Filipino Web Magazine

Monday, 21 September 2026

Filipino Scholar Eyes Seat at Catholic School Board

Volume 8, Issue No. 15

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . .

Our latest as of Monday, September 21, 2026

~ For a community heavily invested in inane pursuits such as beauty contests, fashion shows, lavish parties, and fundraising schemes disguised as fiestas, the emergence of this Canada-born Filipino scholar and educator is a whiff of fresh air. That much could be said about Dr. Marissa Largo, a parent and concerned community member who is running for a seat in the Toronto Catholic District School Board in the Oct. 26 municipal elections in order to institutionalize her advocacy for the thousands of students in Ontario.

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FEATURE: DR. MARISSA LARGO

Filipino Scholar Runs for

Catholic School Board Trustee

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"One who sees something good must tell of it." - African proverb

TORONTO - Conducting a brief interview with an academician and scholar left me wondering why she has chosen a path to be involved in local politics.

It didn't take long to get an answer.

The decision by Dr. Marissa Largo to throw her hat into the ring was not for personal glorification; rather it's her resolve to be part of the decision-making affecting thousands of students in the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Municipal elections to select trustees for the school boards, including TCDSB, take place on October 26, the same date to elect the mayor of Toronto and 25 city councillors.

Dr. Largo's advocacy for students, families, educators, and parish communities is consistent with her background as a parent, researcher, academician and concerned community member.

Her credentials set her apart. And for the Filipino community, to know her, to train the spotlight on her, and to put her in a position of responsibility as TCDSB trustee would be a significant deviation from the usual leisurely activities Filipinos are noted for.

She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), a Master of Arts in Art Education from Concordia University, and Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees from York University.

If those credentials would be the sole measure of competence, she would be a shoo-in for the position she's aspiring for. However, she would have to be voted on by some 17,000 Catholic constituents in Ward 7 (Scarborough Agincourt) on Oct. 26.

Ward 7 has two secondary schools - Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School and Joan of Arc High School located at Eglinton and Midland. In addition to that, it also includes 10 elementary schools.

"As a Trustee," she says, "I will ensure that every decision made at the board table reflects shared commitment to educational excellence and Gospel values."

Dr. Largo worries about the cutbacks in public funded education, calling the situation a "risk" in Ontario province. (Video at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVYNnhgQcLQ&t=4s).

"We see enormous cutbacks from the province - $6.5 billion at last count," she says in an interview on Thursday, Sept. 17 in Scarborough. "As Trustee, I would advocate for increased funding to the Catholic school board and the schools particularly of our riding in Ward 7," she adds.

Having a seat at the table as trustee would enable her to help craft policy that would protect publicly funded Catholic education in the province.

As it is now, according to her, "trustees are sidelined by the provincial government." That means, she explains, "that there is a supervisor assigned by the province to oversee the public school boards of the GTA."

"And what this does," she states, "is that it takes away the democratic voice of the people to be at that table and to informed decisions that affect their families that affect their kids who are going through Catholic school."

"So I feel that even though trustees are sidelined at this moment, it is even more important for the democratic process to play out and to have our voices respected at the table once again," she stresses.

The Canada-born Dr. Largo grew up in the eastern Toronto neighbourhood of Wexford where her devout Catholic parents Teresita Garrido and Jacinto Largo strengthened her Catholic upbringing.

According to her campaign poster, she seeks to bring a thoughtful, collaborative, and student-centered voice to the TCDSB Board of Trustees given here more than two decades of experience in education, community engagement, and leadership.

"She is committed to ensuring that students have access to a high-quality Catholic education that nurtures academic excellence, faith formation, well-being, and a strong sense of belonging," the poster adds. (Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved.)

Thursday, 10 September 2026

Remembering the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks in New York City

Volume 8, Issue No. 14

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@aol.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . .

Our latest as of Thursday, September 10, 2026

~ In remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City - that's 25 years ago - the blogs Currents & Breaking News and Filipino Web Magazine are republishing the following account during a visit in "Ground Zero" on Sept. 11, 2005. Filipinos and Filipino Americans were among the victims in what's now referred to as "the deadliest terrorist attacks in human history."

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TRIUMPH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT

Visiting the Sacred Spot

Called 'Ground Zero'

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, Filipino Web Magazine and Filipino Web Channel

NEW YORK CITY - Bent but unbowed, the human spirit soared higher than the world's tallest buildings put together, ever more determined to overcome the terrorist attacks that have rallied a nation than sundered it.

Nowhere else is that much evident except at the very scene of the horrific tragedy itself - at Ground Zero in New York City's Lower Manhattan district.

The pain and grief have somewhat subsided among the hundreds of families whose kins perished in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, only to be taken over by a firm resolve to reign triumphant over man's worst adversaries.

Where once stood the World Trade Center's Twin Towers is now an open pit hallowed by the flesh and blood of 2,749 (now updated to 2,996) people, among them Filipinos, who died a gory death in the horrendous crash of two planes that levelled the North and South towers to the ground.

(Full background story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_September_11_attacks).

"All we are is dust in the wind" - as the song goes - is an apt description of what had become of the many lives snuffed out in an instant.

But the dust is of the martyred ones and the invisible spirit that makes it soar is of those who perished, whose survivors come to Ground Zero in celebration of their lives and times.

From among the thousands - relatives, friends, tourists and plain kibitzers - who thronged here, tears flowed out incessantly today, Sept. 11, 2005, as reminders of the attacks hovered everywhere in New York City and beyond, enriching the sanctity of Ground Zero as an unexpected burial ground.

Bells pealed, taps sounded and the eerie moments of silence called four times - at 8:46, 9:03, 9:59 and 10:29 a.m. marking the times the planes slammed the edifice and the times they collapsed - was punctured only by sobs and the sound of clasping hands.

Among those in the multitude were the families and kins of Filipino vicims who were either passengers of the planes or employees working at the Twin Towers.

Time heals.

But for three Filipino families, the pain and anguish over the loss of loved ones in the horrific Sept. 11, 2001 attacks remain intact.

For Renee Gamboa, a medical doctor, the event was a grim reminder of a promise her only son had been unble to redeem.

"I'll be back in two weeks," Dr. Gamboa recounts Ronald Gamboa as telling her over the phone a week before the catastrophic day.

Ronald had gone on vacation in Boston and was on his way back to Los Angeles with his three-year-old adopted son, David, aboard the United Airlines plane.

In the phone conversation, Ronald was reassuring her that he would be just in time for the 38th wedding anniversary that Dr. Gamboa and husband Ranulfo, also a medical doctor, had prepared at their residence in Louisville, Kentucky.

That brief talk proved to be the last that Dr. Gamboad had with him.

Ronald and David both died that September morning four years go.

"I wish they (the authorities) would have known it (the attack). There were warnings not listened to," Dr. Gamboa said.

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Cielita Peralta remembers her son, Carl Peralta, as a conscientious employee who worked diligently at Cantor Fitzgerald as an investment broker.

Carl, 37 and single, had his office at the 104th floor of the 110-storey World Trade Center's North Tower, almost at the bullseye of the plane that had slammed the building.

He had three other siblings, namely, Cielo, Oskar and Judy.

Cielita's husband, Oscar, and the entire family who live in New York's Staten Island, paid their respects at Ground Zero.

Unlike many of the grief-stricken families, the Peraltas managed a smile during the brief interview.

The former Quezon City, Philippines residents said they don't have any complaints about how the government responded to the crisis during the initial months.

Ciellita took note, however, of a plan to construct in Ground Zero an International Freedom Center as a museum documenting man's atrocities against humankind.

She shared the sentiments of other people tha the proposed project as intended as a tourist destination.

Asked about the government compensation, Cielita quipped: "Hindi mabibili ang buhay. Ang iba nga diyan, pag namatay, patay lang! Hindi na ako magre-reklamo".

The 50-year-old Hector Tamayo worked as a project engineer at the WTC's South Tower.

He was among those who died in the attacks.

A native of Aklan in the Philippines, Tamayo lived in New York for the last 20 years.

"His memory stays with us forever," says Kevin Nadal, a nephew.

Tamayo left behind a wife and two kids who were too shy to be interviewed. The family, however, obliged to be photographed for the Philippine Village Voice.

(Editor's note: This story was originally published in the October 2005 issue of the Philippine Village Voice in San Diego, California and in other print and online publications in San Francisco and Los Angeles. This story also appeared in my other blog, here:

Saturday, 5 September 2026

Why Tennis Icon Alex Eala Is Our North Star

Volume 8, Issue No. 13

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

Our latest as of Saturday, September 5, 2026

~ The question may be asked: What is it in Filipino tennis icon Alexandra "Alex" Eala to be called the North Star of Filipinos and countless others being weaned on the sport? Why? Well, the answers lie in her attitude - despite the stress and pressure of competition, she showed grace, respect, humility, and poise that are inherently Filipino.

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AN INSPIRATION TO FILIPINOS

Tennis Icon Alex Eala

Is Our North Star

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.” — Confucius

TORONTO - In literature and art, it is said, "the North Star represents steadfastness and inspiration, encouraging individuals to navigate their lives amid uncertainty."

From near-anonymity early on in her life, Alexandra "Alex" Eala has emerged as the iconic symbol of a rising, spirited, and intelligent Filipino youth - a down-to-earth but shining example worth emulating for her ever-growing legions of fans in and outside the tennis court.

When she played the Canadian Open (or National Bank Open) in August, she surprised tournaments officials because of the huge turnout of Filipino spectators at Sobeys Stadium in North York.

That's the most visible show of genuine affection, the closest to hometown support bestowed by an exultant Toronto Filipino community long soiled with false heroes who thrive on idolatry.

Alex's presence here was very refreshing. Perhaps unwittingly she highlighted our lack of authentic leaders, and conversely, the predominance of self-declared stewards of community organizations that harbor make-believe artists.

For example, the one person who sits at the top of one street festival is a scoundrel whimsically elevated to some degree of respectability by a money-making foundation so-called. It's like pulling the wool over our eyes.

Our festivals lure fans in social media postings with the promise of a grand entertainment spectacle and fame, so we see imports from the homeland performing the routinary song and dance numbers.

Alex Eala attracted fellow travelers who see her as one of them, working hard in a strange land, trying her best to excel, and affirming that unmistakable Filipino identity.

At the Canadian Open, she showed grace, respect, humility, and poise inherently Filipino - characteristics that easily won hearts of every Filipino everywhere. That did not escape notice by non-Filipinos; they were simply awed.

Thursday, 3 September 2026

Lawyers Tighten Squeeze on Balita Tabloid to Pay Up

Volume 8, Issue No. 12

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

Our latest as of Thursday, September 3, 2026

~ To satisfy an appeal court judgement awarding businesswoman Liwayway Miranda damages to the tune of nearly half-a-million dollars, her lawyers would conduct an examination of the finances and assets of defendant Teresita "Tess" Cusipag who was found liable for defamation. Since the court upheld in March an earlier Superior Court decision, not a dime has been made to compensate Ms. Miranda. This latest development tightens a squeeze on her to pay up.

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EXAMINATION INCLUDES TESS CUSIPAG

Lawyers to Dig Into Finances, Assets of Balita Tabloid

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Misery is the company of lawsuits." - Francois Rabelais

TORONTO - Lawyers might have to do some digging into Balita publisher Teresita "Tess" Cusipag's financial situation and assets as part of an effort to determine sources that may be available to satisfy an appeal court decision ordering her to pay nearly half-a-million dollars for defaming businesswoman Liwayway Miranda.

A Notice of Examination is expected to be served on Ms. Cusipag in the next few days, Ms. Miranda's lawyers said on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

(Full background story:

https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2026/07/balita-loses-appeal-ordered-to-pay.html).

The process would require her to attend an "examination in aid of execution" where she must answer questions about her finances, income, bank accounts, property, and business interests.

"The purpose is to identify where recovery can realistically be pursued," lawyers for Ms. Miranda said.

"If we identify wages, bank accounts, business receivables, or other money owed to the defendant, we can pursue garnishment.

"If we identify real estate or personal property, we can take steps through the sheriff to seize and sell assets where appropriate," lawyers explained.

Six months have elapsed since the Court of Appeal for Ontario rejected Ms. Cusipag's appeal, instead upholding Superior Court Justice R. Lee Akazaki's decision finding her and Balita liable for defamation and awarding Ms. Miranda damages.

From the time the appeal decision was handed down in March, there is no indication that Ms. Cusipag, a self-declared "millionaire," obeyed the order. She has stayed silent since.

The defamation lawsuit brought by Ms. Miranda is the fifth such case against Ms. Cusipag and the fortnightly Balita tabloid she publishes and edits.

In those five suits, she lost three (the latest is Ms. Miranda's) and the other two were dismissed. In each of the three, she was ordered to compensate her accusers nearly half-a-million dollar each.

In June 2017, she was also sentenced to 21 days in jail but released after serving 13 days after Superior Court Justice Frederick L. Myers had found her guilty of criminal contempt of court.

https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/02/balita-tabloid-editor-in-new-libel-suit.html

Sunday, 30 August 2026

Dolly Parton, Her Music and ToM's Wrongdoings

Volume 8, Issue No. 11

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

Our latest as of Sunday, August 30, 2026

~ The song was more that an expression of love and gratitude. When "I Will Always Love You" hit the airwaves in the early 1990s through the movie "The Bodyguard," I didn't know singer and songwriter Dolly Parton, who passed away this month, had written it. One episode in her life worth recounting was her refusal to part, wholly or partly, with the song's copyright even with the prospect of gaining a financial boon. That's a reminder of how spineless Filipino festival organizers conduct their business - by hook or by crook.

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'I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU'

Dolly Parton, Her Music

and ToM's Wrongdoings

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Everybody's going to use you if they can." - Dolly Parton

TORONTO - The name had not been much of an appeal to me until American singer and songwriter Dolly Parton passed away on August 25, by which time I learned she was the musical wizard behind "I Will Always Love You."

All along I thought Whitney Houston wrote and sang it for the 1992 blockbuster thriller "The Bodyguard" where she starred with actor Kevin Costner.

If only for its soundtrack, I watched the movie at least three times in Manila. By the third time, I was already falling for it even if I didn't understand who it was written for and why.

And when I left Manila for the United States in 1993, the song had captured everyone's heart. It filled neighbours' homes, karaoke joints, bars, broadcast stations, jeepneys and buses.

It's not hard to be charmed by the beautiful melody and the song that came out of it, which, according to Wikipedia, sold "over 24 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single by a female artist of all time." (Related video:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1667048481506561).

The Philippine capital at that time was deeply immersed in Original Pilipino Music (OPM) which flourished from the early 1970s and saw the birth of such bands as The Hotdog, APO Hiking Society, Hagibis, VST & Company, etc., and singers like Rico Puno, Rey Valera, Basil Valdez, Nonoy Zuniga, Freddie Aguilar, Sampaguita, Ella del Rosario, Celeste Legaspi and many others.

So when "I Will Always Love You" hit the airwaves, the effect on me was endearing. Whitney Houston's interpretation (versus the original by Dolly Parton) became a favourite I hummed in my off-key voice everyday at work, at home, at leisure, and even when driving.

But what caught my attention now just as the song is significant to me was the principled stand Dolly Parton had taken in refusing Elvis Presley's offer to sing it and co-share its proceeds.

The prospect was bright. If his version became a hit, Dolly Parton as the songwriter stood to gain a windfall. The expectation dampened, however, when his manager told her the recording would have to be by Elvis Presley's publishing, which would have required her to give up or split her rights.

"I wanted to hear Elvis sing it, and it broke my heart - I cried all night," she said in a published account in 2021. "But I had to keep that copyright in my pocket. You have to take care of your business! Everybody's going to use you if they can."

That statement, particularly its reference to copyright, is very meaningful to my work as a journalist and a YouTuber. Parton and Presley knew what copyright meant for their creativity; it protected them from being pirated by unscrupulous individuals or companies.

For the nth time, I am reminded of what had happened to my intellectual property - the photos and videos I created and the thinking that went with them which the crooks in Taste of Manila (ToM) festival had stolen and manipulated when nobody was looking.

Dolly Parton was correct in saying "Everybody's going to use you if they can." Elvis Presley and his manager were respectful enough to inform her of their interest in her music, and even forthright in saying they wish to have a share of the money it would earn should Elvis Presley recorded it.

None of that kind of integrity happened in my situation. The con artists of ToM just proceeded to appropriate the photos and videos for their benefit, neither seeking permission for their use nor paying for what they stole. And to top it all, never apologize for their transgression.

I railed against a dubious not-for-profit foundation when it awarded Rolly 'kabise" Mangante, the former driver turned self-named founder of ToM, its "community service award" apparently for the street festival, all the while ignoring his many acts that bordered on the criminal.

Monday, 24 August 2026

362 Candidates on Oct. 26 Election, Including Toronto Mayor Chow

Volume 8, Issue No. 10

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

Our latest as of Monday, August 24, 2026

~ Fifty-three candidates, including incumbent Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, are vying for the premier city post in Canada's largest city. The municipal election set for October 26 will also select 25 councillors. One of the candidates, Maria Saras-Voutsinas, is an official of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada, who denounced, then defended, the husband and wife editors of a defunct tabloid who were exposed for lying and deceiving two of its writers and the federal Canadian Heritage in 2023.

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TORONTO ELECTION ON OCTOBER 26

53 Candidates for Mayor

of Canada's Largest City

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

TORONTO - Municipal election in Canada's largest city is all set to take place on October 26, 2026, City election authorities announced on Monday.

With incumbent Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow seeking reelection, 53 nominees are vying for the premier post. Twenty-five seats in the City Council are also up for grabs. Altogether, there are 362 candidates. (Related video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A15mg60kBJ0 at the 0:59 Mark).

Of her challengers, Councillor Brad Bradford appears to be the most prominent and well-known in the Filipino community. (Related video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIjgS7KVY7k at the 2:08 mark).

For this year's election for mayor, the number of candidates is eight less than the election in June 2023, which was triggered by the resignation of Mayor John Tory over an extramarital affair with an unidentified staff. (Related video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN7Sa7gnlJo).

An official of National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC), Maria Saras-Voutsinas, is competing with 17 other candidates for the seat being vacated by retiring Councillor Paula Fletcher in the Toronto-Danforth ward.

Voutsinas is the daughter of Thomas Saras, president and CEO of NEPMCC. (Related story:

https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2026/05/from-technically-criminal-to-garbage.html).

She is the same person who denounced, then defended, the couple Hermie Garcia and Mila A. Garcia, editors of the defunct The Philippine Reporter, from unsavory news articles exposing their lies and deception on two of the paper's writers, Michelle Chermaine Ramos and an intern in Edmonton, Alberta. (Full story at:

Saturday, 22 August 2026

2026 Taste of Manila Makes Outlandish Claim

Volume 8, Issue No. 9

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

Our latest as of Saturday, August 22, 2026

~ It must be part of the social media hype to market the street festival to another venue outside city limits of Toronto. The claim has been posted that Taste of Manila has generated more than half-a-million attendees last week in so constricted a place as Little Manila in North York. Police authorities would not venture an estimate. Without proof, however, organizers said 600,000 people came. Really?

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ANOTHER EXAGGERATION?

ToM Street Festival's

Outlandish Claim

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“There are some people so addicted to exaggeration that they can't tell the truth without lying.” — Josh Billings

TORONTO - In their usual exaggerated way, organizers of the recently-concluded Taste of Manila (ToM) festival make the outlandish claim that 600,000 people attended the event in the unofficial Little Manila neighbourhood.

It's hard to imagine how that huge number of people could fit into a four-lane, seven-hundred meter stretch (from Wilson Ave.) of Bathurst St., the north-south arterial road in North York, without raising public safety concerns.

This year, as in the past two years, the so-called Society of Philippine (scam?) Artists, Recreation and Community (SPARC) has been consistently contending rising numbers without offering proof of how they reached that conclusion.

Absent that, the statistics appear to have been extrapolated, meaning conjectural, possibly to lull supporters into believing the money they poured in was worth spending.

When asked, Toronto Police could not provide an estimate of how big the crowd was. "We don't have a crowd estimate for this event," a spokesman says.

He suggested to inquire from organizers. I responded by saying people there tended to inflate everything to please sponsors, partners, and vendors.

Explains the spokesman: "Crowds at an event like a street festival are extremely difficult to accurately provide as the crowds are fluid and people are coming and going during the entire event."

On the other hand, he says, "a crowd at an event which is stationary, such as a concert or demonstration, is easier to estimate using drones and other methods."

So how did SPARC, the group hired by so-called ToM founder Rolly Mangante to stage the festival, come up with such huge number in an area constricted by houses, onsite stores, restaurants, booths, and entertainment platforms?

The biggest establishment there is the No Frills supermarket, which sits next to TD Bank, a popular retailer visited by hundreds if not thousands of shoppers everyday of the week. Did SPARC count them too?

One of only three members comprising SPARC - none of which is an artist in the sense of "a person skilled in any of the arts" as opposed to a scam artist or "a person who is very good at something" - is a notorious troll with three names.

https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/07/will-taste-of-manila-festival-push.html