Volume 8, Issue No. 11
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, August 30, 2026
~ The song was more that an expression of love and gratitude. When "I Will Always Love You" hit the airwaves in the early 1990s through the movie "The Bodyguard," I didn't know singer and songwriter Dolly Parton, who passed away this month, had written it. One episode in her life worth recounting was her refusal to part, wholly or partly, with the song's copyright even with the prospect of gaining a financial boon. That's a reminder of how spineless Filipino festival organizers conduct their business - by hook or by crook.
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'I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU'
Dolly Parton, Her Music
and ToM's Wrongdoings
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
"Everybody's going to use you if they can." - Dolly Parton
TORONTO - The name had not been much of an appeal to me until American singer and songwriter Dolly Parton passed away on August 25, by which time I learned she was the musical wizard behind "I Will Always Love You."
All along I thought Whitney Houston wrote and sang it for the 1992 blockbuster thriller "The Bodyguard" where she starred with actor Kevin Costner.
If only for its soundtrack, I watched the movie at least three times in Manila. By the third time, I was already falling for it even if I didn't understand who it was written for and why.
And when I left Manila for the United States in 1993, the song had captured everyone's heart. It filled neighbours' homes, karaoke joints, bars, broadcast stations, jeepneys and buses.
It's not hard to be charmed by the beautiful melody and the song that came out of it, which, according to Wikipedia, sold "over 24 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single by a female artist of all time." (Related video:
The Philippine capital at that time was deeply immersed in Original Pilipino Music (OPM) which flourished from the early 1970s and saw the birth of such bands as The Hotdog, APO Hiking Society, Hagibis, VST & Company, etc., and singers like Rico Puno, Rey Valera, Basil Valdez, Nonoy Zuniga, Freddie Aguilar, Sampaguita, Ella del Rosario, Celeste Legaspi and many others.
So when "I Will Always Love You" hit the airwaves, the effect on me was endearing. Whitney Houston's interpretation (versus the original by Dolly Parton) became a favourite I hummed in my off-key voice everyday at work, at home, at leisure, and even when driving.
But what caught my attention now just as the song is significant to me was the principled stand Dolly Parton had taken in refusing Elvis Presley's offer to sing it and co-share its proceeds.
The prospect was bright. If his version became a hit, Dolly Parton as the songwriter stood to gain a windfall. The expectation dampened, however, when his manager told her the recording would have to be by Elvis Presley's publishing, which would have required her to give up or split her rights.
"I wanted to hear Elvis sing it, and it broke my heart - I cried all night," she said in a published account in 2021. "But I had to keep that copyright in my pocket. You have to take care of your business! Everybody's going to use you if they can."
That statement, particularly its reference to copyright, is very meaningful to my work as a journalist and a YouTuber. Parton and Presley knew what copyright meant for their creativity; it protected them from being pirated by unscrupulous individuals or companies.
For the nth time, I am reminded of what had happened to my intellectual property - the photos and videos I created and the thinking that went with them which the crooks in Taste of Manila (ToM) festival had stolen and manipulated when nobody was looking.
Dolly Parton was correct in saying "Everybody's going to use you if they can." Elvis Presley and his manager were respectful enough to inform her of their interest in her music, and even forthright in saying they wish to have a share of the money it would earn should Elvis Presley recorded it.
None of that kind of integrity happened in my situation. The con artists of ToM just proceeded to appropriate the photos and videos for their benefit, neither seeking permission for their use nor paying for what they stole. And to top it all, never apologize for their transgression.
I railed against a dubious not-for-profit foundation when it awarded Rolly 'kabise" Mangante, the former driver turned self-named founder of ToM, its "community service award" apparently for the street festival, all the while ignoring his many acts that bordered on the criminal.
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Dolly Parton's words continue to ring in my ear. An earlier supporter of ToM that Mangante had betrayed had the audacity to validate the lawlessness committed by Mangante and his mindless minions by defending the steal.
"Everybody's going to use you if they can." To a great extent, I feel like the person who had been used, exploited, and taken advantage of by ToM crooks because they knew my news coverage was intended as a community service than as a for-profit endeavour.
That said, from the time I launched my social media news channels, I allot personal time and my own money pursuing events that have the potential to develop into stories impacting the community. The street festivals in the Greater Toronto Area are examples.
News coverage is a risk, particularly for me because I take an adversarial position to uncover wrongdoing. Challenges rise depending on the degree of the offense being committed.
Street festivals like ToM is no different. Behind the cheery facade of its organizers lies "artists" of the worst kind, they who beguile the community with sweet nothings. (Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved.)
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