m Drive Like Everyone

info@canadianinquirer.net is Watching
1.49 % 72
Get *

sales@canadianinquirer.net
for
up on select new
APR to 2022 Mustang
Models
Purchase Financing Months

facebook.com/
Philippine
CanadianInquirer CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER FORDTO.CA
twitter.com/
pcinews_twt MARCH 31, 2023 www.canadianinquirer.net VOL. 8 NO. 533

SUMMER DELIGHT

A roadside stall along Moriones Street in Tondo, Manila sells halo-halo, a popular summer treat, on Tuesday (March 28, 2023). Halo-halo and cold drinks are popular among those who want to
beat the heat during the summer months.
YANCY LIM / PNA

PBBM: PH ‘disengaging
from any contact’
with ICC
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Philippines is “disengag-
ing” from any contact and communication
with the International Criminal Court (ICC)
after it rejected the country’s request to sus-
pend its ongoing investigation into former
President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, Pres-
ident Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday.
18
Maria in Vancouver:
The Power of
Dressing in Black
Marcos made this remark after the
ICC Appeals Chamber, in a decision dat-
ed March 27, denied the Philippines’ plea 25
“in the absence of persuasive reasons in
support of ordering suspensive effect.” `
Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden
“At this point, we essentially are dis-
engaging from any contact, from any are missing the bigger picture
communication I guess with the ICC…We about migrant border crossings
ended up with the same position that we Seven likely consequences from
the banking crisis that most
PAGE 9
❱❱ PAGE 4 PBBM: PH ‘disengaging people haven’t realised yet

Advanced equipment and testing available

We direct bill most insurance companies:

Square One
Sun Life Green Shield
Manulife Blue Cross
Great-West Life Claim Secure Valid only at
Located in Square One Industrial Alliance Square One
inside Pearle Vision
If you are 19 years old and under or 65 years old
905-277-3052
and older, you are covered under OHIP**

visit www.drshekari.com *Eye exams available by Independent Doctors of Optometry inside Pearle Vision.
to schedule your eye exam*
12/31/2021.
2 MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
PBBM mulling over LBP, DBP merger;
substantial gov’t savings seen
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Ferdi-
nand R. Marcos Jr. is seriously
studying the proposed merger of
the Landbank of the Philippines
(LBP) and the Development
Bank of the Philippines (DBP),
which is in line with the adminis-
tration’s thrust toward financial
efficiency among state-owned
banks, Finance Secretary Benja-
min Diokno said on Tuesday.
“The President expressed
the desire to merge the two to
make it the biggest bank in the
country because of the recent
financial developments abroad.
And that’s really the best prac-
tice, the biggest bank usually
is owned by the state globally,”
Diokno said in a press briefing
in Malacañang.
Diokno said Marcos initially
expressed concern that merg-
ing the two banks would mean
that services provided by either
bank would be lost.
“We assured him that with
the merger—because both the
Landbank and DBP are universal
ROV-equipped US ship to help contain
Mindoro oil spill
BY PRIAM NEPOMUCENO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Office of Civil
Defense (OCD) announced that
the United States government
contracted vessel Pacific Valky-
rie had arrived at Subic Bay,
Zambales to help in the ongo-
ing oil spill containment opera-
tions in Oriental Mindoro.
The OCD said the ship, which
arrived at the port at 7:12 a.m.
Tuesday, is equipped with a
submersible remotely operated
vehicle (ROV) that can conduct
a video and sonar survey of the
sunken M/T Princess Empress.
“The ROV can take still pho-
tographs, and carry a payload
of 150 lbs. (pounds). It has
function manipulators capable
banks, they do almost the same,
right, except that one is focused
on agri, the other one on indus-
trial projects,” Diokno said.
In a separate statement, the
DBP said there is no formal de-
cision on the Landbank-DBM
merger which, it added, would
“require an act of Congress as
both institutions were created
by enabling laws.”
“The DBP echoes and shares
the sentiments of President
Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on the
need to conduct a thorough
and meticulous legal study on
the proposed merger of DBP
and LBP which he firmly de-
clared during a meeting with all
stakeholders in Malacañang to-
day, March 28, 2023,” the DBP
statement read.
In 2016, Marcos also opposed
the merging, saying it will de-
prive farmers of an agricultural
bank that is mandated to serve
their needs.
Diokno, however, said they
assured the President that the
two banks “do almost the same”
and will result in savings of at
least PHP5.3 billion per year.
“Given what’s happening now
of work at depth and auxiliary
servos for hydraulic tool opera-
tions. It also has a salvage bas-
ket that can bear 4,000 lbs. The
wreck survey will provide ad-
ditional situational data on the
shipwreck, which will assist
in determining solutions to
salvage the vessel and its
content,” the office said in
a statement Tuesday night.
As this developed, De-
partment of National De-
fense officer in charge and
National Disaster Risk Re-
duction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) chair
Carlito Galvez Jr. thanked
the US government for
this assistance, saying it would
boost Philippine efforts to con-
trol and resolve this environ-
mental emergency.
globally, you have banks which
are now being closed right? For
example, Credit Suisse. Who
would have thought Credit Suisse
would go under? So, there’s really
a strong need for solidifying the
government bank,” he said.
“We’re not saying that the
current system is broken but as
policy-makers, we have to con-
stantly seek better ways of do-
ing things, especially if we want
to improve the performance of
particular government agen-
cies,” he added.
Diokno said the merger is
also consistent with Marcos’
goal to rightsizing the govern-
ment bureaucracy.
“If we are able to do that suc-
cessfully, then we’ll have more
money for really essential proj-
ects like healthcare, education
and infrastructure,” he added.
Strengthening financial
capabilities
Should the merger push
through, Diokno said Landbank
would be the surviving entity
because it is “at least four times
bigger” than DBP.
“Ang advantage nito talaga
(The advantage of this) is that
“Once all mandatory checks
and preparations are complet-
ed, the Pacific Valkyrie, carry-
ing an ROV team from the US,
will head to Oriental Mindoro
to check the current situation
The ROV can take
still photographs...
of the shipwreck and its fuel
cargo. We will then use data
gathered to determine the next
appropriate course of action to
www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
we will be able to save a lot of
money for the national govern-
ment… For the projected op-
erating cost savings due to the
merger, (these) could reach at
least PHP5.3 billion per year. So
for the next four years, at least
PHP20 billion and this is even
understated,” he said.
“This does not include reve-
nues that can be derived from
the sale of redundant assets of
DBP, various properties such as
its head office in Makati, a prop-
Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. (ALFRED FRIAS/PNA)
control the oil leakage coming
from its source,” Galvez said.
Aside from the ROV, the
US government is also send-
ing 11,000 feet of 26-inch ab-
sorbent harbor boom, which
will be used to control the
spread of oil and allow easy
recovery.
Personal protective
equipment, other support
equipment, vehicles, and
vessels, as well as experts
from the US Coast Guard,
National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration,
and US Navy will also be de-
ployed.
“We welcome this as-
sistance coming from our US
counterparts. We are confident
that this initiative would great-
ly help our assessment efforts,
3
erty in BGC, various branch
properties, equipment and li-
censes and income that can be
derived from the proceeds of
such sales,” he added.
Diokno said the merger is ex-
pected to take effect “before the
end of the year.”
Diokno likewise said the
merger will cause in some lay-
offs, but assured that separa-
tion packages will be given to
❱❱ PAGE 4 PBBM mulling over
thereby enabling us to imple-
ment the most effective con-
tainment and cleanup strategy,”
NDRRMC executive director
and OCD administrator Under-
secretary Ariel Nepomuceno
said.
Inter-agency cleanup activ-
ities are being done across the
most affected coastal areas,
together with initiatives from
the national and local govern-
ments, non-government orga-
nizations (NGOs), communi-
ties, and private entities.
A total of 10,206 liters of oil-
mixed water and 72,643 kg. of
oil-contaminated debris had
been collected in these cleanup
operations.
Meanwhile, more than 36,000
❱❱ PAGE 4 ROV-equipped US
 4 Philippine News
DBM briefs Congress on PBBM Governance bill
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – To strengthen the
partnership with Congress in
passing the Progressive Bud-
geting for Better and Modern-
ized (PBBM) Governance Bill,
the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) on 28
March 2023 led a briefing ses-
sion on the proposed measure.
The activity aimed to discuss
and deliberate on queries and
concerns of the Legislature
on the implementation of the
PBBM Governance Bill, which
the DBM is spearheading.
The Bill is one of the priority
legislative measures of the Mar-
cos Jr. administration. This is in
line with the administration’s
8-point Socioeconomic Agenda
which identifies bureaucratic effi-
ciency as one its key components.
In a message, DBM Secre-
tary Amenah F. Pangandaman
stressed that the modernization
of the country’s budgeting pro-
cess has been long overdue, since
PBBM: PH ‘disengaging..
❰❰ 1 started with and that is
we cannot cooperate
with the ICC,” he told
reporters in a media interview
during an event at SMX Conven-
tion Center in Pasay City.
He said the ICC decision to re-
ject the country’s plea ends the
Philippines’ involvement with the
Hague-based international court.
“We don’t have a next move.
That is the extent of our in-
volvement with the ICC. That
ends all our involvement with
the ICC because hindi na tayo
pwedeng mag-appeal (we can
no longer appeal),” he said.
“The appeal has failed. And
there’s – in our view, there is
nothing more that we can do in
the government,” he added.
He said the Philippines “no
longer” has any recourse when
it comes to the ICC.
“We have not been involved
with the actual action. Merely
as a comment, we would com-
ment, and the appeal is part of
a comment. But we have not ap-
peared as a party in the ICC be-
cause we do not recognize the
jurisdiction of the ICC. And so
that is again, as I said, we have
ended up now at the end where
the last comprehensive policy on
Public Financial Management
(PFM) was enacted in 1987. The
PBBM Governance Bill will serve
as the foundational framework
to modernize the PFM.
“The Progressive Budgeting for
Better and Modernized Gover-
nance Act is a landmark legislative
measure which seeks to improve
the ability of the government to
deliver direct, immediate, and
substantial services to the people,
thereby, strengthening public ac-
countability and transparency,”
Pangandaman said.
Once enacted into law, it will
introduce key reforms encom-
passing the Budget Cycle. It
shall modernize the budgeting
system; resolve the fragmented
PFM legal framework; secure
institutionalization of key PFM
reforms such as the Treasury
Single Account, Accounting and
Auditing Reforms, and the Inte-
grated Financial Management
Information System; as well as
strengthen the implementation
of the Cash Budgeting System.
we really started,” he said.
He likewise cited “serious
questions” about the ICC’s juris-
diction, saying he considered it
to be “interference” and “practi-
cally attacks on the sovereignty.”
To recall, the Philippine
government submitted two re-
quests — a notice of appeal in
February and an appeal brief in
March — to suspend the probe
after ICC authorized its prose-
cutor, Karim Khan, to investi-
gate alleged crimes committed
during the Duterte administra-
tion’s anti-narcotics campaign.
In March 2018, Duterte ordered
the Philippines’ termination of
Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. (PCO)
Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman
(DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT/FACEBOOK)
Moreover, it shall establish,
promote, and embed public
participation in the budget
process while upholding fiscal
responsibility principles in the
bureaucracy.
The Bill will enable the gov-
ernment to have a strong foun-
dational legal framework on
PFM that will guide all branches
of government in the crafting
and execution of the budget. It
shall apply to the management
the Rome Statute that created the
ICC after former prosecutor Fatou
Bensouda continued with the pre-
liminary examination.
The Philippines formally cut
ties with the ICC on March 17,
2019, exactly a year after the
revocation of the Rome Statute.
In September 2021, the ICC
launched a formal inquiry into the
drug war but suspended its move
two months after the Philippine
government vowed to re-examine
the cases of drug operations.
In June 2022, the ICC prose-
cutor requested to reopen the in-
quiry as it was “not satisfied” with
what the Philippines was doing. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
of revenues, expenditures, fi-
nancing arrangements, and as-
sets and liabilities of national
government agencies, govern-
ment-owned or controlled cor-
porations, and local government
units to the extent provided.
“Ultimately, this would re-
sult in the optimal use of the
country’s fiscal resources, en-
hance the quality of governance
we provide and, in turn, ensure
improved quality of life for all
ROV-equipped US..
❰❰ 3 families had been af-
fected by the environ-
mental emergency.
A total of PHP142.9 million
worth of assistance had been
provided by various govern-
ment agencies and NGOs.
This includes financial assis-
tance, family food packs, hygiene
kits, and other non-food items.
“As we speak, the coordina-
PBBM mulling over..
❰❰ 3 the said employees.
“In any reorgani-
zation, there will be
people who will be affected and
that’s why we provide a very lib-
eral separation package. They
can use that, they can invest it
in new businesses if they want
to, or they can live on it. But we
are doing this for the greater
good,” he said.
In 2016, the Governance
Commission for Govern-
ment-Owned and Controlled
Corporations (GCG) cancelled
the implementation Executive
Order No. 198, which aims to
merge Landbank and DBP.
Diokno, who was then Secre-
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
Filipinos,” Pangandaman said.
DBM Undersecretary Wilford
Will Wong also attended the
briefing, with DBM Undersecre-
tary and Functional Group Head
of the Budget Policy & Strategy
Group Joselito Basilio, DBM
Director for Fiscal Planning
& Reforms Mary Joy de Leon,
and DBM Chief Budget Man-
agement Specialist Mark James
Evangelista as presenters.
“Let me overemphasize the
importance of this bill as envi-
sioned by Secretary Mina Pan-
gandaman. This bill aims to safe-
guard and reinforce the public
financial management system,
making it stronger and flexible
enough to withstand changes of
time to be able to support the
continued revival and revitaliza-
tion of our economy,” Wong said.
Also in attendance at the
briefing were DBM Undersec-
retary Janet Abuel, DBM Un-
dersecretary Maria Francesca
del Rosario, and Acting Under-
secretary Cristina Clasara. ■
tion between various govern-
ment agencies continues and
the conduct of cleanup opera-
tions in the coastal areas of the
three most-affected regions are
in full gear,” Nepomuceno said.
The M/T Princess Empress,
which carried 800,000 liters of
industrial fuel oil, sank on Feb. 28
off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. ■
tary of the Department of Bud-
get and Management (DBM),
and DOF Secretary Carlos
Dominguez III, both sitting
as ex-officio members of the
oversight body for Government
Owned and Controlled Corpo-
rations (GOCCs), also signed
the GCG resolution cancelling
the EO.
Dominguez earlier said a
Landbank-DBP merger “would
not serve the public interest to
transform the two institutions
into one, given their different
functions.”
Landbank caters to agricul-
ture, while DBP takes care of
industries. ■
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023 5

Get the latest News & Updates

read daily news

from Philippines,
Canada & the World
www.canadianinquirer.net
The one and only daily Filipino-Canadian live news
www.canadianinquirer.net
6 Philippine News
Person in communion bread review may be
excommunicated: CBCP exec
BY FERDINAND PATINIO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – An official of the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP) said
the student who made the con-
secrated host a subject of his
food review may face excom-
munication.
Fr. Jerome Secillano, exec-
utive secretary of the CBCP
Public Affairs Committee, said
Wednesday the Canon Law pro-
vides the penalty of excommu-
nication for sacrilegious acts.
“It’s a form of sacrilege. You
have to atone for that. In the
Church, there is excommunica-
tion regarding (such acts). The
Church is very clear on that.
That’s canonically provided.
There is a provision in the Can-
on Law. If there is a total dis-
respect to a sacred specie, it is
latae sententiae, which means
automatic excommunication,”
Return of school vacation to April,
May under study: DepEd
BY STEPHANIE
SEVILLANO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Depart-
ment of Education (DepEd) on
Wednesday said it will study
calls to revert school breaks to
the old or pre-pandemic setup.
In a Viber message, DepEd
spokesperson Michael Poa
said the department will look
into the matter amid summer
heat-related risks.
“We will take note of the sug-
gestions and study the matter,”
he said.
Poa initially said department
has “no plans” to revert the
school breaks from April to May.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian
earlier called to bring back the
June to March school calendar,
considering the risks of heat
exhaustion during the summer
months.
Secillano said.
Under the Canon Law, a
person who “throws away the
consecrated species or takes or
retains them for a sacrilegious
purpose” incurs a latae senten-
tiae excommunication.
It is the Church’s most severe
penalty imposed, wherein the
person is deprived of receiving
the sacraments and is deemed as
an exile from Christian society.
The concerned bishop is the
one imposing excommunication
through a canonical process.
The consecrated host, which
is a white wafer, is presented as
the Body of Christ during Eu-
charistic celebrations.
Secillano issued the state-
ment days after a student of the
Ateneo de Manila University
posted a food review on the con-
secrated host, which he brought
from the Mass he attended.
At the same time, the CBCP
official said the university has
already acted on the matter.
Likewise, Alliance of Con-
cerned Teachers (ACT) chair-
person Vladimer Quetua said
that classes were found to suf-
fer from the harsh heat effect,
based on a virtual survey con-
ducted from March 24 to 27.
“Hindi mapalagay ang mga
bata at hindi makapakinig sa
leksyon, nagkukumpulan sila
sa electric fan, laging nagpapaa-
lam na pupunta sa canteen para
uminom ng tubig, mga pawis na
pawis at pagod na pagod (The
learners feel uneasy and unable
to focus in classes, they gather
near the electric fan, and they
keep on asking to go to canteens
to drink water, they are sweat-
ing and tired),” he said.
In the said survey, 87 per-
cent of the 11,706 public school
teachers attested that learners
are having a hard time focusing
due to “intolerable” heat.
Poa, however, said that
schools have the option to re-
“But from what I know, on
their part, as an institution
they made reparations already,
closed their churches, no more
sacraments for the time being
that is part of atonement, aton-
ing for it. But that is only for
a period of time. But when
it comes to the guy, to the
student, that I don’t know
what they did,” he said.
Novaliches diocese: On-
line Masses to continue
Meanwhile, the Diocese of
Novaliches is not yet ready
to lift its arrangements for
physical attendance in Mass-
es in churches.
“We encourage them to
go back (to churches). But
we are still thinking if we
should lift the dispensation
already since there are those
still affected by the pandem-
ic,” Novaliches Bishop Roberto
Gaa said in a radio interview
Wednesday.
Gaa said making Masses
sort to blended learning if the
school setup.
“School heads have the dis-
cretion to suspend in-person
classes and immediately switch
to ADM (alternative delivery
modes) or blended learning if
the environment is not condu-
cive to learning,” he added.
Last March 23, 83 out of 2,121
participating learners from
Grades 8, 9, 11 and 12 were re-
ported to be hospitalized follow-
ing an unannounced fire drill in
Cabuyao, Laguna which was con-
ducted amid scorching weather.
“Some learners showed signs
of difficulty in breathing. Im-
mediately, these learners were
separated from the rest and
were stationed at the First Aid
Tent. After around 10 minutes,
the learners were told to go
back to their classrooms with
their subject teachers,” the
DepEd said.
“Other learners who showed
www.canadianinquirer.net
available online has been effec-
tive in reaching many faithful,
with or without a pandemic.
“Why deprive them (of ) that
relationship that we already
built up when, in fact, it has
It’s a form of
sacrilege. You have
to atone for that.
been effective,” he added.
The Novaliches bishop noted
that online Masses are also good
for those who choose not to be
vaccinated against the coronavi-
rus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“This is their choice not to
A teacher leads her pupils to the gate where parents are waiting to fetch their
children at Pinyahan Elementary School in Quezon City (JOEY O. RAZON/PNA)
similar symptoms from heat
exhaustion were given immedi-
ate attention by their teachers
while other school personnel
requested an ambulance from
the Barangay Mamatid Office to
bring these learners to the near-
est health facilities for further
medical attention,” it added.
On March 24, 32 learners were
also brought to the hospital due
to dizziness during a regular
class, which later on led to the
suspension of classes in Cabuyao.
Weather and health author-
ities cautioned the public to
take precaution as the country
will continue to see sizzling
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
get vaccinated since they don’t
believe in it. So, for us not to dis-
criminate them, we will contin-
ue to make online Mass (avail-
able),” Gaa said.
The CBCP earlier urged the
faithful to attend face-to-face
Eucharistic Celebrations.
Last year, the Confer-
ence said it is already time
to “return to the normality
of Christian life,” wherein
the church building is the
home of the celebration of
Masses.
In 2020, all dioceses and
archdioceses in the country
issued their respective dis-
pensation from physically
attending Masses in church-
es due to the pandemic.
On the other hand, several
dioceses and archdioceses have
already lifted the dispensa-
tion from physically attending
Masses in churches to encour-
age more people to return to
churches. ■
temperatures, with this year’s
highest heat index logged at 47
degrees Celsius in San Jose, Oc-
cidental Mindoro on March 25.
Heat index, also known as
“human discomfort index,” re-
fers to the apparent tempera-
ture being felt by humans.
The DepEd, meanwhile, as-
sured to make inquiries on the
activity to improve the conduct
of the unannounced drills in
schools moving forward.
Under DepEd Order No. 53,
series of 2022, unannounced
fire and earthquake drills are
required to be conducted in
public schools nationwide. ■
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
Marcos still hopeful
of passage of water
resources dep’t bill
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Ferdi-
nand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday
said he remains hopeful of the
passage of a bill creating the
Department of Water Resourc-
es (DWR).
He made this statement just
four days after he announced
that he has signed an executive
order (EO) creating the Water
Resource Management Office
(WRMO) pending the passage
of the DWR bill.
The creation of the DWR was
among the priority bills pushed
by the President during his first
State of the Nation Address in
July last year.
“There are many agencies that
are concerned when it comes to
water management. So, we have
to make it more cohesive. That’s
why nagtayo tayo ng (we estab-
lished an) Office of Water Man-
agement, which presently will
be attached to the Office of the
President and with DENR (De-
partment of Environment and
Natural Resources),” he said in a
media interview on the sidelines
of the Pag-IBIG Fund Chair-
man’s Report in Pasay City.
“But we are hoping down the
road, mayroon nang mga (there
will be) bills that have been filed
in the legislature, in both hous-
es, na itinatayo ang (to establish
the) Department of Water Man-
agement, and that’s precisely
what we are trying to face.”
Amid lawmakers’ call for the
government to have a compre-
hensive plan to address an im-
pending water crisis, Marcos
expressed hope that this plan
would be mapped out by the
newly-created WRMO.
He also underscored the need
to build more water-related in-
frastructure.
Marcos expressed optimism
about learning from examples
of water management around
the world, which the country
could emulate.
“It’s just really a question of
managing our water. We have
always – we kept postponing
this problem over the many,
many years at every level. So, it’s
time to put it together, to put in
a cohesive plan na masusundan
ng lahat ng LGU (local govern-
ment units), masusundan ng la-
hat ng mga (that can be followed
by LGUs and other) agencies of
government,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President
noted that the water manage-
ment problem in the country
“goes beyond just agriculture.”
“Of course, agriculture is an
extremely important part of it
but we are talking about irriga-
tion – water for irrigation, water
for power production, our man-
agement of surface water sa (in)
flood control and for irrigation
as well,” he said. “All of these
things we have already put up
together – we have already (put)
together (an) overall plan. Now,
we have to implement it.”
CCC backs DWR creation
Climate Change Commis-
sioner Albert dela Cruz Sr. has
expressed support for the pro-
posal to create a DWR and Wa-
ter Regulatory Commission that
would focus on the management
of the country’s water resources.
“For an archipelagic country
with abundant water resourc-
es, we need a sole government
body, which is focused on water
resource management and will
also strengthen the implemen-
tation of water-related laws to
improve coordination among
regulatory bodies,” dela Cruz
said a news release on Tuesday.
Based on a report from the
National Water Resources Board
(NWRB), more than 11 Filipino
families lack access to clean water.
This accounts for about 41.6
percent of the 26.4 million
households in the country.
“It’s a worrisome reality, es-
pecially when we consider that
we are at the onset of the El
Niño again this dry season. Half
of the total number of Filipino
families does not have access to
clean water due to lack of sup-
ply and sanitation,” he said.
Dela Cruz is in Taiwan to at-
tend the 2023 Smart City and
Expo at the Taipei Nangang Exhi-
bition Hall 2 in Taipei City from
March 28 to 31. The event will be
attended by key officials of the
Taiwan Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, as well as represen-
tatives of the city governments of
Taipei and Taichung City.
He said water service providers
should submit a water safety plan
and conduct regular water quality
assessments at least every three
months aside from acquiring the
necessary permits and certifica-
tions, such as the certificate on the
potability of drinking water.
He said the CCC is already
formulating policies and pro-
grams that would ensure the se-
curity of the water supply.
❱❱ PAGE 13 Marcos still hopeful
www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
PH saves 62.69
MW during
2023 Earth Hour
BY KRIS CRISMUNDO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Department
of Energy (DOE) reported
Monday that the country saved
62.69 megawatts (MW) of en-
ergy from turning off the lights
from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., or
the Earth Hour, last March 25.
The DOE said the event was
a symbolic demonstration of
unity aimed at reversing nature
loss and achieving a climate-re-
silient future.
Of the energy saving in this
year’s Earth Hour, the largest
savings came from Luzon with
33.29 MW, followed by 20.5
MW from Mindanao and 8.9
MW from Visayas.
“This also illustrates how
purposeful behavior could
achieve something big and wor-
thy. Imagine when individuals,
businesses, government, and
communities unite not only
during Earth Hour but in mak-
ing energy conservation their
everyday way of life, the over-
all impact would be even much
bigger,” said DOE Secretary Ra-
phael Lotilla in a statement.
7
Lotilla urged Filipinos to con-
tinue energy efficiency and con-
servation efforts to help in man-
aging energy demand, especially
during dry season when power
supply often becomes critical.
“Let us help sustain the mo-
mentum by simply consistently
practicing energy conservation
measures at home, offices, com-
munities, and businesses from
switching off non-essential
lights to choosing more energy
efficient appliances, equipment
and machines. These are simple
yet valuable actions that we can
do easily not only for our plan-
et but more especially during
periods of high demand such as
this summer season,” he added.
However, this year’s Earth
Hour energy savings slightly de-
clined from 65.32 MW in 2022.
The DOE said many consum-
ers used air-cooling appliances
like air conditioners as the heat
index last Saturday was at 39 to
40 degrees Celsius, which was
higher than last year’s index.
The country achieved its
highest electricity savings
during Earth Hour in 2019 with
total savings of 195.34 MW. ■
8 Philippine News
Correspondent/Hosts
Arianne Grace Lacanilao
Matte Laurel
Violeta Arevalo
Babes Newland
Graphic Design
Shanice Garcia
Ginno Alcantara
Arlnie Colleene Talain Singca
Account Manager
Kristopher Yong
Director/Producer
Boom Dayupay
Photographers/Videographers
Ginno Alcantara
Management
Alan Yong
For photo submissions, please email
editor@canadianinquirer.net
For General Inquiries, please email
info@canadianinquirer.net
For Sales Inquiries, please email
sales@canadianinquirer.net
or visit
‘www.canadianinquirer.net/advertise-with-us/’
Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at
#1820-666 Burrard Street
Vancouver BC V6C 2X8 Canada
Email: info@canadianinquirer.net,
sales@canadianinquirer.net
Instagram: @pcinews_ig
Twitter: @pcinews_twt
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/pcinews
Philippine Canadian Inquirer
is published weekly every Friday.
Copies are distributed free throughout Metro
Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Greater Toronto.
The views and opinions expressed in the articles
(including opinions expressed in ads herein) are those
of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of
Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editorial Team.
PCI reserves the right to reject any advertising which
it considers to contain false or misleading information
or involves unfair or unethical practices. The advertiser
agrees the publisher shall not be liable for damages
arising out of error in any advertisment.
Member
DOH urged to prepare for disease
outbreaks during El Niño
BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – A lawmaker on Monday
urged the Department of Health (DOH)
to beef up its contingencies to respond to
diseases that typically occur during the hot
season, such as cholera, chikungunya and
Zika virus, warning that the coming El Niño
season could be a “hotbed for epidemics”.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said tropical
diseases can be problematic, citing glob-
al studies showing a spike between 2.5
percent to 28 percent in cases during El
Niño activities.
“El Nino is a hotbed for epidemics –
climate is warmer than usual, and people
have less water available,” he said. “El Niño
and La Niña can make extreme weather
events more likely in certain areas of the
country. It could intensify droughts, floods
and storms. So, apart from usual damage
due to natural disasters, let us also expect
diseases related to these hazards.”
Salceda said the government could
work on adaptations, such as mandating
local government units to clean up and
the DOH to do the coordination work
and provide close guidance.
“We can anticipate what will happen
more or less because the models teach
us when, how long, and how bad it can
be,” he said.
However, Salceda said the presence
of a full-time, dedicated staff for disease
91% of Filipinos agree with
voluntary wearing of face
masks: SWS
BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The majority, or 91 per-
cent, of adult Filipinos agree with the
voluntary wearing of face masks, a Social
Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.
The survey, conducted on Dec. 10-14,
2022 but released only on Tuesday, noted
that 64 percent of the respondents said
they “strongly approve” of Executive Or-
der (EO) 7 (series of 2022), allowing the
voluntary wearing of face masks in indoor
and outdoor settings, while 27 percent
said they “somewhat approve” of the EO.
Meanwhile, only 3 percent of adult
www.canadianinquirer.net
control and prevention would help en-
sure that “this doesn’t get buried in bu-
reaucratic gobbledygook”.
He expressed hope that the Senate ap-
proves its version of the Center for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention (CDC) bill
when the session resumes on May 8.
“The CDC would definitely add insti-
tutional muscle to our preparations, es-
pecially since El Nino could persist until
2024,” he added.
With the Senate version being certified
as urgent, the lawmaker is expecting the
bill to be ready for President Ferdinand
Marcos Jr.’s signature before he makes
his second State of the Nation Address.
The Research Institute for Tropical
Filipinos “somewhat disapprove” of
wearing masks voluntarily, 1 percent
“strongly disapprove,” and 4 percent
were undecided.
The non-commissioned survey also
showed that more than half, or about
54 percent, of the respondents said they
would always use a face mask when leav-
ing the house.
Twenty-two percent of Filipinos said
they wear a face mask outside “most of
the time,” 15 percent said “sometimes,” 8
percent said “rarely,” and 1 percent nev-
er wore it.
The same survey showed that 91 per-
cent of Filipino household heads agree
with the voluntary wearing of face masks
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
Medicine, under the proposal, he said
will “be part of a broader ecosystem of
disease prevention so it will no longer
operate in a vacuum.”
He said both the Senate and the ap-
proved House versions are focused on
“emerging or re-emerging infectious
diseases”, although the House version is
more explicit about measures for rapid de-
tection of such diseases instead of a lack of
institutional focus by covering all diseases.
“The special powers are also broad-
er and more relevant. So, I think both
the Senate and House versions already
make the cut as far as health emergency
response is concerned,” he added. ■
for children in face-to-face classes, and
only 5 percent expressed disagreement.
Four out of 5 households with chil-
dren attending face-to-face classes will
always make their child wear a face mask
when going to school, the pollster said.
The SWS said 11 percent of Filipi-
no household heads would make their
child wear a face mask when attending
face-to-face classes “most of the time”, 5
percent said “sometimes”, 3 percent said
“rarely” and 0.5 percent said “never.”
The survey was conducted through
face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adult
respondents (18 years old and above) na-
tionwide. It had a sampling error margin
of ± 2.8 percent. ■
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden are missing the
bigger picture about migrant border crossings
BY LAURA MADOKORO,
Carleton University
The Conversation
When Canadian Prime Min-
ister Justin Trudeau and Unit-
ed States President Joe Biden
announced unofficial border
crossings were no longer ex-
empt from the Safe Third
Country Agreement — meaning
migrants could be turned away
— news reports document-
ed the surprise and dismay of
those who arrived at Roxham
Road in Québec, a few hours
past the deadline of midnight,
March 25, 2023.
Migrants who crossed just
hours before the new measures
took effect, on the other hand,
expressed relief to the media that
they made it into Canada in time.
The media attention on these
most recent attempts to cross
the Canada-U.S. border helps
the public understand what
otherwise too often takes place
on isolated rural roads and with
little accountability. They shed
some light on what is happen-
ing, but only some.
The issues at play at Rox-
ham Road, on the Québec-New
York border, are larger than
any one single border crossing,
official or otherwise. They are
intimately connected to global
political instability, economic
equities, exploitation and the
enduring question of a state’s
capacity to be humanitarian
when it is also in the business of
managing migration.
Shining a spotlight
The need to see beyond the im-
mediate crossing point is urgent
and necessary, because the mod-
ified Safe Third Country Agree-
ment is not the end of the story.
Raising public awareness
about the issues surrounding
migration has been a critical
part of civil society activism on
refugee issues in recent years.
It was a cornerstone of the
1980s sanctuary movement,
Canada News
Canadaian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and United States President Joe Biden (JUSTIN TRUDEAU/FACEBOOK)
when there were animated de-
bates about the nature of re-
sponsibilities to refugees in the
United States and, to some ex-
tent, in Canada.
In March 1982, the South-
side Presbyterian Church in
Tucson, Ariz., alongside five
churches from the San Fran-
cisco Bay area, declared them-
selves public sanctuaries for
migrants from Central America
who were fleeing civil wars and
political persecution.
The Ronald Reagan admin-
istration, which funded guer-
rilla movements in Nicaragua,
Guatemala and El Salvador,
had made it difficult for people
to file asylum claims — and the
few that were heard were dis-
proportionately refused.
For instance, only three per
cent of claims from El Salvador
were accepted, despite testimo-
ny from refugees about brutal
persecution that was echoed
by human rights observers. The
speed of the refusals and the
deportations made it difficult
for people to learn about the
circumstances that had caused
people to flee.
As civil society activists began
to educate themselves about
what was going on in Central
America, they recognized that
U.S. foreign policy was contrib-
uting to the conflicts that were
fuelling migration.
They connected the dots and
argued that the U.S. govern-
ment’s failure to address asy-
lum claims from Central Amer-
icans in a fair and just manner
was part of a larger strategy of
refusing responsibility for the
tumult in the region.
‘Civil initiative’
To address the situation, civil
society organizations began to
collaborate on multiple levels in
what Jim Corbett, a Quaker and
Arizona rancher who was deeply
involved in the movement, de-
scribed as “civil initiative.”
This involved everything
from helping people across the
Mexico–U.S. border to offering
legal advice and support, facil-
itating or providing translation
services, and advocating public-
ly on behalf of refugees.
Alongside public declara-
tions of sanctuary, Corbett talk-
ed about “public witness” as
a “key dimension of efforts to
end the persecution” (detailed
in Miriam Davidson’s Convic-
tions of the Heart: Jim Corbett
and the Sanctuary Movement).
Crucially, some refugees in
sanctuary chose or were invited
to speak about their experiences.
They often described their own
circumstances. However, they
www.canadianinquirer.net
also talked about the conditions
in their homelands, and raised
awareness about violent conflicts
that might not have been as well
understood otherwise.
Authorities recognized how
powerful — and damning — this
information was.
During the 1985 sanctuary
trial — in which 11 members of
the sanctuary movement were
tried for various felonies in-
cluding smuggling and trans-
portation — the ruling judge
specifically denied the intro-
duction of any foreign policy
evidence or testimony about
events in people’s homelands
as part of the proceedings. Six
of the activists, including Cor-
bett, were convicted, though all
received probation.
The judge’s actions illus-
trates the importance of the
larger story when it comes to
migration issues.
What fuels migration?
The current discussions of
migration across the Cana-
da–U.S. border, in both direc-
tions, are focused only on the
movement of migrants them-
selves, with little sense or in-
terest in the circumstances that
are causing people to move.
In other words, we are only
seeing migrants, not the bigger
picture.
9
Take for example, the situa-
tion in Venezuela, described by
the United Nations High Com-
missioner for Refugees as one
of the largest displacement cri-
ses in the world.
There are currently an es-
timated seven million Vene-
zuelan migrants and refugees
abroad as a result of the tur-
bulent economic and political
conditions in the country.
The United States govern-
ment has suspended direct
flights to Venezuela, as has the
Canadian government.
There is also a Canadian trav-
el advisory telling people to
“avoid all travel to Venezuela
due to the significant level of vi-
olent crime, the unstable politi-
cal and economic situations and
the decline in basic living con-
ditions, including shortages of
medication, gasoline and water.”
Let’s not impose further
burdens
Having a sense of the larger
picture isn’t about the merits of
individual claims, or how peo-
ple decide to seek better lives,
or what borders they crossed.
It’s about having a better un-
derstanding of how and why
people all over the world are
moving.
As the public education com-
ponent of the 1980s sanctuary
movement shows, this is work
all of us can do. As people lose
the capacity to be heard, the
burden falls on all of us to un-
derstand circumstances abroad
rather than to make assump-
tions about who people are, and
what they may or may not have
endured, based solely on how
they are moving.
If we’re going to have robust
and substantive conversations
about migration policy and hu-
manitarian responsibilities, then
we need to zoom out — beyond
the immediacy of the border —
to better understand the inter-
connected circumstances that
❱❱ PAGE 17 Justin Trudeau and
10
Canada needs a new economic vision,
and new policies to go with it
BY JULIAN KARAGUESIAN
Policy Options
A next-generation industrial
policy could help the country
face many challenges including
an aging population and reli-
ance on trade with the U.S.
Canadians may learn from the
federal budget what tone and di-
rection the Trudeau government
will set for the economy as it ap-
proaches an eighth year in office.
Will they build on the last budget
and fall economic statement and
move the country further in the
direction on an industrial policy
to keep pace with the U.S., or will
they pivot in another direction?
While it may appear that some
things are steadily moving to-
wards some new post-pandem-
ic normalcy, bank failures, talk
of recession, the next phase of
COVID-19 and a potential elec-
tion point to some instability. But
much deeper forces are at work.
Canada is facing the most
profound challenges to its
prosperity since the end of the
Second World War. The coun-
try’s traditional sources of eco-
nomic growth – a young and
rapidly growing population, an
expanding oil and gas sector, in-
ternational trade – are at risk of
drying up in the face of power-
ful forces and trends.
Challenges to Canada’s
economic growth
There are four key issues fac-
ing Canada’s future growth that,
if not addressed by the current
government, could have major
repercussions on its prosperity.
They are its aging population;
its shrinking sources of export
growth; its reliance on the United
States as its number one trading
partner; and finally public invest-
ments to respond to a volatile
global market. Only if Canada de-
fines a next generation industrial
policy that goes beyond simply
supporting businesses can it ad-
dress climate change and nation-
al security objectives that will
ensure economic stability.
Aging population and slow-
ing productivity
The combination of slowing
productivity growth and an ag-
ing population has led to a secu-
lar decline in the rate of growth
of the Canadian economy. Real
Canada News
GDP growth has declined by 50
per cent in the 15 years since
the global financial crisis of
2008 compared to the 15 years
prior to the crisis, from three
per cent to 1.5 per cent per year.
Canada already faces severe
shortages in health care and
long-term care and affordable
housing. This is set to get worse.
The dependency ratio – those
over the age of 65 relative to
those aged 16 to 64 – hit almost
52 per cent in 2022, up from a
post-war low of just below 44
per cent in 2008.
Statistics Canada projects
this ratio to keep rising, reach-
ing nearly 60 per cent by 2030.
While increased immigration
with a focus on working-age
migrants will help, Canada will
also need substantial invest-
ments in technology adoption
and innovation to improve its
productivity growth.
Declining export growth
A second factor is the decline
of Canada’s export-to-GDP ratio.
It has dropped from 40 per cent
in 2001 to just over 30 per cent
today. This is concerning because
Canada’s outsized economy rela-
tive to its population is driven in
large part by the fact that a large
share of the GDP is exported into
a global marketplace.
The trade environment is set
to become ever more difficult.
Countries representing more
than 90 per cent of global GDP
have committed to reaching net
zero emissions by mid-century
while an estimated 60 to 70 per
cent of Canada’s exports come
from transition-vulnerable sec-
tors. They will need to adapt or
face decline. Oil and gas will be
most exposed in the long-term,
but other key sectors (like tradi-
tional automobile manufactur-
ing, iron and steel, chemicals) will
also face profound, globally driv-
en transformation. Canada will
need to adapt its export sectors to
a low-carbon world, while gaining
a foothold in new markets.
Just as concerning is that the
sophistication of our exports
has declined steadily over the
same period. This has been char-
acterized by a falling share of
manufactured goods (for exam-
ple buses and jet engines) and a
rising share of primary products
(like oil and gas) in total exports.
This is concerning because
manufacturing and exports tend
to generate more growth, high-
er productivity and greater lon-
ger-term prosperity, relative to
extractive industries. MIT’s Ob-
servatory of Economic Complexi-
ty (OEC) tracks knowledge inten-
sities across different countries’
economies. Knowledge inten-
sity is correlated with advanced
manufacturing and research and
development (R&D) and higher
prosperity in the long run. In the
OEC’s country rankings, Cana-
da fell from 18th place in 2000 to
29th place in 2020 – just ahead
of Thailand, and behind Mexico,
and Poland, and well behind most
of our G7 peers, as well as South
Korea. This is consistent with the
fact that Canada’s R&D spending
as a share of GDP is less than half
compared to the U.S., Germany,
Japan and Korea.
Dependence on the United
States
It’s not only that one-third
of Canada’s GDP is generated
by exports, but also that 75 to
80 per cent of our exports go
to a single country: the United
States. Until the turn of the cen-
tury, this was viewed as an ex-
plicit advantage. However, a se-
ries of events – from 9/11 and the
global financial crisis to the rise
of Trumpism and COVID-19
border closures to the resulting
supply chain disruptions, infla-
tion and Buy American – have
highlighted our vulnerability to
both the U.S. election cycle and a
“thickening” of the Canada-U.S.
border. The latter has been the
largest driver of our declining
export-to-GDP ratio since 2001.
While U.S. President Joe Biden
recently reassured Canada that
his objective is shared prosper-
ity, growing Canada’s exports to
other parts of the world will im-
prove this country’s resilience.
Public investment by oth-
er countries
Fourth, other countries, some
with much larger economies,
are making substantial public
investments to secure their posi-
tions in a rapidly changing global
economy. The U.S., EU members,
Japan, Korea and other countries
have put in place large-scale in-
dustrial policies aimed at accel-
erating the net-zero transition,
onshoring advanced manufac-
www.canadianinquirer.net
turing and employment and crit-
ical supply chains, and strength-
ening national security. By far
the most relevant of these poli-
cies to Canada is the U.S. Infla-
tion Reduction Act (IRA) passed
in August 2022.
The IRA includes nearly
US$800 billion in spending, tax
credits and other measures to
encourage private investment
in “new and innovative clean
energy projects and the decar-
bonization of existing energy
infrastructure.” Europeans have
vowed to match (euro for dollar)
American spending on industri-
al policy. Taken together, tril-
lions of dollars are being spent
in these countries to secure new
sources of growth and prosper-
ity that are clean, high-tech and
more inclusive. Canada needs to
find ways to compete for invest-
ment capital, talent and market
share in the race to succeed in
the next generation economy.
Traditional policies aimed
at boosting economic growth,
such as corporate tax reduc-
tions or reduced red tape, will
not be sufficient to address
the scale, scope and urgency
of challenges Canada faces.
Governments will increasingly
need to play a role in accelerat-
ing private sector investment.
Quebec has been a leader in de-
veloping a next generation in-
dustrial policy aimed at driving
investment in critical mineral,
battery and electric vehicle sup-
ply chains. The governments of
Canada and Ontario have also
been active in catalyzing invest-
ment in the electric vehicle and
battery manufacturing.
Both the budget and fall eco-
(CHRYSTIA FREELAND/FACEBOOK)
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
nomic statement of 2022 un-
veiled and elaborated on the
$15-billion Canada Growth
Fund and the $2.6-billion Can-
ada Innovation Corporation.
Those had the ultimate objec-
tives to help secure Canada’s
longer-term prosperity by driv-
ing investment in industries
and technologies of the future.
Budget 2023 promises to ex-
pand on these initiatives with
new spending and tax credits.
While there will continue to
be calls for government to close
remaining gaps following the
budget, the real focus will need
to be successful implementation.
To date, there has been an ad hoc
use of government funds to at-
tract private global investment
wherever opportunities present
themselves, without a transpar-
ent framework to guide deci-
sion-making or measure success.
The success of next genera-
tion industrial policies will de-
pend critically on their design,
governance and follow-through.
It will also depend on successful
negotiations with the U.S. and
at the international level aimed
at creating global governance
structures that support Cana-
da’s export ambitions. Ideally,
the post-budget period will offer
an opportunity for the federal
government to move away from
primarily reactive responses
to a proactive approach under-
pinned by a clear understanding
of 21st century economic forces
and trends. ■
This article first appeared
on Policy Options and is repub-
lished here under a Creative
Commons license.
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
Canada needs to synchronize its climate
policies for effective emission control
BY WILLIAM SCOTT,
Stanford University,
EKATERINA RHODES,
University of Victoria
The Conversation
National, provincial and terri-
torial governments across Can-
ada have implemented a myriad
of policies to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions in recent years.
However, these stubbornly high
emissions have only just started
showing signs of falling.
In principle, each level of
government is working toward
the same goal. Yet, the ap-
proaches they use vary in effort,
design and coverage — with
some emissions sources cov-
ered by multiple policies while
others remain unregulated.
To achieve our emissions
goals, we need federal, pro-
vincial and territorial policies
paddling in the same direction
in addition to synchronized ef-
forts to maximize our impact.
In our new study, recently
published in Climate Policy, we
examine the development and
design of climate policy mixes
across Alberta, British Colum-
bia, Ontario and Québec, as well
as at the federal level, and eval-
uate their expected impact on
emissions abatement.
Regulatory sticks over pol-
icy carrots
Over the last 20 years, the
number and types of climate
policies implemented in Cana-
da and globally have expanded
dramatically.
Policy “carrots” — economic
incentives, such as subsidies for
low-carbon technologies — are
by far the most common policy
type and have also been found to
be more politically popular. But,
it is the mandatory regulations
— the regulatory “sticks” — in-
cluding carbon pricing and flexi-
ble regulations that are expected
to do most of the heavy lifting.
While the increased effort
toward implementing climate
policies across jurisdictions is
good, synchronized policy deci-
sions are better.
We see many instances of
overlapping policies across
provinces that can support or
undermine our emissions re-
duction objectives. Most policy
interactions (74 per cent) help
reduce additional emissions.
For example, incentivizing
electric vehicle adoption while
decarbonizing our electricity
grid can create greater emis-
sions reduction than either pol-
icy can on its own.
However, interactions be-
tween overlapping policies —
particularly across provincial/
territorial and federal levels
— can also lead to unintended
consequences that undermine
our policy objectives.
For instance, electric vehicles
earn credits under the federal
vehicle emissions standards in
excess of their actual emissions
intensity (prior to policy chang-
es coming in 2025).
This can mean that when
additional provincial policies
incentivize the adoption of
electric vehicles, like B.C.‘s zero
emission vehicle sales mandate,
they allow even higher emis-
sions intensities from the rest
of the vehicle fleet while still
meeting the federal standard.
This can result in a net increase
in emissions.
Need for synchronized cli-
mate policies
Understanding how policies
work together is critically im-
portant.
Consider the case of Canada’s
alternative approaches to car-
bon pricing. When additional
policies are imposed to reduce
emissions from fuels covered
by the federal carbon tax, the
incentive from the carbon price
adds on to the incentive from
the other policy.
This is because the increase
in cost of higher polluting goods
from the carbon tax does not
change in the presence of addi-
tional policy. For example, in Brit-
ish Columbia, fossil fuel use for
transportation is disincentivized
by both the province’s carbon tax
and low-carbon fuel standard.
However, the interaction dif-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Canada News
fers when the additional pol-
icies to reduce emissions are
also covered under a cap-and-
trade program. Cap-and-trade
programs set a limit on the to-
tal greenhouse gas emissions
from regulated sectors such as
electricity, transportation and
heavy industry.
A set quantity of emissions
allowances are then allocated
or auctioned to firms by the
government. These allowanc-
es are then used to account
for that firm’s greenhouse gas
emissions. This is seen in the
provinces of Québec and Nova
Scotia, for now.
Additional policies can re-
duce emissions from sectors
covered by the cap and with it,
the demand for emissions al-
lowances. This makes it easier
to achieve the limit set by the
cap. However, since the limit set
by the emissions cap remains
unchanged, additional policies
don’t necessarily contribute to
any additional emissions reduc-
tion, but simply shift costs and
emissions between activities.
Such interactions have im-
portant implications for how
we compare the stringency of
carbon pricing systems across
11
Canada in relation to the feder-
al benchmark.
Paddling together
Provinces across the country
vary in their economic structure,
access to energy resources and
political ideologies. So it is no
surprise that alternative policy
approaches are being pursued.
For instance, Alberta, which
relied on the oil and gas sector
for nearly 25 per cent of GDP
and 10 per cent of government
revenue in 2019, has imple-
mented about half the number
of policies as the other provinc-
es studied.
However, ensuring policies
work together to achieve our
goals requires greater co-ordi-
nation and co-operation across,
and between, governance lev-
els. Re-invigorated inter-gov-
ernmental bodies like the Ca-
nadian Council of Ministers of
the Environment offer a path in
this direction.
The variety of policies im-
plemented across the country
also highlight the importance
of evaluating policy choices
within the context of the broad-
er policy mix — a key consider-
ation for climate accountability
bodies such as the Net-Zero
Advisory Body and B.C. Climate
Solutions Council.
We are all in the same boat.
And if everyone is paddling in
their own direction, we can
veer off course and make it even
harder to reach our destination.
To propel us efficiently towards
our emissions targets, policies
and programs across nation-
al and provincial jurisdictions
need to paddle together. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
12 MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY

World News
Humza Yousaf: Scotland gets a Muslim
leader in a moment of extraordinary
change for British politics
BY PARVEEN AKHTAR, the great British industries, in motivation for getting into poli- as a leader in a public election. the minority vote for granted.
Aston University, TIMOTHY factories and in mills, settling in
tics in the first place. That will be the real measure Today ethnic, religious and
PEACE, University of Glasgow large town and cities. His political awakening had of how accepting the wider Brit- cultural diversity is reflected
The Conversation Scotland is the only western taken place a decade earlier in ish public is of the changing face across the political spectrum. It
European nation to have a Mus- the aftermath of the 9/11 at- of national politics. It remains to is possible to reach the top what-
lim leader and the UK the only tacks in the United States. As he be seen whether their ethnicity ever your political identity.
Humza Yousaf’s appointment democracy where the children sat watching the images of the becomes a factor in the public But it should be noted that
as first minister of Scotland is a of formerly colonised people Twin Towers with classmates, debate around their politics. less has changed when it comes
historic moment for the UK. It are running the country that they turned to ask him why Both Yousaf and Sunak to educational and social back-
means that, for the first time in colonised their parents’ and Muslims hated America. That, seem keen to keep their faith ground. Yousaf’s father was an
history, the country has a Hindu grandparents’ nations. The mo- he states, is when he realised in the private sphere, which accountant. Sunak the son of a
prime minister in Westminster ment is monumental. The UK, politics mattered. is expected in British politics. doctor and a pharmacist. Both
(Rishi Sunak) and a Muslim first Scotland and indeed Ireland are Yousaf’s faith and ethnici- Former prime minister Tony men went to private school.
minister in Scotland. all led by people from the south ty had previously been rarely Blair’s team famously lived by They were part of a generation
In his victory commented on in Scot- the mantra “We don’t do God” of immigrants who were able to
speech, Yousaf said: tish politics. Indeed, when it came to avoiding dis- come to the UK and make a bet-
We should all take it is rare to hear him cussions about his Christianity. ter life for themselves.
pride in the fact that to- described as a “Mus- The class caveat Politics continues to be domi-
day we have sent a clear ... that your colour of lim minister” or “Brit- Yousaf’s politics couldn’t be nated by the privately educated.
message, that your co- ish Asian MSP”. The more different from Sunak’s. Class is the true divide in British
lour of skin, your faith, skin, your faith, is not a same applies to others He is firmly left of centre on politics, whatever colour rosette
is not a barrier to lead- barrier to leading the who have preceded or immigration, welfare and tax- a candidate wears. ■
ing the country we all followed him and is a ation. This reminds us that the
call home. country we all call home. measure of how far the ethnic minority political iden- This article is republished
On the face of it, UK has come with re- tity is not uniform, although for from The Conversation under a
these two men, whose gards to minorities in years parties on the left took Creative Commons license.
families came to the public life.
UK as immigrants During the SNP lead-
looking for a better ership contest, howev-
life, embody the dream that, Asian diaspora. er, Yousaf’s absence from a vote
through hard work, immigrants Both Yousaf and Sunak have on equal marriage for same-sex
and their children can make it credited their grandparents couples was questioned and
to the top of society. and parents for their work eth- linked to his faith and standing
Similar stories are playing ic, which they say has enabled in the Glasgow Pakistani com-
out elsewhere at the top level of them to move up Britain’s social munity. The allegation was that
British politics, too. Scotland’s and political hierarchy. It’s an he did not want to vote in favour
main opposition party Labour inspiring story but perhaps one of this legislation for fear of
is led by Anas Sawar, a man who they should both reflect on now alienating that community.
is also of Pakistani Muslim her- they are in power. It is perhaps A spokesperson for Yousaf’s
itage, as is Sadiq Khan, the May- harder for arrivals in today’s campaign responded by saying
or of London. The Westminster Britain to replicate this journey. that he “unequivocally supports
cabinet also has unprecedented The ultimate stress test equal marriage” and that his
ethnic diversity. awaits absence from the vote was due
Many of these politicians are Though Yousaf has stated he to “an extremely important en-
the children and grandchildren is a practising Muslim, he is also gagement which involved trying
of immigrants who came to the clear that he does not believe to secure the release of a Scot-
UK in the 1950s and 1960s, eco- that legislators should be led by tish national sentenced to death
nomic migrants from former faith in their decision-making. for blasphemy in Pakistan”.
colonies like India, Pakistan and That said, at an event we organ- It is important to note that
the nations of east Africa and the ised at the Scottish Parliament neither Yousaf or Sunak have yet
Caribbean, who came with little on Muslims and the political faced the real stress test. They
money and limited English lan- process in Scotland when Yousaf both became leaders on the back
guage. This first wave of postco- first became an MSP, he revealed of a closed party selection pro-
lonial migrants often worked in that his faith had been part of his cess so have not yet had to stand (HUMZA YOUSAF/FACEBOOK)

www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
Fears AUKUS will undermine Australia’s
defence sovereignty are misplaced
BY PETER K. LEE, USSC,
University of Sydney
The Conversation
The AUKUS submarine an-
nouncement earlier this month
reignited a long-running debate
about how to best preserve Aus-
tralia’s sovereignty.
The announcement ad-
dressed some key concerns. For
example, the United States will
sell (rather than lease) Australia
its Virginia class submarines so
Australia can keep these boats.
The submarine commanders
and crew will be Australian.
The rotational deployments of
US and UK submarines through
Perth won’t become a foreign
base. And Australia will ulti-
mately build its own AUKUS
class nuclear-powered subma-
rines, likely in Adelaide.
Even so, the AUKUS an-
nouncement was met with
sharp criticism. For some com-
mentators, AUKUS is the last
nail in the coffin of Australian
independence from the US.
There are concerns about the
reliance on others for technolo-
gy and skills, especially regard-
ing the nuclear reactors. Also,
the massive investment allo-
cated to the submarines may
undermine a more balanced de-
fence force needed for defend-
ing the continent.
What’s more, some analysts
have questioned whether Aus-
tralia can maintain indepen-
dent military decision-making
in future conflicts. For example,
would Australia’s submarines
be used to support the US in a
war with China?
These concerns deserve seri-
ous consideration.
But many Australian strat-
egists reject them. For them,
AUKUS is less revolution than
evolution, merely the logical
extension of Australia’s robust
defence cooperation with the
US over many decades.
Marcos still hopeful..
❰❰ 7 “We are taking an
active role in ensuring
that every Filipino has
safe and potable water and we
are doing this by educating the
Australian Primer Minister Anthony Albanese, United States President Joe
Biden, and British Prime Minister Rishi Surnak (CHAD J. MCNEELEY VIA U.S. SECRE-
TARY OF DEFENSE/FLICKR, CC BY 2.0)
The AUKUS submarine plan
represents a new shade of the
dependency that Australia has
always had on the US for ad-
vanced capabilities, and with
which Australia has always been
comfortable. So long as Austra-
lia is able to use these tools as it
sees fit, the argument goes, then
sovereignty is ensured. This is
the way of the alliance.
We haven’t yet sacrificed our
defence sovereignty or sover-
eign industrial capabilities on
the altar of AUKUS.
Here’s why.
What are Australia’s de-
fence sovereignty objectives?
Many critiques of AUKUS
go far beyond the specific issue
of whether the proposed sub-
marine pathway compromises
Australia’s defence sovereignty.
Instead, they touch on deeper
questions of Australia’s strate-
gic alignment with the US and
the UK, and our national deci-
sion-making writ large.
For example, the most head-
line-grabbing critique is that
AUKUS has deprived Australia
of its freedom to choose what
to do in a possible military con-
tingency over Taiwan. But this
hinges on a hypothetical future
scenario, the answer to which
cannot be known today.
public the importance of having
a comprehensive management
program on water safety plan-
ning,” he said.
Included in the CCC’s public
We simply don’t know if Aus-
tralia is now more locked into
a potential US-China conflict
than was already the case be-
fore September 2021, when
AUKUS was first announced.
Answering that question in-
volves far more than an assess-
ment of just our submarine in-
dustrial capability.
We should instead judge the
submarine announcement, and
whether it undermines Aus-
tralia’s sovereignty, against the
actual procurement objectives
that lay behind the need to re-
place the retiring Collins class
submarines.
Will the submarine plan help
Australia enhance its “defence
sovereignty”? And will it help
Australia build a “sovereign in-
dustrial capability” that gives
future governments credible
military options at a time of
their choosing?
The 2018 Defence Industrial
Capability Plan defined “de-
fence sovereignty” as
the ability to independently em-
ploy Defence capability or force
when and where required to pro-
duce the desired military effect.
If the Virginia class or AUKUS
class submarines couldn’t be
independently operated and
needed US commanders or nu-
education program are policies
on the conservation, preserva-
tion, and protection of the en-
vironment, which relates to the
country’s water resources.
www.canadianinquirer.net
World News
clear technicians, this would
undermine our defence sover-
eignty. But this isn’t the case.
Similarly, if a future Austra-
lian prime minister wished to
send a submarine on a mission
and could only do so with US
and UK approval and techni-
cal support, that would also
suggest the government didn’t
have full defence sovereignty.
But this isn’t the case either.
A century of partnerships
with others
The same 2018 capability
plan defined a “sovereign in-
dustrial capability” as
when Australia assesses it is
strategically critical and must
therefore have access to, or con-
trol over, the essential skills,
technology, intellectual proper-
ty, financial resources and infra-
structure as and when required.
In fact, Australia’s domes-
tic defence industrial base has
focused on controlling key el-
ements of a capability, rather
than manufacturing everything
onshore. On the submarines,
those will be the components
to operate and sustain the boats
from Australian shipyards.
Australia has, therefore, cho-
sen to largely equip its defence
force with the most advanced ca-
pabilities available from abroad
– it’s the world’s fourth largest
arms importer for a reason.
It’s worth remembering Aus-
tralia has never had a truly sov-
ereign submarine industrial ca-
pability. The cancelled program
with France was but the latest
in a century of partnership with
others.
This has included:
• jointly crewed boats with
the UK before the first world war
• dependence on the US sub-
marine fleet operating from our
ports during the second world war
• British-built Oberon sub-
marines in the Cold War
• and Swedish-designed Col-
lins class submarines in the
1990s, incorporating a US com-
Among the mentioned poli-
cies are regulation in the use of
deep wells and even the tran-
sition of sanitary landfills to
waste-to-energy technologies
13
bat system and French sensors
and radars.
In this sense, AUKUS isn’t a
“Brave New World”. It’s more
“Back to the Future” for Austra-
lia’s shipbuilding aspirations.
AUKUS is a sovereign choice
The dream of an entirely
self-sufficient defence industry
is inherently appealing. There’s
something unsettling about re-
lying on others for capabilities
to defend oneself.
But Australia’s entry into
AUKUS doesn’t only entail sov-
ereign risks for Canberra. The
US is also making a big bet put-
ting its most closely-guarded
nuclear reactor technology and
boats in Australian hands at a
time when it needs them most.
So what does the US get out
of this deal? In 2021, US offi-
cials were at pains to reassure
us there was no quid-pro-quo to
the deal. But even if there were
such a request, there’s nothing
about AUKUS that locks Austra-
lia into actions future govern-
ments cannot withdraw from.
The UK received nuclear
propulsion technology from the
US in 1958 but stayed out of the
Vietnam War.
Canada was also offered nu-
clear-powered submarines in
1988, but chose not to pursue
the offer due to budget con-
straints and public opposition.
That backtrack didn’t doom
US-Canada relations.
Every day for the next half cen-
tury, Australia’s leaders will wake
up each morning and be free to
make a choice about the future of
the AUKUS partnership.
So, too, will the Australian
people, who at each election
will be able to vote for politi-
cal parties who might offer dif-
ferent visions for the future of
AUKUS. That is what it means
to be sovereign. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
because dumping garbage on
unused lands results in pollu-
tion that seeps into our water
systems. ■
14
Ukraine: reporter’s notes from
WWII shows how Russia used claims
of fascism to stem independence
BY RICHARD SAMBROOK,
Cardiff University
The Conversation
Alongside the horrors of the
war in Ukraine, many in the west
have been confused by the insis-
tence from Russian president
Vladimir Putin that he is trying
to free the country from “Nazi
control”, accusing his Ukrainian
counterpart, Volodymyr Zelen-
sky, and his supporters of crimes
against the people of Ukraine.
On the face of it, Putin’s alle-
gations seem bizarre, not least
because Zelensky is Jewish
and has said that members of
his family were killed during
the second world war. While
it’s true Ukraine has had issues
with the far right within its
borders, there is no evidence to
support what seem wild claims.
But for students of 20th-cen-
tury history, Putin’s rhetoric
should be no surprise. It stems
from the end of the second
world war and in some ways was
anticipated in 1945 by a British
foreign correspondent who had
spent the key years of the war
reporting from Moscow.
Paul Winterton was the Mos-
cow correspondent for the News
Chronicle and a regular contrib-
utor to the BBC World Service.
He was among the first to report
Biden bans gov’t use of spyware
posing risk to nat’l security
BY RAMON MONSALVE,
JR., Anadolu
Philippine News Agency
WASHINGTON – US Pres-
ident Joe Biden issued an ex-
ecutive order Monday banning
government agencies from us-
ing commercial spyware that
poses a risk to national security.
In his order, Biden said the
US must establish procedures
to ensure the responsible use of
World News
the Holocaust, filing an eyewit-
ness account of the atrocities
perpetrated by the Nazis at Ma-
jdanek as it was liberated by the
Red Army in August 1944 – some
eight months before Richard
Dimbleby’s famous broadcast
about Belsen. In his unpublished
memoirs, Winterton wrote:
The worst place, because of its
scale, was the death camp at Ma-
jdanek. We were shown the huge
gas chambers where the victims
were herded naked and gassed with
Zyklon B. We were shown the ov-
ens, at the top of a slope, where the
corpses were incinerated. We saw
a great field of cabbages where the
ashes and bones were scattered.
The report – which he filed
twice to make sure it had been
received – went on to give more
and graphic detail. “Experienc-
es like these colour one’s view
for life,” he said.
The BBC held back his report
for some weeks, concerned that
any suggestion that British lives
were being sacrificed to save Jew-
ish people in Europe might cause
a surge in antisemitism in the UK.
Winterton was also among
the first to report from Stalin-
grad in 1943 when the battle
was over, calmly describing the
devastation he found there.
Reports censored
At the end of the war he re-
turned to London and reflected
commercial spyware, protecting
its interests, information sys-
tems, and not contributing to its
misuse by foreign governments.
“Therefore, I hereby estab-
lish as the policy of the United
States Government that it shall
not make operational use of
commercial spyware that poses
significant counterintelligence
or security risks to the United
States Government or signifi-
cant risks of improper use by a
foreign government or foreign
on his experience reporting from
behind Russian lines. During the
war his reports had been cen-
sored – something he had to ac-
cept in order to keep his accredi-
tation. He warned his paper:
The sinister thing about all this
is that of course when we can’t get
first-hand news … we try and justi-
fy our existence here by rewriting
the tripe which the Russian news-
papers print, dressing it up attrac-
tively and sending that. The Rus-
sians are more than satisfied that
we should do this for news thus
served has the desired flavour.
In his books Report on Russia
and Inquest on an Ally he was at
last free to speak his mind. His
observations of the Russians
during the war – and the grow-
ing tensions with the west –
resonate today in the context of
Putin’s attack on Ukraine.
In Inquest on An Ally, Win-
terton reports that Pravda had
accused the American and Brit-
ish zones of becoming “a refuge
for notorious criminals, for Hit-
ler-ite hangers on”. There was
deep suspicion of the western
allies and their motives.
In spite of such frictions, Roo-
sevelt saw US-Soviet collabo-
ration as the necessary basis of
post-war peace, hoping Russians
might be weaned away from sus-
picion and dogma. But of course
any pro-Soviet appeasement did
person,” he said.
The order requires federal de-
partments and agencies to not
make operational use of com-
mercial spyware where they de-
termine that such use poses sig-
nificant counterintelligence or
security risks to the government.
The White House said com-
mercial spyware has proliferat-
ed in recent years with few con-
trols and a high risk of abuse.
It said a growing number of
foreign governments around the
www.canadianinquirer.net
not work and the cold war began.
Discussions were opened in
Yalta in Crimea about forming the
UN. Stalin demanded three seats
– for the USSR, Byelorussia (now
Belarus) and Ukraine. This was
intended to give the Soviet Union
three votes and three opportuni-
ties to speak on any topic. Ukraine
and Byelorussia did join the UN as
founding members, even though
they weren’t independent states.
Either a friend or a ‘fascist’
Winterton emphasises in
Report on Russia that any
Ukrainian or Byelorussian as-
serting independence would be
arrested as an enemy of the state
or – significantly – a “fascist”:
The loose use of words by the
Russians does not arise from ig-
norance or stupidity. Stalin well
understands the meaning for the
word ‘independence’. But the Rus-
sians know that if you say a thing
often enough a lot of people will
believe it whether it is true or not.
The word ‘fascist’, for instance has
rightly become a word of abuse
and shame throughout the world.
Very well, argue the Russians, if
anyone attacks us or offends us or
effectively disagrees with us, we
will call him a fascist. Some people
are bound to take up the cry.
In this observation from 75
years ago we see the root of Pu-
tin’s attitude to Ukraine, his use
of the fascist label, which reflects
world have deployed this tech-
nology to facilitate repression
and enable human rights abuses.
“Misuse of these power-
ful surveillance tools has not
been limited to authoritarian
regimes. Democratic govern-
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
Soviet-era paranoia about the
west and grievances about its
losses, and early signs of the “fake
news” policy of dezinformatsiya
(disinformation) – or active mea-
sures – which have mushroomed
since the advent of digital media.
Winterton went on to offer
advice on how the west should
handle the Soviet Union:
We should, in agreement with
the Kremlin, have a clear idea
where the Anglo-American sphere
of influence begins and the Rus-
sian ends … we should not seek
to prevent the spread of Russian
influence in places where we are
in any case powerless to halt it
without a major war. On the other
hand there should be no day-to-
day appeasement … we should be
firm leaving the Russians in no
doubt that any attempt to overstep
the line would be met by force.
What seemed clear advice
in 1945 of course became more
complex in the following 75 years
with the cold war, the fall of the
Berlin wall and Soviet commu-
nism, the development of Nato
and the European Union. But
it offers a valuable perspective,
from an eyewitness to history, on
today’s diplomatic dilemmas and
Russian rhetoric. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
ments also have confronted
revelations that actors within
their systems have used com-
mercial spyware to target their
citizens without proper legal
authorization, safeguards and
oversight,” it added. ■
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023 15

Uganda’s new anti-LGBTQ+ law could lead to

death penalty for same-sex ‘offences’
BY ZANELE NYONI- WOOD,
Lancaster University
The Conversation
People in same-sex relation-
ships in Uganda now face the
possibility of life in prison after
the country’s parliament unani-
mously passed its 2023 anti-ho-
mosexuality bill. The legislation,
which Amnesty International
has called “appalling”, “ambig-
uous” and “vaguely worded”,
establishes a range of harsh pen-
alties for same-sex “offences” –
including the death penalty for
“aggravated homosexuality”.
The text of the bill says the
law is intended to “protect the
traditional family” by not only
criminalising same-sex acts
themselves but also “the pro-
motion or recognition of sex-
ual relations between persons
of the same sex”. If assented to
by Uganda’s president, Yoweri
Museveni, the law would also
make it a duty of a gay person’s
family and community to re-
port individuals in same-sex
relationships to the authorities.
It’s a significant blow to the
LGBTQ+ community in Ugan-
da, which fought to overturn the
Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2014
that already contained draconi-
an provisions, including life im-
prisonment for same-sex acts.
Just five months after Museveni
assented to the 2014 act, Ugan-
da’s constitutional court over-
turned it, not due to public out-
cry, but on procedural grounds.
Human Rights Watch said
the passage of the law opened
the floodgates for persecution
of sexual minorities. HRW has
described the current law as a
“more egregious version” of the
2014 act and expressed concern
that it “criminalises people
simply for being who they are”.
The 2023 bill was introduced
into a climate that already
criminalised consensual same-
sex acts, which it referred to
as “unnatural offences” under
Uganda’s penal code.
Aspects of the the 2023 bill
seem to be an unnecessary du-
plication of the penal code.
However parliament considers
its passage necessary to address
legislative gaps and “place em-
phasis on emerging matters” that
are not contained in the criminal
law. For example, criminalising
the procurement, promotion and
dissemination of literature relat-
ing to homosexuality.
Uganda’s constitution already
prohibits same-sex marriage and
the Non-Governmental Organ-
isations (NGO) Act of 2016 in
effect prevents the registration
of organisations involved in pro-
moting LGBTQ+ rights. This pre-
vents civil society organisations
from advocating for the rights
and welfare of sexual minorities.
This was the case for Sexual
Minorities Uganda, the coun-
try’s leading sexual minority
rights organisation, which was
denied registration as the pro-
posed name was deemed “un-
desirable”. The group was sub-
sequently forced to close.
Discrimination and intol-
erance
The criminalisation of homo-
sexuality has led to discrimina-
tion and marginalisation from
employment, health and other
services. Sexual minorities are
ostracised from their commu-
nities and threatened with or
experience homophobic attacks.
Non-partisan, pan-African
research network Afrobarom-
eter reported a 2020 survey
which found that only 3% of
Ugandans were tolerant of peo-
ple with a different sexual ori-
entation or identity.
Opponents of the anti-ho-
mosexuality bill argue it is in
direct contravention of the Bill
of Rights in the country’s con-
stitution. This guarantees and
protects a number of rights and
freedoms applicable to all citi-
zens. These include, but are not
limited to, the right to privacy,
freedom from inhuman and de-
grading treatment and protec-
tion against discrimination.
But article 43 of Uganda’s con-
stitution also states that the en-
joyment of rights and freedoms
is subject to limitation if that lim-
itation is seen to be in the public
interest and “acceptable and de-
monstrably justifiable in a free
and democratic society”. The
public interest here is the protec-
tion of moral values and the tra-
ditional heterosexual family.
In her submission to the le-
gal and parliamentary affairs
committee, prominent human
rights activist and academic Dr
Sylvia Tamale wrote that same-
sex relations have always exist-
ed in African societies without
persecution and have tended
to be treated as a private mat-
ter. To criminalise them is to
transform them into a matter of
public concern and introduce
“sexual apartheid”, she added.
Like the 2014 act, the new
❱❱ PAGE 17 Uganda’s new anti-

The 2022 Mustang. Take it all in.

Performance takes new form in the 2022 Mustang.
Choose from our wide range of models, including the legendary Mustang GT. You’ll make them look twice.
The 2022 Ford Mustang Is Power, Personalized.

Test drive the Mustang GT that comes standard with a hit of adrenaline offering 450 horsepower in its 5.0L Ti VCT V8
engine and 6 speed manual transmission.
Get 1.49% APR Purchase Financing for up to 72 Months on select new models. Drive like everyone is watching.
Visit your nearest Ford dealership and feel the Mustang power.

Learn more at Fordtoronto.ca

www.canadianinquirer.net
16
Entertainment
How ‘Succession’ feeds the hidden fantasies
of its well-to-do viewers
BY ROBERT SAMUELS,
University of California, Santa
Barbara
The Conversation
“Succession” has returned
for its fourth and final season,
giving the show’s fans one last
opportunity to watch the kids
of the wealthy Roy family des-
perately try to gain the approval
of their media mogul father by
any means necessary.
I’ve watched every episode.
But at one point, I started to won-
der: Where’s the appeal in watch-
ing a group of obnoxious, pam-
pered, backstabbing siblings?
Inspired by the family of Fox
Corp. chairman Rupert Mur-
doch, with themes and a premise
pulled from Shakespeare’s “King
Lear,” “Succession” tells the sto-
ry of an aging patriarch who must
decide which of his four children
will replace him at the top.
It’s easy to assume that much
of the show’s appeal lies in its
playful critiques of right-wing
media and the billionaire class.
But in my view, the show ac-
tually caters to an audience that
wants to condemn the main
characters – while secretly
identifying with their pursuit of
power and pleasure.
The contradictions of the
liberal class
As New York Times columnist
David Brooks argued in his book
“Bobos in Paradise” – “bobo” a
portmanteau of “bohemian” and
“bourgeois” – contemporary
America is full of upper-middle
class professionals who long to
be seen as virtuous artists, even
as they engage in the relentless
pursuit of money and success
that allow them to ascend the
ranks of the bourgeois class.
To hide the guilt they may
feel for their capitalistic ca-
reerism, they look to signal
their virtue and style through
their consumption habits. They
might pay more money to pur-
chase a hybrid car so they can
appear to be good stewards of
the environment. Or they might
fork over an extra buck or two
to buy fair trade coffee.
Art also plays a role in status
signaling. In his book “Distinc-
tion,” sociologist Pierre Bour-
dieu explained how class status
and an appreciation of the arts
are often intertwined. Wealthy
people, he points out, have the
time and resources to spend on
activities that serve no direct
practical function.
The working classes, how-
ever, have to constantly think
about necessity and their limit-
ed time and money.
Bourdieu ultimately argues
that the masses tend to avoid
engaging with art and watching
films and movies that place form
over function because they do
not have the luxury to spend time
and money on these experiences.
It’s HBO – not mass TV
Like so many other acclaimed
premium cable TV shows, “Suc-
cession” targets the very viewers
– middle class and upper-middle
class professionals – who can af-
ford to pay for monthly stream-
ing subscriptions.
To draw in these viewers, HBO
needs to differentiate itself from
TV networks and other stream-
ing services. It does this, in part,
by including nudity, violence
and profanity that wouldn’t be
permitted on network TV. It also
seeks to highlight its series’ high
production value.
In “Succession,” the series’
uncensored speech and be-
havior gives it a sense of gritty
realism. But the show is also
eager to flaunt its cinematic
flair: strange camera angles and
saturated colorssuffuse each
scene. These aesthetic tech-
niques create a distancing ef-
fect on the audience; it is hard
to escape a sense that this is a
carefully crafted, fake world.
As I argue in my book “Po-
litical Pathologies from The
Sopranos to Succession,” this
combination of the real and the
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
fake allows prestige TV shows by allowing for human fallibility ushered in a political strategy
like “Succession” to present and reconciling the seemingly called the “third way.” In order
themselves as both a mirror of irreconcilable human needs for to maintain power, the Demo-
the world and a fictional paint- order and pleasure.” cratic president often pushed
ing full of stylistic flourishes. One of the main ways that through Republican policies like
This distance and duality the opposing forces of social or- welfare reform, financial dereg-
allow the audience to feel like der and individual pleasure are ulationand the war on drugs.
it’s a part of this world, while mediated is through humor and Underpinning this ideology is
giving viewers the space to sev- irony. The key to comedy, then, the desire to be both conserva-
er themselves from any sort of is that it allows people to both tive and liberal at the same time.
complicity and identification say and unsay the same thing – Over time, the Democratic
with the worst excesses of the to transgress but be protected Party became representative
show’s characters. by the guise of humor. of upper-middle class elites
Having it both ways In “Succession,” characters, who still wanted to be seen as
Just as upper-middle class like Tom, will state something progressives. The Republican
professionals may seek to and then immediately take it party, meanwhile, hid its focus
hide their crass materialism back and qualify it. Through- on policies catering to the super
through virtue signaling and out the series, he is constantly wealthy by pretending to care
status-based consumption, the threatening his younger col- about the plight of the aban-
show uses its own irony to reveal league, Greg, before backtrack- doned white working class.
that it knows what it is doing, so ing and telling him that he is In both of these cases, cable
that it can keep on catering to only kidding – only to repeat news and fictional media have
viewers’ anti-social desires. the same threat again. played a big role in concealing
The show’s well-to-do view- The power of cable news the tensions of class conflict be-
ers may wish they could curse The contradictions of the hind the wall of a culture war.
out their co-workers and under- show’s characters – and the lib- In “Succession,” Waystar
lings or indulge in wildly expen- eral class, more broadly – are RoyCo, the right-wing news
sive luxuries, but they know that mirrored in the past few de- conglomerate owned by Logan
they have to restrain themselves cades of American politics. Roy, often fans the flames of
– the rules of their social worlds One example of this is former
demand it – and so they turn to U.S. president Bill Clinton, who ❱❱ PAGE 21 How ‘Succession’ feeds
fantasy and popular media to
live out their repressed desires.
Like the politicians who say
one thing but act in another con-
tradictory way, the series itself
sends two opposing messages
simultaneously. One message is
that people should all be free to
say and do what they want. The
other message is that this type of
selfish behavior must be reject-
ed because it undermines soci-
ety and personal relationships.
New Yorker writer Janet
Malcolm, who died in 2021, of-
ten explored the ways in which
these contradictions were in-
grained in American culture.
As she writes in her book “The
Journalist and the Murderer,”
“Society mediates between the
extremes of, on the one hand, in-
tolerably strict morality and, on
the other, dangerously anarchic
permissiveness … Hypocrisy is
the grease that keeps society
functioning in an agreeable way, Production on Succession Season 4 has begun. (@SUCCESSION/INSTAGRAM)
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
Netflix Celebrates Diverse Anime Slate
at AnimeJapan 2023
NETFLIX
Tokyo, March 25 -- Returning
to AnimeJapan 2023, Netflix
showcased their diverse slate
of current and upcoming an-
ime including fan-favorites like
PLUTO or newly announced
series Ōoku: The Inner Cham-
bers, delighting fans both in
and outside Japan during mul-
tiple booth presentations and a
star-studded stage event.
Janine drops unrequited
love song “bagay nga
tayo pero”
ABS-CBN
Janine Berdin has released
a song about unrequited love
dubbed “bagay nga tayo pero,”
her passion project where she
became hands-on from the song-
writing to casting for its soon-to-
be-launched music video.
“I’m so so proud of this one,
wrote and did some arranging
and producing overall,” shared
the “Tawag Ng Tanghalan” sea-
son 2 grand champion.
She co-produced the song to-
gether with ABS-CBN Music cre-
Janine Berdin sings about unrequited in her new single “bagay nga tayo pero.” (ABS-CBN)
The broad lineup across
genres like sci-fi, action and
more includes newly announced
titles Ōoku: The Inner Chambers
(Coming in 2023), the first anime
adaptation of the hit manga by
Fumi Yoshinaga, or Yakitori: Sol-
diers of Misfortune (May 2023),
an anime series adapted from
a brand-new military science
fiction novel by Carlo Zen, who
made his debut with The Saga of
Tanya the Evil. These and more
titles are joining the previously
ative director Jonathan Manalo
and Eugene Yaptangco. It is cur-
rently part of Spotify Philippines’
New Music Friday playlist.
For the first time, Janine was
able to showcase her visual arts
skills and made the cover art for
“bagay nga tayo pero.” She also
personally created its lyric vid-
eo with the help of friends who
are into animation.
The singer-songwriter like-
wise conceptualized the plot of
its upcoming music video and
even handpicked the stars who
will be part of it.
Janine is one of the multi-tal-
announced Onmyoji (Coming in
2023), an animated series based
on the world of Baku Yumemak-
ura’s well-known tales about the
ancient yin-yang diviner Abe Sei-
mei, which is set for release later
this year.
“Over the years, we’ve
learned that fans love the
breadth of our lineup. From ti-
tles like PLUTO and Ooku: The
Inner Chambers by top story-
tellers, to buzzy fan-favorites
like Onmyoji, Yakitori and so
ented artists that are part of the
ABS-CBN Music roster. Last
year, she released her EP “WTF
I actually wrote these songs”
under Star Music featuring the
tracks “The Side Character,”
“Pagod Na Ako,” “SHE WAS
ONLY 16,” and more.
For more information on her
music, follow Star Music on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Tiktok, and YouTube.
For updates, follow @abscb-
npr on Facebook, Twitter, In-
stagram, Tiktok or visit www.
abs-cbn.com/newsroom. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
Entertainment
much more in store — this year,
there’s a show for every anime
fan. We’re humbled the glob-
al interest in anime has been
strong and growing, with over
100M members watching an-
ime every year,” says Yuji Yama-
no, Director, Content, Netflix.
During the AnimeJapan
event, Netflix also welcomed
the author of PLUTO (Coming
in 2023), Naoki Urasawa, Jap-
anese voice talent Yoko Hikasa
(Shaman King, ) and Minori Su-
Justin Trudeau and..
❰❰ 9
lead people to make
all kinds of decisions
about their lives, in-
cluding the decision to move.
After all, in announcing the
amended Safe Third Country
agreement, both Trudeau and
Biden were careful not to spec-
ulate about how people will mi-
grate now.
Uganda’s new anti-..
❰❰ 15 bill has been met with
international con-
demnation. Uganda
is a signatory to international
human rights instruments such
as the international covenant
on civil and political rights (IC-
CPR) which enshrines the right
to non-discrimination, includ-
ing in private sexual relations.
While the ICCPR does not
specify sexual orientation as a
protected ground, the United Na-
tions Human Rights Committee
has found that the treaty includes
an obligation to prevent discrim-
ination on the basis of sexual ori-
entation. These obligations are
not legally binding on Uganda as
the constitution is the country’s
supreme legal instrument.
Everything hinges on wheth-
er Museveni signs the bill into
law. The UN High Commission-
er for Human Rights, Volker
Türk, said: “The passing of this
discriminatory bill – probably
among the worst of its kind in
the world – is a deeply troubling
development,” and he urged
17
zuki (Macross Delta), as well as
title supervisor Macoto Tezka
to the stage, who shared their
enthusiasm for the highly-an-
ticipated anime adaptation of
PLUTO (coming 2023) with
the audience. During their ap-
pearance, Netflix also gave an-
other glimpse at the ambitious
project, revealing a new teaser
art by original creator Naoki
Urasawa himself, that gave an-
other glimpse at the characters
and the world of PLUTO. ■
That’s because they haven’t
examined the bigger picture
or addressed any root causes.
So the question remains: What
happens next? ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
Museveni not to sign it. He said:
If signed into law by the Pres-
ident, it will render lesbian, gay
and bisexual people in Uganda
criminals simply for existing,
for being who they are. It could
provide carte blanche for the sys-
tematic violation of nearly all of
their human rights and serve to
incite people against each other.
But, after passing the 2014
law, Museveni described ho-
mosexuals as “disgusting” and
it is thought likely that he will
sign the bill into law. This will
legitimise anti-LGBTQ+ ha-
tred and open up the possibility
that people could even face the
death penalty for committing a
private, consensual sexual act.
The threat of losing inter-
national aid was not sufficient
to dissuade Museveni from as-
senting to the 2014 act and it
is doubtful whether it will dis-
suade him now. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
18
The Power of
Dressing in Black
BY MATTE LAUREL-ZALKO
The colours that we choose to
wear in our daily lives evoke our
feelings and convey our charac-
ters. For example, wearing the co-
lour red conveys confidence and
passion; it also attracts attention
towards you. In fact, scientific ex-
periments have been made and
proven that food attendants who
wear red tend to receive more tips!
On the other hand, the colour blue
could convey contrasting emo-
tions: it could convey sadness and
calmness at the same time. Howev-
er, the colour blue is the most pop-
ular colour for both men and wom-
en. The colour brown is the most
unpopular colour for men and the
colour orange is the most unpop-
ular for women. White clothing
symbolises purity and peace hence
most brides wear white.
How about the colour black?
Well, my dear, wearing the colour
black indicates power and pres-
tige according to colour psychol-
ogy. Wearing only black clothing
signifies that you’re a powerful,
classy, and a success-driven in-
dividual. Wearing black clothing
often sends a subconscious mes-
sage to others and to yourself —
you are relaying this message to
the world: you’re both an achiev-
er and a sophisticated individual
and yet, you’re sensitive towards
others. People who wear black
are often seen as trustworthy
and extremely reliable. People
who wear black are often per-
ceived as people who take good
care of themselves and the way
they look; they’re also regarded
as elegant and high-end. In fact, a
study even says, “those who wear
all-black find a sense of together-
ness and certainty.” Wearing all-
black conveys an air of credibili-
ty. Black is so much more than a
colour. Black is, in fact, a lifestyle.
Moreover, black is classic, ele-
gant and timeless. Black is total-
ly immune to passing trends. It
is eternal and gives one an air of
mystery. Also, the colour black
is complementary to everyone’s
body shape irrespective of age
and skin tone. To give you an ex-
ample, think of Angelina Jolie
who is famous for wearing most-
ly black. Supermodel Iman is also
often seen wearing elegant black
clothes. Think of the quintessen-
tial British dandy Beau Brum-
mell from the late 18th century
who popularised the tailored
three-piece suit in colour black
as the dress of the modern man.
Imagine Coco Chanel dressed
in her signature black suit with
her ropes of pearls. Incidentally,
it was Coco Chanel who insti-
gated black as a fashion colour
and she literally invented the
“little black dress.” How can we
not add to this list, the silent
film actress Louise Brooks with
her classic and sleek black bob
hairstyle which matched her all-
black wardrobes? How can we
forget Steve Jobs and his classic
black turtleneck sweater which
he usually paired with jeans?
Perhaps, the woman who wore
black the best was none other
than Givenchy’s muse, Audrey
Hepburn. Black has always been
a versatile and a most acceptable
choice of colour for women’s and
men’s evening and daytime wear.
You know, there’s power when it
comes to dressing in black!
While living and studying
in London at the age of 15, I
learned to embrace wearing all-
black by scouring through the
pages of Vogue, Tatler, Harper’s
Bazaar, and by watching the
classic Audrey Hepburn mov-
ies such as Funny Face, Sabrina,
Roman Holiday and of course,
my all-time favourite, Break-
fast at Tiffany’s. Throughout
the years, my wardrobe consist-
ed of 99% black outfits, black
shoes and black accessories!
At present, I’m still head over
heels in love with black out-
fits and my love for dressing in
black played a minor, but piv-
otal part in choosing the love of
my life: I ended up with a gen-
tleman who only wears black
on a daily basis. We are always
twinning with our all-black
outfits when we go to work on
weekdays or during our week-
end date nights!
How to Wear Black. Here
are a few tips on how to wear an
all-black outfit without looking
spooky and instead looking chic
and stylish.
1. Wear black with a variety
of textures. You can go black
from head to toe but perk it up
with a variety of textures. For
example, you can wear black
jeans and pair it with a nice
black cotton camisole; and if the
weather is cold, put on a leather
jacket, and don’t forget to wear
suede shoes or boots. Yes, you
can rock an all-black outfit by
choosing different textures and
pairing them together: leather,
cotton, suede, sequins, velvet,
silk, cashmere, satin, linen, with
appliqués, cable knit and metal-
lic. The variety is endless!
2. Wear black in classic
styles and cuts. When one is
younger, one can get away with
the gothic style whereas when
one is older, we must stick with
the classic style and cuts. But
that doesn’t mean one has to be
frumpy — no, not at all! Go for
the tailored look such as a black
suit, pencil skirt, perfectly cut
blazer, silk blouse, trench coats,
black pumps and tote bags. For
men, go for the classic black suit.
3. Add a pop of colour to
your all-black ensemble. By
adding a punch of colour to your
all-black outfit, you are creating
a bold statement to your overall
look. Choose a bright colour for
your bag, shoes, scarves, wraps
or coats. You’d be surprised at
how a pop of colour can actu-
ally go a long way! For exam-
ple, pair your black outfit with
a bright red-orange crossbody
bag. Don’t hesitate to pair black
with vibrant colours — deep
red, shimmering gold, sparkling
silver, vivid green, royal purple
and cerulean blue!
4. Wear your black outfit
with patterns, stripes, polka
dots, chequered and prints.
You can spice up your all-black
outfit by choosing to wear it
with prints, patterns, polka
dots, stripes or/and chequered.
By doing so, it breaks out the
all monotonous black look and
gives you a fun, engaging and
interesting visual!
5. Embellish your black
outfit with zippers, buttons,
crystals and pearls. Wear a
black outfit with beautiful em-
bellishments such as gold but-
tons, silver or metallic zippers,
overlay it with lace, hand-sewn
and embroidered pearls or spar-
www.canadianinquirer.net
(PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR)
kly crystals. These embellish-
ments not only add texture but
also provide a glamorous look!
6. Add structures to the
black outfit that you choose.
In simpler terms, it means paying
closer attention to your silhou-
ette or body shape. For example,
if you have narrow hips, choose
a black outfit with a peplum cut.
If you have fuller hips, you might
want to opt for dresses that show
off your hourglass figure or alter-
natively, go for looser style.
7. Add a sheer element to
your black wardrobe. By go-
ing for a sheer black outfit, it
adds and easily transforms a
most basic look to an elegant
and upscale look. But keep it
simple though. A sheer look is
more than enough, you don’t
need to add over the top em-
bellishments when wearing a
sheer black piece.
8. Opt for a black and
white combination. Going
for the classic monochromatic
look has to be the ultimate and
perfect combination! I couldn’t
think of anything that’s trés
chic and stylish than a simple
black skirt and a white silk or
cotton long sleeved shirt.
9. Invest in great quality
black accessories. Pair your
black outfits with high qual-
ity black accessories such as
the classic black quilted leath-
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
er bags, black leather patent
shoes, black pearls jewellery,
black scarves, black shades and
the list goes on!
10. Don’t wear black too
close to your face. While the
colour black conveys sophisti-
cation, still, one mustn’t wear
it too close to your face as it will
make you look either washed
out or dull. The best thing to
combat this is to wear a bright
necklace with bright earrings
or a scarf. Personally, I get past
this challenge by wearing my
classic white pearls!
Now that we’ve established
how to wear black, let’s choose
the black essentials that we must
have in our closet. These are
timeless and classic black cloth-
ings and accessories that never
go out of style. Below are a list of
our 9 must-have black essentials:
Your 9 Black Essentials
Little black dress. A wom-
an should always invest in the
much-loved LBD. This should
already be a staple in your closet.
A stylish LBD is always on point
and no matter the occasion, it
will always hold you down. You
can choose the classic A-line
LBD, the fit and flare LBD, off-
the-shoulder minis, LBD with
ruffled hemlines, or intricate lace
detailed LBDs. I tend to wear an
❱❱ PAGE 25 The Power of
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
What are auroras, and why do they
come in different shapes and colours?
Two experts explain
BY BRETT CARTER, RMIT
University, ELIZABETH A.
MACDONALD, NASA
The Conversation
Over millennia, humans have
observed and been inspired by
beautiful displays of light bands
dancing across dark night skies.
Today, we call these lights the
aurora: the aurora borealis in
the northern hemisphere, and
the aurora australis in the south.
Nowadays, we understand
auroras are caused by charged
particles from Earth’s magne-
tosphere and the solar wind
colliding with other particles
in Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Those collisions excite the at-
mospheric particles, which then
release light as they “relax” back
to their unexcited state.
The colour of the light corre-
sponds to the release of discrete
chunks of energy by the atmo-
spheric particles, and is also an in-
dicator of how much energy was
absorbed in the initial collision.
The frequency and intensity of
auroral displays is related to ac-
tivity on the Sun, which follows
an 11-year cycle. Currently, we
are approaching the next maxi-
mum, which is expected in 2025.
Connections to the Sun
Such displays have long
been documented by peoples
throughout North America, Eu-
rope, Asia and Australia.
In the 17th century, scientific
explanations for what caused the
aurora began to surface. Possible
explanations included air from
Earth’s atmosphere rising out of
Earth’s shadow to become sunlit
(Galileo in 1619) and light reflec-
tions from high-altitude ice crys-
tals (Rene Descartes and others).
In 1716, English astronomer
Edmund Halley was the first to
suggest a possible connection
with Earth’s magnetic field.
In 1731, a French philosopher
Lifestyle
named Jean-Jacques d’Ortous
de Mairan noted a coincidence
between the number of sun-
spots and aurora. He proposed
that the aurora was connected
with the Sun’s atmosphere.
It was here that the connec-
tion between activity on the Sun
was linked with auroras here on
Earth, giving rise to the areas of
science now called “heliophys-
ics” and “space weather”.
Earth’s magnetic field as a
particle trap
The most common source
of aurora is particles travelling
within Earth’s magnetosphere,
the region of space occupied by
Earth’s natural magnetic field.
Images of Earth’s magneto-
sphere typically show how the
magnetic field “bubble” pro-
tects Earth from space radiation
and repels most disturbances in
the solar wind. However, what
is not normally highlighted is
the fact that Earth’s magnetic
field contains its own popula-
tion of electrically charged par-
ticles (or “plasma”).
The magnetosphere is com-
posed of charged particles that
have escaped from Earth’s up-
per atmosphere and charged
particles that have entered
from the solar wind. Both types
of particles are trapped in
Earth’s magnetic field.
The motions of electrical-
ly charged particles are con-
trolled by electric and mag-
netic fields. Charged particles
gyrate around magnetic field
lines, so when viewed at large
scales magnetic field lines act
as “pipelines” for charged parti-
cles in a plasma.
The Earth’s magnetic field is
similar to a standard “dipole”
magnetic field, with field lines
bunching together near the
poles. This bunching up of field
lines actually alters the particle
trajectories, effectively turning
them around to go back the way
they came, in a process called
“magnetic mirroring”.
Earth’s magnetosphere in
a turbulent solar wind
During quiet and stable con-
ditions, most particles in the
magnetosphere stay trapped,
happily bouncing between
the south and north magnetic
poles out in space. However, if
a disturbance in the solar wind
(such as a coronal mass ejec-
tion) gives the magnetosphere a
“whack”, it becomes disturbed.
The trapped particles are ac-
celerated and the magnetic field
“pipelines” suddenly change.
Particles that were happily
bouncing between north and
south now have their bounc-
ing location moved to lower
altitudes, where Earth’s atmo-
sphere becomes more dense.
As a result, the charged parti-
cles are now likely to collide with
atmospheric particles as they
reach the polar regions. This is
called “particle precipitation”.
Then, when each collision oc-
curs, energy is transferred to the
atmospheric particles, exciting
them. Once they relax, they emit
the light that forms the beautiful
aurora we see.
Curtains, colours and cameras
The amazing displays of au-
www.canadianinquirer.net
rora dancing across the sky are
the result of the complex inter-
actions between the solar wind
and the magnetosphere.
Aurora appearing, disap-
pearing, brightening and form-
ing structures like curtains,
swirls, picket fences and trav-
elling waves are all visual rep-
resentations of the invisible,
ever-changing dynamics in
Earth’s magnetosphere as it in-
teracts with the solar wind.
As these videos show, aurora
comes in all sorts of colours.
The most common are the
greens and reds, which are both
emitted by oxygen in the upper
atmosphere. Green auroras cor-
respond to altitudes close to 100
km, whereas the red auroras are
higher up, above 200 km.
Blue colours are emitted by
nitrogen – which can also emit
some reds. A range of pinks,
purples and even white light are
also possible due to a mixture of
these emissions.
The aurora is more brilliant
in photographs because camera
sensors are more sensitive than
the human eye. Specifically, our
eyes are less sensitive to colour
at night. However, if the aurora
is bright enough it can be quite
a sight for the naked eye.
19
Where and when?
Even under quiet space
weather conditions, aurora can
be very prominent at high lati-
tudes, such as in Alaska, Cana-
da, Scandinavia and Antarctica.
When a space weather distur-
bance takes place, auroras can
migrate to much lower lati-
tudes to become visible across
the continental United States,
central Europe and even south-
ern and mainland Australia.
The severity of the space
weather event typically controls
the range of locations where the
aurora is visible. The strongest
events are the most rare.
So, if you’re interested in
hunting auroras, keep an eye on
your local space weather fore-
casts (US, Australia, UK, South
Africa and Europe). There are
also numerous space weather
experts on social media and even
aurora-hunting citizen science
projects (such as Aurorasaurus)
that you can contribute towards!
Get outside and witness one
of nature’s true natural beau-
ties – aurora, Earth’s gateway to
the heavens. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
20
Students’ mental health is a big issue
for schools – but teachers should only
be part of the solution
BY BRIAN MOORE, Charles
Sturt University, SARAH
REDSHAW, Charles Sturt
University
The Conversation
Schools are an obvious place
to do mental health work with
young people. This is import-
ant, as about one in seven young
Australians are diagnosed with a
mental illness. This includes is-
sues like psychological distress,
anxiety, depression, school re-
fusal, and complex trauma.
However, the ratio of school
counsellors and psychologists to
students means they can be very
difficult for students to access.
For example, there is about one
counsellor for every 750 stu-
dents in NSW public schools.
Consequently, teachers are
often seen as front-line mental
health providers by default. This
has particularly been the case
since the start of the pandemic.
But what is reasonable to ex-
pect of teachers when it comes
to students’ mental health?
Training is patchy
‘Life of party’ Pangasinan vlogger turns
antics into viral videos
BY HILDA AUSTRIA
Philippine News Agency
CALASIAO, Pangasinan –
What started as funny antics
with her friends captured on
video during birthday parties
eventually became the bread
and butter for a 24-year-old
lady from this town.
Apol Claveria, popularly
known in social media among
Pangasinenses as Ponsyana,
which means a woman who is
always present at gatherings
with food, started vlogging in
2019 at a friend’s party.
Claveria at that time worked
as an online sales representative
Lifestyle
There is little consistency in
the types of mental health ser-
vices provided by schools or
who actually performs this role.
Many schools have coun-
sellors or psychologists, while
others may have access to De-
partment of Health and non-gov-
ernment staff who might come
into schools to deliver a specif-
ic program or provide targeted
support to at-risk students. But
availability is a huge issue.
Meanwhile, there is no con-
sistent mental health training
for new teachers. Many teacher
education programs do not ex-
plicitly address mental health.
If it is included, it often occurs
as a single day of training, or
sometimes features as part
of other subjects. The level of
training a student receives is
often up to a lecturer’s interest
in mental health rather than
identified needs.
Even then, the focus is also
often around supporting stu-
dent wellbeing, rather than ad-
dressing mental illness.
There are professional devel-
opment training and resources
earning just enough for the needs
of her small family with Mark
Anthony Reyes, her partner, and
their daughter Akea Jaine.
But at the onset of the pan-
demic, she managed to produce
quite a few online videos.
“Wala ak labat abong diman
ak la nangaway contents. Ira
may ten tips panunto man-
balkot tan top ten na kargaan
na take-out. Pati aray tsismosa
indamay ko la (I stayed in the
house during the pandemic,
hence I was able to make a lot of
content. Among those are the 10
tips on how to take home food
from a party and the top 10 con-
tainers for take-home foods. I
also included in my content the
on mental health for existing
teachers. But again, these are
not consistently applied.
Teachers are not confident
Given inconsistent and po-
tentially inadequate training,
it is unsurprising that while
teachers take mental health se-
riously, many report low confi-
dence about supporting their
students’ mental health. In one
2017 study in the United States,
gossipers),” Ponsyana said.
Soon, her funny and relatable
videos became viral on social
media, particularly on Facebook,
and eventually launched her ca-
reer as a Pangasinense vlogger.
She used her newfound fame to
tackle gossiping, boasting, and
even loud motorcycles yet in a
fun and entertaining way.
Ponsyana said she delivers
her lines in the Pangasinan
language with all its diction to
give her videos a homey vibe for
Pangasinenses.
And it worked.
From 15,000 followers last
year, she now has more than
56,000 followers and she finally
earns from her videos.
www.canadianinquirer.net
almost 50% of teachers report-
ed they had received inade-
quate mental health training,
and 85% indicated they would
like further training in mental
health issues.
Even experienced mental
health professionals report
feelings of incompetence when
addressing their clients’ mental
health needs.
So, if qualified mental health
She recalled initially earning
PHP6,000 a month but now
racks up a five-digit income,
apart from promotions and
deals with businesses and mo-
bile application developers.
Ponsyana said aside from the
monetary reward of vlogging,
being able to make other people
laugh and uplift their spirits, es-
pecially overseas Filipino work-
ers, is what also makes her happy.
“Makakapaliket no wala ray
manmessage misasalamat ira
ta nanaekal so problema da no
manbabantay ira ed videos ko
anggad siyak met makakaliket
ak met na maong no umman (It
gives me joy when they send me
messages thanking me for how
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
practitioners feel this way, our
expectations of teachers in the
mental health space should be
carefully considered.
What can teachers do?
Teachers do of course have
a valuable role in supporting
student mental health. But this
needs to occur in the context of
teaching.
They can do this by develop-
ing a positive, supportive learn-
ing environment that supports
students’ individual needs and
strengths. Teachers can provide
opportunities to build positive
student identity and self-es-
teem by providing genuine op-
portunities for students to suc-
ceed in the classroom. Teachers
can have positive relationships
with their students and foster
healthy peer interactions.
It is important teachers
know how to identify students
with possible mental health
problems as well as being aware
of potential referral options
(noting lack of availability is
an issue). It is also important
❱❱ PAGE 21 Students’ mental health
they are uplifted whenever they
watch my videos. I also feel hap-
py for them),” she said.
She said her journey as a vlog-
ger also allowed her to meet oth-
er vloggers, some of whom ended
up being her mentors. She said
she considers Banong TV, also a
well-known vlogger, one of them
and who has always encouraged
her to improve her craft.
“Mantulong tulungan kami.
Wala ray suggestion no antoy
makakabuti san aray nayari na
gawaen (We help each other.
We offer each other suggestions
that would improve our con-
tent),” she said.
❱❱ PAGE 23 ‘Life of party’
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
What causes hiccups and how can you
get rid of them?
BY VINCENT HO, Western
Sydney University
The Conversation
We all get hiccups from time
to time, and sometimes they
just won’t seem to go away.
Hiccups are involuntary con-
tractions of the diaphragm – the
muscle separating your chest
from your abdomen, which
plays a key role in breathing –
followed by a sudden closure of
the vocal cords.
The medical term for hiccups
is singultus. This derives from
the Latin word singult which
means “to catch ones breath
while sobbing”.
For most of us, hiccups are
annoying and don’t last that
long. But for some people, they
can be persistent, lasting more
than two days.
The good news is, there are
simple ways to alleviate regular
hiccups – and treatments for
when they persist.
What causes hiccups?
Hiccups are caused by a reflex
arc: a neuromotor pathway that
translates a sensation into a phys-
ical response. The sensations in
this arc come from the brain, ear,
nose and throat, diaphragm and
organs in the chest and abdomen.
The sensation signals travel to
a part of the brain which, along
with the top of the spinal cord,
is known as the “hiccup centre”.
From the hiccup centre, the
signals travel back out to the dia-
phragm and the muscles that lay
between your ribs (intercostal
Students’ mental health..
❰❰ 20 teachers develop and
maintain open and
honest communica-
tion with caregivers.
What more can be done?
Clearly, much more needs to
be done around mental health in
schools. It makes sense to make
greater provision for funding and
training of school counsellors
and psychologists. We should
also examine ways of better in-
tegrating mental health services
like the Department of Health
and Headspace in schools.
However, with supply and re-
muscles), causing them to twitch.
The twitching of these mus-
cles draws air into the lungs and
this sudden inhalation makes
the opening between the vocal
cords, or glottis, close tightly
shut. This rapid closure makes
the “hic” sound.
Anything that affects the arc
can lead to hiccups. The most
common is stretching the stom-
ach from eating a large meal or
drinking soft drinks. This means
sensation signals from the stom-
ach can trigger off the reflex arc.
Consuming hot chilli pepper,
alcohol, smoking, and over-ex-
citement can also trigger the
reflex arc, leading to hiccups.
Hiccups have even been ob-
served in healthy fetuses during
prenatal ultrasound checks.
In fact, some researchers be-
lieve hiccups are a mechanism
to help prepare the lungs for
breathing shortly after birth.
How long will they last? And
what can you do about them?
An attack of hiccups that
lasts less than 48 hours is gen-
erally unconcerning. Such an
attack usually ends by itself.
Where it doesn’t resolve by it-
self, there are ways to suppress the
reflex arc. The Valsava manoeu-
vre, consuming ice-cold drinks
and gentle eyeball pressure are
thought to increase the activity of
a long nerve (vagus) to the brain.
Manoeuvres such as re-
breathing into a paper or plas-
tic bag work by increasing the
carbon dioxide concentration in
the blood. This helps to suppress
the movements of the muscles
cruitment difficulties these are
not straight forward solutions.
A consistent national ap-
proach to the mental health
curriculum in teacher training
is urgently needed.
Critically, the role of teachers
in school based mental health ser-
vices needs to be clearly defined to
manage expectations and support
students more effectively.
Teachers belong to the help-
ing category of professionals
and are inclined to support
their students in every way they
can. They need to be equipped
associated with hiccups. How-
ever, rebreathing carries a small
but serious risk of heart attack
so should only be performed un-
der medical supervision.
However there is very limited
evidence to show these manoeu-
vres and interventions work.
When should we get wor-
ried about hiccups?
If hiccups last longer than
two days, they are called per-
sistent hiccups. If they last
beyond two months they are
known as intractable hiccups.
Persistent and intractable hic-
cups, known collectively as
chronic hiccups, can be quite
distressing and may signify a
serious underlying cause, so it’s
important to see your doctor.
People with chronic hiccups
will undergo a comprehensive
investigation. Their medical
history will often give valuable
clues to triggers. Certain med-
ications such as anti-epileptic
drugs, alcohol, smoking and
recreational drug use are all as-
sociated with hiccups.
As organs in the chest and
abdomen are involved in the re-
flex arc, investigations of these
organs such as lung imaging or
upper endoscopy (where a tube
with a tiny camera is inserted
into the throat to view the upper
digestive tract), may be required.
One study from France found
80% of patients with chronic
hiccups had abnormalities in
their oesophagus and stomach,
with reflux disease being the
most common finding.
Your clinician will also inspect
to provide assistance with
learning that can take mental
health into account.
However, policy makers and
school communities need to
remember, teachers are not
trained as mental health practi-
tioners. ■
If this article has raised issues
for you or someone you know, you
can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or
Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
www.canadianinquirer.net
Lifestyle
your ear, nose and throat, as ir-
ritation of the ear by a foreign
body or infection of the throat
can be triggers for hiccups.
Imaging of the brain may be
necessary, especially if there
are concerning signs such as
changes in speech and weak-
ness of facial and limb muscles.
How are chronic hiccups
treated?
After a thorough investigation,
the underlying cause should be
treated, where possible.
People suffering from hic-
cups often have problems with
gastric reflux, so treatment may
include a short course anti-re-
flux medication.
Other medications with a
strong evidence base that are
used to treat hiccups include
the anti-nausea drug metoclo-
pramide and baclofen, which is
used to treat muscle spasticity
(excessive tightness or tone).
There is emerging evidence
that gabapentin, used to treat
seizures, may also be effective
How ‘Succession’ feeds ..
❰❰ 16 the culture war. For
his part, Logan often
claims that he con-
trols the president, and it is up
to him to pick the nation’s next
leader. Logan’s power, then,
does not come primarily from
his money but from his media
influence.
Since the media is positioned
as the show’s most powerful po-
litical entity, I sometimes won-
der what “Succession” is saying
about its own status as a popu-
lar TV show. Is the series claim-
ing that it has immense social
21
for hiccups.
What treatments might we
see in future?
Researchers have recent-
ly developed a rigid drinking
tube with an inlet valve that
requires active suction effort
to draw water from a cup into
the mouth. This tube has been
called forced inspiratory suc-
tion and swallow tool, or FISST.
FISST is thought to stop the hic-
cup reflex arc by stimulating the
sensory nerves to cause contrac-
tion of the diaphragm and glottis.
In one study, of the 249 par-
ticipants who trialled FISST,
just over 90% reported results
better than home remedies.
However, the FISST research
so far hasn’t compared it to a
control group who didn’t receive
the treatment, so it’s unclear how
much more effective it is than a
placebo, or dummy version. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
power, or does it use humor and
metafiction to free itself from
any responsibility?
The answer to these questions
has to be both yes and no: The
series reflects the country’s polit-
ical reality – but it also feeds the
underlying fantasies that shape
viewers’ political beliefs. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
22 MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY

Marcos lauds PH ice hockey team’s
‘outstanding’ performance
BY AZER PARROCHA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Ferdi-
nand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday
praised the Philippine Men’s Ice
Hockey Team for winning the gold
medal in the 2023 International
Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
World Championship Division IV
in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The national team beat IIHF
World Championship Division
hosts Mongolia with a score of
7-6 in overtime on Saturday at
the Steppe Arena in the Mongo-
lian capital.
“Our warmest congratula-
Sports
tions go out to the Philippine
Men’s Ice Hockey Team and
Hockey Philippines for their
outstanding performance in
the International Ice Hockey
Federation Divisional World
Championship,” Marcos said on
his official Facebook page and
Twitter account.
“This triumph is a testament
to their skill and perseverance,
and we are honored to celebrate
their success!” he added.
In a separate post, the Philip-
pine Sports Commission (PSC)
also congratulated the national
team for sweeping their way to
the crown.
“Congratulations Philip-
pines Men’s Ice Hockey Team
for winning the gold medal at
the 2023 IIHF World Cham-
pionship Division IV in Ulaan-
baatar, Mongolia!” the PSC
said.
“The Men’s Ice Hockey Team
went undefeated the entire
tournament winning against
Indonesia, host Mongolia, and
Kuwait,” it added.
The Philippine team finished
with eight points in the tourna-
ment with three wins. All other
teams in the division already
have at least one loss.
It dominated the competi-
tion, scoring 35 goals and main-
taining a goal difference of +29.
On its website, the IIHF said
the Philippines’ victory sees the
team move up to next season’s
Division IIIB competition.
“There, it will renew ac-
quaintance with the Singapore
team that inflicted a semi-final
defeat at the 2019 Southeast
Asian Games,” the IIHF said.
“That game was played at the
SM Mall of Asia rink in Pasay,
just south of Manila, which be-
came the main hub for the Fil-
ipino hockey community this
week as it gathered to watch the
action from Mongolia,” it added.
The national team was han-
dled by Finnish head coach Ju-
hani Ijäs, Hockey Philippines
said on its official Facebook page.
The team’s forwards are
Patrick Daniel Abis, Mikel
Sean Miller, Manvil Billones,
Carl Michael Montano, Jorell
Crisostomo, Jan Aro Regencia,
John Steven Füglister, Miguel
Alfonso Relampagos, John
Glenn Lagleva, Kenwrick Sze,
Lenard Rigel Lancero II and
Carlo Angelo Tigaronita.
On defense are Einzenn Ham,
Carlo Pastrana, Julius Freder-
ick Santiago, Eishner Jigsmac
Sibug, Jann Gerey So Tiong and
Carlo Martin Tenedero.
The goaltenders are Gianpet-
ro Iseppi and Paolo Spafford. ■

PH athletes in SEA Games Training facility

down to 840 in Argentina
BY IVAN STEWART
SALDAJENO
Philippine News Agency
renamed after
Messi
TAGAYTAY – The Philippine
team to the Southeast Asian
Games has been reduced in
number in terms of the partic-
ipating athletes.
Philippine Olympic Commit-
tee (POC) president Abraham
“Bambol” Tolentino confirmed
on Monday that the Filipino
athletes going to Phnom Penh
for the biennial meet are now
down to 840.
“From the previously an-
nounced 905, it was reduced to
840,” Tolentino said right after the
SEA Games torch rally here, add-
ing that this will be the final count.
He said various reasons behind
the reduction of numbers like ty-
pographical errors, for example,
dual entry and wrong entry.
Tolentino, however, said the
POC also had to let go of some
reserve athletes and those who
Anadolu carry a new name: ‘Lionel An-
Philippine News Agency drés Messi,’” said President
Claudio Tapia in a speech for
the event.
ANKARA – The Argentine After the president, Messi
Football Federation (AFA) an- took the stage and said: “Thank
nounced Saturday that it re- you all very much for being
TORCH RELAY. Philippine Olympic Committee President Mayor Abraham named its training facility after here. I am grateful to ‘Chiqui’
“Bambol” Tolentino (second from left) leads the Torch Relay in Tagaytay City superstar Lionel Messi. (Tapia) for this recognition, it
on Monday (March 27, 2023). (L-R) Chef de mission Chito Loyzaga, Cambodia “A new recognition was con- is very important to me. I have
Ambassador to the Philippines Phan Peuv and Tourism Minister Hor Sarun also summated for our captain, who been coming to this property
joined the event. (PHILIPPINE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE VIA PNA) has already immortalized his for 20 years and since I entered,
figure based on goals, dribbling, I felt a very special energy. Until
cannot make it to the Cambo- finish in the overall standings assists, emotions, but now also today, every, every time I enter,
dian capital as their passports during last year’s edition in Hanoi, with his name carved on the I feel a very particular energy in
have already expired and their the first time the SEA Games were foundation stone of the new this property.”
renewal process might not held in an even-numbered year building that stands next to the Messi, 35, led the nation-
make it in time. due to a one-year postponement entrance of the recognized first al football team to their third
Having to let go of such athletes caused by the coronavirus disease level property,” AFA said in a World Cup title at the 2022
could possibly hamper the Philip- 2019 pandemic. statement. FIFA World Cup in Qatar in De-
pine team’s bid to match or even “This Sports Housing Com- cember. ■
go higher than its fourth-place ❱❱ PAGE 29 PH athletes in plex in Ezeiza from today will
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
Why elite athletes should develop
mindfulness to up their game
BY JENNIFER MEGGS,
Heriot-Watt University
The Conversation
Athletes at the very high-
est level of their sport face the
challenge of performing con-
sistently under pressure amid
many potential distractions,
including performance anxiety,
crowd behaviour, their own and
others’ expectations, and the
responses of their opponents.
The performance of players
in the 2023 Australian Open,
for example, demonstrated the
psychological factors needed to
succeed at elite-level tennis.
It had plenty of exciting mo-
ments that are the hallmarks of a
great tournament. Andy Murray
made an astonishing comeback
from two sets down against Tha-
nasi Kokkinakis, following his
long recovery after major injury.
Rafael Nadal exited in the
second round of his first major
slam after the birth of his child,
due to ongoing injury – reports
described him as being mentally
destroyed. And Novak Djokovic
became the only male player to
win three consecutive Austra-
lian Open championships. The
Serbian recently shared that he
has “learned the strength and
resilience to bounce back from
adversity”.
One of the key characteristics
of resilient athletes is their abil-
ity to focus on the moment. As a
researcher in high performance
and resilience – defined as the
“role of mental processes and
behaviour in promoting personal
assets and protecting an individ-
‘Life of party’ ..
❰❰ 20 Ponsyana said vlog-
ging also allowed her
to fulfill her dream of
becoming an actress. “Pangarap
ko talaga mag-artista (It was
truly my dream to become an
actress),” she said.
It was not an easy journey,
though, as she disclosed having
to stop making content in 2021.
“Nanstop ak kasi ed saman
kasi singa anggapoy consistent
income hindi pa kasi ako mone-
ual from the potential negative
effect of stressors” – my work
looks at understanding this im-
portant quality and examining
ways to improve it in athletes.
Performing under pressure
This focus and resilience was
embodied by the 2023 Austra-
lian Open women’s champion
Aryna Sabalenka, who won her
first grand slam despite losing
the first set of the match. More
recently, however, she appeared
to buckle under pressure at the
Indian Wells Open champion-
ship, against the composed and
focused Elena Rybakina. Sa-
balenka seemed to dwell on her
double-fault errors, which led
to her attempting more risky
and inaccurate ball strikes.
Two of the men’s game’s
greatest players in recent times,
Nadal and Djokovic, have been
described as having the ability to
“play every point like it’s a match
point”. This ability to perform
consistently at the highest level
can be underpinned by a psy-
chological state, ability and skill
called mindfulness.
Mindfulness is understood
by researchers and sport psy-
chologists as “paying attention
in a particular way: on purpose,
in the present moment, and
non-judgmentally”. The notion
is rooted in meditative practic-
es in Buddhism, and has drawn
the attention of sport psycholo-
gists in western society over the
last decade.
Recent research has shown
that mindfulness training –
both sitting and active med-
itation practices – can allow
athletes to be present in the
tize nun (I stopped vlogging be-
cause I have no steady income
as I could not yet monetize my
content at that time),” she said.
She looked for another job
and got one as an office secre-
tary. Her passion for creating
online content and acting, how-
ever, was just too strong.
“Last year, September
anunutan ko manvlog ak lalamet
ta singa makapamiss manvlog.
Agko inaasahan na unpatok tu-
moment, and to access optimal
states of mind such as confi-
dence and self-belief.
It can also help regulate the
emotions by monitoring and
channelling them in a way that
enhances performance. And it
can help athletes reach a state
of “flow”, which I describe in
my research“ – meaning being
completely in the moment and
performing with clarity, fluency
and ease.
Focus and intense emo-
tions
These psychological factors
are crucial in sports like tennis
which require players to fo-
cus on performing at their best
during each point, while “let-
ting go” of previous mistakes.
This ability to accept intense
positive and negative emotions,
and to avoid worrying about
past mistakes or future perfor-
mance, can allow athletes to
experience mental clarity and
focus on their performance in
the current moment.
Research has found that mind-
fulness training is a promising
intervention that can improve
confidence, self-belief and flow.
I work as part of team that
seeks to evaluate the effect of
both “traditional” mindfulness,
such as sitting meditations, and
“active” or “applied” practices,
such as engaging in mindfulness
while playing sport. We have
been researching this in swim-
mers, with promising findings in
pre-elite athletes, and we plan to
do the same with elite athletes
who compete in other sports in-
cluding tennis and cricket.
Our research has found that
loy tuloy la (In September last
year, I did another vlog because I
really missed vlogging. I did not
expect that it would be a hit and
it would continue),” she said.
“Adiscover koy voice over
nen kyen la. Panunto na kwela
so voice over unaan singa aku-
law anggad inanap kon inanap.
Mairap talaga three years san
aka monetize (I discovered
voice-over later on. I also ex-
perimented with my voice, at
www.canadianinquirer.net
Sports
Novak Djokovic (CARINE06/FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0)
mindfulness can improve an
athlete’s “action awareness” –
their self-awareness of physi-
cal movements or actions, and
their ability to be in the mo-
ment and possess clear goals.
These factors are likely to lead
to thinking clearly, performing
consistently, and being tech-
nically and tactically aware in
each tennis point, for example.
With the development of ever
more sophisticated technology,
sport psychology is entering
a particularly exciting period
that will see further opportu-
nities to help athletes develop
their resilience and improve
performance under pressure.
For example, the growing ac-
cessibility and sophistication of
virtual reality (VR) adds anoth-
er useful tool. Tennis players
and other athletes can be im-
mersed in virtual performance
environments where audito-
ry and visual distractions and
pressures can be introduced to
first, I sounded like an old wom-
an until I finally found the voice
I would use. It was difficult as
it took me three years before I
was monetized).”
And though people already
recognize her on the street and
ask for a photo with her, Pon-
sayana said she also has her
own share of bashers.
“More bashers, more income
since sila nagpapataas views
and ang nagdidefend na sa akin
23
test their resilience.
The use of VR simulations
are particularly useful to mon-
itor and assist athletes to prac-
tise mindfulness under “con-
trolled” conditions, while sport
psychologists monitor their re-
sponses and improvements.
Recent research from
Queen’s University Belfast and
the University of Limerick has
shown that VR methods can
simulate or replicate real-world
performance anxiety and pres-
sure in a controlled way, allow-
ing progressive and managed
exposure to stress.
This can help the athletes get
used to states of anxiety that
are typical in high-performance
sport – and to practise sport
psychology techniques like
mindfulness to manage them,
in a way that ups their game. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
ay yong mga solid followers ko
(More bashers, more income
because they increase my views
and my solid followers are there
to defend me),” she added.
So, what’s next for the funny
vlogger of Pangasinan?
“Anggad natan panaaralan ko
ni. Say goal ko maka-100,000
followers ayan taon (I am learn-
ing the craft. My goal this year is
to have 100,000 followers),” she
added. ■
24
Rising inflation will continue to cause
political headaches for the government,
but also for the Bank of England
BY PAUL WHITELEY,
University of Essex
The Conversation
The Bank of England raised its
main interest rate for the elev-
enth time in a row to 4.25% at its
March meeting. At its previous
meeting in February the Bank
was optimistic about the pros-
pects for inflation in the coming
year, saying: “We expect inflation
to fall quickly this year.”
But in-between times, infla-
tion hit 10.4%, with price in-
creases for food and other es-
sentials rising well above that
rate. This is close to the highest
levels for 40 years. The Bank’s
main tool for tackling this ris-
ing cost of living is to raise in-
terest rates, but this is starting
to become harder to do.
One of the main reasons con-
trolling inflation has become
more difficult recently could be
due to the return of monetar-
ism. This is a theory promoted
by the economist Milton Fried-
man in the 1970s. He believed
there was a stable relationship
between the supply of money
and inflation. He explained this
in the following terms:
Inflation is always and every-
IMF: China will account for one-third of
global growth in 2023
ANADOLU
Philippine News Agency
ANKARA – China is project-
ed to give a significant boost to
the world economy, account-
ing for about a third of global
growth in 2023, the managing
Business
where a monetary phenomenon
in the sense that it is and can be
produced only by a more rapid
increase in the quantity of money
than in output.
Monetarism was in vogue
after Margaret Thatcher be-
came UK prime minister in
1979. But it subsequently went
out of fashion, largely because
the predictable relationship
between money and inflation
disappeared. An increase in the
money supply no longer ap-
peared to increase inflation.
In the UK, the Monetary Pol-
icy Committee of the Bank of
Bank of England in Threadneedle Street, London
(IT’S NO GAME/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CC BY 2.0)
director of the International
Monetary Fund said on Sunday.
“The robust rebound means
China is set to account for
around one third of global
growth in 2023 – giving a wel-
come lift to the world econo-
my,” Kristalina Georgieva said
at the 2023 China Development
England is responsible for de-
termining the Bank’s base rate
of interest. This is the most im-
portant mechanism for chang-
ing the money supply because
it is the basis for so many other
interest rates – savings, mort-
gages and other loans – that
affect how much money people
have access to. For example,
if the committee reduces the
bank rate, this lowers the cost
of credit which has the effect of
boosting the money supply.
The recent return of the rela-
tionship between money supply
and inflation is explained in a re-
Forum in the capital Beijing.
According to the IMF analy-
sis, a 1 percent point increase in
GDP growth in China will lead
to a 0.3 percent point increase
in growth in other Asian econo-
mies, she said.
Although uncertainties are ex-
ceptionally high, she said news of
www.canadianinquirer.net
port from economist Claudio Bo-
rio and his colleagues at the Bank
of International Settlements, a
global organisation for central
banks that aims to promote fi-
nancial stability. They found, for
example, that the money sup-
ply in the UK started to increase
quite rapidly from the beginning
of 2020 and by the middle of 2021
inflation took off. They also found
a similar relationship exists in the
US and in the Eurozone. Broadly
speaking, this increase in money
supply happened when central
banks tried to counter the slow-
down in spending caused by the
pandemic.
The research also showed that
the link between money and
inflation only appears to work
when inflation is high. This ex-
plains why it disappeared after
Thatcher’s time in government
and after the financial crash of
2008 – the rate of inflation was
low at these times.
In the current environment,
the Borio report shows that the
Bank of England will have to
continue raising interest rates
if it is to effectively fight infla-
tion. But the relatively long lag
over a year before the policy
begins to work will take us into
2024, which is an election year.
the world economy is not all bad
as there are some “green shoots,”
including in China.
“With such a solid recovery,
China can now build on posi-
tive momentum and -- through
comprehensive policies -- stay
on the growth path towards
convergence with advanced
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
Until then, rising inflation and
interest rates could cause more
bankruptcies among financial
institutions – such as we have
seen with Silicon Valley Bank and
Credit Suisse recently. This is also
likely to harm the many business-
es that rely on banks, not to men-
tion increasing mortgage costs for
millions of homeowners.
Inflation and government
popularity
This is bad news for the gov-
ernment because history shows
that the party in power loses votes
when inflation is high. Low infla-
tion appears to have no effect on
government support, as opposed
to unemployment, which always
seems to have an effect.
The effect of inflation can
be seen in the graph below. It
shows monthly voting inten-
tions for the government and
the inflation rate from the time
of the 2010 election up to the
end of 2022.
The chart also shows that in-
flation only took off from the
middle of 2021. In July of that
year, it was running at 2% per
year, but by July 2022 it was
over 10%. The link between vot-
ing intentions and inflation up
❱❱ PAGE 29 Rising inflation will
economies,” she added.
IMF research also shows
that productivity-enhancing
reforms in China could lift real
GDP by as much as 2.5 percent
by 2027, and by around 18 per-
cent by 2037 -- growth that
would be both higher quality
and more inclusive. ■
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
Seven likely consequences from the banking
crisis that most people haven’t realised yet
BY KONSTANTINOS LAGOS,
Sheffield Hallam University
The Conversation
With four banks down in the
US and Europe and at least sev-
eral more wobbling, we’re cur-
rently in the throes of the worst
banking strife since 2007-08. Ag-
gressive interest rate hikes have
meant that banks are sitting on
hefty losses on their portfolios of
government bonds – some US$2
trillion (£1.6 trillion) or 15% loss-
es on US banks alone.
This makes many banks vul-
nerable to the same kind of fund-
ing problems that brought down
Silicon Valley Bank – one in ten
banks are sitting on even greater
losses and tighter funding, put-
ting the lie to any idea that SVB
was unusual. There may well be
potential for further bank runs
as anxious customers withdraw
their money: US banks alone
have over US$1 trillion in un-
insured customer deposits. All
eyes will be on Deutsche Bank
and First Republic to see if they
can overcome the market jitters
of the past few days.
The Federal Reserve and oth-
er central banks are reassuring
everyone that the financial sys-
tem is sound and bears little
comparison to 2008. Nonethe-
less, there are a number of fore-
seeable consequences for the
The Power of..
❰❰ 18 LBD skater dress and
pair this with a small
black bolero.
The traditional black blaz-
er. Do what the Parisian women
do best: wearing the tradition-
al black blazers! From classic
tweed to on-trend oversized
styles, a black blazer is definite-
ly a wardrobe must-have.
Classic black suit. A sharp-
ly tailored black suit is the epit-
ome of formal elegance. You
can’t go wrong on this! Both
women and men can choose
from Classic Fit, Executive Fit,
Slim Fit, Modern Fit & Skinny
Fit. I say go for all of it!
Black trousers for men and
women. Another must-have
medium term that are barely
being discussed yet.
1. Weaker bank lending
When someone borrows
money, they normally have to
pay extra to borrow for a lon-
ger duration than a shorter
duration, because it’s general-
ly riskier to lend further into
the future. But this flips when
investors get nervous about
the immediate future, which is
what has happened right now
(we say the yield curve has in-
verted). This points to a reces-
sion in the coming months.
Banks are already reluctant
to lend because they are having
to pay more to borrow from one
another at today’s interest rates.
Therefore the broader economic
uncertainty is likely to make it
even harder for consumers and
businesses to get credit. In the af-
termath of the 2007-09 crisis, US
bank lending fell by almost 11% .
2. Government borrowing
difficulties
Banks have got into trouble
from investing in long-term
government bonds, supposedly
one of the safest assets in the
market, which raises questions
about to what extent they will
be willing to do so in future.
Governments typically issue
bonds of upwards of a year to
finance longer term or larg-
er-scale investments, but may
find this harder at a time when
staple in your closet! Personal-
ly, I go for the black tailored cig-
arette pants which I normally
pair with a turtleneck.
Black Turtlenecks. This
classic staple has a deeper
meaning. In the Western world,
it symbolises subverting the
norm or being anti-standard.
For me, I just love the cosiness of
it and one can’t help but channel
Audrey Hepburn’s character, Jo
Stockton in Funny Face!
Black T-Shirts. Never un-
derestimate the true power of
a black t-shirt. There’s strength
in simplicity. You can go for ei-
ther the crew neck or the V-neck
style (which is most flattering
for all body types) and you can
there are hefty bills to pay.
For instance the ageing of the
huge baby boomer generation is
putting significant pressure on
healthcare, requiring heavy gov-
ernment investment into med-
ical research, healthcare infra-
structure and extra workers. The
green industrial policy agenda
entails enormous costs too.
If banks are not willing to buy
long-term bonds are readily as
before, the cost of borrowing
will rise at a time when most
governments are already strug-
gling with high levels of debt.
3. More inflation
Central banks could step
in and buy more government
bonds directly to provide their
governments with the neces-
sary funds. Unfortunately this
is tricky, since such purchases
dress your t-shirt up by wearing
a blazer over it or wearing it as
is for a more casual look.
Black Coat. If, like me, you
live in a cold climate, then a
black wool coat is a must in-
vestment. Complete your closet
with classic or edgy coats from
real leather, to wool, to cash-
mere or even glam it up with
faux fur!
Black shoes, handbags,
shades. Complete your black
essentials by having black shoes,
handbags and shades. For shoes,
I tend to favour the tall riding
boots, a classic pair of black bal-
let flats, and the elegant leather
stiletto for evening or daytime
wear. With regard to handbags,
www.canadianinquirer.net
Business
would potentially increase the
money supply and make infla-
tion worse than it is already.
Inflation has tailed down a
little in countries such as the
US and UK since the peaks of
2022, but is still well above
the 2% target. If central banks
have to directly support more
government borrowing, expect
more upward pressure on pric-
es. This in turn will put more
pressure on central banks to
keep interest rates higher.
So far, the Federal Reserve
(the US central bank), has tried
to minimise the damage by set-
ting up a facility to allow banks
to borrow against their govern-
ment bonds at book value. In
just a couple of weeks, US banks
have already borrowed nearly
half a trillion US dollars. But
I would go for a quilted leather
boy bag or a black crocodile tote.
And for shades, I’d personally go
for the big and bold black shades
channelling Jackie O! Of course,
you needn’t go for designer la-
bels, but I highly recommend
sticking with the classic styles
when choosing your shoes,
handbags and shades.
Black leggings. Even when
you hit the gym or do some
sports, you must have the classic
black leggings. American Joseph
Shivers deserves a round of ap-
plause for inventing the Lycra
fabric that is used to making
these slim, stretchy activewear
pants! Leggings are so comfort-
able to wear and you can even
25
again, there are limits to how
much assistance can be pro-
vided without jeopardising the
fight against inflation.
4. Fewer jobs
So far, the jobs market in the
US and also the UK has been
fairly resilient. But if credit be-
comes more scarce and there is
a recession, that situation could
change quite quickly.
5. Lower house prices
The housing market in the US
and UK has also held up quite
well, despite higher interest rates.
But in an environment of pro-
longed high interest rates and re-
duced bank lending, house prices
could start falling more sharply:
after the 2007-09 crisis, US house
prices fell by almost 20%.
6. Less consumer spending
With households already
having to find more to cover
higher mortgage payments,
consumer spending is strug-
gling. A fall in house prices and
a rise in unemployment will
further affect how wealthy peo-
ple think they are, which could
further reduce how much they
are willing to spend.
7. The demise of smaller
banks
To prevent bank runs, gov-
ernments could also step in and
potentially insure all customer
deposits: in the US, for exam-
❱❱ PAGE 30 Seven likely consequences
pair this piece with anything and
everything under the sun!
In conclusion, one definite-
ly agrees with Karl Lagerfeld
when he once said, “One is nev-
er really underdressed or over-
dressed when wearing black.”
Also, always remember this:
black is not a sad colour. On
the contrary, it is exciting, poet-
ic, graceful and grown-up! Hap-
py shopping in black! ■
Matte Laurel-Zalko is a former
restaurateur and hotelier, a moth-
er, a wife, a health and wellness
aficionado, food and wine enthu-
siast, a dog-lover, and lifestyle col-
umnist exclusively for Philippine
Canadian Inquirer (PCI).
26
We’ve been connecting brains to
computers longer than you’d expect.
These 3 companies are leading the way
BY SAM JOHN, The
University of Melbourne
The Conversation
Since it was founded in 2016,
Elon Musk’s brain-computer
interface (BCI) company Neu-
ralink has had its moments in
biotech news.
Whether it was the time Musk
promised his “link” would let
people communicate telepathi-
cally, or when the whole compa-
ny was under investigation for
potentially violating the Animal
Welfare Act, the hype around
Neuralink means it’s often the
first mental reference people
have for BCI technology.
But BCIs have been kicking
around for much longer than
you’d expect. Musk’s is just one in
a growing list of companies dedi-
cated to advancing this technolo-
gy. Let’s take a look back at some
BCI milestones over the past de-
cades, and forward to where they
might lead us.
An expanding sector
Brain-computer interfaces are
devices that connect the brain
with a computer to allow the user
to complete some kind of action
using their brain signals.
Many high-profile companies
entered the BCI field in the 2010s,
backed by millions of dollars in
investment. Founded in 2016, the
American company Kernel be-
gan by researching implantable
devices, before switching to focus
on non-invasive techniques that
don’t require surgery.
Even Facebook gave BCIs a
go, with an ambitious plan to
create a headset that would let
users type 100 words per min-
ute. But it stopped this research
in 2021 to focus on other types
of human-computer interfaces.
First contact
Developed in the 1970s, the
earliest BCIs were relatively
straightforward, used on cats
Technology
and other animals to devel-
op communication pathways.
The first device implanted in a
human was developed by Jon-
athan Wolpaw in 1991, and al-
lowed its user to control a cur-
sor with their brain signals.
Advances in machine learn-
ing through the years paved
the way for more sophisticated
BCIs. These could control com-
plex devices, including robotic
limbs, wheelchairs and exoskel-
etons. We’ve also seen devices
get progressively smaller and
easier to use thanks to wireless
connectivity.
Like many newer BCI devices,
Neuralink has yet to receive ap-
proval for clinical trials of its in-
vasive implant. Its latest appli-
cation to the US Food and Drug
Administration was rejected.
There are, however, three no-
table groups conducting clini-
cal trials that are worth keeping
an eye on.
1. BrainGate
Founded in 1998 in Massa-
chusetts, the BrainGate system
has been around since the late
1990s. This makes it one of the
oldest advanced BCI implant
systems. Its device is placed in
the brain using microneedles,
similar to the technology Neu-
ralink uses.
BrainGate’s devices are prob-
ably the most advanced when
it comes to BCI functionality.
One of its wired devices offers
a typing speed of 90 characters
per minute, or 1.5 characters
per second. A study published
in January released results
from data collected over 17
years from 14 participants.
During this time there were
68 instances of “adverse events”
including infection, seizures,
surgical complications, irrita-
tion around the implant, and
brain damage. However, the
most common event was irrita-
tion. Only six of the 68 incidents
were considered “serious”.
Apart from communication
applications, BrainGate has
also achieved robotic control
for self-feeding.
2. UMC Utrecht
The University Medical Cen-
tre in Utrecht, Netherlands, was
the first to achieve fully wireless
implanted BCI technology that
patients could take home.
Its device uses electrocorti-
cography-based BCI (ECoG).
Electrodes in the form of metal
discs are placed directly on the
surface of the brain to receive
signals. They connect wireless-
ly to a receiver, which in turn
connects to a computer.
Participants in a clinical tri-
al that ran from 2020 to 2022
were able to take the device
home and use it every day for
about a year. It allowed them to
control a computer screen and
type at a speed of two charac-
ters per minute.
While this typing speed is
slow, future versions with more
electrodes are expected to per-
form better.
3. Synchron (originally
SmartStent)
Synchron was founded in
2016 in Melbourne, Australia. In
www.canadianinquirer.net
2019, it became the first compa-
ny to be approved for clinical tri-
als in Australia. Then in 2020 it
became the first company to re-
ceive FDA approval to run clin-
ical trials using a permanently
implanted BCI – and finally did
this with a US patient this year.
Synchron’s approach is to by-
pass full brain surgery by using
blood vessels to implant elec-
trodes in the brain. This mini-
mally invasive approach is simi-
lar to other stenting procedures
routinely performed in clinics.
Synchron’s device is placed in
the brain near the area that con-
trols movement, and a wireless
transmitter is placed in the chest.
This transmitter then conveys
brain signals to a computer.
Initial clinical results have
shown no adverse effects and a
functionality of 14 characters
per minute using both the BCI
and eye tracking. Results were
not reported for BCI use alone.
Although its device efficiency
could be improved, Synchron’s
approach means it leads the
way in achieving a low barrier
for entry. By avoiding the need
for full brain surgery, it’s help-
ing to bring BCI implantation
closer to being a day procedure.
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
The benefits must outweigh
the risks
The history of BCIs reveals
the immense challenges in-
volved in developing this tech-
nology. These are compound-
ed by the fact that experts still
don’t fully understand the links
between our neural circuitry
and thoughts.
It’s also unclear which BCI
features consumers will prior-
itise moving forward, or what
they’d be willing to sign up for.
Not everyone will happily opt
for an invasive brain procedure
– yet the systems that don’t re-
quire this collect “noisy” data
that aren’t as efficient.
Answers will emerge as more
devices gain approval for clini-
cal trials and research is pub-
lished on the results.
Importantly, developers of
these technologies must not
rush through trials. They have a
responsibility to be transparent
about the safety and efficacy of
their devices, and to report on
them openly so consumers can
make informed decisions. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
Should the US ban TikTok? Can it?
A cybersecurity expert explains the risks the
app poses and the challenges to blocking it
BY DOUG JACOBSON, Iowa
State University
The Conversation
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew
testified before the House En-
ergy and Commerce Commit-
tee on March 23, 2023, amid a
chorus of calls from members
of Congress for the federal
government to ban the Chi-
nese-owned video social media
app and reports that the Biden
administration is pushing for
the company’s sale.
The federal government,
along with many state and for-
eign governments and some
companies, has banned TikTok
on work-provided phones. This
type of ban can be effective for
protecting data related to gov-
ernment work.
But a full ban of the app is
another matter, which raises
a number of questions: What
data privacy risk does TikTok
pose? What could the Chinese
government do with data col-
lected by the app? Is its content
recommendation algorithm
dangerous? And is it even pos-
sible to ban an app?
Vacuuming up data
As a cybersecurity researcher,
I’ve noted that every few years
a new mobile app that becomes
popular raises issues of security,
privacy and data access.
Apps collect data for several
reasons. Sometimes the data is
used to improve the app for us-
ers. However, most apps collect
data that the companies use in
part to fund their operations.
This revenue typically comes
from targeting users with ads
based on the data they collect.
The questions this use of data
raises are: Does the app need all
this data? What does it do with
the data? And how does it pro-
tect the data from others?
So what makes TikTok differ-
ent from the likes of Pokemon-
GO, Facebook or even your
phone itself? TikTok’s privacy
policy, which few people read,
is a good place to start. Overall,
the company is not particularly
transparent about its practic-
es. The document is too long to
list here all the data it collects,
which should be a warning.
There are a few items of in-
terest in TikTok’s privacy poli-
cy besides the information you
give them when you create an
account – name, age, username,
password, language, email,
phone number, social media
account information and pro-
file image – that are concern-
ing. This information includes
location data, data from your
clipboard, contact information,
website tracking, plus all data
you post and messages you send
through the app. The company
claims that current versions of
the app do not collect GPS infor-
mation from U.S. users. There
has been speculation
that TikTok is col-
lecting other infor-
mation, but that is
hard to prove.
If most apps col-
lect data, why is the
U.S. government
worried about Tik-
Tok? First, they wor-
ry about the Chinese
government access-
ing data from its 150
million users in the
U.S. There is also a concern about
the algorithms used by TikTok to
show content.
Data in the Chinese gov-
ernment’s hands
If the data does end up in the
hands of the Chinese govern-
ment, the question is how could
it use the data to its benefit.
The government could share it
with other companies in China
to help them profit, which is no
different than U.S. companies
sharing marketing data. The
Chinese government is known
for playing the long game, and
data is power, so if it is collect-
ing data, it could take years to
learn how it benefits China.
One potential threat is the
Chinese government using the
data to spy on people, partic-
ularly people who have access
to valuable information. The
Justice Department is inves-
tigating TikTok’s parent com-
pany, ByteDance, for using the
app to monitor U.S. journalists.
The Chinese government has
an extensive history of hacking
U.S. government agencies and
corporations, and much of that
hacking has been facilitated by
social engineering – the prac-
tice of using data about people
to trick them into revealing
more information.
www.canadianinquirer.net
Technology
The second issue that the U.S.
government has raised is algo-
rithm bias or algorithm manip-
ulation. TikTok and most social
media apps have algorithms de-
signed to learn a user’s interests
and then try to adjust the content
so the user will continue to use
the app. TikTok has not shared
its algorithm, so it’s not clear how
the app chooses a user’s content.
What data privacy risk
does TikTok pose?
The algorithm could be bi-
ased in a way that influences a
population to believe certain
things. There are numerous
allegations that TiKTok’s algo-
rithm is biased and can rein-
force negative thoughts among
younger users, and be used to
affect public opinion. It could
be that the algorithm’s manipu-
lative behavior is unintention-
al, but there is concern that the
Chinese government has been
using or could use the algo-
rithm to influence people.
Can the government ban
an app?
If the federal government
comes to the conclusion that
TikTok should be banned, is it
even possible to ban it for all of
its 150 million existing users?
Any such ban would likely start
with blocking the distribution of
the app through Apple’s and Goo-
gle’s app stores. This might keep
many users off the platform, but
there are other ways to download
and install apps for people who
are determined to use them.
A more drastic method would
be to force Apple and Google to
change their phones to prevent
TikTok from running. While
I’m not a lawyer, I think this
effort would fail due to legal
challenges, which include First
27
Amendment concerns. The bot-
tom line is that an absolute ban
will be tough to enforce.
There are also questions
about how effective a ban would
be even if it were possible. By
some estimates, the Chinese
government has already col-
lected personal information on
at least 80% of the U.S. popula-
tion via various means. So a ban
might limit the dam-
age going forward
to some degree, but
the Chinese govern-
ment has already
collected a signifi-
cant amount of data.
The Chinese govern-
ment also has access
– along with anyone
else with money – to
the large market for
personal data, which
fuels calls for stron-
ger data privacy rules.
Are you at risk?
So as an average user, should
you worry? Again, it is unclear
what data ByteDance is col-
lecting and if it can harm an
individual. I believe the most
significant risks are to people
in power, whether it is politi-
cal power or within a compa-
ny. Their data and information
could be used to gain access to
other data or potentially com-
promise the organizations they
are associated with.
The aspect of TikTok I find
most concerning is the algo-
rithm that decides what videos
users see and how it can affect
vulnerable groups, particularly
young people. Independent of
a ban, families should have con-
versions about TikTok and oth-
er social media platforms and
how they can be detrimental to
mental health. These conver-
sations should focus on how to
determine if the app is leading
you down an unhealthy path. ■
This article has been updat-
ed to indicate that TikTok CEO
Shou Zi Chew testified before
Congress on March 23, 2023.
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
28
DOT: Bicol ready to welcome
visitors this summer
BY CONNIE CALIPAY
Philippine News Agency
LEGAZPI CITY – The Depart-
ment of Tourism in Bicol (DOT-5)
has assured local and foreign tour-
ists that summer destinations and
different establishments in the
region are now ready to welcome
and serve visitors.
In a phone interview on Mon-
day, DOT-5 Regional Director
Herbie Aguas said they have
evaluated accredited hotels, re-
sorts, restaurants, and tourism
farms to ensure that the tour-
ists will have a comfortable and
safe stay in Bicol.
“As the restrictions for
Covid-19 are lifted, we are al-
ways reminding the owners of
different establishments, ho-
tels, and resorts in the region
Marathon promotes potential of highest
mountain in Panay
BY ANNABEL CONSUELO
PETINGLAY
Philippine News Agency
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVIS-
TA, Antique – The first Moun-
tain Marathon sporting event
has promoted the tourism po-
tential of Culasi town, particu-
larly its Mt. Madja-as, the high-
est peak in Panay island.
The marathon event on
March 25-26 gathered 389
sports enthusiasts who con-
quered Mt. Madja-as, also the
second highest mountain in
the Visayas with an elevation of
2,113 meters above sea level.
“Through the mountain mar-
athon, we were able to show
that Culasi has many unex-
plored tourism sites and natu-
Travel
to make sure that they are in
compliance with the DOT stan-
dards and guidelines. I issued
a memorandum to different
tourism offices in the region to
monitor their respective areas
with regard to compliance,”
Aguas said.
He also said the agency is co-
ordinating with different local
government units (LGUs) to
ensure their preparedness, par-
ticularly with regard to the Lent
observance next week and the
summer season.
“We want the LGUs to have
Disaster Risk Reduction Man-
agement (DRRM) ready for the
summer events. Resorts and
beaches must have lifeguards,
farm tourism owners must
have safety measures particu-
larly terrains and signages in
their areas. Accredited tourist
ral resources that we could be
proud of,” Lomugdang said in
an interview on Monday.
The mountain marathon has
three categories to include the
15-kilometer, 25-kilometer and
42-kilometer events.
While traversing the trail, the
participants saw the preserved
and protected greeneries, Lo-
mugdang added.
From the foot of Mt. Mad-
ja-as one could already see the
islands of Mararison and Bat-
batan of Culasi that boast of
their white sands.
Antique Representative An-
tonio Agapito Legarda, in his
message during the March 25
opening, said he intends to hold
the event annually as part of his
sports tourism advocacy.
He also planned to have the
guides of DOT are now ready to
serve local and foreign visitors.
I think the tourism industry in
Bicol Region is ready for this
summer season,” Aguas said.
He also encouraged tourists
to check and validate whether
the services offered to them are
accredited by DOT.
“We want our travelers and
visitors to be safe and enjoy
their stay in the region, just
in case something happened,
although we hope not, we can
help them to pursue charges
and liabilities from the estab-
lishment,” he added.
Aguas said he expected the
number of tourist arrivals in Bicol
to double this summer season.
“We are already monitoring
numbers of visitors in Donsol,
Sorosgon for the whale shark
interactions since sightings
mountain marathon recog-
nized and funded by the Philip-
pine Sports Commission.
Mt. Madja-as as seen from Aklan. (GIBOUGH/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CC BY-SA 4.0)
www.canadianinquirer.net
Vinzons, Camarines Norte, Philippines
of whales already started, the
white beach of Caramoan in Ca-
marines Sur, surfing beaches of
Bagasbas in Camarines Norte
and in Baras, Catanduanes, the
upcoming Rodeo festival of
Masbate, the black beaches and
farm tourism in Albay. Also, the
Mayon Skyline for pilgrims and
The lone district represen-
tative said the marathon was
inspired by Iraynon-Bukidnon
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
tourists,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Sorsogon
Tourism Office will launch the
“Beautiful Sorosgon” branding
on March 31, featuring tourist
destinations that will be uti-
lized for marketing and pro-
motion initiatives locally and
internationally. ■
Larry Apolinario who won the
first Philippine Trail Running
Association (PHILTRA) Na-
tional Championship on Feb. 26
in Bontoc, Mountain Province.
Also present in the event was
local ultramarathoner John
Ray “Stingray” Onifa who light-
ed the urn that signaled the offi-
cial start of the competition.
Rogen Aguirre won the 15-ki-
lometer category and bagged the
PHP6,000 prize; Randolf Gon-
zales won the 25-kilometer with
PHP8,000; while Onifa won the
PHP15,000 prize for winning
the 42-kilometer category.
The event was organized by
the Iraya Adventure Group, a
group of mountaineers in Pan-
ay island, while prizes were
provided by the office of Sena-
tor Loren Legarda. ■
FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2023
Visa reforms to accommodate more
Chinese, Indian tourists
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Department
of Tourism (DOT) is working
with other government agen-
cies to ease entry for tourist
source markets, particularly
India and China.
At a high-level convergence
meeting on Friday, Tourism
Secretary Christina Frasco dis-
cussed with the heads of the
Bureau of Immigration, and
Departments of Foreign Affairs,
Justice, and Information and
Communications Technology
the need for “visa reforms” to
address tourism bottlenecks.
Citing China and India’s po-
tential to bring in more travel-
ers, she said government agen-
cies must explore the provision
of electronic visa (eVisa) to
their nationals.
Based on DOT data, at least 58
percent of the total Indian visi-
tors were repeat travelers, hence
the necessity to exert effort to
sustain and increase their entry.
India, the DOT noted, has ris-
en from being an opportunity
market for the Philippines to an
important market source, rank-
ing eighth among top foreign
visitors in 2022 with 51,542.
“We are the only country
that presently does not provide
the convenient electronic visa
for Indian nationals. This is a
huge market that the Philip-
pines has yet to explore,” Frasco
said during the meeting held at
a hotel in Makati City.
Indian Ambassador to the
Philippines Shambhu Kumaran
Rising inflation will..
❰❰ 24 to July 2021 – before
this increase started –
was nonexistent. After
that, it became a problem for
the government (this point is
marked on the graph above with
a vertical red line).
Just as the money supply only
affects inflation when the latter
is high, it is also true that infla-
tion only affects support for the
government when it is high. Of
agreed that this is a “very oppor-
tune” time for Manila to ease
visa processes for its nations as
Indian travelers visiting South-
east Asia “could potentially be
looking at a new destination.”
China, meanwhile, remains
a coveted market for the Phil-
ippines, which recorded more
than 1.7 million Chinese visi-
tors prior to the pandemic.
Citing reports from airlines,
Frasco said Philippine consular
posts in China have issued advi-
sories “limiting the acceptance
of visa applications per day
from only around 60 to 100.”
This is compared to the av-
erage of 508 to as high as 2,704
Philippine visas issued per day
in China prior to the pandemic.
“Of our low target of half a
million Chinese coming into the
Philippines, we would need to is-
sue 1,704 visas per day. If we are
to target the medium scenario of
a million Chinese into the coun-
try then we would need to issue
3, 409 visas per day,” Frasco said.
“If we are to target two mil-
lion Chinese coming to the
Philippines and which is the de-
sired target of the Department
of Tourism, then we would
need to issue 6,818 visas per day
for a total of 1.8 million visas in
a year, which is not too far off
from the 1.5 million issued in
2019,” she added.
The DOT stressed that Chi-
na’s sizable population trans-
lates to massive opportunity for
the Philippines, considering the
2019 data that it has the largest
number of outbound tourists
all over the world at 160 million
Chinese citizens traveling to
various countries.
course, following Liz Truss’s di-
sastrous tenure in 10 Downing
Street, Conservative voting inten-
tions crashed, as the chart shows.
This period contributed to the fall
in Conservative voting intentions,
along with rising inflation.
This also puts the Bank of En-
gland in a tricky position. If it
overdoes interest rate rises, it
could create a recession. On the
other hand, if it does nothing, we
“Chinese outbound tourism
will surpass 2019 levels by 2024
and therefore, time is of the
essence for the Philippines to
ensure that the ease with which
Chinese citizens can come
into the Philippines can be ap-
proved,” she said.
Frasco said revenue losses
could reach USD2.51 billion “if
the difficulties in obtaining visas
is not immediately addressed.”
“Airlines and charter opera-
tors have already approached us
expressing grave concern of the
present limitations. According
to them, they may not be able
to increase the flight frequen-
cies that they are very much
prepared to resume due to low
passenger numbers and airfares
and travel packages may become
too expensive and therefore, not
competitive,” she added.
Education, cruise tourism
The DOT also recommended
the simplification of process
requirements for Waiver of Ex-
clusion Ground and exemption
of qualified students to apply
for Special Study Permit for the
English as a Second Language
(ESL) industry.
Further, it asked concerned
agencies to revisit the draft and
make final inputs for finaliza-
tion, as well as the digitaliza-
tion of the platform and making
it an e-Landing Permit amid the
resurgence of cruise tourism.
In 2019, Austria-based re-
search market specialist Bonard
has identified the Philippines as
the fifth largest ESL provider in
the world, with around 70 per-
cent of the whole ESL industry in
the country based on the island
province of Cebu, which caters
could be facing a politically toxic
combination of high inflation and
high unemployment, known as
“stagflation”. While the Bank of
England makes interest rate de-
cisions independently of the gov-
ernment, whatever it does is likely
to influence the next election. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
www.canadianinquirer.net
Travel
to students from Japan, South
Korea, Taiwan, China, as well
as emerging markets Mongolia,
Thailand, West Asia, and Russia.
The country is anticipating
139 ports of call for cruise tour-
ism with over 117,000 passen-
gers pegged for 2023 alone.
Support for reforms
The agencies, for their part,
vowed to look into the matter
and expressed their support for
the proposed reforms on the
country’s special markets, cit-
ing, at the same time, the need to
“balance legal requirements,” in
accordance with the law.
“The DICT (Department of
Information and Communica-
tions Technology) will definite-
ly put it as one of our priorities
to support the Department of
Tourism and the Department
of Foreign Affairs,” DICT Secre-
tary Ivan John Uy said.
DFA Assistant Secretary
Henry Bensurto Jr. said they
PH athletes in..
❰❰ 23 “That’s the big chal-
lenge: how can we at-
tain the fourth-place
standing or better than that?”
Tolentino said.
Despite losing some slots, it
is still considered a blessing as
the POC was initially targeting
only around 600 athletes going
to Phnom Penh.
“Medyo mahirap, but dahil
sa fighting spirit ng atleta natin
29
would study the recommenda-
tion and come out with an im-
mediate feedback.
A cap was imposed on visa
issuance for Chinese tourists
due to the previous surge of
Covid-19 cases in China.
The meeting was also attended
by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin
Remulla, Undersecretaries Brigi-
do Dulay and Jose Cadiz Jr., and
Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic
Clavano IV; DICT Undersecre-
tary David Almirol Jr.; Presiden-
tial Management Staff Assistant
Secretary Montano Nazario Jr.;
BI Commissioner Norman Tans-
ingco; DFA Executive Director
Christian De Jesus and Director
Leilano Feliciano; DOT Under-
secretary Shahlimar Hofer Tama-
no, OIC-Undersecretary Verna
Buensuceso, Assistant Secretary
Maria Rica Bueno, and OIC-As-
sistant Secretary Warner An-
drada; and Tourism Attaché for
Shanghai China Rene Reyes. ■
at saka nadagdagan (It’s some-
how tough, but because of our
athletes’ fighting spirit and the
increase in number) from 600
to 800, we might [still finish in
fourth],” Tolentino said.
The POC earlier said 257
sports officials and coaches
would join the Philippine team.
The SEA Games will formally
begin on May 5, but some events
will start as early as April 29. ■
 30
Frozen and tinned foods can be just as
nutritious as fresh produce – here’s how
BY GUNTER KUHNLE,
University of Reading,
KESHAVAN NIRANJAN,
University of Reading
The Conversation
The ongoing cost of living
crisis and fruit and vegetable
shortages have left many people
worrying about how they’re go-
ing to get these important foods
in their diet. Yet in spite of this,
many people may still avoid fro-
zen and tinned produce in the
belief that fresh produce from
the supermarket is better.
However, not only can fro-
zen and tinned produce be just
as nutritious as fresh fruits and
vegetables, in some cases they
may actually be more nutritious.
Some people shy away from
frozen and tinned foods because
they’re technically classified as
“processed foods”. While these
foods may include preservatives,
these ingredients are tightly
regulated and have no adverse
effect on health. Not to mention
that the preservation processes
used to prevent these foods from
spoiling are actually the reason
they’re able to maintain so many
important nutrients.
Nutrient quality
Fruits and vegetables begin to
lose nutrients as soon as they’re
picked. They can lose up to half
of some nutrients within a cou-
ple of days of being harvested.
Vitamins such as vitamin C
are especially susceptible to be-
ing lost after being picked. Green
Seven likely consequences..
❰❰ 25 ple, customers’ mon-
ey is only safe up to
US$250,000, while in
the UK it’s £85,000. The prob-
lem with extending this pro-
tection is that it would be both
expensive and difficult to get
past politicians since it means
rescuing wealthy people.
Food
peas lose about half of their vita-
min C within the first two days
after harvest. Similar losses are
observed in broccoli and beans.
There are many reasons why
these nutrients are lost after
harvest. First, exposure to light
and air can initiate a chemical
process called photo-oxidation,
which causes nutrients to break
down. In addition, natural en-
zymes present in foods can also
break down the nutrients. Mi-
croorganisms from soil, air and
water can also find their way into
foods and feed on the nutrients.
But the methods used to
freeze and can foods both pre-
vent spoilage and lower the
amount of nutrients lost from
the product, as they stop these
processes in their tracks.
Canning involves adding
heat into foods – typically us-
ing temperatures between 120-
140℃ to preserve them. Even
though foods are only subject-
ed to these temperatures for a
few minutes at a time, this in-
activates certain enzymes and
destroys most microorganisms,
preventing the food from spoil-
ing while ensuring many im-
portant nutrients aren’t lost.
Freezing, on the other hand,
removes heat from the food.
By lowering its temperature
enough that the water in the
food freezes (around -20℃),
this slows down the chemical
reactions that occur in food –
again, preventing important
nutrients from being lost. It’s
also common practice to blanch
This is why US treasury sec-
retary, Janet Yellen, recently
said this wasn’t an option, ex-
cept maybe for big banks whose
collapse could pose a systemic
risk – meaning it could threaten
the entire global banking sys-
tem. Yet if you give greater de-
posit protection to these banks,
foods prior to freezing. This
also inactivates the natural en-
zymes in the foods, preventing
further nutrient loss.
Thermal processes (such as
canning and blanching) can
themselves lead to some inevita-
ble nutrient loss. But the extent
of this loss depends on the foods
and the nutrients they contain.
Canning generally leads to
a much higher loss of some
nutrients than blanching and
freezing. This is because it em-
ploys higher temperatures and
harsher processing conditions,
with most fruits and vegetables
needing to be boiled in water
before being sealed.
Carrots, for example, lose
very little vitamin C during
freezing. But they can lose a
significant proportion of their
vitamin C during canning be-
cause it’s a water-soluble vita-
min – meaning that it’s easily
broken down in water, especial-
you make them safer than the
smaller banks – indeed, they
already have tougher funding
requirements in the US.
The danger is that more and
more customers move their
money to the bigger banks,
making it more likely that the
smaller banks collapse. Con-
www.canadianinquirer.net
ly after being degraded by heat.
In contrast, vitamin A loss
is much lower during canning
since it’s more stable against
heat. In fact, more vitamin A is
lost during the freezing process.
Important nutrients
Though some nutrients can be
lost during the blanching, freez-
ing and canning processes, in
many cases the foods still retain
more important nutrients than
they would if picked just before
peak ripeness and shipped to
their destination supermarket.
For example, research shows
that the vitamin content of fro-
zen blueberries is comparable
– and sometimes even higher –
than that of fresh blueberries.
And while tinned peaches
may lose some nutrients during
the canning process, there’s
then virtually no change in their
nutrient levels even after three
months in storage. The same is
true of many other canned and
sumers would then have fewer
banks to choose from and could
end up paying higher prices for
financial services or have less
access to financial products.
This all points to tough choic-
es ahead for governments and
central banks. At the very least
it looks likely that interest rates
MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY
frozen produce, such as peas,
sweetcorn and broccoli, which
keep many of their nutrients
even after a year in storage.
The same applies to other
compounds present in foods.
For example, polyphenols – nat-
ural compounds found in most
fruits and vegetables, some of
which have been linked to better
heart health – can be preserved
for longer through freezing.
Ultimately, while there may be
some differences in the nutrients
available in fresh versus frozen
or tinned produce, no one type of
food is significantly better than
the other. Well, in most cases.
The exceptions include lyco-
pene in tomatoes, the compound
that gives tomatoes their red co-
lour, which is actually higher in
canned tomatoes than fresh to-
matoes. There are several reasons
for this – such as the high tem-
peratures used during canning
helping release more lycopene.
And since it is linked with a low-
er risk of cardiovascular disease,
you may want to consider buying
canned tomatoes instead – or can-
ning fresh tomatoes yourself.
Frozen and canned fruits and
vegetables are a great way of
getting the nutritional benefits
of fresh produce without break-
ing the bank. And in the midst
of our current food shortages,
they can be a more accessible
and longer-lasting option. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
will need to come down to help
protect banks, which may mean
that we have to live with higher
inflation for longer than most
people were expecting. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
 MARCH 31, 2020
JULY 17, 2023 cx328
1

CANADA

PINOY EXPRESS DELIVERY

TRUCK OR CARGO AVAILABLE FOR RENT WITH A DRIVER.
Driver will help: Load-Pack-Unload

Perfect for: *Furniture Pick-up *Online Purchases

Room * Bachelor * 1-2 Bedroom
No More Hassle and Headache of going out to Rent.
Just pick up the phone and will show up at your door.
Let your Kababayan help you!!! We Speak your language
Maraming Salamat

Call: (416) 841-0244 for more details.

Leave a Message and we will call you back.

Electronic Technicians Needed

Experience in Low Voltag
Electrical System
installation and Servicin
Computers with Networking
Email resume to suda@alarmboss.com
Call 416-432-1902

CHRISTMAS SIGNING BONUS!!! TIN TIN DIM SUM Spectrum Health

re Ca
is Hiri
Do you have: Personal Support
W orkers
Cleaning, sweeping and moping experience (Outside Retail)
Experience in using a power washer & leaf blower
Enjoy Working Outdoors
Proudly serving fresh
and not frozen dim sum allday who w ant more!
Good time management skills and can work unsupervised
Have your own transportation $10.99 only More hou
rs
Iron Platter Style (w ith rice & veg in soup)
Competitive Pay Rates Tonkatsu Com bo (Chicken or Pork)
Spicy Ram en Pot
$500 Signing Bonus
Pay Via Direct Deposit

6455 Macleod Trail SW, Unit 192A, Calgary, AB T2H 0K9

(Located inside Chinook Mall)
Please email your resume to S ec uredG ro u p
info@securedsecuirty.com or fax 604-239-0251 securedsecurity.com
(403) 253-7742 Learn mo
re atw w w.spectrumhealth
care.com

www.canadianinquirer.net
 32 MARCH 31, 2023 FRIDAY

Drive Like Everyone

is Watching
1.49 %
72
Get * for
on select new
up
to 2022 Mustang
APR
Models
Purchase Financing Months

FIND OUT MORE AT FORDTO.CA

Vehicle(s) may be shown with optional equipment. Dealers set selling and leasing price which may vary from MSRP. Limited time offers. See your Ford Dealer for complete details or call the Ford Customer Relationship Centre at 1-800-565-3673. For factory orders, a customer may either take advantage of eligible raincheck-
able Ford retail customer promotional incentives/offers available at the time of vehicle factory order or time of vehicle delivery, but not both or combinations thereof. Retail offers not combinable with any CPA/GPC or Daily Rental incentives, the Commercial Upfit Program or the Commercial Fleet Incentive Program (CFIP).
Until March 31, 2023, receive 1.49% APR purchase financing on new 2022 Ford Mustang EcoBoost 100A/101A, EcoBoost 200/201A, and GT 300A/301A/400A/401A models for up to 72 months to qualified retail customers, on approved credit (OAC) from Ford Credit Canada Company. All prices are based on Manufacturer’s
Suggested Retail Price. © 2023 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.

www.canadianinquirer.net