Volume 6, Issue No. 17
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
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
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:
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).
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