Volume 7, Issue No. 52
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 Saturday, May 30, 2026
~ Less than 24 hours ago, a top official of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada launched into a tirade, attacking reportage on documented wrongdoing by editors of a Filipino tabloid which implicated Canadian Heritage, the federal government agency funding Local Journalism Initiative. The official renewed threats to file a lawsuit.
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ACCORDING TO ETHNIC PRESS OFFICIAL
Wrongdoing Was 'Technically Criminal' - Now It's 'Garbage'
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
TORONTO - She was ranting and raving, renewed threats of a lawsuit, and uttered frightening words to force me out of Nathan Phillips Square while covering Toronto Newcomer Day 2026.
Maria Saras Voutsinas, executive and managing director of National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC), was clearly angry upon seeing me approached the booth she was manning with Ricky Castellvi, one of 20 vice presidents of the non-profit org, and an unidentified lady.
I was going around the plaza taking pictures and videos of the event that started at noon yesterday (Friday, May 29). From looking at the event map, I learned the NEPMCC had a booth along with other media and entertainment groups.
Once Ricky saw me, he greeted and offered a handshake while Maria watched from her chair inside the sweltering heat of the cubicle. It didn't take long for her to explode.
"What you're writing is garbage," Maria screamed. "It's all garbage, garbage!" she repeated, her rage evident in her face that had turned red.
She was referring to a series of articles I wrote about the discovery of a fraudulent scheme the spouses Hermie Garcia and Mila A. Garcia, editors of the now-defunct The Philippine Reporter (TPR), had foisted on two of its writers - Michelle Chermaine Ramos and one intern from Edmonton, Alberta - which also implicated Canadian Heritage, the federal agency funding Local Journalism Initiative (LJI).
"If it's garbage, why are you reacting like that?" I responded.
That infuriated her more, the bullying coming out of her mouth in torrents. Now, she issued two threats; one, she would ask her lawyer to sue me; and two, she asked Ricky to call security to physically remove me from the area.
"This is a public place. I'm not doing anything against you. Why would you kick me out?" I answered her back, defiantly, telling her to bring it on.
At one point, Maria also vented her ire on Ricky, saying it was him who supplied me with inside information about the goings-on in NEPMCC.
"Ricky had nothing to do with it," I told her. "My source for my stories is your website!"
At this juncture, Ricky pleaded with me to just walk away to de-escalate the situation. There's strong suspicion within NEPMCC that because he is Filipino, he's the person leaking secret information which formed part of my stories.
What Maria now calls "garbage" are my reportage on the lies and deception by the Garcia couple involving an undetermined amount of money intended for salaries of two writers who, in addition to their regular job at the paper, reported for the government-funded Local Journalism Initiative (LJI).
(Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2026/05/scandal-money-deficit-rock-ethnic-media.html).
Ms. Ramos and the Edmonton writer had complained to NEPMCC about excessive delays in receiving their LJI salaries from TPR, one of the media-implementors of LJI being overseen by NEPMCC.
In response to Ms. Ramos' inquiries, the NEPMCC through Maria explained that there should not have been delays because the full amount of their LJI salaries had been released ahead of time to Hermie Garcia.
That's when the lies and deception surfaced.
Ms. Ramos told Maria that Hermie Garcia had been telling her that the federal government funder (that's Canadian Heritage), in particular a "grant guy," had been freezing LJI monies, and if ever they're released, they came in trickles.
(Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/06/lies-deceptions-by-philippine-reporter.html).
Informed of this, Maria clarified that there is no grant guy as Hermie Garcia was claiming. Besides, the monies for LJI salaries had long been given out by NEPMCC to media participating in the program, including TPR.
Evidently, Hermie Garcia was promoting the appearance that Canadian Heritage and NEPMCC are in cahoots in freezing the salaries of Ms. Ramos and the intern. He emphasized he had nothing to do with the delays and laid the blame on a non-existent grant guy.
Maria appeared so pissed that she described to Ms. Ramos that the conduct of the Garcia couple were, in her own words, "technically criminal." That's an implied admission of wrongdoing.
Which brings us to Maria's unexpected outbursts on Friday by issuing new threats and calling my reportage based on Ms. Ramos' complaint as "garbage."
Could this be a manifestation of a cover-up? Is NEPMCC bent on coddling wrongdoers than protecting journalists who speak truth to power? (Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved).
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