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COMPLIANT RETAILERS

Rice traders at the Bankerohan Public Market in Davao City are found to be compliant with the price cap imposed by the national government on the staple food, on Wednesday (Sept. 13. 2023).
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Davao Region is set to distribute the PHP15,000 assistance to the rice traders on Sept. 13-14 to enable them to cope with the price ceil-
ings, set at PHP41 per kg. for regular milled rice and PHP45 per kg. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR. / PNA

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BY FERDINAND PATINIO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Regional Tripartite
Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)
in Central Visayas granted an increase of
PHP33 in the salary of minimum wage
earners in the private sector, the Depart-
ment of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Comelec assures filing of charges
vs. violators before Oct. 30
BY STEPHANIE
SEVILLANO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Commis-
sion on Elections (Comelec) as-
sured on Wednesday the filing
of charges against Barangay and
Sangguniang Kabataan Elections
(BSKE) aspiring candidates or
supporters involved in illegal or
premature campaigning.
At a press conference,
Comelec Chairperson George
Erwin Garcia said the poll body's
action is not limited to the issu-
ance of show cause orders.
"Kinakailangan may ma-
filean tayo ng kaso, may ma-dis-
qualify dito bago mag-October
30. Wala akong pakialam kahit
isa o dalawa o daan iyan (We
need to file cases, disqualify vi-
olators before Oct. 30. I don't
care whether it's one, two, or
hundreds)," he said.
Garcia reminded all candi-
dates and supporters to adhere
to election regulations.
"We have to institutionalize
this culture of an honest and
clean election... We have to in-
Expert: PH, India joint oil exploration
in SCS feasible
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – A joint oil explora-
tion activity between India and the
Philippines in the West Philippine
Sea is feasible the same way New
Delhi did with another Southeast
Asian nation in the region, an Indi-
an expert said Tuesday.
“I don't see any hurdles or
problems in India and Philip-
pines cooperating within your
exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
and doing joint exploration,”
Indian Navy Commodore and
National Maritime Foundation
of India Executive Director
Debesh Lahiri told reporters
on the sidelines of the Strat-
stitutionalize the mindset of ev-
erybody, more particularly, the
candidates should be 'we have
to follow the rules, we have to
follow the law," he said.
The Comelec made the state-
ment following the launching of
its Task Force Kontra Epal, un-
der the leadership of Region 8
(Eastern Visayas) Director Nick
Mendroz.
As of Wednesday 1 p.m., the
Task Force reported around
470 BSKE candidates alleged-
ly involved in premature cam-
paigning nationwide, of which
174 additional show cause or-
ders have already been issued.
Mendroz said the Task Force
has two procedures for address-
ing complaints.
First is the classification of
verified and unverified com-
plaints to ensure due process
for each BSKE candidate.
For unverified reports, Men-
droz said reports containing
names of candidates and baran-
gay locations are transferred to
an evaluation team of lawyers
for verification.
This shall be followed by send-
ing show cause orders via email
base-organized Philippine-In-
dia Track 2 Maritime Dialogue
in Taguig City on Tuesday.
“We can always reach out and be
a friendly partner with the Philip-
pines in that aspect,” he added.
In Southeast Asia, Lahiri said
India’s oil and gas company Oil
and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC)
Videsh has already engaged
Vietnam and conducted oil
exploration operations in the
South China Sea.
ONGC Videsh is the overseas
arm of India’s top oil company
ONGC that earlier secured its
eight extensions for the explo-
ration of Vietnam's “Block 128”
in the South China Sea.
At present, the depleting
Malampaya gas field is the Phil-
ippines’ only domestic com-
or other means, wherein BSKE
bets have three days to respond
upon notice receipt, he added.
Once the Task Force receives
unsatisfactory answers from
BSKE bets, a preliminary in-
vestigation will proceed after
docketing a formal petition.
For verified or notarized
complaints, Mendroz said these
will be referred to the Comelec's
law department for preliminary
investigation, to be followed by
case filing once probable cause
is found.
Conviction may result in at
least one year of imprisonment or
a maximum sentence of six years.
Garcia, meanwhile, said
election offenses have a three-
year prescriptive period during
which complaints can be filed.
"Kung di ka man na-dis-
qualify dahil natapos na ang
eleksyon, 'yung election offense
tatlong taon pang pwedeng
i-file from the discovery of the
committed crime. Di ka pa rin
ligtas, nanalo o natalo (If you're
not disqualified because the
election is done, the election of-
fense charges may still be filed
three years from the discovery
mercial source of natural gas,
accounting for about 20 per-
cent of the country’s total pow-
er requirement.
During the 5th India-Phil-
ippines Joint Commission on
Bilateral Cooperation in New
Delhi in June, the two states
agreed to work together and
further strengthen their bilat-
eral partnership.
No mention of possible co-
operation in the area of energy
was mentioned but Foreign Af-
fairs Secretary Enrique Manalo
and his Indian counterpart Ex-
ternal Affairs Minister of India
Dr. S. Jaishankar, in the same
meeting, “agreed to encourage
their companies to sustain their
engagement and explore new
investment opportunities”.
www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia (YANCY LIM/PNA)
of the committed crime. You're
not yet spared, whether you
won or lose)," he said.
The task force is yet to launch
a formal email and hotline
numbers for premature cam-
paigning complaints.
Poll security
The Comelec, meanwhile,
said around 400 police person-
nel will be trained as a backup
force for the BSK polls.
"Mayroon kaming ite-train
na PNP (Philippine National
Police) personnel, especially in
Mindanao areas. Just in case
mayroong isang lugar na hindi
makakapaglingkod ang elec-
toral board members, ang ating
mga guro (We will train PNP
PH Navy sees more tie-up
with India counterparts
As this developed, the Phil-
ippine Navy (PN) is looking to
have more interaction with its
India counterparts following the
visit of the National Maritime
Foundation (NMF) of India del-
egation headed by its executive
director, Commodore Debish
Lahiri, at its headquarters at Na-
val Station Jose Andrada, Roxas
Boulevard, Manila on Sept. 11.
The delegation also rendered
a courtesy call to PN vice com-
mander, Rear Adm. Caesar Ber-
nard Valencia.
NMF is a resource center for
the development and advocacy
of strategies for the promotion
and protection of India’s mari-
time interests.
3
personnel, especially in Mind-
anao areas. Just in case, there's
an area where our electoral
board member can't serve, our
teachers)," Garcia said.
The official list of areas of
concern is to be given by the
PNP and the Armed Forces of
the Philippines to Comelec on
Thursday.
The Comelec is also set to
announce its decision either
to pursue or defer the BSKE in
Negros Oriental on Sept. 16.
On that same day, the poll
body will discuss protocols for
the Dec.9 special elections in the
3rd district of Negros Oriental to
replace the vacant seat of former
Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. ■
The discussions focused on
a range of maritime-related is-
sues, where both nations can
further explore concepts to
deepen and broaden the scope
of bilateral maritime cooper-
ation, as well as the hosting of
the first Track 2 meeting of the
Philippines-India Marine Dia-
logue in Manila.
Valencia expressed his grati-
tude for this visit and eyed “fu-
ture training and other forms of
collaborations” for the better-
ment of both countries and the
young minds of the PN.
He also acknowledged the
support of like-minded nations
and organizations as vital to the
PN’s resolve to become stron-
ger and greater. (with Priam
Nepomuceno/PNA) ■
4 Philippine News
PBBM to biz community:
PH offers ‘endless opportunities’
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-
CARLOS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Ferdi-
nand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednes-
day wooed the foreign business
community to invest in the
Philippines, telling them that
they could consider the country
as a “strategic partner with end-
less opportunities".
Speaking before a select
group of chief executive officers
(CEOs) and top investors at the
10th Asia Summit in Singapore,
Marcos said the Philippines has
demonstrated “remarkable re-
silience,” in the face of global
economic volatility.
“As we navigate a world
marked by uncertainty, the Phil-
ippines remains steadfast in its
pursuit of economic growth,
Budget augmentation for Australia to give
creative industries pushed 200 Filipinos
BY FILANE MIKEE
CERVANTES
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – As the country
celebrates the Philippine Cre-
ative Industries Month (PCIM),
a House leader on Monday
called for the augmentation of
the budget allocation for the
creative industries under the
proposed 2024 national budget.
In a privilege speech during
the plenary session, House
committee on creative indus-
tries chair Christopher de Ve-
necia said there was a total
allocation of PHP410 million
in the previous General Appro-
priations Act (GAA) for the pro-
motion and development of the
creative industries through the
Malikhaing Pinoy Program.
De Venecia, however, point-
ed out that the proposed budget
for the sector in the 2024 Na-
tional Expenditure Program is
PHP50 million.
He emphasized the need to aug-
ment this budget to equal if not
social progress, and sustainable
development. Our nation's story
is one of the resilience of a peo-
ple who rise above challenges
and seize opportunities to build
a better tomorrow,” Marcos said.
“Given the strong fundamen-
tals of our economy, I invite you
to explore the Philippines as
a destination for investment.
Moreover, the Philippines' stra-
tegic location within Asia, cou-
pled with our membership in
regional trade agreements, po-
sitions us as a gateway to count-
less possibilities,” he added.
Marcos stressed that despite
high inflation and local mar-
ket instability, the country has
sustained economic growth,
noting that its gross domestic
product (GDP) reached 7.6 per-
cent in 2022, “the fastest rate of
growth recorded by our country
since 1976.”
higher than the 2023 GAA to cap-
italize on the strength of the cre-
ative sector and help improve the
conditions of creative workers.
"While we continue to reach
milestones, there is more work
to be done. It is for this reason
that we continue to explore
ways and means of bringing
to the fore and addressing the
needs of the creative industries.
But these initiatives require
resources--for which I respect-
fully and earnestly appeal for a
substantial increase in the bud-
get allocation of the creative in-
dustries," he said.
He said increasing the bud-
get would also help achieve the
goals of the Philippine Creative
Industries Development Act to
make the Philippines the num-
ber 1 creative economy in ASE-
AN by 2030.
De Venecia pointed out
that the creative industries
are a "wellspring of economic
growth", explaining that the
sector contributed 7.3 percent
of the country's gross domestic
product (GDP) or PHP1.6 tril-
He also cited the Philippines’
ratification of the Regional Com-
prehensive Economic Partner-
ship (RCEP), which is considered
the largest free trade agreement
covering roughly 30 percent of
the world's population and global
GDP and over a quarter of inter-
national trade in goods and ser-
vices, as well as 31 percent of for-
eign direct investment inflows.
Businesses, Marcos said,
could invest in various areas
such as renewable energy, man-
ufacturing, and tourism.
Continued economic growth
Marcos said the country’s
economic expansion is expect-
ed to continue, adding that
global institutions such as the
World Bank and the Interna-
tional Monetary Fund have
projected the Philippines to
grow around 6 percent in 2023.
“Our growth story is under-
lion in 2022, representing an
increase of 12.1 percent from
PHP1.43 trillion in 2021.
"The creative industries are
indeed the fastest developing
sector in the world. So much
so that the Philippine Devel-
opment plan 2023-2028 men-
tioned and discussed the cre-
ative industries over 80 times
highlighting their growing con-
tribution to the country's eco-
nomic development," he said.
De Venecia, meanwhile, laud-
ed President Ferdinand R. Mar-
cos Jr. for his steadfast support
to the promotion and develop-
ment of the creative industry
as a driver of economic growth
and the country's post-pan-
demic recovery.
"He (Marcos) stated that the
creative industries, among oth-
ers, will drive the quality and
competitiveness of our work-
force in existing markets and
in new ones waiting to be ex-
plored," he said.
The industry currently employs
more than 7 million Filipinos. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PCO)
pinned by a strong domestic de-
mand and increasing fixed capital
investment as a result of upbeat
domestic activity and improved
business confidence,” he said.
Marcos also emphasized the
Philippines is a “large market”
comprised of 110 million consum-
‘work, holiday’
visas annually
BY JOYCE ANN L.
ROCAMORA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Australian Em-
bassy in Manila on Tuesday an-
nounced it will issue “work and hol-
iday” visas to 200 Filipinos aged 18
to 30 years starting 2024 following
a reciprocal visa arrangement be-
tween Manila and Canberra.
In a statement, the Embassy
said the Philippines will be an
eligible country for the scheme
next year with the exact date
yet to be announced.
“Prime Minister (Anthony) Al-
banese and President (Ferdinand
R.) Marcos (Jr.) announced a new
reciprocal Work and Holiday visa
for Australians and Filipinos for
up to 200 young people in each di-
rection a year, supporting stron-
ger economic, cultural and peo-
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
ers “whose demand helps fuel our
current and future growth.”
“Moreover, the regulatory
reforms that we have recently
passed, which liberalized many
sectors, including public ser-
❱❱ PAGE 16 PBBM to biz
ple-to-people links,” it said.
“The date and details on how
to apply will be announced in
due course,” it added.
This visa allows people aged
18 to 30 years to have an ex-
tended holiday in Australia and
work to help fund their trip.
With this visa, the Australian
Embassy said you can:
• do short-term work in Aus-
tralia to help pay for your holiday
• study for up to four months
• travel to and from Australia
as many times as you want
One of the requirements
is enough funding to support
one’s self while in Australia.
The Australian Department of
Home Affairs said this could be
about 5,000 Australian dollars
(about PHP180,900) for the initial
stay and additional cash enough
❱❱ PAGE 11 Australia to give
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 5

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6 Philippine News
Senate OKs bills Internet Society backs
to boost salt TikTok ban in gov't
industry, learners' security sector
mental health
BY WILNARD BACELONIA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Senators unan-
imously approved on Monday
Senate Bill Nos. (SBN) 2243 or
the Philippine Salt Industry De-
velopment Act, and 2200 or the
Basic Education Mental Health
and Well-Being Promotion Act.
SBN 2243 seeks to create a
Council, with the Secretary of
the Department of Health as a
member, which will focus on the
development of the salt industry.
Sponsored by Senator Cyn-
thia Villar, the measure came
from findings that the Philip-
pines imports 90 percent of its
salt requirements despite being
an archipelago with one of the
longest coastlines and wide ac-
cess to saltwater.
During the previous delib-
erations, Villar recalled that in
the 1950s, the Philippines' salt
industry boomed as new fish-
ponds and salt farms were built
in the provinces of Pangasinan,
Bulacan, Occidental Mindoro,
Cavite, Parañaque City, Negros,
Cebu and other provinces.
"Salt producing areas in the
Philippines reached an esti-
mated peak of 5,000 hectares
nationally, producing an es-
timated 240,000 metric tons
(SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES/FACEBOOK)
annually. This boom in growth
supported a growing popula-
tion and the development of the
salt industry in the 1960s and
1970s," she said.
The measure is also one of
the 20 priority measures of the
Legislative-Executive Develop-
ment Advisory Council to be
passed before the year ends.
Meanwhile, Senator Win
Gatchalian, who authored and
sponsored SBN 2200, cited its
passage as a significant step
forward in addressing what he
called a "pandemic of mental
health woes."
This came after the significant
increase in the number of deaths
by suicide among basic education
learners in recent years.
"Considering a looming men-
tal health pandemic, it is crucial
for the government to urgent-
ly intervene by improving and
investing in mental health ser-
vices across healthcare, protec-
tion, education, and welfare,"
Gatchalian said in a previous
statement.
SBN 2200 seeks to insti-
tutionalize the School-Based
Mental Health Program to
promote and ensure the men-
tal health and well-being of
learners in public and private
❱❱ PAGE 11 Senate OKs bills
BY MIGUEL GIL
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The National Se-
curity Council’s (NSC) proposal
to ban the use of TikTok among
state security services person-
nel has gained the support of
Virginia-headquartered Inter-
net Society (IS).
In an interview on Monday,
Winthrop Yu, chairman emeri-
tus and acting spokesperson of IS
Philippine Chapter, said that all
social media platforms bring a cer-
tain amount of risk, but the risk is
greatly magnified when using the
China-based digital app TikTok.
He explained that companies
in China are obliged to cooper-
ate with Chinese authorities,
especially in matters related to
the sharing of information.
“TikTok has no choice but to
surrender all their accumulated
information to Chinese security
services,” the IT expert noted.
Yu explained that in dem-
ocratic countries such as the
United States, technology com-
panies have the option of refus-
ing the government security
sector’s requests for assistance,
specifically when they are asked
to spy on users.
Additionally, American tech
companies are required to pub-
licly disclose any assistance
they extend to government in-
telligence agencies.
He stressed that the same is
not true under Beijing, which
Central Visayas private..
❰❰ 1 PHP387 to PHP420
for non-agriculture
establishments.
In addition, the wage hike
also brought the minimum wage
for agriculture and non-agri-
culture establishments with
less than 10 workers to a range
of PHP415 to PHP458.
Class A covers the cities of
Carcar, Cebu, Danao, Lapu-
Lapu, Mandaue, Naga; and the
municipalities of Compostela,
Consolacion, Cordova, Lilo-an,
www.canadianinquirer.net
wields broad powers to compel
cooperation from Chinese firms.
“All phone apps are danger-
ous and represent a securi-
ty risk, particularly if the app
maker is subservient to its gov-
ernment,” said Yu.
He pointed out that owners
of mobile devices downloaded
with TikTok, or similar apps,
have knowingly or unknowing-
ly already surrendered unfet-
tered access to the phone’s in-
ternal camera and microphone.
Yu warned that once a tech-
nologically capable organi-
zation learns that the phone
owned by a certain targeted
individual carries such an app,
it is technically feasible to sur-
reptitiously use that phone to
spy on its owner.
“It sounds like a James Bond
Minglanilla, and San Fernando.
Class B area covers the cities
of Bais, Bayawan, Bogo, Canlaon,
Dumaguete, Guihulngan, Tagbi-
laran, Talisay, Tanjay, and Toledo.
Class C covers all of the re-
maining municipalities in Cen-
tral Visayas not listed in the
previous classes.
The labor department said
the wage order was submitted
to the National Wages and Pro-
ductivity Commission (NWPC)
and was affirmed on Sept. 12.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
movie but it can be done with
today’s technology. That phone
in your pocket is a very power-
ful piece of technology," he said.
TikTok Pte. Ltd., known
in the Chinese mainland as
Douyin, is a subsidiary of Bei-
jing-based ByteDance, founded
by Chinese internet entrepre-
neur Zhang Yiming.
In 2021, several Chinese state
entities, including the Cyber-
space Administration of China,
purchased a minor stake in the
company.
The IS is an American non-
profit advocacy organization
founded in 1992 with local
chapters around the world, and
whose mission is "to promote
the open development, evolu-
tion, and use of the Internet." ■
It will be published on Sept.
15 and shall take effect after 15
days or on Oct. 1
The wage order is expected to
directly benefit 346,946 minimum
wage earners in Central Visayas.
About 399,572 full-time
wage and salary workers earn-
ing above the minimum wage
may also indirectly benefit as a
result of upward adjustments
at the enterprise level arising
from the correction of wage dis-
tortion. ■
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
PH looking to increase WPS patrols –
Nat'l Security Council exec
BY PRIAM NEPOMUCENO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Philippines is
looking at the possibility of in-
creasing the number of its ships
patrolling the West Philippine
Sea (WPS) as part of efforts or
options to prevent the swarming
of Chinese vessels in the area, an
official of the National Security
Council (NSC) said Wednesday.
"That is one thing that the Na-
tional Task Force for the West
Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) is
considering right now. There
are many options on the table.
One option, of course, is to in-
crease also our number of ships
patrolling in the WPS, both gray
ships and white ships," NSC As-
sistant Director General and
NTF-WPS spokesperson Jona-
than Malaya said during an in-
terview with CNN Philippines.
He gave this answer when asked
on what the Philippines could do
to deter or prevent the massing of
Chinese ships, especially its mari-
Cash aid distribution for rice retailers
exempted from spending ban
BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-
CARLOS
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The Commission
on Elections (Comelec) has ap-
proved the Department of So-
cial Welfare and Development’s
(DSWD) request to allow the
nationwide release of cash as-
sistance to rice retailers amid
the spending ban during the
election period.
In a decision released Tues-
day and addressed to DSWD
Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the
Comelec relayed the decision of
its chairperson, George Erwin
Garcia, to approve the disburse-
ment of funds for the economic
relief subsidy to small retailers
affected by the implementation
of mandated rice price ceilings.
Under Memorandum 23-
time militia, in the WPS.
Malaya said the country is
also looking at other options
but declined to elaborate.
"There are a lot of options
that are on the table, which
I cannot disclose right now
but we are also considering a
change of strategy. But let me
just state for the record that we
will not stop fighting for what
is ours and we will continue, of
course, to supply our troops of
needed supplies and provisions
in Ayungin Shoal," he said.
Malaya also expressed hope
that China would reciprocate
Philippine calls "to reduce ten-
sions and allow the peaceful
resupply mission" to prevent
untoward incidents.
He noted that the "true col-
ors" of China's maritime militia
have been revealed.
"They were usually used in
swarming activities, some sort
of effective occupation by their
presence on the contested fea-
tures of the WPS but now we
see that, you know, their 'true
05923 issued Monday, the
Comelec law department rec-
ommended the approval of
Gatchalian’s request to autho-
rize the release, disbursement
and expenditure of public funds
for the cash assistance for mi-
cro and small rice retailers.
The Comelec on Aug. 9 is-
sued Resolution 10944 prohib-
iting the use of public funds for
social services and develop-
ment from Sept. 15 to Oct. 30,
covering the national, regional,
provincial, local governments
and government-owned or con-
trolled corporations and their
subsidiaries.
The DSWD was reminded to
ensure that its approved request
will not “in any manner influ-
ence the conduct of the 30 Octo-
ber 2023 Barangay and Sanggu-
niang Kabataang Elections.”
The department was also told
colors' have been bared to the
world, that they are not fishing
vessels, they are, in fact, part
of the structure of the Chinese
Communist Party, of the Chi-
nese government, they are in-
strument of Chinese power in
the WPS," Malaya said.
TikTok ban for gov't secu-
rity sector
Meanwhile, he said they are
studying proposals on whether it
would be prudent for government
personnel in the security sector to
be prohibited from using Tiktok.
"The problems with Tiktok
arise from two things. Number
one is the concerns over data
surveillance or data collection,
the other thing is on its social
influence or the ability to ma-
nipulate audiences so what
we're contemplating now and
what the National Security
Council is studying is whether
it would be prudent at this time
to ban the use of the Tiktok app
by government personnel in the
security sector," Malaya said.
This refers to personnel of
to make sure that it will not in-
volve any distribution of Assis-
tance to Individuals in Crisis Situ-
ations from Oct. 20 to 30, “except
those which are normally given
to qualified individuals such as
but not limited to basic needs in
SUBSIDY. Chief of Staff Charisse Marie Abalos-Vargas (2nd from right) of the Manda-
luyong City Mayor’s office, checks the list of the recipients of the PHP15,000 financial
subsidy from the national government for micro rice retailers, during the distribution
at the Mandaluyong City Hall on Wednesday (Sept. 13, 2023). (JOEY O. RAZON/PNA)
www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
(JONATHAN MALAYA/FACEBOOK)
the Armed Forces of the Phil-
ippines, Philippine National
Police, Philippine Coast Guard,
and other uniformed person-
nel, such as the Bureau of Fire
Protection and the Bureau of
Jail Management and Penology.
Also included are personnel
of civilian agencies involved in
national security, such as the
NSC and the National Intelli-
gence Coordinating Agency.
Another issue with Tiktok is
that the app is possibly under
the control of the Chinese gov-
ernment, Malaya added.
"I wish to emphasize Tiktok
by ByteDance, which is the Chi-
nese technology owned entire-
the form of food, transportation,
medical, educational, burial and
other similar assistance.”
In a Palace briefing earlier
Tuesday, Gatchalian cited the
need for a possible extension of
distribution of cash assistance,
7
ly by China and under Chinese
law, any Chinese company has
to cooperate with the Chinese
Communist Party for whatever
reason. So given that we have
security issues now with Chi-
na, particularly over the WPS,
we feel it would be prudent for
the Philippine government to
seriously study and consider
the banning of this app and pos-
sibly other Chinese apps on the
devices of security sector em-
ployees and personnel. We're
currently studying it, we’re
considering it and hopefully we
could come to a decision very
soon," he added. ■
noting that some rice retailers
were unable to get the payout.
The DSWD has so far released
PHP7.5 million worth of cash as-
sistance to 474 beneficiaries.
Citing the initial list provid-
ed by the Department of Trade
and Industry, an estimated
5,942 retailers will benefit from
the Sustainable Livelihood Pro-
gram (SLP) for small rice retail-
ers affected by the imposition of
rice price caps.
The SLP recipients include
rice retailers who have business
permits in public and private
markets.
The second phase of the SLP
will be for affected rice retailers
outside the markets.
DSWD Assistant Secretary
for Strategic Communications
Romel Lopez said the depart-
❱❱ PAGE 16 Cash aid distribution
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
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Management
Alan Yong
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Member
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
Pasig court clears Rappler
of tax evasion
BY BENJAMIN PULTA in line with the RHC’s primary purpose as “As a result, it cannot be said that RHC will-
Philippine News Agency a holding company of RI. RHC did not sell fully filed an inaccurate VAT return or that it
the PDRs in the regular course of its busi- is liable for any deficiency VAT relative to the
ness to gain profit, but issued the PDRs as PDR transaction with NBM. RHC and Ms.
MANILA – The Pasig Regional Trial part of a larger scheme to legally raise capi- Ressa are thus absolved from any criminal or
Court (RTC) has cleared online news tal for its subsidiary,” the court added. civil liability in this case,” it added.
firm Rappler and its publisher Maria A. The court also said the “PDR sub- Pending before the Supreme Court
Ressa of tax evasion case arising from scription price were not proceeds aris- (SC) and the Court of Appeals (CA) are
the investments of an American firm, ing from the sale of the PDRs to NBM cases appealing the conviction of Ressa
North Base Media (NBM). that should have been declared in RHC’s for cyber-libel and an order for the clo-
In her judgment, Pasig RTC Branch 157 VAT (value added tax) return.” sure of the news outfit. ■
Judge Ana Teresa T. Cornejo-Tomacruz ac-
quitted Rappler Holdings Corp. (RHC) and
Ressa “on the ground that they did not com-
mit the offense charged in the information.”
The court also ordered that the civil
aspect of the case be dismissed.
The court said the investment instru-
ments known as Philippine depositary
receipts (PDRs) cannot be regarded as
a revenue on the part of RHC as it was
solely intended to be used as a fund for
RHC to subscribe to Rappler Inc. shares.
“Consequently, RHC did not act as a deal-
er in securities through Ms. Ressa when it
issued the PDRs to NBM. The PDR transac-
tions were investment activities that were Rappler CEO Maria Ressa (KING RODRIGUEZ/PCOO)
Atom Araullo files P2-M suit vs.
Badoy, Celiz for red-tagging
BY BENJAMIN PULTA that of his mother," La Viña said. need for legal action arose directly from
Philippine News Agency "In seeking redress, Mr. Araullo claims the need to vindicate his rights and as-
nominal, moral, and exemplary damag- sert the truth against the false narratives
es amounting to Two Million and Seventy presented by the respondents.”
MANILA – Broadcast journalist Al- Thousand Pesos (PHP2,070,000),” he added. Badoy and Celiz are among the hosts
fonso Tomas "Atom" Araullo on Mon- La Viña said Araullo is also pursuing of the show Laban Kasama ng Bayan
day filed a PHP-2 million damage suit reasonable attorney’s fees and costs of over Sonshine Media Network Interna-
against former anti-insurgency task litigation, “highlighting the fact that the tional (SMNI). ■
force spokesperson Lorraine Badoy and
Jeffrey Celiz for allegedly linking him to
communist terrorist groups (CTGs).
Accompanied by counsels Tony La
Viña and Rico Domingo, Araullo filed
the civil complaint before the Quezon
City Regional Trial Court.
La Viña said the defamatory remarks
by Badoy and Celiz against Araullo on
national television and social media
platforms have affected his reputation
and standing.
"Mr. Araullo, as a seasoned journalist,
television anchor, documentary film-
maker, and co-founder of an independent
media organization, has built a credible
reputation centered around integrity and
truth-telling. These baseless and mali- DAMAGE SUIT. Broadcast journalist Alfonso Tomas "Atom" Araullo (left) and counsel Tony La Viña show
cious attacks not only tarnished his rep- to the media a copy of damage complaint filed against former anti-insurgency task force spokesperson
utation and professional credibility but Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz before the Quezon City regional trial court on Monday (Sept. 11, 2023).
also endangered his personal safety and Araullo alleged that Badoy and Celiz linked him to communist terrorist groups. (JOEY O. RAZON/PNA)
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Canadian diplomacy needs to find
its way back from the wilderness
BY LOUISE BLAIS
Policy Options
Canada’s been so convinced
of its virtue as a force for good
that it’s missed the forest for
the trees. But we can get back to
the world stage.
(Version française disponible ici)
Among Canadian for-
eign-policy watchers, it has be-
come a cliché to say that Canada
has lost influence on the world
stage. So much so that this real-
ity, which should otherwise be
shocking and distressing, has
been instead quietly accepted
as a fact, even inside “Fort Pear-
son” (a.k.a. Global Affairs Cana-
da headquarters).
How did we get here? What is
at stake? And, most important,
why and how we should change
course?
For the past 20 years, Canada’s
diplomacy has mostly been based
on exporting our values. The slo-
gan “the world needs more Can-
ada,” as vain as it sounds, has in
fact been at the heart of our ap-
proach to international affairs.
Canadians’ worldview has
been one shaped by self-com-
parison. A legacy of mid-
dle-power status, our suc-
cessful immigration program,
advancement of social norms,
access to quality education, and
vast natural resources – bol-
stered by survey after survey
ranking Canada as one the best
places to live – have contribut-
ed to this inebriation. Succes-
sive governments have been all
too happy to reinforce and tout
these positives and reflect them
proudly in terms such as Cana-
da’s feminist foreign policy.
However, starting in the
1990s, the world began re-or-
dering. Emerging powers such
as China strategically posi-
tioned themselves for a new
post-colonial world previously
dominated by the West. The
Global South was beginning to
affirm itself and seek invest-
Canada News
ment and partners just as the
United States and its allies be-
came distracted with the after-
math of 9/11 and the global war
on terror. Canada, after nota-
bly declining to accompany the
United States in Iraq, whole-
heartedly followed the Ameri-
cans into Afghanistan.
Thus began a period of west-
ern legitimized regime change.
Adhering to the notion of
self-defence and protection of
civilians, and eager to flex mili-
tary and diplomatic muscle, the
Harper government joined the
U.S., France, Britain and others
in supporting the Arab Spring
movements to topple auto-
cratic leaders such as Khaddafi
in Libya. The United Nations
gradually added over 40 new
members, and the G77 (a coa-
lition of developing countries)
grew to 134 countries, wielding
a two-thirds majority of the
U.N. General Assembly. And
China had begun its financial
contribution to the group.
What we failed to assess was
how these forays were ill-per-
ceived by many nations that
might have otherwise been fa-
vourable to Canada. For a su-
perpower like the United States
with a permanent seat on the
UN Security Council, it is one
thing to conduct foreign policy
in a hubristic, self-referential
and self-congratulatory fash-
ion. But Canada failed to rec-
ognize that in a global game of
musical chairs, our superiority
complex left us the one stand-
ing. So convinced of our virtue
as a force for good in the world,
we delighted in small wins here
and there while completely
missing the forest for the trees.
As we pursued a “principled
foreign policy,” later internally
re-phrased as “values-based di-
plomacy,” trying to reshape the
world in our image, we stopped
listening to what other nations
actually wanted – and stopped
considering what was in our best
interest. For years, governments
9
in the developing world, albeit
not all democracies, have sought
partners, not benefactors with
social strings attached.
Appreciative of assistance
in education and health, they
also wanted help building in-
frastructure, not a public scold-
ing on human rights. Instead,
Canada robotically (perhaps
even disdainfully) stayed on its
course and even doubled down,
attaching a myriad of social
conditions in exchange for sup-
port. For example, increasingly
our contributions to the UN
system are earmarked for spe-
cific gender-based programs.
This practice has been deplored
by the UN itself because of the
added cost of delivery and re-
duction in resources directed to
core programs – and by recipi-
ent countries for failing to ad-
dress their own priorities.
Mixed with a little diaspora ada’s objection on the advice of instead of on the statecraft of
politics, values-based foreign dozens of our ambassadors. diplomacy. This means that the
policy played well at home. The result? Canada took a quantity and quality of infor-
But it fell flat abroad. big hit abroad at a time when it mation going back to Ottawa is
We forgot that Canada has few could least afford it. lower than it once was.
levers and certainly not enough Another element that has un- How should Canada navi-
resources to bring about the dermined our international stat- gate today’s world?
kinds of social reform Canadi- ure has been the bureaucratiza- First and foremost, we need a
ans were told could be achieved. tion of Global Affairs Canada. In pragmatic foreign policy more
Worse, we failed to recognize we an effort to gain respect from and closely tied to our interests
were annoying foreign govern- greater collaboration with the and less on virtue signaling. No
ments, including some of our Treasury Board and Finance, the one is advocating that Canada
closest historical friends. department has reformed itself abandon the promotion of hu-
Failing to adapt to the chang- into their image. The qualities man rights. But those activities
ing world has also been fos- that had made Canadian diplo- must be guided by a realistic
tered by a lack of co-ordination macy so effective, such as strong assessment how our limited re-
between government depart- analysis, intelligence gathering, sources can effect change. Also,
ments. Global Affairs Canada international networks, negotia- they must be evaluated against
no longer really leads foreign tion skills and time spent abroad potential negative boomerang
affairs. On some key issues, have been replaced with a focus effects such as what happened
such as climate change, another on internal management prow- with Saudi Arabia in 2018.
department has the file. The re- ess. Over the last 20 years, offi- Feel-good diplomacy is not
sult is the absence of coherence cers who rose to senior positions effective diplomacy. Canada
and priority management. did so based on administrative should resist knee-jerk media
Sometimes, departments skills, not foreign-policy experi- statements and focus on advanc-
even work at cross purposes. ence. We lost years of foreign-af- ing international collaboration
One example: a year prior to the fairs know-how. on issues such health, the envi-
vote for a seat on the UN Securi- And just as damaging, admin- ronment and security. Calibrat-
ty Council when Canada was a istrative burdens put on our ing our public rhetoric, especially
candidate, the immigration de- missions abroad have meant with autocratic regimes on their
partment unrolled cumbersome that diplomats spend more domestic issues, does not mean
biometrics requirement for new time inside embassies on HR
visas despite Global Affairs Can- and other internal initiatives ❱❱ PAGE 23 Canadian diplomacy
www.canadianinquirer.net
10
Canada has lost its purpose in foreign
relations. It’s time for a review
BY WALTER KEMP
Policy Options
The country’s best interest is
to focus on defending its north-
ern sovereignty and bolstering
co-operation.
Canada has lost its way in in-
ternational relations. Its past two
attempts to secure a non-perma-
nent seat on the United Nations
Security Council failed. The
country that invented peace-
keeping currently deploys fewer
than 60 blue helmets.
Critics say Canada is not pull-
ing its weight in NATO despite
its tough talk on Russia’s inva-
sion of Ukraine. Few countries
seek Canada as a mediator. In
the most recent case, the govern-
ment of Cameroon even denied
that it asked for Ottawa’s help.
Canada used to be known as
a fixer in the multilateral arena
and a champion for causes such
as fighting apartheid and creating
an International Criminal Court.
It promoted initiatives such as
the “responsibility to protect”
and “human security” as well as
the treaty to ban land mines.
But there haven’t been too many
big ideas in the past two decades.
The country’s last foreign policy
review was published in 2005 and
bragged of Canada’s “role of pride
and influence in the world.”
It is time for a clear-eyed re-
view of Canada’s foreign policy.
Instead of scanning the hori-
zon for current and emerging
threats, and challenges to Can-
ada’s sovereignty and security,
it makes more sense to look
from the inside out.
This includes identifying vi-
tal national interests, manag-
ing vulnerabilities, building on
comparative advantages and le-
veraging them to achieve clear
foreign policy objectives.
Canada News
So much has changed in Can-
ada and the world since 2005.
Yet there has been no serious
process to assess threats and
challenges to Canada or pro-
vide a sense of direction on how
the country should navigate a
fast-changing and challenging
international environment.
As a result, Canada’s foreign
policy is ad hoc and reactive.
Its profile, influence, brand and
reputation in the world are suf-
fering. Canada needs a foreign
policy compass.
Since the Second World War,
Canada’s foreign policy has
been defined around general
objectives to do with making
the world safe for Canada, and
with promoting political liber-
ty, upholding human rights and
fundamental freedoms, and re-
spect for the rule of law.
It was also rooted in ensur-
ing good relations with a select
group of allies, particularly the
United Kingdom and the United
States. At times, Canada’s role
in the world was also promot-
ed as a “co-operator” – working
for collective action on common
problems and promoting devel-
opment. A bottom line, which
should not be overlooked in a fed-
eral structure, has always been
that external policies should not
jeopardize national unity.
But in the past two decades,
Canada’s foreign policy has
become seemingly off the cuff,
driven by diaspora politics,
and idiosyncratic. Witness the
Harper government’s policies
in the Middle East or Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau’s
gaffe-filled visit to India.
Furthermore, both the coun-
try and the world have changed.
While geography still matters,
the effects of threats without bor-
ders – such as pandemics, trans-
national organized crime, cyber-
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
threats and the repercussions of the critical minerals needed for and diplomatic capital.
far-away crises, for example mi- the green and digital economy. White paper for the Great
gration – bring new challenges, Therefore, another foreign pol- White North
which have no military solutions. icy priority should be to ensure A clearer set of national inter-
At the same time, Canada’s predictable energy markets, ests would put Canada in a stron-
population has increased sig- supply routes and partnerships. ger position with the United
nificantly, as has its demograph- ‘NICE’ foreign policy States and enable it to define co-
ic diversity. Things that Canada One word used to describe Ca- herent and consistent policies in
used to take for granted — such nadians is “nice” and that word relation to China, Russia, and the
as a predictable neighbour to the can also be used to describe its European Union, rather than fol-
South or a liberal international national interests: N = North lowing events or external pres-
order — are looking shaky. America; I = international stabil- sures, not least from Washing-
True North ity; C = climate; E = energy. That ton. It would also give Canadians
The highest priority should be said, nice guys will finish last un- a clear set of unifying objectives
to defend Canada’s sovereignty. less they work with others. and show other countries where
It is vital to prioritize security in That is why, in an intercon- Canada stands on key issues.
the High North and Arctic, secu- nected world, co-operation is Canadian foreign policy
rity in the North Atlantic and to in Canada’s interest. Effective needs a sense of direction. It
pursue good relations with the multilateralism anchored in needs a compass – pointing
United States and Mexico. the rule of law is realpolitik not north – to navigate the coun-
Retooling Canada’s focus and fuzzy liberal internationalism. try through difficult times,
assets within NATO towards While focusing on a narrower changing relationships as well
defence of the High North set of national interests, Canada as emerging threats, challenges
would strengthen its role with- needs to bolster a rules-based in- and opportunities. It is time for
in the Alliance as well as its sov- ternational system. In doing so, a white paper on foreign policy
ereignty. This would also allow Ottawa should explain to Canadi- for the Great White North. ■
Ottawa to concentrate resourc- ans why international peace and
es – including defence spending stability, as well as good-neigh- This article is republished
– on clear and limited priorities. bourly relations, are worth the from The Conversation under a
Prioritizing the North does increased investment of political Creative Commons license.
not mean withdrawing from
everywhere else. A stable global
trade and security environment
is in Canada’s interest. The key
is to develop and leverage influ-
ence in international forums,
such as the G7 and the United
Nations, and on issues where
Canada has credibility.
Topics where Canada could
make a difference — and where
it has a self-interest — include
disaster-risk reduction, mit-
igating the security effects of
climate change and better gov-
ernance of the global commons,
including oceans, the atmo-
sphere and outer space.
Canada is a great power when
it comes to energy – a top pro-
ducer of oil, gas and hydroelec-
tric power. Canada is also a
major producer of uranium and Peacekeepers in Shooting Exercise (UNITED NATIONS PHOTO/FLICKR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Why is Doug Ford doubling down amid
Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal?
BY MARK WINFIELD, York
University, Canada
The Conversation
The past few weeks have wit-
nessed an extraordinary series
of events in Ontario politics.
Reports tabled by the prov-
ince’s auditor general and its
integrity commissioner on the
government’s November 2022
decision to remove 7,400 acres
of land from the Greater Toron-
to Area’s Greenbelt have set off
a political firestorm.
The controversy has resulted
in the resignation of Housing
Minister Steve Clark and his
chief of staff and angry protest-
ers greeting Premier Doug Ford
in Kitchener, Ont., when he ar-
rived for the annual Ford Fest
under heavy police escort.
The auditor general found
that normal decision-making
processes related to the Green-
belt had been bypassed, that it
was well-established there was
no need to remove land from
the Greenbelt for housing pur-
poses and that decisions were
“biased” in favour of certain
developers who had bought the
lands in question and who stood
to reap a $8.3 billion windfall
from their development.
The integrity commissioner,
for his part, described the deci-
sion-making process around the
Greenbelt removals as “madcap.”
Doubling down
Ford’s government has so far
stonewalled on the auditor gen-
eral’s key recommendation that
the removal of the lands from the
Greenbelt be “reconsidered.”
In fact, the government seems
to be moving in the opposite di-
Senate OKs bills..
❰❰ 6 basic education insti-
tutions.
It also covers out-
of-school children in special
cases that include learners with
disabilities or conditions, in-
digenous peoples, children in
conflict with the law, learners
in emergency situations, and
other marginalized sectors.
The bill mandates the Depart-
ment of Education to establish
rection. It is pressuring devel-
opers to accelerate construction
on the removed lands.
New Housing Minister Paul
Calandra is now advancing a
wholesale review of the Green-
belt plan. That seems to include
consideration of the possibility
of further land removals, if not
a complete reconsideration of
the Greenbelt as a whole.
The government’s response to
the situation defies normal po-
litical logic. Following the depar-
ture of the minister and his chief
of staff, a government might
have been expected to use the
announcement of the Greenbelt
review as political cover to back
down on the land removals, take
further moves on the Greenbelt
off the table and then move on
from the entire episode.
The Ford government’s emerg-
ing double-down approach, by
contrast, seems fraught with po-
litical and legal risks.
Furthermore, reports ex-
pected to be just as damaging
are on the horizon. The integ-
rity commissioner will issue a
follow-up report at some point
over the next year, and so will
the auditor general.
Major challenges loom
The RCMP is considering
requests to look into wheth-
er there’s been any criminal
behaviour in relation to the
Greenbelt controversy.
Other potential challenges to
the legality and procedural cor-
rectness of Greenbelt removals
loom. Municipal councils may
decline to provide or approve
the infrastructure needed to
support housing development
on the Greenbelt since the lands
in question were never expected
and maintain Care Centers in ev-
ery public basic education insti-
tution and ensure their establish-
ment and maintenance in private
basic education institutions.
Care Centers will be mandat-
ed to equip learners with skills
and information for preven-
tion, identification, and proper
response and referral for their
own and others’ mental health
needs. ■
Ontario Premier Doug Ford (FORDNATION/FACEBOOK)
to be developed, and no plans
exist for such infrastructure.
There may even be legal action
by Indigenous Peoples whose
treaty rights and interests may
have been infringed upon by the
Greenbelt decisions.
The situation begs an ex-
planation of the government’s
behaviour in response to the
episode. Some have suggested
simple stubbornness and a re-
fusal to accept blame, although
Ford himself has described the
process as flawed.
The role of Ford Nation
There’s a second possibility.
Ontario voters, especial-
ly those who are likely to vote
for the Ford government (also
known as Ford Nation), may
simply care more about imme-
diate affordability issues than
more abstract notions about
evidence-based policymaking,
good planning, legal correctness
Australia to give..
❰❰ 4 to purchase a flight tick-
et to leave Australia at
the end of the stay.
The work and holiday visa it-
self costs about 635 Australian
dollars (around PHP22,974)
and will give the holder at least
12 months of stay in Australia.
The Philippines and Australia
signed the memorandum of un-
derstanding (MOU) on the es-
tablishment of a “Work and Hol-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Canada News
and political accountability.
These are all issues being
raised by Ontario’s opposition
parties and mainstream media,
but it’s unclear whether they
resonate with Ford’s loyal base.
Public opinion polling on the
impact of the Greenbelt episode is
still relatively preliminary. There
is evidence of relatively high lev-
els of awareness of the Greenbelt
scandal, but its political conse-
quences, particularly nearly three
years away from the next provin-
cial election, aren’t clear.
The longer-term response
may give some indication of
whether the government has
accurately assessed deeper
shifts in Ontario’s political
culture, which has tradition-
ally emphasized administra-
tive competence, integrity and
moderation.
No vision
Beyond its political impact,
iday” visa arrangement during
the official visit of Australian
Prime Minister Anthony Alba-
nese to Malacañang on Sept. 8.
Under the MOU, both coun-
tries will grant eligible participants
from both countries “Work and
Holiday” visa which will permit
them to stay and work in the host
country for a period of 12 months.
“The participants mutually
decide to establish a ‘Work and
11
the Greenbelt episode, and
the government’s broader ap-
proach to planning and devel-
opment matters, have left the
province’s planning process in
discredited shambles.
Once the subject of interna-
tional acclaim, the Greenbelt
debacle has made it starkly ap-
parent that the government’s
reforms over the past five years
have converted the process into
an instrument wielded by the
province on behalf of the inter-
ests of developers.
The government seems to
have no underlying vision for the
Greater Toronto Area other than
to give the development industry
everything it wants and hope that
solves the housing crisis.
The industry itself has no vi-
sion for the region other than
an overriding focus on short-
term profit maximization.
Challenges facing the GTA
are multidimensional and com-
plex: housing needs, partic-
ularly at the lower end of the
income scale; structural eco-
nomic transitions and increas-
ingly polarized labour markets;
the impacts of a changing cli-
mate; and a growing fiscal cri-
sis, particularly for the City of
Toronto, driven in large part by
provincial downloading.
Responding to these chal-
lenges will require planning
and decision-making processes
grounded in democratic norms,
evidence, transparency and ac-
countability — the very oppo-
site of the Ford government’s
modus operandi. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
Holiday’ visa arrangement, to
allow nationals of both Partici-
pants to stay in the territory of
the other Participant for the pri-
mary purpose of a holiday, during
which they may undertake work
to supplement the cost of their
stay,” the MOU stated.
The MOU will be valid for an
indefinite period of time unless
terminated by written notice
through diplomatic channels. ■
12
Is US democracy on trial?
Five ‘stress tests’ to watch as Trump
battles Biden and the justice system
BY THOMAS GIFT, UCL
The Conversation
Are former US president
Donald Trump’s indictments
putting American democracy
on trial? Many certainly seem
to think so.
Depending on who you ask, it
doesn’t much matter what the
verdict will be. Trump ending up
behind bars, in the White House,
or anywhere in between points
to the same end game: America’s
government in cinders.
As exemplified by the resil-
ience of democratic institu-
tions in the wake of the January
6 attack on the Capitol, there’s
reason to think such predic-
tions are too dire.
Still, the fact that some crit-
ics are clamouring for Trump
to be barred from running for
president altogether — as a re-
sult of section three of the 14th
Amendment, which disqualifies
candidates from holding public
office who “engaged in insur-
rection or rebellion” against
the US — only adds to the high-
stakes political drama.
Here are five “stress tests”
to look out for over the coming
months to see how the US dem-
ocratic system is coping.
1) Shifts in public opinion
To date, the public’s re-
sponse has diverged along
partisan lines. Approximately
80% of Republicans believe the
Georgia indictment over elec-
tion-rigging is politically moti-
vated, compared to about 20%
of Democrats.
Numbers look similar for
the two justice department
cases, over the January 6 riot
and the retention of classi-
fied documents, as well as the
New York City case in which
Trump is charged with making
illicit “hush money” payments.
Trump has denied all charges.
World News
Americans currently assess
the cases largely through the
blinders of partisan media. Yet
a sign of a healthy democracy
is that, as the hearings progress
and the two sides advance their
arguments, views should shift
— for or against Trump.
If nothing budges public
opinion, it signals that Ameri-
cans either aren’t paying atten-
tion, or they’re so ensconced
in partisan echo chambers that
they’re inured to the facts. Ei-
ther scenario — disengagement
or blind partisanship — doesn’t
bode well for voters placing jus-
tice above politics.
2) What Biden says
So far, Biden has refused to
weigh in on Trump’s indict-
ments. Substantively, this is the
right thing to do. It’s also smart
politics. Trump’s leverage relies
on complaining that he’s the
victim of a partisan vendetta by
the “Biden justice department”.
Even a hint of Biden leaning
on US attorney general Merrick
Garland — and, by extension,
special counsel Jack Smith —
would give critics more fodder
to say he’s trying to knock out his
most likely opponent in 2024.
However, as Biden kicks off his
campaign Trump’s malfeasance
will be a core part of his pitch to
voters. Biden has telegraphed
that his 2024 message will be that
democracy itself is “at stake”.
The question is how Biden
will criticise Trump for taking
an axe to democratic norms
without seeming like he’s
speaking in coded language to
prosecutors.
3) How far Trump goes
Increasingly, Trump’s legal
and campaign strategies are
morphing into one. Because
he’s trying his cases in the court
of public opinion, Trump has,
despite warnings, taken to so-
cial media to rail against what
he claims is a justice system
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
that’s out to get him. have lined up to defend him. stance, declared: “If you want to
In August, for example, Whether that pendulum swings get to President Trump, you’re
Trump unleashed on his plat- back could determine if many going to have to go through me
form, Truth Social: “IF YOU GO right-leaning voters continue and you’re going to have to go
AFTER ME, I’M COMING AF- to view the Trump indictments through 75 million Americans
TER YOU!” solely through a partisan lens. just like me, and I’m going to tell
Trump threatened Georgia 5) Threats of political vio- you … most of us are card-carry-
lieutenant governor Geoff Dun- lence ing members of the NRA [Na-
can that he “shouldn’t” testify Following the Capitol insur- tional Rifle Association].”
in his Georgia case. rection, polls showed worrying- One potentially reassuring
Trump doesn’t lose his first ly high levels of support for po- sign is that, despite the extreme
amendment, constitutionally litical violence, with as many as reaction that Trump support-
protected right to free speech 30% of Republicans believing ers displayed to his first indict-
just because he’s on trial. But nei- that taking up arms for a politi- ment, protests have gone on
ther can he use his megaphone cal cause could be justified. with a whimper, not a bang. The
to taint potential jurists and to Trump’s rhetoric has done question is whether their re-
intimidate witnesses and judges. nothing to tamp down these im- sponse will kick into overdrive
The big question is not only pulses. Even before his first in- once more court dates are set.
how long a leash Trump will dictment, for example, Trump Even if not on the scale of
formally have to vent his views, cautioned that a prosecution January 6, escalations in advo-
but whether penalties will actu- against him would usher in “po- cacy of political violence would
ally be enforced if, and — more tential death and destruction”. prove the ultimate stressor to
likely — when he continues to Trump’s followers have also US democracy. ■
transgress the rules. dialled up the menacing lan-
4) Responses by fellow Re- guage. This article is republished
publicans Former Arizona governor from The Conversation under a
Trump’s detractors, includ- candidate Kari Lake, for in- Creative Commons license.
ing within the Republican par-
ty, say that US democracy can’t
thrive when roughly half its pol-
iticians deny overt wrongdoing.
At the first Republican pres-
idential debate, for example,
ex-New Jersey governor Chris
Christie offered this plea to his
party: “Whether or not you be-
lieve that the criminal charges
are right or wrong, [Trump’s]
conduct is beneath the office of
President of the United States.”
A telling sign will be wheth-
er other Republican figures are
willing to denounce Trump’s
behaviour.
In Congress, for example,
Rep. Don Bacon said, “We can’t
just deny what President Trump
did was wrong. It’s clear as day
wrong.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski
labeled the indictment a “pretty
comprehensive condemnation
of the president’s actions”.
Since then, criticism has
mostly petered out, and even
Trump’s presidential rivals Donald Trump (GAGE SKIDMORE/FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0)
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Republicans call for impeachment inquiry into
Biden – a process the founders intended to deter
abuse of power as well as remove from office
BY CLARK D.
CUNNINGHAM, Georgia
State University
The Conversation
Yielding to pressure from
hard-line members of the GOP
House caucus, on Sept. 12, 2023,
U.S. House Speaker Kevin Mc-
Carthy directed the top Repub-
licans in Congress to open a for-
mal impeachment inquiry into
President Joe Biden. The Repub-
licans allege that the president
committed financial wrongdoing
with foreign businesses.
GOP-led congressional inqui-
ries of presidential son Hunter
Biden’s records to date have
not shown any foreign payment
to his father, Joe Biden, or any
other evidence of wrongdoing.
But McCarthy said in brief
remarks on Sept. 12, 2023,
“Taken together, these allega-
tions paint a picture of a culture
of corruption.”
Although impeachment in-
quiries can be misused, those
concerned about McCarthy’s
actions should consider words
spoken at the Constitutional
Convention, when the founders
explained that impeachment
was intended to have many im-
portant purposes, not just re-
moving a president from office.
A critical debate took place
on July 20, 1787, which result-
ed in adding the impeachment
clause to the U.S. Constitution.
Benjamin Franklin, the oldest
and probably wisest delegate at
the convention, said that when
the president falls under suspi-
cion, a “regular and peaceable
inquiry” is needed.
In my work as a law professor
studying original texts about
the U.S. Constitution, I’ve found
statements made at the Consti-
tutional Convention explaining
that the founders viewed im-
peachment as a regular practice
with three purposes:
• To remind both the country
and the president that he is not
above the law.
• To deter abuses of power.
• To provide a fair and reli-
able method to resolve suspi-
cions about misconduct.
The convention delegates re-
peatedly agreed with the asser-
tion by George Mason of Vir-
ginia that “no point is of more
importance … than the right of
impeachment” because no one
is “above justice.”
Need for deterrence
One of the founders’ great-
est fears was that the president
would abuse his power. George
Mason described the president
as the “man who can commit
the most extensive injustice.”
James Madison thought the
president might “pervert his
administration into a scheme
of stealing public funds or op-
pression or betray his trust to
foreign powers.” Edmund Ran-
dolph, governor of Virginia,
said the president “will have
great opportunitys of abusing
his power; particularly in time
of war when the military force,
and in some respects the public
money will be in his hands.”
Gouverneur Morris of Penn-
sylvania worried that the presi-
dent “may be bribed by a great-
er interest to betray his trust
and no one would say that we
ought to expose ourselves to the
danger of seeing him in foreign
pay.” James Madison, himself
a future president, said that in
the case of the president, “cor-
ruption was within the compass
of probable events … and might
be fatal to the Republic.”
William Davie of North Car-
olina argued that impeachment
was “an essential security for
the good behaviour” of the
president; otherwise, “he will
spare no efforts or means what-
ever to get himself re-elected.”
Elbridge Gerry of Massachu-
setts pointed out that a good
president will not worry about
impeachment, but a “bad one
ought to be kept in fear.”
Creating a powerful over-
sight procedure
Until the very last week of the
convention, the founders’ de-
sign was for the impeachment
process to start in the House of
Representatives and conclude
with trial in the Supreme Court.
It was not until Sept. 8, 1787,
(JOE BIDEN/FACEBOOK)
that the convention voted to
give the Senate instead the
power to conduct impeach-
ment trials.
This is clear evidence that
the convention at first wanted
to combine the authority and
resources of the House of Rep-
resentatives to conduct the
impeachment investigation – a
body they called “the grand In-
quest of this Nation” – with the
fairness and power exemplified
by trial in a court.
Even though trial of im-
peachments was moved from
the Supreme Court to the Sen-
ate, Congress can still draw on
the example of court proce-
dures to accomplish an effec-
tive inquiry, especially if they
are trying to get information
from uncooperative subjects.
In many of the investigations
that are now part of the House’s
impeachment inquiry, the
Trump administration has re-
fused to hand over documents
and blocked officials from testi-
fying to Congress.
The Constitution makes
clear that impeachment is not
a criminal prosecution: “Judg-
ment in cases of impeachment
shall not extend further than to
www.canadianinquirer.net
World News
removal from office.”
If impeachment trials had re-
mained at the Supreme Court,
the court could therefore have
consulted the rules it has ap-
proved for civil cases. It makes
sense that when the conven-
tion at the last minute decided
Congress would have complete
power over impeachment, the
delegates intended Congress
would have at least the same
powers the Supreme Court
would have exercised.
When courts are stone-
walled
In civil cases, courts have pow-
erful tools for dealing with some-
one who blocks access to the very
information needed to judge the
allegations against him.
The most commonly known
method is the rule that says that
once a person is legally served
with a lawsuit against them,
they must respond to the com-
plaint. If they don’t, the court
can enter a judgment against
them based on the allegations
in the complaint. But there are
other processes as well.
One court tool that could eas-
ily be adapted to the impeach-
ment process comes from the
federal rules of civil procedure.
13
In a process called “request for
admission,” one party to a law-
suit can give their opponents
a list of detailed factual allega-
tions with a demand for a re-
sponse.
If the party does not respond,
the court can treat each alle-
gation as if it were true, and
proceed accordingly. If the re-
spondent denies one or more
particular allegations, there is a
follow-up procedure called a re-
quest for production, demand-
ing any documents in their pos-
session or control supporting
the denial. If the respondent
refuses, again the court has the
power to order that the alleged
fact be taken as true.
Good for the president and
the country
Benjamin Franklin told his
fellow delegates the story of a
recent dispute that had greatly
troubled the Dutch Republic.
One of the Dutch leaders,
William V, the Prince of Orange,
was suspected to have secret-
ly sabotaged a critical alliance
with France. The Dutch had no
impeachment process and thus
no way to conduct “a regular ex-
amination” of these allegations.
These suspicions mounted, giv-
ing rise to “the most violent an-
imosities & contentions.”
The moral to Franklin’s sto-
ry? If Prince William had “been
impeachable, a regular & peace-
able inquiry would have taken
place.” The prince would, “if
guilty, have been duly punished
– if innocent, restored to the
confidence of the public.”
Franklin concluded that im-
peachment was a process that
could be “favorable” to the
president, saying it is the best
way to provide for “the regular
punishment of the Executive
when his misconduct should
deserve it and for his honorable
acquittal when he should be un-
justly accused.” ■
Editor’s note: This is an up-
dated version of an article orig-
inally published Sept. 26, 2019.
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
14
Ukraine war: Russian-held elections
seek to normalise illegal occupation
and reveal reality of a long war ahead
BY STEFAN WOLFF,
University of Birmingham,
TETYANA MALYARENKO,
National University Odesa Law
Academy
The Conversation
Russia has recently held lo-
cal elections, including – for the
first time since the invasion of
Ukraine last February – count-
ing votes in the four territories
annexed to Russia after a series
of illegal and illegitimate refer-
endums last September. The out-
come of these elections – that is,
another “triumph” for the Putin
regime – was never in doubt.
But the way in which they
were conducted – with hun-
dreds of complaints and reports
of irregularities – is telling,
both about the state of the ille-
gal occupation and about Rus-
sia’s plans and expectations for
the next stage of the war.
From a Russian perspective,
the elections add supposed le-
gitimacy to its claim that these
four regions are now and for-
ever Russian territory. But this
claim rings hollow, even by
Moscow’s standards.
Apart from anything else,
Russia doesn’t even occupy
significant portions of these re-
gions. And, since their formal
annexation in September 2022
– which is not even recognised
by Russia’s closest allies, in-
cluding China and Iran – Russia
has lost further territory.
And, while it may be pro-
gressing only slowly, Ukraine’s
counteroffensive has chipped
away at both actual Russian
control of territory and the
sense that the annexed re-
gions are beyond the reach of
Ukraine’s armed forces.
The elections, as far as Mos-
cow is concerned therefore,
also serve the purpose of con-
veying a degree of normality.
These four regions and their
residents are seen to apparent-
ly participate in Russia’s politi-
cal system.
This normalisation, in turn,
is important to justify the so-
called “special military opera-
World News
tion” – as the Kremlin prefers
to call its illegal invasion of
Ukraine – as a worthy cause in
the defence of Russia.
Russification campaign
Yet, these are not normal
elections even by the warped
standards that generally prevail
in Russia in this regard.
Russia’s efforts to “passpor-
tise” the occupied territories
and confer Russian citizenship
on their occupants have made
only modest progress. So the
Kremlin issued a special de-
cree allowing residents with
Ukrainian citizenship but reg-
istration in the occupied terri-
tories to participate in the vote.
Meanwhile Russian pressure
on these residents continues
unabated. People are leaned
on to “apply” for Russian citi-
zenship and then presented by
Moscow as its “new citizens”
– accepting, and indeed enthu-
siastically embracing, the new
and welcome reality of their ac-
quisition by Russia.
Allowing non-citizens to vote
and converting them to citizens
does not, of course, legalise or
legitimise the Russian occupa-
tion of sovereign Ukrainian ter-
ritory. But it normalises it in the
eyes of ordinary Russians living
in Russia itself.
The likelihood is that it will,
over time, have a similar effect
in the occupied territories – es-
pecially in those areas that Rus-
sia captured back in 2014 and
that have been under Russian
control now for nine years now.
With elections in these areas
now, for the first time, conduct-
ed according to the Russian
legal system, their predictable
results will also extend the
Kremlin’s control of the occu-
pied territories.
In the proper Soviet style of
elections, all candidates were
pre-approved by the govern-
ment, so there is no political
competition and hence no real
choice for voters. Meanwhile
no free media or civil society
group has been able to monitor
the election campaign or vote
counting.
As a result, Moscow can rest
assured that a slew of Kremlin
loyalists will prevail in the elec-
tions and do its future bidding
in administering these occu-
pied territories. This seeks to
convey a sense of local partic-
ipation without the risk of any
real dissent.
Slow road to liberation
These elections are unlike-
ly to change the attitude of the
Ukrainian govern-
ment and its western
partners in terms of
their declared goal.
That is, liberating all
Russian-occupied
territories and restor-
ing Ukraine’s sover-
eignty and territorial
integrity in its inter-
nationally recognised
boundaries at the
time of independence
in 1991. This, howev-
er, is unlikely to be
achieved any time
soon.
Even the most op-
timistic assessments
about the success of
the current counter-
offensive now esti-
mate that Ukrainian
forces are still some months
away from reaching the Azov
Sea by 2024. This is a central
part of their strategy to disrupt
Russia’s land bridge to Crimea.
It’s a key condition for liber-
ating the peninsula and also for
www.canadianinquirer.net
breaking Russia’s grip on the
Donbas region. In light of the
effective defence that Russia
has mounted of its illegally an-
nexed territories and the insuf-
ficient military resources that
Ukraine has, at present, to over-
come well entrenched Russian
defence lines, neither of these
two goals will be easy or quick
to achieve.
The elections, as far as
Moscow is concerned
therefore, also serve the
purpose of conveying a
degree of normality.
At the same time, Kyiv is
taking a tougher line on its
citizens still living in the oc-
cupied territories. Iryna Vere-
schuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime
minister for the temporarily
occupied territories, recently
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
announced a review of social
payments for Ukrainians living
in those territories with a view
to stopping some of them. This
includes pensions.
These steps are similar to
measures taken after 2014 with
respect to the self-declared so-
called people’s republics of Do-
netsk and Luhansk. It’s a logical
and understandable thing to do
from the perspective of
Ukraine’s government.
Yet for Ukrainians
holding on to their
citizenship in what is
one of the few acts of
defiance left to them,
it also means pay-
ments from Russia
– which are impossi-
ble to receive without
Russian citizenship –
is now the only way to
survive.
So, in different
ways, Moscow and
Kyiv appear to be set-
tling into the reality of
a war that will contin-
ue for some time. Both
sides are also settling
into a normality of oc-
cupation, the human
consequences of which will be
more difficult to reverse the
longer it goes on. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Faster disaster: climate change fuels ‘flash
droughts’, intense downpours and storms
BY ANDREW KING, The
University of Melbourne,
ANDREW DOWDY, The
University of Melbourne
The Conversation
The run of extreme weather
events around the world seems
to be never-ending. After the
northern summer of extreme
heat and disastrous fires, we’ve
seen more exceptional autumn
weather over Europe with re-
cord-breaking heat in the UK.
Meanwhile, record-breaking
rain and intense flash floods
struck Greece before the same
storm devastated Libya, with
thousands dead.
Almost 20% of Africa is es-
timated to be in drought, and
drought conditions are return-
ing to parts of Australia. To
top it off, we’ve seen several
hurricanes intensify unusually
quickly in the Atlantic.
We know climate change
underpins some of the more
extreme weather we’re seeing.
But is it also pushing these ex-
treme events to happen faster?
The answer? Generally, yes.
Here’s how.
Flash droughts
We usually think of droughts as
slowly evolving extreme events
which take months to form.
But that’s no longer a giv-
en. We’ve seen some recent
droughts develop unexpectedly
quickly, giving rise to the phrase
“flash drought”.
How does this happen? It’s
when a lack of rainfall in a re-
gion combines with high tem-
peratures and sunny conditions
with low humidity. When these
conditions are in place, it in-
creases how much moisture
the atmosphere is trying to pull
from the land through evapora-
tion. The end result: faster dry-
ing-out of the ground.
Flash droughts tend to be
short, so they don’t tend to
cause the major water shortag-
es or dry river beds we’ve seen
during long droughts in parts
of Australia and South Afri-
ca, for example. But they can
cause real problems for farm-
ers. Farmers in parts of east-
ern Australia are already grap-
pling with the sudden return
of drought after three years of
rainy La Niña conditions.
As we continue to warm the
planet, we’ll see more flash
droughts and more intense
ones. That’s because dry condi-
tions will more often coincide
with higher temperatures as
relative humidity falls across
many land regions.
Flash floods and extreme
rainfall
Climate change can cause
increased rainfall variability.
Some parts of the world will get
a lot wetter, on average, while
others will get drier, increas-
ing the variation in rainfall
between different regions. For
Australia, most locations are
generally expected to have in-
tensified downpours of rain, as
well as intensified droughts. So
we might be saying more often
‘it doesn’t rain, it pours!
We’re seeing exceptionally
extreme rainfall in many recent
events. The recent floods that
submerged villages in Greece
came from a sudden downpour
of over 500 millimetres in a sin-
gle day. Hong Kong was hit last
week by the heaviest rains in 140
years, flooding subway stations
and turning streets into rivers.
But why does it happen so
quickly?
Sudden extreme rains fall
when we have very moist air
coupled with a weather system
that forces air to rise.
We’ve long known hu-
man-caused climate change is
increasing how much moisture
the air can hold generally, rising
by about 7% per degree of glob-
al warming. That means storms
now have the potential to hold
and dump more water.
Notably, the impact of climate
change on rain-bearing weath-
er systems can vary by region,
which makes the picture more
complicated. That means, for in-
stance, climate change may lead
to more extreme rain in some
places, while other places may
only see an intensification in
really short extreme rain events
and not for longer timescales.
We can safely say, though,
that in most parts of the world,
we’re seeing more intense
storms and sudden extreme
rainfall. Sudden dumps of rain
drive flash floods.
More moisture in the air
helps fuel more intense con-
vection, where warm air masses
rise and form clouds. In turn,
this can trigger efficient, quick
and intense dumps of rain from
thunderstorms.
www.canadianinquirer.net
World News
These short-duration rain
events can be much larger than
you’d expect from the 7% in-
crease in moisture per degree of
warming.
Flash cyclones? Hurri-
canes are intensifying faster
Last month, Hurricane Idalia
caused major flooding in Flori-
da. As we write, Hurricane Lee
is approaching the US.
Both tropical storms had
something odd about them –
unusually rapid intensification.
That is, they got much stronger
in a short period of time.
Usually, this process might
increase wind speeds by about
50 kilometres per hour over
a 24-hour period for a hurri-
cane – also known as tropical
cyclones and typhoons. But
Lee’s wind speeds increased
by 129km/h over that period.
US meteorological expert Mar-
shall Shepherd has dubbed the
phenomenon “hyperintensifi-
cation”, which could put major
population centres at risk.
Rapidly intensifying tropical
cyclones are strong and can be
very hazardous, but they aren’t
15
very common. To trigger them,
you need a combination of very
high sea surface temperatures,
moist air and wind speeds that
don’t change much with height.
While still uncommon, rap-
id intensification is potentially
getting more frequent as we
heat the planet. This is because
oceans have taken up so much
of the heat and there’s more
moisture in the air. There’s
much more still to learn here.
Australia’s El Niño sum-
mer in a warming world
Spring and summer in Aus-
tralia are likely to be warmer
and drier than usual. This is due
to the El Niño climate cycle pre-
dicted for the Pacific Ocean. If,
as predicted, we also get a posi-
tive Indian Ocean Dipole event,
this can heighten the hotter, dri-
er weather brought by El Niño.
After three wet La Niña years,
this is likely to be a marked shift.
If it arrives as expected, El
Niño would lower the risk of
tropical cyclones for northern
Australia and reduce chances
of heavy rain across most of the
continent.
But for farmers, it may help
trigger flash droughts. Prevail-
ing warm and dry conditions
may rapidly dry the land and re-
duce crop yields and slow live-
stock growth.
Drier surfaces coupled with
grass growth from the wet years
could worsen fire risk. Grass can
dry out much faster than shrubs
or trees, and grass fires can start
and spread very rapidly.
Climate change loads the dice
for extreme weather. And as
we’re now seeing, these extremes
aren’t just more intense – they
can happen remarkably fast. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
16 World News SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY

Kim, Putin meet at Cash aid distribution..

7 ment appreciates the tailers across the nation,” Lo-

Russia's spaceport ahead

❰❰
Comelec’s decision so pez, also the DSWD spokesper-
they can continue to son, said in a news release.
provide critical support during The scheduled distribution

of summit
YONHAP
Philippine News Agency
SEOUL – North Korean lead-
er Kim Jong-un and Russian
President Vladimir Putin met
at Russia's Vostochny space-
port Wednesday, according to
Russian news agencies, ahead
of their summit that triggered
concerns about a possible arms
deal.
Four days after Kim left
Pyongyang by his armored
train, the North Korean leader
arrived at the rocket launch fa-
cility in Russia. Kim and Putin
shook hands and conversed as
Putin welcomed Kim, accord-
ing to the reports.
"Thank you for inviting us,
despite your tight schedule,"
Kim was quoted as saying by
Russian news agencies.
On whether he plans to dis-
cuss military and technical co-
operation with Kim, Putin was
quoted as saying that "all is-
sues" will be discussed, accord-
ing to Russian news agencies.
Such cooperation would in-
clude helping the North build
its own satellite, Putin was
quoted as saying, stressing that
is the reason why the leaders
chose the spaceport as a venue
for their meeting.
Analysts have predicted that
North Korea may agree to sup-
ply Russia with ammunition
and weaponry for its war in
Ukraine. Moscow, in return,
may agree on a weapons-re-
lated technology transfer to
Pyongyang, such as those in-
volving spy satellites and nucle-
ar-powered submarines.
If Kim and Putin also agree to
strengthen their military coop-
eration, including a three-way
naval drill with China, it would
pose a major security challenge
on the Korean Peninsula and
beyond.
Their meeting came as
Pyongyang has recently been
seeking to bolster military ties
with Moscow and doubling
down on its weapons develop-
ment in the wake of growing
security cooperation among
South Korea, the United States
and Japan.
North Korea fired two short-
range ballistic missiles toward
the East Sea on Wednesday,
South Korea's military said,
in an apparent show of force
ahead of the summit between
Kim and Putin. ■
this challenging time.
“The approval of the DSWD
Secretary’s request recognizes
the urgency of addressing the
economic challenges faced by
vulnerable micro-scale rice re-
PBBM to biz..
❰❰ 4 vices, retail, and renew-
able energy, amongst
others, are expected to
encourage private investment
and bolster the growth of our
economy over the medium to the
long term,” he said.
"So, in conclusion, as we stand
here discussing ways we can col-
laborate, I invite each one of you
to consider the Philippines as a
strategic partner in your jour-
ney. Our story is one of promise
or potential of endless opportu-
nities, and all waiting to be har-
nessed," Marcos added.
Marcos is the first sitting
on Wednesday will be in Marik-
ina, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Maka-
ti, Valenzuela and Pateros.
(with reports from Zaldy De
Layola/PNA) ■
Philippine president to deliv-
er a speech at the Asia Summit
hosted by the Milken Institute.
Carrying the theme “Bridg-
ing Complexity and Oppor-
tunity,” the 10th Asia Summit
“celebrates a decade defined by
greater access to capital, deeper
digitalization, health innova-
tion and the rise of connected,
purposeful living.”
Founded in 1991, the Milk-
en Institute is a non-profit and
nonpartisan think tank that fo-
cuses on accelerating measur-
able progress on the path to a
meaningful life. ■

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www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Entertainment
Why ‘Barbie’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’
made 2023 the dead girl summer
BY KATIE KAPURCH, Texas
State University
The Conversation
Ariel and Barbie have quite
a bit in common: They’re both
frozen in time, and they both
yearn to live as humans do.
The fantastic seascapes and
perfect dollhouses of “The
Little Mermaid” and “Barbie”
might appear whimsical. But
I see these settings – and the
characters who inhabit them –
as figurations of death.
In my forthcoming book, I
consider the relationship be-
tween mermaids and Barbie
dolls. In the case of the 2023
films, I couldn’t help but think
about how Ariel and Barbie
make the same ironic choice: to
leave the stasis of their death-
like existence for a human life
– which ends in death.
These dead girls offer in-
sights about living. Embrac-
ing death’s inevitability brings
some freedom, as well as access
to truths about time and the
natural world.
‘I am dead yet I live’
Ariel and Barbie are not your
typical dead girls – at least in
the literary sense.
The dead girl trope goes back
to Shakespeare’s Ophelia, who
drowns herself after being driv-
en to madness by Hamlet’s er-
ratic, abusive speech. But dead
girls have long populated folk-
tales about sleeping beauties
and myths of goddesses travers-
ing the underworld.
Today, the trope is often
found in noirish mysteries.
These narratives frequently
prioritize the development of
a male protagonist – a detec-
tive who grapples with his own
mortality while solving a crime
that regularly involves sexual
violence.
David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks,”
which first aired on ABC in
1990, wields this version of
the trope. FBI agent Dale Coo-
per investigates the murder of
Laura Palmer, a homecoming
queen whose corpse is dis-
covered wrapped in plastic.
Though Laura Palmer has been
victimized, she isn’t voiceless.
She appears in flashbacks and
has recorded her feelings and
desires in diary entries.
In Showtime’s 2017 reboot,
“Twin Peaks: The Return,” the
afterlife version of Laura tells
Cooper, “I am dead yet I live.”
Ariel and Barbie are their
films’ protagonists, and they
don’t die via murder. But they
nevertheless actualize Laura’s
words: Choosing flesh over im-
mortality is to live and die, too.
Dreaming death in fish
tails and pink
“Do you guys ever think
about death?” asks the char-
acter known as “Stereotypical
Barbie,” played by Margot Rob-
bie, a few scenes into the film.
The irony is that Barbie is al-
ready dead, cheerfully doomed
to repeat the same pink day,
devoid of food, conflict and sex.
Barbie’s dreamworld is home
to many iterations of its title
character, including Mermaid
Barbie. There are also a num-
ber of Kens. They are coupled,
but they aren’t having sex. As
Stereotypical Barbie declares,
Barbies don’t have vaginas, and
Kens don’t have penises.
Fish tails don’t typically fea-
ture vaginas either. The virginal
Ariel is stuck in her fin, fathoms
below.
Ariel and Barbie don’t get
periods and can’t get pregnant.
They’ll also never go through
menopause.
In their films, the protago-
nists reject dollified existences
and choose human life with its
opportunities for sex and un-
avoidable death. Ariel leaves
the ocean’s eternity for the
prince’s land-world after she
saves him. Barbie sacrifices
physical perfection – her own
and Ken’s – for the possibility
of authentic intimacy and the
17
spontaneity of an aging female
body. The latter leads her to vis-
it the gynecologist’s office at the
film’s conclusion.
Hollywood films promise
happily ever afters, but those
weren’t the main draw for audi-
ences of “The Little Mermaid”
and “Barbie.”
I think that part of what
drove theater attendance this
summer was a subconscious at-
traction to the deathlike repeti-
tion of timeless dreamworlds,
whether underwater or plas-
tered in pink.
As dead girls, Ariel and Bar-
bie are appealing vessels be-
cause, in them, time stops: You
can’t be out of time when there
is no time to begin with.
A water-bound mermaid and
an ageless doll present a “tim-
eout,” especially for girls and
women pressured to achieve
specific education and other
life goals within certain time
frames. Fish-tailed mermaids
and Barbie dolls are free from
ticking biological and career
clocks – although they imag-
ine or play at the things deter-
mined by those clocks, too. As
a doll, Barbie gets to have any
and all jobs, trading one for an-
other whenever her player gets desire for, among other things, tersweet ending suggests they,
bored. She can be a doctor, an plastic – the very material that each equipped with knowledge
astronaut or even president of made Barbie possible. of the other’s world, will carry
the United States. The unprecedented heat in insights about environmental
Audiences might go to the the summer of 2023 demands harmony to other places.
movies to escape reality. Yet, that everybody listen to another “The Little Mermaid” and
Barbie and Ariel choose to en- ticking clock, the one counting “Barbie,” I believe, reveal a
ter reality, leaving their respec- down to environmental ruin. truth found in many sacred sto-
tive dreamworlds. Such out- Ariel and Barbie choose to ries. If you accept that you are
comes make the films relevant live in the world their audi- dead already and that time is
to the summer of 2023: The ences inhabit, even though the always passing away, you might
dead girl can’t age, but her per- characters are fully aware that gain the freedom to truly em-
petual youth signals the future’s humans are destructive and brace the brief life you do have
promises, even when there is no cause suffering. in what the Hindu deity Krish-
promise of a future. “The Little Mermaid” is ex- na described as “this sad, van-
‘This sad, vanishing world’ plicit about how humans hurt ishing world.”
In her fish-tailed state, the ecosystem, a critique made Or as W.B. Yeats wrote, “Man is
Ariel sings about wanting to by Black mermaids in older folk in love and loves what vanishes, /
know about fire and its caus- tales and recent literature in- What more is there to say?” ■
es, questions applicable to spired by them. Ariel and Eric
this summer’s reckoning with inevitably sail away, leaving This article is republished
global warming. Humans have her home under the sea and from The Conversation under a
scorched the planet to fulfill a his coastal kingdom. The bit- Creative Commons license.
www.canadianinquirer.net
18
The Nun II successfully subverts the classic
exorcism movie – a priest explains how
BY HELEN HALL,
Nottingham Trent University
The Conversation
Warning: contains minor
spoilers for The Nun II.
The Nun II is an arresting
piece of storytelling which sat-
isfies and subverts audience
expectations in equal measure.
On one level, it is an extremely
watchable piece of action hor-
ror, comfortably divorced from
reality. The demon from the
previous film has resurfaced
and is now stalking a group of
thoroughly-likeable characters
in a French boarding school.
Netflix Confirms Production of New Series
'Aema,' Inviting Global Audiences to the Heart
of the Korean Film Industry in the 1980s
NETFLIX
Starring Hanee Lee, Bang
Hyo-Rin, Jin Sun-Kyu, and
Cho Hyun-Chul!
Director Lee Hae-young of
Believer and Phantom Pres-
ents His First Series
Netflix has confirmed the pro-
duction of its upcoming series
Aema and unveiled the casting
of Hanee Lee, Bang Hyo-Rin, Jin
Sun-Kyu, and Cho Hyun-Chul.
Aema is a Netflix series that
follows the struggles of Hui-
ran and Joo-ae in the process
of creating the film Madame
Aema, a sensational hit that
swept Korea during the early
1980s. It is a fictional comedy
set in 80s Chungmuro, the heart
of the Korean film industry, re-
vealing the harsh realities of ac-
tors behind the glitzy veneer of
show business.
Hanee Lee plays Jeong Hui-
ran, hailed as the best actress
of her generation but removed
from the lead role in the new
film Madame Aema due to her
dispute with the production
studio. Having captivated audi-
Entertainment
Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga),
the eponymous nun who previ-
ously defeated the demon, has
been called in once again by the
church authorities. She is assist-
ed by Sister Debra (Storm Reid),
a novice who doubts her own
faith. This premise makes for a
classic battle between good and
evil. And there’s a steady stream
of scares as the tension builds,
before exploding into a jump-
out-of-your seat moment.
Those familiar with the real
Catholic church will recog-
nise that exorcisms, the sacra-
ments, saints, holy relics and
the respective roles of nuns and
priests are not depicted with re-
ences with her charismatic and
effortlessly hilarious perfor-
mances in Killing Romance, The
Fiery Priest, and Extreme Job,
Hanee Lee is poised to pull off
yet another perfect transforma-
tion as Hui-ran, an actress who
may be unfriendly to everyone
but is unafraid to speak her mind
about what is right or wrong.
Meanwhile, the up-and-com-
ing actress Shin Joo-ae, cast as
the new lead of Madame Aema,
is played by Bang Hyo-rin, who
has made her presence known in
short films with her unparalleled
aura and portrayal of intense
emotions. Joo-ae, a nightclub
dancer aspiring to become an
actress, suddenly finds herself
chosen as the new star of the
most anticipated film in Korea,
Madame Aema. Rising star Bang
Hyo-rin promises to breathe
exciting tension and dynamism
into the story as Joo-ae, armed
with her distinct look, passion for
acting, and unfazed confidence.
Producer Gu Jung-ho is por-
trayed by actor Jin Sun-kyu,
celebrated for his ability to
alternate between good and
evil in his roles in Count, Con-
alism in The Nun II. And there
is a casual side-stepping of the
all-too-real gender constraints
of the mid-20th century.
However, the Nun II does
bring a refreshingly feminist
gloss to well-worn tropes with-
in exorcism fiction, shattering
assumptions about who should
be the victim and who should be
the rescuer.
Subverting the demonic
In popular culture, the ste-
reotypical possessed person is
female and, frequently, a child.
The seismic impact of the char-
acter of Regan in The Exorcist
(1973) is undeniably one factor
in this. But the idea has deep
fidential Assignment 2: Inter-
national, Space Sweepers, The
Outlaws, The Uncanny Counter
Season 2: Counter Punch, and
Bargain. Jung-ho is a producer
who would stop at nothing to
survive in the competitive film
scene in Chungmuro, adding
dimensions to the narrative by
holding a large-scale audition
and replacing Hui-ran with a
rookie actress for the lead role
of Madame Aema to rein in the
uncontrollable Hui-ran.
Having left a lasting impres-
(NETFLIX)
www.canadianinquirer.net
and ancient roots.
Research has demonstrated
that possession and demonic
attacks tend to be associated
with women and girls, both in
historical and contemporary
Christian cultures. There are a
variety of reasons for this.
In the middle ages and early
modern era, women were seen
as more carnal, less spiritual
and weaker than men in both
moral and intellectual terms. It
was believed that this rendered
them easier pickings for the
devil. This thinking tied in with
the biblical narrative that the
serpent in the Garden of Eden
deceived Eve rather than Adam.
sion on viewers with his perfor-
mances in the Netflix series D.P.
as well as Hotel del Luna, Mal-
Mo-E: The Secret Mission, and
Samjin Company English Class,
actor Cho Hyun-chul returns as
Kwak In-woo, the timid aspir-
ing director about to make his
directorial debut with Madame
Aema. Cho Hyun-chul adds
dynamic energy to the overall
story with his impeccable por-
trayal of In-woo, who is torn
between a multitude of choices.
Aema is written and directed
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
Of course, the point that Adam
was feeble enough to take the
fruit from his wife, despite God’s
instruction, was either brushed
under the carpet or used to fur-
ther evidence the dangerous and
malign female influence.
The vast majority of victims
of harm linked to exorcism are
female and in many cases the
assailants are family members.
Exorcism abuse is commonly a
form a domestic abuse. In 2009,
Janet Moses, a young woman
from New Zealand, was killed
by her relatives in the course of
rites to free her from evil spir-
❱❱ PAGE 21 The Nun II
by director Lee Hae-young of
Believer, Phantom, and Like a
Virgin. Having seized the hearts
of audiences with unique prem-
ises for stories and fascinating
characters across various genres,
Lee Hae-young will invite Net-
flix viewers around the world to
Chungmuro, the heart of Korean
cinema during the 1980s. Adding
to the anticipation for the se-
ries is its production studio, The
LAMP, whose projects based on
true stories have been beloved
by audiences and critics alike, in-
cluding Taxi Driver, Mal-Mo-E:
The Secret Mission, and Samjin
Company English Class.
Amping up anticipation with
the announcement of the pro-
duction and cast, Aema will be
released exclusively on Netflix in
190 countries around the world.
Production Information
Title : Aema
Directed/Written by: Lee
Hae-Young
Starring : Hanee Lee, Bang
Hyo-Rin, Jin Sun-Kyu, Cho
Hyun-Chul
Produced by : The LAMP Co.,
Ltd., Studio Kik Co., Ltd.
Distributed by : Netflix ■
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Is standing at your desk actually better than
sitting? Here’s what the evidence says
BY JOSEPHINE CHAU,
Macquarie University
The Conversation
In modern life, many of
us spend the majority of our
waking hours sitting. A recent
review of the research has re-
iterated the harmful health im-
pacts of prolonged, unbroken
periods of sitting.
Many workplaces have ad-
opted sit-stand desks, which
allow you to sit down or stand
up with the push of a button or
lever, to reduce the harms of
prolonged sitting.
But how much better is
standing? And are there risks
of too much standing? Here’s
what the research says about
the risks of too much sitting
and standing, and whether it’s
worth investing in – or ditching
– a sit-stand desk.
What are the hazards of
too much sitting?
People who sit a lot have
higher chances of developing
chronic diseases such as type
2 diabetes, heart disease, and
some cancers, and having a
shorter lifespan. Prolonged sit-
ting can also lead to musculo-
skeletal complaints, particular-
ly in the neck and back.
Excessive sitting is even more
harmful to health among people
who do very little exercise or who
do not meet the recommended
levels of physical activity.
Being physically active is im-
portant for reducing the health
risks linked to being sedentary,
but it may not fully cancel out
the negative effects of spending
long hours sitting each day.
Prolonged standing can be
harmful too
Extended periods of standing
can be harmful to musculoskel-
etal health. Prolonged standing
may lead to musculoskeletal
symptoms such as muscle fa-
tigue, leg swelling, varicose
veins, and pain and discomfort
in the low back and lower ex-
Lifestyle
tremities (hips, knees, ankles
and feet).
Recent research suggests
limiting standing to about 40
minutes at a time, without a
break, would reduce the chanc-
es of developing muscle and
joint aches and pains due to
prolonged standing. This ap-
plies to people who may or may
not have had symptoms before.
Not everyone who stands for
prolonged periods will expe-
rience these musculoskeletal
symptoms, and some people
may be more resilient to the
effects of prolonged standing
than others.
However, even if you take
a break from standing, if you
have previously developed
standing-related aches and
pains, you’re more likely to ex-
perience them again when you
resume standing.
Break up extended periods
of sitting
Reducing or interrupting sitting
by standing up or moving around
can improve your blood circula-
tion, metabolism, heart health,
mental health and lifespan.
Modelling studies show that
swapping one hour of sitting
each day for one hour of stand-
ing leads to improvements in
waist circumference, fat and
cholesterol levels.
The benefit is even greater
when sitting is replaced with
walking or moderate-to-vigor-
ous activity.
Interrupting prolonged sit-
ting time with as little as two
minutes of walking every 20
minutes or five minutes of
walking every 30 minutes can
improve blood glucose, fat, and
cholesterol levels.
Other research shows break-
ing up prolonged sitting time
with three minutes of light
walking or simple resistance
exercises, such as squats and
www.canadianinquirer.net
calf raises, every 30 minutes is
also effective.
The evidence on sit-stand
desks
Sit-stand desks can effective-
ly reduce sitting time during
the workday among desk-based
workers. Sit-stand desk users
tend to alternate between sit-
ting and standing postures, in-
stead of standing up for extend-
ed periods.
However, the extent of de-
veloping a new habit of work-
ing while standing up varies,
and many users revert to their
previous way of working sitting
down in the longer term.
Sit-stand desks alone are not
sufficient to reduce desk-based
workers’ sitting time. Employ-
ers and organisations must
factor this into their workplace
policies, environment and cul-
ture to ensure “sit less and move
more” initiatives are effectively
delivered and sustained.
Should I ditch my sit-stand
desk?
If you already have a sit-
stand desk, whether you should
keep or get rid of it will depend
on a range of factors.
Think about your usage pat-
terns. Do you use your desk regu-
larly in a standing position, or do
you mainly use it sitting down?
Consider your comfort. Does
standing or sitting for pro-
longed periods while working
lead to any discomfort or fa-
tigue in your body? If so, you
may need to adjust your sit-
stand routine or include extra
supports, such as a floor mat
for more comfortable standing
or a foot rest for safer sitting, to
avoid injury.
Assess your desk ergonom-
ics. Is your sit-stand desk set up
ergonomically safe for working
in both sitting and standing po-
sitions? Proper ergonomics are
essential to ensure you work in
a safe and comfortable way in
the office and from home.
Reflect on your health needs.
Will reducing and breaking up
19
prolonged sitting time with
standing alleviate discomfort
due to sitting or contribute
to improving your metabolic
and heart health? Standing up
and moving around regularly
throughout the workday will
achieve similar benefits regard-
less of your desk type.
If you have an existing health
condition or ongoing musculo-
skeletal symptoms, seek advice
from a health care professional
or ask your employer about or-
ganising an assessment with an
ergonomics specialist. Expert
guidance can help you make an
informed decision about your
sit-stand desk.
Finally, weigh up the cost and
space requirements of your sit-
stand desk. If you are not using
it in a standing position much,
maybe it’s just taking up space
and not providing a return on
your investment?
Ultimately, the decision to
keep or ditch your sit-stand
desk will come down to a bal-
ance of these considerations.
Being physically active is
most important
Physical activity guide-
lines from governments and
health-related agencies, such
as those from Australia and the
World Health Organization,
recommend adults limit the
amount of time spent sitting.
Interrupting and replacing sit-
ting time with physical activity
of any intensity – even light in-
tensity – has health benefits.
The WHO further recom-
mends adults “aim to do more
than the recommended levels
of moderate- to vigorous-inten-
sity physical activity” to reduce
the harmful health effects of
high levels of sitting.
In other words, just standing is
not enough to reduce the harms
of prolonged sitting. We need to
sit less and move more. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
20
A memoir of sleeplessness posits making
peace with our ruptured nights – but risks
becoming an exhausting read
BY LIZ EVANS, University of
Tasmania
The Conversation
My relationship with sleep is
fraught. For me, the journey to-
wards sleep is a precarious one,
relying on a shifting portfolio of
mental states, and an irritating
need for silence.
When I finally sink into obliv-
ion, my rest can be shattered by
the sound of my partner breath-
ing, or a hoon tearing down the
road at the top of our driveway.
Once broken, sleep lies around
me in sharp, little pieces, jab-
bing with the promise of a diffi-
cult day ahead.
When did this start? Was it the
heated anxiety of menopause,
the interrupted nights of early
motherhood, the wide-awake
longing for home after moving
halfway round the world? When
did sleep become so elusive?
I became sensitive to noise in
London. I was a music journalist
in the 1990s, but sometimes even
I needed to sleep and this could
be hard with paper-thin walls
and drunken neighbours. But did
the trouble start even earlier, in
adolescence or childhood, I won-
der, remembering the volatility
in my first home. Did I ever sleep
like a baby, even when I was one?
In her new book, Sleepless:
A Memoir of Insomnia, French
writer Marie Darrieussecq em-
barks on a similar investiga-
tion into her own struggle with
sleep. Through a hybrid of per-
sonal narrative and meditative
essays, Darrieussecq contem-
plates the curse of insomnia
with unusual scope. But while
she writes like a dream, her
work is thrown out of joint by
its ambitious scale. Her exhaus-
tive project risks becoming an
exhausting read.
Beginning with a tour of lit-
erary perspectives and a brief
history of barbiturates, Darrie-
ussecq examines the connec-
tion between creativity and hy-
per-vigilance.
Proust and Kafka lead the
canon here, and the stories of
addiction to Veronal (a power-
Lifestyle
ful barbiturate) and accidental
overdose are both fascinating
and shocking. But the referenc-
es rush in thick and fast, and I
struggle to keep pace.
A global industry
The hunt for sleep has be-
come a global industry. Psychol-
ogists, doctors, yoga teachers,
meditation and breath-work
practitioners ply us with sleep
apps, mindfulness routines,
prescription drugs and natural
remedies. Columns and articles
clog up the media with tips on
How To Sleep, recycling age-old
advice in jazzed-up terminology.
At least we have something to
occupy us in the small hours.
Herbal teas and melatonin
help me drift off, but when I
wake up at 2am or 3am, resig-
nation and a book work best.
According to my London herb-
alist, the trick is to break the
pattern. With this in mind, he
once prescribed me datura a
potentially deadly narcotic.
Entranced, I left his basement
practice with strict instructions
and a tiny dark glass bottle. I
felt like Alice in Wonderland. It
worked, but only for a while.
Perhaps my own struggles
with sleep are why no matter
how much I appreciate the schol-
arship of Darrieussecq’s impres-
sive project, I’m most interested
in her personal quest. Her des-
perate encounters with pharma-
cology, alcohol, and eventually a
somnologist (sleep psychiatrist)
are the ones that resonate. The
love and torture of childbirth and
breastfeeding, the problem of the
study-bedroom, the relentless-
ness of the 4.04am waking hour,
all have me bristling with recog-
nition and relief.
I Google one of the alluring
sleep aids she describes, I’m
curious about the sleep test, a
polysomnographic examina-
tion which involves being fitted
with a network of electrodes
by a sleep technician, and I’m
moved by her account of her
addiction to sleeping pills. But
these personal vignettes are
brief. She opens up pockets of
her life, only to shut them back
down again, leaving me in-
trigued and a little dissatisfied.
I want to know more about her
childhood, about being born in
the years after her brother who
did not survive. I wonder if her
mother was unable to sleep, due
to grief and fear of losing anoth-
er baby. There doesn’t seem to be
an endpoint to this story, which
I don’t mind at all because that’s
the whole point with insomnia.
But I would like to know what
happened in the beginning.
A trained psychoanalyst,
Darrieussecq is understandably
careful. When she walls off her
narrative, it’s with a firmness
you might expect from some-
one whose work depends on
boundaries. As a qualified psy-
chotherapist myself, I appre-
ciate and respect her need for
containment. But as a reader, I
prefer it when she’s visible.
Eluding the page
Dancing on and off the page,
appearing, disappearing, and
re-emerging throughout her
book, Darrieussecq spins a
heady web. Intoxicating and
disorientating, her style works
perfectly when she writes about
www.canadianinquirer.net
the spiralling anxiety of insom-
nia, and the dizzy voids of sleep-
lessness. It lets her capture the
internal cacophony, the sense
of isolation and the tide of
dread that destabilises those of
us who battle for sleep.
Elsewhere this fragmented
approach threatens to collapse
the insomniac’s voice into a
guidebook to sleeplessness. De-
pending on what you want from
a memoir, maybe this doesn’t
matter. Darrieussecq’s writing
is faultless, however you look at
it. But the question of structure
is worth considering.
Memoirs have enjoyed in-
creasing popularity for the last
20 years or so, and there are
many ways to write one. Essen-
tially, a good memoir takes us
out of ourselves while inviting
valuable connection with the
author. When countered with
intellectual ideas and reflec-
tions, memoir can offer valu-
able, wider context for personal
stories, but achieving this bal-
ance is a delicate act.
With this in mind, the stron-
gest sections of Sleepless are
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
when Darrieussecq positions
herself within a manageable net-
work of references, and keeps
herself clearly in the picture.
She does this when investi-
gating the ruptured sleep of the
homeless, politicising insomnia,
but personalising the narrative
with recollections of restless
nights in hotels. And again, when
she considers the impact of so-
cial inequity and modern tech-
nologies on our ability – as well
as our basic human right – to
sleep, while charting her adven-
tures in Southern Cameroon.
She had gone there to solve her
writer’s block, to finish a novel
about a woman who follows her
lover into the Congo, but the in-
spiration she found in the forest
was marred by sleeplessness.
These personal snippets add a
necessary touch of individualism
to this impressive enquiry. Engag-
ing, brave and funny, they render
Darrieussecq’s dazzling treatise
into something more relatable.
Insomnia vs creativity
On finishing Darrieussecq’s
book, I return to the begin-
ning, to where she writes of the
hunt for the killer of sleep, and
states a brutal truth: Nothing
prevents the insomniac from
not sleeping. There is a myth-
ological quality to these words
that bears little relationship
to the more familiar grind and
drudgery of not sleeping. But
Sleepless is an attempt to coax
something meaningful from
long, empty wide-awake nights.
So, how do you make sense of
insomnia? How do you reconcile
yourself to lying awake night
after night, within the threat of
tomorrow’s awful haze? Despite
her tiring search, Darrieussecq
claims no answers, but by the
end of her book, she’s stopped
fighting for sleep.
Instead, she settles on chang-
ing her perspective of insom-
nia altogether. Turning back to
Kafka and Virginia Woolf, she
weaves in the rhythms of na-
ture, drawing on the cycles of
plants and planets, animals and
trees to reimagine a new rela-
❱❱ PAGE 22 A memoir of
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
7 red flags your teen might be in an abusive
relationship – and 6 signs it’s escalating
BY CARMEL HOBBS,
University of Tasmania
The Conversation
Australian teens need adults to
help them recognise red flags for
potentially abusive relationships.
The Australian Bureau of
Statistics estimates 2.2 million
adults have been victims of
physical and/or sexual violence
from a partner since the age of
15. Almost one in three Aus-
tralian teens aged 18–19 report
experiences of intimate partner
violence in the previous year.
But physical, sexual, or psy-
chological abuse in teen intimate
relationships remains an invis-
ible issue. The First National
Action Plan to End Violence
Against Women and Children
fails to mention it at all and Aus-
tralia lacks youth-specific do-
mestic violence support services.
We know teens are experienc-
ing intimate partner violence
that is putting their lives in dan-
ger. But they are dependent on
informal networks for assistance.
Abuse can impact all parts of
their lives and their age and stage
of development make them even
more vulnerable to its effects.
I interviewed 17 young people
about their experiences of teen
intimate partner violence from
when they were under 18. They
wanted support and insight
from the adults around them.
‘I hadn’t experienced a
proper relationship before’
Limited relationship ex-
perience can prevent young
people identifying red flags for
intimate partner violence. In-
The Nun II..
❰❰ 17 its. This tragic story
formed the basis of a
2015 film: Belief: The
Possession of Janet Moses. In
England in 2021, a doctor was
jailed for having illegally ad-
ministered dangerous drugs to
his partner in connection with
exorcism rituals.
The Nun II’s innovation
Women – and especially
adolescent girls – are usu-
ally imagined as prey when
it comes to demonic forces.
terviewee Elise said:
As a young teen, I hadn’t ex-
perienced a proper relationship
before; I just kind of thought this
is how it is.
While physical and sexual
violence cross clear lines, Aus-
tralian teens report difficulty
recognising more subtle forms
of violence and control, such as
emotional and technology-fa-
cilitated abuse.
7 red flags that can happen
early
Young people identified red
flags in their past intimate re-
lationships and described how
difficult it was to see them in the
moment. On their own these
behaviours and actions may not
be problematic. For example,
spending lots of time together
is a relatively normal part of a
new intimate relationship.
But concern should arise when
these behaviours become part of
a pattern. They can become inte-
grated into everyday life, making
them difficult to recognise – and
they can escalate over time. Here
are some examples of red flags
for teen intimate relationships
that can begin a pattern of vio-
lence and abuse:
1. being together all the time,
using technology to monitor lo-
cation when not together and a
sense of always “being on call”
2. sharing passwords to social
media accounts or devices (or
setting up shared profiles)
3. turning up unannounced
or “as a surprise”
4. saying “I love you” very
early in the relationship, talking
about living together or having
children. This is sometimes
This perception shapes both
real-world behaviour and
the entertainment indus-
try. Consequently, The Nun
II, in which all of the key de-
mon-battling protagonists
are female and coming to the
rescue of a stricken adult man,
is a dramatic inversion of the
norm.
Furthermore, none of the
women are infantilised or sex-
ually objectified. They kick and
batter monsters in long skirts,
called “love bombing”
5. showering with gifts and
grand gestures
6. contacting someone’s
friends or family to find out
where they are
7. framing controlling be-
haviours as “care” or “concern”.
Young person Gina said:
We had a joint Facebook [ac-
count], because I wasn’t allowed
to really talk to people without
him seeing it […] He had to have
the password.
Ingrid’s partner framed con-
trol as care:
He’d just perpetually check
where I am, and then sometimes
he’d just turn up […] He’d be like,
‘I’m just checking that you’re
safe.’
If a teen begins to feel like
their autonomy and freedom
to make choices are being re-
stricted, it is a clear cause for
concern. Jamie said:
I didn’t have contribution into
simple things like what movie to
watch.
trousers, knitted jumpers and
sensible shoes. Even the chil-
dren are given more fighting
to do than squealing (although
some screaming is allowed and,
frankly, understandable if you
are being pursued by the literal
devil incarnate).
All of this progressive change
takes place without either ridi-
culing the men or turning them
into pantomime villains. The
female actors are allowed to be
the rescuers due to the situa-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Sam felt like they had to
spend time with their partner,
even if they didn’t want to:
I’d spend hours […] just watch-
ing them play video games, be-
cause I didn’t feel like I could go
and do something else […] And I
hate video games.
6 red flags that suggest es-
calation
Increasingly problematic
(but still difficult to see) be-
haviours include:
1. framing the relationship as
unique or fated, such as saying
the partner is the only person
who truly understands them
and nobody else could ever
“love you like I do”
2. isolating a partner by mak-
ing it difficult for them to spend
time with others
3. assuming sexual activity
will happen because “they are
in a relationship”
4. framing feelings of jealou-
sy as evidence of love
5. “suggesting” how they
should dress or look or encour-
tion, rather than because of any
inadequacy on the part of their
male companions.
The film’s depiction of
church dogma and ecclesiology
belongs to Hollywood rather
than Rome, and nobody should
watch it imagining they will
be enlightened about Catholic
teaching on demons or other
subjects (indeed, there are cer-
tain misrepresentations in this
regard which some believers
might find troubling).
21
aging exercise or diet changes
6. insults passed off as “just a
joke”.
How can you help?
Research shows parents are
in a unique position to support
teens to foster healthy relation-
ships. Interviewee Addison was
among those asking for guidance:
Anybody that can see the re-
lationship [has] red flags. Any-
body that is worried for me, I
want them to tell me.
Safe and reliable adults can
act as role models, ensure safe-
ty, involve professionals and
empower teens to build safe
and healthy relationships.
We can do this by building
trusting, open relationships
with the teens in our lives, giv-
ing them a chance to talk and
listening without judgement. If
your teenager does not want to
talk to you, help them find an-
other person to talk to instead.
It’s important to remember they
may not respond the way we
hope, but providing support and
talking about relationships can
decrease the risk of them ending
up in an abusive relationship.
And we need a national plan to
prevent and respond to teen in-
timate partner violence. It is not
the responsibility of teens or their
families to solve this issue. ■
If you suspect your teen is in
an abusive relationship, contact
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
for advice and information. If
you or someone you know is in
immediate danger, contact 000.
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
Nonetheless, given the
damage done to women and
girls through exorcism-relat-
ed abuse (most of which takes
place outside Roman Catholic
settings) and harmful gender
stereotyping more generally, a
film that breaks this mould has
a lot to commend it. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
 22 SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY

Germany beats Serbia, captures first-ever
FIBA World Cup title
BY IVAN STEWART
SALDAJENO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Germany beat
Serbia, 83-77, capturing its first
title in the FIBA Basketball
World Cup, witnessed by 12,022
fans at the Mall of Asia Arena in
Pasay City on Sunday.
Germany's Dennis Schroder
scored 28 points and was named
tournament Most Valuable
Player, awarded by NBA legend
and FIBA World Cup 2023 am-
bassador Carmelo Anthony.
This is Germany’s first World
Cup finals after it placed 18th in
the 2019 edition.
Dennis Schroder took over
for Germany down the stretch
and closed the door on Serbia's
comeback bid.
With the lead down to three
after Serbia's solid fourth quar-
ter, Schroder made a split from
the foul line to bring Germany's
lead back to four, 79-75, with 48
seconds left.
Marko Guduric made two free
throws off a Franz Wagner foul
in the next play, but Schroder
burst with speed and hit a huge
layup with 21 seconds left to up
Germany's cushion back to four.
Guduric faltered in the end
as he turned the ball over in the
ensuing possession, and Ger-
many formally iced the game
with two more free throws.
"The biggest thing I ever did
was make Dennis captain. He
takes so much pride in being
captain of the German national
Sports
team. I can't say enough about
Dennis Schroder and what he
has meant for German basket-
ball," Germany coach Gordie
Herbert said.
Wagner added 19 points, sev-
en rebounds, two assists, and
three steals.
Germany came from the so-
called group of death that also
featured Australia, Finland, and
co-host Japan but the team still
managed to sweep the group
and eventually needed to beat
surprising Latvia, heavy favorite
USA, and Serbia in the playoffs
en route to sweeping the event.
"To be 8-0 in a group where we
had big-time teams, it's just unbe-
lievable. Winning the gold medal
is a blessing," said Schroder, who
was joined in the "All-Star 5" by
Serbia's Bogdan Bogdanovic,
Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alex-
ander, USA's Anthony Edwards,
and Slovenia's Luka Doncic.
Aleksa Avramovic put up 21
points, one rebound, two assists,
and one steal to lead Serbia,
which has yet to win the FIBA
World Cup as a solo nation since
the Yugoslavia breakup.
Germany and Serbia’s only
previous meeting was in Tur-
key in 2010 in the preliminary
round, with Germany winning
by a slim margin, 82-81.
This is the fifth finals between
two European teams at the
World Cup and the first since
2006 in Japan (Greece-Spain).
Previous European champions
were the former Yugoslavia with
five, the former Soviet Union with
three, and Spain with two.
Serbia’s only previous fi- Reaves added 23 points, five re- "Manila has been an excel-
nals appearance was in 2014 in bounds, one assist, and one steal. lent host. I don't think it's easy
Spain, losing to USA, 129-82. It also marks the first time to find anywhere else in the
Canada edges USA in OT that the USA ended up without world this level of service to the
In the first game, Canada a medal in consecutive FIBA visitors," Zagklis said.
achieved its best finish ever in World Cup tournaments since "I can only express how grate-
the FIBA World Cup after beat- it wound up fourth (1963 and ful FIBA is to the Philippines
ing the USA in overtime, 127- 1967) and fifth (1970) in three and the City of Manila. From
118, in the bronze medal game consecutive tournaments. the head of the State (President
in front of 10,666 fans. The USA was 2010 and 2014 Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.), who
In the second highest-scor- champion and seventh in 2019. came to the opening game, to
ing game ever in the FIBA 'Excellent' hosting the volunteers that took care of
World Cup, Canada dominated In a press briefing before the us here in the venues and our
the overtime period, 16-7, out- USA and Canada match, FIBA hotels. We're grateful."
scoring a shorthanded USA that secretary general Andreas Indonesia and Japan co-host-
played without Jaren Jackson, Zagklis described as "excellent" ed the tournament's group and
Paolo Banchero, and for the the Philippines' hosting of the second phases. ■
second straight game Brandon sporting event.
Ingram due to illness.
Team USA's slowdown in the
extra 5 minutes also put into
waste Mikal Bridges' late he-
roics in which he intentionally
missed the second free throw
with his team down three, re-
covered the ball from the right
corner, and shot a tough triple
that forced overtime.
Dillon Brooks led Canada
with 39 points, the most scored
by a player in any FIBA World
Cup medal game, on 12-of-18
shooting including 7-of-8 on
threes, four rebounds, five as-
sists, one steal, and two blocks.
Gilgeous-Alexander added
31 points on 11-of-20 shooting,
six rebounds, 12 assists, and one
block, while RJ Barrett chipped
in 23 points, seven rebounds,
and two assists.
Anthony Edwards led Team WORLD CHAMP. Team Germany celebrates its first-ever FIBA World Cup title
USA with 24 points, five re- shortly after besting European powerhouse Serbia, 83-77, before 12,022 fans at
bounds, three assists, one steal, the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Sunday (Sept. 10, 2023). Germany's Den-
and one block, while Austin nis Schroder took home the Most Valuable Player plum. (JESS ESCAROS JR./PNA)

A memoir of..
❰❰ 20 tionship with shad-
ows. In this way, she
hopes to “find insom-
nia without fatigue”, and to try
and find a way of remembering
“nights as a dimension of days”.
It’s a beautiful move, and typ-
ical of the psychoanalytic mind
which enjoys finding new an-
gles on questions far more than
contriving neat answers. So
while I don’t feel I’ve got a bet-
ter grasp on who my narrator
is, when I finish her book, I am
refreshed. I have a different way
of relating to the night.
This morning, I woke at 3am.
My mind was quietly busy, rus-
tling away in the pre-dawn hours
with songs of work and murmur-
ing concerns about unfinished
tasks. So I rose and settled by the
fire with my books, returning to
bed two hours later with a hot
www.canadianinquirer.net
water bottle, looking forward to
the task that prodded me awake.
We may not be able to cure
our insomnia, but, heeding the
final chapter of Darrieussecq’s
book we might be able to make
peace with it. Consenting to a
creative impulse at an unsocia-
ble hour might sound imprac-
tical, but I’ve had a productive
day. And who knows, I may even
sleep tonight. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Obiena favored to win medal in
Hangzhou Asian Games
BY JEAN MALANUM
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – All eyes will be
on pole vaulter Ernest John
"EJ" Obiena as the Philippine
athletics team seeks to end a
three-decade medal drought in
the 19th Asian Games sched-
uled from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 in
Hangzhou, China.
Long jumper Elma Muros is
the last Filipino to win a medal
in athletics in the Asian Games,
winning the bronze in Hiroshi-
ma, Japan in 1994.
“EJ is our best bet to win a
medal,” said national coaches
Isidro Del Prado and Dario De
Rosas during the Philippine
Sportswriters Association (PSA)
forum at the Philippine Sports
Commission (PSC) conference
hall inside the Rizal Memorial
Sports Complex on Tuesday.
The world's No. 2 Obie-
na has qualified for the 2024
Paris Olympics after clearing
5.82 meters at the Diamond
League-Bauhaus Galan in Swe-
den last July 3.
Novak Djokovic
wins 2023 US Open
men's singles title
ANADOLU
Philippine News Agency
ANKARA – Novak Djokovic
won the 2023 US Open men's
singles title by beating Daniil
Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(7-5), 6-3 in
the finals on Sunday.
The Serbian legend bagged his
fourth US Open singles title at Ar-
thur Ashe Stadium in New York
after wins in 2011, 2015, and 2018.
Djokovic started the match
fast after he gave only two
points to his Russian opponent
in the first three games.
After winning the second set
with a tiebreak, he then man-
aged to clinch all three sets in a
row by winning the third.
The 36-year-old, who also
He duplicated his Asian re-
cord of 6.0m to win the silver
medal at the World Athletics
Championships in Budapest,
Hungary in August.
During the 2018 Asian Games
in Indonesia, Obiena finished
seventh.
Long jumper Janry Ubas, a
protégé of De Rosas, is also de-
termined to perform well af-
ter winning the gold medal in
the Cambodia Southeast Asian
Games last May.
“Ready kami ngayon sa Asi-
ad. Hopefully, maka-sungkit ng
medalya (We are now ready for
Asiad. Hopefully, be able to win
a medal)," said De Rosas in the
weekly session presented by
San Miguel Corporation, MILO,
PSC, Philippine Olympic Com-
mittee and Philippine Amuse-
ment and Gaming Corporation.
The 29-year-old Ubas of Mis-
amis Oriental won the bronze
medal in heptathlon at the
Asian Indoor Athletics Cham-
pionship in Kazakhstan early
this year. He bagged the gold
medal in long jump in two Eu-
ropean tournaments in Italy
became the oldest US Open
champion, bagged his third ma-
jor championship this year and
with a total of 24 Grand Slam
titles, he equaled Margaret
Court’s all-time record.
Djokovic celebrated his new-
ly achieved record and com-
memorated the late NBA star
Kobe Bryant by wearing a spe-
cial T-shirt with a portrait of
Kobe and a "24" printed on it.
Medvedev couldn't repeat
his 2021 US Open title success
against the same opponent in
this year's finals.
Djokovic, who has played a
record 36 Grand Slam singles
finals, will be named as the new
world No.1 after winning the
competition by passing Spain’s
Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings. ■
and Finland.
De Rosas believes that Ubas,
a national record holder in long
jump with 8.08m, can win the
bronze medal if he surpasses
his personal best.
“Hopefully, kung makuku-
ha niya ulit yan, puwede tay-
ong mag-bronze medal siguro
(Hopefully, if he gets that again,
maybe we can win a bronze
medal),” said De Rosas, who
also coaches Sarah Dequinan
(heptathlon) and Ronnie Mali-
pay (triple jump).
Del Prado said winning a
medal at the Asian Games will
be a big challenge for the quartet
of Fil-Am Umajesty Williams,
Frederick Ramirez, Joyme Se-
quita and Michael Carlo Del
Prado, which claimed the gold
medal in the Cambodia SEAG.
“Malakas ang India, Japan,
China, and Sri Lanka sa 4x4.
Kaya nauna kong sinabi sa
kanila na to give their best to
break the Philippine record of
3:06.47 (India, Japan, China
and Sri Lanka are strong in 4x4.
So I told them first to give their
best to break the Philippine re-
Canadian diplomacy..
we cannot speak more
9
❰❰
directly through diplo-
matic channels. Mutu-
al respect on the world stage can
go a long way to advance joint
priorities – the kinds that direct-
ly affect Canadians.
Second, to achieve this, we
need to set clear priorities both
in policy objectives and in gen-
eral activities. Canada belongs
to many times more interna-
tional organizations than many
countries of similar size. We are
spread too thin. A systematic re-
view of our engagements and an
objective of streamlining some
of our associations is needed.
We should also look to share
burdens where possible. Euro-
pean countries such as France
and Germany benefit greatly
from joint EU diplomatic forces
that negotiate many interna-
tional processes on their be-
half at the United Nations and
elsewhere. Finding natural al-
lies beyond Australia and New
Zealand or the U.K. will be chal-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Sports
cord of 3:06.47),” said the for-
mer anchor of the famed “Bicol
Express” 4x400 men’s relay
team in the ‘80s.
“Hopefully, makapasok tayo
sa finals (Hopefully, we can en-
ter the finals),” Del Prado said.
The semifinal will be on Oct. 3
and the finals the following day.
Other members of the national
team are Asian Athletics Cham-
pionship gold winner Robyn
Lauren Brown (400m hurdles),
OPTIMISTIC. National coaches Dario De Rosas (left) and Isidro Del Prado discuss
the preparation of the national athletics team for the 19th Asian Games during the
Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) forum at the Philippine Sports Commission
conference hall inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Tuesday (Sept. 12, 2023).
Pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena will banner the team. (JEAN MALANUM/PNA)
lenging. But if we cannot iden-
tify time-saving methods, we
should at least recognize that
we are overstretched and let go
of legacy projects that no longer
serve our interests.
Third, Canada must toughen
up. Diplomacy is not an alter-
native to military force. Negoti-
ating agreements often requires
threatening force and delivering
on that threat when necessary.
Conflict prevention is nearly
impossible without deterrence.
As such, the two-per-cent NATO
target should be a national prior-
ity. Decades-long neglect of our
military has not only hampered
our ability to prevent or respond
to emerging conflicts abroad – it
has also eroded our ability to de-
fend our own borders.
Lastly, the revamping of Ca-
nadian diplomacy launched by
Foreign Affairs Minister Mel-
anie Joly must not fail in its
implementation. We need a
complete overhaul of the man-
agement of the department
23
John Tolentino (110m hurdles),
Eric Cray (400m hurdles), Kris-
tina Knott (100m and 200m) and
William Morrison (shot put).
Brown won the 400m hur-
dles gold medal in the 25th
Asian Athletics Championships
at the Supachalasai National
Stadium in Thailand last July.
She clocked 57.50 seconds fol-
lowed by Japan’s Eri Utsunomi-
ya (57.73s) and Ami Yamamoto
(57.80s). ■
with the full support of cen-
tral agencies such as Treasury
Board. Moreover, we need the
Privy Council Office to exercise
greater co-ordination among
competing departmental priori-
ties. Once Global Affairs Canada
is led by foreign-policy experts
again, it should have a stronger
and respected voice in Ottawa.
The best foreign policy for
the 21st century is one that is
clear-eyed, pragmatic and fo-
cused. Canadians need to stop
viewing the world as we wish
it were, and act based on how
it truly is. No more buzz words
and press conferences to an-
nounce unrealistic, utopian as-
pirations. What Canada needs
is soft-spoken yet spirited di-
plomacy that truly reflects who
we are, matched with the capa-
bilities to back up our words. ■
This article first appeared
on Policy Options and is repub-
lished here under a Creative
Commons license.
24
Wilko: what insolvency really means
for the budget retailer and why its
competitors are surviving (for now)
BY JOHN WOOD, Lancaster
University
The Conversation
All 400 of Wilko’s shops are
now expected to close over the
next month, leaving 12,500
people without jobs across the
UK. The budget retailer’s ad-
ministrator PwC announced
the news after it struggled to se-
cure a rescue deal for Wilko to
continue operating.
After swooping in to rescue
collapsed music chain HMV in
2019, Canadian businessman
Doug Putman had hoped to do
the same for Wilko. But his plan
to rescue the company as a going
concern – a business that will
continue to operate and meet
its financial obligations – was
“hampered by the costs and diffi-
culties thrown up by the need to
overhaul Wilko’s supply chains”,
according to news reports.
Putman had already scaled
back his rescue plan from sav-
ing around 300 shops to around
100, but he has now announced
he won’t be able to continue
Core inflation decline to help hit
within-target rate by Q4
BY JOANN VILLANUEVA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – A ranking central
bank official on Tuesday said the
deceleration of core inflation
last month provides additional
impetus towards the possibility
of a within-target inflation rate
in the last quarter of this year.
In his presentation during
the Philippine Economic Brief-
Business
with the deal at all.
In the space of a few weeks, it
may seem that Wilko’s demise
has been rapid, but the financial
problems that lead to its insol-
vency and subsequent entry into
administration have happened
over a much longer time period.
What we are witnessing now
is the endgame and the after-
math of a company that has
failed to attract an investor for
its entire business.
Wilko’s difficulties securing
a rescue deal happened for a
number of reasons. Initially,
any investor would have been
expected to inject £75 million
into the company to clear ex-
isting debts. Now the company
is in administration, this is no
longer the case and interested
parties can cherry-pick assets.
The company also lacks any
real unique selling point that
would make it attractive to oth-
er competitors. In other words
it has been outplayed by the
competition in its own market
and now finds itself in the same
position as failed retailer Wool-
worths did back in 2008.
ing in Dubai, United Arab Emir-
ates on Tuesday, Bangko Sen-
tral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy
Governor Francisco Dakila Jr.
said that although the rate of
price increases last August end-
ed its six-month slide after an
uptick from 4.7 percent to 5.3
percent, this is largely due to
weather-related disturbances.
“Nevertheless, when we look
at the core inflation numbers, we
continue to see the moderation
Company rescue versus
business rescue
The purpose of administra-
tion can be found in a section
of the Insolvency Act 1986. The
primary aim is to rescue a com-
pany as a going concern. In the
early days of Wilko’s troubles,
Putman had planned to acquire
more than 300 of its 400 stores,
which would have saved around
8,000-9,000 of Wilko’s total
Wilko Store (J K THORNE/FLICKR, PUBLIC DOMAIN)
to 6.1 percent in August from 6.7
percent last July,” he said.
In the first eight months this
year, the headline inflation av-
eraged at 6.6 percent, way high-
er than the government’s 2 per-
cent to 4 percent target band.
After hitting a 14-year high
of 8.7 percent in January, the
inflation rate decelerated until
last July.
Core inflation, which ex-
cludes volatile food and oil
www.canadianinquirer.net
12,500 workforce. This was lat-
er reduced to 100 stores, and
now, nothing.
The most likely alternative
suitors – other budget brands
such as Poundland, Primark,
Home Bargains and B&M –
may now negotiate for smaller
groups of stores. B&M has al-
ready come forward with a £13
million offer for up to 51 stores.
In other words, a carve up of
items, averaged at 7.4 percent as
of last August, Philippine Sta-
tistics Authority data show.
Dakila said other core in-
flation measures also point to
moderating path.
BSP’s policy-making Mone-
tary Board, during its rate-set-
ting meeting in August, forecasts
inflation to average at 5.6 per-
cent this year, 3.3 percent next
year and 3.4 percent in 2025.
“Barring the occurrence of
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
Wilko’s 400 stores is probably
now the most viable option.
This is not a company rescue,
but rather a business rescue
that aims to achieve a better re-
sult for the company’s creditors
than if the company was wound
up (liquidated). In cases such as
this, only parts of the business
will be salvaged.
What could business res-
cue look like for Wilko?
Since a single buyer current-
ly looks unlikely, the carve-up
is likely to be extensive, with
Wilko as we know it probably
ceasing to exist. The impact on
the high street will be signifi-
cant, leaving a huge hole in Brit-
ish town centres, where Wilko
currently occupies 11 million
square feet of space.
Indeed, aside from B&M, the
Range has expressed an inter-
est but only in the purchase of
Wilko’s brand and online oper-
ations. This is similar to when
ASOS bought the Debenhams
brand and website in 2021, but
not its brick and mortar stores.
❱❱ PAGE 29 Wilko: what insolvency
unforeseen shocks, we expect
that we will be reverting back to
target by the fourth quarter of
this year,” Dakila said.
He reiterated expectations for
below 3 percent inflation rate in
the first quarter of 2024, which
monetary authorities have re-
peatedly point to base effects be-
cause of the high inflation rates
in the first quarter of this year.
❱❱ PAGE 27 Core inflation decline
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
DTI: Rice price cap may be reviewed in 2 weeks
BY KRIS CRISMUNDO
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI) Sec-
retary Alfredo Pascual said the
rice price ceiling under Execu-
tive Order (EO) No. 39 will re-
main in effect for another two
weeks before the government
reviews the policy.
“(M)aybe (in) another two
weeks we’ll have a good idea of
the availability of supply. Within
September, we are looking (at)
two million metric tons (MT)
and some entry of imported rice.
In two weeks, we should be able
to see whether we can lift the
price cap already,” he said in a
television interview Monday.
He said by the end of October
this year, rice supply is expect-
ed at around five million metric
tons (MT) as the harvest season
What are strike funds? A labor-management
relations expert explains
BY RAYMOND GIBNEY JR.,
Penn State
The Conversation
When people go on strike,
their employers don’t pay them.
That makes it hard for workers
who have walked off the job to
keep paying their bills. Union
members have an advantage
during strikes because they can
get help with housing, food and
other essential expenses through
payments from strike funds.
These payments only cover
basic expenses and generally
don’t fully replace lost income.
Members pay dues and fees
to finance their unions. Every
month, members of the Unit-
ed Auto Workers, for exam-
ple, pay the equivalent of what
they earn in two hours to their
union. New members can also
be required to pay a one-time
initiation fee that’s much high-
er. The Screen Actors Guild’s
initiation fee is US$3,000.
Beyond covering day-to-day
operations, union dues accu-
mulate for future uses, includ-
will soon start.
“I don’t think that the situa-
tion is getting worse,” Pascual
said. “But I’m confident (that)
with the harvest season com-
mencing, we are looking at five
million metric tons of rice be-
tween now and by the end of
October, I think we are not in a
rice emergency so to speak.”
He also said the country is in
talks with Vietnam, India, and
Cambodia for rice importation.
At the sidelines of an event
in Mandaluyong City, Pascual
said based on market estimates,
there is still margin between the
farm price and the retail price
cap of PHP41 per kilo for the
regular-milled rice and PHP45
a kilo for the well-milled, should
the government lift the EO.
The DTI chief said EO 39 is
a success since it made avail-
able affordable rice at the des-
ignated price ceiling amid the
ing strike funds. Once a strike
is authorized, members in good
standing are eligible to receive
either a fixed dollar amount or a
percentage of their earnings as
outlined in the union’s consti-
tution and bylaws.
Union members have tra-
ditionally reported to a local
union’s office on a specific day
and time to pick up their strike
benefits. Some unions are see-
ing if they can rely instead on
spike in prices of rice, which
happened even though there is
sufficient supply in the market.
“I think that’s what’s import-
ant. I think there are maybe a
few that are selling beyond the
ceiling. (The) important thing,
PRICE IS RIGHT. A retailer weighs rice for his customer at Mega Q Mart in
Quezon City Monday (Sept. 11, 2023). (JOAN BONDOC/PNA)
electronic distribution systems.
Why strike funds matter
When unions have amassed
large strike funds, it can force
employers to take the threat
of a strike seriously because it
signals that workers can stay
off the job longer. That, in turn,
can help unions win more of
their demands during contract
negotiations.
Other sources of financial sup-
port during strikes are limited.
www.canadianinquirer.net
Business
based on our findings, is that
in all the localities that we’ve
monitored, rice is available at
the price cap,” he said.
Pascual said the DTI moni-
toring team has seen around 90
to 95 percent price ceiling com-
Two states, New York and
New Jersey, allow workers to
collect unemployment benefits
while they’re on strike. A mea-
sure to adopt a similar policy is
pending in California’s legisla-
ture. But for the most part, U.S.
workers can’t get jobless bene-
fits during strikes.
Charity can play a role as
well, depending on the indus-
try. Some of the screenwriters
and actors who went on strike
in mid-2023 have been getting
support from nonprofits like
the Entertainment Communi-
ty Fund and the SAG-AFTRA
Foundation – to which celebri-
ties like George Clooney, Leon-
ardo DiCaprio, Dwayne “the
Rock” Johnson, Meryl Streep
and Oprah Winfrey have each
given at least $1 million to help
Hollywood workers get by while
they’re not getting paychecks.
United Auto Workers
ready to strike
The UAW says it’s ready to
strike against Ford, Gener-
al Motors and Stellantis – the
company that makes Chrys-
ler vehicles – unless its ne-
25
pliance among retailers.
Aside from making affordable
rice available to consumers, Pas-
cual said EO 39 is also address-
ing anti-competitive market
practices like smuggling, hoard-
ing, and profiteering.
“It’s a solution that is called
for given the circumstances,”
the trade chief said.
“When the price cap was im-
posed, it was not a standalone
measure. This was done alongside
efforts to address issues of hoard-
ing, profiteering, and smuggling.
There are parallel efforts to take
care of these anti-competitive
market actions by involving a
number of agencies like the Phil-
ippine Competition Commission,
the Department of Justice, and
the NBI (National Bureau of In-
vestigation), and also the Bureau
of Customs. These are all meant
to make sure that the supply is
taken care of,” he added. ■
gotiations with the three De-
troit-based automakers results
in a contract by midnight on
Sept. 14, 2023.
The union has committed to
making weekly payments from
its strike fund of $500 per week
if there’s a strike, plus some
benefits. Its members’ pay var-
ies, but the highest earners at
unionized U.S. automotive as-
sembly factories can make up to
$32 an hour – $1,280 per week
– plus benefits.
The UAW has about $825
million in its strike fund. That
money could probably last
for 12 weeks if all of its nearly
150,000 members working for
automakers were to go on strike
at one time. It’s possible that
UAW leaders would prefer to
limit a strike to one or two com-
panies, as opposed to all three,
or to only a few factories, to en-
sure that the workers could stay
on strike longer. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
26
Apple wants to know if you’re happy
or sad as part of its latest software
update. Who will this benefit?
BY PETER KOVAL, The
University of Melbourne,
BENJAMIN TAG, Monash
University, GREG WADLEY,
The University of Melbourne,
XANTHE LOWE-BROWN,
The University of Melbourne
The Conversation
Apple’s iOS 17 operating sys-
tem is expected to drop any day.
The software update comes with
several new features, including a
tool for daily mood and emotion
logging – a technique known to
emotion researchers as “experi-
ence sampling”.
Although there are caveats,
certain mental health studies
have shown that regularly record-
ing one’s feelings can be useful.
However, given the vast amount
of health data Apple already har-
vests from customers, why does
it also want to record their sub-
jective feelings? And how helpful
might this be for users?
How it works
With the latest software up-
date, Apple’s in-built Health app
will allow iPhone, iPad and Apple
Watch users to record how they
feel on a sliding scale from “very
unpleasant” to “very pleasant”.
Users will then select from a
list of adjectives to label their
feelings and indicate which fac-
tors – including health, fitness,
relationships, work, money and
current events – have most in-
fluenced how they feel.
The goal is to give users daily
and weekly summaries of their
feelings, alongside data on fac-
tors that may have influenced
them. Apple claims this will
help users “build emotional
awareness and resilience”.
Why does Apple care about
our feelings?
Apple already collected copi-
ous amounts of health data pri-
or to this update. The iPhone is
equipped with an accelerometer,
Technology
gyroscope, light meter, micro-
phone, camera and GPS, while
the Apple Watch can also record
skin temperature and heart rate.
Why does Apple now want users
to log how they feel as well?
Driven by a range of potential
applications – from fraud detec-
tion to enhanced customer ex-
perience and personalised mar-
keting - the emotion detection
and recognition industry is pro-
jected to be worth US$56 billion
(A$86.9 billion) by 2024. And Ap-
ple is one of numerous technolo-
gy companies that have invested
in trying to detect people’s emo-
tions from sensor recordings.
However, scientists are divid-
ed over whether emotions can
be inferred from such bodily sig-
nals. Research reviews suggest
neither facial expressions nor
physiological responses can be
used to reliably infer what emo-
tions someone is experiencing.
By adding self-report to its
methodological toolkit, Apple
may be recognising that subjec-
tive experience is essential to
understanding human emotion
and, it seems, abandoning the
goal of inferring emotions sole-
ly from “objective” data.
The science behind experi-
ence sampling
Emotions versus moods
Apple’s new feature allows
users to record their feelings
“right now” (labelled emotions)
or “overall today” (designated
moods). Is this a valid distinction?
Although scientific consen-
sus remains elusive, emotions
are typically defined as being
about something: I am angry at
my boss because she rejected
my proposal. On the other hand,
moods are not consciously tied
to specific events: I’m feeling
grumpy, but I don’t know why.
Apple’s two reporting methods
don’t neatly distinguish emotions
from moods, even though they
rely on different cognitive pro-
cesses that can produce divergent
estimates of people’s feelings.
If the new feature allowed
users to independently select
both the time frame (momen-
tary or daily) and type of feeling
(directed emotion or diffuse
mood) being experienced, this
could help make users more
aware of biases in how they re-
member feelings. It may even
help people identify the often
obscure causes of their moods.
Dimensions of feeling
Apple’s feeling slider asks
people how pleasant or unpleas-
ant they feel. This captures the
primary dimension of feeling,
known as valence, but neglects
other essential dimensions.
Moreover, scientists debate
whether pleasantness and un-
pleasantness are opposite sides
of a continuum, as the feature
assumes, or whether they can
co-occur as mixed emotions.
Measuring pleasant and un-
pleasant feelings separately
would allow users to report
mixed feelings, which are com-
mon in everyday life.
Some research also suggests
knowing how pleasant and un-
pleasant someone is feeling can
be used to infer the second fun-
damental dimension of their
feelings, namely their level of
arousal – such as how “tense” or
“calm” they are.
Feeling categories
After they have rated the va-
lence of the feelings, Apple’s
feature asks users to label their
feelings using a list of adjectives
such as “grateful”, “worried”,
“happy” or “discouraged”.
Do these options capture the
breadth of human feelings? The
number of unique emotion cat-
egories – or whether discrete
emotion categories exist at all
– is a topic of ongoing scientific
debate. Yet, Apple’s initial list of
feeling categories provides pret-
ty decent coverage of this space.
www.canadianinquirer.net
What are the benefits?
Apple’s claim that mood and
emotion tracking may improve
users’ wellbeing is not un-
founded. Research has shown
monitoring and labelling feel-
ings enhances people’s ability
to differentiate between emo-
tions, and helps them cope with
distress. Both of these are key
ingredients for healthy psycho-
logical functioning.
Beyond that, emerging re-
search suggests that patterns of
moment-to-moment fluctuations
in people’s everyday feelings may
be useful in predicting who is at
risk of developing depression or
other mental illnesses.
Apple’s history of research
collaboration offers hope that
tracking people’s feelings on a
massive scale may lead to sci-
entific breakthroughs in our
understanding, treatment and
prevention of common mental
health disorders.
What are the risks?
At the same time, Apple is
asking users to hand over yet
more of their personal data – so
we can’t overlook the potential
pitfalls of the new feature.
Apple assures users the
Health app is “designed for pri-
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
vacy and security” with a range
of safeguards, including data
encryption and user control
over data sharing. It guarantees
health data “may not be used
for advertising, marketing, or
sold to data brokers”.
This may sound encouraging,
but Apple’s data privacy record
is far from perfect. The compa-
ny was recently fined by French
authorities for using custom-
ers’ data for targeted advertis-
ing without consent.
Detailed data on users’
self-reported moods and emo-
tions could also potentially be
used for advertising products
and services. The potential for
misuse and commodification
of sensitive mental health data
is real, suggesting a need for
stricter regulation over how
companies collect, store and
use customers’ data.
Before you dive into using
Apple’s new mood and emo-
tion-tracking feature, we’d urge
you to consider whether the
risks outweigh the potential
benefits for you. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Google Chrome just rolled out a
new way to track you and serve
ads. Here’s what you need to know
BY ERICA MEALY, University
of the Sunshine Coast
The Conversation
Late last week, Google an-
nounced something called
the Privacy Sandbox has been
rolled out to a “majority” of
Chrome users, and will reach
100% of users in the coming
months. But what is it, exactly?
The new suite of features rep-
resents a fundamental shift in
how Chrome will track user data
for the benefit of advertisers.
Instead of third-party cookies,
Chrome can now tap directly
into your browsing history to
gather information on advertis-
ing “topics” (more on that later).
In development since 2019,
this change has attracted a great
deal of controversy, as some
commentators have deemed it
invasive in terms of privacy.
Understanding how it works –
and whether you want to opt in or
out – is important, since Chrome
remains the most widely used
browser in the world, with a 63%
market share as of May 2023 (Sa-
fari is in second place with 13%).
Wait, what is a cookie?
In 1994, computer engineer
Lou Montulli at Netscape revolu-
tionised the way we browsed the
internet with his invention of the
“cookie”. For the first time, web
pages could remember our pass-
words, preferences, language set-
tings and even shopping carts.
This method was supposed
to be a private exchange of in-
formation just between a user
and a website – what’s known
as a first-party cookie. But
within two years, advertisers
worked out how to “hack” cook-
Core inflation decline..
❰❰ 24 “But nevertheless,
we continue to see
that the risks to in-
flation outlook have remained
tilted towards the upside both
for this year and for next year,”
he added.
Dakila cited results of its Au-
ies to track users. These are
third-party cookies.
You can think of a first-party
cookie like a shop assistant who
listens to your preferences and
is happy to hold your bags or
clothes while you make your se-
lection – but only while you are
inside their store.
A third-party cookie is like
a bug from an old spy movie.
It listens to everything in your
room, but only shares the info
with its allies. The “spy” can
place this cookie on other peo-
ple’s sites, to record what you
visit and what data you enter.
If you’ve ever wondered how
Facebook has served you an ad
about something related to a
news story you just read, chanc-
es are it’s because you have
third-party cookies enabled.
Unregulated online tracking
and surveillance via cookies were
the default until 2018, when the
European Union’s General Data
Protection Regulations (GDPR)
and the California Consumer
Privacy Act (CCPA) were intro-
duced. If you have noticed more
pop-ups notifying you of cookies
and asking for your informed
consent, you have the GDPR and
CCPA to thank.
The first browsers to turn off
support for third-party cookies
were Apple’s Safari in 2017 and
Mozilla’s Firefox in 2019.
But Google is also a major on-
line advertising company, with
ads making up 57.8% of Goo-
gle’s revenue as of 2023. They
have been slowest off the mark
in turning off third-party cook-
ies in Chrome. With the intro-
duction of the Privacy Sandbox,
they now hope to start turning
cookies off sometime in 2024.
gust 2023 survey among 26 pri-
vate sector economists showing
that although the mean infla-
tion expectations for this year
is unchanged at 5.5 percent,
forecast figures for the next two
years have declined.
BSP data show that the mean
How is the Privacy Sand-
box different from cookies?
The details on how the Pri-
vacy Sandbox collection of
features works are rather tech-
nical. But here are a few of the
most important aspects.
Instead of using third-party
cookies to serve you ads across
the internet, Chrome will provide
something called advertising Top-
ics. These are high-level summa-
ries of your browsing behaviour,
tracked locally (such as in your
browsing history), that compa-
nies can access on request to serve
you ads on particular subjects.
Additionally, there are fea-
tures such as Protected Audience
that can serve you ads for “remar-
keting” (for example, Chrome
tracked you visiting a listing for
a toaster, so now you will get ads
for toasters elsewhere), and At-
tribution Reporting, that gathers
data on ad clicks.
In short, instead of third-party
cookies doing the spying, the fea-
tures these cookies enable will be
available directly within Chrome.
Is user tracking necessari-
ly bad?
While Google pitches the Pri-
vacy Sandbox as something that
will improve user privacy, not
everyone agrees.
If these features are switched
on, Google – one of the world’s
biggest advertising companies
– is essentially able to listen to
you everywhere on the web.
Tracking technology can
arguably benefit us as well. For
example, it could be helpful if
an online store reminds you
every three months you need
a new toothbrush, or that this
time last year you bought a
birthday card for your mum.
forecast for 2024 and 2025
went down to 3.5 percent and
3.4 percent, respectively, from
3.6 percent for both periods in
the previous month’s survey.
Dakila said the BSP “remains
ready to respond as necessary to
any risks that threaten the achieve-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Technology
Offloading cognitive effort,
such as reminders like these,
is a great way automation can
assist humanity. When used in
situations where pinpoint accu-
racy is required, it can make our
lives easier and more pleasant.
However, if you are not com-
fortable with surveillance, the al-
ternative to third-party cookies
may not necessarily be the new
Privacy Sandbox in Chrome.
The alternative is to complete-
ly disable tracking altogether.
What can you do?
If you don’t want your online
activities to be tracked for ad-
vertising purposes, there are a
few straightforward choices.
By far the most private brows-
ers are specialist non-track-
ing browsers that prioritise no
tracking, such as DuckDuckGo
and Brave. But if you don’t want
to get that nerdy, Safari and
Firefox already have third-par-
ty cookies blocked by default.
If you don’t mind some use-
ment of the inflation target.”
He said that “given the role
of supply side factors in influ-
encing the inflation outlook,
the BSP has been vocal in its
support for the government’s
timely non-monetary measures
which remain critical in ad-
27
ful targeted advertising, you
can leave the Chrome Privacy
Sandbox settings on.
If you want to adjust these set-
tings or switch them off, click the
three dots in the upper-right cor-
ner and go to Settings > Privacy
and Security > Ad privacy. It’s un-
clear if toggling these features off
will stop Chrome from collecting
these data altogether, or if it just
won’t share the data with adver-
tisers. You can find out more de-
tails about each feature on the
Google Chrome Help page.
Lastly, it’s good to remember
nothing truly comes for free.
Software costs money to devel-
op. If you’re not paying towards
that, then it’s likely you – or
your data – are the product. We
need to revolutionise how we
think about our own data and
what value it truly holds. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
dressing these supply side pres-
sures that I have mentioned.”
“BSP has been pro-active in
using its expanded toolkit to
address the challenges to infla-
tion,” he added. ■
28
Restaurant Review: The Southern
Charm of H2 Kitchen and Bar
BY MATTE LAUREL-ZALKO
Digest this little fun fact triv-
ia: fifty one years ago in 1972,
worldwide famous celebrity and
eccentric billionaire Howard
Hughes decided to check into
Vancouver’s legendary Westin
Bayshore Hotel. Back in the day,
billionaires weren’t common, let
alone eccentrics! Nevertheless,
it was truly an historic time for a
small port city like Vancouver in
those days. Vancouver was still
developing in the 70’s and de-
cades away from Expo 86 and the
Winter Olympics 2010. Having
someone of international stature
as Howard Hughes was certainly
quite a coup and a publicity boost
for Vancouver or even Canada for
that matter in the 70’s.
Sceptics say that Howard
Hughes chose to hibernate in the
Westin Bayshore Hotel in Van-
couver to avoid taxes but what-
ever his true motives were, How-
ard Hughes for sure (deep down
in his heart) felt that Westin
Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver
was a safe refuge for him at that
time, otherwise he wouldn’t have
stayed for almost six months if it
weren’t enjoyable and safe for
him! Apparently, he even attend-
ed a Canucks game but that re-
mains to be proven.
As a child in the early 80’s in
Vancouver, I had the wonderful
privilege of indulging at Trad-
er Vic’s at the Westin Bayshore
Hotel as a pre-teen — our Mom
used to take us there for lunch
or dinner as a family. It definitely
brings me memories of anything
that’s Hawaiian at its height —
the food, the decor, and the live
music. Westin Bayshore’s Trader
Vic’s was definitely an instant hit
to Vancouver because it offered
Polynesian meals with alcohol. It
was an upscale cuisine that didn’t
have to be French but was never-
theless popular with Vancouver’s
business crowd and its elite. But
that was way back during my pre-
teens in the 80’s — which was
definitely nostalgic!
Fast forward 51 years later in
2023, Westin Bayshore Hotel
has a restaurant named after
the billionaire eccentric him-
self and cleverly named their
restaurant as H2 Kitchen and
Bar, which opened to the pub-
lic in 2016. To be honest, before
booking my private function
at the Westin Bayshore Hotel’s
restaurant, I did an extensive
research and found a couple of
not so favourable reviews, one
of which criticized the hotel’s
choice to name its restaurant
after the eccentric billionaire,
which I found absolutely petty!
I’m not easily dissuaded by
someone’s opinion so I went
ahead and booked my private
function at Westin Bayshore Ho-
tel’s signature restaurant, H2
Kitchen and Bar. As a Lifestyle
Columnist for Canada’s largest
and most influential Filipino Ca-
nadian news website and newspa-
per, I am proud to say that I have
only written restaurant reviews
based on my actual experiences
on each of the restaurants that
I wrote reviews on. Also, I only
choose restaurants of impeccable
reputation. In the past, I’ve only
written actual restaurant reviews
on Vancouver’s finest restaurants
such as Le Crocodile, Kobe Jap-
anese Steakhouse, Nightingale,
Carlino’s, to name a few. Please al-
low me to share with you my first
hand experience that I had with
Westin Bayshore Hotel’s H2
Restaurant and Bar.
Why choose H2 Kitchen
and Bar? According to Westin
Bayshore Hotel’s website, H2
Kitchen and Bar was “designed by
Pitmaster Chef Homer Baisa, H2
Kitchen and Bar’s evolving menu
is an explosion of flavour, featur-
ing grilled and smoked new addi-
tions, including brisket, rotisserie
chicken, pulled pork, and side ribs.
You have to experience their fam-
ily-style comfort foods from their
modern dining hall or expansive
garden-side terrace overlooking
the Coal Harbour Marina and the
North Shore Mountains.” Truly,
what more could one ask for?
Immaculate Service. When
I first reached out to Westin
Bayshore about booking a pri-
vate dinner at their signature
restaurant, H2 Restaurant
and Bar, I was immediately re-
ferred to their Restaurant Man-
agers and was given their email
addresses. From the moment I
reached out to Denis Durand,
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY
H2 Restaurant and Bar’s Assis- Bayshore sure does an impres- diversity by presenting a Filipi-
tant Restaurant Manager down sive job of training their staff! no dish! That’s amazing!
to the final execution of my pri- Denis and his team delivered an Three selections of ex-
vate dinner event, everything exemplary service! Kudos! quisite appetisers. For our
was organised close to perfec- Perfect Start of the evening group’s appetisers, we were
tion! A huge thanks and appre- with bubbly and a delicious given a choice of three start-
ciation to Denis and his team. surprise! Denis recommended ers: smoked kalbi short ribs
Denis communicated with me that our group start our evening — tender ribs seasoned in cu-
all throughout the whole pro- with Mionetto Prosecco Trev- cumbers, scallions, and sesame
cess on booking and organising iso Brut and I must say, it was seeds served with atchara pick-
my private dinner event. He was a great recommendation! This les; firecracker shrimps — ja-
totally hands on and extremely award-winning Prosecco did not lapeño shrimps seasoned with
helpful. He suggested wines to disappoint! It offered vivid fruit sesame seeds and scallions and
choose from and the whole three character and persistent effer- chilies; SoCal greens — fresh
course menu. At the same time, vescence. You can definitely de- field greens with goat’s cheese,
he was transparent with me in tect notes of Asian pear, honey strawberries pecan pralines,
regard to letting me know about with pleasant stone fruit, choco- avocados, red onions, radishes
their ongoing crisis at that time late and mineral hints. and Dijon maple dressing.
— a possible employee strike. This bubbly Prosecco was Personally, I chose the fire-
Denis kept me on the loop and served with mouthwatering and cracker shrimps and it was
updated the whole time on the delicious Chicharonnes. This cooked just the way I like it! The
status of the hotel employees’ classic Westin Bayshore ver- shrimps were crunchy and the fla-
imminent strike. All throughout, sion of Chicharonnes is served vours were outstanding! My hus-
Denis remained positive that the as deep-fried pork skin which is band chose the SoCal greens and
Management will reach an ami- from the pork belly and is excel- again, it did not disappoint. It was
cable agreement with the Union lently seasoned and marinated refreshing and all the ingredients
and the employees. As a former in its own fat until the skin is tasted organic and healthy. One
hotelier myself, I’ve always been crispy to flawlessness. It came of our guests chose the smoked
cognizant of the Westin brand. with chilli and vinegar sauce on kalbi short ribs and according
I’ve always known that the the side. It was a treat to find to her, the ribs were meaty and
Westin Group of Hotels were not out that Westin employs Filipi- moist and it arrived with that dis-
limited to the top notch quality no chefs in their team and were tinctive sweet smoky smell.
of products and services they of- given a free hand to showcase H2 Kitchen and Bar lives
fer; they are also well-known for
being fair employers and always
on the lookout for the well-be-
ing of their employees. Indeed, I
was right. In a short time, Westin
Bayshore Hotel reached a fair
and a mutually beneficial agree-
ment with its employees. Thus,
our private dinner event went
smoothly. Yay!
I have to give a five star salute
to Denis Durand in handling
my requests and making sure
that my private dinner event is
handled correctly. Before the
event itself, Denis had a meet-
ing with the entire staff and re-
layed my special requests and
instructions. I must say that on
the night of the event, the ser-
vice was utterly faultless and
smooth. It was what I expected
from a Westin brand of hotel
and restaurant service.
Our food attendant for that
evening, Renee delivered the
utmost service anyone could
have hoped and wished for. Also,
Denis rolled up his sleeves; he
also helped on serving our group Vancouver’s legendary Westin Bayshore Hotel. (PHOTO COURTESY OF WESTIN
with drinks and food. Westin BAYSHORE HOTEL)
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
up to its reputation as Van-
couver’s best Southern style
Cuisine and smokehouse
restaurant. For our private
dining event, we were given four
different main courses to choose
from: Cab Smoked Beef Bris-
ket served with waffle fries and
coleslaw; Rotisserie Chicken
served with mashed potatoes and
market vegetables; Pan-seared
Salmon served with succotash
and smoked yoghurt chimich-
urri; Ribs and Chicken combo
served with Macaroni Cheese
and homemade cornbread. One
of my closest friends chose the
Cab smoked beef brisket and
she said the meat was cooked
tender with saporous seasonings;
my husband had the Rotisserie
chicken and he was delighted
that it was not dry; it was excep-
tionally succulent; and it was fla-
voured to sublimity!
One of the guys had the Pan-
seared salmon and noted how
fresh and briny it was and had
a buttery and creamy flavour
which melted in his mouth. For
myself, I chose the Ribs and
chicken combo and I devoured
my main course with much
gusto! The ribs are lean and
the meat came off the bones so
easily! The sauce complement-
ed the natural delicious taste
of the ribs. The chicken had a
crispy skin on the outside and
the most tender, juicy meat on
the inside! Oh, the ideal combi-
nation of ribs and chicken was
totally out of this world! I kid
you not. I’m not exaggerating!
Impeccable choice of Wines.
For our wines, Denis highly rec-
ommended the Dorrance Cin-
sault Rosé ‘21 and the Chenin
Blanc Voigner white wine.
Both wines were a perfect choice
to go with our chosen main cours-
es. It suited the sunny weather
and both were of great quality
blends. The Chenin Blanc is me-
Cab smoked beef brisket. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR.)
dium bodied and crisp, showing
elegant honeydew on the palate
whereas the Dorrance Cinsault
Rosé was smooth and elegant
with summer fruit flavours.
Ending on a sweet note. For
desserts, we had three choices
of the very best of H2’s dessert
options! Our private dinner defi-
nitely ended on a high and sweet
note. We had three choices to in-
dulge in: Banana pudding jar,
which is essentially a butter cake
made of pecan praline beautiful-
ly presented on a jar; Martha’s
Mississippi Mud Pie, which is
a perfect concoction of frozen
mocha mousse, chocolate cook-
ie crust and homemade espresso
crumble; and Apple Caramel
Cheesecake, which is a New
York style cheesecake with vanil-
la shortbread crust, stewed ap-
ples, oat crumble, served with va-
nilla ice cream and brandy snap.
One of my friends ordered
Martha’s Mississippi mud pie
and she attested that the unique
combination of frozen mocha
mousse and cookie crust was
akin to being in heaven on earth!
My husband had the Apple Car-
amel cheesecake and he said it
was awesome and that the density
was just right. As for me, I couldn’t
stop eating my Banana pudding
jar, it totally mesmerised me and
it wasn’t sickly sweet at all — it had
just the right amount of sweet-
ness to it! Do you know that feel-
ing of being comatose because
you indulged in sinfully delicious
food? Yup, that night, I was totally
guilty of that!
The Ambiance. We were in-
credibly fortunate to book our
table at the poolside during sum-
mer. It was such a fun and invig-
orating experience overall! The
duo who sang live outdoors was
amazing! They sang such pop
contemporary hits like “Flow-
ers” by Miley Cyrus which had all
of us ladies dancing on our feet! I
am quite surprised that with all
these wonderful offerings, H2
Kitchen and Bar seems (to my
group and I), a hidden gem wait-
ing to be discovered by the rest
of Vancouverites! We are just so
fortunate to have experienced
the best of the very best which
is (surprisingly) still largely un-
known to most Vancouverite
foodies. Imagine dining amidst
the poolside, the beautiful gar-
dens, and vibrant live music —
utterly precious! Suffice to say,
we were all extremely impressed.
You should definitely try what
we experienced during summer
but even in winter, I can definitely
assure you (also based on our past
dining experience), H2 Kitch-
en and Bar will still captivate
you and your guests indoors with
their live bands, unblemished
service and delicious food. To be
honest, H2 Kitchen and Bar is a
notch above its neighbour restau-
rants, Cardero’s and Lift Bar Grill
(incidentally, the owner of Lift is
a neighbour of my Mom’s). And
to think that I used to frequent
Cardero’s and Lift Bar Grill!
As an avid restaurant review-
er, please take it from me when
I say that we (my guests and I)
totally rate H2 Kitchen and
Bar a plus five-star review — it
definitely far exceeded our ex-
pectations and moreover, the
sterling service came from the
heart — you can’t beat that.
I used to be a hotelier with
vast work experience from the
best of the very best. I used to
work for the Peninsula Ho-
tels Group, the Sofitel Hotels
Group, and the Rosewood Ho-
tels Group. These hotels offer
you the utmost leisure when it
comes to food, beverages and
services. And now, I have to add
to these hotels, The Westin Ho-
tels Group. Indeed, the Westin
Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver
will not dash your hopes when
Apple Caramel Cheesecake. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR.)
www.canadianinquirer.net
it comes to delivering the finest
in food, beverages, and services.
Vancouverites, what are you
waiting for? I say, be more adven-
turous and get out of your usu-
al Yaletown dining haunts, and
head towards the Coal Harbour
neighbourhood! Hello, the uni-
verse is summoning you towards
H2 Kitchen and Bar — a genu-
inely fun and delectable culinary
journey to be had! By the way,
this is not a paid advertisement;
I’m just a gal who is a foodie by
heart. I always want to share my
true to life adventures as a foodie.
I love eating and I love to pam-
per myself with five star service.
My column “Maria in Vancou-
ver” aims to share with you real
life experiences when it comes
to food, beverages, services,
health, wellness, and travel — a
lifestyle which I’m truly at home
with having been a hotelier and
a restaurateur with over twenty
years’ of work history.
Thus, I leave you with this de-
licious food for thought by the
CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh: “Cus-
tomer service shouldn’t just be a
department, it should be the entire
company.” And if I may boldly
add: To give real service you must
add something which cannot be
bought or measured with money,
and that is sincerity and integri-
ty — which the Westin Group
of Hotels certainly has. Most
especially, the Westin Bayshore
Hotel in Vancouver. And based on
our recent dining escapade, I can
honestly say that my friends and I
had an absolute blast dining at H2
Kitchen and Bar! A truly memora-
ble culinary adventure indeed. ■
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).
29
Wilko: what insolvency..
❰❰ 24 The bargain retail
sector is highly com-
petitive and has a his-
tory of such carve-ups. In 2008,
Woolworths failed and nearly a
quarter of its 800 stores were
acquired by the very names now
linked to Wilko: Poundland and
B&M. There is also a strong
possibility that some of Wilko’s
stores may not be bought – 300
former Woolworths stores re-
mained empty after it collapsed.
Woolworths was subject to a
similar business rescue strategy
as Wilko is now experiencing.
Back in 2008, Poundland, the 99p
Stores Chain, B&M, and Pound-
stretcher shared out many of its
shops. For the companies in this
group that remain in 2023 (the
99p Stores was bought by Pound-
land in 2015), various financial
problems have been a feature of
this highly volatile market.
Is failure inevitable?
Wilko is in administration sim-
ply because its competitors do
what it does, but better. They offer
out of town premises, increasing
convenience to shoppers with
larger warehouses for a greater
range of products. They also buy
in bulk, which means cheaper
prices. Wilko, which has suffered
from supply chain issues recently,
has simply failed to keep up.
The process by which compa-
nies are replaced by new more
efficient companies over time
is called creative destruction.
It may upset nostalgia-lovers,
but it plays an important role
in ensuring financially troubled
companies do not continue to
operate indefinitely while their
debts increase. Companies and
their directors can be held ac-
countable to creditors, which
can include taking action to
limit financial losses. In that re-
spect, insolvency acts as a way
to prevent losses spiralling out
of control.
In time, almost every com-
pany will be subject to financial
distress and a large portion of
those companies will inevitably
fail. At the moment, however,
Wilko’s rivals are surviving, and
their survival rates will increase
for the time being, as Wilko’s
customers shift their spending
power over to these other bud-
get brands. ■
This article is republished
from The Conversation under a
Creative Commons license.
30 SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FRIDAY

DOTr: Direct flights from Thailand to
PH tourist destinations doable
BY WILNARD BACELONIA
Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Department of
Transportation (DOTr) Sec-
retary Jaime Bautista assured
senators on Tuesday that he
will work with the Department
of Tourism in creating available
direct flights from tourist desti-
nations in Thailand to the Phil-
ippines and vice versa.
During the budget delibera-
tion of the DOTr and its attached
agencies, Senate President Juan
Miguel Zubiri shared the idea he
got from his recent meeting with
Thai Ambassador to the Philip-
pines Tull Traisorat.
"For example, kung may pu-
punta ng (for those who travel
to) Thailand and they want to
go to the Philippines or they
want to go to the Philippines
and can go to Thailand. Ang
tawag dito ay 'Paradise Island'
Travel
destination kasi may mga ta-
ga-Europe, America (They call
it 'Paradise Island' destination
because there are Europeans,
Americans, they want to go to
the Southeast Asia. They want to
travel as much as they can, hindi
lang isang bansa (not only one
country)," Zubiri told the panel
chaired by Sen. Grace Poe.
"He was suggesting that it
would be fantastic if there can
be a Boracay to Phuket direct
flight or Ko Samui to Cebu di-
rect flight. In that way, that
would be wonderful because
the tourists don't have to go to
Manila and then they have to
take another flight," he added.
Bautista said the idea is doable
especially if flights can be booked
outside Metro Manila and as-
sured as well that he will talk it out
with the local airline companies.
"We can do that but we have to
work with the airlines. It's real-
ly the airlines who will operate.
They will see to it that they will
be profitable, of course," he said.
Prior to the pandemic, Zubi-
ri said he was told by Traisorat
that Thailand was recording 12
to 14 million tourist arrivals.
"Ang sabi niya (He said) if the
Philippines works this out, you
can even get 10 to 20 percent of
that because if they go to Thai-
land, they might want also to
visit the islands of the Philip-
pines. Imagine 20 percent of 14
million. That's a lot of addition-
al tourists from those who come
to the Philippines," Zubiri said.
"Let's probably work that
out. Maybe we can come up
with a program. I can mention
that to the President tonight. As
we you know, we will all be on
his birthday tonight," he added.
Zubiri on Monday received
Traisorat and planned about pos-
sible cultural activities to com-
memorate the 75th anniversary
of bilateral relations of the Phil-
ippines and Thailand in 2024.
They also discussed plans to
strengthen cooperation, espe-
cially in agriculture, tourism
and inter-parliamentary ties
through the newly-established
Philippine-Thailand Parlia-
mentary Friendship Associa-
tion in the Philippine Senate.
Zubiri also extended a cor-
dial invitation for Thailand to
participate in the 31st Annu-
al Meeting of the Asia Pacific
Parliamentary Forum sched-
uled in November where Trai-
sorat gave his assurances that
a high-level Thai delegation
would be attending. ■

Antique opens permanent

one-stop-shop tourism center
BY ANNABEL CONSUELO
PETINGLAY
Philippine News Agency
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVIS-
TA, Antique – A one-stop-shop
tourism center is now ready to
cater to tourists who want to
know and explore various desti-
nations in Antique.
On Friday, the province inau-
gurated its Tourist Information
Center (TIC) at the old capitol
building as part of the activities
of the Tourism Month celebra-
tion this September.
“I hope that with the TIC, An-
tique’s tourism could be put on
a map in Western Visayas, and
even in the country,” Gover-
nor Rhodora Cadiao said in her
message during the launching
ceremony.
Personnel of the Antique
Provincial Tourism and Cul-
tural Affairs Office (APTCAO)
will be assigned to the center to
respond to queries on destina-
tions and available transporta-
tion, among others.
Tourists could also get tour-
ism brochures and a glimpse
of the destinations in the 18
municipalities through the pic-
tures mounted inside the TIC.
Cadiao said the tourism in-
dustry of the province has flour-
ished after the pandemic.
APTCAO data showed a total
of 72,877 tourist arrivals from
January to June 2023.
The tourist arrivals have
been constantly increasing
from 10,577 in 2020, 22,662 in
2021 and 76,369 last year.
“We have (a) diverse topog-
raphy attractive to tourists,”
Cadiao said.
The notable destinations in-
clude the Malandog River in
Barangay Malandog in Hamtic
town which, according to his-
tory, is the first Malay settle-
ment in the country, and where
life-size statues of the 10 Malay
datus (chieftain) are mounted,
Mararison in the municipality
of Culasi known for its white
powdery beach sand, and An-
www.canadianinquirer.net
TOURISM CENTER. Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao (3rd from left) cuts the rib-
bon during the opening of the Tourist Information Center (TIC) at the old capitol
building in San Jose de Buenavista as part of the celebration of Tourism Month on
Friday (Sept. 8, 2023). Cadiao, in her message, said Antique has a diverse topog-
raphy, which is attractive to tourists. (ANNABEL CONSUELO J. PETINGLAY/PNA)
ingalan in the town of San Re- ing Christmas holiday and the
migio with its cool climate and Binirayan Festival.
beautiful mountain scenery. Aside from the TIC, they will
APTCAO head Juan Car- also launch the Search for a
los Perlas said the TIC is open “Datu kang Antique” (Chieftain
during office hours on week- of Antique), who will serve as
days, but they will work out to the tourism ambassador of the
have it operational even during province as part of the Tourism
weekends, especially this com- Month celebration. ■
 SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
JULY 17, 2023 cx328
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