Volume 7, Issue No. 7
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
. . . . . A community service of 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, August 7, 2025
~ Organizers of Taste of Manila act like they own Little Manila, the site of their yearly festival in the general vicinity of Bathurst St. and Wilson Ave. in North York. Smarting from last year's fencing scandal, they now impose a new rule that effectively blacklists on-site establishments that refuse to "contribute" money and practically declare them as illegitimate.
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UNCONTROLLED LUST FOR MONEY
Taste of Manila's Abusive Restriction
The Notice Blacklists On-Site Vendors
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“Above all else, treat those in the community like how you want to be treated.” ― Anonymous
TORONTO - On its face alone, the notice or warning posted to social media by the four-dimensional troll is condemnatory of those on-site vendors which do not wish to participate in the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival.
The mindset of ToM organizers is obviously still focused on punishing them, as they did last year when they erected a 13-foot steel fence that blocked five establishments along Bathurst St. that refused to pay grease money.
Rather than promote harmony and friendliness in what should be a festive Filipino setting, the organizers - Rolly "kabise" Mangante and his two-member contractual partners SPARC (Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community) - seem to have chosen to pursue their unmitigated lust for money.
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Knowing how their simple mind works, perhaps they didn't mean to rebuke the on-site vendors whose presence in the Bathurst-Wilson area, colloquially known as Little Manila, predates the festival.
These vendors, mostly consisting of coffee shops, mom-and-pop eateries, convenience stores, and restaurants would not have been operating for years if they didn't comply with health regulations and have the necessary licenses.
But the message in the ToM notice is unmistakable in this post by Rose To aka Marites Tolits aka Rose Ami aka Rosemarie Ami-Seaborn. It presumes those unwilling to support ToM are unregistered, even blacklisted, and shunned doling out fees.
The notice reads: "Taste of Manila event attendees, please purchase from vendors displaying an 'Authorized Taste of Manila Vendor' sign. These vendors are registered, adhere to Toronto Public Health rules, have insurance, and contribute to event organization fees."
The unspoken flipside is not hard to understand, i.e. don't patronize those vendors, restaurants, eateries, etc. without the sign because they don't follow health rules, don't have insurance and, more importantly, they don't pay up.
It's clearly discriminatory and contemptible. Instead of being welcoming and inclusive, ToM organizers chose to set aside the decent thing to do. In the words of former MP Ya'ara Saks: "Everyone should benefit when a community festival comes in the area." (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/
ToM right now is disguised as a "community festival" when in fact it is a private business owned and run by Rolly Mangante and his family.
A published account by Tony San Juan, a retired-teacher-turned-
Reports said Mangante, who claims he founded ToM at the time he was employed as a driver at the Philippine Consulate, was selling his alleged proprietary rights in the festival. His contractual partner named Sani Baluyot said ToM is not for sale.
How is it possible that ToM could impose fees and breach local laws by unilaterally deciding to penalize non-compliant vendors such as what happened in August 2024 when it installed a steel fence on government property? (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/
While it collects money from the public, ToM appears to be evading scrutiny through the convenience of a non-disclosure agreement. For example, what happened to its promise to put up something for the benefit of the community?
According to an announcement, ToM has set the bar for this year "even HIGHER!" than the purported "powerhouse performances" of guests in 2024.
I hope the organizers didn't mean fencing off establishments "higher" than normal so people would not attempt to climb up to access their favorite stores.
Their chosen theme looks aspirational - "a celebration of resiliency and diversity" - although it sounds good for those who know little or nothing at all about ToM and its repulsive activities.
One example is Mangante's betrayal of an earlier agreement with International Entertainment Company (IEC) of Cecille Araneta and Mon Datol in favour of another contractor, SPARC, that led to a lawsuit.
Prior to that, Datol was a staunch defender of Mangante and his cabal of blind supporters. In excerpts from a video he created (it seems it has been taken down from his YouTube account because of embarrassment), Datol was pitifully crying out loud. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/
It may be inconvenient for some but allowing attempts by Mangante, ToM, and SPARC to continue to shake up existing vendors and get away with it should not be tolerated. None of them own Little Manila. (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).
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