MP Ya'ara Saks Chides Taste of Manila Festival

Volume 6, Issue No. 31

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 30, 2025 

~ No matter how politically-correct it was, MP Ya'ara Saks' statement on the past Taste of Manila festival could be construed as a rebuke to the men and women behind the organizations that mounted the street fest in August 2024. A 13-feet high steel barrier that denied access to business establishments is no welcome mat, yet it stood there undisturbed for two days, with nobody saying anything to condemn it. Fortunately, however, the minister's reaction is a refreshing sign that could lead to changes in community events policing. 

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M.P. YA'ARA SAKS' REACTION

Taste of Manila Gets a Rebuke

"Businesses Enhance Life, Not Create Barriers"

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

TORONTO - The reaction by MP Ya'ara Saks to merchants who refused to be victims of a shakedown by unnamed organizers of the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival should jolt the community to the real potential of their event being used for extortion.

Saks is the Liberal Member of Parliament for York Centre, and holds the portfolios of Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLl_ud3-Xew).

ToM, held yearly in her district's Little Manila hub, has morphed into a family business with a view of reaping profits, practically shredding its character and the promise of integrating the community instead of polarizing it. 

Now, ToM is supposedly owned and managed by its self-proclaimed founder, Rolly Mangante alias "kabise," his wife Nieves, the self-ordained "first lady," and their daughters. 

Mangante had worked as a driver at the Philippine Consulate where the idea of ToM was being crystallized during the term of the late Consul General Pedro Chan who had presented it to Toronto authorities led by then Police Chief Bill Blair. (Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/09/was-number-of-tom-attendees-exaggerated.html).

To say now that ToM is for the community is to mislead the people who patronized it for the past 10 years, believing they're helping the needy who stand to benefit from projects Mangante had envisioned once ToM has stabilized and begins to earn money.

Alas, that promise is dead in the water while Mangante's business flourishes with the help and support of the local government and his chosen "managers" - first PCCC, second PLACA, third PESO, fourth IEC, and fifth and latest SPARC.

It was the Mangante-SPARC tandem that organized the August 2024 ToM. I have joked about SPARC (which stands for Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community) by inserting the word con before artists, so it'll read con artists.

One major point is that there's no artist in SPARC; it's a two-member team of Danilo "Sani" Baluyot and the chameleon-like Rose Ami, alias Rose To, alias Marites Tolits, alias Rosemarie Ami-Seaborn. 

Neither is an artist in the sense of how the dictionary defines it as "a person who creates art (such as sculpture, music, or writing) using conscious skill and creative imagination."

Con artists would appear appropriate considering what had happened on Aug. 17-18, 2024 when workers surreptitiously installed 13-feet high steel fence to block access to several onsite establishments facing Bathurst St., the main ToM festival site.

"Kailangan siguro nila . . . humihingi sila ng pera para buksan yung harap ko," complained Jonathan Mayor Pecpec, owner of a beauty salon that bears his name. (Roughly translated: "They ask money to dismantle the fence and open access). (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btf2yoU4AaE).

Erecting a steel fence to punish noncompliant merchants is no welcome mat, it's an intimidating barrier that goes against SPARC's purported mission, which is, and I quote, "to help and assist Filipino entrepreneurs."

I hesitate to believe that there are people within ToM and SPARC who are involved in fleecing vendors, as manifested so clearly by the steel barricade. That fence stood for two days as a monument to their greed. (Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2024/12/for-some-money-tom-and-sparc-went-rogue.html).

The issues raised by business owners have been ignored by city and provincial authorities, and even by the police, except now that MP Saks, a federal official, has acknowledged what had transpired and called it "a problem" that could be resolved at the municipal level.

"Local businesses should be able to serve their customers and clients without restrictions and without any barriers," she said, "because these businesses are supposed to enhance the life within community and not create barriers."

Though it's a municipal issue, MP Saks' reaction should be the start of an initiative to discuss community events policing involving true representatives of the community, merchants, corporate entities, and not just leave the matter to a few men and women who, for all we know, are extortionists disguised as do-gooders.

"I would strongly encourage the local city councillor to work with the local businesses here to get it addressed because I don't think it's acceptable," MP Saks added. (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).

Trump Bares His Rendition of 'Manifest Destiny'

Volume 6, Issue No. 30

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 23, 2025 

~ William McKinley, the 25th U.S. president, was a prominent figure in Philippine history. For one, his name is synonymous with the Philippine Army as its national headquarters in Makati, the Ft. William McKinley, was branded after him in 1901. Early this week, President Trump mentioned him as part of his effort to restore American greatness. McKinley was an imperialist through and through, and during his tenure, he grabbed the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam from Spain and made them U.S. territories. Ft. McKinley faded into antiquity and replaced with a more politically-correct name, Fort Bonifacio, the vast military camp that has been transformed into a popular business and shopping centre called Bonifacio Global City. 

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DONALD TRUMP'S VERSION OF MANIFEST DESTINY

Aping the Imperialist William McKinley

Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines Came Under the US

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

TORONTO - One of the first acts by U.S. President Donald Trump was to sign an executive order "restoring names that honor American greatness," mentioning, among others, William McKinley, the 25th president.

Trump directed that Mount McKinley be reinstated as the name for Mt. Denali in Alaska, North America's highest peak, in recognition of McKinley's "historic legacy of protecting America's interests and generating enormous wealth for all Americans."

Indeed, the accolade maybe an allusion to what McKinley had done during his tenure when the U.S. grabbed Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines - then Spain's colonies - after the U.S. emerged victorious in the Spanish-American War of 1898, the same year in June when the Philippines declared independence. Later, the U.S. annexed Hawaii, becoming its 50th State.

McKinley is familiar to three generations (the silent generation, baby boomers, and generation X) in the Philippines. It was his name, Ft. William McKinley, that was given to the national headquarters of the Philippine Army in 1901during the Philippine-American War. 

In 1957, Ft. McKinley was renamed Fort Bonifacio after the father of revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio who was a native of Taguig, then a town of the province of Tondo, now Manila.

Fort Bonifacio was among the military bases converted into business centers during the presidency of Corazon Aquino in 1992. Presently, the sprawling area is called Bonifacio Global City. But I digress. 

For the 1900 U.S. presidential election, McKinley, a Republican, campaigned on a platform of "imperialism, protectionism, and free silver" - the very same items Trump, also a Republican, restates as he begins his second term at the White House.

"McKinley is generally ranked as an above-average president," according to Wikipedia. "However, his take-over of the Philippines is often criticized as an act of imperialism."

In his inaugural address, Trump sounded "manifest destiny into the stars," again a reiteration of his imperial ambition to expand U.S. territory beyond its present borders. 

He has repeatedly referred to Canada as the "51st State" of the U.S. and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "Governor Trudeau." (Related story: Donald Trump's Expansionist Musings

Manifest Destiny was first used in 1845 by New York City journalist John Louis O’Sullivan who used the term in the context of America’s annexation of the Republic of Texas, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia.

"Manifest Destiny represented the idea that it was America’s right — its destiny, in fact — to expand across all of North America," it explained. 

"Politicians and citizens in the United States called for the US to expand by claiming control of British territory. This included the Province of Canada (formerly Upper Canada and Lower Canada), New Brunswick and Nova Scotia."

Currently, Trumps seems obsessed with his own version of Manifest Destiny, making known his aspiration to acquire Greenland from Denmark, the Panama Canal, and Canada.

With Greenland and Canada in its fold - that's assuming it would happen - the US would be occupying the entirety of North America minus Mexico. It's a Trumpian dream that could turn very bloody. (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).

Day One at the White House: Trump Issues 48 Orders

Volume 6, Issue No. 29

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, January 21, 2025 

~ President Donald J. Trump zealously went to work on Day One right after he was sworn-in Monday, Jan. 20, as the 47th President of the United States. His first act was to issue 48 proclamations and executive orders that basically reshape U.S. policy on immigration, birthright citizenship, international alliances, and treatment of a violent mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

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DAY ONE AT THE WHITE HOUSE 

Trump Issues 48 Orders

Birthright Citizenship Under Question, Pardons Out

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

TORONTO - Just hours into his first day as the 47th President on Monday (Jan. 20), Donald Trump issued a total of 48 proclamations and executive orders, declaring "From this day forward, the foreign policy of the United States shall champion core American interests and always put America and American citizens first."

Topping the list are executive orders restoring the death penalty, restoring freedom of speech, and granting full pardon to the violent mob of about 1,580 people who assaulted the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

In his proclamation, Trump commuted the sentences of 14 individuals convicted of offenses related to that attack, including its top leaders the most prominent being Stewart Rhodes. 

"This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation," Trump said.

Of immense importance to immigrants is the executive order "protecting the meaning and value of American citizenship" which essentially strips birthright citizenship under the U.S. Constitution's 14 Amendment.

"It is the policy of the U.S.," the order reads, "that no department or agency of the U.S. government shall issue documents recognizing U.S. citizenship, or accept documents issued by State, local, or other governments or authorities purporting to recognize U.S. citizenship, to persons: (1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the U.S. and the person’s father was not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the U.S. was lawful but temporary, and the person’s father was not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth."

Trump's very first proclamation also declared an "invasion" in the southern border, saying that an influx of "countless" millions of illegal aliens "pose significant threats to health, safety, and national security," the White House said.

Trump has also designated international cartels and other organizations as "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" or "Specially Designated Global Terrorists" that have engaged in a violent campaign of assassination, terror, rape and brute force.

"It is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of these organizations’ presence in the U.S.," the executive order read. 

According to the White House, his Day One presidential actions include:

1. An executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization. One reason cited was that "the WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the U.S., far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments.  China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has 300 percent of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90 percent less to the WHO."

2. An executive order "holding former government officials accountable for election interference and improper disclosure of sensitive governmental information. 

In this connection, Trump ordered the revocation of clearances of 50 individuals who held top positions in previous administrations like former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, former CIA Director John Brennan, and Ambassador John R. Bolton.

3. An executive order "Ending the weaponization of the federal government." (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).

Trump Takes Office as President, JD Vance as Vice President

Volume 6, Issue No. 29

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 20, 2025 

~ His felony conviction notwithstanding, Donald J. Trump was sworn-in by US Chief Justice John Roberts at noon Monday, Jan. 20, as the 47th President of the United States in a ceremony at the US Capitol Rotunda. The frigid weather in Washington DC prompted the move indoors. The Capitol was the same place Trump followers had assaulted in an attempted coup on January 6, 2021 after his defeat in the November 2020 presidential election. Vice-President-elect JD Vance was also sworn in minutes earlier by Justice Brett Kavanaugh as US Vice President.

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THE 47TH U.S. PRESIDENT 

Donald Trump Takes Office

JD Vance also sworn-in as U.S. Vice President

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

TORONTO - For more than 200 years, the tradition in the United States had been that the President be administered the oath "in the most public manner" such that "the greatest number of the people in the United States, and without distinction, may be witnesses to the solemnity."

In keeping with that practice, the presidential swearing-in ceremony takes place outside the US Capitol building in Washington DC.

Because of frigid weather conditions forecast for today (Monday, Jan. 20, 2025), however, organizers moved Donald J. Trump's inauguration, his second (the first was in 2017), inside the Capitol Rotunda.

The U.S. Constitution provides that the President must swear or affirm to faithfully execute the Office of President" and "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution" to the best of the President's ability, thus: 

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God."

With that oath administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, the 78-years-old Trump takes office as the 47th President of the United States.

Minutes earlier, Vice-President-Elect J.D. Vance took his oath as Vice President of the United States before Justice Brett Kavanaugh, thus:

 "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God."  (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).

Wannabe YouTuber Is a Video Thief

Volume 6, Issue No. 28

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, January 17, 2025 

~ A video thief found an easy way to boost her profile on YouTube by stealing my video coverage of the protest rally against the rapists of movie starlet Pepsi Paloma who performed in Toronto in April 2014. It's an unpleasant discovery, to say the least. The steal was no different from what Taste of Manila (ToM) festival organizers had done in 2020 when they manipulated and spliced the purloined footage with images of people who were not in the festival in the first place.

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WHO IS VIVIAN BARRERA? 

Another Video Thief Exposed 

Stolen video raised hundreds of views in her channel

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"You cannot steal somebody's intellectual property. Law and justice protect." - Bikram Choudhury

TORONTO - With total views as of this writing totaling 3,135,754 views, and 6.28K subscribers, it's almost a given that individuals with little or no experience in video journalism and/or online (digital) journalism would resort to stealing contents from The Filipino Web Channel (TFWC) which I founded in November 2010.

Some of these individuals are totally ignorant. Some are wishful dreamers who aspire to be journalists but are too incompetent to even qualify. Some possess the derring-do to make money from the sweat of other people. Some are simply thieves.

TFWC is one of my four flagship outlets under my eponymous social media network Romar Media Canada. The others are Currents & Breaking News (aka The Gotcha Journalist) or C&BN, Filipino Web Entertainment, and Eats & Restos channels.

C&BN had accumulated 1,793,959 views; FilWebEntertainment, 2,134,156; and E&R, 373,712. Altogether, they have combined views of 7,437,581, which I consider a feat in local digital journalism. 

That kind of viewership or online exposure is impossible to attain when writing (thus, readership) for a community newspaper that purports to be the largest in Toronto.

The growing number of people who visit my channels has not escaped notice. Every now and then I get offers of partnerships with big corporations for advertising insertions. Well, thank you, but I have to discuss such proposals with YouTube.

The latest suggestion came yesterday, Jan. 16, from a world-renowned brand, whose PR manager wrote: "We love your engaging content and your amazing rapport with your viewers. It's exciting to see how much value you bring to your platform, and we'd be honored to partner with you."

Days ago while searching for more information about the lawsuit brought by one of the rapists of starlet Pepsi Paloma, I came across a video thief named Vivian Barrera who took a very big slice of what should have been my viewers to try to grow her piddling channel on YouTube.

She stole and manipulated content from my news coverage without the slightest courtesy, or giving credit to my YouTube channel as her source, or asking permission to copy it. 

I would have agreed to let her if she showed some respect. But no, she even took out my introductory footage, my byline, and covered the watermark.

Now, this thief brings back again the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival organizers, notably its alleged founder, Rolly "kabise" Mangante, who are the most-visible functionaries with the audacity to steal my copyrighted intellectual property and put it up as their own.

His erstwhile friends at International Entertainment Company (IEC) like Cecile Araneta and Ramon Datol, both of whom he dumped in favor of SPARC (Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community, have pointed to him as the brains behind the steal.

(Related videos:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4ap92btLM8

2. "Himutok" and "Hinagpis" Due to Betrayal by ToM's Rolly Mangante

The two business partners identified the co-conspirators of Rolly Mangante as Philip Beloso, Pepito Torralba, Jerome Peralta, Dannasol Luna and her unidentified brother. (Full story: Non-Profit Org Blamed for Video Theft Vanishes).

What they did was no different from what this Vivian Barrera did. She stole, manipulated, and uploaded my video of the protest rally against the rapists of movie starlet Pepsi Paloma at Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in April 2014.

The intro and brief background story in the first 57 minutes of my video titled "Outrage Over Rape of Pepsi Paloma Erupts in Protest at 'Eat Bulaga' in Toronto (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeH2QoGkyPQ) were removed and the edited/manipulated video was then uploaded to her channel.

My original video had only 57,752 views as of today (Jan. 17), a mere quarter of what the stolen video had amassed, which is 217,398 views. Because of that wide disparity, I had to rewrite the headline to make it more competitive with what Vivian Barrera had purloined from my own channel.

Vivian Barrera, the video thief, had only three short videos since she joined YouTube in September 2013. That shows how inept she is. She can't even provide a brief description of what her videos are about.

The three videos are inconsequential, recording only 46 views, 17views, and 9 views for each one. The fourth video on her channel is about Pepsi Paloma, which she claimed to be hers but actually stolen from my channel and had given her a big boost - 217,398 views as of yesterday.

I Google-searched her name in hopes of seeing her internet presence. There's none except for the "vivian barrera" channel. Who is Vivian Barrera? Is she a professional larcenist?

Barrera's thievery predated ToM's stealing by three years. Initially I thought that what Mangante had told his co-conspirators to do was worse. (Related video: Social Climbers in PESO Steal Street Festival Content)

Social Climbers in PESO Steal Street Festival Content

Mangante had people manipulating my videos, splicing them with pictures of his wife Nieves, supporters like Cecile Araneta, and political friends like Councillor James Pasternak, MP Marco Mendicino, and others with whom he was ingratiating himself.

In both Barrera's and ToM's stealing, they're reaping the fruits of my labour. They also have committed an unlawful act. Should I hail them to court, as one lawyer-friend has suggested? Would it be worth my time to pursue them? (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved.)