Fortress Toronto Fades Into History

Fortress Toronto, for the last two weeks a symbol of big government and police power, slowly faded into history on Monday (June 28, 2010), a day after presidents and prime ministers of rich and poor nations under the umbrella of the Group of 20 (G-20) ended three days of talks in Canada's largest city.

The so-called fortress --  a collection of main roads and alleys around the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, site of the G-20 Summit, walled in by concrete barriers and steel fences stretching two kilometers and guarded round the clock by fully-armed police -- was being dismantled starting early Monday.

Office workers and pedestrians took back most of the sidewalks within the zone while motorists jammed the streets during the early morning rush hours.

Offices, commercial establishments and restaurants opened again after a weekend of holiday forced by the security requirements of the summit.

The fences had been most effective in preventing thousands of protesters from staging their series of protest marches while locking in only those with security passes and badges.

On Saturday (June 26, 2010), the biggest protest of the summit erupted into violence outside the security zone.

At least 500 had been arrested and by Monday, news reports said a significant number had been released from a temporary detention facility in downtown.

The government of Canada spent a whopping $1.2 billion to host the two meetings -- the Group of 8 (G-8) in Huntsville, a resort town north of Toronto; and the G-20 in downtown Toronto.

Office workers, tourists and pedestrians filled the sidewalk leading to what had been the "core" of the security zone where the G-20 Summit took place during the last three days ending Sunday.

After an exhausting week of securing the zone, these three police officers walked back to their cars and onto their regular routine.

Roadblocks are sidelined to give way to human and vehicle traffic. (All photos by Romy Marquez) C2010

Summiteering in Fortress Toronto - Sunday

To the very last minute, protesters tried to breach the tightly-secured perimeter of the G-20 Summit of rich and industrializing nations as it wound up on Sunday, June 27, 2010, in downtown Toronto.

Police in their now-familiar armour, and protesters faced off each other in the city's financial district, a stone's throw away from the summit site at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

News reports have variously placed the number of arrests from Saturday's violent demonstration between 412 to more than 500. The arrests were effected late Saturday night and early Sunday morning in surprise raids by the police.

Police authorities blamed the destruction on anarchists who set fire on three police cars and smashed windows of several downtown establishments.

As of late Sunday, police were slowly releasing some of those held overnight in a temporary jail.

A sense of normalcy returned to the city as trains and buses resumed their operations. Motorists were allowed back in certain roads. (All photos by Romy Marquez) C2010

Thousands Protest G20 Summit in Toronto

The intermittent rains didn't stop thousands of protesters to march down Toronto's main streets leading to the G20 summit venue at the tightly-secured Metro Toronto Convention Centre a few kilometers away.

Anti riot police fired tear gas while taking positions to block the major intersection fronting the provincial parliament on Queen's Park, University Avenue and College Avenue as protesters tried to advance to the site.

Police on foot were aided by a dozen others mounted on horses, blocking the entire street. Another busload of police cordoned off the other road, encircling the protesters on University Avenue.

Here are some pictures from that protest march.

(All photos are by Romy Marquez - Copyright, June 26, 2010)

Summiteering in Fortress Toronto - Saturday

Police blocked off the street leading to the provincial parliament building in the background.

The protesters occupied the entire length and breadth of this road as they marched towards downtown.

Most of the marchers covered their faces and were dressed in black.

Police fired tear gas (the smoke hardly visible here). Soon after, they deployed, blocking the street.

In no time at all, a phalanx of anti-riot police materialized.

Then the mounted police, trailed by dozens of others.

Police rushed to Queen's Park to regroup.

Unidentified protesters vandalized this van and a media truck (below).

Summiteering in Fortress Toronto - Friday

The main streets that go around the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown were practically empty on Friday (June 25, 2010) as the city readies for the G20 summit starting on Saturday (June 26 through June 27).

"I've never seen such big numbers (of police) for as long as I remember," said a train operator. Indeed, in every street corner lurks a whole squad of six to eight fully-armed police in their black uniforms. (All photos by Romy Marquez)

A pedestrian gets questioned as he attempts to enter a restricted zone close to the convention center.

A group of six policemen patrol one of several deserted streets.

Except for the man near the truck on the left, there's hardly a soul on this stretch.

The curious walk the empty streets but no closer to the convention site.

Police huddle and talk at a street corner on University Avenue.

Adam Abdul had the distinction of being the lone protester inside the G20 security perimeter. Here with his placard, he waits for the train ride home.

Low-Key Delegation from US to Aquino Inauguration on June 30

PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE - Redefining Community News
Currents & Breaking News
Volume 4, Issue No. 21
/ 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 . . . . . .

The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Friday, June 25, 2010
~ US President Barack Obama on Friday named a two-man delegation to the inauguration of Benigno Aquino III as Philippine president on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Diplomatic sources said the composition of the delegation, consisting of the US Trade Representative and the US Ambassador to the Philippines, is quite low-key given the historical ties between the two countries.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


President Obama Names Two-Man Delegation
to Aquino's Inaugural on June 30 in Manila


By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ


TORONTO -- President Barack Obama announced on Friday the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Manila, Philippines to attend the inauguration of Benigno S. Aquino III, President-elect of the Republic of the Philippines on June 30, the White House said in a press statement in Washington, DC.

Ron Kirk, US Trade Representative, will lead the two-man delegation, the announcement relayed by the Office of the Press Secretary to the Philippine Village Voice, said.

The other member of the delegation is Harry K. Thomas Jr., US Ambassador to the Philippines.

(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted, on condition that the author and the publication be properly credited. By Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 4, Issue no. 21, June 25, 2010).

Gratitude Takes the Form of a Special Bread

PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE - Redefining Community News

Currents & Breaking News Features
Volume 4, Issue No. 20
/ 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 . . . . . .


The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Wednesday, June 23, 2010
~ One creation followed another, and another, and still another. With the way she's going, this creative entrepreneur may run out of breads to allocate and name for or after individuals who have made outstanding accomplishments. President Obama, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, actress-singer Genesis, the two women presidents of the Philippines. Now, in an act of eternal gratitude, she pays tribute to an 85-year-old uncle without whose diligence and tenacity, this businesswoman and her family would not have been in the United States pursuing the American Dream. To him and his siblings, a special bread is created and named Ventura bread.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

WILMA FERNANDEZ VENTURA: AN EXPRESSION OF ETERNAL GRATITUDE
Flash of Genius Leads to New Creations; Now, It's
a Sunflower-Like Bread for a Loving Uncle and Aunt


By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ


TORONTO -- At her small office a few steps from the huge oven at her famous bakery, Wilma Fernandez Ventura sits relaxed on a reclining chair, smiling, and then, in another burst of genius, she rushes out of the room to the long, stainless steel-topped working table where she mixes dough with ingredients that will form her latest creation.

As she works on weighing and measuring ingredients and determining how much will go into the mixture for that perfect blend, she pauses, scoops out a teaspoon and tastes, then lets out a whisper: this is it! She then readies a whole tray for the oven.

That was a few months ago when this reporter interviewed her in San Diego, California for a series of stories about her pioneering effort to establish a distinct collection of specialty breads that are named after outstanding leaders, sports and entertainment personalities in the United States and the Philippines.

Wilma Fernandez Ventura, the creative baker who invented the Obama Pan de Sal, the Brazo de Pacquiao, Siete Coronas de Pacquiao, Pan de Pacquiao, Genesis Loaf, and many others, owns and manages The Original Richard's Bakery in San Diego, California.

For a couple of days earlier, the well-liked Wilma -- as she is popularly called in San Diego's Filipino community -- was in deep thought, thinking of ways she could show her respect, gratitude and admiration for the man responsible for letting her family dream the American Dream and bring it to reality.

It's been almost 30 years when her parents, Domingo Ventura and Alegria Fernandez, and their eight children, including Wilma, packed their belongings and left San Carlos City, Pangasinan for the United States.

Wilma's Uncle Fred and Auntie Verna (seated, middle) and their brood of eleven during a family gathering.

"Uncle Fred, my father's older brother who was in the US Navy then, had petitioned all his seven siblings and tried to bring them all to America so they could find new opportunities and improve their means of livelihood," Wilma explains.

Six of the Ventura siblings and their families managed to come to the US. Wilma's family initially settled in Guam and then moved to San Diego, California where she founded the celebrated The Original Richard's Bakery, named after her first-born, her only son. (Here's a link to her blog at: http://wilmafernandezventura.blogspot.com/ )

Altogether, her Uncle Fred had succeeded in bringing to the US a total of 32 individuals, including his siblings' families, nephews and nieces. Over the course of three decades, they married and are now raising their own families, effectively enlarging the Ventura families into a clan clustered in different parts of the US.


"I'm always in awe of him," states Wilma, referring to her Uncle Fred, now 85, who lives with his very supportive wife, Auntie Verna, 76, in Connecticut. They have eleven children, four of whom Wilma met for the first time when they visited her in San Diego.

Wilma's Uncle Fred and Auntie Verna Ventura at their residence in Connecticut.

She said she's been wanting to show how she could thank him for his loving and caring ways manifested by his gesture of bringing all the Venturas together under great sacrifice for him.

"The challenge was quite intimidating," admits Wilma. "But who would let it pass? To be given the chance to be in the US was already half the solution to problems. The other half was to make use of it to achieve life goals," she adds.

"Were it not for Uncle Fred and Auntie Verna, I wouldn't be here. My family wouldn't be here. Most likely, we would still be in San Carlos trying our best to survive," Wilma says.

It was this thought that pushed her to come up with a specialty bread -- an eight-pointed bun, garlic-flavored, that looks like a star and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The sesame seeds give the bread the appearance of a sunflower.

Ventura bread (pictured) -- created by Ms. Wilma Fernandez Ventura as an expression of appreciation and gratitude to her 85-year-old Uncle Fred, her father's older brother, who brought all his seven siblings and their families to the United States to start a new life.

Wilma names it the Ventura bread -- in honor of his Uncle Fred. The eight "points" represent the Ventura siblings, according to her -- "the uncles and aunties I will never forget", namely, James, Fred, Narciso, Leonora, Trinidad, Domingo, Eduardo and Jhona.

"I can't think of anything to immortalize my Uncle Fred's deeds," Wilma points out. "Creating this bread for him and his siblings is the greatest compliment that I could give him as a businesswoman and baker".

"If I had done it for President Barack Obama, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao (now a congressman), actress-singer Genesis, and others, why not my Uncle Fred who made it all happen, to begin with?" she asks.

Each of the person she mentions had specialty breads named after them -- all invented by Wilma -- such as the best-selling Obama Pan de Sal, the Pacquiao breads (Siete Coronas de Pacquiao, Pan de Pacquiao, Brazo de Pacquiao) and Genesis Loaf. (Video links at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QhH3Xqphs0  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU8DbR5sm6E&feature=channel  )

Facade of The Original Richard's Bakery at 3400 E. Eighth St., in National City, San Diego County, California.

The Ventura bread will be the latest addition to the growing list of breads, pastries and native kakanins that Wilma's creative mind has brought about in the last three years to the two-decades old Original Richard's Bakery which she owns and manages in National City, San Diego's neighbor to the south.

"My grandpa, Captain Leodegario Ventura and my grandma Rufina Ramos Ventura, are always in our hearts, and I am grateful to them as well, for without them, we won't have an uncle Fred who'd brought us here," Wilma stressed.

(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted, on condition that the author and the publication be properly credited. By Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 4, Issue no. 20, June 23, 2010).

G8 Leaders

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper plays host to his colleagues in the exclusive Group of 8 starting today, Thursday, June 24, 2010. Expected to be in Huntsville in northern Toronto are British Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Summiteering in Fortress Toronto

A Pictorial Essay (all photos by Romy Marquez)

As the days of the G8/G20 summits in Huntsville, Muskoka north of Toronto, and in Downtown Toronto, approach this weekend, hundreds of fully-armed police have descended on Canada's largest city. They walk around in squads of eight, or pairs of twos. They bike and scoot in and out of the summit zone which will be sealed off to the general public starting on Thursday, June 24, 2010.

Here are some of the pictures taken today. Wednesday, June 23, 2010 as the Philippine Village Voice and Currents & Breaking News begin its coverage of the summit in downtown starting June 26 through 27.

The police also deployed cameras all over the area to make sure even the littlest mischief is monitored and recorded.

G8/G20 Summits This Weekend in Toronto

Summiteering in Fortress Toronto

The iconic CN Tower is among the landmarks fenced in for the summit on June 25-26. A day before, on June 24, the downtown core consising of eight major streets will be sealed off.

The leaders of the world's eight industrialised countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) called the Group of 8, thus G-8, will meet in Muskoka, the scenic region about two hours drive north of Toronto, on June 25-26 2010. Canada's is this year's G-8 president and host of the summit.

Two layers of steel fencing secure the rear entrance to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the main summit site, on Front Street.

The G-20 summit is on June 26 and 27, 2010 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown. It's actually an expanded forum that now includes developing countries. Members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and the European Union.

Here's a link to the downtown Toronto map indicating road closures:  http://www.g8-g20isu.ca/g20/resources/10-06-11-map.pdf

A combination of concrete barriers and nine-foot high steel fence snake through at least six kilometers of roads that have been designated by the authorities as the security zone where only pass holders will be allowed.

All photos are by Romy Marquez unless otherwise indicated. Copyright 2010