Filipino Web Magazine

Monday, 4 April 2022

Quiboloy's US Cohort to Plead Guilty in Fraud Cases

Volume 3, Issue No. 40

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 Monday, April 4, 2022

~ A Filipino paralegal alleged by US authorities as a cohort of Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed "appointed son of God", has agreed to plead guilty to fraud charges that could land her in prison for five years. The US Justice Department said Maria De Leon, 73, of Los Angeles, California, is one of nine defendants, including Quiboloy, charged in November 2021 in a 42-count superseding indictment that alleges a labor trafficking scheme to bring church members to the US, where they were forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity.

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ALLEGED COHORT OF QUIBOLOY, THE 'APPOINTED SON OF GOD'

Filipino Paralegal in US Admits Role in Fraud

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." - Matthew 7:15

TORONTO - One of nine alleged cohorts of Filipino televangelist Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, the self-declared "appointed son of God," has admitted her role in marriage and visa fraud to obtain legal residency in the United States for members of his Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KOJC).

The US Justice Department said Maria De Leon, 73, a resident of Koreatown in Los Angeles, California, and the owner of Liberty Legal Document Services, agreed to plead guilty to participating in a scheme with administrators of the church. She also agreed to cooperate in the government's case, the department said.

For about eight years, De Leon, a paralegal, prepared and filed false documents that sought permanent residency and citizenship for members of Quiboloy's church who allegedly worked as fundraisers for a bogus charity operated by the church, a press statement furnished The Filipino Web Channel said during the weekend.

As part of the plea agreement, De Leon will formally enter her guilty plea to the conspiracy count during a court hearing soon. She faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/02/fbi-issues-arrest-warrant-for-appointed.html).

“At the time [De Leon] completed the immigration paperwork for certain KOJC members, [she] knew that the immigration paperwork was based upon false representations of the bona fides of the underlying marriages” made by church officials," according to the plea agreement.

In Manila, meanwhile, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, a legal counsel to Quiboloy, clarified in published reports that De Leon is an independent contractor who "is not a member of KOJC x x x and neither is she connected nor affiliated in any way with the KOJC nor with Pastor Quiboloy officially or personally".

De Leon is one of six defendants previously arrested in this case, the department said. The remaining five defendants who have appeared in federal court in Los Angeles are currently scheduled to be tried on March 21, 2023.

Three of the defendants, including Quiboloy, are fugitives believed to be in the Philippines. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has created "Wanted by the FBI" posters showing their names, faces, and detailed background information. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9o7oJDmSHI&t=13s).

Though considered a runaway from justice in the US, Quiboloy is highly visible online and on television. He frequently appears on newscasts in SMNI or Sonshine Media Network International, the Makati City-based network he owns, expressing his support for certain candidates in the general elections on May 9.

Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana, California on charges ranging from sex trafficking of children, marriage fraud, money laundering, visa fraud, bulk cash smuggling, conspiracy, and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion. On November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest.

The flamboyant televangelist is reportedly one of the richest pastors in the country with a net worth estimated at between 50 to 100 million pesos. Speculations in Philippine media said Quiboloy might be extradited to the U.S. to face his accusers.

With regard to De Leon, the department said she admitted to submitting fraudulent “Petitions for Alien Relative” and related paperwork on behalf of KOJC members knowing or believing that the marriages were arranged for purposes of securing favorable immigration status for a spouse.

She is one of nine defendants charged in November 2021 in a 42-count superseding indictment that alleges a labor trafficking scheme that used fraudulently obtained visas to bring KOJC members to the US, where they were forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity – the Children’s Joy Foundation (CJF) based in Glendale, California.

The indictment alleges that the donations were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.

Members who proved successful at soliciting for the KOJC were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to acquire legal status in the US so they could continue soliciting donations, the indictment alleges.

Many of the workers were moved around the US to solicit donations as CJF “volunteers,” who were also called Full Time Miracle Workers, according to the indictment, which alleges these “workers fundraised for KOJC nearly every day, year-round, working very long hours, and often sleeping in cars overnight.” (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

Friday, 1 April 2022

Let's Have a Good Laugh Today

Volume 3, Issue No. 39

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

Our latest as of Friday, April 1, 2022

~ In these dreadful times, we ought to have a laugh or two at our own misgivings and be tickled pink. Today is April Fools' Day, an annual custom on April 1 consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. History says the day "has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery".

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IT'S APRIL FOOLS' DAY

Of Morons, Scam Artists, ToM, MPs, FCT

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"If there's one thing I learned about the community, it's to never underestimate the combo power of stupidity and ruthless ambition". - A local artist who wants to remain anonymous

TORONTO - Here's a bit of good, bad, and in-between news in the community:

1. Ramon "Mon" Datol, a newly-surfaced podcaster (kuno) who talks tirelessly for hours to a microphone, is reportedly being named honorary consul in Toronto mainly because of his advocacy to declare a Philippine labor attache persona non grata. The brainless suggestion was torpedoed before it went out of the room.

2. Cecile Araneta, Datol's chubby sidekick in a social media "newscast", has been appointed ambassador-at-large so she could recruit corporate sponsors for another virtual InterCONtinental Taste of Manila (emphasis on CON) which is scheduled either before or after mankind has totally wiped COVID out.

3. Nieves Mangante (Cecile Araneta's look-alike) whom a hallucinating wannabe writer has condescendingly referenced as "first lady of Taste of Manila", has been designated as acting mayor of Little Manila. Her first order of business, according to sources, is to organize all the sidewalk vendors hawking suman, talong, kangkong, pechay, kamote, etc. to support her husband's bid to be a member of parliament daw.

4. Rolly Mangante, the self-declared founder of Taste of Manila (ToM) who also holds the fancy title of CEO, is reportedly at his wit's end trying to divine why ToM lost an undetermined amount of cash while he and his family were lavishly vacationing in sun-drenched Boracay. At least $40,000 could not be found, reliable sources said. (Related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ).

5. Philip Beloso, allegedly the president of a shadowy group called PESO (quite an appropriate acronym for Philippine Community Events and Services Ontario), is the all-around photo hugger, photo bomber, emcee, priest assistant, etc. is reportedly gunning for the presidency of the deaf-mute organization Filipino Centre Toronto, which is renowned for its parada ng lechon, but not for transparency.

6. Danna Luna aka Lovely, the marketing/logistic director of whatever and alleged ToM host, is reportedly one of the parties wanting to have a ToM version in Montreal, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. A source in PESO says she also wants ToM to be in the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut. Good luck babe! Why is she called Lovely?

7. Media sponsors like Balita, CBC/99.1FM Radio One, OMNI TV, Barangay Canada, and Pinoy News are reportedly up in arms for not getting the "global" exposure they were promised to have. It's reasonable, for, after all, ToM's social media platform hardly gets traction except from within, which is to say an average of two to four viewers per quarter. The internet pirate named Periodico, the phony online publication that comes and goes is reportedly negotiating to be ToM's PR agent for scam artists.

8. Toronto Mayor John Tory is reportedly upset because ToM has gone virtual. He wants to be very much around with Toronto Councillor James Pasternak and MP Marco Mendicino during ToM festival. An aide said the mayor is already missing his favorite street food like kwek-kwek, balut, adidas, among others, and monay from FV Foods.

9. Mary Ann San Juan, the president of Filipino Centre Toronto, is said to be seriously considering quitting FCT so she could devote her time as a tourist guide for Intramuros, the Walled City, in Manila. The day job is a good fit for her, according to her friends. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dWabOiCwhU).

10. Efren de Villa, chairman of Filipino Centre Toronto, is reportedly being groomed to be a Liberal MPP for Scarborough, the Toronto suburb where FCT has stashed its millions in a subterranean vault. It's not clear if de Villa is eyeing FCT's $4-million wealth for his war chest.

11. Rechie Valdez, the first Filipino Canadian woman MP in the House of Commons, was recently reported to be teaching her staff to pronounce her name properly after she overheard one saying "Leche" Valdez, the "Empty" for Mississauga-Streetsville district.

12. Chito Collantes, the title-obsessed "Dr." who is not a medic, has reportedly abandoned the so-called Elite Crusaders after his colleagues - some are sexual predators - decided to look into alleged questionable activities of his recruitment agency being advertised in Balita. Collantes has a pending arrest warrant in the Philippines, according to Periodico. The question is asked: are these elite crusaders actually elite scammers? How many vulnerable people have they victimized, err I mean, helped?

13. Beauty pageants - the cash cow of several community organizations - have apparently lost their luster since the unwelcome arrival of the coronavirus and the pandemic it spurred two and a half years ago. Who in her right mind would like to be crowned Mrs. Pandemic, Miss Pandemic, or Little Miss Pandemic?

14. Not a joke that Filipinos will have their food indulgence starting today with the first-ever Filipino Restaurant Month in Toronto and some provincial capitals across Canada. But it's a joke that most restaurants offer the so-called "pampa-bata," the greasy dish consisting of different pork preparations like lechon, sisig, chicharon bulaklak, etc. They're not exactly age-defying food, but ask your friends why they're called "pampa-bata". (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

Monday, 21 March 2022

Have Pen and Notebook - Will Travel

Volume 3, Issue No. 38

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

Our latest as of Monday, March 21, 2022

~ Never in my wildest dream would the opportunity to travel and see places beyond my ordinary reach come to fruition. Travel has changed my outlook on life personally and professionally. To go on a journey is to broaden horizons and enrich perspective and understanding of people, cultures, politics, and history. Travel is educational. In many instances, people travel for pleasure. But it's different when one is afforded the chance to tour places near and far because it is part of the job. That was profoundly gratifying and enriching.

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JOURNALISM MADE IT ALL POSSIBLE

Seeing the World Through a Journalist's Eyes

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

TORONTO - By no means would I ever come close, or even duplicate, travels envisioned by Jules Verne in his fictional novel Around the World in 80 Days and the real-life copycats that followed after its publication in 1873.

But I might have had unintentionally gone globetrotting . . . if touching land (as in layovers) and wandering around airports for several hours in long-haul flights would be factored in.

I don't want to brag, and I am not making one here, for the adventures I pursued were not within Verne's time constraints of less than three months, even with the advent of the jet age and modern airplanes.

A good part of my travels, initially from the Philippines to Germany and back, in 1984, then from the Philippines to the United States in the mid-90s, then to Canada in 2010, and thence from Canada to Europe, were related to my work as a journalist.

I had decided to quit writing for the English edition of the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun in the middle of the chaos following the assassination of Senator Benigno Aquino in August 1983, and accepted the excellent offer of the German news agency (Deutsche Press Agentur) to be its Philippine correspondent.

But first (and it's part of the contract), I've got to immerse myself in the style and ways of reporting for a 24/7 wire service that catered, and still caters, to German, English, Arabic, and Spanish clients worldwide, thus necessitating the training visit to its headquarters in Hamburg, and a tour of important cities in Germany.

With those incentives thrown in, plus an office and a handsome salary denominated in US dollars and Deutsche Marks, it would be foolish to refuse! Of course, I accepted.

At that time, President Ferdinand Marcos' martial law had effectively turned the Philippine media into ass-kissing lame ducks. Powerful as he was, he could not bend the foreign press to his liking, so working as a foreign correspondent then was like a safe refuge from harassment and persecution.

That was one of the reasons Teddy Benigno, bureau chief of Agence France Presse, and later President Cory Aquino's press secretary, had put up the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) which he also headed for a while.

It was a timely move as a huge number of reporters, editors and broadcast journalists from international news agencies, radio-television networks, magazines, and newspapers had gathered in Manila on the belief the Marcos dictatorship was crumbling.

FOCAP soon became a formidable counterbalance to muzzling the press as its membership roster counted influential heavyweights in the foreign press corps. Critics have labeled them with the pejorative "parachute journalists".

But back to the original story. My travel segment from America to Europe had combined professional, historical, and personal interests. In a span of eight years from 2010, I've visited seven out of 50 countries in Europe. That's way too low compared with Verne's Around the World in 80 Days.

My work as a foreign correspondent for DPA starting in 1984 had brought me to the German cities of Hamburg, Berlin (at that time divided into East and West), Munich, Cologne, Bonn, and Frankfurt.

History-wise, my most memorable was in Berlin, crossing by car at Checkpoint Charlie into communist East Berlin from the Allied-controlled West Berlin. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGxIkEzeYD8).

A visit to the site of the 1936 Summer Olympics, also in Berlin, in what's then Nazi Germany added more significance to that trip. Seeing Brandenburg Gate then (1984) and as recent as 2012 was like being transplanted back in time. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9EvFeMDY7c).

Hamburg, a major port and one of the world's biggest musical cities, is a likable place. On my off days from work, I would go walking around exploring the city within a radius of five miles from the editorial office in Mittelweg. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik0AXXyPXaE).

Being in some of the big cities in Germany was beyond belief, especially for one lacking the wherewithal to go on extended journeys. It was actually my job that had paid for those trips, my very first abroad. It was not bad at all.

On the way to Germany from Manila, I went to Bangkok, then to Bombay (now called Mumbai), and then to Frankfurt am Main, the main hub of Lufthansa. After an overnight stay, I took a flight to Hamburg where my on-the-job training began with one of the world's major news agencies.

The trips were undeniably a big leap from Asia to Europe, which meant traveling half the world. More than 9,000 kilometres separate the two continents.

In later years, I would add North America (the U.S. and Mexico in particular) to my growing list of destinations. After several years, the journey to North America would be completed by moving to Canada.

Just a year later in 2011, I embarked on a personal cruise of seven countries in the European Union, namely, in alphabetical order - Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Vatican - the world's smallest city-state at 0.44 square kilometres or 44 hectares.

Journeying to these countries had re-lived what I knew only from reading and watching documentaries. My knowledge suddenly grew, sparking more interest in each of their histories.

The visit to the Vatican, for example, was awe-inspiring but it did little to change my personal view of the many abuses committed by priests in the name of the Catholic church. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KteBl74us-0).

In Spain, notably Barcelona, including the towns of Sitges (video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6stjyvQxM0) and Tarragona, Madrid, and Toledo, I felt a sense of belonging but only to the extent that I knew and understood the language and culture, and how the ancient colonizers violently treated the natives depicted in Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere.

All these perspectives were the rewards of travel, thanks to my work as a journalist. Travel opens up a whole range of possibilities. Eighty days is just not enough to take in the wonders of the world. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

Monday, 14 March 2022

Media Uproar in Toronto Over the Word 'Moron'

Volume 3, Issue No. 37

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

Our latest as of Monday, March 14, 2022

~ Exactly 12 years and four days ago today, Toronto's Filipino community witnessed how a controversy erupted over the alleged use of the word moron. I chronicled the dispute in a commentary (reproduced below), which was one of the very first articles I wrote as I kick-started my journalism venture in Canada just three months after relocating here from California.

Two of the individuals identified in the story - Tenny Soriano (videos at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lByp3zf8fVs and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JHmeWAk2fs) and Eddie Lee (video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyFPAczjxhg) - had passed away. Consul General Minerva Falcon has retired, and so is lawyer Frank Luna, the Philippine labor attache who had triggered the ensuing word war. The other protagonists, notably Ramon Datol, a purported newscaster of an inconsequential podcast, are very much around. Here it was 12 years ago . . .

A Look Back . . .

Sent: Sun, Mar 7, 2010 11:47 am
Subject: CURRENTS & BREAKING NEWS: Diplomat's Insulting Remark Triggers Media Uproar in Toronto

Greetings to all,

Here's the latest news development in our community. Thanks and best regards,

Romy Marquez

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PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE - Redefining Community News
Currents & Breaking News

Volume 4, Issue No. 1 / News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .

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The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Sunday, March 7, 2010

~ Either they're too onion-skinned or they were really disrespected. The Filipino media in Toronto took umbrage at what they perceive as a slight against them by a ranking Department of Labor official attached to the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto. Now the controversy has taken an official air as the hostility reached the top Philippine diplomat in Canada's largest city. There are talks to ask Manila to recall him to the head office.

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Diplomat's Insulting Remark

Triggers Media Uproar in Toronto

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)

and Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)

TORONTO -- A press conference on Saturday (March 6, 2010) called by newly-named Consul General Minerva Falcon turned into an emotional three-hour grievance forum against a Filipino labor official attached with the Philippine Consulate here.

The Philippine diplomat, facing her first press conference with the locals, has barely warmed her seat, having planed in ten days ago from Manila as a replacement for Alejandro Mosquera whose six-year tenure as consul-general ended in January.

Media complaints surfaced as soon as the 63-year-old lawyer and former ambassador to Germany and Switzerland had delivered her remarks about having cordial relations with the Filipino community in Toronto, Canada's largest city where most of the estimated 250,000 Filipinos live.

Falcon lent her ear as two of the most vociferous publishers and editors from among the more than a dozen newspapers here grumbled about being called "morons" -- a tag they claimed was labeled on them by Philippine labor attache Frank Luna. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y5HfltfkC4).

Luna was not present at the press conference. Neither was he immediately available for comment. Questions e-mailed to his office by this reporter are still awaiting answers as of this writing.

Falcon, who was apparently briefed earlier about the growing animosity between Luna and the media, kept her cool when confronted by a barrage of questions from Ace Alvarez, managing editor of Manila Media Monitor; Ramon Datol, publisher and editor of Philippine Courier, and other media persons.

The press conference at first sounded like a police interrogation and Falcon played along well with Alvarez's line of questioning. When Datol's turn came, he loudly told the Consul General that Luna had called local reporters "morons", sparking laughter among the crowd.

Tenny Soriano, president of the Philippine Press Club based in Toronto, Ontario had described Luna in his story as the "odd man out of the diplomatic mission."

At one point, an angry Datol, his voice cracking, said it was the consensus of local media to have Luna declared "persona non grata" so he can be expelled from Canada.

Falcon (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bADykG7Ijc at the 3:13 mark), however, explained that it was the host country (Canada) that can do that, not the home country (Philippines) and had to be done on a reciprocal basis.

Absent that option, she said the media can seek relief by asking the department concerned to recall the person in question.

Falcon stressed, however, that she was not advocating nor suggesting the recall of Luna from his post as labor attache.

She said the process is far more complicated than just submitting a petition to authorities in Manila.

Luna got the ire of local media after he gave an award to a reporter of Toronto Star, one of Canada's biggest newspapers, in recognition of his series of stories about Filipino caregivers.

The articles had prompted Canadian authorities to enact a new law protecting the caregiving community.

Soriano said the award to the mainstream reporter was a big "slap on the face" of Filipino media because it portrayed them as not having done anything to Filipino caregivers.

But the fact was that another Filipino, Eduardo Lee, publisher of Atin Ito newspaper, had written extensively about the recurring issue long before the Star reporter came out with his first article. Lee was not recognized.

Friday, 4 March 2022

Festivals in Toronto Back in Spring and Summer

Volume 3, Issue No. 36

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

Our latest as of Friday, March 4, 2022

~ Spring and summer carry the promise of renewed laughter, fellowship, and joy with the announcement today (Friday, March 4) by the authorities of the return of in-person events and festivals in the city. The festive spirit is rekindled as organizers prepare to move forward with their festivities starting three weeks from now up to the end of summer. Toronto officials are ecstatic and so are we. But wait, where's the Filipino community's centrepiece - the Taste of Manila street festival?

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ELEVEN FESTIVALS ON SCHEDULE IN TORONTO

In-Person Events Return, But Where's Taste of Manila?

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“ Welcome back to the Toronto we know and love!”― Mayor John Tory

TORONTO - The city is rolling out the welcome mat for in-person events and festivals through the Spring and Summer this year in what officials said is an effort "to reignite the cultural vibrancy of the city".

Eleven major festivities are scheduled from March 20 to September 18, and these include St. Patrick's Parade, Doors Open Toronto, Pride Toronto. Luminato Festival Toronto, TD Salsa in Toronto Festival, TD Toronto Jazz Festival, Taste of Lawrence, Toronto Caribbean Carnival, TD JerkFest Toronto, Taste of the Danforth, and Toronto International Film Festival.

The Filipino community's once-admired centrepiece of events - the Taste of Manila (ToM) street festival - is nowhere in the list provided by the office of Mayor John Tory on Friday, March 4. (Related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aOgDtLd6ec)

“Today’s announcement marks a very important milestone in our reopening efforts. The return of in-person events to Toronto is a sign that we are ready to move forward after two very challenging years," the city's top executive said in a press statement furnished The Filipino Web Channel.

ToM has been shelved starting in 2020 when the pandemic struck. Its last staging was on August 17-18, 2019, which almost didn't happen had not city authorities intervened and waived some fees that organizers could not afford to pay as the organization had gone bankrupt.

At that time, Mayor Tory declared that "we're not prepared to let Taste of Manila go by the wayside". The pandemic saved the mayor from the embarrassment of not fulfilling this promise. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-PmytZ9wDE).

Indeed, Tory had all the reasons to rescue ToM. Despite its dubious provenance, ToM had managed to attract thousands of Filipinos, and Canadians and Americans of Filipino descent from the first time it launched in August 2014 through six years until August 2019.

ToM's popularity inevitably captivated mainstream politicians of different colors and stripes. It had become a sounding board and a platform to woo voters for local, provincial and federal elective posts. In fact, the Conservatives once took a crack at making ToM look like it's their event. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNkHG36opmI).

Its success led to its downfall. The once friendly organizers, sponsors, and supporters have become bitter enemies because of petty intrigue, self-interest, and jealousy.

One official, his ego bigger than his head, betrayed his major patron to feed his own greed. Another enabled him just to exact revenge on the other party. The original group had disbanded only to be replaced by another and another.

Organizations of questionable motives have attempted to revive ToM virtually. One even went to the extent of stealing film footage of past ToM events and marketed it to sponsors and patrons for their "virtual Taste of Manila". (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ and full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/02/virtual-taste-of-manila-fests-duped.html).

Meanwhile, officials said city staff are now working with event organizers across the city to plan their return to in-person events as soon as this spring and in line with public health guidance and direction.

"The City is taking in permit applications for review. Public health regulations around COVID-19 will continue to guide the City’s ability to issue permits. The City encourages organizers to have plans in the event that provincial health regulations change," a press statement explained.

The city lists the upcoming events residents can look forward to:

1. St. Patrick's Parade returns on March 20. The city's largest celebration of Irish-Canadian culture has been entertaining tourists and Torontonians since 1988. Everyone is welcome to attend this amazing afternoon of music, dance, floats and fun. More information available at stpatrickstoronto.com/.

2. Doors Open Toronto will take place on May 28 and 29, 2022. With favourites like Toronto City Hall, Aga Khan Museum, R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant and Portlands Energy Centre, Doors Open Toronto opens the doors – in person and virtually – to over 100 of Toronto’s most significant sites. Additional details available at www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/doors-open-toronto/.

3. Pride Toronto will be bringing Pride Month and Festival Weekend back in 2022, with the full month of Pride programming to begin on June 1, concluding with the annual Pride Festival Weekend on June 24 through June 26. More details available at www.pridetoronto.com/.

4. Luminato Festival Toronto, the city's international arts festival dedicated to performance, media and visual arts, returns June 9 through June 19 with free outdoor events and intimate experiences that cut across traditional art-form boundaries. More information available at luminatofestival.com/.

5. TD Salsa in Toronto Festival will return June 1 through July 31. The largest Latino-themed cultural celebration in Canada, the festival features the annual TD Salsa on St. Clair Street Festival (July 9 and 10) and includes the best of Latino music, dance, visual arts, and culture with salsa dance parties, art exhibitions and dance lessons. Additional information available at www.salsaintoronto.com/.

6. TD Toronto Jazz Festival returns June 24 through July 3. The annual 10-day event, this year celebrating its 35th anniversary, always features some of the biggest names in jazz, blues, R&B, soul and more, keeping more than 500,000 music lovers entertained in free and ticketed settings throughout the city. More information available at torontojazz.com/.

7. Taste of Lawrence, Scarborough’s largest street festival, will take place July 8 through July 10. The three-day food and cultural festival takes place in the Wexford Heights BIA. Additional details available at www.wexfordbia.ca/.

8. Toronto Caribbean Carnival will be celebrating 55 years of Carnival in Toronto from July 7th to August 1, 2022. North America largest Festival will be celebrating Caribbean history culture, music and cuisine. Details available at www.torontocarnival.ca/.

9. TD JerkFest Toronto is one of Ontario's most prominent and hottest summer festivals with a three-day international event celebrating jerk cuisine, music and family entertainment. JerkFest returns August 4 through to August 7. More information available at www.jerkfestival.ca/.

10. Taste of the Danforth, Canada’s largest street festival, returns to Toronto will take place August 5 through August 7. The festival has become a celebration of both its Greek heritage and the multicultural nature of the City of Toronto. Additional information is available at tasteofthedanforth.com/.

11. The Toronto International Film Festival returns on September 8 through September 18, 2022 for its 47th edition – 11 days of international and Canadian cinema, special events featuring some of the biggest names in film, and TIFF’s Industry Conference, offering diverse and innovative perspectives on the art and business of film. Details available at www.tiff.net/. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).