Volume 7, Issue No. 35
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 Friday, January 16, 2026
~ After nearly four months of waiting, City authorities finally gave the go-signal to release financial information about the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival. Last year, the City withdrew from taxpayers' money and gave $34,000 to the street fest. Officials never made any announcement of the grant, and why ToM, seemingly awash in cash already and despite documented wrongdoings, was selected.
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TASTE OF MANILA IN THE CROSSHAIRS
City Authorities Okay
Release of Info About ToM
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“People have evolved into something selfish, greedy and intolerant. People are unaccepting because of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation.” ― Ge
TORONTO - Did organizers of Taste of Manila (ToM), notably the former Philippine Consulate driver Rolly Mangante and his so-called "artists" of SPARC, lie to City authorities to secure funding for the street festival?
We may finally be able to get some answers to this and to many other questions surrounding the staging of ToM in August last year where one of its guests was a comedian from Manila.
Brought here to perform acts aping Taylor Swift, the guest was perhaps the best representation of what ToM has become all these years - the continued dumbing down of the Filipino community reliant on pretend artists and questionable leaders.
It's not fun to be presented with a festival that has no redeeming value except to perpetuate mediocrity in a country that values intelligence and hard work. Which leads us to another question, thus, what made ToM qualify for a $34,000 grant money from taxpayers?
This week, City authorities emailed their response to a FOI (freedom of information) inquiry I filed in September. "Access is granted in full to the requested records," the decision reads.
As a journalist, I had asked for records linked to ToM's solicitation for assistance amounting to $34,000, including information about ToM's financial status before the $34K was granted and after the festival ended in mid-August 2025.
The decision to grant access to those information reflects the results of the search conducted by staff of Economic Development & Culture Division, City authorities explained.
Pending those information, it escapes me why the City of Toronto would extend, as it did in 2025, financial aid to a festival that -
1. Steals copyrighted photos and videos from a website (that's Filipino Web Channel) to promote Rolly Mangante's wife; his business partners and political backers. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ&t=10s and related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/05/fake-congen-triggers-dispute-over-taste.html).
2. Extorts, or tried to extort from onsite vendors who refused to pay up grease money, and once rejected, blocked public access to their stores. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btf2yoU4AaE&t=15s).
3. Betrays allies and colleagues in favour of another, resulting in a lawsuit. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGVqgszwyYA&t=29s starting at the 3:24 mark).
4. Makes empty promises to the community to win public and corporate support. (Video at: The Unredeemed Promise of Taste of Manila; Is the Money Gone?).
Perhaps the City was not fully informed of the wrongdoings ToM and its alleged founder and associates have committed with impunity. The festival might just be a cover to deflect their real intention, which is to reap huge amounts of money from unsuspecting public.
Meanwhile, City authorities have given ToM and its organizers 30 days to appeal the FOI decision granting this reporter access to all ToM's records. "If no appeal is received, then the records will be released to you after February 13, 2026," authorities said.
Festivals are supposed to be a joyous celebration of culture - art, food, music, values, people, the community, and not a mindless circus that commemorates idiocy embodied by comedians.
ToM may have food and music, but it's sorely wanting in promoting values, yes, Filipino values that highlight a tradition of honor, honesty and integrity. (Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved).
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