APRIL 2020 VOL. 10, NO. 3 TORONTO, CANADA

www.filipinosmakingwaves.com

By Mon Torralba

On November 22, 2019, about three months before we learned of the Covid-19 outbreak, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was on Parlia-ment Hill and met with the then newly re-elected Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

My short memory recalls that before this meeting, the two disagreed in a lot of issues and tension was evi-dent between Queens Park and Ottawa’s Parliament.

The following is an excerpt from a report about that meeting as published by The Canadian Press:

“Ontario Premier Doug Ford is trying to play the part of Canada's peacemaker, ask-ing his counterparts in Otta-wa and in other provinces to turn down the heated rheto-ric and find a way to get along.

"We just have to calm the temperature," he said.

"I can't emphasize it enough. We have to stick together as a country and send the message to the rest of the world that we're Can-ada and we're ready to

move forward."

And so, they moved for-ward to their jobs and to this situation that we are all in now -the unprecedented Covid-19 global pandemic.

This must be the biggest challenge yet for an Ontario premier and a Canadian Prime Minister.

When we started physical distancing, lifestyles have changed. More and more I

am glued to the television waiting for Covid-19 up-dates – from the Federal, Provincial and Municipal teams. Collectively, I con-sider them as Team Canada. After hearing our govern-ment frontliners speak, I feel so lucky that I chose Canada as my home. It be-came clearer that this is, indeed, a great country to live in, in good and bad times.

From Team Canada, I can

feel the care, compassion and the affirmation that our leaders will do their very best to help, protect, safe-guard, comfort and be with every Canadian until we reach the end of this dark tunnel.

With the big challenges that the governments are facing, Trudeau stood up and spoke not just like a leader but more like a true father of a nation. And he and his team continue to look after

our backs. I voted for him and he is proving to me, more than ever, that I made the right choice.

But among all Canadian politicians, Ontario Premier Doug Ford emerged as the biggest surprise in this Covid-19 situation we are all in.

An article written by Mi-chael Taube of Troy Media delineates Ford’s rise as a true leader and this posi-tive image has reached be-yond Canadian boundaries. If you haven’t read this, re-fer to a reprint on page 8.

It is just proper to end this with gratefulness. Thank you to Prime Minister Jus-tin Trudeau and his minis-ters, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his provincial team, Toronto Mayor John Tory and staff. The Filipino community is specially proud of our very own, Chief Medical Officer of To-ronto, Dr. Eileen de Villa, for taking the lead. Grateful for Canada’s frontline healthcare workers, many of them are Filipinos.

Fellow Canadians, we are all in this together. Togeth-er, we will bounce back! ∎

United in Caring for Canadians amid Covid-19. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets Ontar-io Premier Doug Ford on Parliament Hill on November 22, 2019. PHOTO BY ADAM SCOTTI (PMO)

Leaders of Team Canada Rise to the Challenges of COVID-19

Covid-19 Latest Stats

WORLDWIDE

Cases: 2,063,161 Deaths: 136,936

CANADA

Cases: 28, 379 Deaths: 1010

PHILIPPINES

Cases: 5,453 Deaths: 349

Source: Wikipedia, April 16, 2020

UP Manila teacher assembles PPEs, distributes food for homeless

STAY HOME OBSERVE PHYSICAL DISTANCING

TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER

By Jervis Manahan

A young instructor from the University of the Philip-pines-Manila's College of Allied Medical Professions (CAMP) has earned the ad-miration of netizens for go-ing beyond the call of duty amid the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

With classes suspended, Physical Therapy instructor Marvin Louie Ignacio de-votes most of his time as-

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Page 2 April 2020

Filipinos Making WAV ES FILIPINOS MAKING WAVES

Washington Post Features Philippine General Hospital Health Workers in the Frontline Against COVID-19 By Blesilda DeLa Cruz

The Washington Post fea-tured Pinoy health workers at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) who are in the frontlines of the Philip-pines’ battle against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The American daily newspa-per’s photographer Martin San Diego followed a team of PGH anesthesiologists to tell the story of how Filipinos are working tirelessly day and night to stop COVID-19 and prevent the disease from further infecting others. The photos showed real-time situations in Philippine hos-pitals.

The Washington Post article published on April 11, 2020, written by Regine Cabato featured anesthesiology resi-dents Issa Guerrero and Gib-son Ibale and internal medi-cine resident John Jefferson Besa and their experiences while dealing with the dis-ease.

Gibson Ibale is a 29-year-old

third-year anesthesiology resident on duty every other day on 24-hour shifts.

Issa Guerrero is also a third-year anesthesiology resident leading a four-person airway team that takes care of intu-bations- a crucial procedure

for containing the respirato-ry disease.

John Jefferson Besa is a 27-year-old internal medicine resident who shared his first experience of a COVID-19 death.

“One of the biggest things the pandemic removes is the privilege to allow the family to see the patient in their last moments. It strips off that part of humanity that’s very essential,” Besa shared with The Washington Post.

The Washington Post article notes how the Philippines’ doctors, have succumbed to the disease, making up 10% of the total COVID-19 deaths in the country.

Frontline healthcare workers are our modern-day heroes. And it brings us pride that most of them noticeably Fili-pinos.

The reputation of our amaz-ing Filipino health workers as very caring health care providers and their hard work has also been recently recognized and praised by Piers Morgan during the Good Morning Britain show.

“The Saudi Pinoy” vlogger Ahmed Alruwaili’s dedicated two videos to pay tribute to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and Pinoy nurses in the frontlines of the global health crisis.

Prayers, homemade greeting cards, and donations are also continuously pouring to help our frontliners in the fight, to strengthen their faith, and to remind them that we are all in this together. ∎

Issa Guerrero (centre), a third-year anesthesiology resident leads a four-person airway team. Photo Credits: MARTIN SAN DIEGO/WASHINGTON POST

April 2020 Page 3

Filipinos Making WAV ES CANADA NEWS WAVES

It's heartening to know that among the thousands of frontliners in the fight against the global coronavirus disease are Filipinos - medical doctors, nurses, health workers, and others in allied workplaces. A popular broadcaster infected with coronavirus mentions that his doctor is a Filipino. Right here at home in Toronto, a Filipino is also at the head of efforts to safeguard public health while the search for a cure to lick the virus causing the illness continues worldwide.

Filipinos at Forefront of Fight vs. COVID-19

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

TORONTO - The Filipino in me could not hold off saying what amounts to bragging rights. Not at this time, my inner self tells me, when corona-virus persists in devastating populations with its dreaded disease. This article, let me be clear, is not meant to un-derestimate other professionals and workers in the health sector. I'm simply overwhelmed by the realization that Filipinos, many of them un-heard and unrecognized, are doing their best in containing COVID-19 as do others of different ethnicities and racial backgrounds. This Tuesday morning (April 7, 2020) I watched on CNN television journalist Chris Cuomo talked about his struggle battling the coronavirus that currently afflicts him. The "secret to kicking this virus" he calls it and relays the advice to him by an unnamed pulmonary expert, which is to put up a fight. There's really no choice in such a situation. The medicine to cure COVID-19 is yet to be found. (As of 8:30 a.m. Eastern, April 7, Johns Hopkins' Coronavirus Resource Center reports 1,362,936 confirmed cases worldwide, 76,373 deaths and 292,188 recovered). Interestingly, China, where the virus began, prompting President Donald Trump to call it the "China virus", is in sixth place in the rung. The United States tops the number of cases at 368,449; followed by Spain at 140,510; Italy at 132,547; Germany at 103,717; France at 98,984; and China at 82,718. One minute and 50 seconds into Chris Cuomo's regular update while quarantined in his home in New York, he mentions in passing that "This doctor's Filipino" without naming the physician, but enough to draw my attention, and thus this article. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b74d6NVTJ6s at 1:50 mark. I wish Chris had identified the physician by name though he might have hesitated for ethical reasons, which is understandable. I do know that Chris is not over the hump yet. My point, however, is to give credit where credit is due, as the saying goes. Or, maybe it's too soon.

The advice Christ got - and I presume it's from his Filipino doctor - sounds revolutionary in the sense that it steers away from traditional proto-col, which is to take medicine, eat nutritious food, take bed rest and wait until everything is gone. Chris indicated he did heed the advice, explain-ing how difficult and painful it was to break away from the normal routine of treating the virus. That was his "secret" apparently. Whether Chris would continue to broadcast, which is to say to live, or not, is another question. My prayer goes to him. He could just succeed with the se-cret treatment. Chris' mention of a Filipino doctor treating him leads me to another doctor right here at home in Toronto. And it just makes me proud as a natu-ral-born Filipino and a naturalized Canadian that one of us is there to look after us and take care of our medical needs. That should be our open secret, a comforting one at that, knowing we're in good, capable hands, and fully aware of how Filipinos regard others, especially their families and friends.

That's part of being hospitable, I suppose. I'm referring to a Filipino-Canadian, Dr. Eileen de Villa, who is at the front and center of the lo-cal war against COVID-19 as the Medical Officer of Health of the City of Toronto, Canada's largest public health agency with nearly 2,000 employ-ees. She's basically the public doctor of 2.9 mil-lion Torontonians. She's born of Filipino parents who are physi-cians themselves. Her mom, Dr. Maria Antonina “Nenette” de Villa, is a cardiologist. Her late fa-ther, Dr. Guillermo “Jun” de Villa, was an obste-trician/gynecologist. Dr. de Villa comes to her post well-equipped. She's a Doctor of Medicine and a Master of Health Science (MHSc) (Health Promotion), de-grees she got from the University of Toronto. She also holds a Master of Business Administra-tion from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Dr. de Villa is also an Adjunct Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Health at the University of Toronto. Since COVID-19 blew into town, Dr. de Villa pre-sides over a daily press briefing with city offi-cials led by Toronto Mayor John Tory. Hers is a calming presence. Composed, articulate, knowl-edgeable, she tells the situation as it is without trying to obfuscate the dire issues. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liYW6EgxXu8). There may be others, but I know of only one in the US who possesses the same persona, Dr. An-thony Fauci, one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, whom the New York Times called "the nation's leading ex-pert on infectious diseases". (Info at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fauci). In the current situation, Dr. de Villa is the voice of confidence and authority. In these trying times of the pandemic, her cool presence is enough to console and pacify uneasiness in Can-ada's largest metropolis of 2.9 million people. Indeed, she's our protector, the people's doctor, the guardian of public health. ∎

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Chief Medical Officer.

sembling and packing hundreds of face shields for medical frontliners.

This is part of the #CAMPana initiative of his home college, or the UP CAMP's efforts to help medical frontliners in various hospitals.

"I know the significance it can have to those who

can use it. As a healthcare worker myself, I know how important they are to me and to the people around me," Ignacio told ABS-CBN News.

Aside from teaching, Ignacio is also currently doing higher studies on public health, also in UP Manila. He someday hopes to be one of the lead-ing public health experts in the country.

So far, the #CAMPana initiative has helped dis-tribute hundreds of face shields to Calamba Doc-tors Hospital, PGH, Lung Center, UHS, and the National Center for Mental Health in Manda-

luyong.

But Ignacio didn't stop from volunteering in as-sembling PPEs. He also spearheaded initiatives like fund-raising drives and charity food distri-bution.

Recently, he braved the dangers of going out and walked around his neighborhood in San Juan City to distribute food packs to homeless people.

This advocacy of feeding the hungry, he says, is

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UP Manila Teacher assembles PPEs, gives food for homeless

Page 4 April 2020

Filipinos Making WAV ES

Help Reduce the Spread of Covid-19

Stay Home

Observe Physical Distancing

PHILIPPINE NEWS WAVES

President Duterte allows healthcare workers with existing overseas contracts to work abroad again

By Arianne Merez

MANILA- Filipino healthcare work-ers with existing overseas employ-ment contracts may depart the Phil-ippines again, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Tuesday as the government exempted those with prevailing commitments in other countries from an ongoing deploy-ment ban.

All Filipino healthcare workers with perfected and signed overseas em-ployment contracts as of March 8, 2020 will be allowed to depart the country as agreed by the govern-ment's inter-agency task force on the coronavirus response.

Departing healthcare workers just have to sign a declaration signifying their knowledge of the risks in-volved in traveling overseas, Nograles said.

"Papayagan na po silang umalis. Kailangan lang po nilang pumirma ng deklarasyon na batid nila ang mga panganib sa paglipad papunta sa ibang bansa," Nograles said in a virtual press briefing.

(They will be allowed to leave. They just have to sign a declaration signi-fying their knowledge of the risks involved in traveling abroad.)

The development came following complaints about a memorandum issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration sus-pending the deployment of doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers abroad in the hopes of preserving the local frontline force against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The POEA suspended the deploy-ment of all health care workers until the national state of emergency due to COVID-19 is lifted and “until COVID-19-related travel restrictions are lifted at the destination coun-

tries.”

"Nililinaw po natin na di po kasama dito ang mga doktor, nars, at iba pang medical health professional na may mga kontrata na po para mag-trabaho sa ibang bansa," Nograles said.

(We want to clarify that doctors, nurses, and healthcare profession-als with contracts abroad are ex-empted from this deployment ban.)

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday initially an-nounced the exemption from the deployment ban.

President Rodrigo Duterte in a late-night address on Monday also said he is not stopping Filipino healthcare workers who want to work abroad.

"Hindi ko sinisisi, hindi ako galit. Wa-la akong emotions actually about this but kung gusto ninyong kayong mga nurse na Pilipino gusto ninyong magsilbi sa ibang bayan, sa ibang tao, okay lang sa akin," he said.

(If Filipino healthcare workers want to serve in other countries, serve other people, it's okay. I have no emotions about it.)

"Ito lang ang tandaan mo, pagdating ng panahon kung maghirap kami, hindi natin alam ngayon, pa-increase ng increase, first wave pa ito. Kayo na lang ang mag-intindi," he added.

(But you have to remember, there will come a time that the country will suffer. The cases are increasing. You be the ones to understand.)

As of Monday, the Philippines has recorded 4,932 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of that number, 242 have recovered and 315 have died. – ABS-CBN News

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte holds a meeting with some members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on April 13, 2020. KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Tycoon Sy Urges 50% Restart of Philippine Economy to Shield Jobs

Teresita Sy-Coson in Singapore in 2019. Photographer: Paul Miller/Bloomberg ,

By Clarissa Batino

The Philippines should gradually reopen the economy and allow businesses to operate at 50 per-cent capacity to protect jobs, ac-cording to Teresita Sy-Coson who helps run an empire from banking to retail under SM Investments Corp.

“If all the industries can start oper-ating 50 percent, including the transport, with all the medical pre-caution like making test kits more available and disinfecting measures and sanitation safe-guards, then we can gradually in-crease the employment” after the lockdown, Sy-Coson said in an e-mailed statement.

President Rodrigo Duterte has

placed the main island of Luzon, home to 60 million people and which accounts for 70 percent of the economy, on lockdown from mid-March, shuttering hundreds of businesses. Gross domestic prod-uct could shrink by as much as 1%, its first contraction in more than two decades, according to a gov-ernment estimate.

Enabling establishments are im-portant to help absorb Filipino workers returning from abroad, Sy-Coson said.

“Employment is also the key to the health of their family by having enough food for their own immuni-ty and the key to the health of our economy,” she said. – Bloomberg News

deeply-rooted from personal expe-rience.

"I have invested efforts specific to this because growing up from a poor family, I know how it feels to be hungry for days, and so I told myself now that I have the capacity to even just for a bit relieve others of that feeling, I would definitely do it," he said.

Ignacio said the spirit of volunteer-ism in this time of crisis also boosts

one's sense of purpose.

"I hope similar volunteers do share the same experience when they help out, because I believe it grounds us to our humanity, and that if we have the capacity to act, then we must."

Asked what inspires him to contin-ue volunteer work, Ignacio says he hopes his efforts will trigger a rip-ple effect to those who would also want to help.

"I volunteer in these activities be-cause it gives other people the chance to also do the same - to be inspired and see what collective action can do - as a college, as a university, as a nation," he said. ∎

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UP Manila Teacher as-sembles PPEs, gives food for homeless

April 2020 Page 5

Filipinos Making WAV ES

Be

Safe

Public Health Agency of Canada releases interim guidance for infection prevention and control of COVID-19 for long-term care homes

Canada Cares for its Seniors

All Canadians have a role to play in helping to protect sen-iors and medically vulnerable people, who are at greatest risk of severe health complica-tions from COVID-19. Unfortu-nately, many long-term care homes in Canada have been experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19 and, sadly, numer-ous deaths.

The Public Health Agency of Canada released evidence-

informed guidelines to help residents, seniors and health care workers in long-term care homes remain safe and healthy. The Infection Preven-tion and Control for COVID-19: Interim Guidance for Long-Term Care Homes provides recommendations that com-plement provincial and terri-torial public health efforts to prevent and control health care-associated infections.

Recommendations include:

Restricting visitors and volunteers to only those essential for basic per-sonal, medical or com-passionate resident care.

Screenings for COVID-19 before every staff shift or essential visitor entry, and daily for residents. Workers should not go to work if they are ill.

Requiring staff, essential volunteers and visitors to wear a mask through-out their shift or visit.

Providing training on infection control measures such as proper hand hygiene and use of PPE.

Practising physical dis-tancing (keeping a mini-mum distance of 2 me-tres between residents) to the greatest extent possible, including dur-ing group activities and meal times. All non-essential outings should

be cancelled.

Routine additional cleaning, especially for high-touch, high-risk surfaces.

Identifying staff who work in more than one location, and making efforts to prevent this where possible.

These guidelines may be adapted to other settings such as retirement homes and residential homes for those with developmental disabilities.

We understand that the efforts of Canadians to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to protect our most vulner-able involves difficult deci-sions and personal sacrific-es. We all need to do our part to help stop the spread of the virus among the resi-dents of long-term care homes, as well as the work-ers who care for them.

“Many of the deaths across Canada are linked to long-term care facilities and these devastating events have underscored the need for stringent infection prevention and control measures. This guidance was developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the National Advisory Committee on Infection Prevention and Control, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, to prevent COVID-19 transmission and infections among residents, health care workers and other essential staff in long-term care facilities.”

― Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada

Throwback 2013 Filipinos Making Waves Festival. Before he was elected Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau demonstrated care and compassion to then 83-year old Gloria Mendoza.

Unable to visit her since the outbreak of Covid-19, the fami-ly of Gloria Mendoza wishes to extend gratitude to the ever efficient staff at her long-term care home. God bless you and all our frontline health work-ers.

Page 6 April 2020

Filipinos Making WAV ES

Canada Cares for its Youth Changes to Canada Summer Jobs program to

help businesses and young Canadians affected by COVID-19

Canada’s small businesses increasingly depend on the employment of young Cana-dians. The changes to the Canada Summer Jobs pro-gram will help small busi-nesses hire and keep the workers they need so they can continue to deliver es-sential services.

The temporary changes to

the program for this year

include:

an increase to the wage subsidy, so that private and public sector em-ployers can also receive up to 100 per cent of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage for each employee

an extension to the end

date for employment to

February 28, 2021

allowing employers to

adapt their projects and

job activities to support

essential services

allowing employers to

hire staff on a part-time

basis

These changes will help youth stay connected to the labour market, save money

for their future, and find quality jobs in safe, inclu-sive, and healthy work envi-ronments.

The Canada Summer Jobs program provides opportu-nities for youth to develop and improve their skills within the not-for-profit, small business, and public sectors, and supports the

delivery of key community services. By adapting the program this year, the Gov-ernment of Canada is mak-ing sure that we have the resources needed to sup-port Canadian workers, businesses, and communi-ties dealing with the social and economic impacts of COVID-19.

Quick Facts

The changes to the Canada Summer Jobs program complement the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, which committed $107 billion in support to Canadians and businesses facing hardship as a result of COVID-19.

The Canada Summer Jobs call for applications for the 2020 season closed on February 28, 2020. In response to the economic impacts created by the COVID-19 situation, we will work with Members of Parliament to identify organizations that provide essential services in the community and could provide youth jobs but did not apply for the Canada Summer Jobs program in 2020.

The Government of Canada has earmarked $263 million in funding for the Canada Summer Jobs program in 2020. This funding will help create up to 70,000 jobs for youth between 15 and 30 years of age, and we will be working with employers to explore work options that reflect the latest public health advice.

Job placements could begin as early as May 11, 2020, and end as late as February 28, 2021.

Youth will be able to search for jobs available in their communities through the Job Bank website and app.

In previous years, private and public sector employers were only eligible to receive a wage subsidy of up to 50 per cent of the provincial or territorial minimum wage. The increase to the wage subsidy for private and public sector employers will be for this year only.

April 2020 Page 7

Filipinos Making WAV ES CANADA NEWS WAVES

Dear Friends,

This is a follow-up to my previous correspondence regarding changes to this year’s Canada Summer Jobs Program. While applications have not yet re-ceived final approval, I want to make sure you have this information as you try to plan for the future.

Given the immense changes over the past month and the impact they may have had on your organisation’s needs, if you applied for CSJ funding for 2020, please let me know if the number of CSJ positions you are requesting should be adjusted.

Also, if you know of an organization that is providing essential services in our community and could use the help and/or provide youth with jobs, but did not apply for CSJ 2020, please ask them to email our office at michel.levitt@parl.gc.ca with the following information:

Name of Employer:

Phone and Email:

Name of Business:

Job Title:

Number of jobs:

Planned length of placement (weeks):

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns and stay up to date with COVID-19 developments at www.Canada.ca/coronavirus.

Stay healthy.

Canada Summer

Jobs Program

Page 8 April 2020

Filipinos Making WAV ES CANADA NEW WAVES

A crisis can forge great leaders. Doug Ford is showing that in Canada.

By Michael Taube

Political leaders face many challenges in office. But as the old saying goes, the true test of leadership occurs during a time of crisis.

Case in point, Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

He’s the older brother of the late Rob Ford, the former mayor of Toronto who be-came a cause célèbre in 2013 after he admitted to smoking crack cocaine during one of his “drunken stupors.” The right-leaning Progressive Con-servative has also had his share of controversies, includ-ing patronage appointments, reducing the number of To-ronto city council seats and fighting the federal carbon tax.

Yet, the Canadian left’s favor-ite lightning rod for contro-versy has undergone a stun-ning transformation during the coronavirus pandemic. Doug Ford has turned into one of the most trusted political leaders in not only Canada.

Ford’s leadership has been been described as being strong, compassionate, calm, honest and transparent. His news conferences have ex-pressed everything from em-pathy and concern to open and honest discourse. He has

thanked front-line workers and medical professionals. He has spoken highly of the me-dia — once his mortal enemy — including a cameraman who responded in apprecia-tion. He praised American Sign Language interpreter Christopher Desloges as a “rock star” on his final day on the job and invited him to the podium to speak about his work with the deaf communi-ty. He went to Markham to help load 90,000 masks donat-ed by a local company, Dental Brands, on his truck, and did-n’t even inform his staff.

Ford was also commended for releasing covid-19 projection numbers in Ontario last week. He acknowledged the scenari-os were “really stark,” but he still felt “we have to be fully transparent with the people of Ontario, no matter how hard it will be.” (Canadian Prime Min-ister Justin Trudeau hasn’t done this on a national scale to date.) Ford has also kept the lines of communication open with opposition leaders, and said in the Ontario legisla-ture, “Now is the time to put politics aside. No matter what our political stripe, we must all be Team Ontario and Team Canada.”

Ford blasted President Trump for stopping exports of 3M’s

N95 face masks to Canada. “I just can’t stress how disap-pointed I am at President Trump for making this deci-sion,” Ford said last week. “When the cards are down, you see who your friends are.”

The political left’s days of comparing Ford to Trump may finally be over.

This helps explain why Ford’s leadership has received praise from across the political spec-trum. Most notably, the list includes Liberal Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who told Toronto Star col-umnist Susan Delacourt, “He and I have actually come to describe one another as each other’s therapists.”

CBC News recently gathered together some public opinion polls to determine which world leaders have handled covid-19 the best. According to a March 20-23 Angus Reid Institute poll, Ford was at 74 percent. That’s behind Quebec Premier Francois Legault and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but ahead of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Tru-deau and Trump. I would as-sume Ford’s poll numbers are even higher today.

Ford’s switch from polarizing political figure to respected political leader has been much to the surprise (and, one as-sumes, chagrin) of left-leaning opponents, critics and perpet-ual naysayers. Many can’t be-

lieve they’re praising a man they’ve despised for so long. A few sense it’s an act and wait impatiently for the other shoe to drop.

Will things change when the coronavirus pandemic is over? Absolutely. In politics, there are times to be proactive — and times to be combative.

But make no mistake about it: This transformation isn’t an act. As several commentators, including me, have previously pointed out, there’s more to Ford than meets the eye. He’s intelligent, plain-spoken, friendly and engaging. While he understands political strat-egy and retail politics, he re-spects honesty and transpar-ency far more than his politi-cal rivals give him credit for. As well, he now realizes his political past doesn’t have to define his political present or political future.

Great leaders emerge in diffi-cult times, even if that leader isn’t someone you would have naturally considered for that role. Doug Ford has proved this in spades. ∎

(Michael Taube, a Troy Media syndicated columnist and politi-cal commentator, was a speechwriter for former prime minister Stephen Harper)

Premier Doug Ford carries a box of Level 3 Ontario-made masks

April 2020 Page 9

Filipinos Making WAV ES LIFESTYLE

ISTANBUL – As work-from-home becomes the new norm amid the coronavirus pandemic, a Turkey-based digital expert said this ar-rangement is proving to be more productive than ex-pected.

Once things go back to nor-mal and cities emerge out of lockdown, firms will in-troduce remote working models as a regular prac-tice, said Nabat Garakhano-va, the head of a consultan-cy firm MEZO Digital.

"People waste their time on roads and as a result spend less time with their fami-lies," she noted.

The work-from-home ar-rangement has significantly improved employees' moti-vation levels, she added.

Besides, the cost of doing businesses also declined significantly due to online meetings and sales.

Even after the pandemic,

companies should continue to work remotely once a week, such as on Friday, to enhance productivity, she added.

Touching on potential breach of privacy due to online applications, she said companies should in-stall security systems on online devices.

"Thanks to the systems in-stalled on computers, the whole working order can be taken under control; when personnel turn on the computer or how much time they spend on which programs."

Companies can also use ter-minal servers, which pre-vent leaks, to protect their systems and devices against external attacks, she said.

However, for increasing efficiency, managers should inform employees about the working hours, so they

can adjust their time ac-cordingly, she noted.

Speaking about video con-ferencing software, which is a hot topic currently, she stressed social media ac-counts are more dangerous than video conference ap-plications.

She noted that people should use paid applica-tions instead of free-to-use software. "Paid applications let us buy a secure area for meetings."

Free video conferencing software have the same risks as free public wi-fi networks, which are open

for hacker attacks, she said.

The coronavirus has claimed 1,101 lives in Tur-key. More than 52,000 peo-ple have been infected with the virus and nearly 3,000 have gone on to make a full recovery, according to the

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With years of service as IT Manager behind her, Onette has successfully embarked on another career. It did not take long for this entre-preneur to rise as Reginal Vice President with Primeri-ca Financial Services Ltd. Through helping hundreds of families, Onette quickly gained the technical knowledge and system im-plementation for a thriving business.

“My goal has always been through education and meeting the needs of fami-lies”, says Onette.

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.

By MON TORRALBA Managing Editor, Waves

Finding Ways to Help Others from Home

Onette Mendoza

Work-From-Home Boosts Employees’ Motivation

Page 10 April 2020

Filipinos Making WAV ES OBITUARY

Born in Mabini, Batangas, Manuel I. Marasigan

has joined his Creator on Good Friday, April 10, 2020 and now shares the joy of Eternal Life promised by Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Beloved husband of the late Marina Marino Marasigan Loving father of Dr. Dottie Marasigan and Mario Marasigan & Mitos (daughter-in-law)

Dear grandfather of Frederick Mercado, Marinelle Mercado, Matthew Jean Marasigan and Mark Joseph Marasigan

Manuel I. Marasigan June 17, 1930 - April 10, 2020

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

April 2020 Page 11

Filipinos Making WAV ES Even the WAVES obey Him...

Religious Inspirations

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

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Bryce X. Mendoza Licensed Paralegal

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Pope says pandemic recovery involves

choice between money or common good

By Cindy Wooden

ROME - Celebrating Mass on Easter Monday, Pope Francis prayed that the political and economic planning for recovery af-ter the coronavirus pan-demic would be inspired by concern for the com-mon good and not for “the god money.”

“Today we pray for gov-ernment officials, scien-tists (and) politicians who have begun to study the way out, the post-pandemic, this ‘after’ that already has begun, that they may find the right path always for the bene-fit of their people,” the pope said at the beginning of his morning Mass April 13.

At the Mass in the chapel of his residence, the Do-mus Sanctae Marthae, Pope Francis’ homily fo-cused on the contrast found in the day’s reading from the Gospel of St. Mat-thew: the women disciples are “fearful yet overjoyed” to find Jesus’ tomb empty, while the chief priests and elders pay the soldiers to spread the lie that the dis-

ciples stole the body from the tomb.

“Today’s Gospel presents us with a choice, a choice to make every day, a hu-man choice, but one that endures from that day: the choice between the joy and hope of the resurrec-tion of Jesus or the yearn-ing for the tomb,” the pope said.

The Gospel says the wom-en run from the tomb to tell the other disciples that Jesus has risen, the pope noted. “God always starts with the women. Always. They open the way. They do not doubt; they know. They have seen him, touched him.”

“It’s true that the disciples couldn’t believe them and said, ‘But maybe these women are a bit too imag-inative’ - I don’t know, they had their doubts,” the pope said. But the women were certain, and their message continues to ring out today: “Jesus is risen; he lives among us.”

But the chief priests and elders, the pope said, could think only, “How

many problems will this cause us, this empty tomb. And they decide to hide the fact.”

The story is always the same, he said. “When we do not serve the Lord God, we serve the other god, money.”

“Today, too, looking at the coming - and we hope it’s soon - the coming end of this pandemic, there is the same choice,” Pope Fran-cis said. “Either our wager will be on life, on the res-urrection of people, or it will be on the god money, returning to the tomb of hunger, slavery, wars, the manufacturing of weap-ons, children without edu-cation - the tomb is there.”

The pope ended his homi-ly praying that God would help people choose life in their personal decisions and in societal ones and that those responsible for planning the way out of the lockdowns would choose “the good of the people and never fall into the tomb of the god mon-

ey.” – Catholic News Ser-

vice

Pope Francis leads the recitation of the "Regina Coeli" prayer from the library of the Apos-tolic Palace April 13, 2020. (Credit: CNS photo/Vatican Media.)

GOOD FRIDAY AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC By Mon Torralba

This Good Friday, April 10, 2020, my early morning mind wanders. It chose to ponder on the word, GOOD.

In concentration and with-out going to history, I ques-tion why it was called, “Good Friday”. Since this day commemorates the death of our Lord, Jesus Christ, shouldn’t it be re-ferred to as Bad Friday in-stead?

Death and good. Aren’t they contrasting words?

Every person is made up of two defining elements– physical and spiritual. Like the Covid-19 virus, the lat-ter cannot be seen by the naked eye. But it is there

wandering, apart from the calculating physical brain. It is so easy to forget about it as it is invisible. But im-perceptible, it is not.

Perception is a game changer. Why do I fee good amid this Covid-19 pan-demic?

Before most people were confined to their homes to obey physical distancing recommendation by the health authorities, there already was a contagion – that which poisons the in-nate goodness from people – sinful acts of killing, hurt-ing, disrespect of people and property. So much

(Continued on page 12)

Page 12 April 2020

Filipinos Making WAV ES FILIPINOS MAKING WAVES

By Ian Biong

MANILA, Philippines—British jour-nalist and television personality Piers Morgan commended the “outstanding care” of Filipino nurs-es in the United Kingdom battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a Good Morning Britain tele-cast on Tuesday, Morgan acknowl-edged several Filipino nurses work-ing for the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS), a publicly-funded healthcare system in England.

“It’s worth bearing in mind when (Continued on page 13)

Piers Morgan lauds Filipino nurses in UK as ‘unsung heroes’ in COVID-19 fight

Health Ministry.

Global cases hit 1.8 million

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide topped the 1.8 million mark with 1,800,791 on Sunday, according to data compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

According to the figures, since the emergence of the virus in Wuhan, China last December, more than 110,892 people have died while about 412,777 have recovered.

The US is the country with the

highest death toll in the world with 20,464, followed by Italy with 19,468, Spain with 19,468 and France with 13,851.

The virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions, according to Johns Hopkins.

The virus primarily attacks the lungs and respiratory system. Most who become infected experience moderate symptoms, but it can be especially fatal for the elderly and those with preexisting conditions like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and asthma.

Several efforts are being made to develop a vaccine, but experts be-lieve that goal may not be reached for up to 18 months. (Anadolu)

(Continued from page 9)

Work-From-Home Boosts Employees’ ...

negativity happening in our sur-roundings. All of a sudden, there is the global Covid-19 sign: STOP! And people question why this is happening. I perceived it as a PAUSE. A time to review myself.

Be a good person first before any-thing.

Be a good person first before a good something else – child, sib-ling, parent, grandparent and so on. Become a good person first before your work to be a good businessman, entrepreneur, actor, musician, sports player, etc.

A good tree produces healthy branches, numerous flowers and leaves and more importantly, good fruits with seeds of greatness. Sci-ence taught us to water the unseen, buried roots. Perception shows us that we should take care and nur-ture of the spiritual essence, along with our physical being. Good wa-ter for the physical, good prayers for the spiritual.

Why do I feel good on Good Friday?

Because I feel that it was a good death more than 20 centuries ago.

It was a game changer. It had put a clearer perception of good and bad. It provided me with a map on where the whole of me should go because while my physical will end, my spirit will live forever.

Today is a commemoration of when death became good. I always tell my children these two state-ments:

• You must be willing to die in order to live.

• You must understand absence to understand presence.

Let us remember that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for us to live. Because most of us are doubting Thomases, we only be-lieve what we see. Close your eyes, ponder and you will understand His spirit lives in us. And because He is in us, we should nurture the spirit with prayers.

Just think about it. Without this Good Friday, there wouldn’t be a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday. Carpe diem! Seize the day that God has given us , whatever day it may be. Be good on all these days of the week.

Good Friday isn’t good enough. Spiritually, it is the Greatest Friday – a day to be thankful for. ∎

(Continued from page 11)

Good Friday Amid Covid-19 Pandemic

April 2020 Page 13

Filipinos Making WAV ES FILIPINOS MAKING WAVES

Mission Accomplished: Angel Locsin raises P11 million to provide tents to COVID-19 hospitals

MANILA — It's mission ac-complished for "The Gen-eral's Daughter" star Angel Locsin, as she announced Monday that she has achieved the goal of her fundraising initiative in re-lation to the coronavirus pandemic.

Locsin, 34, launched #UniTentWeStandPH on March 25, with the goal of helping address overcrowd-ing at hospitals by provid-ing specialized tents for pa-tients with the novel coro-navirus disease (COVID-19).

As of April 13, the program has raised P10,956,702.98, Locsin announced through an Instagram video that also shows the breakdown of expenses, including the purchase of the 12x24-meter tents.

What started out as a relief drive with 7 hospital bene-

ficiaries within Metro Ma-nila, has since ballooned to a massive project that con-tinues to deliver tents, med-

ical supplies, as well as per-sonal protective equipment to 150 hospitals including those from neighboring

provinces.

Locsin — along with her collaborators Neil Arce, Dimples Romana, Marev

Matic, and Gines Sarangaya — have been personally handling the fundraising transactions, as well as the setup of the tents.

"Binuo po ang #UniTentWeStandPH para po makatulong kahit pa-paano sa overcrowding situ-ation ng ating mga ospital, sa mga pasyente na hindi na po nagagamot, sa mga health workers na hindi nabibigyan ng tamang proteksyon, sa mga pasyente na nahahalo sa ibang cases. Iyon po ang dahilan kung bakit tayo nandito," she said.

As the fundraiser has re-ceived "more than enough" donations, Locsin an-nounced that it will stop accepting further monetary help, as they now shift the focus on setting up the re-mainder of the tents at hos-pitals.— ABS-CBN News

Angel Locsin launched #UniTentWeStandPH on March 25, with the goal of helping address over-crowding at hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients. Instagram: @therealangellocsin

we talk about immigrants in this country, these are the immigrants currently saving people’s lives. Coming here and actually enriching our country and doing an amaz-ing job,” the anchor said.

“So thank you to all the Fili-pinos who are here doing all this amazing work and to every other working in the NHS currently. I hope at the end of this, we’ll have a, per-haps a different sentiment, a different feeling about what immigration has done for this country,” he added.

‘It’s worth bearing in mind when we talk about immi-grants in this country, these

are the immigrants current-ly saving people's lives. Coming here and actually enriching our country and doing an amazing job’ – @piersmorgan pic.twitter.com/dAYcH9t095

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) April 7, 2020

Morgan, who said he only recently found out that many health workers in the

U.K. are Filipinos, gave the “unsung heroes” a shout out because “we forget about this extraordinary work-force that comes from all over the world to help the NHS.”

Philippine Ambassador An-tonio Lagdameo also recent-ly lauded the around 21,000 Filipino frontliners in the U.K. who are working both for the NHS and private hos-

pitals. There are around 200,000 Filipinos living in the said European country.

There are 17 Filipinos in the U.K. and Ireland who have contracted COVID-19, ac-cording to Lagdameo. There are 33 Filipinos considered as persons under investiga-tion, among them are health

workers. – Inquirer.net

(Continued from page 12)

Piers Morgan Lauds Filipino Nurses as “Unsung Heroes”...

Page 14 April 2020

Filipinos Making WAV ES

By Josiah Antonio

MANILA -- To reduce the risk of contacting the novel coronavirus, a Filipino en-gineer has created a service assistant robot to help medical frontliners attend to their patients during the pandemic.

University of Santo Tomas (UST) assistant professor and engineer Anthony James Bautista invented the robot which is now op-erating at the university's hospital.

The robot is a telepresence robot that delivers medi-cine and allows health workers to communicate with patients remotely. It can easily be reproduced for other hospitals to use, Bautista said in a Facebook post.

"[The hospital is] going to use the robots to communi-cate with the patients re-motely," he told ANC.

Starting point

Bautista said he drew in-spiration to build this robot after his conversation with a doctor.

Dr. Rodrigo Calalang Santos of Pasig Doctors Medical Center talked with the en-gineer and said that there is a need for doctors to communicate and deliver medicine to the patients remotely in order to reduce contact with them.

Having a background in

robotics, Santos asked Bau-tista to develop a robot which can help the medical frontliners.

The challenge was there were no components avail-able due to the enhanced community quarantine. But with readily available tools in his laboratory, Bau-tista worked hard for five days and invented the ma-chine.

Meet The LISA Robot

Named the LISA Robot for Logistic Indoor Service As-sistant Robot, the device works on a first level auto-mation, or a remote control used by the medical front-liners.

The telepresence robot has a tablet with applications that can be used for com-munication and a box that holds the medicine needed by the patient.

The tablet is directly used by patients so they covered it with plastic and is disin-fect afterwards.

With the robot, doctors no longer have to directly con-tact patients for more than 5 meters and could reduce use of personal protective equipment, Bautista noted.

The Department of Science and Technology supported the project and has re-quested for 4 units for that will be used by four hospi-tals in the future.

Further modifications for future use

Bautista said further modi-fications can improve the robot's performance and he has talked to suppliers to provide all the compo-nents he needed.

For instance, at the base should be a four-wheeled drive so that the robot can navigate continuously even with slippery and uneven floors.

Two levels of advanced au-tomation will also be in-stalled once everything is stabilized in the future, ac-cording to the engineer.

"Like for example 'yong WiFi, kaya nang i-operate ng doctor kahit nasa bahay siya," Bautista said.

"And 'yong third level ng automation na gagawin namin is fully autonomous, wherein 'yong robot na mismo 'yong mag-iidentify kung saan siya pupunta as commanded by the doc-tors," he added.

Bautista is looking forward to start working on the next 4 robots on April 20. He hopes to finish it before May.

"We are thinking of this to be a long-term project not only in this situation but also in the future. Magaga-mit talaga ng mga hospi-tals," he said.— ABS-CBN News

UST engineer creates robot to assist COVID-19 medical frontline workers

FILIPINOS MAKING WAVES

The logistic indoor service assistant (LISA) robot is equipped with a tablet via which patients can communicate with medical staff through internet-based communication platforms such as Zoom, Viber and Facetime.—UST Hospital Department of Medical Education and Research

UP Scientists, Engineers Creating Ventilators for COVID-19 Patients

By Blesilda DeLa Cruz

University of the Philip-pines scientists and engi-neers are creating ventila-tors and valve splitters to help COVID-19 patients breathe more easily.

UP National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) scientists were reported to be devel-oping the affordable venti-lators.

Department of Health Un-dersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a phone interview with DZMM on April 1, 2020, that UP-NIH scientists are now creating the ventilators.

“Meron ho tayo ngayon na parang locally-produced kung saan gumagawa po ang UP-NIH but I don’t like to disclose it yet. Hindi pa ho tapos. I think matatapos na sila. Hopefully kapag lumabas na itong pinag-aralan nila na ito at gina-gawa makakuha na tayo ng marami at mas mura po ito,” Vergeire disclosed.

Vergeire said that although there are already 1,263 ventilators across the coun-try, with 163 in the NCR, these are not enough.

Meantime, the UP Los Ba-n os (UPLB) Industrial Engi-neering Department report-ed on March 30 that they

are now printing proto-types of Venturi’s valve and ventilator splitters and caps for testing and custom fit-ting for ventilators. These will help hospitals increase their capacity to help COVID 19 patients.

The UPLB engineers said the concept is based on the work of Canadian Dr. Alain Gauthier and the experienc-es of doctors in Italy. The custom fitting of these de-signs are being done with consultation of doctors within Region IV-A CALA-BARZON.

The state university has been spearheading the re-search development of vari-ous devices and platforms to help address the coun-try’s needs at this time of global health emergency. The UP-NIH had also devel-oped the country’s first COVID-19 test kits which are being manufactured by the UP Manila startup com-pany, Manila HealthTek Inc.

The UP also developed the RxBox vital signs monitor that allows doctors to re-duce contact while still monitoring COVID-19 pa-tients.

UP Diliman engineers are also developing UV Clean-ing Chamber for PPEs.—goodnewspilipinas.com

UPLB engineers are developing prototypes of Venturi valve, ventilator splitters, and caps to increase the capacity of hospi-tals to handle COVID-19 patients. Photo from UPLB Industrial Engineering Department.

April 2020 Page 15

Filipinos Making WAV ES

Heart Sushi has made the decision to suspend our All-You Can-Eat and Dine-in Services until further notice.

Fairview Mall provide both Delivery and Walk-in Service. Also available on UberEats, SkipTheDishes.

Mississauga Heartland provide both Delivery and Walk-in Service. Also available on UberEats, SkipTheDishes, FanTuan & DoorDash.

London Mall provide Walk-in Service. Also available on SkipTheDishes.

We Also Offer 15% on Walk-In Pick Up Order

City of Brampton festivals and events cancelled until July 1 inclusive in response to COVID-19 BRAMPTON, ON (April 15, 2020) – With guidance from the Brampton Emer-gency Management Office, the Region of Peel, and in alignment with neighbour-ing municipalities, all City festivals, events, perfor-mances and community event permits for events at City facilities and perform-ing arts centres, including The Rose, are cancelled un-til July 1, 2020, inclusive, in

response to COVID-19.

This decision includes city-led events celebrating dates of national significance such as Victoria Day, Cana-da Day and National Indige-nous Peoples Day. The City is considering alternate digital options for residents to celebrate these events as a community with physical distancing practices in mind. The City is also con-sidering alternate arrange-

ments for the Brampton Farmers’ Market.

The City is committed to working with event organ-izers and rental clients to mitigate the impacts of these cancellations and to determine potential future dates once the COVID-19 public health crisis is con-tained and economic recov-ery efforts are underway. No new event bookings will be considered until there is

further direction on large gatherings from Peel Public Health.

City Hall and all other City of Brampton facilities, in-cluding Recreation and Community Centres and Brampton Library branch-es, will remain closed until further notice to help pre-vent the spread of COVID- 19.

The City of Brampton takes COVID-19 seriously and continues to follow the ad-vice of Peel Public Health. The most up-to-date infor-mation is available at www.peelregion.ca/coronavirus. The City will continue to monitor this situation and provide up-dates as more information becomes available on www.brampton.ca/COVID19.