Volume 4, Issue No. 8
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, July 27, 2022
~ The news and soundbites in the community occurred while thousands of Filipino and non-Filipino revelers swarmed Little Manila in celebration of this great gathering called FUN Philippines Toronto Street Festival. To say it was a huge success is an understatement. A spoiler from "the other festival" (which sounds like a bad word now) manifested its resentment and disrespect. Community zoomers wish FUN Philippines would go on every day if only for the goodwill, camaraderie, and fun it engendered. However, misconceptions still exist among those who knew little of what's going on.
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THE WEEKEND OF FUN IN LITTLE MANILA
FUN Philippines Outshines 'The Other Festival'
Envy Rears Its Ugly Head Amidst the Festivity
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“Stars do not pull each other down to be more visible; they shine brighter.”
―
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It astounded me why somebody would hang such a banner amidst the ongoing event - the FUN Philippines Toronto Street Festival - by ToM's previous organizer, the Philippine Legacy and Cultural Alliance (PLACA).
I see it as a pathetic effort by a group of losers to spite FUN Philippines because of envy. The resentment is so obvious for the fact that FUN Philippines was happening at the same location where ToM was supposed to have taken root but unfortunately folded because of mismanagement leading to bankruptcy.
* * *
While cordiality was the order of the day in the frenzied atmosphere in Little Manila this past weekend, the other festival that may not materialize at all flaunted its disrespect for FUN Philippines. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AIr5z8nqRw).
At the extreme, it's an expression of contempt, and I mean the ill-advised display of its banner in front of a restaurant along Bathurst St. near where paying booth owners are stationed. The store was cashing in on walk-in customers and the other festival rode along.
It's another one of those underground schemes to attract visitors to ToM and distract them from the ongoing festival inspired by the same bunch of shameless incompetents and pretenders who thrive in their shady universe. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ).
* * *
A heat warning went out for most of the week past the weekend of July 23 and 24, the Saturday and Sunday primed for the FUN Philippines Toronto Street Festival organized by the Philippine Legacy and Cultural Alliance (PLACA) and the Philippine Consulate.
Coming from a tropical paradise where the weather is either hot or wet, the heat alert may have sounded flimsy to the thousands of Filipinos who have inundated Little Manila as a storm would usually submerge some parts of the country.
For example, many of the women who took their oath of Filipino citizenship came dressed in the national costume, the "baro't saya" or blouse and skirt that covers the whole body. "Hindi ba sobrang init isuot yan?" was the question repeatedly asked of me. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V56QPpKhRYU).
I responded: "Have you ever watched beautiful Filipino women parade in such gowns during the Santacruzan and the like?" And before I got an answer, the next question followed. "What's a Santacruzan?" I was in no mood to educate the questioner as I was busy taking videos. I left it at that.
* * *
While walking the length of the festival ground in Little Manila on Sunday, July 24, I overheard this group of zoomers (or Generation Z) verbalized among themselves a wish: "sana ganito na lang araw-araw".
I smiled and rushed to get them to talk on camera, but they sprinted upon seeing their friends, mostly girls, and disappeared into the thick crowd of merrymakers hurrying for the show on stage on Wilson Ave.
I told that encounter to a friend who said he heard the same thing from another group. Well, it just goes to show the warm reception FUN Philippines Toronto Street Festival got from revelers. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/07/fun-philippines-memorable-highlights.html).
* * *
A service booth owner who does not look Filipino took me aside and whispered, in his words, "this is the same thing, only a different name, yah?" I had to clarify certain misconceptions and set my cameras aside as he didn't want to be recorded.
Well, I said, the only "the same" here are the location and the organization behind this event now. Everything else is different. To answer how different this is calls for a lengthy discussion. "Why, what happened to the first one?"
Part of being a journalist is to be responsive to inquiries like the one I'm facing at this moment. But I'm too pressed for time so I gave him my business card and asked him to visit my blog and my news channels on YouTube for all the information he needed.
I learn later that he has subscribed to The Filipino Web Channel, Currents & Breaking News Channel, Filipino Web Entertainment Channel, and, of course, to my blog, the Filipino Web Magazine. Isn't this an effective way to reach out?
* * *
Notable on the opening day of the festival on Saturday, July 23, was the absence of genuine and counterfeit role players in the Filipino community. Thank goodness! That big change from the old practice is commendable. Why?
Well, for one, we can stay focused on the event and reflect on its meaning to the Filipino community. For another, it stops the proselytizing by politicians who tend to hug the limelight to advance themselves. Still another, it deprives so-called community leaders the pulpit to praise friends, organizations, and members of their families.
Many politicians in our midst take advantage of Filipino hospitality. It's true, we're generous to a fault. By now, we should be able to detect who's truly advocating for us. Haven't you noticed? There's no Filipino in the corridors of power at the municipal and provincial levels. Oh, I almost forgot. Somebody sits cozily up there in Parliament smiling most of the time.
* * *
There are good vendors and there are rogue vendors. A significant number of the latter cornered a big chunk of merrymakers (and their spending money) who thought they were part of the festival.
For purposes of the fest, the one-kilometre stretch of Bathurst St. from its junction at Wilson Ave. is the official site of the event. That's where to find all the authorized booths, including the food booths vetted by city health authorities.
On the other hand, along Wilson Ave. westward, many of the stores selling food items on the sidewalk did not have the permit, nor were they screened to comply with health regulations. Very much like Manila? You bet it is!
* * *
I was on the lookout for a possible security breach on my person. To find who might try, I walked back and forth Bathurst St. and Wilson Ave. at least four times, filming videos and shooting photos at the same time. The sweat I generated was probably equal to the number of bottled water I consumed during the jaunt.
It's quite disappointing I didn't find the usual suspects. Ever heard of the adage attributed to George Washington that says: "the best defense is a good offense"? I subscribe to that.
What's good about it is I completed my customary walking exercise for the day. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).
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