ToM Admits to Uncertainty of Holding Festival

Volume 4, Issue No. 50

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of Romar Media Canada's 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 Thursday, March 2, 2023 

~ In a surprising turn of events, an official of the Taste of Manila festival has come out of his hideaway to assure the festivity will go on. But the question is: when? This year or next? We don't know. That statement is coupled with the announcement that a lawyer has been hired to litigate the case brought by a not-for-profit org with whom this official had friendly ties pre-August 2022. Did these once friendly people now antagonists forget that together they stole film footage to promote ToM?  

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TASTE OF MANILA HIRES LAWYER

The Fight Is On Between ToM and IEC

'We Hope to See You . . .' But When?

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Misery is the company of lawsuits."  - Francois Rabelais

TORONTO - The uncertainty of holding a Taste of Manila (ToM) festival this August, or whenever, is palpable in a press statement issued shortly after midnight, or early Thursday morning, by its self-declared founder, Rolly Mangante aka kabise, and forwarded to this reporter by publicist Tony San Juan.

"We hope to see you at the Taste of Manila," Mangante says without providing a date. His unexpected announcement is apparently intended to quell two critical reports that one, he has gone hiding, and two, ToM is effectively down in the dumps.

ToM (as a corporate entity), Mangante, and the rest of his associates are facing a lawsuit for allegedly breaching a contract with International Entertainment Company (IEC) by signing in the Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community (SPARC).

IEC, ToM, Mangante and his crew, were friendly partners before the August 2022 staging of ToM in Little Manila. In fact, images of his wife Nieves Mangante, and IEC's Cecille Araneta were spliced into a video stolen from The Filipino Web Channel. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ). 

To the gleeful satisfaction of his team, the steal was passionately defended by another of his associate, Ramon Datol aka Mondee, during a press conference in April 2022. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU).

Once the festival concluded, they went separate ways and became antagonists mainly because of ToM's new contract with SPARC which essentially meant dumping IEC. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/12/volume-4-issue-no.html).

"All allegations are denied," says Mangante, "and we are vigorously defending this matter through legal representation". He said that a legal counsel - Sookhoo Law Office - has been hired to litigate the case with IEC.

On its website, it declares that "Sookhoo Law P.C. prides itself on it's (sic) ethics of practice and client satisfaction as they are held to the highest standard". 

Although it indicated having "our lawyers," there's only one with a photo identified as Aderan Sookhoo who "was called to the bar at Toronto in 2016".  His areas of practice include, according to the website, "Real Estate, Civil Litigation, Wills & Estates, Business Law and Notary Public services".

It took many months for Mangante - notorious for ignoring requests for comments - to act on news reports and various allegations that adversely affect ToM. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/12/is-taste-of-manila-doomed.html).

He said that "many recent statements have been made public with an aim to discredit and humiliate". He did not state what those statements were, who made them, why, and to whom they were directed.

"For those who have expressed concerns, we only ask for your patience and continued support while we work through this matter," Mangante says. "Future inquiries on this matter will be directed to our legal counsel".

 

According to Mangante, a former driver at the Philippine Consulate who had retired from employment with the idea of a ToM festival in tow, "The Taste of Manila was created to instill pride in the Filipino spirit by showcasing the talent, cuisine, and positive attributes of the Filipino community".

That was far from accurate, in the six years (from August 2014 to August 2019) of ToM, it has not fulfilled its promise stated in its mission statement. It kept changing managers for alleged corruption. Mangante has never addressed those allegations.

"Our goal will continue to be for the Filipino community to prosper and continue to be recognized as a positive contributor to the Canadian cultural and economic mosaic," the statement states.

As the reporter who covered ToM from its birth in 2014 to its end in 2019, I'm taking issue with some words and phrases in the statement above.

ToM was emblematic of the kind of corruption that ails the homeland. What ToM has achieved in those years is that it imported the bad and worst habits of many Filipinos, starting with this aphorism "if I can't have it, neither can you". Simply put, it's crab mentality. (Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved).