Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2025 to all!

From Romar Media Canada, we wish our readers, subscribers, friends, supporters, and family in Canada and elsewhere in the world, particularly in the United States, UK, and the Philippines where we have a solid following, the blessings of peace, love and happiness.

We are humbled by the millions of views in our YouTube channels and thousands of readers in our Filipino Web Magazine - thank you for spending a bit of your time to know and learn from the information we painstakingly gather in the service of the community.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2025 to all!

Romy Márquez

Editor 

http://romymarquez.wix.com/filipino-web-channel 

http://about.me/romy.marquez 

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2001/jun/14/cover-sinister-hero/?page=1&; 

For Some Money, ToM and SPARC Went Rogue

Volume 6, Issue No. 21

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, December 19, 2024 

~ The shame is notable in their implicit denial of a very public wrongdoing committed in the name of money and a perception of power. Organizers of the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival, which ended its 2024 run in August, felt they had the authority to levy some form of tax, euphemistically called "donation," on hapless merchants and when they refused, they erected a steel barrier blocking passage to their establishments. Of the dozens of photos posted on social media, not one showed ToM's monument to its greed. 

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'KABISE,' TASTE OF MANILA and S.P.A.R.C.

The Days They Went Rogue

Just the Same, 'Golden Balangay' Enabled Him

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” - Shakespeare 

TORONTO - Of the dozens of pictures that had flooded social media after the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival in August, none showed how ToM organizers had tried allegedly to extort money from onsite establishments which had declined to pay up fees normally charge booth renters.

For two days (Aug. 17-18), the premises facing the main road had been fenced off, apparently to prevent revelers and shoppers from accessing the five businesses along a portion of the main festival ground on Bathurst St.

In photos posted on Facebook by the shady Society of Philippine (con?) Artists, Recreation and Community (SPARC), the ToM organizers for this event, it is evident they edged out the establishments with a massive steel fence. (See video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btf2yoU4AaE).

Had not Jonathan Mayor Pecpec, owner of Pinoy Haircutters, spoken about it, the tactic by SPARC and ToM headed by Rolly "kabise" Mangante to force compliance with their alleged demand for money would not have been noticed.

"It's plain and simple extortion," said one business owner who requested anonymity for fear upsetting friends in SPARC and ToM who are involved in the attempted fleecing.

Jonathan said he was willing to give money to the festival organizers if he can afford it. He did not specify an amount.

He explained in Tagalog: "Bakit nila sinaraduhan? So, kailangan siguro nila . . . humihingi sila ng pera para buksan yung harap ko. Wala namang lumapit sa akin, paano ang gagawin ko? Kung nagsabi sila, kung kaya magbibigay ako."

From photos on their websites and on social media accounts, SPARC and ToM ostensibly knew what they did. By not publishing images where the steel fence would be shown, they impliedly admitted their misdeeds.

However, one picture that escaped notice was the one of Jusko Dai snack bar booth across from Pinoy Haircutters where the edge of the fence was visible.

The intent to hide the wrongdoing was obvious. In fact, the posting of the SPARC and ToM pictures came very much later, perhaps when they thought it was safe to do so.

So instead of the event getting exposure, the organizers had their photos with politicians, mostly from the Liberal caucus, who all seemed oblivious to the illegal money-making scheme allegedly by unnamed SPARC and ToM officials.

Some ranking ToM officials hunger for publicity any way they can. They love to see their smiling faces either in print or online in the company of important people. (Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/03/official-blames-tom-and-partners-for.html).

Some are notorious for stealing digital photos and videos, their action spurred by a statement by ToM's alleged founder Rolly Mangante (related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKKviJ2tEn4) and validated by an inexperienced podcaster's moronic declaration. (Related video at 2:06 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU).

Stealing film footage from The Filipino Web Channel was not the first time ToM had engaged in wrongdoing. 

In August 2020, Mangante plagiarized (does he even know its meaning?) a statement from Paola Devescovi, an internet entrepreneur and personal brand expert, and made it looked like his.

Posted on an earlier ToM website, he supposedly said: "It doesn’t take a miracle to make dreams come true. It takes a clearly detailed written vision to begin with. However, a vision with a plan, will become reality".

How in the world could Mangante compose such meaningful sentences knowing that he could murder the English language and not feel any guilt? (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2020/08/virtual-or-visual-for-2020-filipino.html).

Of course, the quotation is not Mangante's. It was Paola Devescovi's whose original copy reads: "It doesn’t take a miracle to make dreams come true. It takes a clearly detailed written vision to begin with. However a vision without a plan, will never become reality. It will remain a dream, a wish".

The latest enabler of Mangante is the Golden Balangay Foundation which gave him its "Community Service Award." It supposedly recognizes an individual who, hold your breath, " . . . serves as a role model for compassion, dedication and service." 

(Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-folly-of-community-service-award.html)

I initially thought it was a joke. But then I realize it was an insult to those who passionately served the community without expectation of reaping money from the very public he was serving.

One just have to listen to Mangante's foremost defender at that time, Ramon Datol alias Mondee, to know what values Mangante possesses. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGVqgszwyYA) and full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2024/11/podcaster-laments-loss-of-cash-cow.html).

What Mondee says is one rare admission of the truth he saw and experienced collaborating with Mangante. (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).

Lying, Breaching Law and Ethics Are Not Journalism

Volume 6, Issue No. 20

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, December 6, 2024 

~ As I write this article, I am reminded of the French novelist Andre Malraux who said "Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides." Media colleagues may not feel comfortable hearing that, but it's true. Shall I say it's descriptive of some of the men and women who populate our small media landscape. I reach that observation after reading a published interview about some media players in the Greater Toronto Area. 

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HERMIE AND MILA GARCIA'S IMPRESSIVE SOUNDBITES

'We Strive to Uphold the Truth'

'We'll Be Mindful of Laws Governing Journalism'

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” - Soren Kierkegaard

TORONTO - The media couple Hermie and Mila Garcia were clearly proud of the cherished fruit of their everyday struggle and sacrifice - their 35-year-old baby named The Philippine Reporter (TPR), a tabloid that hews more to the left side of the political spectrum and mirrors their radical views.

I purposely use the past tense plural were than the present tense plural are because of what they had stated months or years ago in an interview published by the PASSOC (Philippine Arts and Social Studies in the Ontario Curriculum) Project, a collaboration between the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) and York University.

Besides, TPR might already be a thing of the past, its frequency having gone from fortnightly to monthly to no more(?) during the year. The last issue in my possession right now is a yellowed print copy dated July 2024 which I retrieved from a pile of old papers headed to the dumpster in Little Manila.

I pick up some passages from that PASSOC interview relevant to this article, e.g. "the paper (TPR) not only survived but thrived," according to the couple, "as it consistently maintained the kind of relevant, professional and ethical journalism that it had been practising from its inception."

That's quite a mouthful, but hardly convincing. Not enough to persuade me to believe, and you'll find out why as you read on.

Here are some more: "We strive to always uphold truth, fairness and integrity." x x x "We strive to see professional and ethical journalism upheld in principle and practice." x x x "We will be mindful of the laws and ethics governing journalism." 

Whew! Really difficult to digest those sentences in one sitting.

For the unknowing, the declarations are impressive. And if you happened to believe those are mere soundbites, you are absolutely correct. 

The words are, to borrow a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "more honoured in the breach than in the observance."

Why do I say that? Well, let's look back.

In May last year during the observance of World Press Freedom Day, the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC) recognized the Garcia couple with "certificates of awards."

The citation read by NEPMCC president Thomas Saras said in part: "Hermie Garcia spent 12 years in jail under (Ferdinand E.) Marcos for criticizing the Marcos dictatorship and his wife Mila also for a number of years for criticizing the dictatorship of Marcos." 

I also lived and worked through those years in Manila, and reported as a foreign correspondent for an international news agency, but nowhere did I find "criticizing" a crime that could land one in prison.

The point is, it's a brazen mischaracterization of who they are and what they did during those turbulent times in the Philippines when the specter of communism was looming.

Apparent in the recognition by NEPMCC, of which the Garcias are officers, is the attempt to portray them as some kind of heroes. No, please, they're basically duds, if I may say so.

The truth is that when they were arrested and thrown in jail, they were "political activists" advocating the overthrow of the government in Manila. And NOT, repeat NOT, "for criticizing the Marcos dictatorship" as Saras would make us believe. 

A month after that NEPMCC event at Toronto City Hall, the real, contemptible part of their personal and professional persona got to be unraveled by a TPR insider no less - staff reporter Michelle Chermaine Ramos who has since resigned.

(Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/05/).

All this talk by the Garcias about observing the laws and ethics of journalism, its professional and ethical practice, upholding the truth, etc. are hollow buzzwords as Ms. Ramos, firm and resolute in her stance, laid bare their deceit and chicanery in a trove of documents.

(Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/06/lies-deceptions-by-philippine-reporter.html).

For months starting in late 2022, the salary she had been waiting for as reporter for the Local Journalism Initiative, a joint project of Canadian Heritage and NEPMCC, had not materialized on time. Hermie Garcia explained the money was being withheld by a "grant guy" at Canadian Heritage.

In truth the "grant guy" did not exist; it was a phantom creation of Hermie Garcia to either keep (or pocket?) Ms. Ramos' money or delay its release for reasons, for example, that he had personally used it all up.

Ms. Ramos didn't know. Because she trusted him, she believed what he was telling her. She continued reporting under LJI without pay, until her impatience grew thin and inquired with NEPMCC.

That's when she found she was being victimized by her principals at TPR. Maria Saras Voutsinas, the Executive Director of the NEPMCC, revealed to Ms. Ramos that:

1. Hermie Garcia and Mila Garcia had been given Ms. Ramos' salary in advance for a year in one lump sum so there should have been no problem being compensated on time.

2. After reading the emails that Hermie Garcia sent Ms. Ramos blaming the "grant guy" for the delays, Ms. Voutsinas disclosed that this "grant guy" never existed. Ms. Voutsinas was, in fact, the person in charge of the grant.

3. The Garcias never informed the NEPMCC that Ms. Ramos had stopped reporting by the end of October 2022. This was when she insisted on taking a break starting November 2022 until the "grant guy" Hermie Garcia claimed he was meeting with that month would release the funds. 

Per their agreement with NEPMCC, the Garcias are required to inform the NEPMCC if an LJI reporter stops working for any reason. However, the Garcias concealed that fact from the NEPMCC to prevent them from discovering that Ms. Ramos and the intern had stopped working due to nonpayment. 

To cover up Ms. Ramos' absence, in November 2022, TPR  submitted to the NEPMCC an article she had written earlier and had been published already in October, as if it had been written for her November quota.

The same situation was also happening to another TPR writer based in Edmonton, Alberta. She got tired reporting from that province and the lengthy delays in receiving her pay as LJI reporter had forced her to quit.

"We strive to see professional and ethical journalism upheld in principle and practice," the Garcia couple said in the PASSOC interview.

How much of it is true is anybody's guess. Concerned readers say if the Garcias really believe what they say, why couldn't they admit committing a wrong and apologize publicly to Ms. Ramos and the Edmonton writer, as well as to NEPMCC and Canadian Heritage?

One reader wrote: "They (Hermie and Mila Garcia) supposedly had the balls to stand up to a dictator on pain of imprisonment and death but they didn't have the balls to apologize and tell the truth to everyone they lied to."

"Does that mean Ms. Ramos and the intern are worse or scarier than a dictator?" It's hilarious!

If they practiced what they preach, why did they pick on Ms. Ramos and the Edmonton writer for their egregious lies? What was their motive? Was the money so substantial they were tempted to pocket them knowing the two writers were vulnerable? (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).

Filipino Seniors Told: Go to Police in Brampton Raffles Case

Volume 6, Issue No. 19

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 Tuesday, December 3, 2024 

~ Filipino seniors were disappointed to learn on Monday, Dec. 2 that their complaint against the conduct of an unlicensed raffle by an entertainment troupe run by a podcaster has been sidestepped even as the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which claimed no jurisdiction, urged them to go to the police.

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FIESTA EXTRAVAGANZA'S UNLICENSED RAFFLE

Ontario Claims No Jurisdiction

Case Brought by Filipino Seniors Endorsed to Police

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.” - Beverly Sills

TORONTO - A customer service official of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) said that the complaint by Filipino seniors against an unlicensed raffle by a group of entertainment promoters "falls outside the purview" of the agency.

The opinion handed down on Monday, Dec. 2, by a person named "Wendy," however, redirected the Filipino Seniors of Mississauga (FSM) to the regional police in Brampton, which was where Canada Fiesta Extravaganza (or FE) had conducted the lottery in mid-July.

FSM president Rene Sevilla had previously lodged a complaint with Brampton city authorities who agreed with him that FE's raffle through the sale of tickets was not legally authorized as it had no license to do so.

A city official had stated in early August that "Unlicensed raffles are contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada and, as such, constitute illegal gaming."

FE organizer Von Canton, a podcaster given to loud boasts, euphemistically admitted the illicit activity earlier on, characterizing the lack of a license to conduct it as an "oversight".

He did not respond to a new request for comment. Previously he said: "We acknowledge there was some oversight in obtaining a raffle permit. Our intent was not to launch a large fundraising effort, as the raffle was only promoted internally within our organization." 

For its part, AGCO's Wendy told FSM's Sevilla in an email: "Please note that this matter falls outside the purview of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission. As a result, your complaint will be closed." 

Other than signing for "AGCO customer service," Wendy did not identify who she was, or what position she holds, or if she's a person in authority to issue policy on behalf of the agency.

The AGCO (or Wendy's) decision is a drawback for FSM which has 143 members in the Toronto suburbs of Mississauga and Brampton - adjoining cities which have significant Filipino population.

Sevilla said he was expecting "a better answer" after a review by AGCO that took almost three months than what Wendy had sent to him. 

"You do not even have a clue on the nature of the complaint filed," he said, adding "my apologies to say this, I am quite disappointed in what I am being informed in your response e-mail."

The gaming body practically skirted the complaint and did not answer Sevilla's questions, among them: 

1. Now that the organizers were able to generate or collect funds through a selling of raffle tickets without the required license from the regulating City office or AGCO, what happens to the generated funds?

2. Do the organizers (FE) have a right to the funds raised through an activity not properly licensed to conduct such a sale of raffle tickets?

3. What now is the protection of the public from such schemes? 

AGCO's rebuff of their complaint has left Sevilla and his group with no other option but go to the police. 

He does not seem inclined to follow the two advisories by Brampton and AGCO and just leave it like that - "a learning experience for all of us."

"I believe," he says in an email to this reporter, "what we have on our end will fall short of the more rigid requirements of providing supporting proofs, evidences, materials and documented testimonies to make a compelling case." 

Sevilla's full statement:

"We tried but it's not enough for us to move further. I guess, it is a learning experience for all of us to be more vigilant and aware on future raffle undertakings being done by organizations and those within the community. We should always look after the best interest of our members, as well as that of our community.

"If anything we achieved out of this exercise is we were able to raise a level of awareness within our associations and community. We attained a level of consciousness not to fall into the same scheme of things." (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).