Volume XXXVII No. 10 October 2019 Montreal, QC www.filipinostar.org

CLEAROUTSALESEVENTLLLEAROUTLEAROUTLEAROUTELEAROUTEAROUT ATSSAEVVSAT ETET EEV

Trudeau has won the most seats -- butnot a majority. What happens next?

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau wave as they go on stage at Liberalelection headquarters in Montreal, Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Half of the 12,000units promised are inthe works: Plante

OTTAWA -- Christiane Paas-LangThe Canadian PressPublished Tuesday, October 22, 20194:54AM EDT

The Liberals once more wonthe most seats in the House ofCommons, but this time they do nothave an outright majority. So whathappens next?

With fewer than the 170 seatsneeded to command the House ontheir own, Justin Trudeau will need thesupport of at least one other party topass legislation in Parliament -- andsurvive a confidence vote on a speechfrom the throne laying out his plans forgoverning.Before then, Trudeau willhave to deal with some of theimplications of Monday's results.

Trudeau is still the primeminister and Canada is technically stillin the same "ministry" -- essentially, thesame cabinet or administration -- asbefore the election.

However, the first decision

See Page 4 Trudeau has won

MARIAN SCOTT, MONTREALGAZETTE Updated: October 27, 2019

Halfway through her four-yearmandate, Mayor Valérie Plante saysher administration is well on the wayto delivering more than half of the12,000 social and affordable housingunits she promised in the last electioncampaign.

“As of September, after only21 months in power, 52 per cent ofour goal of 12,000 housing units hasbeen achieved,” Plante said Sundayto members of her Projet Montréal

party at a general council meeting.Party members gave Plante a

rousing cheer when she announcedthat 6,240 new units were on the way.

However, when asked after thespeech when the units will actually bebuilt, she did not have that informationand could only confirm that thefinancing for them has been lined up.Plante was also unable to say howmany of the new units will be socialhousing (subsidized) units and howmany will be affordable units (thosesold or rented for less than market

values).Speaking to reporters, Plante

acknowledged that she was concernedabout the problem of speculation onaffordable units and is studying how todeal with the problem.

Last week, the opposition

Ensemble Montréal party warned thatsome units sold as affordable units arebeing flipped for quick profits.

For example, a three-bedroomcondo in Griffintown that sold for$387,893 under the Accès-Condoprogram was quickly resold for$585,000, Ensemble Montréal LeaderLionel Perez said.

On Friday, Montreal’s public-consultation bureau wrapped uphearings on a proposed bylawrequiring developers to include 15 to 20per cent of social units and 20 per centof affordable units in all new housingprojects. It is scheduled for adoption inthe new year and will come into force in2021.

Newly elected Plateau Mont-Royal Mayor Luc Rabouin, whointroduced Plante, said the party is on a

At a general council meeting onSunday, Montreal Mayor ValériePlante, seen in a file photo,promised to continue to strive foran inclusive city. JOHN MAHONEY/MONTREAL GAZETTE

See Page 4 Half of the 12,000

October 20192

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Tel.: 514-485-7861/ 514-506-8753E-Mail: marketing@filipinostar.orgPublished by: Filcan Publications, Inc..

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Publisher - North .American Filipino StarApril 1998-present

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W.G. QuiambaoTagalog Columnist

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Nov. 1982- Nov. 97The opinions expressed by the writers and columnists do not necessarilyreflect that of the management of the North American Filipino Star nor itseditors.

From theExecutive Publisher’s Desk

Minoritygovernments -how do they work?

Have they been alwaysgood for the country?

Zenaida Ferry-Kharroubi

Friday, October 25,2 019A coalition of groups are calling

on Montreal to end random police checksbecause they disproportionately targetminorities.

The call comes in the wake of anindependent report commissioned by theSPVM found that a black person is almostfive times more likely to be stopped byMontreal police than a white person, anindigenous woman, 11 times more likely.

While the study found what itcalled "systemic bias" by Montreal police, itdid not state that officers were involved inracial profiling.

City councillor of North Africandescent denied entry into pressconference on racial profilingRacial profiling: visible minorities inMontreal not surprised by SPVM reportStreet checks are sometimes useful,according to Alain Babineau, a formerRCMP officer, but too often, the practice isa manifestation of an officer's racial bias.

"The problem occurs when

people, police officers go on a hunchbased on a stereotype looking for peoplethat they think are involved in criminality,"he said.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plantesaid she found the revelations shocking,so did Montreal's police chief, SylvainCaron.

On Friday, however, minoritygroups asked for action: they want amoratorium on street checks. Other citieshave already banned the practice,according to Sharon Nelson, from theJamaica Association of Montreal.

Young black men subjected tostreet checks feel shocked and humiliated,she said.

"They feel that they cannot trustthe police anymore because they are nowknown to police because they are part ofthat database," she said.

City councillor Marvin Rotrandsaid he would present a motion to banstreet checks at a coming city councilmeeting.

Racial profiling: coalition of groups urgeMontreal cease police street checks

Municipal councilor for Snowdon district, Marvin Rotrand (left), DanPhiip of the Black Coalition of Quebec (center) and Alain Babineau,Counselor of Center for Research Action on Race Relations (CRARR)PHOTO : RADIO-CANADA / CHARLES CONTANT

For this edition just after therecent Federal elections, it isinteresting to learn how minoritygovernments work and what are thebenefits that can result from them.Apparently, at the time minoritygovernments are functioning, peopleare not often aware of these benefits.Hereunder is a review of six decades ofminority governments which I find quiteenlightening and historicallyinteresting:A look at Canada’s sevenminority governments over sixdecades shows a broad rangeof results that were not alwaysso obvious at the time.By Geoff NorquayOctober 8, 2019The Pearson minorities (1963-65 and 1965-68)

The rose-coloured perspectiveon the productivity of minorities datesfrom Liberal Prime Minister MikePearson’s two minorities in the 1960s.With the passage of time, these yearshave come to be seen as a “goldenage” of modern nation building.Supported by the NDP, Pearson’sLiberals put in place a bounty ofprogressive programs and initiatives,including universal coverage ofhospitalization and medicare, theCanada and Quebec Pension Plans,the Canada Assistance Plan, theCanada Student Loans program,official bilingualism, the Maple Leaf flagand groundbreaking labour legislationthat pioneered the 40-hour work week.Not only did these initiatives createmuch of the architecture of the modernCanadian state, but they also have hadstaying power, becoming part of thenational fabric.

Little of this was apparent atthe time. Despite these notableachievements, the politics of the periodwas uber-partisan and viciouslypersonal. Pearson and the oppositionleader, John Diefenbaker, regardedeach other with undisguised contempt:each believed that the other wasunworthy of high office. Pearson’sprogressive modernization wasanathema to Diefenbaker. And by thispoint in his career, Diefenbaker was atwar with much of his own party andwas imagining enemies and dastardlyconspiracies at every turn. WhilePearson and Diefenbaker hated eachother, they did have lieutenants likeGeorge Hees for the Conservativesand Mitchell Sharp for the Liberals whocould make deals.

The second Pearson minorityalso added an important new wrinkle tominority parliamentary practice and

procedure. In the winter of 1968, theLiberals were defeated in a surprisevote on an Income Tax Actamendment. While the provision hadalready passed committee and twovotes in the House, it was a defeat on abudget measure, and technically thegovernment had lost confidence.Pearson then brought his ownconfidence motion to the House andwon, averting an election. The “do-over” confidence vote became aprecedent, in which the “accidental”defeat of a minority government can bereversed by a subsequent vote.The Trudeau minority (1972-74)

Pierre Trudeau’s firstgovernment, formed in 1968, had amajority, but by 1972, the bloom wasoff the rose of Trudeaumania. Thatyear’s election produced a minority,with the Liberals a mere two seatsahead of Robert Stanfield’sProgressive Conservatives. The NDPunder David Lewis held the balance ofpower. While Trudeau and Lewis werepatronizing to each other, thoughtfulintermediaries on both sides kept therelationship working. Trudeau’sprincipal secretary, Jim Coutts, playeda key role in calming the waters.

The early 1970s was a periodof growing economic nationalism inCanada, fuelled by fears of Americaneconomic domination of our economy.Prompted and supported by the NDP,the Trudeau government in 1973created the Foreign Investment ReviewAgency (FIRA) to ensure that theforeign acquisition and establishmentof businesses in Canada would bebeneficial to the country. Theinternational oil crisis in fall 1973 gaveimpetus to NDP calls for Canada tohave a publicly owned window on theenergy sector, and the Liberals inresponse created Petro-Canada.

Also in 1973, the Trudeaugovernment amended the ElectionsAct to regulate election expenses forthe first time. This was landmarklegislation that established most of theprinciples still at the heart of Canada’sparty financing regulatory regime: a taxcredit system for donations, disclosureof donations over $100 andreimbursement for political parties’election expenses. Limits were alsoplaced on the amounts that candidatesand parties were allowed to spend oncampaigns.

Of the three major Trudeauinitiatives in the 1972-74 period, onlythe party financing and electionexpense regulations had stayingpower. Adjusted and improved manytimes over the years, they continue in

force today. Within a few years, bothFIRA and Petro-Canada fell victim todifferent times and changed publicattitudes. In 1985, Brian Mulroney’sProgressive Conservatives radicallyreduced FIRA’s mandate and turned itinto Investment Canada, which actuallyblocked some proposed investments,unlike FIRA. In 1991, Mulroneyprivatized Petro-Canada and began toreduce the government’s majoritycontrol of the company. In 2004, theChrétien government sold off theremaining 19-percent federal stake inthe company.

The Clark minority (1979-80)The Joe Clark minority

government elected in 1979 is notablebecause it lost the popular vote to theLiberals (35.9 percent versus 40.1percent) while clearly winning the seatcount (136 seats to 114). Otherwise,the government was a short-liveddisaster. Clark declared that he would“govern as if he had a majority,” failedto strike a deal with the six-member

See Page 6 Minority governments

October 2019 3The North American Filipino Star

www.filipinostar.org

By W. QuiambaoIn his judgement letter of Oct.

4, Judge Stephhane Davignon wrote,“(121) The condemned Mr. FredMagallanes and Ms. Julita Parado areto personally pay M. Felix Reyes indamages plus interest to legalindemnities provided by Article 1619under the Quebec Civil Code. (123)The condemned Ms. Julita Parado topay Mr. Felix Reyes for punitivedamage plus interest to legalindemnities provided by Article 1619Quebec Civil Code. “

“If Ella were here, I know thatshe would be happy,” said Reyes, whois still grieving the death of his wife inJanuary. “Justice is served.”

Although he spent about$40,000 for legal fees when he suedMagallanes and Parado for defamationand refused an out- of-courtsettlement by their lawyers, Reyes,former president of the Filipino-Canadian Associations of Quebec, hadno regrets making those decisions. Hewas vindicated from the allegation ofMagallanes and Parado that he usedthe $250 that belonged to FFCAQ. “Itdoesn’t matter whether it was $25 or$25,000.The bottom line is theydefamed me and my family. My lawyerwas right when she said thatMagallanes, Parado and the FilipinoForum have been bullying thecommunity since its publication morethan 25 years ago. I don’t want other

Filipinos to experience what Iexperienced. That’s the legacy that Iwant to leave when I’m gone. “

The animosity between Reyesand Magallanes started in 2014.Magallanes had been writing hisallegation that Reyes took the moneyof FFCAQ which was its share in theLong Sault Sports Meet in 2012.Reyes initially ignored Magallanes’allegation which lasted for a year.Finally, in June 2015, he lodged acomplaint to the Quebec PressCouncil, a private non-profitcorporation dedicated for over 30years to protect the public of the pressand defense of the right of the public toquality reporting. The first decision ofQPC was released in March, 2016.Magallanes was found guilty ofexcessive relentless defamation andharassment. Despite the stern,warning, Magallanes dared the QPCand wrote four more articles defamingReyes so QPC upheld its decision andclosed the case.

With the support of his wifeand two sons , Reyes hired a lawyer tofile a criminal case against Magallanes.The lawyer sent Magallanes a demandletter giving him 10 days to publish inthe front page of The Filipino Forumthe full text of QPC decision and aretraction. Magallanes ignored theletter of the lawyer. “Magallanes thinkshe is above the law,” said Reyes. “Hemade mockery of justice. Meanwhile,Parado, who Reyes calls the instigatorof Magallanes’ wrongdoings, addedinsult to an injury when she wrote inthe Feb. 2016 issue of the FilipinoForum the following: “...He (Reyes))

has been using the funds of theFederation in collaboration with hisinterim treasurer. This is a criminaloffense.” It was then that Reyesincluded Parado, in the lawsuit.

In the final public hearings onApril 10, 11, 12 at the Court ofMontreal, Magallanes and Parado hadno witnesses to support them whileReyes had QPC, Ed Tupaz and MercySia, a former ally of the defendants.She admitted that she was coaxed bythe defendants into testifying againstReyes. “Magallanes thought that Iowed him for giving publicity to myassociation which is FCVAM. Duringthe investigation, Reyes proved thatthe $250 was on Parado’ssafekeeping.

A few years ago, Magallaneswas sued by Budz Sarmiento and wasasked to pay the latter an undisclosedamount.

Magallanes and Paradoguilty of defaming Reyes

Fred Magallanes Julie Parado

Felix Reyes

Store for saleon Vanhorne street

Fully equipped for a grocery,bakery and take out food

For information callAl at 514-605-0276

Pinoy nannies in UAE graduate asnew social entrepreneurs

Rachel Salinel, ABS-CBN NewsEighteen Filipino nannies in

Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United ArabEmirates were among 116 graduateswho completed the Ateneo School ofGovernment’s Leadership and SocialEntrepreneurship (LSE) program lastOctober 25.

Nora Sinense Torres, a 39-year-old nanny in Dubai, was one of thespeakers at the commencementexercise. She said her educationmotivated her to learn more aboutentrepreneurship.

“My plan after this program is toapply all my learnings not only to myselfbut also to my family. I want to put up a

business to help not only my family butalso my community,” she said.

Before going overseas, Torresworked for 10 years as an accountingclerk in a private college in Tarlac. It isnow her second time to work as a nannyin the emirate.

The LSE is a six-monthempowerment and capacity-buildingprogram to help overseas Filipinosbecome agents of change and socialtransformation. The program coversthree main areas of study andpplication: leadership, financial literacy

Nora Sinense Torres, a Filipino nanny in Dubai, says she will putup a business that will not only help her family, but also hercommunity following her social entrepreneurship training.Rachel Salinel, ABS-CBN News

See Page 13 Pinoy Nannies

October 20194

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high after seeing Plante speak to theUnited Nations’ Summit on ClimateChange on Sept. 23 and host Swedishactivist Greta Thunberg for the Sept.27 climate march in which 500,000people took part.

In her speech, Plante vowedthat her administration would not allowanother fiasco like the MontrealChildren’s real-estate project approvedby her predecessor, Denis Coderre. InSeptember, she cancelled a sixth toweron the site at Atwater Ave. and René-Lévesque Blvd. after the developerrefused to include social housing in theluxury condo project.

Plante said she wasdisappointed that she was unable tostop the massive Royalmount projectat Highway 40 and the DécarieExpressway. However, she promisedthat the future housing project on theformer Blue Bonnets racetrack willserve as a counterpoint to it byshowcasing her administration’s socio-economic and environmental priorities.

Plante told party members thatwhat makes her want to get up everymorning is “the notion of social equity”— policies to improve the well-being ofall and not just the privileged few. Shepromised to continue to strive for aninclusive city where everyone belongs,“whatever our socio-economic status,whatever the colour of our skin,whatever religion we practise,whatever our sexual orientation orgender and whoever we are.”

mscott@postmedia.com

Published Tuesday, October 29, 20194:38PM EDTTORONTO -- The union representingthe majority of federal public servantsis calling on the government to takesome immediate steps to eradicatebed bugs that have infested several oftheir buildings.

The Public Service Alliance ofCanada (PSAC) is calling on thefederal government to inspect allgovernment buildings across Canadafor bed bugs and to offeraccommodations for employees towork from home after the insects werefound in buildings in Ottawa,Gatineau, Que. Montreal, Hamilton,Toronto and Winnipeg.

“Employees have a right tofeel safe at work and want assurancesthat bed bugs won’t follow themhome and impact their families,” theunion wrote in a news release. “Theemployer has an obligation to takeproactive measures to eradicate bedbugs in all federal buildings.”

Three weeks ago, anImmigration, Refugees andCitizenship Canada building inGatineau had to be evacuated afterbed bugs were found on every floor.The government told CTV NewsOttawa at the time that a treatment onone of the floors did not work and thatexterminators had to return for a full-building treatment and treatment ofany affected employees’ homes.

A Shared Services Canada

building in Ottawa was also recentlytreated for bed bugs andcockroaches.

On Tuesday, the union alsoreleased a five-second video of a batflying inside the Terrasses de laChaudiere (TDLC), a governmentbuilding in Gatineau, Que.

Andrew Shaver, the Union ofNational Employees (UNE) nationalexecutive vice president, said a jointcommittee between employees andgovernment officials is needed tomake sure action is taken.

“We need them to take the

health and safety of our members atTDLC seriously, and set up a forumwhere we stop working in (bat-

infested) silos and can finally startworking together to get things done,”he told CTV News Ottawa.

CTV News Ottawa hasreached out to Public Service andProcurement Canada, the departmentresponsible for governmentadministration, but representativeshave not responded.

With files from CTV News Ottawa

From Page 1 Half of the 12,000 Union calls for action on bed bugsfound in government buildings

Trudeau makes will likely be toreshuffle his cabinet, consideringPublic Safety Minister Ralph Goodaleand Natural Resources MinisterAmarjeet Sohi lost their seats.

Trudeau's next decisions willbe to set a time for Parliament toreconvene. Technically, the GovernorGeneral summons a new Parliament,but does so on the advice of the primeminister.

The timing of reconvening theHouse has varied throughoutCanadian history. In 2015, it took overa month for MPs to be called back toOttawa, though a new cabinet wassworn in far earlier than that. Given thatthere is less dramatic change than inthat year, it's possible we may seeParliament return sooner.

When the new Parliament sits,its very first order of business will bethe election of a Speaker. Geoff Regan,the current Speaker, was re-elected tohis Halifax-area seat Monday but isn'tautomatically returned to the position.Minority governments,explained

The longest-serving MP in theHouse will preside over that election.Louis Plamondon, a Bloc MP, willoversee the proceedings for the fourthtime -- Plamondon has held hisQuebec seat since 1984 and wascomfortably re-elected.

And it's after the election of theSpeaker that the main event begins,with a speech from the throne. In the

speech, the government will lay out itspriorities and hint at what direction itwill take in the new Parliament.

The speech from the throne isalso the first opportunity for oppositionparties to try to bring down thegovernment in a confidence challenge.Since the Liberals have less than amajority of seats, they will need tomake sure they can secure at least 170votes to keep the confidence of theHouse and their grip on power.

Trudeau has a few options. Forone, he might bet that no party willwant to bring down the governmentand potentially force another election -- or otherwise give the Conservativesthe opportunity to form government.

In that case, Trudeau wouldnot make any agreements with theopposition parties, bet that he wouldsurvive a potential confidence voteanyway, and from there see if he couldsecure support on an issue-to-issuebasis.

But if he wants a more stablesituation, Trudeau could make a moreformal deal with another party tosecure its support on confidencematters, an arrangement dubbed a"confidence and supply" agreement.

Such a deal is in place inBritish Columbia, where the NDP are ingovernment and maintain aparliamentary majority thanks tosupport from the provincial Greens.

At the federal level, the mostlikely partner for such an agreementwould be the NDP under JagmeetSingh. During the campaign, Singh laidout six priorities for supporting anotherparty in a minority, including

From Page 1 Trudeau wins

pharmacare, investments in housingand action on climate change.

In exchange for maintainingthe minority government, the NDPwould expect to influence governmentpolicy on these files.

It's possible that the Liberalscould form a formal coalition withanother party -- in which members ofthe other party serve in cabinet -- tomaintain a majority, though this isunlikely.

The Bloc also has enoughseats to sustain a Liberal governmentif it chooses to do so.

However they get there, thegoal of the Liberals will be to makesure they have at least 170 votes forconfidence challenges and pieces ofmajor legislation.

Whether Trudeau wants to cuta deal with another party or take it voteby vote is up to him.

This report by The Canadian Presswas first published on Oct. 22, 2019.

A guide to Oct. 21’s resultsElection results: The basics

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals won aminority government on Monday, with157 seats to the Conservatives’ 121.Now, Mr. Trudeau faces the challengeof working with other parties toaddress the challenges of his secondmandate.

The Liberals held their territoryin the Toronto area and many of theirridings in British Columbia, despiteConservative and NDP efforts to breakthrough in Ontario’s strategic 905region. The Conservatives,

meanwhile, dominated Alberta andSaskatchewan, and the Greens gainedtheir first seat in Atlantic Canada.Check here for full riding-by-ridingresults and a breakdown of the parties’seats by province.

Conservative Leader AndrewScheer warned that his party has putMr. Trudeau “on notice” and touted theConservatives’ win of the popular vote,with about 34 per cent compared withthe Liberals’ 33. But his failure tounseat the Liberals could also revivequestions about his leadership when itcomes up for review next year.

The Bloc Québécois more thantripled its seat count, largely at theexpense of Jagmeet Singh’s NewDemocrats in Quebec. Leader Yves-François Blanchet promised that theBloc, now the third-largest party, wouldleave separatism on the back burnerand support legislation on a case-by-case basis, while advocating forQuebeckers’ concerns on theenvironment and provincial autonomy.

Who won, who lost and whereTHE NEW POLITICAL MAP

By Tuesday morning, theLiberals had 157 seats, falling short ofthe 170 seats they needed for amajority, the 177 they had at dissolutionand the 184 won in the 2015 election.

The Conservatives had 121seats, up from 95 at dissolution; theBloc was in third place with 32 seats,up from 10; the NDP had 24 seats,down from 39; the Greens, who won asingle seat in 2015, now have three;and one Independent, Jody Wilson-Raybould, was elected.

October 2019 5The North American Filipino Star

www.filipinostar.org

With torrential rain and strongwinds forecast for Oct. 31, at least 19Quebec municipalities, includingMontreal, are asking parents to delaytrick-or-treating until Friday.

Saying it would be unsafe forchildren to be out on slippery streets, thefollowing cities are pleading with parentsto postpone one of their children’s mostpopular celebrations: Asbestos, Beloeil,Brossard, Chambly, Drummondville,Longueuil, Magog, McMasterville, Mont-St-Hilaire, Varennes, St-Amable, St-Bruno, St-Colomban, Ste-Julie, St-Lambert, Shawinigan, Sorel-Tracy andTrois-Rivières.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plantejoined the chorus Wednesday afternoon.“Weather advisory: I invite little and bigMontrealers to have Halloween on Fridaybecause of the rain and strong windsannounced tomorrow,” Plante said viaTwitter. It is believed to be the first timeMontreal has suggested postponingHalloween.

In Ste-Julie, Mayor Suzanne Roysaid the exceptional amount of rainforecast, as much as 40 millimetres, callsfor drastic action.

“Taking into account the safetyand comfort of the children andadolescents who would be in the streetsto collect candy, we have decided to takethe exceptional step of postponing(Halloween) until Friday,” she said in thestatement on the city’s website.

“Under normal circumstances,rain would not force us change the date,but the exceptional nature of the rain has

pushed us to do it.”In Varennes, several residents

said they would prefer to celebrateHalloween on Friday, Mayor MartinDamphousse said.

While some residents of theaffected towns welcomed the delay,others said the decision would posenumerous problems for parents.

Apart from breaking the news toexcited children counting down the daysto Halloween, some parents say theyhave already made arrangements to takeThursday off work or leave early.

Others said it’s ridiculous to

postpone the celebration because ofrain, saying it has rained often in thepast. “We will end up postponingChristmas because there’s too muchsnow,” one disgruntled Varennes parentsaid on Facebook.

St-Lazare even put out a pressrelease saying Halloween would becelebrated on Oct. 31 on its streets,although it did urge citizens to be morecautious.

Provincial police said officerswill patrol the cities and towns they coveron Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

“Some parents may choose to

go out on Oct 31,” said Sgt. ClaudeDenis of the Sûreté du Québec.

Environment Canada hasissued a special weather statementwarning there could be significant rainfallin more southern regions of the provinceand snowfall in excess of 15 centimetresin several parts of Quebec.

Those looking for someone toblame can point a finger at ameteorological depression from theGreat Lakes region. In the Montreal area,the system will bring strong winds andupward of 50 millimetres of rainfallThursday and Friday. Nighttimetemperatures could drop to 6 C, and willdip below freezing Friday.

Montreal’s children have bravedinclement weather before.

October 1933, for example, wassnowy and frigid in Montreal.

The temperature dipped as lowas minus-7 Celsius, and 22 centimetresof snow had fallen by Oct. 25,Environment Canada statistics show.

“Most heavily hit … were thechildren who had for weeks been waitingimpatiently to go out in their newcostumes to celebrate the festival ofHallowe’en,” the Montreal Gazettereported in a 1946 article about thewinter of 1933.

The children “were forced tomake their rounds of neighbours’ homeswith collars and scarves hiding theirfaces, and heavy boots covering theirfeet, (their) mittened hands reaching outfor the customary ‘charity.’

“And the strangest sight of allwas seeing the kids dragging their bootyalong the streets in sleighs.”Andy Riga of the Montreal Gazettecontributed to this story.

Montreal among 19 Quebec municipalitiesasking parents to delay Halloween

Scenes of Halloween past: Several Quebec communities are askingresidents to delay Halloween trick or treating until Friday, Nov. 1 dueto a bad weather forecast. JOHN MORSTAD / Montreal Gazette File Photo.

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Tagalog Seksyon

Opinyon/Komentaryoni Willie Quiambao

ANG PAGKAKAIBA NG TOTOONGPOLITIKA AT PANGKOMUNIDADNA POLITIKA

Ang eleksyon sapagkapangulo sa Amerika ay sa isangtaon pa pero nagsisiraan na ang mgakandidato. May nag-akusa ng“inappropriate sexual behavior kay JoeBiden. Sa Canada, eleksyon sabuwang ito. May nagsasabing racist siJustin Trudeau dahil nahuli siyang maymake up na itim. Sanay na ang mgatunay na politiko sa mga paninira sakanila. May trabaho namangnaghihintay sa kanila kapag nanalo

sila. Iyon ang dahilan kaya maramingnagtatanong sa ating komunidad kungbakit tumatakbo sa asosasyon tulad ngFAMAS ang ibang kababayan natinkahit walang suweldo at bago silamakatakbo, magbabayad pa sila ngcandidacy fee. Nauunawaan ko angdahilan. Iyon ay upang magkaroonlamang sila ng titulo tulad ngpresidente o direktor. Malaking bagaynga naman ito sa kanila. Sikat sila dahilnakasasalamuha nila ang mayor orkonsehal na ang totoo ay kailangansila pagdating ng eleksyon kaysakailangan nila ang mga ito. Ang isa

pang dahilan kaya tumatakbo saposisyon ang ibang kababayan natinay upang magkapera. Ito ang hindi komaunawaan. Mahalaga nga ba angpera kaysa dangal? Nakalulungkotisipin na dahil ang sa mga taong tuladnila, nadadamay ang ibang tapat anghangaring maglingkod sa komunidad.Sila rin ang sumisira sa kahulugan ngsalitang volunteerism.MAY MGA KABABAYAN DINTAYONG TAPAT ANGHANGARING MAGLINGKOD SAKAPWA

Si Trans Liganor na datingpresidente ng QACFT ay nagpapadalang mga libro, papel at kapote sa NuevaViscaya. Ganoon din ang ginagawaniya pag-uwi roon. Tinuturuan niya rinang mga batang hindi marunongmagsulat at bumasa. Ang asawa ngisang dating pangulo ng FAMAS aynaglalaan ng budget para tumulong samagbibigay ng groceries pag-uwi saBicol. Nais niyang ibahagi angbiyayang nakakamit nila sa Canada. SiDick Dahiroc na dating presidente ngFAMAS ay nagbibigay ng ulo ngsalmon at buto ng manok sa mgakaibigan na pakikinabangan ang mga

ito. Si Liganor, ang asawa ng datingpresidente ng FAMAS at si Dahiroc ayhindi nagsasamantala. Sa halip aytumutulong sila sa kanilang kapwa.. Atang pagtulong nila ay taos sa puso,hindi dahil presidente o director sila ngmga asosasyon. Sila ang dapattularan.NAKARMA SI MAGALLANES ATPARADO

Nang sabihin ni Felix Reyes nanagsampa siya ng demanda labankay Fred Magallanes at Julita Parado,nagtawa ako. “Nakatagpo sila ngkatapat,” sabi ko. Subalit iwinasto niyaako. “Ang sabihin mo ay nakatagposila ng grabe pa sa kanila.” Hindi komasisisi si Reyes. Maraming taongsiniraan sina Magallanes at Parado.Totoo na kilala na ang dalawa sakomunidad at hindi na sila pinapansinpero may naniniwala pa rin sa kanilangisinusulat tulad ng mga bagong dating.

Ang bawat nilalang ay maykarapatang pangalagaan angkaniyang dangal, mahirap o mayaman,matalino at mangmang. Ito ang dapatisipin ni Magallanes at Parado.

Ralliement créditiste caucus and wasdefeated on his first budget after onlysix months in office.

Despite its short time in power,the Clark government can claim at leastpartial credit for one significant policyadvance, Canada’s first access-to-information legislation. Clark’s Bill C-15, to create the Freedom ofInformation Act, established a broadright of access to government records.It was debated at second reading at theend of November 1979 and referred toa standing committee but died on theorder paper when the government fell.The re-elected Trudeau governmentbased its Access to Information Act onthe Clark legislation, and it wasenacted in July 1983. Withimprovements, it remains in forcetoday.The Martin minority (2004-06)

The 2004 election returned theLiberals to office under Paul Martin,with 135 seats, 20 short of a majority,and with the same number for theConservatives under Stephen Harper.The seats of the Liberals and NDPcombined totalled 154, while the other154 seats belonged to theConservatives, the Bloc Québécois andone independent, previously aConservative.

The Martin government choseto govern through negotiations with theother parties on a case-by-case basis.With a tie between the government andthe opposition forces and the endlessGomery Inquiry as backdrop, Martin’sminority proved to be a fraught andfractious period. While they didn’talways agree on tactics, the threeopposition leaders — Stephen Harper,Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe —developed a close working relationshipagainst the government, as did theirsenior staffs.

Early in the Martingovernment, the Prime Ministerreached a 10-year deal with theprovinces and territories to increase

federal health care funding by $41billion, to lower their cost pressuresand reduce wait times for essentialservices. The federal commitmentincluded a 6-percent annual increase infederal transfers. A divisive and years-long debate was concluded with thelegalization of same-sex marriage in2005. Another significantaccomplishment was to initiate thetransfer of federal gas tax revenues tomunicipalities. Finally, in 2006,following 18 months of consultationsand just four days before Parliamentwas dissolved, the Prime Minister andthe premiers signed the KelownaAccord. It promised $5 billion in federalfunding to Indigenous communitiesover five years to meet improvementtargets in education, housing andhealth care.

Of the Martin government’saccomplishments, both the legalizationof same-sex marriage and the gas taxtransfer had lasting impacts. In 2019,the Liberals under Justin Trudeaudoubled the gas tax transfer, whichmoved $2.2 billion to municipalities.The Martin health care accord with theprovinces and territories ran its 10years, but it did not prove to be thetransformational “deal for a generation”that Martin claimed it would be. At itsconclusion, most analysts agreed thatthe accord had purchased little realchange and had not appreciablyreduced wait times. As for the KelownaAccord, experts disagreed on whetherthe Martin government had actuallyfunded its investments, and thesubsequent Harper governmentallowed its commitments to lapse.The Harper minorities (2006-08and 2008-11)

The 2006 federal election gaveStephen Harper’s Conservatives 133seats, placing them 30 seats ahead ofthe Liberals but 22 seats short of amajority. Paul Martin resigned, andHarper chose to govern through case-by-case negotiations with theopposition parties. Harper tried toobtain a majority again in 2008, but

while the Conservatives increased theirseat count, they again fell short of the159 seats necessary for a majority.

Most of the Harper years werecharacterized by leadership turmoil inthe Liberal Party, as it chose firstStéphane Dion and then MichaelIgnatieff, who in turn was succeeded byBob Rae on an interim basis. Both the40th and 41st Parliaments wereintensely partisan. Surprisingly, JackLayton and Stephen Harper had agrudging respect for each other’sprofessionalism, which allowed them todo transactions.

When the government’s 2008fall economic update failed toannounce stimulus measures in theface of the rapidly developing worldcredit crisis and recession, theopposition leaders threatened to topplethe government. The Liberals and theNDP proposed a coalition governmentsupported by the Bloc Québécois. Afterseveral days of crisis, Harper secured ahighly controversial prorogation fromthe Governor General. Dion resignedand Harper survived.

A notable Harperaccomplishment was his eventualresponse to the worst global financialcrisis since the Great Depression.Chastened by their recent near-deathexperience at the hands of theopposition and forced to play againsttheir conservative fiscal instincts,Harper and his finance minister, JimFlaherty, embraced Keynes in the 2009budget by including $40 billion instimulus and $20 billion in personalincome tax cuts, and taking the countrysharply into deficit. The government’saggressive response enabled theCanadian economy to recover morequickly and come out of the recessionstronger than other G7 countries.

There had been earliersuccesses as well. For years, Canadianmunicipalities had complained aboutthe growing national infrastructuredeficit, estimated in 2007 by theFederation of Canadian Municipalitiesat $123 billion. The Conservative

budgets in 2006 and 2007 quadrupledfederal infrastructure transfers from$8.2 billion in 2005-06 to $33 billion in2007-08, increased the forward budgetcommitment period from four to sevenyears and focused infrastructuretransfers through the new BuildingCanada Fund.

At the 2010 G8 Summit hostedby Canada, the Conservativeslaunched a signature commitment tothe summit’s initiative on maternal,newborn and child health (MNCH).Starting with a leadership pledge of$2.85 billion for 2010-15, thegovernment followed up with anadditional $3.5-billion commitment for2015-20.

The impact of Harper’s bumpin infrastructure spending wassignificant because it sharply raisedongoing investments over a multi-yeartimeline. Extending that budgettimeline to seven years enhancedpredictability and facilitated provincialand municipal planning. The TrudeauLiberals have built on these initiatives inevery budget they have presented.Harper’s MNCH investments placedCanada in the forefront of efforts tohelp women and children, and theTrudeau government has built furtheron the Conservative commitments.

Perhaps the largest lesson tobe learned from evaluating thecontributions of Canada’s minoritygovernments is that it is best not tojudge each one’s success until severalyears have passed. This perspective isessential, because in the moment, anindividual government’s achievementscan be easily drowned out by over-the-top partisanship, the scandal du jour,the damning report of a public inquiryor the poisonous relationships betweenpolitical protagonists.

Far from being merely interimperiods between “normal” majoritygovernments, Canadian minoritieshave made significant contributions tothis country’s development andprogress.

From Page 2 Minority governments

October 2019 7The North American Filipino Star

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The Liberal minoritygovernment will require wheeling anddealing with federal, provincial leadersKathleen Harris · CBC News · Posted:Oct 22, 2019 3:31 PM ET | LastUpdated: October 22

Fresh from an electoral victorywith a weakened grip on power, JustinTrudeau is now facing a backlash fromportions of a divided electorate and along list of demands from federal andprovincial leaders.

The Liberals won 157 seats inMonday's election, far short of the 170required for a majority government.The party was completely shut out inAlberta and Saskatchewan — anelectoral wipeout that cost the partytwo key cabinet ministers.

The minority means Trudeaumust adopt a give-and-take approachto survive in the House of Commons,and must also find a way to fill aregional representation gap in theWest.

In his victory speech inMontreal Monday night, Trudeau saidhe understood the growing frustrationin the Prairie provinces, and promisedto support them and govern foreveryone across the country.

Today, Saskatchewan PremierScott Moe issued an open letter viaTwitter pointing out the Liberal minoritydid not win the popular vote and doesnot have a "clear mandate," as Trudeauhad claimed."The path our federal government hasbeen on the last four years has dividedour nation. Last night's election resultsshowed the sense of frustration andalienation in Saskatchewan is nowgreater than it has been at any point inmy lifetime," Moe wrote.

Moe called for a "new deal" forCanada and said he's ready to meetwith Trudeau at any time to discuss hisdemands: elimination of the federalcarbon tax, a new equalization formulafor Saskatchewan and Alberta, and aplan to build pipelines to get oil exportsto international markets.Trudeau's Conservativewarnings

"Prime minister, you said youheard our frustrations and want tosupport us. We are ready for you to

prove it," he said.Throughout the campaign,

Trudeau criticized several Conservativepremiers by name, accusing them ofimposing deep and harmful cuts,failing to tackle climate change andtaking steps to limit abortion services.

Conservative Leader AndrewScheer said Trudeau's strategy mayhave scored some political points but itleft Canadians deeply divided, withregion pitted against region.

"It's clear, based on the resultslast night, when you have two entireprovinces completely reject theapproach of this Liberal government,and when you look at how JustinTrudeau has attacked our energysector, has ignored the concerns ofAlberta and Saskatchewan and hasdemonized premiers who disagreewith him ... the results last night speakfor themselves," Scheer said during anews conference in Regina.Peter Loewen, a political scienceprofessor at the University of Toronto,said Trudeau's options for ensuringregional representation are limited.

"He could appoint a senatorfrom each province to cabinet, but thatwould backtrack on his principle of nothaving senators in caucus. He couldappoint a cabinet minister from outsideParliament provided they committed torun in a byelection, but none arecoming," he said by email.

"Or he could entice someonefrom another party to come over. But

that won't happen. So, I suspect thereis nothing he can do."Surviving with a minority

Aside from the regionalrepresentation dilemma, Trudeau alsomust develop a strategy for advancinghis legislative agenda with a minoritygovernment.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singhhas said he will work with the Liberalsto push policy priorities that improvethe lives of Canadians. He would notdivulge details during a newsconference in Burnaby, B.C. today, butsaid everything is on the table.Watch

NDP Jagmeet Singh says it'stoo soon to say how he will negotiatewith the Liberals to advance NDPpriorities. 1:00

"I can say that much, that weare not ruling out anything, but we'renot going to negotiate that here," Singhsaid.

"And what I can tell you is thatour priorities are very clear. We've laidthose out throughout the campaign,how we want to see investments inhealth care, we want to see housingmore affordable, we want to help outstudents, we want real action onclimate justice."

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said his party isprepared to use the "strong leverage"of its 32 seats in the House ofCommons, but the burden is on theLiberals to make Parliament work.

Trudeau's 'duty'"Mr. Trudeau has this duty," he

said.Trudeau held a meet and greet

event with Montreal commuters thismorning, but he does not have a newsconference scheduled beforeWednesday.

He did have a telephoneconversation with Ontario PremierDoug Ford — an exchange thepremier's office described as "positiveand constructive" — about how theycan work together.

"They discussed shared goalsfor the province and agreed to workcollaboratively to move importantprojects forward," says a statementfrom Ford's office which citesTrudeau's support for a Toronto-areatransit project.

Premier Moe demands 'newdeal,' says he is handing JustinTrudeau a 'fire extinguisher'"The Premier thanked the PrimeMinister for his support of the OntarioLine and his recognition of thisimportant project that will help endgridlock and get people moving acrossthe Greater Toronto Area. The twoleaders committed to sitting down tocontinue this discussion on their desireto work together for the betterment ofthe people they both serve."

Ford kept a low profilethroughout the campaign, but Trudeaurepeatedly raised his name at events,warning that premier's deep cutswould serve as a template for SchAlberta Premier Jason Kenney alsospoke with Trudeau today. Recappingthe call on Twitter, Kenney said hecongratulated the prime minister on hisreelection, then "underscored that thedeep frustration expressed byAlbertans is very real."

"National unity & economicprosperity require a profoundresponse. We must get pipelines built& get a fair deal in the federation,"Kenney tweeted.

Two of Trudeau's primary tasksfollowing the election are to craft athrone speech and select a newcabinet.

Trudeau's to-do list: calm rising regionaltensions, heal rifts with premiers

Montreal to give pedestrians more timeto cross street at key intersections

In Montreal, an average of 14pedestrians are killed every year bymotor vehicles, and of those, nearly 60per cent are over the age of 65.

That high death toll hasprompted city officials to introducenew safety measures for pedestrians,including giving people more time toget across the street at several as-yet-unnamed intersections.

Among other measures, thecity will introduce new sounds tosignal when pedestrians are free tocross, and it will improve the road

paint to make it more evident to driversthat they aren't allowed to park withinfive metres of a street corner.

Coun. Éric Alan Caldwell, theexecutive committee member incharge of urban planning and mobility,said all road users — drivers andpedestrians alike — must be vigilantwhen navigating the city.

"We share the route. We sharethe responsibility," Caldwell said.

Montreal will reduce speedlimits to make streets safer forpedestrians

Pedestrian hit by cement truckwhile using crosswalk in Ahuntsic-Cartierville

The awareness campaign is

being launched now becauseNovember, with its shorter days, is themonth with the highest number oftraffic accidents involving pedestrians.

The campaign is part of anaction plan dubbed Vision Zero, whichaims to eliminate deaths and seriousinjuries in the Montreal road network.

With files from Valeria Cori-Manocchio

Join us in celebratingour 30th anniverary &Christmas dinner dance

party on Saturday,December 14, 2019Call 514-485-7861

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau addresses Calgary supporters during arally in the city late Saturday night. (Terri Trembath/CBC)

October 20198

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Bridge program(higher education)

A Bridge program is a formalpartnership between two post-secondaryinstitutions that provides students withadvanced standing in a degree programat one institution as recognition ofprevious academic experience in a similarfield of study at another institution.Typically, a bridge program student holdsa two-year college degree, and is seekingadvancement in their profession byobtaining a four-year or graduate degree.

This differs from BridgingPrograms offered by Ontario colleges fornewcomers to the country. For example,Humber College in Toronto offersBridging Programs for InternationallyTrained Engineers and IT Professionals,who are recent immigrants to Canada.[1]These are short-term technical programsoffered to professionals who alreadypossess a minimum of a bachelor'sdegree. These programs "bridge" the gapbetween a newcomer's prior experienceand their future employment in Canada.

Most bridge programs can becategorized into three types ofagreements:[2]

Bilateral: An agreement outlinedbetween two institutions and two specificprograms of similar content. Students arepermitted to use some of their initialcredits toward the completion of anotherprogram at the partner institution.Example: Seneca/York Joint Degrees

Multilateral: An agreementbetween one institution and severalinstitutions that offer related programs ofinterest. The completion of one programwill directly lead to a specific degreeprogram. Example: The completion ofany Ontario Public College Recreationand Leisure Services Diploma andentrance to Brock University’s Bachelor ofRecreation and Leisure Studies

Concurrent: A collaborativeagreement between two institutions,whereby students will work toward two

sets of qualifications (such as a diplomaand a degree) at the same time, and onthe same campus. Example: University ofGuelph-Humber.History of Bridge Programs in Ontario

The College UniversityConsortium Council (CUCC) was createdin 1996 by the Ministry of Training,Colleges, and Universities as an advisorybody to help devise direct transfer routesbetween post-secondary institutions forall Ontario students. Its mission statementspecifies that the main objective of thecouncil is to “facilitate, promote andcoordinate joint education and trainingventures that will: aid the transfer ofstudents from sector to sector; facilitatethe creation of joint programs betweencolleges and universities; and further thedevelopment of a more seamlesscontinuum of post-secondary educationin Ontario.[3] Membership inthe council is voluntary for all post-secondary institutions, but is highlyencouraged. While the CUCC aims tohelp institutions create bridge programs,it still maintains that colleges anduniversities have full autonomy on thespecifics of the agreements created.[4]One of the first projects of the CUCC, wasthe development of a mutual agreementbetween Ontario colleges anduniversities. In 1999, Ontario colleges anduniversities signed the Ontario College-University Degree Completion Accord(Port Hope Accord), which solidified theircommitment to create province-wideagreements to help college graduatesenter university programs. This Accordwas a monumental achievement, as itexplicitly stated that a three year collegediploma program should provide astudent with a minimum of eleven transfercredits (equivalent to at least 2 years ofstudy) toward a four year bachelor’sdegree, and a two year diploma programshould allow the student to earn six toeight university transfer credits toward adegree (equivalent to 1 or 1.5 years).These minimum requirements were

chosen based on the average amount oftransfer credits awarded in the past byRegistrars’ Offices across OntarioUniversities. Within five years of attainingsignatures, forty new college-universityagreements were made, providing moreopportunities for students to attain acomprehensive education.[5]

By 2005 however, the Bob RaeReport declared that “nowhere nearenough progress has been made”because student demand for transferagreements still overpowered the actualnumber of diploma to degree programsavailable. The Report suggested thatresearch must be done to link up relatedprogramming between institutions intocollaborative degree programs, andcreate more academic pathways forstudents to achieve their career goals.[6]It also suggested the creation of core,generic courses offered at all institutionsthat could be instantly transferable in anyOntario diploma or degree program.[7]The Higher Education Quality Council ofOntario was established in the same yearas an advisory body to the provincialgovernment, commissioning research onstudent post-secondary experience andrecommendations to improve highereducation in Ontario.

To better serve studentsinterested in researching bridge programpathways, the CUCC made informationmuch more accessible by developing theOntario College-University TransferGuide, an online resource that listsexisting agreements between institutionsthat is searchable by program interest, aswell as a detailed explanation of transfercredits granted in each agreement. Thisonline guide will help to promote existingbridge programs in Ontario by providingstudents, guidance councillors, academicadvisors, and parents a comprehensivesource for all possible degree programpathways. As of October 2010, there were514 agreements listed.[8]

In the attempt to make furtherprogress in Ontario's credit transferpolicies, the Ministry of Training, Collegesand Universities established a newcoordinating body in 2011 to replace theCUCC. The Ontario Council forArticulation and Transfer (ONCAT) aims toimprove transfer pathways for students byfocusing on creating multilateralagreements between institutions tomaximize the number of transfer creditsearned, and the number of studentseligible to enrol in bridge programs. Italso pledges to create consistencyamong programs of similar content in theprovince to help ease student mobility.ONCAT's ultimate goal is to create atransfer model framework that grants allcollege diploma graduates the possibilityto begin a degree program withoutrepeating courses of similar content.Limitations to the Creation of BridgeProgramsDualistic post-secondary system

The Ontario college system wascreated in 1965 as a solution to thegrowing number of secondary schoolgraduates who could not be sustained bythe current post-secondary system. It wasdeveloped as a separate pathway fromuniversity, with different secondary schoolprerequisites, that would ultimately leadstudents to a distinct set of careerchoices.[9] Since the inception of thecollege system, post-secondaryeducation in Ontario has preserved itsseparate yet parallel tracks, despitechanging demands in the workforce. Withthe shift of the job market toward hiringemployees with bachelor or graduatedegrees for occupations that previouslyaccepted college diplomas, it is

becoming less and less likely for studentsto enroll in a diploma program if theycannot be guaranteed entry into abachelor's program upon completion oftheir courses.[10] Creating mutuallybeneficial bridge programs betweencolleges and universities may prove to bedifficult, as both systems were createdand have since progressed as completelyseparate entities with distinct policies andcurriculum to meet the needs of theirstudent body.Misconceptions

Through a series of interviewswith senior administrators at colleges anduniversities throughout Ontario, DanielleRenaud began a preliminary study in theyear 2000 to discover the major barriersto collaborative programs between post-secondary institutions. A total of twenty-five colleges and eighteen universitieswere surveyed. The most commonlyperceived obstacle to the creation ofbridge programs mentioned by bothcollege and university administrators wasthe existence of elitist attitudes by someuniversity faculty. The collegerespondents regarded university facultyas “arrogant” and unapproachable, anddid not feel confident that their effortswould be positively received. Universityrespondents echoed this statement,admitting that faculty often viewed collegeprograms as a “lesser education” andthat this stereotypical mindset would bedifficult to overcome.[11] Universityfaculty may be hesitant to approach thesubject of collaborative agreements withcollege diploma programs because theydo not view it as a relationship that willbenefit the reputation of their owninstitution. They continue to view collegesin their traditional role as a preparation forthe workplace, and feel as though theymust protect the integrity of a universityeducation by remaining a separateentity.[12] On the other hand, manycollege faculty are also fearful of animpending union with universities, as theyare concerned that they will be swallowedby the larger institution and lose theirvoice in the decision making process.They value their programming andpresume that the universities will beunwilling to make compromises when itcomes to creating programparameters.[13]Ambiguity of Transfer CreditProcess

The ambiguity of the currenttransfer situation between colleges anduniversities does not promote theattainment of higher knowledge in a fieldof study, as many students feeldiscouraged to continue in their studieswhen their prior experience is not alwaysfully recognized at the university level.Most current bridge programs werecreated out of individual efforts of facultymembers in specific departments,separate from the institution as a whole.These idiosyncrasies make the transferprocess sometimes difficult, as studentsmust navigate inconsistent admissionspolicies that do not always work in theirfavour.[14] In addition, most universitieswill not tell students how many transfercredits they will receive until they haveactually applied to the program. Without auniform system to assess transfer credits,students have no way of predicting howmany transfer credits they will receive ateach university, or how their diplomaprogram will prepare them for universitystudies.[15]Disparity in Province-wideCurriculum

One of the largest impediments

See Page 12 Bridging Programs

October 2019 9The North American Filipino Star

The recent Filipino-CanadianFutures Conference, held onSeptember 27 – 29, 2019, focused onfinding new ways to strengthen theeducational attainment and leadershipcapacity of Filipino youth in Montreal.Spearheaded by three Montreal-basedFilipinas, Monica Anne Batac, FranceClare Stohner and Maria Liza Escutin,the conference coordinators drew ontheir different networks, organizationalexperiences, and educationalbackgrounds to organize a richprogram reflective of the diversity ofthe Montreal Filipino community.Supported by Dr. Kimberley Manning,Professor at Concordia University andcurrent Principal of the Simone deBeauvoir Institute, the conferenceaccessed various institutional fundingsources, including the CommunityAction Fund, the Sustainability ActionFund, and the Office of CommunityEngagement. Two visiting scholars, Dr.Leonora Angeles (Associate Professor,University of British Columbia) and Dr.Fritz Pino (Assistant Professor,University of Regina in Saskatchewan),offered their expertise and timetowards the conference by offering,each, a keynote talk, active workshopparticipation, and facilitation andresource support. The conference alsoemployed two Filipino universitystudents, Shenna Morales Ramos ofConcordia University and ChloeRodriguez of McGill University.

Working with the core themesof Transformative Leadership,Community-Campus Connections,and Youth Empowerment, theconference gathered Filipino youth,youth leaders, practitioners andprofessionals, community leaders, andcommunity-engaged scholars tocreate greater intergenerationalcapacity for community organizing andresearch, and strategize for the future.The conference incorporated threedifferent sites for its day-time events:McGill University, ConcordiaUniversity, and FAMAS. As well, twostudent-led social activities wereorganized for the Friday evening.

On Friday, September 27, Dr.Fritz Pino from the University of Reginadelivered a talk on Complexities of“Gender Passing”: Toward a Queerand Trans Theorizing in Social WorkPractice. Important questionsdiscussed included: How might socialworkers respond and engage in issuesand concerns related to genderpassing? How might queer and transtheory be helpful for social workers tounderstand the personal and individualas well as the socio-political nuancesof gender passing? The afternoon wasleft open for those to attend theClimate Change Strike demonstrationsin the city. In the evening the FilipinoOrganization of Concordia UniversityStudents (FOCUS) organized anetworking event at Reggie’s Bar oncampus. Afterwards, there was aspecial event organized by BAHAY thatshowcased local Filipino and Asianartists and DJs. This event also raisedfunds for Operation Sagip of ABS-CBN

Foundation.Saturday, September 28, the

core conference day, began with amorning keynote by DebbieResureccion, faculty member at

Dawson College, entitled Transforminglives through passion and purpose.Resurreccion also facilitated the paneldiscussion on TransformationalLeadership with Jiestine Horlador,Ynah Kristine B. Sison, and FranceClare Stohner. The TransformativeLeadership Panel gathered inconversation emerging andestablished Filipino professionals inthe areas of Education, LeadershipTraining, Counselling, Psychotherapyand Social Work. In sharing theirdiverse experiences and personalprofessional trajectories, the panelengaged the audience in dialogue

about supporting and encouragingFilipinos to work with and for theFilipino community.

The next panel session onYouth Empowerment was facilitated by

Monica Anne Batac, who is a Ph.D.candidate in Social Work at McGillUniversity. The panelists were Markode Guzman and Lhori Webster ofPinoys on Parliament, a nationalinitiative out of Ottawa; Amina Biona,Chloe Rodriguez, and Julia Baladad ofPINAY POWER II, a three-day Filipina/xfeminist conference held in April 2019at McGill University; and Kiara Palanca,one of the inaugural interns of theC a n a d i a n - P h i l i p p i n eInterparliamentary Internship Program.These three distinct projects have allcome about in the past year, illustratingthe continued momentum and need of

Filipino youth-led and youth-servinginitiatives, and how the youth leadersare taking inspiration from each other’swork.

Later in the afternoon, Dr.Leonora Angeles of the University ofBritish Columbia delivered thekeynote, Building Leadership and CivicCapacities Towards CommunityHealing and Recovery in the FilipinoDiaspora. In her abstract, she writes, “Iargue for a historical social memorygrounding of our national and racialrage wounds inducing further socio-political conflicts, dissent anddisharmony that manifest withinFilipino diasporic organizations inCanada. Excavating and exhuminginsights on historical andcontemporary continuities and informfuture literary and artistic productionsas well as current organizations, socialmovements and interventions towardsinter-generational healing, social repairand capacity building.” Theconference organizers and facilitatorsreconfigured the day’s schedule inorder to leave ample time fordiscussion and processinginformation, particularly Dr. Angeles’keynote. Closing remarks were sharedby Dr. Fritz Pino, Dr. Kimberly Manning,and Monica Anne Batac, with an openinvitation to attend the conference’slast day.

The final day of the conferenceon Sunday, September 29 was held atFAMAS Community Center, andfocused on current CommunityProjects. Alfonso (Al) Abdon of theFilipino Heritage Montreal discussedthe society’s mandate and work,including the recent collaboration withConcordia University’s Centre for OralHistory and Digital Storytelling. He alsoinformally shared an oral history of thedevelopment of Filipino communityorganizations in Montreal. LourdesFabia, the lead coordinator of Buklod,shared information about theStrengthening Filipino FamiliesProgram, organized through the Côte-des-Neiges Black CommunityAssociation. Lastly, community artistsDeann Louise C. Nardo and Feliz Tupe(Felikinesis) discussed the processbehind the Nandito Tayo / We are Here/ Nous sommes ici project with PINAYQuebec. After lunch, a livelydiscussion ensued about potentialnext steps and future directionsstemming from the conference, duringwhich several community membersexpressed their desire to help organizea follow-up event to keep up themomentum. The conferenceorganizers and volunteers, alongsideseveral additional community leadersinvite conference participants andinterested community members to thefollow-up event at ConcordiaUniversity on Saturday, October 26,2019. Theme: World Cafe onLeadership and the Future of ourIntergenerational Filipino CommunitySaturday, October 26, 2019, 12:00-6:30pm, Concordia University: 12thfloor of the Hall Building, 1455 deMaisonneuve Street, Montreal.

First Filipino Canadian Futures Conference held atConcordia University, September 28, 29, 30, 2019

One of the keynote speakers, Dr. Leonora B. Angeles (2nd from left),associate professor at the University of British Columbia, poses withthe conference organizers.

Debbie Resurreccion’s theme “Transforming Lives Through Passion andPurpose” is on the screen during the Saturday morning session.

October 201910 The North American Filipino Star

North American Filipino StarPhoto Gallery

As founder and director-general of Gilmore College International, Iinvited these young professionals as a follow up to the First FilipinoCanadian Futures Conference (see story on page 9) as I am planning tocreate a bridging program for the Filipino-|Canadian community andother ethnic groups who may want to go to higher education. It was agreat pleasure to welcome them at my school: Sheena Morales Ramos,Maria Liza Escutin, France Stohner, Monica Batac, me, DebbieResurrecciion, and Ira Mamis from the Yukon (October 8, 2019).

Selfie by Michel Lao Vargas - Not able to put all the names butrecognizable are our MNA David Birnbaum of D’Arcy Mgee Riding, KimManning, principal of Simon Beauvoir Institute. I was able to attend themorning session only as I had to teach French classes in the afternoon.

We respectfully solicit the support of our electedofficials in all levels of government as well as CEOs andbusiness owners to raise funds needed for a DLI No.

October 2019 11The North American Filipino Star

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October 201912

The North American Filipino Star

to creating comprehensive bridgeprograms is the fact that there is nostandardized curriculum between similardiploma and degree programs in theprovince. Without a specified standard ofpractice outlined for certain fields ofstudy, it becomes almost impossible toguarantee the same amount of transfercredits at every Ontario institution, as it islikely that a student may not havecompleted a specific course that astudent at another institution was requiredto take.[16] University officials inRenaud's study also stated that they didnot feel comfortable accepting currentcollege curriculum as an equivalent to thefirst two years of a bachelor's degreeprogram. They were concerned with theattained education level of the faculty atcollege campuses, as not all collegesrequire instructors to possess a DoctorateDegree, or conduct a minimum amount ofresearch.[17] Although this view can beattributed to the elitist attitudes alreadydiscussed above, it does call intoquestion how ONCAT is prepared to rollout consistent transfer policies amonginstitutions without attempting to definedefinitive credits and features in all fieldsof study. Colleges and universities maynot be open to standardizing thecurriculum in their programs, as it wouldmean that they would need to give up theautonomy they previously enjoyed, andpossibly lose distinctive features in theircurriculum that helped to recruit studentsto their specific program.Willingness to participate

Although a formalizedagreement would result in more transferapplicants, many university officials areless than keen to sign bridge programagreements with colleges, as it wouldmean a significant loss of tuition dollars.Without the formalized agreement,transfer students receive on average oneyear or less worth of credits toward abachelor's degree. This structure ensuresthat the student will still likely be enrolledin a university program for at least threeyears. With the successful creation ofprovince-wide post-secondaryagreements, students would attenduniversity for two years, significantlycutting tuition costs. This loss of funding,despite rising enrolment numbers, couldresult in disaster, as programs couldbecome oversubscribed withoutadequate financial coverage.[18] There isalso a valid concern that only thoseuniversities who are in need of morestudent applications, such as the small tomid-size universities, will be more willingto cooperate with college programs.Larger institutions that already receive anoverwhelming number of high schoolapplicants will be less likely to agree tothe lengthy process of creatingspecialized programs when they canalready fill their programs without theextra effort.Future direction

Once again, Ontario is in themidst of an unprecedented increase inthe number of post-secondary studentapplicants that is threatening tooverpopulate the current structure ofhigher education in the province. It isprojected that the number of studentsenrolled in Ontario post-secondaryinstitutions may increase by 100,000 bythe year 2021.[19] Much like the climateof 1965, Ontario needs to find anothersolution to accommodate the demands ofthese increasing numbers, and bridgeprograms may be the ideal way tostreamline applicants. Bridge programsstill meet the increased interest in auniversity degree, but provide alternate

pathways for achieving this degree thatwill not exceed first year universityenrolment allowances.

A more realistic transition fromthe dualistic post-secondary pathwaysthat currently exist in Ontario, to acollaborative pathway would be todevelop a completely new curriculum forthe bridge program, rather than trying tofit together already existing diploma anddegree programs that were never meantto be connected. Ad hoc committeesbased on subject discipline should beformed among college and universityfaculty across the province to share bestpractices, and develop an integratedcurriculum.[20] In this approach, collegeand university faculty can work togetherto create a comprehensive knowledgebase that they both believe in, and neitherwill feel threatened that their existingprogram will be overshadowed orbecome obsolete. Having faculty worktogether to develop curriculumrequirements will also hopefully help toabolish stereotypes and the elitistattitudes that were credited as thestrongest inhibitor to the creation ofbridge programs, and help to build asense of congeniality among educationprofessionals.[21]

The creation of the OntarioCouncil for Articulation and Transfer andthe online Ontario College-UniversityTransfer Guide was definitely a step in theright direction, however the existingagreements listed have a limited scope ofprogram choice, and do not provide a listof guaranteed college credits that can betransferred. The province needs to movetoward creating a universal transfer guidethat allows students graduating from adiploma program the ability to transfer toany university with a similar degreeprogram by meeting the samerequirements for every institution, andreceiving the same amount of transfercredits at each institution. This transferguide should also be easily accessible bystudents so that they can make informedchoices in their course planning and beinformed of the number of transfer creditsthey can receive before they actuallyapply to an institution. To initiate a movetoward universal transfer, the provincecan first focus on establishing a few corearts and science courses at the collegelevel that would result in direct transfer touniversity credit at every Ontariouniversity. College faculty can work inconjunction with university faculty tocreate course curriculum that iscomparable to first year general arts andscience credits (such as psychology,English, math, history etc.) that themajority of incoming university studentsare required to take, thus easing thetransition process greatly.[22]

Finally, Ontario should look tothe successful practice of post-secondarytransfer in other provinces, most notablyBritish Columbia, but also Alberta andNew Brunswick, as a framework fromwhich to build a comprehensive transferprogram. In these already well-established systems, students are able totransfer credit toward a bachelor's degreefrom any institution in the province, andknow exactly how many transfer creditsthey will receive before they officiallyapply to another institution.[23] WhileOntario has a long way to go beforereaching this level of compatibility, it candefinitely benefit from modeling thedegree of government, administrative andfaculty coordination evident within thepost-secondary systems of the above-mentioned provinces. (Wikipedia)

See References on oppositepage (13).

From Page 8 Bridging Programs

Yellow AdoboThough widely accepted as the

national dish of the Philippines, no twoadobos are the same. This one calls for anunapologetic amount of turmeric, whichhas a somewhat bitter, definitely earthyflavor, and those deep, dark notes arebacked up by charred coconut. Thisrecipe is from Bad Saint, one of BonAppétit's Hot 10, America's Best NewRestaurants 2016.YIELD: 4 servingsINGREDIENTS•10 dried bay leaves•2 tablespoons black peppercorns•2 tablespoons ground turmeric•1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut•1/2 head of cauliflower, broken into smallflorets•1/4 kabocha squash, cut into 1-inchpieces (about 2 cups)•3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided•Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper•1 small white onion, chopped•2 medium shallots, chopped•6 large garlic cloves, chopped•1 (3-inch) piece ginger, peeled, finelygrated•1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes•2 (13.5-ounce) cans unsweetenedcoconut milk•1 cup sugarcane vinegar or distilledwhite vinegar, divided•4 chicken legs, drumsticks and thighs,separated•3 tablespoons (or more) honey•Unsalted, roasted pumpkin seeds(pepitas), thinly sliced Fresno chiles, andsliced scallion (for serving)Special EquipmentA layer of cheeseclothPREPARATION

Place bay leaves andpeppercorns in center of cheesecloth andtie closed with kitchen twine; set sachetaside. Toast turmeric in a dry small skilletover medium-low heat, stirring often, justuntil fragrant (be careful not to let itbrown), about 3 minutes. Transfer to aplate.

Cook coconut in same skillet overmedium-high heat, stirring occasionally,until burnt (not browned: burnt), about 3minutes. Grind in a spice mill or with amortar and pestle or finely chop. Transferto another plate.

Heat oven to 375°F. Tosscauliflower and squash on a large rimmedbaking sheet with 1 Tbsp. oil to coat;season with salt and pepper.Roast vegetables, tossing occasionally,until browned and tender, 30–40 minutes.

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in alarge Dutch oven or other heavy pot overmedium-high. Add onion, shallots, garlic,and ginger and cook, stirring often, untilgolden brown and very fragrant, 8–10minutes. Add red pepper flakes and cook,stirring often, just until fragrant, about 1minute. Stir in toasted turmeric, coconutmilk, and 3/4 cup vinegar. Bring to a boiland cook until liquid is reduced by aboutone-third, 20–30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a grill formedium-high heat (or heat a grill pan overmedium-high). Season chicken with saltand pepper and grill, turning occasionally,just until skin is charred (chicken will notbe cooked through at this point), 8–10minutes.

Add chicken and reserved sachetto turmeric sauce. Cook, partially covered,until chicken is tender, 60–80 minutes. Stirhoney and remaining 1/4 cup vinegar in asmall bowl until honey is dissolved; add tobraise, then add roasted cauliflower andsquash. Taste and season with more saltor honey as needed.

Divide adobo among bowls andtop with burnt coconut, pumpkinseeds, chiles, and scallion.Do Ahead:

Adobo can be made 3 daysahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheatgently before serving.

Rellenong HiponIngredients1 pound large shrimps (31-35 count)1/4 pound ground pork1/4 cup green onions, chopped1/4 cup water chestnuts, chopped1/4 cup carrots, shredded2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced1 teaspoon soy sauce1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper15 pieces spring roll wrappers, cutdiagonally into two trianglescanola oilInstructionsPeel shrimps and remove heads, leavingtail intact. With a small knife, make anincision near the head and all the waydown the center of the shrimp's back tothe tail. With the tip of knife, remove anddiscard vein. Using hands, open flesh ofshrimp until it lies flat. Make a smallincision on the inside of the shrimp closeto the tail.

In a bowl, combine ground pork,green onions, water chestnuts, carrots,garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Gentlystir until well distributed.

Place about 1/2 teaspoon meatfilling in the center of the butterflied shrimpand press to close around filling.

On a flat working surface, arrangespring roll wrapper with pointed side facingup. Place stuffed shrimp on wrapper. Foldone side of wrapper over shrimp and thethen fold the pointed side down. Rollwrapper tightly around shrimp moisteningsides with water and pressing lightly toseal.

Place in a single layer, seam sidedown, on a dish and loosely cover withmoist paper towel until ready to fry.

In a pan over medium heat, heatabout 2-inches deep oil until very hot butnot smoking.

See Page 13 Rellenong Hipon

October 2019 13The North American Filipino Star

SocialTidbits

Fely Rosales Cariño

Climate change, does it ring abell? It’s the most talked-about topiceverywhere. It affects everyone and itsferocity, viciousness and unstoppableeffects are undeniable. Are we ready forthe consequences of fire, flood, etc thatcan demolish infrastructures and wreakhavoc with our lives? Everyone must dohis or her part now to recycle, dispose ofplastics properly, among other things.Most importantly, invoke God’sintervention because all our tomorrows arein God’s hands, “being confident of this,that He who began a good work in you willcarry it on to completion until the day ofChrist Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Fall is upon us and winter is fastapproaching. Time to change tires and tobring out your winter paraphernalia. Whatdoes not change is our community socialconsciousness. My social calendar forNovember and December is full.Weekends and most weekdays are takenup. I like this because it shows that seniorsare up to the physical challenges and try tobetter themselves in the midst of theinevitable aches and pains.

For us in Montreal, life and socialactivities go on. Election controversieshappen in different organizations. Thereare messy confrontations but most arepeaceful. I refrain from commenting onelection matters. My column only reportson the singing, dancing, gorgeous gowns,grace and smiles of program participants.

Honourable Petronila Garcia, thePhilippine Ambassador to Canada, isencouraging Filipinos, Canadians andfriends to take a look at and join in theVisitor Package for Winter Escapade 7- It’sMore Fun In The Philippines, scheduled totake place in Manila, Las Casas in Bataan,Filipinas de Acuzar, Clark in Pampangaand Boracay from January 15-20, 2020.Ambassador Garcia touts the “highlysuccessful tour that is now on its 7th yearand promises to take participants tospectacular sights offering the best ofPhilippine nature, culture, cuisine and thetrademark hospitality of the Filipino

people.” For more details please phoneMs. Aileen Cuya at 613-233-1121,Philippine Embassy in Ottawa.

From someone who experiencedthe event, I was one of the first WinterEscapade participants under formerPhilippine Ambassador to Canada,Honorable Jose Brilliantes. We had funtouring different places. Our last night wasspent at a reception in Malacanang Palaceby an invitation from former PhilippinePresident Gloria Macapagal! Join WinterEscapade 7 and be entertained!

I’d like to mention SWISenthusiastic line dancers and avid bingoplayers. The family members who dancedtheir way during the SWIS family picnicwere: SWIS chairman Connie Favro, LitaBote, Nora Arcalas, Tina Oana, CaroleBowles, Jean Pierre Leclerc, LolitaWilliams, Nestor & Aurora Minerva, RemyYao, Tessie Igrobay, Romana D’souza,Magda Balog, Manju Shah, Joe & MelbaKamber, Jeannette Perignon, Ike & ChitBas, Pete & Perla Izon, Flor & Rose Rillo,ex-chairman Roger Ajero, Roger Sandoval,Felix & Lucy Salazar, Cesar & Emy Bayan,Mary & Werner Brauer, Lydia Fielding,Vangie Salvador, Remy & Letty Eugenio,Pina Palma, Elvi Maximo, Dr. & Mrs. Viloria,Nene Isada, Nita Advincula and othermembers.

We, the auxiliary group of theFilipino Heritage Montreal (FHM) headedby Chairman Al Abdon, were invited by theEmbassy of the Philippines last September26, 2019 on 30 Marie St. in Ottawa to viewPamana, the sights and sounds of ourFilipino Heritage. The viewing featured theworks (painting) of Ella Brion and PepitoEscanlar and the music of the Minstrels ofHope. Pepito Escanlar, famous for his artexhibit, is from Guimbal, Iloilo, Philippinesand holds a degree in architecture from theUniversity of St. Thomas, Manila. EllaBrion Is a Filipino Canadian whosecollection of poems and drawings becamethe pioneer publication of award-winningPedlar Press under the title Sex Libris.Currently, she attends Regis College, the

Jesuit School of Theology at the Universityof Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These twoartists’ work are simply beautiful. You canstare and stare at the colours andlandscape of their artwork. We, theauxiliary members (Elma Bolatao, RebeccaAguilar, Fely Bisares, Jeannette Perignon,Ciony Nueva, Nenita Licyayo, VangieRuance, Caring Tabunar, Norma Vohra,Valent Lloyd Hughes, and yours truly) werevery impressed! The Pamana Programbegan with the Ambassador’s welcomespeech and ended with the Minstrels ofHope Choir’s song and danceperformance, whose Bridge Over Waterand Hallelujah were the most applaudedsongs.

Let’s not forget last September22, 2019 when SWIS members wereinvited by Elvi Maximo to a morning massat Rigaud Resort to celebrate the lateNards Alberto’s 70th birthday. It was a coldmorning but most SWIS members were inattendance. Nards was a beloved SWISmember. After the mass, Elvi served aFilipino breakfast right in the mountaintoppicnic area. Members present feasted onfried rice, tinapa, tapa, longaniza, bangus,salted eggs and many more. Carrot cakewas baked by Reden while other sweetswere brought by members. HappyBirthday Nards.

The following SWIS membersalso celebrated their birthdays recently:Carlito Arlegui, Eddy Tapia, and MarioBamba. On both occasions, a notedguest was Father Lawrence, a parish priestof St. Luke’s church in DDO. Anotherbirthday party was thrown by the FilipinoAssociation of Montreal and Suburbs(FAMAS) President Cesar Manuel.

Carlito Arlegui celebrated his 70that Maria Kuersteiner’s residence and thenanother one at La Porte GrecqueRestaurant in DDO. Mario celebrated attheir residence where wife Puring Bambaprepared a terrific dinner. On bothoccasions, guests included Carlito&Thelma, Mario & Puring, June of SaintLuke church, Father Lawrence, and yourstruly.

Are you a casino enthusiast? Jointhe group of Trans Liganor, Flor de la Cruz,Nenita Licyayo, Bert Abiera, MonicaRegacho, Warly Basbacio and others atone of the casinos near Kahnawake,Montreal. They all have been winninglately!

Cesar Manuel celebrated his 60thbirthday at the Hellenic dance hall inMontreal recently. The program beganwith the grand entrance of Cesar and Tess,his wife of 28 years. This was followed bythe Invocation by Philippine Benevolentand Scholarship Society of Quebec(PBSSQ) President Josefa Nicolas. Aftereverybody has settled in, the openingsong was rendered by Adiva Estinoso, an

icon of the LGBTQ, a stylist, model,entrepreneur and owner of the House ofManny. Then came an impassionedspeech by Honorable AnthonyHousefather, a Member of Parliament forMount Royal, followed by SnowdonCounselor Marvin Rotrand, one of the bestfriends of the Filipino community. And thiswas a good night for singer Thea Cruz.Among many successful gigs in 2015, shewas chosen to sing both the American andCanadian national anthem at the BellCentre during a Montreal Canadians’hockey game. Her performance duringthis occasion was enthusiastically receivedby the audience. Next performers were thePinoy Diva with members Mack Jones,Rachel Endozo, and Mark Simbulan. Thatwas a good number, guys!

Then came the messages fromevery table. The spokesperson for ourtable was Benny Bote, also a contestant inone of the games called Name That Tune.After the messages, a group called theBarkadas performed a lively dancenumber. The last song number came from17-year-old singer Bella Cacci, whosegood looks come from her Filipina motherand Italian father. A singer and asongwriter, Bella is a 2017 Filipinochampion for the Filipino CanadianAssociation of Artists in Quebec (FCAAQ).She sang at the international Jazz Festivalin 2019. Blessed with an angelic voice andangelic face, she recently released her firstsingle named Maybe Tomorrow. What atalented beauty! The last musical renditionwas the duet of Thea Cruz and RamosManuel by popular request. The mostpoignant part of the party was Caesar’sspeech, paying a lovely tribute to his wifewho he credits for making everythingpossible for him to succeed! EmceeSvetlana Suarez was at her best. Shemade the party flowing from beginning toend. Her electric blue gown drew gaspsfrom the crowd. She was a real standout inbeauty and performance.

The Annual Thanksgiving Masswas hosted by PBSSQ, held at St. Kevin’sParish Church in Cote des Neiges lastOctober 13, 2019. Members of theKnights of Columbus, present in their fullregalia, assisted in ushering duties. Theentertainment program included thefollowing: vocal solos by Eddie Valdez andTherese Ann Salmon (Munting Hiyas ngLuzon 2019), dance by Angelica Paige delRosario (Munting Hiyas ng Pilipinas,Montreal 2019), and Douglas NierrasPowerdance. Mrs. Natalie Pelausa,PBSSQ founder, was her usual jovial selfand astounded everyone with her sharpmemory. The event ended with Dr.Hermie Pelausa giving the ClosingRemarks.

See you next issue. God bless!

References1) "Bridging Programs for Internationally TrainedProfessionals". Humber College. Retrieved 2December 2014.2Boggs & Trick, 2009, p.5-83) Renaud, 2009, p. 324) Ontario Confederation of University FacultyAssociations, 2008, p.35) Ontario Confederation of University FacultyAssociations, 2008, p.2-56) Boggs & Trick, 2009, pg. 17) Decock,McCloy,Liu,& Hu, 2011, p.38) Callahan, 2010, p.69) Renaud, 2009, p.910) Renaud, 2009, p.1111) Renaud, 2009, p.7412) Renaud, 2009, p.7613) Renaud, 2009, p.7914) Renaud, 2009, p.315) Renaud, 2009, p.2516) Renaud, 2009, p.7517) Renaud, 2009, p.8518) Renaud, 2009, p.8419) Boggs & Trick, 2009, p.920) Arnold, 2009, p.14721) Renaud, 2009, p.9023) Arnold, 2009, p.12225) Arnold, 2009, p.10SourcesArnold, Christine. (2009). Seamless HigherEducation? Sewing a Model for Transfer in

Ontario. (Master's thesis). Brock University, St.Catharines, Ontario.Association of Canadian Community Colleges.(2011). Transferability and Post-secondaryPathways: The Role of Canadian Colleges andInstitutes.Boggs, A. & Trick, D (2009). Making College-University Collaboration Work: Ontario in aNational and International Context. Toronto: HigherEducation Quality Council of Ontario.Decock, H., McCloy, U., Liu, S & Hu, B. (2011).The Transfer Experience of Ontario Colleges whoFurther their Education – An analysis of Ontario'sCollege Graduate Satisfaction Survey.Toronto:Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.(2010). Report of the College-UniversityConsortium Council. Toronto, ON: Maureen E.Callahan.Ontario Confederation of University FacultyAssociations. (2008). College/University ProgramsLeading to Undergraduate Degrees: A DiscussionPaper.Renaud, Danielle. (2000). An Examination of theBarriers to Articulation Agreements BetweenColleges and Universities in Ontario. (Doctoraldissertation). Retrieved from the National Library ofCanada. (0-612-49863-8).Categories: Higher education

and social entrepreneurship.The program encourages trainees

to become social entrepreneurs to addressvarious social problems either in their hostcountries or in the Philippines should theydecide to return.

The LSE training program was firstintroduced in Rome, Italy in 2008 withFilipino domestic workers and low-incomeearners as the main beneficiaries.

The program has been fullyembraced in Milan, Madrid, Hong Kong,Macau and Singapore where most Filipinosare working in homes of local residents andexpats.

There have been 39 nannies- 15enrolled in Dubai and 24 in Abu Dhabi- outof 542 who have taken the LSE in the UAEsince 2013. The nannies’ enrollment feeswere funded by generous individuals andsmall and medium enterprises.

The program’s vision is to makesure that “Filipino migrants and their

From Page 3 Pinoy Nannies families are united towards supportingeach other in becoming empowered andhighly respected members of society,consciously contributing to nationbuilding.”

There are now more than 3,000LSE finishers from 22 cities in 12 countriesin Europe, Middle East, Asia.

Add prepared shrimps into oil withseam side down. Cook, turning on sides asneeded, until golden, crisp and cookedthrough.

Remove from heat and drain on awire rack set over a baking sheet. Serve hotwith sweet and sour sauce.

From Page 12 Rellenong Hipon

Enroll in Gilmore’s intensivecourses in English or

FrenchCall 514-485-7861

October 201914

www.filipinostar.org

The North American Filipino Star

Halloween costumes inspired by PHsuperheroes, monsters By Stephanie Marie Bernardino

It’s Halloween — why not golocal?

Below are suggestions forHalloween costumes pegged tocharacters in Pinoy movies and on TVseries.

MONSTERS‘Halimaw Sa Banga’

The movie came out in 1986 and itstarred Liza Lorena, Gina Pareno,and Michael de Mesa. The creature isan ancient witch who was killed,cursed and trapped inside a large vatfor ages.

Dressing up like thesupernatural creature only requires amessy white wig and fake black longnails (which could be made fromblack construction paper cut intotriangles). Complete the look withwhite clothes and put on white facepoint for look that’s to die for. Oh, anddon’t forget the vat or banga youcould make from paper mache…

Undin from ‘Shake, Rattle &Roll III’This slimy, moldy creature was firstseen in the “Nanay” episode of“Shake, Rattle & Roll III” starringManilyn Reynes, Ai Ai de las Alas,and Joey Marquez. It has ability tospew corrosive acid at her victims ornemesis.

Face the paint brown and put

on wig. For slime effect, corn syrup orwhite egg would look realistic. Youcould also use toilet bowl as props,as Udin emerged from one. Syringefilled with green food colored-waterwill do the trick nicely for the acidspit.

Siyokoy/Sirena from‘Dyesebel’The siyokoy (mermen) and the sirena(mermaid) are a combination ofhuman form and the scaled body offish.

For siyokoy, you need tomake head, hand, and foot piecewhich looks like fish scales, then sewsilver sequins on skinny pants andcomplete the look with scepter asprops.

For girls, make long wig,seashell bikini, and fins.

Or buy the costumes from astore.

SUPERHEROES‘Darna’

Darna wears a two-piece red bikinimatched with red knee-high bootsembroidered with gold. Don’t forgetthe headpiece, belt, and bracelet(and the stone, if you want to bethorough about it).

For reference, among actorswho have played the titular role are

Angel Locsin, Marian Rivera, VilmaSantos, Lorna Tolentino, and RioLocsin, among others.

‘Pedro Penduko’Another Filipino comic bookcharacter styled as a folk hero orsuperhero is Pedro Penduko createdby National Artist for LiteratureFrancisco V. Coching.

If you’re doing the Matt Evansversion, you would only need a redcamisa de chino and brown tokongpants. A bolo knife hanging aroundyour waist and magical amulet onyour neck would look sharp.

If you’re doing the MatteoGuidicelli version, hit the gymregularly and undergo militarytraining first so you could have abslike his. Then go find a superstargirlfriend.

Whether it’s the first or thesecond, have your hair curled.

‘Lastikman’There’s no stretch of imaginationwhen you choose to do this guy asthe costume requires only two things— a one-piece tight long sleevejumpsuit patterned with black andgreen checkered, and a black eyehalf face mask. �

Filipino Superhero-inspired costumes

Hollywood star Angelina Jolietook a moment before answeringFilipino TV host Boy Abunda’squestions about love and loss.

In a recent interview forAbunda’s talk show “Tonight With BoyAbunda,” the “Maleficent” starseemed to be holding back tearswhen answering questions about thepain of loving, a theme in the nowshowing sequel of the Disney film,“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.”

“Why does love always comewith pain?” Boy asked Angelina.

“I think when love is right, it’sa good kind of pain. It’s growing. It’s apain where your heart is stretching,your feelings are stretching,” the“Tomb Raider” star explained.

“The greater the love, thegreater the loss, is true,” enthused themother of six who recently gotdivorced from husband Brad Pitt.

“Love doesn’t always endwell. Why, Ms. Jolie?” Abunda askedas a follow-up.

“Just take a minute for that,”she said, laughing.

“It doesn’t always end wellbecause maybe one kind of love ismistaken for another,” she repliedwhile seemingly holding back tears.

Jolie, who has Maddox, 18;Pax, 15, Zahara; 14, Shiloh, 13 and11-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne,admitted in a separate interview withPeople magazine that she had togather some strength to reprise herrole as Maleficent because she was“feeling pretty broken."

"It was a tough time. I’d beencoming off a few years of difficulty,and I was not feeling very strong. Infact, I was feeling pretty broken. It tookme a moment to feel the strength of(Maleficent) again."

Jolie is reportedly training forher next film, “Eternals,” about a raceof immortal aliens created and set toEarth to battle the Deviants. Jolie is setto star alongside Salma Hayek and"Game of Thrones'" Kit Harington. �

Angelina Jolie getshonest with BoyAbunda about loveand loss

Angelina Jolie being interviewedby Boy Abunda for her movie"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil."

October 2019 15The North American Filipino Star

www.filipinostar.org

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The Barretto family feud: what you need to know

One big happy family? Marjorie and Claudine with Jay-Jay (inyellow), Mito (in checkered polo), and Mitch (in plaid) with theirparents Inday and Miguel. Not in the main picture: Gia (left) andGretchen (right).

The ongoing feud betweenthe Barretto sisters during theirfather's wake last year, is just thelatest in their long history of familyspats.

Gretchen, who had beenestranged from her family for years,attended the Barretto patriarch's wakelast October 16. President RodrigoDuterte was also present and hadallegedly asked Gretchen to makeamends with her sister Marjorie.

Marjorie supposedly refusedto shake hands and the sisters soontook their feud on social media.

On Friday, reports floatedabout Claudine being brought to thehospital due to dizziness after yetanother alleged fight with Marjorie.

Marjorie later on took toInstagram to tell her side and said thatshe'll come out with the truth andnothing but the truth after they puttheir father to rest.

Gretchen later took a swipe atMarjorie and posted videos provingher point.

Later on, the name ofbusinessman Atong Ang wasdragged into the mess. On Monday,he clarified his relations with thesisters Gretchen and Claudine andtheir niece Nicole.

Miguel Barretto died lastOctober 15 after spending almost twoweeks at the hospital. He was laid torest on Saturday, October 19. �

Duterte 'shocked' overBarretto family feud

President Rodrigo Duterteand his delegation who condoledwith the Barretto clan last weekwere "shocked" after theywitnessed a scuffle amongrelatives during the wake of family'spatriarch Miguel, Senator Bong Gosaid Wednesday.

Celebrity siblings Gretchenand Marjorie Barretto, as well assome of their nieces and nephews,broke into a fight in front of Dutertelast week, after the President triedto mend ties between the sisterswho have been at odds for half adecade.

"Na-shock din kami nungnakita namin. Parang shooting [ngpelikula] din," Go, who was withDuterte at the wake, told Senatereporters.

Go confirmed Marjorie'sclaim that she apologized to thePresident in one corner aftermembers of the PresidentialSecurity Group cordoned the chiefexecutive to safety.

The senator said he wasunsure who started the fight.

"Baka tawagin pa nila akoas witness, wag na lang," he said injest. "Hindi ko nakita kasi ang focusko nandun lang kay Presidente." �

Instagram image posted byClaudine Barretto showsPresident Duterte condolingwith Gretchen prior to a scuffleat the wake of the familypatriarch at the HeritageMemorial Park in Taguig City,Oct 23, 2019.

The Barretto Family feud

(Left to Right) Claudine, Marjorie, and Gretchen have been involved inmuch-publicized quarrels since the early 2000s.

www.filipinostar.org

he ongoing feud betweenthe Barretto sisters appears to be farfrom over.

Actress and socialiteGretchen Barretto fired the latestonline shot on Monday when sheclaimed that her sister, formeractress Marjorie triggered theirfather’s fatal heart attack.

“Marjorie did not invite mymom to the gathering, and that’swhat caused my dad’s attack,”Gretchen wrote in response to anetizen who noticed the absence oftheir mother Estrella “Inday” Barrettoin the late patriarch’s birthday party,as seen in an Instagram storyMonday.

The Barretto sisters’ father,Miguel passed away last October 15at the age of 82, two weeks after his

birthday celebration took place.Marjorie belatedly shared

over her Instagram account photosfrom their father’s birthday party, butnone of which included the sisters’mother.

After years of beingestranged from both her parents,Gretchen sought to reconcile withher mother during Miguel’s wake.

But it seemed to worsen thelong-standing feud within the familyafter a reported altercation andscuffle between the Barretto sistersduring the wake.

The celebrity Barrettos thentook the battle to social media withGretchen and Claudine clashing withMarjorie and her children, includingactress Julia. �

Gretchen Barrettoblames Marjorie fordad’s heart attack

Gretchen Barretto (left) & Marjorie Barretto

The Barretto Family feud

Claudine admitsslapping Marjorie atdad’s wake

The plot thickens in theBarretto sisters’ feud.

Claudine, the youngest of theBarretto sisters, confirmed reports thatshe slapped her sister Marjorie aftersupposedly provoked her by pointinga finger at her and bringing up hermental health issues at the wake oftheir father Miguel.

“Sabi niya (Marjorie), ‘I’m notthe one who goes to a psychiatrist. I’mnot the one who’s crazy. She’staunting me,” Claudine recalled in aninterview Tuesday night on dzMM.

“Ano yun, tino-taunt mo lahatng tao na may mental illness? Dahillang lumabas ako na may anxietydisorder? Tinotaunt mo ko? (What,you taunt people with mentalillnesses? Just because I have anxietydisorder, you’re taunting me?),”Claudine said.

She added that she laughedoff Marjorie’s provocation, butsnapped the moment her sisterpointed a finger at her.

“Tapos nakaupo ako nun etapos sabi niya, ‘What? Lalaban ka?Lalaban ka?’ So tumayo ako. Sabi ko,‘Oo lalaban ako.’ Tapos, alam moyung parang dinuro sa ulo? Dinuroniya ako sa ulo (I was sitting when shesaid, ‘What? You want a fight?’ So Istood up and said, ‘Yes, I will fight.’That’s when she pointed a finger to myhead).”

“Ayon na, sinampal ko siya.Sinampal ko siya talaga.Nagsabunutan kami (I slapped her. Ireally slapped her. We pulled eachother’s hair),” Claudine recounted.

She explained that it was her“instant reaction” because her childrenwere also present at the wake.

“Kasi wag mo akonggaganyan ganyanin. Instant reactionko yun eh. Hindi sa gusto kongmambastos ng mas nakakatanda saakin. Wag mo akong gaganyanin lalo’tnandoon ang mga anak ko (Don’t dothis to me. That was me instantreaction. Not because I wanted todisrespect the elderly. Don’t this to meespecially when my children arearound).”

The eldest Barretto sister,Gretchen, earlier showed a video ofthe altercation at their father Miguel’swake in the presence of PresidentRodrigo Duterte.

Claudine then took to socialmedia to say she was hospitalized dueto bruises and dizziness after she andMarjorie had a scuffle of their own. �

Claudine Barretto

Young star James Reid wouldrather not do a project with actressJulia Barretto at the moment.

He said so in a recent episodeof “Tonight With Boy Abunda,” duringthe games “Games Reid or GamesOver Reid” segment where the 26-year-old actor was made to give histwo cents on leading ladies he wantsto work with or not.

Show host Boy Abundashowed pictures of Yassi Pressman,Janella Salvador, Liza Soberano, andKathryn Bernardo. When the latter’sphoto was presented, he asked, “Do Ihave to explain?”

“Oh what… Games Over,” hetold the host when the latter asked himto expound on his answer.

“Just that, it is too much. Like

too much noise when it comes to fansand stuff,” James said. “I have noproblem with her at all, it’s just that toomuch noise.”

“Para walang gulo?” Boyinterjected.

“Yeah. Let’s make life easy,”the star ended.

James also played the gamein terms of his girlfriend, NadineLustre, possibly working with otherleading men. The actor consented toJoshua Garcia, Arjo Atayde, andDaniel Padilla.

For Coco Martin and GeraldAnderson, however, he answeredGames Over Reid but later changedhis mind about it.

“I just can’t see them in aproject together… No, if it’s an actionproject then Games Reid. Nadinealways wanted to do that — an actionstar. Alongside Coco, that would becool,” James said.

For Gerald, he said he wasgonna say Games Over Reid but with

how the former smiled in the picture,James said, “It’s hard to say no whenhe’s smiling like that.”

Kris Aquino on Barretto sistersfeud: ‘There’s no need for us to addto their pain’

Kris Aquino reminded her fansand followers that sisters Gretchen,Marjorie and Claudine Barretto are stillgrieving and that there is no need foranyone “to add to their pain” amid thecontroversy revolving around them.

The sisters have been the talkof the town after a scuffle broke outamong them at the wake of their father,Miguel Barretto. They have sincecontinued their feud by taking to socialmedia to air their sides regarding theissue.

The Queen of All Media’sremark came after she greeted one ofher sisters, Viel (Victoria Elisa), ahappy birthday on Instagram lastSaturday, Oct. 26. �

James Reid says no to working with Julia Barretto

James Reid & Julia Barretto

September 201916 The North American Filipino Star

October 2019 17The North American Filipino Star

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In the rare occasions JasmineCurtis and her elder sister, Anne Curtis,are having a misunderstanding, ortampuhan, they make sure to keep thenitty-gritty strictly between themselves.

“The thing is, with Ate and me,we don’t let [our problems] known toanyone, even to friends. The issuestays only among those who areinvolved in it—kami-kami lang,” shetold reporters at a recent pressconference for “Cara x Jagger,” theupcoming romantic screen drama sheheadlines with Ruru Madrid.

The topic, about how Jasminesettles her differences with Anne,inevitably popped up at the said mediaevent, in light of the ongoing and verypublic spat among the Barrettos—Gretchen, Marjorie and Claudine, inparticular—which has been hoggingthe headlines as of late.

“We seldom get into fights.Perhaps our nine-year age gap hassomething to do with it,” surmised the25-year-old actress. “You can count inone hand the number of times we had‘issues.’ About three times? Andthey’re small things, nothing reallyserious, nothing escalated.”

That said, physicalaltercations—may it be hair-pulling orwhatever—is out of the question.

“My God! Kahit kurut-kurot sakilikili, walang ganun! It’s all peace,love and happiness for the two of us.I’m sorry, but you will all be unable tounmask any issues!” she quipped,drawing laughter. “We’re toopeaceful!”

The only “concern” they haveat the moment is how to go aboutpurchasing the car they had promisedtheir mother in Australia. “We havebeen planning to get her a new one.She’s due for an upgrade. We hope toget it by Christmas,” she related.“That’s why I have been working a lot.Go lang hanggang kaya ng katawan!”

One of those projects is “Carax Jagger,” which opens in cinemas onNov. 13. Produced by APTEntertainment and Cignal TV and

directed by Ice Idanan, the film isabout formers lovers, Cara, “the girlwho can’t forget,” and Jagger, “theboy who can’t remember.”

Cara (Jasmine) seeks to doeverything in her power to forget apainful moment that ruined theirrelationship. Meanwhile, Jagger (RuruMadrid) is struck with a condition thathas robbed him of his memory.Jagger’s grandfather, in a desperatemove to help his grandson, asksCara’s help for Jagger to regain hissense of self and his recollection of thepast.

“The movie is character-centric,” she said of “Cara x Jagger,”which is her first lead role in amainstream film. “Though the conflictbetween the characters is quiteunusual, the story still represents whatlove is all about—loving someoneunconditionally and moving on, nomatter how painful a relationship hasbecome.”

As for his leading man,Jasmine described Ruru as a “funny”and “very caring” young man. “He’ssociable with everyone on the set,from the director to the crew. He’sinvested in his craft, and I can see thathe wants to learn more,” Jasmineobserved. “He’s also a gentleman.When he sees that I’m wearing highheels, he makes sure to offer hishand.”

She was likewise impressedby her fellow Kapuso star’s actingtalent. “He’s a really effective actor. Ithink he should do more films. Andmaybe his performance in this willinspire more producers to work withhim,” she said.

Ruru admitting to herbeforehand that she’s one of hiscrushes initially made things awkwardfor Jasmine at first. “There’s ilangfactor, when I learned about that. Youcan’t avoid that,” Jasmine related. “ButI became more comfortable with himas we moved along. And at work, weforget that I’m Jasmine and he’s Ruru.”

Jasmine, Anne keep theirquarrels private

Angel Locsin also a painter

Beyond her unquestionableacting skill, there’s another side ofAngel Locsin few people know: She’s apainter.

The actress impressed herfollowers recently when she shared asnapshot of her artwork under thetheme love and eroticism.

“Tried something new,” shewrote as caption.

She gained favorableresponse from fellow celebrities whocan’t help but admire her work.

“Seriously? You are so good!Gel, make more!” wrote Iza.

Sarah Lahbati agreed, saying“WOW! Ganda, Gel! Ano bang hindimo kayang gawin!”

“napakahusay namaaaaan,”wrote Dimples Romana.

Isabelle Daza said, “OMG sogood.”

Angel Locsin

Superstar sisters: Jasmine (left) and Anne Curtis

October 201918 The North American Filipino Star

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Filipino film "Dagsin," starringJanine Gutierrez and Benjamin Alves,has been shortlisted as a possiblePhilippine entry to the InternationalFilm Feature Category of the Oscars,Cinemalaya posted on its Facebookpage.

"Supar congrats, #Dagsin!"the independent film festival said inthe caption of its Facebook post,showing a screenshot of the letterfrom the Film Academy of thePhilippines that announced the goodnews.

The letter was signed by theorganization's director general,veteran actor, comedian and directorLeo Martinez.

Alves also shared thescreenshot in his Instagram story,saying: “WHT? We made the shortlistfor the Oscars!?”

The first film of director AtomMagadia, with screenplay by his wifeAnne, "Dagsin" (which means "gravity"in Ilocano) tells the story of Justino(played by Tommy Abuel), World WarII hero and Death March survivor wholost his legs, and as such, became anatheist.

When his wife, Corazon

(portrayed by Marita Zobel) died,Justino yearned to believe in life afterdeath to be with her. As such, helooked for ways to hold on to thememory of his wife, including readingher diaries, from which he unearths aPandora's Box of secrets.

“Ok, I know the ‘better-mannered and proper’ version ofmyself should be quiet about newslike this. But, I am hearts-crossed, notdoing this out of hubris. To tell you thetruth, I originally thought it was ahoax. Until we received this letter thismorning, I didn't believe it to be real,”Anne said of their film’s Oscarsachievement in a Facebook post.

Since the movie debuted in2016 as a Cinemalaya Film Fest entry,“Dagsin” has won 18 awards,incuding four Best Actor nods forAbuel at the Cinemalaya, Los AngelesPhilippine International Film Fest,European International Film Fest inItaly, and FIlm Development Councilof the Philippines.

Likewise, the film gave Maritaa Best Actress in a Cameo Role awardfrom Urduja Film Fest.

Gutierrez, meanwhile, won asBest Supporting Actress at the 20174th Urduja Heritage Awards, and wasnominated as Best SupportingActress at the 40th Gawad UrianAwards.

In general, the film has wonas Best Narrative Feature at theWorld’s Independent Film Fest in SanFrancisco, USA; BestCinematography at the EuropeanFilm Fest in Florence, Italy; and BestCostume at the Madrid Film Fest.

If picked as an official entry,“Dagsin” will compete at the 92ndAcademy Awards ceremony,presented by the Academy of MotionPicture Arts and Sciences, which willhonor the best films of 2019 and willtake place at the Dolby Theater inHollywood, Los Angeles, California onFeb. 9, 2020. �

Filipino film 'Dagsin'makes it to Oscarsshortlist

Popular actress Alex Gonzagaexplored Manila with its mayor, IskoMoreno, as her tour guide. It turnedout to be a tour filled with humor and aglimpse of the city’s nightlife.

The actress, who documentedthe tour in her YouTube vlog lastSunday, Oct. 27, got the chance to seethe new and improved Mehan Garden.Alex was also able to do a flash raid ofthe mayor’s car and bag, and engagethe mayor in a Q-and-A.

“Yorme for mayor,” Gonzagasaid. “Ano bang gusto niyong tawagsa inyo (What do you like people tocall you)?”

“Kahit ano, kung ano anggusto ng tao (Anything, whatever thepeople want [to call me]),” the mayorreplied.

Gonzaga experiencedMoreno’s “jeprox” humor, as heinverted words and used street lingo.The mayor also shared his insights ongood governance. The two talkedabout Manila’s clearing operationsand raids, as Alex asked about themayor’s habit of doing raids at night.

The mayor answered bysaying some people think thegovernment is inactive during theevening, which is exactly why hemakes the effort to prove that they are

active for 24 hours, he explained.Gonzaga also jested that if he

wanted cleanliness in Manila, maybehe should start with the back of his car,as the vlogger noted the pile of clothesin the mayor’s trunk.

During Alex’s inspection ofYorme’s belongings, she also got tosee the mayor’s paycheck, whichbears the amount of a little overP122,000.

Other highlights of the tourincluded Mayor Isko pointing out newarchitectural landscapes while inMehan Garden. The two even peekedat the park’s restroom, then had apicture-taking moment with Gonzaga’sboyfriend, Lipa City councilor MikeeMorada. Gonzaga ended her tour withYorme by having their own take at“pagpag,” leftover food they ate in thepark. �

Alex Gonzaga toursManila with Mayor‘Yorme’ Isko Moreno

Alex Gonzaga and Mayor Isko Moreno in Mehan Garden

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By Haley Byrd, CNN Wed October 30, 2019

(CNN)The House RulesCommittee on Wednesday night advanceda resolution to establish procedures forDemocrats' impeachment inquiry intoPresident Donald Trump ahead of anexpected vote on the House floorThursday.

The resolution, unveiled earlierthis week, allows for public impeachmenthearings, the release of depositiontranscripts and outlines the JudiciaryCommittee's role in considering potentialarticles of impeachment. It will be the firstvote the full House has taken on theimpeachment inquiry since Democraticleaders launched the probe related to anintelligence community whistleblowercomplaint that raised concerns inCongress about Trump's conversationswith Ukraine.

Republicans on the panel offeredclose to 20 amendments to the resolution,all of which failed on party-line votes. Theysought to give their party more of a say inimpeachment hearings, such asexpanding their ability to issue subpoenasto witnesses without receiving approvalfrom Democrats on the IntelligenceCommittee.

In the Democratic resolution,Republicans would be able to subpoenawitnesses only if the Democratic chairmanagrees with the request or if a majority ofthe committee approves of it.

Throughout the markup,Republicans aired complaints that theywere not included in the drafting of theresolution. Rep. Tom Cole, the topRepublican on the Rules Committee,noted that he didn't see the resolution until

it became publicly available."It's a sad day here," the

Oklahoma Republican said in his openingstatement.

Asked during a break in themarkup if he should have collaboratedwith Republicans on the resolution to try tofind common ground, Rep. Jim McGovern,the Massachusetts Democrat who chairsthe Rules panel, expressed skepticism.

"Let's be very clear about onething," he said. "Their sole mission is tocircle the wagons around Donald Trump.They're not interested in the truth."He also defended Democrats' approach tothe inquiry.

"This is an open, transparentprocess, and I'm proud of what we've doneso far," McGovern said. "I think we'veconducted ourselves with dignity andrespect for this institution, and I think it willstand the test of time in terms of history."

As Democrats have gone aboutconducting depositions behind closeddoors for the past several weeks,Republicans have called on them to holdpublic hearings and to publish thetranscripts of interviews with witnesses.GOP members who aren't on any of thethree committees holding the depositionshave also protested their inability topersonally participate in proceedings orview information from witnesses.

Democrats point out thatRepublicans who are on the committeesholding the depositions have had equalpower to attend and ask witnessesquestions. Democrats also say thesecretive process thus far has beenintended to prevent witnesses fromshaping their testimony based on whatthey see other officials tell the panel.

During Wednesday's Rulescommittee markup, Republicans alsooffered amendments to boost the WhiteHouse, with one aiming to give Trump andhis counsel room to participate in ongoingHouse investigations beyond the scopethe Democratic resolution outlines.

Texas Rep. Michael Burgesspushed for an amendment to remove amention of the House Ways and MeansCommittee and the Financial ServicesCommittee in the resolution, arguing thatthey are only included because thecommittees are seeking Trump's taxreturns and probing his business dealings."This is nothing more than a fishingexpedition," Burgess said.

"Some people call it a fishingexpedition," responded McGovern."Others call it congressional oversight."Burgess called for another amendment,which would require the Financial Servicesand the Ways and Means committees toproduce documents outlining the natureand scope of their investigations intoTrump.

Cole introduced an amendmentto allow all members on the IntelligenceCommittee — if the chairman or rankingRepublican yields to them — to questionwitnesses during the 90-minute periodestablished in the resolution in which

Key House panel sends impeachment reso-lution to the floor ahead of Thursday's vote

committee staff will be able to questionwitnesses.

In the current resolution, only thechairman, ranking member and committeestaff would be able to question witnessesduring in that time, which will be equallydivided between each party. After the 90-minute questioning period, members willbe able to weigh in and question witnessesunder conventional hearing rules.

Ahead of the vote, Republicansreiterated their argument that the resolutionis too little too late.

"It is still not set up as a fairprocess in my mind," said retiring Rep.Greg Walden, an Oregon Republican. "It isstill a process where the Democrats call allthe shots."

"What they have accomplishedhere is to make tomorrow's vote a vote foror against impeachment in the minds of theAmerican people," he said.

And Rep. Fred Upton, aRepublican who has said he seeslegitimate questions with Trump'sinteractions with Ukraine, told CNN he willvote against the Democratic resolution toestablish procedures for the impeachmentinquiry.

"My guess is that there'll be noRepublicans" who vote for the resolutiontomorrow, he added.Cole agreed.

"My suspicion is that we will endup with a partisan impeachment vote," hesaid at the end of the markup. "We will havea partisan process vote tomorrow, apartisan impeachment vote probably laterthis year — I would hope not, but that's justmy guess looking forward — and that willset the stage for something very similar inthe United States Senate."

October 201920

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