Volume 4, Issue No. 33
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
Our latest as of Tuesday, December 20, 2022
~ The obvious lack of material to report on has led a newspaper publisher to scrounge the dumpster where she found stuff, long discarded, and salvaged it for renewed public consumption. The practice is definitely a no-no in journalism unless new and substantive facts are unearthed to change the narrative. In this instance, it's hatred that's fueling the act.
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BALITA ARTICLE SALVAGED FROM DUMPSTER
Reopening Old Wounds or Just Lazy?
Disguised as a Warning, But It Is Not
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
"The evil that men do lives on the front pages of greedy newspapers, but the good is oft interred apathetically inside". - Brooks Atkinson
TORONTO - Nothing is more pathetic than in this latest diatribe by a local tabloid publisher and "editor" who regurgitated ancient stories about two friends she hated and continues to hate, and in the process, promote her and her pals' selfish interests.
Garbage, even when recycled, is still garbage. Putting lipstick on a pig does not transform the animal; it may disguise it, but it's still a pig. And that is what this process is all about - recycling refuse long spurn by the authorities for lacking fundamentals of evidence.
The animosity remains inflamed, possibly stoked by friends who, like her, are driven by profound resentment and envy. There's a gang of real-life scammers who call themselves elite and sheltered, figuratively, in her own backyard.
Having been a writer and associate editor of Balita from 2012 to June 2019, I feel a sense of responsibility to tell unsuspecting readers that what they read in that paper is not necessarily gospel truth. Information from there should be taken with a grain of salt.
The latest issue of Balita (Dec. 16-31, 2022) carried an article on its website written by Tess Cusipag titled "BEWARE . . . Toronto scammers abound around us". Glancing at it, I thought I read it before.
In any case, it piqued my interest. I would not be scooped if something like this comes up. I knew I would be the first one to know from my small army of sources in the community and out.
From reading the headline, I thought she had finally mustered the courage to expose those elite scammers - her friends - in her own backyard. Was this a sign she finally freed herself and Balita from the evil clutches of this group?
Tess Cusipag became the publisher of Balita upon the death in 2013 of husband Ruben Cusipag, who, unlike her, was a respected journalist in the Philippines. He had moved to Canada, founded the tabloid in 1978 as an anti-martial law newspaper, and was its first editor.
Unschooled, untrained, and inexperienced in the basics of journalism, she just plodded head-on and made herself editor as well. Publishers are usually the financiers behind publications. Editors, however, are a different breed. They must have at least a working understanding of newspaper publishing, which is essentially journalism.
In Balita's case, Tess Cusipag is both publisher and editor. The first one is okay, there's no question she has the money to fund it; the second is questionable because of an awful lack of credentials.
So, it is understandable if Balita founders from time to time. The editor in her fails her, or rather the newspaper, and to a large extent, the readers and news consumers who patronize it for the usual rumors and photos of the latest socials.
Having given her the benefit of the doubt, I still could not fathom why she would re-engage in what potentially could be an expensive defamation lawsuit . . . if the offended party so desires.
Her latest caper is the article about her warning against scammers. It's ironic. She didn't have to look far; they're there watching with delight as she wages a fight - ala Don Quixote - against the windmills of her mind.
In that article, she again points an accusing finger at what seems to be her all-time favorite piñatas - Naomi Ong and Lily Hammer. (I don't want to be dragged into this evolving controversy by repeating Tess Cusipag's assertions here. So, instead, I advise readers to visit the story at: https://www.balita.ca/beware-toronto-scammers-abound-around-us/).
What's interesting is that Tess Cusipag again quotes what she describes as a "paralegal, soon to be a practicing lawyer Jun Saludares" who made disparaging remarks against Lily Hammer.
"Saludares," says Tess Cusipag, "won several of the court cases against Liwayway and they are just waiting for courts to open to collect judgements" (sic).
She continues: "Saludares is one of the defamation victims of Lily Hammer together with Chito Collantes of CWSS and Balita newspaper".
While she oozes with pride defending Saludares and Collantes, she forgets to mention that Saludares (full name is Dominador De la Saludares) was cited by the Law Society of Ontario for "professional misconduct", "facilitating fraud", "failing to comply with client verification", and "acting outside scope".
The summary released on January 21, 2019, from the Law Society reads: '"The Paralegal (meaning Saludares) entered an agreed statement of facts and admitted that he committed professional misconduct as alleged when he accepted a retainer to collect a purported debt of over $500,000 in circumstances where he ought to have known that the client was engaged in fraud – Joint penalty submission for three-month suspension and $5,000 in costs with two years to pay accepted as reasonable – Although there had been significant neglect of duty and a substantial fraud in the amount of $434,764, the respondent was a new licensee, remorseful and had immediately reported the matter to police upon realizing the cheques were fraudulent and fully co-operated with the Law Society."
(The full report is at: https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onlst/doc/2019/2019onlsth12/2019onlsth12.html
Incidentally, a "Dominador Saludares" recently posted on LinkedIn a photocopy of an "Affidavit for Taking the Oath for Call" indicating that the person is now a barrister and solicitor in Ontario. He swore an oath to King Charles III, which means the swearing-in was fairly recent as Prince Charles became king only in September.
If this is the same Jun Saludares aka Dominador De la Saludares, well, congratulations! It also shows how outdated Balita is.
Shall we fault Tess Cusipag for her blatant ignorance? Was she deliberately covering for him?
(Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2019/12/defending-truth-has-its-downside.html)
She also mentions "Chito Collantes of CWSS". I'm glad that she dropped the title "Dr." that he usually adds to his name. "Dr." could mean doctor of medicine of which he is definitely not, or an acronym for "dick restriction" which I leave to readers to decide.
Collantes, who runs a recruitment agency in Toronto, is the alleged founder of a dubious gang called Elite Crusaders supposedly on the lookout for scam artists and wrongdoers in the community. It disappeared as quickly as it popped out in February 2020.
The latest but recycled article Tess Cusipag has republished appears intended to reopen old wounds. Watch out, you don't want to relive the past and its pains. There's a better way to look for stories, not scavenge from the garbage bins. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).
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