be re-engineered
BY JENNIFER WALINGA,
Royal Roads University
The Conversation
Former NHL and Canadian
world junior hockey player Alex
Formenton has surrendered
himself to police in London,
Ont. in connection with an al-
leged sexual assault by mem-
bers of Canada’s 2018 world
junior team. A woman alleged
she was assaulted by the players
while she was intoxicated after
a gala event in London.
Formenton is one of five
team members expected to face
related charges, according to
the Globe and Mail. Formen-
ton’s lead legal counsel said
“Alex will vigorously defend his
innocence and asks that people
not rush to judgment without
hearing all of the evidence.”
His legal team said that police
have charged Formenton and
several other players in connec-
tion with the incident. London
police said they will hold a press
conference on Feb. 5. Five hock-
ey players have been granted
leaves of absence from NHL and
European teams over the past
week or so amid the news.
Whether convictions follow
or not, it has become increas-
ingly clear that charges of sex-
ual assault can no longer be si-
lenced or swept under the rug
in sport and other contexts.
Hockey Canada paid a
still-undeclared settlement to
E.M., the claimant in a $3.55
million sexual assault lawsuit
against members of the 2018
world junior national team. An-
other $6.8 million was devoted
to settlements related to Gra-
ham James, the junior hock-
ey coach convicted of sexually
assaulting young players he
coached in the 1990s.
Hockey Canada has spent a
Sports
total of $8.9 million on 21 sexu-
al abuse settlements since 1989.
Of that total, $7.6 million came
from membership fees and the
investment generated by the
National Equity Fund, and $1.3
million came from its insur-
ance. Hockey Canada has since
announced it will no longer use
funds from membership fees to
settle sexual assault claims.
More than a few bad apples
Psychologist Philip Zimbar-
do’s “Lucifer Effect” contends
that, when dealing with abuse,
it’s not just a matter of removing
a few “bad apples” — often, the
whole barrel is spoiled. The en-
tire barrel-making system must
be re-engineered to produce only
the finest barrels to hold and pre-
serve apples with integrity.
Sport safeguarding advocates
argue that, while efforts like the
recently announced Future of
Sport in Canada Commission
may address systemic issues by
re-engineering sport leadership
and governance structures, the
remaining bad apples will con-
tinue to abuse power, derailing
real change in Hockey Canada.
Those who abuse their power
and benefit from power imbal-
ance will exert that power to pre-
serve the status quo. Researchers
have identified that the typical
leadership responses to abuse
claims include complicity, collu-
sion, control and cover-up.
There is evidence of this
within many Canadian national
sport organizations attempting
change, including Hockey Can-
ada, Gymnastics Canada, Row-
ing Canada, Soccer Canada and
Bobsleigh and Skeleton Canada.
According to Zimbardo’s the-
ory, leaders must remove the
bad apples while addressing
systemic issues — only then will
they be able to create and main-
tain quality, lasting barrels.
Otherwise, the existing bad ap-
ples will poison the new, rotting
the barrel from the inside.
Power in Canadian hockey
Hockey Canada has seen
wholesale change with the resig-
nation and reconstitution of both
the CEO and board of directors.
The new CEO was appointed in
September 2023, but it’s import-
ant to note that new does not
necessarily mean different.
Sexual assault is an abuse of
power. One could argue that the
culture of misogyny and sexual
assault evident across hockey
environments is a product of
power abuse normalized across
the hockey world:
• Coaches hold power over
athlete careers
• Hockey Leagues hold pow-
er over coach careers
• Funders hold power over
CEOs
• Veterans hold power over
rookies
• Men often hold power over
women
www.canadianinquirer.net
Though often well-inten-
tioned, power imbalanced
structures and hierarchies al-
low individuals and groups to
abuse their power. Power im-
balance is often sought and pre-
served as a misguided means to
achieve stability, security, dom-
inance and control.
However, the lack of inde-
pendence can also lead to a
lack of transparency and con-
crete accountability process-
es, resulting in a recursive
cycle of abuse and corruption
— a phenomenon that has been
well-documented in academic,
media and government reports.
Fixing the sport system
Sport Canada leaders must
remove the bad apples while
re-engineering a new pow-
er-balanced sport system
grounded in independence,
transparency and account-
ability. We need only look to
best practice in sport itself as
the blueprint for the Canadian
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
sport system as a whole.
Independence must be built
into the system by separating
evaluation and education from
qualification. Great coaches
educate and evaluate athletes,
but an independent body de-
termines qualification based on
gold medal standards.
For instance, the Internation-
al and National Olympic Com-
mittees determine the qualifica-
tion standards for the Olympics
and the international federa-
tions research and provide gold
medal standards for each sport.
National sport organizations
should be guided by their inter-
national federations to adopt
well-researched performance
targets, criteria and measures,
all of which should be made
publicly available. Sport Cana-
da should then use these crite-
ria to hold national sport orga-
nizations accountable.
Greater transparency needed
Too often, coaches and orga-
nizational leaders obscure cri-
teria and procedures to allow
for subjective decision-making.
An excellent coach posts per-
formance targets, criteria and
measures early and often, and
athlete performance outcomes
daily and publicly.
This approach can be scaled
to fit any kind of sport organi-
zation or group. Sport Canada
must ensure evaluation crite-
ria are comprehensive, public,
objective and grounded within
standards of practice.
Transparency creates a part-
nership model of shared goals
and collaborative process, rath-
er than a power-imbalanced
model of authoritarian control
and compliance.
Sport Canada needs ac-
countability
Accountability demands con-
❱❱ PAGE 30 Hockey Canada’s issues
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
SBP officially names Tim Cone head coach
of Gilas Pilipinas Men
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – After his success-
ful stint in the Hangzhou Asian
Games, where the Philippines
ended its 61-year gold medal
drought in men’s basketball,
Tim Cone will be given the reins
as head coach.
"Coach Tim accomplished
what has not been done in de-
cades with only a few weeks
to prepare and multiple chal-
lenges in terms of personnel so
we’re excited to see what he can
accomplish with a long-term
program in place especially if
such program is supported by
all basketball stakeholders.” Sa-
mahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas
(SBP) President Al Panlilio said
in a news release on Monday.
First up for Cone will be pre-
paring the team that will be see-
ing action next month for the
first window of the FIBA Asia
Cup Qualifiers.
Gilas will battle Hong Kong
on Feb. 22 at the Tsuen Wan
Stadium and Chinese Taipei on
Feb. 25 at the PhilSports Arena.
The Philippines will also
compete in the Olympic Qual-
ifying Tournament from July 2
to 7 in Latvia.
“Earlier this month, coach
Tim presented his plans to local
leagues from which players will
likely be selected from. This
PNVF Champions League kicks off
on Feb. 4
BY JEAN MALANUM
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The third edi-
tion of the Philippine National
Volleyball Federation (PNVF)
Champions League will kick off
on Feb. 4 at the Rizal Memorial
Coliseum.
PNVF president Ramon
“Tats” Suzara said pro teams
Cignal HD, Chery Tiggo and
PetroGazz as well as Philippine
program will be put to test this
year and adjustments will be
made as necessary,” added SBP
Executive Director Erika Dy.
Cone’s winning pedigree is
second to none as the winnin-
gest coach in PBA history with
25 championships. He is the only
two-time PBA Grand Slam win-
ner in the league’s 48-year history.
This will be Cone’s fourth
stint as the head coach of the
national team. He was at the
helm of the storied Centennial
Team that won bronze in the
1998 Bangkok Asian Games. He
also led the gold-medal-win-
ning Gilas squad in the 2019
Southeast Asian Games.
“I’m looking forward to taking
on the role of national team head
coach again,” said Cone. “I’ve al-
ways firmly believed from back
in 1998 when I coached the Cen-
tennial Team that you’ve got to
go out and get the best players in
the country to represent us. We
all have different opinions on who
the best players are but we’re con-
fident we picked the best players
who will form the best team.”
Gilas' ACQ pool revealed
amid uncertainties
The SBP also announced that
12 players have been called up
to the Gilas pool for the FIBA
ACQ February window.
Ginebra's Scottie Thompson,
Justin Brownlee, and Jamie
Malonzo, San Miguel's June
Army will lead the participants
in the women's division.
Also competing is College of
Saint Benilde, which won the
title in November when the an-
nual tournament was momen-
tarily renamed Challenge Cup.
The competition in the men's
division will start on Feb. 11
with Cignal HD eyeing to regain
the title it lost to University of
Santo Tomas.
Joining Cignal HD in Pool
A are top men’s club squads
Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez,
Meralco's Chris Newsome, and
TNT's Calvin Oftana have been
chosen to the Gilas pool among
the Philippine Basketball Asso-
ciation (PBA) players.
Backstopping them are Japan
B League Asian imports Dwight
Ramos of Hokkaido, AJ Edu of
Toyama, Kai Sotto of Yokohama,
and free agent Carl Tamayo.
Reigning University Athlet-
ic Association of the Philip-
pines Most Valuable Player and
Dubai International Basketball
Championship All-Tournament
Team member Kevin Quiam-
bao completes the 12.
Bukod sa libreng training, namahagi ng libreng baseball shoes, gloves, baseball at
iba pang kagamitang panlarong Baseball ang legendary baseball star na si Tsuyoshi
Yoda para sa Mulanay Little League at Secondary Baseball Team, mula sa Mizuno.
(MULANAY, QUEZON PUBLIC INFORMATION/FACEBOOK)
PGJC Philippine Navy, Savouge
Spin Doctors and College of
Saint Benilde, while in Pool B
are VNS Asereht Griffins, Iloi-
lo D’Navigators, Philippine Air
Force and Philippine Army.
“The PNVF is starting 2024
in earnest with the Champions
League as we kick off anoth-
er busy volleyball schedule,”
Suzara said in a statement on
Monday.
Suzara also announced that
the Philippines will host again
www.canadianinquirer.net
Sports
However, uncertainties sur-
round Brownlee, Edu, and
Malonzo amid their inclusion
in the pool.
Brownlee is currently serv-
ing a provisional suspension af-
ter testing positive for a prohib-
ited substance after Gilas' Asian
Games championship.
Alfrancis Chua, the Gilas
team manager during the Asian
Games, earlier said the national
team deferred from appealing
Brownlee's case and accepted
the sanctions that come along
with the failed doping test,
which spill through all com-
petitions including the PBA,
the Volleyball Nations League
in June and the Volleyball World
Beach Pro Tour in December.
Team Dasma Monarchs won
the men's title in the inaugu-
ral staging of the Champions
League in 2021 while Cignal
HD claimed the crown the fol-
lowing year.
In the women's division, F2
Logistics bagged the champi-
onship in 2021 while California
Precision Sports-Antipolo City
claimed the title in 2022. ■
23
although it was never revealed
how long the suspension will be.
Brownlee was eventually re-
placed by Tony Bishop for the
PBA Commissioner's Cup, but
he could only help the Ginebra
Kings reach the semifinals be-
fore getting dethroned as de-
fending champions by the San
Miguel Beermen.
Brownlee was placed in the
Gilas pool in hopes that the
suspension would be lifted any-
time soon.
"[FIBA's] decision can come
down sometime this week that
will hopefully free him up for the
window," Cone said before for-
mally receiving the President's
Award along with Panlilio and
other SBP officials during the PSA
Awards at the Diamond Hotel.
Meanwhile, both Malonzo
and Edu are on the injury list.
Edu tore his meniscus last
November and has yet to return
to action.
Malonzo, on the other hand,
also suffered a knee injury in
Game 3 of the Ginebra-San Mi-
guel series on Sunday night at
the SM Mall of Asia Arena with
the diagnosis still unknown.
Gilas will face Hong Kong on
the road on Feb. 22 before host-
ing Chinese Taipei on Feb. 25 at
the PhilSports Arena in Pasig
City. (With Ivan Stewart Salda-
jeno/PNA) ■
Somalia, humanitarian..
❰❰ 16 tarian situation that
is worsened by cli-
mate-induced crises.
“We are determined to ad-
dress the underlying causes of
Somalia’s crises, improve live-
lihoods and build long-term du-
rable solutions,” he said.
The statement said humani-
tarian partners will implement
a more stringently targeted re-
sponse, with a focus on assisting
populations in most severe need.
Somalia was hit by shocks in-
cluding devastating drought and
a once-in-a-century heavy rains
and flooding that affected mil-
lions of people, while millions of
others are continuing to suffer
from hunger and malnutrition. ■
24
When the economy becomes an obsession
BY CLAUDE LAVOIE
Policy Options
An economist wonders why
we pay so much attention to the
economy, as if it could solve all
our problems.
Economic considerations are
at the heart of all political de-
cisions. Subsidies, reluctance
to widen the social safety net
or further protect the envi-
ronment – everything seems
designed to ensure stronger
growth in our consumption.
We bow to the demands of
business lobbies. Billions are
given to big businesses. Gov-
ernments will even choose to
relocate families, despite the
negative impact on their men-
tal health, rather than force a
company to comply with envi-
ronmental regulations.
Why is this? Because elected
officials – and their constitu-
ents – believe that improving
well-being only happens when
people’s wallets are fatter. But
isn’t it often said that money
can’t buy happiness?
It is an age-old debate, but a
trove of data sheds light on the
subject. And it shows that having
more money does increase your
well-being, up until you reach
an income threshold that allows
you to live comfortably, with a
roof over your head and enough
to eat. Beyond this threshold,
More demand for WFH jobs than firms
offering remote work arrangement
BY KRIS CRISMUNDO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Filipino jobseek-
ers still prefer the work-from-
home (WFH) arrangement
despite many companies re-
turning to normal operations
Business
which most of us have reached,
having more money increases
well-being, but only temporar-
ily, and only if you’re making
more money than your friends.
Not only must we keep up
with the Joneses, we must sur-
pass them.
Research shows that eco-
nomic growth has little long-
term impact on life satisfac-
tion in advanced countries. So,
should we stop worrying about
the economy? Of course not.
A well-functioning econo-
my encourages innovation and
ensures we use our limited re-
sources as efficiently as possible.
Strong growth helps ensure that
everyone has enough income
to live comfortably and to take
advantage of the infrastruc-
ture that improves our quality
of life. Also, since we compare
ourselves with other regions as
well as our nearby neighbours,
having an average income com-
parable to or higher than that of
other countries makes us more
satisfied with our lot.
The problem is that econom-
ic considerations often take on
disproportionate importance,
to the detriment of other con-
siderations. Again, research
shows that there are roughly
five important factors that af-
fect our quality of life: our fi-
nancial situation, our physical
and mental health, our sense of
belonging to a community, the
after the coronavirus disease
2019 (Covid-19) lockdown.
“Work from home” is the top
most searched keyword on Job-
street by SEEK platform in the
Philippines, according to man-
aging director Dannah Majaro-
con on Tuesday.
"Work from home has defi-
quality and beauty of our living
environment, and the quality of
our governance.
It’s also important to ensure
that everyone enjoys a good
quality of life – again, it’s rela-
tive status that matters – and
that this quality of life is sus-
tainable for future generations.
All these factors are inter-
related in a complex system.
The economy cannot be strong
if many people have mental
health problems, if the gov-
ernment is corrupt, or if we
are unable to trust each other.
And a strong economy enables
most people to have meaning-
ful work, a key determinant of
mental health.
The cost of well-being
It’s with that context in
mind that governments in
nitely grown over the past couple
of years spearheaded during the
pandemic. And now that we've
been transitioning out of the pan-
demic, the demand on the candi-
date side on work from home or
hybrid work continues to grow...
On the hirer side, hybrid work,
remote work are still things that
www.canadianinquirer.net
several countries have adopt-
ed multi-dimensional deci-
sion-making frameworks to
ensure that their policies effec-
tively improve citizens’ well-be-
ing, not just their wallets.
The best-known example is
New Zealand’s “well-being bud-
get,” but many other places are
following suit. In Quebec, the
G15+ collective is doing a lot of
work to encourage governments
to put well-being at the heart of
their decisions. Many research-
ers across the country are push-
ing in the same direction.
Canada adopted a quali-
ty-of-life framework in the
2021 budget. To be useful this
framework needs to be used in
the decision-making process.
The limited space given to it in
the last federal budget and the
they are continuing to consider,"
she said during a media event
at the Jobstreet by SEEK head-
quarters in Taguig City.
She said that with the de-
mand for hybrid work scheme,
some companies are looking to
institutionalizing flexible work
arrangement.
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
little enthusiasm it produced
suggest that it is merely being
used to tick boxes rather than
being incorporated as a useful
tool. It’s a shame.
Sometimes it is difficult to
choose among contradictory
priorities. Is a policy that greatly
enhances the economy, but has
negative effects on the environ-
ment, better for people’s qual-
ity of life than another policy
that has less economic but also
less environmental impact? Or
another policy that has no eco-
nomic or environmental impact,
but improves mental health?
How to compare the cost of
cutting down trees with the
benefit of maintaining jobs in
certain industries or regions?
It’s much easier to focus sole-
ly on the economy, or to avoid
transparency about the reason-
ing behind choices.
Should we be surprised, then,
that while the economy is deliv-
ering record employment rates,
our mental health is declining,
the quality of our river water is
deteriorating, our greenhouse
gas emissions are rising, govern-
ment services are worsening,
confidence in our institutions is
eroding, and people’s life satis-
faction is not improving? ■
This article first appeared
on Policy Options and is repub-
lished here under a Creative
Commons license.
To attract jobseekers to work
onsite, companies also com-
pensate WFH arrangement
with other benefits such as
mental health wellness and op-
portunities, allowing them to
support non-traditional needs
❱❱ PAGE 29 More demand for
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
In the market for a car? Soon you’ll be able to
buy a Hyundai on Amazon − and only a Hyundai
BY VIVEK ASTVANSH,
McGill University
The Conversation
This is the year you can final-
ly buy a car on Amazon. Well,
one kind. Eventually.
On Nov. 16, 2023, at the Los
Angeles Auto Show, Amazon and
Hyundai made a big announce-
ment: Starting sometime in
2024, a new pilot program would
let shoppers not only browse
Hyundai cars on Amazon.com
but pay for them, too.
As a professor of marketing,
I followed this story closely.
“Customers will be able to buy
new vehicles directly on Ama-
zon,” an executive for the on-
line retail giant said during the
announcement, drawing cheers
from the audience.
But that framing may be just
a tiny bit too simplistic, I feel.
The real story is more complex
– and more interesting.
A visit to the digital show-
room
It’s still not yet possible for a
regular person to buy a car on
Amazon – I know, because I’ve
tried. Amazon and Hyundai
have not publicly announced
the date the pilot will start, and
they haven’t responded to my
inquiries.
But in the meantime, you can still
go some way toward getting your
US picks PH as one of partner countries
under CHIPS Act
BY KRIS CRISMUNDO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Philippines is
one of the seven countries that
the US will be partnering with
to diversify its semiconductor
supply chain under the CHIPS
and Science Act, according
to visiting United States Un-
der Secretary for Economic
Growth, Energy, and the Envi-
ronment Jose Fernandez.
new hybrid via the online store.
Since 2018, Hyundai has
operated an “electronic show-
room” on Amazon, which lets
shoppers browse cars – and al-
most, but not quite, buy them.
Right now, if you open Amazon.
com and search “Hyundai,” you’ll
see Hyundai’s webpage on Ama-
zon.com as the first search result.
You may click on this webpage,
enter your ZIP code, and see new
Hyundais that are for sale at near-
by participating dealers.
The current system lets you
select model, trim and color,
choose between financing and
leasing, and estimate a monthly
payment.
But as of this date – Jan. 26,
2024 – you can’t actually check
out with a car in your cart. In-
stead, once you’ve chosen the
car you want, Amazon will direct
you to a local dealer so you can
choose financing/leasing and
pay for the car at the dealership.
What’s more, Amazon says
that pricing details on the site
are for illustration, and that
“final pricing details are deter-
mined at Hyundai dealership.”
In other words, Amazon pro-
vides car buyers with informa-
tion, but it doesn’t let them ac-
tually buy a car.
As I explain below, adding the
ability to check out would be a
big deal. And that’s what Ama-
zon has said it’s about to do.
Fernandez told reporters Tues-
day that the Philippines, along
with Vietnam, Panama, Puerto
Rico, and Mexico will receive
funding from the US government
to make the ecosystem of their lo-
cal semiconductor industry more
conducive to US investors.
"We've picked seven coun-
tries, only seven countries to
work with. And we pick those
countries on the basis of their
potential to support semicon-
ductors, supply chains back
But wait: Why can’t I buy a
car on Amazon already? I can
buy everything else, right?
In the U.S., states generally
require legacy automakers to
sell their cars through fran-
chised dealers. Some states
have allowed makers of electric
vehicles, such as Tesla, to sell
directly to consumers.
To comply with the franchise
dealership laws, Amazon can’t
list vehicles for sale the way it
lists, say, books or socks. Instead,
it needs to partner with dealers.
So, Amazon’s plan is to ex-
pand its digital Hyundai show-
room to include 18 Hyundai
dealers in five states. That will
allow nearby buyers to not only
browse their current inventory
home," Fernandez said.
He said the US government
has earmarked USD500 million
for the International Technol-
ogy, Security, and Innovation
(ITSI) Fund to be spent over
the next five years in the part-
ner countries.
"The ITSI Fund, it serves to
galvanize private investments
and workforce development,
which at the end of the day will
lead our efforts to expand the
semiconductor sector," the US
www.canadianinquirer.net
Business
but also pay for a new vehicle.
That is, while a buyer will pay
for a vehicle and choose financ-
ing or leasing options at Am-
azon, a local dealer will be the
seller of record, with Amazon
serving as a sales channel.
By honoring franchise laws
while spreading awareness of
dealers’ inventory and provid-
ing shoppers a convenient way
to buy new vehicles, Amazon
has been remarkably clever.
And while this pilot will start
with Hyundai, it likely won’t
stop there. Amazon has said
that at some point – it hasn’t
announced when – it plans to
expand the program to include
other auto brands.
How 2024 will change how
official added.
Fernandez said the US will
soon receive recommendations
from Paris-based Organization
for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) on how
the US can help in strengthen-
ing the semiconductor sector in
the Philippines.
Electronics and semicon-
ductor products are the Philip-
pines' top merchandise export,
sharing more than half of the
country's total export revenues.
25
we buy cars – a little
So, if reports are to be believed,
at some point in 2024, Amazon
will let customers check out a
Hyundai just like they check out
a bottle of shampoo.
This could make a lot of peo-
ple happy. It would tap into
a growing segment of buyers
who trust Amazon, prefer to
complete paperwork online
and don’t want to haggle with a
dealer. It could also draw more
buyers to participating dealers,
boosting their sales.
But I’m skeptical that this
“prime” opportunity will trans-
form things, at least at first.
To start, Amazon will sell
only new Hyundais. Buyers
who want to compare a Hyund-
ai with a rival model will be out
of luck. Amazon also won’t sell
used vehicles or allow trade-ins.
That means a lot of consumer
demand would be left unmet.
Auto dealers might also hes-
itate to work with Amazon. For
one thing, they would miss the
chance to form relationships
with buyers – and the opportu-
nity to upsell them.
But either way, it may not be
long before you can add toilet-
ries, kitchen supplies and a new
Hyundai to your Amazon cart. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
The industry generated up to
2.5 million direct and indirect jobs.
Fernandez noted that 60 per-
cent of the total investments in
the semiconductor sector here
came from US companies.
Signed by US President Joe
Biden on Aug. 9, 2022, the
"CHIPS and Science Act" autho-
rizes investments in exploratory
and translational research that
will advance the most innova-
tive ideas across all areas of sci-
ence and engineering. ■
26
Deepfakes: How to empower youth to fight
the threat of misinformation and disinformation
BY NADIA NAFFI, Université
Laval
The Conversation
The World Economic Forum’s
Global Risks Report 2024 has is-
sued a stark warning: misinfor-
mation and disinformation, pri-
marily driven by deepfakes, are
ranked as the most severe global
short-term risks the world faces
in the next two years.
In October 2023, the Innova-
tion council of Québec shared
the same realization after
months of consultations with
experts and the public.
This digital deception, which
leverages artificial intelligence
and, more recently generative
AI, to create hyper-realistic fab-
rications, extends beyond being
a technological marvel; it poses
a profound societal threat.
In response to the gap in ef-
fectively combating deepfakes
with technology and legislation
alone, a research project led by
my team and I sheds light on a
vital solution: human interven-
tion through education.
Technological solutions
alone are inadequate
Despite ongoing develop-
ment of deepfake detection
tools, these technological solu-
tions are racing to catch up with
the rapidly advancing capabili-
ties of deepfake algorithms.
Legal systems and govern-
ments are struggling to keep
pace with this swift advance-
ment of digital deception.
There is an urgent need for
education to adopt a more se-
rious, aggressive and strategic
approach in equipping youth to
combat this imminent threat.
Political disinformation
concerns
The potential for political po-
larization is particularly alarming.
Nearly three billion people
are expected to vote in coun-
tries including Bangladesh,
India, Indonesia, Mexico, Paki-
Technology
stan, the United Kingdom and
the United States within the
next two years.
Disinformation campaigns
threaten to undermine the le-
gitimacy of newly elected gov-
ernments.
Deepfakes of prominent fig-
ures like Palestinian American
supermodel Bella Hadid and
others have been manipulated to
falsify their political statements,
exemplifying the technology’s
capacity to sway public opinion
and skew political narratives.
A deepfake of Greta Thun-
berg advocating for “vegan gre-
nades” highlights the nefarious
use of this technology.
Meta’s unveiling of an AI as-
sistant featuring celebrities’
likenesses raises concerns
about misuse and spreading
disinformation.
Financial fraud, por-
nographic harms
Deepfake videos are also, un-
surprisingly, being leveraged to
commit financial fraud.
The popular YouTuber Mr-
Beast was impersonated in a
deepfake scam on TikTok, false-
ly promising an iPhone 15 give-
away that led to financial deceit.
These incidents highlight
vulnerability to sophisticated
AI-driven frauds and scams tar-
geting people of all ages.
Deepfake pornography rep-
resents a grave concern for
young people and adults alike,
where individuals’ faces are
non-consensually superim-
posed onto explicit content.
Sexually explicit deepfake im-
ages of Taylor Swift spread on
social media before platforms
took them down. One was
viewed over 45 million times.
Policy and technology ap-
proaches
Meta’s policy now mandates
political advertisers to disclose
any AI manipulation in ads, a
move mirrored by Google.
Neil Zhang, a PhD student at
the University of Rochester, is
developing detection tools for
audio deepfakes, including ad-
vanced algorithms and water-
marking techniques.
The U.S. has introduced sev-
eral acts: the Deepfakes Ac-
countability Act of 2023, the
No AI FRAUD Act safeguarding
identities against AI misuse and
the Preventing Deepfakes of
Intimate Images Act targeting
non-consensual pornographic
deepfakes.
In Canada, legislators have
proposed Bill C-27 and the Ar-
tificial Intelligence and Data
Act (AIDA) which emphasize AI
www.canadianinquirer.net
transparency and data privacy.
The United Kingdom adopt-
ed its Online Safety Bill. The
EU recently announced a pro-
visional deal surrounding its AI
Act; the EU’s AI Liability Direc-
tive addresses broader online
safety and AI regulation issues.
The Indian government an-
nounced plans to draft regula-
tions targeting deepfakes.
These measures reflect grow-
ing global commitments to
curbing the pernicious effects
of deepfakes. However, these ef-
forts are insufficient to contain,
let alone stop, the proliferation
of deepfake dissemination.
Research study with youth
Research I have conducted
with colleagues, funded by the
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council (SSHRC) and
Canadian Heritage, unveils how
empowering youth with digital
agency can be a force against
the rising tide of disinformation
fueled by deepfake and artificial
intelligence technologies.
Our study focused on how
youth perceive the impact of
deepfakes on critical issues and
their own process of construct-
ing knowledge in digital con-
texts. We explored their capaci-
ty and willingness to effectively
counterbalance disinformation.
The study brought together
Canadian university students,
aged 18 to 24, for a series of
hands-on workshops, in-depth
individual interviews and focus
group discussions.
Participants created deep-
fakes, gaining a firsthand un-
derstanding of easy access to
and use of this technology and
its potential for misuse. This
experiential learning proved
invaluable in demystifying how
easily deepfakes are generated.
Participants initially per-
ceived deepfakes as an uncon-
trollable and inevitable part of
the digital landscape.
Through engagement and
discussion, they went from be-
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
ing passive deepfake bystand-
ers to developing a deeper re-
alization of their grave threat.
Critically, they also developed
a sense of responsibility in pre-
venting and mitigating deep-
fakes’ spread, and a readiness to
counter deepfakes.
Students shared recommen-
dations for concrete actions,
including urging education-
al systems to empower youth
and help them recognize their
actions can make a difference.
This includes:
• teaching the detrimental ef-
fects of disinformation on society;
• providing spaces for youth
to reflect on and challenge soci-
etal norms, inform them about
social media policies and out-
lining permissible and prohib-
ited content;
• training students in recogniz-
ing deepfakes through exposure
to the technology behind them;
• encouraging involvement
in meaningful causes while
staying alert to disinformation
and guiding youth in respect-
fully and productively counter-
ing disinformation.
Multifaceted strategy needed
Based on our research and
the participants’ recommenda-
tions, we propose a multifacet-
ed strategy to counter the pro-
liferation of deepfakes.
Deepfake education needs to
be integrated into educational
curricula, along with nurtur-
ing critical thinking and digi-
tal agency in our youth. Youth
need to be encouraged in active,
yet safe, well-informed and
strategic, participation in the
fight against malicious deep-
fakes in digital spaces.
We emphasize the impor-
tance of hands-on collaborative
learning experiences. We also
advocate for an interdisciplin-
ary educational approach that
marries technology, psychology,
media studies and ethics to fully
❱❱ PAGE 30 Deepfakes: How to
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
Why are so many robots white?
BY MARK PATERSON,
University of Pittsburgh
The Conversation
Problems of racial and gen-
der bias in artificial intelligence
algorithms and the data used to
train large language models like
ChatGPT have drawn the atten-
tion of researchers and generat-
ed headlines. But these problems
also arise in social robots, which
have physical bodies modeled
on nonthreatening versions of
humans or animals and are de-
signed to interact with people.
The aim of the subfield of
social robotics called socially
assistive robotics is to interact
with ever more diverse groups
of people. Its practitioners’ no-
ble intention is “to create ma-
chines that will best help people
help themselves,” writes one of
its pioneers, Maja Matarić. The
robots are already being used
to help people on the autism
spectrum, children with special
needs and stroke patients who
need physical rehabilitation.
But these robots do not look
like people or interact with
people in ways that reflect even
basic aspects of society’s diver-
sity. As a sociologist who stud-
ies human-robot interaction, I
believe that this problem is only
going to get worse. Rates of di-
agnoses for autism in children
of color are now higher than for
white kids in the U.S. Many of
these children could end up in-
teracting with white robots.
So, to adapt the famous Twit-
ter hashtag around the Oscars
in 2015, why #robotssowhite?
Why robots tend to be white
Given the diversity of people
they will be exposed to, why
does Kaspar, designed to inter-
act with children with autism,
have rubber skin that resem-
bles a white person’s? Why are
Nao, Pepper and iCub, robots
used in schools and museums,
Belle lightens up..
❰❰ 17 produced by Belle and
StarPop label head
Roque “Rox” Santos.
“And Solemn” completes the
Kapamilya singer-songwriter’s
two-part album, with the first part
“Somber” released in June 2023.
During “The Solemn Album
clad with shiny, white plastic?
In The Whiteness of AI, tech-
nology ethicist Stephen Cave
and science communication
researcher Kanta Dihal discuss
racial bias in AI and robotics
and note the preponderance of
stock images online of robots
with reflective white surfaces.
What is going on here?
One issue is what robots are al-
ready out there. Most robots are
not developed from scratch but
purchased by engineering labs
for projects, adapted with cus-
tom software, and sometimes in-
tegrated with other technologies
such as robot hands or skin. Ro-
botics teams are therefore con-
strained by design choices that
the original developers made
(Aldebaran for Pepper, Ital-
ian Institute of Technology for
iCub). These design choices tend
to follow the clinical, clean look
with shiny white plastic, similar
to other technology products like
the original iPod.
In a paper I presented at the
2023 American Sociological
Association meeting, I call this
“the poverty of the engineered
imaginary.”
How society imagines robots
In anthropologist Lucy
Suchman’s classic book on hu-
man-machine interaction, which
was updated with chapters on
robotics, she discusses a “cultur-
al imaginary” of what robots are
supposed to look like. A cultur-
al imaginary is what is shared
through representations in texts,
images and films, and which
collectively shapes people’s at-
titudes and perceptions. For ro-
bots, the cultural imaginary is
derived from science fiction.
This cultural imaginary can be
contrasted with the more prac-
tical concerns of how computer
science and engineering teams
view robot bodies, what Neda
Atanasoski and Kalindi Vora call
the “engineered imaginary.” This
is a hotly contested area in fem-
Launch” event, Belle received the
Lullaby Artist Award from Spotify.
She also expressed her grati-
tude for the opportunity to grow
her love for music. “Creating
music is a way for me to express
myself, I saw it as an art, ang gan-
da niyang boses. Thank you so
inist science studies, with, for
example, Jennifer Rhee’s “The
Robotic Imaginary” and Atana-
soski and Vora’s “Surrogate Hu-
manity” critical of the gendered
and racial assumptions that lead
people to design service robots –
designed to carry out mundane
tasks – as female.
The cultural imaginary that
enshrines robots as white, and
in fact usually female, stretch-
es back to European antiquity,
along with an explosion of novels
and films at the height of indus-
trial modernity. From the first
mention of the word “android” in
Auguste Villiers de l’Isle-Adam’s
1886 novel “The Future Eve,” the
introduction of the word “robot”
in Karel Čapek’s 1920 play “Ros-
sum’s Universal Robots,” and
the sexualized robot Maria in
the 1925 novel “Metropolis” by
Thea von Harbou – the basis of
her husband Fritz Lang’s famous
1927 film of the same name – fic-
tional robots were quick to be
feminized and made servile.
Perhaps the prototype for this
cultural imaginary lies in ancient
Rome. A poem in Ovid’s “Meta-
morphoses” (8 C.E.) describes a
statue of Galatea “of snow-white
ivory” that its creator Pygma-
lion falls in love with. Pygmalion
prays to Aphrodite that Galatea
much sa lahat ng nagmamahal at
sa lahat ng nagtatangkilik Filipi-
no music, maraming-maraming
salamat po.”
Among those who were pres-
ent at the event were StarPop
label head Roque “Rox” Santos,
ABS-CBN Music creative di-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Technology
come to life, and his wish is
granted. There are numerous lit-
erary, poetic and film adaptations
of the story, including one of the
first special effects in cinema in
Méliès’ 1898 film. Paintings that
depict this moment, for example
by Raoux (1717), Regnault (1786),
and Burne-Jones (1868-70 and
1878), accentuate the whiteness
of Galatea’s flesh.
Interdisciplinary route to
diversity and inclusion
What can be done to counter
this cultural legacy? After all,
all human-machine interaction
should be designed with diversi-
ty and inclusion in mind, accord-
ing to engineers Tahira Reid and
James Gibert. But outside of Ja-
pan’s ethnically Japanese-look-
ing robots, robots designed to be
nonwhite are rare. And Japan’s
robots tend to follow the subser-
vient female gender stereotype.
The solution is not simply
to encase machines in brown
or black plastic. The problem
goes deeper. The Bina48 “cus-
tom character robot” modeled
on the head and shoulders of a
millionaire’s African American
wife, Bina Aspen, is notable, but
its speech and interactions are
limited. A series of conversa-
tions between Bina48 and the
African American artist Steph-
rector Jonathan Manalo, ABS-
CBN Music head Roxy Liquigan
who announced that Belle will
soon have a birthday concert.
Check out Belle’s latest EP
“And Solemn” available on vari-
ous music streaming platforms.
For more details, follow Star-
27
anie Dinkins is the basis of a
video installation.
The absurdity of talking about
racism with a disembodied ani-
mated head becomes apparent
in one such conversation – it lit-
erally has no personal experience
to speak of, yet its AI-powered
answers refer to an unnamed
person’s experience of racism
growing up. These are implanted
memories, like the “memories”
of the replicant androids in the
“Blade Runner” movies.
Social science methods can
help produce a more inclusive
“engineered imaginary,” as I dis-
cussed at Edinburgh’s Being Hu-
man festival in November 2022.
For example, working with Guy
Hoffman, a roboticist from Cor-
nell, and Caroline Yan Zheng,
then a Ph.D. design student from
Royal College of Art, we invited
contributions for a publication
titled Critical Perspectives on
Affective Embodied Interaction.
One of the persistent threads
in that collaboration and other
work is just how much people’s
bodies communicate to others
through gesture and expression,
as well as vocalization, and how
this differs between cultures. In
which case, making robots’ ap-
pearance reflect the diversity of
people who benefit from their
presence is one thing, but what
about diversifying forms of in-
teraction? Along with making
robots less universally white and
female, social scientists, interac-
tion designers and engineers can
work together to produce more
cross-cultural sensitivity in ges-
tures and touch, for example.
Such work promises to make
human-robot interaction less
scary and uncanny, especially
for people who need assistance
from the new breeds of socially
assistive robots. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
Pop on Facebook, X (Twitter),
Instagram, and TikTok.
For updates, follow @abscbn-
pr on Facebook, X (Twitter), Ins-
tagram, and TikTok or visit www.
abs-cbn.com/newsroom. ■
28
Six Luxurious Stays to Enjoy a
Lavish Experience in the Mountains
BOOKING.COM
According to our research, one
quarter (26%)* of global travelers
are likely to stay at more luxuri-
ous accommodations during their
vacation, while half (52%)* of
global travelers would like to stay
in mountainous areas. With that
in mind, Booking.com presents
six luxurious stays in the moun-
tains that are ideal for travelers
seeking for a unique experience
that combines maximum comfort
with stunning mountain views
and exceptional attention to de-
tail. From snowy wonderlands to
peaceful retreats away from the
hustle and bustle of city life, these
stays will bring a vacation in the
mountains to a real higher level.
The Chedi Andermatt, An-
dermatt, Switzerland
Located in a quiet area in An-
dermatt, amidst the beautiful
nature of the Swiss Alps, The
Chedi Andermatt is a stunning
hotel that combines Swiss hos-
pitality with Asian elegance.
The property is surrounded by
incredible mountain views, and
features a 25,833 square-foot
(2,400-square-meter) wellness
and spa area where even the ho-
tel’s non-residents can enjoy a
relaxing visit. The property’s day
passes include access to the spa
as well as afternoon tea or lunch.
Perfect for the half of (51%) trav-
elers** interested in paying for
day passes to use the amenities
in a five star hotel rather than
actually staying there in 2024.
For all the ski enthusiasts, this
Travel Sustainable property of-
fers easy access to around 112
miles (180 km) of slopes, and to
make its guests' skiing experi-
ence even smoother, the proper-
ty has free ski storage and guests
can also rent their skiing equip-
ment directly on site. The beau-
tiful city of Lucerne is an hour
drive away where travelers can
enjoy a variety of activities like
city tours and cable car rides.
Travel
The Grand Dragon Lada-
kh, Leh, India
Located in the ancient city of
Leh, the largest city of Ladakh,
this eco-friendly hotel overlooks
the famous Cold Desert, a breath-
taking landscape of snow-capped
peaks and deep valleys. With
three in five (60%)** travelers
wanting to see sustainability in
action, this solar powered prop-
erty has made important envi-
ronmental improvements to its
structure including techniques to
reduce the consumption of fresh
water. The luxurious property
has lavish interiors with wooden
details, decorated with handmade
paintings by one of the first mod-
ern artists of Ladakh. Decorated
with colorful traditional wood-
work, the hotel's restaurant offers
uninterrupted views of the Stok
Kangri mountain range.
The Grand Dragon Ladakh is
set in a destination of cultural and
historical significance which can
be explored through rich in flavor
local cuisine, traditions and his-
torical sites, including a variety
of ancient monasteries. Guests
should not miss Ladakh’s most
popular dish, momos, traditional
dumplings originating from Ti-
bet. The Likir Monastery, a Bud-
dhist monastery just 32 miles (52
km) outside of Leh is perched
atop a little hill by the Indus River,
which starts near the Mansarovar
Lake, in Tibet in China and enters
India through Ladakh.
Sparkling Hill Resort and
Spa - Adults-Only Resort,
Vernon, Canada
Blending nicely with the sur-
rounding natural landscape,
Sparkling Hill Resort and Spa
has a unique architecture with
crystals sparkling throughout
the hotel's design. The “spar-
kling” property’s glass wall even
looks like a crystal, a concept
created by the chief designer of a
brand famous for a range of pre-
cision-cut crystal glass. Over-
looking the beautiful Okanagan
Lake in Vernon and the Mona-
shee Mountain range, this lux-
urious property offers its guests
a truly rejuvenating experience
with over 100 different treat-
ments in the onsite spa such as
a special cold chamber, which is
said to improve circulation and
energy, shell-like showers, and a
variety of refreshing scents.
With three quarters of global
travelers (75%) agree that being
close to water instantly makes
them feel more relaxed and with
over a third (36%) interested in
water-centric vacations in 2024**
guests should not miss the oppor-
tunity to try the hotel’s igloo treat-
ment. During this unique indoor
treatment guests can relax with
the sounds of crackling ice while
cooling off thanks to the chilled
silver tiles, creating a refreshing
environment.
Vernon is highly endorsed by
Booking.com travelers for re-
laxation, scenery and friendly
people and is a great place for
outdoor activities. The vibrant
city of Kelowna is only a 45
minutes drive away and is home
to many wineries and orchards.
Travelers looking for a more
fun way to explore the city can
book a scavenger hunt.
Miramonti Boutique Ho-
tel, Avelengo, Italy
Located in the world famous
Dolomites at an altitude of 4035
www.canadianinquirer.net
feet (1230 meters) above sea lev-
el, Miramonti Boutique Hotel
is a great getaway for those who
are looking for a luxurious place
to recharge and enjoy the heal-
ing powers of nature. Offering a
sense of exclusivity and privacy,
this stylish boutique hotel fea-
tures an onsen pool, a forest sau-
na 65 feet (20 meters) above the
ground and an infinity pool with
healing salt water overlooking
Merano. Tucked into a valley
amongst the nourishing Italian
Dolomites, Merano is home to
thermal baths, leafy boulevards
and medieval hilltop castles.
This Travel Sustainable ac-
commodation is just a short
drive away from the city of
Merano and Bolzano where
travelers join one of the many
guided tours to explore more of
the UNESCO-protected Dolo-
mites mountain range. Situated
amongst the stunning snow-
capped mountains of the Italian
Dolomites, Bolzano is the capital
of Italy’s northernmost region
of South Tyrol, and travelers
can visit one of the many medi-
eval castles and the gothic ‘duo-
mo’ cathedral with its imposing
spires that sits in contrast to the
city’s pastel-painted houses.
Zaborin, Niseko, Japan
Combining contemporary
Japanese luxury with a unique
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
serene environment, this beau-
tiful ryokan that is based in the
foothills of Hokkaido, offers a
perfect stay for relaxation and
reflection. The hotel's zen aes-
thetic and breathtaking moun-
tain views will help its guests to
declutter their minds and get a
closer connection with nature.
Featuring views of a private for-
est, the villas are a mix of Japa-
nese-style and Western-style,
embracings the modern com-
forts while keeping the tradi-
tions alive. Travelers can enjoy a
unique culinary experience that
appreciates nature by using sea-
sonal ingredients and inspired
by “kaiseki”, a traditional multi-
course Japanese dinner.
Highly recommended for win-
ter sports, scenery, hot springs
and mountains by Booking.com
travelers, Niseko offers unique
and enriching experiences as it
combines world class skiing and
snowboarding with breathtaking
landscapes and Japanese onsens.
Famous for the annual Sap-
poro Snow Festival with the
enormous ice sculptures that
takes place during the first
week of February, Sapporo,
the capital of the mountainous
northern Japanese island of
Hokkaido, is a two hours drive
❱❱ PAGE 30 Six Luxurious Stays
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2024
Eating leafy greens could be better for oral
health than using mouthwash
BY MIA COUSINS
BURLEIGH, University of the
West of Scotland, SIOBHAN
PAULA MORAN, University
of the West of Scotland
The Conversation
Over half the adult popula-
tion in the UK and US have gum
disease. Typical treatments in-
clude mouthwash and in severe
cases, antibiotics. These treat-
ments have side effects, such
as dry mouth, the development
of antimicrobial resistance and
increased blood pressure.
But research has indicated
that a molecule called nitrate,
which is found in leafy green
vegetables, has fewer side ef-
fects and offers greater benefits
for oral health. And it could be
used as a natural alternative for
treating oral disease.
Inadequate brushing and
flossing leads to the build up of
dental plaque, a sticky layer of
bacteria, on the surface of teeth
and gums. Plaque causes tooth
decay and gum disease. Sugary
and acidic foods, dry mouth,
and smoking can also contrib-
ute to bad breath, tooth decay,
and gum infections.
The two main types of gum
disease are gingivitis and peri-
odontitis. Gingivitis causes
redness, swelling and bleeding
of the gums. Periodontitis is a
more advanced form of gum
disease, causing damage to the
More demand for..
❰❰ 24 that candidates asked
for the past years, she
added.
SEEK Asia chief operating of-
ficer Lewis Ng said many com-
panies across Asia are still un-
derstanding and refining their
approach to flexible working.
But compared to the Phil-
ippines, keyword search for
Food
soft tissues and bones support-
ing the teeth.
Periodontal disease can
therefore, lead to tooth loss and,
when bacteria from the mouth
enter the bloodstream, can also
contribute to the development
of systemic disorders such as
cardiovascular disease, demen-
tia, diabetes and rheumatoid
arthritis.
Leafy greens may be the
secret
Leafy greens and root vege-
tables are bursting with vita-
mins, minerals, and antioxi-
dants – and it’s no secret that a
diet consisting of these vegeta-
bles is crucial for maintaining
a healthy weight, boosting the
immune system, and prevent-
ing heart disease, cancer and
diabetes. The multiple health
benefits of leafy greens are part-
ly because spinach, lettuce and
beetroots are brimming with
nitrate, which can be reduced to
nitric oxide by nitrate-reducing
bacteria inside the mouth.
Nitric oxide is known to low-
er blood pressure and improve
exercise performance. How-
ever, in the mouth, it helps to
prevent the overgrowth of bad
bacteria and reduces oral acidi-
ty, both of which can cause gum
disease and tooth decay.
As part of our research on ni-
trate and oral health, we studied
competitive athletes. Athletes
are prone to gum disease due to
high intake of carbohydrates –
“work from home” across the
region is declining.
"We see a lot less explicit
work from home arrangements
in the job description but what
do we see more of is hybrid
working. And that just goes to
show that companies and hirers
are really trying to figure out
what is the best for the employ-
which can cause inflammation
of the gum tissues – stress, and
dry mouth from breathing hard
during training.
Our study showed that beet-
root juice (containing approxi-
mately 12 millimole of nitrate)
protected their teeth from acidic
sports drinks and carbohydrate
gels during exercise – suggest-
ing that nitrate could be used as
a prebiotic by athletes to reduce
the risk of tooth decay.
Nitrate offers a lot of prom-
ise as an oral health prebiotic.
Good oral hygiene and a nitrate
rich diet could be the key to a
healthier body, a vibrant smile
and disease-free gums. This is
good news for those most at
risk of oral health deterioration
such as pregnant women, and
the elderly.
In the UK, antiseptic mouth-
ees, because many employees
definitely have a preference for
work from home," Ng added.
Meanwhile, SEEK has uni-
fied its employment market-
place platforms JobStreet and
JobsDB, which are present in
six Asian markets -- Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philip-
pines, Singapore and Thailand.
www.canadianinquirer.net
washes containing chlorhex-
idine are commonly used to
treat dental plaque and gum
disease. Unfortunately, these
mouthwashes are a blunder-
buss approach to oral health, as
they indiscriminately remove
both good and bad bacteria and
increase oral acidity, which can
cause disease.
Worryingly, early research
also indicates that chlorhexidine
may contribute to antimicrobial
resistance. Resistance occurs
when bacteria and fungi survive
the effects of one or more anti-
microbial drugs due to repeated
exposure to these treatments.
Antimicrobial resistance is a
global health concern, predicted
to cause 10 million deaths yearly
by the year 2050.
In contrast, dietary nitrate
is more targeted. Nitrate elim-
Ng said merging the jobs
marketplaces in one platform
will help in unlocking new in-
novations, such as artificial in-
telligence, being rolled out by
Australia-based SEEK.
"What we're trying to do now
with a new platform is provide
a better experience for our
users by providing better ad-
29
inates disease-associated bac-
teria, reduces oral acidity and
creates a balanced oral micro-
biome. The oral microbiome
refers to all the microorgan-
isms in the mouth. Nitrate of-
fers exciting potential as an oral
health prebiotic, which can be
used to prevent disease onset or
limit disease progression.
How many leafy greens for
pearly whites?
So how much should we con-
sume daily? As a rule of thumb,
a generous helping of spinach,
kale or beetroot at mealtimes
contains about 6-10 mmol of
nitrate and offers immediate
health benefits.
Work we have done with our
collaborators has shown that
treating plaque samples from
periodontal disease patients
with 6.5 mmol of nitrate in-
creased healthy bacteria levels
and reduced acidity.
For example, consuming
lettuce juice for two weeks re-
duced gum inflammation and
increased healthy bacteria lev-
els in patients with gum disease.
Growing evidence suggests
that nitrate is a cornerstone of
oral health. Crunching on a por-
tion of vegetables at mealtimes
can help to prevent or treat oral
disease and keeps the mouth
fresh and healthy. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
vice for our hirers in using our
platforms and better matching
so that candidates can find the
right jobs that they want, as
well," Ng added.
SEEK targets to attract 500
million jobseekers and five mil-
lion companies in its platform
by 2026. ■
 30
Keeping the Spark..
❰❰ 21 keep things vibrant,
fresh and exciting. Shar-
ing a sense of humour
with your partner can help deflect
nasty fights or disagreements.
Sense of humour helps you get
past conflict and confrontation. It
is important to laugh together and
not at each other. Life is short for
petty arguments. When you share
a good laugh together, you both
create a sense of connectedness
and strengthen your closeness
with each other.
HAVE AN OPEN COMMU-
NICATION. Having an open
and respectful communication
is the cornerstone of any striving
and healthy relationship. It’s an
essential tool to building trust,
confidence and mutual under-
standing. It’s always good to be
able to express yourself freely
with your partner. As much as
having open communication is
important, it is also vital that you
learn to listen well and under-
stand your partner. Be a great lis-
tener as well as a communicator.
Always communicate with each
other with respect. Even when
you have an argument, practice
respect and understanding no
matter how angry or frustrated
you are with each other. Also,
find the time to praise each oth-
er. Words of encouragement and
love do wonders!
ALWAYS PRACTISE THE
ART OF GIVE AND TAKE.
When you have reciprocity in
your relationship, it shows that
you care deeply for each other
and value each other’s presence
Six Luxurious Stays..
❰❰ 28 away from the prop-
erty. Guests can plan a
day trip to the city and
discover its most iconic land-
marks.
Chalet Azobe Morzine - by
EMERALD STAY, Montri-
ond, France
Located in the French Alps,
this luxurious Travel Sustain-
able chalet offers four stylish
bedrooms in a perfect spot for
nature lovers and winter sports
enthusiasts. The wooden fea-
tures, along with the fluffy tex-
tures, the cozy fireplace and the
attention to detail keep this spa-
cious chalet luxurious and ele-
gant. Guests can relax in the out-
door hot tub after a day of skiing,
while enjoying the breathtaking
mountain scenery.
in your relationship. Healthy
and strong relationships are
built on compromise. Each
partner will benefit strongly
from plenty of give and take.
LEARN TO FORGIVE AND
MOVE ON FROM DISAGREE-
MENTS. When you hurt each
other, learn to swallow your pride
and to genuinely say sorry to each
other. Apologise from your heart.
Above all, learn to always forgive.
Whenever you forgive, you are
intentionally deciding to let go of
any anger, hurt and resentment.
You will always feel better when-
ever you forgive and let go of bad
feelings. Once you’ve both settled
your differences, move on from
it. Don’t keep harping on past ar-
guments! It’s not healthy.
Whenever things get tough in
your relationship, always remind
each other of the moment you
exchanged vows and how much
those vows meant to both of you.
Your relationship is worth fight-
ing for. Your love for each other
is worth fighting for. Again, life is
so short and because we’re living
in a fast and crazy world, remind
yourselves how lucky and fortu-
nate you both are to have each
other. Others aren’t as blessed as
you both are! Be grateful that you
have each other! ■
Matte Laurel-Zalko is a former
restaurateur and hotelier, a moth-
er, a wife, a health and wellness
aficionado, food and wine enthu-
siast, a dog-lover, and lifestyle col-
umnist exclusively for Philippine
Canadian Inquirer (PCI).
Highly endorsed by Booking.
com travelers for mountains,
nature, tranquility and down-
hill ski, Montriond is set north
of the ski resorts of Morzine and
Avoriaz in the Portes du Soleil
ski resorts area. The city of Ge-
neva is just an hour drive away.
Travelers can explore the sec-
ond-most populous city in Swit-
zerland and discover some of the
city’s most iconic sights. A walk
through the Old Town, a selfie at
the Jet d'Eau fountain, or a visit
at the European Headquarters
of the United Nations are some
of the must sees in Geneva. ■
*Research commissioned by
Booking.com and independent-
ly conducted among a sample
of 42,513 respondents across 33
Why Trump’s control..
❰❰ 14 fore often successful
in dismantling insti-
tutional checks on
their power, whether from the
legislature or the courts. Lead-
ers of personalist parties have
attempted to curb judicial con-
straints in countries as differ-
ent as El Salvador, Hungary and
Hockey Canada’s issues..
❰❰ 22 crete demonstrations
of change. Sport Can-
ada has been chastised
for implementing superficial
box-checking processes such
as the Canadian Sport Gover-
nance Code and report-card
system, which has since been
discontinued.
When boards of directors
do not provide both advise-
ment and a clear accountability
framework, it is easy for CEOs
or executive directors to abuse
their power.
According to sound gover-
Deepfakes: How to..
❰❰ 26 grasp the implications
of deepfakes.
The human element
Our research underscores a
crucial realization: The human
element, particularly the role of
education, is indispensable in
the fight against deepfakes. We
cannot rely solely on technolo-
markets (2,000 from USA, 1,008
from Canada, 2,000 from Mexi-
co, 1,000 from Colombia, 2,000
from Brazil, 1,000 from Argenti-
na, 2,000 from Australia, 1,000
from New Zealand, 2,000 from
Spain, 2,000 from Italy, 2,000
from France, 2,000 from UK,
2,000 from Germany, 1,000
from Netherlands, 1,000 from
Denmark, 1,000 from Sweden,
1,000 from Croatia, 1,000 from
Switzerland, 1,000 from Bel-
gium, 1,000 from Ireland, 1,000
from Portugal, 1,000 from Isra-
el, 2,000 from India, 1,000 from
China, 1,005 from Hong Kong,
1,000 from Thailand, 1,000 from
Singapore, 1,000 from Taiwan,
1,000 from Vietnam, 1,000 from
South Korea, 1,000 from Japan,
500 from UAE). In order to par-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Israel, with the ruling parties
doing little to stop their efforts.
Long-standing and wealthy
democracies, like the U.S., are
remarkably resilient to the
challenges that confront them.
But ruling party personalism
helps elected leaders undercut
these protective guardrails. Be-
nance principles, Sport Canada
needs to create a robust account-
ability framework that demands
verifiable evidence of policy im-
plementation and achievement
of standards of practice as a con-
dition of funding.
To build sport organizations,
structures, policies and pro-
cesses that are safe, healthy and
high-performing, the power
balance of the system as a whole
must be re-engineered and
those inclined to abuse power
must be removed.
Those who inflict harm must
gy and legal fixes.
By equipping younger gen-
erations, but also every single
member of our society, with
the skills to critically analyze
and challenge disinformation,
we are nurturing a digitally lit-
erate society resilient enough
to withstand the manipulative
ticipate in this survey, respon-
dents had to be 18 years of age
or older, had to have traveled at
least once in the past 12 months,
and planning to travel in 2023
and be either the primary de-
cision maker or involved in the
decision making of their travel.
The survey was taken online and
took place in January and Feb-
ruary 2023.
**Travel Predictions 2024 re-
search commissioned by Book-
ing.com and conducted among
a sample of adults who plan to
travel for business or leisure in
the next 12-24 months. In total,
27,730 respondents across 33
countries and territories were
polled (including 1008 from Ar-
gentina, 1012 from Australia,
505 from Austria, 1001 from
FEBRUARY 2, 2024 FRIDAY
cause the Republican Party has
taken a personalist turn under
Trump’s spell, democracy in the
U.S. would suffer should Trump
win a second term. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
also be removed and criminal-
ly charged based on the law.
Others who cover up abuse or
are neglectful bystanders must
be held to the same standards.
Only through a commitment
to independence, transparency
and accountability can sport
bodies become a space that
champions not only excellence
but also the well-being of all its
participants. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
power of deepfakes.
To do so, we must equip peo-
ple to understand they have roles
and agency in safeguarding the
integrity of our digital world. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
Belgium, 1002 from Brazil, 1009
from Canada, 1009 from China,
1002 from Colombia, 508 from
Croatia, 504 from Denmark,
1011 from France, 1011 from Ger-
many, 1016 from Hong Kong,
1004 from India, 510 from Ire-
land, 504 from Israel, 1014 from
Italy, 1004 from Japan, 1009
from Mexico, 1014 from The
Netherlands, 1015 from New
Zealand, 500 from Portugal,
502 from Singapore, 1010 from
South Korea, 1009 from Spain,
502 from Sweden, 507 from
Switzerland, 504 from Taiwan,
1003 from Thailand, 502 from
the UAE, 1007 from the UK,
1005 from the US and 1007 from
Vietnam). Respondents complet-
ed an online survey in July 2023.
 FEBRUARY 2, 2020
JULY 17, 2024 cx328
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