New Taste of Manila in Jeopardy?

Volume 4, Issue No. 24

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, November 14, 2022 

~ Neither the gloom of the approaching winter nor the recurring coronavirus pandemic worsened by the flu that's unsettling the occasional happy hunting ground that is Toronto's Little Manila. That social and commercial hub takes the appearance of a battleground when organizations compete for public patronage of their festivals. Now, the people behind one of the fests are potentially facing another battle, bigger and more costly, in a court of law.  

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SHORTLIVED JUBILATION LEADS TO . . .

Gloom and Panic in Little Manila

An Expensive Legal Skirmish Is About to Break Out

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Pride comes before the fall".  - Proverbs 

TORONTO - A nasty shitstorm is blowing in the direction of a group now working on a plan to mount a grand street festival next year in this city's ceremonial Little Manila neighborhood.

The momentum is building up, according to knowledgeable sources, to the point that the joyful mien of the recent past is being replaced by gloom, panic, and a sense of foreboding on the part of the usual suspects.

Several weeks ago, the cabal of fortune-seekers and social climbers gifted themselves with a triumphal celebration at a local resto to announce the entry of a month-old not-for-profit organization contracted to handle the Taste of Manila (ToM) fest in August 2023.

ToM's self-declared founder, the scheming Rolly Mangante, alias "kabise", had trumpeted his new arrangement with a rookie called SPARC (Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community) during a "soft launch". (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4ap92btLM8).

Apparently "soft launch" meant inviting a select group of friendly media who are expected to parrot Mangante and SPARC's suspicious motives and perspective in staging the event.

However "soft" he categorized the takeoff, some organizers see it as a humiliating public rebuke of SPARC's predecessor, the IEC (International Entertainment Company), also a not-for-profit org owned and managed by an entertainment producer, Cecille Araneta, and a podcaster named Ramon "Mondee" Datol, a former publisher of a defunct tabloid. (Related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ).

IEC's goody-goody show of fondness with Mangante had been brief, and their uncivil parting appears headed to an expensive legal skirmish the likes of which have not been seen among community organizations.

Why Mangante chose SPARC over IEC to manage ToM is a question he has not answered. But my sources said his change of heart was dictated by a negligible sum of money.  (Related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ&t=9s).

That decision could cost a lot for him and his group and could turn ToM into a historical footnote in the annals of Toronto's Filipino community. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcs34cnA2bs).

It's sad to think of ToM that way after all its past successes in rallying the local and mainstream communities to take interest in Filipino culture, food, and entertainment starting in August 2014 and ending in 2019. 

The six-year run could have provided important lessons in humility, especially for people like Mangante, a former driver at the Philippine consulate, who had achieved some fame because of ToM.

But as ToM grew bigger, so was his head swell. He became arrogant. His behavior took a bossy turn while he relished being called by his team "chairman," "president," and "founder". 

He didn't seem bothered by wisecracks about him being "amba" for ambassador, "congen" for consul general, and "consul" which, undoubtedly, has nourished his self-conceit. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2020/01/3-in-1-who-is-amba-congen-consul-of.html).

Nevertheless, Mangante acted and dressed the part. With a festival improperly credited to his name, he called the shots, dismissing those who threatened him and welcoming newcomers willing to be subservient to his wishes.

This appears to be the situation with SPARC. Composed of old and new faces, SPARC seemingly possesses a determination to bring ToM to new heights of success. Its holdover members are its links to past achievements.

The newbies, on the other hand, are the bright-eyed recruits with a knack for superlatives and fanciful rituals, thus its name Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community (SPARC). 

It adopted the slogan, which is a bit of an exaggeration, thus "mas pinalakas, mas pinasaya, mas pinalaking Taste of Manila 2023". Roughly translated, the slogan says much stronger, happier, much bigger Taste of Manila 2023.

SPARC's purport is key to understanding both Mangante and his new group, including the newly-emerged family venture called ToM Inc. whose directors are Mangante's wife Nieves, and daughter Jacqueline.

I wonder who the "artists" in SPARC are. Danilo "Sani" Baluyot, SPARC's executive director, listed five individuals, including himself, as the people behind SPARC, namely: Danilo Baluyot, Rosemarie Ami, Porteria Barker, Lita Mendigoria, and Janelle Bascon. Not mentioned is the "pinabili ng suka, pagbalik journalist na" sexpot.

The point is who among them are artists in the true meaning of the word? What category of artistry are they in? I might have been out of touch but I can certainly tell the real from the pretenders.

SPARC's shebang is a look into the near future. For a newborn not-for-profit, the recent "soft launch" is quite a headstart. What's the prospect of it going forward? (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).