'Tuloy ang Sayad': A Prevaricator's Canard

Volume 3, Issue No. 64

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, June 25, 2022 

~ The mental deficiency of an irate proponent of a street festival in Toronto is unfolding before our eyes yet he continues to spread his cockamamie tale about this journalist he's dying to compare himself with. Flattering it may sound but coming from him, it does not mean anything. To praise (basically to put lipstick on a pig), or be praised, is not the goal of our journalism. Though we may be vilified in the process, ours is to shine the light on the many hidden afflictions in the community being perpetrated by people of suspicious motives. 

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THE TRIO LOS BOBOS PLUS ONE

An Envious Mondee's Cockamamie Tale

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Those who can't match you will malign you.” ― Amit Kalantri

TORONTO - Mondee, that's Mon Datol, the sportswriter (daw) turned podcaster, howls like a dog on a leash and prattles as if a lollipop he was licking had been taken away from him.

He has lost it. I mean he just gave in to his emotions, seeking sympathy, wanting people to believe his lies, and failing. He looked wretched in his podcast apparently emanating from his room somewhere in the boondocks.

I patiently watched and listened carefully even though I knew there was no redeeming value in whatever he would say and has said, thus contributing one click to his small number of viewers.

I pity the guy not only because he looked pathetic but also because he was incapable of discussing something intelligent. I took a gamble anyway.

"Dito sa Toronto, tanungin mo ang maraming tao diyan," he cajoles. "Akala mo ba marami pang nagbabasa sa yo?" That's quite a statement from someone who shows his profound ignorance and detachment from actuality. 

The unthinking dude, however, did not realize that embedded in his tactless remark is the unwitting recognition of the obvious - that many people read me even before he contradicted himself.

If he had said, and this is my own: "Akala mo ba mayron pang nagbabasa sa yo?" as opposed to his: "Akala mo ba marami pang nagbabasa sa yo?" , the statement would have been clearer that nobody reads me anymore.

But Mondee admitted that many people read me, only that they might have been turned off because of what he claimed as 1) "palagi kang tira ng tira"; 2)"banat ka ng banat sa amin nuong araw pa", and 3) "walang humpay ang pagbira dito po sa amin, kasama na ko".

Ha ha ha. Kawawa naman ang gunggong! Parang iyak ng kabayo yan ha ha ha. O, tahan na baby damulag, eto na ulit ang candy.

It sounded like he was so envious . . . and bitter and resentful. Can we blame him? 

Well, through the lifetime of his now-defunct rag sheet, he probably never had a taste of being widely read not just in Canada but also in the Philippines and the United States. The doubts he has are limited to himself and his narrow-minded followers.

If Mondee had the mental facility to understand what a journalist does, he would not be as miserable as he is now. His lies are coming out of his big mouth, ears, and nose and I hate to interrupt while he is at it. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU&t=23s).

But for the record, and for the delectation of the thousands - and I mean thousands, plural - (a thousand is any number from 1,000 to 9,999) who are subscribed to me, plus a few million views (as of this writing: 6,844,274), Mondee and his cohorts would have every envious reason to denigrate this singular achievement.

They aren't just numbers, they are an indication of trust and confidence, is it not? I know the numbers are dizzying, hard to grasp for the likes of Mondee and his ilk whose podcast has pulled in less than 500 views in the more than one year it's been supposedly online. That's distressing.

I worked hard, and continue to do so, to reach that milestone. Whatever I write for print and online publications, and create (as in videos) are for the service of the community with no expectation of reward or anything. It is one reason why I'm raising hell against those who steal from me like Mondee's gang that appropriated my videos.

Mondee's uninformed assertion "Akala mo ba marami pang nagbabasa sa yo?" flies in his face. He tries to hoist himself while deflecting his own reality that nobody, except four or five of his gangmates, would ever waste time listening or watching him twist his mouth, and comes out with his usual chicken shit.

Not content with trying to demean, he goes personal again. Says he: "Hindi ko nga alam kung na-COVID-19 ka, nag-iba ang itsura mo, nagmukha kang matanda, wala kaming balita nuong dalawang taon na yan". 

I guess people had a big surprise to find me with a beard, a mustache, and a ponytail that I deliberately grew during the pandemic. I have not seen the barber groom me all those months. But that's not a concern to me.

Just goes to show how Mondee weaves fantastic tales when he himself has admitted he was "under house quarantine" when the pandemic hit. All the time he was in isolation gratifying himself ala-Jim Paredes, I was busy working, out in the field looking for stories to feed readers hungry for community news. 

He baselessly claims that in those two years of health restrictions, his group didn't know what was happening to me. Why me, you idiot? Well, he's not only a liar; his eyes and ears are impaired. 

In fact, during that period and despite the pandemic, I produced about 200 videos and wrote a little less than 200 articles (183 for my blog alone) for some newspapers in and outside Canada. Mondee and Dannasol Luna, the journalist-by-press-card-and-online-diploma, would have a hard time matching that output. Incompetent, lazy, pa-forma, what else can I say?

Two hundred articles is a walk in the park compared to the mandatory two-to-three stories/features/news analysis every day when I was writing for a world news agency. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik0AXXyPXaE).

How about Mondee? He could not even sustain his now-defunct tabloid with local stories. And Luna? Forget her, she's just a cutesy adjunct in Little Manila.

I had to mention all this, not to gloat but to belie all the allegations of Mondee and his gang of thieves. They can't think of anything but to destroy me, so Mondee resorts to another lie. 

He says in his usual promdi style of speaking: "Patuloy na tinitira at sinisiran ang Taste of Manila founding president Rolly Mangante dahil di na siya kinuhang media director ng ToM this year. Libo daw hinihingi ni Marquez sa ToM nuong mga nakaraang TOM festivals!" 

Hindi lang bobo, tsismoso pa ang gunggong! Mondee's baseless allegation that I had asked ToM for money and when refused started to attack Rolly "Kabise" Mangante, the driver who stole the idea of ToM and declared himself its founder, is quite bothersome even knowing it's a canard. 

He is dodging the root cause of all this firestorm - that his group The Trio Los Bobos Plus One, et al, stole from me the videos and photos I labored hard to produce at my own expense. Otherwise, I would not have had the reason to dig up their dirt. More skeletons are coming out of their closets.

I do not wish anyone ill, including those who make themselves my enemies, but clearly, Mondee's hallucinating and needs help. He is sick. His thinking is off the cliff. I believe his "house quarantine" is exacting a heavy toll on his empty skull. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

The Goofy Bunch of ToM Characters

Volume 3, Issue No. 63

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 Thursday, June 23, 2022 

~ The unraveling is happening as the day nears for the proposed staging of the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival. Organizers have been hyping the event, billing it "Tuloy ang Saya" (roughly "continue with the fun") but the fun seems to be concentrated on a handful of diehard supporters that make up the cheerleading squad. Questions remain unanswered as to the funding, the sponsors, the performers, and the real status of an alleged not-for-profit org undertaking the fest.

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WHY ARE THEY SO SECRETIVE?

 The Hypocrisy of Taste of Manila Organizers

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.”― George Orwell

TORONTO - It's one thing to be misinformed, another to be ill-informed, and still another to be ignorant.

Miserable is the man who is caught in those circumstances. The inability to understand simple facts can be corrected, stupidity can not. I can only commiserate with the man, whoever he is, in this situation.

For a journalist, it is unpardonable. For a pretend journalist, the hypocrisy offends us. Nowhere else can we find such a bunch except in the Filipino community. 

Talking endlessly and senselessly seems to have been transformed into a license to be called a broadcaster, podcaster, reporter, media person, press, socmed influencer, etcetera, etcetera. In truth, none of those qualifies as a journalist in the strictest sense of the word.

Having a so-called press card "bought" from some membership club does not make the holder a journalist. For example, Dannasol Luna, alias Lovely, has made a point of posting an identification card that says "Press Reporter Card" on Facebook.

Having a piece of paper that says "diploma" from an online education platform like what Luna has does not make her a journalist. It's the reportage and the published body of work that tell the world one is indeed a journalist.

Without those, everything is an empty claim, a boast that negates itself. Reading Luna's posting is illustrative, one because it murders the English language, and two, she lacks the facility to think and verbalize her thoughts. In other words, she's a simpleton. 

In my estimation, the only body of work she has is the childish posting on Facebook and the numerous selfies that validate her claim as a "reporter". It's embarrassing.

Then there's the talking head named Rolly Mangante, also known as "Kabise," the great pretender (apologies to The Platters) whose bloated ego transformed him overnight from driver to president and CEO of an alleged organization behind the planned Taste of Manila (ToM) festival.

Kabise loves to talk. He's more like a parrot that chatters on matters of which he has no knowledge and understanding. At work as a driver before he retired, he sometimes overdressed like he was shaming the real diplomats at the Philippine Consulate. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcs34cnA2bs).

And, of course, we have Mon Datol, the (tall order) dude who is short and stocky, fondly called Mondee by his blind followers. In the land of the hobbits, he is a giant at less than five feet. Make that giant of giants for the belly that looks like he's six months pregnant. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU).

Prior to their proposal to have ToM this year, they were nodding acquaintances. My limited contact expanded a little bit when the purported not-for-profit International Entertainment Company (IEC) owned by a Cecille O. Araneta fronted as the main organizer.

Because Mondee flaunted her name to imply affinity to the wealthy, Spanish-descended Araneta clan in the Philippines, I have asked to explain her origins. Is she really related by blood, or her last name is merely adoptive? Not to be intrusive but she looks more Chinese than Spanish. Well, I will ask Uncle Bernie.

In the words of the Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle, the kind of friendship I had with the Trio Los Bobos Plus One belongs to the category of friendship based on utility, which is distinguished from friendship based on pleasure, and friendship based on goodness.

The last category - friendship based on goodness - is rare in the Filipino community. Aristotle says it is "the perfect friendship". Rightly so because it doesn't take advantage, it doesn't exploit, it accepts regardless of station in life. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/04/friendships-in-filipino-community.html).

Between having these folks as friends (based on utility), I'd rather stay true to what I have endeavored to do since adulthood, i.e. a no-nonsense journalist committed to the ethical practice of journalism, fearful of nobody, and beholden to no one.

While they may be popular in their small circle, Luna, Mangante, Datol, and Araneta don't mean much, as far as I'm concerned. They're passive onlookers, bystanders, for the most part, waiting for an opportunity. ToM was the opportunity. (Related story: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/01/tom-undergoes-political-rehabilitation.html).

I focus on them only because, yes, ONLY BECAUSE, they're hyping themselves as the brand-new, uncorrupted organizers of a festival I had helped grow from beginning to end. I focus on them because I found out that they pirated footage from my videos and refused to admit it.

Mangante was a nonentity prior to Taste of Manila (ToM), the idea of which he stole from the Philippine Consulate. He was contented driving diplomats to and from appointments and out-of-town consular visits. That was his job.

Now, it needs to be told. ToM's success was in no small part due to people who volunteered to lend a hand, like Teresa and Mon Torralba, among others, whose own Filipinos Making Waves Festival had been a precursor to ToM's ascendancy as the top Filipino street fest in the city.

On the Torralbas, Mangante relied heavily. They have the brainpower, the expertise, the contacts. Kabise just didn't have the mind to do such a huge cultural event, let alone understand the complex ins and outs of management, documentation, and appearances before city authorities to secure the necessary permits.

I have yet to know why Araneta's IEC and her gang of pirates are so secretive about ToM except for the boring slogan "Tuloy ang Saya!". 

I humbly suggest that they add to the blurb "Tuloy ang Saya featuring the Tro Los Bobos (or Tatlong Itlog)" to make it more attractive, after all, many Filipinos go for that kind of fun. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

What's In A Name? Is Araneta Araneta?

Volume 3, Issue No. 62

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 Tuesday, June 21, 2022 

~ The podcaster is pissed, and so is his woman partner. Perhaps out of frustration, he delivers a scathing attack against the editor of The Filipino Web Channel but in the process, he hits unintended targets, those who may well be considered collateral damage. Is Mondee the promdi running berserk? Maybe. He has just issued a veiled threat in defense of his associate who, he implies, might be a wealthy matron we never knew about.

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IS CECILLE ARANETA A SCION OF THE ARANETAS?

 Mon Datol Shields ToM Colleague

In his usual rant, the podcaster issues a veiled threat

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“If people keep stepping on you, wear a pointy hat.”― Joyce Rachelle

TORONTO - The podcaster Mon Datol, alias Mondee the promdi, has unleashed a silly-sounding barrage of words and phrases that almost choked him to kingdom come.

He delivers them the same way a shotgun fires, discharging small shells which in his case, are pellets of poisonous rubbish intended to injure the unfortunate targets.

He shoots aimlessly from his wide mouth and hits the following: 1. Philip Beloso, 2. Pete Torralba, 3. Rolly Mangante, and 4. Tess Cusipag of Balita. Details of this story will come later in another article.

All the while he was doing it, he defends his partner, Cecille O. Araneta, famed for her statement that the jeepney is "the national car" of the Philippines and president of a purported not-for-profit International Entertainment Company (IEC) which Canada Revenue Agency says is not on its list of charities.

First off, Mondee alludes that she belongs to the clan that owns Araneta City in Cubao, Quezon City, where one can find what was once the world's largest covered stadium - the Araneta Coliseum. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdTnX700_a8).

I have queried the owner, Progressive Development Corporation, if Mondee's insinuation that Cecille O. Araneta holds some kind of ownership, or is a part of a group that has proprietary rights over that landmark. As of this writing, there has not been any response.

Araneta Coliseum came up when Mondee mentioned it in his usual rant against this reporter for writing a series of articles questioning IEC and the Taste of Manila (ToM) festival that it is trying to organize this year. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU).

Mondee appeared irritated by the constant flow of articles. And so was Cecille O. Araneta, according to him. 

Says Mondee: "Hindi marunong kumampi yan (meaning Cecille O. Araneta) pero nagsabi nga sa akin na nabubwisit na siya sa sinasabi mong puro kasinungalingan".

The alleged "kasinungalingan" (lies) notwithstanding, nobody in IEC and ToM would go on the record and tell the truth. They muddy the issue with personal attacks, rumors, and fabrications. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/06/toronto-tabloid-quietly-hits-back-at.html).

Well, if Cecille O. Araneta's image had not been spliced into a video stolen by ToM from The Filipino Web Channel, there would have been no dispute in the first place. But she knew very well it was her face (and her friend's - Nieves Mangante) that was manipulated and plastered over people dancing in the street. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ).

"Araneta yan x x x Pag hindi ka siguro tumigil Mr. Romeo P. Marquez, editor ng Filipino Web Channel, baka isuklob sa 'yo ni Cecille Araneta yung Araneta Coliseum sa Pilipinas," he said in his heavily-accented Tagalog typical in Nueva Ecija province in the Philippines.

There seems to be no exact English translation for isuklob. The closest meaning I could think of would be to encase, shut-in, box, or crate. In that sense, here's an example in a sentence: "Kung hindi ka ba naman gunggong, baka isuklob ko sa ulo mo ang kaldero ng lugaw at magkalaman naman yan".

Not that I'm frightened, or he scares me, but Mondee just issued a threat, a veiled threat. 

Isuklob could be fatal. If a structure as monumental as the Araneta Coliseum would be bowled over people, it's possible nobody would survive the impact. The very act of isuklob could inflict pain and serious injury, if not death. That's how menacing it is.

His statement is a rude display of worth, if true that Cecille O. Araneta is indeed an Araneta. It's likewise a statement of familial relationship with a wealthy family, if true again. Perhaps she can help us understand her provenance. If indeed she's up there in the food chain as Mondee implies, why does she associate herself with lowlives?

How knowledgeable is Mondee about her beyond being "mabait" and a business partner in the exploitive "Anghel ng Tahanan" beauty pageant that focuses on Filipino caregivers?

It also raises questions about the person carrying the name Araneta, a prominent clan heavily invested in a number of industries including real estate. Which of the Aranetas is she descended from? Is her name her real name or a stage name?

I have no interest in Cecille O. Araneta, or in her partnership with Mondee in IEC and "Anghel ng Tahanan". But when it became known that IEC is organizing ToM, her identity and her reported business activities have become a public concern.

Moreover, her cameo appearance in stolen footage only deepens my curiosity. Why would somebody moneyed like her allow her picture to be inserted in a stolen material to promote ToM? 

It's not so difficult to create a video if you knew how. I can teach her for free, just don't steal my videos. And if you do steal, give credit to the original source. And if you want to continue using the stolen material, pay up. Better still, acknowledge the misdeed and apologize. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

Little Manila Is Where the Spurious Finds a Home

Volume 3, Issue No. 61

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, June 20, 2022 

~ A sad commentary for the vibrant and thriving Filipino community in the Greater Toronto Area is the presence of all kinds of fakes. Fake doctors, fake members of the press, fake media, fake leaders, fake bleeding hearts, fake organizations, fake whatever - all enthralled by the prospect of ripping money from unsuspecting and vulnerable people. A recently-emerged group screams "fake news" perhaps not knowing its members are the very essence of fake.

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LITTLE MANILA IS THEIR HOME

 Why Is Proposed ToM Riddled with Fakes?

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Fake people are like soap bubbles, they pop out when the sun shines brightly.”
― Chiranjude Bird

TORONTO - Unfortunate as it may sound, it is what it is. 

The trio of collaborators otherwise known as the Trio Los Bobos (some people suggested I should call them Tatlong Itlog) labeled unpleasant stories about them "fake news". 

Actually, the "fake" part belongs to them. For example, the fake "founder" of Taste of Manila (ToM), the bogus "reporter", the spurious "sportswriter" and the phony not-for-profit organization.

The ultimate fake news is Rolly Mangante alias "Kabise" whose image supposedly landed on the cover of Time and Newsweek magazines. Oh my gosh! The editors there must have gone crazy. 

Then there's the unlettered Dannasol Luna aka "Lovely" who paid a membership fee to a club and voila! she's a card-carrying "reporter". Add Ramon Datol, nicknamed Mondee the promdi, a so-called sportswriter turned podcaster for his incessant double talk. And to complete the whole gang, there's Cecille Araneta, the owner of IEC, which sprung to life just recently for ToM.

Whew! Talk of fake news and here we are. For the video, please visit: https://youtu.be/gcs34cnA2bs

"Kabise" was on the verge of tears as he recounted an incident with his former colleague who he said had belittled him and his family. That was in July-August 2015. 

He found his sweet revenge when ToM rose to a staggering success year after year until it went bankrupt in 2018, got rescued by the city, and had its last staging in 2019. 

He reaped praises from people who didn't know that he stole the idea of ToM from officials of the Philippine Consulate where he had worked as a driver, claimed it was his own, and declared himself its founder. 

Little did people know that a small group consisting of Teresa Torralba, who he now disparages, and others who labored behind the scenes, were behind all the brainwork. It is to them that credit belongs.

Meanwhile, "Kabise" marketed ToM as far as the Philippines using - free of charge - videos from The Filipino Web Channel. Contrary to his claim, this reporter NEVER, repeat NEVER, charged him or ToM a single dime for their unauthorized use. 

Success had a way of bloating egos and "Kabise" is the perfect example of a swollen head. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

Toronto Tabloid Quietly Hits Back at Taste of Manila

Volume 3, Issue No. 60

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, June 18, 2022 

~ The Filipino community's oldest tabloid, Atin Ito, quietly and without explanation, took down what it called "press release" penned by a bogus reporter named Lovely Danna Luna after this writer asked the editor/staff to publish his reaction to false claims and outright lies she was propagating. The unvetted article, notable for its lapses in grammar and syntax, ran for a few days early this month. It could potentially trigger defamation lawsuits against the publication and the author who based her report on an interview conducted by a dude named Mon Datol alias Mondee with Rolly Mangante, aka Kabise, the retired driver of the Philippine Consulate who stole the idea of the Taste of Manila festival and claimed it was his. 

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ATIN ITO, TORONTO'S OLDEST FILIPINO NEWSPAPER

 Tabloid Pulls Out Taste of Manila Propaganda

The unvetted hit piece by a bogus reporter ran for days

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Money is not my god, nor having lots of it my purpose in life". 

- Romy Marquez in a letter to Atin Ito

TORONTO - The unvetted article supposedly authored "By Lovely Danna Luna, TOM Inc. Media Executive Liaison" has vanished from the website of Atin Ito tabloid nearly two weeks after I questioned its wide claims against this writer, a newspaper publisher, a legitimate not-for-profit organization, and former broadcast giant ABS-CBN.

Atin Ito is the oldest monthly newspaper in Canada at 47 years old this year. Its print edition is circulated in the Greater Toronto Area. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2019/08/eddie-lee-non-journalist-publishing.html ). (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gHgKO9MUkQ).

The cutesy Luna who also goes by the name Dannasol Luna, an alleged "reporter" for having paid a membership fee at "International Association of Press Photographers Inc." is hardly the person to write that gibberish without the assistance of at least three other blabbermouths, namely, Mon Datol alias Mondee, Rolly Mangante aka "Kabise", and Cecille Araneta of jeepney-as-national-car-of-the-Philippines fame.

Having read her childish postings on Facebook, and having read as much also from Mondee, Kabise and Araneta, it is my opinion as a journalist that none of the four could write independently a decent five-paragraph essay in English without consulting with one another, and much better, with a grammarian. Still, whatever comes out of their collaboration would surely embarrass any grade school teacher.

Such was Luna's "reportage" on a purported one-and-a-half-hour interview of Kabise by Mondee on May 29, 2022, over what she referred to as a "multicultural broadcast network" located in North York's Little Manila. (Related video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU). 

Inexperienced and unschooled in journalism, and utterly ignorant of community issues, Luna cast a wide net in her article, echoing Donald Trump's mantra of fake news, and labeling impeccably-sourced reports by this reporter as "fake news" themselves.

As I previously said, this group minus Araneta is the newly-emerged Trio Los Bobos of Little Manila whose main preoccupation is raking in money from the proposed Taste of Manila festival. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/06/taste-of-manilas-in-house-talents.html).

But I give credit to Luna for saying what Kabise allegedly stated in the interview. She quoted him in this wise: “There’s no million-dollar money from the ABS-CBN here, fake news again, the money from the Philippine TV network was the royalty fee paid to the Taste of Manila, Inc. that owns the Taste of Manila Street Festival.” 

Further, Kabise explained, according to Luna: “I only received $48,000 after incurring and paying lots of expenses on the staging of the festival, di pa kasama ruon yong bayad sa taxes. ABS-CBN also paid PLACA through Teresa Torralba, the amount of $34,000 as payment for organizing the 2019 T.O.M. festival.”

That is quite a revelation three years after the fact. Kabise's admission that he got $48,000 from ABS-CBN only confirms the recurring buzz in Little Manila that he allegedly pocketed $40,000 (which is about close to $48,000) and fled to the Philippines for a grand vacation with his family.

He explained, however, according to Luna again, that the money he spent for the vacation came from his $75,000 retirement fund and "not from the ABS-CBN royalty fee TOM, Inc. that he received.” (Full story at:https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/04/international-journalist-in-taste-of.html ).

True or not, only Kabise knows. ToM has not had official financial statements for the years ToM went on. Questions continue to arise: Why did it go bankrupt? Why did it beg Toronto authorities to waive a number of fees due the city? Why did it dismantle the original not-for-profit org only to put up another one, and still another one?

Forty-eight thousand dollars plus $34,000 equals $82,000, certainly a lot of moola. That's just from one sponsor. Imagine the other corporate sponsors and payments from individual booth renters, and one can see why the Trio Los Bobos and Araneta's purported not-for-profit org are fighting tooth and nail to stage ToM.

The prospect of hitting it big is mind-blowing.

But back to Luna's disappearing article in Atin Ito. Upon learning it days after it was published, I wrote a reaction letter to the tabloid authorities. My letter probably awoke the publishers/editors from their stupor, realized the potential legal implication of running the article, and took it down.

It's gone now, but I took pictures of the web page and copied the article just to make sure I have the evidence to prove the defamatory nature of Luna's write-up. Its disappearance does not free any of them, Atin Ito included, from legal liabilities.

Below is my reaction that Atin Ito did not publish:

*****                           *****

June 9, 2022

Hello, good afternoon,

I write in the off-chance that you might consider publishing my response to a story titled " 'Taste of Manila' Street Festival Returns!" and subheaded: "It's 'Fake News' circulating ToM is scrapped" dated May 31, 2022.

I am particularly mentioned in the badly-written article by one "Lovely Danna Luna, TOM Inc. Media Executive Liaison" who, in the interest of truth, lacks the bonafides to be a "media executive," a journalist, or a writer. She's just a cute face in Little Manila pretending to be a member of the press.

For decades, I've adhered to both written and unwritten rules, laws, and ethics in the practice of journalism. Disseminating the truth has always been the sole criterion of my journalism career in the Philippines, in the United States, in Canada, and in some countries in Europe where I worked as a foreign correspondent.

Because I engage in investigative journalism, hostile reactions from affected parties are common. I've been physically assaulted, threatened, and slapped with libel suits; in fact, four defamation cases in Toronto alone. So, it's nothing new to be at the receiving end of outrage.

Now, I take exception to all the claims made by Danna Luna on behalf of her patrons Rolly Mangante and Ramon Datol. I am not going to dignify any of those by contesting each one of their assertions. They knew what I stand for as a journalist, and as a person. 

Money is not my god, nor having lots of it my purpose in life. I am of modest means but it is my unblemished reputation as an honest, hard-working journalist that brought me to parts of the world I never imagined I would ever reach.

Luna, Datol, and Mangante have an ax to grind. I might have stopped them in their attempt to swindle the Filipino community through this vehicle called Taste of Manila by continuously writing about them and their tactics. My articles have impacted them negatively and I mean only to inform the community, not to attack them personally.

As a journalist, I am sworn to uphold the truth even if it's not pleasing to some people and highly offensive to others. That has been the case in more than 50 years of a rewarding, though challenging, journalism career. 

Just to emphasize, I would not have lasted long (nearly 20 years) as a foreign correspondent in two worldwide news agencies had I been what Luna, Datol, and Mangante are claiming. My experience there underlined the trust, honesty, and dependability reposed in me as a person first, and as a journalist, second.

To be sure, I am not faultless. I have limitations and shortcomings. But I assure you, none of those frailties involved money or its equivalent in benefits. I worked hard to earn my keep.

As you would notice, Luna, Datol, and Mangante did not address the very root cause of this issue, which is that their purported not-for-profit organization stole film footage from my copyrighted intellectual property. I exhausted every means to remind them that I never tolerate such wrongdoing.

None of them responded. They refused to take it down from their website. They refused to apologize for the misdeed. They refused to give credit to the source of the footage. And as a last resort, I asked them to pay so they can continue using it. They refused.

The only recourse left for me is to expose what they did. Admission of wrong and an apology would have sufficed to end the dispute. No, they would not do it. They'd rather steal than say "we're sorry for stealing your work, and we apologize". That would have ended it.

I am not going to be their hopeless victim. I have given them all the leeway to correct their transgressions but my efforts came to naught. Even more galling is this article that you published - without being vetted obviously - that demonizes me and reduces me to a small-time crook. 

Unlike Luna, Datol, and Mangante who have nothing intelligent to show except to pass rumors and baseless claims, my body of work and the length of time I practice investigative journalism speak for me. They are my indisputable credentials.

Thank you.

Romy Márquez 

http://about.me/romy.marquez 

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2001/jun/14/cover-sinister-hero/?page=1&; 

(Romy Marquez is a former foreign correspondent, editor, reporter, videographer, blogger, and previously, editor and publisher of three community newspapers in California. He currently writes for his blog (https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/) and creates videos for his major news channels on YouTube under the umbrella of his media outfit Romar Media Canada. These are: (https://www.youtube.com/user/FilipinoWebChannel#g/u and https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGotchaJournalist#g/u). Prior to his stint as a member of the foreign press corps in Manila (on behalf of the Asahi Shimbun and Deutsche Presse-Agentur), Marquez was a staff reporter at The Times Journal and earlier on, at The Manila Chronicle. He also wrote as a business reporter for The Manila Bulletin). (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).