Renewing a Commitment to Serve the Community

Volume 2, 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 . . .

 The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Monday, October 26, 2020 

~ A tangle of complaints, accusations, claims, and counter-claims these days has reached such levels as to make me forget one of the most important milestones in my journey here in Canada. Six years ago on October 25, 2014, I took an oath as a citizen of Canada and pledged allegiance to the reigning Elizabeth II Regina, Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada. I was one of 79 people from 26 countries sworn in by Judge Floyd Babcock at Citizenship and Immigration Canada Office, 200 Town Centre Court, Scarborough. The article I wrote after my swearing-in finds new relevance in the wake of attempts by despicable newbies to disparage decades' worth of journalism, the reason I'm republishing the article below.

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MY CANADIAN JOURNEY

Strengthening a Resolve to Expose Evil 

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“What helps you persevere is your resilience and commitment.” ― Roy T. Bennett

TORONTO - I've just sworn allegiance to Elizabeth II Regina, Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada.

I did it without disavowing the proud revolutionary legacy that my two grandfathers had passed on to generations after them. They had fought in battles for Philippine independence against Spain with a steely resolve, and now, as I try to harmonize that valiant heritage with new challenges brought upon me, I am empowering myself with the steadfastness that has guided me in serving my community. At my swearing-in on Saturday (Oct. 25, 2014), I wore the Philippine national dress, the barong, to show the nobility of my homeland, my roots basically. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXOhE7L5KTo). The color of my skin and the accent of my speech do not diminish me at all, rather, they affirm the richness of my genesis, its complexity, and the trail-blazing journey that I had undertaken and continue to take. Though I embrace my new status, I'm still a minority in a country teeming with differences and unlikeness - the very essence of its existence - yet being in such a situation gives me the ability to define and shape the courses of action that I plot to take in my chosen field, which is journalism. I was spoon-fed with journalism from my teenage years. I've actively, and without blemish, practiced it non-stop since then, capped by nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent with Japan's second-largest newspaper, and then with one of the major world-wide news agencies based in Hamburg, Germany. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik0AXXyPXaE). My love for investigative reporting and literary journalism shows in many works I published over the years. Still, that life-long experience is held in doubt, ironically, by people who make a living out of pretense, first, in the United States where I lived for 16 years, and second, in Canada where I moved in 2010. Impostors they are who, when light is shone on them, tremble, hide and wither in fear. These people remain a focus of my vow to observe the laws of Canada and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen through avenues available to me. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9vcuamfGCI). To live up to this promise, I will chase after them with the same intensity that drove them underground. There is no letting-up in exposing all of them for their crookedness and duplicity. I shall fear no evil and will open my eyes wide to see who they are and expose them. In our midst are double-dealing officials of Filipino descent. They are the Canadians of convenience and Canadians of opportunity. They occupy positions of responsibility but don't prove equal to the task. They revel in extravagance and conceit. They disgust me and my origins. They shame our noble heroes and our glorious past with pettiness and irresponsibility. No matter how good one is in karaoke, - yes, karaoke - it does not define us, it does not make us proud inheritors of gallant forebears, yet one comedian in the Senate of Canada who is dumb as a beetle would rather highlight the folly. Two cultures and two traditions - one of east and another of the west - clothed me with a unique perspective. Those will be my guide in continuing to fight for a just cause that some of us vainly try to quell. As in the past, I will be an honoured advocate for transparency and accountability. The opportunity to rise up to the mainstream challenge is to prove them wrong in the widespread belief that we're inferior in many things, that we're good only in corrupting ourselves. We have Canadians of Filipino descent who thrive in the same decadence that afflicts the homeland. They camouflage themselves in professional and community organizations, feigning respect with their social stature. They should be weeded out. Towards that goal, I would be merciless in unmasking them. I now have a responsibility as a Canadian citizen and journalist to bring them to justice. I would not hesitate to let the world know about them and their venal ways. One of the greatest traditions of the east is respect. The west has its own spirit of tolerance. As a citizen, I will combine them in my journalistic pursuits of the truth. I will be respectful and tolerant but not to the extent of being abused as what this group of community whiners did to bring me down. I espouse the goodness in us, Canadian citizens or not, fully knowing that I am not a saint nor have I the pretensions of one. I am simply a journalist conscious of my rights and limitations. And just to let everyone know, my Canadian citizenship enhances the boundaries of where I can go. It is my distinct honour and privilege to live it. (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).