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pcinews_X APRIL 19, 2024 www.canadianinquirer.net VOL. 8 NO. 586
RESILIENCE
A mobile food vendor makes a stop at the corner of Kamuning Road in Quezon City on Tuesday (April 16, 2024). The heat index in the city reached 40 degrees Celsius.
ROBERT OSWALD P. ALFILER / PNA
SC asks Senate 20
to comment on
Quiboloy’s petition Can playing Tetris help prevent
PTSD if you’ve witnessed
something traumatic?
BY BENJAMIN PULTA
Philippine News Agency
arrest order against him.
SC spokesperson Camille Sue Mae L. 26
Ting told reporters Wednesday that the
court order did not include an outright `
MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) restraining order against the Senate Canada’s Arctic defence
has ordered the Senate to comment on while the court hears the case. policy update: All flash,
Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader "The (SC) order was for the parties to no bang Can AI read our minds?
Apollo Quiboloy's petition to stop the
❱❱ PAGE 6 SC asks Senate Probably not, but that doesn’t
legislative chamber from enforcing its PAGE 11 mean we shouldn’t be worried
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FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 Philippine News 3
Marcos to media: Continue exposing illegal,

aggressive actions in WPS
BY DARRYL JOHN has undertaken global develop- against the misinformation be- ists and media practitioners to ing flu-like symptoms.
ESGUERRA ment and prosperity over the ing spread allegedly by pro-Chi- perform their jobs without re- The Chief Executive’s father,
Philippine News Agency previous century,” Marcos said nese trolls on social media to striction as he emphasized the former president Ferdinand
in his opening speech. downplay Chinese aggression. relevance of a critical press in Marcos Sr., started the tradi-
“We must do everything to Commodore Jay Tarriela, the country. tion and was the first Philippine
MANILA – President Ferdi- defend our shores, exercise our spokesperson of the Philippine “Unlike many of my predeces- leader to grace it 50 years ago.
nand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday sovereign rights and jurisdic- Coast Guard (PCG), said the sors, I do not seek collaboration, Defending press freedom
appealed to the media to con- tion, and uphold the national NTF-WPS is taking on a trans- for that implies a surrender of The President, likewise,
tinue exposing what he brand- interest,” he added. parency strategy to combat the your independence. I am of the pounced on the opportunity to re-
ed as “illegal and aggressive” ac- According to the President, fake news being propagated opinion that national interest is new his vow to continue defend-
tions in the West Philippine Sea the rule of law and the global online to sow confusion among better served by a press that is ing press freedom in the Philip-
(WPS) that are detrimental to consensus are now the Philip- Filipinos on the West Philip- critical rather than a press that pines and to continue protecting
the country’s sovereign rights. pines’ “greatest tool” in secur- pine Sea issue. is cooperative,” Marcos said. and ensuring the welfare of media
In a media forum organized ing its maritime territory. ‘PH better served by criti- The President said that noth- practitioners in the country.
by the Foreign Correspondents The National Task Force on cal press’ ing should stop members of the “As President, I will seek this
Association of the Philippines the West Philippine Sea (NTF- In the same speech, the Pres- media from imparting the truth forum, not only to explain our
(FOCAP) for its 50th anniver- WPS) recently warned the public ident also encouraged journal- to the public. policies, but to renew my vow
sary, Marcos emphasized the “It (the press) must have the to what I deeply believe in: That
crucial role of the press in un- untrammeled freedom to do its the President’s role is to defend
covering the truth in the dis- work, not just to arm the citi- press freedom, and not lead in
puted waterways as he noted zenry with the truth, but also to destroying it or demeaning its
that the Philippines “has been deepen discernment in this age practitioners,” he said.
on the receiving end of illegal, of mass disinformation. In fact, President Marcos said his
aggressive, and irresponsible this has been the hallmark of duty was not to ask special fa-
actions” in the West Philippine FOCAP’s relationship with the vors, but only fairness which
Sea in recent years. presidency and the government everyone deserves from the
“It is crucial that the me- for this half century,” he said. Fourth Estate.
dia, including the members of Marcos is the first president The President also lauded the
FOCAP, to continue to expose to attend the annual FOCAP FOCAP for living up to the pub-
these actions that not only forum in nine years. He was lic trust without compromising
threaten the peace and stabili- initially scheduled to attend their principles in a manner
ty in the region but also under- the forum on March 21 but was that is “fair but nuanced, bal-
mine the rules-based order that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PCO) forced to cancel after develop- anced but critical.” ■
Marcos: PH biggest drug haul proof

bloodless drive working
BY DARRYL JOHN “This is the biggest shipment the entry of illegal drugs in the do what we are doing,” he added. Police said the driver of the
ESGUERRA of shabu na nahuli natin (that country),” he added. The President also warned passenger van was immediately
Philippine News Agency we have confiscated). But not The President said authorities members of drug syndicates, arrested and charged with the vio-
one person died. Walang nama- are now tracing the source of the saying state forces would soon lation of the Comprehensive Dan-
tay, walang nagputukan, walang illegal drugs, pointing out that they catch up with them. gerous Drugs Act of 2002, and is
MANILA – The seizure of nasaktan. Basta’t in-operate were not locally manufactured. "Bahala kayo sa ginagawa currently under police custody.
about two tons of methamphet- natin na dahan-dahan (No one Pressed if the presence of the ninyo basta't tuluy-tuloy lang Authorities said the Alitagtag
amine, locally known as shabu, died, there's no gunfight, no one large amount of drugs should kami. Aabutan din namin kayo. drug seizure is the largest sin-
worth PHP13.3 billion in Batan- is injured. We just operated pre- trigger a change in government Maliit lang ang Pilipinas (We gle drug haul in the country's
gas, which authorities claimed as cisely),” Marcos told reporters. tactics against drugs, Marcos will not relent in our efforts. We history, surpassing the previous
the biggest drug haul in history, “‘Yun naman dapat ang said: “No, quite the contrary.” will catch up with you eventu- record of 1,589 tea bags of shabu
was a resounding proof that the approach. Para sa akin, ‘yun “Look at the success that we ally. The Philippines is a small worth PHP11 billion seized in
government’s anti-drug policies naman dapat ang approach have gained. As I’ve said, not country)," Marcos said. Infanta, Quezon in March 2022.
are working, President Ferdi- para sa drug war na ang pina- only this 1.8 tons, the many, Police Capt. Luis de Luna Jr., Latest government data
nand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday. ka-importante is matigil natin many tons that we have already Alitagtag police chief, they were showed that a total of 36,803
In a short press briefing af- ang pag-ship ng mga drugs dito seized. So, it’s much more than it conducting a regular check- operations have been launched
ter inspecting the confiscated sa pag-pasok dito sa Pilipinas has been in the past. So, it is the point in Barangay Pinagku- from July 2022 to December
drugs in Alitagtag town, Marcos (That should be the approach. most successful approach to the rusan on Monday when they 2023, resulting in the arrest of
lauded the authorities for the For me, that should be the ap- drug war so far,” Marcos said. flagged down a suspicious pas- 49,700 drug suspects, of which,
successful operation and for proach of the drug war and the “So, why will we change it? We senger van, resulting in the sei-
not resorting to violence. focus should be about stopping won’t change it. We’ll continue to zure of the illegal drugs. ❱❱ PAGE 11 Marcos: PH biggest
4 Philippine News APRIL 19, 2024 FRIDAY
Senate leader Police must cancel

assures passage of Quiboloy firearms license
10 priority bills – senator
before SONA BY WILNARD BACELONIA
sa kanya (His armed soldiers
are active and ready to die for
him). The PNP should confis-
“I urge the new PNP chief,
Gen. Rommel Marbil, to step
up. There could be a failure of
BY WILNARD BACELONIA ity measures that are expected cate these firearms at once,” intelligence if it takes this long
Philippine News Agency to be passed soon are the Phil- MANILA – Senator Risa Hon- Hontiveros said. to locate Quiboloy’s where-
ippine Ecosystem and Natural tiveros on Monday urged abouts. Along with his pri-
Capital Accounting System the Philippine National vate army, he is a threat
MANILA – Senate Majori- Act, Negros Island Region Act Police (PNP) to revoke the to peace and order in the
ty Leader Joel Villanueva on (already adopted by the House firearms license of King- country,” Hontiveros said.
Tuesday said the Senate is set of Representatives), Anti-Fi- dom of Jesus Christ pastor Meanwhile, Senator
to approve 10 bills when session nancial Account Scamming Apollo Quiboloy amid cir- Quiboloy is Robinhood Padilla said in
resumes on April 29. Act (currently in the period culating photos and videos a press briefing that cancel-
Congress has less than one of amendments), New Gov- of the alleged training of
armed and ing Quiboloy's firearms li-
month of plenary sessions be- ernment Procurement Act his private army. dangerous. cense should undergo “due
fore the 2nd Regular Session (currently in the period of in- In a statement, Honti- process.”
adjourns sine die on May 24. terpellations), Blue Economy veros noted that despite Nevertheless, he urged his
The 3rd regular session of the Act, and the Enterprise-Based Quiboloy registering 19 "friend" and "compatriot"
19th Congress will coincide with Education and Training Frame- firearms, the PNP initial- to show up and deal with his
the third State of the Nation Ad- work Act. ly hesitated to label him court cases.
dress (SONA) of President Fer- "I feel very confident that we "armed and dangerous" due to She also reiterated the ur- Padilla said he is praying that
dinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 24. will be able to pass these," Vil- lack of previous violence or pri- gency of apprehending Qui- Quiboloy will surrender to au-
"Medyo maliit yung (There is lanueva said. vate armed group records. boloy, who has two warrants of thorities “safely and peacefully.”
quite a small) time window to Meanwhile, Villanueva con- “Quiboloy is armed and dan- arrest, and expressed concern Under study
pass as much as we can, especial- siders the Reserve Officers' gerous. Buhay na buhay ang about the threat he and his Meanwhile, Philippine Na-
ly our priority measures. We are Training Corps (ROTC) Act mga armadong sundalo niya na private army pose to national
looking at least mga sampung and the Waste to Energy Act as handang magpakamatay para peace and order. ❱❱ PAGE 6 Police must cancel
(about 10) bills ready for the bills that still have to undergo
President's signature before the "heavy debates."
SONA so that it will become a Senate President Juan Mi-
PLDT, OFBank to provide

law," Villanueva said during the guel Zubiri earlier assured that
Kapihan sa Senado forum. the proposed ROTC Act will be
He said some of these bills one of their priorities as soon as
are now under the scrutiny session resumes.
of the bicameral conference,
which include the Philippine
Maritime Zones Act, Real Prop-
"Yan po ay ita-tackle din
(These will also be tackled), but I
would say ‘best efforts’ to act on
OFWs with secure
banking abroad
erty Valuation Assessment it whether it will pass or not kasi
Reform Act, Anti-Agricultural may mga (because there are)
Economic Sabotage Act, and reservations," Villanueva said,
Self-Reliant Defense Posture admitting that he is one of the
Revitalization Act. senators that want “more clarifi- BY RAYMOND CARL DELA commitment to fostering a sus- Aside from mobile banking,
Villanueva said other prior- cations” on the said measures. ■ CRUZ tainable future for overseas Fil- overseas Filipinos can use TIN-
Philippine News Agency ipinos and their families. It also BO to buy load, pay bills, food
adds to our portfolio of services vouchers, e-gifts, healthcare
that address the financial needs PINs from mWell, and gaming
MANILA – PLDT Glob- and uplift the lives of Filipinos PINs for their families back in
al Corporation (PLDT Glob- abroad,” Villa-Real said. the Philippines.
al) and the Overseas Filipino TINBO users with regis- “With proper knowledge and
Bank (OFBank) have teamed tered Smart virtual numbers tools, overseas Filipino work-
up to help bring secure banking (SVN) can use banking services ers can ensure that their hard-
to overseas Filipino workers through the OFBank mobile earned money will not be put
(OFW) and tourists even when app and receive one-time PINs to waste and will bring lasting
they are abroad. (OTP) through their SVN for benefits for themselves and
In a statement on Tuesday, secure mobile banking even their families,” he said.
PLDT Global president and outside the country. The OFBank is a subsidiary of
chief executive officer Albert Vil- “We are elated that our exist- the Landbank of the Philippines
la-Real said Filipinos can avail of ing and prospective clients will and is the official digital bank of
these features and more under be able to own SVNs and use the the Philippine government.
the one-stop online marketplace same for OTPs, without the inter- It is the first branchless and
“Tindahan ni Bossing (TINBO).” vention of consolidators and even digital-only banking institution
“This exciting collaboration perhaps, regulatory controls in in the country. ■
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva (SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES/FACEBOOK) further strengthens our shared their host countries,” he said.
FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 5
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DSWD pays tribute P39 per kilo rice

to solo parents available at
BY ZALDY DE LAYOLA
ners the theme “Solo Parent na
Rehistrado, sa Gobyerno Tiyak
days of paid parental leave re-
gardless of work status.
‘Kadiwa ng Pangulo’
in Metro Manila
na Protektado!”, which aims to “The DSWD is also pilot-test-
encourage solo parents to reg- ing the Strengthening Oppor-
MANILA – The Department of ister in their respective local tunities for Lone Parents or
Social Welfare and Development government units (LGUs) for Program SOLo. This introduc-
(DSWD) is set to hold a two-day them to avail of the benefits and es innovations on psychosocial BY RUTH ABBEY GITA- walk Village, Parañaque City on
trade bazaar for entrepreneur incentives for solo parents. interventions to ensure emo- CARLOS April 19.
solo parents on April 18 and 19 to Republic Act 11861 or the Ex- tional support, alternative care Philippine News Agency Various products will like-
pay tribute to all of their sacrific- panded Solo Parents Welfare arrangements for solo parents wise be available at Camella
es and determination in provid- Act declares the 3rd week as and their children/depen- Homeowners Association in
ing the best for their children and well as the 3rd Saturday of April dents,” Dumalo said. MANILA – Metro Manila Merville Village, Parañaque on
other dependents. as “Solo Parents Week” and DSWD is the lead agency of residents may buy cheaper rice April 20, Garafil said.
In a news release Wednes- “National Solo Parents Day”, the solo parents’ Inter-Agency sold at PHP39 per kilo at Kad- The cheaper rice was also
day, DSWD spokesperson Irene respectively, to highlight the Coordinating and Monitoring iwa ng Pangulo (KNP) stores sold at KNP stalls at Verdant
Dumlao said the trade bazaar will role and significance of every Committee (IACMC). in select cities of Metro Manila covered court in Pamplona, Las
be held at the DSWD Central Of- solo parent in the Philippines. The DSWD, Dumlao said, is this month, Malacañang an- Piñas City on Tuesday.
fice in Quezon City along with a Under the law, the bene- committed to overseeing the ef- nounced on Tuesday. Garafil advised Metro Manila
general assembly for solo parent fits provided to solo parents fective implementation of the law “The Kadiwa ng Pangulo is residents to visit DA’s official
employees on Thursday to cele- include monthly subsidy and in line with the directive of Pres- selling rice at PHP39 per kilo in Facebook page and social me-
brate the Solo Parents Week. PhilHealth coverage for mini- ident Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to Metro Manila, along with oth- dia pages of other government
Dumlao, assistant secretary for mum wage earners; discounts secure the welfare of solo parents er commodities like fresh and agencies for the full schedule
Disaster Response Management on baby’s milk, diapers, med- and to ensure that they and other quality fruits and vegetables,” and venue for the KNP stores.
Group, said the department is one icines, vaccines for their chil- vulnerable sectors are not left be- Presidential Communications Citing the sales summary report
with the nation in recognizing the dren under 6 years old and 7 hind in development. ■ Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy as of April 15, Garafil said, Kadiwa
dedication, hard work, and sacri- Garafil said in a statement. organizers posted total sales of
fices of solo parents. “The Department of Agri- PHPP2.9 million from various lo-
“Solo parents, despite being culture (DA) has invited Metro cations in Metro Manila.
part of the vulnerable sector, are Manila residents to grab the op- “Rice was the most sought-af-
considered icons of love, bravery, portunity and avail of the prod- ter commodity. In Barangay
and strength in our society. They ucts sold at the KNP that runs Central in Quezon City, to-
have shown courage in fulfilling this month in the National Cap- tal rice sales amounted to
the very challenging responsi- ital Region (NCR),” she added. PHP519,675, while in Barangay
bility of raising their children Garafil said KNP stalls will be Addition Hills in Mandaluyong
alone. Hence, it is crucial that we open at the Employees Park in City, total rice sales reached
continue to support them with Taguig City Hall; People’s Park PHP1.5 million,” Garafil said.
necessary interventions to help along McArthur Highway in “In Barangay Sta. Rosa, Pa-
them cope with the difficulties of Malinta, Valenzuela City; and sig City, rice sales reached
parenthood,” Dumlao said. Manila City Hall inner court PHP248,625; Barangay Dulong
The Solo Parents Week is cel- At least a thousand individuals in Maco, Davao de Oro receive PHP3,000 each from until April 17. Bayan, San Jose del Monte City,
ebrated every April 15 to 21 of the regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development through She said there will also be Bulacan, PHP201,825; Navo-
the year. the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program on Thursday (May 25, 2023). KNP stores at Romvi Subdivi-
This year’s celebration ban- (ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PNA) sion covered court in Moon- ❱❱ PAGE 11 P39 per kilo
Police must cancel.. SC asks Senate..

❰❰ 4 tional Police spokes- arms registration. But we have ❰❰ 1 comment (on the peti- courts in Davao City and Pasig "We certainly will comply
person Col. Jean Fa- to understand that we have to tion)," Ting said, adding City over alleged sexual abuse with the directive of the SC,
jardo said they are also consider what are the re- that the Senate has 10 and qualified human traffick- cognizant of the principle of
studying the lawmaker’s call. quirements and areas of con- days upon receipt of the notice. ing, respectively. separation of powers and with
Fajado said Quiboloy’s li- sideration in terms of the pro- Last March 19, Senate Pres- Ready to respond only the highest respect for our
cense to own and possess fire- visions of Republic Act 10591 ident Juan Miguel Zubiri ap- Senate Deputy Minority institutions.”
arms (LTOPF) falls under Cat- (Comprehensive Firearms and proved the arrest order against Leader Risa Hontiveros ex- Hontiveros, however, said
egory 5, which allows him to Ammunition Regulation Act), Quiboloy for “unduly refusing pressed her readiness to ad- that her office has not yet re-
have more than 15 firearms. particularly the reasons for the to appear” before the chamber’s dress the directive of the Su- ceived the SC order.
“The FEO (Firearms and cancellation of a gun’s license inquiry into allegations of sexu- preme Court. The lawmaker assured that as
Explosives Office) is studying and registration,” she added. al abuse. "Handa ako para sagutin ang soon as she receives the notice,
whether the qualified human Fajardo said the FEO is also The religious leader went to anumang utos ng Korte Supre- she will “study, deliberate, and
trafficking and child sexual looking into allegations that the the SC, asking for the nullifica- ma (I am ready to comply with respond to it” with the help of her
abuse charges filed against him embattled preacher is main- tion of the Senate’s arrest order. whatever the Supreme Court counsel, former Senior Associate
are enough grounds to revoke taining a private armed group. Quiboloy is also facing crimi- orders)," Hontiveros said in a Justice Antonio Carpio. (with
his LTOPF, as well as his fire- (with Lloyd Caliwan/PNA) ■ nal charges before regional trial statement. Wilnard Bacelonia/PNA) ■
FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 Philippine News 7
Bill seeks to penalize unauthorized

use, sale of ‘wang-wang’
BY WILNARD BACELONIA employees from using sirens protecting life and property
Philippine News Agency and blinkers. and promoting general wel-
Villanueva emphasized that fare,” Villanueva said during
the misuse of emergency vehi- the regular Kapihan sa Senado
MANILA – Senate Majori- cle lights and audio accessories media forum.
ty Leader Joel Villanueva on by drivers, especially politicians, Under the bill, violators will
Tuesday filed a bill seeking to poses road safety concerns and be fined from PHP1,000 to sibilities to relevant agencies and other law enforcement
prohibit the unauthorized use erodes public trust. PHP5,000 with a possibility of for effective implementation, agencies will be exempted from
and sale of “wang-wang” (bea- He also noted that existing the suspension of their driver's as well as mandates an aware- the coverage of the measure.
cons, sirens, and other similar regulations lack uniformity, lead- license for a period of one year. ness campaigns lawful use and President Marcos issued AO
devices), except for specified ing to ineffective enforcement. Meanwhile, manufacturers, penalties. 18 after receiving reports of ram-
law enforcement agencies. “This bill aims to establish a distributors, importers, retail- Vehicles designated for of- pant unauthorized and indis-
Senate Bill (SB) No. 2635, or cohesive framework to regulate ers, and sellers who engage in ficial use by the Armed Forces criminate use of sirens, blinkers
the Anti-Wang Wang Act, is in and deter unauthorized use, unauthorized sale of the acces- of the Philippines, National and other similar signaling or
line with Administrative Order ensuring proper use for appro- sories shall be fined PHP50,000 Bureau of Investigation, Phil- flashing devices, causing traffic
(AO) No. 18 issued by President priate cases like transporting but not more than PHP100,000 ippine National Police, Bureau disruptions and unsafe road and
Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. bar- patients which is aligned with for every sale. of Corrections, Bureau of Jail traffic environments. ■
ring government officials and the constitutional principle of SB 2635 also assigns respon- Management and Penology,
PBBM: PH won’t hand over FPRRD to ICC;

ties with Dutertes complicated
BY DARRYL JOHN On claims that the Philip- when we take the position of not President was asked about the ularly its patriarch the former
ESGUERRA pines is only following interna- recognizing the jurisdiction of status of his relationship with president and also Davao City
Philippine News Agency tional laws when it is “conve- ICC in the Philippines,” he added. the Dutertes, to which he re- Mayor Baste Duterte, over cer-
nient,” the President asserted The Philippines officially cut ties sponded: “It’s complicated." tain policies of the Marcos ad-
that the country is merely ad- with the ICC on March 17, 2019. This comes amid the vocal ministration.
MANILA – President Ferdi- hering to the ICC’s own rules Complicated relationship disdain of some members of the However, Marcos said his re-
nand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday and that it may only step in the In the same media forum, the influential Duterte clan, partic- lationship with Vice President
said the Philippines will not affairs of a nation in the absence Sara Duterte has not changed
give up former president Rodri- of a functioning judicial system. since the elections.
go Duterte to the International “It is their rule. It is the rule Marcos and Sara ran and won
Criminal Court (ICC) should it of ICC that they come in when as a tandem in the 2022 elections.
issue an arrest warrant against there is no judiciary, they come “[The person] I have the most
his predecessor over the sup- in when there is (no) police force. contact with is Inday Sara and
posed human rights violations We have a judiciary. The former how we were with each other
in the previous administra- Chief Justice [referring to Execu- during the campaign, after the
tion's drug war. tive Secretary Lucas Bersamin] is election, it hasn’t really changed,”
In a media forum, Marcos re- sitting right here, he will explain Marcos said, adding that Sara
iterated that the government to you how healthy and robust chooses to just focus on her job
does not recognize the jurisdic- and how active the judiciary is. amid all the controversies.
tion of the ICC over the country. The police force, I think, is the “She says, ‘I’ll just work. Don’t
“We don't recognize the war- same thing,” Marcos said. worry about it. I’ll just work and
rant that they will send to us,” “So, that is the reason. We are work and work and work.’ That’s
Marcos said. well within international law President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PCO) her attitude,” he said. ■
Internet, TV top news sources

for Filipinos: survey
BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES closely at 42 percent, while Manila Bul- decline from 39 percent to 32 percent.
Philippine News Agency letin holds third place with a 41 percent It further highlighted that follow-
Correspondent/Hosts
trust rating. ing the controversy surrounding Pastor
Arianne Grace Lacanilao ABS-CBN (Online) and the Philippine Apollo Quiboloy, SMNI, the broadcast-
Matte Laurel MANILA – The Internet is the lead- Star received trust ratings of 40 percent ing arm of Kingdom of Jesus Christ, had
Violeta Arevalo
Babes Newland
ing source of political news and current and 39 percent respectively. its lowest trust rating in nine quarters at
events for Filipinos, based on a Publicus Publicus Asia also reported significant 19 percent, which was most likely influ-
Graphic Design Asia Inc. survey released on Monday. drops in the trust ratings for TV5/Inter- enced as well by the revocation of its fran-
Shanice Garcia
Ginno Alcantara According to the PAHAYAG First aksyon from 42 percent in the previous chise by the House of Representatives.
Arlnie Colleene Talain Singca Quarter Survey 2024 conducted from quarter to 38 percent this quarter, Bombo The independent and non-commis-
March 14 to 18, 65 percent of Filipinos Radyo from 39 percent to 33 percent, while sioned survey was conducted among
Account Manager
Kristopher Yong browse the Internet as their main source DZBB, DZRH and Manila Times all saw a 1,500 respondents. ■
of news, a trend that persists across re-
Director/Producer gions and socio-demographics.
Boom Dayupay
The survey found that 61 percent of
Photographers/Videographers Filipino adults access Facebook to get
Ginno Alcantara
their news, while around 65 percent still
Management
consume news through television.
Alan Yong In terms of daily news consumption,
the pollster noted that social media sur-
passed television, with 52 percent ac-
cessing news through social media daily.
For photo submissions, please email
The poll also showed a widespread de-
[email protected] cline in trust across all news providers,
indicating a general loss of confidence.
For General Inquiries, please email
[email protected]
GMA7 leads as the most trusted news
outlet with a 47 percent trust rating this
For Sales Inquiries, please email quarter, down 7 points from 54 percent
[email protected]
or visit
in the previous quarter.
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(including opinions expressed in ads herein) are those support and cooperation are wanting. matugunan ang suplay ng pagkain kasunod
of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of
Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editorial Team. MANILA – The government must invest “In the case of rice, which is the Phil- ng lumolobo nating populasyon. Dahil dito,
PCI reserves the right to reject any advertising which
in agriculture modernization and irrigation ippines’ main staple food, the country mapapaunlad din natin ang kabuhayan ng
it considers to contain false or misleading information development to improve the country’s food needs to produce at least 98 percent of ating mga magsasaka (We cannot avoid the
or involves unfair or unethical practices. The advertiser
agrees the publisher shall not be liable for damages security amid steady population growth. its rice requirement,” Gatchalian said. need to modernize the general agricultural
arising out of error in any advertisment. In a news release on Tuesday, Senator “On the other hand, our population has sector to meet the food supply following
Sherwin Gatchalian noted the steady in- increasingly swelled in comparison to rice our growing population. Because of this, we
Member crease in the country’s population, mak- production. As our population grows, so will also be able to develop the livelihood of
ing it imperative to aim for increased does our need for rice, and we should ad- our farmers),” he said.
productivity through the modernization dress that. However, currently, we can't The Department of Agriculture pre-
of the farm sector. catch up because our population is growing viously said its 2024 budget includes
“Unless the government embarks on faster than our rice production,” he added. PHP30.869 billion for the National Rice
a comprehensive modernization pro- The country’s population was esti- Program, PHP6.09 billion for the Na-
gram, it would be difficult for the coun- mated to have reached 112 million in tional Fisheries Program and PHP5.28
try to achieve food security, especially 2023, based on the projected popula- billion for the National Corn Program.
that of rice,” Gatchalian said. tion growth rate using the 2020 census It has also set aside PHP4.35 billion
Gatchalian pointed out that there has result, according to the Commission on for the National Livestock Program and
to be a whole-of-government approach, Population and Development. PHP1.94 billion for the National High
with local government units playing a “Hindi natin matatakasan ang pangan- Value Crops Development Program. ■
Canada News
Social media researchers are under attack.
The online harms bill can help them fight back
BY SABREENA DELHON, well-being of the public and the content that has offline conse- platforms to make some data democratic values in mind.
BÉATRICE WAYNE, ALEX health of our democracy. quences, including widespread publicly available, among other We see much of the content
MACISAAC Platform owners collect an polarization, alienation and research supports, has been re- of this proposed legislation as
Policy Options abundance of data that is read- physical violence. introduced in the Senate. a positive first step in effective-
ily shared with marketers and Algorithms that recommend With Bill C-63, Canada has ly regulating digital platforms
advertisers for profit, but they content to users on social me- the opportunity to position it- to act in the interests of demo-
Protecting and enabling re- heavily restrict and curtail ac- dia accelerate the distribution self as a global leader in digital cratic expression. But no single
search of online harms will be cess to researchers who work in of this material, allowing it to democracy research. The pro- piece of legislation can address
critical to managing digital tech- the public interest. reach new audiences and nor- posed bill creates a new Digital every social harm facilitated by
nologies in a way that supports a Recent restrictions in API malize harmful discourse. Safety Commission of Canada digital spaces.
strong democratic culture. (application programming in- There is evidence that under with the power to accredit cer- That is why ensuring Cana-
The federal government terface) access on X (formerly X Corp.’s new ownership, hate- tain people or groups and pro- dian researchers can quickly
recently introduced its Twitter), Reddit and TikTok ful content is not only being un- vide them access to relevant and equitably access compre-
long-promised Online Harms have increased the challenge der-moderated but has increased, data from digital platforms if hensive data from major digital
Act, Bill C-63. for researchers. including targeted hate such as their work is intended for edu- platforms is so vital. Quality Ca-
Reaction so far has largely fo- More than 100 studies about antisemitism, Islamophobia and cational or advocacy purposes. nadian research should directly
cused on the provisions to keep X Corp. have been cancelled, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. We await clearer directives inform future legislative efforts.
children safe online, on the ex- suspended or significantly al- This is a Canadian problem as about how accessible this Canada’s digital-rights strate-
tent to which the bill does or tered since the new restrictions well as a global one. High levels data will be, how inclusive the gy needs to continue to progress
does not overreach in its defini- were implemented, a survey of online abuse have been quan- data access system will be for regardless of the status of C-63.
tion of hate speech, as Conser- conducted by the Coalition for tified in Canadian federal, On- all types of researchers, how We need empirical evidence
vative Leader Pierre Poilievre Independent Technology Re- tario and municipal elections transparent this accreditation on how digital technologies are
thinks, and whether it encroach- search found. through the Samara Centre for process will be and how much affecting our social fabric so
es on freedom of expression, as The big online platforms are Democracy’s SAMbot project. resistance researchers will face policymakers can draft effec-
the Canadian Civil Liberties As- also increasingly taking legal Pre-pandemic, more than 40 from federal organizations in tive digital policy. That all starts
sociation has warned. action against small non-profit per cent of Canadians didn’t accessing this data. with requiring tech companies
These are worthwhile discus- organizations that have compel- feel safe sharing their political The full benefit of this crucial to be more transparent as well
sions as the bill moves through lingly demonstrated harm per- views online. Since then, online aspect of the bill will be realized as permitting broad data access
the Commons, but it is critical petuated by these companies. (and offline) hate has increased only if research projects, large for civil-society researchers.
to focus public attention on a X recently filed a lawsuit dramatically, according to the or small, led by civil society re- To begin fostering a healthier
central aspect of this legislation against the Center for Coun- B.C. Office of the Human Rights searchers, have equitable ac- digital media landscape in Can-
– the proposed duty for digital tering Digital Hate, a non-prof- Commissioner. cess to data. ada, our best defence is trans-
platforms to keep and share it committed to stopping the A 2021 Canadian Race Rela- If we can achieve broad and parency, research and public
data. Retaining this section is spread of online hate and disin- tions Foundation poll found that diverse research accreditation, accountability. ■
of paramount importance be- formation via research, educa- 93 per cent of Canadians believe Canada will have the opportuni-
cause it offers the greatest po- tion and advocacy. online hate speech and racism ty to drive research that informs This article first appeared
tential to reshape our digital It has also taken legal ac- are a problem. Seventy-nine per digital-policy legislation inter- on Policy Options and is repub-
public sphere for the better. tion against Media Matters, a cent want online hate speech nationally – to transform our lished here under a Creative
A key metric of the success of non-profit research organiza- and racism treated by lawmak- online spaces for the better, with Commons license.
this bill will be how well it pro- tion that published a report ex- ers with the same seriousness as
tects and enables research into posing how X places advertise- in-person hate crimes.
online harms because this has ments for major brands next to Increasing transparency is
the potential to empower both pro-Nazi content. one of the most recommend-
the public and the government Yet litigation is just one part ed, evidence-based strategies
to adapt and respond to rapidly of an arsenal of concerning new to address digital violence, and
changing digital technologies in tactics being used to restrict there are encouraging efforts
a way that supports a resilient research and suppress efforts underway internationally to in-
and strong democratic culture. to hold Big Tech corporations crease these requirements.
Disappointingly, this essen- such as X, Meta (which owns Under its Digital Services Act,
tial aspect of the bill is being Facebook and Instagram), and the European Commission is
overlooked in most media cov- Alphabet (Google) accountable drafting regulations that would
erage and in public discussions. when they amplify harmful con- require the large tech platforms
This part of the bill is crucial tent or distort our social norms. to provide data access for re-
because researchers have long Digital violence is becom- search purposes in the EU.
been kneecapped in their ef- ing more pervasive around the In the U.S., the Platform Ac-
forts to analyze how social me- world. Social media platforms countability and Transparen-
dia platform policies affect the facilitate the spread of abusive cy Act, which would require
10 Canada News APRIL 19, 2024 FRIDAY
The best, fastest way to meaningfully

help low-income Canadians
BY GILLIAN PETIT Visits to food banks have also I concluded that the federal
Policy Options been on the rise. Food Banks government should expand the
Canada recorded almost two existing GST/HST credit for
million visits across the coun- working-age adults and their
Increase the GST/HST cred- try in March 2023, the latest children.
it to $100 per month for strug- month for which data is avail- The GST/HST credit is a
gling working-age adults or able. That’s up 32 per cent from broadly based benefit that
$150 a month for those in deep the same time in 2022 and more reaches all family types, includ-
poverty. Pay it monthly. than 78 per cent from 2019. Sin- ing working-age single adults
Low-income Canadians are gle working-age adults account- and single-parent families, and
struggling and urgently need ed for 44 per cent of users, one of is well-targeted to low-income
more support. the largest subsets of visitors. households. The Canada child
This is not news. Provincial These are troubling trends. benefit goes only to families
welfare benefits, which provide To bring down grocery prices, with children and the Canada
money to buy food and other the federal government has an- workers benefit goes only to
necessities, have been below nounced measures to spur com- those with low levels of employ-
Canada’s official poverty line petition among Canada’s major ment income.
since at least 2013. But the situ- grocery retailers, but these ef- However, the existing GST/
ation has become considerably forts on their own are unlikely HST credit is modest. It provides
worse because of the post-pan- to have a substantial impact. a base benefit of $325 a year per
demic surge in inflation. What’s more, the causes of adult and $171 a year per child.
In Ontario, where the offi- food insecurity extend beyond Single adults receive an addi-
cial poverty line was $27,631 in grocery prices. The steep rise tional $171 a year phased-in for
2022, a single working-age adult in housing costs, interest rates, income over $10,544.
received $10,253 in welfare in- gas and transportation are Overall, single adults receive fer method chosen, some people would give $150 a month per
come. Welfare incomes were the also squeezing family budgets. a maximum of $496 a year and who would be eligible to receive adult ($1,800 a year) and $50
lowest in Alberta, Nova Scotia Many households are forced to couples with no children re- the proposed benefit wouldn’t per child ($600 a year) to the
and New Brunswick. choose between putting food on ceive a maximum of $650 a get it. This is because income lowest-income households.
Research shows that targeted the table and paying the rent. year. Single parents with one supports are delivered by the The top-up is unlikely to con-
cash transfers can reduce poverty Food is often what gets cut. child and couples with one child Canada Revenue Agency and tribute to inflation because any
rates and food insecurity both receive a maximum therefore go only to people who additional income support that
as well as improve access of $821 a year. file tax returns. Up to 12 per cent low-income families receive is
to basic needs. Govern- I recommend that of Canadians don’t file a return. likely to go to purchasing food
ments have made consid- the federal government Non-filers are more likely to and other necessities rather
erable headway in bring- adopt one of two options: be people living in poverty, Indig- than luxury items.
ing down poverty rates provide a credit of either enous Peoples (especially moth- Even so, the lowest-income
among seniors and chil- ... the causes of food $100 a month per workers), people experiencing home- households shouldn’t be expect-
dren because of programs insecurity extend ing-age adult, spread lessness and social assistance ed to bear the burden of fighting
such as old age security, evenly over low- and recipients – the very people who inflation. Everyone deserves to
the guaranteed income beyond grocery prices. middle-income house- require the most support. have the means to put food on
supplement and the Can- holds, or $150 a month In the 2023 budget, the feder- the table and to pay the rent.
ada child benefit. to those in deep pover- al government announced that it The federal government re-
But some groups are ty. Both options would would pilot an automatic tax-fil- cently announced that it will
slipping through the reach about 10 million ing service for low-income and spend $1 billion over five years
cracks. Low-income households and add be- fixed-income Canadians who to launch a national school food
rates remain high among single Research shows that income tween $10 billion and $11 billion don’t file a return. The govern- program, which is expected to
parents and single working-age support is the best way to re- to what the government spends ment has since expanded a more deliver meals to an additional
adults without children. duce food insecurity. The Af- on the benefit. modest phone tax-filing system 400,000 children a year start-
My research indicates the fordability Action Council, a I don’t recommend extend- but has not implemented the au- ing in 2024-25. The program is
fastest and most efficient way non-partisan group of policy ing the top-up to people who tomatic service. It should move a step in the right direction, but
of making a meaningful dent in experts and community lead- are 65 years old and older be- ahead with the promised reform more action is needed.
low-income rates is increasing ers, asked me to research and cause they are less likely to be as soon as possible. To make a meaningful dent
the GST/HST credit for work- assess the most effective and low-income or to experience Based on my analysis, the Af- in low-income rates and rising
ing-age adults and their children. cost-efficient way to increase food insecurity. However, they fordability Action Council rec- rates of food insecurity, Cana-
That would also help with federal income support for would continue to receive the ommended in a report released da needs a more generous tar-
growing food insecurity. In low-income households. same amount as now. in December 2023 that the fed- geted cash-transfer program.
2022, 18 per cent of Canadians I examined possible reforms I also recommend that the eral government restructure Expanding the GST/HST credit
lacked stable access to suffi- to existing cash-transfer pro- expanded credit be distributed and expand the GST/HST cred- is the fastest and most efficient
cient food, up from 16 per cent grams including the goods and monthly rather than quarterly it and rename it the grocery and way of doing that. ■
in 2021 and 17 per cent in 2019. services tax/harmonized sales as now. That would spread the essentials benefit.
More than 40 per cent of these tax credit, the Canada child payments evenly throughout The proposed benefit would This article first appeared
families were led by single benefit and the Canada workers the year and give recipients build on the federal govern- on Policy Options and is repub-
mothers while more than one- benefit because these reforms more stability to cover day-to- ment’s one-time grocery re- lished here under a Creative
third of Black and Indigenous can be implemented faster than day expenses. bate implemented in 2023. The Commons license.
families were food-insecure. designing a new benefit. Regardless of the cash-trans- option selected by the council
FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 Canada News 11
Canada’s Arctic defence policy update:

All flash, no bang
BY PAUL T. MITCHELL, ria-class submarines. update, Canada’s allies have Vague priorities ing to concern ourselves with
Canadian Forces College Canada has been under sig- complained it’s failing to pull its The update continues to em- national security.
The Conversation nificant international pressure weight — most vocally former phasize the same bland and un- How else to explain the feder-
to boost its defence spending. U.S. president Donald Trump, specific priorities of past white al government’s apparent accep-
While historically this has been but others as well. papers: Canada, continental de- tance that the ongoing person-
The Canadian government’s true since the 1970s, Prime Min- Freeland reiterated her 2017 fence and contributions to in- nel crisis racking the Canadian
recent defence policy update, ister Justin Trudeau’s admission words at the CFB Trenton ternational peace and security. Armed Forces will not be fully
Our North: Strong and Free, last year that Canada would nev- event, noting: At a moment when, as Trudeau addressed until the next decade?
was recently released with con- er meet its promised NATO com- “If middle powers are not pre- once put it, “the world needs Only by assuming that ge-
siderable fanfare. Promised for mitment to spend two per cent pared to stand up for — and if more Canada,” the country’s de- ography continues to provide
a year, the delay seemed to in- of its GDP on defence has caused necessary, fight for — peace and fence strategy fails to articulate Canada sanctuary from mili-
dicate the Liberal government’s that pressure to intensify. stability around the world, the any of the hard choices facing a tary conflict.
budgetary pressures given the Certainly, the numbers an- rules of the game, including inter- middle power with a tiny military Canada also appears to be em-
ballooning deficit. nounced look impressive: $8.1 national borders, will be left for the in a world of spiralling threats. A ulating something like the infa-
In the end, it was more heat billion in the next five years great powers to determine between bolder policy might have decided mous “10-year rule” that per-
than light and was less of an and $73 billion over the next themselves …. And that, most cer- to do less with more. mitted Britain to underfund its
update to address a worsening 20 years. However, even these tainly, would not be good for Can- The update perpetuates Can- military apparatus in the build-
international security envi- figures are not enough to push ada and Canadians. We cannot ada’s antiquated “fire-proof up to the Second World War.
ronment than a simple restate- Canada beyond 1.76 per cent, be at the mercy of decisions made house” mentality. In 1924, Lib- Lackadaisical, feckless
ment of traditional approaches and then only by 2029-30. without us in foreign capitals.” eral politician Raoul Dandurand Military strategy has often
to Canada’s defence. At odds with reality? But the 20-year timeline of famously said “Canada is a fire- been an afterthought in Canada.
Announced by a joint team of Deputy Prime Minister Chrys- the new policy, and the fact that proof house, far removed from With apologies to Freeland,
the prime minister, deputy prime tia Freeland’s remarks during the so many of the proposed invest- flammable materials,” putting that is in fact a result of Canada’s
minister and both the defence official release of the policy were ments are “to be explored,” give into words Canada’s approach to “client” status, at first to Great
and veterans affairs ministers — especially noteworthy given her considerable cause for concern defence since 1867. Simply put, Britain and then to the U.S. In lieu
with a backdrop framed by Roy- statement in 2017, as minister about whether Canada has tru- three oceans and a superpower of independent thinking, we have
al Canadian Air Force aircraft at of global affairs, when she an- ly decided to pull its weight. sufficiently shield us from hav- defaulted to the direction provid-
CFB Trenton — the government nounced to Parliament: ed by London, Washington, the
went to considerable effort to “To rely solely on the U.S. secu- United Nations and NATO.
portray this policy as a marked rity umbrella would make us a cli- But the old certainties of the
change in direction for Canada. ent state. And although we have British and American empires
Arctic focus an incredibly good relationship or the much-vaunted rules-
In particular, the update square- with our American friends and based international order are
ly focuses on Canada’s North. neighbours, such a dependence all fading fast.
Previous policies — like Bri- would not be in Canada’s interest. The notion that bad things
an Mulroney’s 1987 white paper, That is why doing our fair share only happen elsewhere is at the
Challenge and Commitment and is clearly necessary. It is why our heart of a lackadaisical and feck-
Stephen Harper’s 2008 Cana- commitment to NORAD, and to less approach to threats that are
da First Defence Strategy — had our strategic relationship with building daily around the world
strong Arctic themes, but this one the United States, is so critical. — and is evident in a vague poli-
puts the emphasis right in the title. It is by pulling our weight in this cy update that won’t see the cul-
Within the Department of partnership, and in all our inter- mination of its objectives until
National Defence, hopes were national partnerships, that we, in long into the future. ■
high that the government might fact, have weight.”
announce something major, And yet, despite the ad- This article is republished
perhaps even a commitment to vances made in 2017’s Strong, from The Conversation under a
replace the Navy’s four Victo- Secure and Engaged policy (JUSTIN TRUDEAU/FACEBOOK) Creative Commons license.
Marcos: PH biggest.. P39 per kilo..

❰❰ 3 3,284 are considered pine Drug Enforcement Agency "Ito ‘yung bago mukha ng ❰❰ 6 tas City Hall, Central The KNP is organized by the
high value targets. (PDEA) and foreign counter- sinasabi niyang (Marcos) kam- Park, PHPP74,100; DA, Department of Trade and
Foreign source parts to determine the contra- panya natin laban sa droga na and Grace Park Industry, Department of Social
In a presser in Camp Cra- band’s origin. walang isang patak ng dugo ang East, Caloocan City Hall, Welfare and Development, De-
me, Quezon City, Philippine "We are looking at the mark- dumanak dito sa operation na ito PHP97,500,” she added. partment of Labor and Employ-
National Police (PNP) spokes- ings because these are different (This is the new face of the drug The KNP program, a project ment, and the Department of the
person Col. Jean Fajardo said from the previous ones that we campaign he is talking about, of President Ferdinand R. Mar- Interior and Local Government.
foreign characters in the mark- have seen, like those put in tea not even a single drop of blood cos Jr., aims to provide a lifeline The Presidential Manage-
ings of the seized illegal drugs bags. These are in plastic con- was shed in this operation) and by granting rent-free selling ar- ment Service and the PCO serve
indicate that they came from tainers," she added. yet we were able to confiscate eas to farmers and micro, small as the guiding arm of the KNP. ■
outside the country. Fajardo said the PNP will almost two tons of illegal drugs," and medium enterprise to en-
She said the PNP is in close fully support the government’s Fajardo said. (with reports from sure equitable access to fresh
coordination with the Philip- bloodless anti-drug campaign. Lloyd Caliwan/PNA) ■ produce.
12 Canada News APRIL 19, 2024 FRIDAY
How ideology is darkening the future

of renewables in Alberta
BY IAN URQUHART, observed that renewable elec- Why? Because of unspecified
University of Alberta tricity production was growing concerns that renewables posed
The Conversation “by leaps and bounds.” The Ca- significant threats to Alberta’s
nadian Renewable Energy As- best agricultural lands and to
sociation reported that 75 per “Alberta’s pristine viewscapes.”
Those advocating for a green cent of the country’s new re- The province instructed the
transition have, in recent years, newable electricity generation Alberta Utilities Commission
had to contend with not just came from Alberta in 2022. (AUC) to conduct this inquiry.
economic or political resis- Rystad Energy, the inter- The inquiry didn’t find any
tance, but ideological push national energy consultancy, support for this government
back as well — specifically, from predicted Alberta would be rationale. Several participants
those adhering to the “ideology Canada’s largest wind and solar in the inquiry (myself included) (DANIELLE SMITH/FACEBOOK)
of fossil fuels.” electricity producer by 2025. offered research showing that

The ideology of fossil fuels The biggest contributors to renewables have made, and as agrivoltaics), they told the gov- viewscape” buffer prohibits all
is characterized by an inabili- Alberta’s revolutionary poten- likely will continue to make, a ernment this option “would ben- new wind projects. Solar proj-
ty to imagine life, or progress, tial? A mixture of industry-wide marginal contribution to con- efit from further study.” ects also may need to pass a vi-
without petroleum products. In technical changes and a market verting Alberta’s best agricul- Ideological drivers sual impact assessment as part
politics, this ideology influenc- where generators are paid only tural lands to renewable elec- What links the Alberta gov- of the approval process.
es the positions of left and right for the power they generate. tricity production. ernment’s agriculture first pol- These viewscape restrictions
alike. It even encourages those These changes in the solar sector The commissioners listened. icy to a fossil fuel ideology? It’s do not apply to new oil and gas
on the centre-left to support drove down solar costs by more They observed that renewables refusal to impose any similar projects.
oil and gas while also endorsing than 80 per cent between 2009 weren’t primarily responsible land use restrictions on exploit- Beyond these issues, a fossil
green energy. and 2023 and electricity sector for any historical loss of these ing oil and gas. The commission fuel ideology also animates oth-
In Alberta, we saw this when greenhouse gas emissions fell by lands. Furthermore, they en- observed that pipelines and er provincial policies designed
former Premier Rachel Notley 51 per cent from 2015 to 2021. dorsed the findings of a renew- non-renewable industry are re- to expand petroleum produc-
enthusiastically supported the The data seems clear, renewables “worst case scenario” for sponsible for the greatest loss of tion. Billions in subsidies for
Trans Mountain pipeline ex- ables have a secure, and grow- prime agricultural lands. This agricultural land recently. Those carbon capture projects and in-
pansion and increased renew- ing, position in Alberta’s elec- scenario imagined locating all activities, not renewables, would tense opposition to a proposed
able electricity production. tric grid. the renewables needed to reach be more appropriate targets. federal cap on oil and gas emis-
On the right, conservatives Inquiries net-zero in electricity by 2035 Protecting “pristine land- sions demonstrate this.
see in this ideology the vindi- Last summer Premier Dan- on the best farming land. This scapes” also revealed the fossil Similar opposition to federal
cation of their love of business ielle Smith fired the first shot would remove less than one per fuel ideology’s importance. The draft clean electricity regulations
and fossil fuel producers above in her campaign against renew- cent of these lands. commission noted how difficult and a new annual registration fee
all else. Project 2025, proposed ables. In early August, Smith Approximately 0.4 to 0.6 per it was to agree on what the gov- for electric vehicles also confirm
by the Heritage Foundation, a imposed a seven-month mor- cent of today’s best lands would ernment’s phrase meant. It was the prominence of an ideology of
leading American conservative atorium on all new renewable need to be converted if solar simply impossible to agree on fossil fuels in contemporary Al-
think tank, reflects this men- generation project approvals. alone was the vehicle to reach what a pristine landscape actual- berta conservatism.
tality. The United Conservative The moratorium came de- net-zero. The 31,125 hectares ly looked like. Faced with this im- While the UCP in Alberta may,
Party government in petro- spite the significant investment needed to realize the solar-only possibility, the AUC left it to gov- at the moment, be the primary
leum-rich Alberta also sings and employment benefits Al- net-zero scenario is just 61 per ernment to decide what, if any, culprit in this assault on green
from this hymn book. berta’s renewables sector had cent as big as Waterton Lakes viewscape qualified as pristine. development, it is important to
Growing green in Alberta started to deliver. Between 2019 National Park in the southwest But the commission suggest- remember that a fossil fuel ide-
For decades, Alberta has and 2023, $3.75 billion was in- corner of the province. ed that protecting viewscapes ology is not inherently driven
been one of North America’s vested in Albertan utility-scale The government dismissed should be “industry agnostic.” by party politics. Understanding
most important oil producers. wind and solar projects; 4,500 these observations and adopted Viewscape prohibitions should this can help us all to more effec-
Today, only Texas pumps more workers were hired. an “agricultural first” policy. The “apply equally to all forms of tively keep both conservative, as
oil than Alberta. Key government rationales policy prohibits renewable proj- development within the re- well as future left-leaning, gov-
However, Alberta’s oil pro- for the moratorium lacked ev- ects from locating on prime agri- stricted zone, not just electric- ernments to account. ■
ducing stature has camouflaged idence. The government said cultural land unless projects can ity generation.”
the province’s emergence as a Alberta needed a moratorium share the land with agriculture. The government did not fol- This article is republished
green energy leader. plus a public inquiry into the While the AUC saw promise in low this suggestion. Its min- from The Conversation under a
One Alberta energy regulator land use impact of renewables. sharing the land (a process known imum 35 kilometre “pristine Creative Commons license.
World News
Trump’s New York felony charges are going
to trial – what the images might show when
the business fraud case kicks off
BY MARY ANGELA BOCK, journalists cover criminal jus- looks like, but most viewers are of brain cell, are activated when map of the state of New York and
The University of Texas at tice for 20 years. All this pre- well-acquainted with the former we read the faces of others, other nondescript notices, added
Austin planning tends to yield pretty president’s appearance. Instead, prompting our own emotions a touch of the mundane to the his-
The Conversation matter-of-fact imagery, but people will be watching for clues to flicker in reaction to others’ toric moment.
three things will be worth look- about his mood. apparent feelings.. The courtroom where Trump
ing for in the visual coverage of Will the former president Coverage from Trump’s ap- sat was just one of many of its
When former President Trump’s appearance: surprises, look angry, as he has during pre- pearance before Merchan on kind across the country. The
Donald Trump soon returns to body language and symbolic vious court appearances? Will April 4, 2023, for instance, in- plain bulletin board with its
court in New York City, there juxtapositions. he look solemn? Nervous? cluded observations about his little flag robbed the scene of
are likely to be few visual sur- The unexpected Visual coverage can often ex- body language, how he walked grandiosity normally associat-
prises. Trump’s hush-money Surprises will be hard to pose so much more than words into the building, how he quietly ed with the presidency.
trial before New York Judge come by. True, the former pres- about a person’s mood. Human interacted with his lawyers, and The photojournalists sta-
Juan Merchan is scheduled ident likes to play to the cam- beings instinctively read fac- so on. He waited to be among tioned in and outside of the
to start with jury selection on eras when he can, but he faces es as part of social interaction. supporters in Florida that day courthouse will be very busy
April 15, 2024. legal challenges on multiple Infants track faces before other before more forcefully express- and likely tense as they prepare
Monday’s scene will likely fronts, and so far, he has been visual information. ing his anger and frustration. to capture photos and video of
echo the one from 2023, when compelled to maintain a civil Some experts estimate that Visual irony the former president. But this
Trump walked past cameras demeanor when being photo- a majority of the information Finally, those of us who are chaotic scene will be largely
into a courthouse in order to ap- graphed in court. people take in from a conversa- deeply interested in visual com- hidden from the audience.
pear for his arrest on 34 felony Even in the most cam- tion can be nonverbal, though munication will be watching for Photojournalists will likely
charges for allegedly commit- era-friendly jurisdictions, such exactly how much they rely on symbolic juxtapositions. A still work from cordoned-off pens in
ting business fraud and paying as New York and Florida, photo- this kind of information is sub- photo from the pool camera in the Manhattan Criminal Court-
porn star Stormy Daniels money journalists are subject to strict ject to debate. What is clear- April 2023, for example, includ- house, and if their scrums are
to remain quiet about her claims rules about placement and pro- ly established in the research ed a bulletin board in the back- anything like the others I’ve
of their sexual encounter. As cedure. My research for my 2021 is that, whether in-person or ground in which a small Ameri- studied over time, they’ll gath-
historic as the moment was, the book, “Seeing Justice,” found through media, we are drawn can flag had been inserted. er very early, stake claim to key
visuals were rather bland. that media and the court system to faces. We notice them, read Who put it there, and why? This spots and spend far more time
Still photos from inside the often work together to balance them and respond emotionally tiny American flag, displayed next waiting than recording video.
courtroom will capture the the public’s interest in a case to them. Mirror neurons, a type to what looks like a photocopied Visual journalists from com-
scene silently, so even if the with a need to maintain order. peting organizations will greet
former president speaks out of In fact, arrangements for major one another as professionals
turn, as he occasionally does cases can mimic the plans for ma- do at a convention, with hand-
in court, outside viewers will jor league sporting events. During shakes and catch-up conversa-
not hear the audio. New York the 2013 George Zimmerman tions. After all, many of these
courts allow cameras into crim- trial for the murder of Black teen- photojournalists will spend
inal proceedings, but journalists ager Trayvon Martin in central more time in these groupings
must get permission to be there, Florida, for example, court repre- than they will with members of
and judges will impose different sentatives met with local TV en- their own news organizations.
rules on a case-by-case basis. gineers to determine where news The friendly mood will stop cold,
Dozens of news photogra- vans could park. Cameras were though, once the action starts.
phers will be posted inside and set up inside the courtroom, and Even though everyone knows
outside the courthouse, work- an overflow room was arranged what Trump looks like, and even
ing within strict guidelines so the journalists who didn’t have though his walk through the
about where they can stand and access to the courtroom could still hallway may take only a matter
when. Yet the courtroom scene watch the proceedings. of seconds, it will be essential to
is not likely to be the sort of me- Body language capture that moment, for their
dia free-for-all shown in movies During Trump’s upcoming own job, their professional rep-
and TV shows. Judges and news trial, viewers will be watching utation and, of course, to satisfy
organizations may work for for cues from his body language, the public’s curiosity. ■
weeks or months to ensure that particularly his facial expres-
court operations run smoothly sions. Often visual coverage for This article is republished
during spectacular cases. a criminal court case lets the au- from The Conversation under a
I have studied the way visual dience know what the accused (DONALD J. TRUMP/FACEBOOK) Creative Commons license.
14 World News APRIL 19, 2024 FRIDAY
Mounting tension and instability in the

western Balkans is playing into Russia’s hands
BY ANDI HOXHAJ OBE, UCL “Bosnia and Herzegovina may through outlets such as the Dodik has also threatened to be seen in the context of last
The Conversation not survive” if the resolution Sputnik Srbija news service in take Republika Srpska out of September’s attack by Serbian
is passed. The Serbian pres- Serbia, an outpost of Russian Bosnia if the new UN resolution nationalists on the village of
ident, Aleksandar Vučić, has state media. Russia Today (RT), is adopted, denying that the Banjska in northern Kosovo.
United Nations member urged Russia and China to vote widely recognised as a Kremlin genocide had ever happened. Kosovo formally applied for
states including the US, France, against it. mouthpiece, launched services The west sees Dodik’s na- EU membership in December
Germany, Albania and Rwanda Vulnerable to malign influence in Serbia and Bosnia and Her- tionalist aspirations as a major 2022, but simmering conflict
will submit a resolution to the It is this instability in the zegovina at the end of 2023. threat to the 1995 Dayton Ac- involving ethnic Serbians in
general assembly on April 17 western Balkans as a whole that Both Sputnik Srbija and RT cords. In January 2022, the US the north, stoked by Belgrade
which could have significant im- is focusing minds in the Euro- have the potential to reach a imposed sanctions on him, sta- – such as the attack on Banjska
plications for the future of the pean Union, given the tensions large audience in the west- tihg: “Dodik’s actions threaten – is complicating the accession
western Balkans. The vote will in the region following Russia’s ern Balkans, and are used for Bosnia’s stability, sovereignty process. The other major obsta-
call on the UN to declare July invasion of Ukraine. The EU spreading Kremlin narratives and territorial integrity and cle to Kosovo’s EU accession is
11 the “International Day of Re- opened accession talks with against the EU and Nato. Their undermine the Dayton Peace the fact that several EU mem-
flection and Remembrance of Bosnia and Herzegovina on content is frequently repub- Accords, thereby risking wider ber states – Spain, Slovakia,
the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide”. March 12. It laid out minimum lished in regional media. regional instability.” Cyprus, Romania and Greece –
It’s significant, because the issue requirements on progress in im- Separatist sentiment on The 2024 Annual Threat have yet to recognise Kosovan
of the massacre of 8,000 Bosniak plementing the 14 key priorities the rise Assessment, published by the statehood. This has effectively
Muslim men at Srebrenica re- that were set out in the Euro- Since Russia invaded Ukraine, US intelligence community on blocked the country from join-
mains a bitterly contested mem- pean Commission’s opinion in Dodik has stirred up separatist February 5, suggested that na- ing the EU and Nato.
ory in the region. 2019, concerning the country’s sentiment. He ignored the con- tionalist leaders in the western Significantly, the Council of
The move has prompted candidacy for EU membership. stitutional court’s ban on the Balkans are highly likely to es- Europe will vote on April 18 on
fears that it will lead to a break- Bosnia and Herzegovina was January 9 annual celebration calate ethnic tensions in an ef- Kosovo’s application to join,
up of Bosnia and Herzegovina. identified as the most vulnera- of the foundation of Republika fort to destabilise the region. following a recommendation
After the war which followed ble country in the western Bal- Srpska, and blocked Bosnia and Meanwhile in Kosovo from the council’s Committee
the disintegration of the former kans by a “permeability index” Herzegovina from joining the The delicacy of the situation on Political Affairs and Democ-
Yugoslavia, the Dayton Accords developed by Nato in 2020. The EU sanctions against Russia. in the western Balkans should racy. Vučić has threatened that
peace deal established Bosnia report said: “The deep divisions Serbia will leave the council if it
and Herzegovina as a federa- between Republika Srpska and votes to admit Kosovo.
tion of two separate entities: the Federation of Bosnia and The west – as in Nato and the
the Serbian Republika Srpska, Herzegovina (the two constitu- EU – clearly wants to promote
and the Federation of Bosnia ent entities) is evident in the lack more stability and reconcilia-
and Herzegovina. of clarity over the country’s stra- tion in the western Balkans, in
The three main ethnic groups tegic orientation.” It added that light of Russia’s aggression in
– Bosniaks, Serbians and Croats – the two entities were deeply split Ukraine and fears of its further
are represented by a rotating pres- over issues such as Nato and EU territorial ambition. But if this
idency. Currently, the chairman of membership, with ethnic Serbs is the case, then its treaty or-
the presidency is Zeljko Komsic, a bitterly opposed to both. ganisations need to unify with
pro-EU Croat politician. Meanwhile, Russia is known respect to the future member-
The UN resolution plan has to have engaged in a range of ship of both Kosovo and Bosnia
been strongly opposed by Mi- disinformation operations and and Herzegovina.
lorad Dodik, the president of cyberattacks across the west- In doing so, it must treat
Republika Srpska. He reported- ern Balkans since before it in- Vučić’s most recent threats to-
ly stated on a visit to Belgrade vaded Ukraine in 2022. It has President of Russia Vladimir Putin with President of the Republika Srpska Milorad
in neighbouring Serbia that sought to influence media there Dodik. (KREMLIN.RU, CC BY 4.0) ❱❱ PAGE 18 Mounting tension and
British households throw away some 1.7B

pieces of plastic every week
ANADOLU UK’s Big Plastic Count initiative. releases toxic gases that pol- erators are being built in the croplastics into our air and wa-
Philippine News Agency According to the report, only lute the air and worsen climate UK – from Glasgow to the Isle ter – worsening the very issue
17 percent of the country’s plas- change, the report said this state of Wight,” it said. it’s designed to solve.”
tic waste is recycled while 58 of affairs does not match the It added the country’s recycling Against this background, the
Athens – Households in Brit- percent is incinerated, 14 per- government’s own commitment systems cannot cope with the companies and the government
ain throw away some 1.7 billion cent exported, and 11 percent to drastically reduce greenhouse sheer amount of plastic waste. should take action to cut plastic
pieces of plastic every week, ac- landfilled. gas emissions by 2050. It warned: “What’s more, the production at least 75 percent
cording to a new report by the Stressing that incineration “What's worse, 18 new incin- recycling process releases mi- by 2040, it urged. ■
FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 World News 15
Germany’s turning point:

2 years into strategic pivot, progress made
bodes well for the US, NATO and the world
BY MICHAEL F. HARSCH, a strategy of engagement with His argument is that pru- strategy, most notably on Rus- to build a 30 billion-euro ($32
National Defense University Russia and China to one of de- dence is necessary to avoid es- sia. Before the 2022 invasion of billion) chip factory in Magde-
The Conversation terrence and derisking – that is, calating the conflict, but Ger- Ukraine, Germany imported 55% burg, with the long-term aim of
efforts to diversify supply chains many’s conservative opposition of its gas from Russia. By January reducing dependence on micro-
to make Germany less vulnera- and parts of his own coalition 2023, it had achieved energy in- chips from Taiwan.
It has now been more than two ble to economic coercion. maintain that Scholz must show dependence from Russia. Shifting public sentiment
years since German Chancellor Scholz’s government has cre- greater resolve to deter Russia. Few thought this was eco- Convincing a skeptical German
Olaf Scholz entered a new com- ated a 100 billion-euro (about What’s clear is that Germa- nomically and politically possi- public of the more assertive inter-
pound word into the jargon of US$108 billion) special fund for ny has come a long way since ble, especially because Scholz’s national role envisioned by Scholz
global politics: “Zeitenwende.” the Bundeswehr – Germany’s receiving ridicule for offering party had a long-standing “spe- will take time, yet there are signs
Scholz’s Zeitenwende speech armed forces – and for the first Ukraine 5,000 helmets ahead cial relationship” with Russia that an important shift is under-
of Feb. 27, 2022 – the word time since the collapse of the of Russia’s 2022 invasion. And – from former Chancellor Wil- way. In a joint survey released
loosely translates as “turning Soviet Union in 1991, Germa- Scholz’s room for maneuver is ly Brandt’s “Ostpolitik,” which by the Pew Research Center and
point” – came as the world was ny will spend 2% of its GDP on limited by a German public that sought to normalize relations Körber-Stiftung in November
coming to grips with Russia’s its military in 2024. Scholz has remains wary of wielding mili- with the Soviet Union and its 2023, 60% of respondents con-
full-scale invasion of Ukraine. further promised to keep that tary power abroad. Eastern European allies, to curred that German companies
It marked a major shift for the level of funding into the 2030s. Changing course on Russia Gerhard Schröder’s cozying up should become less dependent
world’s third-largest economy These spending levels are un- More significant than high- with Putin. on China, even if it results in
and its foreign and defense pol- likely to turn Germany’s military er defense spending and aid to Reducing dependence on economic losses; 66% support-
icy, including significant invest- into the “powerful, cutting-edge” Ukraine, then, might be chang- China presents a more formida- ed continued military assistance
ments in Germany’s depleted force Scholz envisioned. The es to the direction of German ble challenge for Germany, and to Ukraine; and 72% agreed that
armed forces. Bundeswehr has “too little of foreign and security policy. it is still too early to assess the Germany should spend at least
With NATO’s 75th anniversa- everything,” as the German Par- Ironically, the land of revered impact of the Zeitenwende on 2% of its GDP on defense.
ry summit approaching in July, liament’s commissioner for the strategic thinkers such as Carl this critical relationship. Looking ahead to NATO’s July
has the Scholz government lived armed forces recently concluded von Clausewitz had never re- Notably, the new China strat- 2024 summit in Washington,
up to its promises? And what are in a scathing assessment. leased a national security strategy sets a more assertive tone: D.C., Germany’s strategic pivot
the implications of Germany’s Over the next decade, how- egy prior to the Zeitenwende. “China has changed. [Hence] we presents an opportunity for the
pivot for the United States? ever, a 2% spending level could Since then, the Scholz gov- need to change our approach to U.S. While U.S. policymakers
As an expert on international allow for a meaningful modern- ernment unveiled Germany’s China.” Berlin now emphasiz- cannot expect the two nations’
security, I am well aware that crit- ization, especially if efforts to cut first national security strategy es derisking its economic rela- interests to align consistently,
ics on both sides of the Atlantic bureaucratic red tape succeed. in June 2023, and a month lat- tionship with China, whose raw they have reasons to embrace
argue the Scholz government has Germany’s support for er its first China strategy. Both materials, cheap factories and Germany’s reorientation toward
failed to adequately strengthen Ukraine documents provide cleareyed growing middle class had long the transatlantic alliance.
Germany’s armed forces and that Germany is also the sec- assessments of the growing allowed German carmakers and Berlin’s plans to permanent-
its military support for Ukraine ond-largest provider of military challenges posed by Russia and other export-oriented compa- ly station a brigade in Lithuania
is insufficient. Yet when measur- assistance to Ukraine after the China – risks that previous gov- nies to thrive. by 2027 will strengthen NATO’s
ing Scholz’s actions against the U.S. From January 2022 to Jan- ernments appeared to ignore. In 2023, the Scholz govern- eastern flank. And its increased
objectives he originally articulat- uary 2024, it made military aid Germany has already tak- ment reached a landmark deal defense spending puts pressure
ed, there is reason to believe that commitments totaling 17.7 bil- en steps to implement its new with American tech giant Intel on other European states to
he has mostly delivered on his lion euros (about $19 billion). meet the 2% target too. In addi-
promises. Furthermore, as the largest tion, derisking as an economic
Promises delivered on budget contributor to the EU, strategy will require the build-
Beyond immediate support the Scholz government was in- ing of new partnerships and
for Ukraine, Scholz formulated strumental in channeling a stag- pathways, and the U.S. and its
two major long-term goals in gering 77.2 billion euros (about European allies might mutually
his speech. First, strengthen the $83 billion) of financial assis- benefit if they cooperate closely
German military with a large, tance from Brussels to Ukraine on this critical task.
one-time investment, followed during this period. And through As the Zeitenwende contin-
by a permanent increase in de- shrewd diplomacy, Scholz first ues into its third year, Germa-
fense spending. Second, adopt opened the door to EU mem- ny faces a host of challenges,
a more assertive foreign policy bership talks with Ukraine and and some question whether the
in defense of a rules-based in- then helped secure additional Scholz government will com-
ternational order. To this end, funding of 50 billion euros ($54 plete its term.
Scholz sought to align Germa- billion) to save Ukraine from Yet, even if Scholz’s efforts to
ny even more closely with its economic collapse as the war implement the Zeitenwende were
transatlantic allies, while re- against Russia drags on. cut short, the legacy of his strate-
ducing the country’s energy Yet, Scholz faces criticism for gic pivot is likely to endure. ■
and economic dependence on denying Ukraine some weap-
Russia and China. ons systems, including Taurus This article is republished
Taken together, the Zeiten- cruise missiles that could strike Visit of Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of Germany, to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, from The Conversation under a
wende amounted to a shift from deep into Russia. President of Ukraine, in Kyiv (PRESIDENT.GOV.UA, CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons license.
16 World News APRIL 19, 2024 FRIDAY
What’s next for Turkey after local elections

put Erdoğan on notice
BY SPYROS A. SOFOS, Simon Party (CHP), assumed control of New Welfare Party (YRP). Turks. This fear has deterred his — the first president of the re-
Fraser University crucial municipal and provincial The March results indicate supporters from defecting to op- public of Turkey and a symbol
The Conversation jurisdictions on March 31, 2024. a shift toward more vigorously position parties, which are reluc- of Turkey’s secular foundations
The CHP, energized by fresh contested elections in Turkey. tant to break ranks and engage — is prevalent. This imagery
leadership and capable can- Despite the ADP’s losses, meaningfully with their religious serves to remind supporters of
The recent municipal elec- didates, attracted backers of however, the ruling coalition’s conservative opponents. the loss of democracy inflicted
tions in Turkey represented a its former ally, the nationalist support base remains more or Opposition İstanbul and An- by their opponents.
significant defeat for President Good Party (İYİ). Supporters less stable at about 40 per cent kara mayors — Ekrem Imamoglu Deepening divisions
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, signal- of the Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ of the electorate. Erdoğan’s and Mansur Yavas, respectively, But this focus on Ataturk also
ling a potential shift in Turkey’s Equality and Democracy Party core supporters still distrust who are also CHP presidential alienates religious conserva-
political landscape. (DEM) also supported the CHP, the secularist CHP due to its re- hopefuls — borrow from the tives, including those who chose
For more than two decades, confirming a tacit partnership. cord before the AKP’s ascent to same populist playbook. They not to vote in March. It deepens
Erdoğan has extended his control Economic concerns, along with power. They remember the par- contrast “the people” with divisions and fears among those
over the Turkish media, the judi- Erdoğan’s authoritarian rule, like- ty’s aggressive secularism and “the Islamist elites,” criticizing who are wary of Ataturk’s ag-
ciary and the state bureaucracy, ly contributed to higher absten- contempt towards them. the decline of secularism and gressive secularist legacy.
establishing an uneven playing tion rates among conservative Erdoğan’s populism capital- lamenting the waning of democ- It also hinders dialogue and
field and skewed elections. Kurds and other AKP sympathiz- izes on these grievances as he racy under Erdoğan in an effort reinforces Turkey’s majoritar-
This time, though, his Jus- ers, aiding the CHP’s success. reminds his supporters of the to mobilize their supporters. ian political system, which was
tice and Development Party — Electoral volatility constant military oversight of They downplay the diversity of formalized with the winner-
known as AKP — and its coalition Increased political visibility politics, coup attempts and head- their supporters and speak about takes-all presidential system
with the ultra-right wing Nation- for the CHP poses a challenge scarf bans employed by the secu- the abstract “national will” — a introduced in 2018.
alist Movement Party (MHP) lost for Erdoğan, who now must re- larist leaders who preceded him. term also favoured by Erdoğan This system produces a dis-
15 key municipalities. ignite the country’s economy Stoking fear among his base, he — while invoking the concept of torted model of politics where
After a disastrous and divi- and stem the rising appeal of positions himself as the defender the “indivisible people,” an entity leaders claim to be represent-
sive presidential campaign in both secular parties and rival of conservative religious values that’s difficult to define. ing the will of a homogeneous
2023, the opposition, led by the splinter Islamist entities, in- and a guardian against threats At their rallies, the iconogra-
secularist Republican People’s cluding the more conservative to the civil rights of conservative phy of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ❱❱ PAGE 18 What’s next for
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Entertainment
ASAP Natin 'to California - a special TFC30
anniversary concert - offers the super Fan
Package Deal to ticket buyers until April 30
ABS-CBN Come August 3, Saturday, at Guzman, KZ Tandingan, Jolina
the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Magdangal, Robi Domingo, and
ABS-CBN Studios, TFC and Kim Chui! Watch out for the an-
LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2024 ABS-CBN International will nouncement of more artists soon.
- Anniversary concerts are siz- present the grandest and lon- To make the special TFC30
zling hot in the American music gest-running Filipino weekend anniversary event offerings even
scene this year. Nu metal pio- variety show ASAP Natin' To in sweeter, ASAP Natin 'To Califor-
neer Korn has sold out its 30th a special commemorative 30th nia unveiled big savings for big
anniversary concert in Los An- anniversary concert in honor fans. It has announced a 20 per-
geles, legendary Bay Area rock of TFC, the flagship multime- cent discount on bulk ticket or-
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sas are marking their respective ASAP Natin 'To California al- - use promo code FAN20; Autho-
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atricals Recordings is releasing and energy on stage as it recent- com/ASAPinCalifornia to see the
the much-awaited My Favorite ly announced its growing cast of list of official ticket agents; and
Things: Rodgers & Hammerstein superstars who will perform at Toyota Arena Box office through
80th anniversary concert album the event: OPM Icons: Gary V, walk-ins or by emailing premium-
this May, and the Philippines' Zsa Zsa Padilla, Ogie Alcasid, Erik [email protected]. This
very own iconic singer-songwrit- Santos, Piolo Pascual, Regine Ve- promo ends on April 30.
er-hitmaker Odette Quesada is lasquez-Alcasid, and Martin Nie- For more information and
celebrating her 40th year with vera. PLUS the hottest Kapamilya to purchase tickets only from
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Donny and Belle get emotional in the last

few weeks of "Can't Buy Me Love"
ABS-CBN Belle shared how Caroline gles he and his character faced which is why the audience re- Over the last six months,
will be a part of her life even as well as the cast, and also lates to their character and gets the series, its characters, and
after the show. "Noong una si teased viewers on what to ex- talked about in different social scenes have been going viral on
The series continues to be Caroline very stoic, and now pect in the finale. media accounts. social media because of its in-
one of the most-watched shows may puso siya. Grabe talaga "Sa dinami ng pinagdaanan "Makatotohanan yung triguing plot as well as its come-
on iWantTFC and Netflix... yung napagdaanan niya. Big ng BingLing pati ng buong cast, ipinakita namin at binuhos dic banters of the characters.
Phenomenal Gen Z super- help yung directors and charac- Team Binondo at mga Tiu, gra- namin effort at puso gumalaw The series also received praise
stars and Primetime Super ter kasi sa kanila ako humuhu- be everything is coming togeth- at gumana. Nato-touch na ang from netizens for highlight-
Idols Donny Pangilinan and got. I have been Caroline for er. Kahit ang daming revela- viewers natin kasi hindi na ing the importance of mental
Belle Mariano shed tears at eight months, and she's always tions na, ang dami pa rin nating kami umaarte at totoo na ang health. At the same time, the
the finale media conference going to be a part of me. Kaya tanong kung anong mangyayari lumalabas," sabi niya. series also helped boost local
as their series "Can't Buy Me parang kung anong pinagdada- sa dulo. I'm just excited honest- Meanwhile, Anthony Jen- tourism in Binondo as loyal
Love," which continues to be anan niya, pinagdadaanan ko ly as a viewer to also see what's nings and Maris Racal ex- viewers explored Chinatown
part of the most-watched lists rin with her," she emotionally going to happen," he said. pressed their gratitude to to recreate scenes of the series
of iWantTFC and Netflix, nears said. Nova Villa also mentioned the viewers who supported
its finale. Donny reminisced the strug- that they used their emotions, SnoRene. ❱❱ PAGE 30 Donny and Belle
18 Entertainment APRIL 19, 2024 FRIDAY
Alexa drops solo rendition of

"Believing In Magic (Yakap Mo)"
ABS-CBN rector Jonathan Manalo pro- soundtrack of their series “Run
duced and composed “Believing To Me” which spawned the sin-
In Magic” with Andrei Dionisio gles “Misteryo” and “When I
Gears up for “Add to heart, and Annabelle Regalado-Borja See You Again.”
KDLex concert” happening while StarPop label head Roque As an actress, she landed a
on May 31 “Rox” Santos also served as its stint as one of the child stars of
Singer-actress Alexa Ilacad executive producer. “Goin’ Bulilit” in 2008. Since
returns to the music scene with Aside from her music come- then, she has showcased her
her solo version of “Believing back, Alexa is also gearing up for acting prowess in successful se-
In Magic (Yakap Mo),” a single her concert with on-screen part- ries such as “Bagito,” “The Good
about patiently waiting for true ner KD Estrada titled “Add to Son,” “The Killer Bride,” and
love to come along. heart, KDLex concert” happening “Pira-Pirasong Paraiso.”
She first released the track as a on May 31 at the Music Museum. Check out Alexa’s new sin-
collaboration with Belle Mariano Alexa began her music career gle “Believing In Magic (Yakap
and Francine Diaz for the “Star with the release of her debut al- Mo)” available on various dig-
Magical Prom 2024: The Album.” bum “To The Moon and Back” ital streaming platforms. For
She also sang the song with Belle which features the key track more details, follow StarPop on
and Francine at the recent Star “Pakipot Suplado” released in Facebook, X (Twitter), Insta-
Magical Prom event and their 2016. She then came out with gram, and TikTok.
performance video generated several singles including “Love For updates, follow @abscbn-
raves online and earned millions At First Sight,” “Stay Right pr on Facebook, X (Twitter), Ins-
of views on TikTok. Here,” and “Paano” and also tagram, and TikTok or visit www.
ABS-CBN Music creative di- collaborated with KD for the abs-cbn.com/newsroom. ■ Alexa Ilacad (ABS-CBN)
“We Will Buy Your What’s next for..

16 electorate devoid of conversations cannot take place. for non-populist politics.
Time”: ‘The 8 Show’

❰❰
differences and diver- Important conversations His political campaigning,
sity. Popular leaders like Imamo- however, has paid lip service to
It’s reinforced by the use of glu — the most likely Erdoğan the diversity of the electorate
Promises High
familial terms — Erdoğan’s sup- challenger — need to break out and the different fears and aspi-
porters liken him to a brother, of the straitjacket of the father/ rations that motivate and con-
for example, a term that he also brother symbolism and its po- strain voters. It’s focused too
uses frequently in his speeches. tential for authoritarian, popu- much on his personality.
Stakes on May 17 Ataturk is likened to a father

who led his children to prosperity.
Imamoglu likens the 16
list repercussions.
They need to foster a political
culture that shifts the attention
Democracy in Turkey needs
durable yet adaptable institu-
tions, not a cult of personality
NETFLIX first look at the eight individuals, million Istanbulites — half of from the leader to more partic- and the demonization of certain
clad in an eclectic array of out- which voted for his re-election ipatory democratic politics and segments of voters. Diversity
fits, from checkered shirts and as mayor — to a family. enables important conversa- must be genuinely recognized
Known for his widely pop- denim jeans to well-cut suits But in deeply polarized Turkey, tions across Turkey’s cultural and embraced. Bringing togeth-
ular films like The King and and flowy dresses. Ready to em- ignoring the diversity of voters and political divides. er all voters by focusing on their
The Face Reader, Han Jae-rim bark on the “irresistible but bru- weakens the country’s prospects Imamoglu’s stint as Istanbul common interests, not their dif-
makes his directorial debut in tal” show that revolves around for meaningful democracy. It mayor has sparked inclusive ferences, is the challenge Tur-
a series with The 8 Show. Set to universal themes of money and downplays the fact that fear and conversations and prioritized key’s leaders face today. ■
premiere on May 17, the show time, each figure hints at a story mistrust trap voters in echo policies that emphasize human
is already igniting anticipa- waiting to be told. chambers where the voices, expe- development. He’s advocated This article is republished
tion with its star-studded cast, Meanwhile, the accompa- riences, fears and aspirations of for services and projects aimed from The Conversation under a
featuring Ryu Jun-yeol, Chun nying trailer previews the sus- others cannot be heard and where at inclusiveness and social jus- Creative Commons license.
Woo-hee, Park Jeong-min, Lee pense that awaits, with Ryu Jun- necessary but uncomfortable tice, offering a Turkish model
Yul-eum, Park Hae-joon, Lee yeol setting the stage for what
Zoo-young, Moon Jeong-hee, makes the show so tantalizing
and Bae Seong-woo. — guaranteed high returns, ac- Mounting tension and..
In The 8 Show, eight individ- commodation provided, and
uals find themselves trapped in only their time is required. With ❰❰ 14 wards Kosovo with thing the west needs is the fur- he sits in the Kremlin, Vladimir
a mysterious eight-story build- the simple rule of “as time pass- the same gravity with ther destabilisation and even Putin is anticipating this possi-
ing, participating in a tempting es, money accumulates,” the which it appears to re- possible secession of parts of bility with great relish. ■
but dangerous show, where the eight individuals tackle allianc- gard Dodik’s secession threats in Kosovo and Bosnia and Her-
prize money goes up the longer es, confrontations, and betrayals Bosnia and Herzegovina. zegovina, with the possibility This article is republished
the show goes on. With the war in Ukraine at for violence that this presents. from The Conversation under a
The launch poster provides a ❱❱ PAGE 25 “We Will Buy such a critical point, the last You’d have to imagine that, as Creative Commons license.
Lifestyle
From thousands to millions to billions
to trillions to quadrillions and beyond:
Do numbers ever end?
BY MANIL SURI, University sake, rather than viewing them It’s fine to just think of them as new number. why numbers don’t end: It’s
of Maryland, Baltimore County as just counting tools. As some- “many,” much like the Egyptians These assumptions immedi- because of the way in which we
The Conversation one who’s written a book on the treated numbers over a million. ately give us the list of counting define them.
importance of numbers, I can’t These examples point to one rea- numbers: 0 + 1 = 1, 1 + 1 = 2, 2 + 1 = Now, the negative numbers
emphasize enough how crucial son why numbers must continue 3, and so on, a progression that How do the negative numbers
Why don’t numbers end? – this step was for humanity. endlessly. If we had a maximum, continues without end. -1, -2, -3 and more fit into all this?
Reyhane, age 7, Tehran, Iran By 500 BCE, Pythagoras and some new use or discovery would You might wonder why these Historically, people were very
Here’s a game: Ask a friend to his disciples had not only re- surely make us exceed it. two rules are assumptions. The suspicious about such numbers,
give you any number and you’ll alized that the counting num- Exceptions to the rule reason for the first one is that since it’s hard to picture a “mi-
return one that’s bigger. Just bers – 1, 2, 3 and so on – were But under certain circum- we don’t really know how to de- nus one” apple or orange. As late
add “1” to whatever number endless, but also that they could stances, sometimes numbers fine the number 0. For example: as 1796, math textbooks warned
they come up with and you’re be used to explain cool stuff do have a maximum because Is “0” the same as “nothing,” against using negatives.
sure to win. like the sounds made when you people design them that way for and if so, what exactly is meant The negatives were created
The reason is that numbers pluck a taut string. a practical purpose. by “nothing”? to address a calculation issue.
go on forever. There is no high- Zero is a critical number A good example is a clock – or The second might seem even The positive numbers are fine
est number. But why? As a pro- But there was a problem. Al- clock arithmetic, where we use more strange. After all, we can when you’re adding them to-
fessor of mathematics, I can though the Greeks could men- only the numbers 1 through 12. easily show that adding 1 to 2 gether. But when you get to
help you find an answer. tally think of very large numbers, There is no 13 o’clock, because gives us the new number 3, just subtraction, they can’t handle
First, you need to understand they had difficulty writing them after 12 o’clock we just go back to like adding 1 to 2002 gives us differences like 1 minus 2, or 2
what numbers are and where down. This was because they did 1 o’clock again. If you played the the new number 2003. minus 4. If you want to be able
they come from. You learned not know about the number 0. “bigger number” game with a But notice that we’re saying to subtract numbers at will, you
about numbers because they Think of how important zero friend in clock arithmetic, you’d this has to hold for any number. need negative numbers too.
enabled you to count. Early is in expressing big numbers. You lose if they chose the number 12. We can’t very well verify this for A simple way to create neg-
humans had similar needs – can start with 1, then add more Since numbers are a human every single case, since there atives is to imagine all the
whether to count animals killed and more zeroes at the end to invention, how do we construct are going to be an endless num- numbers – 0, 1, 2, 3 and the
in a hunt or keep track of how quickly get numbers like a mil- them so they continue without ber of cases. As humans who can rest – drawn equally spaced on
many days had passed. That’s lion – 1,000,000, or 1 followed by end? Mathematicians started perform only a limited number a straight line. Now imagine a
why they invented numbers. six zeros – or a billion, with nine looking at this question starting of steps, we have to be careful mirror placed at 0. Then define
But back then, numbers were zeros, or a trillion, 12 zeros. in the early 1900s. What they anytime we make claims about -1 to be the reflection of +1 on the
quite limited and had a very sim- It was only around 1200 CE came up with was based on two an endless process. And mathe- line, -2 to be the reflection of +2,
ple form. Often, the “numbers” that zero, invented centuries assumptions: that 0 is the start- maticians, in particular, refuse and so on. You’ll end up with all
were just notches on a bone, going earlier in India, came to Eu- ing number, and when you add 1 to take anything for granted. the negative numbers this way.
up to a couple hundred at most. rope. This led to the way we to any number you always get a Here, then, is the answer to As a bonus, you’ll also know
When numbers got bigger write numbers today. that since there are just as many
As time went on, people’s This brief history makes clear negatives as there are positives,
needs grew. Herds of livestock that numbers were developed the negative numbers must also
had to be counted, goods and ser- over thousands of years. And go on without end! ■
vices traded, and measurements though the Egyptians didn’t
made for buildings and naviga- have much use for a million, we Hello, curious kids! Do you
tion. This led to the invention of certainly do. Economists will have a question you’d like an
larger numbers and better ways tell you that government ex- expert to answer? Ask an adult
of representing them. penditures are commonly mea- to send your question to Curi-
About 5,000 years ago, the sured in millions of dollars. ousKidsUS@theconversation.
Egyptians began using sym- Also, science has taken us to a com. Please tell us your name,
bols for various numbers, with point where we need even larg- age and the city where you live.
a final symbol for one million. er numbers. For instance, there And since curiosity has no age
Since they didn’t usually en- are about 100 billion stars in limit – adults, let us know what
counter bigger quantities, they our galaxy – or 100,000,000,000 you’re wondering, too. We won’t
also used this same final symbol – and the number of atoms in be able to answer every question,
to depict “many.” our universe may be as high as but we will do our best.
The Greeks, starting with 1 followed by 82 zeros. This article is republished
Pythagoras, were the first to Don’t worry if you find it hard from The Conversation under a
study numbers for their own to picture such big numbers. Creative Commons license.
20 Lifestyle APRIL 19, 2024 FRIDAY
Can playing Tetris help prevent PTSD if

you’ve witnessed something traumatic?
BY DANIEL BRESSINGTON, What is PTSD? So, does it work? Would other visuospatial periencing a traumatic event
Charles Darwin University, While most people who wit- Research on the effects of Te- games be helpful? may help to reduce subsequent
DAVID A MITCHELL, ness a traumatic event won’t tris on PTSD is still evolving. Any game with a focus on vi- intrusive memories
Charles Darwin University require treatment, the psycho- The initial study in 2009 suospatial tasks may possibly • playing Tetris at the point
The Conversation logical harm of a powerfully dis- successfully resulted in three help. Limited studies direct- of recalling a previous traumat-
tressing event can have lasting times fewer intrusions than ly compare Tetris with other ic experience may also reduce
effects in some. the non-Tetris group. However, games. However, a study involv- intrusions and distress
In the wake of witnessing One of the most studied trau- this work was conducted in lab- ing 54 volunteers compared the • Tetris may be used as part
tragic events, many people turn ma conditions is post-traumat- oratories by showing partici- effects of playing Tetris versus of a treatment strategy by a
to online communities such as ic stress disorder, commonly pants films of traumatic events, word games versus no games. healthcare professional.
Reddit to discuss and process referred to as PTSD. playing Tetris for ten minutes Both the Tetris and the word Remember, Tetris is not a
their experiences. A common In PTSD, a single traumatic shortly after watching the vid- gaming groups reported rela- panacea for trauma. Intrusive
bit of advice users give each event or series of traumas cre- eos, and measuring the number tively fewer intrusive memories memories are not completely
other is to play Tetris to help ate a collection of distressing of intrusions experienced over than the non-gaming group. eradicated by playing the game
combat traumatic memories. symptoms. This can include re- the following week. So, should I play Tetris if I and PTSD includes several
Where does this idea come living the event through night- Although encouraging, this experience a traumatic event? symptoms that won’t improve
from, and can this iconic com- mares and flashbacks, a sense of initial research was done in a The current evidence of Te- via gameplaying. If someone
puter game really help in the the world being a darker, more highly controlled setting and tris’ efficacy is limited to studies experiences PTSD-type symp-
treatment of conditions like complicated place, as well as may not apply in the real world. where people were supported toms, they likely need profes-
post-traumatic stress disorder? hypervigilance and fear. The However, several clinical by professionals. This evidence sional help. ■
The answer is a partial “yes”, brain is seemingly inoculated studies have been conducted indicates that:
but with caveats. It depends by the trauma and sensitised to since 2017, and summarised in • playing Tetris (or perhaps This article is republished
on several factors, such as the anticipate further trauma. a recent literature review. These a similar game) for around 20 from The Conversation under a
specific symptoms, the timing How might playing Tetris relatively small studies showed minutes in the hours after ex- Creative Commons license.
of the event and also receiving help PTSD? that playing Tetris reduced the
other types of psychological The human brain has limit- number of intrusions in women
treatment. ed capacity to process or recall experiencing birth trauma, peo-
Firstly, what is Tetris? memories of events. In 2009, re- ple involved in vehicle accidents,
A deceptively simple com- searchers at the University of Ox- war refugees and war veterans.
puter game, Tetris first ap- ford proposed that playing Tetris Although most studies in-
peared in 1985. Today, it re- when the brain is trying to store volved participants play-
mains one of the most popular visual memories would overload ing Tetris for 10–40 minutes
games in history, available for its capacity and “distract” the vi- shortly after a traumatic event
free online and on numerous sual memory circuits. (between 30 minutes and 72
gaming platforms. Therefore, playing Tetris hours), recent research shows
The puzzle game involves a shortly after a distressing event there may be benefits up to sev-
simple visuospatial task (that is, could interrupt these process- en years after childbirth-relat-
relating visual information to ing centres within the brain. ed trauma – by reactivating the
physical space). A series of ran- In turn, this would reduce the intrusive visual memory and
domly generated block shapes recurrence of unwanted visual playing Tetris for 20 minutes.
float down from the top of the memories – intrusions – associ- While these results are en-
screen, and the player’s goal is ated with the trauma. couraging, we need more robust
to create “lines” with the shapes It has also been proposed Te- research with larger groups of
by rotating and moving them. A tris may be helpful when reac- participants to be more certain
completed line is cleared from tivating memories of historical of the effects of Tetris, particu-
the screen, reducing a potential trauma during treatment with a larly in the real world.
pile-up of shapes. psychologist. All earlier studies involved
The longer you can keep go- Essentially, Tetris is thought playing the game with profes-
ing, the higher the score. The to work as a “cognitive vaccine” sional guidance, so we don’t
simplicity of this puzzle format for intrusive visual memories of know how it works without this
is both mindful and engaging. trauma. support.
FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 Lifestyle 21
East Africa’s ‘soda lakes’ are rising,

threatening their iconic flamingos
BY AIDAN BYRNE, King's However Nakuru almost international protections.
College London doubled in size between 2009 It’s not only the flamingos
The Conversation and 2022, while its mean con- that are at risk. Soda lakes con-
centration of chlorophyll a – a tain plants and animals found
photosynthetic pigment mea- nowhere else on earth including
Huge pink flocks of millions sured by satellites that can be fish species, invertebrates and
of flamingos – flamboyances of used as an estimate of cyano- phytoplankton. Declines in their
flamingos – are one of nature’s bacteria presence – halved. The most charismatic birds provide
great spectacles. But colleagues number of birds has noticeably an insight into what could be
and I have uncovered worrying declined in response to the happening beneath the surface.
trends in the salty and highly-al- losses in their food source. These lakes can act as early
kaline “soda lakes” of east Africa Lake Natron in Tanzania is beacons of how climate change
where most of these birds live. also worth highlighting as it is can impact inland waters across
Lesser flamingos are the most the only regular breeding site the world. If we want to protect
numerous of the six species of for lesser flamingos in east Af- these highly fragile ecosystems
flamingo found across the world, rica. The rising water levels and their iconic pink birds, we’ll
and more than three quarters colleagues and I found that only But these lakes are especially and declining food sources at have to take action to mitigate the
are found in the soda lakes of half of the lakes that provided sensitive to change because they Natron therefore threaten not increasing rainfall in the region.
Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. high-quality feeding habitat in often have no outflowing rivers. only current populations but We need to know what’s hap-
Despite their numbers, with es- 2000 were still suitable feeding And as their waters rise they are the birds’ ability to breed in the pening on the ground and where
timates ranging between 2 mil- lakes in 2022. diluted, reducing their salinity region, possibly leading to dras- the flamingos are going, so more
lion and 3 million birds, the spe- Lesser flamingos feed by turn- and alkalinity and limiting the tic declines in the future. regular water quality monitor-
cies is in decline and officially ing their heads upside down, growth of the cyanobacteria the Rising water levels are likely ing and bird counts are required
classified as “near threatened”. pumping water through fine flamingos depend on. caused by a combination of in- across the soda lakes. We also
The causes of the population hair-like structures called lamel- More water, less food creased rainfall in recent decades need to protect forests near the
decline have been difficult to lae in their beaks and catching To assess the threats facing and deforestation which causes lakes most susceptible to change
identify due to the remoteness of only cyanobacteria of a certain lesser flamingos, we used satel- the rainfall to run off directly into and restore lake catchments
many soda lakes and the nomadic size. This highly specialised tac- lites to monitor 22 key feeding the lakes. Rainfall is predicted to that are already degraded. This
nature of the birds. They often fly tic means the birds are heavily lakes across Ethiopia, Kenya increase in east Africa with cli- will reduce the amount of rain
at night between the soda lakes dependent on certain cyanobac- and Tanzania between 1999 mate change, driving further lake running straight into the lakes
in search of new feeding sites, in teria species such as spirulina. and 2022. This is the first time level rises in the future. and will give the cyanobacteria a
response to the boom and bust This is the same vitamin-rich the whole east African range of It’s not entirely bad news, for fighting chance.
nature of the cyanobacteria they spirulina you might have seen lesser flamingos has been mon- the flamingos at least. Six of the With the right help, spectac-
feed on, commonly known as in smoothies or supplements. itored at this scale. 22 lakes provided more suitable ular flamboyances of flamingos
blue-green algae. In nature, the species that fla- Water levels have risen the flamingo habitats in 2022 com- will continue to grace east Afri-
However, rising water levels mingos feed on only grows in most in recent years in Kenya pared to 2000. The birds will can lakes in the future. ■
at many of the feeding lakes are highly salty and alkine condi- and Tanzania, particularly at likely find new feeding lakes in
decimating the cyanobacteria tions, and in soda lakes it grows historically important flamin- shallow salt pans and seasonal This article is republished
the birds have evolved to eat. in such numbers that these lakes go lakes Bogoria and Nakuru, lakes. However, without a history from The Conversation under a
In research now published in are some of the most productive which supported more than 1 of flamingos living there, many of Creative Commons license.
the journal Current Biology, my ecosystems on the planet. million birds in the recent past. these lakes do not have the same
Apayao Isnag’s ‘lapat’ preserves

268 hectares of virgin forests
BY LIZA AGOOT exist and thrive. sociation (CARAA) on Sunday revived through the help of the handed down by their elders.
Philippine News Agency “The lapat is an indigenous evening at the Payanan Sports environment department. He noted that in Calanasan,
way of preserving the forest. Complex here. Nariha Kalanasan was sent his birthplace, even children rec-
An area is declared by the com- Calanasan, like Davao, also off to fly back to its natural hab- ognize the need to preserve the
LUNA, Apayao – “Lapat” or munity as a protected area and hosts the Philippine Eagle. itat on April 12 and the event forest and to protect the Philip-
the indigenous system of pre- once declared, human activity Proof of the bird’s presence was witnessed by local officials, pine Eagle living in the forests.
serving the forest in the munic- or even entry into the forest in the area is the sending back residents, and Department of “We call the eagle as Banam-
ipality of Calanasan here has is prohibited,” Governor Elias to the forest of an eagle named Environment and Natural Re- ba. Normally, we see them on
led to the preservation of about Bulut Jr. said on the sidelines “Nariha Kabugao”, which is sources (DENR) officials. the roads after a flight and no-
268 hectares of natural and vir- of the send-off of their athletes about four years old. The bird Bulut said that as a member of body in the community touch-
gin forests, which allows the joining the Cordillera Admin- was reportedly rescued in the Isnag tribe, he grew up rec-
Philippine Eagle to continue to istrative Region Athletic As- March after it was shot and was ognizing the practice, which was ❱❱ PAGE 25 Apayao Isnag’s ‘lapat’
Sports
Things you need to know Nadal confirms
about Paris 2024 Olympic return to action
flame lighting rite in Barcelona Open
XINHUA tuary of the goddess Hestia; priestess keeper of the fire), XINHUA words in Barcelona did nothing
Philippine News Agency additional fires were lit at the where it is handed over by the Philippine News Agency to change that view.
temples of Zeus and Hera. high priestess to a torchbearer "At this situation in my career,
Today, the Olympic flame is along with an olive branch -a I am in a different situation, and
BEIJING – With 100-day lit in front of the ruins of the universal symbol of peace. MADRID – Rafael Nadal rather than lament what I have
countdown to the 2024 Par- temple of Hera by an actress The torchbearer then car- confirmed on Monday that he missed, I would rather be happy
is Olympic Games around the playing the part of the high ries the flame to the Coubertin would return to action in the to be here. I am taking this as my
corner, the Olympic flame that priestess, who uses a parabolic Grove on the site of the Inter- Barcelona Open on Tuesday. last year and I want to enjoy ev-
will burn throughout the Par- dish to concentrate the sun's national Olympic Academy, Nadal called a press confer- ery moment and give it a special
is Olympics will be lit during a rays and ignite her torch. where it is used to light an altar ence on the first day of the event feeling,” he said.
ceremony on Tuesday in An- The Olympic flame is placed beside the monument in which he has won 12 times to say he "I try and manage the situa-
cient Olympia, Greece. in an urn and brought to the an- would compete for the first time tion with my injuries as well as
The lighting of the Olympic cient stadium by Hestiada (the ❱❱ PAGE 27 Things you need in almost three months, after possible, we know what there is
flame is a symbolic moment another injury setback had pre- and I will continue until it's not
that has been a tradition of the vented him from competing in worth doing so," he added. "I am
Olympic Games since 1936. The January's Australian Open. not going to set a limit, but life
flame not only represents the "I am happy to be here as I marks the way for you and I will
positive values, such as peace have a lot of good memories try and do the most logical thing.
and friendship, but also acts as of this tournament," he said, The veteran said it was a
a link between the ancient and explaining he had come as a shame that Carlos Alcaraz, who
modern Games. last-minute decision. many see as his successor, won't
To the ancient Greeks, fire "I have had a good week of compete in Barcelona due to a
was a sacred element, and per- training and I am going to be on problem with his forearm.
petual fires were maintained court tomorrow (Tuesday)," he "It's bad news for the tourna-
in front of their main temples. confirmed. ment to lose the top seed in my
During the ancient Olympic The 37-year-old Nadal has half of the draw, but I'm still not
Games, a flame burned perma- already hinted he will retire ready to think about the semifi-
nently on the altar of the sanc- at the end of the year, and his nals," commented Nadal. ■
From forced kisses to power imbalances,

violence against women in sport is endemic
BY FIONA GILES, La – which reviewed 25 years of the collective voices of women There have been many his- mer athletes, coaches, umpires
Trobe University, KIRSTY studies examining women’s ex- standing with Hermoso to fight torical and contemporary cases and managers.
FORSDIKE, La Trobe periences of gender-based vio- back with a resounding “no”. of abuse, bringing to light some The research found women in
University lence in sport – found perpetra- The shocking reality of gen- of the concerns about how per- sport experience multiple types
The Conversation tors are rarely held to account. der-based violence in sport petrators were able to continue of violence (sexual, physical,
More commonly, they are Women’s sport is champi- their abuse for so long. psychological, financial), often
free to continue abusing vic- oned as a platform for em- Our research systematically by more than one perpetrator.
Former Spanish football fed- tims with impunity. powerment and equality but gathered and analysed the col- Coaches or other authority fig-
eration chief Luis Rubiales may Even after millions of people previous studies have shown lective voices of women who ures are the most common per-
face significant consequences for watched Rubiales’ actions, it was gender-based violence is high- experienced gender-based vi- petrators, followed by male ath-
his non-consensual kiss of Span- obvious that Hermoso’s experi- ly prevalent, ranging from 26 olence in sport to understand letes or members of the public.
ish soccer star Jenni Hermoso. ence was minimised, that pow- to 75% across psychological, their experiences better and to We found a “normalisation” of
But this is not the norm for erful organisations attempted physical and sexual violence, inform future prevention and these violent behaviours in the
perpetrators of gender-based to coerce her into stating it was depending on how the violence response initiatives. Partici-
violence in sport. Our research consensual, and that it took has been defined and measured. pants included current and for- ❱❱ PAGE 30 From forced kisses
Business
“Urban form” and the housing crisis:
Can streets and buildings make a
neighbourhood more affordable?
BY CEM S. KAYATEKIN, IE Today there are extensive dis- a bright, airy one; a dwelling Curiously, our research both deciding factor: the districts
University, LORENZO URIBE cussions of bottom-up devel- overlooking a pleasant square is confirmed and subverted the with greater numbers of small
SANMIGUEL, IE University opment and how it fosters com- more marketable than one next presumed theoretical link be- buildings built on small plots
The Conversation munities and neighbourhood to a narrow alley. These varied tween urban form and hous- supported a denser and more
identity, while the lasting im- spaces can host a varied popula- ing stock, and the presumed affordable housing stock, re-
prints of top-down regimes are tion – a range of different ages, supremacy of bottom-up over gardless of whether they were
As of 2007, most humans live still clearly visible in contem- household sizes and income the top-down areas in fostering top-down or bottom-up.
in cities. Though this is a rel- porary cities around the world. levels, all living cheek to jowl economic diversity. Older bottom-up areas seem
atively recent trend, many of For centuries, architects, alongside one another. Our main finding was that the to naturally lend themselves to
our settlements contain street, planners and philosophers In a top-down neighbour- bottom-up districts we looked having more small-scale plots.
block, and building patterns have suggested that bottom-up hood such variety is often ab- at had, overall, more small-scale This is likely due to the incre-
that have developed over cen- areas of cities tend to be more sent, as buildings, streets, and apartments. The reason is sim- mental development of these
turies. These patterns – which inclusive than top-down ones, public spaces tend to be more ple: they had more small-scale areas, and the complex land
collectively make up what we supporting a wider range of uniform. This homogeneity buildings, built on small-scale ownership patterns that devel-
call “urban form” – are far from economic classes. However, de- should, in theory, limit popula- plots. Once divided into apart- oped as a result. However, there
a neutral backdrop: they influ- cisively proving such a theory tion diversity. ments, this produces small is no reason why a top-down
ence who lives where, what busi- has proved challenging. Real world examples: Ma- apartments – homes in the bot- area cannot be designed to rep-
nesses find footholds in which How the built world shapes drid and Barcelona tom-up areas were 10% to 23.1% licate these characteristics.
locations, and what makes some demographics: two theoreti- In late 2021, we conduct- smaller than their top-down Implications for the housing
areas more diverse than others. cal approaches ed research into the relation- counterparts. This also made crisis
“Bottom-up” and “top-down” The link between urban form, ship between urban form and their real estate markets for Governments seeking to rein
are terms which are often used class and economic diversity housing. We looked at two dis- small homes more competitive, in housing markets can take ac-
to pin down the two ends of the follows two lines of thought. tricts in Barcelona and two in and therefore more affordable. tion to encourage development
vast range of urban form. Bot- The first is an extension of Madrid, with one bottom-up However, our study showed on a smaller scale. One rather
tom-up refers to neighborhoods ecology. In natural habitats that and one top-down in each city, there is nothing inherently blunt, though potentially fruit-
which develop naturally and have developed slowly over time homing in on areas with simi- magical about bottom-up areas. ful, method is limiting owner-
gradually, without a strict mas- – through bottom-up process- lar average real estate values. Their more intricate housing ship of urban land by a single
terplan guiding their develop- es – we tend to observe a wide The neighbourhoods examined stock has little to do with the individual or corporation, or
ment. Top-down, on the other range of species. However, in were Bellas Vistas and Palos de layout of streets and blocks, and limiting the footprint and size
hand, refers to urban form that planned habitats – built much la Frontera in Madrid, and Vila a lot to do with how that land is of non-public buildings that
is designed by singular authors, more rapidly in a top-down de Gracia and Nova Esquerra de built upon. can be built within a city.
with much tighter controls over, manner – this kind of richness l’Eixample in Barcelona. Plot size appears to be the Although it applies to agri-
and ideals around, how it should is often markedly absent. Slow cultural land, the limitation of
develop over time. growth tends to produce more private ownership to 50 acres
If we look at bottom-up intricacy and diversity, and this per person in Sri Lanka is a use-
neighbourhoods from a bird’s idea is often extended to theo- ful case study here.
eye view, we tend to see a variety ries of urban form. Even in countries like the
of block sizes, street widths and The second line of thought United States, where property
public spaces, and often maze- is economic. Consider the di- rights are wielded in objection to
like street patterns. Top-down versity of public spaces in such arguments, there is a long-
areas, by comparison, tend to be bottom-up districts – differ- standing debate on the funda-
less varied, with clear evidence ent sized streets, alleyways, mental necessity of land owner-
of their authors’ vision and val- squares, parks, courtyards, and ship limitations in maintaining a
ues regarding urban geometry so on. This variety of public functioning capitalist system.
and the nature of public space spaces creates different qual- As housing crises rage across
– grid systems and sweeping ities of light and air, as well as the world, many cities are in dire
boulevards abound. Many cities a wide range of favourable and pursuit of a more affordable,
have bottom-up and top-down less favourable conditions. more varied, and more inclusive
neighourhoods existing side by A more varied real estate housing stock. It is increasingly
side, legacies of different politi- market should, in theory, clear that urban policies aiming
cal and socioeconomic eras. emerge as a byproduct of this to achieve this solely by address-
Cities also reflect the val- diversity: a dark, poorly venti-
ues of time, place, and history. lated apartment is cheaper than ❱❱ PAGE 27 “Urban form” and
24 Business APRIL 19, 2024 FRIDAY
Japan: the yen plunges to 34-year

low despite interest rate hike
BY RICHARD WERNER, Since banks in Japan never ex- still bad for the economy. Rates
University of Winchester tended negative rates to deposits should have been raised much
The Conversation made by bank customers, they more and much earlier. But the
passed this penalty onto borrow- BoJ is not interested in sup-
ers. This was relatively easy to porting the domestic economy
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) do as small Japanese firms have and national interests, nor even
raised interest rates for the been desperate for more bank explicit government policy.
first time in 17 years on March loans for 30 years. As a result, Consider the exchange rate.
19, bringing an era of negative lowering rates into negative ter- It is often thought that the
interest rates to an end. The ritory actually raised borrowing low rates have contributed to a
key rate was hiked from –0.1% rates for loan customers. weak yen, since investors could long the recession in order to easing” that I had developed in
to a band from zero to 0.1% – a Due to the squeeze on bank earn higher interest by investing force through structural change. Japan 30 years ago to help the
token effort to offer some tight- profits, the years of zero and in other currencies. But the yen The sterilisation is why the country stage a swift recovery
ening after decades of loose but negative rates (the BoJ had al- has fallen in value since the rate yen has weakened further since from its incipient banking cri-
unsuccessful monetary policy. ready reduced interest rates to rise was announced. Before in- the recent policy announce- sis. It was a policy designed for
Despite the adjustment, Ja- 0.001% in the 1990s) have also terest rates were raised, the yen ment, and so far there is no deflationary economies with
pan remains the major econ- forced thousands of small banks stood at ¥149 to the US dollar. change in sight. shrinking bank credit, namely
omy with the lowest interest in Japan (likewise in Europe) to One week later, it had slipped to The BoJ has been expand- for the central bank to purchase
rates in the world. In my opin- merge with bigger banks. ¥151 to the dollar. And on April ing credit creation faster than assets from the non-bank sector.
ion, the move is not designed to Central planners love the idea 15, the yen fell past ¥154 per dol- the US Federal Reserve. Faster However, bank credit growth
end Japan’s monetary policy di- of a concentrated banking sys- lar – its weakest in 34 years. money printing in Japan will in 2020 was already more than
lemma; instead, it confirms the tem with a few big banks. But Forecasters have predicted that weaken the value of the yen 5% in the US when the Fed
central bank’s role in support- it is small firms and the middle the yen would bounce back given against the US dollar. These added fuel to the fire and dou-
ing the US dollar. class that get crushed. Research the prowess of Japanese manu- factors are more important bled bank credit growth to 11%.
Negative rates were osten- has found that bigger banks lend facturing. They are also aware of than interest rates, which tend That’s why I had been forecast-
sibly adopted to stimulate the less to small firms, thus econo- the hawkish rhetoric of the Japa- to simply follow the economy. ing in 2020 that we would see
economy, based on the idea mies are most vibrant when they nese Ministry of Finance, which is Propping up the dollar significant inflation 18 months
that lower interest rates lead to boast many small banks. legally in charge of official curren- The US dollar had been threat- later, which is what happened
higher growth. But the negative Bank lending provides the fuel cy intervention and deploys this ened by the Fed’s extraordinary in those countries that followed
rates were never a stimulus to for economic growth. So the BoJ’s to stop yen weakness. monetary policy of March 2020, the Fed’s money printing.
the economy. low and negative interest rate pol- However, the BoJ is indepen- when it implemented the Black- Since then, the BoJ has been
They served as a tax on the re- icies have harmed the Japanese dent and has a long history of rock plan. This was the plan pro- given the job of propping up the
serves held by commercial banks economy by suppressing bank sabotaging the plans of the Min- posed by American asset man- US dollar. In an era when the
at the central bank. Under neg- credit growth for decades. istry of Finance. The BoJ usu- agement firm Blackrock in 2019 Brics countries (Brazil, Russia,
ative rates, banks had to pay the The yen remains weak ally sterilises any intervention to create inflation via a version India, China and South Africa)
central bank, squeezing their Is the small rise in interest ordered by the Finance Ministry of quantitative easing. are challenging the dominance
profit margins as soon as the rates rates a step in the right direc- to pursue the opposite goal. It This plan was actually based
were imposed (in 2016 in Japan). tion? Barely. Zero rates are has, for instance, aimed to pro- on a proposal of “quantitative ❱❱ PAGE 30 Japan: the yen
Gold bar auction to resume

after 11 years of suspension
VNS After the floor price is an- the central bank. Among them, world price is at USD2,388.60, a duction and export, asking gold
Philippine News Agency nounced, credit institutions 15 are qualified to participate in difference of USD957 per tael. businesses to issue e-invoices
and gold businesses will fill out the bidding. The gold bar auction is ex- for every transaction, preventing
the bids. They will have 30 min- The first gold bar auction pected to contribute to nar- smuggling of gold, speculation
HÀ NỘI – The State Bank of utes to decide the bidding vol- was held on March 28, 2013. In rowing down the gap between and gold price manipulation as
Việt Nam will resume gold bar ume and prices. One hour after 2013, 76 gold bar auctions were domestic and world gold prices. well as increasing inspection to
auctions in an effort to improve closing the bid, the SBV will an- organized with a total winning Increasing the supply of gold ensure compliance.
supply to the market after 11 nounce the results. volume of 1.819,9 million taels bullion is one among bold solu- At a recent meeting about
years of suspension. Businesses will have to depos- out of 1.932 million tael bids. tions raised by the SBV in re- gold market, the PM asked the
A representative of the SBV it to participate in the bidding At that time, SJC gold price sponse to the Prime Minister’s State Bank to promptly imple-
said on Monday that prepara- no later than 5 p.m. on the day of was about VNĐ4.2 million per requirement to stabilize the do- ment solutions effectively man-
tions for gold bar auctioning receiving the bidding notice. tael more expensive than the mestic gold market and ensure age the gold market, especially
are being completed. The SBV Currently, there are 26 estab- world gold price. its transparent, healthy and ef- handling the existing huge gaps
will send notice about detailed lishments, including commer- SCJ is listed at more than ficient operation. between SJC gold prices with
information one day before the cial banks and gold business, VNĐ84.3 million (USD3,345) at The SBV also focus on ensuing the world prices. ■
auctioning. that have gold bar trading with 9:30 am this morning while the raw materials for jewelry pro-
FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 Business 25
Unemployment rate falls to 3.5% in February

BY ANNA LEAH GONZALES groups, including women, youth, sons in February 2023 at 48.80 reached 6.08 million, down from to realize investment pledges,
Philippine News Agency older people, and those with dis- million and in January 2024 at last year's 6.29 million. particularly in priority sectors
abilities, remain our priority to 45.94 million. The NEDA said the Marcos holding much promise, such as
encourage workforce participa- Major industries with the administration will continue renewable energy and critical
MANILA – Unemployment tion. We will improve access to largest increase in employ- to prioritize people-centered minerals," Balisacan said.
rate fell to 3.5 percent in Febru- quality childcare, finance, and ment include construction policies and attract job-creat- He said the Inter-Agency In-
ary this year from 4.5 percent in entrepreneurship opportunities (470,000), transportation and ing investments to support the vestment Promotion Coordi-
January, the Philippine Statis- to support women's entry and storage (444,000), administra- continued improvement of the nation Committee is currently
tics Authority (PSA) reported retention in the labor market," tive and support service activ- Philippine labor market and coordinating the formulation
on Thursday. National Economic and Devel- ities (344,000), manufacturing enable Filipinos to earn higher of the medium- and long-term
In a briefing, National Stat- opment Authority (NEDA) Sec- (313,000), and accommoda- wages from better jobs. Foreign Investment Promotion
istician Dennis Mapa said retary Arsenio Balisacan said in tion and food service activities "The government remains and Marketing Plan.
based on the time series, the a separate statement. (210,000). resolute in creating an en- "We also recognize that the
unemployment rate during the Balisacan said the govern- Underemployed persons – or abling policy and regulatory fast-tracked implementation of
month was the second lowest ment will revisit the existing those who expressed the desire environment to attract employ- the government's infrastructure
on record since the 3.1 percent policy governing alternative to have additional hours of work ment-generating investments. flagship projects, housing pro-
in December 2023. work modes, such as the Tele- in their current job or to have an We will also continue to imple- gram, and recovery of the tourism
Unemployment rate in Feb- commuting Act, and adapt it to additional job or to have a new ment measures to address bot- sector contributed to positive em-
ruary last year was 4.8 percent. the evolving work landscape to job with longer hours of work – tlenecks and expedite processes ployment outcomes," he said.
Mapa said the number of un- address the growing preference To facilitate the development
employed Filipinos went down for remote work. of soft and hard skills among
to 1.80 million from 2.47 million "The government will ex- workers and create a more ag-
and 2.15 million unemployed plore enhancing the potential of ile and adaptive workforce,
persons in February 2023 and part-time work to help promote Balisacan said the government
January 2024. lifelong learning. A framework continues to advocate for the
The Labor Force Participa- for part-time work and similar passage of the Apprenticeship
tion Rate (LFPR), meanwhile, set-ups can allow workers to re- Bill, Lifelong Learning Bill, and
was at 64.8 percent or about tool or upskill without leaving Enterprise Productivity Act.
50.75 million Filipinos aged 15 the workforce," Balisacan said. Meanwhile, with the recent
years and above who were ei- The country's employment issuance of the Implement-
ther employed or unemployed. rate, meanwhile, went up to 96.5 ing Rules and Regulations of
This is lower than the 66.6 percent in February from 95.5 the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act,
percent LFPR seen in Febru- percent in January and 95.2 per- the government will start for-
ary last year with young peo- cent in February this year. mulating the TPB plan, which
ple (-669,000) and women The number of employed will be the country's master
(-404,000) withdrawing from persons was registered at 48.95 plan for employment genera-
the labor force. million, higher than the record- Commuters board an e-jeepney along the Elliptical Road in Quezon City amid tion and recovery. ■
"The needs of vulnerable ed number of employed per- light rains on Thursday (Aug. 18, 2022). (ROBERT OSWALD P. ALFILER/PNA)
“We Will Buy..

IMF chief warns against ❰❰ 18 during their confine- 8 Show offers a fresh perspec-
weak global economic

ment. tive on the allure of the number
Han Jae-rim's ad- eight and how an enticing offer
ept direction breathes new life can draw out the deepest de-
into Bae Jinsoo's original web- sires of each individual.
growth toons "Money Game" and "Pie

Game," which recorded a total
of 300 million global views. The
Time is money, get ready for
The 8 Show only May 17, only on
Netflix. ■
ANADOLU financial crisis." since the pandemic helped by

Philippine News Agency Georgieva said inflation is not rising productivity growth, but
fully defeated, adding that fiscal activity in the euro area is re- Apayao Isnag’s ‘lapat’..
buffers have been depleted, and covering more gradually due to
ISTANBUL – International rising debt levels pose a major effects of high energy prices and ❰❰ 21 es them because we lapat in their areas.
Monetary Fund (IMF) Manag- challenge to public finances in weaker productivity growth. know what they are He underscored the impor-
ing Director Kristalina Georgie- many countries. She emphasized that the and such recognition tance of this practice not just to
va on Thursday warned against "The scars of the pandemic are main driver of weaker eco- is part of our culture of lapat the environment and the eagle
weak global economic growth. still with us. The global output nomic growth is "a significant that includes protection of a but to the future of the province
"The sobering reality is glob- loss since 2020 is around USD3.3 and broad-based" slowdown in natural forest resource,” he said and the people who honor the
al economic activity is weak by trillion, with the costs dispropor- productivity, adding: "Our anal- in Filipino. value of coexistence between
historical standards," she said tionately falling on the most vul- ysis shows it accounts for over Bulut said people have be- nature and man.
during her speech at the Atlan- nerable countries," she said. half of the growth slowdown in come accustomed to the indig- “We need to protect our for-
tic Council. The IMF chief said the US advanced and emerging econ- enous practice thus, making est because we have to see the
"Prospects for growth have has seen the strongest rebound omies, and nearly all in low-in- them report to the authorities needs of our people in the fu-
been slowing since the global among advanced economies come countries." ■ violations of the declaration of ture,” he added. ■
Technology
Can AI read our minds? Probably not, but
that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be worried
BY SAM BARON, The So, clearly, if a device can when participants were either
University of Melbourne, track our brain states, it should listening to podcasts, reciting
JENNY JUDGE, The be able to simply read our stories in their heads, or watch-
University of Melbourne minds. Right? ing films. The system isn’t very
The Conversation Well, for real-time AI-pow- accurate – but still, the fact it
ered mind-reading to be pos- did better than random chance
sible, we need to be able to at predicting these mental con-
Earlier this year, Neuralink identify precise, one-to-one tents is seriously impressive.
implanted a chip inside the brain correspondences between par- So, let’s imagine the system
of 29-year-old US man Noland ticular conscious mental states could predict continuous nar-
Arbaugh, who is paralysed from and brain states. And this may ratives from brain scans with
the shoulders down. The chip not be possible. total accuracy. Like the neural
has enabled Arbaugh to move a Rough matches implant, the system would only
mouse pointer on a screen just To read a mind from brain ac- be optimised for that task: it
by imagining it moving. tivity, one must know precisely wouldn’t be effective at track-
In May 2023, US researchers which brain states correspond ing any other mental activity.
also announced a non-inva- to particular mental states. This How much mental activi-
sive way to “decode” the words means, for example, one needs to ty could this system monitor?
someone is thinking from brain distinguish the brain states that That depends: what propor-
scans in combination with correspond to seeing a red rose tion of our mental lives con-
generative AI. A similar proj- from the ones that correspond to sists of imagining, perceiving
ect sparked headlines about a smelling a red rose, or touching a or otherwise thinking about
“mind-reading AI hat”. red rose, or imagining a red rose, continuous, well-formed nar-
Can neural implants and gen- or thinking that red roses are ratives that can be expressed in
erative AI really “read minds”? your mother’s favourite. straightforward language?
Is the day coming when com- One must also distinguish all Not much.
puters can spit out accurate of those brain states from the still only have found the neural to be able to identify exactly Our mental lives are flickering,
real-time transcripts of our brain states that correspond correlates of a certain type of the neural processes that are lightning-fast, multiple-stream
thoughts for anyone to read? to seeing, smelling, touching, conscious experience: namely, correlated with the intention to affairs, involving real-time per-
Such technology might have imagining or thinking about the general experience of a face. move the cursor. They just need cepts, memories, expectations
some benefits – particularly some other thing, like a ripe They wouldn’t thereby have to get an approximate fix on the and imaginings, all at once. It’s
for advertisers looking for new lemon. And so on, for every- found the neural correlates of the neural processes that tend to hard to see how a transcript
sources of customer targeting thing else you can perceive, experiences of particular faces. go along with those intentions, produced by even the most fine-
data – but it would demolish imagine or have thoughts about. So, even if astonishing ad- some of which might actually tuned brain scanner, coupled to
the last bastion of privacy: the To say this is difficult would vances were to happen in be underpinning other, related the smartest AI, could capture all
seclusion of our own minds. be an understatement. neuroscience, the would-be mental acts like task-planning, of that faithfully.
Before we panic, though, we Take face perception as an mind-reader still wouldn’t nec- memory and so on. The future of mind reading
should stop to ask: is what neu- example. The conscious per- essarily be able to tell from a Thus, although the success In the past few years, AI de-
ral implants and generative AI ception of a face involves all brain scan whether you are see- of neural implants is certainly velopment has shown a ten-
can do really “reading minds”? sorts of neural activity. ing Barack Obama, your moth- impressive – and future im- dency to vault over seemingly
The brain and the mind But a great deal of this activ- er, or a face you don’t recognise. plants are likely to collect more insurmountable hurdles. So it’s
As far as we know, conscious ity seems to relate to process- That wouldn’t be much to detailed information about unwise to rule out the possibili-
experience arises from the ac- es that come before or after write home about, as far as brain activity – it doesn’t show ty of AI-powered mind-reading
tivity of the brain. This means the conscious perception of mind-reading is concerned. that precise one-to-one map- entirely.
any conscious mental state the face – things like working But what about AI? pings between particular men- But given the complexity of
should have what philosophers memory, selective attention, But don’t recent headlines in- tal states and particular brain our mental lives, and how little
and cognitive scientists call a self-monitoring, task planning volving neural implants and AI states have been identified. we know about the brain – neu-
“neural correlate”: a particular and reporting. show some mental states can be And so, it doesn’t make genuine roscience is still in its infancy,
pattern of nerve cells (neurons) Winnowing out those neural read, like imagining cursors move mind-reading any more likely. after all – confident predictions
firing in the brain. processes that are solely and and engaging in inner speech? Now take the “decoding” of about AI-powered mind-read-
So, for each conscious mental specifically responsible for the Not necessarily. Take the inner speech by a system coming should be taken with a grain
state you can be in – whether conscious perception of a face neural implants first. prised of a non-invasive brain of salt. ■
it’s thinking about the Roman is a herculean task, and one that Neural implants are typically scan plus generative AI, as re-
Empire, or imagining a cursor current neuroscience is not designed to help a patient per- ported in this study. This sys- This article is republished
moving – there is some corre- close to solving. form a particular task: moving tem was designed to “decode” from The Conversation under a
sponding pattern of activity in Even if this task were accom- a cursor on a screen, for exam- the contents of continuous Creative Commons license.
your brain. plished, neuroscientists would ple. To do that, they don’t have narratives from brain scans,
FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 Technology 27
Why robots can be culturally insensitive –

and how scientists are trying to fix it
BY HENRY TAYLOR, markets, entertainment robots, masculinity”, while German far they prefer robots to stand should not expect there to be a
University of Birmingham, service robots for healthcare, culture is “high masculinity”, from them. one-size-fits-all approach.
MASOUMEH MANSOURI, fetching robots for warehouses, and hypothesised that Korean Different cultures interpret We think that different ap-
University of Birmingham robots for dementia support, people are more likely to find facial expressions differently plications within robotics will
The Conversation robots for people on the autism service robots (which tend to too. One study found that peo- require radically different ap-
spectrum and care robots for be small or medium sized, and ple are more able to understand proaches to culture. For exam-
the elderly. slow) likeable. a robot if it communicates us- ple, imagine an entertainment
A robot is chatting to an el- There are even robot priests Another study compared the ing the facial expressions that robot in a theatre that has the
derly British man in his bed- that can deliver blessings in five personal space preferences of they are familiar with. job of dancing for audiences.
room. The robot has a cheery languages, and robot monks Germans and “Arabs”. But these Another way? For this job, the best way of
demeanour and a pleasantly that can educate people about things are not comparable. If we want to avoid design- approaching culture might in-
high-pitched voice. Buddhism. “Arab” is a potentially offen- ing robots based on broad and volve concentrating on what
The robot – perhaps because Cultural stereotypes sive term for many people, and crude generalisations and ste- kinds of entertainment the peo-
of the man’s age – starts asking Cultural robotics is part of can be used to describe people reotypes, then we will need a ple in the local area prefer. This
him about his memories of the a wider movement to make AI from many different cultural more nuanced approach to cul- might involve asking what kind
second world war: “Please tell and robotics more culturally and national backgrounds. It is ture in robotics. of dancing styles are common
me what was the most difficult inclusive. certainly not on a par with cat- Culture is a notoriously fuzzy locally, and modelling the ro-
thing you and your family had Concerns about this move- egories like “German”, which is and nuanced concept, open to bot’s design around that.
to go through?” The elderly ment have been raised before. a non-offensive term for people many interpretations. One sur- Other applications may re-
man goes on to talk about how For example, large language of a single nationality. vey lists over 300 potential defi- quire a different approach to
his father was in the Royal Air models (LLMs) such as that It’s also becoming increas- nitions of culture. culture. For example, for a ro-
Force and they didn’t see him used by OpenAI’s ChatGPT are ingly apparent that humans In our recent research, we ar- bot that is expected to interact
for almost four years. trained on massive amounts of react differently to robots de- gued that culture is “conceptu- with the same small number of
But why was a robot blunt- text. But because the internet pending on their own cultural ally fragmented”. In short, our humans over an extended pe-
ly asking him about what may is still predominantly English, background. For example, dif- view is that there are so many riod of time (like a service ro-
have been one of the most trau- LLMs are primarily trained on ferent cultures have different different ways of understand- bot in a care home) it might be
matic experiences he’s ever English text – with the cultural expectations around person- ing culture, and so many dif- more important for the robot to
had? The robot’s behaviour assumptions and biases therein.. al space, and this affects how ferent kinds of robots, that we change its behaviour over time,
was the product of the Caresses In a similar way, the move to to adapt to the changing prefer-
project (Culture-Aware Robots make robots and AI more cul- ences of the people it is helping.
and Environmental Sensor Sys- turally sensitive is well mean- For this case, it might be bet-
tems for Elderly Support). ing, but we’re concerned about ter to think of culture as some-
This project fits into the where it could lead. thing that emerges slowly and
new field of “cultural robot- For example, one study com- dynamically through the inter-
ics”, which aims to design ro- pared the cultural preferences action of different subjects.
bots that can take into account of China, Germany and Korea This means that approaching
the cultural background of the to draw conclusions about how culture in robotics is likely to
person they’re talking to, and people in these countries would be a complex, multifaceted and
adjust their behaviour accord- like their robots to look. specific to each situation.
ingly. That’s why the robot is By drawing on previous work If we design robots based on
chatting about the war. The on cultural preferences, they relatively crude stereotypes
man was British, so it presumed suggested that more “mascu- and sweeping generalisations
he would be interested. line” societies tend to think of about different cultures, then
In the future, we can expect “big and fast” things as beau- we risk propagating those ste-
robots to be deployed more and tiful, while more “feminine” reotypes. ■
more in our personal and social societies find “small and slow”
lives. There is currently active things beautiful. They refer- This article is republished
research into fields as diverse enced work that claims to show from The Conversation under a
as delivery robots for super- that Korean culture is “middle Creative Commons license.
“Urban form” and.. Things you need..

❰❰ 23 ing real estate devel- terns that underpin it. Approach- ❰❰ 22 the heart of Pierre de be carried throughout Greece Olympic flame will spend the
opment are falling ing urban land ownership and Coubertin, the found- during an 11-day relay, in which night at the French Embassy
woefully short of their architecture on a smaller scale er of the modern more than 550 torchbearers in Athens before boarding the
aims on a global scale. may hold potential that is not yet Olympic movement, is interred. will carry the flame. Belem (a famous three-masted
What our research indicates is being used in full. ■ At this point, the torchbear- It will arrive in Athens ahead ship that was first launched in
that deeper, more structural ap- er passes the Olympic flame to of the handover ceremony to 1896) the following day to head
proaches may be worth consid- This article is republished a second torchbearer, who rep- the Paris 2024 organizing com- for Marseille, France, where it
ering – approaches that not only from The Conversation under a resents the host country of the mittee at the Panathenaic Sta- will arrive on May 8.
address the physical form of the Creative Commons license. Olympic Games. dium on April 26. The Paris Olympics will be
city, but also the ownership pat- The Olympic flame will then Following the ceremony, the held from July 26 to Aug. 11. ■
Travel
Wild Wild West fantasies come alive
in Masbate's Rodeo Festival
BY GLADYS SERAFICA tion are the much-anticipated journey back to her hometown
Philippine News Agency Rodeo National Finals, orga- for the festival was worth it.
nized by Rodeo Masbate Inc. She disclosed that what made
This year, at least 44 teams, this year's homecoming even
DARAGA, Albay – No one comprising 12 professional and more memorable was the fact
can resist the allure of Masbate 32 student teams from across that she was able to share this
during its annual Rodeo Festival. the country, battled it out in a one-of-a-kind experience with
As the curtains of the 28th show-stopping display of skills, her friends from the metro.
Rodeo Festival officially closed agility, precision, grit, and cour- "I believe the Masbate Ro-
on Sunday, let's listen to the age from April 9 to 13. deo Festival is the most excit-
tales of those who heeded the In the student category, there ing festival in the Philippines,
call of the thunderous beat of were 18 teams in the male divi- and it has great potential to be
the hooves, the sharp crack of sion and 14 in the female divi- recognized as a unique festival
the whip, and the reverberat- sion, respectively. nationwide," she said.
ing cheers of the crowd as they As real cowboys and cowgirls Masbate vlogger and photog-
share what it was like to step strutted their wares in various rapher Mark Allan Almocera,
into a scene straight out of a events, such as the carambola, 30, couldn't agree more.
country-western movie. load carry relay, casting down, "Our festival stands out be-
PH's Rodeo Capital lassoing on foot and on horse, cause we celebrate our unique
Dubbed the "Rodeo Capital and bull riding, the festival gave Filipino cowboy culture. As the
of the Philippines," Masbate's spectators a chance to live out Rodeo Capital of the Philip-
annual festival invites visitors their western fantasies as they pines, our festival highlights tra-
to experience a taste of the experienced firsthand the ex- ditional horsemanship, roping
Wild West as it pays tribute hilarating and rugged atmo- skills, and other rodeo events
to the province's prized cattle sphere that has come to define that showcase our local talent A 'COWBOY'S WORLD.' A local cowboy showcases his skills and agility as he
and livestock industry in a two- the cowboy world. and heritage," he said. mounts a bull at the Masbate Rodeo Grand Arena as part of the 27th Rodeo Festival
week adrenaline-pumping and Cecille Camacho, 31, origi- "This focus on cowboy tradi- of the province held on Sunday (April 14, 2024). At least 12 professional and 32
heart-racing extravaganza. nally from Masbate but now re- student rodeo teams battled it out in the much-anticipated Rodeo National Finals.
At the heart of the celebra- siding in Metro Manila, said the ❱❱ PAGE 30 Wild Wild West (DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM REGION V OFFICE/FACEBOOK)
15 LGUs win tourism champions challenge,

get budget for infra projects
BY MA. TERESA were approved on April 4, 2023. taking deliberate steps to dis- tourism (20 percent); economic to fifth place.
MONTEMAYOR Citing the National Tourism tribute tourism growth more and financial viability (20 per- In Luzon, the five LGUs are
Philippine News Agency Development Plan of 2023- evenly, ensuring that every cent); sustainability mechanism Ambaguio, Nueva Vizcaya for
2028, Tourism Secretary Chris- community benefits from our (15 percent); and, presentation Ambaguio Skyport - The 1st
tina Frasco said the DOT is collective efforts," she added quality (15 percent). Local Paragliding "Airport Ter-
MANILA – President Fer- committed to the equalization The DOT regional offices re- The judges are from the De- minal" in the Philippines (1st
dinand R. Marcos Jr. and the of tourism product develop- ceived about 98 project proposals partment of Environment and place); Sablayan, Occidental
Department of Tourism (DOT) ment and promotion. from 90 LGUs. Each of the pro- Natural Resources, the Depart- Mindoro for Pinagpalabg La-
on Monday awarded the top 15 "While mass tourism has posals aims to enhance and devel- ment of the Interior and Local gusan sa Bakawan: A Mangrove
local government units (LGUs) boosted our economy, it has op local tourism destinations. Government, Philippine Cham- Forest Park Development (2nd
that won in the Tourism Cham- also brought challenges to our The best project proposals ber of Commerce and Industry, place); Bolinao, Pangasinan
pions Challenge (TCC). local sites and communities. were selected according to these and the University of the Philip- for Legacy of the Sea Project:
The TCC is the DOT's re- Concentrated tourism de- criteria: resiliency, inclusivity, pines Asian Institute of Tourism. A Silaki Island Communi-
sponse to Marcos' vision for the velopment can lead to social, and sustainable development Of the 15 selected LGUs, five ty-Based Tourism Project (3rd
Philippines to become a tour- environmental, and cultural (20 percent); relevance to the are from Luzon, five are from place); San Jose, Romblon for
ism powerhouse in Asia. Guide- strains," Frasco said. "Challenge" theme (10 percent); Visayas, and five are from Min-
lines for its implementation "Through the TCC, we are project objective and impact to danao. They were ranked first ❱❱ PAGE 30 15 LGUs win
Food
Our research suggests eating an unhealthy
breakfast could have a similar effect on your
child’s school day as having nothing at all
BY ANDREW J. MARTIN, Two of these schools were sin- healthy breakfast on the morn- Because we also looked at fast are larger in a more diverse
UNSW Sydney, EMMA gle-sex boys’ schools, two were ing of the study demonstrated students’ previous science re- sample of students.
BURNS, Macquarie single-sex girls’ schools and one higher levels of motivation and sults, the study showed that What does this mean?
University, JOEL PEARSON, was co-educational. achievement. even if they had previously Our findings emphasise the
UNSW Sydney, KEIKO C.P. Students were in Years 7 to 9, This means, for example, performed well in science, they importance of students eating
BOSTWICK, UNSW Sydney, with an average age of 13–14 years. they were more confident about could still score low in motiva- a healthy breakfast each and ev-
ROGER KENNETT, UNSW We conducted our study and focused on their science tion and achievement if they ery morning.
Sydney during students’ science les- lessons. And they scored higher had not had breakfast or had Schools can help ensure this by
The Conversation sons. It was made up of three results in the test of their sci- eaten an unhealthy one. • offering a healthy breakfast
main components. ence knowledge. Although our study could to students
First, students completed an In comparison, students who not dig into specific reasons for • offering a healthy morning
Many parents know it is im- online survey of their breakfast ate no breakfast had lower levels this, it is likely because eating snack
portant for their teenagers to habits. We asked if they had eat- of motivation and achievement. the wrong kinds of foods does • teaching students about the
have breakfast before they go en breakfast that morning and This was not unexpected. But not properly fuel the mind or importance of a healthy break-
to school. Even though young what types of food they usually what did surprise us was stu- body for what is needed to opti- fast (for example, as part of health
people can be reluctant to eat eat for breakfast. dents who had no breakfast had mally “switch on” academically. and wellbeing syllabus units)
it, breakfast provides the ener- Drawing on national di- similarly low levels of motiva- It is also important to note • giving parents informa-
gy the brain and body need to etary guidelines, we created a tion and achievement to those the students in our study were tion about the importance of
function through the day. score for how often students students who had an unhealthy from private schools. Although healthy breakfasts, meal ideas
In our new research we consumed healthy foods for breakfast. we took a student’s family and strategies for giving this to
looked at what impact break- breakfast, such as fruit and This suggests eating an un- background into account, the their children.
fast has on students’ motiva- vegetables, dairy and protein, healthy breakfast could be as socioeconomic aspect of eat- Barriers to breakfast
tion to learn and their academic wholegrains and cereals and disruptive to motivation and ing breakfast requires further But schools will need to be
achievement at school. water. We also asked how often achievement as not eating investigation. It could be that mindful of and address barriers
We also looked at whether it they had an unhealthy break- breakfast at all. the benefits of a healthy break- to a healthy breakfast. For ex-
matters if they have a healthy fast, with items such as sugary ample, there will be situations
breakfast, an unhealthy break- soft drinks, processed meat, where school-provided break-
fast or no breakfast at all. fast food, unhealthy bakery fasts and morning snacks will
Why did we study breakfast? goods and unhealthy snacks. A need to be free. In such cases, it is
As educational psychology higher score reflected typically also possible some students may
researchers we look at ways to eating a healthier breakfast. not want a free breakfast if there
improve how students learn. Second, they rated their moti- is a stigma attached to it (if it is
Unlike factors beyond a stu- vation in science lessons, includ- seen as only being for kids from
dent’s control (such as teaching ing how confident they were in disadvantaged backgrounds).
quality) or those that can take doing science schoolwork, how It is also worth recognising
time to improve (such as study much they valued the subject some students may have body
skills), eating breakfast is some- and were focused on learning. image concerns and not want
thing students may have some Third, students did a test to eat a snack or breakfast at
immediate control over. based on content in the NSW school. In addition, cultural and
It is also something that could science syllabus. dietary differences may mean
be quickly addressed by schools. In this way, our study was a some foods are not appropriate
Our research snapshot of one day in the life for some students.
We wanted to know if eating of students. If these barriers are effective-
breakfast affects students’ mo- We also asked questions ly managed, our study shows
tivation and achievement. We about their personal back- a small and relatively achiev-
also wanted to know if it mat- ground, how well they usually able change in a student’s life
tered whether the breakfast perform in science, and also – a healthy breakfast each day
was a healthy one. features of the classroom (in- – can have a positive academic
So, as part of an Australian cluding the time of the lesson in impact. ■
Research Council project, we the day) so we could account for
studied 648 Australian high these in our findings. This article is republished
school students from five private Our findings from The Conversation under a
schools in New South Wales. We found students who ate a Creative Commons license.
Donny and Belle.. Japan: the yen..

❰❰ 17 as well as visit some of Will Bingo and Caroline weeks of “Can’t Buy Me Love” ❰❰ 24 of the dollar and even the Ministry of Finance says or
the locations. prove that love is priceless? every weekdays after "Linlang" Saudi Arabia is selling does. As Henry Kissinger said in
In the finale trail- Will they find time to bring on the Kapamilya Channel, oil against the Chinese 1972 with reference to South Viet-
er released by Star Creatives, their relationship to another Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, currency, the US has enlisted its nam: “It is bad to be America’s en-
viewers should not miss how level amidst the chaos between Jeepney TV, Cinemo, TFC allies to support the dollar. emy. It’s fatal to be its ally.” ■
Bingo (Donny) and Caroline's their respective families? IPTV, and TV5. Viewers may The BoJ continues to expand
(Belle) possible relationship "Can't Buy Me Love" is un- also watch in advance on Netflix credit creation faster than the This article is republished
will be tested, especially since der the production of Star Cre- and iWantTFC. Fed, and while that happens, the from The Conversation under a
Annie (Ina Raymundo) will be atives and is directed by Mae For updates, follow @abscb- yen will stay weak no matter what Creative Commons license.
one of the suspects in Divine's Cruz Alviar, Ian Loreños, and npr on Facebook, X, Instagram,
(Shaina Magdayao) death. Raymund Ocampo. and TikTok, or visit www.abs-
Aside from that, the Tius will be Watch out for more romance cbn.com/newsroom.■
trying to win back GLC. and revelations on the last few From forced kisses..
❰❰ 22 sporting context; they to men and treated as “other”
were seen as expected in the sporting context. Conse-
Wild Wild West.. and were routinely ex- quently, there is a hostility to
cused in order to get results. women, who are perceived as a
❰❰ 28 tions in our Filipino mands of these competitions," "The grand parade, barn Beware of ‘sporting family threat to the hegemonic mascu-
context is what makes he said in the vernacular. dance, rodeo saloon, fireworks violence’ linity of sport.
our festival truly spe- As part of the University of display, cattle drive, carnival When women do speak up and This was a particularly strong
cial and differentiates it from Science and Technology of the rides, and trade fairs that show- complain, our research highlight- theme in non-traditional fe-
others in the country.” Southern Philippines (USTP) Ka- cased our rich cultural heritage ed that organisational responses male sports such as judo and
Cowboy culture lamag Rodeo Team, Cabanacan, really made this year's festival are impotent at best, actively ma- boxing, and for women in man-
Every April, all roads lead along with the members of his truly memorable," she said. levolent and cruel at worst. agement or official roles.
to this island province in the student club, made the pilgrimage For Camacho, a night out Complaints often go no- Power is a key factor running
southeastern peninsula of Lu- from Claveria town in Misamis with friends at the bustling beer where, codes of conduct may through all our findings, and
zon as rodeo enthusiasts from Oriental to Masbate City to join plaza while listening to live per- not exist, and there is a strong while women may be able to ex-
all over the Philippines con- this year's National Finals. formers was a bonus. lack of confidentiality because ercise some power through col-
gregate in the dusty Masbate The USTP Kalamag Claveria Masbate will always hold a “everyone knows everyone”. lective resistance, power often
Grand Rodeo Arena. Rodeo team was hailed as the special place in the hearts of In some cases, women were remains with men and sports
Nahshun Cabanacan, 22, who overall champion in the student those fortunate enough to ex- mocked and told they’d imag- institutions that are complicit.
competed in various tilts, such male category. perience the thrilling cowboy ined the abuse, a deliberate Initiatives to address gen-
as the four-man carambola, steer But the recently concluded vibe of this humble province. strategy by the organisation to der-based violence in sport
wrestling, and load carrying, Rodeo Festival was not just for In the words of Tourism Sec- put “success” and “winning” must recognise the many forms
said chasing, wrestling, and con- the cowboys and cowgirls alone. retary Christina Garcia Frasco, before the safety of women. of violence women experience,
straining cows and bulls are no According to Jezziel Barruga, the province's Rodeo Festival Instead, women are left to do and the different ways in which
easy feat. But his team's training tourism staff, beyond the rodeo "gives the Filipino people so their own safety work by avoid- power and violence play out.
and mindset sealed their win. ring, locals and tourists alike much source of national pride ing the perpetrator(s) or leav- Some positive signs, but
"Every player must really were also given the chance to being a unique and truly world- ing the sport entirely. much more is needed
have enough air and strength partake in the merriment as they class festival." ■ Justice is sometimes only There are some positive signs
to withstand the physical de- reveled in various festivities. achieved when women act as a of change. A recent report into
group to voice their experienc- the culture of abuse in swim-
es and confront abusers. ming in Australia made several
Importantly, our research recommendations that are now
15 LGUs win.. found the unique context of being actioned.
sport as an extended or surrogate And in the UK, laws that pro-
❰❰ 28 Eco-Tourism Park So- Lampinigan Jetty Port and Lei- The first place winners re- family created the conditions for hibit coaches from having rela-
corro (4th place); and sure Development Project (1st ceived PHP20 million; second “sporting family violence”. tionships with players are being
Oriental Mindoro for place); Davao City, Davao del place winners, PHP15 million; Athletes spend significant developed and acted upon.
Naujan Lake Wetlands Center Sur for Panunod: A Way of Life, third place winners, PHP10 time within the sporting fami- Also, several collective survi-
(5th place). Inherited Preservation of the million; fourth place winners, ly unit, creating close relation- vor advocacy groups have been
In Visayas, the five winner Unwavering Legacy of Cultural PHP8 million; and fifth place ships with their coach, other au- established, such as The Army of
LGUs are Tubigon, Bohol for and Sustainable Tourism of the winners, PHP 7 million. thority figures and teammates. Survivors, Sport and Rights Alli-
Enchanted Ilijan Plug of Tubi- Davao City (2nd place); Island After the awarding ceremo- The coach as a father figure ance and Gymnasts for Change.
gon (1st); Badian, Cebu for Garden City of Samal, Davao del ny, Marcos announced that the The coach as a father figure was Of course, this still shows the
Badian Toong Spring Nature Norte for Mangrove Boardwalk TIEZA approved the additional a consistent theme across several extent of the collective voice
Park (2nd); Silago, Southern and Gallery (3rd place); Tagum PHP5 million budget for each studies, with some athletes stat- needed to push for change.
Leyte for Silago Ridge to Reef City, Davao del Norte for Truly winner of the TCC. ing the coach knew more about While we applaud this and
Eco-Experience Project: Pro- Tagum: Advancing the Benefits "We're doing this because them than their parents. the reckoning of Rubiales’ ac-
moting Sustainability through of an Enriched Heritage-Tour- it is a very, very good policy to If a coach was regarded as tions, and cheer for the collec-
Eco-Heritage Tourism (3rd ism Circuit (4th place); and San invest in success. So, make the “the best”, often no one ques- tive voice standing with women
place); Victorias City, Negros Agustin, Surigao del Sur for most of it. Make the Philippines tioned him. This gave coaches like Jenni Hermoso, it would be
Occidental for Gawahon, A Bird- Tourist Catwalk at Gata to Breta- proud," he said. enormous power, which they negligent to forget the many si-
er's Paradise: Haven for Sustain- nia Mangrove Areas (5th place). "We assure you that we will used to isolate women they lenced women’s voices in sport
able and Inclusive Eco-Tourism President Marcos and Frasco match your industry, equal your abused from both the sport who bear the brunt of violence
(4th place); and Panay, Capiz for awarded the winners with cer- dedication and compliment your family and their actual fami- within a space often considered
Panay: A Coastal Resource Ex- tificate and cash budget from work. The national government ly, exerting coercive control to their family. ■
perience (5th place). the Tourism Infrastructure will bring more infrastructure, maintain an environment of se-
In Mindanao, the five win- and Enterprise Zone Authority implement tourism-friendly crecy and dominance. This article is republished
ners are Isabela City, Basilan (TIEZA) for the implementa- policies and arouse interest from Finally, our research found from The Conversation under a
for Lampinigan SANDS: The tion of their project proposals. global audiences," he added. ■ women are still seen as inferior Creative Commons license.
APRIL 19, 2020
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