Volume 7, Issue No. 45
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 Sunday, April 12, 2026
~ Philippine diplomatic officials call it "gastrodiplomacy" - a Canada-wide effort to promote Filipino cuisine and the people who whip it into delectable meals for local and mainstream taste buds. The Ontario segment of Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada (FRMC) was launched two weeks ago at the Philippine Consulate here in Toronto and the invitees were apparently limited to favoured friends and a non-Filipino media outlet. Why? Shall we call it "gastrodiscrimination"?
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FILIPINO RESTAURANT MONTH 2026
Is It 'Gastrodiplomacy' or
'Gastrodiscrimination'?
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“Favoritism is a silent betrayal, choosing one over another without cause.” – Maya Angelou
TORONTO - The competitive nature of news coverages puts journalists on the edge every time an important event occurs. A struggle could be expected for strategic space that allows a vantage, unimpeded view of what's going on.
In press conferences, random or by invitation, that's usually the norm. In more formal Question & Answer sessions, journalists are required to add their names to a list of people wanting to ask questions. In others, one simply lines up and waits for his turn.
Two weeks ago, the Philippine Consulate conducted a "press launch" attended by about two dozen of its friends, media representatives, and influencers. From what I've seen in pictures posted to social media, the real working journalists were not there, which tempts me to say it's more like "free lunch."
I learned about the launch only this weekend after frantically searching the internet for any information about Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada (FRMC) which usually happens in April across Canada.
Almost half of the month is over and I was wondering if it was discarded this year. My suspicion was that its novelty has worn off considering that the number of restaurants has gone from a peak of 11 participants at its start in 2022 to only three last year.
Hours of scrolling finally yielded some results on YouTube, thanks to journalist Paula Saraza who reported the story for OMNI News. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElVUbARB5TQ).
From her coverage, I was in utter disbelief seeing that the "press launch" had concluded already without the working media colleagues I knew. I was not invited, the Filipino Web Channel, its allied news outlets, and other journalists were never informed. Why? What happened?
Not being told ahead of what will transpire at the Consulate on March 31 was a big insult to me as an active journalist dedicated to covering events relevant to Filipinos and Filipino Canadians.
Like the Consulate, I also have constituents - the millions of viewers and readers here in Canada among Filipinos and Filipino-Canadians, and among Filipino-Americans in the United States, and the Philippines who rely on my reporting.
At the Meet & Greet the Consulate had in October 2025 to introduce new Consul General Kristine Leilani R. Salle, the diplomat adverted to inadequate information to help address problems. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2025/10/new-consul-general-filipinos-in-toronto.html).
Now, six months later, spreading information through known news outlets and social media seemed to have been curtailed by limiting coverage to friends of the Consulate. I personally take issue with that.
Because of FRMC's great potential to uplift the profile of the food sector and Filipino culinary experts in the Greater Toronto Area, the event is one of the "musts" the Filipino Web Channel religiously covered since it began in April 2022.
Right now I feel so enraged writing this article. Were I and other journalists discriminated against to favour a certain group? Were we forgotten, ignored, overlooked, or disregarded? I hope it's not a case of somebody in the Consulate playing favourites for whatever reason.
My track record covering FRMC is there for everyone to watch and read. News coverages in videos and online print are easily accessible on social media, including YouTube, blogspot.com, InkedIn, and Bluesky.
That legitimate journalists were left in the dark leads me to believe that the Consulate perhaps thought we're neither media-enough nor influencer-enough, and not even a community-member enough to be asked to cover the annual function.
But how effective is FRMC in spreading "gastrodiplomacy," the flagship program of the Philippine Embassy and Consulates General in Canada and co-organized with the Philippine Departments of Tourism and Trade and Industry?
What really are these agencies promoting - Filipino cuisine, the chefs behind them, the restaurants themselves, or the people at the Consulate and their friends?
Last year, when there were only three participants, the Consulate explained the rationale in this wise: "to give special focus to young and upcoming chefs and establishments catering to the mainstream market."
So clearly stated, Filipino food or what passes as Filipino cuisine is less important than raising the profiles of chefs and their restaurants. (Related feature story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/05/feature-mila-nabor-cuachon-and-casa.html).
Current Congen Salle affirmed that in a recent statement, saying "She acknowledged the vital role of Filipino restaurateurs in promoting the country’s rich culinary heritage and creating bridges between the Philippines and Canada."
She also "highlighted the significance of the FRMC as a platform for celebrating Filipino cuisine, culture, and hospitality across Canada."
In 2022, according to officials, 40 restaurants across seven provinces and 18 cities in Canada joined the month-long event that resulted in 1,000 orders of prize fixe meals.
Isn't that lackluster? If 1,000 orders were distributed equally to 40 restaurants over a month, that's just 25 orders per, or less than one order a day during the period.
There's no available metrics for FRMC's performance in Ontario, particularly in the provincial capital of Toronto, in the succeeding years. And neither was there any mention of the number of orders or their equivalent in dollar terms.
The novelty of FRMC is wearing off. That much could be said in Ontario, specifically in the Greater Toronto Area where a number of restaurants/bar/eateries has permanently closed due to rising overhead costs.
Perhaps the Consulate should rethink its approach of inviting only what it calls "media representatives, food influencers, and some members of the Filipino community in Toronto."
That's not "gastrodiplomacy." To be frank, I believe it's more like "gastrodiscrimination" in a lumpia wrapper. (Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved).
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