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CanadianInquirer CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER FORDTO.CA
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pcinews_twt AUGUST 26, 2022 www.canadianinquirer.net VOL. 8 NO. 504

FIRST DAY OF CLASSES

A teacher at the Fernando Ma. Guerrero Elementary School in Paco, Manila provides her first lesson to pupils as the first day of the school year started on Monday (Aug. 22, 2022). President
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. welcomed the return of learners to face-to-face classes after two years of school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic as learning is “more effective” inside
classrooms. ALFRED FRIAS / PNA

6 BOC officials 17

‘reassigned’ amid
sugar smuggling probe 10 Upcoming Concerts
You Can Catch This Year
in PH
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-CARLOS Press Secretary Trixie-Cruz Angeles
Philippine News Agency confirmed in a Palace briefing the trans-
fer of the BOC officials because of their 24
supposed participation in the smuggling
MANILA – At least six Customs offi- of sugar from Thailand. `
cials have been transferred to the Office The transferred Customs personnel Canadian immigration:
of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Com- were Maritess Martin, district collector; We sponsor spouses —
missioner pending results of the inves- Maita Acevedo, deputy collector for as-
tigation into alleged smuggling of sugar sessment; Giovanni Ferdinand Leynes,
why not friends? What happens if I can’t pay
products at the Port of Subic in Zambales, PAGE 12 my mortgage and what are
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2 AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
Marcos welcomes return of
learners to in-person classes
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Ferdi-
nand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
welcomed the return of learners
to face-to-face (F2F) classes af-
ter two years of school closures
due to the Covid-19 pandemic,
saying that learning is “more ef-
fective” inside classrooms.
“I welcome the return of our
children to full face-to-face
classes after two years of online
learning due to the pandemic,”
Marcos said in a statement post-
ed in the official Facebook page
of the Office of the President.
He said that it was always his
belief that learning is “more ef-
fective inside classrooms where
students fully interact with their
US backs PH in fight vs.
child exploitation
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The United States
is fully behind the Philippine
government in combatting the
rampant sexual exploitation of
children in the country, the US
Homeland Security Investiga-
tions (HSI) said Tuesday.
In a press briefing in Mala-
cañang, HSI Attaché Ricardo
Navalta said the US will con-
tinue to help the Philippines
develop best practices and pro-
grams to stop predators from
having access to Filipino chil-
dren as well as to educate the
population against the act.
“There are a lot of programs
that the United States has that we
will provide information on and
hopefully be able to educate the
community, teachers, parents, ev-
eryone that we can,” he said.
Since 2018, the US has been
in close coordination with the
Philippine National Police
in combatting transnational
crime, trends, sexual miscon-
duct, and child exploitation,
among others.
teachers and fellow students.”
The President also reminded
teachers and students to ob-
serve minimum public health
standards such as mask-wear-
ing, hand washing and physical
distancing.
“Since the threat of Covid-19
is still in our midst, it is im-
portant that our teachers and
students continue to observe
the minimum health proto-
cols to ensure that they remain
healthy while learning new
things,” he added.
Marcos also expressed confi-
dence that with Vice President
Sara Duterte heading the De-
partment of Education (DepEd),
the students will finally get the
quality education they deserve.
Press Secretary Trixie
Cruz-Angeles also wished stu-
The US is also working with
counterparts from the Unit-
ed Kingdom and Australia to
conduct training and help the
country prosecute offenders.
Navalta said concerned agen-
cies are now in the process of
including the National Bureau
of Investigation, the Bureau of
Immigration, the Department of
Social and Welfare Development,
and other Philippine govern-
ment offices in the collaboration.
“[T]his is a global problem
and I think that all countries
that can come in and partic-
ipate in this (serve as) a very
big opportunity for us to really
make an impact,” he said.
Philippine Special Envoy to
dents an “enjoyable” and “safe”
first day of F2F classes.
“Bagama’t hindi pa full face-
to-face classes, patuloy na su-
munod sa mga guidelines na
ibibigay sa inyo ni Ma’am at Sir
lalo na sa Covid-19 safety proto-
cols (Although it is not yet full
face-to-face classes, follow the
guidelines from teachers es-
pecially on the Covid-19 safety
protocols),” she said in a post in
her official Facebook page.
In-person classes for both
private and public schools
kicked off on Monday with full
implementation on Nov. 2.
There are 203 days for aca-
demic year 2022-2023 for pub-
lic schools, which will begin on
Aug. 22, 2022 and will end on
July 7, 2023.
DepEd spokesperson Michael
the United Nations Children’s
Fund Nikki Prieto-Teodoro said
cases of online sexual exploita-
tion of children almost tripled
since most children were locked
at home during the pandemic.
“[L]ockdown played a big
part, of parents, actually mar-
keting their children online for
profit. The fact that it’s easy to
put up a site, you put one, you
can have ten at the same time.
So it’s technology that made it
easier for these perpetrators to
market their children,” she said
in the same presser.
“Now, we have to play a big-
ger part in protecting our chil-
dren by reporting it immediate-
ly,” she said. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
A teacher engages Kindergarten students in physical activities at the Bagong
Silang Elementary School in Barangay 176, Caloocan City on Monday (Aug.
22, 2022). (BEN BRIONES/PNA)
Poa earlier said a total of 24,175
schools will implement five days
of face-to-face classes and 29,721
schools will hold classes through
blended learning.
He said there is no discrim-
ination between vaccinated
and unvaccinated students,
as Covid-19 vaccination is not
mandatory in the Philippines.
However, the DepEd has part-
Gov’t tackles
steps to maintain
sufficient rice
buffer stock
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Fer-
dinand “Bongbong” Jr. on
Tuesday met with his econom-
ic team and officials of the Na-
tional Food Authority (NFA)
to discuss steps to ensure the
adequate supply of rice in the
country.
“President Ferdinand Ro-
mualdez Marcos Jr. meets with
his economic team and the Na-
tional Food Authority officials
to plan the administration’s
steps on maintaining sufficient
rice buffer stock in the country,”
the Office of the President said
on its official Facebook page.
Marcos heads the Depart-
ment of Agriculture (DA) and
chairs the NFA Council.
In his first month as Presi-
dent and agriculture chief, Mar-
cos gave a marching order to
boost production of rice, corn,
3
nered with the Department of
Health and local government
units to provide counseling to
convince those still unvaccinated.
Currently, he said 92 percent
of its teaching and non-teaching
staff have received their prima-
ry doses of the Covid-19 vaccine
while 19 percent of enrolled stu-
dents have received their second
dose of the vaccine. ■
vegetables, pork, and poultry.
He also called for the review
of the rice tariffication law and
how it affected local farmers.
Marcos said his administra-
tion has increased the provision
for buffer stock capacity from 9
days to 15 days under the pro-
posed PHP5.268-trillion na-
tional budget for 2023.
The government has allocat-
ed PHP12 billion for the NFA’s
Buffer Stocking Program to
procure 631.579 million metric
tons (MT) of palay from local
farmers.
“There is also an alloca-
tion of PHP670 billion for the
purchase of high-quality rice
and corn seeds for seed buffer
stocking under the DA,” he said
in his budget message.
He said this will ensure that
there is enough supply of these
seeds to be used during calamities
and emergencies affecting rice
❱❱ PAGE 9 Gov’t tackles steps
4 Philippine News AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY

DMW, DOLE’s priority programs tackled in

5th Cabinet meeting
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-
CARLOS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Ferdi-
nand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
and his Cabinet discussed Tues-
day the top priorities of the De-
partment of Migrant Workers
(DMW) and the Department
of Labor and Employment
(DOLE) to improve the working
conditions of Filipinos.
During the fifth Cabinet
meeting convened by Marcos
at Malacañan Palace in Manila,
the DMW and DOLE present-
ed their plans to help ease the
plight of Filipinos working in
the country and overseas, the
Office of the President (OP) said
in a Facebook post.
“President Ferdinand Ro-
mualdez Marcos Jr. presides
over a Cabinet meeting to talk
about the priority programs and
projects of the Department of
Migrant Workers (DMW) and
Department of Labor and Em-
ployment (DOLE),” the OP said.
The OP also shared several
photos of Marcos and his Cabi-
net during the meeting.
The DMW, the OP said, has
vowed to prioritize the imple-
mentation of the One Repatria-
tion Command Center (ORCC),
Overseas Filipino Workers’
(OFW) Mobile Application,
and the National Reintegration
Program.
Migrant Workers Secretary
Susan Ople earlier ensured that
her department would impose
stricter measures to protect the
rights and welfare of OFWs, par-
ticularly the domestic workers.
Ople also directed the Na-
tional Reintegration Center
for OFWs to assess the needs of
overseas workers and provide
necessary assistance to repatri-
ate migrant Filipino workers.
She also heeded Marcos’ call the agency’s top priorities. opportunities.
for automated government ser- Labor Secretary Bienveni- The growth industries iden-
vices as she instructed her of- do Laguesma in July bared the tified by DOLE based on labor
fice to prioritize paperless pro- DOLE’s partnership with other market studies are manufactur-
cesses for OFWs. agencies to further enhance the ing services, agriculture, tour-
The DMW has also estab- skills of Filipino workers. ism, construction, information
lished the ORCC to provide an Employees with additional technology, and business pro-
immediate response to repatri- skills, Laguesma said, would cess outsourcing. ■
ation, welfare, and other con- have better and higher-paying
cerns of distressed OFWs.
The ORCC operates on a 24/7
basis and can accommodate
calls and walk-ins on regular
workdays.
OFWs or their families may
reach the DMW by calling the
“1-348” hotline or visiting the
center’s satellite office at the
Overseas Workers Welfare Ad-
ministration in Pasay City.
Meantime, the DOLE told
Marcos that increasing em-
ployment opportunities, ensur-
ing “just and humane” working
conditions, and delivering “ac-
cessible, prompt and continu-
ous” services to the people are (OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT/FACEBOOK)

Expect more warehouse Bill on internet

inspections, Palace warns transactions
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency hurdles House
ed by the Bureau of Customs,
the Sugar Regulatory Admin-
istration, and the Department
riculture Secretary and SRA
chairperson.
‘Await Congress probe’

panel
MANILA – After huge volumes
of sugar were found hoarded and
smuggled into the country, Mala-
cañang on Tuesday reiterated its
warning that government would
run after all warehouse owners
and caretakers taking advantage
of the current supply concerns in
the country.
Press Secretary Trixie
Cruz-Angeles made this remark
after the Office of the President
confirmed that the supposed
sugar shortage in the country
is “artificial” and merely caused
by hoarding done by unscrupu-
lous traders.
She said surprise warehouse
visits will continue in the fol-
lowing days.
“Yes, patuloy po (they will
continue). By the way, they are
the exercise of visitorial pow-
ers,” Cruz-Angeles said in a Pal-
ace press briefing.
Since last week, simultane-
ous operations were conduct-
of Agriculture to inspect sugar
warehouses in Deparo, Calo-
ocan City; Balut in Tondo and
San Nicolas in Manila; Rosales,
Pangasinan; San Fernando,
Pampanga; Ibaan, Batangas,
and Davao.
These warehouse inspections
started after President Ferdi-
nand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. re-
jected Sugar Order No. 4 (SO 4),
a resolution to import 300,000
metric tons (MT) of sugar.
Three board members of the
Sugar Regulatory Authority
(SRA) have resigned from their
posts following the “unautho-
rized” signing of the resolution.
Marcos, however, earlier ac-
knowledged the need to import
around 150,000MT of sugar as
part of “emergency measures”
to address the country’s im-
pending sugar supply shortage.
The Department of Agricul-
ture is currently preparing the
importation plan.
Marcos is concurrent Ag-
Meanwhile, Cruz-Angeles
said Palace will also wait for
results of the Congress probe
into issues hounding the sugar
industry.
This, after lawmakers called
on the President to appoint a
“competent” and “full-time”
Agriculture chief to respond
to problems within the depart-
ment and its attached agencies.
“We have no reaction to that.
There are also other questions
pertaining to supposedly the
testimonies that are being giv-
en during the course of the leg-
islative investigation. We will
not comment on those as well
because it is in the hands of the
committee or the legislature
which is conducting the inves-
tigation. We will wait for it to
complete the investigation,”
she said.
Both the House of Represen-
tatives and Senate are conduct-
ing investigations into irregu-
larities at the SRA. ■
BY FILANE MIKEE
CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – A measure seek-
ing to protect consumers and
merchants engaged in Internet
transactions has hurdled com-
mittee level at the House of
Representatives.
During its virtual hearing on
Wednesday, the House commit-
tee on trade and industry ap-
proved a consolidated version
of the proposed Internet Trans-
action Act or E-Commerce
Law, which is a priority legis-
lation mentioned by President
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his first
State of the Nation Address.
The bill proposes to create an
E-Commerce Bureau to regu-
late internet commercial activi-
ties and protect consumers who
engage in online transactions.
The panel expedited the ap-
proval of the proposal, citing
Rule 10, Section 48 of the House
Rules, which authorizes the
committees to dispose of prior-
ity measures already filed and
approved on the third reading
in the previous 18th Congress.
Batangas Representative
Mario Vittorio Marino said the
growth of e-commerce transac-
tions has resulted in an apparent
need for government regulation.
“The exponential rise and
consequent prevalence of on-
line purchases are largely due
to the Covid-19 pandemic lock-
downs that have constrained
the everyday consumer to stay
at home,” Marino said.
❱❱ PAGE 9 Bill on internet

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FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022 5

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6 Philippine News
6 close contacts of 4th
monkeypox case still
under verification
BY MA. TERESA
MONTEMAYOR
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Six of the four-
teen close contacts of the fourth
monkeypox case in the country
are still being verified, a health
official said Tuesday.
The fourth case is a 25-year-
old Filipino with no documented
travel history to countries with
confirmed cases of monkeypox.
The case tested positive for
monkeypox via real time poly-
merase chain reaction test on
Aug. 19 and is admitted in an
isolation facility.
In a media forum Tuesday,
Department of Health (DOH)
officer-in-charge Maria Rosa-
rio Vergeire said six of the close
contacts are undergoing quar-
antine and one is described low
risk which means there is no
need to undergo quarantine but
has to perform self-monitoring.
“’Yung anim na iba pa (The oth-
er six) for these 14 close contacts
for the fourth case are still being
verified and traced,” she said.
One of the close contacts
takes care of the fourth case in
the isolation facility.
“So, ito ay continuous con-
tact, itong tao na ito kaya
SC: Digital 2022 Bar
exams to push through
this November
BY BENJAMIN PULTA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Supreme
Court (SC) on Wednesday an-
nounced the schedule for this
year’s Bar examinations which
will be held in a digitalized form
instead of the usual pen and pa-
per examination.
In Bar Bulletin No. 6, the
high court said the examina-
tions will proceed on Nov. 9
(Wednesday), 13 (Sunday), 16
Department of Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire
MENT OF HEALTH (PHILIPPINES)/FACEBOOK)
siya pagkatapos natin siya
ma-manage, itutuloy pa rin ang
pag-quarantine nitong close
contact niya (this is sa contin-
uous close contact, this person,
after we manage [the fourth
case], we’ll continue the quar-
antine for this close contact),”
Vergeire said.
While the fourth case does
not have travel history to and
from countries with monkey-
pox cases, Vergeire said the
DOH cannot confirm the pres-
ence of local transmission in
the country.
“We cannot confirm yet with
certainty na local case na na-
hawa rin sa isa pang local case
kaya may (that one local case got
(Wednesday) and 20 (Sunday),
but said rescheduling is possi-
ble if unforeseen events occur.
“The Supreme Court will
continue to use Examplify, a
secure examination delivery
program, for the 2022 bar ex-
aminations, during which the
examinees will use their own
devices in their preferred ven-
ue,” the court said.
The tribunal said the exams
will be monitored by in-per-
son proctors and closed-circuit
television cameras in the exam
(DEPART-
infected by another local case,
hence, the) local transmission
that’s why we said we’re still try-
ing to back trace, verifying infor-
mation, so that we can establish
the source of infection,” she said.
Last week, the DOH reported
the second and third cases of
monkeypox. The second case
-- a 31-year-old Filipino – test-
ed positive for monkeypox on
Aug. 18 while the third case -- a
29-year-old Filipino – had posi-
tive test result on Aug. 19.
The first case -- a 31-year-old
Filipino who tested positive on
July 28 -- had recovered and
was discharged from isolation
on Aug. 6. ■
rooms, just like what was done
in last year’s exams.
The court has yet to release an
announcement on multiple exam
venue options, which is similar to
last year which was a departure
from the usual single-site exam.
The testing software will be
made available to bar examina-
tions applicants who apply and
are approved to take the exams.
The digital Bar exams were
among the innovations adopted
by the court amid the coronavi-
rus pandemic. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
House panel OKs
subsidy for
indigent students
in private HEIs
BY FILANE MIKEE
CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – A proposal to es-
tablish a voucher system for
poor and academically qualified
students in private higher ed-
ucational institutions (HEIs)
and private technical voca-
tional institutions (TVIs) has
hurdled committee level at the
House of Representatives.
During a hearing on Tuesday,
the House Committee on High-
er and Technical Education,
chaired by Baguio City Repre-
sentative Mark Go, approved a
substitute bill to five measures
seeking to amend Republic Act
10931 or the “Universal Access to
Quality Tertiary Education Act.”
Cavite Rep. Ramon Jolo Revil-
la III, in his sponsorship speech
delivered on behalf of Cavite
Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla, said
private institutions play an im-
portant role in helping provide
quality education to Filipinos.
Revilla said this would offer
an opportunity for the under-
privileged to choose whichev-
er school is aligned with their
needs and career direction.
Commission on Higher Educa-
tion (CHED) Chairperson Pros-
pero de Vera III lauded the bill but
raised that this would have fiscal
(HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PHILIPPINES/FACEBOOK)
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
implications on the government
when enacted into law.
Go, however, explained that
the CHED and the Unified
Student Financial Assistance
System for Tertiary Education
(UniFAST) could utilize exist-
ing funds, as the measure seeks
to allow existing tertiary edu-
cation subsidy beneficiaries to
enter private schools instead of
the current law that limits their
options to public schools.
De Vera emphasized the need
to augment funding for new
beneficiaries, which Go noted
could be proposed in the na-
tional budget.
Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz
Quimbo said this would also
help promote quality education
in the country by strengthening
competition among public and
private HEIs and TVIs.
The House panel also ap-
proved a bill granting free col-
lege entrance examinations
to graduating high school stu-
dents, high school graduates,
college entrants or transferees
applying for admission in state
universities and colleges and
local colleges and universities,
as well as to the underprivileged
public high school students be-
longing to the top 10 percent of
the graduating class applying
for admission in private higher
education institutions. ■
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022 Philippine News 7

DepEd exceeds target with over 28.7M enrollees

BY STEPHANIE
SEVILLANO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Department
of Education (DepEd) on Tues-
day said it has recorded around
28,797,660 enrolled learners
nationwide, surpassing its tar-
get of 28.6 million enrollees for
school year (S.Y.) 2022-2023.
The highest registry was re-
corded in Region IV-A (Calabar-
zon or the provinces of Cavite,
Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and
Quezon) with over 3.5 million en-
rollees, followed by the National
Capital Region with almost 2.5
million learners registered.
Moreover, the DepEd said the
nationwide reopening of classes
generally went smoothly.
In a Viber message, DepEd
spokesperson Michael Poa said
no untoward incidents were re-
ported throughout the day.
“[The] initial assessment
from all regions is that school
opening went smoothly. Maay-
os at mapayapa ang pagbaba-
lik-aral nga yung mga learners
(The opening of classes was
oderly and peaceful). No untow-
ard incidents reported,” he said.
Irish Monleon, a Grade 7
public school teacher in Cavite,
said her class for the school’s
morning shift also went well
even amid the coronavirus dis-
ease 2019 (Covid-19) threat.
“Sumunod naman lahat sa
health protocol and super ex-
cited ng mga bagets. Okay lang
naman na mag F2F [face-to-
face] basta nasunod sa health
protocol. Iba pa rin ang pagkat-
uto kapag nakikita ng mga mag-
aaral ang kanilang guro at nasa
paaralan (Everyone adhered to
health protocols and the kids
were super excited. Face-to-
face learning is okay as long as
the minimum health protocols
are observed. The learning is
really different if learners can
physically see their teachers in
school),” she told the Philippine
News Agency.
She noted that they have pre-
pared enough for the reopening
of classes, and even included
health safety and hazard guides
for the class.
“Mayroong mga sign na need
sa mga (We have signs needed
in the) classroom like evacua-
tion map, sign for health proto-
col, boxes for answer sheets and
health declaration form,” she
added.
Monleon, however, under-
scored the significance of the
support of parents in guiding
learners, as well as encouraged
her students to work hard for
their dreams despite the exist-
ing threat of Covid-19.
Alleged lack of chairs
Meanwhile, the DepEd-Na-
tional Capital Region (NCR) has
released its clarification after
pictures of several learners sit-
ting on the floor in a school in
Manila surfaced on social media.
In a statement, the DepEd-
Schoolchildren, assisted by a village watchman, cross the road going to San
Miguel Elementary School along Congressional Road in Dasmariñas City,
Cavite on Tuesday (Aug. 23, 2022). (GIL CALINGA/PNA)
NCR slammed the post which
appeared to “malign the teach-
ers” and the institution involved.
“The subject teacher show-
cased in the post uttered that
she deliberately re-arranged
the chairs to suit group activity
for orientation and psychoso-
cial support tasks… The alleged
posting of the photo on social
media exposing the faces and
identity of the minor learners
without the consent of their
parents or guardians might
constitute a breach or violation
under data privacy law. Worse,
the post is malicious and fabri-
cated purposely to malign the
teachers and school officials of
Jose Abad Santos High School,”
the DepEd-NCR said.
The regional office said the
school in question actually has
“more chairs” than learners.
“According to the school’s
property custodian, the school
has the following: 1,859 arm-
chairs; 1,200 chairs with desks;
and 120 laboratory chairs, 3,179
in total. Having sixty-two (62)
instructional classrooms and
the number of chairs avail-
able, it is appropriate to note
that the school has an aver-
age of fifty-one (51) chairs per
classroom, which is more than
enough to accommodate the
learners,” the DepEd said.
Poa, meanwhile, said although
there were issues with “over-
crowding,” the rest of the class
reopening was generally peaceful.
“There were issues of over-
crowding as to [the] parents.
One of the reasons is [their]
requests for enrollment certifi-
cates. Aside from that, it was an
orderly back-to-school nation-
wide,” he said. ■

6 BOC officials...
❰❰ 1 deputy collector for
operations; Belinda
Lim, chief of assess-
ment division; Vincent Mark
Malasmas, Enforcement Secu-
rity Service (ESS) commander;
and Justice Roman Geli, Cus-
toms Intelligence and Investiga-
tion Service (CIIS) supervisor.
“In-assign sila o trinans-
fer sila sa Office of the Com-
missioner (They have been
transferred to the Office of the
[BOC] Commissioner), while
the investigation is ongoing,”
Cruz-Angeles said.
In an office order dated Aug.
22, acting BoC Commissioner
Yogi Filemon Ruiz “tempo-
rarily transferred to the Office
of the Commissioner” the six
Customs officials, pending the
results of the inquiry into the
alleged smuggling of sugar from
Thailand.
The order takes effect “im-
mediately,” based on a copy of
the order released by the Office
of the Press Secretary.
On Aug. 18, the BOC avert-
ed the possible smuggling of
140,000 bags of imported sugar
from Thailand, which is equiva-
lent to 7,021 metric tons.
The BOC learned that the im-
port permit used for the cargo
was “recycled.”
According to the initial probe
conducted by the BOC-CIIS,
the said permit was already
used in an old sugar allocation.
‘Heads may roll’
Cruz-Angeles said heads may
roll if there is “sufficient” evi-
dence against the BOC officials
accused of being involved in the
www.canadianinquirer.net
smuggling of sugar.
“Pagka-sufficient na yung
ebidensya, reasonable na ‘yung
amount ng ebidensya, then sub-
ject to administrative proceed-
ings na sila. Ang pinakamatinding
penalties sa admin case ay dis-
missal from office, pero without
prejudice to criminal charges. (If
the evidence against them is suf-
ficient and reasonable, then they
will be subject to administrative
proceedings. The most stringent
penalty in an administrative
case is dismissal from office, but
without prejudice to criminal
charges),” she said.
The cargo vessel MV Bang-
pakaew was found to be loaded
with 7,021 metric tons of Thai-
land white refined sugar equiv-
alent to 140,000 bags and with
a total tax payment valued at
PHP45,623,007.
Results of the initial investi-
gation found that the consign-
ee of the smuggled sugar is
Oro-Agritrade Inc., which is
under the account of ARC Re-
freshments Corp. under Entry
Nos. C-12513 and C-12521.
The Thai exporter is listed as
Ruamkamlarp Export Co. Ltd,
while the local customs broker
was identified as Malou Leynes
Buerano.
The BOC-CIIS reported that
the cargo is covered by a “Spe-
cial Permit to Discharge (SPD)
and Verified Single Administra-
tive Document (SAD)” from the
bureau and with a verified clear-
ance from the SRA through a
certain Rondell Manjarres.
Sought for comment, Ruiz
said the relief of the officials is
part of the standard procedure
while an investigation is being
conducted.
“We do not grant interviews
as of this time while the inves-
tigation is ongoing. Please allow
us to do our investigation prop-
erly, sincerely, and in silence,”
he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Willie Sarmiento
has been designated as Port of
Subic’s officer-in-charge Dis-
trict Collector. (with Ferdinand
Patinio/PNA) ■
8 Philippine News
Correspondent/Hosts
Joanna Belle Deala
Kathleen Mae Guerrero
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Management
Alan Yong
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Member
Marcos confident new SRA
execs will help PH overcome
sugar woes
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Ferdinand
“Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday ex-
pressed confidence that the three new
appointees at the Sugar Regulatory Ad-
ministration (SRA) will help the country
overcome problems in the sugar industry.
This, after he administered the oath
of office of David John Thaddeus Alba as
SRA acting administrator, and Pablo Luis
Azcona and Ma. Mitzi Mangwag as board
members of the sugar regulatory body.
“Tayo’y nagpapasalamat sa mga ba-
gong opisyal ng Sugar Regulatory Ad-
ministration na nangakong gagawin ng
tapat ang kanilang mga tungkulin para
sa ikabubuti ng bayan (We are grateful
to the new officials of the Sugar Regula-
tory Administration who promised to do
their duties faithfully for the good of the
people),” he said in a post in his official
Facebook page.
“Tiwala tayong mapagtatagumpayan
House commits swift passage of
proposed P5.3-T 2023 budget
BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Leaders of the House of
Representatives on Monday said the
chamber is committed to buckle down
to work and ensure the swift passage of
the proposed PHP5.268 trillion national
budget for 2023 that is responsive to the
needs of the people.
Following the formal turnover of
Malacañang’s proposed National Ex-
penditure Program to Congress, House
Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe
said the House Committee on Appropri-
ations and the Committee on Rules have
agreed to work out a system to ensure
that the proposed budget is passed on
time and ensure the budget process will
not be “snagged by unnecessary delays”.
Dalipe, as the chair of the Commit-
tee on Rules, has organized three teams
composed of deputy majority leaders and
assistant majority leaders to ensure the
smooth and seamless flow of discussion
once the budget is brought to the plenary.
“We have already coordinated with our
teams in the committee on rules. We have
www.canadianinquirer.net
natin ang anumang hamon na ating kaha-
harapin sa industriya ng asukal kasama
ang mga bagong kawani ng SRA (We are
confident that we can overcome any chal-
lenges we may face in the sugar industry
with the new SRA staff ),” he added.
On Saturday, Executive Secretary Vic-
tor Rodriguez confirmed the appoint-
ments of Alba, Azcona, and Mangwag.
prepared three teams (composed of Depu-
ty Majority Leaders and Assistant Majority
Leaders) and we are ready for the plenary
deliberations on the budget. We are also
closely coordinating with the committee
on appropriations in order to facilitate our
members who would want to fully discuss
the budget,” Dalipe said in a media briefing.
Dalipe said the House leadership led
by Speaker Martin Romualdez is com-
mitted to passing the spending measure
before the end of October and signed by
Marcos before year-end.
“We only have one thing to do and that
is to pass this budget, the General Ap-
propriations Bill. If there is any law that
is required for us to act on and that is the
General Appropriations Bill. We have
prepared for this, we have arranged the
teams and we will not be remiss in our job
to properly scrutinize the budget,” he said.
Deputy Speaker Isidro Ungab assured
that Congress, having the power of the
purse, would be “diligently” scrutinizing
the submitted budget and pass one that
will be responsive and dynamic.
“The FY 2023 National Budget is the fi-
nancial interpretation of the government’s
plans and programs for 2023. It covers the
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
Alba replaced Hermenegildo Serafica
who resigned as SRA administrator in
the wake of the unauthorized signing of
Sugar Order (SO) 4, a resolution allow-
ing the importation of 300,000 metric
tons (MT) of sugar.
Alba is former general manager of the
❱❱ PAGE 12 Marcos confident new
President’s vision for our nation, which
can be realized with the appropriate and
sufficient funding for such government’s
plans and programs,” Ungab said.
Ungab noted that the Development
Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC),
composed of the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA), Depart-
ment of Budget and Management (DBM),
Department of Finance (DOF), Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Office of
The President, has fully considered the
realities besetting the present economic
conditions in the submitted 2023 pro-
posed national budget, tagged as Agenda
for Prosperity: Economic Transformation
Towards Inclusivity and Sustainability.
House ways and means chair Joey Sal-
ceda, meanwhile, vowed to push for spe-
cial provisions and unprogrammed ap-
propriations to expand food production
and reduce inflation to give President
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flexibility “when
we earn more revenues next year.”
“I plan to introduce amendments to
the budget to expand food production
and reduce prices through higher pro-
❱❱ PAGE 15 House commits swift
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022 Philippine News 9

Walk-in Foreign envoys show

applicants not solidarity as Ukraine
accepted in marks Independence Day
educational aid BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
“Today, as we commemo-
rate the 31st anniversary of
Ukraine’s independence, and
gression, especially on the most
vulnerable,” they said.
“We will also continue our

payout: DSWD MANILA – Eighteen for-

BY CHRISTINE CUDIS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – To conduct a
more orderly payout of the ed-
ucational assistance for indi-
gent students, the Department
of Social Welfare and Develop-
ment (DSWD) and Department
of the Interior and Local Gov-
ernment (DILG) have agreed
to release aid only to those with
online registration or QR Code.
“That is the difference now,
we will only cater to those (who)
have already registered online
or have acquired QR code. We
will no longer accept walk-ins
to avoid what happened on the
first day of roll-out,” DSWD
Secretary Erwin Tulfo said on
Wednesday during the ceremo-
nial signing of the memoran-
dum of agreement (MOA) with
the DILG held at the DSWD
Central Office in Quezon City.
The agency will create a vir-
tual system for registration.
While it is yet to announce the
online system, the DSWD’s
contact details for the program
are 0931-796-0362 or ciu.co@
dswd.gov.ph.
DSWD said qualified stu-
dents must wait for the text
confirmation for the schedule
and processing of assistance.
Through the DSWD’s Edu-
cational Assistance under the
Assistance to Individuals in
Crisis Situation (AICS), cash
aid will be provided to “stu-
dents-in-crisis” to help defray
costs of school tuition fees,
school supplies, transportation
allowance, and other school-re-
lated expenses.
As stated in the signed MOA,
the DILG and its various Region-
al and Field offices shall exercise
supervisory power over the local
government units (LGUs), in
order to ensure that they act in
accordance with the law.
President Ferdinand “Bong-
bong” Marcos, Jr. tapped the
DILG shortly after the “messy”
distribution last Aug. 20.
DILG Secretary Benhur Ab-
alos, for his part, said they will
assist in the delivery of perti-
❱❱ PAGE 12 Walk-in applicants
in light of the ongoing brutal,
unprovoked, and unjustifiable
war of aggression of the Russian
international support to demo-
cratic institutions and advanc-
ing common values and princi-
eign envoys based in Manila on Federation against Ukraine, ples, including free media and
Wednesday expressed full sup- we have greater resolve than countering disinformation and
port for Ukraine, reaffirming the ever to stand with Ukraine and interference in democratic pro-
latter’s “right to uphold sover- affirm its right to uphold its cesses,” they added.
eignty and territorial integrity” assovereignty and territorial in- The envoys also condemned
it observes its Independence Day. tegrity, to defend itself, and to and refused to recognize Rus-
In a joint statement, the am- choose its own future,” it added. sia’s “continued attempts to
bassadors and chargé d’affaires of The envoys said the con- re-draw borders by force, which
Australia, Belgium, Can- is a blatant violation of
ada, the Czech Repub- international law, and
lic, Denmark, Finland, breach of the United
France, Germany, Japan, Nations Charter”.
the Netherlands, New ... Ukraine has established “We reaffirm our
Zealand, Norway, Poland, itself as a free, democratic strong opposition to
Spain, Sweden, the Unit- any unilateral action
ed Kingdom, the United and sovereign country, that seeks to under-
States, and the Europe- mine the internation-
an Union Delegation to al rules-based system
the Philippines said they that underpins global
stand with Kyiv in affirm- peace, prosperity, and
ing its right to defend itself and sequences of the conflict are security. We continue to call
“choose its own future”. “keenly felt” in the Philippines, on all states to join the grow-
Ukraine commemorated its through increases in the prices ing chorus of condemnation
independence from the Soviet of fuel, food, fertilizer, and other for Russia’s aggression against
Union on August 24, which also essential commodities, exacer- Ukraine,” they added.
falls exactly six months since bating poverty during a critical The Department of Foreign
Russia entered Ukraine on Feb- period of pandemic recovery. Affairs said there is no stand-
ruary 24, 2022. “In light of this, we continue alone statement from the agen-
“Over the last 31 years, Ukraine to commit to demonstrating cy but Foreign Affairs Secre-
has established itself as a free, global solidarity through work- tary Enrique Manalo sent his
democratic and sovereign coun- ing to address the international greeetings to his Ukrainian
try,” the joint statement read. repercussions of Russia’s ag- counterpart. ■

Bill on internet...
❰❰ 4 Marino stressed
the need to provide
an efficient regulatory
mechanism to address consum-
er complaints and concerns,
including privacy issues, trade,
taxation and labor.
“Likewise, consumer con-
cern on security issues should
be addressed by strengthening
awareness in data security and
supporting the capability of
firms to protect e-commerce
platforms,” Marino said.
The bill seeks to regulate all
business-to-business and busi-
ness-to-consumer commercial
transactions over the internet,
including those related to in-
ternet retail, online travel ser-
vices, digital media providers,
ride hailing services, and digital
financial services.
The proposed e-commerce
bureau will serve as the “central
authority” tasked to regulate
online trade and shall act as a
virtual one-stop-shop for con-
sumer complaints on internet
transactions. ■

Gov’t tackles steps...

❰❰ 3 and corn productions.
More officials
sworn in
Meanwhile, Marcos on Tues-
DSWD Erwin Tulfo (left) and DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. (right) show a day also administered the oath
copy of the signed memorandum of agreement for the distribution of educa- of office of new government
tional assistance to indigent students, at the DSWD central office in Quezon officials from the Presiden-
City on Wednesday (Aug. 24, 2022). (ROBERT OSWALD P. ALFILER/PNA) tial Legislative Liaison Office
www.canadianinquirer.net
(PLLO), Government Owned
or Controlled Corporation
(GOCC), and Philippine Char-
ity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa
pagtanggap nila sa hamong
kaakibat ng paglilingkod sa
bayan. Inaasahan natin ang
kanilang tapat na serbisyo sa
sambayanang Pilipino (We
thank them for accepting the
challenge of serving the peo-
ple. We look forward to their
faithful service to the Filipino
people),” Marcos said in a post
in his official Facebook page. ■
10
Abortion in Canada is legal for all,
but inaccessible for too many
BY KYRA KEER, KAYLA
BENJAMIN, ROMA
DHAMANASKAR
Policy Options
Abortions are a common
medical procedure in Canada,
yet those living outside of large
urban areas have trouble re-
ceiving the care they need.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s
decision to overturn Roe v.
Wade – an attack on the rights
of women and 2SLGBTQQIA+
people who can get pregnant
in America – has sent shock-
waves of fear and grief across
the globe. Nearly half of all
states have laws that can re-
strict access to legal abortions
with 13 having pre-existing
“trigger laws” to outlaw abor-
tion, which kicked in when Roe
v. Wade was overturned. Now
women and the 2SLGBTQQIA+
community in Canada are left
wondering whether we are vul-
nerable to the same regressive,
anti-choice influences.
We can be comforted by the
fact that abortion is decrimi-
nalized in Canada, with no legal
requirements such as paren-
tal consent or waiting periods
that can prevent access. Karina
Gould, minister of families, chil-
dren and social development,
has said Americans could travel
to Canada to receive an abor-
tion, which may lead to an influx
of U.S. patients to Canada.
However, Canada is not the
safe haven for abortion it may
seem. The organization of
Canada’s health-care system,
the dearth of abortion provid-
ers across the country and the
prevalence of anti-choice or-
ganizations combine to make
access difficult if not impossible
in some cases. The onus is on
patients to find the care they
need. With abortion being one
of the most common medical
procedures in Canada, this is
entirely unacceptable.
Those who live in rural areas,
especially those living on re-
serves, have almost no access.
Canada News
Abortion clinics in Canada are
concentrated along the U.S.
border and only one-in-six hos-
pitals provides abortion care.
As a result, people in rural
communities do not have access
to nearby care and are forced to
travel to receive what they need.
This is especially true for prov-
inces such as Alberta, Manito-
ba, Saskatchewan and Ontario,
where 35 to 40 per cent of indi-
viduals live in remote communi-
ties or in rural areas.
A Canadian study from 2013
found that 18.1 per cent of wom-
en travelled more than 100 kilo-
metres to access abortion, with
Indigenous women being three
times more likely than white
women to have travelled this
distance. This puts those with-
out the financial and logistical
means to travel at a disadvan-
tage and further exacerbates
issues of inequitable access.
Provincial guidelines also con-
tribute to this inequity. Nearly 90
per cent of all abortions in Can-
ada occur before 12 weeks. Yet
some individuals may require
abortion care beyond this gesta-
tional period and whether they
can access it depends on their
home province. P.E.I., for exam-
ple, is the most restrictive, with
abortion becoming inaccessible
after 12 weeks.
Even though abortion rates
decline after this period, it is
still critical that the option is
accessible. A decision to ter-
minate later may be made for
personal reasons, medical
concerns, or factors outside of
the person’s control – includ-
ing transportation difficul-
ties, limited access to accurate
pregnancy tests, or desper-
ate domestic circumstances.
Currently, abortion care at 20
weeks is available only in B.C.,
Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
After 24 weeks, individuals
are forced to leave the country
to seek safe care – a luxury re-
served for a privileged few.
Insurance coverage, or the
lack thereof, also affects access.
Nunavut, for example, does not
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
offer coverage for medical abor- on evidence-based education, munity-led organizations to
tions except for select cases, competing for funding with help improve regional abortion
such as those prescribed in hos- anti-choice groups such as the access and education.
pitals. Similarly, in New Bruns- CPCs? We heard promises that But funding is only half the
wick and Nova Scotia, those were included in the Liberal battle. We also urge federal and
accessing surgical services platform in 2021 to prevent an- provincial governments to treat
through freestanding abortion ti-choice groups and CPCs from abortion like the medically nec-
clinics must pay out-of-pocket. being assigned charitable sta- essary procedure it is by firmly
Abortion is one of only 16 med- tus, but we have yet to see these situating abortion within the
ical procedures exempt from promises kept. CHA. All provinces and terri-
“portability” under the Canada One recommendation is not tories have deemed abortion a
Health Act (CHA). to limit who can obtain “char- medically necessary procedure
Portability allows services un- itable” status, but instead re- – meaning it currently falls un-
der provincial health plans to be strict what types of charities can der the CHAs broad definition
covered even outside the individ- receive donations and tax ex- of “insured health services.”
ual’s home province. With abor- emptions from a values-based For provinces and territories
tion, however, those forced to perspective. Religious groups to receive full funding through
travel outside their home prov- focused on charitable issues the Canada Health Transfer,
ince to access care are stuck with could still receive funding, but they must meet CHA criteria
a bill for a service that should be those imposing religious beliefs and conditions for all insured
covered under medicare. on others would not. health services, such as full
Compounding the issue of We commend the federal gov- funding and accessibility. How-
inequitable abortion access are ernment for announcing $3.5 ever, as we and countless oth-
unregulated crisis pregnancy million in funding for Action ers have pointed out, abortion
centres (CPCs). CPCs are an- Canada and the National Abor- is not accessible. Our govern-
ti-choice wolves in sheep’s cloth- tion Federation Canada since ments are failing us.
ing. They are advertised as a Roe v. Wade was overturned. Some provinces do not fund
resource for individuals with un- Let’s continue to build on these abortions provided outside of
planned pregnancies to receive progressive steps. Health Min- hospitals, and others force pa-
support and counselling. How- ister Jean-Yves Duclos must
ever, they deceive clients with consider funding smaller, com- ❱❱ PAGE 21 Abortion in Canada
misinformation about abortion
or other options that may delay
or interfere with their ability to
access the care they need.
CPCs far outnumber abortion
care providers in Canada. In On-
tario alone, there are 77 active
CPCs but only 38 abortion pro-
viders. Overall, in Canada, there
are 165 CPCs compared to 147
abortion providers. This means
an unwitting pregnant person
seeking an abortion is more like-
ly to come across a CPC than an
abortion provider for informa-
tion. Considering geographical
and gestational barriers to care,
time is of the essence for any
pregnant person to exercise the
right to choose.
It is disturbing that in a coun-
try with legal and (mostly) pub-
licly funded abortion, we still
face massive hurdles to obtain-
ing care. So how do we move
forward to improve access in
Canada? Let’s start with fund-
ing. Why are we, members of a
pro-choice non-profit focused
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
The Big Four oilsands Canada needs to
companies’ influence address the issue
threatens Alberta democracy, of modern slavery
argues political scientist
BY ROBERT (BOB) L.
ASCAH, University of Alberta
The Conversation
Over the past five years, own-
ership of oilsands production
has become hyperconcentrated
in four companies: Cenovus En-
ergy, Canadian Natural Resourc-
es Limited (CNRL), Imperial Oil
Limited and Suncor Energy.
These four producers —
known as the Big Four — ac-
count for about 84 per cent of
Alberta’s daily production of
3.3 million barrels of bitumen,
a type of crude oil found in oil-
sands deposits.
Not only that, but it is the oil-
sands that have driven Alberta’s
economy and finances for the past
two decades. According to Alber-
ta’s 2022 budget, oilsands pro-
duction will make up 87 per cent
of the province’s total oil produc-
tion, as conventional fields empty.
In the face of growing environ-
mental concerns and regulatory
requirements, some internation-
al companies have decided to
exit the oilsands. Between 2016
and 2019, foreign oil companies
Chevron, Shell, BP and Statoil
sold their oilsands holdings.
But other major Canadi-
an producers, like CNRL and
Cenovus Energy, have dou-
bled down. They see the emis-
sion-intensive extraction oper-
ation as a golden opportunity to
dominate an increasingly sin-
gle-industry province.
As a political scientist who
has worked in a large Alber-
ta-based financial institution
and the provincial treasury de-
partment, I am familiar with
the booms and busts of Alberta’s
economy and its correlation to
provincial finances. The finan-
cial dependence of the Alberta
government on bitumen royal-
ties has increased enormously
over the past several years.
An industry flush with
cash
By comparing the amount of
bitumen royalties and corpo-
rate income taxes from the Big
Four to Alberta’s total revenue,
it is possible to estimate the
province’s fiscal dependency on
these companies.
The numbers show that no
province, other than perhaps
New Brunswick with its domi-
nant Irving family, comes near
Alberta’s level of corporate fis-
cal dependency.
The revenue expected from
the Big Four oilsands producers
in 2022, assuming an average
per barrel price of $115, will be a
staggering $116 billion — about
25 per cent of Alberta’s GDP.
During the first half of 2022, Im-
perial Oil, Cenovus Energy, CNRL
and Suncor Energy have reported
net income of $17.1 billion.
What is less understood is
what this vast increase in reve-
nue means for the Alberta trea-
sury and, to a lesser extent, the
federal government.
During the first six months of
2022, the Big Four paid an esti-
mated $8 billion in royalties to
the Alberta government. Most
of their $6.8 billion in income
tax expenses went to the federal
government, with the remain-
ing 30 per cent going to the Al-
berta government.
Since Alberta has the lowest
corporate tax rate in the coun-
try, this creates an enormous
incentive for these companies
to create as much taxable in-
come as possible. The taxes
and royalties so far this year
amount to about $10 billion,
which would easily pay for Al-
berta’s K-12 education system.
Lining the government’s
pockets
The concentration of eco-
nomic and financial power in the
Big Four means Alberta’s next
premier must heed the needs of
these massive oilsands players.
As oil prices rise, the financial de-
pendency of the provincial trea-
sury on the Big Four will grow.
Alberta’s 2022 budget adopt-
ed a very conservative oil price
estimate of US$70 per barrel,
which deliberately understated
the expected surplus. It esti-
mated bitumen royalties would
return $10.3 billion during the
fiscal year.
For every dollar above this
US$70 per barrel estimate, an
additional $500 million in oil
royalties will flow to the gov-
ernment. At US$100 a barrel,
an additional $9 billion in bi-
tumen royalties would be paid,
but with oil prices averaging
US$116 since April 1, an addi-
tional $23 billion in oil and gas
❱❱ PAGE 16 The Big Four
www.canadianinquirer.net
Canada News
BY JUDY FUDGE
Policy Options
Legislation to tackle forced la-
bour in Canadian supply chains
needs to go further. A proposed
bill is a modest start at best.
Few people want to buy goods
made with forced labour. But
given that most of the goods we
consume are produced through
international supply chains,
it’s hard to avoid. We often do
not know how these goods are
made and how the people mak-
ing them were treated.
Brands at the top of the chain
enter into contracts with a myr-
iad of contractors and suppliers
located in countries where la-
bour standards are low, weakly
enforced or both. Little wonder
there are repeated reports about
forced labour making it into co-
coa from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana,
palm oil from Indonesia, medical
gloves from Malaysia and con-
sumer goods that come from the
Xinjiang region of China where
the Uyghurs are repressed.
The Liberal government
has thrown its support behind
Senate Bill S-211, the Fighting
Against Forced Labour and Child
Labour in Supply Chains Act. It
is one of four similar bills before
Parliament but it is as some sug-
gest a modest proposal. The bill
should be strengthened if it is to
have any hope of success.
The legislation would force
large Canadian companies to
disclose any efforts taken to
11
identify, eradicate or mitigate
forced labour in their business-
es and supply chains.
It is modelled after the U.K.
Modern Slavery Act. The idea
behind S-211 and its U.K. model
is to shine a light on corporate
practices so consumers and in-
vestors can punish those com-
panies that do not do enough to
combat child and forced labour.
Supporters of Bill S-211 ac-
knowledge that it is only a first
step. It does not require com-
panies to do anything to detect,
eliminate or mitigate forced or
child labour – but only to identi-
fy areas where they might exist.
By contrast, Canada’s most
recent legislative proposal, a pri-
vate members bill (Bill C-262),
would take the next step. It
would require companies to
take care to prevent forced and
child labour in their businesses
and supply chains, and to miti-
gate any risks of it occurring.
This proposal is modeled af-
ter mandatory human rights
due-diligence laws that have
been adopted in France, Ger-
many, Switzerland and Norway.
The forthcoming European
Union directive on corporate
sustainability due diligence
is also expected to follow this
model. It would require com-
panies doing business in the
world’s largest single market to
do something to prevent forced
and child labour.
Despite parliamentary
❱❱ PAGE 14 Canada needs to
 12
Canadian immigration:
We sponsor spouses — why not friends?
BY RAYYAN DABBOUS,
University of Toronto
The Conversation
Faced with the winds of social
change, Immigration, Refugees
and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
redefined family reunification
to include same-sex couples
and unmarried partners.
Though its concessions ex-
panded the scope of who one
can love and bring to Canada,
the last step in our struggle for
immigration rights remains to
make clear how we love. Is a le-
gitimate relationship necessar-
ily sexual? Is love only between
two people? Are friends differ-
ent than lovers?
At the University of Toronto,
I research rebellious historical
figures because conservatives
often dismiss calls for social
change on the basis of their al-
leged novelty. So to challenge
the narrow language of our im-
migration system, I invite us to
return to two bohemian women
who did not conform to tradi-
tional meanings of love: George
Sand (1804 – 1876) and Lou An-
dreas-Salomé (1861 – 1937).
Socially sanctioned love
A claim for family reunifica-
tion with the IRCC requires ev-
idence that applicants normally
present themselves in public as
a couple.
Sand’s trailblazing literary
debut, Indiana (1832), criti-
cized the social spectacle ex-
pected in modern love. The
novel’s happy ending saw Indi-
ana and her cousin Ralph flee
the salons of Paris, immigrate
Marcos confident new...
❰❰ 8 planters’ groups based
in Negros Occidental,
the Asociacion de Ag-
ricultores de La Carlota y Pon-
tevedra and the La Carlota Mill
District Multi-Purpose Coop-
erative.
Azcona and Mangwag, on the
other hand, will represent sug-
ar planters and sugar millers,
respectively.
Minutes after the oath-taking,
Marcos also briefed the new SRA
appointees about the adminis-
tration’s thrust on securing the
sugar supply in the country.
Canada News
to a remote French colony and
marry each other.
In her book Lélia (1833) —
which the Vatican rushed to index
in their list of prohibited books —
Sand depicted another indepen-
dent woman who, willing to be
neither single nor part of a couple,
wavered between life as a prosti-
tute and life in the desert.
Andreas-Salomé herself
immigrated from Russia to
continue her studies in Swit-
zerland after her intellectual
mentor wanted to marry her
though she was still a teenager.
Andreas-Salomé rejected two
more marriage proposals be-
fore the age of 21 — Friedrich
Nietzsche’s and his friend Paul
Rée’s — and she instead offered
them an alternative. Although
illegal at the time, she proposed
a life together, all three, in one
Berlin apartment.
Nietzsche and Rée dismissed
her dreamed community as a
IRCC should rethink how to protect our chosen families and value the inter-
dependence inherent to couples as much as the independence cherished in
friendship.
Last week, Marcos an-
nounced that he will be “reor-
ganizing” the SRA to address
the current issues plaguing the
sugar industry.
A number of SRA board mem-
bers also resigned following the
unauthorized signing of the reso-
lution to import more sugar.
The SRA is a govern-
ment-owned and -controlled
corporation attached to the De-
partment of Agriculture (DA),
which Marcos currently heads.
Marcos is also the concur-
rent chair of the SRA.
folly of youth. Fifty years later,
however, Andreas-Salomé de-
fended the principle underpin-
ning her unholy trinity: lovers
ought to worship not one an-
other but the same god.
Sand and Andreas-Salomé’s
aversion to conventional re-
lationships — and the public’s
inability to understand their
choices — illustrate how inti-
mate relationships can come
in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Such examples of unconven-
tional love should remind us
that when evaluating its appli-
cations, Canada’s immigration
system shouldn’t rely on soci-
ety’s seal of approval.
Friends without a sexual
rapport
The IRCC considers only
relationships with a physical
nature, as well as a significant
degree of commitment.
Sand is known for her roman-
tic vacations with Alfred de Mus-
Earlier, Malacañang confirmed
that the supposed sugar shortage
in the country is “artificial” and
merely caused by hoarding done
by unscrupulous traders.
The Bureau of Customs,
Sugar Regulatory Administra-
tion, and Department of Agri-
culture conducted a series of
raids in warehouses in Deparo,
Caloocan City; Balut in Tondo
and San Nicolas in Manila; Ro-
sales, Pangasinan; San Fernan-
do, Pampanga; Ibaan, Batan-
gas, and Davao and discovered
smuggled bags of sugar. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
set and Frederic Chopin — but
she insisted to them having their
own bedroom. Andreas-Salomé
married Carl Andreas and re-
mained his wife for more than 40
years — but they never had sex.
Neither women were prudes
and each collected a fair share
of sexual partners: it was their
notion of sexual pleasure and
commitment which differed
from our own.
“A woman has no other choice
than to be unfaithful or to be
only half herself,” Andreas-Sa-
lomé mused in her private jour-
nal. “In her love she is like a tree
awaiting the lightning which will
sunder it, but also like the tree,
she desires to put forth an abun-
dance of blooms.” Andreas-Sa-
lomé conceived pleasure and
commitment in organic terms:
duty toward human nature, not
our partners.
Sand similarly advocated for
a collective love devoted to fra-
ternal ideals, especially leading
up to the 1848 French Revolu-
tion which she had ushered in.
In Lucrezia Floriani (1847) she
writes, “Love me as a sister, and
not in any other way.”
In a letter to Andreas-Sa-
lomé, Austrian poet Rainer Ma-
ria Rilke tapped into a similar
fraternal love: “we were rather
like primal siblings.”
Sand and Andreas-Salomé’s
championing of asexual — or
differently sexualized — ro-
mantic relationships points to
the importance in acknowledg-
ing different relationships and
intimacy. This is something
Canada’s immigration system
should be equally open to con-
Walk-in applicants...
❰❰ 9 nent aid, and human-
itarian support under
the convergence pro-
gram as he clarified that the
financial aid will come from
the DSWD, and not from local
elected officials.
“DSWD will have the list, not
the governor, the mayor, or the
barangay captain,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tulfo expressed
his appreciation to the public for
their understanding and patience.
“We are grateful to DILG, led
by Secretary Abalos, for imme-
diately extending their assis-
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
sidering when defining a physi-
cal relationship.
Between independence
and family
The IRCC permits applicants
to prove their relationship via
a demonstrated interdepen-
dence. This requirement defies
Andreas-Salomé’s theory of
positive narcissism.
She conceived a natural ego-
ism central to ecosystem inter-
dependence, “like the plant that
remains attached to the ground,
though it moves away from it so
that it can grow in the light.”
IRCC applicants are finally
granted their unification re-
quest if they have children to-
gether. “Marry a friend to have
children,” Sand once advised —
and some Canadians are actual-
ly opting to have children with
their friends, but Sand’s poetic
ideal was more ambitious:
“Let us love each other, not to
be happy in a two-fold egoism,
as some call love… but to seek to-
gether what us two, poor birds lost
in a storm, can do, day by day, to
avert this curse which disperses
our race, and to gather under our
wing a few fugitives crushed like
ourselves by terror and distress.”
The French novelist blurred
the line between procreation
and protection. Like Sand, the
IRCC should rethink how to pro-
tect our chosen families and like
Andreas-Salomé, it should value
the interdependence inherent to
couples as much as the indepen-
dence cherished in friendship. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
tance to help DSWD find better
ways to conduct the payout for
the educational assistance, es-
pecially as we all need to ensure
the safety and health of the cli-
ents as well. This partnership
is what our government would
like to establish -- to have unity
in action, employ bayanihan. A
lesson which we learned well...
especially last Saturday which
was an eye opener,” Tulfo said.
The roll-out will be conduct-
ed every Saturday until Sept.
24, 2022. ■
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
Ukraine’s war has shattered some
friendships and family ties – but ‘care ethics’
have strengthened other relationships
BY GRETA UEHLING,
University of Michigan
The Conversation
War does more than displace
civilians, or kill them. When
wars are waged in residential
areas, they become part of the
calculus of simply getting
through the day.
During the war in
Ukraine, now reaching its
six-month anniversary,
my friends and colleagues
there have held Zoom
meetings between air raid
signals. In a recent meet-
ing, I noticed one of them
was speaking from a show-
er stall, the most heavily
reinforced area of their
apartment. Professors
who are defending their
country tell me about
grading students’ work
between military drills,
and many more everyday
adaptations. Meanwhile,
the grim realities of war crimes
against civilians continue.
As an anthropologist, I have
studied Ukrainians’ experiences
amid armed conflict since Rus-
sia seized Crimea in 2014. My
current research is concerned
with the military violence’s ef-
fect on daily routines, personal
relationships and values.
Between 2015 and 2017, I
traveled extensively within the
country, participating in daily
life and interviewing over 150
people, focusing especially on
how people who had been dis-
placed from Crimea and Don-
bas were coping with conflict.
People told me repeatedly
that one of the most troubling
features of the conflict was how
it disrupted personal relation-
ships. Civilians found themselves
reassessing their personal ethics
as they struggled to prioritize
competing obligations under the
most challenging conditions.
World News
Competing loves
Research on war’s implica-
tions for civilians has tradition-
ally focused on psychological
trauma, not interpersonal out-
comes. Yet among the internally
displaced people I interviewed,
close to 70% had lost a relation-
ship with friends, family or ro-
... one of the
most troubling
features of the
conflict was
how it disrupted
personal
relationships.
mantic partners, and this was
among their top concerns.
The first reason was political:
Relationships suffered because
people took opposing sides. Take
Larysa – who, like all my inter-
viewees, I refer to with a pseud-
onym over concerns for their
safety. Her mother and sister
financially supported and ulti-
mately went to work for the sep-
aratist governments in eastern
Ukraine. She held them respon-
sible for the death of her son, who
was shot – by forces under the
direction of leaders her mother
and sister helped elect, with bul-
lets they helped pay for – after he
joined the Ukrainian forces.
The second reason was com-
peting responsibilities to oth-
ers, such as bringing children to
safety versus staying to care for
elders who refused to leave. A
third reason was physical sepa-
ration: displacement stressed
even strong bonds. And a fourth
explanation was that trauma
made it difficult to maintain
some relationships.
The second most prevalent
factor – competing responsibil-
ities – is especially interesting.
Couples told me they had to bal-
ance the competing demands
placed on them by their political
convictions with respon-
sibility for aging parents
and children, along with
the bonds they shared with
each other. A concrete ex-
ample is Luidmila, who
sent her children to live
with their grandparents so
she could run a shelter that
she and her husband had
established on the front
lines. Her husband was
a pastor who ministered
to the displaced, and they
formed a close team. Other
couples found it more diffi-
cult to find a common path-
way through the conflict.
Real-world decisions
Under conditions of
war, people face difficult choic-
es about whom to care for. Phi-
losophers and anthropologists
who study how people navigate
messy moral dilemmas in real
life find they often base deci-
sions based on their obligations
to others, rather than general
principles about what’s “right”
and “wrong.” Ethical impera-
tives like “if X, then Y” are poor-
ly suited for the decisions civil-
ians face in a war zone.
This theory of relational or
care ethics suggests that obli-
gations derive less from rules
than from relationships, making
them hard to codify. The bottom
line, according to these thinkers,
is that deliberation is based not
so much on abstract principle as
on empathy, and that relation-
ships have value that is often ne-
glected in moral philosophy and
international relations.
How does this insight help
us understand civilians’ lives
www.canadianinquirer.net
during the war in Ukraine? My
research documents how people
found themselves entangled in a
conflict that had no sidelines.
I learned of people who
made herculean efforts to de-
liver food and first aid supplies
to the front, often using their
own personal funds. Of course,
this was defensive and nation-
ally motivated, but it is also
interpersonal. Take Oleksan-
dra, whose father volunteered
to fight in 2015. The Ukrainian
military had issued him rigid
leather boots that were too big.
Oleksandra worked hard to pur-
chase lighter ones in his size.
Then she secured him a bullet-
proof vest, camouflage, a knife
and special night-vision gog-
gles. When we spoke, she was
trying to find tactical gloves to
prevent the gun from slipping
in his sweaty hands and causing
self-inflicted injuries. Her daily
life was organized around sup-
plying her father.
Oleksandra told me that she
was not as concerned about her
own displacement or even the
conflict’s outcome as about her
father’s survival. These deci-
sions are at the basis of “care
ethics.” Prioritizing her father’s
13
welfare and that of her nation
over her own meant dropping
her studies at university and her
job search and accepting that, as
a sniper, he might be killing for-
mer neighbors and friends.
Pivotal year
Since the Russian invasion of
Ukraine in February 2022, the
stakes have only risen. What
this looked like for civilians
was making homemade Molo-
tov cocktails, assembling road-
blocks called “hedgehogs”; and
destroying road signs to disori-
ent Russian forces.
All of this is more than na-
tionalism: It points to a recali-
bration of values and priorities
at an everyday level. One exam-
ple is the Black Tulip or Car-
go 200 groups, who retrieved
dead bodies from behind ene-
my lines while the Ukrainian
government was unable to do
so. As I elaborate in my forth-
coming book, “Everyday War,”
they were willing to go into
rebel-held territory for days at
a time to restore the dignity of
the dead, despite the costs for
their psyches and their families.
Retrieval teams did their
❱❱ PAGE 21 Ukraine’s war has
 14
What’s the dispute between Imran Khan
and the Pakistan government about?
BY SAMINA YASMEEN, The
University of Western Australia
The Conversatioin
Tensions between former Paki-
stan prime minister Imran Khan
and the current coalition govern-
ment are coming to a head.
Khan made a speech in the
northern city of Rawalpindi
near Islamabad on Sunday, Au-
gust 21, seeking a return to of-
fice after losing a no-confidence
vote in April and being ousted
as prime minister. Just hours
beforehand, Pakistan’s elec-
tronic media regulator prohib-
ited Khan’s rallies from being
broadcast live on all satellite TV
channels.
As he started his address,
which was being broadcast on
social media, YouTube expe-
rienced “disruptions”. This
prompted Khan to accuse the
government of attempting to
silence him.
Following this, Pakistani police
laid charges of terrorism against
Khan for comments he had made
in a speech about the judiciary a
day earlier in Islamabad.
Previously, the government
had been quite permissive of
Khan’s rallies, but this approach
appears to have changed.
So how did we get here?
Khan’s narrative
Since March this year, even
before he was ousted, Khan has
held numerous rallies, gather-
ings and social media activities to
present his narrative to the Paki-
stani people locally and overseas.
Canada needs to...
❰❰ 11 committee reports,
government consul-
tations and the initia-
tives of other comparable coun-
tries, Canada has been slow on
the uptake. The Liberal govern-
ment has not introduced even
modest legislation imposing
reporting obligations on Cana-
dian businesses. This is per-
haps why the modern slavery
act supporters have described
it as a first step. They know how
weak the bill is compared to
what is needed.
Without significant amend-
ments, it isn’t going to address
the problem of forced and child
World News
He has accused, without evi-
dence, the coalition government
of working at the behest of the
United States. He has labelled
the government an “imported
government” and popularised
the hashtag “imported govern-
ment na Manzoor” (the import-
ed government is unacceptable).
Khan has also levelled varying
degrees of criticism against the
judiciary, bureaucracy and media
for enabling the coalition govern-
ment’s return to power in April.
In contrast, he portrays him-
self as a good Muslim, someone
who is following in the footsteps
of the founder of the country,
Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and as
being knowledgeable about the
West, honest and incorruptible.
He believes he’s different
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan (U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE/FLICKR, CC
BY 2.0)
labour in supply chains.
There is a growing aware-
ness that the use of disclosure
legislation has not produced
tangible results. First, report-
ing has tended to be superficial.
Second, the requirements do
not reach the segment of supply
chains where the worst human
rights abuses occur. Third, cor-
porations can comply with leg-
islation without changing cor-
porate practices that are clearly
tied to human rights abuses.
Further, there is no evidence
that disclosure laws can be used
as a stepping stone towards
more robust due-diligence leg-
from the government, which he
denounces as corrupt “thieves”,
and that he can lead the people
of Pakistan in their struggle
for true independence. He has
urged young people and others
to wage the struggle for “haqiqi
azadi” (real independence).
The often well-choreo-
graphed rallies feature music
by renowned musicians and
singers, and appearances by
popular actors. The appeal of
this narrative is obvious in the
thousands of Pakistanis of all
ages and backgrounds attend-
ing these rallies.
Khan’s speeches are broad-
cast on social media, including
YouTube and Twitter, with the
Pakistani diaspora following
these developments.
islation. None of the jurisdic-
tions that have made the first
step have taken a second.
At best, disclosure laws raise
awareness of the problem. At
worst, they are a form of window
dressing in which reporting sub-
stitutes for remedial action.
The time is now to press La-
bour Minister Seamus O’Regan
on his government’s commit-
ment to strengthen Bill S-211. In
fact, the government has a clear
model on the table (Bill C-262)
as a good example of mandatory
due-diligence legislation.
To have any real chance of
tackling child and forced labour
www.canadianinquirer.net
The government’s chang-
ing stance
Since coming to power in
April, the coalition government
has allowed almost all of these
rallies to take place.
One exception was Khan’s
May 25 “independence march”,
when his supporters marched
to Islamabad to call for new
elections. The government had
attempted to shut down the
march, but the Supreme Court
overturned the ban. Media re-
ported some clashes between
police and Khan’s supporters,
with police firing teargas and
detaining some protesters.
There are two possible expla-
nations for the government’s
mostly permissive approach to
Khan’s rallies. The first is that
it’s keen to demonstrate its
democratic credentials.
The second is that the mili-
tary – which was instrumental
in removing Khan from pow-
er – thought Khan’s popularity
would run its course and decline
over time, so there was no need
to intervene especially given the
support for Khan’s party appar-
ent among some retired military
officials. But that didn’t happen.
Khan’s criticism of the re-
gime became more strident. His
references to the “neutrals”, a
euphemism for the military es-
tablishment, became increas-
ingly pronounced. Calling upon
the “neutrals” to see the light
and return power to the rightful
representatives, Khan implied
the military had supported his
ouster and needed to mend
in supply chains, the Canadian
law must:
• impose a broad due-dili-
gence obligation on companies
to detect, prevent and mitigate
forced labour in their business
and supply chains;
• require companies to con-
sult stakeholders who might be
affected by the definition and
implementation of the due-dil-
igence measure;
• oblige companies to estab-
lish or participate in effective
operational-level grievance
mechanisms involving workers
and trade unions at every link
in the chain;
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
its ways. Coupled with his in-
creasing popularity despite his
own government’s poor perfor-
mance, such references fuelled
anti-military sentiment that
has swept across social media.
A Pakistan Army helicopter
crash on August 1 in the province
of Balochistan killed six military
officials. This unfortunately led
to anti-military groups stoking
speculation online that the mil-
itary itself had orchestrated the
crash, and that military hard-
ware was more precious than
the military officials lost.
The leadership of Khan’s
party denied any connection to
the widely circulating anti-mil-
itary tweets. But within days of
this denial, Khan’s chief of staff
read a controversial statement
on the ARY television network
that authorities claim was se-
ditious and amounted to an in-
citement of mutiny within the
armed forces.
The terrorism charges, along
with Pakistan’s electronic
media regulator banning live
broadcast of his rallies, show
Pakistani authorities are com-
ing down firmly on Khan. They
are now attempting to deny
Khan the ability to mobilise
masses against the judicia-
ry, law enforcement agencies
and the military. Time will tell
whether this will be successful.
But there are ominous signs of
impending instability.■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
• provide access to a civil
remedy for victims;
• establish a public supervi-
sory agency.
The time has passed for mod-
est first steps. Simply requir-
ing companies to report is not
enough. It is time to make them
act and require them to exer-
cise due diligence in addressing
the problem of child and forced
labour in their businesses’ sup-
ply chains. ■
This article first appeared
on Policy Options and is repub-
lished here under a Creative
Commons license.
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
Nearly 1K kids killed or injured in
Ukraine-Russia war: UNICEF
ANADOLU
Philippine News Agency
UNITED NATIONS – The
UN children’s agency on Mon-
day said nearly 1,000 children
were either killed or injured in
Ukraine since Russia launched
its war in late February.
This represents an average of
more than five a day, according
to UNICEF.
“These are just the figures
the UN has been able to verify.
We believe the true number to
be much higher,” said UNICEF
Executive Director Catherine
Russell. “The use of explosive
weapons has caused most of the
child casualties.”
The agency estimates that 1
in 10 schools have been dam-
Anthony Fauci, man who
guided US Covid-19
response, to step down
ANADOLU
Philippine News Agency
WASHINGTON – Anthony
Fauci, the man who has led the
US response to the Covid-19
pandemic, announced on Mon-
day that he is stepping down
from his post later this year.
Fauci, 81, has served under
seven presidents as the direc-
tor of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases
(NIAID), beginning with Ron-
ald Reagan in 1984.
He is currently the US’ lead-
ing infectious disease expert,
and has helped guide the coun-
try’s response to several health
crises, including AIDS, Ebola,
Zika virus and Covid-19.
“It has been the honor of a life-
time to have led the NIAID, an
extraordinary institution, for so
many years and through so many
scientific and public health chal-
lenges,” he said in a statement.
Fauci’s departure from NI-
AID will not take effect until
December, and he said he would
be moving on “to pursue the
aged or destroyed in war.
Russel said all children need
to be in school and learning, in-
cluding children caught up in
emergencies.
9,000 Ukrainian troops killed
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Com-
mander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces said nearly 9,000
Ukrainian troops had been
killed since the start of the war.
“Not only servicemen and
not only those who took up
arms take part in this war, but
our little children, who are not
to blame for anything at all, ex-
cept for the fact that they were
born here and at this particu-
lar time,” said Valerii Zaluzhny
during “Defenders. Roll Call
Forum” event.
He said about children: “They
do not understand what is hap-
next chapter of my career.”
“I want to use what I have
learned as NIAID Director to
continue to advance science and
public health and to inspire and
mentor the next generation of
scientific leaders as they help pre-
pare the world to face future in-
fectious disease threats,” he said.
Expectations had grown that
Fauci would announce his depar-
ture from public service after help-
ing the US navigate the worst pub-
lic health crisis in modern history,
and he had hinted for some time
that his exit was forthcoming.
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. (NIAID/FLICKR, CC BY 2.0)
pening, but they definitely need
protection both near Soledar,
Bakhmut, Velyka Novosilka,
and here, because their father
went to the frontline and, per-
haps, is one of those almost
9,000 heroes who died.”
Zaluzhnyi, however, did not
specify whether the figure re-
fers only to the service mem-
bers of the armed forces or also
to other formations and what
period it covers.
Ukraine’s President also ad-
dressed the participants during
the event.
“My address today is, of
course, primarily about veter-
ans. But it is not only for veter-
ans. Not only for our warriors
and all those who dedicate their
lives to serving Ukraine with
weapons in their hands. This
Biden lauded Fauci, calling
him a “dedicated public servant,
and a steady hand with wisdom
and insight honed over decades
at the forefront of some of our
most dangerous and challeng-
ing public health crises.”
“Whether you’ve met him per-
sonally or not, he has touched all
Americans’ lives with his work.
I extend my deepest thanks for
his public service. The United
States of America is stronger,
more resilient, and healthier be-
cause of him,” the president said
in a statement. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
World News
appeal of mine is for all our peo-
ple. And it is about the fact that
the veterans’ cause has truly be-
come national. It is a matter of
both the state and our society,”
he said, as cited by the official
website of the presidency.
The forum was also attended
by: Chairman of the Verkhovna
Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, Prime
Minister Denys Shmyhal, Head of
the Office of the President Andriy
Yermak, Secretary of the Nation-
al Security and Defense Council
Oleksiy Danilov, parliamentari-
ans and government officials.
House commits swift...
❰❰ 8 ductive capacity,” Sal-
ceda said.
He particularly not-
ed that the provisions he would
introduce are unprogrammed
appropriations for climate re-
silience in crops, support for
farmers and fisherfolk affected
by rising input costs, provisions
for government-to-govern-
ment procurement of food and
other agricultural inputs, and
provisions for value-chain en-
hancements.
He would also propose provi-
sions allowing the Department
of Trade and Industry to support
small businesses through capac-
ity building, unprogrammed
appropriations to support more
farm-to-market roads, and oth-
er administration priorities
such as tourism roads.
Salceda also described the
proposed budget as the coun-
try’s “Inflation Reduction Act,
since this appears to be the most
potent opportunity to insert in-
flation-busting mechanisms.”
“After all, the budget should
reflect our national priorities,
and inflation reduction is cur-
rently the biggest, most import-
ant one,” he added.
Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto,
for his part, said the government
agencies should improve their
budget execution, stressing that
“the budget is supposed to be
spent for the right purpose, at
15
Since it erupted on Feb. 24,
the Russia-Ukraine war will
mark six months this week as
a conflict that has shaken the
world to its core.
While Kyiv is preparing to
mark Independence Day this
week, the war continues on a
front stretching 1,300 kilome-
ters (nearly 808 miles), nowa-
days concentrated in the east-
ern Donetsk region, as well as
the southern regions of the
country replacing Russia’s ini-
tial lightning offensive with a
slow-burning conflict. ■
the right time, by the right agen-
cy, for the right price.”
He cited that reports made
by the Commission on Audit re-
garding procurement “fiascos”
and huge unobligated amounts
highlight the failure to obligate
funds promptly and properly.
“That failure betrays the pub-
lic because the tax-budget dy-
namic is that taxes paid by the
people without disputing must
be spent for projects that would
benefit them without delay.
That is the social contract that
underpins the budget,” he said.
He said the issue should be
addressed through a budget
provision that will prohibit
agencies from “parking” their
funds in the Procurement
Service of the Department of
Budget and Management (PS-
DBM) and the Philippine Inter-
national Trade Corp. (PITC) to
skirt procurement laws.
“The elephant in the room
that must be addressed in this
particular. If the thrust of this
budget is recovery from the
pandemic, then how fast our re-
covery is will depend to a large
extent on how fast we spend
the budget. There should be no
repeat of last year’s budget uti-
lization rate, when PHP784.8
billion remained undisbursed
by end of the year, on top of
PHP88.8 billion in unreleased
appropriations,” Recto said. ■
16 World News AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY

China, India border The Big Four...

royalties could roll in. greenhouse gas emissions

dispute back in focus

ANADOLU
Philippine News Agency
ISTANBUL – The unresolved
dispute over the China-India
border is back in focus with the
two sides sticking to their op-
posing positions.
India’s Minister of External
Affairs S. Jaishankar told a con-
ference in Thailand last week
that the bilateral relations with
China are going through an “ex-
tremely difficult phase after what
Beijing has done at the border.”
“The Asian Century will not
happen if the two neighbors
could not join hands,” he said.
Jaishankar was responding to
questions after delivering a talk
on “India’s Vision of the Indo-Pa-
cific” at the Bangkok-based Chu-
lalongkorn University.
He was referring to an ongo-
ing dispute with China along
the Line of Actual Control
(LAC) in the Ladakh area of
disputed Jammu and Kashmir
since May 2020.
The two militaries came face-
to-face with each other along
the LAC in June 2020, an esca-
lation that resulted in the death
of 24 soldiers -- 20 on the Indi-
an side.
Despite more than a dozen
rounds of dialogue between the
two sides, there has been no
breakthrough.
China, however, praised Jais-
hankar, agreeing with his com-
ment on the “Asian Century.”
“Unless China and India
are developed, there will be
no Asian century. No genuine
Asia-Pacific century or Asian
century can come until China,
India and other neighboring
countries are developed,” Wang
Wenbin, spokesperson of Chi-
na’s Foreign Ministry told a
news conference last Friday.
Calling China and India “two
ancient civilizations, two major
emerging economies and two
neighboring countries,” Wang
said: “We have far more com-
mon interests than differences.”
Wang said the two sides “have
the wisdom and capability to
help each other succeed instead
of undercutting each other.”
Throwing the ball in India’s
court, Wang said: “We hope that
the Indian side will work with
China to act upon the important
common understandings be-
tween our leaders, i.e. ‘China and
India are not each other’s threats,
but cooperation partners and de-
velopment opportunities’...” ■
❰❰ 11
Using this conser-
vative oil price fore-
cast, Alberta’s budget estimated
its total revenue will be $52 bil-
lion. In reality, its revenue will
likely be much higher.
The Big Four contribute about
20 per cent of Alberta’s total rev-
enue. At US$100 per barrel, the
Big Four contribute about 30
per cent of the province’s reve-
nue and, at US$116 per barrel,
the contribution exceeds 30 per
cent. This gives these companies
an enormous amount of control
over Alberta’s finances and, by
extension, politics.
Pathways Alliance
The Big Four’s political influ-
ence has most recently manifest-
ed in its dominant position in the
Pathways Alliance. This lobbying
consortium — known as COSIA
— consists of the Big Four, Cono-
coPhillips and MEG Energy.
According to their website,
COSIA’s purpose is to reduce
from oilsands production and
achieve net zero greenhouse
gas emissions. The Pathways
Alliance sees oilsands pro-
duction carrying on for nearly
three decades and beyond.
Central to this lobby effort
has been successfully convinc-
ing Ottawa to give the firms a
tax credit in the 2022 federal
budget. This sets a dangerous
precedent — if Ottawa itself is
willing to grant the wishes of
the Big Four, what chance will
the Alberta premier have in re-
fusing similar requests?
The fiscally dependent Alber-
ta government will continue its
battles against Ottawa on behalf
of the Big Four. Whether or not
this is good for Alberta’s democ-
racy, its residents and the planet
is another matter entirely. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.

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www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
Entertainment
10 Upcoming Concerts
You Can Catch This Year in PH
BY KATHLEEN MAE
GUERRERO
Philippine Canadian Inquirer
Better save up because live
concerts are back!
It hasn’t been long since the
world was brought to a stand-
still because of the COVID-19
pandemic and halted every so-
cial activity allowed; postponing
all of the arranged trips, social
gatherings, holidays, and even
music festivals and concerts.
But concerts and live events
are finally back (with safety pre-
cautions involved, of course!)
In the second half of the year,
arenas, stages, and concert halls
are being booked left and right
for famous and upcoming art-
ists who will step into the Phil-
ippine soil and give the Filipi-
nos a show to remember.
Just recently, multiple Gram-
my-winning singer-songwriter
Billie Eilish graced the Philip-
pine stage for the first time for
her “Happier Than Ever, The
World Tour” stop. The Ocean
Eyes singer was supposed to
visit the country in September
2020 for her “Where Do We
Go? World Tour” but was post-
poned due to the pandemic.
Fans of the American Rock
band All Time Low were also in
for a good time during their re-
cent visit to perform in the SM
Mall of Asia Arena after 5 years
since their last show in the
country. All Time Low Guitarist
Alex Gaskarth was delighted by
their fans and shared on his In-
stagram Story that the Manila
crowd was “the loudest crowd
we’ve played for in a minute.”
Last July, members of Kpop
group GOT7 began returning
to the country as soloists, with
Youngjae being the first one
to hold a concert, followed by
Bambam. Last Friday, August
19, it was Yugyeom’s turn to
meet Filipino Ahgases at the
New Frontier Theater for his
first solo concert.
With all the exciting concerts
to look forward to, concert-goers
can’t wait to dive back into the
mosh pit and jam along to their
favorite tunes in front of their
favorite artists. If you still can’t
decide which concert to go to this
year, here’s a list of upcoming
concerts you can look forward to:
The Maine
American emo rock band The
Maine will be coming to the
shores of Manila, particularly
to the northern side as they will
be rocking the stage at the SM
North EDSA Skydome for their
15th anniversary on August 27
and you are invited!
Aside from their anniver-
sary, the band will be playing
new songs for their fans from
their new album XOXO: From
Love and Anxiety in Real Time
released last July 2021. Tickets
for The Maine BACK IN MA-
NILA are available from ₱2,650
to ₱3,150 at SM Tickets.
Ben&Ben
Filipino folk-pop act Ben&-
Ben are taking over the Cultural
Center of the Philippines Open
Grounds for their biggest stage
yet, as they play fan favorites
“Kathang Isip,” “Paninindigan
Kita,” “Leaves,” “Make It With
You,” and more for their send-
off concert before kick-starting
their US tour.
The band, who recently won
the Awit Award for Record of
the Year, will be playing live for
the first time since their last on-
line concert held in December
2021 at the Araneta Coliseum.
Catch the send-off concert on
September 3 and get your tick-
ets via Ovation Productions and
TicketNet. Price ranges from
₱500 – ₱2,500.
NCT 127
Get your lightsticks ready,
NCTzens, as members of Kpop
group NCT 127 are bringing the
NEO CITY: THE LINK tour
to Manila! Concert organizer
PULP Live World confirmed
this last August 12 after much
speculation from the fans, an-
nouncing that the NCT subunit
will be performing at the SM
Mall of Asia Arena.
Tickets went on sale last Au-
gust 21 at all SM Ticket outlets
nationwide and online, with
prices ranging from ₱3,500 to
₱12,000. Fans may now be pre-
paring themselves to ‘Kick It’
with the members with only a
few weeks left before the con-
cert on September 4 at 5 PM.
(G)I-dle
Another K-pop act to look for-
ward to is Oh My God hitmaker
(G)I-dle who will be coming to
Manila for their Just Me World
Tour. The girl group will be per-
forming at the New Frontier
Theater on September 11.
This will be their first time
performing in the Philippines
after their scheduled appear-
www.canadianinquirer.net
ance in Manila last June 2020 as
part of the ‘I-LAND: WHO AM I’
world tour was canceled due to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Script
Who hasn’t grown up listening
to The Man Who Can’t Be Moved
by Irish pop-rock band The
Script? The band will be return-
ing to the SM Mall of Asia Are-
na as part of their ‘Greatest Hits
Tour 2022’ on September 23.
The tour is part of their celebra-
tion for their compilation album
‘Tales from The Script,’ which in-
cludes some of their greatest hits
like “Breakeven,” “For The First
Time,” “Science and Faith,” “Hall
of Fame,” and more.
Seventeen
Filipino Carats are definite-
ly winning as the 13-member
Kpop boy group Seventeen will
be performing in the Philip-
pines for two days! The concert
will be part of their ‘Be The Sun’
world tour with Manila in their
Asian slate among other coun-
tries such as Jakarta, Bangkok,
and Singapore.
The Kpop group will be per-
forming at the SM Mall of Asia
Arena on October 8 and 9.
The battle for reserving tick-
ets started on July 13. Tickets
range from ₱2,900 to ₱18,450.
However, just hours after open-
ing the ticket sales, LiveNation
announced that the concert had
already sold out. Talk about the
17
Carat power!
Justin Bieber
It was on May 25 when con-
cert organizer Ovation Produc-
tions announced that Canadian
superstar Justin Bieber will be
flying to the Philippines for his
Justice Asian leg tour. Recently,
the singer made known to the
public that he was diagnosed
with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
which caused paralysis in his
face. Postponement of some of
his scheduled tours in North
America then came after the
disclosure, but by July, it was
announced that Bieber will be
resuming his concert schedule
in Italy and in other countries.
As of writing, there are no
changes in the schedule on his
website for his Manila concert
that is set to happen on October
29 at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines Open Grounds. Beli-
ebers may finally witness the Ca-
nadian singer in the flesh, after
his Purpose world tour in Manila
did not push through in 2017.
Avril Lavigne
The punk-rock princess is
back to her musical roots and
will be making her way to Ma-
nila soil for her comeback con-
cert. After dropping her new al-
bum Love Sux, the Complicated
singer will be headbanging on
the stages of the Araneta Col-
iseum on November 3 for her
Head Above Water Manila stop.
The singer was originally
scheduled to perform in May
2022 but the said concert was
pushed back to a later date due
to conflicts in the schedule of
her Asian tour and the corona-
virus pandemic. Fans who have
already purchased tickets for
the May schedule will still be
valid and honored at the up-
coming concert.
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 fans will surely be
making great ‘Memories’ this
coming December 8 as they will
be returning to Manila for their
Maroon 5 World Tour at the SM
❱❱ PAGE 19 10 Upcoming Concerts
18
Star Magic’s 30th anniversary concert
“Beyond the Stars” completes a coast-to-coast
U.S. tour with a Southern California extravaganza
ABS-CBN
Star Magic’s 30th Anniversa-
ry Concert “Beyond the Stars”
culminated their three-city
concert tour at the Saban The-
ater in Beverly Hills on Monday,
August 14, marking the return of
Star Magic on the live concert
stages in the U.S. after two years.
With 20 of Star Magic’s bright-
est talents from the Philippines,
“Beyond the Stars” showcased
what Filipino and international
audiences always expect from
ABS-CBN shows: excellence.
“Our world is a landscape of
change, and just like our compa-
ny, Star Magic is evolving,” said
Star Magic Head Lauren Dyogi. “
Audiences now, in the digital age,
are clamoring for diversity and
Entertainment
Filipino talent can be appreciat-
ed anywhere and everywhere—
and we have proven that.”
The tour kicked off in New
York City, where the young stars
performed for its discerning
audiences. The next stop was
San Francisco for a legacy-laced
show at the historical home of
the Filipino American diaspora.
And the tour’s finale was in the
hub of global entertainment Los
Angeles. The young stars daz-
zled thousands across the U.S.—
claiming their place as some of
the top performers in the world.
With an energized house on
its feet, the show started with
an electrifying tableau of Filipi-
no dance hits with Philippines’
sweetheart Maymay Entrata,
Edward Barber, Maris Racal,
Charlie Dizon and Alexa Ilacad.
The opening number contin-
ued with a celebration of Filipi-
no Pop Rock with seasoned per-
former Kim Chiu, dance vixen
AC Bonifacio and “Gold Squad”
heartthrobs Kyle Echarri and
Andrea Brillantes.
Music lovers swooned over
the ‘Sesionistas’ segment of
the concert—where top-cali-
ber singers performed beloved
OPM (Original Pilipino Music)
hits. Angela Ken, Lian Kyla, Sab,
KD Estrada and Carlo Aquino
serenaded the audience with
their smooth acoustic sounds,
highlighting their musicality
and instrumental talents.
Teleserye fans’ hearts melted
when Star Magic’s top vocal-
ists sang their favorite shows’
theme songs. The powerhouse
vocals of Gigi de Lana, Janine
www.canadianinquirer.net
Berdin, Angela Ken, Lian Kyla
and Sab brought the emotions
of each of the drama series’
themes to their embracing fans.
And with what felt like a
lightning bolt striking the the-
ater, the fans suddenly levitated
when ‘love teams’ took the stage.
KD Estrada and Alexa Ilacad,
known as their “shipped-name”
KDLEX, delighted their fans by
singing a duet that explored the
mysteries of young love.
The screams intensified when
the hottest love team in the Phil-
ippines took the spotlight. Don-
ny Pangilinan and Belle Mari-
ano, more popularly known as
“DonBelle” sang, danced, and
interacted with their adoring
fans, reinforcing the undeniable
chemistry they have that their
global fans crave.
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
Multi-award-winning ac-
tor Zanjoe Marudo brought
the romance only a top mati-
nee idol can bring to the show,
making his fans swoon with his
triple-threat performance and
boy-next-door charm.
The breakout star of the
night is funny man Eric Nicolas.
His quick wit, funny antics and
comical interactions with the
crowd had the whole theater
howling in laughter.
The show ended with the
whole cast on stage singing the
song “Sama Sama” which sends
messages of love, unity, and to-
getherness.
“Our core has always been
to serve our audience regard-
less of circumstances,” said Ar-
❱❱ PAGE 20 Star Magic’s 30th
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
Stop dissing pessimism —
it’s part of being human
BY IGNACIO L. MOYA,
Western University
The Conversation
In today’s society, being hap-
py and having an optimistic at-
titude are social expectations
that weigh heavily on how we
live and the choices we make.
Some psychologists have
pointed out how happiness has
evolved into an industry. In
turn, this has created what I call
a happiness imperative, the so-
cial expectation that we should
all aspire to happiness.
But this can be an obstacle to
happiness. This is why, as a re-
searcher in philosophical pessi-
mism, I argue that if we actually
want to live better lives, pessi-
mism is the philosophical sys-
tem that can help us achieve it.
While pessimism in the psy-
chological sense is a tendency
to focus on bad outcomes, philo-
sophical pessimism isn’t funda-
mentally about outcomes. Rath-
er, it’s a system that purports to
explain the origins, prevalence
and ubiquity of suffering.
Even if I adopt a cheerful and
positive attitude towards life
(thereby not making me a psy-
chological pessimist) I can still
be a philosophical pessimist be-
cause I can continue to believe
that existence is generally filled
with suffering.
All about angst?
French philosopher Jean-
Paul Sartre is sometimes seen
as a gloomy philosopher who
10 Upcoming Concerts...
❰❰ 17 Mall of Asia Arena.
The six-piece pop-rock
band, who popularized
several songs such as “Sugar,”
“Payphone,” “She Will Be Loved,”
“Won’t Go Home Without You,”
and “Never Gonna Leave This
Bed,” will be performing again
in the country after three years
since their last tour.
Tickets are available via SM
Tickets website and all outlets,
Lifestyle
deals with existential angst,
dread and generally dark, de-
pressive topics. He’s also been
associated with pessimism, but
this is largely due to misunder-
standings of his work.
In 1945 Sartre wanted to dis-
pel these mistaken impressions.
In a public lecture called Exis-
tentialism is a Humanism, he ar-
gued that existentialism, prop-
erly understood, is a philosophy
about freedom and assuming re-
sponsibility for our choices and
for the lives we create. We are
free — or in existentialist terms,
we are condemned to be free.
Sartre believed we have no
essence, and therefore must
create and build one for our-
selves. So while all this can
certainly cause feelings of
angst and despair in some, this
needn’t be the case.
Compassion for living beings
And as in the case of existen-
tialism, despair and angst are
not necessarily defining aspects
of philosophical pessimism.
Pessimism has a long history
in philosophy, dating back to the
ancient Greeks. An early myth
tells us that the satyr Silenus
revealed to King Midas that the
greatest thing any human could
hope for was to never have been
born and that the second best
thing was an early death.
But the German 19th-century
philosopher Arthur Schopenhau-
er is considered by philosophers
to be the first modern western
writer who treated pessimism
systematically in his work.
with prices ranging from ₱2,500
to ₱23,500. The band will also be
performing in Singapore, Seoul,
Tokyo, Osaka, and Bangkok for
their Asian leg tour.
88rising’s Head In The
Clouds
88rising stans rise! The mu-
sic recording company an-
nounced on August 9 that they
will be bringing the ‘Head In
The Clouds’ music and arts
Schopenhauer’s philosophi-
cal pessimism is motivated by
compassion and concern for all
humans — though to be precise,
this compassion extends to all
living beings, not just humans.
This is one of the important dif-
ferences with existentialism.
Condemnation of existence
In Schopenhauer’s pessi-
mism, we find a clear condem-
nation of existence. As he put it,
“work, worry, toil and distress
are indeed the lot of almost all
human beings their whole life
through,” and “one can also
conceive of our life as a use-
lessly disturbing episode in the
blissful calm of nothingness.”
And in case he is not clear
enough on his condemnation
of existence, he also says “the
world is simply hell, and human
beings are on the one hand its
tortured souls and on the other
hand its devils.”
As a consequence, for
Schopenhauer, nonexistence
is preferable to existence. This
means that given the option of
existing or not existing, not com-
ing to be is the best choice. In this
he echoes Silenus, but — and this
is important — once we are here,
the best we can do is adopt a life
attitude that keeps us away from
desires and wants. It is in our in-
terest to stop pursuing things, in-
cluding happiness.
Not about destroying life
In no case would he, or any
other pessimist philosopher,
advocate anything like crazy
omnicide — actively and direct-
festival to Manila. While the
ticket selling has already start-
ed on August 11, the lineup for
Head In The Clouds Manila is
still being kept under wraps.
But who knows? Maybe you get
to see your favorite artists like
Keshi, Jackson Wang, Jay Park,
Chungha, Rich Brian, BIBI, and
Ylona Garcia, who are included
in the lineup of headliners for
the HITC festival in California.
Philosophical pessimism isn’t all doom and gloom: it’s about explaining and
confronting the origins, prevalence and the ubiquity of suffering.
ly taking steps to destroy all life
— as some mistakenly believe.
Ultimately, the pessimism of
Schopenhauer depends entire-
ly on his metaphysical views
about the nature of existence
itself — the essence of which is
what he called will.
For our purposes, it’s enough
if we understand will as a sort
of force that underlies, condi-
tions and motivates everything
that exists. As such, everything
that is, exists to want endlessly
— and never attain any durable
satisfaction.
The bright side
Given that the world we live
in forces us to deal with pan-
demics, economic problems,
wars and climate change it can
seem overwhelming that we are
supposed to be happy. It’s unre-
alistic to think we should always
look at the bright side of events.
And even if we choose to do
so, it is still the case that, ac-
cording to pessimism, we exist
to want and desire endlessly.
Get ready for the two-day
‘Asian Coachella’ festival as
tickets are up for grabs at SM-
Tickets.net. General Admission
tickets cost ₱9,888, while VIP
tickets are sold for ₱12,888.
Make sure to bring your wa-
ter bottles and don’t lose your
friends as this will surely be a
jam-packed festival on Decem-
ber 9 and 10 at the SM Festival
Grounds, Paranaque City.
19
In light of this, the happiness
imperative comes into conflict
with the essence of existence
(Schopenhauer’s will) because
satisfaction isn’t possible. The
expectation to be happy there-
fore becomes a struggle against
the very nature of life.
This is why when society
expects us to be happy, and
blames us if we are not, positiv-
ity becomes toxic.
If we find ourselves unable
to live up to the happiness im-
perative, we can feel inadequate
and like failures.
Pessimism can offer phil-
osophical tools to better un-
derstand our place within ex-
istence. It can help us come to
terms with the idea that refus-
ing to relentlessly pursue hap-
piness is perhaps the most rea-
sonable attitude. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
With all the government re-
strictions loosening up and live
concerts and social events final-
ly being allowed, concert-goers
must still observe strict health
regulations at all times to pre-
vent the COVID-19 cases from
increasing further. We don’t
want to go back to just watch-
ing concerts online and being
locked up in our homes, right? ■
 20
Two surprising reasons behind the obesity
epidemic: Too much salt, not enough water
BY RICHARD JOHNSON,
University of Colorado
Anschutz Medical Campus
The Conversation
Scientific studies and media
coverage are rife with warnings
on how sugar, carbohydrates,
saturated fat and lack of exer-
cise contribute to obesity. And
tens of millions of Americans
are still overweight or obese in
large part because of the classic
Western diet and lifestyle.
As an educator, researcher
and professor of medicine, I have
spent more than 20 years inves-
tigating the causes of obesity, as
well as related conditions such as
diabetes, high blood pressure and
chronic kidney disease.
Throughout my many years
of studying obesity and related
health conditions, I’ve observed
that relatively little is said
about two significant pieces of
this very complex puzzle: lack
of hydration and excessive salt
intake. Both are known to con-
tribute to obesity.
Lessons learned from a
desert sand rat
Nature provides a clue to the
role these factors play with the
desert sand rat Psammomys
obesus, a half-pound rodent
with a high-pitched squeak that
lives in the salty marshes and
deserts of Northern Africa. It
survives, barely, by eating the
stems of Salicornia – the glass-
wort – a plant that looks a bit
like asparagus.
Although low in nutrients, the
glasswort’s fleshy, succulent sap
is filled with water that’s rich in
salt, at concentrations as high as
what’s found in seawater.
Recent studies have provid-
Star Magic’s 30th...
❰❰ 18 nie Garcia, ABS-CBN
Global Head of Events.
“Star Magic’s Beyond
the Stars is ABS-CBN Global
Events’ way to start reaching
out to our audience amidst these
challenging times and prove to
them that we would continue to
bring joy and inspiration to ev-
eryone,” Garcia adds.
Hollywood Afterparty
The night after the main con-
cert, all the Star Magic stars, ABS-
Lifestyle
ed new insights into why the
desert sand rat might crave the
salty sap of glasswort. Although
this has not yet been proven
specifically in the sand rat, it is
likely that a high-salt diet helps
the sand rat convert the rela-
tively low amount of carbohy-
drates it’s ingesting into fruc-
tose, a type of sugar that occurs
naturally in fruits, honey and
some vegetables.
This helps the animal survive
when food and fresh water are
sparse. This is because fructose
activates a “survival switch”
that stimulates foraging, food
intake and the storage of fat and
carbohydrates that protect the
animal from starvation.
However, when the rat is
brought into captivity and giv-
en the common rodent diet of
about 50% carbohydrates, it
rapidly develops obesity and
diabetes. But if given fresh veg-
etables low in starchy carbohy-
drates, the rodent remains lean.
My research, and the re-
search of many other scientists
over the decades, shows that
many Americans unwittingly
behave much like a captive des-
ert sand rat, although few are in
settings where food and water
are limited. They are constantly
activating the survival switch.
Fructose and our diets
As mentioned, fructose, a
simple sugar, appears to have a
key role in activating this sur-
vival switch that leads to fat
production.
Small amounts of fructose,
like that found in an individu-
al fruit, are not the problem –
rather it is excessive amounts
of fructose that are problematic
for human health. Most of us get
our fructose from table sugar
CBN team and invited guests en-
joyed a celebration dinner under
the stars at the world-famous
Yamashiro restaurant in the Hol-
lywood Hills.
Punctuated by performances
from Star Magic’s top singers,
attendees had the opportunity
to mingle with the young stars
to explore future opportunities
and possibilities of partnerships.
“Moving forward means we
have to do collaborations with
Salty french fries may taste good, but they just contribute to dehydration and
obesity.
and high-fructose corn syrup.
Intake of these two sugars totals
approximately 15% of calories in
the average American diet.
These sugars encourage peo-
ple to eat more, which can lead
to weight gain, fat accumula-
tion and prediabetes.
Our bodies also make fruc-
tose on their own – and exper-
imental studies suggest it may
be enough to trigger the devel-
opment of obesity.
Since fructose is made from
glucose, production of fructose
increases when blood glucose
levels are high. This process
happens when we eat a lot of
rice, cereal, potatoes and white
bread; those are carbs that rap-
idly release glucose into the
blood rapidly.
And notably, fructose pro-
duction can also be stimulated
by dehydration, which drives
fat production.
other players in the industry,
both in the Philippines and in-
ternationally,” said Aldrin Cer-
rado, Chief Operating Officer of
ABS-CBN Global. “We do our
best to manage our resourc-
es very well to deliver the best
product, the best content, for
our audiences.”
Bringing Filipino world-class
talent to the global center stage is
the underlying theme of the eve-
ning, especially to the Latin Amer-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Fat provides water
Fat has two major functions.
The first one, which is well known,
is to store calories for a later time
when food is unavailable.
The other major but less-
er-known function of fat is to
provide water.
To be clear, fat does not contain
water. But when fat breaks down,
it generates water in the body.
The amount produced is substan-
tial, and roughly equivalent to the
amount of fat burned. It’s so sig-
nificant that some animals rely on
fat to provide water during times
when it’s not available.
Whales are but one example.
While they drink some seawater,
they get most of their water from
the foods they eat. And when
they go for extended periods
without food, they get their wa-
ter primarily by metabolizing fat.
Hold the fries
The role of dehydration as a
ican market under TFC’s North
and Latin America division.
“Music is the key to helping
us penetrate the Latin Ameri-
can market,” said Jun Del Rosa-
rio, Managing Director of ABS-
CBN Global. “We have shown
the world how amazing our
singers and performers are, and
I feel our music will bridge our
culture with theirs.”
And to further fortify their
skills and talents, some of the
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
contributor to obesity should
not be underestimated. It com-
monly occurs after eating salty
foods. Both dehydration and
salt consumption lead to the
production of fructose and fat.
This is why salty french fries
are especially fattening. The
salt causes a dehydration-like
state that encourages the con-
version of the starch in the
french fry to fructose.
What’s more, studies show
most people who are overweight
or obese don’t drink enough wa-
ter. They are far more likely to be
dehydrated than those who are
lean. Their salt intake is also very
high compared with lean people’s.
Research shows that people
with obesity frequently have high
levels of vasopressin, a hormone
that helps the kidneys hold water
to regulate urine volume.
But recent studies suggest
vasopressin has another pur-
pose, which is to stimulate fat
production.
For someone at risk of de-
hydration or starvation, vaso-
pressin may have a real survival
benefit. But for those not at risk,
vasopressin could drive most of
the metabolic effects of excess
fructose, like weight gain, fat
accumulation, fatty liver and
prediabetes.
Drinking more water
So does this mean drinking
more water can help us lose
weight? The medical commu-
nity has often scoffed at the as-
sertion. However, our research
team found that giving mice
more water slowed weight gain
and the development of predi-
abetes, even when the mice had
diets rich in sugar and fat.
❱❱ PAGE 22 Two surprising reasons
Star Magic members said they
enrolled in performance work-
shops in Los Angeles; lauded
and supported by the network’s
leaders and the community.
The shows were made
possible through the collab-
oration of Star Magic with
iWantTFC and TFC. “Beyond
the Stars” was co-presented
with World Remit and Red
Ribbon, with Tancinco Law
as a major sponsor. ■
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
Dog owners take more risks, cat owners are more
cautious – new research examines how people
conform to their pets’ stereotypical traits
BY LEI JIA, Kent State
University
The Conversatioin
The Research Brief is a short
take about interesting academic
work.
The big idea
Dog owners tend to take big-
ger risks and respond more to re-
ward-oriented advertisements.
Cat owners, on the other hand,
are more cautious and more like-
ly to react to ads emphasizing
risk aversion. Those are the two
main findings from new peer-re-
viewed research I co-authored.
My dog Midoo is always eager
to join me in various activities
and is never hesitant to show
her excitement when people ap-
pear at the doorstep. By contrast,
my cat Mipom is more alert and
suspicious when she is around
strangers, keeping a comfortable
distance from people. I won-
dered, do their general disposi-
tions have any impact on my own
behavior or the decisions I make?
These are the questions I
hoped to answer over a series of
11 studies I conducted with fel-
low marketing professors Xiao-
jing Yang and Yuwei Jiang.
Our first pair of studies
looked at pet ownership data
in U.S. states and compared
that with several crude mea-
sures of risk-taking. For ex-
Abortion in Canada...
❰❰ 10 tients to pay for ser-
vices at private clinics
or incur other costs to
obtain an abortion. These are
violations of the CHA, under
which the federal government
has an obligation to intervene.
We must call on provincial
and federal representatives to
ensure compliance with the
CHA and to address significant
barriers to receiving an abor-
tion in Canada. Funding must
improve to cover all of the costs
associated with accessing abor-
tion services. As well, the scope
of practice for health-care pro-
fessionals such as nurses and
midwives could be potentially
expanded to provide abortions.
ample, we found that people
in states with a higher share of
dog owners, such as North Da-
kota, had a greater prevalence
of COVID-19 infections in 2020
than states with more cat own-
ers, such as Vermont. Although
we controlled for political ori-
entation and other variables,
our results show only a correla-
tion. The reason dog ownership
seems associated with more
COVID-19 cases, for example,
could be that dog owners take
more risks – or they simply
have to take their pets out for
walks more often, which means
greater exposure.
In another study, we wanted
to get individual-level data, so
we used an online survey tool
Dogs are seen as more likely to leap without looking – possibly a trait shared
with their owners.
To hold provinces account-
able, the federal government
must impose more severe fund-
ing restrictions on those who
do not take actionable steps to
improve access. The decision
to penalize New Brunswick by
withholding slightly more than
$140,000 in health-care trans-
fers is not enough.
Canada likes to think of itself
as a beacon for those escap-
ing the implications of Roe v.
Wade in the United States. But
there are still concerns that all
women and members of the
2SLGBTQQIA+ community are
not being provided equal access,
particularly if they live in rural
or remote areas of Canada. It’s
to recruit 145 owners of either
a cat or a dog – not both. We
gave participants an imaginary
US$2,000 and asked them to
invest any portion of it in either
a risky stock fund or a more
conservative mutual fund. Dog
owners, who made up 53% of
participants, were significantly
more likely to invest in stocks
and also put more money at risk
than cat owners.
The results of this study were
also correlational in nature. So
in the other studies we sought
to document causality.
For example, we asked 225
people to view four print ads
featuring either a cat or a dog
and then decide how to allocate
a $2,000 investment, as in the
time our governments acknowl-
edge that without equitable ac-
cess, abortion is a right reserved
only for the privileged few. ■
The authors would like to also
acknowledge the contributions
of missINFORMED’s adviso-
ry chair, Nipa Chauhan, who
supported this piece as an edi-
tor. Chauhan holds a master of
health sciences in bioethics from
the University of Toronto and
works at Mount Sinai Hospital
as a bioethics associate.
This article first appeared
on Policy Options and is repub-
lished here under a Creative
Commons license.
www.canadianinquirer.net
Lifestyle
previous study. We found that
exposure to dogs led partici-
pants to be more likely to invest
more money in stocks.
Another study recruited 283
undergrads and asked them to
recall a past experience involv-
ing a cat or dog. They then ran-
domly read an ad for a massage
business that either empha-
sized how massages increase
metabolism, boost immuni-
ty and rejuvenate the body –
messages psychologists have
found appeal to people seeking
rewards – or how they soothe
body aches, relieve tension and
reduce stress – phrases that
tend to work better on cautious
people. We told them that the
company was offering $50 gift
cards to several participants
based on how much they were
willing to bid.
Students who recalled an in-
teraction with a dog offered bids
significantly higher when they
were exposed to the reward-ori-
ented rather than risk-aversion
ads. In contrast, those who re-
called a cat offered much higher
bids when they saw ads focused
on risk aversion.
We believe these effects occur
because people form mental as-
sociations of pets’ stereotypical
temperaments and personali-
ties – dogs like Midoo are eager,
cats like Mipom are cautious. As
a result, upon exposure to dogs
Ukraine’s war has...
❰❰ 13 work partly out of pa-
triotism. But they also
felt an obligation to the
noncombatants in Russian-oc-
cupied territories. Several years
ago, when one humanitarian
volunteer I interviewed discov-
ered that authorities in occupied
territories in the east weren’t
allowing imports of medicines
like insulin, he had a thought:
What, besides insulin, needs to
be kept cool? Dead bodies! He
rushed out to buy clean body
bags so he could smuggle insulin
in vans that were going in empty
to bring bodies out.
My main point is not that peo-
ple like this were altruistic or
even nationalistic, but that they
21
or cats, these associations rise
to the top of the mind and influ-
ence decisions and behaviors, an
effect confirmed by our studies.
Why it matters
Pets, especially dogs and cats,
are prevalent and play import-
ant roles in the lives of tens of
millions of people.
In the U.S., 70% of house-
holds own at least one pet. And
50% say they own at least one
dog, while 40% have a cat.
Because pets provide a sense
of companionship, many people
treat dogs and cats as friends
and family members. So it’s
only natural to wonder if our
furry friends exert an influence
on us, just as our human friends
and family members do.
Our research suggests they do.
What still isn’t known
We plan to examine other pos-
sible effects of pets on people’s
decisions and behaviors. For ex-
ample, it is possible that interac-
tions with dogs or cats can make
people more or less willing to
engage in conspicuous consump-
tion. We also want to examine
whether interactions with pets
could affect people’s tendency to
donate to charitable causes and
engage in other activities meant
to benefit others. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
balanced their caring for people
they had never met with care for
themselves and loved ones. Re-
lationships reveal how priorities
overlapped, intersected and were
continually being reassessed.
Ukrainians who had been
forcibly displaced were deeply
concerned about their relation-
ships, but they also reported
unprecedented levels of care
from people they didn’t know.
Paradoxically, places where
the military conflict penetrat-
ed residential spaces were also
places where caring thrived. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
 22 AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY

More than 40% of elite sport coaches
we surveyed suffered mental ill-health.
They need our support, not stigma
BY VITA PILKINGTON,
The University of Melbourne,
COURTNEY WALTON, The
University of Melbourne
The Conversation
With the recent sudden
death of former rugby league
coach and player Paul Green,
conversations about the mental
health of elite coaching staff are
paramount.
Our research in 2020, pub-
lished in July this year, found
more than 40% of coaches from
Olympic sports we surveyed
reported mental health symp-
toms at a level that would war-
rant professional treatment.
But fewer than 6% reported
seeking treatment at the time.
Despite facing immense
pressure in their daily roles,
the mental health needs of elite
coaches have been largely ne-
glected in public conversation.
Athletes increasingly dis-
cussing mental health
In recent years, we have seen
many high-profile athletes across
several sports talk openly about
their mental health struggles. They
include Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyr-
gios, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps,
Bailey Smith and Majak Daw.
UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett re-
cently challenged mental health
stigma and promoted seeking
help in a post-fight interview.
When elite athletes openly
discuss mental ill-health, this is
often publicly celebrated. This
aligns with changing cultural
attitudes, moving away from
Sports
rigid stoicism and towards rec-
ognising mental ill-health as a
reality rather than a rarity.
Coaches largely neglected
But it’s rarer to see people
talking about mental ill-health
in elite coaches.
Very few coaches have public-
ly discussed their experiences,
with a small number of notable
exceptions in the AFL. Former
St Kilda player and Richmond
coach Danny Frawley open-
ly discussed experiencing de-
pression and anxiety before his
death in September 2019.
Former Essendon player and
coach James Hird also described
experiencing suicidal thoughts,
contacting Beyond Blue for cri-
sis support, and receiving inpa-
tient treatment for depression.
However, public recognition
of the pressures and mental
health challenges experienced
by elite coaches remains poor.
Elite coaches experience im-
mense pressure in their daily
roles. They are subject to many
of the same challenges as the elite
athletes they coach. These in-
clude performance pressure, pub-
lic scrutiny, online harassment,
role insecurity, extended periods
travelling for sport and missing
significant life events as a result.
Coaches are also tasked with
vast levels of responsibility for club
and sporting success. Their role
requires them to act as the face of
club decisions, performance and
injuries – and they’re often ex-
posed to blistering public opinion
and scrutiny about such matters.
In 2021, tennis player Naomi
Osaka commented on the toll of many cases, to losing their job. es of coaches who have experi-
post-match interviews – but no Elite sport is also fast-paced, enced mental health challenges.
such discussions have been ap- which frequently presents staff It’s also crucial to ensure
plied to coaches. and athletes with new challeng- coaches can access appropriate
Our research es. The dedication required to mental health supports. The
In 2020, the Australian In- succeed in such environments AIS’s Mental Health Referral
stitute of Sport (AIS) commis- often requires sacrifices in oth- Network is a good example.
sioned a survey of the mental er areas of life. Those who can use this service
health and wellbeing of coaches Less than half of the coach- include current and former ath-
and support staff across Austra- es in our study reported being letes, coaches, support staff and
lian Olympic-level sports (the satisfied with their work-life staff employed by Australia’s na-
2020 Mental Health Audit). Our balance. They described the tional sporting organisations.
team at youth mental health or- negative impacts that too much While elite sports are high-
ganisation Orygen and the Uni- work, work-related stress and ly demanding environments,
versity of Melbourne conducted lacking quality time had on coach mental wellbeing should
this study, which represents one their quality of life and satisfac- still be prioritised. ■
of the largest surveys of coach tion with life.
and support staff mental health How to support coaches’ If this article has raised issues
and wellbeing. mental health for you, or if you’re concerned
We surveyed 78 coaches and To reduce stigma, we need about someone you know, call
174 support staff from Austra- a cultural shift in sport, media Lifeline on 13 11 14.
lia’s elite Olympic sport system. and the general community. This article is republished
The survey assessed rates of Sporting organisations and the from The Conversation under a
mental health symptoms, psy- media need to promote the voic- Creative Commons license.
chological distress, sleep dis-
turbance and alcohol use.
We found elite coaches re-
ported mental health symptoms
at a similar level to elite athletes.
Signs of mental health stigma
were also apparent. For example,
30% thought mental health prob-
lems would reflect poorly on them
in a sport setting. This suggests
coaches may feel unsafe sharing
their mental health experiences.
Job security and feeling
overworked appear to be ma-
jor challenges for elite coaches.
This is perhaps unsurprising
given that, like athletes, their
job security depends on perfor-
mance. Poor performance of-
ten leads to speculation about
a coach’s job security and, in

Two surprising reasons...

❰❰ 20 There is also increas-
ing evidence that most
people drink too little
water in general, and increasing
water intake may help people
who are obese lose weight.
That’s why I encourage drink-
ing eight tall glasses of water a
day. And eight is likely enough;
don’t assume more is better.
There have been cases of people
drinking so much that “water
intoxication” occurs. This is par-
ticularly a problem with people
who have heart, kidney or liv-
er conditions, as well as those
who have had recent surgery or
are long-distance runners. It’s
always good to first check with
your doctor about water intake.
For the desert sand rat, and
www.canadianinquirer.net
for our ancestors who scavenged
for food, a high-salt and limit-
ed-water diet made sense. But
human beings no longer live that
way. These simple measures –
drinking more water and reduc-
ing salt intake – offer cheap, easy
and healthy strategies that may
prevent or treat obesity. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
Serena Williams: why many female athletes
feel pressure to retire after becoming mothers
BY CANDICE LINGAM-
WILLGOSS, The Open
University
The Conversation
Serena Williams has an-
nounced she’s retiring from
tennis. During her career, the
40-year-old has often been
hailed as the best female tennis
player, winning 23 grand slam
titles. In 2017, Williams won
the Australian Open while eight
weeks pregnant, returning to
play in 2018 after giving birth
and even making the Wimble-
don final that same year.
In an essay Williams wrote for
Vogue, the main reason given
for her retirement was wanting
to expand her family. Williams
is not alone in her decision. For
many professional sportswom-
en, pregnancy and motherhood
are often the main reasons they
end their sports career.
And, as Williams acknowl-
edged in her essay, it’s a deci-
sion male athletes often don’t
need to make. “I never wanted
to have to choose between ten-
nis and family,” she wrote. “I
don’t think it’s fair. If I were a
guy I wouldn’t be writing this.”
There are plenty of examples
of professional male athletes
who have continued to play
competitively despite becoming
fathers. Take tennis player No-
POC, other SEAG countries France’s Garcia
howl over 632 events laid wins 10th
by Cambodia career title in
Cincinnati Open
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – First-time host
Cambodia intends to go big
time by laying out a 49-sport
program with a potentially re-
cord number of events at 632
when the 32nd edition of the
Southeast Asian Games are
held on May 5 to 16 next year.
But Philippine Olympic Com-
mittee (POC) president, Repre-
sentative Abraham “Bambol” To-
lentino, told the POC Executive
Serena Williams (BAS VAN UYEN/FLICKR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
vak Djokovic, for example, who
even said becoming a father was
good for his competitive play.
Research has confirmed this,
with a study comparing male
and female distance runners
showing many women felt
pregnancy carried an expec-
tation that they would retire.
Meanwhile men felt it was both
“acceptable and worthwhile” to
continue their career, even af-
ter becoming a parent.
Of course, there’s no denying
the physical impact of pregnan-
cy and childbirth, which can see
women missing several months
of training and competition as
a result – something men just
don’t have to experience. But
this isn’t the only reason many
Board during its regular meeting
on Monday that the other mem-
ber countries are contesting the
inclusion of dozens of events.
“Many events are under
sports that don’t have interna-
tional federations [IFs] or most
of the SEA Games countries ar-
en’t familiar with,” said Tolen-
tino during the meeting held at
the Knights Templar Hotel in
Tagaytay City.
“This is the biggest SEA
Games in history with 632
events, but we will lessen them
women feel pressure to retire
from competitive sport when
they choose to become a mother.
First, dated cultural norms
continue to persist, which fun-
damentally pit being an athlete
against being a good mother.
This way of thinking suggests
that the perfect mother is self-
less, solely focusing on caring
for her children and her family.
But being an athlete requires
a person to focus on themselves
and put their needs first in order
to compete at their best. This
way of thinking can in turn cre-
ate guilt, especially for someone
who may still choose compete
after becoming a mother.
Financial pressure can also
be a factor, with many women
because they are so many, par-
ticularly in martial arts where
most of the countries aren’t fa-
miliar with,” he added.
Cambodia organizers bared
during the SEA Games Feder-
ation meeting in Bangkok last
week that there will be an ad-
ditional 30 events in vovinam,
24 events in martial arts Korea
and 13 in dragonboat, a sport
the hosts are strong at.
Martial arts Korea is distinct
❱❱ PAGE 26 POC, other SEAG
www.canadianinquirer.net
Sports
experiencing a distinct lack of
financial support from spon-
sors and governing bodies
during pregnancy. Many stake-
holders even assume that preg-
nancy will mean the end of the
athlete’s career, so funding is
often cut or removed.
Having the right support,
whether from family, coaches
or sponsors can allow a woman
the opportunity to continue in
sport, both in emotional terms
but also in more tangible terms
(such as having childcare). This
may also be why many women
decide to wait until the end of
their career to start a family.
We also can’t ignore the fact
that becoming a mother is hard
not only physically but mentally,
too. Many professional athletes
travel extensively, have hours of
training daily and competitions
that last weeks. Combining a ca-
reer with a growing family can
be difficult, especially for ath-
letes who may not have the same
level of support as Williams did.
Of course, Williams’s situ-
ation is unique. She has had a
long and very successful career,
and even continued to compete
for a number of years after giv-
ing birth to her first child.
While a desire to expand her
family may be a driving force in
her retirement, it’s likely that
other factors also came into play,
such as the frequent injuries
ANADOLU
Philippine News Agency
ANKARA – French tennis
player Caroline Garcia won
the 2022 Western & Southern
Open (Cincinnati Masters) title
in women’s singles Sunday in
the US state of Ohio.
The world No. 35 beat her
23
she’s suffered recently. By choos-
ing to retire before injury or per-
formance decline hit she is taking
some control of her retirement.
There has been a shift in re-
cent years that has seen more
women being open about their
experiences of being a mother
and an athlete and the challeng-
es that might involve. Yet many
women still remain concerned
about how they may be judged for
choosing to continue their career
even after becoming a mother.
Women shouldn’t have to
choose between being a mother or
continuing their athletic career.
But in order to make this possible,
we need a better understanding of
how to support athletic mothers,
and what they need to manage
their training and career both
during and after pregnancy.
There’s still limited guidance
on how to return to exercise after
childbirth especially when the re-
turn is to elite level competition.
What needs to happen going
forward is ensuring more wom-
en have a choice when it comes
to competing and being a mother.
This will include providing the
right support, financial stability
and information to women on
how they can continue to compete
during and after pregnancy. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
28th-ranked Czech opponent
Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-4 in the final.
Garcia bagged her 10th ca-
reer title.
Although she is yet to win
a Grand Slam, Garcia reached
the quarterfinals in the 2017
French Open (Roland Garros),
which is still her best among the
four majors. ■
24
What happens if I can’t pay my mortgage
and what are my options?
BY ANDREW GRANT,
University of Sydney
The Conversation
With rising costs of living,
including interest rate rises,
many people are really worried
about their mortgage.
So, what actually happens if
you can’t pay your mortgage –
and what are your options?
Here’s what you need to
know.
Payment deferrals, pay-
ment plans or getting fees
waived
It’s not particularly rare for
a borrower to face a period of
temporary financial hardship,
often due to circumstances be-
yond their control.
Job loss, relationship break-
downs, natural disasters, inju-
ries and illnesses all affect the
capacity of householders to
repay their loan, especially giv-
en mortgages tend to run over
many years, if not decades.
Banks have “hardship” pro-
cesses to deal with borrowers
who are temporarily unable to
repay their loan.
The Banking Code of Prac-
tice, to which most banks sub-
scribe, provides guidelines
for lenders to help consumers
through financial difficulties.
One form of relief is a payment
deferral or “holiday”. That’s
where a customer is able to post-
pone repayments until the issue
causing hardship is resolved.
Many people used this option
during COVID lockdowns.
However, a payment holiday
sometimes simply “kicks the
Business
can down the road” and the cus-
tomer is still in financial trouble
when their temporary payment
holiday ends.
Other options include pay-
ment plans. This is where you
pay back less per month but the
mortgage lasts longer overall.
Or, the bank may simply offer
advice on how to handle financ-
es until you’re back on your feet.
It is also possible for banks to
waive discretionary fees (such
as those related to overdue pay-
ments).
Banks don’t really want
you to default
Banks typically do not want
their customers to default on
property.
They’re usually protect-
ed against losses themselves
through lender’s mortgage in-
surance, but banks see mort-
gage holders as particularly
valuable customers. They have
shown they can obtain finance
and repay loans.
Usually, it’s easier for the
bank to make hardship ar-
rangements with a customer
- and build trust along the way -
than it is to wind up a mortgage,
seize the property and then
have to deal with trying to sell it
in a flagging market.
What about my credit
score?
Recent changes to the credit
legislation make it easier to ap-
ply for a payment plan without
affecting your credit score.
From July 1, 2022, under the
terms of a financial hardship ar-
rangement, a customer’s credit
report will show they have made
on time repayments for the peri-
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
od of the arrangement – provid- consider refinancing. That’s (which is where the bank sells
ing they have followed the terms where you take out a new mort- the house) can often lead to a
of the hardship agreement. gage to repay an existing loan. lower sales price than a ven-
Credit reports will also indi- You may be able to get a lower dor-led campaign, and the time
cate whether (but not why) a monthly repayment, especially frame may not suit you.
customer is in a financial hard- if you have built an equity stake Free help is available. The
ship arrangement. greater than 30%. Australian Retail Credit Asso-
This information stays on a It won’t always be an option, ciation provides information
credit report for one year, then especially if you are a recent on how hardship processes are
disappears. borrower facing rising interest reported, while the Financial
Importantly, though, hardship rates, stagnant or falling house Rights Legal Centre helps advo-
information will be visible to prices, and have limited equity. cate for consumers through the
other credit providers, and may In dire circumstances, you mortgage stress process.
affect a customer’s ability to get may be able to access your su- The government’s Mon-
other loans during the period. perannuation early (which eysmart site also provides in-
I’m struggling. So what means you may have a lot less formation on how to navigate
should I do? to retire on). the hardship process. ■
Contact your financial in- If you really do need to sell, it
stitution as early as you can. is better to sell the property of This article is republished
Your bank may be able to offer your own volition, rather than from The Conversation under a
payment relief in the form of having a forced sale. Creative Commons license.
reduced payments or a holiday Mortgagee-in-possession
from repayments – or a combi-
nation of both.
You usually need to provide
evidence for the reason for fi-
nancial hardship, and there’s
an expectation you’ll be able to
resume repayments when the
temporary issue is resolved.
Not every application for
hardship will be successful,
particularly if you have made
promises to repay in the past
and not followed through.
Income protection insurance
(for those who plan for uncer-
tainties) may help prevent the
need for hardship arrange-
ments in the first place.
If you see the issue as on-
going, rather than temporary,
consider a different approach.
If you’re ahead on your mort-
gage (as many Australians were
during the pandemic), or you have It’s not particularly rare for a borrower to face a period of temporary financial
significant equity in your house, hardship.
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022 Business 25

No longer freezing: Working Over 50% of

from home can make Filipinos now
workplaces more comfortable own financial
BY FARZAM KHARVARI,
Carleton University, LAURA
ARPAN, FAMU-FSU College
transaction account
control over the thermostat and
greater flexibility over what to
wear during the workday.
all is one of the primary subcat-
egories of workplace equity.
Our results, along with many
of Engineering, LIAM In our study, most telework- others, show that this basic tenet of Philippine News Agency According to the FIS, six out of
O’BRIEN, Carleton University, ers’ primary action to stay com- workplace equity is not achieved in 10 Filipinos altered their financial
MARIANNE TOUCHIE, fortable was to add or remove many workplaces when it comes to behavior during the pandemic.
University of Toronto clothing layers when they felt thermal comfort. MANILA – More than half of Filipinos started saving more
The Conversation too hot or cold, unless they had There remains a need to take the country’s adult population for emergencies (37 percent),
a child. When teleworkers’ had a action and improve conditions now owns a financial account, ac- began or increased their usage
child, they kept the thermostat in traditional workspaces by cording to the results of the Bang- of online banking and digital
Working from home during set to a temperature that was giving employees more ways to ko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) 2021 payments (17 percent), and bor-
the pandemic presented a wide comfortable for their children. control the temperature and Financial Inclusion Survey (FIS). rowed more (15 percent).
array of challenges and bene- “I am more comfortable now their comfort. Some solutions The survey results showed The FIS also showed that of
fits for those who were able to [at home] because it’s warmer may be providing them with that account ownership surged those with mobile phones and
do so. For some, a benefit was and the office, it was colder,” flexible or less formal clothing to 56 percent in 2021, up from internet access in 2021, 60 per-
workplace comfort. said one of our interviewees. options, or coming up with oth- 29 percent in 2019. This increase cent performed financial trans-
While the conversation on In traditional office settings,
er ways of improving thermal is the highest two-year growth actions online, such as fund
gender differences when it employees typically cannot comfort like desk fans, open- since the survey began in 2015. transfers and payments, which
comes to thermal comfort in the control the thermostat or tem- able windows and chairs with The expansion was spurred by is a considerable jump from 17
workplace is not new — men tend perature to suit their needs, built-in heaters. Perhaps it’s the coronavirus disease 2019 percent in 2019.
to report being more comfort- which can lead to discomfort. also time to revisit the ideal of- (Covid-19) pandemic accelerat- There are, however, challeng-
able than women — fice thermostat set- ing the use of digital payments. es remaining for the financial
our research on tele- tings. “Amid the latest figures, the inclusion agenda. The main bar-
workers’ behaviours Thermal discom- BSP will continue to broaden its riers to account ownership, such
during the pandemic fort is just another efforts to foster the wider adop- as lack of income and transac-
revealed that women reason employees tion of digital technology, which tion costs, persist. The lack of
were more comfort- may prefer to contin- has effectively enabled the on- documents to open an account
able in their home
... that was something that ue teleworking. boarding of more Filipinos into is still prevalent for a large seg-
offices because they doesn’t happen anymore Workplace attire the formal financial system,” ment of the population.
could control the tem- Business research- BSP Governor Felipe Medalla Moreover, the survey found
perature, add or re-
because it’s my own home... ers Katherine Karl said in a statement Monday. that over half of savers still keep
move layers. and Joy Peluchette The rise of account own- their money at home.
Specifically, our found that workplace ership was attributed to the These challenges, more pro-
results and previous attire was linked to uptake of e-money accounts, nounced among lower income
research suggest that productivity, as well which climbed to 36 percent groups, highlight the importance
workplaces that do not as perceived author- in 2021 from 8 percent in 2019. of strengthening mechanisms
provide personalized thermostat The situation can be even itativeness, trustworthiness, This became the most common that will support the financial
settings or require any formal at- more challenging for women in friendliness, creativity and com- type of account among adults in resilience of the vulnerable seg-
tire don’t promote equitable ther- settings where relatively formal petency of employees. In other the middle class and low-income ments of the population.
mal comfort conditions. attire is required. This is be- words, a company’s goals are di- population, as well as with those “With the National Strategy
Survey of teleworkers cause office thermostat settings rectly linked to how employees aged 15 to 49 years old. for Financial Inclusion 2022-
Our research team at the Hu- were originally designed based will be required to dress. Meanwhile, the share of adults 2028, the BSP continues to
man Building Interaction Labo- on men’s formal office attire. For instance, banks might with a bank account also rose, work not only with other gov-
ratory at Carleton University sur- “I remember feeling cold all need their employees to convey almost doubling to 23 percent in ernment agencies but also with
veyed teleworkers (many of whom the time over there [office] […] a sense of trustworthiness and 2021 from 12 percent in 2019. private sector and development
relocated to home offices) during definitely, that was something so require their customer-fac- Banks remained the preferred partners to achieve our shared
the COVID-19 pandemic by con- that doesn’t happen anymore ing employees to wear more formal institution for saving vision of accelerating financial
ducting in-depth interviews. because it’s my own home, and formal clothes, whereas organi- money by a third of those with inclusion toward broad-based
We sought to uncover how I’m comfortable with tempera- zations in creative fields might savings, followed by cooperatives growth and financial resil-
teleworking impacted workers’ tures here,” said an interviewee. allow their employees to choose and microfinance institutions. ience,” Medalla said.■
behaviours at home compared Teleworking brought more their attire more freely.
to their behaviours in tradition- relaxed attire requirements to Our research suggests that
al office spaces. employees because, well, there employers should revisit formal
What we found strongly sug- often weren’t any. Both men dress codes and consider per-
gests that teleworkers experi- and women during video con- sonalized thermostat settings.
enced many benefits, including ferencing said they only wore By applying such strategies,
increased productivity, less formal clothes on the portion of organizations can move toward
mental exhaustion and greater their bodies that was visible to improved workplace equity and
thermal comfort. others via the camera. benefit from increased produc-
Relaxed formal attire re- Equity in the workplace tivity and performance. ■
quirements While equity in the work-
Our data indicates that im- place has many different facets, This article is republished
proved thermal comfort at such as salaries, providing com- from The Conversation under a
home is because of personal fortable working conditions for Creative Commons license. BSP Complex in Manila. (PATRICKROQUE01/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CC BY-SA 4.0)

www.canadianinquirer.net
 26
Instagram and Facebook are stalking you
on websites accessed through their apps.
What can you do about it?
BY DAVID TUFFLEY, Griffith
University
The Conversation
Social media platforms have
had some bad press in recent
times, largely prompted by the
vast extent of their data col-
lection. Now Meta, the parent
company of Facebook and Ins-
tagram, has upped the ante.
Not content with following
every move you make on its apps,
Meta has reportedly devised a
way to also know everything you
do in external websites accessed
through its apps. Why is it going
to such lengths? And is there a
way to avoid this surveillance?
‘Injecting’ code to follow you
Meta has a custom in-app
browser that operates on Face-
book, Instagram and any web-
site you might click through to
from both these apps.
Now ex-Google engineer and
privacy researcher Felix Krause
has discovered this proprietary
browser has additional program
code inserted into it. Krause de-
veloped a tool that found Insta-
gram and Facebook added up to
18 lines of code to websites visited
through Meta’s in-app browsers.
This “code injection” enables
user tracking and overrides
tracking restrictions that brows-
ers such as Chrome and Safari
have in place. It allows Meta to
collect sensitive user informa-
tion, including “every button
POC, other SEAG...
❰❰ 23 from taekwondo and
was never played in
the SEA Games.
Tolentino said that Cambo-
dia’s traditional martial arts,
Kun Bokator, will be allowed as
a gesture of respect for the host
country.
“We respected the Kun Boka-
tor because that’s their tradi-
tional sport, but we cannot al-
Technology
and link tapped, text selections,
screenshots, as well as any form
inputs, like passwords, address-
es and credit card numbers”.
Krause published his findings
online on August 10, including
samples of the actual code.
In response, Meta has said
it isn’t doing anything us-
ers didn’t consent to. A Meta
spokesperson said:
We intentionally developed
this code to honour people’s [Ask
to track] choices on our plat-
forms […] The code allows us to
aggregate user data before us-
ing it for targeted advertising or
measurement purposes.
The “code” mentioned in the
case is pcm.js – a script that acts
to aggregate a user’s browsing
activities. Meta says the script
is inserted based on whether
users have given consent – and
information gained is used only
for advertising purposes.
So is it acting ethically? Well,
the company has done due dili-
gence by informing users of its
intention to collect an expand-
ed range of data. However, it
stopped short of making clear
what the full implications of
doing so would be.
People might give their con-
sent to tracking in a more gener-
al sense, but “informed” consent
implies full knowledge of the
possible consequences. And, in
this case, users were not explic-
itly made aware their activities
on other sites could be followed
low the others,” Tolentino said.
“They [hosts] also have a dif-
ferent IF in Muay Thai and the
martial arts Korea.”
Tolentino said that the SEAG
Federation will meet virtual-
ly next week to decide on the
sporting events program.
The Philippines hosted the
most number of sports at 56 but
with 530 events in 2019, while
through a code injection.
Why is Meta doing this?
Data are the central com-
modity of Meta’s business mod-
el. There is astronomical value
in the amount of data Meta can
collect by injecting a tracking
code into third-party websites
opened through the Instagram
and Facebook apps.
At the same time, Meta’s busi-
ness model is being threatened –
and events from the recent past
can help shed light on why it’s
doing this in the first place.
It boils down to the fact that
Apple (which owns the Safari
browser), Google (which owns
Chrome) and the Firefox browser
are all actively placing restrictions
on Meta’s ability to collect data.
Last year, Apple’s iOS 14.5 up-
date came alongside a require-
Vietnam held a 40-sport with
526 events last May. Brunei owns
the record-low program with 22
sports and 233 events in 1999.
Vovinam was not on the Phil-
ippine program in 2019 but
was played in Vietnam with 15
events. Palembang also hosted
14 events in vovinam in 2011.
Present during the Executive
Board were chairperson Steve
www.canadianinquirer.net
ment that all apps hosted on the
Apple app store must get users’
explicit permission to track and
collect their data across apps
owned by other companies.
Meta has publicly said this
single iPhone alert is costing its
Facebook business US$10 bil-
lion each year.
Apple’s Safari browser also
applies a default setting to
block all third-party “cookies”.
These are little chunks of track-
ing code that websites deposit
on your computer and which
tell the website’s owner about
your visit to the site.
Google will also soon be phas-
ing out third-party cookies. And
Firefox recently announced “to-
tal cookie protection” to prevent
so-called cross-page tracking.
In other words, Meta is being
Hontiveros, secretary general
Atty. Edwin Gastanes, treasurer
Cynthia Carrion, auditor Chito
Loyzaga, deputy secretary gen-
eral Carl Sambrano and gener-
al manager Carla Maramara.
Board members Pearl Man-
ageulod, Raul Canlas, Char-
lie Ho, second vice president
Richard Gomez, International
Olympic Committee Represen-
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
flanked by browsers introducing
restrictions on extensive user
data tracking. Its response was
to create its own browser that
circumvents these restrictions.
How can I protect myself ?
On the bright side, users con-
cerned about privacy do have
some options.
The easiest way to stop Meta
tracking your external activities
through its in-app browser is
to simply not use it; make sure
you’re opening web pages in a
trusted browser of choice such
as Safari, Chrome or Firefox (via
the screen shown below).
If you can’t find this screen
option, you can manually copy
and paste the web address into
a trusted browser.
Another option is to access
the social media platforms via
a browser. So instead of using
the Instagram or Facebook app,
visit the sites by entering their
URL into your trusted brows-
er’s search bar. This should also
solve the tracking problem.
I’m not suggesting you ditch
Facebook or Instagram altogeth-
er. But we should all be aware of
how our online movements and
usage patterns may be carefully
recorded and used in ways we’re
not told about. Remember: on
the internet, if the service is free,
you’re probably the product. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
tative to the Philippines Mikee
Cojuangco-Jaworski, Karen
Caballero, and Athletes Com-
mission representative Nikko
Huelgas attended online.
Ernest John “EJ” Obiena’s
parents, Emerson and Janette,
and Vietnam SEA Games pole
vault silver medalist Hockett
delos Santos also paid Tolenti-
no a courtesy call. ■
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
Did an accidental ‘blood plague’ in
World of Warcraft help scientists
model COVID better? The results are in
BY JODIE MCVERNON,
The University of Melbourne,
HASSAN VALLY, Deakin
University
The Conversation
Way before COVID, in 2005
the World of Warcraft game
developers accidentally intro-
duced an extremely virulent
highly contagious disease into
this game which then spread to
infect the whole fantasy world
and caused a virtual pandemic.
As far removed as this may
seem from the goings on in the
real world, the spread of this
virtual disease appeared to have
potential relevance to under-
standing real world epidemics.
Disease modelling has
played a crucial role during
the COVID pandemic to help
anticipate the spread of an en-
tirely new infectious disease
through the population.
Infectious disease models
use mathematical equations
to describe how infectious dis-
eases, humans and the envi-
ronment interact. Then we can
scope out what’s likely to hap-
pen if we let an epidemic run its
course or try out various public
health intervention options to
see their effect on transmission.
This approach lets us take a
peek into an uncertain future
to assess the likely impact of
control strategies on disease
outcomes.
PCIEERD, TikTok launch STAR Camp
BY MA. CRISTINA
ARAYATA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Philippine
Council for Industry, Energy and
Emerging Technology Research
and Development (PCIEERD)
and video-sharing platform Tik-
Tok on Monday launched the
STAR (Science and Technology
Advocates for Research) Camp,
a search for content creators
who will promote this field.
Three individuals will win
World of Warcraft and the
corrupted blood plague
In the World of Warcraft on-
line game, the disease that was
introduced and spread widely
throughout the virtual world
was called Corrupted Blood.
This introduced disease was
intended to be confined to a
particular area of the virtual
world, as a “debuff” spell used
by the dungeon “boss” Hakkar
the Soulflayer, to pose an ad-
ditional challenge to players.
Upon engaging the boss, players
were stricken by the spell which
would periodically sap their life.
However, to the surprise of
the game developers, features
of this virtual world, the nature
of the introduced disease and
the unanticipated behaviour
of players led to rapid spread
of this infection into the wid-
er game. Players unknowingly
transmitted infection to their
animal companions, who were
able to then infect other players
in the wider game.
Developers didn’t predict
panicked players would sub-
sequently travel great distanc-
es to densely populated areas
and spread illness there. Some
players displayed altruistic
behaviours, rushing to the aid
of their friends and becoming
infected. The disease spread
widely and quickly.
There were also a number of
individuals who intentionally
spread disease for no obvious
USD500 worth of TikTok pro-
motional coupons; certificates;
Pinoy Science and TikTok
badge; and merchandise from
PCIEERD and TikTok.
Two individuals will receive
the same perks, except that their
TikTok promotional coupons
will only amount to USD250.
PCIEERD said these cou-
pons can be used to promote
the winners’ videos on TikTok.
“We are optimistic that this
partnership will help the public
better understand science and
use it in their everyday lives,”
World of Warcraft Legion Gamescom 2017 (DRONEPICR/FLICKR, CC BY 2.0)
reason. A full-scale game wide
pandemic ensued, with high
rates of infection and death.
Given the extent to which
players inhabited their virtual
personas, this phenomenon led
some researchers to speculate
that gamifying infectious dis-
ease epidemics might be a way
to gain insights into human be-
haviour during a pandemic.
Data derived from observing
the actions of players in the vir-
tual realm in response to an in-
troduced virtual disease threat
could be fed into real world
disease models, they suggested,
to better account for the unpre-
dictability of human behaviour.
Indeed, many of the be-
PCIEERD Executive Director
Enrico Paringit said during the
online launch.
He said there are close to 36
million Filipinos who are using
TikTok as of early this year.
“This shows a vast potential
for science communication if we
learn how to harness the power
of social media,” Paringit said.
He urged scientists, re-
searchers, science communica-
tion practitioners and students
to join this completion and
present their science concepts
into an entertaining manner.
www.canadianinquirer.net
Technology
havioural drivers of infectious
spread identified in the game out-
break have also played an import-
ant role in the spread of COVID.
The key issue is that, despite
the sophistication of disease
modelling, the biggest source
of uncertainty in these models
comes from trying to factor in
human behaviour.
Disease modelling and
COVID
The COVID pandemic has
highlighted just how complex
and varied our responses to in-
fectious disease threats are. Dif-
ferences in social cohesion, trust
in governments and political pri-
orities can drive these responses.
Some high-income coun-
Aside from the prizes, Par-
ingit said winners will also be
exposed to a network of science
communication experts who
will help them hone their craft.
From Aug. 22 to Sept. 22, in-
dividuals 18 years old and above
may upload their entries. The
video should contain an intro-
duction and an explanation
on the science behind one of
PCIEERD’s technologies.
Video should also show why
they should be chosen as a Pi-
noy Science STAR.
Entries will be judged based
27
tries, like the United States and
the United Kingdom, that were
expected to be well placed to
respond to the pandemic per-
formed poorly. Other lower in-
come countries, like Vietnam
and Thailand, performed ex-
ceptionally well despite hav-
ing fewer resources. To make
things even more complex, as
the pandemic has continued to
unfold, public perceptions have
been changing too.
So, how do we gather the data
needed to model human be-
haviour better?
Since early 2020, many coun-
tries have implemented be-
havioural surveys in real time as
a way of understanding attitudes
and behavioural response to the
pandemic, including cooperation
with social measures mandated
or recommended by authorities.
What have we learned
about COVID from World of
Warcraft?
Have virtual epidemics been
used to inform infectious dis-
ease models and make them
more “realistic”?
Despite some initial excite-
ment about using observed
player behaviour in virtual
fantasy worlds to enhance epi-
demic models, we have not seen
such data being used in any
meaningful way.
Despite the parallels be-
tween player interactions in
❱❱ PAGE 30 Did an accidental
on these criteria: delivery of sci-
entific knowledge -- 35 percent;
accuracy of information -- 25
percent; visual appeal -- 20 per-
cent; creativity -- 15 percent;
and online impact -- 5 percent.
Semi-finalists will be invited
to a virtual training to improve
their skills. Ten entries in the
semi-finals will move to the fi-
nal round which is a two-day
learning activity. The winners
will be announced on the sec-
ond day of the program.
One may visit the PCIEERD’s
Facebook page for more details. ■
28
Stay of Thrones: The Locations Behind This
Summer’s Most Anticipated Prequel
BOOKING.COM
Calling all epic fantasy TV
superfans! For almost a decade,
fanatics across the world were
glued to their screens devouring
eight seasons of an award-win-
ning fantasy drama that showed
noble families waging war
against each other in order to sit
on the infamous throne, which
came to an end in 2019. Now
they get to feast their eyes on
the highly anticipated prequel,
coming to TV screens this sum-
mer. Based hundreds of years
before the original show, it tells
the story of a civil war fought
between rival factions and cel-
ebrates fire-breathing mythical
creatures and heroic battles.
With well over a third (37%)
of global travelers wanting to
venture to a destination fea-
tured in a TV show or movie,
we have uncovered some of the
dramatic destinations where
the new series was filmed. From
all the natural splendor the En-
glish coastline has to offer to
the ancient cities and ruinous
castles of Europe, travelers can
witness first-hand the incredi-
ble locations that have helped
bring this long-awaited prequel
series to life.
Pagudpud invites surfers to nat’l surfing tilt
BY LEILANIE ADRIANO
Philippine News Agency
LAOAG CITY – Ilocos Norte
on Thursday called on surfing en-
thusiasts to ride the waves in the
coastal town of Pagudpud and
join a national surfing competi-
tion from September 1 to 5, 2022.
Faivo Bartolome, Ilocos
Norte provincial government’s
sports consultant, said Thurs-
day they have teamed up with
the Pagudpud municipality and
the Ikani Surf Resort in Baran-
gay Balaoi to host the five-day
Travel
Hartland Peninsula (CATHERINE THACKSTONE/FLICKR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Marazion, Cornwall, Unit-
ed Kingdom
If travelers are looking for dra-
matic coastal views, they can’t
do much better than Cornwall.
Situated in the southwest corner
of England, the ancient market
town of Marazion is a haven of
soft sandy beaches, Grecian blue
sea and the stone walls of fish-
ermen’s cottages. Guarding the
bay lies the jewel in Cornwall’s
crown; the amazing island castle
of St. Michael’s Mount where ex-
tensive filming of the new series
has taken place, and where trav-
elers can discover legend, myth
surfing tilt, dubbed as “surfIN:
INtayon Ilocos Norte.”
“The results will be included
in the national ranking,” Bar-
tolome said.
He said interested partici-
pants can register by sending
an e-mail to insports@ilocos-
norte.gov.ph or contacting the
Pagudpud municipality or the
Ikani Surf Resort.
Known for its crystal-clear
waters and fresh breeze, Pagud-
pud, located more than 500 ki-
lometers from Metro Manila, is
popular among surfers, particu-
larly during this time of the year
and over a thousand years of
incredible history. The fortress,
reached by the cobbled causeway
at low tide and by ferry boatman
at high tide, is floodlit at night
creating the mysterious illusion
it’s floating in the air. Marazi-
on is a great base to explore the
rest of the Cornish coast where
the dragon series was filmed: a
short drive away is the scenic
Holywell beach, a surfing hotspot
which was used for several battle
scenes, while Kynance Cove fea-
tures distinctive serpentine rock
formations and ethereal white
sand. Cornwall has an abundance
when intermediate and pro-lev-
el surfers get to play with waves
reaching two to 10 feet high.
Pagudpud offers several
surfing spots, mostly located
near the famous Blue Lagoon
in Barangay Balaoi and at Saud
Beach, also recognized as one of
the world’s best beaches.
As part of the province’s
tourism recovery plans, Ilocos
Norte Governor Matthew Jo-
seph Manotoc, together with
the Department of Tourism,
has started pushing Pagudpud
as an alternative surfing des-
tination in the far north, aside
www.canadianinquirer.net
of activities to offer, with oppor-
tunities to go kitesurfing, paddle-
boarding, dolphin spotting and
swimming with seals. Visitors
can learn to capture the views for
themselves at the most southerly
point of the UK with a Photogra-
phy Skills Audio Tour at Lizard
Point, shooting landscapes and
seascapes along the magnificent
South West Coast Path.
Where to stay: The stylish
Marazion Hotel is a stone’s
throw away from the beach
and boasts rooms with sea
views overlooking the fortress
of St Michael’s Mount. Set in a
former 17th century coaching
inn, the hotel also offers a two-
bed self-catering apartment
with a fully equipped kitch-
en. A full English breakfast is
cooked to order every morn-
ing, while guests can eat fresh
seafood straight from the sea
at the hotel’s restaurant – and
a Cornish tea room is moments
away in town. Carved nearby
into the granite cliffs, and set
in sub-tropical gardens, is Port-
hcurno’s world-famous open-
air Minack Theatre. An iconic
Cornish attraction that resem-
bles something out of ancient
Greece, the venue hosts incred-
ible live plays and performanc-
es for a very special evening out.
from San Juan in La Union.
In October, Pagudpud is also
set to host an international
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
Hartland, North Devon,
United Kingdom
Fantasy lovers across the
world will love the towering
cliffs of the 16th-century Hart-
land Quay, which can be ac-
cessed by the popular South
West Coast Path. The Hartland
Peninsula, located in north
Devon, and its surrounding
area is recognized as Heritage
Coastline and an area of out-
standing natural beauty. With
magnificent cliff walks, exten-
sive coastal views, a large vari-
ety of wildflowers and wildlife
including Peregrine falcons and
wild deer, it’s the perfect place
for hikers and photographers.
Both cameras and crew have
been spotted shooting dramatic
scenes for the upcoming series
amidst the rocky formations
and rolling green hills. Trav-
elers can explore these same
shady lanes and ancient wood-
lands the actors have walked,
discover beaches and waterfalls
along the Peninsula or even hop
on a helicopter for aerial views
of this unique coastline and
learn about the legend of ship-
wrecks past. In August, the tra-
ditional English village of Hart-
land hosts a vibrant carnival
❱❱ PAGE 30 Stay of Thrones:
kiteboarding event to entice
more visitors to experience
world-class surfing. ■
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2022
McDonald’s Canada welcomes the new
distinctly delicious McCrispy® sandwich
to roster of menu favourites
MCDONALD’S CANADA
With 100% Canadian-raised
seasoned chicken on a soft pota-
to bun, the McCrispy sandwich
is made the McDonald’s Way
Calling all chicken enthusiasts
- McDonald’s Canada is welcom-
ing its newest permanent menu
item, the McCrispy®, available
now at participating restaurants
nationwide. Made the McDon-
ald’s Way, the new McCrispy
sandwich will deliver the taste
you know and love, and features
a delicious recipe designed with
the intention of maximum crave-
ability, ingredient harmony and
guest enjoyment.
“When we create new menu
items at McDonald’s we put
quality and taste at the fore-
front,” said Jeff Anderson,
Senior Manager, Culinary In-
novation Menu Management,
Which diet will help save our planet:
climatarian, flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan?
BY MARK MASLIN, UCL
The Conversation
The food we consume has a
massive impact on our planet.
Agriculture takes up half the
habitable land on Earth, destroys
forests and other ecosystems and
produces a quarter of the world’s
greenhouse gas emissions. Meat
and dairy specifically accounts
for around 14.5% of global green-
house gas emissions.
So changing what we eat can
help reduce carbon emissions
and promote sustainable farm-
ing. But there are several “cli-
mate-friendly” diets to choose
from. The best known are the
completely plant-based vegan
diet, the vegetarian diet, which
Food
McDonald’s Canada. “Featuring
classic, simple ingredients that
allow the chicken to be the star,
the McCrispy is the perfect com-
plement to our roster of menu
classics like the Big Mac® and
Quarter Pounder with Cheese®.”
The McCrispy sandwich
is made with 100% Canadi-
also allows eggs and dairy, and
the pescetarian diet, which also
allows seafood.
There are also “flexitarian”
diets, where three quarters of
meat and dairy is replaced by
plant-based food, or the Med-
iterranean diet which allows
moderate amounts of poultry,
pork, lamb and beef. Deciding
which diet to choose is not as
simple as you might expect.
Let us start with a new fad: the
climatarian diet. One version
was created by the not-for-profit
organisation Climates Network,
which says this diet is healthy, cli-
mate friendly and nature friendly.
According to the publicity “with
a simple diet shift you can save a
tonne of CO₂ equivalents per per-
son per year” (“equivalents” just
an-raised seasoned chicken
breast, cooked to keep the
breading crispy on the outside
and juicy on the inside, and
topped with shredded lettuce,
mayo-style sauce and served on
a soft potato bun.
“We know guests love our
classic chicken menu items, and
means methane and other green-
house gases are factored in along-
side carbon dioxide).
Sounds great, but the diet
still allows you to eat meat and
other high emission foods such
as pork, poultry, fish, dairy
products and eggs. So this is just
a newer version of the “climate
carnivore” diet except follow-
ers are encouraged to switch
as much red meat (beef, lamb,
pork, veal and venison) as pos-
sible to other meats and fish.
The diet does, however, en-
courage you to cut down on
meat overall and to choose
high-welfare and local meat
where possible, while avoiding
food waste and choosing sea-
sonal, local foods.
So saving a tonne of carbon
www.canadianinquirer.net
we are excited to launch a new
craveable crispy chicken sand-
wich” said Rebecca Smart, Di-
rector, Brand Strategy Market-
ing, McDonald’s Canada. “The
new McCrispy delivers on the
great taste our guests have come
to expect from McDonald’s, and
we believe this sandwich is truly
‘Mc-worthy’, and we can’t wait
for Canadians to try it.”
Facts:
• For those looking for some-
thing extra, the McCrispy Ba-
con Deluxe sandwich features
bacon and a slice of fresh toma-
to to take the crispy, juicy, and
tender to the next level.
• The McCrispy sandwich
and the Bacon Deluxe sandwich
are available – starting August
22rd – in restaurant, at the
Drive-Thru, through the Mc-
Donald’s app and McDelivery®
via Skip the Dishes, DoorDash,
and Uber Eats.
dioxide is great but switching to
vegetarianism or veganism can
save even more. A western stan-
dard meat-based diet produces
about 7.2 kilograms of CO₂ equiv-
alent per day, while a vegetarian
diet produces 3.8 kg and a vegan
diet 2.9 kg. If the whole world
went vegan it would save nearly 8
billion tonnes CO₂e while even a
switch to the Mediterranean diet
would still save 3 billion tonnes.
That is a saving of between 60%
and 20% of all food emissions as
which are currently at 13.7 billion
tonnes of CO₂e a year.
Water and land use
To save our planet, we must
also consider both water and
land usage. Beef, for instance,
needs about 15,000 litres of wa-
ter per kilo.
29
• The McCrispy will be priced
at $5.99 CAD plus tax, and the
McCrispy Bacon Deluxe will be
priced at $7.69 CAD plus tax.
About McDonald’s Canada
In 1967, Canada welcomed
the first McDonald’s restaurant
to Richmond, British Columbia.
Today, McDonald’s Restaurants
of Canada Limited has become
part of the Canadian fabric, serv-
ing more than one million guests
every day. In both franchised
and corporate-owned restau-
rants, nearly 100,000 people are
employed from coast to coast to
coast, and more than 90 per cent
of McDonald’s 1,400 Canadian
restaurants are locally owned
and operated by independent
franchisees. Of the almost $1 bil-
lion spent on food, more than 85
per cent is purchased from sup-
pliers in Canada. For more infor-
mation on McDonald’s Canada,
visit mcdonalds.ca. ■
Some vegetarian or vegan
foods like avocados and al-
monds also have a huge water
footprint, but overall a plant-
based diet has about half the
water consumption of a stan-
dard meat-based diet.
A global move away from meat
would also free up a huge amount
of land, since billions of animals
would no longer have to be fed.
Soya, for instance, is one of the
world’s most common crops yet
almost 80% of the world’s soy-
beans are fed to livestock.
The reduced need for agricul-
tural land would help stop de-
forestation and help protect bio-
diversity. The land could also be
used to reforest and rewild large
❱❱ PAGE 30 Which diet will
 30
Did an accidental...
❰❰ 27 virtual worlds and the
real world, online be-
haviour varies in sig-
nificant ways and may still be
too far removed from reality to
be of any practical use. Most no-
tably, the potential for limitless
experiences in online games is
very different to the real world.
Despite theoretical interest,
Stay of Thrones:...
❰❰ 28 that includes a grand
parade, kaleidoscop-
ically-dressed per-
formers, concerts and an ener-
getic dance on the final night.
Where to stay: The quaint and
cozy Downes Cottages are invit-
ing vacation homes located on
the Hartland Peninsula. The cot-
tages come with seven acres of
glorious garden views, a commu-
nal reading room, a play area for
young children, as well as com-
plimentary access to the spa and
gym. Set in rolling farmland and
wild meadow that slopes gently
to the coast, the cottages are only
a short stroll from one of Devon’s
sheltered beaches where guests
can enjoy an array of watersports
including snorkeling, windsurf-
ing and paddle boarding. Even in
peak season, this area feels like a
deserted sanctuary and is recog-
nized for having no light pollu-
tion – perfect for stargazing on a
clear night.
Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain
Travelers will feel like they
have stepped back into the Mid-
dle Ages in the mysterious city
of Cáceres, located in the west
of Spain. Protected by defensive
walls, its narrow cobbled stone
Which diet will...
❰❰ 29 areas which would be-
come a natural store of
carbon dioxide.
(Mostly) healthier
A plant based diet is also gen-
erally healthier. Meat, especially
highly processed meat, has been
linked to a string of major health
issues including high blood pres-
sure, heart disease and cancer.
However, meat, dairy and fish
are the main sources of some
essential vitamins and miner-
als such as calcium, zinc, iodine
and vitamin B12. A strict vegan
diet can put people at risk of de-
ficiencies unless they can have
access to particular foods or
take supplements. Yet both spe-
cialist food and supplements
the idea really hasn’t taken off.
While behavioural data from
virtual worlds may not be of suf-
ficient relevance to inform real
world disease models, the need
to predict human behaviour bet-
ter remains very important. The
pandemic showed us how un-
predictable our responses are.
A prime example of this was
streets and ancient stone walls
are lined with palaces, manions,
arches and churches, while the
skyline is decorated with turrets,
spires and gargoyles. Considered
to be one of the most beautiful
cities in Spain, it has survived al-
most intact from its 16th-century
period of splendor, so it comes
as no surprise Cáceres was a re-
curring filming location in the
original series and its value to
the ancient world represented in
the prequel. The well-preserved
Old Town has been declared a
World Heritage site by UNES-
CO due to its mix of Gothic and
Renaissance architecture, while
the Parque Del Principe – fa-
mous for its fountains, gardens
and sculptures – offers travelers
a charming old-world leafy oasis
to relax in. For those who have
dreamt of galloping through the
picture-perfect landscapes of the
Spanish countryside, enjoy an
Ambroz Valley Horseback Tour
and soak up the beauty of the
surrounding terrain in true big-
screen style.
Where to stay: The character-
ful Apartamentos Plaza May-
or 35, situated in the historic
square, have been immaculately
are too expensive for many
people around the world and it
would be hard to scale up sup-
plements production to provide
for billions of extra people.
So a climatarian or flexitarian
approach means there are few-
er health risks and also allows
people to still exercise choice.
One study suggests a move to
a global plant-based diet could
reduce global mortality by up to
10% by 2050.
Nine animals per person
per year
One of the issues that seems to
be lacking in many food discus-
sions is the ethical dimension.
Every year we slaughter 69 bil-
lion chickens, 1.5 billion pigs, 0.65
the rush to hoard toilet paper .
No one would have anticipated
this phenomenon before the
pandemic, and it was totally ir-
rational, but it was replicated
throughout the world. While
this is a somewhat obscure ex-
ample, what it highlights is the
unpredictability of human be-
haviour. There is no doubt that
renovated respecting their orig-
inal stately home features in-
cluding the vaulted ceilings and
original tiled flooring. Complete
with all home comforts includ-
ing a kitchenette, these light and
airy apartments are sound insu-
lated and each features a pretty
patio or balcony overlooking the
square. What’s more, the proper-
ty has a Booking.com Travel Sus-
tainable badge for its impactful
sustainability efforts including
eliminating single-use plastic
and using 100% renewable elec-
tricity. Steeped in history, this
enviable location features San
Juan Church and the Cáceres
Museum on its doorstep, as well
as fabulous tapas restaurants and
bars where guests can while away
a lazy afternoon.
Monsanto, Centro, Portugal
Engraved into the slope and
spread along the hillside, gigantic
granite boulders form the walls
of houses in the most quintes-
sentially Portuguese village of
Monsanto. Situated in the dis-
trict of Castelo Branco in the east
of Portugal, this unique moun-
tain village and its fabulous me-
dieval castle look right at home in
this fantasy series. Resting atop
billion turkeys, 0.57 billion sheep,
0.45 billion goats, and 0.3 billion
cattle. That is over nine animals
killed for every person on the
planet per year – all for nutrition
and protein which we know can
come from a plant-based diet.
So what is the ideal global
diet to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, reduce habitat de-
struction and help you live lon-
ger? Well I suggest being an “ul-
tra-flexitarian” – a diet of mostly
plant-based foods but one that
allows meat and dairy products
in extreme moderation, but red
and processed meat are com-
pletely banned. This would save
at least 5.5 billion tonnes of CO₂
equivalent per year (40% of all
www.canadianinquirer.net
if we can better understand
human behaviour and feed this
into our disease models we will
be better placed to predict dis-
ease outcomes and the impacts
of public health interventions.
Unfortunately, in the real
world we don’t have the luxury
the game developers of World
of Warcraft had. When they
a hill, the fortress of Monsanto
Castle – now in ruins – features
walled courtyards and intricate
arched gates. Visitors can clam-
ber up the hillside to enter its
doors where filming has taken
place for the prequel, and ad-
mire the wonderful surrounding
scenery from up high. Monsanto
also houses various 18th-century
manor houses and Romanesque
chapels in its rocky landscape:
close to the Chapel of the Holy
Spirit is the house of Fernando
Namora, an acclaimed Portu-
guese doctor and writer – both
well worth a visit. Nearby, Caste-
lo Branco is known for its quaint
Old Town and beautiful Baroque
garden with elegant fountains
and tilework.
Where to stay: At the Old Ho-
tel situated in the west of Mon-
santo, guests can delight in the
breathtaking lake and mountain-
ous views from their balconies,
which can also be explored along
the popular hiking routes nearby.
This ancient granite 15th-cen-
tury guest house is charming,
historic and homey and offers
double as well as family rooms,
a continental breakfast and a
warm welcome from the owners.
food emissions), decrease glob-
al mortality by 10% and prevent
the slaughter of billions of inno-
cent animals. ■
AUGUST 26, 2022 FRIDAY
couldn’t stop the spread of the
corrupted blood disease, they
just performed a game reset to
end the pandemic and get back
to life as normal. If only! ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
Ideally located just a short walk
from Monsanto Castle, its views
of the orange sunsets that span
the valley are outstanding. ■
*Research commissioned by
Booking.com and conducted
among a sample of adults who
plan to travel for business or lei-
sure in the next 12-24 months. In
total 24,055 respondents across
31 countries and territories were
polled (including 501 from Argen-
tina, 1003 from Australia, 500
from Belgium, 1001 from Brazil,
500 from Canada, 1000 from
China, 1007 from Colombia, 1001
from Croatia, 508 from Denmark,
1002 from France, 1000 from
Germany, 1005 from Hong Kong,
1000 from India, 502 from Israel,
1003 from Italy, 1002 from Japan,
500 from Mexico, 501 from The
Netherlands, 501 from New Zea-
land, 500 from Peru, 1000 from
Russia, 1005 from Singapore,
1002 from South Korea, 1002
from Spain, 501 from Sweden, 501
from Switzerland, 504 from Tai-
wan, 500 from Thailand, 1000
from the UK, 1002 from the US
and 501 from Vietnam). Respon-
dents completed an online survey
in August 2021.
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
 AUGUST
JULY 26, 2022
17, 2020 31
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