Tales of Manila, A Rediscovery - Part 1

Volume 5, Issue No. 5

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of Romar Media Canada, 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 . . . . . .

 

The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Monday, July 31, 2023 

~ Manila is where the mind grew and the heart blossomed. Folks refer to it as the "Pearl of the Orient". The Philippine capital is the lively and some times fiery city of youthful exuberance of yesteryears, the sightly jewel invaders had coveted, destroyed, only to rise up again. Its sights and smell are akin to home, for in those attributes, Manila is affectionately home. 

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

'PEARL OF THE ORIENT'

Tales of Manila - the City Where the Heart Blossomed

The Philippine Capital Is Replete with History and Tradition

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

Landmarks are metaphors. 

Rome is St. Peter's; the Eiffel is Paris; London, St. Paul's. 

But I find when I roam

the best ones are at home:

no vision like the Intramuros walls.

For nowhere else are monuments such a thrilla:

the landmarks I love best are in Manila.

- Nick Joaquin

TORONTO - Not since I visited countries outside of my Southeast Asian homeland did I discover how lovely Manila is.

Like other centers of government, the Philippine capital is replete with history and tradition dating back before, and after western invaders came upon the islands and named them after a tyrannical monarch we knew nothing about.

Manila is comparable with other cities, at least those I had a chance to journey in during the past three decades I've been in the United States and Canada, and that include Berlin, Dubrovnik, London, Madrid, Paris, Ottawa, Washington DC, and other state capitals.

When I came back in 2015 for the first time in 22 years, I was amazed at the transformation such a long period of time had done to a city I knew since growing up to adulthood.

The skyline had dramatically changed. Gone were the monuments of my time, and I mean the landmarks that told one's in the right place without the aid of Google map, GPS or Smartphones.

The means of transport have been modernized, except for the jeepney, the vintage car converted from World War II utility vehicles, which continues to ply local routes; the ubiquitous tricycles, and the horse-drawn carriages that now mostly cater to tourists.

I found myself yearning for the food my parents had nourished me with, for the places where heart and mind grew and blossomed, for the company of friends and neighbors whose wisdom helped shape my upbringing.

One of the first things I did was to visit the ancestral home in Cavite where a whole village of relatives on both sides of my parents continue to struggle with their lives and raise families.

Being three generations removed, it's not a surprise that I will be thought of as a complete stranger, especially among the Millennials and Gen Z kids who are all part of the clan.

My old hometown of Naic is among the places wrapped in history. Five events significant to the Philippine Revolution of 1896 took place in Naic, according to Wikipedia, among them, the Battle of Naic where General Emilio Aguinaldo declared the town to be his last defense. (More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naic).

I take pride in being one of its sons, although I didn't have the opportunity to serve it as did my two Katipunero grandfathers before me who had fought in the revolution against Spain.

While in Naic, I took a tricycle with my cousins to the mountainous town of Maragondon, which has a unique place in history for being the site of the trial of Andres Bonifacio and his execution by firing squad in Mt. Nagpatong. (More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Bonifacio).

(Related videos:

1. Court Martial of Andres Bonifacio in Maragondon, Cavite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baMKwePlzPo

2. Andres Bonifacio's Last Walk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb_FjDYhs38

To think about what transpired during those moments leading up to Bonifacio's death was at the least discomforting. I could only imagine how it felt being there where the action was many years later.

The historical part of my visit was fortuitous. Manila could wait, and the trip to Cavite where most of my relatives reside had some immediacy to it. Then the epic of the birth of the Philippines beckoned.

On the way back to the capital, it was a must to stop at the mansion of General Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite, the birthplace of the republic. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itOUkyevgSY).

As every Filipino knows by heart, the Philippines became a free and sovereign nation on the 12th of June 1898 upon the declaration of independence by General Aguinaldo before an assembly of revolutionaries and Cavite townsfolk. (Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved).

Organizers Smooth Things Out for Taste of Manila

Volume 5, Issue No. 4

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of Romar Media Canada, 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, July 27, 2023 

~ The two organizations battling for control of the Filipino community's cash cow - that's Taste of Manila festival - appear to have settled their dispute, prompting an overzealous bakery owner to disparage the just-concluded FUN Philippines street fest which had guested the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. The mockery quickly backfired. A Facebook poster alluded to the baker as "gay" and the pre-cooked food he's selling as rotten. 

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

I.E.C., S.P.A.R.C. SIGN AGREEMENT

Dispute Over ToM Fixed, Organizers Say

Who Gets the Lion's Share of the Cash Cow? 

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"What's real? What's not? That's what I do in my act, test how other people deal with reality". - Andy Kaufman

TORONTO - Short of being consigned to the slaughterhouse for good, the Filipino community's cash cow has received a new lease on life, yes, but not before it was cut up.

The metaphorical cash cow is, of course, the Taste of Manila (ToM) street festival - the bread and butter of a scheming family, the ATM of some organizers, the instant source of meaningless recognition, the ground zero of alleged corruption, and the root cause of double-dealing.

Two non-profit orgs - the Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community (SPARC) and International Entertainment Company (IEC) - manifested having worked out a deal apportioning responsibility in staging ToM in August. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/10/new-org-to-manage-taste-of-manila-in.html).

Sani Baluyot, SPARC's executive director, said on Wednesday, July 26, that his outfit had "finalized an agreement pertaining to marketing and booth sales, with SPARC as the primary organizer and driving force . . . " 

"This will remove any confusion within the community and alleviate their concern about the 2023 Taste of Manila by working together," he said, adding that "this will be a collaboration between SPARC and IEC".

It wasn't clear if the "collaboration" involved dropping the lawsuit by IEC challenging SPARC, and the consequent counter-lawsuit by SPARC, over which org had the legal right to stage and manage ToM. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4ap92btLM8).

What's clear is that IEC led by Cecille Araneta had capitulated to SPARC and, by acquiescing to the agreement, abandoned its position that it was the legitimate org to handle ToM based on a three-year contract with Rolly Mangante, the former driver of the Philippine consulate who has been representing himself as the founder of ToM.

Not only was IEC displaced from its perch it had occupied last year as ToM manager, it will now play second fiddle to SPARC. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/03/official-blames-tom-and-partners-for.html).

Araneta did not respond to questions sent to her by email. Previously, she had been vociferous in her rebuke of Mangante and his team who, she declared, were responsible for stealing and manipulating video footage from The Filipino Web Channel. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/05/fake-congen-triggers-dispute-over-taste.html)

There's no mention of how IEC, SPARC, and Mangante will split the fruits the cash cow will generate, or how such fruits would benefit the community.

Previous ToMs under Mangante had evaded issuing financial statements. Just as inexplicable was ToM's supposed outreach programs to certain sectors that never materialized. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/12/volume-4-issue-no.html).

Pleased by the latest development, Mhel Galeon, the owner of the now-diminished FV Foods, the bakery-cum-restaurant-cum-grocery based in Scarborough, posted a sarcastic remark on Facebook. He says, and I quote him verbatim: "The Appetizer is Done let's TASTE THE MAIN DISH".

Obviously, Galeon was mocking FUN Philippines street festival which had its run on Saturday and Sunday (July 22-23) in Little Manila, and had Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as its main guest. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CUEp_weNIA).

The allusion was that FUN Philippines was insignificant, and in cook's lingo, merely a snack to nibble at, whereas ToM is the more filling and substantive of the two street fests.

That statement did not sit well with Teresa Torralba, the brains and workhorse of earlier ToMs even before IEC and SPARC came into the picture, and currently FUN Philippines' overall festival director.

She stated: "Ang yayabang!  Appetizer lang pala si PMJT sa kanila. Terrible people Lalo na yang si mhelchor."  

But it wasn't so much Torralba's response that did carry the big punch. Another poster jabbed Galeon with a retort: "PANIS na ang main dish ni Ate Mel, kagaya ng mga tinda nya."

It's a double entendre. "Ate Mel" hints at Galeon being gay, as "ate" is the Tagalog word for older sister. "Panis" translates to stale or rotten food; this characterization could severely impact his restaurant which sells pre-cooked food.

With his caustic comment, Galeon kicked up a firestorm that could potentially upend his business considering the thousands of people who supported FUN Philippines.

Three years after it first launched in 2014, ToM has been reduced to a haven of social climbers, grifters, community achievers in pictures only, so-called leaders by association, con artists, and trolls whose reach exceeds their grasp. 

This latest rendition of ToM, is it not the same dog with a different collar? (Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved).

FUN Philippines: Authentic Fiesta for the World

Volume 5, Issue No. 3

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of Romar Media Canada, 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, July 17, 2023 

~ The spectacle of former friends throwing garbage at each other is relegated to the background, and hopefully banish forever, as the real and genuine Filipino fiesta takes over Little Manila this coming weekend. FUN Philippines is not only marketing a feast; it's promoting the best in Filipino culture, heritage, cuisine, and age-old traditions like hospitality Filipinos are known the world over. This fiesta is not to be missed if only for its promise to make us Filipinos again without the bad-mouthing, back-stabbing and infighting.

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

SATURDAY, JULY 22 AND SUNDAY, JULY 23

A Delightful Weekend FUN Awaits Us

An Old-Fashioned Fiesta Without the Hassle

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"It's all about having fun and smiling and shaking hands". - Tone Loc 

TORONTO - The weekend of July 22-23 promises to be a delightful family holiday treat without the hassle, infighting, back-stabbing, and bad-mouthing common in community events with questionable motives.

"Your summer to remember" it's going to be, as FUN Philippines takes center stage and unreels an authentic Filipino fiesta where people of goodwill reign with traditional Filipino hospitality, and friendliness.

In many ways, it's a throwback to what most Filipinos know of a real fiesta, and how it looks like - a marching band, parlor games for kids and adults, comedy, sports like basketball, and entertainment everyone awaits.

I remember those days growing up in Manila. The weekend before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception which is on December 8, the family would head back to our town in Cavite to join the festivities.

I had never experienced being welcomed like a long-lost relative to every house we went to just to partake of any food laid on the table. Relatives, friends, strangers, it did not matter who you were, the spirit of the fiesta is in its celebration.

Yes, it is in the celebration of a genuine fiesta that FUN Philippines tries to capture in the two-day feast in Little Manila. (More info at: https://www.funphilippinestoronto.com/).

If you're tired of the bickering, the one-upmanship, the endless chatter, the gossiping, the childishness of grown-ups, the fake concern for the community, the self-conceit of organizers who steal and conceal it, well, now is the time to get real. (Related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4ap92btLM8).

Discard the feigned friendship. Do away with false loyalties to one or the other organization. Stop being a victim of sweet-talking individuals who leverage your trust and then take advantage of it to loosen your purse. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/05/fake-congen-triggers-dispute-over-taste.html).

There's so much in a Filipino fiesta than a taste of some food ram down our throats. The taste that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth maybe in Manila, but it's not the Philippines.

So if you're craving for a taste of Manila food, look further out. Manila is just a part of the Philippines, its political capital no less. On the other hand, the culinary capitals are in the regions, in provinces and cities outside Manila.

That is the unifying effect of FUN Philippines. It endeavors to unite us through our cuisine, our culture, and our rich heritage minus the denigration and verbal abuse by the egomaniacs who put themselves up as leaders.

Get up and get ready to immerse yourselves in one clean fun. That's on Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23 starting from the Bathurst St.-Wilson Ave. junction in Little Manila.

By the way, the copycats are out again in Little Manila. And these are the same people who had a hand in stealing video footage from my past coverage of Taste of Manila (ToM) festival.

I find it appalling that they would resort to this cheap gimmick to promote ToM whose fate hangs in the balance.

The envy is obvious. Once they saw a picture of events organizer Teresa Torralba pointing to a FUN Philippines poster in Union Station, two ToM functionaries replicate it with the ToM banner somewhere in Little Manila. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/05/taste-of-manila-fight-for-cash-cow.html)

I thought it was laughable to see the two men raising their arms ala-sumuko ka na! and looking up. I wish they would join FUN Philippines as stand-up comedians. It'll be a lot of fun. (Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved).

Will Taste of Manila Festival Push Through?

Volume 5, Issue No. 2

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of Romar Media Canada, 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 Friday, July 14, 2023 

~ The driver-turned-alleged-founder of Taste of Manila (ToM) festival is drawing the ire of potential vendors and shop owners for his overbearing manner of soliciting support for the event that is very much uncertain to happen in August. His teammate, a troll who hides under a gossipy alias, takes to her Facebook fandom to spread disinformation. The legal tussle between two competing organizers has not been resolved, meaning the festival is practically frozen despite claims to the contrary. 

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ARE THE 'ARTISTS' IN S.P.A.R.C. SCAM ARTISTS?

Disinformation and the Uncertain Fate of ToM

Are ToM Organizers Mulcting Store Owners?  

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Facebook is where hypocrisy, falseness, double standards, rumors and depression meet up for coffee". - Unknown

TORONTO - Her Facebook postings would make a lie of the official listing by the City of Toronto of the events and festivals in the city in August.

Put another way, the City of Toronto is making a liar of the poster - the troll dubbed as Marites Tolits alias Rose Ami alias Rosemarie Ami-Seaborn, the self-professed "ultimate mortgage advisor" who also claimed to be an "independent, unbiased, expert".

Between the city and Rose Ami, I'll put my trust on the former, particularly in disseminating information to the public. We taxpayers shoulder the costs of operating and maintaining city facilities, thus it owes us to tell the truth that we can rely on. 

Rose Ami, on the other hand, serves herself and the organization she belongs to, which is the Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community, the newly-invented non-profit to fit the acronym SPARC. 

I wonder who the "artists" are in SPARC. Did somebody say "scam artists"? I doubt if there are scam artists in SPARC but it can speak for itself. Is Rolly Mangante alias kabise, also a self-proclaimed founder of Taste of Manila (ToM), a "scam artist"?

But take heed from this advice by the Financial and Consumer Services Commission: "Scam artists are great actors. They may pretend to be anything from a financial professional to a relative x x x They may have a nice website or work out of fancy offices . . . Scam artists will do and say anything to trick you".

Based on the City of Toronto listing, Rose Ami is spreading disinformation, which the dictionary defines as "false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth".

I keep asking myself: why does Rose Ami not use her real name instead of the fictional Marites Tolits in posting information about ToM on Facebook? Does it mean she really knew she was spreading fake information and did not want to implicate her professional persona?

"The City of Toronto," according to Rose Ami disguised as Marites Tolits, "grants permit to events two to three weeks prior to the event just in case some of the city by-laws and ordinances would change. Now you know!" 

(Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/11/our-troll-neighbors-marites-tolits-and.html).

Where she got the purported rule is unknown; it's unattributed, unsourced. The information is apparently directed to her followers on Facebook and to others who have no idea of the goings-on in the lead up to ToM.

Previously she also wrote, and I quote her: "Tuloy na tuloy na ang Taste of Manila 2023! Sa mga nagsasabing hindi tuloy - please lang po kung sino man ang source nyo ng maling balita, pakisabi tuloy na tuloy . . . "

Tuloy ba o siguradong HINDI matutuloy? Sino paniwalaan namin, ang City o ang chismosang Marites Tolits? That's the typical questions being asked by my readers.

The so-called dates for ToM on August 19 and 20 is not listed at all. For Saturday, Aug. 19, there are 46 events and festivals and none of ToM. For Sunday, Aug. 20, the list has 36 events, and again, none of ToM.

As I write this article today, Thursday, July 13, and the Aug. 19-20 dates, there's a gap of more than four weeks, yet ToM is nowhere to be found. The combined 82 events have been in the list for weeks prior to their holding.

There's only one conclusion to be derived from that. And that is, ToM is far from happening. Add to that the lawsuit between two opposing parties, and one may conclude ToM is gone, ToM is a goner. 

(Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/05/iec-or-sparc-which-one-is-legit-to.html).

How ToM landed on the lap of SPARC is a story of betrayal and deceit and sparked a lawsuit and counter lawsuit between Mangante and his new SPARC team consisting of Rose Ami and Danilo Baluyot, and Mangante's old team at International Entertainment Company (IEC) composed of Cecille Araneta and others. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4ap92btLM8).

It's SPARC versus IEC, thanks to Mangante whose ambition to make tons of money triggered what I refer to in previous articles as the battle for the cash cow, which is what ToM is. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/05/taste-of-manila-fight-for-cash-cow.html).

Meanwhile, as the legal fight goes on between SPARC and IEC, shop owners in Little Manila have complained to this reporter about the high-handed ways Mangante and a "fat woman" were pressuring them to donate foodstuff allegedly for volunteers.

In more than one instance, Mangante threatened to fence off the on-site establishments along Bathurst St. and Wilson Ave. if they did not come up with the solicited donations. One storeowner dared him to do it. Another said he would sue if he persisted.

Mangante, who was not immediately available for comment, has been going the rounds of Little Manila seeking food contributions when he is not even sure ToM would be held as announced.

Mangante was among the individuals who had stolen video footage of earlier ToM festivals from The Filipino Web Channel. The manipulated items released by ToM on its website featured his wife, Nieves Mangante whose image was spliced into the original film. 

(Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/03/official-blames-tom-and-partners-for.html)

(See video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ at the 2:44 mark). 

With all the considerations about Rose Ami and Rolly Mangante, the question begging to be asked is: are they "scam artists"? Are they the "artists" in SPARC? (Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved).