Filipinos' Summer of Feasts

Volume 3, Issue No. 65

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, June 27, 2022 

~ The battle lines are drawn in this seething rivalry over who will get the most traction in winning eyeballs and warm bodies, and consequently, a lot of moola from street festivals in the Greater Toronto Area this summer. Freed from forced seclusion due to the pandemic, Filipinos are charmed to spend time and money with family, friends, and neighbors while dining, dancing, entertaining, talking, and connecting with each other again. 

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TORONTO'S LITTLE MANILA 

A Battleground for Eyeballs and Warm Bodies

This Summer Chitchat, Dine, Dance, Sing, Relax, and Be Merry

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“If today is not your day,
then be happy
for this day shall never return.
And if today is your day,
then be happy now
for this day shall never return.”
― Kamand Kojouri

TORONTO - This is not about winning hearts and minds, the strategy that emerged during the bloody Vietnam war from the mid-'60s to the mid-'70s.

On the ground here, it is an intense competition; on social media, it is a shouting match. One side, lacking the experience, deliberately resorts to disinformation. The other, proud of its track record, adheres to high ethical standards.

The unfriendly struggle is for the eyeballs and warm bodies that could make or unmake them. And the battleground is a busy traffic corridor in Toronto's North York district - the hub unofficially christened Little Manila.

The area, politically Ward 6 represented by Councillor James Pasternak in the Toronto City Council, is no more than a few blocks of stores, restaurants, offices, condos, and private residences stretching one kilometer along Bathurst St. from its junction at Wilson Ave. 

By immigrant status and by place of birth, Filipinos top the lists, according to the 2016 census. Down the line are Italians, Russians, Ukrainians, Israelis, Vietnamese, Jamaicans, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, etc. 

So it's no wonder the clamor for turf, or a sliver of space of their own, had long been asked. As a concession to the staging of the first Taste of Manila (ToM) festival in August 2014, city authorities acquiesced to the unofficial declaration by Philippine Ambassador Leslie B. Gatan of the birth of Little Manila. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcZa99xeGW0).

In this summer of 2022, Little Manila becomes a battleground of sorts for the same people who had preached and celebrated a show of Filipino unity nine years earlier. What went wrong?

The original ToM had gone from good to bad to worst and finally to its final staging in August 2019 under the auspices of the Philippine Legacy & Cultural Alliance (PLACA), the new organization that took over from previous managers. 

In the five years since 2014, ToM had been run in quick succession by the Philippine Cultural Community Centre (PCCC), then by Philippine Community Events & Services Ontario (PESO), then by the "International Taste of Manila Inc." which probably metamorphosed into International Entertainment Company (IEC), the purported not-for-profit headed by Cecille Araneta, known for declaring jeepney as the "national car" of the Philippines. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdTnX700_a8).

The replacement of one organization with another and another and another appears to be a reflection of the lack of skills of ToM's self-declared founder, Rolly Mangante, alias "Kabise", who had actually stolen the idea from the Philippine Consulate where he had worked as a driver. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcs34cnA2bs).

"Kabise" had the audacity to register ToM under his name. That gives him the authority to hawk ToM to whoever would take it, and still remain as the top honcho. 

The latest taker was Araneta and her partners Mon Datol aka Mondee, alleged sportswriter; Dannasol Luna, nicknamed Lovely who pretends to be a "journalist"; and a few others who formed the International Entertainment Company (IEC).

The four - Kabise, Araneta, Mondee, and Luna - are the major characters fronting themselves as the new face of ToM. They're angling to stage ToM in August in Little Manila but are too secretive about ToM, its sponsors, and the celebrities they've convinced to perform if there are any. This could an indication of distrust.

If suspicion exists, it is because they generate it. For example, IEC which Mondee admits was established only in April this year, is claimed as a non-for-profit org. Canada Revenue Agency says if that is true, why is it not listed in the list of charities. Is IEC capable of mounting ToM? Who's funding IEC and its acolytes? Who's actually behind Kabise?

Until these basic questions are answered, ToM could not be happening at all. No sane individual or company would like to be identified with an alleged NFP that's practically anonymous. So the battle for Little Manila is already lost for them even before it could start.

The summer of feasts in the Filipino community could be enjoyed without ToM. There are alternatives in Mississauga, Vaughan, Hamilton, Niagara, and Montreal. But closer to home where the metaphorical fireworks would happen is at the battleground itself - Little Manila.

On the weekend of July 23 and 24, FUN Philippines Toronto Street Festival takes over the traditional gathering place for Filipino events under PLACA, which is reputed for its track record of holding flag-raising ceremonies at Mabuhay Park (Bathurst-Wilson Parkette), the Filipino Heritage Month celebration in Scarborough and the 2019 ToM. (Related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la7FFScjnEQ).

PLACA promises "massive and exciting fun" as it showcases Filipino food, crafts, cultural installations, parades, regional festivals, street activities, and live entertainment. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).