Philippine Court Affirms Libel Conviction of Maria Ressa

Volume 4, Issue No. 4

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 Friday, July 15, 2022 

~ The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) has joined the bandwagon in condemning the Philippines for its alleged "legal persecution" of journalists following the upholding of the conviction of Maria Ressa for cyber libel in a case dating back to 2012. I had been a member of AAJA for many years while in California and upon receiving a copy of its declaration stating "grave concern", I reacted strongly against it because of what I consider a knee-jerk reaction of support for Ressa and her Rappler website. More than a day has passed and AAJA has not responded as of this writing. I said that her jail time of "six years, eight months and 20 days" is richly deserved. What she did not deserve is the Nobel Peace Prize.

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AAJA's KNEE-JERK DEFENSE OF MARIA RESSA

Taking Issue with Media Group on Rappler

Has the Asian American Journalists Association Become an Echo Chamber?

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Disinformation is distinguished from misinformation in that it is intentionally fraudulent.” ― Ellen P. Lacter

TORONTO - From the 1990s to the time I moved to Toronto in 2010, I maintained my membership with the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) as a way of keeping in touch with media colleagues and the news development in my former hometown of San Diego, California. 

It's one of the clubs I associated with for professional reasons, the others being Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Reporters Without Borders (or Reporters sans frontières), and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC).

Prior to AAJA, I was also an active member of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) and the National Press Club of the Philippines largely because of my work in both local and foreign news organizations based in Manila. 

Because I'm reacting to AAJA's position on the matter, I find it necessary to mention my credential as a journalist and to provide a buffer to the proliferation of pseudo-media persons in our community here in Toronto. Some flash press ID cards while others carry cameras to validate their spurious claims and enhance their prestige.

The other day, AAJA national joined its Asia chapter "in expressing grave concern over the decision of a Philippine court to deny the appeals of Maria Ressa, founder of Rappler, and its former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr., and uphold their convictions for cyber libel".

I'm taking issue with AAJA on this score for what I believe is its lack of background knowledge about Ressa and Rappler and why they were hailed to court. It is important to know the case before shooting its mouth off, as what appears to have happened to AAJA.

I learned about this only yesterday (July 14) from the AAJA mail update regularly sent to members. After reading it, my thought wondered whether AAJA has now become an echo chamber of Ressa and Rappler. So I wrote my reaction to AAJA national, as follows:

"I am prompted to write this letter as a practicing journalist, a former member of AAJA San Diego chapter, and a Filipino, in reaction to this expression of "grave concern" by the AAJA and its Asia chapter regarding the libel case of Maria Ressa of Manila-based Rappler.

"Reading through AAJA's statement, it is clear the organization has succumbed to Ressa's consistent but failed attempt to portray the Philippine government in a bad light. 

" "AAJA-Asia strongly condemns this sustained campaign of legal persecution against journalists," sounds like a generic declaration, "and calls on the new government (must be a reference to the Marcos Jr. administration) to drop the charges and foster a better environment for independent media".

"In fact, AAJA's declaration parrots the very same lies Ressa had used quite effectively in convincing her foreign supporters - meaning non-Filipinos, mostly Americans - enough to get noticed by the Nobel people and be named a recipient of its peace prize.

"A peace prize for fighting windmills, that's what it is. For the truth is that Ressa never fought for anything save her skin (no pun intended). 

"She thrives, Rappler thrives, and her enablers thrive mainly because the Philippine environment she demonizes allowed her and other journalists to exercise unbridled free expression. A free press exists in the Philippines except in Ressa's mind.

"AAJA's statement and I quote: "The article in question was published on May 29, 2012, months before the cybercrime law was enacted. Ressa was not even the editor of the piece".

"The paragraph above lacks context. True that the cybercrime law took effect on Sept. 12, 2012, and the article got published four months prior. But Rappler republished the offending article after the law's effectivity which means, according to the judge, that it was like being published every day.

"There is no question about supporting journalists anywhere who are harassed and threatened but the situation of Ressa is much different. I know that because I have fallen victim to some while practicing investigative journalism in California and Canada.

"Ressa is more of a political partisan than a journalist, more of an agent provocateur working on behalf of governments and shady institutions than an objective media person.

"Her jail time of "six years, eight months and 20 days" is richly deserved. What she did not deserve is the Nobel Peace Prize.

"Thank you.

"Romy Márquez". (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

Taste of Manila Not Listed in City Events

Volume 4, Issue No. 3

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 Wednesday, July 13, 2022 

~ The slogan "tuloy ang saya" adopted by Taste of Manila (ToM) organizers appears to materialize only in cyberspace and not on terra firma. Since its announcement in April, nothing concrete has come out of their proposal to stage ToM in August. A few days later, in May, city authorities warned them to "cease and desist" in using Toronto's corporate logo in its posters, flyers, and website as it would appear it is supporting the venture when the truth is that the city "is not providing financial support to the Taste of Manila." The city's latest list of events and festivals this summer does not carry ToM. In contrast, another festival, the FUN Philippines Toronto Street Festival on July 23-24, is among the 48 events included in the listing. 

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IT'S NOT ON THE CITY'S LIST OF EVENTS

Taste of Manila Fest Only in Cyberspace?

Only FUN Philippines Toronto Street Festival on July 23-24 Appears

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“Festivals are there to teach us that life is a celebration. Each festival teaches us to bring positivity, joy and happiness in our thoughts which reflects in our lives.” ― Purvi Raniga

TORONTO - The city's Festivals & Events Calendar is perhaps one of the telltale signs that the proposed Taste of Manila (ToM) festival stays as it is - a proposal begging for approval, a scheme desperately marketed by persons of dubious backgrounds and purported not-for-profit organizations to lure corporate sponsors and individual financiers.

To be sure that my sight does not fail me, I've gone over the list at least five times. I also took photos of those in that list so they would be memorialized in my files. And based on the list, ToM isn't a reality as of this writing, a dream that might have fizzled out already.

Not content with this, I began a search for ToM. And every time it returned, the response was the same: "Sorry, no events match your search. Please try again". Well, I did to no avail.

In cyberspace. mainly Facebook, where fakes abound, ToM carries on with its mission to attract gullible supporters who may not be familiar with its workings and the current state it is in. There's a lack of basic information about its organizers, officials, corporate sponsors, etc. And to think ToM is supposedly for the community!

This dearth of particulars shows that ToM is there only to make an empty boast. Its "tuloy ang saya" slogan may just be for a few proponents. Well, to stretch it a little bit, it could also be "tuloy ang saya ng ating bulsa" or "tuloy ang saya dahil sa Trio Los Bobos Plus One".

The city calendar lines up all events this summer and so far, only one festivity made it to the list. That Filipino event is FUN Philippines Toronto Street Festival which is happening on the weekend of July 23-24 at the junction of Bathurst St. and Wilson Ave., the core of what is called Little Manila in North York.

FUN Philippines is being undertaken by the Philippine Legacy & Cultural Alliance (PLACA), the Ontario registered non-for-profit behind the last live ToM in August 2019. It had two community initiatives to its name, namely, the All for One virtual event in 2020 and 2021, and the documentary series Making It in Canada.

Some recognition is afforded by Toronto Public Health by making FUN Philippines a partner to provide pop-up COVID-19 clinics across the city this July. "Bringing COVID-19 vaccines to fun summer events is one part of Team Toronto's ongoing efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccination opportunities in places where residents live, work and play," the city has announced.

For his part, Toronto Mayor John Tory said: "COVID-19 vaccination remains the best protection for you, your family and friends. That is why Team Toronto is making vaccines available at festivals and locations across the city, making it easier for people to get the dose they need throughout the summer.”

I can only speculate why ToM is very much a castle in the air. Its newly-popped organizer is supposedly an NFP called International Entertainment Company, the joint collaboration of a Cecille Araneta of jeepney-is-Philippine-national-car fame and Mon "Mondee" Datol, a podcaster who talks incessantly about the latest gossip in town. (Videos at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdTnX700_a8).

Together they contracted with self-described ToM founder Rolly "Kabise" Mangante and his underlings, among them Dannasol "Lovely" Luna, a bogus "international reporter," to stage ToM, according to flyers and posters, on August 20-21 in the same Little Manila area. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ).

I have referred to the quartet as The Trio Los Bobos Plus One, the trio being Datol, Mangante, and Luna, who had spewed a great deal of garbage to the point that the Atin Ito tabloid which had unwittingly published it promptly deleted the allegation from its website. I have images taken and text copied before it was junked just in case I decide to take legal action. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/06/little-manila-no-country-for-stupids.html).

All these animus would not have happened had the quartet been honest with what they did - stealing images and videos from my Filipino Web Channel. A simple admission of wrongdoing and an apology would have sufficed. Legally and morally, stealing is reprehensible, but I was willing to take no offense.

Well, nothing of the sort happened, much to my chagrin. If they were willing to engage in hostility, and have indicated it without any doubt, who am I to bend my personal and professional principles for their delectation? That means the swords have been unsheathed.

From the very beginning of ToM in 2014 to its final staging in 2019, I had been its staunch supporter. Like many of us in Canada, I believe in advancing the cause of Filipinos and elevating their status from the general mockery heaped on us. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcZa99xeGW0).

So it's a mistake to think that I am unsympathetic to the holding of ToM. Of course, no! On the other hand, I'm truly antagonistic toward the people who stole from me and that, incidentally, are the same people who now undertake to have ToM.

Mondee the promdi has said that I should not be writing about them being "media colleagues", suggesting I should accord them with some respect and forget the transgression. He wants respect yet he continues to be disrespectful. Stealing is a form of disrespect. 

I detest being called his media colleague. No way Mondee, you're out of my league, to say it bluntly. And neither is Dannasol Luna! (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

Mondee Names Alleged Culprits

Volume 4, Issue No. 2

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 Friday, July 8, 2022 

~ From their last hurrah in 2019, a cabal of wannabes and blabbermouths infesting the Little Manila hub initiated a virtual Taste of Manila mainly to arrest its slide into insignificance. Amidst the pandemic, the virtual presentation went on with a host of performers who likely did not know that most of the film footage incorporated in the patched-up video was stolen from The Filipino Web Channel. Now, one of the guys who had knowledge of it is pointing fingers at others, apparently to protect his partner. 

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THE FINGER-POINTING HAS STARTED

Mon Datol Blames Colleagues for Video Steal

He says they're Philip Beloso, Pete Torralba, Rolly Mangante

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

“People with a style of denial and blaming are definitely on the list of unsafe people to avoid.” ― Henry Cloud

TORONTO - By a statement aired publicly, the organizers behind a proposal to stage Taste of Manila (ToM) this year appeared to have conspired in stealing videos and images to prop up their initial "virtual presentation" of the festival in 2020.

Their concern was obvious. For a cash cow as ToM had been to some people, letting it slip out of memory was not an option. Its last person-to-person staging, or shall I say its last hurrah, was in August 2019. 

By December of the same year, the coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, China, giving rise to the name COVID-19. In January 2020, the World Health Organization declared a coronavirus pandemic, prompting lockdowns, prohibitions against mass gatherings, and the adoption of strict health protocols.

The pandemic exacerbated ToM's precarious situation. It had gone bankrupt despite massive public attendance. Where its funds went was never explained. ToM would not have made it in 2018 through 2019 had not the City of Toronto intervened and rescued it from total disaster.

So ToM had virtual presentations while the pandemic was raging. Organizers would not let it die even as its financial state was in shambles.

Now, after a number of stories exposing how the virtual presentation and its stolen contents came about, Mon Datol alias Mondee, the alleged sportscaster-turned-podcaster is pointing fingers at the alleged culprits of the steal.

In his promdi-style of speaking, Mondee has disclosed, and I quote verbatim:

"Ang habulin mo yung PESO. Yan ang gumawa ng virtual," he declares. 

PESO is the acronym for Philippine Community Events & Services Ontario, reportedly a not-for-profit organization, which took over from the Philippine Cultural Community Centre (PCCC), another purported not-for-profit run by Mangante.

"Habulin mo si Rolly, habulin mo yung nasa PESO, sila Philip Beloso, sila Ka Pete Torralba. Eh bakit mo idadamay si Cecille at aming kumpanya IEC?" Mondee reveals in a recent podcast.

Rolly is Rolly Mangante, aka "Kabise," the driver who claims he founded ToM. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcs34cnA2bs, and full story at https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/06/little-manila-no-country-for-stupids.html ).

Philip Beloso is the ubiquitous photo bomber in community events whose loyalties fly like a butterfly. He could be at Filipino Centre Toronto where he draws some honorarium, or at other gatherings where he plays emcee. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2021/11/is-third-party-audit-ongoing-at-fct.htmland video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dWabOiCwhU).

Pete Torralba (no relation to the well-known and trustworthy Torralba couple Mon and Teresa) is a low-profile organizer who was originally a PCCC officer. 

Cecille is Cecille Araneta of jeepney fame. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdTnX700_a8). IEC is International Entertainment Company, again a purported not-for-profit either jointly owned and managed by Mondee and Araneta. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/06/whats-in-name-is-araneta-araneta.html).

"Anong pakialam ng IEC doon sa hinahabol mo nuong 2020. Kelan lang kami, nuong 2022 pumasok, hahabulin mo kami," he cries out. 

Indeed, if IEC came into existence only this year, as Mondee explains, why would it be trusted by individual and corporate sponsors knowing it has no record of anything to speak of?

Mondee's disclosure gives us an idea of the entire scheme and the extent of involvement of individuals of questionable motives in pulling off ToM this year. Rather than explain to the community, Mondee and his gang treat us to an intricate system of dubious not-for-profit organizations supposedly managing a singular event that is ToM.

He keeps insisting that PESO was responsible for stealing film footage. But Mondee did not say why his name and image, and those of Araneta, "Kabise" and his wife Nieves Mangante, and many others, appear in the virtual presentation. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_398v7dDQhQ).

He says: " . . .  wala namang alam si Cecille Araneta dun sa hinahabol mo . . . Yang IEC, ito lang yan 2022 ToM. Yung hinahabol mo nung 2020 virtual presentation eh PESO ang gumawa nun". 

Like before, is Mondee shitting us? (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

An Enduring Advocacy to Find the Truth

Volume 4, Issue No. 1

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, July 5, 2022 

~ Three years and thousands of readers later, this blog continues to plod on its fourth year this month, committed as it has been to serve the community through informed and well-researched articles in hopes of creating awareness and insights into issues in the community. Our journey of a thousand miles is bearing fruit, thanks so much to readers, subscribers, and supporters who believe in the truth. 

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FILIPINO WEB MAGAZINE'S 4TH YEAR

The Single Step That Preceded Our Journey

Unearthing wrongdoing remains the objective

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"A man with little learning is like the frog who thinks its puddle a great sea". - Burmese proverb

TORONTO - A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, says a Chinese proverb.

And what a remarkable journey it has been since this blog began in July 2019, in fact, a rewarding three years now, after the unsurprising bickerings that had been seething for months over the flimsiest issues and personal insults resulted in the creation of this alternative media. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-inevitable-conflict-between-editors.html).

That first step was not without hurdles. Along the way, one is met with cynicism and the usual brickbats. What would have been my professional redoubt also became a stage to strengthen the unbridled exercise of free speech, journalism basically, without fear or favor.

I've written 185 articles for my online media site Filipino Web Magazine (https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/) and since then has amassed thousands of readers, to my amazement, of course, not having experienced the swell while writing for a local tabloid. In a sense, that would be the equivalent of a thousand miles, only longer.

The numbers compiled by Google are a big slap on the face of a so-called sportswriter nicknamed Mondee, who is actually the promdi-speaking podcaster who goes by Mon Datol, a business partner by the moon-faced Cecille Araneta of the purported not-for-profit International Entertainment Company. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdTnX700_a8).

Just for background, this duo formed a venture with Rolly Mangante alias "Kabise", the driver-turned-"founder" of the Taste of Manila (ToM), and Dannasol Luna aka Lovely (?), the bogus "international journalist", in an attempt to reprise the street festival in August. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2020/01/3-in-1-who-is-amba-congen-consul-of.html).

As uncomprehending as his teammates are, Mondee has questioned whether people still read me since the time I was let go (which was a blessing in disguise) by the publisher and "editor" of a tabloid for the offense of standing up against repeated rumor-mongering and countless insinuations of romantic liaisons. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2019/12/defending-truth-has-its-downside.html).

"Dito sa Toronto, tanungin mo ang maraming tao diyan," he says. "Akala mo ba marami pang nagbabasa sa yo?"

I need not answer that. If Mondee just had a fraction of the mind of a turtle, he would not have said that. The Google numbers - tallied daily, weekly, monthly, and annually - speak for themselves, and on my behalf. 

There are at least a million reasons to challenge Mondee's facetious remarks. However, given his woeful ignorance, it would be merciful to just let him soak in his childish innocence. Ignorance is bliss, isn't it? (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd02DO503DU).

That much I can give with the prayer that he would stop faking things and admit his shortcomings. The same goes for the impostors in his fold, such as Kabise Mangante, Lovely (?) Luna, and Cecille Araneta. They have foot soldiers - a squad of uniformed cheerleaders  - who are blinded by the prospect of an instant windfall if ToM should materialize.

Mondee has claimed in his usual trash-laden talk that, in his own words, and I quote: "Eh tinakbuhan mo nga yung publisher mo, yung Atin Ito, ay, yung Balita. Yung Balita doon ka nagsusulat for so many years, nagkahabla-habla tuloy yung publisher nuon because of ginawa mo". 

Understanding the story of why Balita, its publisher, and I had figured in lawsuits - four, actually, for libel - is beyond Mondee's grasp. Like a turtle, he moves slowly and withdraws into its shell whenever it senses danger. Mondee takes cover in his podcast now that his junk of a rag sheet has vanished.

He continues: "Tatakbuhan mo lang pala pagka nahabla na. O, natalo, almost a million ang binayaran ng publisher x x x kaya walang diario tumanggap sa yo rito eh". (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2020/10/contempt-of-court-leads-to-21-day-jail.html).

That is the most egregious statement he could make. "Tatakbuhan . . . " keeps ringing in my ear. "Walang diario tumanggap sa yo . . . " is bothersome too. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2020/08/balitas-non-story-to-avenge-hurt.html).

In my five decades in journalism, never have I run away from any fight, physical, legal, or anything. "Tatakbuhan" is cowardice. Mondee should know that very well because he practices it like a sprinter. Unlike the turtle in him, I face my adversaries without shrinking in fear of what might happen.

I am tempted to explain all these things in Tagalog knowing Mondee is linguistically challenged. His assertion that "walang diario tumanggap sa yo . . . "  shows the mindset of a turtle. He presupposes that I'm looking for a job and rejected because, he says "Lahat ng panunulat mo may bira, bira bira". 

Here's my answer in Tagalog: Maski na natatawa ako sa sinasabi niya, naawa pa rin ako kay Mondee. Yung liit niya, kino-compensate niya ng ingay para hindi mahalata na pandak siya ha ha ha. Gusto lang niya ang dumaldal kasi hindi niya kaya ang mag-isip. Kawawang Mondee, para bang pagong ang gunggong, lulubog, lilitaw. 

For the benefit of thousands of readers, I mean to say Mondee is incapable of critical thinking. He tries to compensate for that incapacity by talking senselessly. That's why he cannot be a journalist. But to give credit where it is due, he excels in rumor-mongering, and in (I'd say again) putting lipstick on pigs.

I have not thought of joining any Filipino newspaper in Toronto because I knew my stand on being a community watchdog - that's my enduring advocacy  - would not be welcomed. The tabloids here are entertainment-oriented, whereas my goal in journalism is to unearth wrongdoing in the community perpetrated by unscrupulous individuals and organizations.

The threat of a lawsuit is ever-present when investigative journalism I practice comes knocking at the doors of potential criminals. The turtle that he is, Mondee would surely cringe at the thought of being bullied, persecuted, and threatened. Well, to tell you Mondee, I have long steeled myself to those possibilities.

Is Mondee engaged in wrongdoing? Is Cecille Araneta defrauding the community? Is Kabise deceiving individuals and businesses with his stolen ToM? Is Lovely (?) Luna deep into deception with her claim of being a "journalist"? If indeed they are, watch out! (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).

Filipino-American Lawyer Eyes Miss America Title

Volume 3, Issue No. 67

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 Friday, July 1, 2022 

~ Members of the Filipino-American community in Texas, USA are so enthused with the prospect of having a Miss America in the person of a young Fil-Am lawyer who won last week the title of Miss Texas. Averie Danielle Bishop, daughter of a Filipino immigrant mother from South Cotabato, and a Texan father, will compete for the crown in Connecticut in December. 

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AVERIE DANIELLE BISHOP

Young Filipino-American Lawyer Is Miss Texas

She's on her way to compete for the Miss America title

By GUS MERCADO 

Guest Writer

HOUSTON, Texas - A young Filipino-American lawyer has made history as the first Asian-American woman to win the title of Miss Texas.

Averie Danielle Bishop was crowned on June 25 and will compete in the Miss America pageant in Connecticut in December.

She is a first-generation Filipino-American, born to a Filipino immigrant mother, Marevi Sabalilang, who hails from Banga, South Cotabato, Philippines, and fourth-generation Texan Danny Bishop. Her younger brother Teddy is in the U.S. Army.

"All Filipino-Americans in our state, especially in the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex, brimmed with pride when our very own Averie Danielle Bishop won the Miss Texas crown last Saturday, June 25th," according to officials of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce Texas.

Consul Ethel Mercado and this writer honored Miss Bishop with the PACC Founders’ Award as “Most Outstanding Young Leader in Texas.”

Averie put herself through college, earning double degrees from the prestigious Southern Methodist University, including a bachelor's degree with a double major in political science and human rights, and a Juris Doctor degree with a 3.9 GPA. 

Her impressive credentials also include serving as a legal intern for the President and Vice President of SMU, addressing higher education policy in Third World countries, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Fellow, and Texas Women's Museum Woman of the Year awardee. She was appointed by the mayor of Dallas as a council member of their new Anti-Hate and Discrimination Advisory Council. 

Serving the community is her way of paying back, she says in an interview, explaining: "Growing up in very challenging circumstances with parents who sacrificed so much for me to become the force of nature that I am today.” 

Averie spent a sometimes painful childhood in Prosper, a town within the Dallas-Forth Worth metro area, where she was confronted with bullies and hateful language. 

“From the way I spoke, the shape of my eyes, my flat nose, my upbringing, the financial situation that I grew up in, sometimes the way my Mom spoke,” she recalls. "Some people say rude things because they just don’t understand what they don’t know.” 

"My mission as Miss Texas and as a person is to try to teach everyone in our state that a Texan can look like me and feel equal and welcome,” she stresses.

The articulate but unassuming and down-to-earth young Filipina is also an excellent singer and dancer. Her stirring song from “Les Miserables” has won her the Most Talented award in the preliminary round of the Miss Texas beauty pageant.

At the contest, she wore a modest wardrobe. She explains: “I know wearing this costume is not typical wardrobe at a pageant. But my choice was a reflection of how far I’ve come in life. I am proud to have worn hand-me-downs, thrifted clothing, and torn-up shoes as a child. 

"To me," she adds, "this costume was not a costume. It is a celebration of the rags I have shed, thanks to the village and the people who have embraced me.”

Averie is looking forward to her very hectic duties as Miss Texas while preparing for the Miss America pageant in Connecticut in December. Watch out, Miss America crown. Averie is on her way to claim you!

Watch this short clip of her powerful answer to one of the judges’ questions: “Five or ten years from now, what legacy would you hope people will remember you by?” https://www.facebook.com/allaboutmel/videos/587018376135304

(About the author: Gus Mercado is a well-known business and civic leader in Dallas, Texas. He is a recipient of the Presidential BANAAG Award for Outstanding Community Leadership. Photos by Mel Krater). Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved.