Vol. 1, No. 1 (April 2015) - MetroVan Independent News

Is Pacquiao win guaranteed?
Now that the stage has set for the fight
of the century, people are gauging the
certainty of Manny Pacquiao victory
at the expense of undefeated Floyd
Mayweather.
> SPORTS A15
pinay in death row
Indonesia is preparing to move
a Filipina death row inmate to
execution following the Indonesian
Supreme Court’s rejection of her
appeal for a judicial review of her
case.
> NEWS A7
Running priest leads BasuRun
As the illegal Canadian toxic wastes
continue to rot in the Port of Manila for
over 600 days now, running priest Father
Robert Reyes joined the call for Canada to
immediately re-export the illegal shipment.
> NEWS A8
April 2015 Vol. 1 No. 1 METROVAN INDEPENDENT MEDIA www.metrovanindependent.com
Couple, baby survive
Coquihalla mishap
Anti-terror bill
spawns massive
anti-Tory backlash
By Yul Baritugo
A huge Canada-wide opposition to a
deceptively packaged Conservative antiterror
bill that suppresses Charter rights
including freedom of the press -- and
even outright freedom of thought as a
valid expression of dissent -- is expected
to transform itself into a rabid anti-
Conservative movement nationwide in the
coming days.
Amendments to the Immigration and
Refugee Act appear to allow the use of
evidence obtained by torture,” Green Party
leader Elizabeth May revealed.
> NEWS A3
3,670 Filipino workers
to be sent home
By Emmy Buccat
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec ullamcorper, nisl in ullamcorper bibendum.
Esteras van lay along a ditch on Coquihalla highway. No one was injured.
By Alex Mino
In the aftermath of an intimate
celebration marking the 7th year of their
union, a common highway mishap almost
ended in tragedy for a Filipino-Canadian
couple.
But it would seem angels were on hand
to save them.
Earlier, Brian and Michelle Esteras
together with their two-month old baby
Shiloh set out on a road trip to celebrate
the couple’s wedding anniversary in Vernon.
They were actually on their way to Vernon
when forces of nature suddenly struck in a
treacherous stretch of Coquihalla highway.
The weather report said it will be dry and
normal travel was expected. It was not.
The couple planned to spend the
weekend in Sparkling Hills to mark a
milestone in their union. Shiloh cemented
their marriage.
Connect with us: @MetroVanNews facebook.com/MetroVanIndependentNews
Photo by Jane Smith
Photo by Luisa Marshall
Travelling at 90 kilometers per hour,
Brian, dad to two-month old Shiloh,
lost traction in the slow lane due to an
unexpected blizzard which he didn’t
anticipate as the weather report suggests
it would be a dry and sunny day.
Thinking that the anti-lock brake will
assist him to come to full stop, Brian tried
to step hard on the brake pedal to no avail
as their situation went from bad to worst.
> NEWS A2
Starting today, the rule that placed a
limit of four years on temporary foreign
workers to remain in Canada officially takes
effect.
An estimated first batch of 3,670 Filipino
temporary foreign workers (TFWs) who
entered Canada in 2011 under the lowskilled
job category may have to go home
unless they secure a one year bridge permit
as informally proposed for those in Alberta
or avail of other immigration streams that
will allow them to legally stay, the Philippine
Consulate in Vancouver revealed.
Under the amendment to the temporary
foreign worker (TFW) program, workers
contracts can only last four years. They
must be repatriated to their home countries
and stay there for four years before they
become eligible to re-apply under the same
category.
> NEWS A2

A2
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
News
Exclusive: Couple, baby survive Coquihalla mishap
Continued from A1
>>
Instead of pulling over to the shoulder,
the couple’s 1998 Grand Jeep
Cherokee started to spin several times.
The 32-year-old Michelle, who was sound
asleep, was awakened by the continued
shaking inside the vehicle.
Brian tried to regain control of the
steering wheel but failed as they kept
rolling. There were luckily no vehicles
coming from the passing lane.
Repeatedly stepping on the brake
while maneuvering, resulted in their vehicle
crossing the meridian before flipping
and turning turtle over and into a ditch.
Miraculously the oncoming traffic was clear
of any vehicle.
Both of them started to panic as they
stumble – while upside down -- to check
their son at the backseat. They saw and
with a sigh of relief seeing Shiloh still intact
in his car seat.
“We were spinning and spinning till our
vehicle rolled over a couple times and all I
could think of is Shiloh,” Michelle’s voice
was trembling as she reached out for her
baby in the car seat.
It seemed that a guardian angel was
watching over the little one. He was
glued to his carrier with the seat belt still
attached.
“Smoke was coming out of the engine.
I was quick to respond while Brian was
still in shock. I took off my seatbelt and
Steve Marshall checking out the status of the victims.
grabbed the car seat right away. We were
stuck in the car for awhile trying to break
the mirror, trying to open doors. We got
freed on the passenger side,” Michelle
said. Someone opened the door.
Michelle is working as international
manager of Forever New, an Australianbased
company operating in Lower
Mainland.
“I was in total shocked and went blank
after losing control of the wheel. I was
confident the weather is going to be a
good one,” says 30-year Brian. “I’m used
to driving commercial vehicle before in this
kind of weather but I didn’t have any idea
that this would happen.”
Steve and Luisa Marshall were cruising
along on their way to Vancouver after two
successful shows in Kelowna when they
noticed something on the road. It didn’t
look normal. A vehicle was turned upside
down. Steve checked if the people were
alright.
According to Brian, “Steve was already
there when we finally came out of our
vehicle. He checked us right away if we’re
okay,” he said.
What floored Luisa and Steve was that
the first item out of the vehicle was a baby.
“It was really crazy,” Luisa said.
Brian, who works as recreational
therapist in Kitsilano asked Steve if they
can provide a warm place for the couple
and the baby to chill. It was frigid outside.
3,670 Filipino workers to be sent home
Continued from A1
>>
Government data shows that Ontario,
Alberta and British Columbia account
for 80 percent of temporary foreign workers
coming to Canada.
According to Canada's budget watchdog,
there isn't enough information about
temporary foreign workers, noting the
dearth of data makes it difficult to assess
the impact these workers have on the
economy although they represent only 1.8
percent of Canada’s work force.
Economist Jean-Denis Fréchette's,
Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer,
echoed concerns raised by Opposition
critic Jinny Sims in the case of temporary
foreign software engineers hired at
Facebook’s Vancouver office. They have
all left.
Fréchette earlier released a report
showing the number of temporary foreign
workers in Canada jumped by more than
200,000 in a decade -- rising from 101,098
to 338,221 between 2002 and 2012.
He noted, however, that the government
did not list the skills of nearly half or
about 154,000 -- of those foreign workers
in Canada in 2012. As a result, he could
not determine what job positions they held,
the report said.
In the case of Alberta, however, Jason
Kenny, former immigration minister who
was recently appointed to the defense
portfolio, assured temporary foreign workers
there they will be given a one-year
bridging permits to allow them to apply
for permanent residency or apply in other
categories or streams that will allow them
to stay.
“About 65 percent of the estimated
number of affected TFWs comes from the
“My fear is that people will go
under- ground. Some may seek
sanctuary in churches. It has
happened before. It could happen
again. People will be moving out
of the province to another where
they are not known. They will be
forced to work under- ground,”
Alejandria said.
province of Alberta, where a number are
expected to avail themselves of the oneyear
reprieve in the form of bridging work
permits granted for Alberta-based TFWs by
the federal government,” Philippine Consul
General Neil Ferrer said.
No such bridging permit applies to
Ontario or British Columbia.
Migrante B.C. community worker Leo
Alejandria said that there are a substantial
number of Filipinos whose contracts will
expire. They do not want to go home as
there are no comparable economic opportunity
to provide for their family once they
are back home.
“My fear is that people will go underground.
Some may seek sanctuary in
churches. It has happened before. It could
happen again. People will be moving out of
the province to another where they are not
known. They will be forced to work underground,”
Alejandria said.
Reynold Esteban came to British
Columbia as chicken catcher under the
TFW program in 2011. Catching the dream
of staying in Canada, however, along with
an estimated 154,000 other TFW is turning
into a real nightmare as the new rule
take effect.
Esteban is currently waiting for his
Photo by Luisa Marshall
labour market impact assessment (LMIA)
under his new role as a dairy farm supervisor.
Hoping for a positive result, he plans
to apply as permanent resident under
the Provincial Nominee Program through
Express Entry. If he gets a negative
result, Esteban said he will return home
to Cagayan Valley where his wife and two
kids live.
Labour lawyer Rene-John Nicolas said
that foreign workers have other avenues
they can avail to stay in Canada. They can
either apply through the provincial nominee
program or the Canadian Class Experience
program.
“If they are qualified to get a permanent
residency, they should access it on
an expedited basis. If they don’t obtain a
permanent residency or maintain their status,
it would be really difficult for them.”
Nicolas said.
Rubber processing supervisor Rey
Gonzales is currently on an implied status.
He has been in Alberta for a total of 7 years.
His last four years was affected by the “4-in
4-out” rule. He has applied for a restoration
of status before his work permit expired.
Restoration, however, will not allow him
to work while waiting for a new work permit
to be released.
Gonzales hopes that a restoration of
status is granted. He already has a positive
LMIA. If refused, however, Gonzales have
no choice but to go back to the Philippines.
“If there is an application pending, for
the most part, they have an implied status;
it will allow them to maintain their ability
to stay here. However, if they don’t have a
pending application, there is a possibility
that they will overstay. If you’re expected
to leave the country on a certain date and
don’t abide by that order, there will be a
Steve brought the family right away to
their RV and hosted them there until the
paramedics arrived.
Since the couple won’t be able to drive
their vehicle as it was in total wreck, Steve
and wife Luisa Marshall arranged a booking
for an overnight stay in a nearby hotel. The
local RCMP warned them conditions will
deteriorate at nightfall.
The generous couple then drove the
family to their home in Surrey. They also
treated them for lunch the following day.
“I’m so thankful to Steve and Luisa for
their kindness and generosity,” says Brian.
Michelle later on expressed her
gratitude to all the Good Samaritans who
stopped by and help them through. She
posted in her Facebook account:
“To Steve and Luisa, thank you for
everything and even with this disaster, it
turned around into meeting amazing and
beautiful people like you. You are God sent.
May God repay you for all that you have
done for us and so much more,” she said.
From left: Steve Marshall, Brian Esteras, Michelle Esteras,
Luisa Marshall and baby Shiloh.
repercussion.” Nicolas added.
According to Alejandria, Migrante B.C.
is compiling a list of institution and legal
service providers that can give legal assistance
to Filipino temporary workers.
“We don’t want them to be left hanging
in the dark and not knowing what to
do. It is difficult to become a burden. The
temporary foreign workers can help build
a better economy.” Alejandria said.
A report done by Canadian Federation
of Independent Business (CFIB) shows
how essential the foreign workers are to
Canada’s economy. CFIB appealed for a
stronger solution to chronic labour shortages
of entry-level workers by replacing
TFW program with the proposed
Introduction to Canada Visa. The proposal
hopes to address the shortages experienced
by small businesses. It also provides
a clear path to permanent residency
for foreign workers.
“It looks like Canada’s Conservative
government don’t seem to see it that way
as they refuse to open a pathway for permanent
residency. There will be a lot of
Filipinos who will be repatriated. Others
will probably overstay,” Alejandria said.
Consul General Ferrer confirmed
that his office is working closely with the
Philippine Embassy in Ottawa in making
representations with federal and provincial
authorities on TFWs concerns.
The Consulate has programmed a total
of 19 consular outreach services in Alberta
and British Columbia for this year and
stands ready to extend appropriate assistance
to affected Filipino TFWs, including
guidance on how to avail themselves of
reintegration programs and other forms of
assistance available to returning OFWs in
the Philippines.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015
A3
News
Anti-terror bill spawns massive anti-Tory backlash
Continued from A1
>>
This developed as hundreds of
groups coalesce into a united front
including some 36,000-strong Canadian
Bar Association, Canada’s biggest lawyer’s
group, huge digital grassroot organizations
such as OpenMedia, LeadNow, DeSmog
Canada and other outstanding individuals
such as six former Supreme Court justices,
four former Prime Ministers, BC’s Premier
Christy Clarke including over 100 law
experts from the academe, personalities
like Conrad Black, Rex Murphy, Tom
Mulcair and the entire NDP, The Assembly
of First Nation, and the editorial positions
of the Globe and Mail, National Post and
Toronto Star.
The Metro Van Independent News
likewise adopts the same position.
Writing in her blog originally published
by Saanich News, Green Party leader
Elizabeth May, a lawyer herself, revealed
that the Conservative Bill C51 “is actually
five bills rolled into one.”
“Each part contains provisions I can
only describe as dangerous. For example,
part 5, amendments to the Immigration and
Refugee Act, appear to allow the use of
evidence obtained by torture.”
“Part 3, ostensibly about getting
terrorist propaganda off the Internet, uses a
set of new concepts that would criminalize
private conversations -- and not just about
terrorism.”
“The propaganda section does not
require knowing you are spreading
propaganda and "terrorist propaganda”
has a definition so broad as to include
a visual representation (a Che Guevera
poster?) promoting a new concept called
"terrorism in general." Experts are now
referring to this as "thought chill."
This is by far the worse ideological
Conservative attack against Canada’s
criminal justice system while subverting,
at the same time, Canada’s democratic
political structure in the name of big
business such as American company
Kinder Morgan who will now be considered,
under Bill C51, as part of Canada’s critical
infrastructure.
Anti-petroleum activist are already
being demonized in internal RCMP
memos as environmental extremist threat
– while CSIS targets them as multi-issue
extremists -- a status that can evolve under
Bill C51 into becoming a terrorist by legal
fiat.
More than 1,000 people blocked the streets of Granville and Georgia to protest the new anti-terror bill, C-51.
The government, under Bill C51, can
declare anybody a terrorist even without
the hapless Canadian citizen being
targeted -- knowing it.
If Bill C-51 becomes too hot to handle,
the Conservatives -- or big oil business
groups behind them -- had planned an
alternative solution. It had tabled a bill
to amend the authority of Citizenship
and Immigration Canada (CIC) when it
comes to access to sensitive information
including those who have crossed the
threshold and had become full-pledged
citizens. The Charter protections on
citizens are supposed to be equal but these
amendment targets immigrants who are
now Canadians. The evil Conservative plot
appears Orwellian.
Without judicial oversight, the CIC plan
to access sensitive information – including
tax returns which is protected by law when
filled – in a law enforcement action they will
unilaterally declare.
The agency, without explicit legal
authority by law, or proper leave through
the courts, will declare a file a law
enforcement matter and thus invoke the
need to gather tax information and other
details about an individual and share it
with 17 other agencies. CIC, however, is
technically not a law enforcement agency.
Observers noted that the citizenship
process is a combination of administrative
and quasi-judicial action that CIC now
alleges to have flaws. As a result, they
want authority not only to access sensitive
individual information including but not
limited to tax returns, among others, and
share the same with other agencies, who
have no explicit authority under existing
laws, to get sensitive personal information
on migrants who had become citizens.
Legal pundits said the move is clearly
in violation of section 15 of the Charter of
Rights which mandates equal protection
under the law. The power will only cover
immigrants. The authority to access this
information is widely believed to be against
provisions of the Income Tax Act and
Privacy Act., among others.
“There is a need to clarify and make
explicit the legislative authority for CIC
(Citizenship and Immigration Canada) to
share personal information through its
different business lines and with these
partners,” CIC said in a release.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Bar
Association slammed the Conservative’s
anti-terrorism bill claiming it contains “illconsidered”
measures that will deprive
Photo by Bert Morelos
Canadians of liberties without increasing
their safety.
The bar association objects to the
planned transformation of the Canadian
Security Intelligence Service into an agency
that could actively disrupt terror plots.
It argues the bill’s “vague and overly
broad language” would capture legitimate
activity, including environmental and
aboriginal protests — and possibly put a
chill on expressions of dissent.
The most worrying element of the
bill is a provision that would give judges
the power to authorize CSIS violations of
the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the
association says.
It potentially brings “the entire Charter
into jeopardy, undermines the rule of law,
and goes against the fundamental role
of judges as the protectors of Canada’s
constitutional rights.”
The association, which represents
more than 36,000 lawyers across Canada,
released a draft summary of its concerns
recently. It has developed a full submission
drawing on the input of experts in criminal,
immigration, privacy and charities law.
Association representatives are
scheduled to appear before the House of
Commons committee studying the bill.

A4
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
editorial
Translink cash grab
JUST SAY NO
Beginning last Monday up to May 29,
residents of Metro Vancouver are being
bombarded by feel good messages urging
them to go vote and tax themselves. Our
message to our friends and the general
public: Just say no.
This is nothing more than a financial
scam that will trigger bigger infrastructure
expenditures way into the future. Sales
taxes in British Colombia are one of the
most onerous since these are linear
cascading taxation.
What Translink essentially did was
conjure a problem that has not occurred,
initiate a fear-mongering campaign and
collect the money in advance to solve a
perceived problem. It’s nothing more than
a public relations stunt.
There is also a huge problem with
the process because taxes are collected
under a general fund. The prospect of the
provincial government dipping its dirty
hands into this blood money is possible
as it does the same with excess funds
from ICBC and BC Hydro. These utilities,
in turn, are allowed to raise rates resulting
in indirect taxation.
According to their marketing ploy, the
0.5 percent increase in provincial sales
tax will translate into $125 per household
while the provincial government raises the
minimum wage by mere 0.20 cents.
Of the projected $7.5 billion that will
be raised by this scheme, only 6 percent
will go to congestion alleviation projects
while 13 percent or an estimated $97.5
million will go to the construction of a
Patullo Bridge replacement. The rest of the
money, according to data compiled by the
Financial Post, will support an urban sprawl
with a rapid transit project up to Langley. It
will make the land in this corridor expensive
when currently it is dirt cheap.
The plan if implemented will also
trigger other cash grabs like raising vehicle
registration fees which is projected to
generate $100 million, consolidation of
the carbon tax now imposed on fuel
purchases which is expected to net $360
million, a so-called land value capture that
will net $10 million, and a new mobility tax
designed to generate tax money based on
the distance travelled rather than on fuel
used.
At some distant future, the plan is
Translink bus.
to finally impose a road tax, similar to
Singapore, on roads built with your own
tax money.
Translink already collects a portion of
the gas pump price as the government
tax on this commodity is estimated at
0.48 cents per liter. They also collect a
portion of property taxes, about $150 per
household, as a subsidy.
Finally, Translink as a brand is toxic.
At one point, it positioned itself before
the courts as a private enterprise. It lost.
It is also profligate in its largely hidden
Photo by Bert Morelos
executive perks. Translink is the only
corporation in the world that maintains its
own police force -- when there is clearly
no need -- simply to go after toonie fare
evaders. One can already deduce the
idiotic guiding mind behind this scheme.
The cost of maintaining an expensive police
force and the cost of fares are a financial
mismatch and is clearly the reason why it
feeds on subsidy.
Just say NO.
A reason for being: Why a newspaper?
“Why are you doing a newspaper?” I’ve been asked. The answer is very complex and quite a journey,
which has just begun. Let me tell you about it.
I had an epiphany one day on how
much influence Media (TV, Newspaper,
online social media) can have in our
world. It is absolutely massive. Media
can shape our opinion in so many different
ways including but not limited to Religion,
Politics, Conflicts, Products, Opinions,
Food, and Health, Transportation, music,
movies, financial, education and so much
more. It could be newsprint, online news,
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, books, advertisements,
and TV shows. Media can
be a good influence as well as a bad . I
believe it should be used for the good of
the community.
If I talk to you personally and we both
communicate our thoughts on a particular
subject we both could change our opinion
on that subject. How much more if
we write our thoughts and thousands of
people read it. How about if I write and
publish your thoughts? What if we allow
everyone to voice their opinion? What if
you get a chance to say what you think?
It really comes down to the intention
and media communication. Is it for self
interest or is it for the community as a
whole?
My first big exposure in the Filipino
community came when my wife Luisa
Marshall was offered the opportunity to
produce a TV show in 2009. It happened
really fast. One day Luisa was working on
a show to raise money for 2009 Typhoon
Ondoy at the River Rock Theatre. Then
someone from Shaw TV asked her to talk
on camera to promote the event. When
they looked at the footage they noticed
Luisa looked great and communicated
really well on TV. They offered us a TV
show. That show became SIMPLY THE
BEST.
The Luisa Marshall Show which from
what we know is the first Filipino based
Celebrity talk show in many years and is
most popular going into our 6th year.
Within months of starting this show, I
realized we were a target of some other
Filipino media in the lower mainland. That
is when I learned all about the famous
Filipino “crab mentality”. People we
helped and supported considered us now
as the enemy. They wanted to put us
down at all costs. We were under attack.
Without getting into all those details which
you can read at www.driven2action.com I
will comment on what happened next.
Once we stood up to certain other
media in the Filipino community many
people came to us with their own stories.
Mostly about stories of them losing their
money one way or another along with bullying
and threats. I listened to story after
story. I could not believe that so many people
could be victimized in a small community
with nobody doing anything about it.
At that time, I realized the reason that
more people were constantly being taken
advantage of was not all of the victims
before them never reported what happened
to them and more importantly the ones that
did never got support from the local media
to look into it.
That is like someone getting raped or
sexually harassed and not coming forward.
Usually more victims get the same abuse
if the perpetrator is not exposed. Once
someone comes forward many other
alleged victims feel empowered to do the
same. Look at high profile allegations such
as famous and most beloved TV and movie
actor Bill Cosby. It took decades before
anyone came forward with their allegations
against him.
We encouraged anyone that was being
taken advantage of during that time in the
Filipino community to come forward and
tell their stories online. One example of
the power of reporting abuses in the Lower
Mainland Filipino community is shown
on Nellie Vandt’s website www.nellievandt.com.
There are allegations that go
back 20 years. If you have been bullied,
scammed or taken advantage of it is best
that you report these issues to protect your
own community in the future by exposing
the culprits. Someone should have done
that prior to you being victimized.
What really bothered me is some of the
local media talked about these same issues
behind the scenes but never did an investigative
report on them in public. It took the
mainstream newspaper The Province to do
the first proper objective and researched
story by Dan Fumano.
Most media in the Filipino community
did not do proper unbiased investigative
reporting to help protect the community
in this case. Instead, they would actually
still uplift these same people allowing
them to gain trust and power in the
community which raises the risk of more
victims. Some media are still supporting
members of the community that are well
known to abuse their fellow kababayans
when given the chance. If something happens
in the future because of these supporting
relationships I will hold those media
groups partially responsible.
That is one of the main reasons that we
are interested in a newspaper. Someone
has to report and protect the community
and it is the duty of media.
I told my editors and reporters that
they have full freedom to act like proper
media. I told them “If I (the publisher) do
something wrong I expect you to write
about me”. We will hold all parties responsible
for their actions whether it be business,
personal or political party.
For many years I felt a newspaper would
tie in with our TV show. Luisa Marshall did
not want to ruffle any feathers in doing so.
She supported all the local Filipino Media
and wanted to remain that way. I heard
reports lately that some local media were
not supporting upcoming events if Luisa
Marshall or SIMPLY THE BEST TV were
supporting them. This holds the event
or business hostage to make a choice
between TV or Newspaper. With us having
a newspaper all businesses and events
will be given more choices.
That was the defining moment that we
agreed to start a newspaper online and
in print. I was not going to stand by and
allow one media to force others to make
choices.
There is a lot of things that need to be
fixed in this community and we will do our
part to help fix them. We need your help
in doing so.
We are mostly interested in local BC
news. Please come to us with your info,
stories, and events, what your associations
are doing. Send us your concerns. Tell us
about things you don’t feel are right. Tell
us about things that are right. We want to
hear it all.
Please join us in this journey.
Steve Marshall
Publisher

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015
A5
News
Migrante BC members and friends gathered for ecumenical service remembering Flor Contemplacion
Photo by Bert Morelos
Migrante BC members and friends.
Remembering Flor
An Ecumenical Service in Remembrance of Flor Contemplacion’s
20th Death Anniversary
By Hessed Torres
Vancouver, BC -- Migrante BC, a
community-based Filipino organization,
gathered on March 15, 2015 to
commemorate the 20th death anniversary
of Flor Contemplacion, a Filipina domestic
worker in Singapore who was hanged on
March 17, 1995. Flor Contemplacion was
accused of allegedly killing Delia Maga,
her Filipina friend who was working as a
maid as well and Nicolas Huang, the threeyear
old son of Maga’s employer. After
four years in prison, two of which were
spent on death row, Contemplacion was
found guilty by the Singapore government
and sentenced to death by hanging.
Throughout all her time in prison, there was
hardly any sufficient support for her case
from the Philippine government at the time
nor was Contemplacion able to receive
significant legal representation during
her trial. Contemplacion’s death angered
Rose Nartates, COURAGE
Secretary-General
Photo by Bert Morelos
many Filipinos and helped pave the way
towards a consciousness of the serious
implications of migration and the difficulties
Filipino overseas workers (OFWs) face
outside the country. After the execution
of Contemplacion, Migrante International,
now the biggest organization of overseas
Filipinos around the world, was founded
and it has become an active defender of
the rights and welfare of OFWs.
The ecumenical service was attended
by Migrante members as well as advocates,
artists, church people, professors, and
community leaders both from Canada
and the Philippines. The chosen offerings
of water, rice, plant, and soil to the altar
during the service were symbolic of
the most basic rights that are still being
denied to the marginalized sectors of the
Philippines. The lighting of the candle
signified the continuing people’s struggle
for genuine and peaceful change in our
society and the hope for a better tomorrow.
Migrante BC recognizes forced
By Emmy Buccat
Photo by Bert Morelos
The Canadian Union Public Employees
(CUPE) National recently invited Filipino
labour activist Rosalinda (Rose) Nartates
to speak at the recent CUPE Conventions
happening across the country. Nartates,
Secretary-General of the Confederation
for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of
Government Employees (COURAGE) spoke
about the struggles and challenges faced
by the labour movement in the Philippines.
COURAGE is the biggest union in the
Philippines with around 300,000 members
and 254 affiliated local unions comprising
of workers from government agencies,
judiciary, legislature and state-owned
corporations.
migration as one of the severe
consequences of joblessness and
extreme poverty. As of today, about 4,000
Filipinos leave the Philippines every day
to find employment elsewhere, making
the Philippines one of the top source
countries for human labour. The Philippine
government continues its commodification
of Filipino labour which is confirmed by
the growing number of migrant workers
per year. This phenomenon has created a
massive impact on the personal, familial
and social facets of everyone involved.
Families are inevitably torn apart, migrant
workers become subjects of physical,
sexual and economic abuse; migrant
workers are made easy targets of harsh
immigration policies; and many migrant
CUPE supports COURAGE
“We are thankful of the support they
are giving us. With the international solidarity,
we gain strength as we continue to
defend the rights and welfare of our union
members especially those who are politically
detained and killed during the present
Philippine administrator.” Nartates shared.
In her keynote speech at Migrante
B.C.’s ecumenical service in memory of
Flor Contemplacion’s 20th death anniversary,
Nartates is appreciative of the support
that they received from the Canadian
organization.
CUPE has been building worker-toworker
solidarity projects with other union
groups around the world through their
Global Justice Fund.
Two COURAGE organizers, Randy
workers endure homesickness, isolation,
depression, and alienation.
Political, economic and social action
must take place to create substantial
changes for the migrant workers who are
dubbed the “modern day heroes” by the
Philippine government. But while these
dreams and aspirations are not fully
realized just yet, Migrante BC continues to
uphold and defend migrant workers’ rights
and welfare by striving to give a voice to
overseas Filipino workers. Along with its
advocacy networks such as Migrante
Canada, Migrante International and
International Migrants Alliance, Migrante
BC aims to empower and educate migrant
workers in hopes that there will be no more
Flor Contemplacions in the future.
Vegas and Raul Camposano were
abducted in December 2012 and currently
detained in Bicol for alleged trumped-up
criminal charges after organizing the mass
protest of the street sweeper group against
the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA).
“We intend to attain justice for all the
political prisoners, for all those abducted
organized workers, for all who were killed.
With the international support, we have
a louder voice to be heard so that the
Philippine justice system act and move in
a faster pace.” Nartates said.
Nartates spoke to the members of
CUPE 4600 in Ottawa and at the recent division
conventions of CUPE Saskatchewan
and CUPE Alberta as well as reach out to
the migrant workers in British Columbia
through Migrante B.C., a Filipino migrant
worker advocacy group in Vancouver.

A6
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
News Round-up
New alternate online support tool for domestic violence victims
By Emmy Buccat
Domestic abuse always hits closest to
where the heart is. In Filipino culture, it is a
topic we usually don’t talk about. When the
hurt is where the home is, what will you do?
Canadian researchers at the University
of British Columbia (UBC) are developing a
new website to help women trapped in an
abusive relationship.
UBC researcher and Professor Colleen
Varcoe of the School of Nursing is hoping
that the new online support tool can help
start the change.
“Less than 17 per cent of women who
are in abusive relationships actually access
support services like battered women’s
shelters. What we are trying to do is build
up a strategy for women to come out to
safety,” Varcoe said.
The upcoming website -- iCan Plan
4 Safety – a joint study by UBC, the
University of New Brunswick and the
Western University, is the online services
that will help women plan their escape from
abusive relationship.
Once the victim visits iCan Plan 4
Safety, a trained researcher will be available
online to help start the process of
assessing the victim’s risk, knowing the
available resources, and forming an action
plan.
Varcoe said they are looking to enlist
about 450 women to test the effectiveness
of the website targeting those who are not
willing or cannot use community-based
services like hotlines or battered women’s
shelters.
“There are women who, because they
feel a commitment to the relationship, or
because there’s children involved, are not
ready or don’t want to leave the abusive
relationship,” Varcoe said.
“But whether or not they decide to
leave, this service will provide them a personalized
strategy based on their unique
situation and preferences, plus a list of
resources and a clear idea of what they’ll
need to do.”
Interested participants can call 1–844–
264–4226 (iCan) to be part of the study.
They must be 19 years of age and with
access to a safe computer and internet.
There will be four confidential online
“There are women who, because
they feel a commitment to the
relationship, or because there’s
children involved, are not ready
or don’t want to leave the abusive
relationship,” Varcoe said.
sessions over a year. No face to face meetings
are required.
“If women find the tool useful, then we’ll
be looking at making it more permanent
and following up with the women after the
study,” Varcoe concluded.
Justin Trudeau supports the doctor-assisted death
Justin Trudeau at a Filipino meet and greet event.
By Emmy Buccat
Federal Liberal Party leader Justin
Trudeau reaffirmed his position supporting
the physician assisted-suicide at a meet
and greet event with the predominantly
Catholic Filipino crowd held at the Holiday
Inn in Burnaby recently.
“I’m liberal, which means I respect and
defend people rights. I have to make sure
that society is protecting its most vulnerable.
Getting it right is what the Supreme
Court has asked us to do.” Trudeau said.
“I’m liberal, which means I
respect and defend people
rights. I have to make sure that
society is protecting its most
vulner- able. Getting it right is
what the Supreme Court has
asked us to do.” Trudeau said.
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court
of Canada has struck down the ban on
physician-assisted suicide last February.
It means that physician-assisted death is
no longer a criminal offense.
The Supreme Court has given the federal
and provincial government 12 months
to draft a new legislation that will recognize
the rights of a consenting adult patient
who have chosen to die with the help of a
doctor.
Although the Conservatives and NDP
looked like they are not ready to jump in
the bandwagon, Trudeau had already forwarded
a motion to set up a parliamentary
committee to discuss the issue.
In a statement issued by the Most
Reverend Paul-André Durocher,
Archbishop of Gatineau and President
of the Canadian Conference of Catholic
Bishops however stressed that helping
someone commit suicide is neither an act
of justice or mercy, nor is it part of palliative
care.
“The decision of the Supreme Court of
Canada today does not change Catholic
teaching,” Durocher said.
BC 2022 Labour Market Outlook
Pie-in-the sky forecast present rosy picture despite unemployment gloom
By Emmy Buccat
The British Columbia 2022 Labour
Market Outlook forecasted earlier this year
over one million job openings in the province
in the next seven years despite the
massive chill brought about unemployment
data severely affecting full time jobs.
The forecast predicts that migrant
workers will fill some 300,000 projected
job openings or one-third of the projection
even as an altered labor policy is now causing
temporary foreign workers to go home.
The labour demand, according to the
BC labour study, is largely driven by the
baby boomer retirement at 68 per cent,
while 32 per cent is due to the economic
growth.
However, the forecast looks like is a
faulty one with the string of lay-off and retail
store closure announcements in the first
quarter of the year.
The Hospital Employee’s Union (HEU)
of British Columbia announced in March
that around 1,200 healthcare workers will
be laid off in Metro Vancouver. Around
240 staff at Laurel’s Place, a long-term
care facility in Surrey had received layoff
The labour demand, according
to the BC labour study, is largely
driven by the baby boomer
retirement at 68 per cent,
while 32 per cent is due to the
economic growth. However,
the forecast looks like is a
faulty one with the string of
lay-off and retail store closure
announcements in the first
quarter of the year.
notices from the Ahmon Group. Meanwhile,
Aramark had lost its commercial contract
to clean the Vancouver Coastal Health hospitals
and extended care facilities. They will
lay off about 935 staff in August.
The outlook predicted that the nursing
profession and other health occupations
would be the top three with the highest
number of job openings at 2 per cent
anticipated growth closely followed by the
trades, transport and equipment operators
and the natural and applied sciences occupations
both having 1.3 per cent growth.
These top three jobs are expected to grow
rapidly than the provincial annual growth
rate.
Across Canada, the unemployment rate
will continue to fall as thousands of retail
workers braced themselves with the closure
of major retail establishments. With
Target’s closure of 133 stores, around
17,600 will lose their jobs later this year.
Earlier this year, Sony had closed 14
stores and Mexx Canada closed 95 stores
nationwide.
Alberta alone lost 14,000 jobs in
February as a spate of continued closure of
oil sands project drove down the province
economy and left it with a gaping budget
short fall estimated at $5 billion.
The study advised that for those who
want to dodge this ongoing trend in B.C.,
one should highly consider getting a postsecondary
education, as 78% of the one
million job openings would require it.
On the other hand, for those who are
thinking of upgrading their skills or starting
a new career, they can equip themselves
with trade and technical certificates, which
require a shorter period of training. They
can take advantage of the $4,000 grant
provided by the federal government while
completing their apprenticeship training.
The Mainland and Southwest region
remained to be the place to find the highest
number of jobs with 641,500 openings
reflecting a 65 per cent share in the overall
outlook.
“The five occupations forecasted to
expand the fastest in the Mainland and
Southwest region are mine service workers
and operators in oil and gas drilling (2.9
per cent annually on average); underground
miners, oil and gas drillers and related
occupations (2.8 per cent); contractors
and supervisors, mining, oil and gas (2.5
per cent); managers in natural resources
production and fishing (2.3 per cent); and
optometrists, chiropractors and other
health diagnosing and treating professionals
(2.0 per cent). Over the forecast period,
strong employment growth in the Mining,
and Oil and Gas industries in northern B.C.
is expected.”
All these occupations had suffered a
downturn as oil prices hit rock bottom.
The complete list of the top 60 in
demand jobs, as BC projects it, can be
found at workbc.ca. One way to find out
how to prepare in getting the job can be
found at workbc.ca/BlueprintBuilder.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015
A7
NEWS Round-Up
Jollibee to open in Toronto, soon in Vancouver
Fast food connoisseurs in Canada are
abuzz this week over the news that yet
another foreign restaurant chain will soon
be setting up shop in our home and native
land.
Start your spam sandwich savings
funds now, fans of Filipino fast food,
because by the end of this year, Jollibee will
be open for business in Toronto.
Oft-hailed as "the McDonald's of
the Phillippines," Jollibee is well-known
around the world for its pineapple-topped
hamburgers, peach-mango pie and
"Chickenjoy" fried chicken.
CFO of the Jollibee Foods Corp. Ysmael
Baysa confirmed during an interview at
the Phillipine Investment Forum that his
company would soon be opening its first
Canadian location.
With 2,833 stores worldwide as of 2014,
Jollibee Foods Corp. is the biggest fast
food restaurant operator in The Phillipines.
The company, which was founded in
1978, has opened outposts of its flagship
fast food joint in about a dozen countries
over the past 30 years, the most
recent being Singapore, Qatar and the
U.S. (which has 29 Jollibee stores, for the
record.)
Baysa said Tuesday that Canada was
one of several countries being eyed by the
company "due to the growing number of
Filipinos in these areas."
Indeed, just over 660,000 people of
Filipino descent were living in Canada as
of 2011 according to StatsCan — some
of whom took to Twitter after learning of
Jollibee's pending arrival to share their
excitement along with others in Toronto
who simply love the restaurant.
Jollibee's impending foray into the
Canadian market is not being celebrated
by everybody, however.
Some online are saying that the LAST
thing our country needs is another fast
food chain to increase obesity rates.
Nearly 25 per cent of Canadians are
now considered obese, according to
StatsCan's most-recent report on the condition
— 17.5 per cent more than in 2003,
and over three times as many as the number
of obese Canadians recorded in 1985.
Others are simply miffed that Jollibee
chose Toronto for its first Canadian location,
as opposed to somewhere in their own
region.
But don't lose hope yet if you don't
live near Toronto — Manila Standard
reports that Jollibee plans to open up 330
stores this year alone, including 220 in the
Philippines and 110 overseas.
“The Voice of the People, by the People,
for the People.”
Steve Marshall
Publisher
Yul Baritugo
Editorial Consultant
news@metrovanindependent.com
Editorial Staff
Emmy Buccat
Alex Mino
Kim Mendez
Arts Director
Filipinos ordered to leave Yemen
The Philippine Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) said it ordered Filipinos to
leave Yemen because of political turmoil
in the Middle Eastern country.
Malacanang yesterday said there are
about 700 Filipinos in that war torn country.
The Philippine government estimates
that up to 2,190 Filipinos live in Yemen.
The DFA issued this order as it raised
crisis alert level 4 over Yemen.
“Alert level 4 is raised where there is
large-scale internal conflict of full-blown
external attack. Under this alert level, the
Philippine government undertakes mandatory
evacuation procedures,” the DFA said
in a statement.
The DFA cited “the continued occupation
of the capital city Sana'a by Houthi
rebels, as well as the recent suspension
of operations of numerous embassies in
the capital.”
“A crisis management team deployed
by the Philippine embassy in Riyadh,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is currently on
the ground in Sana’a and stands ready to
assist Filipinos who wish to be repatriated
home to the Philippines,” the DFA said.
The situation in Yemen worsened after
President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and
his Cabinet quit in the face of an apparent
coup attempt by anti-US rebels.
In December 2013, the Philippines
already raised alert level 3 over Yemen
after a suspected terrorist attack killed 7
Filipinos and injured 11 others there. Alert
level 3 meant voluntary repatriation.
Bert Morelos
Photographer
Luisa Marshall
Advertising & Marketing Head
advertising@metrovanindependent.com
Mailing Address: PO Box 56003 1st Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5L 4V0
Phone: 604.288.7664
Email: info@metrovanindependent.com
MetroVan Independent Media
Pinay in death row awaits
execution by firing squad
Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso in Indonesia.
Photo by www.reuters.com
Indonesia is preparing to move a
Filipina death row inmate to execution
following the Indonesian Supreme Court’s
rejection of her appeal for a judicial review
of her case.
The 30-year-old Mary Jane Fiesta
Veloso, together with two high-profile
Australian inmates and convicted drug
smugglers from France, Brazil, Nigeria
and Ghana are set to be executed by firing
squad after their appeal for presidential
clemency was turned down.
In her appeal for a judicial review,
Veloso’s lawyers argued that she was not
provided with a capable translator during
her first trial. The Indonesian Supreme
Court did not grant the appeal, and has
not issued any details.
The Attorney General’s spokesman
Tony Spontana had announced that
Veloso’s case is done. He said they will
soon announce the date for the execution.
Veloso, who hails from Cabanatuan,
was caught at Yogyakarta airport in
Java, carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin on
a flight from Malaysia in April 2010. She
will be transferred from the Yogyakarta
City to the maximum security prison on
Nusakambangan Island, Central Java
where all other death row inmates await
their date of execution.
Jakarta plans to execute all
nine foreigner and one Indonesian convict
all at once until there will be no outstanding
legal appeals to conclude since four other
foreign nationals have filed last-minute
appeals against their death sentences.
Meanwhile, the Philippine government
promised to exhaust all possible legal
means to save Veloso from the death row.
A second appeal to reconsider the death
sentence was being considered said
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman
Charles Jose.
The Indonesian government led by
President Joko Widodo is firm on his
decision not give in to any appeals by other
governments entities including the United
Nations despite criticisms it has drawn
from the international community.
Death penalty welcome signage at the airport.
Photo by www.reuters.com

A8
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
News
Garbage war
Greenpeace, eco groups hit
plan to dispose Canadian
garbage in Tarlac landfill
Manila – As the illegal Canadian toxic
wastes continue to rot in the Port of Manila
for over 600 days now, well-known running
priest Father Robert Reyes joined the call
to compel Canada to immediately re-export
the illegal shipment.
Father Reyes and environmental
advocates led by BAN Toxics, Ecowaste
Coalition and Greenpeace Philippines had
earlier staged a “BasuRUN” in Makati City.
“Basura” in Filipino means garbage.
Reyes, a well-known environmental and
human rights Church activist, joined the
group as they ran along the main streets
of Makati City business district leading
to RCBC Plaza, where the Canadian
Embassy is located. “These toxic wastes
are the worst form of expressing friendship
between our two countries,” he adds.
This developed as the same group
together with Ang Nars party list exposed
government plans to simply dump in a
Tarlac landfill the plastic and household
garbage contained in the rotting 50
container vans intercepted by the Bureau
of Customs in 2014.
Environmental and public health groups
earlier cried foul over the ‘manipulative and
bullying tactics’ being employed by Canada
against the Philippine government over the
illegal waste exports that were intercepted
in the Port of Manila in 2013.
“Dumping garbage on the poor is
immoral whether it is done to an individual
or to a country. President Aquino’s silence
over the matter while Canada is pressuring
our government agencies to submit to
their unfriendly request is irresponsible,
unpatriotic, and inconsistent with his
so-called Tuwid Na Daan or (the Straight
Path),” Fr. Robert Reyes said.
Father Reyes and environmental advocates during the "BasuRUN" event.
“Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s
government is an embarrassment to
the civic-minded and environmentally
conscious Canadians. We know this is not
the real Canada. We urge Prime Minister
Harper to take immediate action. Take
back your illegal waste shipment now,” the
activist priest demanded.
Sometime in February 2014, the Bureau
of Customs (BOC) seized 50 container vans
containing various waste materials and
hazardous wastes imported from Canada,
with the consignee Chronic Plastics, Inc.
declaring the shipment as ‘assorted scrap
plastic materials for recycling’.
Canada’s stance, however, pins the
blame on the private consignee and
maintains that it does not have any legal
capacity to compel the Canada-based
exporter Chronic Incorporated, to re-export
their noxious shipment.
“It’s been more than a year and yet
we are battling the same problem. The
Canadian government won’t listen but
they should, and we will not stop until
they take back the illegal shipment that
they dumped in our country,” said Atty.
Richard Gutierrez, Executive Director of
BAN Toxics.
Toxic garbage sent from Canada.
Gutierrez said that the shipment—
containing a mixture of household and
toxic wastes—should be re-exported in
accordance with the Basel Convention,
an international treaty that regulates toxic
waste shipments.
The Basel Convention prohibits
illegal toxic waste trade and requires the
exporting country, in this case Canada,
to take back the illegally seized shipment
and to pay the costs for the return. Both
Canada and the Philippines are party to
the Basel Convention.
But 459 days after the first shipment
of wastes to the Philippines, a bulk of the
container vans and their waste contents
remain in the vicinity of the Bureau of
Customs in Manila, according to Abigail
Aguilar, toxics campaigner of Greenpeace
Southeast Asia.
The importation violates a number of
local laws such as the DENR Administrative
Order 28 (Interim Guidelines for the
Importation of Recyclable Materials
Containing Hazardous Substances) and
Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid
Waste Management Act of 2000.
According to the groups’ calculations,
the government is spending at least P144,
000 a day for the loss of income for storage
space and the additional expenses for
demurrage, which, to date, costs around
PHP 87 million.
US debt bomb could trigger economic storm
By Yul Baritugo
Whenever an economic maelstrom hits
host countries in North America, ethnic
communities and other visible minorities
of all creeds or colour invariably takes a hit.
This is true whether one is Punjabi, Urdu,
Turkish, Tagalog or Chinese. They are the
first people laid off jobs and the last ones
given economic relief.
This year is particularly significant
because we will be watching developments
in the economy of a neighbor to the South
which appears to be on an unstoppable
downward spiral. This is probably the
biggest story of the decade. America had
hit its economic watershed. But strangely
enough, the peanut gallery remains silent.
One of the key indicators of this
growing malaise is currency movements.
When the Canadian dollar hit parity with
the US greenbacks, the Canadian kneejerk
reaction was to flock to the border and
hit US groceries and outlet shops. Long
perceived as a weak commodity-based
currency, people were lining up in banks
to change their Canadian dollars to US
dollars. Yet, this development is just the
tip of the iceberg.
What really happened?
The latest economic data shows
an often ignored detail that otherwise
indicates a deep weakness. Economists
label this indicator as the percentage of
gross debt vs. gross domestic product
(GDP). GDP is the total output of goods
and services that a given economy can
produce. Gross debt simply means total
indebtedness.
In simple terms, it is akin to household
income vs. expenses — the US is
spending more than it earned. It also
has a burgeoning trade deficit. It imports
more than it exports. The taxes it raised
cannot support full government operations
resulting in a huge budget deficit. This is
the real US debt bomb, and with Canada’s
90 percent dependency on US trade, this
development has dire implications for us
all.
Without going into historical detail, the
United States has had public debt since its
inception. The public debt fluctuated but
was incurred mostly during the Civil War,
recession and the subsequent World Wars.
Recently, the US Congressional Budget
Office reported an alarming detail. During
the administration of President Bush, public
debt grew from $5.6 trillion in January 2001
to $10.7 trillion on December 2008.
Bush, of course, authored the line in
the sand “Operation Desert Storm”, and
started the Iraq and Afghan wars. Had he
remained in office, he would have started a
war with Iran and further raised US public
debt.
Under the Obama administration, it is
estimated that public debt will grow from
70.2 percent of GDP to 100.6 percent of
GDP by 2012. This was largely due to
the series of bailouts guaranteed by the
US government as a result of the Bushtriggered
financial liquidity crisis of
September 2008, it’s ballooning health
and social security programs, and its
continuing war on terror.
In absolute terms, the US government
projects an indebtedness averaging $1
Trillion a year up to 2019 or a total of over
$18.2 Trillion. Its 2010 GDP is projected at
$14.3 Trillion.
About 44 percent of US public debts
are held by the central banks of Japan
and China. Based on July 2010 figures,
the United Kingdom holds $374.3 Trillion
or 9.2 percent of US indebtedness
followed by such entities as oil exporters,
Caribbean banking centers, Brazil, Hong
Kong, Russia and Taiwan.
But what are the risks?
The Economist wrote: “Having spent
a fortune bailing out their banks, Western
governments will have to pay a price in
terms of higher taxes to meet the interest
on that debt. In the case of countries (like
Britain and America) that have trade as well
as budget deficits, those higher taxes will
be needed to meet the claims of foreign
creditors. Given the political implications
of such austerity, the temptation will be to
default by stealth, by letting their currencies
depreciate. “
This is precisely the reason why
Canadian economist had been predicting
that the Canadian dollar will hold its parity
against the US dollar for a much longer
period. But I anticipate the US cannot
float its currency downwards for very long
since creditors will most likely force the
government to raise interest to cover for a
depreciated asset.
The long term economic prospects for
the United States remain dismal. If it loses
its current status as the preferred reserve
currency in the world, it will have to raise
interest rates to attract capital. But with its
huge indebtedness, the move will be like
banging its head against a wall.
The same indebtedness will trigger
other problems. A growing portion of US
savings will likely be used to purchase debt
instruments rather than go to investments
resulting in lower output and incomes
thereby adversely lowering its GDP.
Rising interest cost, on the other hand,
will force the US government to cut its
programs, and possibly adopt austerity
measures. Unemployment will again likely
be triggered. And if investors demand
higher interest rates, another fiscal crisis
will probably occur.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015
A9
NEWS
Citizenship application drops as Conservatives
tailor immigration reforms vs. non-white
Former citizenship director-general
Andrew Griffith suggested that recent
Conservative reforms that raised barriers
to becoming a citizen could lead to immigrants’
into widespread disengagement
from Canadian public life.
He raised the alarm bells as he reported
a dramatic drop in citizenship conversion
among Canada’s permanent residents from
79 percent to only 26 percent based on
2008 data.
His analysis — part of his study presented
at the National Immigration and
Settlement Conference at Sheraton
in Vancouver — on the impact of the
Conservatives’ reforms also suggests that
the new version of the citizenship test has
adversely affected applicants from visible
minorities more than those with European
roots.
“In the past, citizenship was viewed
as a stepping stone to immigrant integration,
and it should be done earlier on,” said
Griffith said.
“These changes have made it harder
and prohibitive for some to acquire citizenship,
turning Canada into a country where
an increasing percentage of immigrants are
likely to remain non-citizens, without the
ability to engage in the Canadian political
process.”
Based on latest government data,
Griffith found that the ratio of permanent
residents who eventually become citizens
has been in decline since 2000, and has
dropped most rapidly in recent years.
Only 26 per cent of permanent residents
who settled in Canada in 2008 have
acquired Canadian citizenship, compared
with 44 per cent for the wave of immigrants
settling in 2007, and 79 per cent of those
who arrived in 2000.
Griffith said the government data used
in his analysis was selected to reflect the
fact that it takes immigrants an average
six years to acquire Canadian citizenship.
The 2008 cohort best indicates the early
impact of reforms implemented by the
Conservative government.
The permanent-resident-to-citizen conversion
rate does generally rise the longer
immigrants have been in Canada. But an
18 per cent decrease between the 2008
and 2007 cohorts is alarming, Griffith said.
Citizens are protected by the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms, can vote in elections
and are entitled to Canadian passports.
Not only do permanent residents not have
those privileges, they are also vulnerable
to revocation of their status and removals
from Canada.
“I understand the rationale behind
these government changes,” said Griffith,
who worked for the government as the
reforms were developed and rolled out,
and retired in 2013.
“But I’m on the side of inclusion rather
than exclusion. We need to make sure
those who apply for citizenship take it seriously,
but we don’t want to inadvertently
create excessive barriers and shift the relationship
of some of the communities with
the country.”
Since 2010, reforms have included
a new citizenship test and institution of
a higher score needed to pass it: 75 per
cent (or 15 out of 20 multiple choice questions)
from 60 per cent. The test measures
applicants’ knowledge of Canadian history,
culture and values.
Griffith also studied the passing rates
of various communities three years before
and after the new citizenship test came into
place.
Immigrants from the Caribbean saw
their pass rate go down by almost 20 per
cent, while those from the South Asian,
Southern and East African communities
all experienced a decline of more than 15
per cent.
Griffith said education and income levels
have traditionally been the main factors
in determining the prevalence of citizenship
in various communities, but today the
government has added an extra hurdle for
disadvantaged applicants by hiking application
fees.
Last year, Ottawa twice raised the
citizenship processing fee: from $100 per
adult, to $300 in February and $530 in
December. Successful candidates must
also pay another $100 “Right of Citizenship”
fee to actually become citizens.
With Ottawa’s anti-fraud immigration
agenda, some of the most controversial
changes— requiring citizenship applicants
to be present in Canada for four years out
of six (rather than three years out of four),
and raising the age of exemption from language
and citizenship tests to 65, from 55
— won’t come into force until June.
“When you make it more difficult for
some communities to become citizens,
you are going to create issues with their
engagement, attachment and identity to
Canada,” said Griffith.
R. Bolante bus driver caught by MTRCB.
Holy Week Special
Porn movie caught
on Bicol bound bus
By Jaymee T. Gamil
The Holy Week exodus got off to a
naughty start on Monday morning when
a Bicol-bound bus was caught with a
pornographic movie in its DVD player.
The Movie and Television Review
and Classification Board (MTRCB) was
conducting an inspection at the Araneta
Center bus terminal in Cubao, Quezon
city, making sure that only wholesome
films were being shown onboard, when
they discovered the lewd film inside an
R. Volante regular bus with plate number
EVP-120.
MTRCB chair Eugenio “Toto” Villareal
was explaining to the passengers and the
bus driver that only films rated “General
Patronage” (G) or “Parental Guidance” (PG)
should be shown on public transport, when
the inspection team turned on the DVD
player to see the last film it was playing.
A woman taking off her clothes promptly
Photo by GMA Network
appeared on the television screen, earning
shrieks and laughter from MTRCB member
and actress Gladys Reyes-Sommereux and
the other passengers in the bus.
The DVD was titled “Pinay Collection,”
and appeared to be a collection of amateur
pornographic videos, said MTRCB legal
counsel Thania Ibañez.
The red-faced driver immediately
pinned the blame on his conductor, who
he said might have watched the film while
their bus was in the garage.
“The R. Volante bus and driver were
immediately grounded and sent off to
the Land Transportation Franchising and
Regulatory Board (LTFRB) main office in
Quezon City for an investigation.
Under the MTRCB’s Memorandum No.
09-2011, materials with contents beyond
the “PG” rating are prohibited from being
shown in common carriers and other
public places, as these places are already
considered “movie theaters” subject to the
Filipino killed,
Five wounded
In Libya attack
Filipino oil worker has been killed and
five others wounded in a rocket attack on
a coastal town west of the Libya capital,
a Libyan security source said on Monday.
Three other Filipino oil workers were
wounded in Sunday's attack on Zawiya,
40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Tripoli, the
source said.
The four Filipinos were riding in a car
when the attack took place, the source
said, adding that a Sudanese man and a
Libyan man who were driving separate cars
were also wounded.
The foreign ministry spokesman in
Manila confirmed the death of one of its
citizens.
"Our embassy in Tripoli confirmed that
one Filipino died in (a) bombing in Zawiya,"
spokesman Charles Jose said in a text
message to AFP.
The security source said Zawiya falls
under the control of Fajr Libya, a militia
coalition that in August seized Tripoli,
where it has set up a rival government and
parliament.
regulation of the MTRCB.
Pirated media would be considered
“unrated” and would also be confiscated,
said Villareal.
On May 12, 2011, the MTRCB and the
LTFRB signed an agreement prohibiting
public utility vehicles (PUVs) from showing
materials beyond the PG rating, and
requiring them to post public notices on
the matter near their television screens.
Since then, the MTRCB and the LTFRB
have been conducting regular inspections
There was no immediate confirmation
by Libya's internationally recognized
administration of the attack.
But an AFP photographer in Zawiya
saw the apparent impact of a rocket attack
in the middle of a road near a shuttered
school in the town.
The wife of one of the wounded men
told AFP it was the second time her
husband was hurt in unrest in Libya.
"This is the second time for my
husband," said the woman, a nurse who
works at the intensive care unit of a hospital
in Zawiya, who did not wish to be identified.
"We pray for everybody's safety here,"
she said, choking back tears.
Manila has evacuated more than 4,000
Filipinos from Libya since July, when Fajr
Libya battled loyalist forces for control of
Tripoli.
Despite the political and security
unrest, about 4,000 Filipinos continue to
work in the country, lured by high salaries,
with many employed in hospitals, by
engineering firms and oil facilities.
In January two Filipina women were
among nine people killed in an attack on a
Tripoli luxury hotel that was claimed by the
Islamic State group.
Three Filipinos were killed in an attack
in February on the Al-Mabruk oil field in
central Libya, where eight Libyan guards
were also killed.
on PUVs to check compliance, but the
MTRCB steps up the campaign during
holidays when they expect a heavy number
of travelers taking public transport.
Those found violating MTRCB
standards—from the driver and conductor,
to the operator—will first be subjected to
“administrative proceedings and remedial
measures,” where they are required
to undergo a seminar by the MTRCB,
according to Villareal.

A10
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
News
Philippines market itself as snowbirds paradise
Vancouver Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer
From Left: Deputy Consul Anton Mandap and DOT Director Purificacion Molintas
By Emmy Buccat
The Department of Foreign Affairs is
looking at Bicol Region and Palawan as the
next destination for the Winter Escapade
Philippine Tour in 2016 after the successful
travel experience in the Central Visayas
region joined by nearly 200 tourists from
all over Canada last February.
Organized by the Philippine Embassy
and consular posts in Canada, Ambassador
Petronila Garcia led the visiting Canadians
escaped the cold winter season and
travelled to Dumaguete, Siquijor, Bohol,
and Cebu.
The eight-day travel tour includes
various cultural and sightseeing activities
“We take away from this tour not
just photos and souvenirs but
lasting impressions of local communities
that have taken ownership
of local economic development
through tourism."
in the countryside and concluded with a
wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal Park
monument and a visit to the Presidential
Museum and Library at the Malacanang
Palace.
Ambassador Garcia expressed her
gratitude to the participating Filipino-
Canadians by turning this tour into a
journey of heritage rediscovery.
“We take away from this tour not
just photos and souvenirs but lasting
impressions of local communities that
have taken ownership of local economic
development through tourism. Everywhere
we went, we were welcomed and
entertained by the young and old from
both government and private sectors. Our
experiences in Central Visayas reinforce our
faith in our country and people. Already,
our participants are looking forward to
Winter Escapade 3 in the Bicol region and
other equally enjoyable destinations in our
beautiful country,” Garcia said.
Vancouver Consul General Neil
Frank Ferrer said they are already
preparing for next year’s travel itinerary
and tour packages in order to attract
more participants targeting not only the
balikbayan but the mainstream Canadians
as well.
The Bicol region is best known for its
perfect-coned Mayon Volcano in Albay;
whales’ sharks’ butanding in Donsol;
beaches for wind and kite surfing in
Daet; and its delicious spicy cuisine. The
American reality TV shows Survivor and
Amazing Race have likewise catapulted
this region into a must go to place for the
adventure enthusiasts.
The Winter Escapade 3 2016 packages
will be announced sometime in fall.
FIC initial Valentine fundraising raised $14,000
By Luisa Marshall
Fleetwood International Church hosted
a Valentine’s Dinner and Dance Fundraising
recently the Pacific Academy IS Gym in
Surrey, British Columbia.
The successful event netted $14,000
in contributions from church supporters
who want to expand the church’s present
facilities.
FIC member and organizer Arlene
Nicanor told the Independent News
that they never expected a big turnout.
Volunteers added more tables and chairs
during the event when a sudden surge of
supporters arrived to help the cause. With
delicious food, exciting music and fabulous
people, the event was a big hit!
Members and followers of FIC
plan to build a multi-purpose facility to
Fleetwood International Church
vision is to “to glorify God
through worship, to reach our
generation with the message of
Christ by presenting the Word of
God with unconditional love to all
people and to develop a caring
family of believers.”
Fleetwood International Church multi-purpose facility plan.
accommodate the growing number of
worshippers. The new church facility will
be connected to their present building.
“We are seeking to raise commitment and
pledges for $450,000. We will challenge
donors to contribute gifts towards the
short-term goal of an additional $100,000
for initial building costs," the church
website said. There are pledge packets
available to members and friends at the
FIC.
Fleetwood International Church vision
is to “to glorify God through worship, to
reach our generation with the message
of Christ by presenting the Word of God
with unconditional love to all people and to
develop a caring family of believers.”
Interested donors may call the FIC
church offices at 604-597-2151 for more
information or visit the church online at
www.ficchurch.org.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015
A11
News
Elizabeth May and Bruce Hyer announce 60 amendments to Bill C-51
OTTAWA – Elizabeth May, Green
Party Leader and Member of Parliament
for Saanich – Gulf Islands, along with
Deputy Leader Bruce Hyer, Member of
Parliament for Thunder Bay – Superior
North, announced their amendments to
Bill C-51 at a press conference this morning.
Ms. May and Mr. Hyer, who have been
vocal critics, will table 60 amendments
during clause-by- clause consideration of
the bill. For more information about Green
Party amendments to Bill C-51.
“While there is no way to fix this deeply
flawed bill, our duty as elected legislators
compels us to protect Canadians from its
most egregious faults,” said Ms. May. “Our
amendments seek to protect Canadians'
Charter rights and make this country safer
by eliminating the reckless and dangerous
Conservative policies in C-51.”
The Green Party proposed amendments
to each of the five parts of the
omnibus terror bill. Part 1 would create an
information sharing act that would allow
almost every government department to
share private information about citizens
with virtually no restrictions.
“I was shocked that the Privacy
Commissioner of Canada was not invited
to testify at Committee,” said Ms. May.
“There’s a reason: he is deeply concerned
that this bill will trample on Canadians' privacy
rights. Our amendments are guided
by those concerns.”
Part 2 would expand the no-fly list in
Canada. It has been widely criticized as
having been drafted without appropriate
consultation with the airline industry.
“I greatly question the need to expand
Canada’s no-fly list,” said Mr. Hyer. “C-51
creates a dangerous scenario with a complete
lack of due process and the ability for
Canadian officials to share the information
on the list with virtually no caveats.
“Remember, this list catches people
deemed too dangerous to fly but too
harmless to arrest. The money spent on
these pre-screening systems would be
better spent on investigative or emergency
response measures.”
Parts 3 and 4 would introduce broad
new criminal code offences for ‘promoting
terrorism’ and radically transform CSIS,
providing new police powers to the agency
which was designed to only collect domestic
intelligence.
“C-51 will chill free speech,” said Ms.
May. “It would make those involved in deradicalizing
efforts fearful of prosecution
which would serve to further isolate – and
thus make more dangerous – those individuals
prone to committing ideologically
driven acts of violence.
“By providing CSIS with disruption
abilities, we take an agency that we know
to overstep its existing powers, and equip
it with a mandate to operate like a secret
police. The weak changes the Harper
administration announced last week are
nowhere near sufficient to satisfy the bill’s
many critics. The single best solution to
C-51 remains scrapping it completely.”
Harper plans to cut health care funding by $36 billion
The British Columbia Health Coalition is
batting for a new health accord, an agreement
between the provinces, territories and
federal government to provide provinces
with stable health funding as it slammed
the Harper government plan to cut funding
by $36 billion.
The 2004 Health Accord expired
March 31st, 2014 after the federal government
refused to renegotiate it. The 2004
Health Accord was important in promoting
national standards and providing stable
funding after deep cuts in the 1990s.
The First Ministers recommitted to the
Canada Health Act and its requirements
which includes public administration, universal
access, and comprehensive coverage,
accessibility without extra charges
or discrimination, and portability across
provinces.
The Accord also included a set of common
goals around wait times, home care,
prescription drugs, and team-based primary
care.
The health agreement allowed for some
progress. For example, on wait times, eight
out of 10 Canadians were getting treatment
within the timelines set in 2005 for the five
chosen procedures.
In other areas (home care, drugs, and
primary care) progress has been poor
because the governments set only loose
goals, with no financial strings attached.
The Harper government did not renew
the Health Accord in 2014. This lack of federal
leadership in health care will lead to 14
different health care systems. Access will
depend on where you live and your ability
to pay.
In December 2011, the Harper government
announced a major cut to the Canada
Health Transfer (CHT) of $36 billion over
10 years beginning in 2017. In addition,
the equalization portion of the CHT was
eliminated in 2014, which effectively reduce
transfers by another $16.5 billion over the
next five years.
According to the BC Health Coalition,
we have an aging population
and an increasing demand for health
care services at present. Unless federal
funding is stable and adequate, our
cherished public health care system is in
danger.
It was revealed that the Harper government’s
plan to dismantle national Medicare
include the abandonment of the National
Pharmaceutical Strategy from the 2004
Accord.
According to the Health Council of
Canada, the pharmaceutical strategy was
integral to the renewal and sustainability
of the entire health care system. Instead of
insisting on value for money for prescription
drugs, the Harper government
agreed to extend patent protection for
brand-name drugs and increase drug costs
to Canadians by between $850 million and
$1.6 billion a year.
“We have organized a National Day of
Action to alert Canadians that the federal
government has let the Health Accord
expire in 2014 and has failed to show leadership
in health care, cutting $36 billion to
health transfers over 10 years, “the BC
Health Coalition said.
“There is a need for federal leadership
to negotiate a new 10-year Health Accord
Fearing for their lives, Velosos seek gov't protection
While Ms. May was a regular attendee
of committee hearings during its study of
Bill C-51, Conservative MPs blocked her
every attempt to ask a single question.
Although any MP has a right to sit at committee,
participation is at the discretion
of the Chair. During these hearings, the
Chair chose to put Ms. May's requests to
the floor for unanimous consent, which
was summarily denied by her Conservative
colleagues.
The process by which Green MPs submit
amendments to committee is one created
by PMO to deprive Green MPs from‎
presenting amendments to the House of
Commons at Report Stage. Ms. May used
this right effectively in opposing Bill C-38
in spring 2012. Since the fall of 2013, due to
identical motions passed by Conservatives
in every committee, Green amendments
are deemed to have been moved at committee.
Ms. May and Mr. Hyer will be given
time to present each amendment but are
not allowed to vote.
Prime Minister Harper.
with provincial and territorial governments
to secure the health care needs of citizens
in all regions and into the future,” they
added.
This accord would include:
• • A Continuing Care Plan that integrates
home, facility-based longterm,
respite & palliative care;
• • A universal public drug plan that
provides equitable access to safe
and appropriate medication; and
• • Adequate and stable federal
funding including a 6 per cent
escalator.
CABANATUAN, Philippines – The
family of Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, Filipina
on death row in Indonesia, appealed for
government protection out of fear the
alleged international drug syndicate who
duped Mary Jane may be tracking them
down.
"Suportahan lang po kami ng pulis dito
(Just support from the police)," Mary Jane's
father Cesar pleaded in tears.
"Takot po kami sa ngayon baka mamaya
patayin na nga po kami rito, dahil kaninang
umaga po may nanakot po sa amin rito.
Kaya natatakot po kami. (We are in fear
right now as we might be killed here later
on, because earlier in the morning there
were threats. That's why we are afraid),"
he added.
Mary Jane Veloso is the former
overseas Filipino worker set to be
executed in Indonesia over drug smuggling
charges. She was found in April 2010 with
2.6 kilograms of heroin in her brand-new
luggage, which she claimed to be merely
bought for her and given by her recruiter.
On Monday, March 30, Mary Jane's
parents told Rappler they had been
threatened in the past by Veloso's recruiter
and godsister Cristina nicknamed "Tintin"
to keep them silent about the existence of
the alleged drug syndicate.
They alleged that Tintin is a known drug
dealer.
"Sabi niya kasi sa amin noon, huwag
daw kami magpapa-media, huwag kaming
lalapit sa kung saan saan, kung kanikanino,
kasi international na syndicate
daw sila. Baka raw isa-isahin kami rito o
'yung anak ko ang patayin nila doon," he
explained.
(She told us before not to speak with
the media, not to turn anywhere or to
anyone, because they are an international
syndicate. She said we might be murdered
one by one or they will kill my daughter
[Mary Jane] in Indonesia.)
At around 7 am on Monday, an
unidentified red vehicle whose passenger
sought a villager's help in confirming the
location of the Veloso family triggered fears
of the old threat.
The vehicle left after confirming the
Veloso residence.
"Talagang natatakot kami sa binitiwan
ni Tintin na isa-isahin kami (We are really
afraid of Tintin's threat about killing us one
by one)," said Cesar.
A neighbor of Tintin who refused to
disclose her name said Tintin left her house
with some luggage on Sunday night, March
29. "She might just be vacationing for the
Holy Week," the neighbor said in Filipino.
BUSINESS. Mary Jane Veloso's parents
sell assorted items on their on-the-wheels
store. Photo by Buena Bernal/Rappler
As his family's primary source of
income, Cesar spends each day driving
around a motorcycle with assorted goods
for sale.
But he and his wife Celia said they are
no longer confident they would be safe on
the road.
"Dapat magtitinda ako bukas. Hindi ko
alam kung magtitinda ako. Dahil natatakot
na nga ako sa may nangyaring ganyan,"
Cesar said, pertaining to the vehicle whose
passengers asked for their whereabouts.
(I was supposed to sell goods
tomorrow. I don't know if I should sell. I am
afraid since something like that happened.)
"Eh di ko po alam saan ako kukuha
kakainin namin niyan kapag hindi ako
nakapagtinda," he added.
(I don't know where to get money for
our food if I am not able to sell goods.)
Mary Jane's mother Celia said they
even had to borrow money for the capital of
their on-the-wheels mini-store, which has
varied items such as hair clips, sponges,
dippers, cooking utensils, padlocks, dust
pans, and assorted house cleaning items.
Now fearing for their lives, they would
rather stay at home.
Safety over business, they said.
Even on the idle weeks, they said they
still have to pay at least P2,000 weekly to
the foreigner they borrowed money from
to sustain their business. – Rappler.com

A12
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
News
Changes to Live-in Caregiver Program
under the old LCP criteria, if you wish.
IMMIGRATION HUB
By Lalaine Austero
Do you know the details entailing the
changes to the Live-In Caregiver Program?
Here are some fine points on the latest
developments implemented in November
2014.
The program name has changed to
In-Home Caregivers.
Living in is no longer a mandatory
requirement:
• The caregiver can now liveout
depending on employer
requirement
• Caregivers currently in the Live-in
Caregiver Program (LCP) may
choose to live out. To do so, they
would need to apply for a regular
work permit to replace their LCPspecific
work permit.
• Employers who requires the
employee to live-in cannot charge
the employee for accommodations
Advertising must be proven whether hiring
a foreign worker that is already in Canada
There is no longer a specific caregiver
wage, but must now follow the Job Bank
prevailing median wage for the specific
NOC in the province/location of
employment.
• Home Support Worker 4412/6471 –
i.e. $18.00 in Vancouver Island and
Coast Region
• Home Child Care Provider
4411/6474 – i.e. $10.50 in
Vancouver Island and Coast
Region
There are new pathways to permanent
residence:
• 5,500 applicants for permanent
residence per year (2,750
applicants per pathway) plus their
family members will be accepted
• Applications will have a service
standard processing time of six
months
• If your application has already
been submitted and prefer one of
the new pathways, your may be
eligible to apply
The two pathways for permanent residence
are:
1. Caring for Children Pathway.
2. Caring for People with High
Medical Needs Pathway.
If you are currently a Live-in Caregiver
applicant, how has applied on a Labour
Market Impact Assessment before
November 30th, you will be assessed
Reference:
• www.cic.gc.ca
• www.esdc.gc.ca
Lalaine Austero is a Registered Canadian
Immigration Consultant helping her global
clients achieve practical solutions to their
immigration dreams and providing ethical
advice. She has 17 years of extensive
hands-on experience in facilitating immigration
applications from clients all over
the world. She successfully completed
the Immigration Practitioner Program
at Humber College with Honors and a
registered member of the Immigration
Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.
Her membership registration can be found
at www.iccrc-crcic.ca.
Caring for People with High Medical
Needs Pathway:
Caring for Children Pathway:
The Circulo Cagayano Association of British Columbia
The Circulo Cagayano Association
of British Columbia is a non-profit, nonpolitical
and non-sectarian association
founded by the late Engineer Tomas
Pagalilauan and wife Tomasa in 1991.
Based in Vancouver, B.C., it was registered
in Victoria B.C. since 1994.
Now on its 24th year, it has grown into
one of the biggest Filipino Association
in B.C. Their main mission is to execute
activities that will enhance the image of the
Filipinos, particularly the Cagayanos in B.C.
as well help fellow kababayan in integrating
them into the mainstream Canadian culture.
They also have projects that benefit fellow
Cagayanos in the Philippines.
Circulo Cagayano Association of British Columbia Officers.
Noted accomplishments of the
association include teaching Filipino
language and culture to 19 kids of Filipino
ancestry but born and raised in Canada;
fundraising to help out in typhoon relief
operations; and awarding scholarship
to a select number of graduating highschool
students from the town of Solana,
Enrile and Tuguegarao in the province of
Cagayan.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015
A13
Business
Why financial planning is important
FINANCIALLY YOURS
By Nicky Felipe
It is a great opportunity for me to write
for Metro Van Independent Media and to
reach out to as many readers as possible
for the purpose of educating people at
different life stages on different relevant
personal finance topics.
Let me introduce myself first to
you before I discuss what to expect on
my succeeding financial column I’m
a Certified Financial Planner, a Debt
Consultant, and Retirement Lifestyle e
Coach for 11 years and a founding member
of Financial Planning Foundation. As a
practicing Certified Financial Planner, there
were varying financial problem uncovered,
financial opportunities discovered,
financial myths clarified,financial
behavior changed, financial solutions
recommended, and financial strategies
implemented.
I firmly believe that a financially literate
society will positively impact the future
economic and social well-being of our
country. It is in the hope of sharing my
accumulated years of experience that
readers will learn to be more proactive with
their personal finance.
Personal finance covers a wide range
of topics. I will present each topic as
simply and as clearly as possible from both
technical and behavioral perspective. I will
give at least one tip or take away action
plan to improve your personal finance.
Topics will range from how to write
your financial goals, financial planning,
budgeting, debt management, risk
management, wealth accumulation, wealth
I firmly believe that a financially
literate society will positively
impact the future economic and
social well-being of our country.
preservation, retirement planning, estate
planning, financial issues with divorce,
senior issues, insolvency, etc.
Your financial success lies in your
hands. It’s your choice to stay informed
and take control of your finances or be
complacent and stay apathetic with your
finances. The latter attitude usually results
to a more stressful and difficult life. Studies
indicate that behavior towards money
contributes to 80% success to achieving
financial goals and 20% can be attributed
to the financial plan. This is similar to the
old proverbs saying that “You can lead a
horse to the water but you can’t make it
drink”
Life is all about having choices—and
having choices and well written financial
goals is what leading a successful and
satisfying life is all about.
Watch out for our next issue tips
and strategies as you re-examine and
restructure your finances for a less
stressful life.
Nicky Felipe is a Certified Financial
Planner, a debt consultant and a retirement
lifestyle coach in Canada for more than
a decade. She is a founding member
of Financial Planning Foundation. She
is passionate about educating and
empowering ordinary people to make
better and informed financial choices in
life and become good steward of money.
China's President Xi Jinping (front C) poses for photos with guests at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank launch ceremony at
the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Reuters)
Beijing's builds a rival to the World Bank
With the initial deadline to join the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) fast
approaching, only a few countries had
pledged their support. The United States,
and its close allies, remained on the
sidelines.
Then earlier this month, the U.K. broke
ranks, announcing it would apply for membership
in the hope of becoming the first
major Western economy to join the Chinaled
financial institution.
That opened the floodgates. France,
Germany and Italy all said they would follow
Britain's lead. So did Switzerland and
Austria. South Korea, one of the U.S.'s most
trusted allies in Asia, also applied for membership
of the AIIB, which will help finance
projects in the region.
China set about building its own development
bank because it was frustrated by a
relative lack of influence at the World Bank
(a U.S.-based institution) and the Asian
Development Bank (where Japan is a major
force).
Skeptical about how the bank would be
run and seeking to limit its effectiveness,
the U.S. quietly encouraged allies not to
participate.
But with Europe's acquiescence, it
appears that Chinese diplomats have
secured a major victory.
"The Americans would prefer that the
U.S.-dominated World Bank retain its
monopoly on sovereign-financed low cost
development lending," said Carl Weinberg
of High Frequency Economics.
"Trade hungry Europeans, however,
have looked at the map and realized that the
Silk Road is a two-way route that touches
key emerging markets in Africa and Asia,"
he said.
Still, the AIIB won't reshape the world
economic order overnight. With planned
initial capital of $50 billion, it will be around
a third of the size of the World Bank.
"The AIIB will largely complement existing
multilateral financial institutions; Beijing
will work to ensure that the bank has high
standards for governance and will not use
it to pursue narrow diplomatic goals," wrote
analysts at Eurasia Group.
Why ignoring Pinterest marketing is a costly mistake
Pinterest is a great tool for people to discover things they are interested in or want to buy. The whole
spectrum is covered -- from products and services to creative ideas and places of interest and anything
in between. It has an amazing search engine similar to Google.
PINTEREST EXPERT
By Anna Bennett
Two of the things I really love about
Pinterest compared to other social media
networks are how it can drive significant,
qualified traffic back to a website and
that it is easy to measure your results on
Pinterest. Meaning it is easy to track your
traffic to know if you are improving or getting
a positive return on investment. Many
businesses and entrepreneurs instinctively
know that they need to embrace social
media but which one?
If you’re singlehandedly managing your
own social media accounts, that task can
be daunting because you have to keep up
with so many changes on multiple platforms.
I suggest instead of getting spread
too thin on many, you focus and do very
well on one. I recommend Pinterest for a
variety of reasons.
Pinterest attracts people with a buying
intent versus Facebook & Twitter who
attract their followers with a conversational
intent. Isn’t that what you want, more buyers
looking at your goods and services
while they are shopping?
Pinterest is five years old and still in its
infancy but you need to get Pinterest leverage
because if you’re not you are definitely
losing out on website traffic, market intelligence,
brand awareness and so much
Pinterest attracts people with a
buying intent versus Facebook
& Twitter who attract their
followers with a conversational
intent.
more. Your competitors are mostly likely
on Pinterest which means your potential
social media traffic and conversions are
being poached. Stop fretting about if you
should be on Pinterest. I’m here to tell you
yes, get on Pinterest and master it before
your competition takes your market share
using this powerful and rapidly growing
social platform.
Here are some recent stats you need
to know:
1. Pinterest has firmly secured its
position as the 2nd largest referrer
of social traffic.
2. Pinterest accounts for 90% of
social media shares on the web.
3. IBM analyzed trends across two
leading sites, Facebook and
Pinterest. Facebook referrals drove
an average of $90 per order, while
Pinterest referrals averaged $100
per order.
4. Pinterest users spend more than
two times as much online as the
average American internet user.
Pinterest users shop more often and
spend more than any other social network
so if you’re an e-commerce site it’s a no
brainer, you should be on Pinterest with
serious consistent intent.
People visit Pinterest with a buying
mindset and their intent is about the future.
For marketers it’s heavenly because consumers
are telling you what they love.
While many B2B businesses still think
that Pinterest is just a bunch of pretty pictures
and DIY crafts for women this is simply
not the case. Let’s take a step back and
understand how women use the internet
to see how any business can benefit from
Pinterest:
• 75% of women in the U.S. use the
Internet for product information
before making a purchase
• 35% research products and services
online before buying offline
• Women account for 58% of all total
online spending
• 22% of women shop online at least
once a day
Are you kidding me? 22% of women
shop on line every day. Pinterest has a
search engine like Google, people come
to Pinterest to look for things they like and
want to buy. Why wouldn’t you want to
dominate Pinterest in your category?
Pinterest is very important for creating
a powerful online presence and attracting
clients because it can help you rank on
the first page of Google under your most
important key words.
Step back and read that again.
Pinterest can help you get on the first
page of Google’s organic search using
your keywords.
What that means to business people is
more traffic and better traffic because they
are self-selected and free traffic to their
website. As the owner of a B2B business
my number one source of traffic is Google
organic search and my second largest
source of website traffic is from Pinterest.
Bottom line: The longer you wait, the
more you may have to lose. Pinterest marketing
can lead to more customers, more
traffic, and more conversions. It’s here to
stay. If you’re not sure where to start get
Chapter 1 from my Pinterest Marketing for
Business course for free.
Anna Bennett is the owner of White
Glove Social Media and co-founder of Peak
Performance. Her 30+ years of experience
in retail operations and business coaching
is the rock solid foundation for her dynamic
marketing and training services. She is the
author of Pinterest Marketing For Business
Master Online Course and How To Become
A Pinterest Account Manager and has been
featured in Forbes Magazine.

A14
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
Sports
Mayweather and Pacquiao at the Los Angeles press conference
Pacquiao vs. Mayweather
Better late than never
By Alex P. Vidal
“Better late than never is poor
consolation for the man who has
lost the opportunity of a lifetime.”
- HENRI MATISSE
Like Lazarus, the several times mothballed
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao versus
Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. bout sprang
back to life third week of February 2015 just
when soothsayers were about to pull the
plug for the dream fight with finality.
When no official announcement that
came on February 19 as expected earlier,
fans thought they couldn’t anymore witness
the greatest duel in fight history.
But, lo and behold, Mayweather
screamed on his Twitter account on
February 20 an earthshaking announcement:
“What the world has been waiting for
has arrived. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao on
May 2, 2015 is a done deal. I promised the
fans we would get this done, and we did.
We will make history on May 2nd. Don’t
miss it!”
Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) only delayed
the announcement by a day after when
ESPN supposedly had violated their agreement
not to leak any portion of the deal.
The unbeaten bronze medalist in the
1996 Atlanta Olympics wanted exclusive
rights for the official announcement. And
he did it four days before his 38th birthday
Manny Pacquiao
Photo by Top Rank
Photo by Top Rank
on February 24.
The breakthrough came less than
a month after both Mayweather and
Pacquiao, 36, showed up at a Miami Heat
basketball game on Jan. 27 and exchanged
numbers, causing even more speculation
on the nearness of the bout demanded by
fans since 2009.
Pacquiao was ready to ink a deal with
Amir Khan if Mayweather did not sign his
signature in the dotted lines. Mayweather,
on the other hand, was prepared to tour
the world anew with his 30-staff entourage
on board a private jet if the mega fight
nosedived.
Pacquiao has until 2016 to complete his
contractual obligations with the Top Rank
where the CEO, Atty. Bob Arum, is like his
foster father. He could not afford to walk in
the park in 2015 without throwing a single
punch for a pay.
Back in the Philippines, fans whooped
like they won a trip to Jupiter and Mars –
a dream come true and better late than
never. Filipinos are proud that their very
own fighter, a congressman and professional
basketball playing coach, will be
part of a gigantic event that is expected to
share records in a sport governed by the
Marquees of Queensberry Rules.
It will be the richest-ever showdown in
the history of prizefighting with Pacquiao
(57-5-2, 38 KOs) guaranteed to bankroll at
least $100 million and Mayweather getting
the lion share of at least $150 million in a
$300-million deal.
Rivals Showtime and HBO will bring the
event “live” on a pay-per-view, the second
time for them to gather forces since 2002
when Lennox Lewis (39-2-1, 30 KOs) pole
axed Mike Tyson (49-3, 43 KOs) for the
WBC/IBF/IBO heavyweight diadems in
Memphis, Tennessee.
No other boxing showdown can equal
the Pacquiao versus Mayweather 12-round
world welterweight fisticuff in terms of
global impact; not even the historic rumble
between Jack Dempsey (54-6-9, 44 KOs)
and Georges Carpenter (88-15-6, 57 KOs)
in New Jersey on July 2, 1921 that amassed
the first $1 million in gate receipts; or the
epic battle between Sugar Ray Leonard
(36-3-1, 25 KOs) and Marvelous Marvin
Hagler (62-3, 52 KOs) on April 6,1987 that
submitted the first-ever $100 million ticket
revenue in fight industry.
Not even the Mayweather Jr. versus
Saul Alvarez in 2013 ($150 million) and the
Mayweather Jr. versus Oscar De La Hoya
in 2007 ($136 million). For all its worth, suspense
and excitement, the Pacquiao versus
Mayweather Jr. “Fight of the Century”
is better late than never.
Pinoy snowboarder finishes 5th in Canada Winter Games
By Alex Mino
For an individual to conquer Winter
Sports despite being born in a tropical
country surprises everyone, even his
competitors.
Filipino snowboarder Adrian Tongko
amazed Canadian-born snowboarders
after landing a respectable fifth-place finish
in the recently-concluded 2015 Canada
Winter Games held in Prince George,
British Columbia.
The 18-year old tallies 74.40 score to
cement his spot in top ten of Slope- style
finals among eighteen participants.
Tongko can’t believe he would go this
far beating some homegrown athletes in
the annual sporting event.
“They’re just surprised. They’re just
shocked,” he says with a big grin in his
face.
The North Vancouver-resident admitted
his curiosity had a lot to do with it where
he is currently enjoying this kind of sports
discipline.
“I really want to experience what the
game is all about, “says Tongko, who was
born in Pasay City.
Quite an achievement for the 5-foot-
10 lad who came here in Canada when he
was nine years old, considering most of his
opponents came from mountain families
chasing their parents up and down the
slopes from a very young age. His family
is totally different.
He didn’t hit the slope until 10 years
old when parents Robert and Christine
together with brother Matt finally decided
Adrian Tongko in action.
to try the sport Canadians loved most.
“It was tough at first, my butt hurts,”
Tongko added.
Self-learning is one aspect you would
admire with this youngster, who didn’t go to
any class even for a single session.
“I kind of taught myself how to
Photo Credit: Vimeo
snowboard. I always went up with my
friends,” Tongko said.
His perseverance paid off after landing
a spot in the B.C Snowboard Development
Team three years ago under the watchful
eye of coach Dane Kaechele.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015
A15
sports
Is Pacquiao win guaranteed over Mayweather?
By Alex Mino
Now that the stage has set for the fight
of the century, people are gauging the certainty
of Manny Pacquiao victory at the
expense of undefeated Floyd Mayweather
After the two prizefighters agreed to
finally make it happen on May 2, opinions
were thrown from several former world
champion and boxing experts, assessing
the chance of Pinoy ring icon against the
outspoken American slugger.
Some of them are putting their money’s
worth on the Filipino boxing sensation simply
because of his dedication to his craft.
The likes of Mike Tyson, Oscar dela Hoya,
Miguel Cotto and even the trainer of Manuel
Marquez, firmly believe that Pacquiao is
capable of handing Mayweather his firstever
defeat.
Five years ago, Pacquiao firepower
inside the ring is no doubt the most dominating
among his contemporaries. The
congressman from Sarangani possessed
all the qualities of being in the rank of some
of the world’s greatest boxers after snatching
successive world titles in eight different
divisions. But after joining Christian group
a few years ago, boxing fans around the
globe were put into belief that Pacquiao
punches that come in bunches had long
Jackie Mondejar
gone, not to mention his killer instinct is
also unnoticeable.
According to his first trainer-coach
Jackie Mondejar, who briefly stays for
couple of years in Canada, but now back
for good in Philippines, the possibility of a
monumental win for his former ward means
taking all the precautionary measures is
every aspect of the fight.
Photo by Judd Skinner
“Manny should not be aggressive and
too confident in every round and I hope
he won’t fall in a situation when he lost to
Marquez,” he says.
Mondejar added the over-confident
attitude costs Pacman to relinquish his
title at the hands of Marquez in 2012, succumbing
to a surprise knockout from the
Mexican fighter in the 5th round.
The former coach of Pacquiao stressed
that if his former protégée can survive the
first few rounds of the bout, there’s a bigger
chance to pull off a huge upset win over the
American fighter.
“If the fight will go beyond six rounds,
Manny will have a big advantage because
Floyd tends to make horrible moves and
fighting strategy,” Mondejar reiterates.
Before Pacquiao left Philippines to
go back to Wild Card gym in L.A. weeks
ago, his former trainer had a chance to
strengthen his tactics by engaging to throw
between 40 to 45 jabs.
This way it will add power to his
punches that would be fatal to finish off
Mayweather.
Despite many Filipinos claiming that
Pacman’s killer instinct has somewhat
vanished in the air, Mondejar has different
point of view. “I don’t think it changed at
all, his power punches wasn’t there the last
time around simply because of over training
and the tiring three rounds of punching
bag plus the heavyweights he put on his
arm,” he responds.
Lastly, Mondejar has a bold message
to millions of people that they’re going to
see the real Manny Pacquiao come May 2
at MGM Grand.
Darson Andaya, Grade 11 Dana Andaya, Grade 12
Andaya siblings eye honors in International Taekwondo tilt
The family that kicks together rolls together
By Alex Mino
A sort of adage for brother and
sister tandem of Dana and Darson
Andaya gunning for excellence in the
upcoming 2015 International Taekwondo
championship slated this May in Jesolo,
Italy.
A tough task ahead rides on the
shoulders of the only Filipinos in the roster
as they strut their wares against world top
caliber jins. Both are undergoing rigorous
training under the watchful eye of dad
Darius, who himself had numerous success
tucked under his belt in this combatant
sport.
Dana and Darson gained an outright
berth in Jesolo after a sizzling array of
performance in the 2014 Western Canadian
Taekwondo Championships held in
Warman, Saskatchewan.
Dana and Darson gained an
outright berth in Jesolo after a
sizzling array of performance
in the 2014 Western Canadian
Taekwondo Championships held
in Warman, Saskatchewan.
The elder Andaya led the onslaught
campaign in the said tournament by
grabbing the gold medal for power
breaking event couple with silver in super
senior patterns.
Not to be outshined, his kids dominated
their respective events as Dana took the
gold in junior black belt patterns and
followed it up with bronze medal haul in
heavy weight sparring ,while Darson reign
in junior black belt power breaking patterns
and heavy weight sparring en route to gold
medal finish in both category.
Darson not only excels in martial
arts but in academic as well, landing in
Principal’s List in Windermere Secondary
School, he’s currently in Grade 11.
On the other hand, his sister Dana
proved she deserves to represent the
Canadian national team based on her
showings in the 2014 Western Canadian
Taekwondo stint.
Darius, a 2nd dan belt and instructor
at DSA International Taekwondo Club is
making all the necessary preparation to
put his kids in tip-top condition for the
prestigious competition. But to be able to
go on a journey for this contest, parents
Darius and Weng are asking for some
financial support to fund the campaign of
their kids.
People who want to voluntarily donate
for the cause can check the facebook
account of Darius Andaya.
A tough task ahead rides on the
shoulders of the only Filipinos
in the roster as they strut their
wares against world top caliber
jins. Both are undergoing rigorous
training under the watchful
eye of dad Darius, who himself
had numerous success tucked
under his belt in this combatant
sport.

A16
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com

SPring Mingling
You don’t need to go to
the tiangge and bazaar
in Market! Market! at Fort
Bonifacio, Taguig to be
able to enjoy good food and
cheap items to buy!
> Lifestyle B15
Pinoy in Canada
A Manila Jeepney is
traditionally an old World
War II vintage military jeep
transformed to become a
transport workhorse.
> Lifestyle B14
South Africa
South Africa may be known
for its violent crimes but
beyond that external conflict
is a country incredibly
rich in culture, wildlife,
beauty, and love.
> Lifestyle B11
Lifestyle/Entertainment
TINA TURNER TRIBUTE
ROCKS GOA, INDIA
By Luisa Marshall
ROCKIN' SHOW IN GOA! My TINA
Turner Tribute Family band was invited
by India's Apollo Hospital heiress Upasna
Kamineni to perform as a surprise for her
parents 30th Wedding Anniversary.
The executive director & executive
vice chairperson of the 3rd largest private
hospital chain in the world, Apollo Hospital,
Shobana Kamineni and her husband Anil
were blown away by our performance. My
Tina Turner tribute show was a big surprise
gift from Anil and Shobana’s daughter,
Upasna, because Shobana is one of the
biggest Tina Turner fans in India.
60 invited guests flew in from all over
the world to celebrate at the famous Greek
Restaurant Thalassa, known not only for its
delicious food but also for its stunning view
off a cliff overlooking the Vagator beach and
Indian Ocean.
Left: Anil Kamineni, Luisa Marshall, Shobana Kamineni.
Among the special guests was Upasna’s
husband, Bollywood megastar Ram Charan,
whose surprising candid hospitality made
our trip pretty cool.
With Greek food and wine overflowing,
everyone had a blast! Unbelievably, the
party simply rocked and rolled while the
over enthusiastic guests danced and sang
along to all the Tina Turner hits.
I spent time for some pictures and
selfies with everybody after the show. The
excitement was all over popular Thalassa
Greek Restaurant. But sadly, the venue had
to close and the party moved to the very
posh Marbela Beach Resort.
Jet lagged and tired, we chose to chill
and stayed for some wine with Thalassa’s
owner Mariketty Grana. The next day we
just had to come back and interview the
successful and most interesting personality
in Goa, Mariketty.
Mariketty is one hardworking woman.
She started with just one grill selling kebabs
on her own on the streets of Goa and now
she is the proud owner of the famous
Thalassa Greek Restaurant with over 40
employees.
I was so honoured for the rare
opportunity to visit India’s richest state Goa.
In a short period of time, my family
learned a lot about the country just by
meeting and talking to new friends, cab
drivers, waiters, hotel staff and, most
especially, our patient tour guide and friend
Deepak Sheshadri.
It was always an interesting and scary
experience whenever we were travelling on
the crazy and narrow roads of Goa --at least
by Canadian standards -- which had traffic
moving on the left-hand side. I felt my blood
pressure shooting up every time we were on
the road because it felt like I’m on a big car
From left: Upasna Kamineni, Luisa Marshall, Ram Charan.
chase scene ala Bourne Supremacy. Cabs
seldom had seatbelts.
It was a crazy mix of vehicles, people on
bikes, pedestrians on the very, very narrow
roads -- didn’t really see any sidewalks --
lots of skinny stray dogs in the middle of the
street, and not to forget the lean holy cows
chillin' and wandering wherever they please.
That weekend also held the biggest
Harley Davidson Bike Convention just 3
minutes away from our 4-star beautiful
boutique hotel Casa Anjuna.
The trip to the biggest Saturday Night
Market in Arpora was interesting -- noisy,
colorful and crowded with mostly tourists
enjoying the local band holding food and
beer in hand. Walking around with flip flops
for more than two hours was a bit much. But
I was set to find something uniquely Goan to
bring back for friends and family. After much
bargaining and searching, we were happy
to get some sparkly Goa pens.
Although we were aware of the dark side
of Goa, we admired the music and football
culture, pristine beaches, tasty food and
carefree people.
> Lifestyle B5

B2
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015
B3
Lifestyle/Entertainment
DOT Director Purificacion Molintas
Photo by Bert Morelos
PAL FLIES TO NEW YORK VIA VANCOUVER. Philippine Airlines Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Dr. Lucio C. Tan presents a Boeing 777 model aircraft to US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip
Goldberg during the March 15, 2015 send-off ceremony of the airline’s inaugural flight to New York. Also in photo are Transportation Undersecretary Jose P. Lotilla, Mrs. Carmen Tan and PAL President
& Chief Operating Officer Jaime J. Bautista (right).
PAL flies to New York again
By Emmy Buccat
The Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from
Manila to New York via Vancouver is at
full throttle after the successful inaugural
flight celebrations held recently in Manila,
Vancouver and New York City. The
inaugural flight headed by PAL Chairman
& Chief Executive Officer Lucio C. Tan
signifies the carrier's forthcoming network
expansion to the US East Coast after 19
years since the 1997 Asian financial crises.
Speaking at the inaugural reception
held at the Four Seasons Hotel in
Vancouver, PAL’s Vice President for Sales
Ryan Uy said that the inaugural flight not
only re-launch the Vancouver-New York
route but will also double the expansion of
Canadian operations.
“Vancouver is the main beneficiary of
this increase; with flights going from 7 to
11 a week. There will be early morning,
afternoon and evening flight for the
Vancouverites. This may simply be a
revival of the flight 19 years ago but the
new service is now more enhanced as it
utilized modern aircraft and going to JFK
International.” Uy said.
Flight PR 126 is flying from Manila
to Vancouver every Tuesday, Thursday,
Saturday and Sunday at 11:50 p.m. It will
arrive in Vancouver at 8:50 p.m. on the
same day. The service continues to New
York after a two-hour stop over leaving
at 10:50 p.m. It will touch down at JFK
International Terminal 1 at 7:00 a.m. the
next day.
From New York, Flight PR 127 departs
at 11:00 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday,
Friday and Sunday, arriving for a stop-over
in Vancouver at 1:50 p.m. It will leave at
3:20 p.m. and back in Manila by 8:35 p.m.
the following day.
The code-share agreement between
PAL and WestJet Airlines was formally
announced as well. With the increasing
number of Filipinos in other Canadian
provinces, PAL will be allowed to market
and sell WestJet-operated flights.
“PAL will have a code-share partnership
with west jet which allows us to sell seats
on 6 select WestJet flights in Canada from
Vancouver and Toronto. Our alliance with
“Vancouver is the main beneficiary
of this increase; with flights
going from 7 to 11 a week. There
will be early morning, afternoon
and evening flight for the Vancouverites.
them will triples PAL’s reach in Canada from
two to seven cities across the country,”
said Uy.
The event also launched the
Department of Tourism’s (DOT) Visit the
Philippines 2015 campaign. Recently
appointed Director Purificacion Molintas,
head of the Philippine tourism office in San
Francisco, presented the “It’s More Fun in
the Philippines” campaign brand to entice
the Canadian travel agents to include the
Philippine’s popular islands as one of the
destinations whenever they prepare Asian
travel packages for the Canadian market.
Vancouver-based singer Joey Albert
hosted the inaugural reception with Manilabased
singer Eric Santos providing a
surprised entertainment for the guests.
PAL Country Manager Allan Coo
PAL Vice President for Sales Ryan Uy
Photo by Bert Morelos
Photo by Bert Morelos
A high-level delegation of government and PAL officials joined
the flight that took on a festive atmosphere with top entertainer
Martin Nievera being joined by Chairman Tan (right photo) while
serenading the passengers.

B4
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
EASY & DELICIOUS
By Tota Mendez
Lifestyle/Entertainment
Recipe: Spicy Luncheon Meat Fried Rice
If you have left over rice and Spam,
you're in for a treat! I learned to make this
dish in Singapore many years ago. Not only
it's inexpensive but packed with flavour! No
salt required as the meat itself is already
salty once rendered with the rice. It's a
great snack on a Sunday afternoon or
full on dinner with the family. You can use
any type of frozen vegetables but I used
a combination of peas, carrots and corn.
Really tasty! Try it and you'll like it.
Ingredients:
• 4 cups leftover Rice
• 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Chili Flakes
• 4 cloves Garlic - minced
• 1 cup of Frozen Vegetables of your
choice
• 1 can Luncheon Meat - quartered
to bite size pieces
• 1 tsp Oyster Sauce
• 2 to 3 tbsp of Soy Sauce Pepper
to taste
• Scrambled Eggs (optional)
Directions:
1. Pre-heat wok with oil on medium high
heat.
2. Add the luncheon meat and fry until
it looks crispy on the outside. Set it
aside.
3. Saute garlic in the same oil until
Spicy Luncheon Meat Fried Rice.
fragrant. Add Chili flakes and cook for
another minute.
4. Add frozen vegetables and fry until it's
a bit scorched but not burnt. Add rice,
sugar, onion powder, oyster sauce, soy
sauce and mix well. Add in the meat
and season with pepper. Mix well to
incorporate the flavour of the meat in
the rice.
5. Top with scrambled fried egg pieces
and serve immediately.
Photo by Tota Mendez
Tota Mendez is a singer-songwriter. Her
travels and adventures across North
America and Asia while touring with a band
were her inspirations to create and adapt
easy dishes.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015 B5
Lifestyle/Entertainment
Luisa Marshall with Anil and Shobana's family.
Photo by Steve Marshall
TINA TURNER TRIBUTE ROCKS INDIA
From left: Zenia Marshall, Kimi, Ram Charam and Luisa Marshall as Tina Turner.
Photo by Steve Marshall
Continued from B1
>>
Despite numerous itchy mosquito
bites, terrifying cab rides; being
overly cautious, fighting jet lag, annoying
long flights and inconsistent Wifi access,
we really appreciated being given the
opportunity to visit Goa, India.
We admired the music and football
culture, pristine beaches, tasty food and
carefree people. Our Goa experience may
not have been perfect but it was simply
unforgettable!
Night Market in Goa. Photo by Steve Marshall Luisa shopping at the beach. Photo by Steve Marshall Luisa with her daughters Kim and Zenia at Marbela Beach.
Photo by Steve Marshall
Zoomershow Vancouver 2015
More than 20,000 attendees packed
the Zoomershow held recently at the
Vancouver Convention Centre. It is the
largest consumer show and lifestyle expo
targeting men and women aged 45 and
above across Canada.
Now on its sixth year in Vancouver,
the Zoomershow remained the event to
watch for baby boomers who want to
know about the latest trends, products,
services and much more geared towards
their generation.
The expo had more than 250 exhibitors
in exciting categorise such as technology,
travel, health and wellness, among
others. Aside from the product exhibits,
there were also celebrity speakers, free
vaccinations, blood pressure checks,
fitness demonstrations, samples, discounts
and interactive kiosks.
The highlights of the two-day event
were the all-day live entertainment from
known Canadian performers.
Luisa Marshall and her well-known
Luisa Marshall Band performed at the main
stage to a full-packed venue showcasing
her world renowned Tina Turner Tribute
act. Other fantastic artist featured were
Kyle Toy as Michael Jackson, Steve Hillis
as Garth Brooks and Bobby Bruce as Neil
Diamond.
Steve Hillis as Garth Brooks.
Photo by Luisa Marshall
Luisa Marshall as Tina Turner along with her band.
Photo by Kyle Toy Michael Bublé Tribute artist and Kyle Toy as Michael Jackson. Photo by Luisa Marshall

B6
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
Lifestyle/Entertainment
UBC entrance award
Young students working or volunteering with
recognized groups within the Filipino-Canadian
community in British Columbia may be a lucky
recipient of $1,000 entrance money for the
University of British Columbia (UBC) courtesy of
the Peña Family Foundation.
The Tony and Marissa Peña Entrance Award are
given for any area of study and recognize the commitment
of youth to appropriate volunteer services
within the Filipino community.
To be considered for this award, prospective
undergraduate students need a reference or a
statement of involvement as a volunteer in the
Filipino community in their personal profile when
applying at UBC.
An applicant’s financial need will also be taken
into consideration. The award is renewable for up
to three years although only one student will be
eligible to receive the award each year.
The award recipient will be chosen upon the
recommendation of UBC’s Enrolment Services.
The first award is available in the 2015-2016 Winter
Session. Candidates must be Canadian citizens or
permanent residents.
Song writing competition
for BC Teens
The search for the top 4 teen songwriters of British Columbia
has begun!
By Jackie Diy
For BC teens who love to write songs,
the eveRIAthing TV show is hosting its first
ever song writing contest.
Join The Star Experience and be heard
and recognized by eight fabulous judges
from the music industry. With more than
$20,000 worth of prizes to be won, talented
song writers have everything to gain.
The Top Ten Finalists will perform live
at the eveRIAthing Wall of Stars Awards
Night, July 25, 2015, at The Columbia, New
Westminster, where we will announce the
Itching to tell a story?
Metro Independent News is a monthly
newspaper conveying the news about
anything and everything about Filipinos in
Canada.
If you are interested to tell a story about
what’s happening in the Filipino-Canadian
community from the West to the East Side
and all over the Metro Vancouver, then we
want you!
If you love to see your glorious name in
print and have your voice heard, then we
Top Three Winners PLUS an Audience
Favourite! We’re giving you a fun and exciting
way to get your music heard because
we want you to be proud of your work and
this is your chance!
Solos, duos, groups are welcome and
joining is FREE!
Deadline for submission of entries
is May 31, 2015. Song writing has never
been more rewarding! For more details,
visit http://www.everiathing.com/ or email
us at tseeveriathing.com.
want to hear you!
If you like to hang out at Filipino events,
concerts and gatherings, then we might be
able to squeeze you in!
We are looking for stories on interesting
people, places and things as well as
their triumphs, challenges, inspiration and
realization.
Please email us at
news@metroindependent.com

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015
B7
Lifestyle/Entertainment
What's a girl gotta do?
TEEN LIFE
By Zenia Marshall
Zenia Marshall at a dance competition.
I was born in Burnaby. I’ve grown up
in bunny and sheep costumes from ballet
which I’ve been dancing since I was
4. Eleven years in dance from ballet to
contemporary, modern, hip hop, and all
that “jazz”. I also play the piano and as
Homer Simpson likes to call it -- the Alto
“Saxamaphone” (which I creatively named
Lisa). Now that I am in high school, I joined
the Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, Vocal
Jazz, and Senior Band. I do other stuff
as well like filming make-up tutorials and
beauty videos for my mom’s TV show and
YouTube channel.
As we are on the topic of experiences,
some of the most memorable moments I
had took place on my first gig in Bermuda
and recently at a performance in India.
However, my favorite experience so far
was getting hired as a dancer on the
pilot episode of YTV show called Some
Assembly Required.
I got to eat all the food, wear a beautiful
white, sparkly swan tutu, see all the
different kinds of crazy TV production
sets, and watch what goes on behind
the scenes. Although I was on set for the
first time, the feeling it gave me -- to be in
that environment and to watch everything
happen while being a part of what was
happening -- made me realize that it’s all I
want to do in my life.
I already knew that I wanted to be a
singer because it is something that I truly
love. I’ve always been so inspired by my
mom to sing since she is herself a singer. I
can’t stand the idea of being behind a desk
every day or having the same old work
routine, inside a cubicle. This is definitely
not supposed to offend anyone but that’s
Zenia performing as a mime for the PALS Autism Society Gala.
just not where my interests lie. I want to
be an actress, singer and songwriter. To
perform, bring stories and characters to
life, get to live in their world, and express
myself through music.
I’ve just begun pursuing all of these
dreams and I have so much hope I can
accomplish them no matter how hard and
unrealistic it sounds. This is such a tough
industry to be successful in. If I can at least
make a living out of doing what I love I’ll
be happy. I have a lot to work on to get to
where I want to be.
Born into a musical family, she knew she
wants to be a singer and dancer at an
early age. Zenia performs on stage with
her mom, Luisa Marshall providing both
lead and backup vocals. What awaits her
exciting teen life is yet to be unfolded.
Zenia on stage for the World Premiere of Hansel and Gretel ballet.
Zenia singing with a band at a 2014 corporate event.

B8
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
Lifestyle/Entertainment
Opening Salvo
Pope Mobile
PINOY MIXX
By Rene Orobia Durian
When my college classmate and dear
friend Luisa Mendez-Marshall invited
me to write for this very promising and
prestigious publication, hesitation and
excitement crept in.
I thought of using the iconic jeepney to
visually represent my column to remind
our dear kababayans in this part of the
world that, yes, jeepneys are still alive and
kicking and still the dominant mode of
transportation.
In fact, during the visit of Pope Francis,
the pope mobile was designed using the
jeep as its inspiration. This vehicle brought
Pope Francis all around the streets of
Manila as he was greeted by millions of
Filipinos in the entire 4 day sojourn.
Beautiful Bohol
The Philippines has much to offer when
it comes to beaches. Palawan being
considered one of the best is of course
hands down winner.
But there is another island that the
country is also proud to share – Bohol.
Despite the devastating earthquake that
destroyed most of its century old churches,
Bohol is fast on its way to complete
rehabilitation.
In our recent visit to this beautiful
province, Bohol is still a tourist destination
to consider. The world-renowned chocolate
hills, the captivating Panglao beach, the
endearing tarsiers, the diverse species of
birds, butterflies, and exotic animals and
the enchanting caves are just a few of the
remarkable reasons why Bohol is one of
the most fascinating places to be.
The brilliance behind the name
When I interviewed internationally
acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Brillante
Mendoza during his latest project Sinag
Maynila, I was not surprised at his innate
brilliance.
Mendoza started his career as a
production designer accounting for most of
the country’s award winning commercials.
His reputation as a truly brilliant production
designer was developed over a decade of
working in the advertising industry.
His directorial debut film “Masahista
(The Masseur) “which starred Coco Martin,
was just an off shoot of prodding by some
friends.
When he did the film, it created a stir
among its audiences here and abroad.
Masahista (The Masseur) instantly won
the Golden Leopard Award in the 2005
Locarno International Film Festival in
Switzerland and served as a precursor for
the escalation of Alternative Cinema in the
Philippines.
“The responsibility of a filmmaker does
not begin with the shoot and ends with the
screening. The responsibility continues
until the impact of the film is validated
From left: Nora Aunor, Paolo Bertolin and John Badalu.
through the audience’s reactions,” he said.
Since then, Brillante, through his Center
Stage Production has produced a body of
work that reaped awards and recognitions
from local and international film festivals,
including his most recent accomplishment
in the Asia-Pacific Screen Awards for Thy
Womb; Asia-Pacific’s counterpart to the
Oscars.
His works propelled a yearly
retrospective film screenings in Europe,
Asia and Russia where the world’s film
critics regard him as an “ultra neo-realist”
for portraying social realities and lives of
ordinary people in extraordinary situations.
The French government awarded
Brillante Ma. Mendoza with the Chevalier
dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres or Knight
of the Order of Arts and Letters. The first
and only Filipino director that has been
bestowed the singular distinction and
elevated with the likes of distinguished
filmmakers, Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario
Argento.
For his accomplishments and standing
in world cinema, most film festivals all over
the world have requested Mendoza to sit
not only as Jury Member, but also as Jury
President.
Currently, Mendoza remains to create
socially significant films and documentaries
that portray the lives of the Filipinos
and the marginalized sectors of society,
nurturing film audiences for Alternative
Cinema by screening his films in schools
all nationwide.
His film, Manoro, is part of the local
Department of Education’s official
component for Grade 8 students. His films
are based on real lives of ordinary people
in extraordinary situations.
Brillante Mendoza is the first and the
only Filipino filmmaker who won as Best
Director in 2009 Cannes film festival
besting Quentin Tarantino, Ang Lee and
Pedro Almodovar among others. His name
speaks so much of his persona.
Sinag Maynila
Mendoza’s latest project is Sinag Maynila,
a film festival featuring alternative films,
which Brillante personally curated. A
collaboration with Solar and Shoe Mart,
these featured films will be marketed
internationally.
For the longest time, the local film
industry is flooded with films that were
inanely crafted. Raking in millions of pesos,
the local moviegoers had no choice but to
swallow these films.
With the efforts of Brillante Mendoza
and other local independent filmmakers,
the moviegoers would have the chance to
watch socially relevant films.
The festival, which will culminate
on March 24, will have its awarding
ceremony with the jury composed of
prominent figures in international and local
film industry: Paolo Bertolin, John Badalu,
F. Sionil Jose, Bienvenido Lumbera.
Armando and Tito Valiente.
Who da who?
Just to tickle your imagination, I will share
some bits of blind items:
• Good-looking young actor rumored
to have successive affairs with
high-ranking politicians. Actor’s
name is foreign sounding.
• Two of the country’s popular,
pretty and young actresses are
actually lesbians. One actress
had an ex-boyfriend who was
caught in the act with another
very popular young actor, while the
other one has a current boyfriend
who is rumored to have broken off
with another young actress who
revealed that he is gay.
• These couple is also rumored to
be gay and lesbian. While both are
singing beautiful tunes together,
the showbiz industry could not
help but raise their brows whether
the relationship is for real or mere
publicity.
Can you guess the showbiz name of these
personalities?
• Ignacia Mabug-at
• Regina Alatiit
• Claudia Maluloy-oy
• Socorro Ledesma
• Rodel Nacianceno
• Ma. Teresa Llamedo
• Alma Vaca
• Ricardo Macaraeg
• Evangeline Rose Eigenman
• Esperanza Padilla
• Juanito Ong
• Cipriano Cayabyab
• Jesusa Sonora
So there you go. I hope that Pinoy Mixx
has brought some information from the
Philippines that would update and entertain
you. See you on the next issue!
Rene Orobia Durian is an educator, publicist
and media specialist in the Philippines. He
spearheads an effective media and press
relation management team with politicians,
filmmakers, performing artists, religious
leaders and education figures as clients.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015 B9
Lifestyle/Entertainment
Paintings by Bert Monterona
Photo by Bert Morelos
FEATURED ARTIST: BERT MONTERONA
VANCOUVER SOCIAL CORNER
By Bert Morelos
Bert Monterona is a Filipino-Canadian
visual artist based in Vancouver, B.C.
He is an educator, cultural worker, and
active artist working in a wide variety of
practices including design, illustration,
paintings, murals, culture and installations.
He also makes sets, builds props for
stage performances and television shows.
Internationally acclaimed, Monterona is a
recipient of numerous grants and awards
between 1995 and the present, such as: the
Western Australia Department of the Arts,
the Australia Council for the Arts Grant,
the University of Western Australia School
of Architecture and Fine Arts, Australian
Embassy Philippines Residency Grant,
the Asian Artists Award of Vermont Studio
Centre and the Freeman Foundation, USA.
Other commendations and awards include
winning the GSIS Museum Artist of the
Month Award and the Art Association of
the Philippines Best Entry Award.
In 2007, Monterona won the
International Mural Festival and
Competition in Manitoba, Canada. He
went on in 2009 to become the Artist-in-
Residence for the Leigh Square Community
Arts Village, Port Coquitlam. This project
was part of the Necklace Public Art
Initiative, an inter-municipal collaboration
of ten municipalities in Metro Vancouver.
Bert Morelos has been a Vancouverite
since 1974. He had an extensive experience
in the field of architecture, design, planning
and project management. He was involved
in hundreds of projects for over 35 years,
which brought him all over the world. He is
currently a Development Consultant with
clients such as Stanley Kwok Consultants
Inc. and Michael Geller, Architect. He
dabbles into photography during his spare
time.

B10
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
Lifestyle/Entertainment
How to Say Things Right
THE POWER OF WORDS
By Jackie Diy
One kind word can change someone’s
entire day.
I totally agree with this quote although
it may not be as easy to follow especially
when we, too, are not having a very good
day. By nature, people can be impulsive
not because they want to harm others but
because it is a rush of emotions that can
trigger people to say things they didn’t
really mean.
The practice of counting 1 to 10 is really
advisable and it works wonders in many
ways: First, we avoid getting ourselves
into unnecessary arguments; or at least
explaining why we had to say things.
Second, we avoid hurting or offending
someone. Third, we save ourselves a
good amount of valuable time directing our
attention to more positive things.
This is the first article that I am
writing for this very new paper, Metro
Van Independent News, and I would like
to congratulate its publishers Steve and
Luisa Marshall for taking on this huge
responsibility in the name of community
service.
It is an honor to be a part of the team.
In line with this maiden issue, I thought
that I wanted to come up with a spectacular
article, but come to think of it, every article
should be spectacular! So yes, as they say,
the first thing that comes to your mind is
usually most descriptive of what you feel.
I thought that I should title my column
‘How To Say It Right’ for a few reasons
and one of them is that all throughout my
management/administrative career, I have
been approached by people for a number
of important things and one of them is to
re-phrase their words so that they did not
come off too straightforward or worst, too
offensive.
I always felt good about being asked
not because I thought I was an authority
on the subject as there are many people
I always stress the fact that there
are only 24 hours in a day and
given the toxic schedules that
we have, we sometimes even do
not sleep enough. So yes, let us
use whatever hours are left of
those 24 to do something positive
and say things right because
our words can influence a person
more than we know.
who are experts in this field, but because I
always believed in thinking twice or getting
another opinion. Whether I had the better
words to say is sometimes not what really
counts.
It is knowing that there is this one
person who took the time to stop, think,
and consult which by itself is an act of
kindness. I would be asked to help with
re-wording sentences, emails, letters,
articles, etcetera, and I commend those
who have chosen to ask.
When we practice caution with our
words, we have better chances of not
offending others or creating difficult
situations. I always stress the fact that
there are only 24 hours in a day and given
the toxic schedules that we have, we
sometimes even do not sleep enough.
So yes, let us use whatever hours are left
of those 24 to do something positive and
say things right because our words can
influence a person more than we know.
What we say can give others an idea
about what we have in that grey matter
between our ears but how we say things
tell others about our hearts and the kind of
person that we are. Profiles, social media,
resumes, introductions --- they all can be
created to describe us and summarize our
achievements, but once we speak, our very
words will confirm the person that is behind
our profile.
We all start from scratch. We all want
to create a good foundation and we all
dream of being successful. There are so
many ingredients for success and through
every step that we take we will have an
opportunity to speak.
In every way, I would suggest the
general rule: That we should always speak
with respect. I have taught students from
age three to seventy and the truth remains
that we must always speak to the other with
respect.
Speaking to a child, for example, is
crucial, because whatever we say to them
is absorbed and if our words are going to
be an important part of their values and
the very person that they will become,
then we want these words to be positive
and encouraging. Some people ask
themselves what good they have done for
the community and I would say that it does
not have to be huge or phenomenal.
We only have to say one kind word to
one person and if that kind word made a
huge difference in that person’s life then we
have touched mankind in a most lasting and
inspiring way. Let us all be remembered for
something that is priceless because this is
what lives on. Let’s begin today.
A performing arts mentor and public
speaker, Jackie is a mentor in creative
drama, film, dance, theatre arts, and
stage performance. Jackie was trained in
Drama and Theatre Arts at the University
of the Philippines, Diliman and holds a BSC
degree in Business Management from the
De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015 B11
Lifestyle/Entertainment
Lion Park
Photo by GK Limcangco
Nursing the one-month old cub.
Photo by GK Limcangco
African Elephant.
Giving a Piece of Myself to South Africa
By: GK Limcangco
The seed of South African travel
was planted in my head when a former
colleague showed me photos of her
surrounded by lion cubs during a
volunteer work in Johannesburg. South
Africa may be known for its violent crimes
and discriminatory past but beyond that
external conflict is a country incredibly rich
in culture, wildlife, beauty, and love.
Planning the trip down south took a
lot of research. There are many volunteer
programs all over South Africa, so many
to choose from that filtering your searches
and reading a lot of reviews is highly
recommended. There are wildlife volunteer
programs more specific to big cats and
other animals but I personally wanted
one-on-one cub interaction. The Lion Park
seemed to fit the bill.
The Lion Park (www.lion-park.com) is
a 500-acre tourist destination that houses
four lion prides, cheetahs, hyenas, wild
dogs, and over twenty other African wildlife
species. They offer game drives, cheetah
walks, and close encounters with African
wildlife.
Participating in a volunteer program
would cost $990 for a week. It is a little
heavy on the wallet but accommodation,
Purdie, the giraffe.
Photo by GK Limcangco
meals, and activities are included and it
sure is cheaper than going on those pricey
safari trips that could easily cost around
$250 per day.
Booking with www.volunteersa.com
will make the arrangements quick and
easy. They will require a down payment
to secure your spot and they will give you
all the information you need via email so
all you need to do is to book your flights.
Unfortunately, traveling to South Africa
from Vancouver would require 20 hours of
travel time.
As a volunteer, the new arrivals receive
a warm welcome at the park and are given a
long orientation to get familiar with the park
grounds and learn the daily duties. The day
at the park starts at 8 a.m. taking the onemonth
cubs out of the nursery and to the
fenced public area, preparing the meals
for all the baby animals, and scooping up
big cat poop. We take our breakfast to go
if we have an 8:30 a.m. shift either at the
giraffe station selling giraffe food, picking
up tickets at the gates or assisting staff at
the cub petting area. Most times, it’s easy
work but sometimes it does require some
sweating and heavy lifting. I spent my first
official day as a volunteer raking for an hour
to tidy up an area but that opportunity to
just be around the animals makes all that
hard work all worth it in the end.
There were eight one-month old cubs
during my stay at the Lion Park. They were
very playful, sometimes smelly, and they
would often bite and scratch but adorable
nonetheless. Anyone can easily fall in love
with the other animals calling the park
home as well. Purdie, the giraffe that
acts like the queen of the park, prancing
around doing whatever she fancies is one
of the characters you will never forget. Her
daughter Zoe, that is following in her diva
footsteps, the rebel meerkat that figured
out how to sneak out of his enclosure
but also behaved enough to go back, the
Photo by GK Limcangco
naughty cheetahs that managed to get
out of their fenced area and attacked and
ate an African antelope called an impala –
so many of these gorgeous creatures will
leave a permanent mark in your heart.
The volunteers also have a chance to
visit a crocodile farm, elephant sanctuary,
and a safari in Pilanesburg, a National Park
game reserve, two hours away from Lion
Park.
The volunteers stay in comfortable
air-conditioned/heated tented rooms
usually with four beds. Kitchen and
bathroom facilities are shared with all the
other volunteers. The volunteer camp is
a gated area to make sure that everyone
is safe just in case the predators escape
their enclosure. As soon as you step out of
room, you will be greeted with the glorious
view of the park. You can watch zebras,
Lion Pride.
springboks and other animals grazing . At
night, you can hear the lions roaring and
the hyenas cackling. Those nightly sounds
will never make you forget where you are
even before you dose off. Somehow, this
makes the experience seem so authentic
and even a bit dangerous.
Volunteering at Lion Park didn’t just
give the volunteers the opportunity to
work closely with the animals but also
immersed them in the rich African culture.
Developing friendships with the staff that
are clearly passionate about their jobs
and the animals in the park and of course
creating friendships with fellow volunteers
from different parts of the world is part
of the experience. It was very difficult for
everyone to leave new friends and furry
friends but all good things must come to
an end.
When the volunteer program was done,
I have left a piece of myself to South Africa
but I have also walked away with a lot more.
I went back home to Vancouver with more
than just several photos of cuddly little
cubs and cute stories of animals. As
an animal lover, this is my way of giving
something back to the universe - my sweat,
my time, and my love for all those animals.
We can always make a difference even in
a small way.
Photo by GK Limcangco

B12
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
Terminal City
craft beer tour
By GK Limcangco
Lifestyle/Entertainment
Good news for hop lovers in Vancouver
-- the craft beer boom is happening right
now. With the demand for delicious, quality
beer rising, many local brew masters
have decided to address this demand.
According to barleymowat.com, there
are some 84 microbreweries in British
Columbia and more are coming.
“Craft beer is all the rage right
now just like everything organic and
local” said Martin Blasiak, cofounder
of Terminal City Tours, a tour company
offering brewery tours in and around
Vancouver. “Consumers want a product
where manufacturers put their own time,
expertise, and knowledge.” he added.
The BC beer industry has been
transformed since the founding of
Horseshoe Bay Brewing in 1982. Horseshoe
Bay Brewing is the first craft brewery in
Canada and propelled the microbrewery
movement to where it is today.
John Mitchell, the man behind the
movement was a co-owner and manager
of Troller Pub at Horseshoe Bay. Beer
selection was very limited then and they
don’t even have access to imported beers.
Mitchell changed all that by lobbying with
government to amend liquor laws.
Currently, it’s been hard keeping up
with all the new microbreweries that have
opened their doors. Blasiak and business
partner James Piry founded Terminal City
Tours to help interested folks navigate their
way through the local beer scene. Blasiak
and Piry grew up in Vancouver and decided
to share their passion for exploring and
enjoying local beers and spirits.
“One Sunday afternoon, we joined
Terminal City’s Brewery Tour with a bunch
of other hop lovers and curious spectators.
We all met at the Waterfront Station excited
with what we were about to uncover. As
Terminal City Brewery tour.
soon as we got settled in the van, our
guides introduced themselves and briefly
went over our afternoon tour stops. . Our
first stop was Postmark Brewing, a fivemonth
old brewery within the rustic beauty
of the Settlement Building, right in the heart
of Railtown. It was a great space with a lot
of character which was reflected on their
brews.
Our first sip of the day was a beer
called Saissonella, a refreshing beer with
a mild hoppy finish. The Saissonella had
interesting flavours and was good pick to
start to our experience.
The second beer, the Raspberry Lemon
Zest Hefeweizen, got my full attention. With
its fruity flavour that doesn’t overpower the
beer palate, this Hefeweizen is perfection.
I knew then that Postmark Brewing is
offering not just quality beer but pretty
inventive brews as well. We also tried their
flavourful Pilsner and their mildly bitter Red
IPA.
The second stop on our tour took us
to Steamworks Brewery. Established in
1995, Steamworks is clearly one of the
bigger microbreweries in BC. Using the
brewery’s fancy equipment, Piry and
Blasiak provided an in-depth explanation
of the brewing process. Our guides even
answered all the questions that we threw at
them, showing their impressive knowledge
in beer. Learning about what we’re about
to partake made the experience a bit more
special.
We sampled four of Steamworks’
famous brews in their tap room which
opened last June. Sampling their awardwinning
Pilsner and their Jasmine IPA was
a great choice. These two beers have put
them on the map and it’s good to know
why. The India Pale Ale or simply known as
IPA, always has an overwhelming quality.
Its bitterness makes it an acquired taste
for many but Steamworks’ Jasmine IPA is
different. It is the perfect introduction for
this type of beer since it scores low on the
International Bitterness Unit (IBU) scale.
It also has a unique jasmine flavour that
I really enjoyed. I don’t see big fans of
IPA putting this on their list of favourites
though, considering its soft bitterness.
Our last stop for the afternoon was
in New Westminster for Steel and Oak’s
Brewing Co. Steel and Oak’s co-owner
Jorden Foss gave us quite an introduction.
Their brew master, Peter Schulz has a
German-style of brewing that gives this
brewery an edge in the local craft beer
market. This was apparent when our taste
buds indulged in the delicious smoky
flavour of their smoked Hefeweizen. This
beer was such a standout that it made our
trip to New Westminster memorable.”
Three breweries and 12 four-ounce
beer glasses emptied, we parted ways
tipsy with bellies full of craft beer. We also
picked up loads of information on how
to brew. Not just to brew any beer, but
beer bursting with character and lingering
unique flavours.
All in all, the Terminal City brewery tour
was fun and educational. An essential
activity if you appreciate a good pint of
local beer. Blasiak and Piry will make you
feel at home right from the get-go. They will
also make it a point to have a chat with you
in between sips. The tour felt personal and
it’s exactly how I want to experience that
first taste of good craft beer.
Drake Medox College
Biggest Contest Ever
Raffle Winners for interviewed by Luisa Marshall.
Photo by Simply the Best TV Show
Nineteen lucky students won a free
round trip ticket each to any destination
of their choice during the promo contest
of the Drake Medox College recently. The
winners were announced during one of the
episodes of Simply the Best show. The
winners wereMarjorie Armero, Hannah
Borasca, Alejandria Dabalos, Pat Earhart,
Rosemarie Espiritu,Zariel Fuentebella,
Ethel Las Piñas, Lorna Orfano, Rjee
Pardilla, Catherine Publico, Jessie Talaro,
Rosalie Valdez, Odelia Amistad, Crizelda
Calate, Agustina Atienza, Vilma Fernandez,
Cristine Alejandro and Joy Gamueda. Emy
Santos has opted to get a tuition waiver
instead of getting a round-trip ticket.
MP Don Davies draws winning names.
Photo by Simply the Best TV Show
Raffle Winners for the Biggest Contest Ever of Drake Medox College.
Photo by Simply the Best TV Show

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015 B13
Lifestyle/Entertainment
Visiting Various Elementary schools. These school children
greeted Melanie with a beautiful song.
Miss Earth Delegates poolside
Miss Universe. 1969 - Miss Gloria Diaz.
Beauty Titlists of the World:
Where are they now?
Island Beaches of Cebu
By Melanie Grace Bennett
So tell me something, do you
like Pageants?
Well, for those of you who do not know
me, I do, and I know there are a lot of
women who love pageants too.
When I was recruited to compete in
my first pageant, I was so shy, really shy
actually, but a dress maker who was
fitting me for a dress insisted I join, and she
called the director right on the spot. So the
next thing I knew a few days later I was in
a studio where the registration took place.
The director was there. She asked
me to make one full turn, unsmiling, she
looked at my face, stone cold. It felt like an
audition. She expressed nothing to make
me feel, like I was good enough to join.
There was this lady with her --I guess you
could say she was her assistant. She would
write down all the comments she made
about the applicants. I guess she liked me
because she continued to start scheduling
training days.
I found myself submerged in
personality development, proper dieting
& nutrition, exercising tips, skin care,
hair care, beauty care and included the
basic stage walk, stage presence and
confidence. There was emphasis on the
movement of the neck, the face, and
hands, how to sit, how to smile, how to be
proper and how to be completely lady like.
It was all quite overwhelming. What did a
young 18 year old girl got herself into?
It wasn't easy as I thought to myself,
if I'm really going to go through with this,
I better start practicing every day until the
show.
I am sure, most of the girls who decided
to join, experienced the same feelings. The
director had instilled into the girls to be
their best, to do their best and to train to be
the best that they could possibly be. She
pushed the girls to their limits emotionally,
day in and day out, but she did it from a
place of love for the girls, something that
a lot of directors and coaches may have
trouble with.
She has the talent for seeking that
potential in a young woman. She has
been a great mentor to not only me, but
to many young women that have had the
opportunity to cross paths with. She would
like to remain anonymous but with all due
respect, all of the credit goes to her. She
is now celebrating 25 years in the world
of prestigious pageantry, has planned
& judged many pageants, and she knows
her stuff!
Ok, so flash forward to the show. All my
hard work paid off.
I won the title of Bb. Pilipinas BC, Best
in Long gown, Best in National costume,
and Best in swimsuit, I was so honored
to take home four awards. I was sent to
compete in Ontario. and competed in Bb.
Pilipinas of the World International. I
became 2nd Runner-Up and 1st Runner-Up
in Talent.
I went home happy.
A few short weeks later, I got a
phone call from a casting director in
Toronto telling me I had been selected to
Represent Canada as Miss Canada for the
Miss Earth Pageant, to be held in Manila,
Philippines.
I was just about to finish high school
at that time. I packed my dresses and
high heels and off I went! I became
an ambassador of Canada, a model,
a spokeswoman for environmental
awareness issues, and worked hard to
raise money for the charities that the
organization supported.
To be honest, looking back, everything
happened so incredibly fast, it was hard
to enjoy it in a moment. It just felt like hard
work. I am truly grateful, however, for my
experiences. A year later, after training very
hard, I decided to audition in Vancouver,
BC to compete in the Miss Universe
Canada pageant in Ontario.
I was selected as a finalist to represent
my hometown. I didn't win. But I was
very happy and proud that my career in
pageants like these was fulfilled.
I love yoga, staying active, fit and
maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
I am a Licensed Esthetician/Spa
Therapist, I operate my own business,
I cater to corporate clients, I am a mom
and a wife. I continue to be a role model
to those who seek my advice.
As one of the co-hosts of an up-andcoming
Web-TV program of Le Pageant by
STAR 7 MEDIA.TV
I have been appointed as one of the
Directors of Le Pageant Inc.
I am looking forward to new adventures
in writing, mentoring, training and
encouraging young women to be their
absolute best, not only on stage but in their
personal goals as well. I am also looking
forward to interviewing past title holders.
Stay tuned.
Miss Earth contestants.
Hungary, Canada, Dominican Republic, Uganda
Tree planting charity event.

B14
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com
Lifestyle/Entertainment
Jeep-Pinoy Style: King of the Road.
Photo by Mayleen Valentino
Pinoy in Canada
By Yul Baritugo
The Okanagan Lake was simply
stunning while Skaha Lake offered all sorts
of activities from “see-doing” to water
boarding, canoeing, water toy rentals and
several other adrenaline-inducing sports
activities. It was our second summer
and we were “all fresh off the boat” as
our Vietnamese Canadian friends would
say. Driving from Vancouver, it was
traditional to stop at a look out just before
entering Penticton in what I thought was
another bucolic one-street town.
After entering Penticton and passing
by its small airport, we headed straight for
Walmart when lo and behold — a Manila
Jeepney — complete with its peculiar
gaudy regalia came honking by from out of
nowhere. I was completely floored. Some
bloody Filipino chap must have imported
it straight from Manila. A Manila Jeepney
is traditionally an old World War II vintage
military jeep transformed to become a
transport workhorse. In the Philippines, it
can usually accommodate up to 13 people
including the driver. We asked around
and it turned out the enterprising Filipino
owner was using the Jeepney to transport
revellers to a small beer house he owns
fronting Skaha beach.
Filipinos are indeed everywhere.
According to a book “A Brief History of Asia
in North America (published by Vancouver
Asian Heritage Month, 2001), when the
Spanish colonized the Philippines and
began their lucrative trade between China,
Hawaii, the Philippines and Mexico, (it was
called the “Manila – Acapulco Trade”), both
Chinese and Filipinos were sought out for
Statistics Canada projects that in
2017, when Canada celebrates its
150th anniversary, there would
be at least 540,000 Filipinos
settled in various provinces with
Canada’s expected total population
hitting 34.5 million.
their skills as sailors and navigators aboard
Spanish galleons and other colonial ships.
This was back in 1565.
By the mid 1700’s, Filipinos began to
colonize the area now known as Louisiana
(specifically, the bayou of Barataria Bay,
thirty miles south of New Orleans). They
were referred to as ‘The Manilamen’. The
descendants of the Asian sailors of the
Spanish galleons became the oldest living
colony of Asians in North America.
In Canada, the first reported presence
of Filipinos was in 1931. There are no other
available extant records. Sometime in
1950, 10 Filipinos were supposed to have
been in Manitoba. According to author
Eleanor Laquian, a handful of doctors and
nurses under the United States Exchange
Visitors Program, came to Manitoba to
have their visas renewed from outside the
US as required. Both retired Vancouver
couple Aprodicio and Eleanor Laquian
wrote a book about 50 years of Filipino
migration to Canada.
From 1946 to 1964, the decade when
Filipinos were formally recognized as a
distinct ethnic minority, there were only
770 Filipinos in all of Canada, the couple’s
research showed.
But the numbers slowly changed in
the later part of the 60s as more and more
Filipino workers immigrated to Winnipeg
to work in the budding garment industry
there. They were mostly from Baguio City,
in northern Philippines. A wave of other
Filipino immigrants followed.
Statistics Canada projects that in
2017, when Canada celebrates its 150th
anniversary, there would be at least
540,000 Filipinos settled in various
provinces with Canada’s expected total
population hitting 34.5 million.
The study, entitled Population
Projections of Visible Minority Groups,
Canada, Provinces and Regions, used as
its basis the 2001 census figure of a total
population of 30.6 million, of which at least
315,000 are Filipinos.
The same study projected that from the
at least 65,000 Filipinos in B.C. in 2001,the
Filipino population in the province will
grow to more than 123,000 in 2017, with
Vancouver’s share at more than 112,000.
The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) remains
home to the largest Filipino community in
Canada. It receives an average of 9,000
new immigrants every year. The Filipino
community in the Toronto area numbered
about 131, 680 in 2001 rising to 181, 330
or an increase of 35 percent in five years.
Fifteen Filipino newspapers service
the GTA with several radio programs and
TV shows anchored by Filipinos. Tagalog
is the 7th most spoken language in the
city of Toronto. There are smaller Filipino
populations in other municipalities such
as Mississauga, Scarborough, Markham,
Newmarket, and Vaughan.
The integration of Filipinos into the
Canadian milieu are sometimes so
complete that second generation Filipino
Canadians can often hide their cultural
roots so effectively even in open media
having lost the language and the accent.
Remember the Lexa Doig (Alexandra in
real life), she was the artificial intelligence
and avatar named Rommie in Gene
Roddenberry’s Andromeda, a television
sci-fi series. She’s the daughter of Gloria,
a Filipina and David Doig of Irish-Scottish
descent. She was born in Toronto.
Sisters Cassie and Alex Steele of
Degrassi, the Next Generation are also
second generation Filipino Canadians.
Cassie is a Filipino/British-Canadian
songwriter, singer and actress. She
often acts the character Manny Santos in
Degrassi. She had appeared in the MTV
movie “Super Sweet 16: The Movie,” “Relic
Hunter”, and even released a debut album
“How Much for Happy”.
Zuraidah Alman, formerly a CityTV news
anchor and general assignment reporter
and now national news anchor for Ontario
Global TV is also a Filipino Canadian.
In politics, aside from Vancouver MLA
Mable Elmore, other Filipino Canadian
politicians had slowly captured key
leadership roles like Rey Pagtakhan of
Manitoba who was the first Filipino-
Canadian Member of Parliament, and first
Cabinet Minister (2001-2004), Rey Aglugub,
Manitoba’s former NDP MLA (1999), Conrad
Santos, first Filipino Canadian elected
to a public office in Manitoba legislature
(1981), Mike Pagtakhan, Winnipeg City
Councillor, Point Douglas Ward (2002),
Flor Marcelino, first woman elected MLA
in Manitoba, Art Viola, former Lord Mayor
and Town Councillor of Niagara-on-the-
Lake, Ontario.
The saga is still unfolding but essentially
these are the Filipinos in Canada.

MetroVanIndependent.com April 2015 B15
Lifestyle/Entertainment
SPRING MINGLING IN
METROVANCOUVER
Photo by Bert Morelos
Market! Market!
You don’t need to go to the tiangge and
bazaar in Market! Market! at Fort Bonifacio,
Taguig to be able to enjoy good food and
cheap items to buy! It’s right here in Metro
Vancouver. We have listed every market for
you from night market to farmer’s market
and flea market! So you can enjoy your
Spring beginning this April!
Night Market
Richmond Night Market
Opens in May 15 to October 12
8351 River Road, Richmond (near the River
Rock Casino)
International Summer Night Market
Opens in May 8 to September 27
12631 Vulcan Way, Richmond
North Vancouver Night Market
Every Friday night from 5 to 10 p.m.
Opens in May 1 to September 25
Located at Shipbuilders’ Square, North
Vancouver
Farmers Market
Hastings Park Farmers’ Market – Sundays
March 8 to April 26
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each week
Hastings Skatepark, Renfrew Street,
Vancouver
Yaletown Farmers Market – Thursdays
Thursdays – May 7 to October 29
2 p.m. to 6 p.m. each week
Mainland Street between Davie and
Helmcken, Vancouver
Trout Lake Farmers Market
Every Saturday – May 9 to October 24
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each week
North Parking Lot of John Hendry Park at
Trout Lake, Vancouver
Kitsilano Farmers Market
Every Sunday – May 10 to October 25
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each week
2690 Larch Street at 10th Avenue,
Vancouver
West End Farmers Market
Saturdays – May 10 to October 25
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each week
1100 Block of Comox Street, Vancouver
Flea Market
Kerrisdale Antiques Fair
April 18 & 19, 2015
Kerrisdale Arena, Vancouver
East Side Flea
April 25, 2015
1882 Adanac St (at Victoria)
Commercial Drive, Vancouver
21st Century Flea Market
May 24, 2015
Croatian Cultural Center, Vancouver
Aldergrove Flea Market
Every Saturday and Sunday
April 1 to September 30
7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
264th Street and Fraser Highway,
Aldergrove
Cloverdale Flea Market
Every Sunday from 6:00 a.m to 4 p.m.
Cloverdale Fairgrounds
176th St (Hwy 15) and 62nd Ave., Surrey
Festive Festival!
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
April 2 to 29, 2015
www.vcbf.ca
Eat Vancouver Food & Cooking Festival
April 26 to May 3, 2015
www.eat-vancouver.com
Vaisakhi Festival
Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade
Saturday, April 11, 2015
8000 Ross St at 64th, Vancouver
Surrey Vaisakhi Parade
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar Temple
12885 85th Avenue, Surrey
www.surreyvaisakhiparade.ca/
Easter-egg
Hunting!
Great A-Mazing Egg Hunt at VanDusen
Botanical Garden
5251 Oak St at West 37th Ave (Vancouver)
Saturday, April 4th & Sunday, April 5th from
10:00am to 2:00pm
Renfrew Community Centre
2929 E 22nd Ave (Vancouver)
Saturday, April 4th from 12:30 to 3:00pm
Easter Egg Hunt at Roundhouse
Community Centre
181 Roundhouse Mews (Yaletown,
Vancouver)
Saturday, April 4th from 9:30am to 2:15pm
False Creek Community Centre
1318 Cartwright St (Granville Island,
Vancouver)
Saturday, April 4th from 10:30am to
12:00pm
Sunset Community Centre
6810 Main St (Vancouver)
Sunday, April 4th from 10:00am to 12:00pm
North Vancouver Host Lions Annual Easter
Egg Hunt
Heywood Park (Marine Drive at Hamilton,
North Vancouver)
Saturday, April 4th from 10:30am to
12:00pm
Heywood Park Easter Egg Hunt
Heywood Park (1621 Hamilton Ave, North
Vancouver)
Saturday, April 4th from 10:30am to
12:00pm
Easter at Maplewood Farm
Maplewood Farm (405 Seymour River
Place, North Vancouver)
Sunday, April 5th from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Dundarave Easter Egg Hunt
Dundarave Village (2400-2500 block Marine
Drive, West Vancouver)
Saturday, April 4th at 11:00am to 12:00pm
Easter Eggstravaganza in Richmond
South Arm Community Centre (8880
Williams Rd, Richmond)
Saturday, April 4th from 9:30am to 12:30pm
Eco-Easter Egg Hunt at Colony Farm
Colony Farm Regional Park (Colony Farm
Rd, Port Coquitlam)
Saturday, April 4th from 10:00am to
12:00pm
Very Victorian Easter at Historic Stewart
Farm in Surrey
13723 Crescent Road (Surrey)
Saturday, April 4th from 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Fort Langley Easter Egg Scramble
23433 Mavis Ave (Langley)
Sunday, April 4th from 11:00am to 3:00pm
Easter Extravaganza at the Museum in Port
Moody
Port Moody Station Museum (2734 Murray
St, Port Moody)
Sunday, April 4th from 10:00am to 2:00pm
Township 7 Winery Annual Easter Festival
Township 7 Winery (21152 16th Ave at 212th
St, Langley)
Sunday, April 4th from 12:00pm to 4:00pm

B16
April 2015
MetroVanIndependent.com