Volume 7, Issue No. 15
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 Wednesday, September 17, 2025
~ From the horse's mouth comes what may be construed as an indictment - that the lies and deception by Hermie Garcia and Mila A. Garcia were "technically criminal." The couple had been outed for their fraudulent activities by a staffer who used to write for The Philippine Reporter tabloid which the Garcias owned and edited. If their acts were felonious, why do they still occupy responsible positions in the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada? Are they being protected by this organization to the detriment of the federal government, the group itself and its members?
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ETHNIC PRESS OFFICIAL'S OWN WORDS:
The Lies and Deception by Hermie Garcia
and Wife Were 'Technically Criminal'
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
"But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie." - Khaled Hosseini
TORONTO - The most damning words ever to come out of the complaint against the husband and wife owners of the tabloid The Philippine Reporter (TPR) originated from a top ethnic press official who, as it appeared later, had tried to wiggle them out of their predicament.
Short of telling them to their faces, Maria Saras Voutsinas, managing director and senior vice president of National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC), condemned the actions by TPR editors Hermie Garcia and Mila A. Garcia in concealing the truth about the federal grant money allocated as salaries for two of their writers.
"This is technically criminal," Ms. Voutsinas told artist and journalist Michelle Chermaine Ramos, a resigned TPR staff writer who wrote for the government's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) implemented by NEPMCC through its members.
"I know that sounds harsh, but it is," she added to a bewildered Ms. Ramos who, at that time in late 2022, was complaining about the inordinate delay in her salary. "They have no right to use the LJI money," she stressed.
That turned out to be just the tip of a more elaborate scheme foisted by the Garcia couple, which included concocting a fictitious "grant guy" who was supposedly holding up the release of LJI money that actually had been given to them in one lump sum months in advance of LJI.
The Garcias have not addressed such lingering questions of why they lied about Canadian Heritage, the federal agency that administered LJI, and the grant money it allots to NEPMCC, and why they shortchanged writers of their salaries for months until they were found out.
Neither was there any official response on why NEPMCC - which seemed unaware of what's happening in its own backyard until Ms. Ramos brought it to its attention - appears to have enabled the Garcias, skipping inquiries on why they continue to occupy responsible positions in NEPMCC.
Ms. Ramos had fortuitously discovered how the Garcias spun lies and deceit to hide how they misappropriated LJI money allotted for salaries of two writers - Ms. Ramos and the Edmonton-based intern.
(Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTJc42WrFRQ)
She asked NEPMCC why her LJI salary was not paid on time or delayed for months even though she continued to write the required three to five LJI articles per issue of the fortnightly TPR.
Ms. Voutsinas was shocked, more so when she learned Hermie Garcia was blaming Canadian Heritage and a so-called grant guy for the mess. "We need to address this as soon as possible," Ms. Voutsinas messaged Ms. Ramos.
Ms. Voutsinas sounded panicky. Such a situation could prejudice the grant money - the people's money - allocated for LJI by Canadian Heritage to NEPMCC, which amounted to $4.2 million for the period 2021-2025.
Basically the number 2 person in authority after her father, Thomas Saras, NEPMCC president, Ms. Voutsinas tried to walk back her earlier statement to Ms. Ramos. During a hostile interaction with this reporter at World Press Freedom Day on May 2, 2025 at Toronto City Hall, she said, and I quote her: "What Michelle told you is not true."
Related story: A Not So Welcoming World Press Freedom Day in Toronto
She's in effect saying Ms. Ramos lied in her fully-documented complaint filed with NEPMCC on January 2, 2023 and with Canadian Heritage in April 2023. For a moment, I had the strange feeling that Ms. Voutsinas was not being honest with me.
No matter what she said, however, I had, and continue to have, more faith in Ms. Ramos telling the truth. She had no motive to lie and create a faIse narrative against the Garcias whom she trusted and considered friends. For those reasons, I give much credence to her claim. The unpaid salary due her for the LJI work was no reason to compromise her integrity.
I feel that Ms. Voutsinas was trying to cast doubt on Ms. Ramos' assertion not because it was untrue, but because it might convince me to stop digging further into the mess. She actually indicated that with a warning that she's contemplating to issue a cease and desist order.
Months prior to our encounter at City Hall, Ms. Voutsinas had already concluded that the lies and deception by Hermie Garcia were "technically criminal" and needed to be addressed promptly.
Related story:
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TPR is among the 80 ethnic periodicals listed by the NEPMCC as "LJI 2024/2025 funded outlets" for the federal government's information outreach to underserved communities. NEPMCC is one of seven not-for-profit organizations that administer LJI on behalf of the government. Canadian Heritage provides funding for salaries of journalists hired by ethnic press members.
Even as Hermie Garcia and Mila A. Garcia were outed in late 2022 for their deceptive and fraudulent activities involving LJI and their reporters, their names still appear in NEPMCC's roster as vice presidents, and TPR as a member.
TPR's last print and digital issues were recorded on July 2024 - that's 14 months ago - meaning they ceased to exist after that date. But looking at the NEPMCC website, TPR appears to be an active member as do the Garcia couple.
Why then does he remain in NEPMCC as member of its executive board and senior vice president? And so is his wife Mila A. Garcia as vice president?
If Ms. Ramos' complaint is treated properly, it would necessitate the removal of the Garcias from the organization. The lies they fabricated were not only against the federal government, they do run counter to journalism ethics advocated by the NEPMCC.
The fact that the couple had managed to pull their trickery for months and victimized Ms. Ramos and the Edmonton-based intern showed the NEPMCC had been negligent in managing LJI as it concerned the Garcias. (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).
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