Volume 7, Issue No. 12
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 Tuesday, September 2, 2025
~ Some business owners had complained the Taste of Manila (ToM), being family-owned, should not benefit from taxpayers' dollars in holding its festival like the one it had two weeks ago in Toronto's North York district. "If they want to organize events like this, make sure the organizers have money, and they should NOT depend on taxpayer's money," they said. ToM had been successful in spawning misconduct among its officials and revelers alike.
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ALL ABOUT TASTE OF MANILA 2025
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
A Threat, A Pickpocket, A Miscalculation
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
"The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon the wrongs." - Joe Biden
TORONTO - Some taxpayers are shocked to learn that the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival operating as a family-owned business had been awarded with so much public money without even disclosing its financial circumstance.
Indeed, such a reaction is reasonable. Why should taxpayers foot part of the bill of an event that seems to evade accountability?
ToM had ended its latest staging two weeks ago in North York's Little Manila hub with a bad taste in the mouth following social media postings that pickpockets had descended in the area. (The posts have not been independently verified).
Previously, its organizers had fenced off establishments that had rejected demands for grease money euphemistically called "donations." This year, they toned down their solicitation, instead asking for boxes of food from the same stores. No steel barriers were erected. Still, it boiled down to extortion.
Since ToM's completion, nothing has been heard of from either its purported founder Rolly "kabise" Mangante and his family, and his contractual partners, the so-called artists in SPARC.
Even the gossipy and hyperbolic troll behind social media postings for ToM had quieted down, presumably exhausted by incessant bulletins calling attention to herself, her business and to ToM.
What has ToM accomplished for the community to deserve the $34,000 grant from the City of Toronto? I doubt if anyone in ToM would venture to answer that question. How much return on investment does the City expect from ToM with its hands on $34K?
A Toronto resident, speaking on behalf of local taxpayers, wrote:
"If our hard-earned money will just go to this kind of ridiculous event, that is not fair! If my taxes will go to food banks, shelters, help families who are struggling in life . . . go ahead and I will be happy to help these people. If they want to organize events like this Taste of Manila, make sure the organizers have money, and they should NOT depend on taxpayer's money."
Despite promises of transparency echoed by Mangante, nothing has ever come out to address the issue. It becomes crucial now in the wake of persistent reports Mangante was intent on selling his claim of proprietary rights to ToM for at least half-a-million dollars.
(Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR8XMVd5dT4).
The $34,000 grant (that's taxpayers' money) given by the City to ToM easily outmatched financial support extended to other Filipino community events in recent years.
For example, the Mabuhay Philippines Festival (MPF), the flagship outreach by the 28-year-old Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC), got $15,000 in 2024, and reduced by more than half to $6,098 this year.
Related video: Dana Beddoe's Rock Rendition of "Anak" at Mabuhay Festival
There's no explanation why the City lowered its initiative for MPF, which is a community endeavor by over 30 organizations under the umbrella of PIDC. In comparison, ToM is a family-owned business run by Rolly "kabise" Mangante, its alleged founder, and his wife Nieves and daughter Jacqueline.
So the question pops up. Did the City favour ToM the private entity over the non-profit MPF of PIDC? Something smells here, and it's bad.
In their programming, ToM does not differ from MPF. What one sees in ToM can also be seen in MPF. Their entertainment fare usually consists of importing comedians who peddle toilet humour, and other talents from the Philippines at great costs.
Meanwhile, Tom organizers appeared to have miscalculated the public pulse so that every attempt to punish non-compliant vendors had backfired.
The mistake proved to be a big boon to one particular restaurant, Pho Duong, the Vietnamese eatery at the corner of Bathurst St. and a service road leading to the No Frills supermarket parking area.
What should have been passed off as another diner in Little Manila got so much public attention and free publicity on social media, thanks to the ToM signage erected at the entranceway to the resto.
My thought is that the "artists" in SPARC and ToM had wanted to block off the establishments again in such a way it wouldn't be noticed by installing a "friendly" barrier, thus the ToM signage.
Well, the scheme flopped. Revelers, visitors, beauty queens and their families took time out to pose for souvenir photos in front of the signage, which had on the background the Pho Duong restaurant.
Some instant paparazzi tried to skip the resto by framing their pictures within the ToM signage but in so doing, the faces of those being photographed are enlarged, practically obstructing the signage which was actually the reason for having photos taken there.
Well, well, the greed manifested itself again. (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).
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