Deception at Filipino Centre Toronto

Volume 3, Issue No. 35

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 and beyond . . . . . .

 

 Our latest as of Monday, February 28, 2022 

~ The Filipino Centre Toronto has publicized in December what it said was its "2020-2021 Annual Report". It's basically a reproduction of the results of an audit concluded in November by the accounting and auditing firm Yale PGC LLP. The spectacular thing about it is the detailed content that goes back to the three years before the non-profit emerged from the doldrums with the sale of its old building for $5.9 million, instantly making it a multi-millionaire The date of issue may be current but the nitty-gritty that has sparked calls for transparency is way past. Is this outright deception?  

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THE 2020-2021 ANNUAL REPORT

Is FCT Pulling the Wool Over Our Eyes?

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Guard yourself from lying; there is he who deceives and there is he who is deceived.” ― Sextus

TORONTO - The December release of financial statements by the Filipino Centre Toronto was intended to quell a growing public agitation for transparency.

That view has become more apparent after analyzing what the non-profit referred to in its website and in press releases as the "2020-2021 Annual Report".

The years 2020 and 2021 are more likely an allusion to when that report was prepared and made public, and not in what it contains. It's an update that's passé, actually three years behind the most relevant information and development in the organization.

Why? Because there's nothing there to show how FCT handled the millions of dollars it realized from the sale of its old building and the hundreds of thousands it received from grants. Those are the concerning and contentious issues relevant to widespread calls for openness.

FCT and its officers, I believe, are evidently pulling the wool over our eyes again. It's a very public attempt to trick the whistleblowers and concerned members and evade calls for accountability. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dWabOiCwhU)

At its basic, the report is misleading and disingenuous. It deceives, it hides the truth. It distracts public attention from the controversy FCT officers have generated by paying lip service to transparency. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZFXKzvQqYY).

Glancing the report from its website, it purports to show an update on the financial situation at FCT with this dubious - but looking current - title  "2020-2021 Annual Report". (Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDQoagXLlQ).

Well, it doesn't cover those years or the period from 2020 to 2021. Rather, it masks the same time frame with unexplained movements of assets and liabilities. Read further and you'd see that the dates are for the years 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Those annual reports do not address the concerns of the day involving huge payouts to previously-unheard monetary claimants. Neither do they clarify the reasons for supposedly upgrading facilities to the tune of at least a million dollars at its Scarborough home which FCT had acquired for $1.9 million.

As it looks now, FCT has just skipped discussion of how it is spending the $5.9-million proceeds from the sale of its old building on Parliament Street in downtown Toronto. (Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2021/12/major-deficiencies-plague-filipino.html).

The FCT appears to have succeeded in diverting the attention of grumbling whistleblowers and concerned members from their main complaint - the payment of large sums to claimants who surfaced as promptly as when FCT got paid.

So far, the release of the "2020-2021 Annual Report" moment had the seeming effect of silencing the demands for transparency and accountability. Members should ask for an update, not a quick lesson in history. FCT should inform its members about the current state of affairs!

The financial situation of 2016, 2017, and 2018, while important, could have been easily appended to reports about FCT's performance in the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 because those are the years when FCT emerged from near-bankruptcy.

The sale of its "cockroach and mice-infested" two-story building on Parliament St. in downtown Toronto had fetched $5.9 million - a lot of money by all means - which seems to have choked its officers to such an extent they have become deaf-mute. (Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2021/12/fct-brushes-off-audit-results.html).

So tight-lipped, in fact, that whenever they're asked for comment they just clam up, perhaps in the hope that the issue would fizzle out by their reticence. 

For the record, FCT president Mary Ann San Juan and FCT chair Efren de Villa did not respond to questions emailed to them on February 23. Keeping silent when confronted with money issues is apparently a habit. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

Mudslinging by Online Trolls

Volume 3, 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 and beyond . . . . . .

 

Our latest as of Tuesday, February 22, 2022 

~ Many weeks have passed and the online pirates who stole film footage of past Taste of Manila events have gone into hiding, never saying a word nor showing any indication of contrition for what they did, and perhaps would continue to do the same in the future. Their political, financial, and community sponsors should realize by now that they were exploited by the usual suspects famed for their underhanded tactics. 

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THE FAILED 'VIRTUAL TASTE OF MANILA' 

Who Are the Online Pirates in This Venture?

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Respect is more important than ratings, and that truthfulness and honesty and compassion and integrity are the traits that we must pursue in ourselves as much and as rigorously as we do in others". - Aida D'Orazio

TORONTO - As sure as night follows day, the troll squad launched its dark attacks right after my article and videos came out decrying the shameless misappropriation of film footage of my coverage of the Taste of Manila street festival years back.

The pilfered materials have been inserted with contents I could only surmise were stolen from other sources, remade into a virtual presentation, streamed on YouTube, and garnered views so negligible the people in there could be regretting their endorsement. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ).

The virtual Taste of Manila created by the usual suspects is an utter failure. Since it supposedly streamed live on January 8, 2022, it had only three (3) views. I was probably the fourth viewer, having been forced to click on it to be able to take a photo as evidence of wrongdoing.

But even as the numbers are worthless from a social media standpoint, the individuals responsible for this thievery must be held to account. Journalism has guidelines to observe and ethics to follow. And then there's copyright law to comply with.

I am reminded of what writer and journalist Aida D'Orazio told the local media in May 2011, thus: "respect is more important than ratings, and that truthfulness and honesty and compassion and integrity are the traits that we must pursue in ourselves as much and as rigorously as we do in others".

Incidentally, according to a writeup by retired teacher Tony San Juan published in this month's issue of Filipino Bulletin, Aida "has returned to God in eternal peace and happiness on January 15, 2022". Rest in peace, my friend. (Related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGG67hUJw34).

The standard of journalism practice established by law and customs should be easy to adhere to unless one is an incontrovertible moron, the tall order an excuse to sidestep both professional and personal matters.

I demanded compensation for the unauthorized use, knowing fully well they earned money from unsuspecting sponsors through my labor. If that's not possible, I asked to be acknowledged as the source of the material and an apology for lifting contents without my express permission. None of this has materialized as of this writing.

I am not a stranger to these varying forms of plagiarism. The "virtual ToM" was not the first. Early on, two of my articles were pirated by people who hanker for the prestige of being called journalists but are too incompetent to be one.

For example, in 2014 I wrote for Balita and Waves newspapers an article about the singer Rey Valera after an interview with him in Toronto. That same article was plagiarized by a media outlet in California. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZBGmBTxBzc).

Another was in 2016 when this so-called "Pahayagan" embellished my story and passed it off as its own. (The full story is at: https://www.balita.ca/torontos-pahayagan-newspaper-editor-apologizes-for-plagiarizing-story/ and the video is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I0bHcFMP_o).

Lacking a sensible cause on which to anchor the situation the squad is in, the trolls in this group resort to their usual underground tactics, purveying old, recycled garbage to score points. Whatever those were do not intimidate me, never at any point at all!

My concern is not so much that I am, again, in the eye of their wrath as it is for those who might fall victim and believe the tall story of my personal and professional experiences in California nearly two decades ago.

I've grown immune from attacks of this nature. The worn-out tactic to pass rumors has lost currency a long time already. That they still resort to that only shows the lack of issues to confront me with. 

On the other hand, I am not wanting in the dirt about them to tough it out with them. What I have in my possession tempts me to wage a virulent smear campaign against them, tit for tat, and see how they can endure a protracted skirmish.

I fight above ground, face to face, man to man. I believe those who wage their personal battles in hiding are weaklings, and wimps who deserve my utmost contempt.

I practice what I preach, especially in the matter of transparency. I've adhered to my own newspaper (Diario Veritas) slogan "courage to say the truth" as a guide in journalism practice. (Related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9vcuamfGCI).

"If journalism is good, it is controversial, by its nature," says Julian Assange, the editor, publisher, and WikiLeaks founder currently confined in a maximum-security prison in London, England. I believe him.

By the way, I covered his press appearance at the terrace of the Ecuadorian embassy building where he had sought refuge in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London in August 2012. The videos of that coverage are here: 1)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF-94qq7cZE; 2). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiPlBVYorRo; and 3). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvZ51QmFHOA

The very nature of adversarial journalism I practice unavoidably invites critical responses. I am fine with that. But when such responses border on lies and mud-slinging I take a defensive stance and go into offense. 

I am not a punching bag. And if the trolls thought I am, that would be devastating for them. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

FBI Issues Arrest Warrant for the 'Appointed Son of God'

Volume 3, 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 and beyond . . . . . .

 

 Our latest as of Monday, February 14, 2022 

~ Can Divine Providence intercede for an "appointed son" facing charges of sex trafficking of children. bulk cash smuggling, among others, in the United States? The answer is we don't know. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warrant of arrest for Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed "appointed son of God", whose face and personal information have been circulated in a WANTED BY THE FBI poster. The faces and metrics of two of his aides - Teresita Tolibas Dandan and Helen Panilag - are likewise plastered on posters and distributed in the U.S. and the Philippines. The trio now duplicates in the FBI listing the notorious feat by Filipino-American serial killer Andrew Phillip Cunanan who had been in the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives after murdering international fashion designer Gianni Versace in 1997.  

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WANTED BY THE F.B.I.

Apollo Quiboloy, the 'Appointed Son of God'

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“What is a 'false prophet'? Those who lie by attributing personal biases to divine source.” ― Leland Lewis

TORONTO - The long arm of the law appears to be catching up on a self-declared Filipino divinity - the so-called "appointed son of God" whose earthly name is Apollo Carreon Quiboloy - who reportedly commands a flock estimated to number over six million in about 200 countries.

Call me a skeptic but I keep wondering how God, in His infinite wisdom, would "appoint" (meaning designate) - not "anoint" (meaning make someone holy) - someone like Quiboloy and deputize him as His "son". 

"Only the Son," the preacher says, "has the Access to the father" (sic) and quotes John 14:6 thus, "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man goes to the Father but by Me" to justify it.

Whatever his claim is, it looks like his "appointment" has not deterred the Federal Bureau of Investigation from chasing after the flamboyant televangelist to answer charges ranging from sex trafficking of children, marriage fraud, money laundering, visa fraud, bulk cash smuggling, conspiracy, and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion.

Philippine media are speculating that Quiboloy, one of the richest pastors in the country with a net worth estimated at between 50 to 100 million pesos, might be extradited to the U.S. to face his accusers. 

But Philippine Justice Secretary Menardo Guevara has said the U.S. State Department would have to request it from the Department of Foreign Affairs which would review and endorse it to the Justice Department before the extradition process would commence.

Reached for comment, Nicole Navas, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington told The Filipino Web Channel on Sunday, February 13, that "As a matter of policy, the U.S. Department of Justice generally does not comment on extradition-related matters until a defendant is in the United States.” 

Quiboloy's lawyers said in published reports that they were ready to defend the pastor in a legal battle that could take years to litigate.

Following the issuance of a federal warrant of arrest, the FBI has recently circulated a WANTED BY THE FBI poster containing personal information about Quiboloy who uses, according to the agency, two birth years - 1947 and 1950. The FBI is seeking public information about his whereabouts, although he is believed to be in the Philippines. 

He frequently appears on newscasts in SMNI or Sonshine Media Network International, the Makati City-based network he owns. Its website says the network has 17 radio stations nationwide with DZAR 1026 kHz Sonshine Radio Manila, Mega Manila as a flagship station, is also broadcasting worldwide through live stream.

The FBI has also released WANTED BY THE FBI posters of two of Quiboloy's trusted aides, namely, Teresita Tolibas Dandan, age 60; and Helen Panilag, age 57. Below is the full report of the FBI furnished The Filipino Web Channel:

APOLLO C. QUIBOLOY

Quiboloy is wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders. 

Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the U.S. year-round. 

It is alleged that females were recruited to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals,” for Quiboloy and that victims prepared his meals, cleaned his residences, gave him massages and were required to have sex with Quiboloy in what the pastorals called “night duty.” 

Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest.

TERESITA TOLIBAS DANDAN 

Teresita Tolibas Dandan is wanted for her alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought members of a Philippines-based church to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders. 

Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the U.S. year-round. 

Dandan allegedly played a central role in recruiting female victims, including minor victims, to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals” for church founder Apollo Carreon Quiboloy. The victims allegedly were required to prepare his meals, clean his residences, give him massages and were required to have sex with Quiboloy on a schedule determined by Dandan, Quiboloy, and others in what was referred to as “night duty.” 

Dandan is the alleged “international administrator” who was one of the top overseers of the church and the bogus charity operations in the United States. Dandan was indicted in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and promotional money laundering, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for her arrest. 

HELEN PANILAG

Helen Panilag is wanted for her alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members of a Philippines-based church to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders. 

Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the U.S. year-round. 

Panilag is the alleged one-time top church administrator in the U.S. who oversaw the collection of financial data from church operations around the globe. Panilag was indicted for conspiracy by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for her arrest. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

The Romantic Adventure of Two Lovebirds

Volume 3, 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 and beyond . . . . . .

 

 Our latest as of Friday, February 11, 2022 

~ Our guest writer from Seattle, Washington is literally oozing with love, lots of it, in fact, to move him to pen this wonderful missive to the one and only object of his affection. Years and the arrival of children have only sweetened and strengthened their relationship. We're running that letter here in observance of Valentine's Day on Monday, February 14. - Editor

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LOVE LETTER TO HIS DEAREST

Beloved Valentine

By CONRADO (SLUGGO) RIGOR JR. aka VALENTINO 

Guest Writer

My Dearest Valentine,

It is the Season of Love, my love. Commercial messages proclaim it everywhere -- in the malls, newspapers, billboards, on TV and -- even as I am shaving half-awake this lovely morning -- the radio wafts an unforgettable love song by Frankie that we had danced to long ago and far away.

And as I drift back…I am young and ferociously in love again to a fair and stunningly beautiful girl. I feel once more those silky smooth cheeks, the tender, dainty hands clutching mine, the magic scent of Blue Grass. Pure witchery!

How many decades have come and gone since then, my love? How many thousands of miles have we traveled together? Charm, romance and easy caring from you through the years bring forth only endearment and joy so that the twists and turns in life’s journey are not only made bearable but enchanting. 

Even after the children arrived, the astonishing part is that we have constantly been happy, more deeply in love, more contented with each passing year. Let me tell you that the best part of it all, one profound discovery I had long kept to myself, is that you are also my best friend.

One day, almost a quarter-of-a-century ago, with the children barely in their teens, we embarked on a major life-altering venture. The family pulled up its stakes and transplanted them half-way across the world to America. 

We knew from the start that this giant step would test us to the limit. And it did. My heart bled silently to have to see the transformation in you as you took care of the children, managed the household and still tackled a full-time job. At the end of each weekday, it pained me to see you flop down in bed exhausted. 

Gone were the housemaids and the nannies that you had grown up with back in the old homeland. Gone too were your once soft and dainty hands. America’s detergents, to our disappointment, were not kind to even gloved hands…washing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, the windowpanes, the car. 

And the cooking, grocery shopping, clothes in the hamper and the washer-dryer, the lawn, the endless chores that pummeled our patience and resolve in those early years. We cried now and then. But we had each other and the cheerfulness, the laughter and humor would never fade away. And we prayed a lot, remember? 

That was I think the time when faith kicked in to strengthen our family bonds even more. That was I think the time when I saw for myself what a marvelous, beautiful person I have been blessed with for a life partner. That was when it dawned on me how blessed and immensely lucky a bloke I really am.

Now that you’ve retired from a quasi-slavery job, I see that you have become even lovelier. And I know that like me you relish the added hours in a day that we spend happily together. 

One by one, the children are leaving our nest. They’re grown up now and are embarking on their own journeys. America, we learn, has a pattern of individualism and freedom that even traditionalist Filipino parents like us must accept. 

When we decided to live in America to become American citizens, we were determined to avoid culture shocks or nuances that would lull us into foolish acceptance. I must admit it was difficult balancing things in the beginning. 

But through it all, because of you, adjusting to America’s temperament and strange ways, the struggle to blend in, to strive, to contend with new horizons have been a piece of enseymada. 

Do you remember how we addressed the ‘why?’ of our coming to this great and benevolent land? It was genuine love for one another. Because we love our children so much we wanted them to have a better stab at life. 

But, believe me, it was agony to have to leave. You and I know how we sacrificed our own priorities for their future. For that, I love you even more. And our children, thank God, have never been happier seeing what love without barriers has made of us.

How many Valentine seasons have we spent together in America? I’ve stopped counting, my love. All I want to focus on is that wondrous feeling for you and how special you are to me not only on this Season of Love but for always. 

Not given to mushy stuff, I know you know how I may not openly demonstrate affection. But I struggle with myself this season to find the right words to tell you how good life has been with you as my wife. 

I write this letter convinced that the message I want conveyed will forever stay in your heart. Our journey together continues to be one magnificent, fun-filled, faith-laden romantic adventure.

Commercialized or not on this season of Valentine, Frankie says it all for love-struck dudes like me when he croons in his immortal lovey-dovey voice: “When somebody loves you, it’s no good unless he loves you -- all the way, all the way...”

Forever your amore,

Valentino*

 _____

*Valentino is Conrado (Sluggo) Rigor, Jr., a recently retired Executive Director of a 49-year old non-profit human services agency based in South Seattle. An ex-Information Attache and publisher of the Filipino-American Bulletin, Sluggo-Valentino is married to the former Marivic Friedlander, an AFP general's daughter. Both are army brats who met in the old Ft. Wm McKinley where they were neighbors. He is a thoroughbred (grade school through college) alumnus of U.P. and Marivic is a thoroughbred alumnae of  St. Theresa's College (STC-Manila). She also recently retired as curriculum assistant at the University of Washington. They have 5 grown-up children and have lived in Seattle since 1985. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

BBM-Sara Leads Campaign for Elective Posts in Philippines

Volume 3, 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 and beyond . . . . . .

 

 Our latest as of Wednesday, February 9, 2022 

~ Ten candidates for president and nine for vice president have begun barnstorming for votes in the May 9, 2022, elections in the Philippines along with 64 aspirants for the 24-member Senate, and regional, city and municipal offices. Some candidates are believed to be running for the funds of it, implying financial motives. On Tuesday, February 8, the beginning of a three-month campaign period, the tandem of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and their senatorial bets officially launched their candidacies. 

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THREE-MONTH CAMPAIGN PERIOD BEGINS

BBM for President, Sara for Vice President

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Elections belong to the people.”- Abraham Lincoln

TORONTO - In a field of 10 candidates for president of the Philippines, one aspirant stands out - Ferdinand Marcos Jr., "Bongbong" or BBM, fondly to his legions of supporters - the inheritor of both adoration and scorn, and everything that goes with the name.

He is in tandem with Sara Z. Duterte, the current mayor of the City of Davao in Southern Philippines and the headstrong daughter of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte, who herself is competing with eight other hopefuls for votes for vice president.

BBM is called the "Tiger of the North" and Sara the "Eagle of Mindanao" - an allusion to the vote-rich regions of northern Philippines and Mindanao, the second-largest island (after Luzon where Manila is located) in the archipelago

Together, they make up the BBM-Sara UniTeam which, so far, appears to be poised to win by a landslide in the May 9, 2022, national elections for a six-year term based on surveys after surveys of voters regionwide and nationwide.

Their pre-poll showing could be attributed to their famous (or infamous) last names and their experience as local executives. 

BBM is the namesake of Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., the ousted president who ruled the country for 20 years, 14 under martial law. Critics called Sara the female version of the fiery Duterte, who, despite his curses and foul mouth, remains well-liked and whose approval rating hovers north of 70 percent.

Like the others, these two scions of popular families launched their first push at the Philippine Arena, reputed to be the world's largest indoor arena with a seating capacity of 55,000 in Bulacan, 30 kilometers north of Manila, on Tuesday, February 8, the beginning of a three-month campaign period for national and regional offices.

There, the UniTeam proclaimed their official candidates, including those running for the Senate. BBM and Sara spoke to a sea of green and red (their campaign colors) shirted crowd in and outside the arena. 

But it was BBM who I'm a little familiar with, having covered Malacanang Palace, the seat of power, as a foreign correspondent in the mid-70s, especially the turbulent years leading to the February 1986 People Power Revolution that toppled Marcos' reign, and on to Cory's Aquino's presidency.

Watching him speak, BBM really surprised me. He seems to have inherited his father's ability to connect with the masses and put them under his spell.

My sense then was that BBM's sister, Imee Marcos, was the logical choice to succeed the president given her early training and exposure to politics. But she fell in love with a married man, Tommy Manotoc who eventually divorced his wife, the beauty queen Aurora Pijuan, the 1970 Miss International, and married Imee. (Background story at: https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0107/010747.html).

It was the biggest scandal at that time as it crisscrossed individual loyalties, politics, and family relations. Manotoc's mother, Nena LaO, was a sister of then foreign secretary Raul Manglapus' wife Pacita LaO; and Conchita LaO, wife of Eugenio Lopez Jr., owner of the broadcast giant ABS-CBN. Manglapus and Lopez were both political enemies of Marcos. (Background story:  https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/sunday-life/2010/11/21/631544/imee-marcos-her-loves-martial-law-betrayal-and-life-after-edsa).

The Manotocs lived in San Lorenzo Village in Makati, their house just a few hundred meters from the Manila office of the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun, the newspaper I worked for a number of years until I accepted an offer to put up the branch of the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the German news agency, and head it as Manila bureau chief. But I digress.

BBM's speech and the way he delivered it at the campaign kick-off reminded me of the late strongman. Now, I am of the opinion that he ultimately is the rightful heir of his father's political savvy. He could be a rabble-rouser just as well.

Aside from BBM, there are nine other aspirants for the presidency. However, four, including incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, are considered serious candidates. The joke is some candidates are running for the funds of it, implying financial motives.

Sara Duterte is among nine candidates for vice president that also includes Senators Vicente Sotto and Francisco Pangilinan. A total of 64 candidates are running for a seat in the 24-member Senate. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).