Scammers Capitalize on Pandemic Fears

Volume 1, Issue No. 34

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, March 30, 2020 

~ As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, authorities on the side are warning of the proliferation of scammers out to fleece people of financial assistance from the government. No less than the Prime Minister of Canada issues an alert to warn of text scams. In Toronto's Filipino community, sweet-talking scam artists, aided by ignorant newspaper publishers, are also capitalizing on fears and uncertainties to lure potential victims.

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IN WAKE OF CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Scammers Make Capital of Fears, Uncertainties

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Fraud includes the pretense of knowledge when knowledge there is none". - Benjamin Cardozo

TORONTO - The human tragedy associated with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) does not appear to faze all kinds of fraudsters, some may be categorized as elite scammers, from plying their illicit trade to mulct money from unknowing victims.

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned about a "text scam" about the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) which provides $2,000 a month for up to four months for workers who lose their income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Info at:https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2020/03/introduces-canada-emergency-response-benefit-to-help-workers-and-businesses.html ).

Previously, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre also issued a bulletin alert advising people to be vigilant. "As COVID-19 continues to spread globally, watch out for associated scams," it warned. "Fraudsters want to profit from consumers' fears, uncertainties and misinformation. 

"Fraudster are exploiting the crisis to facilitate fraud and cyber crime," the Centre emphasized. (More info at: https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/features-vedette/2020/covid-19-eng.htm).

Swindlers or sharks are a thriving species in the Filipino community. They are all over the place; some are enabled by ignorant media, others are even supported by community organizations headed by so-called leaders who do the cover-up because they are, in fact, complicit.

A recent forum aiming to create awareness of existing scams had instead focused the center of attention on a group of individuals of dubious backgrounds and interests. That was ironic. The attempt to shine the light on others backfired, exposing their ulterior motive.

From the moment the World Health Organization warned of a "very high" risk of coronavirus early this month to its spread globally, thus a pandemic, the scammers were already playing their game.

I know. As the number of cases and deaths from the virus spiked, my different email addresses are constantly getting a daily average of 15 so-called offers of "Covid-19 cash relief" or "Covid-19 remuneration" or "Covid-19 credit". Half of these goes to the spam folders but the other half stays with my regular emails.

I never dared to open them, or click the links. I just delete them without as much as worrying where the email came from, family or friend, whatever. Admittedly, I learn an expensive lesson when in the past I opened emails as fast as they arrived. A desktop and one of my laptops got infected and had to bring them to a computer shop for repairs.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre advises "Never respond or click on suspicious links and attachments; never give out your personal or financial details; and if you didn't initiate contact, you don't know who you're communicating to".

In our community, these scammers are sweet-talkers, charmers who knew how to seduce and exploit potential victims by offers of help - for free - such as the availability of lawyers who could assist them in their problems. 

It's a lure. Once the innocent prey takes the bait, the seduction process begins. As the saying goes: "If you think the deal they are offering is too good to be true, it probably is".

The question that arises now is why would such service, assuming it's true, be given without cost by the group knowing nobody in its roster of officials and members is a lawyer? This is where the scam kicks off.

A handful of entertainment news outlets has been propagating the scammers as if they're the community's gift to save us from being fleeced. That's the problem. A tabloid fronts as a fighter against fraud yet allows itself to be the conduit of the scammers to attract victims.

The coronavirus pandemic is exacting a heavy toll around the world. Thousands of lives have been lost. The fears are real. As a community, we should root out the scammers in our midst, they who knew our anxieties and capitalize on them to hoodwink us. (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).

Staying Safe Indoors, Relax and Let COVID-19 Pass

Volume 1, Issue No. 33

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, March 16, 2020 

~ Countries have declared a lockdown, people have gone into isolation while the pessimists among us are in panic-buying mode all because of the yet-to-be-conquered novel coronavirus that has leaped out of racial, political and geographic bounds. Health authorities advised us to do the basics while scientists probed in hopes of finding a cure. Meanwhile, staying in the comfort of one's home appears to be the wisest thing to do in this time of coronavirus.

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GETTING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC 

Caution in the Time of Coronavirus

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are". - Chinese Proverb

TORONTO - Something of a discovery happened as we stayed stuck in our homes waiting for this pandemic of coronavirus to be contained by not being a carrier, and trounced by modern science through the invention of still unknown drugs.

All my life I hadn't seen such an inconspicuous enemy descending on mankind, blind to race, age, and gender; oblivious to geographic and political boundaries; and uncaring about one's station in life.

At home in grateful obedience to calls for isolation, I thought I had countless hours in my hands watching the news, browsing books in my small library and perusing my collection of poetry books. 

Poems had a calming effect on me especially in these uncertain times when all I see and hear on TV, the internet and newspapers were about a disease that has already wrought havoc in several countries and had prompted political leaders to near-closing their countries' borders.

For days since coronavirus got officially baptized by the World Health Organization as COVID-19 (meaning coronavirus disease 2019) to avoid stereotyping its country of origin and its people, towns and cities, and then countries, decided to corral their citizens within their areas of residence,

"Out of an abundance of caution" was the key phrase, followed by words like lockdown, isolation, home quarantine and euphemisms to soften the reality and impact of a COVID-19 pandemic, or else we the people would be so distressed and terrified.

To some doomsayers, the message of COVID-19 was apocalyptic. That it still has no effective cure makes matters worse, stoking genuine fears.

So the only alternative to not getting it is to observe strict personal hygiene, avoid crowds and practice social distancing. These are basic but helpful tips even though we know some people contracted the disease by means not fully explained.

My realization that COVID-19 has gone global was in seeing our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau putting up a brave front in saying his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, has tested positive for coronavirus after returning from the British capital a week ago.

In Manila, a sitting senator, Michael Zubiri, has tested positive too and went into self-isolation. "I practiced social distancing as well as a no-handshake policy but yet I got contaminated. How, I do not know," he says in press reports from the capital.

Prior to that, Italy has declared a lockdown, the first European nation to do so. Soon, at least 10 others in the continent closed their borders And so was China's Hubel province. The Philippines had its main region, Luzon, where the capital Manila is, on lockdown too.

As I write these lines Mr. Trudeau announced in Ottawa that Canada is closing its borders to non-Canadians or non-permanent residents.

The growing fear of the pandemic is well-justified. Survival - mankind's survival - is at stake. It's a source of comfort to know, however, that every health challenge mankind has faced, humans always come out triumphant. 

That is not to say we should let our guard down. On the contrary, the more we should stay vigilant. The more we should stay in touch, not face-to-face in the meantime, but through other means of communication.

Tired at staring at my computers for a few days now, I revert to gazing out the window to relax a little bit. This is where I had this discovery.

You see, between 6 to 7 a.m. daily, nature treats me with spectacular views of the rising sun. My second-floor room window faces east and down below is the yard that allows an unobstructed view of the horizon and with patches of green that mellow my mood.

In these times of coronavirus, what more can be comforting than staying indoors relaxing, having a great view, poetry books on my side, computers within easy reach, and stacks of non-fiction waiting for my attention? It's a great way to feed the mind. (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).

Bully, Loose Cannon? Who's Afraid of Tess Cusipag?

Volume 1, Issue No. 32

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 Thursday, March 12, 2020 

~ From an obscure teacher in the Philippines, she became, by a change in circumstances, publisher and editor of a tabloid in Toronto and discovering along the way how influential and pretty powerful one could be. As such, people would tend to believe whatever she dishes out, maybe out of habit, friendship, and sympathy. But she can't be right all the time; mistakes happen and owning them up would go a long way in instilling respect. Not for her, it seems; she's much too high to even look down.

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BALITA: A SINISTER PULPIT 

Who's Afraid of Tess Cusipag?

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"If you allow yourself to be used, you will be trampled". - Anonymous

TORONTO - To hear it from people who claimed to have been, and continue to be, publicly offended and shamed on social media, Teresita "Tess" Cusipag is a bully. Others say her mindless online postings make her a loose cannon.

A former teacher in the Philippines, she publishes and edits Balita, the Filipino community's biggest photo album tabloid, to carry on, she has previously claimed, the legacy of her husband, the veteran journalist Ruben Cusipag who passed away in July 2013. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJR8AlVgMMc&list=UL672oQb5shR4&index=890).

Such a gesture was noble, to begin with, but I have my doubts whether or not the memory of the late newspaperman is served effectively by her mediocre, nonchalant approach to publishing, and substantially, in editing where knowledge and experience matter.

For example, she browbeats her perceived enemies and anyone who happens to cross her path, calling them names and unjustly tagging them even when the courts of law had not adjudged them guilty of any offense. 

The case of Ms. Lily Hammer is illustrative. Ms. Cusipag scoffs at her like a criminal, calling her "Lily Scammer, the fraud and scammer" when nothing in the court system has ever found her guilty as charged by cowardly internet trolls and anonymous individuals. 

Another businessperson, Naomi Ong, found herself in the same predicament. The copycat "guest writer" named Edwin Mercurio sensationalizes her in Balita by collecting information from the court (where he reportedly works as a messenger) and fashions them into a make-believe tale.

In at least three cases in Small Claims Court, Mercurio stands as "lay representative" for claimants, a situation that gives rise to a potential conflict of interest considering his access to confidential records both as "representative" and court employee, on one hand, and as "writer" for Balita, on the other.

Ruben Cusipag had had a better sense of fairness when he was the editor, unsurprisingly because he had known and had had the grounding as a working journalist in the Philippines before coming to Canada in the early 70s.

These days, the fortnightly Balita is now a weapon for Ms. Cusipag and Mercurio, and their newfound boosters called elite scammers, oops, sorry, I mean "Elite Crusaders". Social media (mainly Facebook) is their preferred platform to launch savage verbal attacks against individuals and internet trolls whose very existence is questionable.

There are underground supporters too - partners in crime? - composed of the fake doctor, a paralegal of dubious background, an unindicted sexual assaulter, and hustlers pretending to be concerned citizens.

In the Filipino community, being identified with a newspaper carries some weight, and I don't mean in the literal sense to describe Ms. Cusipag as some people might think. 

So being publisher/editor comes with power and influence to shape public perceptions of right and wrong regardless of whether the person possesses the moral authority and bona fides to hold positions of great responsibility.

I know those for a fact, having written investigative pieces for that paper for seven years - the length of time Balita had shredded its zany image and gained some respectability as a serious newspaper.

During my term (as a reporter, columnist, and associate editor) there that came to an abrupt end in June 2019 for defending the truth and standing by it, Balita was at the zenith of its popularity, the newspaper of choice by many people looking for hard news about the community.

Arguably it had to do with the many critical and expository articles I wrote. Some of those stories had engendered four multimillion-dollar libel suits, a course of action made inevitable by the essence of that genre of journalism. It's the nature of the beast, so to speak.

That is not to say I was solely responsible for the lawsuits. Knowing I was on the side of truth had strengthened my resolve to fight and continue on.

Notwithstanding the many controversies, I knew where I stood in my writing. If my reporting had been scathing, it was because the facts called for it. A journalist's first responsibility is to adhere to the truth and report it honestly and accurately come what may.

I doubt if Tess Cusipag, as the publisher, knew this. Unschooled and untrained in journalism, she took in the role of the editor without understanding that the position does not simply involve filling spaces with pictures. Critical thinking plays an important part in publishing news, not gossip, and certainly not reprints from other media.

As everyone knows, anybody with money can be a publisher, essentially the capitalist. But even with money at one's disposal, one can not be editor just like that without at least knowing the fundamentals of journalism or even the very basic structure of news writing.

The result is a paper like Balita - a mish-mash of pictures, gossip, irrelevant news, praise releases, entertainment with wannabe writers like the copycat Edwin Mercurio dishing out erroneous articles. It's the perfect example of incoherence.

By the way, even as he has not warmed his guest seat, Mercurio is already being hailed to court for libel. His co-respondent is his publisher and editor. 

The obvious lack of journalism grounding shows itself in the paper. It also explains why she takes on Facebook, i.e. to vent her frustrations, anger, failure and to run after critics. Besides, Facebook has more reach than the paper.

I had long wondered why, despite having Balita to express herself fully, she has to resort to Facebook to bamboozle those who displease her. I believe it's probably because Facebook is the go-to platform for public shaming.

If I might say without trying to offend, newspapering is not a play or sport, rather, it's an exercise of the intellect. It's for those with a sound mind and not for the weak of heart either.

Without Balita at her beck and call, would Tess Cusipag be belligerent to people she regards as enemies and a softie to those in the category of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" even if they're in the wrong?

It's pitiable how a few months would turn Balita into a sinister pulpit manipulated by her friends taking advantage of her naïveté. 

But then, she's old enough to know who's pulling the strings on her and realize, hopefully, what a fool they've made of her. Given that she's publisher and editor, it's a shame to find her in such a despicable situation. (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).

So-Called 'Elite Crusaders' Raises Red Flag

Volume 1, Issue No. 31

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 Saturday, March 7, 2020 

- There's really nothing elite about them nor are they the gallant crusaders of ancient times, but a group of men with dubious backgrounds has assembled and called themselves "Elite Crusaders". The "elite" and "crusaders" parts are at best illusory, but just the same, the group attracts people who see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. The situation is regrettable.

PUBLIC SHAMING OF WOMAN TRIGGERS . . .

A Red Flag for 'Elite Crusaders'

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Every evil screams only one message: 'I am good.' " - Alexander Schmemann

TORONTO - A young woman's complaint, a boast of sexual conquests, an unreported sexual assault, a misrepresentation, and an alleged identity fraud have raised a red flag on a small group of men identifying themselves as officers of the so-called Elite Crusaders Canada (ECC).

As we all know, a red flag is "a sign or signal indicating potential, incipient, or imminent danger or trouble," the dictionary says. It is an alert to something risky.

Since its launch in a forum on January 26, 2020, the ECC has been packaging itself as a shining example of uprightness, a protector to run to for succor. Its top officials consisted of Chito Collantes, "founder/chairman"; Taki Onate, "president"; Ron Culianista Turla, "corp. secretary"; and Nino Hasta, "board of director".

In a recent video posted on Facebook, Collantes stated that one of the ECC's missions is "to help those being victimized by physical harassment, sexual harassment, scammers". I thought the statement is full of ironies.

Incidentally in the same video, Collantes made a boast of having girlfriends in Mississauga, Windsor, Toronto, and the Philippines. It isn't clear if he had romantic or sexual relationships with them all at the same time or one after the other.

Anyway, what he said sounds impressive to those who knew nothing of him and his team. A closer look reveals there's nothing more to it than a soundbite, and it's not a real declaration of a commitment to do good in serving the community, either.

I say that much after getting hold of a phone chat via Facebook messenger between Collantes and his colleague Taki Onate. At one point, they agreed to keep their discussion secret as it also involved enlisting the support of Teresita "Tess" Cusipag and her Balita newspaper.

At that time, Balita ran an article bylined by the copycat Edwin Mercurio about a couple against whom, he said, charges (unspecified) were filed. Unbeknownst to Cusipag, the publication of that story was the opening that afforded Collantes and Onate to latch on to her. It was to be their vehicle to get to her good graces and promote ECC. 

"The opportunity was there, so they took it," my source explained. Eventually, they got Cusipag to support ECC by way of free publicity. Balita was one of three entertainment tabloids that publicized the ECC's "Iwas Scam" event in Scarborough in January.

A source had offered to this reporter screenshots of the conversation to show how they connived and tricked Cusipag into propping up the ECC and its first attempt to attract public attention for its "Iwas Scam". Given this context, Cusipag appeared to be an innocent but willing victim.

In their exchange, Onate echoed what Collantes had earlier said, which is that the ECC was just for "publicity" to boost Collantes' recruitment and immigration business and at the same allow him (Onate) to be seen as an active player in the community. 

Onate told an unidentified chatmate in Tagalog: "Publicity lng namin yun pra tuloy din daw ako sa community at sa negosyo niya, sekreto lng ito at tiwala ako syo na wag mkalabas. Sinasakyan lng ang issue".

Finding this out now, I have to raise the symbolic red flag as a warning to the community to take extra care in dealing with wolves in sheep's clothing. And I don't mean that to refer to Collantes, Onate, and the entire ECC in particular.

I know I would be subjected to endless online bashing, if not actual physical violence and intimidation. Well, I've grown accustomed to all dangers and risks from the time I committed to unearthing fraud and criminal activities as a journalist.

Our "crusaders" are a pathetic cousin to the historical religious crusaders we learned from school, them who were chivalrous, morally upright fighters for a cause. The ECC is far from it. I say it again here, our "crusaders" are anything but.

A young lady's complaint has reached me through social media. A concerned citizen sent me a snapshot of the thing being complained of and there in front of me, I see the smiling face of the selfie-taker and Facebook poster himself, a guy named Nino Hasta.

I suspect the name must be an alias. Quickly enough, my inquiries yielded information, unverified as of this writing, that the guy answers to another name. In the real world, he's known as Kristofferson Vista, according to those who knew and saw his face on a video on Facebook. But I still have to cross-check that.

But why would ECC tolerate such duplicity, allow him to hide his true identity and publicly claimed he is Nino Hasta? Hasta la vista, eh? See you later, eh? 

Hasta took a selfie in a restaurant where three women were having their meal. They were there facing each other, providing a background for the selfie. The lady whose back faced his camera was apparently unaware that her behind was exposed.

It would have been an innocent snap, except that Hasta's intent was obviously malicious. Seeing her butt crack or bum cleavage showing while they dined, Hasta took aim and had his shot. Her crena (the formal term for the cleft between the buttocks) was what attracted him to do the selfie.

Not content with invading the women diners' privacy, Hasta encircled the butt crack with a red marker, without doubt to highlight it, and posted the same on Facebook with the tag: "kapag gutom ala na pakialam baka maubusan ng ulam sa budol fight . . . "

That was disgusting, unchivalrous of a "crusader". Is Hasta emboldened by the cloak he had put on himself that he would not be found and held accountable, assuming his ECC identity is just a cover?

The woman has complained about being stressed, bullied, and scared after Hasta published the photo. "It was an unlawful act," she said, "and cannot be tolerated".

She asked an unidentified friend to help her arrive at a decision either to just stay silent or seek a public apology for what he did.

"My friends and I want to see him make a sincere expression of regret and a promise to not do it again on others," she explained. "We also want a guarantee that the pictures are deleted from his phone," she added.

Back to the video post. Explaining the ECC's mission, Taki Onate said, and I quote: "We're not one-sided. Itatama namin ang mali". For his part, Ron Culianista Turla stated: "Ang EEC para sa naloloko . . . wala po kaming scam na ginagawa".

True? We'll see in the next issue. (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).

Shining the Light on Misdeeds Has Its Blessings

Volume 1, Issue No. 30

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 Wednesday, March 4, 2020 

~ The wish for an enlightened Filipino community, honestly-informed and actively participating in a healthy discussion of relevant issues, may be realized with the launch soon of an English-language newspaper named Periodico. It is not what existing Filipino publications are - that's its generic description - rather it is committed to the telling of the unvarnished truth, confrontational but considerate, dauntless but respectful. Periodico hopes to shine the light on tabloids and personalities masquerading as agents of change but are actually selfish protectors of wrongdoers. 

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PERIODICO

My Second Wind in Community Journalism

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Adversity introduces a man to himself". - Anonymous

TORONTO - This business of community journalism comes back like a second wind for me.

The feeling of being invigorated by a renewed sense of purpose has boosted me after being worn out for years trying to create awareness that I had thought might lead to a change in attitudes and outlook.

Giving up never crossed my mind, thanks in part to social media which open doors to many possibilities and enabled me to continue to pursue a personal and professional commitment to investigative journalism.

Losing a print outlet for my works had only strengthened my resolve. One man's threat is another man's dare, and that is how I viewed my exit from a local tabloid, my metaphorical home for one of the best chapters in my community journalism journey.

The big challenges are on the horizon. But rather than freak out, a burst of newfound energy kicks up a stronger, audacious and innovative second wind. 

Periodico, the newspaper supporters and I are launching soon in the Greater Toronto Area and other parts of Ontario, is my second wind. 

What it is, is the polar opposite of current and existing tabloids. I do not own it - let me be clear on that - I'm merely its editor given free rein to allow a voice to those with no means to articulate their truths and unconventional views.

That alone is freedom magnified many times. I did not realize I had made myself captive to ineptitude because of a belief I was serving the community at large. As it turned out, I was innocently protecting the greater interests of a few cronies, not mine, reason contrary viewpoints were stifled.

This second wind is truly a breath of fresh air. Not only do I feel resurgent, but a part of me experiences being transported back in time when from nothing I put up my own newspapers in California. That was my first wind in community journalism.

The circumstances leading up to that first venture in the United States were very much like what had happened in Toronto, i.e. my refusal to submit to censorship by people incapable of understanding journalism and its intricacies but who nonetheless had the money to fund the business.

I had to quit my editorship in San Diego rather than give in to my principals and created my own publications. It was different in Toronto. Defending the truth made a casualty of my job because the person who spoke it did not see eye to eye with the publisher.  

Soon after I was let go there were at least two offers to establish new newspapers. The latest, by Periodico, was actually the third. I can't believe that even with the online bashings and verbal attacks against me for writing exposés, there are others who believe and trust me.

So my departure from my previous employer was a blessing in disguise. Offers came and went notwithstanding the fact of my contentious reputation for shining the light on misdeeds by people we thought we could trust.

In January, I quietly celebrated my 10th year in Toronto. Seven of those years had been devoted to community journalism through print and social media (mainly YouTube). That that milestone occurred at the cusp of a new decade is portentous of a brand-new beginning.

Ushering Periodico is comparable to having a new addition to the family. There's the promise of a bright future, a hope for sunny days, and a wish for an enlightened community. (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).