'Praise' Gaggle by 2022 Taste of Manila Organizers

Volume 3, Issue No. 43

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, April 13, 2022 

~ The moment I walked into this press conference called at a Filipino restaurant in North York, I knew it would be a friendly, kiss-ass event to promote personalities more than the planned staging of a new Taste of Manila festival. Despite my misgivings, I went just the same. I wanted to see the people behind the project and inquire why at this point when they're trying to win the trust and confidence of the community, they already engaged in stealing somebody else's intellectual property to promote themselves. 

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PROPOSED TASTE OF MANILA 2022

ToM's News Conference for 'Praise Media'

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Stop giving meaningless praise and start giving meaningful action.” ― Steve Maraboli

TORONTO - One of the new organizers of a new Taste of Manila (ToM) festival described the Sunday afternoon meeting they had earlier called at this restaurant as a "soft announcement" of what they believed would be this year's ToM at the same east-west, north-south street junction in North York's Little Manila.

"Soft" turned up to be an accurate depiction of what unfolded nearly half an hour past the schedule, not unusual in Filipino events where tardiness is a virtue rather than an unsound habit that must be completely expelled from the subconscious.

From the list of invited guests, none could be construed as journalists in the strictest sense of the word. Obviously, most of them belong to that distinct group of "praise media," i.e. not the legitimate press even as this assembly was billed as a "press conference". I suspect some of them belong to PPCO, that social club I labeled Philippine Praise Club Ontario.

I was a bit surprised that I got invited, although I felt that my presence was unwelcome, having written unpleasant articles and equally unflattering videos of the men and women behind this latest attempt to resuscitate a bankrupt ToM.

Knowing who these people are and the questionable reputation that precedes each one of them, I have very little confidence that ToM 2022 would take off despite the enormous amount of optimism oozing out of the organizers and the cheering "praise media" who I believe had been invited just to applaud at every turn.

I wondered why this character garbed in a Leni pink (meaning the election campaign color of Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo) jacket was allowed to speak and ask questions. I suppose he must be a member of the cheering squad that clapped and yelled when other members would ask the usual softies.

I knew this guy. He is the same fellow accused of attempting to rape a local broadcaster in a hotel room, and an active member of a so-called "elite" gang pursuing a dubious crusade to weed out scammers in the Filipino community. Oh well, what can one expect from this new group? (Full story at: https://www.balita.ca/by-a-so-called-community-leader-filipino-woman-reporter-bares-sexual-assault/).

Anyway, once the soft questions - planted, I believe - had been asked and gleefully answered, I notified the moderator of my intention. Somebody handed me the microphone and I inquired about ToM, its finances, and why it stole film footage from my videos. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/04/new-org-eyes-holding-taste-of-manila.html).

The uneasiness was noticeable the moment I asked: If you had the money, why can't you pay for the film footage that your organization appropriated from my copyrighted videos of past ToM events without my knowledge and consent? They were caught unawares. 

Cecille Araneta, allegedly the head of a not-for-profit, managed a nervous smile and passed on the microphone, not wanting to take part. She was feigning ignorance, yet it was the image of her and her equally chubby friend Nieves Mangante's moon face, that was superimposed on one of the film footage that made it appear they were there in the 2018 ToM.

The original photo (above) from my coverage of 2018 Taste of Manila festival and the stolen photo (below) manipulated and spliced with the image of two women who look alike in shape and form. Watch video from where photo was lifted, manipulated, and loaded onto the virtual presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPwILICgLr0

Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak, the event's guest, squirmed in his seat. Rolly Mangante, the self-proclaimed ToM founder, grinned. The microphone went past Pepito Torralba and Danna Luna, both ToM functionaries, and finally reached Ramon Datol, a ToM official, who responded with his pathetic nonsense. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU).

What Datol spewed by way of explanation is a combination of hot air and gibberish. He probably thought he was speaking before an audience of illiterate yes-men and women who barely understood what stealing and copyright mean.

His defense of the act of stealing is insightful and should be cause for worry for those who are blindly supporting the new ToM. Again, if they could steal film footage without shame, what more of monies coming from sponsors and vendors?

My emphasis on new is to separate this present project by Araneta, Datol et al. in all shapes and forms from the original ToM that had reigned supreme for six years, from August 2014 to August 2019, and had been managed in succession by three different organizations.

ToM had been the centre of instability from the day it was publicly bared. Its concept had been discussed lengthily between then Philippine consul general Pedro Chan and the former Toronto police chief Bill Blair. Without authority and official standing, Rolly Mangante, the driver of the consulate, sat in during the discussion. Later, Mangante claimed he founded ToM.

At its inception in 2014, ToM officials had already shown how they viewed the street festival. Money, the prospect of accumulating huge sums of it, had been the engine that drove them to snipe against each other. 

As a matter of fact, rivalry, envy, jealousy, and greed became a constant source of irritation. One official got so hung up with his business competition and was eventually thrown out of ToM. Another absconded to the Philippines with an undetermined amount of money and never returned.

Even Mangante is alleged to have pocketed at least $40,000 paid by a sponsor and reportedly treated his family to a lavish vacation in the Philippines. Neither Mangante nor the sponsor would confirm or deny this allegation.

The relatively unknown officials saw ToM as a means to raise their profiles as community leaders; some felt entitled to promote their respective businesses in the area; some took advantage and capitalized on it to boost their political stock.

The real thrust, supposedly, which was to enhance the Filipino community, had been an incidental consequence of the gathering, understandably so because most Filipino organizations fleeced the community through an elaborate scheme of pay-as-you-enter kind of entertainment.

At this point in the effort to revive ToM, some of its officials have already been slapped with a lawsuit, according to informants. The report is still raw and has not been verified as of this writing. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).