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@PhilCanInquirer NOVEMBER 1, 2019 www.canadianinquirer.net VOL. 11 NO. 395

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte strikes his signature pose with the winners of the Miss Asia Pacific International 2019 during their meeting at the Malacañan Palace
ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

PTFoMS: PH ranking 15
on CPJ’s 2019
Global Impunity Youth to sue Canadian
government for climate

Index ‘expected’ change harms, discrimination

26
BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Impunity Index (GII) of the New York-
Philippine Canadian Inquirer based Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ). Palace tells Robredo to grab
The report, according to the CPJ, ‘rare opportunity’
THE PRESIDENTIAL Task Force in “spotlights countries where journalists of being drug czar
Media Security (PTFoMS) was not sur- are slain and their killers go free.” Where you die can affect
prised after learning that the Philip- ❱❱ PAGE 6 your chance of being an
pines retained its spot in the 2019 Global ❱❱ PAGE 10 PTFoMS: PH ranking organ donor

Get the latest

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2 Philippine News NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY

Hontiveros: Fully implement RH Law and HIV

AIDS Policy Laws to address rapid HIV rise
AKBAYAN SENATOR Risa
Hontiveros today called for
the full implementation of two
key laws as a way to stem the
alarming rise of HIV cases in
the Philippines. She said that
the country’s long standing Re-
productive Health (RH) Law
as well as the more recent HIV
AIDS Policy Act are vital to ad-
dressing this issue.
Hontiveros made the state-
ment in response to a study
conducted by the Joint United
Nations Program on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) in which the Philip-
pines was said to be a nation
with the “fastest growing epi-
demic” of the disease. It report-
ed that from 2010 to 2018, new
HIV cases in the Philippines
grew by 203 percent, whereas
cases worldwide fell by at least
18 percent.
“One-two combo”
“We need to fully utilize and
implement all available and
relevant policies to capably re-
spond to the rapid rise of HIV
in the country. And in this set
of policies, we need a one-two
combo, comprised of the RH
Law and the HIV-AIDS Policy
Act, to lead the charge,” Honti-
veros said.
Hontiveros, who worked
for the passage of the RH Law
during her time in the House
of Representatives, is also the
principal author and sponsor
of the Philippine HIV and AIDS
Policy Act. She said that based
on the law, the Philippine Na-
tional AIDS Council is tasked
to implement the country’s
implementation of the AIDS
Medium Term Plan, a 6-year
plan to prevent and control
the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Hontiveros said that this plan
includes intensive age-appro-
priate sex education and access
to reproductive health supplies
such as condoms.
Meanwhile, Hontiveros said
that the RH Law, aside from
mandating age-appropriate sex
education, stipulates that Phil-
Health’s maximum benefits
should be given to those with
serious and life-threatening
formation makes for better, in-
formed choices. This will help
our people, especially the youth,
live healthy and safe lifestyles,”
said Hontiveros, citing that only
two out of five young people
know the correct information
on how HIV is transmitted.
Hontiveros also said that
barangay health centers and
schools have a big role to play
in implementing the said laws
to curb HIV and AIDS in the
country. “HIV testing should be
readily available in our schools
and barangays”, she said. “Early
detection means early treat-
ment. And in the case of HIV,
we cannot act fast enough.”
“We have the measures spe-
cifically designed to meet this
challenge. I urge the Depart-
ment of Health (DOH), all of its
SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS / FACEBOOK attached agencies, and all of our
local government units to fully
reproductive health conditions implement these measures
such as HIV. with utmost speed. The lives of
“Access to reproductive so many depend upon it,” Hon-
health services and correct in- tiveros ended. ■

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019 3

All Saints' day

&
All Souls' day
Each spark of light that burns the wick of the candle urges
us to remember the souls, the lives they lived, and how
much they have impacted ours. May they find eternal rest.

Philippine Canadian Inquirer is one with you in commemorating

and praying for the souls of the departed this All Saints' Day and
All Souls' Day.

PCI

www.canadianinquirer.net
4 Philippine News
President Duterte
asks support in
cleansing government
PRESIDENT RODRIGO Roa Duterte
sworn in newly appointed government
officials on Monday, renewing his call
to help him eliminate corruption in the
bureaucracy, which he said is the major
stumbling block for the country’s prog-
ress along with the proliferation of ille-
gal drugs and lack of law and order.
In the event held in Malacañan Palace,
President Duterte said he is confident
that the newly designated officials will
serve with sincere commitment to at-
tain positive change in the government.
Congratulating the new officials, he
reminded them that they are called to
perform their duties with the highest
degree of moral integrity.
“The values of transparency, account-
ability, and efficiency are pillars that
will continue to guide us in our quest for
good governance across all levels of gov-
ernment,” President Duterte said.
The President then rallied for their
support in his fight against corruption
to uphold an untainted administration
that puts high regard on people’s wel-
fare.
“The advancement of their lives re-
mains the most important indicator of
our overall progress as a nation,” he said.
“I trust that you will continue to put the
people’s common good over our own
personal interests and use your position
to rally behind every Filipino’s aspira-
tion for a better life.”
He also called for a reliable public ser-
vice by preserving the people’s faith and
trust in government.
“Rest assured that I am with you in
your shared quest for conscientious and
responsive government. We will contin-
ue working together in order to realize
our goal to eliminate the ills that weaken
social institutions, especially as we now
move into the second half of my term,”
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the oath-taking ceremony of the newly
appointed government officials at the Malacañan Palace on October 28, 2019.
www.canadianinquirer.net
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
he said.
At the same time, the President ex-
pects the new government officials to
work tirelessly in carrying out effective
programs and initiatives to achieve last-
ing reforms in the bureaucracy.
Solution to water crisis
Meanwhile, President Duterte said in
an interview Monday that he might use
extraordinary powers to address the im-
minent water crisis in Metro Manila and
nearby provinces.
He said he may resort to expropriation
or imposition of outright police power of
the state to address the looming water
crisis in Metro Manila.
Local governments, opposed to dam
construction, should put safeguards to
ensure sufficient water supply, the Pres-
ident said.
“But if the safeguards are there tapos
between your concerns and the crisis
that you are trying to avoid, I will use
the extraordinary powers of the presi-
dency.”
The President said he could not just
allow the people to go without water
even for drinking.
But President Duterte said he would
let government officials handle the is-
sue of water supply in the country, as-
suring the public that he has designated
enough men of equal talent to deal with
the problem.
Recently, the Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (Pagasa) reported that
the water level in Angat Dam continues
to recede to 186.23 meters, a figure be-
low the normal high level of 210 meters.
There are already some water disrup-
tions in Metro Manila as concession-
aires work to ensure continuous water
supply through summer and the rest of
next year. ■
KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019 5

www.canadianinquirer.net
6 Philippine News
Palace tells Robredo to grab ‘rare opportunity’
of being drug czar
BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA
Philippine Canadian Inquirer
MALACAÑANG TOLD Vice
President Maria Leonor “Leni”
Robredo that she should grab
President Rodrigo Duterte’s of-
fer to lead the administration’s
drug war for six months.
Presidential Spokesperson
Salvador Panelo said the Chief
Executive was “serious” when
he offered to make Robredo be
the drug czar.
“The ball is in her court. But
if I were in her place, I would
accept because this is a rare op-
portunity for a critic who would
be given an opportunity to show
her mettle and at the same time
helping the government,” Pan-
elo said on Tuesday, October 29.
“As we have repeatedly said,
you cannot just keep on criti-
cizing the government, you
have to support it; you have to
offer your own talent and ex-
pertise in solving the problems
of the land,” he added.
Duterte earlier offered to give
Robredo his powers over the
government’s anti-drug activi-
ties, after the latter made fresh
remarks on the anti-illegal drug
campaign in an interview with
Reuters where she was quoted
Al-Baghdadi’s
death does not
mean extinction
of ISIS: Palace
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Malacañang said
the death of Islamic State (IS)
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
was “good news” for countries
terrorized by the group but not-
ed that the government should
not let its guard down.
Presidential Spokesperson
Salvador Panelo said that de-
spite the IS leader’s death, the
terrorist group still has mem-
bers around the globe that
as saying that the government
should “abandon” the drug war
which “has been a failure and a
dent on the country’s interna-
tional image.”
But the vice president clari-
fied her comments, explaining
that she did not want the cam-
paign to be stopped, but only
suggested to have a “tweak” in
its implementation.
Should Robredo decline
Duterte’s offer, the Palace offi-
cial said it only shows that the
drug war is not a failure.
He added that Robredo
should just ‘remain silent’ if she
has no plans to accept it.
Robredo’s response
Robredo, meanwhile, told
reporters that if the anti-drug
campaign is successful, then,
the President would not have to
make such offer to her.
“Kung walang failure, bakit
ipapasa sa akin? ‘Di ba? Kasi
ipapasa mo lang ang isang
bagay kapag hindi mo na kay-
ang gawin (If it is not a failure,
why will they pass it onto me?
Right? Because you would only
pass on something if you can no
longer do it),” she said.
“Kung successful kasi siya,
hindi kailangang ipasa, kasi
wala nang ipapasa, eh. Kasi
could wreak havoc at any mo-
ment.
“That’s good news for coun-
tries that have been terrorized
by the ISIS. But then again the
leader of one group does not
mean the extinction of that
band of terrorists and we know
that for a fact,” Panelo said in a
Palace briefing on Monday.
Panelo acknowledged the
possibility that al-Baghdadi’s
death could discourage the
terrorist group members from
❱❱ PAGE 11 Al-Baghdadi’s death
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte greets Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo in Baguio City.
nagawa mo na (If it is success-
ful, there is no need to pass it on
because there is nothing to pass
on. You have done it already),”
she continued.
Robredo has yet to respond
to Duterte’s remarks, saying
she will wait first for a formal
offer from Malacañang.
“Natuto na ako. Marami
ng beses in the past (na) may-
roong sinasabi na hindi naman
mini-mean. May imbitasyon na
babawiin (I have learned my
lesson. There have been many
Pattinson and...
❰❰ 25 old dictionaries for
period vernacular. He
was initially inspired
by a real account of two light-
house keepers — one older, one
younger — with the same name.
“The Lighthouse” includes long
sections of dialogue, old sea
shanties and some unforget-
table lines. Dafoe acknowledges
that one such quotation — “Bad
luck to kill a seabird” — has
stayed with him. “I’ve probably
said that a couple times, like in
the shower,” he says laughing.
The film’s language has
prompted natural theatrical
comparisons. “The Lighthouse”
has some of the menacing com-
edy of Pinter. As a two-hander
of raw masculinity, it recalls
a Sam Shepard play. Dafoe,
though, likens it to a musical
with a rhythm vacillating be-
tween activity and meditation.
“It wasn’t two monkeys in a
www.canadianinquirer.net
times in the past when they said
things they did not mean. There
were invitations that were can-
celled),” she said.
Duterte previously said he will
send a letter to Robredo through
Executive Secretary Salvador
Medialdea. Panelo, on the other
hand, admitted that he texted
the vice president immediately
after Duterte made the offer but
Robredo did not respond.
The vice president, however,
denied receiving any text mes-
sage from the spokesman.
cage,” says Dafoe. “It was a lion
and a monkey, or something.”
Whatever the caged animal
comparison, such extremes of
landscape and drama and cin-
ematography created a tension
for the actors that fed into the
chamber piece’s fevered atmo-
sphere.
“There’s something about the
particularities of everything
you have to go through during
the scenes. It creates a kind of
pressure that’s really, really
difficult to get under other cir-
cumstances,” says Pattinson.
“There are some scenes where
there are so many bits in them,
it would create such a level of
frustration because you’re hav-
ing to wrench all these different
elements into the same kind of
flow. It did feel like it was el-
evated.”
For Dafoe, “The Lighthouse”
may be heightened but it’s not
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
KING RODRIGUEZ / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
“Diyos ko naman. Unang una,
wala akong natanggap. Saka
kung seryoso, bakit ite-text? ’Di
ba? Kahit walang paggalang sa
akin, igalang na lang iyong po-
sisyon. Kung ite-text ka ng isang
bagay na ganiyan, hindi iyon
seryoso (My god. First of all,
I did not receive [a message].
And if it’s serious, why will they
text me? Right? Even if they
do not respect me, they should
respect the position. If you will
text something like that, then it
is not serious),” she said. ■
weird. As strangely specific
(and farty) as the movie is, the
dynamic between Wake and
Winslow isn’t just off the coast
of 19th century Maine but ev-
erywhere.
“The basic story is very prac-
tical. Two guys get stuck and
they start working on each
other to kind of dominate their
sense of well-being. But they do
it in such an aggressive way be-
cause both of them are threat-
ened,” says Dafoe. “They’re not
opposites but they challenge
each other. And that’s an excit-
ing story. We experience that
every day on a different scale. It
makes me think about fathers
and sons, bosses and workers,
believers and non-believers — a
flood of things.” ■
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
PRRD mulls DOST-NRCP brings research
‘extraordinary closer to CALABARZON
powers’ for Kaliwa
Dam project
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — President Rodrigo
Roa Duterte said he is consid-
ering the use of “extraordinary
powers of the presidency” to
fast-track the construction
of the New Centennial Water
Source-Kaliwa Dam project to
prevent another water crisis in
Metro Manila.
“I will use the extraordinary
powers of the presidency. I
could not just allow people to
go about without water even for
drinking,” Duterte said in a me-
dia interview in Malacañang on
Monday.
Duterte said despite opposi-
tion by groups, which claimed
that the construction of the Ka-
liwa Dam would displace indig-
enous peoples (IPs), he said he
felt it would benefit more people.
“I’m taking stock of my op-
tions such as expropriation or
outright police power…You just
go to court and file a case if you
want. I am there and I will start
to find a way how to connect the
water to the people,” he said.
The President said the gov-
ernment could easily place
“safeguards” for the land and
people that may be affected by
the construction of the China-
funded dam.
“Kung yung concern ninyo (If
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR. / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
your concern is) local govern-
ments…it will pollute, it will
destroy, I’ll just say to the kung
sino mag ano (to whoever is in
charge), you just place the safe-
guards,” Duterte said.
“It might create some dan-
ger and damage but that is not
my concern. My concern is the
welfare. The greatest good for
the greatest number. That is
democracy,” he added.
Asked to comment on the
Commission on Audit (COA)
report which showed that the
bidding on the dam project was
“in the guise of being a com-
petitive procurement process,”
Duterte said that he could take
over the project himself.
“I will go there and operate
it myself. I will take over and
I will direct what to do. Ganun
lang ‘yun. Hindi ninyo kaya? O
sige ako, alis kayo diyan (That’s
how it is. You can’t do it? Okay,
I’ll do it. Get out of there),”
Duterte said.
Earlier, Presidential Spokes-
person Salvador Panelo said
government can still rescind its
contract on the China-funded
dam if investigation results
show it may be disadvanta-
geous to the country.
The Kaliwa Dam project in
Quezon province is expected to
provide an additional 600 mil-
lion liters a day (MLD) of water
to Metro Manila and environs. ■
Philippine News 7
BY MYRRH CAITHLIN
L. GUTIERREZ AND
Dr. Preciosa Corazon B.
Pabroa, Chief of the Nuclear
priorities of NIBRA namely:
sustainable communities, in-
JESSAMINE BARIUAN
DOST-CALABARZON
Service Division of DOST-Phil-
ippine Nuclear Research Insti-
tute (PNRI), an NRCP-funded
clusive nation-building, health
sufficiency, water security,
food and nutrition security,
researcher shared the results and clean energy. Outputs were
THE NATIONAL Research of her NRCP-funded research then presented afterwards.
Council of the Philippines entitled “Air Particulate Char- After the workshop, Dr. Ruby
(NRCP) of the Department acterization by element and Raterta, the research develop-
of Science and Technology Isotopic Fingerprinting of Or- ment and management chief
(DOST) in partnership with ganic and Inorganic Pollution of NRCP, presented the DOST
DOST-CALABARZON and Sources and Possible Mitiga- monitoring and evaluation
Batangas State University (Bat- tion Measures by Electron protocol while Ms. Melinda L.
StateU), held a Basic Research Beam Technology.” Meanwhile, Perez oriented the participants
Caravan at BatStateU Main Dr. Ramon Razal, President on the process of becoming an
Campus, Batangas City, Batan- of the NRCP and the Chair of NRCP member. She also pre-
gas last October 9-10, 2019 at- the NRCP Division of Agricul- sented the procedures needed
tended by different academe ture and Forestry, shared his to become an NRCP member
researchers and representa- research entitled “Address- and mentioned that the mem-
tives from other government ing Gaps in the Bamboo Value bership is free and no annual
institutions all over CALABAR- Chain: Researches on Policy, fee is charged to members.
ZON. Information Needs, and Uti- Mr.MarifyLita discussed the
DOST-CALABARZON’s Re- lization of Bamboo. These re- steps on becoming an RD Lead-
gional Director, Alexander searches were presented to er. RDLEAD or the Research
R. Madrigal, and BatStateU’s give the participants a glimpseDevelopment Leadership Pro-
President, Tirso A. Ronquillo of what quality and kind of re-gram is under the DOST Sci-
formally opened the program search NRCP expects to sup- ence for Change Program that
by welcoming the guests and port. aims to strengthen the capa-
participants. bilities of Fili-
Dr. Madrigal pino research-
then provided ers, scientists,
an overview of and engineers
the R&D Agenda in HEIs and
of DOST-CAL- He emphasized that researches and RDIs, comple-
ABARZON. He innovation shall focus on making ment the Niche
discussed the the lives of people easier. Centers for the
different proj- Regions (NIC-
ects and pro- ERs) through RD
grams of DOST- Leaders proac-
CALABARZON tive leadership
in which science and world-class
is brought closer to the people The first day of the caravan expertise, and stir research di-
and how research contributes was concluded by encouraging rection of NICER and RDIs to-
a lot to this projects. He em- the participants to share their wards innovative national and
phasized that researches and thoughts and ask questions globally competitive R&D.
innovation shall focus on mak- through an open forum. Aside from sharing different
ing the lives of people easier. On the second day, the pro- research findings, alignment of
Examples of these innovations gram started with a talk from R&D of CALABARZON, and the
are the different systems devel- Atty. Victor Reginald A. Di- discussion of the endeavors of
oped by DOST-CALABARZON. macuha who represented the enhancing governance through
This was followed by Engr. Batangas City Mayor. Atty. Di- science and arts, the planning
Albertson Amante, Head of macuha discussed about the highlighted NRCP’s plan to ex-
BatStateU Center for Techno- evidence-based policymaking pand RDLEAD by becoming
preneurship & Innovation and in the City of Batangas in which NRCP members to further in-
Vice President for Research, reports were validated by the crease the rank of our country
Development and Extension audience. His talk was followed in terms of research productiv-
Services, who discussed the by NRCP Executive Director ity through publishing various
S&T endeavors of BatStateU Marieta Bañez-Sumagaysay research studies, journals and
such as the different research about the NRCP-funded pro- articles as well as to increase
competitions won, researches grams for nation-building as collaboration among different
presented here and abroad, well as the National Integrated academic institutions.
and their organized research Basic Research agenda or NI- The caravan was officially
competitions. PSTC Batangas BRA. ended by Dr. Marieta Bañez-
Provincial Director, Felina C. Moreover, a workshop fol- Sumagaysay who delivered the
Malabanan also shared PSTC lowed wherein the participants closing remarks of the program
Batangas’ projects and pro- were asked to identify different and thanked the related bodies
grams that bring Science closer regional issues, provide an R&D who collaborated in the cara-
to the people. proposal under the different van’s success. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
8 Philippine News NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY

New SC chief justice bares plans for judiciary

BY BENJAMIN PULTA
Philippine News Agency

Correspondent/Hosts MANILA — Newly appointed Supreme

Bea Kirstein T. Manalaysay Court Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta on
Joanna Belle Deala
Gianna Llanes
Monday called on the high court’s work-
Violeta Arevelo ers and officials to work for unity and
Babes Newland abide by the law as he bared plans to im-
Graphic Design
prove the judiciary.
Shanice Garcia “First of all, may I stress that as the
Ginno Alcantara 26th chief justice of the Supreme Court
Arlnie Colleene Talain Singca
and as a longtime public servant, I will
Account Manager lead by example. Secondly, to achieve
Kristopher Yong our goals and aspirations, each and ev-
Director/Producer
eryone in the judiciary must be guided
Boom Dayupay by this motto which should follow by
heart: Let us be united and let us follow
Photographers/Videographers
Ginno Alcantara
the rules,” Peralta said in his speech dur-
Maria Crizandra Baylon ing Monday’s flag ceremony, his first as
head magistrate. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte administers the oath to newly appointed Supreme Court Chief
Sales
Zeena Marie L. Briones
Addressing court officials, Peralta said Justice Diosdado Peralta during a ceremony at the Malacañan Palace on October 24, 2019.
Hannah Chloe S. Amparo that on top of the agenda is the elimina- ALFRED FRIAS/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

tion of backlog in the Supreme Court

Operations and Admin
Victoria Yong
Amelia Insigne
Management
Alan Yong
Victoria Yong
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and all other courts.
“Clerks of court will be required to
conduct periodic inventory of all the
cases pending in their divisions and con-
sult with the court en banc as to how to
solve the issue of backlog and other con-
cerns,” he said.
“All other courts must continue to
comply with existing rules and guide-
lines pertaining to prescribed periods
for trial dates, including promulgation
of decisions and other rules geared to-
wards the realization of a speedy dispo-
sition of cases,” Peralta added.
His other agenda are as follows:
* Implementation of duly approved
revised rules of court and the continu-
ous revision of the rules of court and
other rules of procedure to be more re-
sponsive to the needs of court users, and
for the Philippine judicial academy to
focus on skills-based training for judges
and court personnel;
* Automation of court processes and
incorporation of technology in hearings
and trials;
* Cleaning up of misfits from the judi-
ciary;
* Improving the security of justices,
judges and halls of justice;
* Setting up 24/7 help desks in the of-
fice of the chief justice and other offices;
* Monitoring of performance in all
courts especially for the observance of
the rules;
* Improvement of procurement and
bidding processes for faster and more
timely implementation of projects;
* Creation of strategy planning man-
agement unit under the Program Man-
agement Office. This is for the organized
planning, implementation, monitoring
and evaluation of court projects.
Peralta, 67, was appointed by Presi-
dent Rodrigo Duterte on October 23.
Before his appointment to the high
court in 2009 as the 162nd associate jus-
tice, Peralta served as presiding justice
of the Sandiganbayan. He was a member
of the anti-graft court’s special division,
which convicted former president Jo-
seph Estrada of plunder.
Peralta is the ponente of the SC ruling,
which invalidated the implementing
rules and regulations of the Expanded
Good Conduct Time Allowance Law,
thus allowing its retroactive application
to persons deprived of liberty serving
time before 2013. ■

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Ampatuan plea to stop Maguindanao
massacre promulgation junked
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BY BENJAMIN PULTA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Quezon City Regional
Trial Court has turned down a plea by
accused Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan
to put off the promulgation of the court’s
judgment in the cases arising from the
Maguindanao massacre.
In her five-page order dated October
25 released Monday, Branch 221 Judge
Jocelyn A. Solis-Reyes denied the mo-
tion to re-open trial with a motion to
suspend period to set the promulgation
of judgment filed by Ampatuan on Octo-
ber 14.
Ampatuan’s lawyers had initially
asked that the proceedings should be
suspended and claimed that prosecu-
tion witness Sukarno Badal contacted
them through representatives claiming
that he would want to recant his testi-
mony and that what he mentioned dur-
ing the presentation of evidence were
not all true.
The panel of prosecutors led by Pros-
ecutor Arthur Velasco objected to the
motion on several grounds — that there
is no newly discovered evidence to jus-
tify the reopening of the trial, likewise
citing that the necessary judicial affida-
vit is not attached to the motion.
Subsequently, the witness himself de-
nied he intends to change his testimony
and said he would not likely approach
the Ampatuans as the latter would kill
him.
“With the denial made by prosecution
witness Sukarno Badal of his intention
to recant his previous testimony …it is
crystal clear that the ground relied upon
by the accused for the reopening of trial
has no leg to stand on,” the court said as
it denied Ampatuan’s motion.
The Maguindanao massacre, which
occurred on November 23, 2009, re-
sulted in the death of 58 individuals in-
cluding 32 journalists, the single worst
peace-time incident involving attacks
on newsmen.
Other victims were family members
and supporters of the Ampatuan clan’s
political foe, Esmael Mangudadatu. ■

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019 Philippine News 9

PH-China joint oil deal Duterte thanks Zhao role

to proceed: Palace in PH-China ‘stronger’ ties
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Malacañang on
Monday said the joint oil explo-
ration between the Philippines
and China will proceed as long
as the terms of the 60-40 shar-
ing scheme to explore the West
Philippine Sea is in favor of the
Philippines.
Panelo made the remark af-
ter Vice President Leni Robre-
do said China should first rec-
ognize Philippine ownership
and sovereignty in the disputed
waters before any agreement to
to negotiation. So if it’s open,
then we will proceed provided
the terms are to our favor,” Pan-
elo said.
Panelo said regardless of
whether China recognized the
Philippines’ arbitral win, Presi-
dent Rodrigo Duterte would
prefer a joint oil exploration as
it would give way to economic
activity with China.
“As far as this President is
concerned, in this country, we
will move with respect to our
foreign policy in the basis of
whether it is to our interest
and whether or not it will boost
the development leading to the
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-
CARLOS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — President Rodrigo
Duterte on Monday acknowl-
edged outgoing Chinese Am-
bassador Zhao Jianhua’s con-
tributions to the “stronger”
relations between the Philip-
pines and China.
Duterte, in a farewell call
held at Malacañang, thanked
Zhao for his key role in the President Rodrigo Roa Duterte receives a token from outgoing Chinese
mended ties between Manila Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua during his farewell call to the
and Beijing, the Palace said in a President at the Malacañan Palace on October 28, 2019.
press statement. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO.

a joint oil deal.
The Palace official said Ro-
bredo is entitled to her own
opinion, but dismissed it as
a statement that is “divorced
from reality.”
“Kung minsan kasi si VP Leni
divorced from reality kung
mag statement e. Kagaya nung
sa war on drugs sabi niya fail-
ure (Sometimes VP Leni is di-
vorced from reality when she
gives statements. Just like her
statement on the war on drugs
which she described as a fail-
ure),” Panelo said in a Palace
briefing.
He acknowledged that China
refused to recognize the Phil-
ippines’ win at the Permanent
Court of Arbitration (PCO)
which invalidated China’s
claims to most of the South
China Sea.
However, he stressed that de-
spite this, China remains open
to bilateral talks to resolve the
sea row.
“We know that China is not
recognizing our rights over
there. They are saying it’s theirs
but nevertheless, they are open
progress of this land,” Panelo
said.
Last September, Panelo said
Duterte is not setting aside the
arbitral ruling in favor of a joint
oil exploration with China.
Panelo said the President
would rather focus on the other
concerns that may mutually
benefit the two countries.
He also assured that the gov-
ernment will always consider
what is beneficial to the Philip-
pines in so far as the terms of
reference on the joint oil explo-
ration.
The Philippines and Chi-
na signed a memorandum of
agreement on joint oil explo-
ration in the West Philippine
Sea during the visit of Chinese
President Xi Jinping in Novem-
ber 2018.
In an interview over ANC,
Robredo said although a joint
exploration is allowed under
the Constitution, it should be
one of the Philippines’ “most
basic demands” for China to
recognize ownership and sov-
ereignty before any contracts
are signed. ■
Malacañang said the Presi-
dent also wished the Chinese
ambassador “good luck” in his
future endeavors.
“President Duterte, whose in-
dependent foreign policy, drove
the Philippines closer to the
Asian economic giant, wished
Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jian-
hua good luck in his next assign-
ment as China’s ambassador,” it
said in a statement sent to media
on late Monday night.
“The Chief Executive ex-
pressed his gratitude to Ambas-
sador Zhao for his vital role in a
growing and more robust bilat-
eral relationship between the
Philippines and China,” it added.
SOLUTIONS IMMIGRATION CONSULTING INC.
EXPERT ASSISTANCE - ALL CANADIAN IMMIGRATION MATTERS
Presidential Communica-
tions Operations Office Sec-
retary Martin Andanar earlier
announced that Zhao is set to
leave Manila for another as-
signment beginning November.
Zhao, 53, holds a Master’s De-
gree in World Economy from
Nankai University and a Mas-
ter’s Degree in International
Policy and Practice from Elliott
School of International Affairs at
George Washington University.
Zhao served as China’s Ambas-
sador to the Philippines in 2014,
a year after Manila lodged a peti-
tion against Beijing’s sweeping
claims to the hotly-contested
South China Sea before the Per-
manent Court of Arbitration
(PCA) in the Hague, Netherlands.
The Philippines on July 12,
2016 won the arbitration case,
after the PCA ruled that there
was “no legal basis” for China
to claim historic rights to most
parts of the busy waterway.
Zhao witnessed the mended
ties between the two countries
under Duterte who opted to re-
solve the sea dispute through
diplomatic negotiations.
Duterte expressed hope that
Zhao’s successor would be “as
good, if not better than him,”
Malacañang said. ■

CARI GOMBINSKY SOL GOMBINSKY ANNABELLE MIGALBIN

Owner/Licensed Consultant President and Licensed Consultant
R411207 ICCRC ID: R411199
carig@immsol.com Immigration Specialist Since 1967
Former manager,
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sollyg@immsol.com 416-661-6376
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SERVICE IN PILIPINO
annabellem@immsol.com
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IN CANADA SERVICES OUT OF CANADA SERVICES

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Pres. Spokesperson Salvador Panelo. YANCY LIM / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOS

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10
PTFoMS: PH ranking...
❰❰ 1 The CPJ cited 13
countries where
“criminal groups, pol-
iticians, government officials,
and other powerful actors re-
sort to violence to silence criti-
cal and investigative reporting,”
and among these, the Philip-
pines ranked fifth.
“The CPJ report is not sur-
prising and was actually ex-
pected,” PTFoMS Executive
Director Joel Sy Egco said on
Tuesday, October 29.
“In fact, we have been antici-
pating that because for as long
as the massacre case remains
in the equation, following the
methodology used by CPJ, we
shall remain on that list,” he
added.
Since the report covered a
10-year period, Egco said the
November 2009 Maguindanao
massacre, where 32 journal-
ists were killed, is not out of the
equation. The CPJ earlier con-
sidered the massacre as “one of
the deadliest single events for
the press in memory.”
Once suspects are convicted
or if the CPJ report period cov-
Philippine News
ered August 2010 up to August
2020, Egco said he is confident
that the massacre case will not
be included in the equation.
“We are looking at a much
better and improved ranking
for the Philippines,” he said.
“At this time, we are clarify-
ing with CPJ some gray areas in
their methodology, such as the
inclusion in their list of cases
that were deemed not related
to media work,” he continued.
Egco further said the PT-
FoMS will “relentlessly act on
all cases of violence, threats or
murders of media workers.”
Apart from ranking fifth on
the list of the 13 world’s worst
impunity offenders, the Philip-
pines also has the largest num-
ber of unsolved journalist kill-
ings with 41.
It was Somalia that ranked
first in the 2019 World Impu-
nity Index, followed by Syria,
Iraq, and South Sudan.
Afghanistan landed in the
sixth place, followed by Mexico,
Pakistan, Brazil, Bangladesh,
Russia, Nigeria, and India. ■
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
Gov’t to spend P1.14-T in Q4
to hit 2019 GDP goal
BY JOANN VILLANUEVA down by the contraction re- address right-of-way issues and
Philippine News Agency corded by the disbursements of accelerate the implementation
infrastructure and other capi- of big-ticket projects.
tal outlays, which were mainly He said the agency aims
MANILA — The Philippine due to the delay in the passage to inaugurate this year the
government’s 6 percent to 7 of the 2019 national budget and first phase of the Central Lu-
percent growth target this year the election ban,” he said. zon Link Express project, the
will get a boost from the plan This year’s national budget Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union
to spend about PHP1.14 tril- was signed into law only last Expressway, the Ciudad de
lion for infrastructure projects, April. Victoria interchange overpass
among others, in the last quar- Dominguez said infrastruc- bridge, and the bypass road in
ter of the year. ture and other capital outlay Bulacan.
In a briefing Wednesday reached PHP546.3 billion, or The actual disbursement of
night, Finance Secretary Carlos about 92 percent of the pro- DOTr as of September reached
Dominguez III expressed con- gram in end-September, but PHP43.7 billion.
fidence in the attainment of the he noted that this is 4.2 per- Dominguez said the agency
growth target “expects to dis-
despite setbacks burse PHP51.37
in the first half billion in the last
of the year due quarter to fulfill
to the impact of Domestic growth, as measured 99 percent of its
the delay in the by gross domestic product (GDP), commitment of
approval of this averaged at 5.5 percent as of June PHP82 billion
year’s national this year. for 2019.”
budget. He noted that
Domestic with catch-up
growth, as mea- spending for the
sured by gross infrastructure
domestic product (GDP), aver- cent lower than the PHP570.8 projects and the deceleration of
aged at 5.5 percent as of June billion in the same period last inflation rate, domestic growth
this year. year. “is expected to expand at a
It slipped to 5.6 percent in the “Total program disburse- higher clip over the remaining
first quarter from 6.3 percent in ment for 2019 is PHP3.769 tril- months of 2019.”
the last quarter of 2018. It fur- lion. To attain this target, the “We will intensify our ef-
ther weakened to 5.5 percent in government needs to disburse forts to restore last year’s up-
the next three months. PHP1.14 trillion, or 30 percent, ward momentum in our growth
This is the reason for the this fourth quarter. Based on rate,” he added. ■
implementation of a catch-up the updates of our main infra-
spending program primar- structure agencies, we are con-
ily tasked to the Department fident that we are going to hit
of Public Works and Highways our spending target this year,”
(DPWH) and the Department he said.
of Transportation (DOTr). The finance chief said DPWH
In the first nine months of officials are confident that the
the year, government expendi- agency can hit the agency’s
tures grew 5.5 percent year-on- PHP725 billion spending target
year to PHP2.626 trillion from this year.
the previous year’s PHP2.489 He said DPWH has so far dis-
trillion. bursed PHP424.7 billion.
Dominguez said government “Secretary (Mark) Villar as-
disbursement as of last month sured that the PHP300.3-bil-
accounted for 98 percent of this lion target for the last quarter is
year’s PHP2.685-trillion pro- attainable,” he said.
grammed expenditure. Dominguez said DPWH is
“However, this was weighed introducing reforms that will
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
Concessionaires face ‘drastic action’ amid
impending water crisis
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — President Rodrigo
Duterte may resort to “drastic
action” against water conces-
sionaires if they fail to pre-
vent the looming water crisis,
Malacañang warned on Mon-
day.
Presidential Spokesperson
Salvador Panelo said if Manila
Water and Maynilad fail to ad-
dress the water supply short-
age, he would make true his
earlier threat to terminate their
contracts.
“I suppose the fact that they
have not undertaken correc-
tive measures that will prevent
the evolution of this upcoming
crisis again would be a factor
that would make the President
decide on drastic action against
them,” Panelo said in a Palace
briefing.
“If indeed they have not done
anything despite the fact that
there was a crisis before and
now it is being repeated again,
then the President may consid-
er that factor,” he added.
Panelo reiterated that water
concessionaires could either
Palace condemns killing
of MisOcc mayor
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Malacañang on
Monday condemned the killing
of Mayor David Navarro of Cla-
rin, Misamis Occidental saying
that rule of law must be ob-
served despite allegations he is
linked to the illegal drug trade.
Navarro, who was among the
40 named on the President’s
“narco list,” was shot dead by
unknown gunmen while inside
the van en route to the Cebu
City Prosecutor’s Office last
Friday.
“We condemn any kind of ex-
trajudicial killing. We cannot
allow this situation occurring
in our country,” Panelo said in a
Palace briefing.
Panelo lamented how Na-
“shape up or ship out.”
Asked if the President would
also consider dismissing offi-
cials of state regulator Metro-
politan Waterworks and Sew-
erage System (MWSS) if they
failed to do their jobs, Panelo
said it would be Duterte’s call.
The Palace official said the
government is also open to all
solutions to solve the country’s
water shortage problem.
“Well, if it comes to that,
the government may consider
that,” Panelo said.
Last March, the country ex-
perienced a water shortage due
to the increase in population,
demand of consumers, the ear-
ly onslaught of the dry season,
and critically low water levels
at the Angat Dam.
Kaliwa Dam probe
Meanwhile, Panelo said the
government can still rescind
its contract with China for the
multi-billion peso New Cen-
tennial Water Source-Kaliwa
Dam project if investigation re-
sults show it could be disadvan-
tageous to the country.
“Well, if the finding shows
that it is indeed disadvanta-
geous and against the interest
varro was killed while being in
police custody for an unrelated
case of assault but vowed that
authorities would bring to jus-
tice the perpetrators.
“He was being brought to in-
quest I think in connection with
a case and he was ambushed. To
my mind, that’s done with im-
punity and we will not let these
transgressors of law go unpun-
ished,” Panelo said.
When asked to confirm re-
ports that Navarro met with
President Rodrigo Duterte in
Manila supposedly to convince
the latter that he was not in-
volved in the illegal drug trade,
Panelo did not give a clear an-
swer.
“What I read is that he talked
with the President,” Panelo
said.
Panelo said only the Philip-
of the people there, then it can
be rescinded,” Panelo said.
“If the findings will show that
it is against the interest of our
country, I’m sure the Chinese
government will understand;
as it would do the same, if it was
placed in the same situation,”
he added.
Earlier, militant groups
doubted that there is really a
water crisis claiming that the
government may be using it as
pine National Police (PNP) and
Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency (PDEA) can confirm if
Navarro is indeed off the narco
list.
“I don’t know their basis; I
really don’t know. We should
ask the PNP and the PDEA,” he
added.
In an earlier radio interview,
Panelo raised the possibility
that police personnel guarding
Navarro may have committed
security lapses.
He also said there could be a
chance that Navarro’s killing
could be related to the illegal
drug trade.
Prior to his death, Navarro
said all barangays in Clarin had
been declared drug-free and
that he had no record in the
PDEA being involved in the il-
legal drug trade. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
an excuse to justify the Kaliwa
Dam project.
The Kaliwa Dam project in
Quezon province is expected to
provide an additional 600 mil-
lion liters a day (MLD) of water
to Metro Manila and environs.
It was first approved by the
National Economic and Devel-
opment Authority on May 29,
2014, and on June 27, 2017 on
the change of project financing
scheme from Public-Private
Al-Baghdadi’s death...
❰❰ 6 committing
atrocities.
However, he as-
more
sured the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) would be on
high alert to foil possible at-
tempts by terrorist groups at-
tempting to ride on al-Baghda-
di’s death.
“It may also cause discour-
agement on the part of the ter-
rorist groups. But as far as we’re
concerned, whether the leader
dies or not, we will secure that
part of our country from them,”
Panelo said.
Asked if al-Baghdadi’s death
would have an impact on the
recruitment of IS members in
Mindanao, Panelo said: “Hindi
ko mabasa yung magiging re-
sponse ng mga nire-recruit nila
(I cannot surmise what the re-
sponse of those being recruited
will be) if it will affect them or
not.”
Mindanao has been under
martial law since May 23, 2017,
11
Partnership to Overseas Devel-
opment Assistance.
Last August, the Commission
on Audit said the results of the
bidding on the project was “in
the guise of being a competitive
procurement process,” noting
that the non-compliance with
qualification requirements of
two out of the three Chinese
contractors seemed to be inten-
tional. ■
the same day Islamic State-
linked Maute terror group laid
siege to Marawi City in Lanao
de Sur province.
Like Panelo, AFP spokesper-
son, Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard
Arevalo said the IS leader’s
death will not necessarily mean
the demise of the terrorist orga-
nizations.
“His death will definitely im-
pact on local terrorist groups
but not to the point of its de-
mise,” Arevalo said.
On Sunday (US time), US
President Donald Trump an-
nounced that al-Baghdadi had
been killed in a US military op-
eration in northwest Syria.
Trump said US Special Op-
erations Forces conducted a
raid Saturday night targeting
al-Baghdadi, during which he
killed himself by igniting a sui-
cide vest. ■
12 Philippine News NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY

Palace vows to work harder

to fight hunger, poverty
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-
CARLOS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — President Rodri-
go Duterte’s administration is
stepping up its efforts to lower
the hunger and poverty inci-
dence in the country, Malaca-
ñang said on Friday.
The assurance was made af-
ter the Social Weather Stations
(SWS) revealed
that fewer Filipi-
nos experienced
hunger in the
third quarter of Domestic growth, as measured
this year. by gross domestic product (GDP),
son Salvador Panelo said in a Panelo said the results of
statement. the SWS survey motivate the
“Despite this, as well as thePresident and his administra-
countless accomplishments it tion to continue implementing
has attained, this Administra- anti-hunger and anti-poverty
tion has never had an attitude programs aimed at uplifting the
to laze away or rest on its lau-
lives of the Filipino people.
rels,” he added. “The Chief Executive, to-
Panelo said the poll results gether with his official fam-
are consistent with the Septem-ily and their workforces, will,
ber survey by the SWS, which therefore, continue to hustle,
showed a decrease among Fili- not only to uplift more Filipino
pino families who consider families out of the quagmire of
indigence and
hunger but also,
to prevent our
countrymen
from falling or
reverting back SolGen Jose Calida. PTV / FACEBOOK

The SWS, in its averaged at 5.5 percent as of June to poverty by ad-

September 27 to
30 survey, noted
that the number
this year. dressing its very
root causes,” he
said.
SC junks Calida
of Filipino fami-
lies who expe-
rienced “involuntary” hunger themselves “poor.”
Duterte
October 10 ap-
proved the Expanded Partner-
on
suit vs. Trillanes
from July to September 2019 He was referring to the poll ship against Hunger and Pov-
period fell to 9.1 percent or an which revealed that 42 percent erty, a program involving more
estimated 2.3 million, down or 10.3 million Filipino families state departments that will
for being ‘moot’
by 0.8 percentage point from believed they are poor, down by work closely together to eradi-
June’s 10 percent or an estimat- three percentage points from cate hunger in the country by BY BENJAMIN PULTA In a 10-page resolution dated
ed 2.5 million Filipino families. June’s 45 percent or 11 million 2030. Philippine News Agency September 3 and made avail-
“The Office of the President Filipino families. On Thursday, Presidential able to the public on Friday, the
welcomes the results of the The improvement experi- Communications Operations High Court said it can no longer
survey administered by the So- enced by survey participants in Office Secretary Martin Andan- MANILA — The Supreme rule on the suit, which sought
cial Weather Stations for third relation to their socioeconomic ar said the results of the SWS Court (SC) dismissed for being to stop a legislative inquiry on
quarter this year which indicate status was among the reasons poll were a testament that the moot, a petition filed by Solici- government contracts sup-
that self-rated hunger dropped why Duterte “continues to win efforts of the Duterte adminis- tor General Jose Calida and his posedly awarded to a security
from 10 percent in June 2019 the satisfaction, approval, and tration to eradicate hunger in family against former senator services company of the Calida
to nine percent in September trust of the Filipino people,” the country are “working.” ■ Antonio Trillanes IV in connec-
2019,” Presidential Spokesper- Panelo said. tion with a Senate inquiry. ❱❱ PAGE 33 SC junks

NEDA chief bares changes in infra program

BY JOANN VILLANUEVA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Several major
bridge projects, with an esti-
mated cost of at least PHP161.6
billion, will be removed from
the priority infrastructure pro-
gram of the government but
smaller public-private partner-
ship (PPP) projects will be in-
cluded.
In a briefing on Friday on
the sidelines of the Ambisyon
Natin 2040 symposium and ex-
position at the SMX Aura Con-
vention Center in Taguig City,
Socioeconomic Planning Sec-
retary and concurrent National
Economic Development Au-
thority (NEDA) Director-Gen-
eral Ernesto Pernia said these
include the Leyte-Surigao link
bridge, Cebu-Bohol link bridge,
and Luzon-Samar link bridge.
He said these projects are
hard to implement right now
due to the lack of technologi-
cal and engineering equipment.
The three projects he named
needed to be built in very deep
waters.
“We found it to be unfeasible
from the feasibility study in
terms of economic viability,”
he said, noting the new list of
priority projects will be posted
on the NEDA website by next
week.
He pointed out that PPP proj-
ects to be included on the list are
“game-changing” infrastruc-
tures that are regional in scope.
This decision is a turn-around
from the earlier stance against
pure PPP projects, which will
be built, operated and managed
by private entities.
The current economic team
previously preferred to finance
infrastructure projects through
combined funds from the na-
tional government and official
development assistance (ODA)
loans and offer the operations
and management of these proj-
ects to the private sector. It
called projects under this sys-
tem as hybrid PPP.
Pernia admitted that “there
was some hesitancy to PPP
projects before but overtime
minds tend to adjust to reality
and I think this is what’s hap-
pening.”
“And also my philosophy,
which I have already mentioned
in a meeting, is that we should
look at the bigger picture. Let’s
not be too obsessed about little
gains to be made by the private
sector proponent or a little lost
on the part of the government,”
he said.
The NEDA chief said what
should be focused on is the im-
pact of the project on the econ-
omy, on employment, and on
domestic growth.
“Let’s count those things
rather than this little cost to the
government or gains to the pri-
vate sector. It’s not good to be
too restrictive,” he said, citing
that some of these restrictions
are hampering the entry of for-
eign investments.
“I’m thinking more about the
forest than just the trees. And
so we have to look at the ben-
efit to the forest to greening to
the rehabilitation of the forest,
rather than to, you know, these
individual trees that are part of
the ecosystem, but, you know,
we have to look at the bigger
picture,” he said.
Pernia said he has yet to
discuss this change in the in-
frastructure program with Fi-
nance Secretary Carlos Domin-
guez, although he already told
Finance Undersecretary Karen
Singson about it. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019 Philippine News 13

Dar orders stricter Use TRAIN law to

biosecurity measures vs. ASF directly grant cash
BY LILYBETH ISON
Philippine News Agency
to farmers: solon
MANILA — Agriculture Sec-
retary William Dar on Friday
ordered the stricter implemen-
tation of the 1-7-10 protocol, bi-
osecurity and quarantine mea-
sures to contain and prevent
the spread of African swine fe-
ver (ASF).
In the latest bulletin on ASF,
Dar has called on all local gov-
ernment unit (LGU) officials
and swine industry stakehold-
ers to “continuously sustain
efforts to manage, contain and
control ASF, and strictly en-
force the 1-7-10 protocol and bi-
osecurity and quarantine mea-
sures.”
This comes in the wake of
the apprehension of a traveler
carrying several packets of pro-
cessed pork products that test-
ed positive for ASF at a Mind-
oro port.
Under the 1-7-10 protocol,
the government culls all pigs
within the one-kilometer ra-
dius of the affected farm, while
the movement of pork and pork
products within seven kilome-
ters is limited. It also conducts
surveillance and monitoring
within the 10-kilometer radius.
The DA earlier confirmed
that samples taken from pro-
cessed pork products, such as
hotdog, longganisa, and tocino,
coming from a Manila-based
company tested positive for the
ASF virus.
“We received reports that
the team of Mindoro quar-
antine personnel, along with
NMIS (National Meat Inspec-
tion Service) and BAI (Bureau
of Animal Industry), were able
to apprehend hand-carried
few items of tocino, hotdog,
and other meat products at the
Calapan, Mindoro port, “ DA
spokesman, Assistant Secre-
tary Noel Reyes, told reporters.
“This shows that these pork
products came from ASF-af-
fected areas in Luzon that were
sold and processed by medium-
scale enterprises,” he said.
DA Undersecretary Ariel
Cayanan, in a press briefing on
Friday, clarified that the confis-
cated pork products were most-
ly “homemade.”
“It would be very unfair if we
will mention a certain brand
DA Sec William Dar. GIL CALINGA / PNA
that might be contaminated
due to ‘cross contamination’,
meaning there is a possibility
that the homemade pork prod-
ucts were the ‘carrier’ (of the
ASF virus) and were mixed with
branded ones in a container,”
he explained.
As such, he said the DA Secre-
tary ordered further laboratory
testing on the confiscated meat
products.
Dar lauded concerned LGUs,
the BAI, and NMIS personnel
for the apprehension which
“shows that strict and effective
measures are in place and op-
erational to prevent the spread
of ASF.”
He, however, warned that
anybody found selling and trad-
ing illegally slaughtered dis-
eased animals are punishable
under the law.
“Again, we strongly appeal to
small backyard hog raisers not
to sell their ASF-infected pigs
to traders, and for traders not to
sell infected hogs, and pork and
processed products so as not to
spread the ASF virus to other
areas,” Dar said.
He also urged the general
public to continue to buy pork
products from market vendors
and meat shops with NMIS cer-
tificates.
Malacañang has directed all
government agencies, bureaus,
agencies and the like to control
the spread of African Swine Fe-
ver (ASF) in the country.
“The Office of the President,
through the initiative of the
Executive Secretary, is hereby
directing all executive depart-
ments, bureaus, agencies, gov-
ernment-owned and controlled
corporations, government fi-
nancial institutions and other
instrumentalities of the govern-
ment to coordinate, as well as
to adopt policies and institute
measures to manage, contain
and control the transmission
of African Swine Fever in the
country,” Presidential Spokes-
person Salvador Panelo said in a
statement late Thursday.
Panelo said all concerned and
responsible government offices
are also directed to provide as-
sistance, alternative livelihood
and skills training to those af-
fected by ASF.
Processed meat firms take
action
Meanwhile, Mekeni Food
Corporation on Friday said
it adheres to the highest food
safety and quality standards for
many years.
“We fully comply with gov-
ernment regulations to ensure
that our processes and products
are within the required stan-
dards,” said Prudencio Garcia
of Mekeni Food Corporation in
a statement.
“We (also) maintain that all
our raw meats are strictly in-
spected by the NMIS and have
all the required certifications
from regulatory bodies,” he
added.
Purefoods, for its part, also
assured that all its products are
ASF free and safe to eat.
“In light of recent news on
certain processed pork prod-
ucts that tested positive for
African Swine Fever, Pure-
foods-Hormel guarantees that
its products are ASF free and
safe to eat. Purefoods products
are produced in company-con-
trolled facilities and process-
ing plants that have passed all
stringent requirements of BAI,
NMIS and FDA,” it said in a
statement. ■
BY FILANE MIKEE
CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — House Deputy
Speaker Mikee Romero on
Monday called on the Depart-
ment of Agriculture and De-
partment of Finance to use the
Tax Reform for Acceleration
and Inclusion (TRAIN) law to
directly disburse cash to farm-
ers who are reeling from low
palay prices.
In a statement, Romero said
the Rice Tariffication Law or
Republic Act 11203 does not
have provisions for cash grants,
either conditional or uncondi-
tional.
“With palay prices at their
record eight-year low and
with cash flow pressure bear-
ing down on farmers and their
families, hard cash is what the
farmers need to cope with the
low market price for their har-
vests, not the various forms
of aid in the Rice Tariffication
law,” Romero said.
Romero said under the
TRAIN law, the unconditional
cash transfers due to farmers’
families who are in the Panta-
wid Pamilyang Pilipino Pro-
gram (4Ps) should be funded
and disbursed now.
“Those families can have
hard cash to pay for the daily
needs, schooling expenses, and
preparations for Christmas,”
Romero said.
The economist solon further
highlighted that the TRAIN law
has a catch-all clause in its Sec-
tion 82 for “other social ben-
efits programs to be developed
and implemented by the gov-
ernment,” which could be used
as another basis for direct cash
aid to distressed farmers.
“Time is of the essence be-
cause Christmas is fast ap-
proaching and in November
families need cash to pay for
the tuition of their kids going to
college,” he added.
The House leader said vari-
ous executive agencies can
be administratively ordered
to source all their rice ben-
efits for their operations and
personnel directly from local
farmers and the farmers’ co-
operatives.
“The Department of Agricul-
ture just has to work faster. The
response measures should have
been ready months ago, how-
ever it is not too late for them
to catch up, but they must do so
in the weeks ahead before this
year ends. They have the funds
as authorized by RA 11203,”
Romero said. ■
EMRAN KASSIM / FLICKR, CC BY 2.0

www.canadianinquirer.net
14
Doctors urge national surveillance Trade Minister Jim
after curler dies during childbirth Carr diagnosed
BY CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — The sudden
death of Saskatchewan curler
Aly Jenkins is shedding light
on a devastating complication
of childbirth that some doc-
tors say could benefit from a
national surveillance system to
track maternal deaths and sug-
gest fixes.
Jenkins’ family and team-
mates were told the 30-year-
old athlete died Sunday of an
amniotic fluid embolism while
labouring with her third child.
She reportedly fought for hours
as doctors tried to save her until
her heart gave out.
Medical observers describe
the relatively rare phenomenon
in which amniotic fluid enters
the blood stream as a particu-
larly calamitous complication
that sets off a cascade of prob-
lems. Those include issues with
blood coagulation and constric-
tion of the blood vessels that
feed the lungs, which can lead
to severe respiratory failure
and heart failure.
Dr. John Kingdom says he’s
seen it twice in his 35 years in
obstetrics, estimating it affects
one in 10,000 to 20,000 deliv-
eries, and pegging the fatality
rate at more than 50 per cent.
Survival largely depends on the
resources at hand when crisis
strikes.
“Patients start bleeding ei-
ther during surgery or from
their IV puncture sites or their
eyes or their gums,” says King-
dom, a high-risk obstetrician at
Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital
Canada News
where they do 7,500 deliveries a
year.
“The patient gets cardiovas-
cular collapse, hypoxia (oxygen
deficiency) and coagulopathy
all in one go. There’s so much
going wrong very quickly that
you can see why people can die
despite heroic efforts by all of
the appropriate people to try
and help.”
Any breathing or heart issues
suffered by the mother would
automatically be experienced
by the baby as well, he adds, and
the only way either survive is
with the help of a highly effec-
tive medical team ready to im-
mediately deliver anesthesia,
intensive care, resuscitation
and blood reserves.
If the mother is fully dilated,
the baby may be delivered by
vacuum or forceps. Otherwise,
delivery must occur by emer-
gency caesarean section. In the
worst outcomes, the child may
be born dead or asphyxiated.
Meanwhile, a mother whose
breathing and blood pressure
fails is at risk of brain injury and
organ failure unless doctors can
get the lungs working by put-
ting a tube down her throat.
Kingdom says he’s never ex-
perienced a maternal death and
he sympathized with what he
expected were valiant efforts by
Jenkins’ medical team.
“It would take 15 smart peo-
ple present within five minutes
doing all the right things, all
at the same time to have a real
chance of survival,” says King-
dom, also head of the Univer-
sity of Toronto department of
obstetrics and gynecology.
Jenkins’ daughter Sydney
❱❱ PAGE 18 Doctors urge
www.canadianinquirer.net
with cancer, says
‘spirits are high’
BY JORDAN PRESS
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Liberal MP Jim
Carr has been diagnosed with a
form of blood cancer.
Carr, who served as natural
resources minister and inter-
national trade minister dur-
ing Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau’s first mandate, says in
a statement that he has begun
treatment for the disease, which
has also affected his kidneys.
He has started undergoing
chemotherapy and dialysis that
will “continue for the near fu-
ture.”
Carr’s doctor ordered him to
go to the hospital just as he was
being re-elected in his Win-
nipeg riding Monday. During
the campaign, he’d been expe-
riencing what he called flu-like
symptoms, which prompted a
round of routine blood tests.
On Tuesday, doctors in Win-
nipeg diagnosed Carr with mul-
tiple myeloma.
“I am feeling well, my spirits
are high,” he said, noting that he
has already spoken to Trudeau
about his circumstances. “I
spoke to the prime minister and
reiterated my commitment to
continue serving my constitu-
ents and all Canadians.”
He also thanked the doctors,
nurses and staff who are pro-
viding him care, and that he and
his family “appreciate every-
one’s respect for our privacy at
this time.”
Carr was first elected in 2015
as the MP for Winnipeg South
Centre, and a few weeks later
became Trudeau’s minister of
natural resources. In the sum-
mer of 2018, Trudeau shuffled
Carr to oversee international
trade.
Some of his fellow cabinet
ministers responded to the news
with well-wishes on Twitter.
“We are all with you,” wrote
Catherine McKenna, calling
him an “always awesome col-
league.” Melanie Joly wrote
that Carr has been “a leader in
many fights, and this one is an-
other one you will win.” Berna-
dette Jordan called Carr “one of
the hardest-working, genuine”
people she knows.
An estimated 3,300 Canadi-
ans will be diagnosed with the
cancer this year, based on sta-
tistics from the Canadian Can-
cer Society, and 1,550 will die
from the disease. The net five-
year survival rate for multiple
myeloma is 44 per cent, the so-
ciety says.
Carr’s statement said that his
constituency office will be open
for the residents of his riding,
one of whom wished his MP a
speedy recovery.
“To my MP and friend Jim
Carr: I wish you good health, we
are pulling for you and we want
you to be well,” tweeted Mani-
toba NDP Leader Wab Kinew. ■
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
Youth to sue Canadian government for climate
change harms, discrimination
BY AMY SMART
The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — A lawsuit
that’s expected to be filed Fri-
day claiming young people
disproportionately suffer the
effects of climate change is po-
tentially precedent setting but
also a tough case to argue, legal
experts say.
The David Suzuki Founda-
tion, which is acting as a part-
ner in the case, outlined in a
news release the general argu-
ments in the case being filed by
15 youths who allege they have
suffered “specific” injuries due
to climate change.
It calls on Ottawa to stop con-
duct that violates their charter
rights and to implement a plan
that reduces Canada’s green-
house gas emissions “in a man-
ner consistent with what best
available science indicates is
needed for the federal govern-
ment to protect young Canadi-
ans, do its fair share to stabilize
the climate system, and avert
the catastrophic consequences
of climate change.”
The news release does not
explain the injuries and no one
involved in the lawsuit would
comment before it is filed with
the Federal Court.
None of the claims made by
those arguing a violation of
their charter rights have been
tested in court.
Canada’s attorney general
referred questions to the De-
partment of Environment and
Climate Change, which did not
Next election could be some time away,
predicts Green Leader Elizabeth May
BY DIRK MEISSNER
The Canadian Press
SIDNEY, B.C. — Elizabeth May
isn’t expecting another fed-
eral election any time soon,
but she’s already telling Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau what
will keep the Greens from vot-
ing against his government.
May said Thursday she she
has written to Trudeau warn-
immediately respond to a re-
quest for comment.
Maureen Killoran, a litigator
at Osler law firm with expertise
in energy and resource law, said
the suit is part of a global trend
but only a case in the Nether-
lands has been successful in
holding a government respon-
sible for its domestic contribu-
tions to global greenhouse gas
emissions.
In that case brought by the
environmental group Urgenda
on behalf of 900 Dutch citi-
zens, an appeals court last year
upheld a landmark ruling that
ordered the Dutch government
to cut the country’s greenhouse
gas emissions by at least 25 per
cent by 2020 from benchmark
1990 levels.
The court said the govern-
ment is under a legal obligation
to take measures to protect its
citizens against climate change
after failing to meet its own tar-
gets.
“Considering the great dan-
gers that are likely to occur,
more ambitious measures have
to be taken in the short term to
reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions in order to protect the life
and family life of citizens in the
Netherlands,” the court said in
a statement.
Killoran said several jurisdic-
tions have modelled lawsuits
after the Dutch case.
In Quebec, an environmental
group sought to launch a class-
action lawsuit against the fed-
eral government almost a year
ago for what it said was a fail-
ure to combat climate change.
ing the Greens will not support
confidence motions if the fed-
eral government does not move
to increase its climate change
targets, currently at 30 per cent
below 2005 levels by 2030.
“I wanted to repeat we can-
not vote confidence at any
point on a confidence motion in
a government that fails to have
a climate target that’s ground
in science and consistent with
what the Intergovernmental
Lawyers argued Quebecers 35
and under are being deprived
of a right to a healthy environ-
ment and will suffer the effects
of global warming more than
older generations.
In July, Superior Court Jus-
tice Gary Morrison said the
cause of environmental protec-
tion was of undoubted impor-
tance. But he said members of
the class would have to be 18 or
older, and excluding those over
35 appeared to be a “purely sub-
jective and arbitrary choice” by
the organization.
Killoran said it’s notable that
the court struck down the case
based on its definition of the
class, rather than the legal argu-
ment it sought to make.
“They failed, but they didn’t
fail because the court said it
wasn’t judiciable. Meaning the
court said, ‘Yeah, I think you
can sue the government for
something like this,’ but the
court took issue with the defini-
tion of the class,” she said.
Lorraine Weinrib, a consti-
tutional law professor at the
University of Toronto, said the
case being filed at the Federal
Court could have an interesting
argument if all of the youths are
minors.
“Under the equality clause,
which is one of the elements
being argued, the court pays at-
tention to people who are polit-
ically powerless. And, of course,
young people can’t vote,” she
said.
The equality rights argument
could also be successful, she
said, because there is an under-
Panel on Climate Change says
we must do. That’s clear,” May
told a news conference at her
constituency office in Sidney,
B.C.
She said Canada’s current
target is a leftover mark set by
former prime minister Stephen
Harper.
“To improve humanity’s
chances of survival, it is critical
that Canada assume a leader-
ship role, first ramping up our
www.canadianinquirer.net
Canada News
standing that government can’t
intentionally or by effect act in
a way that disadvantages peo-
ple who are already disadvan-
taged, such as people without
voting rights.
But lawyers will face a major
hurdle in compelling Ottawa
to implement higher cuts to
greenhouse gases, she said.
It’s more common for law-
yers to win charter arguments
that require the government to
refrain from acting in a certain
way, Weinrib said.
“The original design of the
charter by prime minister
Pierre Trudeau was to include
some positive rights and to ob-
ligate certain kinds of distribu-
tion of wealth but that didn’t
survive to the final negotia-
tion.”
Under Canada’s democratic
system, those kinds of “positive
duties” or actions are tradition-
own ambition and then push-
ing for more ambition overall
in global negotiations,” says the
letter to Trudeau.
May said she had a telephone
conversation with the prime
minister prior to sending the
two-page letter. She said she
also sent copies to the leaders
of the Conservatives, NDP and
Bloc Quebecois, adding that the
parties should look for areas of
common ground when Parlia-
15
ally achieved in the political
realm through party platforms
rather than court orders, which
makes it interesting to see it ap-
pear in this case, she said.
“This is a legal proceeding
that isn’t likely to be successful
in terms of securing a victory
on the legal submissions that
are being made, but I think that
it will be a very, very important
case to bring the facts and the
arguments to a different fo-
rum,” Weinrib said.
She said the team behind the
young plaintiffs is robust and
includes, among others, the law
firm of Joseph Arvay, one of
Canada’s leading constitutional
lawyers.
Our Children’s Trust, which
launched a similar case against
the United States government,
is providing technical support.
“This will be very sophisticat-
ed litigation,” she said. ■
ment resumes.
She suggested politicians
should find agreement on ban-
ning single-use plastics. May
also said the Liberals, NDP and
Green platforms all promised
improved pharmacare, which
could now lead to a commit-
ment to make it universal.
In an earlier interview, May
said she believes none of the
❱❱ PAGE 18 Next election
16
What striking education workers and climate
activists have in common
BY MICHAEL MINDZAK
Assistant Professor Faculty of
Education Brock University,
The Canadian Press
TENSIONS AND labour un-
rest continues in Ontario be-
tween the current government
and workers in schools. After
a labour negotiation impasse
in early October, some parents
were recently left wondering
whether kids’ schools were set
to close because of strikes.
On Oct. 6, the Canadian Union
of Public Employees (CUPE),
representing workers such as
school custodians and educa-
tional assistants, announced a
new collective agreement, but
labour action by teachers also
remains a looming possibility.
Education workers across
the province have denounced
education cuts that mean inad-
equate funding to cover basic
student needs and school ser-
vices, and leave teachers with
excessive workloads.
Simultaneously, this fall,
striking students and youth hit
the streets. Thousands of pro-
testors, some of whom ditched
classes, marched on Queen’s
Park in Toronto in solidarity
with climate activists globally.
As a follow-up, climate activists
blocked a road intersection in
Toronto and such actions have
continued across the country
and the globe.
Fundamental tensions
There are commonalities in
the nature and focus of these
recent protests by education
workers, students, youth and
members of society. What may
appear to be disparate concerns
point to more fundamental ten-
sions.
Concerns over education, la-
bour and the environment all
direct attention to the need for
Canada News
change. All groups want change
that will allow them a say in
building a better future.
Both climate movements and
labour movements denouncing
education cuts and asserting
education worker rights have
provided platforms for people
to contest, among other things,
what they perceive as an injus-
tice: a secure and sustainable
future being taken from them-
selves, young people or future
generations.
Both the current labour and
climate insecurities remain
inextricably connected to our
fundamental social and eco-
nomic relations.
Securing a Future
In both the labour and en-
vironmental movements, we
increasingly see many younger
people wrestling with the dual
threats of economic and en-
vironmental insecurity and
recognizing the current and
future costs which socioeco-
nomic structural conditions
have forced them to shoulder.
The world of work has be-
come more insecure. Numer-
ous indicators point to a new
generation of young workers
with dramatically different so-
cial relations than in the past.
In 2018, Canadian students
owed $28 billion in student
debt. Long-term educational
debt remains a reality for a
larger number of new gradu-
ates across the province, and
there are a growing number of
insolvencies. Precarious work
is a reality across both private
and public sectors.
Housing also remains a prob-
lem for many young people.
In the Greater Toronto Area
(GTA), almost half of young
adults live with their parents
(47.4 per cent) and such choices
are typically determined by fi-
nancial rather than personal
considerations. In parts of On-
tario such as Toronto, home
ownership appears to be in-
creasingly out of reach. Child-
care costs (for those who want
to have children) are also deep-
ly unaffordable, posing signifi-
cant challenges.
Distribution of wealth
Part of the problem appears
to be rooted in the nature
and distribution of work and
wealth. In Canada, as in many
industrial economies, average
hourly wages have remained
essentially stagnant over the
past 40 years.
At the same time, economic
inequality has continued to
rise, benefiting a small minori-
ty while more precarious forms
of work, which tend to impact
youth hardest, have continued
to proliferate. Both unemploy-
ment and underemployment
(or a “skills mismatch”) contin-
ues to be problematic.
While all these issues are ex-
tremely complex, what can be
generally inferred is that the
current generation of youth
and workers may not end up
“better off” — both economi-
cally and ecologically — than
their predecessors.
Intergenerational inequity
During my research with un-
employed and underemployed
teachers, I came upon the con-
cept of intergenerational equi-
ty that captured the anger and
frustration felt by many young
educators. They felt a profound
sense of unfairness in the la-
bour market — that in the past,
it was easier to get ahead, and
to build a life, in comparison to
their current experiences. Add-
ing to this frustration was the
belief that they had little power
to fix this situation.
The term intergenerational
equity refers to arguments sur-
www.canadianinquirer.net
rounding the equitable usage of
resources between generations,
typically grounded in values of
fairness or justice. The concept
stresses that communities and
societies are constituted by
partnerships between genera-
tions. It also implies that exist-
ing generations must think be-
yond themselves to the future.
Thus it captures some of what
contemporary worker activists
and environmentalists are talk-
ing about.
Youth activist Greta Thun-
berg’s recent words, “We will
never forgive you,” highlight
the generation tensions of “us
versus you” within the environ-
mental movement.
Such statements pronounce
that we shouldn’t sacrifice the
future for the present and that
long-term goals must be con-
sidered over short-term gains.
Such debates about what is
fair surely have long histories,
but today both unprecedented
degrees of wealth inequality
and climate change simultane-
ously appear increasingly un-
sustainable.
When intergenerational
fracturing occurs, and when
the right to securing a future
appears unachievable, citizen
anger risks erupting in ways
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
which may not be in the best in-
terest of workers, the environ-
ment or democracy.
No shortage of solutions
There is no shortage of pos-
sible solutions to current work,
labour and climate issues. Ideas
and proposals considering “new
capitalism,” a basic income or
the “Green New Deal” all ap-
pear to be gaining momentum.
All seek to fundamentally rede-
fine our relationship with both
work and nature.
As downward mobility and
ecological fragility becomes
increasingly normalized, our
society has perhaps become
used to lowering expectations
concerning economic security,
precarious employment, labour
solidarity and environmental
degradation.
There is no better time than
the present for youth, activists
and education workers to as-
sert their rights to the future.
This includes not only having
a voice, but actively securing
educational and environmental
conditions that will allow fu-
ture generations to thrive. ■
This article is republished from
The Conversation under a Cre-
ative Commons license.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
The economic illusions of the Canadian election
BY GREGORY C MASON
Associate Professor of Economics
University of Manitoba, The Canadian
Press
AS AN economist, I approached voting
in the Canadian federal election with
deep ambivalence that was shared by
most everyone I know regardless of vo-
cation or political persuasion.
Most expressed resignation and stat-
ed, with a sigh, that: “X is at least better
than the alternatives,” or “I don’t want X
to win, so am voting for Y.” I too fell into
that ditch of despair, but then remem-
bered a strategy from my anarcho-syn-
dicalist days of my early 20s.
I now feel much better about how I
voted, but before revealing my choice
and a recommendation for the con-
struction of future ballots, let me share
the source of my pre-vote despondency
from the perspective of an economist.
It is really time we insisted that party
platforms reflect some modicum of eco-
nomic literacy and coherency, at least at
the first-year university level.
Let’s consider some of the prominent
positions of the national parties that
irked me and have repercussions for Ca-
nadians’ financial well-being now and in
the future.
What is striking about many of the
policy positions of the federal parties
is their timidity. Take climate change.
The three left-of-centre parties would
continue the current Liberal program,
which currently adds about four cents
per litre at the gas pumps, and would
lead to an additional 11 cents by 2022.
While I support a carbon tax, this
modest increase applied to only some
provinces, won’t change driver behav-
iour or industrial use of fossil fuels. The
increases must be greater, progressive
and locked in.
Conservative mishmash
The Conservatives reject the carbon
tax as ineffective in meeting the chal-
lenge of climate change, which at these
levels it is, but they proposed a vague
penalty system on big polluters presum-
ably to fund investment in green tech-
nology, home improvements and in-
vestment standards. It’s a mishmash of
a cap-and-trade system that has proven
elsewhere to be ineffective and a bu-
reaucratic nightmare.
Maybe it’s time we accepted that en-
ergy corridors and fossil fuel exports
will be a declining feature of Canada’s
economic future. The Liberals clung
to the fantasy that the Trans Mountain
pipeline will proceed, and the Conserva-
tives dreamed of an energy corridor. But
these projects will be “Bloq-ed” on pro-
vincial self-interest as well as environ-
mental and Indigenous opposition.
This election was an opportunity to
either put forward a vision of a post-oil
economy or present a strategy for how
the federal government can navigate
the competing interests that stymie re-
source development in Canada.
Balanced budget pledges
All party leaders also promised a bal-
anced budgets in a set number of years,
while planning billions in spending in-
creases ranging from modest tweaks in
the senior’s tax credit (Conservatives),
adjustments to student loans (Liberals),
a national pharmacare program (all but
the Conservatives) and a basic income
(Green Party).
These election promises came at vot-
ers like mosquitoes on a summer day and
I am sure most, like me, became numb.
How can we improve this dismal
situation?
This is the first election where the
Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) had
a mandate to prepare estimates of elec-
tion spending proposals over the next
10 years. However, the PBO only esti-
mated the costs of proposals submitted,
and nowhere could anyone locate a con-
solidated estimate of the total spending
package for each party.
If each platform were independently
and fully costed three weeks before the
election, voters would see more respon-
sible promises by the parties, who would
need to justify their total spending plans.
Promising a balanced budget is also a
meaningless gesture. A household with
$50,000 annual income may balance its
budget through frugality, while a house-
hold with an annual income of $250,000
may chronically run out of money. Rath-
er than promising a balanced budget, we
need politicians to debate the desirable
size of government relative to the na-
tional income or GDP.
One useful measure is the tax-to-GDP
ratio and on this front, Canada does not
too badly at 32.7 per cent. Countries that
include the United States, Australia and
www.canadianinquirer.net
Canada News
Mexico have lower ratios. Unsurpris-
ingly, countries like France and Sweden
have public spending at 46 per cent and
44 per cent of GDP.
France’s spending in particular is trig-
gering warnings from auditors.
What about the size of government?
So, a second task for the PBO in an
election is to monitor how election
Global Talent Loans Program
17
promises affect the size of government.
The minor tinkering of tax credits and
adjusting exemptions won’t have much
impact, but a national pharmacare pro-
gram or a universal basic income could
greatly expand the scope of government.
Voters need independent information
to support an informed choice.
Failing to find any sensible discussion
of Canada’s economic issues, I did vote,
but not for any candidate on the ballot.
I elected to write in “none of the
above” and spoiled my ballot. But think
for a moment. If “none of the above” of-
ficially appeared on the ballot and those
votes were counted along with votes for
candidates, two benefits might accrue.
First, it may encourage voting by
those whose election ennui keeps them
at home, and therefore could raise the
turnout rate from the current 66 per
cent toward the almost 80 per cent who
voted in 1958.
Second, it shrinks the degree of sup-
port for all candidates, reminding ev-
eryone that a group of voters exists who
want someone to vote for, not against. ■
This article is republished from The Con-
versation under a Creative Commons li-
cense.
Are you an
Internationally
Trained Professional
in need of financial
support for your
Foreign Credential
Recognition?
For more information contact:
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Recognition Program
18
CannTrust laying off up
to 140 people as it works
to regain cannabis licenses
THE CANADIAN PRESS
VAUGHAN, ONT. — CannTrust
Holdings Inc. shares fell Friday
after the cannabis company
said it is laying off as many as
140 people — roughly one quar-
ter of its workforce — while it
works to regain its federal li-
cences to sell and produce pot.
Its stock fell as low as $1.52 on
the Toronto Stock Exchange,
down roughly 13 per cent from
its previous close of $1.74, but
regained some losses to $1.65.
The Vaughan, Ont.-based
pot producer said late Thurs-
day there will be a series of
phased layoffs between late
October and the end of the
Doctors urge...
❰❰ 14 ended up in the neo-
natal intensive care
unit, and a Facebook
post by Jenkins’ aunt said she
was still intubated late Wednes-
day but was steadily improving.
Dr. Jon Barrett, head of the
maternal-fetal medicine pro-
gram at Sunnybrook Health
Sciences Centre, says mothers
and babies who survive can also
face lasting consequences, re-
calling one of his patients who
survived but spent months in
intensive care and suffered
brain damage.
Barrett says associated risk
factors for amniotic fluid em-
bolism include older moms,
caesarean delivery, moms who
have increased amniotic fluid,
and abnormal placentas that
separate from the uterus or
cover the cervix.
He adds that it generally
emerges during labour, but can
also happen after, and is more
common in twin births, at a
rate of 14.8 per 100,000 twin
deliveries versus 6 per 100,000
singleton deliveries.
Dr. Jennifer Blake, CEO of
the Society of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists of Canada says
national data is sorely lacking
on the condition, as well as all
other severe maternal com-
plications that kill and injure
mothers every year.
Canada News
year. The cuts are expected to
result in monthly cash savings
of about $400,000 and cost up
For more than a decade, the
society has been pressing for
a national surveillance system
like those in the United King-
dom and the United States,
where she says deadly and
near-deadly incidents are re-
corded and analyzed for gaps in
care and to determine more ef-
fective practices.
Blake says Canada’s reported
rate underestimates the true
scope of maternal deaths since
it doesn’t include data from
Quebec, likely misses cases
from more remote communi-
ties and is gathered inconsis-
tently, with some provinces col-
lecting information for the first
42 days after delivery, and other
provinces for 90 days.
She’d like to see data col-
lected for a full year after birth
to capture postpartum depres-
sion leading to suicide, homi-
cide where pregnancy has been
a factor, and drug overdoses
in cases where a new mother
might resume her substance
abuse after abstaining during
pregnancy.
In addition, Blake says the
country needs a detailed confi-
dential inquiry into each case to
prevent future deaths.
“Reporting the data for rare
events is never that accurate.
What you have to do is be able
to go into the details of each
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
Next election...
❰❰ 15 parties with the po- and more specifically the inter-
litical muscle to pull ests of two people that I adore
the plug on the com- — Jenica and Paul, who have
ing minority Parliament will be every reason to be able to weigh
prepared to do so.
The Greens, who return to
in on the decision.”
Regardless, May said, it is
the House of Commons with “very likely” she will run again
three members, fell short of the in her Vancouver Island riding.
numbers required to hold the May recalls feeling despon-
balance of power. dent in 2015 at heading back
The Conservatives and NDP, to the House as the lone Green
meanwhile, need time to get MP.
ready for another trip to the “I don’t feel crushed today,
polls, May said in the inter- not at all,” she said. “Going
view. The Conservatives are back to Parliament as a group
wrestling with the question of of three? We’ve never had that.”
whether Andrew Scheer should May is also heartened that
remain leader and the New over 50 Green candidates gar-
Democrats have to replenish nered at least 10 per cent of the
their coffers. vote in their ridings.
“I doubt very much that the “We are now accepted, not
other parties in in one region
Parliament will but pretty much
be prepared to go across Canada,
back to the polls, as a viable party.
to $800,000 in severance pay- not on principle We’re positioned
but purely on in a way that
❱❱ PAGE 33 CannTrust laying the mechanics of It’s not as if means, quite
another election being leader solidly, we’re not
and them not be- of the Green going away.”
ing ready,” May party is There is po-
said. something tential for Green
“Things didn’t that I do growth in the
case and say: ‘What led to this break the way because I Maritimes, par-
happening? What happened I had thought love being ticularly in New
when it happened? What could they might. We leader of Brunswick and
have been done differently? By would have been the Green Prince Edward
whom?’ And see what interven- the only ones in party. Island, said Don
tions you might have been able the House who Desserud, a po-
to make that would have led to a would be pre- litical science
different outcome,” says Blake. pared to pull the professor at the
Kingdom agrees, believ- plug and go to University of
ing that only a broad tracking an election over P.E.I.
system can allow medical pro- a matter of prin- But the party
fessionals to learn from these ciple.” needs to do a bet-
tragedies. He partly attributes Although May, 65, would ter job of recruiting quality can-
inaction to fears about the legal again lead the Greens in the un- didates and clearly articulating
and political ramifications of likely event of a snap election, it its overall message, he said.
exposing missteps. would not serve the interests of Notably, the Greens failed to
“In Ontario, there are lots of the party to helm another run fully capitalize on the burgeon-
small maternity units deliver- four years from now, she said. ing global concern over climate
ing 100, 200, 300 babies a year. “It’s not as if being leader of change, Desserud said.
If you had amniotic fluid embo- the Green party is something “The Green party still doesn’t
lism in that unit of 100 people, that I do because I love being have the kind of credibility that
which is a family physician/ leader of the Green party. I love you need in order for people
midwife-led unit, the case fatal- the Green party and this is a to join two things together —
ity rate is possibly going to be service,” she said. here’s the crisis, here’s the solu-
higher but because the instance “I think it’s quite unlikely tion to the crisis.
is so low it would take surveil- that I’ll be the leader of the “It’s not that they don’t have
lance over five years to know Green party going into a future good policies, but no one be-
that.” election if it’s on anything like a lieves that they’re going to be
Barrett estimates 40 per cent four-year timing.” able to implement those poli-
of Canada’s maternal deaths May, who has led the party cies because they have such a
have avoidable or preventable since 2006, indicated her small small presence in the House,
factors and he urged govern- caucus — B.C. MP Paul Manly and no one expected that to
ment to fund a national sur- and newcomer Jenica Atwin of grow considerably.” ■
veillance strategy “so we don’t Fredericton — will have a say in
repeat our errors.” her future. With files from Jim Bronskill in
“We can do this. It’s simple. “I have some choices to make Ottawa.
And it’s shameful that we’re about what best serves the in-
not.” ■ terests of Canada, the interests
of the Green party writ large
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
Facebook clarifies Zuckerberg remarks on false
political ads
BY DAVID KLEPPER
The Associated Press
FACEBOOK REITERATED
its policy of not removing mis-
leading or bogus political ads
Thursday, clarifying its own
policies after CEO Mark Zuck-
erberg offered Congress con-
fusing and sometimes incom-
plete testimony on the subject.
On Wednesday, in response
to questions from House Fi-
nancial Services Chairwoman
Maxine Waters, Zuckerberg
seemed to suggest Facebook did
use third-party fact-checkers to
verify political ads. He contra-
dicted himself moments later,
saying the company did not
want to get involved in verify-
ing the truth of political claims.
“Somebody fact checks on
ads? You contract with some-
one to do that. Is that right?”
Waters, a California Democrat,
asked Zuckerberg. “Yes,” he re-
plied.
Later, during an exchange
with Democratic U.S. Rep. Al-
exandria Ocasio-Cortez, Zuck-
erberg explained that his com-
pany will not remove political
ads from candidates — even if
false — because he believes vot-
ers deserve unfiltered access to
the words of politicians. He said
exceptions would be made for
political ads that encouraged
violence or seek to suppress
voting.
Facebook on Thursday
sought to set the record
straight, noting that while it
will not fact check political ads
from candidates, it does evalu-
SoKor, Asean agree to expand cooperation in 5G, AI
PHILIPPINE NEWS
AGENCY
SEOUL — South Korea and
the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean) agreed
to expand cooperation in 5G
communication networks and
artificial intelligence (AI) areas
so as to maximize the benefits
from the emerging technolo-
gies, the government said Sun-
day.
The joint declaration made
ate the accuracy of political ads
from political advocacy groups
or political action committees.
“In a democracy, people
should decide what is cred-
ible, not tech companies,” the
company wrote in a statement
emailed to The Associated
Press on Thursday. “That’s why
– like other internet platforms
and broadcasters – we don’t
fact check ads from politicians.”
Facebook’s policy is similar
to those at other big tech com-
panies that have declined to
remove false ads, reflecting a
reluctance to police political
content on their platforms.
“Given the sensitivity around
political ads, we have consid-
ered whether we should ban
them altogether,” Facebook
said in its statement to the AP
on Thursday. “But political ads
are important for local can-
didates, up-and-coming chal-
lengers, and advocacy groups
that use our platform to reach
voters and their communities.”
CNN chief Jeff Zucker called
Facebook’s policy not to moni-
tor political ads for truth-tell-
ing “ludicrous” Thursday. He
noted that his network recently
rejected two ads that President
Donald Trump’s campaign
sought to air, saying they re-
peated allegations against for-
mer Vice-President Joe Biden
that had been proved false.
Facebook ran a similar ad.
Zuckerberg’s comments on
Facebook’s hands-off policy
also failed to satisfy Waters,
who said Wednesday it would
give “anyone Facebook labels a
politician a platform to lie, mis-
at the Telecommunication and
Information Technology Min-
isters Meeting (TELMIN) held
in the Laotian capital of Vien-
tiane last week outlines a mu-
tual commitment to promoting
an advanced digital ecosystem
between the 10-member Asean
and South Korea, the Ministry
of Science and ICT said.
According to the Yonhap
News Agency, Seoul has been
moving to share its know-how
in 5G, AI and information
and communication technol-
Mark Zuckerberg. ANTHONY QUINTANO / FLICKR, CC BY 2.0
lead and misinform the Ameri-
can people, which will also al-
low Facebook to sell more ads.
The impact of this will be a
massive voter suppression ef-
fort.”
Earlier this month, Demo-
cratic presidential candidate
and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren
of Massachusetts created an
intentionally false Facebook ad
claiming that Zuckerberg had
endorsed Trump for reelection.
Warren did so to highlight her
critique of Facebook’s political-
ad policies.
During his exchange with
Ocasio-Cortez, Zuckerberg also
made misleading comments
about the company’s reliance
on third-party fact-checkers
to evaluate false news stories
posted to the site.
Ocasio-Cortez asked Zucker-
ogy (ICT) fields with its Asean
partners. The northeast Asian
country was the first to set up
the next-generation super-fast
low latency internet in April of
this year and is a global leader
in the cutting-edge telecommu-
nication sector.
“The understanding reached
will help facilitate the efficient
implementation of the Master
Plan on Asean Connectivity
(MPAC) as well as the global
agenda centered on sustainable
development,” the ministry
www.canadianinquirer.net
World News
berg why Facebook had made
the conservative publication
The Daily Caller one of its
third-party fact-checkers.
In actuality, the fact-check-
ing company is Check Your
Fact, a subsidiary of The Daily
Caller. The Daily Caller was
founded by Fox News Channel
host Tucker Carlson, who has
been criticized for declaring
white supremacy a “hoax.”
“We actually don’t appoint
the independent fact-check-
ers,” Zuckerberg said in a re-
sponse. “They go through an
independent organization …
that has a rigorous standard
for who they allow to serve as a
fact-checker.”
Not so, said Baybars Orsek,
who directs that organization,
the International Fact-Check-
ing Network at the St. Peters-
said.
It added that Science and ICT
Minister Choi Ki-young, who
represented Seoul at the talks
on Oct. 24 and 25, stressed that
continued cooperation can help
build up a broad digital ecosys-
tem that is good for all sides.
The MPAC Master Plan is
a multi-year road map that is
aiming for seamless and com-
prehensive connectivity and
integration of Asean. This can
fuel competitiveness and inclu-
siveness that can foster a great-
19
burg, Florida-based Poynter
Institute.
“It is a misrepresentation of
the program,” he said, explain-
ing that his network works to
certify fact-checking organi-
zations, including Check Your
Fact.
Facebook requires its fact-
checkers to be network certi-
fied but has the final say on
which fact-checkers it works
with.
“They make their decisions
based on their priorities,” he
said. “We do not appoint fact-
checkers to work with Face-
book.”
The AP is a participant in
Facebook’s initiative to fact-
check and identify misinforma-
tion being shared widely online
on Facebook’s platform. ■
er sense of community among
member states.
The ministry said the lat-
est TELMIN talks reaffirm the
close ties between South Korea
and Asean ahead of the 2019
Asean-Korea Commemora-
tive Summit set to take place in
Busan in late November.
Asean member countries
include Brunei, Cambodia, In-
donesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myan-
mar, the Philippines, Singa-
pore, Thailand, and Vietnam. ■
20 World News NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY

Craigslist founder Japan trade minister resigns

donates to group over vote buying scandal
fighting fake news BY MARI YAMAGUCHI
The Associated Press

BY DAVID BAUDER cally incorrect, promote a mis-

The Associated Press leading view of an issue. Sargent TOKYO — Japan’s trade min-
cited one spread by supporters ister resigned Friday a month
of stronger border control that into his job in a scandal over
NEW YORK — A non-profit gives statistics on the percent- condolence money, expensive
that combats disinformation age of federal crimes commit- melons and other gifts allegedly
campaigns says it hopes to ted by people living in the coun- offered to election supporters.
reach thousands of U.S. journal- try without legal permission. If Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
ists for training in the next few state crimes were included, the was quick to remove a potential
months with the help of a $1.5 percentages would be much damage to his Cabinet. He ac-
million donation from Craig- lower, she said. cepted Isshu Sugawara’s offer
slist founder Craig Newmark. “The only way to stop this is to resign and replaced him with
The donation to First Draft to make people more aware be- Hiroshi Kajiyama, formerly
was announced Thursday. The fore they share,” she said. the minister in charge of local
group said it is making free Many news organizations revitalization and regulatory
training available to news- have experts well-versed in all reform.
rooms and will conduct 14 corners of the internet, but the “I bear responsibility for his
“simulations” of news events knowledge isn’t necessarily appointment and I apologize to
to show how reporters can rec- widespread. First Draft hopes the people for causing a situa-
ognize and stop the flow of bad to change that. Journalists also tion like this,” Abe told report-
information. need to learn ers. But he said he had to move
Citing Russia’s more skills to on because “not even a second
effort to influ- spot errors; for of standstill or delay is allowed”
ence the 2016 instance, ABC in the important policy area.
election through News’ recent Sugawara, 57, tendered his
various means, There’s an mistake of airing resignation just before he was
including the increasing video from a mil- to face questions from opposi-
spread of false or trend itary show that tion lawmakers about the vote
misleading sto- toward it said was from buying allegations later Friday,
ries through so- memes and the Syrian bor- a day after more tabloid reports
cial media, First facts spread der could have about his scandal came out. Isshu Sugawara. DEAN CALMA VIA IAEA IMAGEBANK / FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0

Draft’s Claire online that easily been de- Sugawara said he did not
Wardle said though not tected ahead of want to hold up important dis- more suspect,” said Tetsuro middle of his term and leave
journalists need technically time by someone cussions in Parliament. The Fukuyama, secretary general of work unfinished. He acknowl-
to be alert to in- incorrect, with more tech- scheduled committee meeting the opposition constitutional edged the condolence money
terests who will promote a nical expertise, Friday was cancelled. Democratic Party of Japan. was presented to supporters by
try to avoid de- misleading First Draft said. His resignation comes just Another opposition lawmaker, his aide, and that he will fully
tection and find view of an The non-profit weeks after Abe added him to Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the investigate and clarify the situ-
weaknesses in issue. said it hopes to the Cabinet in a reshuffling Democratic Party of the People, ation.
the flow of infor- be able to send prompted by the July election, also demanded Sugawara’s ac- Abe took office in December
mation. Wardle out alerts about in which his ruling coalition se- countability. 2012 and is set to be the lon-
and her sister, stories to stay cured a comfortable majority. “It’s about his alleged viola- gest serving prime minister
Jenni Sargent, away from. Sugawara has been grilled tion of the law. He cannot just in Japanese postwar history
co-founded first Newmark’s do- in Parliament recently after get away with quitting the Cabi- next month. He has managed
draft. nation is important “because a magazine reported earlier net,” Tamaki said. to shake off various scandals,
In recent months, a manipu- there’s no question that what that he had paid condolence Sugawara denied paying cash partly because of an opposition
lated video of House Speaker happens in the next eight or money and sent expensive mel- to voters but has flip-flopped on that is divided and unpopular.
Nancy Pelosi has spread online, nine months in the U.S. is going ons, crab and other gifts to his other details when asked about Sugawara’s gift-giving scan-
a false Twitter rumour claimed to be pivotal,” Sargent said. election district supporters in the gifts delivered to his sup- dal also comes at a time his
a mass shooter displayed a Newmark said he also wants 2006-2007. Such payments are porters in the Nerima district. ministry’s oversight was in
bumper sticker supporting news organizations to better considered donations that are The “Weekly Bunshun” mag- question over a separate mon-
Democratic presidential candi- communicate with each other against Japanese elections law. azine wrote Thursday that one ey-for-favours scandal at the
date Beto O’Rourke, and there to stop the flow of bad informa- Another magazine article of his aides attended a funeral power utility Kansai Electric
was a call to boycott a restau- tion, even though talking with Thursday provided more de- of a supporters’ family last Power Co., whose chairman re-
rant chain based on an incor- competitors runs counter to tails of alleged giveaways in his week, with a photo showing the signed recently after acknowl-
rect report that it was support- the instincts of most journal- election district of Nerima in man purportedly leaving con- edging that 20 of the company
ing President Donald Trump. ists. Tokyo, which apparently trig- dolence money at the reception executives accepted cash and
There has also been a spread “We’re living in a period gered his decision to offer his desk. Sugawara routinely had lavish gifts from a former offi-
of websites that look like local where bad actors, foreign and resignation. his aides deliver condolence cial of a town hosting the util-
news outlets but spread stories domestic, are attacking our de- Opposition lawmakers said money whenever there is a fu- ity’s nuclear plant. ■
based on a political point of mocracy and I’ve been talking they will not let him off the neral for supporters’ relatives,
view. to a lot of reporters who realize hook without explanation. the magazine said, quoting an Associated Press writers Foster
There’s an increasing trend that this is all hands on deck,” “He had to step down be- unidentified supporter. Klug and Yuri Kageyama con-
toward memes and facts spread Newmark said. “They’ve got to cause he cannot provide a clear Sugawara said he regret- tributed to this report.
online that though not techni- get it right this time.” ■ explanation. Now he is even ted he had to step down in the

www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
Int’l community remains cautious
after IS leader’s death
PHILIPPINE NEWS
AGENCY
WASHINGTON — US Presi-
dent Donald Trump said on
Sunday that Islamic State (IS)
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
had been killed in a US military
operation in Syria.
Speaking in the White House,
Trump said US Special Opera-
tions Forces conducted a raid
Saturday night targeting al-
Baghdadi in northwest Syria,
during which al-Baghdadi
killed himself by igniting a sui-
cide vest.
The DNA test from the after-
math positively identified al-
Baghdadi, said Trump.
“I want to thank the nations
of Russia, Turkey, Syria and
Iraq. I also want to thank the
Syrian Kurds for certain sup-
port they were able to give us.
This was a very, very dangerous
mission,” Trump added.
Following Trump’s an-
nouncement, however, the
Russian Ministry of Defense
said that it doesn’t have reliable
Argentina’s Peronists seek return in polarized election
BY ALMUDENA
CALATRAVA
AND DEBORA REY
The Associated Press
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTI-
NA — Frustration over a bruis-
ing economic crisis and rising
poverty has eroded support
for Argentina’s pro-business
incumbent ahead of Sunday’s
presidential election and boost-
ed a populist challenger whose
victory would mark a tilt to the
centre-left in a region rocked by
political upheaval.
Polls have President Mau-
ricio Macri trailing Peronist
party candidate Alberto Fer-
nandez, whose surge has rattled
financial markets and drawn
attention to a possible return
to high office of his vice-presi-
dential running mate – former
President Cristina Fernandez.
Macri took office in 2015
promising to root out corrup-
tion and eliminate poverty but
is now seeking a second term
information regarding al-Bagh-
dadi’s death.
The increase in the num-
ber of direct participants and
countries that allegedly took
part in this “operation,” each
with completely contradictory
details, gives rise to reasonable
questions and doubts in its re-
ality and success, the ministry
said in a statement.
In response to Trump’s an-
nouncement, Iran’s Telecom-
munications Minister Mo-
hammad Javad Azari Jahromi
tweeted: “Not a big deal! You
just killed your creature.”
On Sunday, some US tradi-
tional allies welcomed the an-
nouncement of al-Baghdadi’s
death while cautioning that the
fight against terrorism is far
from over.
“Baghdadi: early retirement
for a terrorist, but not for his
organization,” French Defense
Minister Florence Parly tweet-
ed.
British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson hailed the death of Is-
lamic State leader al-Baghdadi
as “an important moment”
amid increasing poverty, a
sharp depreciation of Argenti-
na’s peso and one of the world’s
worst inflation rates.
He is shouldering most of
the blame from voters for the
economic woes and they made
their frustration clear in pri-
maries in August, when Macri’s
share of the votes cast trailed
Fernandez by a nearly 16-per-
centage point margin. Argen-
tina’s unique party primaries
– in which all voters cast bal-
lots – are seen as a barometer of
support for candidates ahead of
its presidential election.
The surprisingly poor perfor-
mance by Macri caused stocks to
plunge and the peso depreciated
even more on the possibility of
a return to the interventionist
economic policies of Cristina
Fernandez, who governed Ar-
gentina from 2007 to 2015. Al-
berto Fernandez was her chief of
staff early in her first term. The
two are not related.
In a recent interview with
The Associated Press, Alberto
but also warned that the fight
against the IS “is not yet over.”
According to a report of the
Washington Post, Javed Ali,
a former White House senior
director for counterterrorism,
said al-Baghdadi’s death would
be a “huge blow,” but the IS has
proved resilient.
“His death will certainly
have an impact on the terrorist
group, but mostly it would be a
symbolic and short-lived tacti-
cal victory in the fight against
the Islamic State (IS) group,”
said Najib Khalaf, a political
analyst and politics lecturer at
Iraq’s al-Nahrain University.
“The elimination of the self-
claimed caliph will not com-
pletely reduce the Islamic
State’s threat, as both the Salafi
jihadist ideology and the splin-
tered remains of its organiza-
tion will remain strong,” Iraqi
political analyst Nadhum al-
Jubouri told Xinhua.
Al-Jubouri told Xinhua that
al-Baghdadi’s death “will re-
duce the morale of his ele-
ments, as many are expected to
leave the group, but some who
Fernandez dismissed concerns
by investors and some Argen-
tines that he would be unduly
influenced by his former boss.
“I don’t see a conflict there,”
he said. “Argentina’s problem is
not Cristina. It’s what Macri has
left behind.”
Virtually all recent polls have
given Fernandez more than
50% support, which would give
him a first round victory with-
out a runoff vote.
A win by the Fernandez ticket
would mark a shift leftward
in South America, which has
seen conservative governments
elected in Brazil, Colombia and
Chile in recent years. Cristina
Fernandez was seen as a mem-
ber of the “pink tide” of leftist
governments that arose in the
region in the 1990s and 2000s.
Now the region is being rocked
by unrest in Chile, Bolivia, Peru
and Ecuador fueled by popular
discontent with the status quo.
Macri is credited with return-
ing Argentina to global credit
markets for the first time since
www.canadianinquirer.net
World News
Trump announces the raid to the press in the White House Diplomatic
Reception Room on October 27, 2019.
THE WHITE HOUSE FROM WASHINGTON, DC, PUBLIC DOMAIN
strongly follow the extremist
ideology of the group believe
that killing a person doesn’t
mean to end their ideology.”
The analyst predicted that
the battle against the organiza-
tion would continue, warning
“the militant group will focus
on qualitative operations … to
prove that the group is not fin-
ished by the death of its leader.”
its worst economic crisis in 2001-
2002. Mariel Fornoni, director
of the consultancy Management
& Fit, said the president also has
opened new markets for Argen-
tina around the world, strength-
ened its institutions and im-
proved security.
But his main failure has been
the economy, Fornoni said.
The World Bank forecasts that
Argentina’s economy will con-
tract 3.1% this year. More than
a third of the country is poor,
unemployment is at 10.6%, and
inflation is expected to hit 55%
this year.
“Poverty has become a big
problem,” Alberto Fernandez
said. He promised to rebuild
the economy by pursuing “a
policy of agreements” among
different economic and social
sectors.
Argentina’s economy im-
proved slightly in 2017. Then a
severe drought damaged crops
in the country, which is one
of the world’s top suppliers of
grains. The economy suffered
21
Al-Baghdadi, 48, whose real
name was Ibrahim Awad al-
Badri, announced the estab-
lishment of a caliphate, or the
so-called IS, in June 2014.
In 2016, the US State of De-
partment offered a reward of
up to USD25 million for infor-
mation leading to al-Baghdadi’s
capture or death. ■
another blow when the trade
war between the United States
and China led investors to pull
back from emerging markets
like Argentina.
Faced with a weakening peso,
Macri was forced to seek a re-
cord $56 billion bailout loan
from the International Mone-
tary Fund. The unpopular move
brought back bad memories for
Argentines who blame the IMF
for encouraging policies that
led to the country’s economic
crisis nearly two decades ago.
On the campaign trail, Macri
has pleaded for more time to
reverse fortunes and reminds
voters of the corruption cases
facing Cristina Fernandez, who
has denied any wrongdoing.
She remains popular but di-
visive. While her supporters be-
lieve she led the country out of
its worst economic meltdown,
others feel her policies created
the conditions that led to the
current turmoil.
❱❱ PAGE 22 Argentina’s Peronists
22
Inequalities in China drive many to seek better
life abroad
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING — Weeks prior to the
discovery in England of the
bodies of 39 people believed
to be from China, Beijing was
holding lavish National Day
celebrations congratulating it-
self on its rise from an impover-
ished Asian giant to the world’s
second largest economy.
The tragedy lays bare some
crucial but sometimes over-
looked facts about China’s de-
velopment as it revels in its
new-found status as a global
power that has elevated hun-
dreds of millions of its citizens
to the middle classes.
Despite the flashy wealth of
metropolises such as Beijing
and Shanghai, much of China
remains relatively poor and
economic growth has created
vast wealth disparities, espe-
cially between cities and the ru-
ral hinterland.
The income gap has fueled
the desire among many to seek
a better life abroad — some out
of choice, others coerced or ma-
nipulated into undertaking a
hazardous journey. Though il-
legal migration appears to have
fallen with improved ease of
obtaining passports and visas,
it remains the best — or only —
option for some.
China’s government says
it has yet to confirm that the
bodies found are those of its
citizens, as reported by British
police. Most Chinese migrants
come from the country’s south-
east, specifically a handful of
counties in the coastal province
of Fujian that have a long histo-
ry of sending people abroad to
work in restaurants, factories
and agriculture.
On Friday, Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying
called for redoubled co-oper-
ation to combat human smug-
Argentina’s Peronists...
❰❰ 21 Negative feelings
also weigh heavily on
Macri.
“You have to understand the
urgency today, with 35% who
are living in poverty … you can’t
be worried about other things
if you’re having trouble feeding
World News
gling and said Chinese diplo-
mats were in close contact with
police in Britain and Belgium,
from where the shipping con-
tainer was transported to Eng-
land.
“I think the international
community should further
strengthen co-operation in this
area, strengthen sharing of in-
formation and intelligence in
this regard, and conduct early
intervention in these activities
so as to prevent such tragedies
from happening again in the fu-
ture,” she said.
The issue is a difficult one
to confront for China’s rul-
ing Communist Party, which is
intensely sensitive about the
country’s international image
and has staked much of its le-
gitimacy on improving living
standards for the bulk of the 1.4
billion people.
In an editorial Friday, the
party newspaper Global Times
sought to lay blame elsewhere,
saying European governments
hadn’t done enough to crack
down on such crimes and the
networks that profit from them.
“Such a serious humanitar-
ian disaster occurred under
the eyes of the British and Eu-
ropeans,” the paper said. “Brit-
ain and the related European
countries have not met their
responsibility for protecting
these people from dying in such
a manner.”
The timing of the incident is
particularly awkward for the
party, which under its authori-
tarian leader Xi Jinping made
rich use of the occasion of the
70th anniversary of the found-
ing of the People’s Republic on
Oct. 1 to highlight economic
improvements it says have lift-
ed hundreds of millions out of
poverty since the launch of eco-
nomic reforms in 1978.
A massive Oct. 1 parade
through the heart of Beijing
yourself,” Fornoni said.
Many Argentines are also an-
gry over Macri’s decision to cut
subsidies, leading to a spike in
the costs of utilities and public
transportation.
Magali Sanchez, an unem-
ployed nurse in Buenos Aires,
featured advanced weaponry
such as intercontinental bal-
listic missiles and hyper-glide
vehicles that can reportedly
travel more than five times the
speed of sound. That under-
scored China’s vast spending
on its military that has given
the country the world’s second-
largest defence budget after the
United States.
Recent years have also seen
increased social spending to
extend health care and higher
education beyond the urban
elites. China says it has reduced
the number of those living be-
low the poverty line from 770
million in 1978 to around 15
million, while almost half of
young Chinese go on to higher
education.
Yet millions of Chinese still
work in factories far from home
and are forced by internal resi-
dency rules to leave their chil-
dren behind. Hourly wages
have risen but remain low by
Western standards, just a few
hundred dollars a month de-
pending on the region.
While an aging population
and the move to higher tech-
nology industries is boosting
demand for workers, those
said her rent recently jumped
15%, too much for a middle
class family that has been hit
hard by increases in light, gas
and food prices.
“We’re fighting not to end up
on the street,” Sanchez told The
Associated Press.
www.canadianinquirer.net
without the skills to compete
for more demanding jobs often
find themselves shut out of the
labour market.
China’s appetite for labour
should eliminate the need for
illegal migration, and human
smuggling has fallen of “drasti-
cally” in recent years, said Chu
Yin, professor at Department
of Public Administration of
Renmin University. Still, some
are drawn by the possibility of
striking it rich abroad, said Chu.
“We often say if you are mid-
dle class, you will have more
opportunities in cities such as
Beijing, but if you are from a
lower class, you can earn more
money in European and North
American countries,” said Chu.
A “cultural habit of smug-
gling” has also formed among
some, he said, and “people envy
those who have made big money
abroad and that will make more
people want to follow suit.”
Another Renmin professor,
Wang Yiwei, said the case may
be more about the opportuni-
ties afforded to sneak into Eng-
land amid uncertainty over its
withdrawal from the European
Union.
The facts surrounding the
“I saw this coming when
Macri won,” said Juan Lugones,
Sanchez’s husband. “I thought,
‘This is going to ruin us.”‘
Patricio Giusto, of the consul-
tancy Diagnostico Politico, said
disenchantment with Macri is
“very striking” among Argen-
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
case were likely “very compli-
cated,” Wang said.
Recent years have seen a
massive increase in the num-
bers of Chinese citizens travel-
ling abroad for work, study or
tourism as it becomes easier to
obtain travel documents.
At the same time, people
smuggling networks have
grown much more sophisticat-
ed from the days when would-
be migrants often travelled in
the holds of rusty freighters.
Migrants will often now trav-
el first to a third country before
moving on to their final desti-
nations in North America or
Europe.
Even so, this week’s trag-
edy harkens back to previous
deaths of Chinese migrants,
mainly from Fujian, including
58 people who suffocated in
a truck in Dover, England, in
2000, after a perilous, months-
long journey from Fujian.
In February 2004, 21 Chinese
migrants — also from Fujian
— who were working as cock-
le-pickers in Britain drowned
when they were caught by rush-
ing tides in Morecambe Bay in
northwest England. ■
tines between the ages of 25
and 35 who had expected the
president to tame the high in-
flation and other problems left
by Cristina Fernandez’s gov-
ernment, but now feel disillu-
sioned by rising prices and their
shrinking buying power. ■
 23

Entertainment
For Julie Anne San Jose, Iya Villania finds work-
there’s always room for more life balance as a Kapuso;
ASIA’S POP Diva Julie Anne renews exclusive contract
San Jose’s journey as a Kapuso
continues as she renewed her
exclusive contract with GMA with GMA Network
Network last October 25.
Present in the contract sign-
ing were GMA Network Chair- VERSATILE ACTRESS, host Iya’s versatility as an actress
man and Chief Executive Of- and hands-on mother Iya Vil- shone further when she took
ficer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, lania remains a loyal Kapuso as on the lovable role of Kennedy
President and Chief Operating she renewed her commitment in My Korean Jagiya and Becca
Officer Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr., with GMA Network in a con- in Because of You. The highly-
Senior Vice President for En- tract signing held on October talented Kapuso star also has
tertainment Group Lilybeth 22. an extensive hosting experience
G. Rasonable, Vice President Present during the signing were including GMA programs Taste
for Business Development De- GMA Network Chairman and Buddies, Lip Sync Battle Phil-
partment III Darling de Jesus- Chief Executive Officer Felipe L. ippines, People vs. The Stars,
Bodegon, Vice President for Gozon; Senior Vice President for Home Foodie, to name a few. At
Corporate Affairs and Com- Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. present, Iya is the host of Chika
munications Angel Javier Cruz, Rasonable; Senior Assistant Vice Minute, the showbiz segment of
Senior Assistant Vice President President for Alternative Pro- the Network’s flagship newscast
for Alternative Productions ductions Gigi Santiago-Lara; Se- 24 Oras, and the family-oriented
Gigi Santiago-Lara, Senior nior Program Manager Jennifer morning show Mars Pa More.
Program Managers Mae Zam- Cordova-Reyes and Asian Artists Iya shares that hosting Mars
brano, Charles Koo, Ian Roxas, Asia’s Pop Diva Julie Anne San Jose. SUPPLIED Agency Chief Operating Officer Pa More with Camille Prats is a
Ruth Mariñas, and GMA Artist Rowena Salido. dream come true for her.
Center Senior Talent Manager ng Clashers na-iaapply nila sa took home the ‘Favorite Album Iya, who has displayed her “It’s actually a show that I’ve
Daryl Zamora. pagpeperform, that says a lot al- of the Year’ award for ‘Break- proficiency as a host and an ac- always wanted to do for the lon-
Julie is among the home- ready and we’re grateful they’re through’ and the ‘Favorite Col- tress in her five years of being gest time. I’m happy that I’m
grown talents of the Network able to share their hearts sa mga laboration Performance’ award with the Network, expresses part of the show. It’s something
as she was a product of the real- tao. For me kasi, the important for ‘Down For Me’, a duet with her immeasurable gratitude that I’m very familiar with - it’s
ity talent competition ‘Popstar thing is pag singer ka, kailangan Fern. towards GMA for allowing her lifestyle magazine and espe-
Kids’ in 2007. Being a Kapuso may soul ka rin. That’s how peo- Indeed living her best life, Ju- to grow both as an artist and a cially now that I’m a mom. I’m
after more than a decade, the ple perceive you as an artist and lie is now gearing up for anoth- mother to her two kids. really in my comfort zone when
award-winning performer is doon nila makikita kung gaano er exciting project with digital “I’m glad that I’m still here. I’m at Mars Pa More.”
looking forward music streaming In the five years that I’ve been During the contract sign-
to what’s yet to platform Spotify. here, I’m glad that GMA has al- ing, Atty. Gozon expressed his
come in her ca- During the lowed me to enjoy a good work- utmost appreciation over Iya’s
reer. contract sign- life balance. I get to enjoy being loyalty towards GMA 7, “Of
“I’m very hap- ing, Atty. Gozon a mom, a wife, an athlete, on top course, we are very grateful na
py and blessed. Mapa-music, acting sa drama, shared how Julie of enjoying the work that I do napili na naman niya tayo dahil
Nagpapasala- comedy, she’s award-winning pa. constantly im- here. That’s really what I love si Iya ay hindi lamang magaling
mat po ako kay presses him with being with GMA. They make na host pero magaling na artista
Lord and sa GMA her work, “Well life so easy to love and live,” she rin ‘yan. She is a valued asset of
for giving me an- of course nagpa- said. the Kapuso Network.” ■
other opportu- pasalamat tayo,
nity to share what I have, I’m ka ka-authentic pagdating sa talagang homegrown naman
just very grateful, excited, and craft mo.” si Julie Anne at habang siya’y
looking forward to future proj- After the success of her sold- nade-develop, lalong gumagal-
ects here in my home network,” out concert ‘Julie Sings the ing kaya’t tayo ay natutuwa.”
said Julie. Divas’ last July, she remained Rasonable shared, “Dito ha-
Julie is part of the origi- busy in pursuit of her music. los lumaki si Julie Anne at nag-
nal mainstays of the popular She released a single entitled blossom ang career and now
weekly comedy musical-variety ‘Regrets’ earlier this year and she’s hosting The Clash, naka-
show “Sunday Pinasaya,” where last October 18, she launched a katuwa. Mapa-music, acting
she showcases her humorous collaboration with Rico Blanco sa drama, comedy, she’s award-
side in the show’s various seg- via a song ‘Isang Gabi.’ winning pa. Tahanan na n’ya
ments. She is also a proud Clash A true testament to her jour- ang GMA at kami bilang parang
Master for the all-Filipino sing- ney as one of the top voices in mga magulang na din niya dito,
ing competition ‘The Clash.’ the country’s music scene, Ju- natutuwa sa lahat ng na-achieve Versatile actress, host and hands-on mother Iya Villania renewed her
Julie shared, “Nakakatuwa lie received recognitions at the na n’ya. I’m very proud.” ■ commitment with GMA Network in a contract signing held October 22.
dahil lahat ng pinagdadaaanan 32nd Awit Awards where she SUPPLIED

www.canadianinquirer.net
24
Vancouver actress diagnosed with colon cancer
at 30 speaks on bias in health system
BY VICTORIA AHEARN
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — For much of 2011,
Vancouver actress Annette
Reilly of Netflix’s “Chilling Ad-
ventures of Sabrina” had intes-
tinal issues that landed her at
the doctor’s office and hospital
multiple times.
The then-30-year-old had se-
vere cramps, a blockage, bloody
stool, anemia, low hemoglobin
and eventually a near-daily
low-grade fever — basically all
the symptoms of colon cancer.
But doctors didn’t consider
that someone her age could
have the disease, which is nor-
mally associated with older
men. They thought she might
have an ulcer or obsessive com-
pulsive disorder; prescribed
her iron pills, painkillers and
antidepressants; and gave her
an X-ray and enema.
Finally in November of
‘Ang Pinaka’ host Rovilson Fernandez remains
loyal to GMA Network
SOUGHT-AFTER TV host Ro-
vilson Fernandez remains a
loyal Kapuso after 12 years as
he renews his contract with
GMA Network on October 18.
Joining Fernandez in the
signing were GMA Network
Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon;
Senior Vice President for News
and Public Affairs Marissa L.
Flores; and Senior Assistant
Vice President for Public Af-
fairs Neil B. Gumban.
“Si Rovilson ay isa sa mga
popular at pinakamagaling na
host natin kaya tayo’y natutu-
wa na pinili na naman niya tayo
para ipagpatuloy ang pagiging
host niya sa ‘Ang Pinaka’. Ang
kailangan sa ‘Pinaka’ ay pina-
ka rin ang mag-hohost,” Atty.
Gozon expressed.
On the other hand, Rovilson
shared how grateful he is to be
with the Kapuso Network for
over a decade now. “Just an ab-
solute blessing. I’ve been hap-
pily employed by GMA and I’m
going on twelve years now since
the QTV days. It’s been nice to
Entertainment
that year — after 10 months
of frustration and shame, and
an emergency room visit she
describes as one of the worst
nights of her life — Reilly got a
much-needed colonoscopy that
revealed she had Stage 3B colon
cancer, meaning it had spread
to nearby lymph nodes.
“I think if I had been a male
over the age of 50, I would have
been given a colonoscopy first
thing, right out of the gate, and
they would have found this gi-
ant tumour,” says Reilly, who
plays Diana Spellman, the mor-
tal mother of teenage witch Sa-
brina Spellman.
“I found that I wasn’t being
taken seriously by the medi-
cal system, which I found to be
consistent with my other can-
cer-surviving peers. Because
of our age and sometimes our
gender, there’s a bit of discrimi-
nation that happens there. It’s
a bias, I think, that’s taught to
doctors.”
be part of this family. This mo-
ment is the kind of contract
signing I would see on TV or on
the newspapers, and for them
to extend the same courtesy to
me as well and to our show, I’m
so grateful.”
Rovilson hosts the award-
winning and long-running in-
fotainment program ”Ang Pina-
ka” on GMA News TV. Every
week, Ang Pinaka lists down the
top 10 of anything worth “list-
ing,” touching on topics that
range from pop culture, enter-
tainment, politics, travel, food,
social media, music, trivia, and
others.
Now on its phenomenal 15th
year on Philippine television,
some of the topics the show fea-
tured were the oddest proposed
bills and ordinances, amazing
animals with super powers, na-
tional historical figures, amaz-
ing natural wonders, urban leg-
ends, and popular showbiz love
teams, among others.
“That is the genius of our
writers and our production
team,” Rovilson proudly ex-
Annette Reilly. @ANNETTEREILLYOFFICIAL / INSTAGRAM
A new report from Young
Adult Cancer Canada sheds
light on such unique issues
faced by the 22 young adult Ca-
nadians (ages 15-39) who are
diagnosed with cancer each day.
The report is based on early
pressed. “They still keep it
fresh—we’ve literally aired
brand new episodes every week
for 52 weeks, and rarely do we
have repeat episodes. That’s
just kudos to them for always
reinventing the show. I have
the easy job; I just get to basi-
cally read out their work and, of
course, what is vital is the par-
ticipation of our viewers and
our readers. We always engage
them and they let us know what
they want to watch and that’s
what keeps it fresh.”
Aside from hosting, Rovil-
son is also an appointed Na-
tional Peace Ambassador of
the country, the Philippines’
first National Ambassadors
for World Wide Fund (WWF)
along with Marc Nelson. He is
also Hong Kong & Singapore
Tourism Board’s Ambassador
of Goodwill to the Philippines
and Earth Hour Philippines
Ambassador.
Ang Pinaka has won various
local and international awards
including Best Lifestyle Pro-
gram at the Alta Media Icon
www.canadianinquirer.net
data from the not-for-profit or-
ganization’s Young Adults with
Cancer in their Prime study.
In collaboration with Dr.
Sheila Garland, assistant pro-
fessor of psychology and on-
cology at Memorial University
(From left) GMA Network Senior Vice President for News and Public Affairs
Marissa L. Flores, Rovilson Fernandez, GMA Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, and Senior Assistant Vice President for Public
Affairs Neil B. Gumban.
Awards 2019, Best Adult Educa-
tional/Cultural Show Award at
the 2012 Catholic Mass Media
Awards, a Silver Screen Award
in the Educational category at
the 2007 US International Film
and Video Festival, and a Cer-
tificate for Creative Excellence
in the Entertainment Category
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
in St. John’s, N.L., the study
surveyed 622 diagnosed young
adults across Canada to explore
the physical, social, financial,
and emotional challenges they
face as compared to their peers
without cancer.
It found cancer in young
adulthood can “disrupt an im-
portant period of development
and identity formation, which
tends to have a cascading im-
pact on all areas of life.”
Yet there are few support pro-
grams geared to helping these
patients through diagnosis and
recovery, the report says.
“Many people see this age
group as ‘too young to have can-
cer’ resulting in a massive lack
of resources from support to
research,” Geoff Eaton, found-
er of YACC and a young adult
cancer survivor, says in a news
release.
One of the main issues fac-
❱❱ PAGE 38 Vancouver actress
SUPPLIED
at the 2007 US International
Film and Video Festival.
Continue watching infotain-
ment at its finest, hippest, and
coolest via ”Ang Pinaka” ev-
ery Sunday, 6:30 p.m. on GMA
News TV which also airs abroad
on GMA News TV Internation-
al. ■
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
Pattinson and Dafoe on the oddities
of ‘The Lighthouse’
BY JAKE COYLE
The Associated Press
TORONTO — “Weird” is a vague and
imprecise word but it’s probably fair
to say it can be applied to a boxy black-
and-white movie about the feverish
psychological battles and explicit mer-
maid-infused visions of two isolated and
increasingly mad lighthouse keepers in
1890s Maine.
For writer-director Robert Eggers,
real and mythic collide in strange and
hallucinatory ways. He makes rigor-
ously researched period films that nev-
ertheless have an otherworldly fairy tale
quality. His first film, the 2015 horror hit
“The Witch,” wasn’t just set in 1630 but
grew out of the real folktales and period-
authentic nightmares of a family in puri-
tanical New England.
Now, he has moved slightly north for
“The Lighthouse,” a gothic tale of even
greater and frothier intensity with still
worse fates befalling the local wildlife.
A goat figured prominently in “The
Witch.” Seagulls have a starring role in
“The Lighthouse.”
So do Robert Pattinson and Willem
Dafoe, who play the two seamen who
alone tend a remote lighthouse. Dafoe
is Thomas Wake, a crusty and tyrannical
salty dog and the possessive “keeper of
the light,” and Pattinson is his new and
progressively frustrated and unhinged
assistant, Efraim Winslow. The expres-
sionist imagery and heated atmosphere
recall something from Bergman, if
transplanted from Sweden to Melville’s
Northeast. But there are hints of an even
stranger brew.
“The hope is that people go in there
like, ‘(Expletive), I’m watching a boring
Hungarian art-house movie,”‘ says Egg-
ers. “And then Willem starts farting and
there’s a clue that there’s something else
going on.”
It’s perhaps fitting that a film so re-
lentlessly blustery, filled with stormy
seas and the blare of the lighthouse’s
fog horn, first signals its more comic di-
mension with the breaking of wind. As
the movie’s deranged pitch heightens,
so does its humour. Slate has perfectly
summarized “The Lighthouse” as “art-
sy fartsy.” It expands nationwide this
weekend.
“For me, it was a mea culpa after ‘The
Witch,”‘ says Eggers, speaking alongside
Pattinson and Dafoe in an interview.
“I wanted to make another miserable
movie but be able to laugh at the misery.
These guys are hilarious and really co-
medic performers. I was even concerned
the film was going to be too funny after
we shot it. That’s not a surprise about
Willem but Rob is a very physical co-
Entertainment 25
median and there are flat-out Buster
Keaton splits and things that we cut out
because they were just too much. But he
went for it.”
Dafoe and Pattinson are very different
performers but “going for it” has been a
modus operandi for each. Pattinson, in
particular, has in recent years been on
a self-described quest for “weirdness,”
one he grants he may have taken to its
limit in “The Lighthouse.”
“I definitely feel like you can’t find
something weirder,” Pattinson says.
“But it’s not weirdness for weird sake. I
think what I meant was just originality.
Whenever you find something where
you don’t really have any kind of arche-
type to fit it into, you don’t have any
crutch of something you’ve done before,
it’s always so exciting.”
Eggers initially offered Pattinson a
very different role that he describes as
“a posh, sherry-drinking gentleman.”
(Eggers came close to remaking the 1922
classic “Nosferatu.”) When Pattinson Robert Pattinson. DIANA RINGO / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CC BY-SA 4.0
turned him down, the 36-year-old direc-
tor realized the actor was after some- partly because I know what I’m doing search is an intrinsically part of his film-
thing more inscrutable. more. It’s also partly because I had more making, including digging through rare
“I don’t particularly know how to de- money,” says Eggers.
scribe what my character is at all,” says For the New Hampshire-native, re- ❱❱ PAGE 6 Pattinson and
Pattinson, grinning. “That’s kind of what
I’m always looking for.”
The production, while not as trying
PSYCHIC
as the ordeals depicted in “The Light-
house,” was, Eggers says cheerfully,
“extremely miserable.” It was shot on
the rocky, wind-swept southern coast-
FAITH
line of Nova Scotia. There, Eggers and
his production designer Craig Lathrop
built a 70-foot lighthouse with a work-
ing beam that could shine for 16 miles.
At the film’s premiere at Cannes’ Direc-
tors’ Fortnight section, Dafoe joked that
the only animals hurt during the film’s
making were him and Pattinson.
“Actors love to talk about that and it’s
Reader, Healer and Adviser
always a little boring,” says Dafoe. “But
it’s a huge part of this movie. The weath- TELL PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE
er and the conditions were a huge part
of it. That really told the story. We were
interfacing with nature.” specializes on removing all types negative
For Pattinson, the environment was energy, bad luck and evil influences
oddly comforting, even if he counts a
sprint across jagged rock in period-
appropriate shoes as his most terrify- helps in all life problems such
ing moment on a film set. “I felt very at as love life, business matters,
home in it when I was there,” Pattinson
says. immigration and family issues
As much as the production drew from
its natural surroundings, Eggers’ cam- A l l i n P r i v a t e a n d C o n fi d e n t i a l
erawork was precisely orchestrated.
Eggers, who co-wrote the script with Call today for a better tomorrow
his brother Max Eggers, shot the movie
778-379-4070
in 35mm. It’s projected in a square-like 99% OVER
1:19:1 aspect ratio, adding to the film’s
antique and ghostly atmosphere. ACCURATE 30 YRS EXP
“This is very close to how I imagined
it, much more so than ‘The Witch.’ It’s
www.canadianinquirer.net
26

Lifestyle
Where you die can affect your
chance of being an organ donor
BY LAURAN NEERGAARD “What we have is broken. We easier to compare OPOs and
AND NICKY FORSTER know it is costing people’s lives,”
push them to improve. One
The Associated Press said Dr. Seth Karp, Vanderbilt measure under consideration:
University’s transplant chief. Using federal death records to
Under U.S. transplant rules, determine the entire pool of
WASHINGTON — If Roland the country is divided into 58 potential donors each OPO can
Henry had died in a different zones, each assigned an “organ draw from.
part of the country, his organs procurement organization” in A study published this sum-
might have been recovered. And charge of donation at death. mer in the American Journal
lives could have been saved. Those OPOs are matchmakers of Transplantation called that
But the local organ collectionwith a tough job: get donation approach more fair and verifi-
agency said no. It gave no rea- consent , collect organs quickly able than today’s standard. The
son, no explanation to his fami- and get them to the right trans- AP modeled its own analysis of
ly, though the Connecticut man plant centre before they dete- OPO performance on that re-
appeared to be a well-qualified riorate, even if a hospital calls search, and found that in 2017,
donor despite advancing age: with a possible donor at 3 a.m. even comparing regions with
He died in a hospital, on a ven- How well are they doing? It’s similar pools of acceptable do-
tilator, previously healthy untilalmost impossible to tell. OPOs nors, disparities were large. It also counts less-than-per- be certifying” to collect organs,
a car crash that led to a stroke.self-report to the government Philadelphia outperformed fect donors — older donors, or she added.
“It was devastating to be tolda subjective measure, one even New York City, for example. those with certain medical con-
there was nothing they consid- they call flawed. That standard The OPO serving parts of Ken- ditions — that can be hard for Who can donate?
ered worthy of donation. Nada. offers little way to directly tucky lagged nearby Missouri. OPOs to handle, Mone added. Only about 2 per cent of
Not a kidney, not a liver, not tis-
compare OPOs and learn which More important, the analysis Those organs can be life-saving Americans die in circumstanc-
sue,” recalled Henry’s daughter, could do better, or to hold poor shows the biggest impact would for the right patient but too of- es that allow for donation. Die
Donna Cryer, president of the performers accountable for be in places with large popula- ten transplant centres won’t before reaching a hospital, and
non-profit Global Liver Insti- missed opportunities. tions of potential donors. For take the chance, a disincentive organs can’t be preserved. Ill-
tute and herself example, OneL- for OPOs to collect them. nesses such as cancer or infec-
a recipient of a egacy in Los Still, with the organ shortage tions also can rule out donation.
liver transplant. Angeles recov- so severe that transplant cen- While young donors tend to
Henry’s case ered 487 donors tres are fighting over scarce liv- be healthier, there’s no upper
illustrates trou- We are troubled by some of these in 2017, second ers in court, a growing number age limit: Studies show healthy
bling uncer- broad-based, easy-to-calculate only to Phila- of OPOs say the death record- organs from seniors like Henry,
tainty in a trans- numbers not portraying a picture of delphia’s Gift of based standard will spur more who was 78, and even octoge-
plant system run what potential donation might be. Life. However, aggressive pursuit of donors. narians still can work well, es-
by government the Los Angeles “It’s a denominator that can’t pecially if given to an older re-
contractors that OPO also had the be manipulated,” said Ginny cipient.
are under fire for highest number McBride, executive director Last year, out of about 2.8 mil-
letting potentially usable or- “Nobody comes behind them of potential donors. If OneLe- of OurLegacy in east-central lion deaths, there were 10,721
gans go to waste. and says, ‘You actually could gacy had matched Gift of LIfe’s Florida. She was one of 17 OPO deceased donors. Their organs
The Associated Press took a have recovered 20 to 30% more higher donor rate, the AP calcu- leaders who recently wrote led to 29,680 transplants.
close look at that system and and you didn’t,”‘ said Kevin lated it would have secured 866 Medicare, which regulates the But a 2017 study led by Uni-
calculated that some of those Longino, a kidney transplant donors, instead. nonprofits and reimburses versity of Pennsylvania re-
agencies are securing deceased recipient who heads the Na- OneLegacy CEO Tom Mone costs of organ acquisition, to searchers examined deaths, do-
donors at half the rate of others tional Kidney Foundation. cautions that measure overesti- push the change. nations and health records and
— even as 113,000 people linger That may be about to change. mates potential donors, includ- “It might tell us, ‘Hey, we calculated that a better-func-
on the nation’s transplant wait- The Trump administration is ing people who are disqualified need to kick it up a notch.’ And tioning system could produce
ing list, and about 20 die each planning a major overhaul , after scrutinizing their medical it might tell the government
day. stricter standards to make it records. who they should and shouldn’t ❱❱ PAGE 28 Where you

www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
Feral cats roaming N.L. island face uncertain
future as humans prepare exit
BY HOLLY MCKENZIE-
SUTTER
The Canadian Press
JOHN’S, N.L. — Animal lovers
in Newfoundland and Labrador
are seeking help for dozens of
feral cats facing an uncertain
future as the humans in the
small town where they prowl
prepare to relocate.
Residents of Little Bay Is-
lands have voted to resettle the
community, and they have until
the end of the year to move be-
fore electricity, maintenance
and other government services
are withdrawn.
Little Bay Islands, off New-
foundland’s northern coast, is
one of many rural communi-
ties in the province faced with
a dwindling population and dif-
ficult choices — the 2016 census
recorded just 71 people living in
the town.
As residents grapple with the
prospect of leaving their homes
behind, the question of what
Change approach to diagnosing autism to ease wait times, stress: doctor
BY CAMILLE BAINS
The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — Lindsay Rob-
erts is home-schooling her
son, not by choice but because
the five-year-old boy would be
prone to hitting people, scream-
ing and suddenly running away
if he became overstimulated in a
classroom without any support.
“My little guy couldn’t start
kindergarten because he can’t
access support without a diag-
nosis,” said Roberts, whose son
Colton is showing symptoms of
autism, the same neurodevelop-
mental disorder that affects his
eight-year-old brother, Travis.
So far, Colton has seen a pe-
diatrician he was referred to
by his family doctor but is still
waiting to see another special-
ist who could assess and diag-
nose his condition.
“The wait list for the pediatri-
cian is a year and then the wait
list for the actual assessment
with the psychiatrist is another
year to 18 months,” said Roberts,
who lives in Lake Country, B.C.
will happen to the feral felines
remains.
Carol Hull, in the midst of
planning her own move, said
that as residents have moved
away over the years, some have
left their cats. Many of the ani-
mals had not been neutered,
and Hull said this has produced
a lasting population of “semi-
feral” cats. She estimates there
are between 35 and 40 living in
the community.
Hull has been caring for some
of the cats, feeding those that
come by her property. She’s also
rescued some kittens and tried
to facilitate adoptions. But
some of the cats are too wild to
be adopted, she said, and time is
running out before the human
caretakers the cats have come
to rely on are forced to leave.
“I can’t take them all with
me,” Hull said by phone.
Animal welfare groups in
other parts of Newfoundland
have become involved in the
campaign to domesticate and
find homes for some of the ani-
“The system doesn’t offer
support until the child is sus-
pended many times or expelled.
Then we can apply for sup-
port but that’s really hard on a
child’s self-esteem.”
Many parents choose to jump
the public queue by getting a
private assessment but that’s
not possible for those who can’t
afford the extra expense, Rob-
ertson said, adding funding for
autistic children is not available
until after a diagnosis and can’t
be used to pay for assessments
retroactively.
Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum,
chair of the Canadian Pediatric
Society’s task force on autism
spectrum disorders, said the in-
creasing prevalence of the condi-
tion calls for general pediatricians
and other primary health-care
providers to be trained and sup-
ported to assess and diagnose it
and provide follow-up care.
“There have been pockets of
innovation in Canada, really
demonstrating that it’s possible
to support community pedia-
tricians to do some of that as-
sessment work,” he said, adding
mals. The Exploits Valley SPCA
has started a social media cam-
paign showcasing the 14 cats
rescued from the community
so far.
In a Facebook post earlier
this month, the group high-
lighted the feral cat problem
that isn’t unique to the small
town, saying that rescue orga-
nizations across the province
are “overwhelmed” and unable
to make space for all the cats in
need.
“There’s a cat problem in New-
foundland and Labrador (and)
the entire world,” the Oct. 6 post
read. “Little Bay Islands is no ex-
ception, but it poses a problem
since it will soon be abandoned.”
The group said in its post that
some of the cats may starve if
the population is left to continue
growing on the island.
In following days, the SPCA
posted photos of some of the
14 Little Bay Islands cats, most
of them kittens, that have since
been adopted. But the rest of
the free-roaming felines have
that is the case in parts of On-
tario, British Columbia and, to
a lesser extent, in Alberta.
“This really needs to be part
of the standard of care in Cana-
da and to not do so contributes
to disparities in access and also
bottlenecks in the system and
likely contributes to lengthy
wait lists,” he said.
The involvement of a team of
health-care providers who as-
sess autism is not always nec-
essary and impractical in some
areas, Zwaigenbaum added.
The society has released
recommendations for a more
flexible diagnostic approach
that would include general pe-
diatricians, not just doctors
and psychiatrists licensed to do
so, using a range of resources
including screening tools and
a checklist for assessments in-
volving conditions that could
be associated with autism, such
as dental, vision and hearing
issues as well as sleep, anxiety
and ADHD.
Functional challenges that
could require physical, speech-
language and educational sup-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Lifestyle
less certain futures.
Hull said she thinks the gov-
ernment relocation policy
should involve some support
for abandoned animals. But she
worries that government in-
volvement could mean the cats
are just put down.
Instead, she’s hoping for a
bump in funding for animal
welfare groups willing to take
them in. Hull said as long as
ports are also considered, as
well as questionnaires for par-
ents and teachers, and deter-
mining whether families are
getting help with any social as-
sistance needs.
Zwaigenbaum said the ap-
proach would address concerns
about lack of access in rural and
remote regions where devel-
opmental pediatricians aren’t
available when parents become
concerned about developmen-
tal issues including lack of re-
sponse when a child’s name is
said, delay in language and lim-
ited eye contact.
“You may not even have a pe-
diatrician in town so trying to
come up with a more flexible
diagnostic assessment system
that can be applied across the
diversity of settings in Canada,
I think, was really an explicit
goal of this task force,” he said.
Zwaigenbaum said all chil-
dren should be monitored for
early behavioural signs of au-
tism spectrum disorder during
doctors’ visits regarding their
development.
The aim is to use the recom-
27
volunteers are willing to help
her round up the cats, she’ll re-
turn as many times as it takes to
secure their future.
“The main thing to us is
(to avoid) the destruction of
healthy animals,” she said.
“I’m willing to leave my new
home, wherever, and come out
here every day of the week as
long as there’s a rescue group
on that boat with me.” ■
mendations as a blueprint for
autism care in medical school
residency programs as well as
continuing education courses,
Zwaigenbaum said.
The society says autism spec-
trum disorder affects one in 66
Canadians aged five to 17, with
boys diagnosed four times more
often than girls.
Susan Watts, a family support
representative for Autism Can-
ada, said the society’s position
on the role of general pediatri-
cians would allow for earlier di-
agnosis, reducing stress among
children and parents involving
a condition that can affect their
daily lives in profound ways.
Watts said a patchwork of
diagnostic approaches exists
across the country, with Que-
bec licensing only psychiatrists
to diagnose autism while the
requirements in other jurisdic-
tions are not as strict.
That means children who
moves from one province to
another after being diagnosed
may have to be rediagnosed and
go through the waiting process
all over again, she said. ■
28
Where you...
❰❰ 26 up to 28,000 more
donated organs a year.
Objectively evalu-
ating OPOs is one key to that
goal but even if the estimate is
too high, “every single donation
we recover is another life saved
and makes it worth it,” said
Greg Segal of the transplant ad-
vocacy group Organize, whose
father waited five years for a
heart transplant.
Spurring change
The recent spike in drug
overdose deaths has increased
donors. Some OPOs are aggres-
sively looking for additional
boosts.
LifeCenter Northwest —
which serves Washington state,
Alaska, Montana and northern
Idaho — has doubled the num-
ber of organs transplanted from
area donors to 878 last year, up
from 440 in 2009, before CEO
Kevin O’Connor arrived.
It focuses on organs often
considered too difficult to re-
cover — not those taken from
brain-dead donors, which are
most common, but from people
who die when their heart stops
beating. O’Connor staged “mock
donations” to train donor hos-
pitals and his own employees
to handle those complex cases.
Nationally, they make up about
19% of donations; at LifeCenter,
they’re 29%.
At LifeGift in Houston, where
donors are up about 40 per cent
since 2013, CEO Kevin Myer
has hired dozens of new em-
ployees to reach far-flung hos-
pitals faster. Increasing dona-
tion “comes down to how good
your staff are and how many
people you have to get to the
hospitals and take care of peo-
ple who are losing somebody,”
Myer said.
And in Hawaii, where lung
transplants aren’t offered so
donor lungs often go unrecov-
ered, Legacy of Life is testing a
new incubator to preserve the
organs for shipping long dis-
tances. The first pair was suc-
cessfully transplanted in North
Carolina more than 20 hours
after donation.
How to measure success
Today, OPOs report to Medi-
care how many deaths they
classify “eligible” for donation,
the baseline. That’s supposed
to include hospital referrals
of brain-dead patients 75 and
younger without disqualifying
diseases. Comparing that de-
Lifestyle
nominator with the OPO’s actu-
al donors measures its success.
“I’m always stunned at the
variability” in how many eli-
gible deaths OPOs of similar
sizes report, said Diane Brock-
meier, director of Mid-Amer-
ica Transplant Services in St.
Louis, who supports the death
record-based standard.
But different OPOs can de-
fine eligibility differently.
There are disincentives to pur-
suing every organ.
And sometimes there are
breakdowns. Dr. Dorry Segev,
a Johns Hopkins University
transplant surgeon, described “a
very depressing and disappoint-
ing case” where several patients
were promised a young donor’s
organs only to have the offers
rescinded a few hours later. The
OPO, in another state, couldn’t
find a local surgeon to recover
the organs — and didn’t give the
recipients’ surgeons a chance to
fly in and do it themselves.
Then there’s the role of trans-
plant centres, which are graded
on how well their patients re-
cover after surgery without
taking into account how many
die on the waiting list. When
local transplant centres refuse
less-than-perfect organs, OPOs
can be reluctant to collect them
because they may not find a re-
cipient elsewhere.
“The metrics are driving the
wrong behaviours,” said the
kidney foundation’s Longino,
who says transplant centres
must be held accountable, too.
“If 60-year-olds are not be-
ing given a 60-year-old kidney
that’s in good working order,
not being given that choice,
that’s a problem. And they’re
not.”
A recent study suggests U.S.
transplant centres are too
picky. Surgeons in France reg-
ularly implant lower-quality
kidneys from older donors than
their American counterparts,
with success. Medicare recent-
ly took a small step to counter
transplant centre reluctance.
On the donation side, many
OPOs and patient groups see
value in reform that bases OPO
success on the largest possible
pool of donors, an easy-to-track
number.
But some OPO leaders are
lobbying for a different mea-
sure, one whittled down to just
people on ventilators. Some
Midwestern OPOs are testing
that approach.
“We are troubled by some of
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
Victim speaks out
these broad-based, easy-to-calcu-
late numbers not portraying a pic-
ture of what potential donation
for first time about
might be,” said Susan Gunderson,
CEO of LifeSource Upper Mid-
west OPO in Minneapolis.
‘Slender Man’ attack
Patients languish on the THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Geyser and Weier were
waiting list charged as adults and eventu-
More donors can’t come ally pleaded guilty, with Geyser
quickly enough for waiting pa- MILWAUKEE — A Wiscon- receiving a harsher sentence
tients, especially those caught sin girl who was lured into because she was the one who
in a legal battle over how to dis- the woods by two friends and did the actual stabbing, accord-
tribute scarce livers. For nine stabbed 19 times in an effort ing to prosecutors. Geyser was
days earlier this year, a new to please a fictional horror ordered to spend 40 years in a
national policy meant hospitals character called Slender Man mental institution. Weier was
that once got first dibs for liv- said she’s come to terms with committed to a mental health
ers donated nearby instead saw aspects of the attack but still facility for 25 years.
the organs shipped to sicker sleeps with broken scissors Leutner told ABC News that
patients up to 500 miles away, “just in case.” charging her attackers as adults
with pediatric donations ear- In her first interview about was the right decision.
marked for sick children. Then the 2014 attack, which is set to “If they had stolen a candy
a federal judge put the new air Friday, Payton Leutner told bar, sure that’s a child. But you
rules on hold . ABC News that despite her lin- tried to kill somebody. That’s an
In Pennsylvania, toddler Ev- gering trauma, she has “come adult crime,” she said.
elyn Yargar got a new liver dur- to accept all of Leutner said
ing that window, from a teen the scars that I she doesn’t want
who died several states away. have.” to see or talk to
A few days later and the organ “It’s just a part Geyser and Wei-
might have gone to an adult in- of me,” she said. er again, and that
stead. And because University Leutner was what Geyser did
of Pittsburgh surgeons knew 12 when two of was “probably
14-month-old Evelyn needed her 12-year-old I didn’t unforgivable.”
just a small piece of that liver, friends, Mor- have a plan She said she
which can grow into a fully gan Geyser and when I was wasn’t surprised
functioning organ, an adult in Anissa Weier, 12, and when she heard
still another state got the rest. lured her from now I do about Geyser’s
“I just don’t understand a sleepover to a because of motive “because
why a child can’t have a part nearby wooded everything she believed so
of any donor’s liver,” said Ev- park in the Mil- that I went hard in this thing
elyn’s mother, Bobbi Yargar of waukee suburb through. that she would
Charleroi, Pennsylvania. of Waukesha, in- do anything for
However the court fight turns vestigators said. it.” Still, she said
out, only a bigger supply will In the ABC in- “it was a little
ease struggles over organ distri- terview, Leutner shocking to me
bution. And if Medicare chang- recalled how, to see that they
es performance standards, that before the stab- had this big,
won’t make OPOs collect more bing, Weier told huge plan that
organs overnight. her to lay down they had been
“I don’t think there’s another on the ground and cover herself working on for months.”
30,000 organs out there lying with sticks and leaves to hide, as Even though she doesn’t
around to get transplanted,” part of what Leutner believed want to talk to her attackers
cautioned Brockmeier, the to be a game of hide-and-seek. again, Leutner surprised her-
Mid-America chief. Still, she “But it was really just a trick self when asked what she would
knows her own OPO could im- to get me down there,” Leutner say to Geyser if she did speak to
prove, and she called on others said. her.
to “stop battling over what the With Leutner on the ground, “I would probably, initially
metric is and decide what we’re Geyser stabbed her 19 times be- thank her,” Leutner said. “I
going to do to maximize dona- fore she and Weier left Leutner would say, ‘Just because of what
tion.” ■ for dead. Leutner said she even- she did, I have the life I have
tually got up, grabbed trees for now. I really, really like it and I
AP’s analysis used a mortality support, and made her way to have a plan. I didn’t have a plan
database from the Centers for a nearby road where a bicyclist when I was 12, and now I do be-
Disease Control and Preven- found her and called for help. cause of everything that I went
tion to calculate deaths involv- The case drew widespread at- through.’”
ing hospital in-patients under tention because of how young Leutner, now 17, is a high
75 from causes consistent with the girls were, how vicious the school senior and plans to at-
donation for every OPO except attack was and because the tend college in 2020. She wants
Puerto Rico’s. Dividing the ac- two attackers said they did it to pursue a medical career,
tual number of donors by those because they believed Slen- which she said is a goal inspired
counts yields a comparable suc- der Man would otherwise hurt by what happened to her. ■
cess rate. them and their families.
www.canadianinquirer.net
 29

Marestella Torres-Sunang 70% ready
for 30th SEAG Games
PHILIPPINE NEWS
AGENCY
CAPAS, TARLAC — Veteran
long-jumper Marestella Tor-
res-Sunang believes that she
has now reached at least 70
percent of her peak in perfor-
mance as she ruled the women’s
long jump of the 30th South-
east Asian Games (SEA Games)
athletics test event at the New
Clark City (NCC) Athletics Sta-
dium on Saturday.
“Sa December, kailangan
nanduon na (By December,
I should be ready),” said the
38-year-old Torres-Sunang,
who is on her seventh SEA
Sports
eigners. Hindi naman namin
ito focus kasi, siningit lang ito
sa training (I practiced here
already. But this time, we have
foreign rivals. It’s not really our
focus, it was just included in our
training),” said Torres-Sunang,
who set a national record of
6.72 meters which qualified her
to the Rio Olympics three years
ago.
Thai bet Parinya Chuaima-
roeng settled for the silver with
her 6.17-meter performance on
her fifth attempt, while Viet-
namese standout Thi Ngoc Ha
Vu took the bronze (6.02 me-
ters) on her first try.
Torres-Sunang’s feat came
as defending women’s discus
sters are for the biennial meet
which the country will host for
the fourth time.
The Philippines will field
72-member athletics’ team
which put their skills to test
against opponents from Thai-
land, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Among the Philippines’
toughest challengers is top
Vietnamese sprinter Trân Thi
Yên Hoa, who will defend her
crown in the women’s 100-me-
ter hurdles.
Hoa showed up at the 20,000-
seat New Clark City athletics’
stadium all by herself and is get-
ting ready to face Filipino bets
Melissa Escoton and Jelly Di-
ane in today’s running events. Long jump take off board. SANTERI VIINAMÄKI, CC BY-SA 4.0

Games stint.
During the test event at the
newly-built 20,000-seater NCC
Athletics Stadium, Torres-Su-
nang leaped a distance of 6.2
meters on her fourth attempt to
win the gold medal.
In beating her Thai and Viet-
namese rivals for the gold, Tor-
res-Sunang moved closer to her
target, which is the 6.45-me-
ter mark that earned her the
bronze medal back in the 2017
SEA Games.
“Nag-practice na ako dito.
Pero this time, may mga for-
throw champion Insaeng Sub-
enrat of Thailand heaved a
mind-boggling 56.99 meters for
the gold medal.
Subenrat’s feat surpassed
the 55.23-meter heave which
won her the gold medal in the
2017 SEA Games, with Filipino
bets Daniella Daynata and Aira
Teodosio came up with heaves
of 38.53 and 37.49 meters re-
spectively for second and third
places.
The two-day test event in
athletics is expected to show
how ready the Filipino track-
Two years ago, Hoa took the
gold in 13.4 seconds, and early
this year, she had a slower time
of 13.79 seconds in the Viet-
namese national champion-
ships.
Escoton, who had a time of
14.19 seconds in the recent PA-
TAFA Weekly Relays, is her
closest foe.
Twenty-four of the total 48
athletics’ events in the SEA
Games will be played in the test
events
In diving at the NCC Aquatic
Center, Koh Hui Yan of Ma-
laysia took the women’s indi-
vidual platform honors with
11.8 points, beating Jana Mary
Villaflor of the Philippines (8.4
points).
Malaysians Muhammad
Syahmi Mohd Rezal and Mo-
hammad Haris Mohd Rezal
took a 1-2 finish in the men’s
3-m springboard individual fi-
nals.
The 30th SEA Games hosting
is supported by: Platinum spon-
sors — Ajinomoto, Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Cor-
poration, MG Cars, Philippine
Airlines, Skyworth and CooCaa.
Gold Sponsors — MasterCard,
Milo, Pocari Sweat, NLEX, PIn-
co and Razer. Preferred — Asics,
SM Lifestyle Inc. and BMW.
Prestige — Molten and Mikasa.
Banking Partners — Chinabank
and PNB. Media Partners —
Bombo Radyo, Star FM and the
Inquirer Group, CNN, United
Neon and DOOH. Host Broad-
caster — NEP. Official broad-
caster — Sports and Action, TV
5, Cignal, ESPN and PTV 4. ■

Wally helps PH wushu team to 4

medals in world championship
BY PIGEON LOBIEN
Philippine News Agency
BAGUIO CITY — Cordilleran
fighter Divine Wally settled for
a bronze medal and helped the
Philippine Wushu Team to a
two silver, two bronze haul at
the 15th World Wushu Cham-
pionships (WWC) in Shanghai,
China from October 19 to 24.
Wally fell to eventual winner
Nguyen Thi Chinh in the semi-
finals of the 48-kilogram divi-
DIVINE M. WALLY / FACEBOOK sion of wushu sanda (contact
category) to settle for a bronze
in a tie with Turkey’s Hayriye
Turksoy who lost to Egypt’s
Yasmin Salim in the other semi-
finals on Wednesday.
Salim went on to lose to
Nguyen in the final round.
In what could be a preview
of the Southeast Asian Games
(SEAG) finals in December,
Wally was outstretched by the
Vietnamese.
“Hindi ko po alam kung siya
ang ipapadala sa Seagames (I
don’t know if she will be the
one to play in the SEA Games),”
Wally told Philippine News
Agency (PNA) through Face-
book messenger on Friday.
“Things didn’t work out the
way I wanted, feels uncomfort-
able. Father help me handle it,”
Wally wrote on her FB wall af-
ter losing in the semis last on
October 23.
Two male sanda players lost
in the finals to settle for silver.
Russel Diaz lost in the finals
of the 48-kilogram (kg.) divi-
sion to India’s Praveen Kumar
❱❱ PAGE 35 Wally helps

www.canadianinquirer.net
30
Economist sees PH growth
recovery starting Q3 ‘19
BY JOANN VILLANUEVA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Improvement in
government expenditures is
expected to boost domestic
growth to the 6 percent level
starting in the third quarter of
2019 after the slowdown in the
first half, according to an econ-
omist of a local bank.
In a reply to e-mailed ques-
tions from the Philippine News
Agency (PNA), Michael Rica-
fort of Rizal Commercial Bank-
ing Corporation (RCBC) said
the hike in government expen-
ditures “could already reflect
government’s catch up spend-
ing, especially on major infra-
structure projects finally taking
effect.”
Following the delay in the
approval of this year’s national
budget, which was only signed
into law mid-April, domestic
growth, as measured by gross
domestic product (GPD), de-
celerated to 5.6 percent in the
first quarter of the year from
6.3 percent in the last quarter
of 2018.
Growth further slowed to 5.5
percent in the second quarter,
bringing the first half output
PH firms urged to use licensed computer software
BY ADRIAN CARLO
HERICO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — A partnership be-
tween software industry group
Business Software Alliance
(BSA) and the Optical Media
Board (OMB) plans to elimi-
nate the use of illegal software
among Philippine businesses,
citing risks to corporate secu-
rity and reputation.
In a briefing Monday, BSA
Senior Director for the Asia-
Pacific Region Tarun Sawney
said the widespread use of unli-
censed software in the country
Business
to 5.5 percent, lower than the
government’s 6-7percent target
band.
The government thus imple-
mented a catch-up spending
program, which tasked both the
Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH) and the
Department of Transportation
(DOTr) particularly to hasten
the implementation of their
respective infrastructure proj-
ects.
Economic managers believe
that this catch-up spending
program would allow the do-
mestic economy to post better
results in the second half of
this year and meet the full-year
growth target.
With government spending
growth posting an upsurge last
September, Ricafort forecasts
some pickup in growth in both
the third and fourth quarters
“possibly above +6 percent.”
“Thus, the GDP growth tar-
get of at least 6 percent for 2019
remains achievable, provided
that the rapid increase in gov-
ernment spending, especially
the catch up spending on major
infrastructure projects, is sus-
tained for the rest of the year,”
he said.
Bureau of the Treasury (BTr)
exposes companies to various
cyber threats such as data theft,
ransomware, and network at-
tacks.
“If you use unlicensed soft-
ware, it would not be so much
as illegal risk anymore like it
was 10 years ago where you
have to go to court and answer
for infringing copyright. The
biggest danger you now have
is for your whole business, to
your reputation. If you use un-
licensed software, you do not
have a first line of protection
against cybercrime,” he said.
As a result, businesses suffer
losses from expenses on fixing
system outages, downtime and
data show that state spend-
ing jumped by 39.01 percent to
PHP415.1 billion year-on-year
last September, a far cry from
the 8.78-percent growth last
August.
In the first nine months
this year, spending grew by
5.5 percent to PHP2.626 tril-
lion which, however, was short
of the PHP2.684 trillion pro-
grammed for the period.
Ricafort noted the drop in lo-
cal interest rates, after a total
of 75 basis points reduction in
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’
(BSP) key policy rates so far
disinfecting their networks.
The Philippines has a 64-per-
cent rate of unlicensed soft-
ware use among its businesses,
which also increases the poten-
tial for malware infections due
to lack of security features such
as software patches and techni-
cal support.
A campaign of the BSA earlier
this year found that out of 6,220
companies they have contact-
ed, only 1,375 companies or 22
percent switched to legal ver-
sions of their software.
“Licensed software does not
guarantee you that you will not
be hacked, or you will not be a
victim of malware. But if you
www.canadianinquirer.net
this year, is a plus for the do-
mestic economy.
Another boost to domestic
growth is the series of cuts in
banks’ reserve requirement ra-
tio (RRR), with that of the big
banks slashed by a total of 400
basis points.
“This could have also started
encouraging borrowers such as
business, consumers, govern-
ment, and other institutions
to become more aggressive in
their borrowing/financing ac-
tivities that could lead to more
investments, spending, greater
economic activities, and faster
have unlicensed software, you’re
almost guaranteeing you will fall
victim to this,” he added.
OMB Chairman lawyer An-
selmo Adriano urged Filipino
companies to only use comput-
er software that has a proper li-
cense and shun the use of illegal
software.
The main program of the
partnership is the Clean Up
to the Countdown campaign,
which seeks to encourage
10,000 local companies from a
wide range of industries to pur-
chase legal copies of unlicensed
software that they are using.
Under the campaign, the BSA
is contacting thousands of cor-
economic/GDP growth,” Rica-
fort further said.
“Going forward, the national
government’s catch up spend-
ing on infrastructure to make
up for the economic slowdown
earlier in 2019 as well as its
cash-based budgeting system
(with a 1-year validity) would
further help accelerate infra-
structure spending in the com-
ing months and could even
spill over into next year (2020),
thereby the benefits of faster
economic/GDP growth could
even be better reflected by
then,” he added. ■
porate leaders to offer guidance
and advice in addressing the use
of illegal software in workplaces
and make them compliant with
intellectual property laws.
The campaign is part of Le-
galize and Protect initiative
launched earlier this year by
the BSA, which has helped
thousands of Philippine com-
panies to legalize their software
assets and secure themselves
from cyber threats.
The BSA is an international
group composed of companies
that produce software for vari-
ous business applications, with
Microsoft, Adobe and IBM as
some of its global members. ■
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
Cash aid for Election results means
farmers most more tax for foreign buyers,
affected by rice little change on mortgages
tariffication mulled
BY JOANN VILLANUEVA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The cash assistance
for farmers to address the im-
pact of the Rice Tariffication
Law (RTL) will cover only the
most affected ones, Finance
Secretary Carlos Dominguez
III said on Wednesday night.
During a press briefing after
the meeting of the Economic
Development Cluster (EDC)
in Manila, Dominguez said of-
ficials of the Department of
Agriculture (DA) did not bring
up the issue of rice tariffication
at the meeting but the group
discussed the issue of the cash
transfer for affected sectors.
The Finance chief said he has
received reports that not all ar-
eas in the country experienced
a drop in the farmgate price of
rice so it has been raised that
the cash aid will be given only
to the most affected farmers.
He also noted that based
on statistics, the rice prices in
Mindanao “seem to be holding
up.”
Dominguez said authorities
are still checking the reports.
“They’re still determining
who are the most affected farm-
ers and determining how much
they will provide assistance to
them,” he added.
Dominguez said authorities
are also checking on where to
source the budget for the cash
assistance.
Reports said the farmgate
price of rice has declined by
about PHP7 per kilo from an
average of about PHP20 per
kilo at the start of the year fol-
lowing the RTL which took ef-
fect last March.
Last year, the government
pushed for rice tariffication to
end the quota system and boost
domestic supply after the low
rice supply resulted in the up-
tick in the price of the staple
food and surge of inflation rate
to 6.7 percent in September and
October last year.
Due to the elevated inflation
rate last year, the Bangko Sen-
tral ng Pilipinas (BSP) slashed
its key policy rates by a total of
175 basis points.
The government boosted
domestic rice supply, among
others, by releasing rice stocks
from all National Food Author-
ity (NFA) warehouses nation-
wide.
The combination of these
monetary and non-monetary
measures has resulted in the
drop of inflation rate to 0.9
percent last September, which
brought the nine-month aver-
age to 2.9 percent, at the lower
half of the government’s 2- per-
cent to 4-percent target band.
Dominguez said authorities
are also considering to give
beneficiaries of the Pantawid
Pamilyang Pilipino Program
(4Ps) rice as part of the sub-
sidy.
“That is a logistics problem so
they are working it out with the
DSWD (Department of Social
Welfare and Development) and
the NFA,” he said.
Also among the issues raised
in the implementation of rice
tariffication are the safeguard
duties, with some sectors call-
ing for higher rice tariff to
protect local farmers from the
flood of imported rice.
Agriculture Secretary Wil-
liam Dar earlier said they plan
to abandon the imposition of
safeguard duties and instead
want to extend a one-time
PHP5,000 cash assistance to
farmers.
Trade and Industry Secre-
tary Ramon Lopez said the
safeguard duties will increase
prices and, in turn, make infla-
tion faster.
Dominguez said this issue
was also not discussed during
the EDC meeting but noted
that “apparently they (DA offi-
cials) don’t have the confidence
in pushing this idea and maybe
they don’t have all the numbers
to their satisfaction.”
“To understand, all of this
decision-making has to be data
driven, okay. I’m sure the DA
is looking at the data so we’ll
certainly listen to them, if and
when they bring it back,” he
added. ■
Business 31
BY IAN BICKIS
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — The re-election
of Justin Trudeau’s Liberals on
Monday will likely result in po-
tential new barriers for foreign
real estate investors as well as
some help for first time buyer,
but not the more significant
changes that opposition parties
had promised.
Liberal promises on housing
included some expansion of
its first-time buyers assistance
program, and a one per cent
tax on vacant homes owned by
non-Canadians.
The Liberal minority victory
means there won’t be the more
aggressive stimulus promised
by opposition parties to relax nadians in the Toronto and also sees the vacancy tax as hav-
mortgage rules that would have Vancouver markets (among ing little effect.
led to higher home prices, said others). However, the measures He would like to see Liberals
John Pasalis, president of the in the Liberal platform are only improve on the national hous-
Toronto-based firm Realoso- likely to add further fuel to ing strategy they brought for-
phy Realty Inc. prices at a time when the mar- ward in the last term, which he
“The big thing is certainly ket has already been gaining said was the first federal mod-
that we’re not going to see the strength.” ern effort to bring all three lev-
demand-side stimulus that was He said the higher price cap els of government together to
promised by both the NDP and in major cities for the Liberal’s address housing shortages.
the Conservatives in the form first-time buyer program could “I believe now they’ll prob-
of longer amortization and po- provide short-term relief to ably move it farther along in
tential easing of the stress test. buyers, but modeling shows terms of its ability to bring
That’s a good thing because that together with existing pro- more housing to our biggest cit-
those policies would have prob- grams, it could help drive home ies.”
ably just pushed In 2017, the
prices up fur- Liberals intro-
ther.” duced a 10-year,
The vacancy $55-billion
tax, modeled on Housing affordability remains a housing strat-
one already in major concern for Canadians in the egy to build
place in British Toronto and Vancouver markets up to 125,000
Columbia, could (among others). units. The NDP
also help limit pledged in this
home price in- election to build
creases, he said. 500,000 afford-
“That policy could end up prices two to three per cent able homes over 10 years.
having a pretty big impact on higher over the next few years Soper said he would like to
the market both in Toronto and than they would otherwise be. see the federal government use
in other regions that have had a The Liberal’s first-time buyer its funding influence on other
big uptick in investor demand, program provides a loan of up levels of government, like it
like Montreal and Ottawa…it’s to 10 per cent of the home’s val- does in transit or health care, to
kind of what we need right now, ue. The amount to be paid back reduce development costs and
to cool things down rather than is determined on the value of time for all types of housing.
heat things up.” the home at the time of repay- “I think it will very much be
While the new tax could have ment. an issue for the new govern-
some effect, overall there is Phil Soper, president of Royal ment, and unlike energy and
little relief for housing afford- LePage, said he wasn’t sup- the environment, it will be one
ability, said Brian DePratto, se- portive of the Conservative’s in which consensus will be eas-
nior economist at TD Bank, in a plan to cut the mortgage stress ier to reach. So it may be one of
note. test because supply need to be those files that gets surprising
“Housing affordability re- addressed before government attention so they can chalk up
mains a major concern for Ca- props up more demand, but some wins.” ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
32
Technology is remaking how we see the ancient
art of theatre
BY MARK KENNEDY
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — When James
Corden kicked off the Tony
Awards this year, his opening
number was a full-throated en-
dorsement of the live theatrical
experience.
“It’s live, we do it live, and ev-
ery single moment’s unrepeat-
able,” the late-night TV host
sang. “There is a visceral bliss
you only get in a theatre seeing
people do this.”
Turns out he wasn’t correct.
These days, you can watch a
Broadway musical from a sub-
way train seat. You can get your
stage fix at your local movie
theatre or hear a play while jog-
ging.
Theater just isn’t what it used
to be.
Media companies armed with
the latest in technology like
Fathom Events, Audible Inc.
and BroadwayHD are reshap-
ing the experience, evolving it
past the quaint notion of pa-
trons filing into an arena, turn-
ing off their phones and sitting
quietly in the dark.
Kicking yourself that you
never saw the musical “Kinky
Boots” or the play “Fleabag”?
Relaxe. Cinema distributor
Fathom has you covered. Can’t
wait for the live-action “Cats”
movie? Then watch a stage ver-
sion while cuddling your own
cat on th couch, thanks to digi-
tal theatre streaming network
BroadwayHD. Or, if you’re in a
more serious mood, put on your
headphones and listen to the
play “True West,” co-starring
Technology
Kit Harrington, via Audible. subsequent reach was much
“We’re really going into a wider than what was captured
place where I hope people look at the box office.
at what theatre is differently,” The Audible audio version of
said Kate Navin, who leads the her play has sold the equivalent
theatre initiative at Audible, of 26 sold-out weeks at Broad-
the world’s largest producer of way’s Booth Theatre, which
audiobooks and spoken-word seats 770. “The traditional ways
entertainment. of evaluating whether or not a
The prices can’t be beat: A run was successful don’t really
Fathom screening will cost you apply anymore,” said Navin.
$20, a monthly subscription to Audible has made a strong
BroadwayHD runs $8.99 and push into theatre, not only re-
an audio play costs $7.95 — all cording dozens of in-studio
a fraction of a Broadway ticket, plays but also commissioning
which can run you hundreds of writers and staging works at its
dollars. off-Broadway venue, the 400-
Broadcasting Broadway seat Minetta Lane Theatre. It
shows on TV is nothing new, is perfecting a form of theatre
of course. PBS’s “Great Per- without visuals.
formances” has been doing it Not everything on stage can
for 40 years. But BroadwayHD work as an audio download.
argues they’re using the latest Plays with big visual effects with the United Kingdom’s theatre, that is just an awesome
technology to make their shows are hard. So are farces. “But re- National Theater Live to put experience that you can’t rep-
pop. ally because theatre is the art of shows on 40-foot movie theatre licate at home,” said Ray Nutt,
If rivals rely on a few cameras language, a lot of it works,” said screens. CEO of Fathom.
capturing the stage from the Navin. “We’re not trying to re- Fathom, which is owned by BroadwayHD is hoping it that
same couple of angles, Broad- place the live experience. What the cinema chains AMC, Cin- it can, in fact, replicate exactly
wayHD promises the “best seat we really think this will do is ex- emark and Regal, offers fans a that — streaming full-length
in the house” for each and every pand the audience.” place to gather and celebrate, plays and musicals like “The
scene. For “42nd whether it’s Phantom of the Opera” and
Street,” it used coming dressed “Les Miserables” to your lap-
eight different as zombies to top, TV, phone or tablet. The
4K cameras, shot watch a season company was the first to live
three different We’re really going into a place ending episode broadcast a Broadway show
performances where I hope people look at what of “The Walk- — “She Loves Me” with Laura
and used extra theatre is differently. ing Dead,” get- Benanti — and recently cap-
footage to aug- ting romantic tured a big and bold production
ment them. watching the of “42nd Street” from London.
These media latest British Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie
companies are royal wedding Comley founded the company
also changing what success If Audible skips the optics in live (with tea and crumpets in 2015 with a focus on shows
means in the theatre world, favour of a private sonic drama, served) or cheering diversity at with limited runs — often with
which usually means total tick- Fathom embraces the visual a screening of “Kinky Boots.” a celebrity or two — as well as
ets sold. Carey Mulligan’s short and communal parts of theatre. “To see people sitting there shows that are closing immi-
run of “Girls & Boys” at the It distributes big Broadway applauding at the end of an act nently. They work carefully
small Minetta Lane Theatre in musicals like “Bandstand” and or at the end of a song as if they
2018 was well-received but its “Newsies” and often partners were there in that Broadway ❱❱ PAGE 38 Technology is
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2019
How tech and P500 paved the way
for ‘Pandalivery’
BY MA. CRISTINA
ARAYATA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Bicol region’s Pan-
dalivery — a delivery service
that is like a combination of
Lazada and Grab Food — began
with almost nothing except a
college student’s drive to start a
business.
“I started with just PHP500,
using a Facebook page (as a
platform), and my elder broth-
er’s motorcycle (to deliver
products),” Pandalivery Chief
Executive Officer and founder,
Jude Salvador Buelva, told the
Philippine News Agency (PNA)
in an interview.
That was in 2017, when his
parents did not like his idea that
it took him six months to con-
vince them to invest. In Janu-
ary 2018, the Pandalivery app
was born, which he outsourced.
Buelva described Pandalivery
as a “minimized Lazada, but for
the locals.”
“It’s a localized platform, not
just for the (app) users. It really
helps the province, online store
CannTrust laying...
❰❰ 18 ments if the employ-
ees are not recalled
within 35 weeks.
“This was a difficult deci-
sion, but it is imperative that
our workforce reflects the cur-
rent requirements of our busi-
ness,” said Robert Marcovitch,
CannTrust’s chairman and in-
terim chief executive officer, in
a statement.
“Reducing the Company’s
current operating expenses
supports our financial sustain-
ability, and places us in the
best position to fully resume
production upon the reinstate-
ment of our licenses. We look
forward to rehiring at that
time.”
The savings from these tem-
porary layoffs will be depen-
dent on the timing of employee
recalls pending reinstatement
of the company’s licenses by
Health Canada, CannTrust
said.
CannTrust has been mired
in turmoil since it disclosed in
July that Health Canada had
owners,” he said.
One could purchase various
items using the Pandalivery
app — from over-the-counter
medicines, clothes from “ukay-
ukay,” to groceries and food.
Pandalivery enables small
businesses to have an app to ex-
pand their market and sell their
products, he explained.
At present, Pandalivery op-
erates in the cities of Naga and
Legazpi, but Buelva targets to
roll this out soon in Daet, Ca-
marines Sur.
“We would like to uplift the
provinces using our services,”
he said.
The third year IT student
from Ateneo de Naga has 90
partners selling via the Pan-
dalivery app. From being on his
own and using his brother’s mo-
torcycle, he now has 15 driver-
partners and 10 dispatchers. He
gets an average of 120 orders
per day, too.
Buelva said partner-drivers
earn from commissions. “Some
of them earn an average of
PHP800, which is higher than
our PHP300 local minimum
wage,” he said.
discovered illicit cultivation in
unlicensed rooms at its Pelham,
Ont., greenhouse. The company
later terminated its chief ex-
ecutive “with cause” and asked
its chairman to resign after the
board discovered new informa-
tion during an internal inves-
tigation. Health Canada sus-
pended CannTrust’s licenses to
produce and sell cannabis were
suspended in September.
The company said it has sub-
mitted a detailed remediation
plan to Health Canada on Oct.
21. It expects to complete the
work described in the plan by
the end of the first quarter of
2020.
CannTrust’s remediation
plan includes an expended
internal training program, a
strengthened governance and
operations framework, and in-
frastructure enhancements.
It also includes its previously
announced plan to destroy $77
million worth of plants and
inventory that was not autho-
rized by CannTrust’s licence.
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR. Pandalivery founder and CEO Jude Buelva attends to an inquiry from one of the participants of
the IdeaSpace event in Makati City on Tuesday (Oct. 22, 2019). Buelva started his business venture with just PHP500.
One could order via the Pan-
dalivery from 10:30 a.m. to 11
p.m., for a minimum delivery
charge of PHP35, depending on
the distance.
The items displayed on the
app are those that are available
in the store owner’s stock. The
buyer could also choose the ex-
pected time of delivery.
In case of a defect in the items
purchased, Buelva said Pandal-
ivery would pick these up and
have these replaced by the store
owners. As part of customer
“CannTrust is confident that
its remediation plan addresses
all of the compliance issues
identified by Health Canada,”
said Marcovitch.
CannTrust also said that a
special committee has com-
pleted its investigation into the
causes of its non-compliance
with the Health Canada regula-
tions and made its report to the
board of directors.
The company said its probe
involved a comprehensive inde-
pendent review of CannTrust’s
email and other documents, as
well as interviews with current
and former employees, certain
members of senior manage-
ment and all members of the
current board of directors.
“Importantly, the special
committee’s investigation
found no evidence that any of
the remaining members of the
board were aware of or engaged
in any non-compliance issues,”
said Mark Dawber, chair of the
special committee, in a state-
ment. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
Technology
service, the items will be deliv-
ered back to the buyers, free of
charge, he said.
Buelva was at the IdeaSpace
event in Makati City last Tues-
day, where Pandalivery and
other startups showcased their
products.
“I joined the (IdeaSpace)
community because I like to
learn from them. I’m still a col-
lege student and I don’t have
so much of an entrepreneurial
mindset,” he said.
The young entrepreneur said
SC junks...
❰❰ 12 family.
Trillanes was being
sued as then chair-
man of the Senate Committee
on Civil Service, Government
Reorganization and Profes-
sional Regulation.
“With the closing of the 17th
Congress, the investigation into
Proposed Senate Resolution
No. 760 automatically ceased,
rendering this case moot as the
conflicting issue that may be
resolved by the court ceased
to exist,” the court en banc,
through Associate Justice Mar-
vic Leonen, said.
“This court also takes ju-
dicial notice that respondent
Trillanes has reached the end
of his two-year term as sena-
tor. Thus, petitioners’ prayer
for this court to permanently
prohibit from conducting an in-
vestigation into their supposed
conflict of interest has likewise
been rendered moot,” it added.
In a 39-page petition for cer-
tiorari and prohibition with
urgent application for the issu-
33
CRISTINA ARAYATA/PNA
he would like to reach more
provinces in the future, and
give small businesses a chance
to develop something without
spending too much.
He said those who would like
to partner with Pandalivery
may give him a call and see the
details in Pandalivery’s web-
site.
“(At Pandalivery), we priori-
tize the locals. We aim to pro-
vide them with more affordable
local retail products,” Buelva
said. ■
ance of a temporary restraining
order (TRO) and/or prelimi-
nary injunction filed on August
14, Calida asked the High Court
to issue a TRO on the conduct
of a legislative inquiry into the
alleged conflict of interest in
his stock ownership of Vigi-
lant Investigative and Security
Agency, Inc., which has mul-
timillion-peso contracts with
several government offices.
Calida also asked the SC to
declare as “void and unconsti-
tutional” Trillanes’ letters in-
viting him and his family to the
Senate as they were “issued in
respondent’s sole capacity only
or without the authority of the
Senate or any of its Commit-
tees.” ■
 NOVEMBER 1, 2019 34

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www.canadianinquirer.net

Foreign buyers
tour E. Visayas’
key destinations
BY ROEL AMAZONA
Philippine News Agency
TACLOBAN CITY — At least 11
foreign buyers visited Eastern
Visayas for their familiariza-
tion tour as part of the Philip-
pine Travel Exchange (Phitex)
held on Oct. 19 to 28 held in
Manila.
The 11 buyers are among the
more than 850 local and foreign
participants who took part in
the 2019 Phitex with the theme
“Philippine Tourism: Trailblaz-
ing Responsible Travel and In-
clusive Growth.”
On Sunday and Monday, the
group toured the Sohoton Cave
in Basey, Samar; Ulot Extreme
Torpedo Boat Ride in Paranas,
Samar; Kalanggaman Island
in Palompon, Leyte; and land-
marks in Tacloban City.
“This tour is an opportunity
for buyers from other countries
who chose Eastern Visayas for
a familiarization tour because
they wanted to market our dif-
ferent products here,” said Nor-
berto Numbre, Department of
Tourism Region 8 senior tour-
ism officer.
Foreign tourists are from
Australia, France, the US, India,
China, Spain, and Poland. They
View of the Sohoton Natural Bridge
ILOILO WANDERER / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CC BY-SA 4.0
Travel
met with local tour and hotel
operators to exchange contacts
and information on the services
they offer.
“We are hoping and expect-
ing that more foreign tourists
will visit the region after this,”
Numbre said in an interview
Tuesday.
“These buyers are actually
tour operators, who joined Phi-
tex because they wanted to go
to countries that they haven’t
marketed yet,” he added.
Phitex, which started in 1996,
is the country’s annual lead-
ing marketing event aimed at
strengthening the country’s
brand image and encouraging
the participants to promote af-
fordable and competitive tour-
ism packages.
The event hosts qualified
buyers all over the world to par-
ticipate in a one and half day’s
tabletop business appoint-
ments with Philippine sellers
and have actual experience of
what the country can offer as
a tourism destination through
pre/post tours.
Invited foreign buyers have
the opportunity to experience
the fun and excitement of the
multitude of activities during
the post tours to key Philippine
attractions and destinations. ■
PH ranks 8th among travelers’
favorite countries in the world
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Philippines is
eighth among the most favor-
ite countries in the world at
the annual Condé Nast Trav-
eler awards outranking popular
destinations such as Italy and
Japan.
The country was named in
the New York-based luxury and
travel magazine’s Top 20 Coun-
tries in the World by around
600,000 readers who registered
for the 2019 survey.
It scored 90.63, a little lower
than Indonesia which topped
the list at 92.78 points.
Wally helps...
❰❰ 29 while Arnel Mandal
bowed to Mahmoud
Atef of Egypt in the
52-kg. division.
Clemente Tabugara provid-
ed the country’s fourth medal
when he lost in the semifinals
of the 65-kg. division won by
Iran’s Efren Ahangarian as
Team Philippines finished 15th
in the 37-nation competition
won by China which had a 14-1-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Here are the countries that
earned a spot at the Condé Nast
Traveler readers most favorite
countries around the world.
1. Indonesia 92.78
2. Thailand 92.37
3. Portugal 91.94
4. Sri Lanka 91.79
5. South Africa 91.59
6. Peru 91.28
7. Greece 91.18
8. Philippines 90.63
9. Italy 90.62
10. Vietnam 90.46
11. Turkey 90.15
12. Japan 89.74
13. Mexico 89.7
14. Tanzania 89.62
15. Israel 89.54
16. Colombia 89.41
17. New Zealand 89.11
1 gold- silver- bronze haul.
Iran wound up second with
a 9-2-1 production followed by
Hong Kong (5-4-1).
Indonesia is the best placed
Southeast Asian nation with
3-0-1 that is good for fourth
while Malaysia came in with a
2-5-1 haul that is good for sixth,
while Vietnam wound up ninth
with a 1-4-4 tally.
Another Cordilleran, Gideon
35
18. Ireland 89.08
19. Cambodia 89.03
20. Croatia 88.83
The list of winners was re-
leased on October 7, 2019. In the
same Readers’ Choice Awards,
Boracay was named the best is-
land in Asia, with Palawan also
ranking 4th in the same cat-
egory.
The travel magazine de-
scribed Boracay “as close to a
tropical idyll as you’ll find in
Southeast Asia, with gentle
coastlines and made-for-Insta-
gram sunsets.”
“Fold in a thriving nightlife
scene, and you have one of the
top tourist spots in the region,”
it added.
Padua failed in his debut to
make podium.
The team is set to return to
Chengdu, Sichuan, China to
continue their training for the
SEA Games and fly home mid-
November for the games sched-
uled late November and early
December in various venues in
Manila, Clark in Angeles, Pam-
panga and Bulacan, among oth-
ers. ■
36
Estefania ends 20-year
drought for top MassKara
street dance plum
BY NANETTE
GUADALQUIVER
Philippine News Agency
BACOLOD CITY — The village
of Estefania emerged as the
big winner in the 40th Mass-
Kara Festival after bagging two
championship trophies in the
street and arena dance compe-
titions of the 40th MassKara
Festival over the weekend.
On Sunday night, Estefania
won the top prize, besting 13
other entries in the barangay
category, including last year’s
winner Barangay Tangub, and
pocketed PHP250,000 in cash
after a two-decade drought.
A crowd favorite, Estefania,
mentored by Jeodem Casabue-
na and Mark Philip Lamirez,
took home two special awards
— Best in Choreography and
Best in Concept — with a cash
prize of PHP10,000 each.
“We are blessed to have won
the championship. We have been
praying to God for this,” said Cas-
abuena, who now has five titles in
the barangay category.
DOT feted in Japan
for Boracay rehab
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Philippine gov-
ernment’s efforts in rehabili-
tating world-renowned island
resort Boracay continue receiv-
ing praises as the prestigious
Japan Tourism Awards (JTA)
feted the Department of Tour-
ism (DOT) on Thursday.
The award-giving body cited
the “socially advanced initia-
tives” of the agency in the re-
habilitation by taking a high
risk of closing and pursuing a
cohesive effort to implement
Boracay’s physical, social, envi-
ronmental and social recovery.
DOT Secretary Bernadette
Romulo-Puyat personally re-
ceived the Excellent Partner
Travel
His team steered Barangay
Granada to a three-peat in 2014,
2015 and 2016, and also won the
title for Barangay 18 in 2017.
Tangub, trained by 22-time
winner Segundo Jesus Cabalcar
Jr., settled for first runner-up to
win PHP175,000, and was named
Best in Mask, Best in Costume,
and Best in Original Music.
In 2018, Cabalcar, the reign-
ing champion of the choreog-
raphers’ dance showdown, also
frustrated Casabuena’s attempt
at a back-to-back win for Ba-
rangay 18.
Other winners were Baran-
gay 16, second runner-up, with
PHP150,000; Barangay Banago,
third runner-up, PHP100,000;
and Bata, fourth runner-up,
PHP75,000.
On Saturday, Estefania El-
ementary School dominated
the field of seven entries in the
school elementary category.
It was followed by Education
and Training Center School
(ETCS)-III as first runner-
up; R.A. Medel Sr. Elementary
School, second runner-up;
and Jose Gonzaga Elementary
Award during the opening cer-
emonies of the Tourism Expo
Japan held at the Hyatt Regen-
cy Hotel in Osaka.
Puyat is elated that the recog-
nition came on the heels of the
World Travel Awards’ recogniz-
ing the DOT as Asia’s Leading
Tourism Board.
“We share this award with
the DENR (Department of
Environment and Natural Re-
sources) and DILG (Depart-
ment of the Interior and Local
Government). Our combined
efforts in the rehabilitation of
Boracay is still a work in prog-
ress, but already we are seeing
the rewards,” she said.
“Recently, Boracay was rec-
ognized as Asia’s Top Reader’s
Choice Award by Conde Nast
Traveler,” she added.
The award-giving body rec-
School, third runner-up.
In the high school level,
Mariano G. Medalla Integrat-
ed School captured this year’s
title, followed by Luisa Medel
National High School, first run-
ner-up; Angela Gonzaga High
School, second runner-up; and
Domingo Lacson National High
School, third runner-up.
Winners in both levels re-
ceived the following cash prizes:
champion, PHP150,000; first
runner-up, PHP100,000, sec-
ond runner-up, PHP75,000; and
third runner-up, PHP50,000.
Both Estefania ES and Mari-
ano G. Medalla IS won the
Best in Choreography, Best in
Concept, and Best in Original
Music awards while ETCS-III
and Luisa Medel NHS were
awarded Best in Mask and Best
in Costume, with a prize of
PHP10,000 for each award.
On Friday, Barangay Banago
was declared champion in the
Electric MassKara perform-
ing floats contest, followed by
Barangay 16 as first runner-up;
and Barangay 37, second run-
ner-up. ■
ognizes the efforts of tourism
organizations around the globe
that contribute to the devel-
opment and expansion of the
industry also honoring excep-
tional efforts of groups towards
sustainable tourism develop-
ment.
The awarding took place on
the sidelines of the 3rd Tourism
Expo Japan (TEJ) Ministerial
Round Table in collaboration
with the United Nations World
Tourism Organization (UN-
WTO) where the tourism chief
was invited to be one of the pan-
elists.
The said event was attended
by ministers of Tourism from
all over the world, executives
from international tourism or-
ganizations and governors of
prefectures of Japan. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
NegOcc’s Mambukal
Resort launches ‘river
dining’ day tour
BY NANETTE
GUADALQUIVER
Philippine News Agency
BACOLOD CITY — The pro-
vincial government-run Mam-
bukal Resort in Murcia, Negros
Occidental is offering a day
tour package dubbed “Kaon ta
sa Suba” (Let’s eat by the river)
every weekend.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lac-
son on Friday led the formal
opening of the resort’s newest
attraction with manager Ellen
Jalandoni.
“I’m inviting the Negrenses
to come visit here. This is the
latest innovation and improve-
ment in Mambukal Resort to
give Negrenses a place to gather
as a family or with friends, and
enjoy the scenery and good
food,” the governor said.
Lacson was joined by Col.
Romeo Baleros, director of the
Negros Occidental Police Pro-
vincial Office, and Brig. Gen.
Benedict Arevalo, commander
of the Philippine Army’s 303rd
Infantry Brigade, during the
luncheon.
Initially, a total of 20 tables
are available to accommodate
between 80 and 120 people.
"KAON TA SA SUBA" LAUNCHING. Gov. Bong Lacson led the official launching
of the "Kaon ta sa Suba", newest attraction at the provincial government-run
Mambukal Resort in Minoyan, Murcia.
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NEGROS OCCIDENTAL/FACEBOOK
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
“This is just phase one. Phase
two will be down there. I really
think more people will come
here,” Lacson said.
The day tour package, avail-
able on Saturdays and Sundays,
costs PHP499. It includes en-
trance to the resort, swimming
pools, dipping pool, and a hearty
Filipino buffet lunch by the river.
Jalandoni said the “Kaon ta
sa Suba” is part of the continu-
ing developments in the moun-
tain resort.
“We want to maximize the re-
sort’s potential. Mambukal has
been here for a long time so we
want to introduce innovation.
Visitors always look for some-
thing new. That’s how the idea
came about,” she added.
Jalandoni said they have put
a Negrense twist to the Filipino
dishes being served.
“Being a sugar capital, we
want to highlight the sugar-
cane. We have sugarcane juice
as our welcome drink. The
chicken inasal, which Bacolod
is known for, is marinated with
sugarcane,” she said.
Jalandoni said that before
the formal opening on Friday,
they have already accommo-
dated guests from Zamboanga,
Iloilo, and Batangas. ■

Confusion at the fish counter:
How to eat fish responsibly
BY JENNY WEITZMAN
Interdisciplinary PhD
Candidate Marine Affairs
Program Dalhousie University,
The Canadian Press
IT NOW seems absurd that
anyone once believed the ocean
was inexhaustable: fish stocks
are in dismal shape and scien-
tists say overfishing is a global
problem with potentially irre-
versible consequences to eco-
systems and human livelihoods.
Sustainability has become a
key driver of seafood consumer
choices, according to a 2018
survey by Globescan on behalf
of the Marine Stewardship
Council.
But no longer is a visit to the
local fish-and-chips restaurant
a simple choice between cod
and halibut. Consumers must
also weigh geography, catch
method and species in their
food order. When did eating
fish and chips get so compli-
cated?
As a researcher who studies
sustainable seafood, I also ask:
“Which fish should I be eat-
ing?”
Why eat fish?
Taste aside, there are numer-
ous health benefits to eating
seafood, both for your brain
and body.
Still, many Canadians remain
confused or frustrated by vary-
ing health claims or unclear
messages. They’re concerned
about mercury, microplastics
and genetically modified foods.
(A Health Canada assessment
concluded that the AquAdvan-
tage GMO salmon is safe for
consumption.)
It’s not surprising that many
consumers are confused. The
seafood industry is diverse and
very different than any other
meat industry in Canada.
For the most part, Canadians
only eat one species of chicken,
cow and pig. But an average
grocery store sells a myriad of
different species of fish and
shellfish. Seafood is also a truly
Food
global commodity.
While most chicken and beef
in North American supermar-
kets comes from Canada and
the United States, fish species
are imported from around the
world — and come from very
different growing conditions.
Choosing the right fish
Each consumer is different,
so there isn’t one fish that rules
them all. Consumers base their
decisions on a variety of quali-
ties — health, sustainability,
price and origin.
Health claims
Like apples or broccoli, many
consumers eat fish because it’s
healthy. Fatty fish like salmon
and mackerel are very high in
important nutrients and ome-
ga-3s.
Yet many health benefits
are often highly debated, and
claims can be confusing. That
healthy choice is sometimes
obscured by concerns over con-
taminants like mercury or the
use of antibiotics in aquacul-
ture.
Some consumers, especially
pregnant women or young chil-
dren, may want to avoid larger,
long-lived predatory fish like
swordfish and tuna that can
accumulate high levels of mer-
cury.
In many countries like Can-
ada and Norway, antibiotic use
in aquaculture has decreased
substantially in recent years,
yet it remains widespread else-
where.
Some consumers seek or-
ganic options because they are
grown without chemicals. In
Canada, there are some certi-
fied organic options for farmed
seafood, including organic
mussels.
Sustainability
With increasing overfishing
and declining ocean health,
many consumers seek sustain-
able seafood options.
Shellfish like mussels and
oysters are considered to have
the lowest environmental im-
pact since they have low energy
requirements and do not need
to be fed. In some cases, they
can even clean the water where
they are raised, potentially
helping protect or improve de-
graded waters.
Eating farmed fish helps re-
duce reliance on already vul-
nerable wild fish stocks. It also
has a lower carbon footprint
than terrestrial livestock farm-
ing. Yet debates about seafood
sustainability, especially aqua-
culture, continue.
Eco-certification labels, like
the Marine Stewardship Coun-
cil and the Aquaculture Stew-
ardship Council, help consum-
ers identify seafood caught
or grown in environmentally
friendly ways. Depending on
where you live, popular fish,
including some types of tuna,
salmon and halibut, have
earned a spot on the “avoid” list
of the Monterey Bay Aquari-
um’s Seafood Watch.
Supporting local
In recent years, some Cana-
dians have focused on eating
local to reduce their environ-
mental footprint and support
nearby producers. For many,
this means avoiding most
shrimp and opting for fish like
www.canadianinquirer.net
Canadian Atlantic salmon and
lobster if you live near the coast
or freshwater fish if you’re in-
land.
Consumers also need to
know that many homegrown fa-
vourites are also imported, like
Atlantic salmon from Norway
or Chile, or tilapia from China
or Indonesia.
Seeking affordability
While there are many great
domestic seafood options, sea-
food in Canada is surprisingly
expensive. Beyond taste, smell
and appearance, price is an en-
during priority for many Cana-
dians.
Canned fish like tuna is a
popular lower-priced option.
Fillets of haddock, tilapia and
farmed salmon are also afford-
able. Consumers seeking or-
ganic claims and eco-certifica-
tion labels will pay a premium.
No easy feat
When it comes to fish, food
labels have been unhelpful to
consumers. Producers are only
required to show the common
name of the fish (potentially
lumping many different species
into a common name like tuna,
shrimp or rockfish) and the ori-
gin of the packaged or fresh fish
37
product.
To complicate matters, the
so-called origin of a fish is de-
fined as the place where it was
last “transformed” into a fillet
or boxed. For example, a fish
caught in Canadian waters but
sent to China for packaging
could say “Product of China.”
The origin thus doesn’t neces-
sarily indicate where the fish
was caught or farmed.
Recent investigations into
fish species and origins by the
conservation group Oceana
have found that seafood prod-
ucts in Canadian grocery stores
and restaurants are often mis-
labelled. For example, of the
472 seafood samples tested
between 2017 and 2019, 47 per
cent were labelled as some-
thing else. Red snapper was of-
ten substituted with tilapia and
wild fish were replaced with
farmed fish.
As Canadian consumers, we
have a responsibility to demand
more information about where
and how fish reaches our tables
and encouraging labelling re-
quirements and responsible
practices. ■
This article is republished from
The Conversation under a Cre-
ative Commons license.
38
Camiguin celebrates
Lanzones fest; 4th most
competitive province
BY JIGGER JERUSALEM
Philippine News Agency
MAMBAJAO, CAMIGUIN —
This year’s annual Lanzones
Festival has become more fes-
tive as the island-province is
also celebrating its win in the
national award for local govern-
ment units with best practices.
The 40th Lanzones Festival
is one of the island’s major at-
tractions and was established
to celebrate the bounty of the
lanzones fruit, considered as
the sweetest in the country.
Among the highlights of the
festivities is the street dancing
competition held in Mambajao
on Saturday.
Camiguin, according to Gov.
Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, was
named the fourth Most Com-
petitive Province in the Cities
and Municipalities Competi-
tiveness Index Awards out of
the 84 provinces in the country.
The distinction, now its sev-
enth year, was bestowed on de-
serving LGUs by the Department
of Trade and Industry through
its Competitiveness Bureau.
In consonance to that award,
the province’s capital town
of Mambajao also bagged the
Most Competitive Municipali-
ty award for the 3rd to 6th Class
Municipalities category.
Aside from that, Mambajao
has won the Best in Economic
Dynamism and the 3rd place in
Government Efficiency for the
same category.
Awards are given to LGUs in
four categories, namely, 3rd to
6th class municipalities, 1st to
2nd class municipalities, com-
ponent cities, and highly urban-
Lanzones Festival, where the lanzones fruit is celebrated by the whole island
every third week Of October in Mambajao.
THEGLENNPALACIO/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CC BY-SA 4.0)
ized cities.
Romualdo said it has always
been their vision to develop the
island-province with sustain-
ability and environmental con-
sciousness in mind.
“We worked hard for this,”
he said, referring to the awards,
“to make Camiguin a better
place for us and for our guests.”
To realize this, he said
Camiguin had to take measures
that would ensure food and
power security for the island.
Romualdo said they are now
working to implement a prov-
ince-wide agriculture program
that would encourage Camigui-
nons to plant crops so they
would not have to depend on
mainland Mindanao for their
food requirement.
On its drive for a more fossil
fuel-free energy, the provincial
government will be putting up
solar panels and windmills on
the island, he said.
The province will also be regu-
lating its water supply starting
next year as a way to prevent a wa-
ter crisis that is being experienced
in Metro Manila at present.
“We will not wait for the time
that we will suffer because of
water shortage. We have to
act now,” the governor told
the crowd at the coronation of
‘Mutya sa Buhawanan’ beauty
pageant held at the provincial
capitol grounds Friday night.
With these future programs
in the pipeline, Romualdo
said it wouldn’t be a surprise
if Camiguin will reap more
awards.
“We will just keep on working
hard for the good of Camiguin,
for the good of its people,” he
added. ■
NOVEMBER 1, 2019 FRIDAY
Vancouver actress...
❰❰ 24 ing young adults with sideration.”
cancer is financial
man’s disease.” People won-
Those little things also in- dered — could it have been her
strain, says the report. clude a lack of resources. cellphone use? Stress?
Treatment and recovery affect Because so few young women Reilly says she’s taught her-
their ability to work, and not all are diagnosed with colon can- self to correct such thoughts
treatment costs are covered by cer, Reilly found “zero informa- and not cast blame.
public health care in Canada. tion” available on how the type These days she’s in good
In Reilly’s case, she was un- of chemo she was doing would health, but not without what
able to work for several months affect her reproductive system. she called “war wounds,” in-
prior to being diagnosed due to She and her husband didn’t cluding post-traumatic stress
her symptoms. want to take any chances, so disorder, which “rears its ugly
When she was diagnosed, they froze some of her eggs be- head every once in a while.”
she was in pre-production for fore her chemo started. Still, she counts herself “one
her second film, of the lucky
the human traf- ones.”
ficking short And she
“Coerced,” for doesn’t blame
which she was a Because of our age and sometimes doctors, noting
co-producer and our gender, there’s a bit of their bias comes
cast member. discrimination that happens there. from medical
Six weeks af- It’s a bias, I think, that’s taught to training.
ter surgery to doctors. She hopes that
remove her as- sharing her story
cending colon, will raise aware-
Reilly started ness about what
shooting that it’s like to have
film — in the same week she She also found a lack of sup- cancer as a young adult, and
started chemotherapy. port groups for cancer patients help others like herself so they
All this while she was trying to her age and struggled to find don’t feel alone.
build a life with her nearly-one- anyone she could identify with. She also hopes to encourage a
and-a-half-year-old daughter Eventually she was connected change in thinking in the medi-
and her then-husband of four with YACC and attended one cal community.
years. of their retreats, which she said “I just hope that those in the
“I feel I lost almost a year changed her life. medical community will look at
with my daughter when she was Reilly also grappled with the individual cases without the
a baby,” Reilly says. speculation from others and bias, just for what they are and
“I lost a couple of years of ca- even from herself, on how realize that there are exceptions
reer growth that all my peers someone so young and in good to the rules,” Reilly says.
had. It’s all these little things physical shape could get what’s “I hope there can be a bit of
that people don’t take into con- “typically known as an old compassion there too.” ■
Technology is...
❰❰ 32 with theatre produc- cast was, what the set looked that show in any other way.”
ers to ensure canni- like,” said Lane. “You actually Other media companies are
balization of tickets to have a reference now to actu- taking note: Nickelodeon is re-
the live show doesn’t happen. ally use to see whether it would forming the Broadway cast of
“We’re not in any way try- fit on their stage and whether “The SpongeBob Musical” and
ing to kill the goose that lays they’d want to do the show.” will film it in front of a live the-
the golden egg,” said Comley. Some Broadway produc- atre audience for a December
“What we’re trying to do is ers love the idea and some are broadcast. On Netflix, you can
make this available, make it a colder. Many are in the middle, catch Kerry Washington in the
marketing asset, make it an- like Mike Bosner, who has pro- play “American Son” and Bruce
other way for the audiences to duced “Beautiful: The Carole Springsteen’s Broadway show,
have a touchpoint with these King Musical” and the recent both now closed.
brands.” revival of “Sunset Boulevard” All these companies are help-
BroadwayHD, which has with Glenn Close. ing remake one of the most an-
some 300 shows, is for sub- “Honestly, I’m not trying to cient of art forms, redefining it
scribers who can’t fly to New be coy about this. I really don’t by playing with its elements —
York, can’t afford pricey tickets have an opinion on it. I go back visual, communal and live. The
or simply don’t want to navi- and forth on it because one side result is something more dem-
gate Times Square. It offers of me says theatre is meant to ocratic — and evolving.
closed-captioning for the hear- be live and it’s meant to be ex- “I think once you get outside
ing impaired and a chance for perienced and it’s meant to live the New York bubble, people
theatre lovers across the world on only in the archives,” he said. think that theatre is very elit-
to see a treasured title come to “But the plus side when they ist, inaccessible, for the highly
life. do that type of thing is you’re educated. It doesn’t mean that,”
“Once the shows close, peo- bringing it to many people Navin said. “It means some-
ple tend to forget what it looked around the world that may not thing different. Just like TV
like, tend to forget how big the get the opportunity to go see doesn’t mean one thing.” ■
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