Non-Profit Org Blamed for Video Theft Vanishes

Volume 6, Issue No. 18

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, November 27, 2024 

~ A purported non-profit org named PESO (Philippine Event Services Ontario) has apparently disappeared after once holding a virtual Taste of Manila (ToM) festival. Officials of another org, the International Entertainment Company (IEC), laid the blame on ToM and PESO for the theft of photos and videos from Filipino Web Channel. ToM's new manager, SPARC (Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community), appears to be reaping the fruits of its questionable deal with ToM. 

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WHERE'S PHILIP BELOSO'S NON-PROFIT ORG.?

Theft of Videos Blamed on PESO

ToM Brings in Lots of Money for Organizers

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“People show you who they are, not by what they say, but by what they do.” - Jane Green

TORONTO - The public disclosures by International Entertainment Company (IEC) against officials of what appeared to be a flash-in-the-pan organization have never been denied nor disputed.

Four years past, there's not a shadow of the so-called Philippine Event Services Ontario (PESO), which has claimed to be a not-for-profit org. 

PESO was unremarkable save for the fact that when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2019, it surfaced from nowhere and produced a virtual Taste of Manila (ToM) in collaboration with Rolly Mangante alias "Kabise," the former driver turned purported founder of ToM.

We don't know if PESO survived the pandemic, but its president, Philip Beloso is very much around, ubiquitous in all manner of photo ops and selfies, especially with prominent politicians and community leaders.

IEC's Cecille Araneta and Ramon Datol laid the blame for the theft of footage from my Filipino Web Channel on Mangante, Beloso, Pepito Torralba, Jerome Peralta, Dannasol Luna and her unidentified brother.

Though copyrighted by Filipino Web Channel, the stolen photos and videos were then incorporated into PESO's virtual ToM without identifying that they were purloined. Worst, ToM's logo was superimposed on YouTube's watermark.

In July 2022, Datol alias Mondee claimed he and Araneta had nothing to do with the theft. He faulted Mangante, Beloso, Torralba, Peralta, and the Luna siblings as responsible.

"Ang habulin mo yung PESO. Yan ang gumawa ng virtual," he declared in his podcast. "Habulin mo si Rolly, habulin mo yung nasa PESO, sila Philip Beloso, sila Ka Pete Torralba."

"Eh bakit mo idadamay si Cecille at aming kumpanya IEC? Anong pakialam ng IEC doon sa hinahabol mo nuong 2020. Kelan lang kami, nuong 2022 pumasok, hahabulin mo kami," Mondee added.

Four months earlier, or on April 10, 2022 at a press conference, Mondee staunchly defended ToM and Mangante, almost licking his behind. 

He stated: "The Taste of Manila who (sic) owns the Taste of Manila, owns any videos that have been shown (sic) YouTube, Facebook and any other application." 

Even as it sounded moronic worsened by his bad syntax, he continued: "The copyright from the Taste of Manila he allowed everyone to use all the videos about the Taste of Manila. x x x You don't have your videos if there's no Taste of Manila festival."

IEC started in March 2022, two years after PESO (which was supposedly founded in 2020) disappeared and never heard from again. 

Before PESO and IEC, ToM was managed by Philippine Legacy and Cultural Alliance (PLACA) and Philippine Cultural Community Centre (PCCC). 

Mondee insinuated that the fast turnover of managers - from PCCC to PLACA to PESO to IEC, and now to SPARC - was because of Mangante's alleged refusal to sign a contract and be bounded by it.

During his time with PCCC in 2014, Mangante pledged to put up a community centre as soon as, in his words, "ToM grows big." (Related video: The Unredeemed Promise of Taste of Manila; Is the Money Gone?).

The Unredeemed Promise of Taste of Manila; Is the Money Gone?

That promise never materialized even as SPARC officials, in their usual hyperbolic tone, claimed without proof that ToM's 2024 edition had attracted "over half a million people."

Assuming those people (rounded to 500K) spent $5.00 on anything, the sum would be impactful, even staggering when sponsors' fees are taken into account. 

So it makes sense that ToM is now, Mondee said, a "family business" and not so much as an outreach to benefit the community. It seems to be financially rewarding.

Actually, Mangante's two daughters hold responsible positions in his corporation designated as 5012252 Ontario Inc. which was incorporated on March 5, 2019.

In a talk with this reporter in March 2023, Araneta held Mangante, Beloso and their PESO org accountable for the video theft.

(Video at: Official Blames ToM and Partners for Stolen Footage

Official Blames ToM and Partners for Stolen Footage Volume 4, Issue No. 54 OPINION/COMMENTARY / News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobod y / . . . . . A communi...

Though she tried to absolve Dannasol Luna of any participation, she pointed to her brother as the person who manipulated the stolen contents at his "lunatronix" studio in Little Manila.

Araneta asserted that Mangante had told her it was alright to snatch film footage from Filipino Web Channel as he had "paid" for the videos. She didn't know that Mangante was lying to her.

All these developments take on new significance in the wake of Mondee's disclosure that Mangante had unceremoniously ditched him, Araneta and IEC, and signed up SPARC (Society of Philippine (con?)Artists, Recreation and Community) to manage ToM.

SPARC is a three-member team consisting of two executive directors, namely, realtor Rosemarie Amy-Seaborn alias Marites Tolits, Rose To, and Rose Ami; designer consultant Danilo Baluyot alias Sani; and another realtor, Freddy Lita Mendigoria as director-treasurer. 

In a YouTube video of him just recently uncovered, Mondee was full of enmity towards Mangante, their "friendship" replaced by bad blood and disaffection.

"Magkakasama tayo tapos eh behind our back, titirahin nyo kaming ganon. Nasaan ang respetong pagkakaibigan? Walang pagkakaibigan pala when it comes to money," he lamented. (Video at: Podcaster Laments the Loss of a Cash Cow).

In the meantime, where's PESO? Did PESO make some money from stealing contents for its video presentation? (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).

Podcaster Laments the Loss of a Cash Cow

Volume 6, Issue No. 17

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, November 25, 2024 

~ The anguish and humiliation of being thrown under the bus found expression in a local podcaster doubling as an events organizer in Toronto. Dumped like a stinking garbage was essentially what it meant by a former driver claiming to have founded the Taste of Manila street festival. "Napakasakit, Kuya Eddie" is probably how folks would describe the situation. 

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A PODCASTER'S PITIFUL LAMENT

Betrayal for the Money

The Loss of ToM Means Losing a Cash Cow

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Betray a friend, and you'll often find you have ruined yourself.” – Aesop

TORONTO - "Napakasakit, Kuya Eddie." (It's so painful, Brother Eddie).

Baby Boomers (people born from 1946 to 1964) and the following Generation X (people born from the mid-sixties to the late seventies) could easily relate to that expression. To this day, I could still hear folks from that period utter those words in jest. 

Over the years since a Filipino broadcaster in Manila had made it his signature catchphrase, it evolved from serious articulation of emotional misery to a parody.

Here in Toronto, the tagline found reanimation in a local podcaster who unburdened himself on a YouTube video. Seeing and hearing him looked amusing than he had intended, which was to expose what had happened to him and his business partner.

I wasn't sure if clicking the link emailed to me by someone in Taste of Manila (ToM) would unleash some virus, but once I determined the sender was legit, I did click it.

And lo and behold, the talking head in the video had the face of Ramon Datol aka Mondee, the self-described sportswriter, publisher and editor of a defunct tabloid known for his "Ilaw ng Tahanan" beauty contest targeting Filipino caregivers.

In his deep Novo Ecijano accent, Mondee vocalized his anguish. That he suffered humiliation was evident in his declaration that ToM's alleged founder Rolly Mangante, alias "Kabise," a former driver at the Philippine Consulate, had dumped him and business partner Cecille Araneta, and their joint venture, the International Entertainment Company (IEC).

Mondee was crying out loud, very emotional undoubtedly, his voice cracking and grieving at the loss of Taste of Manila festival, their perceived cash cow, that IEC had mounted once in ToM's 2022 edition.

"Kabise" apparently called off IEC's three-year deal to handle ToM in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and contracted another newcomer, the Society of Philippine (con?)Artists, Recreation and Community (SPARC) as ToM's new manager.

SPARC is allegedly a non-profit organization jointly led by Danilo "Sani" Baluyot, an "interior design consultant," and Rosemarie Ami-Seaborn, the Facebook troll disguised as Marites Tolits, Rose To, and Rose Ami. 

(Related stories: 

1.https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/11/our-troll-neighbors-marites-tolits-and.html).

2. https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/08/sparc-dumps-iec-in-staging-tom-festival.html).

Prior to this cooling off, "Kabise" and the entire crew of IEC were like one big happy family. Mondee and Araneta were heaping praises on "Kabise," buttering him up whenever they could.

At a press conference in April 2022 at Topsilog resto, Mondee and Araneta came to ToM's defense while the linguistically-challenged "Kabise" kept quiet. (Video at: Ramon Datol Defends Stolen Videos Now Being Used by Taste of Manila).

Eights months later, in December after staging a successful ToM in August, Mondee was all bitterness. "Kabise" had thrown him and the IEC team under the bus even before its contract with him had elapsed.

(Video at the 4:19 mark: "Himutok" and "Hinagpis" Due to Betrayal by ToM's Rolly Mangante

". . . sisiraan nyo pa. Ano bang klase yun? Magkakasama tayo tapos eh behind our back, titirahin nyo kaming ganon. Nasaan ang respetong pagkakaibigan? Walang pagkakaibigan pala when it comes to money," Mondee bewailed.

He was right, although the realization came a bit late. Friendship in the Filipino community is discarded when it comes to money. I knew it from personal experience. (Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/04/friendships-in-filipino-community.html).

Mondee sounded pitiful. Indeed, I could feel the pain of being betrayed, but no, I don't have any sympathy for him or for IEC, and for that matter, for "Kabise" and SPARC. They all deserve each other.

Honestly, I feel Mondee's outburst was quite entertaining. From being "Kabise's" defender to now his attacker demanding respect, Mondee has turned around and is highlighting the fundamental character of ToM, IEC, and SPARC - that of an opportunist.

One group which saw in "Kabise" and ToM the dollar sign may be added to this category. Recently, this group recognized "Kabise" with a "Community Service Award" and in the process ignored the wealth of negative information about him. 

He's supposed to be "a role model for compassion, dedication and service" in the Filipino community. What? I can't believe some people could go this low.

(Full story at: The Folly of a 'Community Service Award')

Who would ever forget that "Kabise" was the mastermind in the theft of photos and film footage from my Filipino Web Channel which his team members manipulated, spliced with pictures of his wife and supporters, and made to appear those were theirs?

And to add insult to injury, they covered my YouTube watermark with the logo of ToM. (More on this next issue). (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).

Consequential Moments in History Happened in Germany

Volume 6, Issue No. 16

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, November 22, 2024 

~ The memory of a visit to Germany four decades ago lingers and just won't fade away because in between the years, something historic happened - the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. I was there five years before it was toppled, thus putting an end to the once iconic symbol of the Iron Curtain. 

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ICONIC SYMBOL OF THE IRON CURTAIN

The Memory of the Berlin Wall Lingers

The Concrete Divider Was Toppled Starting Nov. 1989

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.” – Aristotle

TORONTO - "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," U.S. President Ronald Reagan uttered on June 12, 1987 at Brandenburg Gate in the very heart of the German capital. 

He was calling on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to dismantle the Berlin Wall, the concrete barrier erected in 1961 separating West and East Berlin, the latter made the capital of the German Democratic Republic.

Two years and five months later on November 9, 1989, the Wall that had been the symbol of conflicting ideologies hardwired in the so-called Iron Curtain, started to come down.

Brandenburg Gate in Berlin - Mute Witness to History

Brandenburg Gate in Berlin - Mute Witness to History

From the time of its downfall to this day, 35 years have passed, but the memory lingers of my first visit to Germany, including a tour of its major cities, in October 1984 - five years before it was toppled.

As a young journalist, I was in East Berlin, from thence to West Berlin, and finally to West Germany (the capital then was Bonn), which was outside the Soviet bloc, trying to absorb the political, social and cultural ramifications of two different ideologies embodied in the division.

Related video: German Parliament at the Reichstag Building in Berlin

I wake up every morning this week reminiscing the days. The Cold War is gone. East Germany and West Germany are gone, but reunited in one Germany. The Soviet Union is gone and splintered into 15 smaller independent countries.

Still, my mind draws me back to the time I visited Germany, again, in September 2012. This time, I paid a courtesy call on one of the editors of Deutsche Presse Agentur, the German news agency, at the central editorial office in Berlin.

(Related video: 

Deutsche Presse Agentur: World News Coverage at Its Finest

Deutsche Presse Agentur: World News Coverage at Its Finest

The sight of Berlin was vastly different from when I saw it 40 years earlier when it was apportioned to the four powers - the United States, France, United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union.

Perhaps my interest in history, and the fact that I worked as a foreign correspondent for DPA, my employer for nearly two decades, were reactivating my consciousness. 

The DPA stint had compelled me to learn more about Germany, for in many ways, as its correspondent, I was representing Germany's largest news agency in Manila and everywhere I went to cover the news.

Berlin's Checkpoint Charlie: The Past and the Present

That also necessitated a basic study of the history of Europe, its politics, economics and its social and cultural norms. The knowledge is important in writing a story for with it, one knew who you're grappling with.

The 1984 trip to Germany, including visits to Berlin, Bonn, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich, had been a learning experience from both professional and personal perspective. 

I was visiting not as a tourist - and that limited my movement - but as a journalist in the employ of the German news agency and a guest of the German government.

My return in 2012 enhanced whatever impression I gained, learning more about Germany's history, particularly that chapter regarding the Nazis, Adolf Hitler, and his attempt to conquer Europe.

I've supplemented my readings of history books by watching the documentary series about the the Second World War now streaming on Netflix. That's where my reminiscences started.

One episode is instructive and jaw-dropping - that the world's greatest naval battle between the United States and Japan took place on the Philippine Sea, the vast ocean expanse that opens to the Pacific Ocean. 

(Background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Philippine_Sea).

But it's in Germany where I really touched the most consequential moments in history - the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Hitler's alleged burial ground, the Soviets' monument to victory over the Nazis, the Holocaust memorial, and so many other things in between. They're all etched in memory. (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).