Saturday, 24 May 2025

The Rise of Little Manila as a Tourist Spot

Volume 6, Issue No. 52
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 Saturday, May 24, 2025 

~ From bedroom community to tourist destination, Toronto's so-called Little Manila is fast changing its nomenclature, much of it due to hardy Filipinos and Filipino Canadians eking out a living. Though the place name is unofficial, a charitable agency of the City of Toronto has recognized its existence by sponsoring walking tours of the area conducted by volunteers. But not all is fine and dandy there, scammers and persons of questionable characters lurk in some dark corners. 

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TORONTO'S LITTLE MANILA
Not Much of a Home Away from Home
The Unpleasantness Is Also There



By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel



"Places are only places . . . people make them into more than they are." - Will Hill


TORONTO - This summer and early fall, the patch of land in the city's northern neighbourhood will burst again into a frenzy of community gatherings highlighting the yearly transition from the gloom and cold of winter and its accompanying snowfall.

The changing seasons in Canada, specifically in these parts, are nature's exhilarating rituals celebrated by the diverse communities through dances, songs, food, prayers, and get togethers befitting their heritage.

Filipinos and Canadians of Filipino descent are among these groups who wake up from frigid hiatus and evolve into a celebratory mood, which means getting into revelries mimicking the social-cultural-religious fiesta atmosphere of the homeland.

The junction of Bathurst St. and Wilson Ave. in North York birthed Little Manila, the place name so-called to indicate a significant presence of Filipinos living, working, and doing business there. 


Before the late Philippine ambassador to Canada Leslie B. Gatan unofficially christened the area in August 2014, the intersection was no more than a transit point for commuters as it is within walking distance of two subway stations to the east (York Mills) and west (Wilson) from where one goes to any destination in the city.


Today, Little Manila is a bustling hub for community events. Its popularity has grown in years since its informal inception. Heritage Toronto, a registered charity of the City of Toronto, has recognized its potential as a tourist spot.


In June 2018, the independent agency began a walking tour by Filipino volunteers starting from the Bathurst-Wilson Parkette, which the city also designated as Mabuhay Garden to accommodate growing demands for a Filipino-themed park. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsJFlnNerVA).

(Incidentally, a bust of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal stands at Earl Bales Park, two kilometres to the north: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ditXv2j3jXs. Also, Rizal's larger-than-life monument sculpted by artist Mogi Mogado dominates the Boxgrove Community Park in Markham, 30 kilometres to the northeast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak87ArSXQPk).

While it may not be construed as an endorsement, the city-sponsored tour is an acknowledgement of the many contributions of the Filipino community in terms of creating business opportunities and a recognition of their role in promoting multiculturalism.

The walking tour basically puts a spotlight on selected Filipino businesses. But the real highlight is in showing how their owners struggle to stay afloat and how they cope with challenges in serving the community beyond their traditional comfort zone.

Constant reference by community organizations to restaurants in Little Manila as a meeting place has made the area an easily-recognizable address for many Filipinos, perhaps a close second to the more common Bathurst-Wilson.

Other than eateries catering mostly to a Filipino clientele, there are others, e.g., beauty shops, mom-and-pop groceries, barbershops, bakeries, remittance centres, law offices, driving schools, real estate agencies, convenience stores, sidewalk vendors, and coffee shops.

As a thriving sub-section of the former city of North York, Little Manila has some unpleasantness to it too. Scammers and individuals of questionable characters take shelter in the comfort of their cubicles, which are passed off as offices.

(Additional reading: 

Last year, for example, five establishments which rejected demands for money by unidentified officials of Taste of Manila (ToM) festival were barricaded with 13-feet high steel fence, barring access from the main festival site on Bathurst St.

City authorities speaking privately said the barrier was unlawful and those who ordered it installed could be held legally accountable. One shop owner, Jonathan Mayor Pecpec, has publicly denounced the shakedown. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btf2yoU4AaE).

MP Ya'ara Saks (who lost her reelection bid in the April 28 federal election) said when reached for comment in January: "Everyone should benefit when a community festival comes in the area."


At the height of the pandemic when nobody was looking, ToM officials and their supporters brazenly stole published photos and videos from the Filipino Web Channel and created their own videos promoting the virtual Taste of Manila. (Full story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/08/fruits-of-steal-benefit-tom-organizers.html).

That daylight robbery was substantially admitted by Rolly Mangante aka Kabise who also named his co-conspirators, namely, Cecille Araneta, Ramon Datol, Philip Beloso, Pepito Torralba, a certain Jerome, Mangante's wife Nieves and daughters Jackie and Roloves. (Full story at:https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/07/mondee-names-alleged-culprits.html and video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXqjO8AWUJ4).

Through the years, Little Manila has acquired a bad reputation as a haven of some of the worst elements in the Philippine capital from where it got its name. Some greedy officials of ToM, notably the "kotong" gang, have contributed to its notoriety.

Another event is slated there in August and we can only hope the shameless extortion of 2024 would not be repeated by ToM organizers demanding some grease money. (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).
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Wednesday, 21 May 2025

Forsaking the Truth for Friendship at Ethnic Press

Volume 6, Issue No. 51
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, May 21, 2025 

~ There are challenges worth fighting for. The sacrifice one has to face as a result of these challenges is not insurmountable. Not until recently has community journalism faced challenges that threaten its exercise. From practitioners and advocates of press freedom, it is incomprehensible that intimation of suppressing it would be verbalized like a warning of imminent consequence. 

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"TO SEEK AND PUBLISH THE TRUTH"
Mocking a Code of Ethics
Sacrificing the Truth for Friendship


By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"If journalism is good, it is controversial, by its nature." - Julian Assange


TORONTO - The scene that unfolded at the lobby of Toronto City Hall two weeks ago has bothered me to this day: a top official of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada fiercely defending two of its members in the face of incontrovertible evidence.

Right now, I recall the first few lines of NEPMCC's Code of Ethics which state: "Our privilege and duty is to seek and publish the truth, defend free speech and the right to equal treatment under law . . . "

Which side of the truth am I on? Because I rely on documented proof and honest facts, my confidence is unshakable in what journalist and artist Michelle Chermaine Ramos has articulated from the get-go.


Her credibility is unassailable. And that goes a lot in fighting for her and believing the complaint she has filed against her former editors at The Philippine Reporter, namely, Hermie Garcia and Mila A. Garcia, who had duped her and another writer for months into believing their many manufactured lies about their salaries.


Comes Maria S. Voutsinas, NEPMCC managing director and vice president, telling me during a face-to-face meeting at the City Hall foyer, and I quote her: "What Michelle told you is not true!"

Undoubtedly she was defending the couple and mocking Ms. Ramos. In fact, she predicated her statement that her father - Thomas Saras, NEPMCC president and CEO - and the Garcia couple are friends for many years.

That was revealing. I knew they're comrades (the preferred term of leftists), having been there myself for a number of years until I stopped paying membership dues. But to invoke it as some kind of defense is really untenable.

I can now infer that between upholding the truth (Ms. Ramos' complaint) and affirming friendship, Ms. Voutsinas would rather be on the side of the latter.


Her remark runs counter with NEPMCC's ethics "to seek and publish the truth." Has she gone rogue to cover up the published misdeeds of the Garcia couple as they would impact the yearly money grants by the federal government on the NEPMCC and its members?

Perhaps to emphasize her support for them amidst the scandal, Ms. Voutsinas menacingly commented that she would cause the issuance of a cease and desist order if my inquiries about the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) that NEPMCC is implementing would persist.


The LJI was the root of it all. The Garcias had been handed the grant money in full ahead of time for the salaries of staff reporting for LJI, in this instance Ms. Ramos and another writer in Edmonton, Alberta.

Not only were the two reporters lied to about their salaries, they were also led to believe that Canadian Heritage was responsible for delays and non-payment. That was the gist of Ms. Ramos' complaint. Why did the Garcias resort to these egregious lies?

I've had several interactions with the Garcias from the time I joined NEPMCC in 2010 or 2011. They're expert at undermining people like myself through whispering campaigns and rumour-mongering.


And they have blind followers too in so-called cause-oriented groups, including a disbarred lawyer, a computer thief, and fake journalists. 

So, between Ms. Ramos and the Edmonton writer, on the one hand, and the Garcias and Ms. Voutsinas, on the other, I would cast my lot with the former, hands down. (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).
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Saturday, 17 May 2025

Canada Prime Minister Pledges Funds for Local News

Volume 6, Issue No. 50
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 Saturday, May 17, 2025 

~ Hardly noticed amidst the political noise coming from the south, the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, has made a promise that should be a boon to distressed members of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC), also known as "Canada's other voices." On World Press Freedom Day two weeks ago, he declared: "My government will also protect and fund more local news, including those with Indigenous perspectives." 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 


CANADA PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY VOWS:
Protect, Fund More Local News
The Pledge Should Be a Boon to Ethnic Media



By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel



"International Press Freedom Day is just a dream and a wish to all of us. But in order to keep our hopes, we have to fight for it." - Thomas Saras, President and CEO, National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada



TORONTO - Three days before Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Washington, DC and told US President Donald Trump that "Canada is not for sale. Ever," he had made a promise that should be music to the ears of cash-strapped members of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC).

That was on Saturday, May 3, World Press Freedom Day, which is widely celebrated in countries where freedom of the press is contemporaneously held sacrosanct, observed, threatened, attacked, and cut down.

“In a sea of foreign media and disinformation," Carney said in Ottawa, "we need Canadian voices more than ever,” adding that "In this time of crisis, we must protect what it means to be Canadian. A strong, independent, and free press both defines and defends our values." 

"My new government," he vowed, "will protect reliable Canadian public forums, so we can tell our own stories in our own languages. My government will also protect and fund more local news, including those with Indigenous perspectives."

That last sentence sounds like a marching order and an assurance of continued federal government support for community publications, particularly to the NEPMCC constituency.

The organization's roster of members consisting of 850 publications and150 electronic media (TV and radio) serving 101 linguistic and cultural communities truly makes it "Canada's other voices" that's separate from mainstream media.

Even as NEPMCC regularly receives grant money from the federal government through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) and Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), it appears such financial assistance may not be enough. 

Data has not been made available to make a determination of NEPMCC's financial health but all these months, the not-for-profit, non-governmental organization seems forever cash-strapped.

During its monthly meeting in February, NEPMCC president Thomas Saras told members the provincial government of Ontario "might allocate funds to ethnic publications based in Ontario" in the face of rising printing costs that forced shutdown of some publications. (Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFgYaFvRz8I&t=10s).

Moreover, he expressed hope the "federal government will improve Aid to Publishers Program and increase federal government advertising." 

NEPMCC is also tapping Google. He said the organization "has been trying hard to negotiate a better deal from Google regarding the compensation for the members of the ethnic media industry."

Saras' remarks, published on its website in February (the latest and most current) and earlier, underscore the financial difficulties impacting community publications. 

One of these is a Filipino tabloid, The Philippine Reporter (TPR), the left-leaning tabloid owned and edited by husband and wife Hermie Garcia and Mila A. Garcia.

Copies of the paper have not been seen for months. The front page of its last print issue was in January 2024. Its website occasionally publishes stories seemingly intended to make it look like it's running. 

Speculation has been that TPR went under soon after staff writer Michelle Chermaine Ramos (who has since resigned) discovered and divulged to NEPMCC and to Canadian Heritage the litany of lies and deception by the Garcia couple to hide their abject failure to pay reporters' salaries on time.

(The Filipino Web Channel and Filipino Web Magazine broke the bombshell story nearly two years ago at: Lies, Deceptions by The Philippine Reporter Exposed).


In addition to their regular job at TPR, Ms. Ramos and another writer based in Edmonton, Alberta were reporting for the government-funded Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) implemented locally by the NEPMCC.

The delays and non-payments were not supposed to happen to Ms. Ramos and the other writer simply because the monies for their salaries had been advanced to Hermie Garcia in one lump sum a full year earlier.

While Saras had launched an investigation by the NEPMCC Ombudsman following Ms. Ramos' detailed complaint, nothing has been said about it months later.

However, in a recent interaction with NEPMCC executive director Maria S. Voutsinas, she claimed the Garcias were "sanctioned" but up to what extent was not clear. (Full story: A Not So Welcoming World Press Freedom Day in Toronto).


"There was a time when I was proud to be part of TPR because I thought we stood for the truth and had integrity and served as a voice for the oppressed," lamented Ms. Ramos earlier.

"But discovering that they're capable of lying to their own staff and abusing our trust and mismanaging the government funds they were entrusted with to cover our pay , , , well, that's disgustingly inconsiderate and professionally unethical," she added.

Ms. Ramos said she would have understood if the Garcias had been candid with having financial troubles than concoct lie about the grant money and their salary and cover it up with another lie.

"I would have respected that and totally understood," she explained. "There would be no problem at all and we'd just work something out as friends." 

"Still, I tried to understand TPR's situation so I wouldn't blow up on them. I considered the fact that they're seniors and forgetful and getting overwhelmed . . . " 
(Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).
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