Portrait of An Artist in the Eyes of Another Artist

Volume 5, Issue No. 24

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, January 29, 2024 

~ On every issue of a local tabloid, the name Mogi Mogado appears in the staff box as associate editor. Writing is just one of his many talents. He's also into sculpture, currently the art form that has established himself as a serious artist. Another artist, Michelle Chermaine Ramos, has taken notice, and did us well by featuring him in a lengthy article in the January 2024 publication of Atin Ito, the oldest Filipino newspaper in the Greater Toronto Area. 

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SPOTLIGHT ON IGNACIO 'MOGI' MOGADO

A Michelangelo in Our Midst

Artist Michelle Ramos's Homage to Another Artist 

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't". - Rikki Rogers 

TORONTO - Rare is the occasion when an artist writes about a fellow artist. Rarer still when the write-up focuses on an accomplishment unmatched for its audacity and sublimeness but scantily noticed for what it makes of the Filipinos in Canada.

That's exactly what I found out soon after I got a copy of the January 2024 issue of Atin Ito in one of the stores in Little Manila. 

I browsed the tabloid as soon as I got home. And there on page 3 is the jewel of that particular edition . . . the article by artist Michelle Chermaine Ramos, this time wearing her hat as a multimedia journalist, regaling us with the story of a self-taught maestro - the modest and low profile Ignacio Mogado, popularly known as Mogi or Mogs.

(Related video of Michelle Chermaine Ramos: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8FT2kEZfls).

(Related videos of Mogi Mogado and his Jose Rizal statue in Markham, Ontario:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU1EUCZ9F0k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak87ArSXQPk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfjkHrrpaWY).

The community's preoccupation with soirees and fancy celebrations has put a damper on solid achievements that are more fulfilling to us as a people. As these are the kinds of endeavours that take us out of the box as second class citizens, more prominence should be given by the local media.

Ms. Ramos achieves that with her deep dive into Mogado's down-to-earth profile, necessitated by his bronze sculpture of the Philippine national hero Jose Rizal whose likeness in canvas, clay, metal, plaster, stone, and wood is one and the same, be here in Toronto, in the United States, in the Philippines, in Madrid, Spain, (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYjRO3Z5Xe8) or elsewhere where he is commemorated.

The sculpture stands out for its trademark countenance. Mogado is perceptive enough to portray Rizal in an easily distinguishable light. He makes him sparkle with a permanent beam on his face.

"He is smiling," he told Ms. Ramos, "for many reasons: for being accepted in Canada and given a home in Markham, which was a feat in itself; he reflects the joy and fulfillment every new arrival feels in his heart at being granted a shot at a Canadian dream . . .

"Here, at last, is a place where his advocacies of equality, brotherhood of men, freedom, harmony, respect etc. are norms. Most of all, he is highlighting to fellow Canadians how worthy Filipinos are, that you can expect from them these noble values," he added.

Without meaning to be a harsh critic, as editor, I would have preferred playing up Ms. Ramos's narrative with a big color splash on the front page, then jump to the inside pages with all the extraneous pictures. 

(Full interview at Atin Ito: https://online.fliphtml5.com/ufflc/aelc/#p=3).

As it appeared on page 3, the highlights were the photos from the Christmas party of the Philippine Artists Group, of which the writer and her subject are both members, in effect de-emphasizing Mogado and the life lessons to be learned from his experience.

It's an editorial decision, I suppose. In my view, however, it only reenforces my contention that many among us are engrossed in specious gatherings, e.g. fundraising fiestas, beauty contests, etc. rather than in stimulating undertakings. 

I would have devoted two full pages, preferably the center spread with a teaser on the front page, to Ms. Ramos's account about Mogado simply because it epitomizes the very same struggles many Filipinos face once transplanted to Canada. And how he overcame them is its own success.

I am particularly struck by this passage, and I quote: "The interviewer, seeing my heartbreak at not being admitted (to fine arts study), said these kind words: 'Michelangelo et al did not go to arts school, but they became famous. Hone up your skills . . . who knows!'"

That was like being given a shot of adrenaline, at once both inspirational and a jab at his self-esteem. "That episode (with the CFA interviewer regarding Michelangelo) was seminal for my arts life," Ms. Ramos wrote, quoting Mogado.

Indeed as years past, Mogado, while working a living, sharpened the skills his interviewer knew he possessed. The reference to Michelangelo, the Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet famed for Pieta, David, and the Genesis on the Sistine Chapel in Rome, was life changing for his artistry.

Ms. Ramos refers to him as "Markham's self-taught Michelangelo" not out of sheer frivolity but for a well-founded reason. His life-size sculpture of Rizal could be compared with Michelangelo's David, "a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture". (More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo)).

"As we delve into his thoughts," says Ms. Ramos, "I hope a century from now, future generations and historians will understand the artist's soul and his creation straight from the man himself". (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).

Filipinos in Canada Weigh Less Despite Their Numbers

Volume 5, Issue No. 23

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, January 25, 2024 

~ Filipinos are said to be hospitable to a fault. Well it's second nature to them despite differences over their birth country's geographically-fragmented character. In the Greater Toronto Area, and perhaps in the entire Canada, the usual lament is that they are islands unto themselves, disunited and heterogeneous in many ways. This situation could be seen in how federal, provincial and local politics play out. Politicians court them for the very support they don't realize could empower their own community. 

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AN ISLAND UNTO HIMSELF?

Filipinos in Canada Have the Numbers But Weigh Less 

Visibility, Clout Don't Translate to Power

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them". - Aristophanes

TORONTO - Time and again the question crops up. And it all boils down to visibility, clout, and strength. Or a lack of everything.

Why is it that if Filipinos have the numbers, they do not have the weight to put in as many of their kind to elected public office? It is a question begging for an answer.

Statistics Canada says Filipinos comprise nearly 1 million (0.9 million as of 2021), the number 3 among ethnic groups after the Chinese (1.7 million) and Indian (from India, 1.3 million) in that order. By 2041, the Filipino population in Canada is projected to reach over 2 million.

The standard answer to the question heard over and over again is that Filipinos need to unite so they could harness their strength as a respected political and economic unit. 

But unity is a pipe dream, unattainable given that Filipinos are generally islanders. That's just their nature, conceivably a reflection of their birth origins in the 7,100 Philippine islands fragmented by language and tribal affiliations.

The reality in Canada is known to all. Politicians other than Filipinos court Filipinos for their support. They try to ingratiate themselves. They cultivate friendships.

They come to their functions, socialize, and make themselves feel at home. They try to speak the tongue like saying mabuhay, maraming salamat po, etc. They partake of pancit, lumpia, adobo, halo-halo, and more in their get-togethers.

For our part, we would just be content with being hospitable. We're thrilled whenever they say their usual greetings in Tagalog. We would be happy to play host so long as politicians, especially the big-time personages, grace our occasions.

For whatever reason, politicians take kindly to us, so it seems. But let us be realistic and practical. Let us put aside our naivete. I believe they would not be as kindly as it looks if we don't have the power to decide who sits and doesn't in the halls of power.

The truth is that it is not always that they like Filipino food. It is not entirely that they want our eat-all-you-can parties and adore our exploitative beauty pageants by the young and old. It is not that they are fond of our company.

Of course, it warms the heart to know that they enjoy the food (or pretend to like it) even if a touch of bagoong or patis offends their sense of smell. We are pleased to see them honestly frolic with us in dance-and-karaoke-singing gatherings.

More than we realize our true capability, the unexplored reality is that Filipinos are a potent force. And that is the very reason politicians would spend their time, effort and money in being seen and identified with us, especially during the election season.

I am reminded of this quote from Larken Rose, the "outspoken advocate of the principles of self-ownership, non-aggression and a stateless society" who defined politics as "the art of using euphemisms, lies, emotionalism and fear-mongering to dupe average people into accepting - or even demanding - their own enslavement".

Our community events such as those held in Little Manila are inexpensive platforms to maximize visibility. Politicians don't have to spend so much in advertising and PR work to reach their target voters; they're there waiting and lapping up their antics.

Their presence boosts the prestige of organizers in the eyes of sponsors and the public, which then could translate into big money. Relevant to this discussion is my own experience with the purported founder of an event. 

Once Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called him "Tito ____", he used that particular video - my copyrighted video coverage - to market himself as someone close to him and to attract corporate sponsors for his event. 

I've taken it down for many reasons, among them, one, it made him a swaggering swellhead; two, it conceals the fact he stole the idea of the festival from his former employer; and three, he is alleged to have pocketed thousands of dollars from revenues still unaccounted. I have no tolerance for his misconduct.

Why would members of federal and provincial parliaments and city officials readily accept invitations to cut inaugural ribbons, to be guest speaker, or to be honoured guests in events? Of course, it's the power of the vote that prods them.

Which means that politicians recognize our inherent strength. Given a purpose, we would use that strength to pick officials we like.

In the Greater Toronto Area, we have not used that strength to elect our very own aspirants for high office. In the past election, there's a slew of Filipino candidates who performed poorly in the polls.

And there lies the irony. While we would be easy with our non-Filipino friends, we would be hard and harsh to those of our kind. Maybe it's a lack of faith. Maybe we don't trust them. Maybe we've grown tired of promises that never get fulfilled. Maybe it's our refusal to recognize that Filipinos are also capable of high office.

Let us believe in ourselves before believing others. Let us acknowledge that many among us are as good if not better than those in elected offices now.

Let us not be shy in saying Filipinos could also lead their respective constituents to new heights of greatness. That may sound farfetched, but it is possible. (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).

Money Scandal Prods Ethnic Press to Tighten Up

Volume 5, Issue No. 22

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 Wednesday, January 17, 2024 

~ Five years prior to the scandal that surfaced in June 2023, the editor of the left-leaning The Philippine Reporter commented on the word subterfuge, the noun the dictionary defines as "deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal, escape or evade". Little did we know that that definition would find relevance, translated into action by the editor himself, and applied on two unsuspecting writers of the tabloid who were victimized and stood to suffer more had not top officials of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada intervened. 

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OFFSHOOT OF COMPLAINT v. FILIPINO TABLOID?

NEPMCC Moves to Tighten Purse Strings 

Officials Mitigate Scandal Involving Taxpayers' Money

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter". - Martin Luther King Jr.

TORONTO - The so-called "other voices" in the media landscape, i.e. the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC), has quietly instituted a major change in the handling of its finances.

For months the organization has been the uncharacteristic exemplar of silence. Its officials and supporters from the academe, the government, and private organizations have stood still, frozen and muted in the wake of a scandal implicating a member in the Filipino community.

In June when artist Michelle Chermaine Ramos disclosed that The Philippine Reporter (TPR) had been withholding her and an intern's salaries for months, the paper's editor, Hermie Garcia, told her the delay was because of an unexplained problem with the federal Department of Canadian Heritage.

1. Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/02/valentines-day-feature-love-takes-flight.html

2. Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8FT2kEZfls

The Department funds the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), a government project to reach out to the underserved communities. Its implementation is undertaken by NEPMCC whose members nationwide consist of 650 small print organizations and 150 broadcasters. 

TPR is one of 48 ethnic media outlets that have taken part in the outreach. And to fulfill the requirements, TPR enlisted Ms. Ramos, a staff reporter; and an intern working remotely in Edmonton, Alberta, to cover and report on relevant stories.

"Around March/April 2022, Tita Mila (Garcia, Hermie's wife) kept urging me to apply for the LJI grant because my colleague who held that position wasn't renewing her LJI contract . . . and because we needed the grant x x x I knew the paper suffered losses during the pandemic so we needed to recover," Ms. Ramos remembered. 

Once accepted she and the intern kept on writing but never got paid on time. Uncertain of when she would receive her salary, Ms. Ramos inquired with NEPMCC about the months-long delay. That's when Hermie Garcia's lies and deception surfaced. (Full story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/06/lies-deceptions-by-philippine-reporter.html).

The supposed "grant guy" Hermie Garcia blamed for her ordeal did not exist; it was his fabrication. "There never was a grant guy in charge of the disbursements," Ms. Ramos recalled Maria Voutsinas, NEPMCC managing director, telling her. She explained it's her who's in charge of the grant.

Ms. Voutsinas also clarified that monies intended for LJI salaries had been paid in one lump sum to TPR one year in advance, so there was no money problem on the part of the Department.

In other words, Hermie Garcia was devious, dishonest, duplicitous, right? I believe he's familiar with synonyms of deceptive. Now I remember, he was talking about subterfuge in his column in TPR's October 2018 issue. 

He wrote: "x x x The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines subterfuge as 'deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal, escape or evade'." He continued: "Oxford Dictionaries define the term as 'deceit used in order to achieve one's goal'."

Five years prior to LJI, Hermie Garcia knew what deception was. It found relevance in what he did to the two journalists. And why not? He in fact willfully and consciously translated it into action on, of all people, his writers working for his newspaper!

The logical question is why did he mislead Ms. Ramos and the intern about their salaries? Why did he conceal his scheme from NEPMCC? Why did he lie about the Department of Canadian Heritage? Was pocketing the monies his goal?

Only when Thomas Saras, NEPMCC president, learned of the problem and quickly intervened did Hermie Garcia pay up. Attempts by this reporter to have some clarity on the issues raised by Ms. Ramos have been for naught; Saras, Hermie Garcia, and the Department refused to engage.

At its monthly meeting on December 11, 2023, the NEPMCC "voted and accepted unanimously" a motion to open two additional accounts with Toronto Dominion Bank, one for LJI and the other for its internship program.

The stated reason, according to the minutes published in its website, is "for the administration to have better control over the expenses of these two programs". (Full minutes: https://nationalethnicpresscouncil.com/2023/12/24/minutes-of-the-dec-11-2023-monthly-meeting/).

Ms. Ramos' unanswered complaint in April 2023 may have been the trigger for the significant change in how NEPMCC dispenses taxpayers' money thrown in by the Department to apprise the 120 ethnic groups in Canada about developments in their communities.

Did Hermie Garcia and his tabloid try to commit wage theft? Did he attempt to fleece his writers at TPR knowing Filipinos are generally passive complainers? 

The principals in LJI may choose to keep quiet about the lies and deception by Hermie Garcia but the "circumstantial evidence" (which the law defines as proof of a fact from which one could infer the fact in question) gives us reason to believe Ms. Ramos set off NEPMCC's move.

It's ironic that the group that boasts of being "the other voices" is effectively voiceless on this issue. The Filipino community in general will never tolerate wrongdoing such as those committed by Garcia and his tabloid. Never. (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).

PPCO Ignores Elephant in the Room But Sings Praises to Itself

Volume 5, 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 Wednesday, January 10, 2024 

~ Recounting history and mixing it with contemporary events looks good in romanticizing the past and present developments in the Filipino community in the Greater Toronto Area. It seems, however, that the elephant in the room, i.e. the current scandal involving a former president of the local press association who lied and deceived two writers in his staff and then laid the blame on the federal Department of Canadian Heritage is being intentionally ignored. 

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IGNORING A MEDIA COLLEAGUE'S SCATHING COMPLAINT 

PPCO and the Damning Exposé of Lies and Wrongdoing

Wannabe Historian Disses Critic But Sings Praises for His Club

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"The world is full of bullshitters, liars, and triers and quitters, coulda-beens, wannabe's, thought-I-was, isn't-I-is's . . . and everybody in your business". - Aceyalone

TORONTO - A wannabe historian writing for one of the Filipino tabloids has mercifully concluded his series of articles about everything the community would rather forget for their absurdity. 

The storyteller would be pleased to know that I conscientiously keep printed copies of what he has penned, less for their importance than for the sheer delight of knowing how he evaded seeing things beyond the superficial.

Record-keeping is a habit formed in the early days of practising journalism when computer or digital file was yet to be developed. It helped me a lot during my tenure as a foreign correspondent to two international news agencies.

Stored in the garage to this day are boxes and boxes of news clippings, photos, and copies of newspapers dating back to the early 90's in California where I transitioned to community journalism.

To be clear, I do not wish to elevate this wannabe to new heights of recognition, but I thought I needed to react to his recent broadsides even though he did not identify me by name, instead alluding to, in his words, "a naughty writer".

The obvious reference to me is unmistakable since I believe I'm the only one with the courage to critique the Philippine Press Club Ontario for its many failures to function as an objective and independent media organization.

In fact, it has become a willing tool for politicians and community leaders of questionable motives, and some of its members act like their stooges.

The wannabe historian disliked my calling PPCO Philippine Praise Club Ontario. His enmity lies apparently in the word "praise" which, for people with a tribal accent and those hard of hearing, sounds "press." I deliberately spelled it "praise" to mean applaud, compliment, flatter, glorify, hail, etc. for that's what it's good at.

Of course it's undeniably a dig at the Philippine Press Club Ontario, the social club of fun-loving, selfie-obsessed denizens captivated by the prestige and weight of being called a member of the fourth estate and authenticated by an ID card that says "PRESS" in bold letters.

To be fair, there are real journalists there, but they are outnumbered by what I'd like to call "the trying hards" - those who managed to secure membership without having to prove their legitimacy as active, practising media persons.

I believe that the bar is so low that any Tom, Dick & Harry could be a member even in the absence of a media organization to vouch for them. And the result?

Well, the proliferation of social climbers preoccupied with being photographed with federal, provincial, and city authorities, and top officials of public and private organizations, and posted to social media for their glorification.

True to the mockery that I pinned on the group, the wannabe historian had nothing but praises for PPressCO, its past leaders, and its purported contributions in shaping the Filipino community.

"I believe the Philippine Press Club-Ontario (PPC-O) is more relevant today than any time in the past because of the problems in the community and the global crises," he wrote in the August 2023 issue of Atin Ito tabloid.

He continued: "While being a social club for media people was one of the aims of the group, it was governed by a strong belief in human rights and freedom of expression that covered freedom of the press but with accountability and responsibility. It is not a freedom to disseminate lies, false or malicious accusations or fabrications. It is governed by rules of ethics. . . "

Its publication in August was a good two months past the damning exposé by artist Michelle Chermaine Ramos about the lies and deception by Hermie Garcia and Mila A. Garcia, the conjugal editors of the left-leaning The Philippine Reporter, in withholding her and an intern's salaries for months, blaming the federal Department of Canadian Heritage for it, and hiding the failed scam from the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada.

(Full stories and details at: 

1. https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/06/lies-deceptions-by-philippine-reporter.html)

2. https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/10/canadian-heritage-acts-on-funding-local.html

Yet the wannabe historian, if he deserved his status as a PPressCO director, made no mention of this story that should have been consistent with his writing about the club's adherence to the principles of accountability, responsibility and ethics. Hermie Garcia was a former PPressCO president.

Would PPressCO take up the cudgels for Ms. Ramos and the intern knowing these two writers are colleagues and Hermie Garcia its former president? Is he untouchable?

(Video of Ms. Ramos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8FT2kEZfls) 

(Video of Hermie and Mila Garcia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLvaII3dtMw).

That's of particular importance to me because of his glowing tribute and repeated acknowledgment of the couple. What they did (as alleged but never challenged) was basically wrong and could be classified as classic deception by the Garcias of the ever-trusting Ms. Ramos and the intern.

I find it ironic that the wannabe took note of the community's failings in this wise: " . . . we don't trust each other with money. We would rather trust the banks and other people than our own. That is our greatest weakness as a people". 

Well-spoken, isn't it? (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).