Volume 8, Issue No. 19
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@aol.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . .
Our latest as of Sunday, October 25, 2026
~ The best antidote to lies is the truth. And when it is spoken, the liars cringe and crumble. In Toronto's Filipino community, we see and deal with slanderers and prevaricators. However, luck smiles on us, thanks, as we have at least two women who are exemplars of truth.
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THANKS TO WOMEN EXEMPLARS OF TRUTH
Filipino Tabloids Reel Under
When Confronted With Truth
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor
Filipino Web Magazine and Filipino Web Channel
"If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it." - Marcus Aurelius
TORONTO - In the rush to report the news quickly, a habit formed early on as a foreign correspondent beating deadlines, I had overlooked individual acts of courage exemplifying the true Filipino spirit.
Our brave heritage has been with us since recorded history, manifested no less by the ancient chieftain Lapulapu, the first Filipino hero who had refused to be subjugated by foreign invaders. (Related story:
The mere fact of standing up to bullies and the like, of affirming long-held values, of defying traditional Filipino norms to expose otherwise secret narratives amidst potential threats, goes beyond the story itself. It is the big story wrapped in another story.
Admittedly, it was a tough ride for these women, them who have earned wide respect, namely: businesswoman Liwayway Miranda and artist and journalist Michelle Chermaine Ramos.
In my book I consider them heroines of the Filipino community for speaking up and speaking out boldly against wrongly-perceived media influencers who used their periodicals to cover up misdeeds.
Hazardous as it was, they unhesitatingly proved a point some people would rather turn a blind eye to - that a wrongdoing should be condemned regardless of who are behind it; it should never be condoned, never be tolerated, never be concealed come what may.
It is a matter of course that in telling the truth chips may fall, and they did, specifically in the case of two Filipino newspapers peddling half truths and disinformation to a less discerning community.
By now we know which periodicals these are, namely, Balita, the so-called "the largest and the most read in the Filipino community" - a claim that is dubious - and The Philippine Reporter (TPR), the tabloid, recently collapsed, that had been in the front line advancing an abandoned leftist cause.
Balita is on a death spiral. Its publisher and self-named editor, Teresita "Tess" Cusipag, appears to be facing financial hardships (or she's just faking it to evade accountability) after grudgingly paying off court-ordered damages amounting to nearly a million dollars in two separate defamation cases.
Payout of at least $350,000 for a third defamation suit she lost to Ms. Miranda remains to be seen. The penalty makes her a three-time offender and loser, a drawback unparalleled in the local newspaper industry.
Lawyers are in the process of garnishing her wages and properties on behalf of Ms. Miranda who sued Ms. Cusipag and Balita for defamation and won in both Superior Court and Court of Appeal for Ontario.
Lying has consequences. In Ms. Cusipag's case she parroted an invective against Ms. Miranda that originated from a paralegal she was promoting in Balita. The words she published were defamatory, and the courts agreed, thus the grant of monetary damages to Ms. Miranda.
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The case against The Philippine Reporter brought by Ms. Ramos was quite different in scope. She filed it, not in the courts, but in the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC) and the federal government's Department of Canadian Heritage.
Given the severity of her complaint and the dragging by TPR editors Hermie Garcia and Mila A. Garcia of a clueless government agency and a national media organization, the pretext by the couple is outrageous.
The Garcias were stashing away grant money intended for salaries of its two writers, namely, Ms. Ramos and an intern based in Edmonton, Alberta.
The tale they weaved had been undiscovered right until the day Ms. Ramos, who had grown impatient at not being paid on time despite continued reporting for the government-funded Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), sought clarification from NEPMCC.
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Background videos:
That's when the mystery behind LJI salaries blew up. The Garcias had made up the yarn that LJI salaries, advanced to them in lump sum, were delayed by someone at Canadian Heritage and if they come at all, they come in trickles. It was a lie perpetrated for months.
A top NEPMCC official called the lies and the coverup "technically criminal." Had it not been for Ms. Ramos' firm persistence, the deception by the Garcias would have continued undetected.
Her upbringing, the principles on which her journalism is anchored, and uncompromising fidelity to ethics are worth emulating.
To me, Ms. Miranda and Ms. Ramos epitomize the essence of Filipino character - strong moral values, honesty, courage, resilience, and a strict adherence to the truth. They are the living antidote to lies. (Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved).
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