Cabal of Mushroom Pickers Exposed in Suit

Volume 1, Issue No. 19

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, December 23, 2019 

~ Filipino mushroom pickers had consulted with suspended paralegals, one of them for committing professional misconduct, in what appeared to be a conspiracy to bring down an enterprising Filipino businesswoman who had run a successful workforce management company in Toronto. But Crown prosecutors saw through the machinations, and nearly two weeks ago, a Superior Court judge agreed with government lawyers to drop all the cases for lack of evidence.

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FILIPINOS VS. FILIPINOS

The Failed Mushroom Workers' Conspiracy

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Embellishing a story for whatever reason proves you're a liar. Doing it in front of someone who knows the truth proves your stupidity.” ― D.S. Mixell

TORONTO - The six Filipino workers who had escaped from a mushroom farm and later resettled by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) had sought legal counsel from two paralegals whose licence had been suspended by the Law Society of Ontario.

Additionally, the wannabe writer who reported their plight in a Filipino entertainment tabloid actually lifted his story from a press release by an organization with links to the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Canada.

Encouraged by the prospect of gaining status in Canada, the runaways claimed to have been victims of trafficking, a charge leveled on Liwayway Miranda aka Lily Hammer, the person responsible for bringing them in Toronto through her company, A&L Hammer Workforce Management.

The accusation which the CBSA lodged in Superior Court of Ontario did not prosper and was officially withdrawn by Crown prosecutors a week ago, or on Wednesday, December 11, 2019. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QprwiFQiLjs).

The six escapees were Irvin Atanoza, Marianne Balabad, Jon Edison Diongson, Renante Maximo, Elian Pearl Navarro, and Mark Anthony Orquiza. One of them - Elian Pearl Navarro - was three months pregnant when they came in July 2016. (Background: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/).

They all entered Canada as mushroom pickers but are now employed at Blue Mountain, a ski resort in southwest Ontario 170 kilometres from downtown.

A Filipino paralegal named Dominador "Jun" Dela Saludares handled the complaint of the six accusers, who had previously given their testimonies to Michele Agatha Rose, a Black paralegal in North York whose status was "suspended administratively".

Saludares himself was found guilty of professional misconduct and ordered suspended by the Law Society Tribunal at the time he acted as a legal advocate for the six fugitives. (More info at: https://lawsocietytribunal.ca/OrderAndReasons/Saludares%20(2018-12-17).pdf).

Indeed, on December 17, 2018, the Tribunal issued an order, stating, and I quote: 

"Mr. Saludares committed professional misconduct by acting in circumstances where he ought to have known that he was being used to facilitate dishonesty, fraud, or illegal conduct, failing to comply with client verification requirements, and acting outside the scope of his P1 paralegal licence. His licence is suspended for three months, and he is ordered to pay $5,000 in costs to the Law Society".

Saludares was not immediately available for comment.

Meanwhile, a certain Edwin Mercurio, the wannabe writer who wrote "The continuing saga of abuse, exploitation and deceit perpetuated (sic) against migrant workers by Lily Miranda, et al continues to unfold" in Balita tabloid had jumbled the facts, identifying one innocent farm from another and wrongly naming the complainants of a different agency.

When cross-examined during a preliminary inquiry on November 7, 2019, Elian Pearl Navarro, the pregnant woman at the time, testified that all six of them were given copies of a letter by CBSA which stated that, and I quote: 

" x x x If you feel that you may be a victim or know someone who may be a victim, you can contact the person noted below.

"There are many resources available to victims of human trafficking to which we can refer you to address various issues such as emergency housing and assistance with regularization of immigration status.

"Individuals determined to be victims of trafficking by Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may be issued with Temporary Resident Permits, healthcare coverage and open Work Permits".

The undated letter addressed only to "recipient" was signed by one "Percy Nicolas, investigator".

Faced with the possibility of bettering their situation promised by CBSA, the six mushroom pickers readily acceded to incriminate Ms. Miranda and Laxman Marsonia, owner and president of Sharon Mushroom Farm.

"Because of this letter, the runaway workers told CBSA that they are 'Victims of Human Trafficking' even they are not," Ms. Miranda explained. "And because of this, Sharon Mushroom Farm and my agency were charged with human trafficking".

When Crown prosecutors last week dropped all the charges against her and the other agency, we knew who was lying and who conspired to lie and bring down a successful business venture by a Filipino entrepreneur. (Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved).