Volume 3, Issue No. 54
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, May 28, 2022
~ Authorities have ordered a dubious not-for-profit organization to "cease and desist" using the corporate logo of the City of Toronto on its posters and website promoting a proposed Taste of Manila festival in summer. Officials also clarified that the City "is not providing financial support to the Taste of Manila." The International Entertainment Company (IEC), the purported not-for-profit, has neither confirmed nor denied reports that it was canceling ToM for lack of support.
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CEASE AND DESIST ORDER OUT
Stop Using Toronto Logo, City Tells ToM Officials
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“Men who thought of themselves as gods fell the farthest, and the hardest.” ―
TORONTO - The minister showed off the poster, smiling, as he sat inside a Filipino restaurant, and then somebody snapped a picture which found its way later on social media, particularly on Facebook.
The photo is one of the publicity items being brandished by a dubious group, the International Entertainment Company (IEC) which purports to be a not-for-profit organization that came into being only last month, April 5, in fact.
The man beaming with pride in that snapshot is Marco Mendicino, Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence, and Minister for Public Safety in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet. He is a lawyer quite well-known in the Filipino community.
Mendicino's untainted reputation and wholesome demeanor endear him to Filipinos, which is perhaps why the IEC had picked him for the photo op. To be clear, he is not the issue here.
The big issue is the poster he was holding that essentially makes him the poster boy for the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival being proposed by IEC in summer. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/05/is-iec-legit-nfp-org.html).
At the bottom of the poster is the corporate logo of the City of Toronto situated beside the coat of arms of the Philippines. The two iconic symbols convey a powerful imagery that elevates ToM, at least visually, to an event seemingly approved officially by the City and the Philippine government.
That is further from the truth. But given the bad habit of IEC of stealing content, photos, and videos like what it filched from The Filipino Web Channel months ago, the misappropriation of the symbols does not seem to bother IEC officials whoever they are.
One IEC official, Ramon Datol aka Mondee, denied the stealing and even justified the act. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU9). (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/04/lies-incompetence-teem-in-proposed-2022.html).
Notwithstanding efforts being conducted by IEC to promote ToM via posters and online sites, the City "is not providing financial support to the Taste of Manila," according to a City official. That means IEC's use of Toronto's corporate logo is prohibited.
Authorities have also ordered IEC and ToM organizers to "cease and desist" from utilizing the City's corporate logo on its posters and website to market ToM. (See collage). "The logo, as an Official Mark, may only be used to specifically identify officially endorsed City business".
Unstated in the order sent out this week is the potential copyright infringement by IEC on a property owned by the City. A similar situation has happened recently when the IEC stole and manipulated video footage taken from past videos of ToM by The Filipino Web Channel. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ).
As in the past, IEC officials have not returned a request for comment. Questions emailed to them have not been answered as of this writing today, May 28.
The IEC also has not confirmed nor denied reports that it was canceling the ToM festival slated in August for lack of sponsors and financial support.
Previously, however, IEC official Cecille Araneta boasted that she has the money to fund ToM. Self-declared ToM founder Rolly Mangante also claimed an influx of corporate sponsors. The claims could not be verified. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-arVEgNPQ4I).
ToM had its last staging in August 2019 under a new organizer, the Philippine Legacy and Cultural Alliance (PLACA), which took over from another organization led by Mangante. The year prior, the City of Toronto rescued it from bankruptcy by waiving fees due the city and thus enabled ToM to have its festival in 2018.
The questionable IEC is now fronting as the latest new organizer for ToM. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).
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