JANUARY 2021 www.filipinosmakingwaves.com TORONTO, CANADA

WaV es

Canadian Waves

Ontario addresses

confusion about

stay-at-home rules

Page 3

Politics

Premier Ford boots

York-Centre MPP

for anti-lockdown

letter

Page 3

FILIPINOS MAKING

VOL. 11

NO. 1

PH allows Filipinos with medical emergencies to come home from nations with COVID variant

A limited number of passengers pass through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on De-cember 22, 2020, 3 days before Christmas. The volume of passengers going to the provinces for the holidays drastical-ly dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Filipinos with medical emergencies arriv-ing from countries with new COVID-19 variants are allowed to enter the Philip-pines as long as they follow strict pandemic protocols, the government said Mon-day.

The Philippines had ex-tended until the end of the month a ban on travelers from 32 countries earlier included in the restriction to halt the spread of more contagious COVID-19 vari-ants.

(Continued on page 5)

Canada is among the countries listed in Philippines’ travel ban.

Fil-Can DJ asks government to do better after putting his life savings into new restaurant A Toronto DJ who poured his life savings into his new Queen West restau-rant says his business might not be able to make it past lockdown without better support from the government.

Bar'Kada owner Jordan Rulloda opened his res-taurant in November 2020.

The business owner and

(Continued on page 4) Jordan Rulloda aka DJ TILT

46th President of the United States

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.

Religious

Catholic leaders

respond to Binden’s

call for Unity

Page 14

Philippine Waves

Duterte: National

recovery “within

sight” as PHL se-

cures Covid-19 shots

Page 5

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)

Donald Trump becomes 1st US president

to be impeached twice

Page 8

US Vice President Kamala Harris

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris presides over the Senate swearing in ceremony as the new Senate President. Harris became the first woman vice-president, the first Black person, the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice presidency and the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in the U.S. government.

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednes-day, declaring that "democracy has prevailed" and summoning American resilience and unity to con-front the deeply divided nation's historic confluence of crises.

Swearing the oath with his hand on a five-inch-thick Bible that has been in his family for 128 years, Biden came to office with a well of empathy and resolve born by personal tragedy as well as a depth of experience forged from more than four decades in Washington. At age 78, he is the oldest

president inaugurated.

At the Capitol, with the American tradition of peaceful transfers of power never appearing more frag-ile, the quadrennial cere-mony unfolded within a circle of security forces evocative of a war zone and

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Page 2 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES Toronto’s “FEEL GOOD” Filipino Community Newspaper

January 2021 Page 3

Filipinos Making WAV ES WAVES NEWS—CANADA

————— Ontario’s Stay-At-Home Order —————

January 14 to (at least) February 11

Ontario addresses confusion about new stay-at-home rules Effective Thursday, January 14, 2021at 12:01 a.m., the government issued a stay-at-home order requir-ing everyone to remain at home with exceptions for permitted purposes or activities, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, for exercise or for work where the work cannot be done remotely. This order and other new and existing public health restrictions are aimed at limiting people's mobility and reducing the number of daily contacts with those outside an immediate household. In addition to limiting outings for these purposes, all businesses must ensure that any em-ployee who can work from home, does work from home.

These new public health measures will help stop the spread of COVID-19 by reducing concerning levels of mobility as the province continues its vaccine rollout and ramps up to mass vaccination when the federal government is able to provide the necessary supply to do so.

Ontario's stay-at-home order left many residents confused about what is, and what isn't, considered essential.

The stay-at-home order will remain in effect for at least 28 days. Unless an outing is con-sidered essential, Ontario res-idents are being ordered to stay home at all hours.

The confusion surrounding the rules also prompted the provincial government to re-lease a list of answers to the most-asked questions they have received.

"A common theme is recog-nizing government's inability to implement a single set of restrictions that are perfectly responsive to the unique cir-cumstances of every single Ontarian," a spokesperson for Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday. "How someone in downtown Toronto adheres to the stay-at-home order, where there is easy and im-mediate access to online shopping or a big-box retailer, will look very different than someone in a rural or remote area who relies on smaller, independent retailers, many of which are limited to curb-side pickup or delivery."

"As such, and as we have from the very outset of this pan-demic, we will continue to rely on the best judgment of Ontarians as they stay at home as much as possible and only leave their homes for essential purposes."

Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about the stay-at-home order:

What is considered an es-sential trip?

The Ontario government ad-mitted they can't determine what is essential for every person in the province, but provided a list of categories people should consider before leaving their home, which include food, health-care ser-vices (including medication), exercise, or work when someone’s job can’t be done at home.

Is there a limit on the num-ber of times someone can leave their home in a day?

No, but all trips should be considered essential.

Is there a time limit for how long people can leave their homes?

No, but the government said people should spend as little time as possible outdoors.

Why can people still gather in groups of five outdoors?

The province said the outdoor gathering limit of five is in recognition of the fact that some people live alone and may require the company or support of others for their mental and physical well-being. People gathering out-side are expected to adhere to physical distancing measures and are being strongly urged to wear a mask.

What is considered essen-tial work?

The stay-at-home order does not define what work or jobs are essential, the government said. Rather, it now mandates that anyone who can work from home must now do so.

Why hasn't the province defined who can or should work from home?

The Ontario government said it can’t review millions of job descriptions to determine who can work from home. They said they are relying on the “best judgement and com-mon sense of employers” to make those decisions. If an employee believes they should be working from home, they can contact the Ministry of Labour to file a health and safety complaint.

Why is the province issuing a stay-at-home order while also permitting curbside pickup?

The government said that this question assumes every single person in Ontario has easy access to online shopping or that there is a big-box retailer in their community. "This isn't

the case for many Ontarians who live in rural and remote areas," Ford's spokesperson said.

Can people leave home to exercise? Can I go to my lo-cal playground or basket-ball court?

Yes, exercise is considered an essential reason for leaving your home. What that means will be unique to each individ-ual Ontarian, the government said. "Some may wish to go for a walk around the block, while others may wish to go to a local basketball court with their household to shoot some hoops."

Ontarians are recommended to consult their local public health unit or municipality to understand what recreational amenities are open in their community.

How will the government know who is out for legiti-mate reasons and who isn't?

The province said that resi-dents will have a duty to iden-tify themselves when a police officer has "reasonable and probable grounds" that there has been a breach of the or-ders made under the Emer-gency Management and Civil Protection Act.

Is a housekeeper still al-lowed in my home?

Yes. Domestic services like housekeeping, cooking, in-door and outdoor cleaning and maintenance services are allowed but only to support children, seniors and vulnera-ble persons.

What about real estate showings?

Real estate showings, includ-ing pre-sale construction, are only available by appoint-ment. Open houses are pro-hibited.

Are restaurants still open for takeout and delivery?

Restaurants and bars aren't affected by the new rules and can remain open for take out,

(Continued on page 4)

GTHA big-box safety blitz found 36 stores in violation of rules With the stay-at-home order in Ontario, the government introduced enhanced enforce-ment measures to reduce mo-bility and monitor compliance of consumers and business establishment to public health rules and guidelines.

Safety inspectors found more than 30 businesses violating COVID-19 safety rules during a big-box blitz across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Develop-ment said Sunday.

The ministry said that inspec-tors visited 110 stores on Sat-urday and found 31 stores in violation of provincial orders, which is equal to about 70 per cent compliance.

The government said 11 for-mal warnings and 11 tickets were issued on Saturday as a result of the blitz.

Five additional stores were found violating health orders on Sunday, Labour Minister Monte McNaughton told CP24.

The ministry did not name the stores they said were found violating the orders.

More than 34,000 COVID-19-related workplace inspections have happened since the be-ginning of the pandemic.

Labour Minister Monte

McNaughton has said inspec-tors are focusing on compli-ance with masking and physi-cal distancing rules, as well as other health guidelines. He said they have the authority to temporarily shut down facili-ties found to be breaching the rules, and to disperse groups of more than five people.

Premier Doug Ford, who has faced criticism for allowing big-box stores to remain open for on-site shopping while smaller businesses are re-stricted to curbside pickup or online sales, vowed this week to crack down on big lineups and other infractions at large retailers.

The weekend blitz comes days after the province enacted an order requiring residents to stay at home for all but essen-tial purposes, such as shop-ping for groceries or accessing health care. ∎

Labour Min. Monte McNaughton

Ford boots York Centre MPP from caucus after anti-lockdown letter By Iain Sherriff-Scott

Ontario Premier Doug Ford booted York Centre MPP Roman Baber from the Pro-gressive Conservative cau-cus on Friday, after Baber sent a letter to the premier urging him to lift public-health restrictions and let Ontarians “get back to nor-mal life.”

Baber’s letter, which argues that “the lockdown is dead-lier than COVID,” was sent to Ford this morning. Shortly after, the Tory cau-cus held an emergency meeting to decide Baber’s fate, which ended in Ford removing Baber from his

caucus.

Baber became the fourth Progressive Conservative (PC) member to be re-moved from caucus since 2018, and the second to be kicked out for diverging from the government on pandemic policy. Independ-ent MPP Belinda Karahalios was booted out last sum-mer for voting against the government’s emergency COVID legislation.

“Mr. Baber’s comments are irresponsible,” Ford wrote in a statement. “By spread-ing misinformation, he is

(Continued on page 6)

Page 4 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES WAVES NEWS—CANADA

longtime DJ, who moonlights as DJ Tilt, replaced the soul food staple Harlem Under-ground at 745 Queen St. W. with a menu of Filipino eats.

He had hoped to open in spring, but thanks to COVID-19, the launch of Bar'kada was forced to delay.

Now three months into the pandemic, Rulloda has re-leased a video message to his followers on his personal Instagram detailing the struggles of owning a restau-rant during COVID-19, espe-cially if it launched in 2020.

"I need your help and sup-port now more than ever," says Rulloda.

"It's been a dream of mine to open up a place finally in the city. It took literally 10 years of my life for this dream to finally come true. Searching for this perfect place, it was love at first place when I saw it, and we signed the lease and began renovations in late 2019," he says.

"All my life savings I put into this project, all along not knowing what was to come: COVID-19."

Rulloda says that, on top of losing all his DJ gigs since March, Bar'kada is ineligible for the federal and provin-cial governments' CECRA program, which does not subsidize small businesses that opened on or after March 1, 2020.

The business is now ex-pected to pay all their pricey Queen West rent on takeout and delivery alone, with no wage subsidies or loans.

A few days into Ontario's latest stay-at-home order, businesses are being forced to roll with yet another punch, one which has sent a wave of Toronto restaurants into temporary closure once more.

"When Doug Ford says we're all in this together, I can as-sure you, we most certainly are not," says Rulloda.

The restaurant owner is now

asking his followers to con-tact their Ontario MPs and MPPs about better business relief, to shop local, and to support Bar'kada through takeout and delivery, if they can.

"I just wanna let people know the big gap with new businesses in 2020," said Rulloda to blogTO.

"We don't receive any of the government's support that they have been saying," he said. "Reaching out so peo-ple understand [what] they see on the news." Tanya

Mok/blogTo ∎

(Continued from page 1)

Bar’kada restaurant at 745 Queen St W.

Fil-Can DJ asks government to do better after putting his life savings into new restaurant

drive-thru, and delivery only.

Can I get my car serviced or buy a new vehicle?

According to the government, vehicle and equipment repair and essential maintenance and vehicle and equipment rental services are available by appointment only. The same applies to the sale of all motor vehicles.

Can I still attend my in-person driving instruction?

No. In-person driving instruc-tion is not permitted, except for instruction for drivers of commercial motor vehicles.

Can I go outside for a walk or go skating at a public rink?

Going outside for exercise is permitted, including walking your dog, running and ice skating at a public rink. How-ever, the government says it prefers if residents would re-main home.

Can I go to my cottage or secondary residence?

No. The government says that because it is asking residents to stay home, trips to a cot-tage or secondary residence should be avoided, unless it is for an essential purpose like emergency maintenance.

I booked a short-term rent-al getaway. Can I still go?

No. The province says that pre-arranged bookings for short-term rentals at hotels, motels, lodges, cabins, cottages, re-sorts are prohibited, with ex-ceptions for housing require-ments.

Are cannabis dispensaries still open?

Yes. Cannabis dispensaries are open for curbside pick-up or delivery only, but only from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. As well, an item can only be provided for curbside pickup if the patron ordered the item before arriv-ing at the business premises.

What about alcohol sales?

You can still purchase alcohol at a licensed retailer, but only between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

When do the measures end?

The measures announced Tuesday are scheduled to be in place until at least Feb. 11.

Are places of worship al-lowed to operate?

The government says that religious services, rites or cer-emonies, as well as wedding and funeral services, are per-mitted so long as face cover-ings are worn and physical

distancing can be maintained. Capacity must be capped at 10 people both indoors and out-doors, regardless of the size of the venue.

Drive-in services, rites or cer-emonies are also permitted, subject to certain conditions. Virtual services are also per-mitted.

My significant other and I live in separate houses, but usually stay over with each other, are we still going to be able to do this?

Individuals who live alone, as well as single parents, can have "exclusive, close contact" with another household to help reduce the negative im-pacts of social isolation, the government says.

Can I go see a movie at the drive-in?

Concert venues, theatres and cinemas are closed, including drive-in or drive-through events.

We usually go for late-night drives to get out of our house for a bit. I am assum-ing this is still allowed since it says drive-through and take out still is?

While there’s no guidance on leisurely driving, the govern-ment says it “cannot deter-mine what is essential for eve-ry person in this province, each with their own unique circumstances and regional considerations.”

That said, intra-provincial travel is not recommended.

Are dentists considered es-sential in this lockdown, I do not mean for emergen-cies, just a cleaning?

Dentists may continue to see patients for emergency and non-emergency appoint-ments. Members of the public are only also permitted to enter a shopping mall that house a dental office or phar-macy.

What about massages?

Registered massage therapists are regulated health profes-sionals in Ontario and remain open, with reduced capacity, during the stay-at-home or-der.

Can I go snowmobiling? To-bogganing?

Snowmobile, cross country, dogsledding, snow-shoe, skat-ing trails and tobogganing hills are permitted to open, subject to conditions.

For more information on public health measures and re-strictions, https://covid-19.ontario.ca/zones-and-restrictions

(Continued from page 3)

Ontario addresses confusion about new stay-at-home rules... Younger Canadians moving away

from big cities at record levels

By Erik Hertzberg

A record number of Canadi-ans left major urban centers last year amid the pandemic, led by youth and young fam-ilies.

The nation’s three largest cities -- Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver -- saw a sharp jump in the number of citizens moving to suburbs, smaller towns and rural are-as, according to Statistics Canada data released Thurs-day. A total of 87,444 people left those three cities be-tween July 2019 and July 2020 for other parts of the same province, up from an average annual exodus of 72,686 the previous three years.

It’s not a new phenomenon. People have been leaving the big cities in large num-bers the last few years, re-placed by new immigrants. But the pandemic has accel-erated the trend, particular-ly among younger cohorts.

Nearly a third of the in-crease in outflows were be-

tween the ages of 15 to 29, and 82 per cent were people under 45.

The trend has had a clear impact on housing mar-kets, where large suburban homes have seen the big-gest increases in home val-ues over the past year. ∎

January 2021 Page 5

Filipinos Making WAV ES WAVES NEWS—PHILIPPINES

Almost a majority of Filipi-nos are not inclined to get vaccinated against the coro-navirus disease (COVID-19), based on a latest Pulse Asia survey.

Filipino adults raised con-cerns on the safety of these newly developed vaccines as different countries launched their immunization pro-grams.

The survey revealed that 95% of Filipinos said they are aware vaccines are being developed.

Only 47% said they would

not get vaccinated, while 32% expressed willingness, and the remaining 21% said they were undecided.

The survey also showed that 84% of those who said they don’t want to be vaccinated cited safety as their main reason.

On the other hand, 7% of the respondents are worried the vaccines might not be free, another 5% believed inocu-

lation is not required to com-bat the disease, and 4% said the vaccines might be expen-sive.

Pulse Asia also reported that 41% of Metro Manila resi-dents said they would not get vaccinated, as did 48% in Mindanao, and 43% in Clas-ses ABC.

Pfizer and AstraZeneca have applied for emergency use authorization in the Philip-pines.

The government hopes to start its vaccination program in May. ∎

The Department of Health earlier recommended "a strict mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers from countries" with re-ported cases of the new variant.

Foreign spouses of Filipi-nos cannot enter the coun-try unless it's a medical emergency, said National Task Force spokesperson Retired Gen. Restituto Pa-dilla.

"Ang pwede po ay medical emergencies. Meron pong provision sa pinalabas na mga abiso, na pag meron pong emergency lalo na po 'yung medical, maaaring payagan provided na makipagcoordinate lang sa mga awtoridad," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(Medical emergencies are allowed. There provisions in the guidelines that if there's an emergency, espe-cially if it's medical, they might be allowed if they coordinate with authori-ties.)

Filipino migrant workers are still discouraged to re-turn home for vacation as they would have to under-go a strict 14-day quaran-tine, Padilla said.

"Ang abiso po ay wag na po tutuloy kasi di lang po tayo ang naghihigpit... Iniingatan po natin ang pagkalat ng mga bagong variant na ito," he said.

(The advise is not to come home because we're not th e only ones with re-strictions. We want to avoid the spread of these new variants.) abs-cbn.com

(Continued from page 1)

PHL allows Filipinos with medical emergencies to come home from nations with covid variant

PULSE ASIA: Nearly 50% of Pinoys not inclined to get COVID-19 vaccine

Jamane Punzalan

MANILA — President Ro-drigo Duterte said national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is "within sight" as the Philippines secures vaccine jabs against the respiratory dis-ease that has led to nearly a year-long lockdown and economic recession.

Duterte said this in a taped message as local govern-ment units and private firms helped lock in 17 mil-lion doses so far of the COVID-19 vaccine from British drugs group Astra-Zeneca.

"There is light at the end of the tunnel. National recov-ery is within sight. As we bounce back and heal as

one, I commend the busi-ness community and the LGUs for your ramping of support for our nation’s fight against COVID-19," the President said.

Duterte pledged his "full support" for the initiative that he called "bayanihan at work."

"We now have the weapon to defeat this virus – the vaccine. And let us win the war and save lives and live-lihood," he said. The Philippines has also secured 25 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinovac Biotech, and 30 million doses from the Serum Institute of In-dia.

The country might also re-ceive an initial vaccine batch from SU-based Pfizer and Russia's Gamaleya In-stitute in February, said Malacan ang.

The Philippines has trailed regional peers in securing vaccines, with which it hopes this year to inoculate 70 million people, or two-thirds of its population.

The government has also had difficulties convincing the public to use vaccines in recent years and an opinion poll last week showed less than a third of people were willing to get inoculated against the coronavirus, with concerns over safety. ABS-CBN News

Duterte: National recovery 'within sight' as Philippines secures COVID-19 shots

President Rodrigo Duterte addresses the public from the Malacañang Golf (Malago) Club-house in Malacañang Park, Manila on Jan. 13, 2021. Richard Madelo, Presidential Photo

500 years giant solar art lights up 100 days countdown to Victory at Mactan

The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philip-

pines (2021 QCP) is a series of observances organized to

mark the 500th anniversary of various events in the Philip-

pines, notably the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines,

the role of the country in the Magellan–Elcano circumnaviga-

tion, and the victory of Lapu-Lapu in the Battle of Mactan.

Liter of Light hand-built the large-scale quincentennial com-memorations logo at the Luneta Park in Manila. Drone shots by Paulo Sarayba

The Quincentennial Com-memorations of the Philip-pines’ 500 years logo was rendered as a giant solar art installation at the Luneta Park in Manila and lit up to signal the 100 days countdown to Lapu Lapu’s Victory at Mactan on April

27, 2021.

The quincentennial solar logo was revealed on Janu-ary 17, 2021, as the Philip-pines launched the count-down to the 500th anniver-sary of Filipino heroism

(Continued on page 9)

Page 6 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES A NEW YEAR WELCOME

Teresa Torralba, PUBLISHER Mon Torralba, Managing Editor

Office: 12 Briar Path, Brampton ON L6T 2A2

For advertising: filipinonewswaves@gmail.com 647 718-1360

For Editorial Submissions: wavesnews247@gmail.com 647 707-7201

Waves News is published monthly by Mentor Productions and distributed free in the Greater Toronto Area and vicinities. Editorial or advertising inquiries may be sent directly to wavesnews247@gmail.com. Articles are copyrighted by their authors. Any re-posting or re-publication online or in print is prohibited without the written permission by Waves News and its editors. While submissions are welcome, the editors reserve the right to refuse and/or edit unsolicited materials. Any publication included in this newspaper and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of WAVES News and its publishers, but remain solely those of the author(s).

2021 - THE 21ST YEAR OF THE 21ST CENTURY

The New Year and the Era of the Pandemic

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

Are we in the "winter of despair" as Charles Dickens had described it, or we're on the brink because of the coronavirus pandemic? We welcome the New Year and with its arrival comes prayers and hope we would overcome the challenges of the recent past that are still in our midst. In this era of the pan-demic, we greet the Year 2021 with less ostentation and more caution for good reason - mankind's survival is at stake.

TORONTO - The year just passed wasn't virtual. All the world around it was and continues to be. The pandemic era is also the era of the virtual. Activities we took for grant-ed have been snatched from us by that omnipres-ent enemy so deadly we can only pray and hope for re-lief. Little by little, however, science is on the vanguard to tame if not conquer the vicious beast altogether. Now it's the second year of the decade of the 2020s, the 21st year of the 21st centu-ry, and the 21st year of the third millennium. That's a long challenging stretch from the time we saw the light of day and the many experiences, joyful and poignant, we've had that had accompanied them. I am reminded of the fol-lowing passage from Charles Dickens' historical novel "A Tale of Two Cities" where he wrote: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the

epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair . . . " Well, the "spring of hope" he adverts to is a good 77 days away on March 20, 2021. Hopefully, the winter we're currently in would not be a "winter of despair". When the year 2021 came knocking at the door at the stroke of midnight, we quickly embraced it minus the fanfare. We were so-bered while deep in our hearts we envision it to be fruitful in many ways, a score better than all the years prior, blessed, and back again to where we'd left off. We rang in the new year with the pealing of church bells and a colorful explo-sion of fireworks in keeping with tradition, and ancient beliefs, that doing such things would banish the evil that had visited us the previous year and once ex-pelled, to remake our lives again comfortable and hap-py.

We're caught in the mo-ment thinking of a brighter future than we're currently stuck in. We dream of in-stances where, again, con-versations mean sharing a meal, having coffee, taking snacks, or laughing over jokes. We ache for company beyond people around us. We fancy strolling, running, jogging, biking, or hiking in

parks, urban forests, or within the neighborhood. We want friends to visit and us to visit with them at a moment's notice and drive to wherever our in-terests take us. Those are invaluable things we hank-er for. Welcoming the New Year within the confines of our homes, constrained by rules intended to safeguard our own, and the communi-ty's health proves we could be content and compliant with what our individual circumstances dictate what to do. We behave, we follow the rules, we abstain from fan-cy festivities in favor of the austere enjoyment with family and close friends, and in the process, we re-discover the importance and loveliness of being with kindred folks. So different this New Year's day event was that we al-most forgot we're marking the passage of time made significant by how it messes our lives and how we try to rebuild.

Not since last year when the word pandemic sneaked into our daily vo-cabulary. COVID-19 was unheard of then. But its full, horrifying meaning could be found in the millions of lives it has taken and infect-ed. The disease has caused untold consequences in our way of life and in public governance. We can not engage in the frivolities of the past, not even celebrate the holidays now gone and upcoming, or we let ourselves be suscep-tible to the contagion. The "new normal" isn't nor-mal when it displaces us, uproots us from individual and family relations, re-moves us from the simple day-to-day reality of living a life without fear, without the anxiety of being knocked off our usual un-dertakings. Year 2021 would not be the same as the year before it. We will be more restrained in our activities, more care-ful than we have ever been, more cheerful in confront-ing life's challenges. ∎

"Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring,

happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go; Ring out the

false, ring in the true".

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

undermining the tireless ef-forts of our front-line health-care workers at this time, and he is putting people at risk. I will not jeopardize a single Ontarian’s life by ig-noring public health advice.”

In his letter, Baber argued that the current lockdown is ineffective and doing more

damage than it’s preventing.

“The lockdown isn’t work-ing,” he wrote. “It’s causing an avalanche of suicides, overdoses, bankruptcies, divorces, and takes an im-mense toll on our children. Dozens of leading doctors implored you to end the lockdowns.”

Citing research from the Ca-nadian Mental Health Associ-ation (CMHA), Baber claimed that lockdown measures are causing an increase in suicid-al thoughts across all age groups. But on Friday after-

noon, the CMHA released a statement disputing Baber’s claims.

“Sadly, the MPP has mischar-acterized CMHA research,” the statement read. “The da-ta shows that suicidal idea-tion has increased, but that’s due to the overall impact of the pandemic.

“At a time when so many On-tarians are struggling, we are disappointed that the MPP has, for political purposes, misconstrued statistics about the sensitive subject of suicidal ideation.”

Baber also argued that the pandemic has been “largely limited” to long-term care homes.

“With all (long-term care) residents in ‘red zones’ to be vaccinated by Jan. 21, Ontar-io should end the lockdown (and) the catastrophic toll it’s causing Ontarians,” Baber wrote.

In response, the Ontario gov-ernment released a “fact sheet” disputing the individ-ual claims made in his letter, including that Ontario has ample ICU capacity, and that

the death rate from the virus is low enough to merit lifting restrictions.

More than 5,200 people have died of COVID-19 in Ontario since the pandemic began. Last week, the province re-leased another round of modelling — which Baber called “almost always wrong” — that projects On-tario’s health-care system could reach capacity and 100 people could die each day in the coming weeks.

(Continued from page 3)

Ford boots Baber from caucus after anti-lockdown...

January 2021 Page 7

Filipinos Making WAV ES FILIPINO AMERICANS MAKING WAVES

Miami Heat’s Fil-Am coach Erik Spoelstra voted NBA’s Best Head Coach

By Alyssa Leyda Aldemo

Spoelstra topped 3 out of 6 categories for coaches in the NBA survey.

Filipino-American coach Erik Spoelstra of NBA team Miami Heat has been voted as the Best Head Coach in the 2020-2021 NBA season.

Spoelstra, whose mother hails from San Pablo City, Laguna, grabbed the 3 top spots out of 6 categories for “coaches” in the 19th annu-al NBA.com General Manag-ers (GM) Survey published on December 18, 2020, by John Schuhmann of

NBA.com.

The 50-year-old coach was voted “Best Head Coach in the NBA” with a 46% rat-ing, way ahead of Nick Nurse of Toronto Raptors and former best head coach Gregg Popovich of San An-tonio Spurs who tied at 18%.

Erik Spoelstra, who became the first Filipino and first Asian to ever coach an NBA team, also earned the most votes for a head coach who is the “best manager/motivator of people,” gar-nering a 32% rating over-taking Popovich again who got 21% and Steve Kerr of

Golden State Warriors with 18%.

The poll also revealed that the Fil-Am talent makes the best in-game adjustments by registering a 26% rating surpassing Rick Carlisle of Dallas Mavericks who got 19% and 3rd placers Nurse and Brad Stevens of Boston Celtics who both earned 15% ratings.

“The GMs responded to 33 different questions about the best teams, players, coaches, and offseason moves. General managers were not permitted to vote for their own team or per-sonnel. Percentages are

based on the pool of re-spondents to that particular question, rather than all 30 GMs,” wrote Schuhmann.

The Fil-Am tactician rallied a huge win for Miami Heat in previous years as he led his team to four consecu-tive NBA Finals appearanc-es from 2011 to 2014 which gave Heat back-to-back championship titles in 2012 to 2013 thanks to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Spoelstra also made his fifth appearance in the NBA Finals as head coach in 2020.- goodnewspilipinas.com∎

Coach Erik Spoelstra

Page 8 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES NEWS

Donald Trump is the first US president to be impeached twice WASHINGTON – The US House of Representatives voted Wednesday to im-peach President Donald Trump on a single article of incitement of insurrection, making him the first presi-dent in US history to be im-peached twice.

The 232-197 vote now sends the matter to the Senate for a trial that is expected to begin after Biden is sworn on Jan. 20. In all, 10 Republi-cans broke with their presi-dent in supporting his re-moval from office.

That is a far cry from Trump's first impeachment when House Republicans uniformly rejected his oust-er. That effort resulted in Trump's Senate acquittal in February 2020.

This time, the House weighed a sole article of im-peachment that accuses Trump of attempting to fo-ment insurrection for his role in last week's deadly siege of the Capitol.

Addressing a rally of his sup-porters assembled less than 2 miles from the federal leg-islature on Jan. 6, Trump re-peated his claims that the Nov. 3 presidential election was stolen, telling the crowd they must "fight like hell" as lawmakers prepared to cer-tify Electoral College votes that would eventually ce-ment President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

"Our country has had enough, and we will not take it anymore," he told the gathering, many of whom later flooded the Capitol as lawmakers were certifying Electoral College results. "We will stop the steal."

Trump and his political allies have continued to tout the allegations despite succes-sive legal defeats, including before the Supreme Court, in which they were dismissed. Federal investigations urged by Trump also found no evi-dence to support them.

In all, five people died when a mob of his supporters be-sieged the US Capitol build-ing, overrunning police as they barged into Congress through broken doors and windows. Among the dead was Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.

Trump is just the third presi-dent in US history to be im-peached, and should the Sen-ate vote to convict him of the incitement to insurrection charge that would mark the first time the chamber suc-cessfully tried an impeach-ment article. The only other presidents to be impeached have been Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson.

Under impeachment rules, the chamber would need to gather 67 votes for that to happen, and with a 50-50 split in the Senate, it would require 17 Senate Republi-

cans to back the effort.

Outgoing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said shortly after the House's vote con-cluded that he would not be invoking an emergency ses-sion to expedite Trump's trial and that the matter would not be taken up until after Biden is sworn-in to the office next Wednesday.

"Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no final ver-dict would be reached until after President Trump had left office," he said in a state-ment. "In light of this reality, I believe it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days com-pletely focused on facilitat-ing a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden Ad-ministration."

Security in the nation's capi-tal has reached historic lev-els ahead of Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration with about 20,000 National Guard mem-bers expected to be in Wash-ington, D.C. for the event. (Anadolu)

US President Donald Trump (Samuel Corum/Anadolu photo)

UN chief calls for making 2021 'year of healing' ANKARA – Defining 2020 as the year of trials, tragedies and tears, the UN secretary-general appealed for coopera-tion in tackling global chal-lenges in his year-end address Monday.

"Together, let’s make peace among ourselves and with nature, tackle the climate cri-sis, stop the spread of Covid-19 and make 2021 a year of healing," Antonio Guterres said in a video message.

Touching on the devastating

impacts of Covid-19 around the world during the year such as a rise in poverty, ine-quality and hunger, however, Guterres highlighted that the New Year lies ahead, which has "rays of hope."

If people work together in unity and solidarity, rays of hope can reach all around the world in the next year, he added.

Saying that both climate change and Covid-19 are cri-ses that can only be ad-

dressed by everyone together as part of a transition to an inclusive and sustainable fu-ture, he noted that the central ambition of the UN for the next year is to build a global coalition for carbon neutrality by 2050.

"Healing from the impact of a deadly virus. Healing broken economies and societies. Healing divisions. And start-ing to heal the planet. That must be our New Year’s Reso-lution for 2021," Guterres added. (Anadolu)

devoid of crowds because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Denouncing a national "uncivil war," Biden took the oath at a U.S. Capitol that had been battered by an insur-rectionist siege just two weeks earlier. Then, taking his place in the White House Oval Office, he plunged into a stack of executive actions that began to undo the heart of his polarizing predecessor 's agenda on matters from the deadly pandemic to cli-mate change.

"The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We've learned again that democracy is precious and democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed," Biden de-clared in his speech. "This is America's day. This is de-mocracy's day. A day in his-tory and hope, of renewal and resolve."

The presidential inaugura-tion was held peacefully, barely two weeks after a vio-lent mob of Trump support-ers, incited by the Republi-can president, stormed the building in an attempt to prevent the certification of Biden's victory.

The White House, desolate in Trump's waning days, sprang back to life Wednes-day afternoon, with Biden staffers moving in and new COVID-19 safety measures, like plastic shields on desks, installed.

Biden was enthusiastic to start his work early, with an ambitious first 100 days in-cluding a push to speed up the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations to anxious Americans and pass a $1.9 trillion economic relief pack-age. It included a blitz of ex-ecutive orders on matters that don't require congres-

sional approval -- a mix of substantive and symbolic steps to unwind the Trump years. On Day One, he signed a series of executive actions, including to re-enter the Par-is Climate Accords and to mandate mask wearing on federal property.

"There's no time to start like today," Biden said as he signed the actions in the Oval Office. Then he swore in a group of aides -- virtually -- telling them, "You're my pos-sibilities."

The White House, desolate in Trump's waning days, sprang back to life Wednes-day afternoon, with Biden staffers moving in and new COVID-19 safety measures, like plastic shields on desks, installed.

In the evening, in lieu of the traditional balls that wel-come a new president to Washington, Biden was to take part in a televised con-cert that also marked the return of A-list celebrities to the White House orbit after they largely eschewed Trump. Among those in the lineup: Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The night was capped with a

dazzling display of fire-

works.

Indeed, a new era has began. Biden has promised to do whatever it takes to restore unity in a bitterly divided country faced with a global health crisis that have taken the lives of over 400,000 Americans and still counting. Finally, after four years of political instability and care-less handling of the pandem-ic, Canada’s neighbouring United States has a new president, a devout Catholic, a man with political experi-ence, a man who is trusted to live up to the title of Com-mander-in-Chief. ∎

(Continued from page 1)

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. 46th President of the United States

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (AP Photo/Michael Sohn/Pool - Anadolu Agency

January 2021 Page 9

Filipinos Making WAV ES when the Magellan-Elcano expedition arrived in Cebu in 1521.

The Liter of Light global solar lighting movement hand-built the 500 years logo using 3,000 solar lamps created by volunteer solar engineers during the Asia Pacific Social Innovation (Taiwan) and Startup Energy Transition (Germany)-awarded Light it Forward Challenge campaign.

The event also launched the participation of 500 key officials in the Light it Forward movement to provide environmentally-friendly solar lamps to communities still without electricity.

The new large-scale solar artwork is the fourth installation following the three previous tributes to honor Filipino heroes battling the Covid-19 pandemic around the world. Liter of Light created the largest solar Philippine flag on Andres Boni-facio Day, November 30, 2020, the iconic image of Jose Rizal on December 30, and the largest solar rosary in the world on January 6.

(Continued from page 5)

500 years giant solar art lights up 100 days countdown to Victory at Mactan

A giant solar Philippine flag lit up at the Luneta Park on Bonifacio day (Nov 30) as tribute to Fili-pino frontliners. Photos from Illac Diaz/ Liter of

Light.

The world’s largest solar rosary spans 300 me-ters using 3,000 solar lights. Drone shots by Mi-chael Paulo Sarayba, published with the permis-sion of Liter of Light.

The world’s largest solar portrait paying tribute to the Philippines’ national hero Jose Rizal was lit up on Rizal Day (Dec 30, 2020) at the Luneta Park to commemorate the Filipino polymath’s 124th year of martyrdom.

Congratulations

Norma Carpio was chosen as one of the awardees for The MEGA, the search for Mega-

world's Exemplary Global Achievers. On its maiden

year, The MEGA seeks to honor outstanding individ-

uals in various fields.

Hon. Omar Alghabra was sworn by

Prime Minister Trudeau as the new Minister of

Transport on January 12, 2020. He is a strong voice

for the people of Mississauga Centre.

Page 10 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES

January 2021 Page 11

Filipinos Making WAV ES

Page 12 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES

January 2021 Page 13

Filipinos Making WAV ES LIFESTYLE

It's Time to Finally Clean Out Your Wardrobe with This

Easy, Fail-Proof Method It's time for a fresh (and organized) start.

By Julia Guerra

As we welcome 2021, the sentiment “out with the old, in with the new” has never rang truer. If you have a dire need to purge yourself of the past year, you’re far from alone, nor are you without an array of options to go about doing so. For instance, you could always cement your breakup from 2020 with a new haircut and color (classic), draft a list of “new year, better you” intentions you actually plan to stick with (ambitious), or, my person-al favorite, begin with a closet purge and clean out your wardrobe.

Jen Rowe, a professional organizer and owner of NEAT Method Toronto, tells InStyle that cleaning out your closet can be a daunt-ing task, and oftentimes people will avoid doing it altogether because it’s emo-tional. Whether it’s the out-fit you wore to a close friend’s wedding or the

jeans you wore on your first date with your partner, these types of connections make parting with clothes difficult. However, the se-cret to a successful closet purge isn’t disregarding these emotional ties, says Rowe. Rather, the key is to dissect your wardrobe piece by piece.

While it sounds like quite the undertaking, Rowe is confident that cleaning out your closet can be done in just four easy steps. Read on to find out how.

First, Take Everything Out

Be honest: How many times have you rummaged through your closet looking for a blouse or sweater, on-ly to come across a garment you hadn’t seen, let alone worn, in months (maybe even years)? Probably too many to count. That’s why the first step to a proper closet clean-out is emptying it — as in, taking clothes

down from the closet hang-ing rod, out of drawers, and off shelves, says Rowe. This way, you can take inventory of what you own, uncover hidden gems, and eliminate items you’ll realistically never wear.

Next, Set Up a “Zoning” System

Once everything’s out of the closet (and probably in a heap on your floor or bed), sort items into categories such as tops, denim, workout, etc., to get a sense of structure. From there, Rowe suggests creating what she calls the “discard zones," like a pile to donate, a pile to consign, and a third pile to toss, marked off by DIY signs.

“[The zone method] pre-vents items from getting mixed up as you edit,” Rowe explains. “Donation and consignment items should include items that are still in good condition that just don’t work in your

wardrobe anymore. Also, consider creating a catego-ry for items that you’re not wearing because they need to be mended or tailored.”

Establish Critical Criteria

Now that you have a foun-dation to build off of and designated categories to assign items to, the next step is to actually edit your wardrobe. The best way to do this is to assess each item individually and make a list of critical criteria that needs to be met. This en-sures you’re considering more than whether or not something fits or if it’s still in style.

“Consider if an item is your best, your favorite, or nec-essary,” Rowe tells InStyle. “If it doesn’t fall into one of these categories, consider parting ways with it and put it into its appropriate discard zone.”

Also keep in mind that this process doesn’t have to

happen all at once. Rowe says that if you need a bit more time to think about a particular item or items, take it. You shouldn’t feel pressured to make quick decisions.

Embrace the “One in, One Out” Rule

Once you’ve successfully condensed your wardrobe, the real challenge begins: Maintaining it. Easier said than done, I know, but as long as you follow the one in/one out rule, Rowe swears it’s absolutely doa-ble.

“[The one in/one out rule] means that you don't bring more items into your home unless you're intending to part with an equal num-ber,” she explains. “Keeping this in mind will not only help to manage the size of your wardrobe, but will al-so help to curb impulse buys in favor of meaningful purchases.” (www.instyle.com)

Page 14 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES RELIGIOUS INSPIRATIONS

God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be. So he put His arms around you and whispered ‘Come with Me”.

With tearful eyes we watched you suffer and saw you fade away. Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you

stay. A golden heart stopped beating . Hard working hands at rest. God broke our hearts to prove He only takes the best.

It’s lonesome here without you. We miss you more each day. Life doesn’t seem the same since you’ve gone away. When

days are sad and lonely and everything goes wrong we seem to hear you whisper, “Cheer up and carry on.” Each time we

see your picture, you seem to smile and say, “Don’t cry, I’m in God’s keeping.

We’ll meet again someday.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

Antonio P. Gaerlan July 4, 1966 —January 13, 2021

In Loving Memory

Catholic leaders respond to Biden’s call for unity By Christine Rousselle

Washington D.C., Jan 20, 2021 / 12:30 pm MT (CNA).- Catholic leaders responded to new President Joe Biden’s call for national unity in his inau-gural address on Wednesday.

Biden, the second Catholic to become president of the Unit-ed States, said on Wednesday that “to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words,” and added that “it re-quires the most elusive of all things in a democracy, unity. Unity.”

Biden also quoted St. Augus-tine to underline the need for unity in truth.

“Many centuries ago, St. Au-gustine, a saint in my Church, wrote that a people was a mul-titude defined by the common objects of their love,” he said. These “common objects” that define Americans, said Biden, are “opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor and, yes, the truth.”

He added that “each of us has a duty and a responsibility as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies.”

However, multiple Catholic

thinkers said that Biden left out Augustine’s reference to God in his citation.

Dr. Chad Pecknold, a theology professor at the Catholic Uni-versity of America, noted that “Biden actually failed to quote Augustine in full,” and added that it was “more important still to note that he failed to identify the only common ob-ject of love that Augustine thought mattered for a true commonwealth: God.”

Other Catholic commentators praised Biden’s theme of unity in his address, but emphasized that his policies must match the Church’s teachings--including on abortion and reli-gious freedom.

Dr. Charles Camosy, a theology professor at Fordham Univer-sity and former board member of Democrats for Life of Ameri-ca, praised Biden for attending Mass at St. Matthew’s Cathe-dral on Wednesday morning, along with congressional lead-ers.

Biden’s heart, Camosy said, “is a Catholic one and a deeply Catholic one at that. His deci-sion to pray with Leader McConnell before being inau-gurated shows a deep commit-ment to the kinds of values we would expect from a son of the Church.”

Catholics, Camosy said, should

seek to work with Biden on areas of agreement and hold him accountable when his public policies conflict with the teachings of the Church--including on Biden’s support for taxpayer-funded abortion.

“Happily, he [Biden] believes in his Catholic heart that abor-tion is always wrong,” Camosy said. “This is a foundation on which to build for changing his mind about public policy.”

“There is common ground to be had on abortion, and we owe it to prenatal children and their mothers to seek to find it. No pro-lifer should allow their understandable anger and frustration to lead them to put castigation and vitriol before taking the chance to save lives,” Camosy said.

Mary Rice Hasson, a fellow at the Ethics & Public Policy Cen-ter, said that Biden’s words may have evinced a “‘feel-good’ moment,” but his first actions as president are saying otherwise.

She pointed to Biden’s an-nounced executive order clari-fying that workplace protec-tions against sex discrimina-tion be interpreted to include prohibitions of discrimination on the basis of “sexual orienta-tion” and “gender identity.”

The text of the order “is based on a lie,” Hasson said, “that ‘gender identity’ enables a male person to ‘be’ a woman. So much for truth.”

She added that the order “puts the power of the federal gov-

ernment behind the lie, forcing religious believers—including his [Biden’s] own Church—to bend the knee to the transgender lie or be tagged as bigots and denied participa-tion in federal programs, grants, and benefits.”

However, Fr. James Martin, S.J., editor-at-large of America magazine who offered a pray-er at the 2020 Democratic Na-tional Convention, told CNA that Biden “today invited our country into a time of unity and healing, which is what is needed in these divisive and demonizing times.”

He noted Biden’s specific ref-erences to faith “to remind us that God will help us in our efforts.”

Elsewhere in his address, Biden stressed the need to “set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation.” He cited Psalm 30, reminding those that “weep, ye may en-dure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

“We will get through this to-gether. Together,” he said. Biden paused for a moment of silent prayer for those who had died in the pandemic.

Coming together, said Biden, will help to heal “a broken land.” ∎

Pres. Biden and Vice-Pres Harris , with their spouses and fam-ilies attend religious service before the inauguration.

January 2021 Page 15

Filipinos Making WAV ES

Catch the Waves online at: www.filipinosmakingwaves.com

Toronto’s “FEEL GOOD”

Filipino Community Newspaper

ENTERTAINMENT

Angel Locsin receives Red Cross Spirit of Philanthropy Award

By Margo Hannah De Guzman Quadra

Angel Locsin has been be-stowed the Spirit of Philan-thropy Award by the Philip-pine Red Cross (PRC) or-ganization to honor the Fili-pino actress’ volunteer work in the country.

The “Iba Yan” host shared about receiving the certifi-cate from the Philippine Red Cross in an Instagram post on January 17, 2021, where she wrote her thanks to the non-profit for recog-nizing her humanitarian activities.

The Philippines’ Angel Loc-sin, an active advocate of blood donation, has served fellow Filipinos in their times of need through the years by using her platform and the many advocacies she leads.

Locsin was a Forbes Asia Hero of Philanthropy awardee in 2019. Forbes Asia cited the popular Fili-pino actress for donating a total of 15 million pesos to causes such as educational scholarships for students, supporting the economic and political rights of indig-enous people, and ending violence against women and children.

Last year, Angel Locsin to-gether with Filipino celebri-ty Anne Curtis helped raise funds for coronavirus mass testing in the Philippines.

ABS-CBN actress Angel Loc-sin also wrapped up her #UniTENTweStandPH cam-paign after successfully raising over 11 million pe-sos to assist Filipino COVID-

19 frontliners and patients by setting up tents outside overcrowded hospitals.

Aside from monetary dona-tions and charity work, Loc-sin is inspiring many of her millions of followers on so-cial media to give back. She, along with other Filipino celebrities, banded together to seek donations for the victims of Super Typhoon ‘Rolly’ which was the world’s strongest typhoon in 2020.

The known activist, philan-thropist, and Gen T list hon-oree was also seen extend-ing help to disaster victims of the Taal Volcano erup-tion in January 2020. (goodnewspilipinas.com)

TV5 SIMULCASTS “ASAP NATIN ‘TO” AND “FPJ: DA KING” STARTING JANUARY 24

“ASAP Natin 'To,” the Phil-ippines' longest running musical variety show, and “FPJ: Da King,” will now be seen on TV5 beginning this Sunday, 24 January 2021 at 12:00 nn. Launched in 1995, “ASAP Natin 'To” brings together the biggest and brightest performers to give viewers the best concert experience topbilled by Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano, Sarah Ge-ronimo, Erik Santos, Ogie Alcasid, and Regine Ve-lasquez-Alcasid. Aside from “ASAP Natin ‘To,” TV5 will also begin to air “FPJ: Da King,” a movie block showcasing the films of the “King of Philippine Movies” Fernando Poe Jr. Fans of the Filipino cinema legend can watch “FPJ: Da King” every Sunday from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. “This collaboration be-tween CIGNAL, TV5, Brightlight Productions,

and ABS-CBN marks the start of greater coopera-tion among our various industry players and be-gins a new era of partner-ship,” said Robert P. Ga-lang, president and CEO of Cignal and TV5, “The airing of ASAP and FPJ’s movies on TV5 showcases the de-sires of TV5 and ABS-CBN

to serve our viewers in the best way possible." “We are pleased to wel-come the ASAP family and the films of the one and only king of Philippine movies to Cignal and TV5. The top-rated content, combined with Cignal and TV5's strengths in technol-

ogy, direct-to-consumer distribution, and mobile and broadband reach, will usher in a new viewing ex-perience for fans and sub-scribers alike,” Galang add-ed.

“The future of entertain-ment media is rapidly con-verging around a dynamic

mix of traditional and digi-tal platforms, with Cignal and TV5 launching new content and synergies that will disrupt conventional broadcast methods. We are committed to continuously explore more initiatives to provide the best of both worlds to all our stakehold-ers," he said.

Page 16 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES RELIGIOUS INSPIRATIONS

Joe Biden becomes 2nd Catholic president ever, following JFK

By Caitlin O'kane

After taking his oath as the 46th President of the Unit-ed States, Joe Biden be-comes only the second Catholic president in U.S. history, following John F. Kennedy.

When Mr. Biden was pro-jected winner of the presi-dential race held early No-vember, Catholics around the world reacted to the historic moment.

During his victory speech on November 8, Mr. Biden referenced his faith when he quoted the hymn "On Eagles' Wings," which he said meant a lot to his fami-ly, particularly his late son, Beau, who died of cancer in 2015. "It captures the faith that sustains me and which I believe sustains America," Biden said, before reciting some of the lyrics.

James J. Martin SJ, an American Jesuit priest who serves as a consultant to the Vatican's communica-tions secretary, tweeted about the significance.

"The surprise 'On Eagles' Wings' reference by @JoeBiden, which made my phone buzz like crazy, made me realize: this means four years of not only a Catholic president, but an injection of #Catholic culture into our national conversation in a way probably not seen since JFK," Martin wrote.

Martin also shared a screenshot showing "On

Eagles' Wings" was trend-ing on Twitter in the U.S.

On Thursday, the Biden-Harris transition team an-nounced the president-elected had spoken with Pope Francis. Biden "thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness' leadership in pro-moting peace, reconcilia-tion, and the common bonds of humanity around the world," a statement from the transition team reads.

Biden also expressed to the pope his "desire to work together on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all human-kind on issues such as car-ing for the marginalized and the poor, addressing the crisis of climate change, and welcoming and inte-grating immigrants and refugees into our commu-nities."

Sr. Simone Campbell, an American Roman Catholic Religious Sister, lawyer and activist, also tweeted about Biden. "Congratulations to my friend, and our President-elect, Joseph R. Biden!" she wrote. "I look forward to working with you and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to create a more perfect union."

"Glad that our nation has picked @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris to lead us into a new chapter," Camp-

bell's tweet continued.

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, president of the U.S. Con-ference of Catholic Bishops also issued a statement on the election.

"I believe that at this mo-ment in American history, Catholics have a special duty to be peacemakers, to promote fraternity and mu-tual trust, and to pray for a renewed spirit of true pat-riotism in our country," Gomez said in the state-ment.

"Democracy requires that all of us conduct ourselves as people of virtue and self-discipline. It requires that we respect the free expres-sion of opinions and that we treat one another with charity and civility, even as we might disagree deeply in our debates on matters of law and public policy," he continued.

"As we do this, we recog-nize that Joseph R. Biden, Jr., has received enough votes to be elected the 46th President of the United States. We congratulate Mr. Biden and acknowledge that he joins the late Presi-dent John F. Kennedy as the second United States president to profess the Catholic faith. We also con-gratulate Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California, who becomes the first woman ever elected as vice presi-dent."

(Continued on page 17)

President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris (Twitter photo)

A devotee carries a Sto. Niño statue dressed up as a health worker during a Mass in commemoration of the feast day of the Christ Child outside the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Sto. Niño de Tondo on Sunday. According to historical accounts, the devotion to the Sto. Niño in the Philippines started after Ferdinand Magellan presented a statue of the Child Christ to Rajah Humabon as a baptismal gift in 1521, the first recorded conversion of Filipinos to Christianity 500 years ago.—Jire Carreon, ABS-CBN News

Images from 2 of the most celebrated religious fes-

tivities in Manila amid Covid-19 pandemic

Catholic devotees flock to the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Sto. Niño de Tondo in Manila on the Feast of the Sto. Niño—PHOTO: Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

DEVOTION. Thousands of devotees observe physical dis-tancing as they flock to the Quiapo Church for the annual feast of the Black Nazarene on Saturday (Jan. 9, 2021). Authorities said nearly 300,000 attended Masses in Quiapo Church, Sta. Cruz Church, and San Sebastián Church. (Photo by Avito Dalan

January 9 The feast of the Black Nazarene

January 17 The feast of the Santo Niño

January 2021 Page 17

Filipinos Making WAV ES NEWS

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Under her tutelage, many entrepreneurs have also found success in owning a business and earning great income to supplement their full-time work. Onette is a member of the Primerica Canadian Leadership Council and a member of Women in Primerica Advisory Council.

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On Election Day (Nov 4), Mr. Biden, a devout Catho-lic, started out by attending Mass and visiting the graves of his son, Beau, and his first wife Neilia and infant daugh-ter Naomi, who were both killed in a car crash in 1972.

On Sunday, Mr. Biden did the same, attending Mass with his daughter Ashley and grandson Hunter at St. Jo-seph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilming-ton, Delaware, and then vis-iting his family members' graves.

Mr. Biden's Catholic faith caused few ripples on the campaign trail, in stark con-trast to the attention that surrounded John F. Kenne-dy's religion when he ran for president in 1960. At the time, many Protestants were suspicious about whether Kennedy might place loyalty to the Vatican over U.S. inter-ests, and he gave a widely reported speech reassuring Americans, "I believe in a president whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by

him upon the nation, or im-posed by the nation upon him as a condition to holding that office."

The Pew Research Center notes that while Catholicism "has long been the nation's largest religious denomina-tion," only two other Catho-lics — Democrats Al Smith in 1928 and John Kerry in 2004 — have ever been major par-ty presidential nominees.

Mr. Biden's running mate, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris considers herself a Baptist but also grew up with exposure to her moth-er's Hindu traditions, and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, is Jewish.

"From all of these traditions and teachings, I've learned that faith is not only some-thing we express in church and prayerful reflection, but also in the way we live our lives, do our work and pur-sue our respective callings," Harris said in an interview with the Religion News Ser-vice.

When Harris assumes office, she will make history as the first woman, Black and Asian American vice president, and Emhoff will be the first "second gentleman," the un-official title for spouse to the vice president. cbcnews.com

(Continued from page 16)

Joe Biden will be the 2nd Catholic president after JFK

Lady Gaga, JLo kick off Biden inauguration in style

Jennifer Lopez (left) and Lady Gaga (right) took to the stage and performed during US Presi-dent Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony at the US Capitol.

Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON - Lady Gaga launched Joe Biden's inau-guration ceremony by belt-ing out a classic rendition of the US national anthem, donning a billowing ball gown and enormous dove brooch.

The long-sleeved gown, re-portedly Schiaparelli, fea-tured a fitted navy drop-waist bodice with a demure mock neck collar, a look completed with a volumi-nous scarlet skirt that en-sured she kept her COVID-friendly distance.

"My intention is to acknowledge our past, be healing for our present, and passionate for a future where we work together lovingly. I will sing to the hearts of all people who live on this land," Gaga tweeted ahead of her per-formance.

Following Gaga's perfor-mance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" Jennifer Lopez took the stage, per-forming Woody Guthrie's classic "This Land Is Your Land", a tune with socialist leanings the folk legend is said to have written in re-sponse to the more nation-

alistic "God Bless America."

Bronx-raised with Puerto Rican roots, Lopez finished with "America The Beauti-ful", adding in a line of Spanish: "Siempre con lib-ertad y justicia para to-dos" ("Liberty and justice for all, always").

Sporting a white pantsuit ensemble with a lace ruffle collar, reportedly Chanel, Lopez also shouted "Let's get loud!" during her per-formance, a nod to her turn-of-the-millennium signa-ture hit, delighting social media.

Page 18 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES Shelley Brown aspires to represent York-Centre

in the 2022 provincial elections

Shelley Brown is running for the York Centre Provincial Lib-eral nomination

A highly respected Toronto employment and human rights lawyer is running for the York Centre Provincial Liberal nom-ination.

Shelley Brown is set to contin-ue the legacy of the popular Liberal MPP Monte Kwinter, who represented the riding of York Centre from 1985 until he retired in 2018.

His website (shelleyforyorkcentre.ca) states that Brown has a life-time belief that the Liberal Par-ty is the only viable option for equitable change in our prov-ince.

WAVES News had the oppor-tunity to interview Shelley Brown for this month’s issue for the purpose of introducing him to the thriving Filipino community of York Centre and here below are the questions posed before him and his cor-responding answers:

WAVES: North York Centre is home to thousands of Filipi-no overseas foreign workers and immigrants who require immigration assistance at all times. Do you agree with the current immigration policies put in place by the Liberal government as a means to help and assist the needs of the community? If elected, what steps would you take to put our Filipino community on a firmer footing?

SHELLEY: Immigration is important to ensure that Canada has a population capa-ble of achieving its social and economic needs. To satisfy this requirement numbers alone are not sufficient. We need diversity in those aspir-ing to immigrate so that our country benefits from those who are experienced, educat-ed and dedicated to contrib-uting to its future.

In order to ensure that Canada attracts the best and the brightest it is also critical that we build a society that is inclu-sive, welcoming and which offers new immigrants the opportunity to grow and thrive. We have been lucky to have attracted so many such individuals of Filipino descent. The numbers of Filipino immi-grants have increased sub-stantially since the turn of this century. According to the Em-bassy of the Philippines, in 2016 the Filipino community was Canada’s fourth largest visible minority.

The Philippines represents the third largest source of immi-grants in Canada according to Wikipedia. Toronto is the ma-jor destination for such emi-gres. This has been a benefit to York Centre, Toronto and On-tario in general. The Filipino

community is the largest in the riding.

The processes and policies governing immigration consti-tutionally fall under Federal jurisdiction. Ontario has lim-ited control over those poli-cies. Ontario can voice its opinions, suggestions and con-cerns. These are seriously con-sidered by Ottawa, but the Federal government makes the rules.

That said, Ontario can contrib-ute to making Canada, Toronto and York Centre in particular the primary choice for Filipino Immigration. Ontario needs to invest in the types of social and physical infrastructure to support the Filipino communi-ty. The pandemic has starkly shown how poorly the current Ontario government has re-sponded to the needs of its Filipino residents.

Much of the economic founda-tion of the York Centre Filipi-no community is centered around vulnerable service-oriented work. A large propor-tion of this population works as home care workers, care givers, health service employ-ees and shopkeepers. These positions are not only eco-nomically precarious but put workers at risk for covid-19 infection. These jobs can’t be done virtually. Other than the minority who live close to their places of work or have independent means of transport, public transporta-tion is the only option. As well, as many rely on their wages to make ends meet, they often opt to attend work when feel-ing unwell rather than forego a paycheck.

I believe that insufficient con-sideration has been given to the disparities which have caused these conditions. The province must take immediate steps to redress these danger-ous inequities. Additional bus-es and bus routes are needed. This would help alleviate overcrowding which facili-tates transmission of the virus.

The Province must update and revise its building code to mandate that more open space is available both inside and out thus ensuring more dis-tance between residential and commercial attendees. This would also lower infection rates. Building regulations must also be updated to re-quire better ventilation. Paid sick leave should be imple-mented.

I feel that these and other sim-ilar changes are necessary not only for our Filipino brothers and sisters who are currently living in Ontario but also to assure those who wish to im-migrate here that, as Ontari-ans, we value their communi-ties, the contributions they make, and we care about their futures.

WAVES: Do you think your riding is healthy and suc-cessful? If not, what would you do to change that?

Shelley: York Centre is thriv-ing in many ways. When my family bought our first Toron-to home here in the riding, we were attracted to its diversity, quality schools, affordable housing, green spaces, and dynamic community mem-bers. We lived on Carnival Court south of Steeles, west of Bathurst. To this day, our neighbourhood has people from all over the world featur-ing a diverse range of profes-sional, educational and lan-guage backgrounds.

For me, York Centre reflects the very best of what makes Toronto – and indeed Ontario – a fantastic place to live. But the unfortunate reality is that too many of our residents are struggling. I am concerned that our needs have become more profound due to the cur-rent government’s inadequate response to the pandemic.

The pandemic has shown us that the economic situation is fragile for every resident. Our health care and education sys-tem are in deep trouble. Our transit is going through many challenges getting people back. Our climate change crisis is going. Our affordable hous-ing needs deepen each day.

When Doug Ford weakened rent control protection as one of his first moves in office, he chose landlords over tenants.

One of my top priorities as MPP will be to ensure that the 50 percent of York Centre resi-dents who live in rental units are protected from unneces-sary rent hikes. These are critical problems which pro-foundly affect quality of life, health and the hopes of par-ents for the future of their children. I believe our gov-ernment has a duty to ensure every member of our commu-nity has an opportunity to suc-ceed.

In order to respond to these

questions, the next MPP must be engaged. The next MPP must make a commitment to reach out to constituents and truly learn their aspirations, their struggles and what is needed to address them.

Leaders of the community and experts must be consulted to determine what can and what needs to be implemented so that the appropriate changes will be made. All the re-sources of the community must be involved so that the improvements will truly re-flect the needs of York Centre residents.

WAVES: Do you believe that building new homes and commercial space is im-portant in your riding? Why?

SHELLEY: I do. We need jobs and we need affordable housing. We need to make better use of our public land while preserving York Cen-tre’s residential character. We also have to protect the Green-belt to eliminate sprawl.

We can do that encouraging low rise development in the city that has a affordable com-ponent with coop homes, lane-way housing and other inno-vative housing options.

We need childcare on-site, a library and a community cen-tre. I know MP Ya’ara Saks and our City Councillor James Pas-ternak are working on that.

As we redevelop Downsview Park, balance will be key. Our parks are part of what make us strong and we need to make sure York Centre’s green spaces are preserved. At the same time, the Downsview Park presents great opportu-nities for a seniors’ village.

But above all, York Centre needs to maintain affordable housing, especially for young people and seniors. There have been too many discus-sions and too little action on this issue. All future private sector residential develop-ments must commit to making no less than 10% of its units affordable.

There is no time for delay. The needs of all our residents must be given priority.

WAVES: How do you plan to involve constituents in the decision-making process in our community?

SHELLEY: Should I be successful, it is my intention to be a very engaged MPP. Com-munication and interactive involvement are the founda-tion to allow for successful identification and resolution of issues which inevitably arise.

Only by immersing myself in the community will I become and remain aware of the is-

sues and concerns of my con-stituents. Therefore, I will hold town halls both virtually and (once the pandemic is behind us) in-person on a regular ba-sis.

I will also create a diverse and inclusive team of business, professional, academic, reli-gious and community leaders from the Filipino community which will meet on a monthly basis. The team’s mandate will be to advise me of events re-lating to their respective areas of expertise and of their im-pact on the community.

This team will be one of other similar such teams in the rid-ing. Each will have the same mandate. To keep me advised. To suggest solutions. To warn of potential problems which may arise.

Twice a year a meeting will be held of representatives of each team to discuss issues com-mon to each of them. The pur-pose will be to ensure that there is communication re-garding the riding and to re-solve issues of common con-cern.

Minutes of all such meetings will be available on the con-stituency website. Every con-stituent will thereby have knowledge of everything which is being done and dis-cussed on their behalf. They will also have an opportunity to provide their opinions and insights.

In addition, at the party level, I will ask those in the Ontario Liberal Party who have either shadow cabinet or cabinet responsibility to attend a town hall meeting so that riding constituents will have an op-portunity to hear what is hap-pening and to ask questions.

It is my belief that knowledge is power. I am therefore com-mitted to empowering the Filipino community by provid-ing the mechanisms to become informed and to be engaged. Once the community is in-volved, becomes empowered and sees the fruits of its in-volvement I believe that a rip-ple effect of additional engage-ment will be created.

In addition to the foregoing, I will follow the path which was forged by Monte Kwinter. Like him I intend to keep myself directly available for discus-sion and consultations, as much as possible. During his time as MPP, he was the great communicator. I intend to fol-low in his footsteps.

There is a saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone – If you want to go far, go together”. The Filipino community has certainly travelled far. Togeth-er we can achieve great things. York Centre’s success depends on all of us!! ∎

shelleyforyorkcentre.ca 647-712-1952

shelley@shelleyforyorkcentre.ca

January 2021 Page 19

Filipinos Making WAV ES ENTERTAINMENT

Various Kapamilyas named best in television, radio, and film

ABS-CBN RECEIVES HIGHEST HONORS FOR TV IN THE 5TH GEMS AWARDS

ABS-CBN is off to a good start in 2021 after receiving major awards in the fields of TV, radio, and film in the 5th GEMS-Hiyas ng Sining Awards. The Guild of Educators, Mentors, and Students (GEMS) awarded the “Natatanging Hiyas ng Si-ning sa Telebisyon,” its highest honors for televi-sion, to the Kapamilya net-work for its “outstanding vision, dedication, and com-mitment to excellence in broadcast media.” The award-giving body also hailed “A Soldier’s Heart,” which aired on ABS-CBN and eventually on Kapami-lya Channel, as Best TV Se-ries, while “Ang Sa Iyo ay Akin” stars Iza Calzado and Maricel Soriano won Best

Performance by an Actress (TV Series) and Best Perfor-mance in a Supporting Role (Male or Female – TV Se-ries), respectively.

“ASAP Natin ‘To” host Sarah Geronimo, on the other hand, was given the Best Female Variety Show Host award. For radio, GEMS recognized DZMM TeleRadyo as Radio Station of the Year while “Pasada sa TeleRadyo” won

Best Radio Program (Opinion or Public Service). The show’s anchor Peter Musngi, was also named Best Male Radio Broadcast-er (Opinion or Public Ser-vice). Coming off a successful run in the 2020 Metro Manila

Film Festival, the movie “Fan Girl,” a collaboration of ABS-CBN Films’ Black Sheep, Globe Studios, Pro-ject 8, Epicmedia, and Crossword Productions, clinched Best Film (Indie or Mainstream) as its director Antoinette Jadaone took home Best Film Director (Indie or Mainstream). GEMS, an award-giving-body that recognizes out-standing achievements in the fields of print, stage, radio, television, and film, posted the winners on its Facebook page last January 10. The group is composed of officers and members from various schools, col-leges, universities, and pri-vate entities in the country. For updates, follow @ABSCBNPR on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit www.abs-cbn.com/newsroom.

Best TV Series Maricel Soriano Iza Calzado Sarah Geronimo

Set to take the P-Pop world by storm this 2021 is the newest boy group to emerge on the scene, BGYO, formerly known as the SHA Boys. BGYO is a product of Star Hunt Academy, ABS-CBN’s training platform for talents being honed for the inter-national entertainment stage. In an interview, Star Hunt Management head Laurenti Dyogi said it is part of their plan to get into the idol industry. Star Hunt began the search for the boy group in 2018. Fast forward to 2020, after rigorous training and being away from their families, BGYOs Gelo, Akira, JL, Mik-ki, and Nate, are already ripe for the picking and are

ready to level up on the world stage. The five boys were first seen on the ASAP stage last year performing the “BTS’ hit single “ON.” The perfor-mance received numerous praises from viewers and other artists for their syn-chronized moves. “When I saw them perform in ASAP, I thought to my-self, ‘All the hardships were worth it. It is hard not to support them. Imagine how good they will be in two to three years,’” said Lauren in an interview. One of BGYO’s performanc-es on "It's Showtime" gar-nered around 2 million views, 75,000 reactions, and 3,300 comments on

social media in just one day. The group was also a part of the PBB Connect Opening night and KTX Pre-show: P-Pop Rise and the last Christ-mas Special. BGYO, whose members trend on Twitter every week, is poised to launch its debut single this month via a major online event on KTX.ph. ∎

ABS-CBN launches new P-Pop group for international stage

‘BGYO’ SET TO TAKE THE P-POP WORLD BY STORM

Page 20 January 2021

Filipinos Making WAV ES