tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36056987247776537822024-02-01T21:50:34.042-08:00Currents & Breaking NewsThis blog attempts to link Filipino communities in the United States, Canada, the Philippines and elsewhere around the world in their common concerns and issues through the news and commentaries relevant to them. (All rights reserved. Re-use or re-publication of any article or picture in this blog by any means requires written permission of the editor. This may be waived only for purposes of brief quotations, references, reviews and citations).Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-67581216461787962122012-03-30T07:01:00.001-07:002012-03-30T07:57:06.263-07:00PIDC Controversy: Rosemer Enverga Hints at 'Legal Action'<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web
Channel</span><b> - <span style="font-style: italic;">Redefining Community News</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18746"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18749"><b style="background-color: black;">Currents & Breaking News </b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: black; font-weight: bold;">Volume 6, Issue No. 15</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor
Nobody /</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18758" style="font-style: italic;">.</span><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18759"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18760" style="font-style: italic;"> . . . . A
community service of The Filipino Web Channel (<a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com" rel="nofollow">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a>) and the Philippine Village
Voice (<a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com)%20m" rel="nofollow" title="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) m">PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) </a></span></span><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18763"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18764" style="font-style: italic;">for the
information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North
America . . . . . .</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><b>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of
Friday</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>, March
30, 2012</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">~ A press conference where officials promised transparency two
weeks ago has kicked off a dust of controversy </span><span style="font-size: small;">as calls are
made to open the books on the community's biggest money-making ventures. "The
cat is out of the bag," some wags say now. That remark testifies to the Fort
Knox-mentality that ha</span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">d shrouded the financial situation of the
not-for-profit Philippine Independence Day Council.</span></div>
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<u><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">PIDC CONTROVERSY</span></i></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Rosemer Enverga Hints at 'Legal Action'</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b style="background-color: black;">By ROMEO P.
MARQUEZ</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Member, </i><i>Investigative Reporters and Editors
(IRE), </i><i>Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: black;">and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada
(NEPMCC)</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">TORONTO - A
former official of the Filipino community's top organization has admitted that
it was a "serious matter" to be dragged into a controversy involving funds and
the running of beauty pageants, traditionally rich sources of revenues for
cash-strapped charities.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"Any
allegations can be a basis for a legal action," says Rosemer Enverga, the
erstwhile chair of three beauty contests under the aegis of the Philippine
Independence Day Council (PIDC), the non-profit umbrella with claimed membership
of nearly 300 associations.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">She was reacting to a public statement by Minda Neri, PIDC's immediate
past president, that PIDC "<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18803">never had a
proper accounting from her (Enverga)" when she left PIDC last year and formed
her own group that also has a beauty pageant component.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18804">
<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18805"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Latest attempts to seek clarifications from Enverga
proved futile as she did not reply to questions to put the issue to rest.
Instead, she referred the matter to the <span class="yiv253644320ms__id18808">PIDC treasurer
last year, Al Tupe.</span></span></div>
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<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18810"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Al Tupe will confirm as per our telephone
conversation x x x <span class="yiv253644320ms__id18814">that all financial documents
were submitted to him and had no problems whatsoever in procuring </span><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18815">what he needed from me to
complete </span><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18816">the reports," Enverga
states.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18816"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18820" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But there was not any word
from Tupe from that time Enverga said he would communicate. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Minda (Neri) should be communicating with Al (Tupe) before
making any allegations because this is a serious matter and can be a basis for a
legal action," she adds.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Whether or not that statement is a hint that she would seek
legal redress or a warning to stop the flow of stories is not exactly clear. In
the meantime, she found an audience to ventilate her
disappointment.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Upset by an earlier
story, Enverga was reported to have "cried" at a recent birthday gathering
attended by the local chapter of the Knights of Rizal where her husband, Tobias
"Jun" Enverga, is a ranking member. He also happens to be an elected trustee of
the 12-member Toronto Catholic District School Board representing Scarborough
ward.</span><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18828"><br /></span> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18829">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18830"><span style="font-size: small;">An
eyewitness account published in the e-group of the University of the Philippines
Alumni Association (UPAA) in Toronto stated that the Enverga couple - who are
not UPAA members - "</span></span><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18831"><span style="font-size: small;">shared their concern with us UPians" and "spoiled" the birthday bash of a
member.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18832">
<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18833"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18834">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18835"><span style="font-size: small;">“
'The publication of this controversy, which happened two years ago, is very
unfair,' Rosemer and husband Jun Enverga, who is an elected School Board
Trustee, lamented," wrote a certain </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18836">Livvy Camacho in
the e-group. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18836"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18840" style="background-color: black;">The couple's
reaction was the first and only public feedback since questions involving PIDC
funds arose two weeks ago.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18841">
<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18842" style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18843">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18844">It was Tess
Cusipag, publisher and editor of Balita newspaper, who posted the story written
by this reporter with the headline: "</span><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18845"><u><i>WAS THERE WRONG-DOING? </i></u>PIDC in a
Bind: To Pursue or Not Alleged Purse-Holder". (News video
at: </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFvfAV26CIQ&feature=channel" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFvfAV26CIQ&feature=channel</span></a><span style="font-size: small;">)</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18849">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18851">
<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18852" style="background-color: black;">"We
are doing this to our community not to glorify or destroy anybody but for the
information of everyone," Cusipag stresses in defending her action. "If there
was no controversy about money or anything then there is nothing to worry
about".</span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18852" style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18853">
</div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18855">
<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18856"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Camacho is apparently a friend of the Envergas, and even advocated
allowing them to rebut the published story in what was supposedly an e-group
limited to UPAA members only. </span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18857">
<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18858"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18859">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18860"><span style="font-size: small;">In fact, Camacho, on the pretext of a "level playing field",
posted </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">Ms. Enverga's
reply, to wit:</span> <i class="yiv253644320ms__id18862"><span style="font-size: small;">"I
do not understand why the editor of Balita, Ms Tess Cusipag, is bringing up this
issue to the UPAA Group. All financial affairs of the pageants under my
responsibility were reviewed and validated by the PDIC treasurer, Al Tupe, and
there have been no questions raised until this time - 2 years later. I am sure
we can be a more cohesive community without smearing the good name of those who
serve voluntarily and dedicate themselves in the service of the
community." </span></i></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18863">
<i class="yiv253644320ms__id18864"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18865">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18866"><span style="font-size: small;">To
this, Cusipag responded: "</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18867">All
they (the Envergas) had to do is to prove that there was no wrongdoing, but to
approach the people and get sympathy to the point that we are being blamed for
it then you are harbouring a culprit".</span></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18868">
<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18869" style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18870">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18871">"</span><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18872">We
are going to scrutinize like anything that we have done before till the culprit
produces the necessary paperwork that will clear their names," Cusipag added,
explaining that the newspaper, which used to be run by husband Ruben, now
retired,</span><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18873"> is
an advocate for transparency.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18873"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18874">
</div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18876">
<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18877"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">"It is better if there is a legal case so
there is an examination for discovery," Cusipag emphasizes. "By then she will be
forced to present all documents rather than ignoring all of
us".</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18879">
<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18880" style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Camacho's posting of Enverga's message also drew a
rejoinder from another UPAA member, Joe Rivera, who complained, thus:
"<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18883">I
don't know why you (referring to Camacho) are bringing up the idea of giving
everyone a level playing field when posting in this forum. This is already
given, not just an assumption, but a reality since this forum is in
cyberspace and virtually shared with everyone.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18885"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"> "<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18888">Just
because Tess Cusipag has access to this forum and Rosemer Enverga does not have
doesn't mean there is an 'imbalance of power of access.' Even your concept of
'balance of power' is nebulous to me". </span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18890"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18891"><span style="font-size: small;">Rivera continued: </span>"</span><span style="font-size: small;">Why complain about the PIDC posting
in our forum as if this really matters to our membership? They can have access
just the same, through your generosity of giving them space so their side can be
heard, which you actually did".</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18895">
<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18896" style="background-color: black;">When
confronted in an email why questions are being raised now, or two years after
the fact, Ms. Enverga did not respond.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18897">
<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18898" style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv253644320ms__id18899">
<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="yiv253644320ms__id18900" style="background-color: black;">This
reporter told her that the main reason, as culled from interviews, was that she
had stonewalled on the issue. The reports she claims she had submitted were
piecemeal and incomplete, according to those asked to shed light on the matter
but would not want to be identified.</span></span></div>
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<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18904"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">The
mini-controversy generated by the e-group postings has distracted from the main
issue, which was the alleged incomplete reporting of financial matters by Ms.
Enverga.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Neri has already
highlighted the helplessness of the PIDC in getting financial documents from her
to the point of resorting to legal remedies. That has not materialized because
of what Neri said was lack of time and money.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">"We have a
decision not to pursue during my term anyways because there's so much work to do
and we need that money to spend on our activities. If in the future we will have
extra money, it would be Norma's (Carpio) decision whether she would pursue. But
right now, no," Neri stated at a press conference on March
14.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Reached for
comment, Carpio does not appear poise to pursue the issue at this time because
of hectic preparations for the upcoming Mabuhay Festival in June.
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<span class="yiv253644320ms__id18922"><span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: black;"><i>(This Currents & Breaking</i> </span><i><span style="background-color: black;">News may be posted online,
broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the
author or the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or
re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor,
Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vol</span><span style="background-color: white;">ume 6, Issue no. 15,
March 30, 2012.</span></i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><i style="background-color: white;">Email at: <a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com" rel="nofollow">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:gmail.comPhilVoiceNews@aol.com" rel="nofollow"></a></i><a href="mailto:gmail.comPhilVoiceNews@aol.com" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white;"> </a><a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white;"><i>PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</i></a><i style="background-color: white;"> or </i><a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white;"><i>CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</i></a><i style="background-color: white;">).</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black;">Other stories available at:</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><a href="http://digitaljournal.com/user/130094/news" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">http://digitaljournal.com/user/130094/news</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">1. The Gotcha Journalist Channel's Currents & Breaking News</span><span style="background-color: white;">
at:<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGotchaJournalist#g/u" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGotchaJournalist#g/u</a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/FilipinoWebChannel#g/u" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/user/FilipinoWebChannel#g/u</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3. </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/FilWebEntertainment#g/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/user/FilWebEntertainment</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">#g/</span></a></span></span></div>
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</span></div>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-86846050770122009022011-08-18T19:57:00.000-07:002011-08-18T20:04:38.078-07:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 19 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Friday, August 12, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ The war of annihilation at the turn of the 20th century had ended more than a 100 years ago but the war of words as to how to categorize it has not abated. A youth group in Toronto called Kamalayan has that verbal discrepancy underscored as it conducts an awareness campaign of Philippine history. Last week, Kamalayan put up a booth at a popular square in downtown Toronto where volunteers explained ancient and contemporary Philippine history in hopes of educating those who cared to listen.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuA9PLavJmWmkFSvOy5uiKqSH9tCqVGslH6XHb2vuTvFU4lHMfj28ExG_8QiO8TpfuttdlHQ3jGBrnOVA9v-un44oxgf3atd0tMSrWWjPUBaxWRGfVMQvbPfPMoSDUr5kv25CdkShNxGS4/s1600/IMG_5502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuA9PLavJmWmkFSvOy5uiKqSH9tCqVGslH6XHb2vuTvFU4lHMfj28ExG_8QiO8TpfuttdlHQ3jGBrnOVA9v-un44oxgf3atd0tMSrWWjPUBaxWRGfVMQvbPfPMoSDUr5kv25CdkShNxGS4/s400/IMG_5502.JPG" width="300px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>A poster mounted on an easel shows a Filipino child on display in the United States. It's like a "human zoo," says Alex Felipe of the show.</strong></span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>CREATING AWARENESS OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Philippines Says It's 'War'; US Insists It's 'Insurrection'</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</span></span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - In the eyes of Filipinos, the bloody armed conflict at the turn of the 20th century between the Philippines and the United States was a full-scale war.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Americans, on the other hand, perhaps embarrassed by their failure to "pacify" the islands after they took over from Spain in 1898, called it an "insurrection", which implied acceptance of and subservience to US authority.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the name of "pacification" one entire village in the central Samar province was turned into a "howling wilderness", as described by the American general who implemented the campaign that saw the massacre of thousands of Filipinos from 10 years up.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The telling and re-telling of this sad chapter in Philippine history vary from American mouth to Filipino mouth, as it is from many US and Philippine history books.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But the truth has not been contested - the conflict had claimed casualties in the hundreds of thousands, or upwards of one million people.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In Toronto, a Filipino youth group is conducting a Philippine history awareness campaign through workshops and community outreach. The latest was at the Filipino Making Waves Festival in Yonge-Dundas Square during the two-day weekend (Aug. 6 and 7, 2011).</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The goal is to tell Filipinos about their history," says Alex Felipe, co-organizer of Kamalayan (awareness), in an interview. "The history I tell is from the point of view of the masses of the people in the Philippines."</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vfy9smeXTQcqguCbBFft7y1gTdEeSydFUmzXf1LHLPcAAZcNYbbe4HZ8GI78uhBpQzlTGFgF_HecAoDsAAocp69pao0D3AJlNGg_s0P3EESFpOoGfoZ1n7LySiCMPAi5JXbmH1QwJjMC/s1600/IMG_5527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vfy9smeXTQcqguCbBFft7y1gTdEeSydFUmzXf1LHLPcAAZcNYbbe4HZ8GI78uhBpQzlTGFgF_HecAoDsAAocp69pao0D3AJlNGg_s0P3EESFpOoGfoZ1n7LySiCMPAi5JXbmH1QwJjMC/s320/IMG_5527.JPG" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Alex Felipe, co-organizer of Kamalayan.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Often, a lot of the history that I give is a little bit different from the mainstream. That's not to say that I don't give also the mainstream history. I will also give that and put it in context with the more progressive versions of the history," Felipe stresses.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Kamalayan's booth at the festival had attracted curiousity from a mix crowd of onlookers and history buffs because of the huge photographs mounted on easels showing American atrocities during what the Americans called Philippine Insurrection of 1899-1902 and which Filipinos referred to as Philippine-American War.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The US colonized the Philippines after Spain - the country's imperial colonizer for more than 300 years - sold the islands for $20 million in 1898, the same year Filipino revolutionaries declared independence. On July 4, 1946, the US granted the Philippines its own version of independence.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 19, August 12, 2011. Email at: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com).</span></em> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user41447">http://vimeo.com/user41447</a></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-74298925274440201532011-08-04T08:32:00.000-07:002011-08-04T08:56:15.634-07:00PIDC Barks, Gets a Slap on the Wrist<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 18 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Thursday, August 4, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ Coming from a diplomat, it's probably the equivalent of a slap on the wrist. Nevertheless, what's important is the demonstrated commitment by Philippine authorities to unbridled practice of freedom of the press, which, unfortunately, is lost in PIDC (Philippine Independence Day Council), the self-appointed prime mover of community festivities in Toronto's Filipino community. Irony of ironies, PIDC advocates selective censorship that favors media friendly to the organization and its officers. "Stop whining," a PIDC official barks at local journalists. To which Consul General Pedro Chan reacts: "We should give media freedom it deserves".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><strong>"STOP WHINING," PIDC OFFICIAL BARKS AT JOURNALISTS</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Top Diplomat Censures Media Censors at PIDC</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) </em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - Short of publicly chastising organizers for imposing on Filipino journalists, the top Philippine diplomat in Toronto said media should be given all the freedom it deserves rather than repress it.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCSmd_lGLWAC8qkwDUj2xGBB3d9KXCq4c6zJokkIWSAdhjKrASyhBx4d-zxcP_HM0X0lZgsitnHyoworBmldkVMJFttN0YiwMTLjx-HL9_4IVKEkKA8IatP9vlqURP-686hMWjhd5U4KE/s1600/IMG_5168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCSmd_lGLWAC8qkwDUj2xGBB3d9KXCq4c6zJokkIWSAdhjKrASyhBx4d-zxcP_HM0X0lZgsitnHyoworBmldkVMJFttN0YiwMTLjx-HL9_4IVKEkKA8IatP9vlqURP-686hMWjhd5U4KE/s400/IMG_5168.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Philippine Consul General Pedro O. Chan</span></strong></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Consul General Pedro Chan was reacting to news reports that local reporters were protesting the imposition of a waiver by the Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC) at last week's Mabuhay Festival at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"When it comes to media people, there should not be any waiver," he stressed in an interview with The Filipino Web Channel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Selected journalists were not allowed to cover the PIDC event without signing the waiver. Journalist Butch Galicia tore his press accreditation wrist band, firmly refusing to sign the paper and walked out of the event.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7Rc8zsnosE7Nq3uJDbFxEe-uoSXWIEcvyb2eaxLy7xoMj5wjVryzpC-XMSI8GY26qNdk3UfTKnbU7JHzycSlgHLOXenvU8qdRkzNK4wC3bkCdoFfYVRSjxXfo0cjcqftggNvCcUWYI4y/s1600/IMG_4516+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="377px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7Rc8zsnosE7Nq3uJDbFxEe-uoSXWIEcvyb2eaxLy7xoMj5wjVryzpC-XMSI8GY26qNdk3UfTKnbU7JHzycSlgHLOXenvU8qdRkzNK4wC3bkCdoFfYVRSjxXfo0cjcqftggNvCcUWYI4y/s400/IMG_4516+-+Copy.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A copy of the PIDC waiver.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"What is 'independence' if they shackle one with a red wristband that smacks of press censorship?" Galicia asks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Though the ranking executive officials of PIDC remained silent on the issue and did not respond to questions, one PIDC adviser has acknowledged that "mistake were <em>(sic)</em> done" by the organization in imposing the waiver. He then asked local journalists to "stop whining". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As the controversy over PIDC's unprecedented requirement spread in Filipino communities around the world, Chicago-based journalist Joseph Lariosa suggested that local media ask the Philippine Consulate to stop PIDC from using "Philippine Independence Day" in its activities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The PDIC organizers should come up with another name but not 'Philippine Independence' if the Philippine Consulate wants to promote press freedom," says Lariosa in an email to this reporter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A waiver that PIDC required of some journalists to sign before they could cover its Mabuhay Festival last week has sparked an outcry from media in Canada and the United States.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The waiver is destroying the image and spirit and name of Philippine Independence," Lariosa states.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the meantime, Manuel Villamor, a member of PIDC's council of leaders, admitted the mistake. It's not clear, however, if he was speaking on behalf of the organization or of its executive officers who have remained tightlipped about the issue.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoC50rhABIlsqfqyZQTlN70lB_WlxB6brXe04lIVxMUJcV6G9ILXT4CyTGF-KxVcnHd4m2WPsH2Fgsw4fOLqP3NmvG-HqzYGWwt66kTmRp2nUH6SQp3AMwo6glor-PM1gFDLi3Q0jGbJG/s1600/Manuel-Villamor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoC50rhABIlsqfqyZQTlN70lB_WlxB6brXe04lIVxMUJcV6G9ILXT4CyTGF-KxVcnHd4m2WPsH2Fgsw4fOLqP3NmvG-HqzYGWwt66kTmRp2nUH6SQp3AMwo6glor-PM1gFDLi3Q0jGbJG/s200/Manuel-Villamor.jpg" t$="true" width="188px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Manuel Villamor</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Things happened . . . mistake were <em>(sic)</em> done . . . stop whining . . . get on with life . . that's the only way we can all improve and be happy," Villamor wrote in his telegraphic-style reaction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lariosa proposed that the consulate or Philippine embassy tell PIDC to drop the words "Philippine independence" in their undertaking because they contradict the very essence of freedom. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"If the Philippine Consulate will ignore your petition x x x community media practitioners are going to boycott the use of press releases of the Philippine Consulate, Philippine Embassy and Department of Foreign Affairs," he says. "If this does not work, then, you can write a letter to President Noynoy Aquino."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Consul General Chan said having a waiver, which amounted to censorship, and preaching independence were a contradiction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"That's why Filipinos fought and died for because of independence and yet some people will stifle the media which are exercising it. That should never be," he emphasized.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"We are in a free society. And Philippine media is known to be the freest in the world . . . licentious even. But still we get more advantages for being that than for being restrictive . . . " Chan said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 18, August 4, 2011. Email at: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a>).</span></em> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels at You Tube and Vimeo can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/FilipinoWebChannel#g/u">http://www.youtube.com/user/FilipinoWebChannel#g/u</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Gotcha Journalist Channel at YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGotchaJournalist#g/u">http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGotchaJournalist#g/u</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At Vimeo:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Romy Marquez's Channel:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/romymarquez2010/videos">http://vimeo.com/romymarquez2010/videos</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Filipino Web Channel:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/romymarquez/videos">http://vimeo.com/romymarquez/videos</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For other stories, please visit: </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-30635467941518048482011-07-29T09:36:00.000-07:002011-07-29T12:00:45.485-07:00Filipino Journalists in Canada, US Decry Censorship<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 17 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgz57sTSXxEOH1qgoef2U0h5Q2pmMVOvlIFQGag6CZVZMUQkwayV8DjVvt4TTeZoZRhMVTII3ocwrPjDIuhzH1xdre78fGfZXcmfA3kCnaUVe8K3vv5tM_cJeNplbKFvHhnCwKCUci6Pt/s1600/IMG_4523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgz57sTSXxEOH1qgoef2U0h5Q2pmMVOvlIFQGag6CZVZMUQkwayV8DjVvt4TTeZoZRhMVTII3ocwrPjDIuhzH1xdre78fGfZXcmfA3kCnaUVe8K3vv5tM_cJeNplbKFvHhnCwKCUci6Pt/s400/IMG_4523.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hall E of Metro Toronto Convention Centre where Mabuhay Festival took place.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Friday, July 29, 2011</strong> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ A waiver that selectively allows only the "friendly" writers unrestricted access to its events is the very antithesis of the freedom Filipinos fought and died for. That essence has been lost in Saturday's (July 23, 2011) staging of Mabuhay Festival by Philippine Independence Day Council and ABS CBN-TFC. Now, journalists from across Canada and the United States are protesting the unprecedented imposition. One journalist asks: Is PIDC, a non-profit organization, hiding some mischief? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><strong>IT'S CENSORSHIP, AN INFRINGEMENT ON PRESS FREEDOM</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Journalists Protest PIDC's Waiver on News Coverage</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) </em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - An innocuous-looking piece of paper is kicking up a storm of controversy in the Filipino community after a local newspaper editor tore his media wrist band in disgust and walked off a press coverage during the weekend.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The incident provided the anticlimax to the staging of the Mabuhay Festival, a whole-day feast of songs, dances and food at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre that's still part of Philippine independence activities more than a month ago.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Officials of Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC), the umbrella organization that undertook the event in Toronto, had asked journalists to sign a waiver requiring them to get PIDC's permission to use their own film footage or photographs and to provide PIDC with copies of their works.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A press accreditation in the form of a red wrist band was withheld if a journalist refused to sign the waiver, as did happen to this reporter.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em></em></span></strong> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwF1R-UTwCz3d7Z6wCgLRghlbEHpfESABx_udv-ImcB6pzAlxzMGYW5OeBonGfhAkcKwjYV_9eCkmL-IVZlhBEFGyo1acmHyQf8tdQP6ecndaI2EAKl-ftg590XcOwdP8d_wnfLLbGNrSX/s1600/IMG_4544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwF1R-UTwCz3d7Z6wCgLRghlbEHpfESABx_udv-ImcB6pzAlxzMGYW5OeBonGfhAkcKwjYV_9eCkmL-IVZlhBEFGyo1acmHyQf8tdQP6ecndaI2EAKl-ftg590XcOwdP8d_wnfLLbGNrSX/s400/IMG_4544.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></em></span></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Site of Mabuhay Festival on Saturday, July 23, 2011.</em></span></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em></em></span></strong> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When confronted with a waiver, another writer, Butch Galicia, editor of a monthly community paper in Toronto, firmly refused to sign it. He then cut his wrist band in protest and returned the remnants to the volunteers at PIDC's media booth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"It's an infringement on the press, a censorship," he told this reporter in an interview minutes after the incident on Saturday (July 23, 2011).</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A co-sponsorship of the event by ABS CBN-The Filipino Channel, the Philippines' largest broadcast network, might have triggered the imposition to protect its talents from exposure, according to officials who did not want to be identified because of their ties with PIDC. The network brought at least seven performers from its base in Manila.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpsAmL_ujBQHwTmXiaLVXL_hcv8kEYuI5Pi4o1bKZ0ATrzomk4lYjBMtns78zf8siH3GKsEOgyxNSdIuu2WOWW4b0IJ1du3cfFuXco7WoEYyw7oo2pXGoskCSyc-blr7rc1FIPQw6WYBz/s1600/IMG_4816+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpsAmL_ujBQHwTmXiaLVXL_hcv8kEYuI5Pi4o1bKZ0ATrzomk4lYjBMtns78zf8siH3GKsEOgyxNSdIuu2WOWW4b0IJ1du3cfFuXco7WoEYyw7oo2pXGoskCSyc-blr7rc1FIPQw6WYBz/s400/IMG_4816+-+Copy.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></em></span></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>PIDC and ABS CBN-TFC co-sponsored the event. How much did PIDC get from the arrangement?</em></span></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Journalist Tenny Soriano said he signed the waiver to get inside the hall and did not mind it because he wasn't taking pictures or videos. Later he realized it wasn't right that he'd be subjected to the requirement while others - those friendly with PIDC - were not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Is it because some reporters belonging to the Philippine Press Club - Ontario (a social club) have connections with PIDC?" he asked.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PPCO officials, namely Paul De la Cruz, Mogi Mogado, Riza Khamal and Hermie Garcia, did not respond to queries emailed to them on July 26. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PIDC president Minda Neri also did not reply to inquiries.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"I guess those responsible for even thinking of the waiver had so unceremoniously implied a formal declaration that separated those who could really do journalistic work from those who pretend and could not do so," Galicia said.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He said the PIDC waiver was "censorship of the highest degree clothed in sheepskin". </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"It smacks of the lack of respect some people have over those who have humbly bestowed on themselves the now-I-understand-as-the 'useless second-class' rag tag as 'community journalists.' The waiver's face value -- even without reading the words -- simply says: 'Kowtow to us or you'll never get anything good from us'," Galicia stated. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He stressed that it was also an infringement on press freedom "because it can dangerously place a practicing journalist on the plateau of bias and mistrust after being threatened with what the organizers implied as their doubtful, if not dubious, intentions".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWr8nGPjZRS1YmJ3iQj5JEM-_dvOPVqOkVJV5cbbabfhIUw6z9dQxsmzQSfmzzw20K4imTfzxwYsXuIF9_sJQWPOPJ8cnalTbyHBUTrenwyj_hMSMuIR9AjbkBJu97bMCIiatdJne9nTwD/s1600/IMG_4494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWr8nGPjZRS1YmJ3iQj5JEM-_dvOPVqOkVJV5cbbabfhIUw6z9dQxsmzQSfmzzw20K4imTfzxwYsXuIF9_sJQWPOPJ8cnalTbyHBUTrenwyj_hMSMuIR9AjbkBJu97bMCIiatdJne9nTwD/s400/IMG_4494.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A typical scene inside the festival hall.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">News of the waiver imposition has generated a backlash of angry comments from journalists across Canada and the United States. Such requirement apparently has no precedence in Filipino community organizing in both countries.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Who do those PDIC people think they are? I believe Canada has the same freedom of the press like the United States'," says Chicago-based columnist Don Azarias.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A practising lawyer in Toronto with years of working experience in media said "The author is apparently just trying to be cute, and unfortunately found in the waiver outlet for the legal talent that he thinks he has".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"In any event, the caveat in legal gibberish is a nullius in verba -- obviously unenforceable within the context of the very public event. Wika nga, threat lamok," he says laughing.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Seattle, Washington-based journalist Jesse Jose agrees. "Yes, this so-called waiver is plain and simple censorship. And in capital letters too. This event is a public event right in the heart of downtown Toronto, and they're curtailing journalists to report on it. So stupid, I think".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He continues: "I think it's laughable that journalists who want to cover this PIDC event and write about it have to have a 'written permission' from officials of this group. They must be a bunch of ignorant morons. Haven't they heard of 'freedom of the press'? What are they hiding? What do they fear."</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Print and broadcast journalist Ace Alvarez said he did not believe that the waiver, as worded, is censorship or an infringement on press freedom.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"However," he emphasizes, "having the journalists sign the waiver is a stupid act, since journalists may write and publish, produce and air on radio and television whatever and however they wish to present their stories".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"A waiver of such nature as PIDC asked journalists to sign goes to show that the PIDC people themselves do not understand the nature of our work," Alvarez says.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"In addition to a very poorly worded piece of document, the PIDC did not accomplish something, except perhaps, to get a free copy of the news article and/or the radio/tv production, or perhaps free photos from those who took them -- if those who took them would even respect the waiver they signed," he added.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 17, July 29, 2011. Email at: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com).</span></em> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-86526121441120364982011-07-26T18:05:00.000-07:002011-07-26T18:33:24.178-07:00PIDC: One Monstrous Gaffe After Another<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Currents & Breaking News </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>OPINION/COMMENTARY</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 16 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Tuesday, July 26, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ PIDC (Philippine Independence Day Council), the self-appointed prime mover of community festivities related to freedom day in Toronto, has gone from bad to worse. What it calls "a slew of successful events" were attended by one monstrous gaffe after another, generating unflattering comments from independent media, the group that's apparently targeted to have a hard time with the organization. At its festival on Saturday (July 23, 2011) at Metro Toronto Convention Centre, PIDC became selective in allowing who to cover its events, favoring the "friendlies" with easy access and saddling the "unfriendlies" with a requirement that amounts to censorship and media infringement. It's unbridled prejudice against those who question its affairs as a non-profit organization.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwc7dtUvC7d8lMfxr-NHJiXmyqEv9_ki1TAXyuMaDbZ5Syn4VkTv3PlBd4x7xoBcDz8n4E3uCmqJjWbzdIQ1D9uBoMbyXLzn9vP8Ec5aH0Xrb8jnVag6LPqwbnJwL4lkP6ROzjmqmcl-0/s1600/IMG_4490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwc7dtUvC7d8lMfxr-NHJiXmyqEv9_ki1TAXyuMaDbZ5Syn4VkTv3PlBd4x7xoBcDz8n4E3uCmqJjWbzdIQ1D9uBoMbyXLzn9vP8Ec5aH0Xrb8jnVag6LPqwbnJwL4lkP6ROzjmqmcl-0/s400/IMG_4490.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The vinta was the design motif of the festival.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><strong>PREROGATIVE</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Toronto's PIDC Has Gone from Bad to Worse</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</span></span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I went there with an open mind. I wanted to disprove my growing perception that Philippine Independence Day Council was not at all callous to journalistic inquiries. I needed to find out the truth in the portrayal by some Filipino newspapers that top PIDC officials, notably Minda Neri, were really good, honest and capable leaders.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My earlier unsympathetic impressions were ready to be cast off this Saturday, June 23, 2011 at the staging of yet another feast at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Mabuhay Festival led by PIDC and co-sponsored by Kapamilya of TFC. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's hard to say it's a community event unless the Kapamilya subscribers - meaning those who pay to watch the endless stream of soap operas and the usual singing, shrieking and dancing on TV - are the community.The more accurate way to say it is that PIDC-Kapamilya is just a fraction of a bigger community.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVv0Qo0cSovAaUJxsP7-imfdqLSbxuxcn4PkwMe1ZIntUP-feHs0Y4aFyqHo6GRPIiODmsFiASoHY4Z1U6Fi5fGeBA6RQOuV0Ivy0t2w_4Xqchvoen5QK8KJT0rHxarflJClys6bzbFbc/s1600/IMG_4480+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVv0Qo0cSovAaUJxsP7-imfdqLSbxuxcn4PkwMe1ZIntUP-feHs0Y4aFyqHo6GRPIiODmsFiASoHY4Z1U6Fi5fGeBA6RQOuV0Ivy0t2w_4Xqchvoen5QK8KJT0rHxarflJClys6bzbFbc/s320/IMG_4480+-+Copy.JPG" t$="true" width="281px" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">An event of greater significance to me was the huge picnic, also on Saturday, by the Bicolanos at Earl Bales Park, which I missed, unfortunately, because of another commitment. Between PIDC's extravaganza and this picnic, I prefer the latter simply because one finds true hospitality and real friendship there, not the fancy smiles of false teeth and the pretense of warm greetings PIDC is quite famous for.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had intended to come at my usual time, which is at least 15 minutes before the event. On Saturday it was impossible to do that, for, again, the PIDC festival conflicted with the launching of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines - Canada. I had no second thoughts going to the latter.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The reason is that PIDC's entertainment fare was nothing new and could be accessed anytime on TV. Besides, the PIDC officials I had eagerly wanted to interview would surely become so busy again, chatting and eating, or simply hiding from the prying eyes of the press. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On the other hand, it's quite rare to break bread with colleagues in the working press for their time is as valuable as mine. Therefore, one need not belabor it, just go to NUJP, which was what I did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When the NUJP event ended in mid-afternoon, I decided to go with friends to the PIDC festival. In the car with journalists Tenny Soriano and Butch Galicia, my mind was wandering. Would I be able to get somebody from PIDC to talk about Mabuhay Festival, its latest money-making venture? The PIDC is one fat cow again, I mused, but is it a milking cow?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Then I remember my experience a month ago at the PIDC picnic at Earl Bales Park where one monstrous gaffe after another came in torrents. My mind also thought about the miscues at the PIDC flag-raising at Queen's Park on June 12 and the gala event preceding that that saw an agitated Consul General Pedro Chan silently protesting the shabby treatment he got from PIDC partygoers who seemed enamored with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After almost an hour snaking through the maze of side streets from High Park, we finally reached Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown. Tenny Soriano had repeatedly assured me that he had included my name in a list of reporters submitted to PIDC for accreditation to cover the festival.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well, I thought that it was unncessary because PIDC officials knew who the real journalists are from card-collecting pretenders who are supposedly reporters, writers, photographers, etc. of some local newspapers. By face, if not by name, they could tell who's who. But PIDC had to be in control and the requirement made the organization look powerful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While waiting at the lounge, I decided to take a quick look at the festival at one of the centre's function rooms in the basement. I wore my press credentials and brought out my camera. Then I walked into the cavernous hall, unchallenged by volunteers, aides and security guards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Inside, I took videos and pictures and even had a brief interview with some business people while the PA system blared so loud the sound, perhaps amplified a thousand times, could shatter one's eardrums and let loose a spoonful of earwax. A face-to-face conversation was impossible to conduct.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I walked around the length and breadth of the whole area trying to compare a similar event by the Philippine Canadian Charity Foundation-Kapuso a month earlier in the same building.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's no longer a question of which attracted the most number of people, rather, it was a question of which had the big splash. PCCF-Kapuso was huge, in fact, it was the biggest fiesta by Filipinos. PIDC-Kapamilya was also sizable, the magnitude of its bulk could be measured in the way they jammed the hall with ear-splitting noise and the choreographed shrieks of fans.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The crowd wait for their favorite talents.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I could not stand the noise level. If I had wanted good entertainment, the place to go was not this PIDC event. But I was working, so I lingered for another five minutes, then happily walked out of the hall. At the lounge area on the ground floor, Butch Galicia was narrating his bad encounter with PIDC officials at the media booth.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>"Sayang wala ka doon,"</strong> he greeted me as I approached him. Why, what happened, I asked.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He got his accreditation, which was not an ID card or anything, but a red ribbon the media volunteers tied around his wrist. He said he tore it after he was asked to sign a waiver. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Nobody in his right mind would, so Butch firmly refused, and gave back the piece of paper. "It was an infringement on press freedom," he said. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Curious about the incident I went down to see if the volunteers would do the same thing to me. I had entered the hall earlier without anybody checking my press credentials and did not tell anyone in the media booth until later.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I told the volunteers my name, showed my IDs and asked to be given the accreditation. The man and woman volunteers searched for my name in their list and it wasn't there. The woman asked for my name again and my media outfit. Instead of answering her, I showed my press cards with my name, picture and media entities I represent.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She looked up the list again. There was no name like my name. Then the other woman repeated, for the third time, the question of what newspaper I write for. To make it understandable, she mentioned names of newspapers she's most familiar with.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I replied that I already gave her my answer - that I don't have a newspaper! I said everything you wanted to know about me can be found in my press cards. "Hmmm, Digital Journal, what's that?" I almost lost my temper. But I held on, realizing now that the people at the media booth are a bunch of misinformed if not ignorant volunteers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One of the volunteers called a PIDC official, Imie Belanger, who recognized me and motioned the volunteers to give me a red ribbon. Before they would put it on my wrist, they asked me to sign the waiver.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7Rc8zsnosE7Nq3uJDbFxEe-uoSXWIEcvyb2eaxLy7xoMj5wjVryzpC-XMSI8GY26qNdk3UfTKnbU7JHzycSlgHLOXenvU8qdRkzNK4wC3bkCdoFfYVRSjxXfo0cjcqftggNvCcUWYI4y/s1600/IMG_4516+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="377px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7Rc8zsnosE7Nq3uJDbFxEe-uoSXWIEcvyb2eaxLy7xoMj5wjVryzpC-XMSI8GY26qNdk3UfTKnbU7JHzycSlgHLOXenvU8qdRkzNK4wC3bkCdoFfYVRSjxXfo0cjcqftggNvCcUWYI4y/s400/IMG_4516+-+Copy.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A copy of the waiver PIDC asked journalists to sign.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I asked what it was, and the man said in Tagalog: "don't worry, it's not something that would land you in jail". I examined the piece of paper and took photographs of it. Butch Galicia was right and I agree with him. This is simply censorship by PIDC.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After taking pictures of the waiver, I told Imie Belanger and her volunteers that I really didn't need the red ribbon. Neither do I want to cover the event in exchange for signing the waiver.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As a matter of fact, I already got in there just to test the system, and did interviews, took videos and pictures. I had no interest going back. With that said, I gave back the red ribbon and the waiver.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Coming out of the convention centre, I realize that my initial impression about PIDC was correct. This Saturday, PIDC has just gone from bad to worse.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 16, July 26, 2011. Email at: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a>).</span></em> </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDToXGtyDAj6pU4qIWCJ1UVsQV9s4n9GTXEArQlQ1g5pOVJT9jubmfcoNSuXCcA-UOEe-wD34L6s_nEbez4jYkBbf80M-JePyfmF2iCmcYKXKVvLm17p9cpkMOIHlANjmRDDv76WPXjxn/s1600/IMG_4534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDToXGtyDAj6pU4qIWCJ1UVsQV9s4n9GTXEArQlQ1g5pOVJT9jubmfcoNSuXCcA-UOEe-wD34L6s_nEbez4jYkBbf80M-JePyfmF2iCmcYKXKVvLm17p9cpkMOIHlANjmRDDv76WPXjxn/s400/IMG_4534.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Among the prominent people who attended the festival.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-56757679747035768202011-07-25T05:28:00.000-07:002011-07-25T05:39:32.547-07:00NUJP-Canada Vows to Uplift Community Journalism in Toronto<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaKkPESwJDHjl1bnRejHHIGD0j3ZY2HfzmMaLXLZP4YR6u5MqopxiJqxsZXBJtoTug6yAtuK2v22q2ZGNHfUIj-fEhJxvcfwDJ-fysrQ3sFJmYVR2xQATeyouJv_ioJ2F9AJKdCumUOwO/s1600/IMG_4555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaKkPESwJDHjl1bnRejHHIGD0j3ZY2HfzmMaLXLZP4YR6u5MqopxiJqxsZXBJtoTug6yAtuK2v22q2ZGNHfUIj-fEhJxvcfwDJ-fysrQ3sFJmYVR2xQATeyouJv_ioJ2F9AJKdCumUOwO/s400/IMG_4555.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some of the Filipino newspapers in Toronto.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Currents & Breaking News </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 15 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Monday, July 25, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ Filipino journalists in Toronto have strengthened their ability to demand dignity and respect by organizing themselves into a union, the first move in a process to professionalize the local media industry. Edwin Mercurio now heads the newly-formed National Union of Journalists of the Philippines - Canada, which was launched on Saturday, July 23, 2011 to upgrade journalists' technical skills and to work for standardized pay. NUJP-Canada could spell the end of freebies some newspapers enjoy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>NUJP-CANADA IN TORONTO</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Filipino Journalists Want No More Freebies for Their Work</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) </em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - Stung by a proliferation of fake and incompetent media practitioners in the local newspaper industry, concerned Filipino journalists organized themselves into a union to work for standardized pay and to upgrade their technical skills.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Toronto's Filipino community of 250,000 has at least 15 entertainment-oriented tabloids, most of them heavily dependent on press releases and reprints from publications in the Philippines.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some publishers, editors and reporters have no background in journalism and, least of all, the ability to write, and hire non-journalists for a pittance to edit and design their publications for them, according to journalists interviewed for this story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"You read about entertainment. You read about the good news, the bad news in the Philippines; the good news and the bad news in Canada. You read all about them . . . but how much of the content comes from home-grown writers? Not even two percent," says Butch Galicia, editor of the monthly English-language Libreto newspaper in Toronto.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The continuing slide of local journalism into disrepute is exacerbated by a woeful lack of trained and schooled journalists, a problem made apparent by the dominance of content that highlights Philippine and Canadian entertainment.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQzOmhYzV2lCMfMoSpuL0xgikxYRk-6MsmCIuWyxaA6s4JBXBOikj3iatVWuWB_iLmtGI9V0EibyHtCYibHoTsdcziMG03uxx4Qs7m6I9qquQZixx0Y7EErgcQWd35FedGwVNXsoIfjPa/s1600/IMG_4471+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQzOmhYzV2lCMfMoSpuL0xgikxYRk-6MsmCIuWyxaA6s4JBXBOikj3iatVWuWB_iLmtGI9V0EibyHtCYibHoTsdcziMG03uxx4Qs7m6I9qquQZixx0Y7EErgcQWd35FedGwVNXsoIfjPa/s320/IMG_4471+-+Copy.JPG" t$="true" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Journalists Tenny Soriano and Butch Galicia.</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The news that you read in the papers only tells you the alleluias of all organizations, including birthdays, weddings and all the sort," Galicia added.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The newly-formed National Union of Journalists of the Philippines - Canada hopes to improve the local situation.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Our focus is on the promotion of press freedom and to work for the benefit and welfare of Filipino media practitioners in Canada and the Philippines," says Edwin Mercurio, NUJP-Canada chair.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A similar group exists in the Philippines but NUJP-Canada is the first nationally-organized union of veteran Filipino-Canadian journalists, writers, photographers and artists in North America.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mercurio said NUJP-Canada recognizes the importance of training local media practitioners and volunteers to maintain a strong pool of talents, thus the planned Editors Weekend Trainings beginning this year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"One of our main goals is to assist media practitioners in their just demands to be treated with dignity and respect; just compensation for their hours of work; social, health and other benefits," Mercurio stresses at the small gathering on Saturday (July 23, 2011) in High Park formally launching NUJP-Canada.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NGxiYe5dEhdfUFx9x2QZtY0gvmwpsoClJhZZszCkZz7OEh7hqqmm31KzMqr0leCDJLZpfkRZLjjOdlfqwVNAtuKrc0GquZowzvtvjO0LuUaeRyLT6Wk3bijjbym0wM3nyBFL-spCQ2jL/s1600/IMG_4477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NGxiYe5dEhdfUFx9x2QZtY0gvmwpsoClJhZZszCkZz7OEh7hqqmm31KzMqr0leCDJLZpfkRZLjjOdlfqwVNAtuKrc0GquZowzvtvjO0LuUaeRyLT6Wk3bijjbym0wM3nyBFL-spCQ2jL/s400/IMG_4477.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Officers, members and guests at the NUJP-Canada launching on July 23, 2011 in Toronto's High Park.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The group also expressed alarm at what it calls "the continued killings of media practitioners in the Philippines and the prevailing culture of impunity".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Philippines holds the global distinction of having the highest number of journalists killed in one day with the massacre of 32 media persons in Maguindanao province in Southern Philippines in November 2009. Twenty-five other civilians were also killed on that same day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"This is one of the major reasons we are compelled to act and organized this union of journalists in Canada, as a symbol of our solid and continuing support for our beleaguered colleagues in the Philippines," explains Mercurio.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He said the Philippines is considered the most dangerous country in the world for practising journalists.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 15, July 25, 2011. Email at: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a>).</span></em> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> .</span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-81177038472409812812011-07-21T07:20:00.000-07:002011-07-22T11:21:55.002-07:00Sleazy Writing and Distorted Reporting<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3Uv0JcyjXPSUwiue7C1B8ysc26m2-ZToXbCVBpf45M1Tagv1RmAPzCJxAjQp4AcVrJ3DKqDii0W6fONBEd1sO1DbOFYFkNnzAaAlS335J2xqs2ekVYXfqsBtv0ZpxJGQ78lKENbDmHZQ/s1600/copy.spratlys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3Uv0JcyjXPSUwiue7C1B8ysc26m2-ZToXbCVBpf45M1Tagv1RmAPzCJxAjQp4AcVrJ3DKqDii0W6fONBEd1sO1DbOFYFkNnzAaAlS335J2xqs2ekVYXfqsBtv0ZpxJGQ78lKENbDmHZQ/s400/copy.spratlys.jpg" width="400" /></a>.</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictures in this collage are from Rene Sevilla, Troi Santos, Benjamin Uy and Bing Branigin</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Currents & Breaking News </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">OPINION/COMMENTARY</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 14 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Thursday, July 21, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">~ A handful of Filipino protesters in six US cities and Toronto would hardly come up to a hundred. But a sleazy writer in San Francisco figured nobody would notice if he inflated the numbers, and he did, and passed on his distorted article with such a triumphant tone to all those who cared to publish. Was the simultaneous protest rallies a publicity stunt to wangle favors from Malacanag Palace? Why, of all people, would two "dumb lawyers" (as one journalist call them) and a "toxic" veterans advocate whip up such mass actions?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><em>PREROGATIVE</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Spratlys Protest - A Case of Distorted Reporting</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</span></span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">TORONTO - "On July 8," says a news item on the online Fil-Am Forum, "hundreds of Filipino Americans demonstrated in front of all six of China’s consular offices in the U.S. to protest China’s dispatch of its giant oil rig to the Spratly Islands which is within the 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The story was written by a sleazy writer named Rodel Rodis, a San Francisco-based lawyer who gained some notoriety after his arrest by police on suspicion of passing what police had thought was a fake $100 bill in a Walgreen store a few years back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Reviewing images by at least four photographers posted on the organizers' website, it would appear that Rodis' description of "hundreds" was an egregious mistake, a deliberate lie to mask organizers' failure to attract public support.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">His account contrasted significantly with the bare facts. As the saying goes, pictures tell a thousand words, and the small gathering in the published pictures did not even approach a hundred in each of the six protest areas in the US.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"Hundreds" could mean anywhere from 100 to 999 and when use to estimate crowds, it usually indicates at least a thousand. Had I been his editor, and he should feel lucky I'm not or he would have a hard time proving his competence, I would question him a hundred times on why he wrote "hundreds" when the number of warm bodies hardly qualifies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">During the many protest rallies preceding the People Power Revolution of 1986, and before that, the run-up to martial law, the police and military tended to be on the conservative side, meaning they minimized numbers so as not to scare the occupants of the presidential palace or give credit to the opposition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On the other hand, protesters were more inclined to exaggerate their ranks if only to boost their morale and attract more supporters. Journalists would take note of the conflicting claims and make their own estimates, usually based on historical precedence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But the non-journalist Rodis never had that opportunity. He fled the Philippines when war was afoot, afraid of losing the earthly comforts of his inconsequential life and settled in the safe embrace of the United States where he sweet-talked his way to an American citizenship.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzleyXhu-EQkhfkZW7zqiLDRptm5ctN3SpqykWD8StxVaCG5csSO50Sj1LANjCdApVikn7iSioC1jKzfST9hTmz0FfyJ3pckwEeKKrbg-MvmWrDt8TqqLagLt3A6NT-TFJlVomlWn8NJRB/s1600/2fakedollarrodel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzleyXhu-EQkhfkZW7zqiLDRptm5ctN3SpqykWD8StxVaCG5csSO50Sj1LANjCdApVikn7iSioC1jKzfST9hTmz0FfyJ3pckwEeKKrbg-MvmWrDt8TqqLagLt3A6NT-TFJlVomlWn8NJRB/s320/2fakedollarrodel.jpg" t$="true" width="209px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Rodel Rodis and his $100 bill.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For him now to characterize the picketers as in the "hundreds" is not only wrong, it was clearly intended to inflate the numbers and create a false sense of widespread public support for their protest. For a while I thought he had the hundred-dollar-bill that had triggered his arrest fresh on his mind when he wrote the piece.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"Dozens" would be more accurate to quantify the protesters. In Toronto, for example, there's a handful, not even a dozen-and-a-half who joined. The same was true in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Houston as shown in the pictures by different photographers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In San Diego, my home for 16 years, the "usual suspects" - people I personally knew who would mouth scripted lines and are quite notorious for their involvement in monetary scandals there - were on hand, dressed in yellow shirts, their faces camouflaged by dark glasses. I honestly believe that for them, it's another photo opportunity rather than a protest rally. Just look at them smiling their best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Absent images of the picket, those reading Rodis' account may be led to believe that "hundreds" really went to the mass action. It could thus engender a "snowball effect" for whatever agenda Rodis' group, which includes Loida Nicolas, Eric Lachica and some NaFFAA (National Federation of Filipino American Associations) agents, is pushing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the context of the political and economic ramifications that the Spratly conflict could cause, the coordinated protests were innocuous barks of a few pranksters out to foment a diplomatic crisis between China and the Philippines. A crisis is a business opportunity, somebody has said. Who financed them and why?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rodis, ambulance-chaser-cum-immigration lawyer, and Lewis, the wealthy-by-accident matron, are unalloyed yellow, loyal supporters of P-Noy Aquino, and before him, his mother Corazon Aquino, the first yellow reformist who rose to the Philippine presidency by a combination of luck, opportunity and accident. Lachica is the so-called veterans advocate San Diego Congressman Bob Filner had called "toxic".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Were Rodis, Lewis and Lachica, fully brown Americans, voicing out real concerns for the Philippines against the Chinese? Why would they suddenly whip up the Filipino American communities in the United States and in Toronto, Canada to a picket? Was the Spratly controversy a convenient and timely issue to launch their publicity stunt?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Diplomatic sources in Manila said the triumvirate and their cohorts may be trying to impress the president, P-Noy Aquino, that they enjoy public support in North America and could quickly summon people for their cause, to wangle some favors from Malacanang Palace. What those are, are still not clear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Who's likely to gain if President Aquino decided to embark on a military adventure against the Chinese to assert Philippine sovereignty in the contested area? I heard that Lachica was proposing "defensive measures" that would involve huge sums of money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I asked Rodis, Lewis and Lachica some questions related to the protests but instead of responding to the issues, Rodis barked his usual ad hominem: "Do you know anything at all about 'honest journalism' or is that a totally alien concept to you?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here we're talking about the Spratlys and Rodis couldn't get past his obsession with fellow journalist Bobby Reyes who exposed Rodis' bankruptcy filing the moment one of his clients sued him to recover some money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">How can one trust this guy with global issues like the Spratlys'? And to think, my sources tell me and this has not been confirmed, he's trying to win some juicy appointment in the Aquino government.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Lewis' answer, though relevant, raises another question. She said, and I quote verbatim: "Being militarily deficient in terms of armaments and number of soldiers/navy and economically superior, the Philippines is an easy frail target and we its citizen should come to its rescue when our territorial integrity is being threatened."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After saying "we its citizen", I asked her again: "But I thought you're an American citizen?" - the implication being that why should an American interfere with a purely Philippine problem. That's when she admitted being a dual citizen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"The rally is meant to alert everyone willing to listen," Lewis said in another emailed reply. "Due to the noise we created, China has not moved its giant rig."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Lachica, perhaps too engrossed with finding boats to face the Chinese, never bothered to reply.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Whatever Rodis, Lewis and Lachica hope to accomplish with the Chinese and the Philippine officials in Malacanang, I am certain that the three are embarking on an expedition for greener pastures. My opinion is that they should just stay where they are - Rodis and Lewis at NaFFAA (National Federation of Filipino American Associations), and Lachica with the depleting ranks of Filipino veterans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>Related stories available at:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mabuhayradio.com/naffaagate/eric-lachica-rodel-rodis-and-loida-lewis-display-on-june-30-in-l-a-their-rackets-even-if-they-do-not-play-tennis">http://www.mabuhayradio.com/naffaagate/eric-lachica-rodel-rodis-and-loida-lewis-display-on-june-30-in-l-a-their-rackets-even-if-they-do-not-play-tennis</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mabuhayradio.com/politics/the-naffaa-and-the-usp4gg-are-the-blind-leading-the-blind-as-few-people-join-them-in-protest-rallies-against-china">http://www.mabuhayradio.com/politics/the-naffaa-and-the-usp4gg-are-the-blind-leading-the-blind-as-few-people-join-them-in-protest-rallies-against-china</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 14, July 21, 2011. Email at: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com).</span></em> </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At Vimeo:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-88875153932622466122011-07-20T04:09:00.000-07:002011-07-20T04:12:51.676-07:00San Diego Bakery Creates 'Noynoy Pandesal' for the Philippine President<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span> <br />
<br />
Currents & Breaking News Feature<br />
Volume 5, Issue No. 13 <br />
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<br />
The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Wednesday, July 20, 2011 <br />
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~ The clamor has become irresistible. So while San Diego's creative baker contemplates whether to proceed or not with yet another specialty creation, customers at her bakeshop repeatedly asked. So one day this month, "the Noynoy Pandesal" and a companion bread, the "Noynoy Ham & Cheese Bread", were quietly introduced at the famous The Original Richard's Bakery in National City, California. Public response has been overwhelming.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgArcxtsvEg1HgkDI_uFiszyC4Z0aFbzaBimbIa0TtP5UoqVLPMLWcXWhVZaUKXK74oPOr4mThDQC7y9r0yqM_PutPRYME4M-vWelH3WZWsM9_TAEAIQl36gybndXfTfOSZM-aA5osJs1/s1600/IMG_4374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgArcxtsvEg1HgkDI_uFiszyC4Z0aFbzaBimbIa0TtP5UoqVLPMLWcXWhVZaUKXK74oPOr4mThDQC7y9r0yqM_PutPRYME4M-vWelH3WZWsM9_TAEAIQl36gybndXfTfOSZM-aA5osJs1/s400/IMG_4374.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">The "Noynoy Pandesal" at the Original Richard's Bakery in San Diego, California.</span></em></strong></td></tr>
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<em>ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL BREAD</em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Filipino Baker Creates "Noynoy Pandesal" for Philippine President</span><br />
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<strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - After the smashing success of her name breads, there's no stopping this hardworking Filipino entrepreneur from creating another. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This time, it's a special bun or dinner roll - pandesal as Filipinos call them - labeled "Noynoy Pandesal" after the popular Philippine president Benigno Simeon Aquino III, nicknamed Noynoy or P-Noy by Filipinos, who was elected in June last year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's no coincidence that the Original Richard's Bakery in San Diego, California is known widely in the United States as the "bakeshop of presidents, champions and celebrities" for in its stock of merchandise, there's extraordinary bread for each one of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"It began with President Barack Obama," explains Ms. Wilma Fernandez Ventura, owner and creative genius behind all her distinguished creations, in a phone interview.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mr. Obama's election in 2008 was a watershed in US history. In her San Diego Filipino community, there seemed to be not much appreciation for the fact that Mr. Obama is a person of color and that his triumph may be construed as a huge breakthrough for all people of color like Filipinos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"In that context I thought of celebrating him and immortalizing his achievement with a bread. So I created the 'Obama Pandesal,' a hamburger-bun shaped bread made from wheat and stuffed with stewed (adobo) chicken, green peas, carrots, raisin and cream cheese," Ms. Ventura says.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On the same day Mr. Obama took office on January 20, 2009, the Obama Pandesal was officially launched at the Original Richard's Bakery with a commemorative program attended by high-ranking officials. (I was there and covered it for several online publications and my San Diego newspaper). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The mayor of the City of National City, Ron Morrison, cut the ribbon that unveiled the new bread. Also in attendance were the city's vice mayor, Frank Parra; Cesar Solis, the first Filipino assistant chief of police of San Diego; and other guests. (Video at: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gJUd7EQ2pA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gJUd7EQ2pA</a> ).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Obama Pandesal instantly became a hit in both the mainstream and Filipino communities, and made Ms. Ventura's two-decades-old bakeshop even more famous, though her intent was to honor the US President.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The Obama Pandesal reflects your belief and admiration with President Obama," wrote North Carolina-based journalist Pasckie Pascua. "You have the right to exercise that admiration. Some write songs, dedicate a movie, put up a statue -- you make a pandesal. A novelty and it's cool".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now President Noynoy Aquino - simply P-Noy to all - is joining the presidential rack at the Original Richard's Bakery, with his namesake bread Noynoy Pandesal occupying a place of prominence like the Obama Pandesal. (Video at: <a href="http://www.youtube.om/watch?v=GtBSbk6QzqE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.om/watch?v=GtBSbk6QzqE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> ).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Noynoy Pandesal is the same size as the regular pandesal, except that it looks yellowy with the addition of artificial coloring to simulate the president's favorite color, yellow, which was also the trademark color of his deceased mother, former President Corazon Aquino. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The ingredients make it special," according to the 46-year-old Ms. Ventura who herself formulates the mix. Nearly 30 years of experience in bread-making has made her an expert. That expertise goes into the making of the now-familiar celebrity breads, a niche her bakeshop now solely occupies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Customers wear a smile coming into the bakery. That's because the names of the different breads ring familiar. For example, the Brazo de Pacquiao and the Siete Coronas de Pacquiao are specialty breads named after Philippine boxing champ Manny Pacquiao. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The brazo is for his formidable arms; the siete coronas (seven crowns) for the seven boxing titles he currently holds. And then there's a healthy, non-alcoholic drink from Philippine fruit juices quite appropriately named Pacquiao Punch, a take from the champ's knockout jabs that have floored his boxing opponents. (Video at: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD2yNU_oUuQ&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD2yNU_oUuQ&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> )</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cory Aquino, the housewife turned president after the removal of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, is likewise celebrated. Ms. Ventura made sure her memory lingers with special rice cakes (or bibingka) in artifically-colored yellow, yellow being the revolutionary color in ousting Marcos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Then there's another tribute to a fine Philippine actress, Patricia Javier, who transitioned from entertainment to domestic bliss and marked the occasion by a change to her real name, Genesis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ms. Ventura immortalized the milestone by creating Genesis Loaf, a hugely successful bread that tastes like a muffin. (Video at: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU8DbR5sm6E&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU8DbR5sm6E&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> ).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Asked how the Noynoy Bread is faring so far nearly a week after its soft launch, Ms. Ventura says: "People gobble it up crazy. I can say it's a testament to his popularity as president".</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BRzAhuuxTQjw3DE7lj5NPy8pxm6rc68DMZWxcaRaz6qrXEQW0YgfJ8MxZgfwripMP6TVWU-AN1j61sNK2YYFFEl8A5h6h3CLyQYIODhnn41WIeAqwwAGO5Jjf40lCiQMRNvtQL8XnY09/s1600/IMG_4378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BRzAhuuxTQjw3DE7lj5NPy8pxm6rc68DMZWxcaRaz6qrXEQW0YgfJ8MxZgfwripMP6TVWU-AN1j61sNK2YYFFEl8A5h6h3CLyQYIODhnn41WIeAqwwAGO5Jjf40lCiQMRNvtQL8XnY09/s400/IMG_4378.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The "Noynoy Ham & Cheese Bread"</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ms. Ventura already created a variation, the Noynoy Ham & Cheese Bread, after noting her customers are clamoring for it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 13, July 20, 2011. Email at: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com).</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At Vimeo:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-55808301917556217192011-06-21T12:10:00.000-07:002011-06-21T12:11:27.354-07:00'Salo-Salo sa Chop Suey' - Thanks to PIDC<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PGoI9YYxz87P9rPVNk3ioRYpgX-TWzYJVc785aSrkx00HhKuApytD1b9s5ixif54PNcWXLcMdDclaniYZVAEZhk4_IZfy0Pbs2ogcMHDninyFi-UwN3vnJNu4t8_4oSluRBY0ouj0nZT/s1600/IMG_2928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PGoI9YYxz87P9rPVNk3ioRYpgX-TWzYJVc785aSrkx00HhKuApytD1b9s5ixif54PNcWXLcMdDclaniYZVAEZhk4_IZfy0Pbs2ogcMHDninyFi-UwN3vnJNu4t8_4oSluRBY0ouj0nZT/s400/IMG_2928.JPG" width="400px" /></span></em></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Toronto Sun banner makes the PIDC event look like it's the paper's celebration.</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">OPINION/COMMENTARY</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 12 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Tuesday, June 21, 2011</strong> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ The day was tagged a "salo-salo", which means picnic, at Earl Bales Park. Well, it lived up to its billing except that it wasn't just the food; the whole afternoon charade was a chop suey of events made silly by non-thinking organizers. A maiden sashed and crowned to be Miss Philippines could not pronounce El Filibusterismo, a novel by Jose Rizal. One partisan organizer tried to make the Philippine ambassador a walking model for the Liberals. One Toronto tabloid lorded it over the stage as if the entire event is its own. When are Filipinos going to affirm their dignity and self-worth? And PIDC is not giving any answer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>PREROGATIVE</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>"Salo-Salo sa Chop Suey" - Thanks to PIDC</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</span></span></em><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - More than a year chasing after officials of Philippine Independence Day Council, I finally got a break this Saturday, June 18, 2011) at its "salo salo sa Earl Bales Park". Oh, that was what I thought.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I went there on my own primarily to see how the "salo-salo", or picnic, fared this year compared with last year's. Well, the green grass and the little wild flowers must be deliriously happy in not being stomped by thousands of walking, running and dancing feet. There simply wasn't that many people.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And I am told that one plausible reason for the absence of hundreds of warm bodies to bring life to the community picnic was the rift between friends, courtesy of television networks ABS-CBN and GMA. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The competing stations have quite succeeded in dividing Filipinos in Toronto - now variosuly estimated at between 200,000 to 250,000 - into the Kapamilya and Kapuso camps. Except for their call signs, there's not much difference. It's the same "tail wagging the dog". </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That phrase might as well apply to the community. However big each network claims to be, its size still falls short of being the "kapamilya" or "kapuso" of the community. They will remain a "tail". But the fact is, it is this tail that's wagging the dog, which in essence is the community.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's sad, to say the least. The true celebration of community is distorted by injecting a culture of make-believe that both the "kapamilya" and "kapuso" propagate to capture the minds and pockets of hard-working Filipinos.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As I walked around the park, I saw groups of Filipinos who purposely stayed away from PIDC's salo-salo. They would rather be with their families and friends than be with bigger but fake families in the "kapamilya" circle, which was one of PIDC's sponsors.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At the picnic I thought luck smiled on me, believing that my long wait was coming to an end. I've been seeking PIDC for stories that its officials would not like to tell, or books they would not open, or secrets they would not confide? I even challenged them - after I felt exasperated not getting any answers to my queries - that I would dig into their affairs and bring out the truth about the state of PIDC.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There's more than one way to skin a cat, so the saying goes, and I'm prepared to show to PIDC that I could do it without having to beg them for a response.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And now, out of the blue yonder this beautiful day comes the PIDC president, introducing herself. "I am Minda Neri," she says in a tone that almost escape my hearing because of the blaring music from the PA system.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's just been a couple of days since I created a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKKs-I10j0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL ) about the PIDC-sponsored flag-raising event at Queen's Park and I figured that because of its unflattering content, it might have prompted Ms. Neri to talk to me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She extended her hand and I shook it, introducing myself to her. Then she said she's inviting me to have lunch at the PIDC booth, a gesture I truly appeciated but which actually did not materialize, after weighing in the implied consequences of accepting it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My personal policy has always been not to give in to invitations like Neri's because it could be fraught with hidden meanings. I tried to avoid misinterpretations specially if my news coverage has turned adversarial.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One, two, three - any number of lunch or dinner - does not win me over. Telling me stories up front, answering my questions in all honesty, could change that, however, even without an expensive treat.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A few hours later, I bumped into Ms. Neri again in another booth. I asked her pointblank: "Are you able to talk to me, on the record, before my camera? I got a lot of questions to ask you".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Lot of questions?" she whispered, hesitating to commit herself. She asked if we could do it later, and then walked to a nearby booth in search of another person who might be willing to help her answer questions. I knew evasive tactics when I see one and Ms. Neri's demeanor falls into that category.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In journalism, being asked to wait is different from being asked to play second fiddle. In most cases, the availalbility of a journalist is much valued so that a subject readily accommodates and willingly talks without having to make an appointment. That's de rigueur in the highly competitive media industry.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In Ms. Neri's case, she wanted me to do both. My point is, in the scheme of things I am just as important as anybody else. I might look like I have all the time to squander but I don't. Each ticking minute spent waiting is a minute wasted. I don't have that luxury.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So as I expected, my interview with Ms. Neri did not come through. Questions remained about PIDC's financial situation. How much money does it make and spend in staging its gala parties, community events, fund-raisers? How much does it get from its sponsors? Who gets paid in PIDC? Where does its excess funds go? What kind of projects does it have? What benefits are derived from its programs, by who?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Meanwhile, on stage two young "Miss Philippines" were having a good time reading background information about Jose Rizal to a small crowd of photographers and onlookers. Where are the rest of the people?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When the part came about Rizal's two novels, the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, one of the beauty queens stammered and choked. "Tangere" sounded like a Filipino cuss word. "El Filibusterismo" became a tongue-twister, seemingly worst than Mary Poppins' "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ha ha, ha talk of a Miss Philippines being a symbol? I wonder why PIDC let them loose not knowing how to pronounce those words.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The day was just unfolding. At a booth manned by woman named Amy, the affable Consul General Pedro Chan was being given a stick-on piece of paper to attach to his chest. The stick-on had "Liberal" emblazoned on it to mean Liberal Party (of Canada). Amy herself oferred it. And, of course, the consul general declined.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I also declined. Ambassador Chan explained it to Amy: "he's a journalist". I don't know if she understood, the implication being that I am independent of any political party and Amy's stick-on would consequently tag me a Liberal hack. That's what I had in mind. Never for a moment would I be mistaken to belong to any party, let alone Amy's Liberal.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was stupid, I honestly believe it was, for Amy to offer the stick-on to Ambassador Chan. There's more meaning to it than just a cursory stick-on. But then, this is the same Amy who had her photo ops ahead of the flag-raising at Queen's Park; the same Amy who disrespected the Philippine flag; the same Amy who put more importance to her personal "kodak moments" than the solemnity of an independence rite.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I must have been so engaged to forget what's happening onstage. For one moment, I thought I was transported so quickly to another event. Look, the only banner that says PIDC had been taken so it could be used during the parade. How come, I asked myself, they could waste thousands of dollars for a gala night of self-promotion and not a few bucks on a decent banner that proudly proclaims our culture and heritage?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As a result, the celebration appeared like it was an event by the Toronto Sun. The paper's huge banner not only dwarfed the stage, it also made Filipinos look silly singing, talking and gyrating under the shadow of Toronto Sun. Where's the Filipino identity?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm fed up. That's enough for the day. I've had enough of the PIDC chop suey. #</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 12, June 21, 2011. Email at: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com).</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-32954010867322603192011-06-15T06:27:00.000-07:002011-06-15T07:05:51.650-07:00Trivializing a Solemn Rite<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Currents & Breaking News </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>OPINION/COMMENTARY</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 11 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Wednesday, June 15, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ Filipinos mock themselves in many ways in the pursuit of self-promoting agendas. One historic incident happened on Sunday, June 12, 2011 at Queen's Park where so-called leaders of Toronto's Filipino community bandied together for the observance of Philippine independence day. A flag-raising was set. But before the solemn ceremony could take off, one organizer decided it was time for some "kodak moments" with the dignitaries. In the meantime, the Philippine flag fluttered in the noon breeze down at the bottom of the pole, neglected and waiting for the photo ops to finish.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZUYPEWy26ZiP9BJFB9oqfHb6vCWXG_iWDZ7LUcfDkPhOHYOkvbxvEVri00RaFZA-tu7siT9xrcvO_swRo5dTjko0z_sMLK5irE-MhJ6COEx8lY0mmlneMAmD1ePbXg_jrqvtyimUTpV1/s1600/IMG_2557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZUYPEWy26ZiP9BJFB9oqfHb6vCWXG_iWDZ7LUcfDkPhOHYOkvbxvEVri00RaFZA-tu7siT9xrcvO_swRo5dTjko0z_sMLK5irE-MhJ6COEx8lY0mmlneMAmD1ePbXg_jrqvtyimUTpV1/s400/IMG_2557.JPG" t8="true" width="300px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>The Philippine flag flies and waves in the noon breeze, left waiting as Toronto Filipino community leaders take their time shooting pictures with invited dignitaries.</em></span></strong></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em></em></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWLXinuo4F8NIbDqPHk_hSp_oBylYESTSu3eNnjckbEBbaj8pB_J6iQMHpW2toStNHl1S1cJZr3dRXPNI6GTRWOdgXYfmoPVSRHbrn_vh0RlhD06jwwJ-7mC_6KSIdkYUy0J3bIPGztrN/s1600/IMG_2575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWLXinuo4F8NIbDqPHk_hSp_oBylYESTSu3eNnjckbEBbaj8pB_J6iQMHpW2toStNHl1S1cJZr3dRXPNI6GTRWOdgXYfmoPVSRHbrn_vh0RlhD06jwwJ-7mC_6KSIdkYUy0J3bIPGztrN/s400/IMG_2575.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Some of the officials and invited guests, including Philippine Consul General Pedro Chan and Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Dr. Eric Hoskins, getting ready for the photo shoot.</span></strong></em><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><em>PREROGATIVE</em></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Trivializing a Solemn Rite</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</span></em><br />
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</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - My news video on You Tube (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKKs-I10j0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKKs-I10j0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> ) has sparked a mild outburst from some viewers who expressed their take, pro or con, with photo ops, or so-called "kodak moments", by event participants having their photographs taken with guests and other important personages.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Frankly, I was expecting more people to be enraged by this wanton disregard for our own cultural and political sensitivities by no less than those who have adopted Canada as their own. And the insult is more stinging and pronounced because they were born and raised in the Philippines.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had wanted the Consulate, for one, to express its dismay over the blatant disrespect for the Philippine flag during the June 12 ceremonies at Queen's Park and call the attention of organizers, specifically the Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC), one of the lead sponsors of the event.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">None in PIDC and the other organizations evidently knew about the protocol of the flag, otherwise they would not have carried out to their fullest satisfaction the picture-taking with Consul General Pedro Chan and other high-ranking guests who attended the ceremonial flag-raising commemorating 113 years of Philippine independence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By the way, contrary to protocol, the flag was hoisted so painstakingly slow and timed with the singing of the national anthem when it should have been raised briskly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Consul General should not have acquiesced, in my opinion, for that was tantamount to officially endorsing the faulty logic behind the instant photo sessions. It was "embarrassing," said one commentator, after realizing she had unwittingly been carried away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The "kodak moments" pre-emptied what could have been a happy but solemn rite, considering that the June 12, 1898 declaration in Kawit, Cavite consequently made the Philippines the first republic in Asia. The Philippines broke free from Spain after patiently and subserviently serving the Spanish monarchy for more than 300 years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The first few minutes that could have been devoted to the proud memories of those revolutionary days 113 years ago were so blatanly set aside, trivialized, for the simple expedient of having photographs taken with Filipino and non-Filipino guests. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I suspect that the initiator, a certain Amy Ada (from what I gathered, an Ontario provincial employee), had been so enthused by the presence of foreign guests. If what the program claims is correct that she is "coordinator, OPS Pinoys" (whatever that means), then we should take caution. She could just so easily trample on rules and precedent for her own personal glory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am not bothered if she and her friends in PIDC, notably its president Minda Neri, would spend their days being photographed with the high and mighty. But I am deeply disturbed that she, Neri and others could so conveniently sweep protocol in pursuit of their self-promoting agenda.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That should answer the video commentator who said: "And who does not want to have their pictures taken with a public figure? x x x I do not see anything wrong with a Kodak moment also anyway."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Misses Ada, Neri and the commentator all missed the point, i.e., by engaging in what they did, they disrespected the flag, the very symbol of Philippine sovereignty; they insulted the Philippine government which at that time was represented by Consul General Chan; and they made a mockery of Filipinos and their institutions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The flag had been flying at the bottom of the pole for at least 30 minutes, waiting for the event to begin at 12 noon, presumably the exact time it would be hoisted. I have not seen a sovereign nation's revered symbol so neglected and treated like a piece of rag left flying at the pole's base because one woman decided to proceed with her photo ops. No, not until now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If it could be interpreted as an omen, then it is bad. To think that many Filipinos in Toronto at least, are trying hard to uplift their physical selves and their souls from the stigma or working like slaves for abusive employers. Where does respect begin but from ourselves?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some guests, probably thinking Filipinos are never on time, came in late. That's another aspect that could have been corrected right there by proceeding with the ceremony promptly at 12 noon with or without them. The waiting gave Ms. Ada a window of opportunity and she seized it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Guests had assembled under a tree near the rostrum and Ms. Ada, blessed her ignorance, unwisely decided to have a photo session with them, inviting presidents of associations to come forward, pose and smile their widest best. I took photos and videos knowing a historic wrong was unfolding before my eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She wasn't thinking . . . if she had the mind. And neither was Ms. Neri nor the Consul General, who both obliged. Dr. Eric Hoskins, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigation, also complied, as did the other guests, perhaps out of courtesy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the meantime, the flag fluttered at the base, its hooks firmly secured to the white rope that would take it to the top. I don't know how to call the flag's exact position because it was neither at full mast nor half mast; it was down below. Maybe it could be called the inverted full mast?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Again, this is the first time I've seen a flag unceremoniously tied to a pole and left to wait. Does that symbolize our predicament in Canada? Is that how we ridicule ourselves?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At that moment, everyone seemed to have forgotten that the only reason officials and guests were there was to commemorate Philippine independence with a flag-raising ceremony. But that had to be delayed until Misses Ada and Neri completed their photo sessions with their false smiles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lawyer Rafael Fabregas was a little peeved and he showed it by asking those in the picture sessions to return to their seats so the ceremony could begin. As if to stress his point, he quickly glanced at his wristwatch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I asked him later if he had control of the sequence of events. He said he was merely a "reader" of the program and nothing else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One video viewer, Don Azarias of Chicago, Illinois, could not contain his disappoinment. He was correct in pointing out that among Filipinos "photo-ops reign supreme while the solemn flag-raising ceremony is just an afterthought".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"For them," he writes, "satisfying their egos supersede their sincerity. They put on a false appearance of virtue or patriotism. That's another way of defining and spelling h-y-p-o-c-r-i-t-e-s." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Jesse Jose of Seattle, Washington agrees. I definitely agree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 11, June 15, 2011. Email at: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com).</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit: </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a>. </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-88781557597355357772011-04-19T12:42:00.000-07:002011-04-19T12:43:10.555-07:00What's Romar Media Canada?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Romar Media Canada is the parent media organization of print and online outlets of The Filipino Web Channel, Currents & Breaking News, Philippine Village Voice, Ginoo - the Quarterly Asia Men's Magazine, Mutya Women's Magazine,Toronto Travelogue, Travels & Themes, GTA Balitang Pinoy, Toronto News Room, Balitang Kapitbahay Online and Toronto Asia.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Click the link to see the ad:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQD8macEjAM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQD8macEjAM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-91916180328127195132011-04-15T04:04:00.000-07:002011-04-15T04:28:29.732-07:00Filipino Voters in Toronto Suburb Coalesce to Defeat 'Abusive' MP<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 10 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Friday, April 15, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ A small group of Filipino advocates has come out openly against a sitting member of parliament, declaring its intent to sweep her out of office come May 2nd election. This is perhaps a first in Toronto that Filipinos are flexing what little political muscles they have to advocate and protect issues and concerns affecting them. The MP they practically declared persona non grata to the Filippino community is Ruby Dhalla, a chiropractic doctor whom Filipino caregivers alleged "abused" and "exploited" them during their employ with her and her family. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCnjWQDPgRbzc5NI4y0TZHL33WP4q6aouO3yimVp6mLdL9pYlcIA0nVPTniOQoMHHSEl0GxqGR83-W6m5F_rLuzFcPbSB5zRVraN0gt6oMpFpOCbMRYrAWpkRnCzzIUEIRGgkwtIlXwcM/s1600/IMG_8374+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCnjWQDPgRbzc5NI4y0TZHL33WP4q6aouO3yimVp6mLdL9pYlcIA0nVPTniOQoMHHSEl0GxqGR83-W6m5F_rLuzFcPbSB5zRVraN0gt6oMpFpOCbMRYrAWpkRnCzzIUEIRGgkwtIlXwcM/s400/IMG_8374+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Coalition head Julius A. Tiangson</em></strong></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>AS THE MAY 2ND ELECTION HEATS UP</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Filipinos Form Coalition Against 'Abusive' MP</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</span></span></em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - In a suburban enclave northwest of Canada's largest city, Filipinos are banding together to unseat a perceived "abusive" member of parliament.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With no more than 1,500 out of a voting population of 84,239, these Filipino voters could spell the difference between victory and defeat for incumbent Member of Parliament Ruby Dhalla, a Liberal, and challenger Parm Gill, a Conservative.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dhalla, a chiropractic doctor, represents the riding (district) of Brampton-Springdale in the House of Commons since 2004, a year after it was carved out of six adjoining neighbourhoods. The dominant minorities are of South Asian descent.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7IUuCAxoCEmLfFP6yWoCZeJNfUe10EPINhn5JMi5oAVhnOqWLpeRISWf2zvSzqob5pUK9efAZp51RDEn8tL6oD55KIJ0vdCSW_qjsNuMit55iQI_F5PaiFi5r4ID4a7Ml2SC4dTQIIYA/s1600/IMG_8412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7IUuCAxoCEmLfFP6yWoCZeJNfUe10EPINhn5JMi5oAVhnOqWLpeRISWf2zvSzqob5pUK9efAZp51RDEn8tL6oD55KIJ0vdCSW_qjsNuMit55iQI_F5PaiFi5r4ID4a7Ml2SC4dTQIIYA/s400/IMG_8412.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Candidate Parm Gill (second from right) with Filipino supporters.</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Gill, a businessman, courts the Filipino votes based largely on the disaffection with Dhalla, who has been accused by three Filipino caregivers of abuse. Dhalla had the caregivers under her employ, taking care of her mother.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Out of its listed population of 131,797 as of 2001, the riding has 84,239 electors. In the 2008 election, there was a 54.2 percent turnout, or 45,689. Of that number, Dhalla received 18,577 (41 percent). Her opponent Gill got 17,804 (39.3 percent) for a difference of 773 votes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That figure -- 773 -- is quite important in that Filipinos' 1,500 could be the swing vote. They could turn the tables for Gill, assuming they would all vote.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The Brampton-Springdale riding is significant to the Filipino-Canadian community because of the on-going allegations of abuse towards Filipino caregivers by the family of the incumbent, Liberal Member of Parliament Dr. Ruby Dhalla," said </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Julius A. Tiangson, one of the active leaders of <strong>Baguhin </strong>Coalition.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The coalition is an issues-oriented advocacy of Filipino community leaders working to insure that Filipino concerns are best represented. It is endorsing Gill who was born in Malaysia and raise in Canada. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is perhaps the first all-Filipino organization intent on removing a sitting MP by voting her out on May 2nd elections.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"This coalition will continue to work together to insure the defeat of Dr. Dhalla," explains Tiangson in an interview on Wednesday (April 13, 2011) in an event he organized in Brampton where Immigration Minister Jason Kenney was the main guest.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">According to Tiangson, the cases brought against Dhalla have rendered her ineffective. "The issues surrounding the allegations of abuse of Filipino Live-in Caregivers by the family of MP Ruby Dhalla compromise her ability to represent the Filipino community," he states.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Just how much Filipino caregivers detest Dhalla was echoed by Terry Olayta, the outspoken director of Caregivers Resource Center in Toronto. (For a video of Olayta's rant, please click the link: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPZSRlkM5o8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPZSRlkM5o8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> ).</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"She is an elected woman to the highest public office that has destroyed the morale, the self-esteem of the caregivers and we want her out," she declares.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"I'm going to knock door to door until my knuckles hurt because I want to tell them: Ruby Dhalla, it's time to go. She has to go!" Olayta stresses. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Kenney, Gill and mostly Conservative supporters applauded her loudly. The huge presence of Filipinos seems to indicate an inclination to carry Gill, or any candidate for that matter, so long as it would result in kicking Dhalla out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49TvOUqO6aZDD3mSXZznoFGA-xmIeol5vkVhi5tiI0y1o4r6FBo4p2p7GXCGp2fuZAnyPwa_CmGui5rQmmUvAKClxfT_A_LWmw6VYfz3Y3GaifIPAegzIDIiCuGVMQIuaf4m53f6ez3qQ/s1600/IMG_8447+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49TvOUqO6aZDD3mSXZznoFGA-xmIeol5vkVhi5tiI0y1o4r6FBo4p2p7GXCGp2fuZAnyPwa_CmGui5rQmmUvAKClxfT_A_LWmw6VYfz3Y3GaifIPAegzIDIiCuGVMQIuaf4m53f6ez3qQ/s400/IMG_8447+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The complaint against Dhalla is splashed on the front page of this Filipino newspaper.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dhalla's fallout began with the so-called "Nannygate" - an expose by the <em>Toronto Star</em> that has unraveled the hiring by the Dhalla household of three Filipino nannies who complained in 2009 of being exploited. They claimed working long hours without overtime pay and did non-nanny chores.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One of the damning complaints was made by caregiver Richelyn Tongson, 39, who had claimed that Dhalla kept her passport and other personal documents for months and promised to sponsor her. The MP has denied the allegations.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"It's very unfortunate, what took place but I'm looking forward to working with the Filipino community to address as many issues and concerns as there may be," said Gill, Dhalla's challenger.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Asked to comment, he states: "Honestly, when I saw that story the first time it broke, it hit me. It broke my heart because specially any time anyone takes advantage of vulnerable people who've come here just like all of us to make a life for themselves and certain people take advantage of them . . . it's very unfortunate".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dhalla or her office spokeswoman named Candice have not responded to queries at least six hours after this story was being written. Candice has promised to get back with answers but none has been received so far.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 10, April 15, 2011. Email at: <a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a> , <a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</a> or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a> ).</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At Vimeo:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-81256205075816988842011-04-12T05:09:00.000-07:002011-04-12T05:19:41.496-07:00Arlie Ricasa Slapped with $2,000-Fine for Campaign Violation<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 9 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Monday, April 11, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ A prominent Filipino American school board official and her campaign treasurer were cited and fined by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for failure to report a loan of $18,000. Last year, school board member Arlie Ricasa was named by Assembly Member Marty Block as "woman of the year" for his assembly district, praising her as a "role model" for the youth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>FOR CAMPAIGN REPORTING VIOLATION</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>California Fines Fil-Am School Board Member</strong></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) </span></em><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - A local school board official who claims to be the "highest-ranking Filipino American elected in San Diego" has been fined by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for what it said was "campaign reporting violations."</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjoPDxZjUC23ls2mS9IuhqbqO3jM3AiHHxIpSB7uvfek6oSWqNQPR6AnXr4UTWLThaE8MHn9NABlLBUnfzTwLQy5-VIAedHk_JbCzge81n-ZBcJrmD2kmfGQOu8EUbeuXGui9989i48K6/s1600/kcs.dirige.oades.richards.23jan08+007+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjoPDxZjUC23ls2mS9IuhqbqO3jM3AiHHxIpSB7uvfek6oSWqNQPR6AnXr4UTWLThaE8MHn9NABlLBUnfzTwLQy5-VIAedHk_JbCzge81n-ZBcJrmD2kmfGQOu8EUbeuXGui9989i48K6/s200/kcs.dirige.oades.richards.23jan08+007+-+Copy.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ARLIE RICASA</span></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The commission informed the <em>Philippine Village Voice</em> and its associated online news outlets that Arlie Ricasa was slapped with a $2,000 fine for failure to report money loaned to her campaign for the California State Assembly in 2008.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ricasa's committee treasurer, Kinde Durkee, was also cited and fined for the same violation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ricasa and Durkee "failed to disclose an $18,000 loan received from Durkee & Associates, LLC on the semi-annual campaign statement filed for the reporting period May 18, 2008 through June 30, 2008," according to a press statement made available late Monday (April 11, 2011) afternoon.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ricasa is currently president of the board of trustees of the Sweetwater Union High School District, the second largest secondary school district in the United States.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In March last year, she was honored by Assembly member Marty Block as his "woman of the year" for his assembly district. The award is routinely dispensed by politicians as a way of recognizing individuals for whatever reason.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“Arlie is a remarkable college administrator, public servant, community volunteer, mother and wife who is a role model for youth and residents of our district,” Block then said in his website.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ricasa, whose parents hail from Cavite province, has been repeatedly defeated in elections for the California State Assembly.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In 2008, Arlie Ricasa was a candidate for California State Assembly, 78th District. "Arlie Ricasa 2008" was her candidate-controlled committee and Kinde Durkee was the committee’s treasurer.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 9, April 11, 2011. Email at: <a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</a> or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a> ).</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-83133805392609755362011-03-27T15:26:00.000-07:002011-03-27T15:30:05.735-07:00Asian Population in US Rises by 43 Percent to 14.7 Million<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 8 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Sunday, March 27, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ The last decade registered the most number of Asians in the United States, posting a 43 percent increase over a 10-year period. From 10.2 million in 2000, Asians - that include Filipinos - now count to 14.7 million which, officials said, gained the most in the share of the total US population, according to an official White House announcement released Friday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>LEAPFROGGING BY 43 PERCENT</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Asian Population in US Jumps to 14.7 Million</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>and Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - The Asian population in the United States leapfrogged by 43 percent to 14.7 million in the last decade ending last year, the White House Media Affairs Office disclosed Friday.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The nation's Asian population became the fastest growing race over the past decade," said the White House, quoting figures released by the US Census Bureau and furnished the <em>Philippine Village Voice</em> and <em>The Filipino Web Channel.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In 2000, Asians comprised only 10.2 million of US population of over 281 million. A decade later, the number has grown to 14.7 million, "gaining the most in the share of the total population, growing from 4 percent to about 5 percent".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“We must come together and understand what these changes in our country’s demographics mean for public policy,” said Kiran Ahuja, director of the White House Initiative on Asian and Pacific Islanders, who noted the importance of understanding the needs of this growing population. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“We see increasing numbers of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders representing influential positions, but many pockets of this community are in great need of basic protections and services.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Most people in the 2010 Census reported only one race, according to the Census Bureau. Of these individuals, about 14.7 million people – or about 5 percent of all respondents – identified their race as Asian alone. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The smallest major race group was Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (0.5 million), which represented 0.2 percent of the total population.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 8, March 27, 2011. Email at: <a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</a> or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a> ).</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-41555088904647678772011-03-15T12:11:00.000-07:002011-03-15T12:27:07.296-07:00The Big Leap to Online Journalism<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 7 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Commentary/Opinion</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (<a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a> ) and the Philippine Village Voice (<a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com">PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com</a> ) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Tuesday, March 15, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ It's been only nine and four. Yes, nine months for <em>The Gotcha Journalist Channel</em> (Currents & Breaking News) and four months for <em>The Filipino Web Channel</em> since they were launched. Both are video outlets for my news coverages in Toronto and elsewhere. Early this month, the two channels achieved some kind of milestones when at least four of my news videos made it to the video list of the dominant internet portal America Online (AOL). There's the story of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and the two young Filipino talents who sang Canada's national anthem during a big event in the Toronto suburb of Brampton. Being in the AOL Video index for everyone to see may not be earth-shaking news but it certainly gives one bragging rights, for it's one indication of breaking through the mainstream.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>BRAGGING RIGHTS</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Inexorable Leap to Online Journalism and Video-Making</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>and Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - In November last year, or exactly four months to this day, I created <em>The Filipino Web Channel</em> in an attempt to diversify my practice of journalism.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Through these many years, my medium has mostly been print and wire, and on occasions, broadcast, via ABS-CBN's Balitang America in California.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The dawning of the digital revolution towards the end of the millennium and the beginning of another necessitated the inexorable leap to online journalism.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Print still appeals to me except that the costs and infrastructure to carry it out have become financially prohibitive. Besides, I do not have the means to start the paper from scratch again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had intended to continue publishing my flagship paper in San Diego, California - the <em>Philippine Village Voice</em> - in Toronto but the local community is saturated with about a dozen identical-looking tabloids in cutthroat rivalry over a shrinking revenue-making pie, thus triggering a buyer's market in advertising.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I could still find a niche for my paper despite that huge number and compete head-on. Mine would simply stay out of the repetitive coverage of the same events by the same people and focus on the nitty-gritty of community news.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had that thought for a while. Then one day in November, I decided I needed one dedicated channel for purely Filipino-oriented stories. That's when <em>The Filipino Web Channel</em> was born. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">(To see launching videos, click the link: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=fvwrel">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=fvwrel</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> ).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My other outlet - <em>The Gotcha Journalist Channel</em> for <em>Currents & Breaking News</em> - was designed for mainstream reporting, though in some instances, it also covered community events.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Delineating the roles of each was important for my perspective. Just as significant is to pinpoint the market of potential viewers on which to direct the stories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The treatment of news differs in <em>The Filipino Web Channel</em> (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/FilipinoWebChannel">http://www.youtube.com/user/FilipinoWebChannel</a> ) and in <em>The Gotcha Journalist Channel</em> (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGotchaJournalist">http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGotchaJournalist</a> ) though it would seem they're treading on the same path.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Early this month, my coverage paid off handsomely in terms of the number of viewers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Although it's far from the dizzying heights reached by the video of Filipino singing talent Maria Aragon (performing Lady Gaga's Born This Way at home), my coverage of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney also zoomed past ordinary expectations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Entitled "Jason Kenney - Canada's 'King of Multiculturalism'," the video promptly registered viewers in the four digits (as of this writing, a total of 2,249) and landing on You Tube's "hot spots", meaning grabbing full attention above the average. That's a hit in my estimation, considering that my videos average less than a thousand viewers over a certain period of time.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh27GAWlqwGEHuyXuYfN0OxPbpmaIBaQhjUKOoJ3NDCzyU-sFU9lhw2YalUeiorUP1G7ekCGNSYsYoxqDfXQusE25kFKL-D7KOjMJq1g-mv1OK-DkE9z1a0MdrEZCfiuAkF7RaPEUJOfPE/s1600/IMG_6578+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh27GAWlqwGEHuyXuYfN0OxPbpmaIBaQhjUKOoJ3NDCzyU-sFU9lhw2YalUeiorUP1G7ekCGNSYsYoxqDfXQusE25kFKL-D7KOjMJq1g-mv1OK-DkE9z1a0MdrEZCfiuAkF7RaPEUJOfPE/s400/IMG_6578+-+Copy.JPG" width="378" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But it isn't that video milestone that I'm most happy about. Rather, it's the breakthrough that that particular news video has achieved, which is that the giant and dominant internet portal, America Online (AOL), has snared it and is now listed among its popularly-viewed videos.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In fact, at least four of my videos from my two channels are in included in the AOL video index, including: <a href="http://video.aol.ca/video-detail/canadas-visible-minorities-proclaim-jason-kenney-king-of-multiculturalism/2012460451/?icid=VIDURVNWS07">http://video.aol.ca/video-detail/canadas-visible-minorities-proclaim-jason-kenney-king-of-multiculturalism/2012460451/?icid=VIDURVNWS07</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The significance of this milestones is in what it does not say categorically -- that is, that my videos have managed to penetrate the mainstream media. That's something to crow about. And I am humbled by it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Since I began <em>The Filipino Web Channel</em> in November, I've uploaded a total of 42 videos. Channel viewers are nearing the thousand mark while upload viewers totaled at least 10,337 as of this writing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On the other hand, <em>The Gotcha Journalist Channel,</em> which I launched in mid-June last year and has 72 videos already, is attracting its own set of followers. It has notched a total of 1,401 channel viewers and 23,825 upload viewers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the years that I published three modest community newspapers in San Diego, I've never felt such a huge impact as the news videos have created in only a few months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It must be because of the instant availability of the videos and the fact that the news stories are brought fresh at the click of a button. That can't be said of newspapers or magazines which must use extensive colors to bring some life into them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Still, whatever the medium - print, broadcast, online - good old journalism by committed journalists is here to stay. No, not the so-called "churnalism" or "envelopmental journalism" by the "pinabili-ng-suka" types (also referred to as PNS practitioners).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 7, March 15, 2011. Email at: <a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</a> or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a> ).</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-79854380426202108892011-03-10T07:19:00.000-08:002011-03-10T07:19:51.621-08:00The Perils of Investigative Journalism<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Currents & Breaking News </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 6 </span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Commentary/Opinion</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</span></em><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NftdhZLtzg-CACXMZAg0i66eLAR_JX6APvRNV5WQ6CYFdTeihB4gGuFmoBfu6taKdkG8vtLJa8ElTbjWRkq3ANv1YVzuj2fjxuJ2aHdm8o02jsK6JukcrFJaUx2lhfzNcYVrYBIIJ47k/s1600/collagemelindarustia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NftdhZLtzg-CACXMZAg0i66eLAR_JX6APvRNV5WQ6CYFdTeihB4gGuFmoBfu6taKdkG8vtLJa8ElTbjWRkq3ANv1YVzuj2fjxuJ2aHdm8o02jsK6JukcrFJaUx2lhfzNcYVrYBIIJ47k/s400/collagemelindarustia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Thursday, March 10, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ The lawyer of the publicly "private citizen" Melinda Rustia renews the warning of a lawsuit if her published images were not removed promptly from The Filipino Web Channel's news videos. The latest threat is contained in a letter emailed yesterday (Wednesday, March 9) and demanding compliance by 5:30 p.m. today (Thursday, March 10). The lawyer had earlier indicated his client's inclination to sue, which did not materialize as of the first deadline date of Feb. 25. Rustia had not denied she engaged in gossiping. What her lawyer contends is that my news videos carried what he calls "false and defamatory statements concerning Mrs. Rustia". He did not say what those were, however. What's clear is that she passed gossip via emails to her friends - an act that exposes this reporter to public ridicule. Here's the latest development.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">THE PERILS OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bullying, Physical Violence, Intimidation and Threats</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">of a Lawsuit Among Tactics to Force Media Censorship</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Man is the most intelligent of the animals - and the most silly. — </em>Diogenes</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>and Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - I was half-expecting kibitzer Melinda Rustia's lawyer, Ian A. McLaine, would still pursue her demand to remove her image in a video (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB2AOE9-z-o&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB2AOE9-z-o&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> ) I created a month ago and subsequently updated (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_cOWXq9qI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_cOWXq9qI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> ) on Feb. 27.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've not had this experience being asked, and threatened repeatedly, by someone hiding under the coattails of a lawyer to force compliance to a demand which some friends and readers thought was frivolous, silly, ludicrous -- call it any which way - and it boils down to hurt pride.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had merely asked: "what's her (Melinda Rustia's) motive in passing gossips against this reporter?" Indeed, from someone I knew nothing about except when she had signed up as a subscriber to my videos, it's astonishing how she could treat me with such condescension.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not knowing her from Eve, I rely on what McLaine says, to wit, that she's "an upstanding member of the Toronto Filipino community". Honestly, I don't have the slightest idea how McLaine came to that assertion, specially when juxtapose with what she had peddled to her friends.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He says that my question was "personally injurious" and "damaging to her reputation". He explains: "Under the laws of the Province of Ontario, such defamatory statements constitute libel for which Mrs. Rustia is entitled to monetary damages x x x ".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Compare the question to what she had written and mass-emailed, thus: "I don't know anything about Romy Marquez until I received the Breaking News yesterday from Rory . . . so I googled him and here is a compilation of interesting and hilarious comments about him. Some are personal and below the belt . . . TAKE A BREAK guys and Enjoy! <strong>NAKAKATAWA TALAGA!"</strong> <em>(sic).</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I don't see the need to republish the substantive contents of her mass email; to do so would dignify them. Suffice it to say that the mere act of passing them to others without verifying the truth and accuracy constitutes rumour-mongering. She was spreading lies and taking delight in doing so and cajoling others to feel the same way she does, as in <strong>"nakakatawa talaga".</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I doubt if Melinda Rustia was being honest and truthful in saying she harvested from Google the questionable comments against me. The controversy in San Diego, California that spawned the vicious lies had been triggered by a series of exposes I did. It died down after the authors with phony names were unmasked.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I know a few individuals -- the PNS-types, or the pinabili-ng-suka-pag-balik-journalist-na -- who were responsible for authoring and disseminating the canard. What Melinda Rustia had spread belonged to this category. I don't know if she's PNS, stupid or naive but it's quite obvious she's too gullible to fall victim to such fraud. I believe she was fed the lies and gulped them.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This evolving story versus Melinda Rustia is so full of ironies. And here's why.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She's supposedly a founding member of the social press club yet she apparently prefers censorship over an unrestrained discussion of issues. She's supposedly "upstanding" yet she engages in reprehensible gossiping. She's supposedly a "private citizen" yet one sees her name and images all over print and websites.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In my long experience as an investigative journalist in San Diego, California, it was inevitable to bump into spurious community leaders with more brawn than brain.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm beginning to think -- and I say this based on my own knowledge -- that Toronto's Filipino community looks almost the same. But if it's that way, what the heck, be prepared to face the challenges.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That's how I approach this job as a journalist. Bullying, intimidation, hints of violence and threats of lawsuits are routinely slapped on the journalists who set out to uphold the virtues of journalism that they no longer quiver in fear.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The very task of journalism perforce a certain amount of digging . . . for dirt, for the hidden trail, for the secrets, for skeletons in closets, for masks needing unraveling. The danger approximates the importance of the story. Where one is truly committed to finding the truth, all the risks would be worth taking.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Investigative journalism is not something for the weak of heart; that kind of journalist must have the gumption to absorb and repel the kind of stinking kitchen sink thrown his way . . . and survive!</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have not yet engaged in investigative journalism in Toronto the way I did it in San Diego, my home for 16 years before I moved temporarily to Canada a year ago. But the challenges are there, e.g., the non-profit organizations, the private foundations and the many money-raising community organizations.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But I digress.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Comes now Mr. McLaine. After his first letter demanding removal of her picture came and went on Feb. 25 with a hint of a possible lawsuit if not complied with on that very same day, he emails a letter dated March 9 reiterating the same demand.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He writes, and I quote: "The actions you have taken to disregard our demands and to further defame Mrs. Rustia are clearly malicious and wholly indefensible. Accordingly, you have exposed yourself to additional liability from which you cannot be shielded by invoking a 'journalism' defence."</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Further, he says: " x x x Please notify the undersigned in writing before 5:30 PM Eastern Standard Time on March 10, 2011 that you are in full compliance with our demands. Failure to do so will result in the initiation of legal proceedings seeking significant monetary damages along with any other remedies, injunctive or otherwise, to which Mrs. Rustia is entitled".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I see a dramatic change in McLaine's warning. His first letter dated Feb. 25, 2011stated that "we will have no choice but to initiate legal proceedings seeking monetary damages . . . " The latest letter dated March 9, 2011 was upgraded, thus: " x x x will result in the initiation of legal proceedings seeking significant monetary damages x x x ".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Note the word "significant" inserted between "seeking" and "monetary" in the March letter. That's quite signficant too.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 6, March 10, 2011. Email at: <a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</a> or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a>).</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At Vimeo:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-60176488824161940482011-02-25T19:09:00.000-08:002011-02-25T19:09:41.306-08:00Lawyer Threatens to Sue Over Picture<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Currents & Breaking News </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 5 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Commentary/Opinion</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (</span></em><a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> ) and the Philippine Village Voice (</span></em><a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> ) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Friday, February 25, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ A supposedly "private citizen" by the name of Melinda Rustia goes bonkers at the sight of her picture in a newsvideo at YouTube. So she goes to a lawyer, and expectedly, the lawyer demands its removal and threatens legal action if not complied with. The lawyer claims the caption <em>"And kibitzer Melinda Rustia, what's her motive in passing gossips against this reporter?"</em> was "injurious" and "damaging" to her as it is, the lawyer claims, "false and defamatory". She could see and feel the hurt to her but not to me and two other journalists -- Bobby Reyes in Los Angeles, and Joseph Lariosa in Chicago, Illinois when she spread gossips and rumours to her friends. Do we just clam up just because she said so? The practice of investigative journalism entails risks and Melinda Rustia's action threatening a lawsuit is just one of them. Here's the full story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlamW9ZlaI8SaF8-07lGm_yFvwmWycGvE3wTQ8RwlF3-7cGCz7-cLfIqGj591YCsixnh7bM3X24oHz8OPrhubJ2osLWq9lIqL98H81e_7EMxUB9TmWyfce0AdZSgEsQbg3GaR1bUIF7NXT/s1600/ppco_melindagrp_dec20101+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlamW9ZlaI8SaF8-07lGm_yFvwmWycGvE3wTQ8RwlF3-7cGCz7-cLfIqGj591YCsixnh7bM3X24oHz8OPrhubJ2osLWq9lIqL98H81e_7EMxUB9TmWyfce0AdZSgEsQbg3GaR1bUIF7NXT/s400/ppco_melindagrp_dec20101+-+Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Melinda Rustia (left) with Rory Elefano. Original image lifted from the Philippine Reporter website.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>COLLATERAL DAMAGE OF THE PROXY WARS?</em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Toronto Community Fixture Threatens Lawsuit </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Against The Filipino Web Channel and its Reporter</strong></span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>and Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - "And kibitzer Melinda Rustia, what's her motive in passing gossips against this reporter?"</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That line in a newsvideo on my YouTube channel has triggered a threat of a lawsuit from no less than the person herself, Melinda Rustia, through a lawyer, Ian A. McLaine, a Toronto barrister and solicitor.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've never heard of this Melinda Rustia or what she does in the Filipino community. The very first time I saw her name was when she signed up as a subscriber in one of my online channels. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For months since I started doing videos in June last year to complement my news blogs, her screen name was there. This month, however, she promptly removed her name the moment my video "War for the Pockets - Toronto's Filipino Community in Turmoil" hit the airwaves. (To view, click the link: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB2AOE9-z-o&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB2AOE9-z-o&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Quite obviously, she did not like the idea of her image appearing there with the inscription "And kibitzer Melinda Rustia, what's her motive in passing gossips against this reporter?".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What I called "gossips" are the many unfounded allegations contained in emails and chatmails that were sent out a few years ago when some members of the Filipino community in San Diego, California were fulminating against a series of investigative articles that I wrote exposing corruption in community organizations.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For example, the $27,000 that went missing from the coffers of the Council of Philippine American Organizations (COPAO) and the payoffs into the hundreds of thousand dollars in the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) based in Washington, DC.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Most of the articles that Melinda Rustia spread had been consistently denied and rebutted by myself and another journalist in Los Angeles, Bobby Reyes even if we found out that its anonymous author was a shameless, gutless lapdog let loose by our arch enemies.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not being a journalist -- though I am told she's one of the co-founders of Philippine Press Club Ontario, which is primarily a social and networking group -- Melinda Rustia never checked whether the information alleged in the questionable emails were accurate or not.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She admits harvesting from the treasure-trove of information that is Google and gleefully mass-emailed them anyway, thus making her complicit in spreading gossips.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In emails she sent to her friends, notably to Rory Elefano (aelefano@_), Tess Cusipag (balita@_), Paul de la Cruz (razorcutz007@_) and Philippine Independence Day Council (pidctoronto@gmail.com), Melinda Rustia claimed, and I quote her: "I don't know anything about Romy Marquez until I received the Breaking News yesterday from Rory . . . " (The Breaking News she referred to can be viewed at: <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> ).</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She continued: " so, I googled him and here is a compilation of interesting and hilarious comments about him. Some are personal and below the belt . . . "</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I don't know what to make of her -- a liar, cheat or simply a dishonest person? Not that it mattered to me, but Melinda Rustia had fairly good knowledge about me when she subscribed to one of my channels. And that belies her claim of not knowing me or what I do.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Why would Melinda Rustia compile and then pass on comments which she already had adjudged as "personal and below the belt"? Since she has not checked the veracity of those comments, did she not spread rumours calculated to ruin my credibility as a journalist?</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Of the entries about me in Google and other search engines, Melinda Rustia zeroed in on the most despicable lies there. Maybe because, by her own admission, "NAKAKATAWA TALAGA!" <em>(sic),</em> meaning those were the items that made fun of me.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My impression was that she was being fed with the wrong and distorted information by my detractors in San Diego, California where I had exposed the crooks, scam artists and thieves who lorded it over the Filipino community.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For 16 years in San Diego, and many years before that in Manila and elsewhere where I had worked as a foreign correspondent, I had been threatened with violence, robbed, intimidated, bullied and sued many times over. But I am not one to cringe in fear or crack so easily for as long as I hold the truth.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now that I've published her picture in my video, Melinda Rustia suddenly became a "private citizen" taking umbrage at my reporting. Did I hit it right that she's spreading rumours?</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm not going to allow anyone, much less a Melinda Rustia and her cohorts, to drag me down her seeming fondness for the gutter. I'd let her and her friends bust their lungs in laughter and fart, but I'm not fair game for your moments of mirth. If it's dirt you want, it's dirt you'd get.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm quite surprised that Melinda Rustia has enlisted the services of a lawyer to demand that I remove her picture from my video. What's the lawyer for, to intimidate me?</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ian McLaine claims the caption <em>"And kibitzer Melinda Rustia, what's her motive in passing gossips against this reporter?"</em> is </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"personally injurious" to her and "damaging to her reputation". It is "false and defamatory," he says.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">" x x x Mrs. Rustia x x x is an upstanding member of the Toronto Filipino community who is active in charitable causes benefitting that community", explains her lawyer. Well, that I'll have to find out.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Invoking her being a "private citizen", McLaine also raised the issue about her picture being published in the video without her consent. Yet her picture is all over the internet. One example is the one attached to this story.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Accordingly, we demand that you immediately remove all images of and references to Mrs. Rustia from 'The Filipino Web Channel', the 'Currents & Breaking News' blog and any other publication, online or otherwise x x x " the lawyer wrote. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Further, we demand that you immediately cease and desist from the publication of any further statements or images associated with or otherwise concerning Mrs. Rustia," McLaine further wrote.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">McLaine demanded compliance by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Feb. 25, 2011 or else "we will have no choice but to initiate legal proceedings seeking monetary damages along with any other remedies to which Ms. <em>(sic)</em> Rustia is entitled."</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 5, February 25, 2011. Email at: </span></em><a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">, </span></em><a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> or </span></em><a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> ).</span></em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For other stories, please visit: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-32389970310458662422011-01-30T16:22:00.000-08:002011-01-31T18:50:26.596-08:00Philippine Networks Wage Proxy Wars in Toronto's Filipino Community<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 4 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Sunday, January 30, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ The Philippines' two giant networks are unwittingly tearing the fabric of Filipino family apart. Their mostly nonsensical shows - entertainment fare that caters to prurient interests - are aggressively marketed in North America, specifically in Toronto, Canada, with little or no regard to whether they ruin or uphold Filipino values. Their intense marketing strategies have been reduced to proxy wars between families and organizations of competing interests. At least a dozen officials resigned from the group that organizes the annual community fests. A newspaper columnist was censored over an innocuous mention of a name. An editor admits to not being able to practice fair reporting due to an arrangement with one of the protagonists. The Filipino family in Toronto is in shambles . . . over money!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooVa7k7KA4rTF3uqYy9plT4QCJyMzXOBpJTrgsCMgGAZFmVDYMNTkmIE2edef17_Yk7adA6Wz143LZdKb30-GbbxsuShyphenhyphenL9llbFs0wWt_54GpxN4sV6SN-jpq-SNdbVBIJehcSoMpMoMx/s1600/2010_07_242-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooVa7k7KA4rTF3uqYy9plT4QCJyMzXOBpJTrgsCMgGAZFmVDYMNTkmIE2edef17_Yk7adA6Wz143LZdKb30-GbbxsuShyphenhyphenL9llbFs0wWt_54GpxN4sV6SN-jpq-SNdbVBIJehcSoMpMoMx/s400/2010_07_242-1.jpg" width="400" /></span></strong></em></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some of the officers of PIDC, seen here from images lifted from PIDC website.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>PROXY WARS BETWEEN THE 'KAPUSO' AND 'KAPAMILYA' FAMILIES</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Toronto's Filipino Community Reels Under; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mass Resignations Hit Top Organization </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Asian American Journalists Association</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - The Philippines' top entertainment clans have taken their internecine wars to North America, pitting relatively peaceful Filipino families against one another and threatening their respective communities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That's how far the <em>Kapamilya</em> and <em>Kapuso </em>followers have gone in their battle for the pockets of thousands of Filipinos in Toronto, at least, where a thriving Filipino community has been turned into a battleground of competing business interests.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Kapamilya</em> is, of course, the entertainment powerhouse TFC or The Filipino Channel of ABS CBN. <em>Kapuso </em>is the giant GMA-7 or GMA Pinoy TV, reputedly the Philippines no. 1 TV network.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What once was a solid Filipino family is now divided into two hostile groups -- the <em>Kapamilya</em> and <em>Kapuso</em>. A third by a newly-emerging channel tries to waylay loyalties by coming up with Kapatid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A humble upstart with no big money to spend, to begin with, mocks the three big networks with its <em>Kapitbahay</em>, a video outlet of <em>The Filipino Web Channel</em> that's available for free viewing on YouTube and Vimeo. Except that this one is devoted to news and current events in Filipino neighbourhoods in Toronto, Canada.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">From reports made available to this reporter, the organizers of community festivals in Toronto under the umbrella of the Philippine Independence Day Council, have turned to <em>Kapamilya</em> for co-sponsorship of the festivities slated this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What a "sponsorship" entails in revenues was a question nobody wants to answer.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last year, in July 2010, celebrations billed under the aegis of Mabuhay Festival were co-sponsored by <em>Kapuso.</em> The answer to the question about co-sponsorships may be found in that experience.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xTaAvfQtPHh6ljouFDI4vx-XGgqYjK-_T0l_cLD3FBjlxAUCZP3DTrFs0a0hCMNWZ-FChOxqdkqGx9f3E8_unlQdhwIoarYaSwjID9etQRkxQgWGTodMbCsonzmu5VETROT0O9YjfJ1a/s1600/IMG_4865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xTaAvfQtPHh6ljouFDI4vx-XGgqYjK-_T0l_cLD3FBjlxAUCZP3DTrFs0a0hCMNWZ-FChOxqdkqGx9f3E8_unlQdhwIoarYaSwjID9etQRkxQgWGTodMbCsonzmu5VETROT0O9YjfJ1a/s400/IMG_4865.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PIDC declares in its website that it's "fostering unity within the Filipino-Canadian Community," a claim ironically lost in efforts to tighten its grip on the financial windfall that a network sponsorship promises.</span></strong></em> </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
PIDC practically abandoned its pre-eminent role by succumbing to the entertainment program provided by <em>Kapuso.</em> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What was supposed to be a wholesome family-oriented celebration of Philippine independence had been turned into an endless entertainment fare involving sex actors and a retinue of gyrating young women.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A good example was Katrina Halili, the femme fatale whose sexual congress with her lover Hayden Kho played out for months in cyberspace. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Halili was topbilled by PIDC in the Mabuhay Festival as if she's the epitome of virtue for young Filipino women in Toronto to emulate.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not content with that, she was partnered -- to provide a balance -- with the chest-thumping entertainment macho, a certain Wendell Ramos, who had disrobed his top apparently because he could not resist the chanting crowds of drooling matrons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As soon as he took off his shirt, the crowd roared, no doubt to the orgasmic delight of screaming fans. There were whispers for Katrina to do the same, meaning to strip.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Was that "wholesome" entertainment worthy of the community's money and attention. What's the cultural aspect of it, other than to show a fetish for the flesh?</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So what's in store for the Filipino community of Toronto this year?</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For sure, family-oriented fests designed to unify every Filipino would take a back seat in favor of shows prepared by the networks. So it's essentially a <em>Kapuso</em> or <em>Kapamilya</em> show geared towards promoting their networks through a parade of stars. The unstated target is the Filipino purse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Kapuso's point man in Toronto, Rosemer Enverga, refused to answer questions from this reporter, citing what she calls "sensitivity of my position as GMA Pinoy TV consultant".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Enverga also explained the same "sensitivity" applies to her husband, Tobias "Jun" Enverga, who was recently elected as a trustee of the Toronto Catholic School Board.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Envergas are active community volunteers before they took on their new jobs at the beginning of the year.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">ABS CBN's The Filipino Channel has not responded, either, to queries. The network's representative in Toronto referred this reporter's questions to its head office in the Philippines.</span><br />
</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VGHEOv9fk6Q2Ng9EDFX31fYUlV1hXbqvNT3jTRK2aJkzQKPTKj-G_1mfsI9HdPPOD_7skq1cEr0XxHLxG5_A1vNXjwV-QtW0lcMho29qhwo4YZ-0voy6LHM6GNbZc7f-w4J8vbz4J94F/s1600/tenny.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VGHEOv9fk6Q2Ng9EDFX31fYUlV1hXbqvNT3jTRK2aJkzQKPTKj-G_1mfsI9HdPPOD_7skq1cEr0XxHLxG5_A1vNXjwV-QtW0lcMho29qhwo4YZ-0voy6LHM6GNbZc7f-w4J8vbz4J94F/s200/tenny.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Tenny Soriano</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But the extent of the proxy wars already seems apparent in the local media.</span><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Veteran journalist Tenny Soriano was admonished by his editor and publisher in <em>Balita </em>newspaper to rewrite his column after managing editor Tess Cusipag apparently saw the name of Rosemer Enverga mentioned in passing.</span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Soriano was furious. "This is curtailment of press freedom!" he cried. "Let's see what the Philippine Press Club Ontario will do with this issue of press freedom".</span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Tess Cusipag, who by profession is a teacher, has inherited most of the job of husband Ruben Cusipag - a hard-hitting journalist from way back in the Philippines - after he figured in an accident. She now calls the shots at <em>Balita</em> newspaper.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHI4iSjre_-upx5ummmNGT08p8CLnPI8KpUjW4ALx_cmMqjLlz6B-uBJt3D6JlwgzGuuvqkMMCmnlWtV6XXcScH5FYaQYFpvmE6TbOgUNe5eD3qitdJ053tjQtPyyd_S8urAK3LHSRyAD/s1600/tess+cusipag.balita.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHI4iSjre_-upx5ummmNGT08p8CLnPI8KpUjW4ALx_cmMqjLlz6B-uBJt3D6JlwgzGuuvqkMMCmnlWtV6XXcScH5FYaQYFpvmE6TbOgUNe5eD3qitdJ053tjQtPyyd_S8urAK3LHSRyAD/s200/tess+cusipag.balita.JPG" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Tess Cusipag</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"We have made a commitment that GMA/Rosemer Enverga's project will not be mentioned at all in <em>Balita,"</em> Tess Cusipag wrote to Soriano rejecting his article.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"We took the stand that Rosemer's project does not exist at all as far as we are concern<em> (sic)</em> and that PIDC will only be the project to watch out for in the Summer," she stated, clarifying an "arrangement" her paper has with ABS CBN and Philippine Independence Day Council, the organizer of the festivities.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Sorry, it is a commitment and I can not practice fair reporting at this time," Tess Cusipag explained.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One of the questions asked of organizer PIDC president Minda Neri was the amount of money the organization stands to gain from the ABS CBN-TFC/Kapamilya sponsorship. A request for a copy of PIDC's financial statement has not been answered.</span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZdO4FPwdm_eaCeoS3aXFx0B6uxFTrBE_l5vYc76VaZdOWZNsgrkFr80rHYqWfHekzUqQW3s78iFaNpLc0U95_1I9En_-935Xfv8idpiWHSI5b81NLNYQ-18LV65cmjlyIy9TZZl6B8U4/s1600/mabuhay_page_21_mindaneri-159x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZdO4FPwdm_eaCeoS3aXFx0B6uxFTrBE_l5vYc76VaZdOWZNsgrkFr80rHYqWfHekzUqQW3s78iFaNpLc0U95_1I9En_-935Xfv8idpiWHSI5b81NLNYQ-18LV65cmjlyIy9TZZl6B8U4/s320/mabuhay_page_21_mindaneri-159x300.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Minda Neri</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Neri has remained tight-lipped about the many issues swirling around PIDC, even refusing to respond to criticisms that she's inexperienced and incompetent in handling community affairs of the magnitude of PIDC-generated events.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sought last year for comments about the appearance of sex star Katrina Halili and the strip act of Wendell Ramos at the Mabuhay Festival under PIDC, Neri simply went quiet, never acknowledging that legitimate questions were being asked to enlighten the public.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PIDC itself is caught in a maelstrom, some triggered by Neri's alleged ineffectual leadership, some by the lack of transparency and some by widespread disappoinment over perceived personal agendas being pursued by those in leadership positions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Reports reaching this reporter said at least a dozen officers of PIDC resigned their positions in recent weeks owing to a growing dissatisfaction with the leadership. The number included Rosemer Enverga who opted out as vice president internal owing to what she considers a conflict of interest.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rafael Nebres, until early this month president of the 200-member Philippine Chamber of Commerce, confirmed that he quit PIDC and that his group (the chamber) was let go from PIDC.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"They (PIDC) want to manage the trade show, which the chamber has been doing in the last five years as a component of the festival," he said in an interview.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"As far as I know," Nebres explained, "PIDC likes to get all the financial benefits". Though he did not elaborate on the benefits, he indicated they could be substantial.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PIDC has not made an accounting of its financial and community activities in the last year, at least, a fact that could have sparked the mass resignations.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A list provided by sources showed 16 individuals who have resigned. A certain Estring Aguinaldo whose name appears in the list explained that she "did not resign from PIDC and I am proud to be involved with PIDC". </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aguinaldo was among those sought for comment. When furnished with the questions, she apparently blew her top.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Her unedited comment: "Let us not destroy the Filipino community by doing this kind of interrogation to different people. All of us are working so hard to keep the community be known in this country in a good way and not in a bad way. Lets keep it that way".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A Mr. Tony Tarungan claimed: "This is the first time in the Filipino Community that a large number of officers have resigned in one organization under the leadership of Minda Nerie <em>(sic)".</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Based on the unverified list, those who quit included: Bernard Sychangco, Jim Marasigan, Josie Consunhi, Pors Canlas, Romy Rafael, Ben Ferrer, Ethel Stewart, Leone Manzanares, Jojo Rodrigues, Bing Marasigan, Sheila Canazares, Zena Flores and Benny Dision.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 4, January 30, 2011. Email at: </span></em><a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">, </span></em><a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> or </span></em><a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> ).</span></em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> .</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-81144447316290982642011-01-26T06:05:00.000-08:002011-01-26T06:05:34.814-08:00Bogus Lawyer Outed in 2002, Ordered to Pay Fine<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 3 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . 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 . . . . . .</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Wednesday, January 26, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ It's incredible how this man could be so brazen. Outed last month as an impostor on two counts -- lawyer and journalist so-called -- Pex Aves, alias Pacifico Aves, had been engaged in his racket much earlier than thought. In 2002, according to documents published by investigative journalist Bobby Reyes, a judge found Aves engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, fined and ordered to return money to his debtors. How he and his law and journalism practice flourished during the period until now has yet to be unraveled. A complaint to the State Bar of California could open a can of worms.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHuyyw8HgD9ua90y7bvQk8MhHWtoSXgUCITYZBnrHB6s9mMKELPPNtEop8eTet6usiGsinhsXeObP6c10AYnoHUGFl5UCiikpu-OAnZNHdvvVUBafEBAP5BS-FgBwJCgms-76vXWWS0gK/s1600/IMG_3795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHuyyw8HgD9ua90y7bvQk8MhHWtoSXgUCITYZBnrHB6s9mMKELPPNtEop8eTet6usiGsinhsXeObP6c10AYnoHUGFl5UCiikpu-OAnZNHdvvVUBafEBAP5BS-FgBwJCgms-76vXWWS0gK/s400/IMG_3795.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A published ad by Pex Aves</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>PEX AVES AKA PACIFICO AVES - THE NON-LAWYER IN LAW PRACTICE</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">LA Braggart Engaged in 'Unauthorized Practice of Law,' Says Judge</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Asian American Journalists Association</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - The doubly bogus man who had flouted his contacts with high Philippine officials and peddled his influence in Los Angeles, California had brazenly engaged in the "unauthorized practice of law" though he was not a lawyer, a Filipino journalist reported in his popular website.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pex Aves, alias Pacifico Aves, had also been fined and ordered to return money to his debtors, according to documents published by investigative journalist Bobby Reyes in his MabuhayRadio.com.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aves' name appears neither in the rolls of attorneys in California nor in the Philippines -- a fact that did not stop him from advertising in Filipino newspapers in LA about his "small law office" with a stable of five of what he called "high caliber lawyers".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Though he's not a credentialed journalist, Aves stakes a claim that he runs and manages as "Los Angeles bureau head at kolumnista (sic)" of a "global" newspaper. When asked how "global" it was, he admitted that it has a weekly circulation of 50,000 copies.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Modesty aside," he wrote in mistakes-laden English-Tagalog, "thousands upon thousands (libo-libo)" wrote that they liked his writings. That was probably meant to back up his questionable reputation.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The (Superior) Court," according to Reyes, "found that Aves committed a fraudulent, unfair, and deceptive act, fined him $2,000, and ordered that he return another $3,000 in fees to the debtors."</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aves was not immediately available for comment. In previous weeks, he responded to questions with a barrage of vulgar and racist unprintables.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the document quoted by Reyes, it said that: "Judge Russell issued findings that Pex Aves, a petition preparer, engaged in the unauthorized practice of law x x x </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"The Court found that Aves had several violations of Section 110, including failing to sign the bankruptcy documents, failing to disclose his identifying number, failing to disclose his fees, using the term 'legal' in his advertising, and collecting the filing fee x x x "</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aves had boasted about his high connections in the Philippines and named three congressmen and a cabinent member as his media references, namely, Herminio Teves, Miguel Romero and Jerome Paras, and Finance Secretary Margarito Teves.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In Los Angeles, he listed the names of the "high-caliber" lawyers so-called, thus: Fred Holgado, Atty. Mitch Bushin, Atty. Fred Marallag, Atty. Polie Okoronco and Atty. Ben Onyanaco.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Only Bushin's name appears in the California State Bar. Bushin did not respond to queries like the others who can be reached by email.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 3, January 26, 2011. Email at: <a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a> , <a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</a> or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a> ).</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> .</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For newsvideos at The Gotcha Journalist Channel, please click the links:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Milestone in Leadership, Friendship and Service of Alpha Phi Omega in San Diego:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. A 20-million peso Bounty for Gawad Kalinga from TELUS, a Top Canadian Firm:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Ako ay Pilipino - The Song Heard 'Round Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Bayan Ko by PAMANA Vocal Ensemble:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Candid Talk with Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Founder:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-28255603976269731082011-01-15T11:23:00.000-08:002011-01-15T11:40:23.819-08:00Filipino Media in Toronto<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HZAsfpMLC6e7KNS489cIkXZTHMKRcobEvB7pgcONbMJArga611Ql05eG-axm5qp41p01XGSznjyvkQPO1YGJ6aNwQn71mHXY5lguk0TIizk4ebhNtyItY7tS7HAojUAMGjDNzPwRANCr/s1600/toronto+filpapers+collage.1jan2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HZAsfpMLC6e7KNS489cIkXZTHMKRcobEvB7pgcONbMJArga611Ql05eG-axm5qp41p01XGSznjyvkQPO1YGJ6aNwQn71mHXY5lguk0TIizk4ebhNtyItY7tS7HAojUAMGjDNzPwRANCr/s400/toronto+filpapers+collage.1jan2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Some of the Filipino newspapers in Toronto are shown above. Retired lawyer and blogger Joe Rivera comments: "It is not so much the quantity of newspapers but rather the mediocrity and reportage that these newspapers suffer from". Out of 15 newspapers we counted to join our discussion, only four responded -- three editors and one columnist. The others did not bother to answer back.</span></strong></em><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>THE FILIPINO WEB CHANNEL -</strong> <em>Redefining Community News</em> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Currents & Breaking News</span> </div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 2</span> </div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (</em></span><a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</em></span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>) and the Philippine Village Voice ( <a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com">PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com</a> ) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .</em></span></span> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Saturday, January 15, 2011</strong></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ We tried to get a good grasp of the media situation in the Filipino community of Toronto by attempting an interview with 12 of the 15 or so newspapers. From our perch, we would like the publishers and/or editors to challenge the contention that a significant number, if not most, of the papers suffer from what one blogger calls "mediocrity". We have our own observation that we will also publish here. In the meantime, news coverage by the local press of community events remains wanting in substance and depth.</span> </div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .</span> </div><div align="left"></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>What Ails Local Media? Is It Profit-Motive, 'Mediocrity' </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>or Lack of Honest-to-Goodness Journalists?</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - Were numbers the sole criteria to determine size, the Filipino media in Toronto would easily qualify as big!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Fifteen tabloids are locked in cutthroat competition to gain patronage of a fraction of the estimated 200,000 Filipinos in Canada's largest city.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The papers dazzle readers with full-page colored pictures, entertainment stories, beauty contests, gossips, endless parties and private get-togethers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">(To view video at YouTube, please click the link: </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgyPPVQhfns&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgyPPVQhfns&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</span></a>)<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Non-profit organizations unabashedly shed their political color from time to time through advertorials or plain ads.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">News coverages are focused on movie stars and entertainment people either from the GMA or TFC stables.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In areas where public support is massive, the competing networks practically take over and run the community fest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As in July 2010 when sex star Katrina Halili was marketed as role model by organizer Philippine Independence Day Council.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FfSBBHHkVfJhP8OC6afQSTfQoywbpY1TcsB9IAvw3EZ5cchTvYPz_dsyTBGPmpbk82DTBM7HwkXUpBvjuZQz9RYWh0DvV2pQAhke_DRJTVpNh5AJMS6H5OBlYqR2iBFyVs1mmCSsVt3Y/s1600/hayden-kho-and-katrina-halili-sex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FfSBBHHkVfJhP8OC6afQSTfQoywbpY1TcsB9IAvw3EZ5cchTvYPz_dsyTBGPmpbk82DTBM7HwkXUpBvjuZQz9RYWh0DvV2pQAhke_DRJTVpNh5AJMS6H5OBlYqR2iBFyVs1mmCSsVt3Y/s320/hayden-kho-and-katrina-halili-sex.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">From this image lifted lifted from websites, Katrina Halili </span></em></div><div align="left"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">is </span></em><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">shown with her lover Hayden Kho in an ad promo.</span></em></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And because GMA was out to promote its stars, PIDC had to give way to instigation for actor Wendell Ramos to undress. He did, gladly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By their nature, newspapers had to fulfill a role. Most times they act as watchdogs, whistle-blowers and community guardians. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That's the reason, media or the press are collectively called the Fourth Estate. It's the unofficial eye watching over the three other estates - the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Except for some, coverage of events is superficial.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In comparison, entertainers get wide coverage. Their every little story gets published in practically all the newspapers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is where the question of relevance comes up. Another is proximity. Are Manila stories more relevant than those happening in the Filipino community of Toronto?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A retired lawyer and blogger, Joe Rivera, makes a stinging comment. He writes: "It is not so much the quantity of newspapers but rather the mediocrity and reportage that these newspapers suffer from".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rivera continues: "Improving the quality of our local newspapers can be a worthwhile project of the Filipino press association, as they can perform audits of these newspapers if they conform to accepted standards of professional journalism".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We ventured to get insights of publishers and editors.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb1_3riuk7il5_3w2Z3aTRzlqjmibXmI7vsme5dUoR2NGipxu33RLDx0bLDDHG2rEl_XcuiCtI-JxS60wu13bbdBfzx7N-NzekPYVr5bvaKFm79QdY657RORZAm-1rh3cWmFW1PUpO8To/s1600/New+Folder-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb1_3riuk7il5_3w2Z3aTRzlqjmibXmI7vsme5dUoR2NGipxu33RLDx0bLDDHG2rEl_XcuiCtI-JxS60wu13bbdBfzx7N-NzekPYVr5bvaKFm79QdY657RORZAm-1rh3cWmFW1PUpO8To/s400/New+Folder-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>Publishers and editors who were courteous enough to respond: from bottom, clockwise, columnist Tenny Soriano, Eddie Lee of Atin Ito, Rolly Cabrera of Taliba and Butch Galicia of Libreto.</strong></span></em></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sadly, only four got back to us. Two reputed journalists, Tenny Soriano and Butch Galicia, promptly responded with their views. The rest simply ignored the questions and did not even bother, as a matter of courtesy, to acknowledge them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Out of 15 Filipino newspapers, only four dared to speak -- <em>Atin Ito's</em> Eddie Lee, <em>Libreto's </em>Butch Galicia, <em>Taliba's</em> Rolly Cabrera and columnist Tenny Soriano.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Does that silence, or refusal to join the discussion, an apt indication of what Joe Rivera calls "mediocrity" that the papers suffer from?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 2, January 15, 2011. Email at: </span><a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com"><span style="color: #99aadd; font-size: xx-small;">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;">, </span><a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com"><span style="color: #99aadd; font-size: xx-small;">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> or </span><a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com"><span style="color: #99aadd; font-size: xx-small;">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> ).</span></em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For newsvideos at The Gotcha Journalist Channel, please click the links:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Milestone in Leadership, Friendship and Service of Alpha Phi Omega in San Diego:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. A 20-million peso Bounty for Gawad Kalinga from TELUS, a Top Canadian Firm:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Ako ay Pilipino - The Song Heard 'Round Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Bayan Ko by PAMANA Vocal Ensemble:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Candid Talk with Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Founder:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. The Life of a Filipino Caregiver in Song and Dance:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARiBxo1ilNM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARiBxo1ilNM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">7. Filipino Caregivers Honor Philippine Labor Attache in Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y5HfltfkC4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y5HfltfkC4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">8. Trees of Gold, Red and Orange - My First Autumn in Toronto: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNOmsAZ8xW4&playnext=1&videos=Z4sl5t7IhZk&feature=mfu_in_order">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNOmsAZ8xW4&playnext=1&videos=Z4sl5t7IhZk&feature=mfu_in_order</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">9. The Blooming Wildflowers of Autumn in Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Oj2n_L1is&playnext=1&videos=PixfkFrNkd0&feature=mfu_in_order">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Oj2n_L1is&playnext=1&videos=PixfkFrNkd0&feature=mfu_in_order</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">10. Cucina Manila - A Taste of Filipino Food in Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbDA6rkpQw&playnext=1&videos=56RoSgO_O4Q&feature=mfu_in_order">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbDA6rkpQw&playnext=1&videos=56RoSgO_O4Q&feature=mfu_in_order</a></span></div>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-2274698884169124152011-01-08T15:41:00.000-08:002011-01-08T15:43:46.536-08:00Twelve Stanzas for Peace - A Celebration of Friends and Friendships<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">THE FILIPINO WEB CHANNEL <em>- Redefining Community News</em></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Currents & Breaking News </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 5, Issue No. 1 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (</span><a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: x-small;">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> ) and the Philippine Village Voice (</span><a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: x-small;">PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> ) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Saturday, January 8, 2011</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ Better late than never. With that statement, we greet the arrival of the New Year and the New Decade eight days into it. We enter the fifth year of this service of providing news and information to Filipino communities everywhere, specifically those in the United States, Canada and the Philippines. As we kick off our coverage, we created a poem and an accompanying video about our friends who are currently engaged in a war. "No Country for Old Men" would seem a perfect title but, unlike in the novel and the movie adaptation, violence and mayhem from the not-so-old gentlemen come from the mouth.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>A LOCAL SEQUEL TO "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN"?</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Twelve Stanzas for Peace - A Celebration of Friends and Friendships</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Asian American Journalists Association</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - Eight days into the New Year and into the new decade, we bear witness to a saga of some proportions between men who for quite a time now have discarded their gentle countenance in favor of spite and venom.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Their heated, and hated, exchanges, and subsequent attempts to pacify them by well-meaning friends, have inspired us to compose a few verses that we plan to turn into poetry.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We also created a video at: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3myEF-hauo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3myEF-hauo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here then are the twelve stanzas for peace dedicated to Don Azarias of Chicago and Jesse Jose of Seattle; and to Bobby Reyes, Joseph Lariosa, Pareng Dido, Lourdes Ceballos, Ting Joven and Bart and Yoly Tubalinal.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrB9qxZ1lxOrrK1T8fOddvQVga-leivLYalSUDDSwtaxj7VUHo54OPifrbx2jXr6mzgKwZyyeWshEcO8pJuOVHTAsT4taB7kNy01qf9J65HD8DhDLFtCk7CG5Pk7rO0scKxnYqx1c7AA6L/s1600/IMG_4386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrB9qxZ1lxOrrK1T8fOddvQVga-leivLYalSUDDSwtaxj7VUHo54OPifrbx2jXr6mzgKwZyyeWshEcO8pJuOVHTAsT4taB7kNy01qf9J65HD8DhDLFtCk7CG5Pk7rO0scKxnYqx1c7AA6L/s400/IMG_4386.JPG" width="400" /></span></strong></em></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The falling snow this Saturday (Jan. 8, 2011) was an inspiration to write Twelve Stanzas for Peace.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Twelve Stanzas for Peace </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>- A Celebration of Friends and Friendships</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the name of peace </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">let's not tease, please, please.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the name of love</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">let's stop the blab, blab blab.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the name of community</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">let's all aspire for unity.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the name of our families</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">let's do our sacred homilies.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If fighting, fighting is our thing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">No one's left to do the planting.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Foul mouths spew hate, insults and lies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Impacts all, friends, enemies and wise.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Weapons of war like knives, guns, bombs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Kill, maim and make us all hateful dumbs.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Nobody wants somebody's garbage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dump, recycle them for cabbage.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">New year, new decade, time to be new</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Banish hate, be honest 'ven for few.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Friends we are, on earth, in cyberspace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sharing good, bad, ugly thrown our face.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We all suffer in times of war </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In times of peace we'll go far, far.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Waste not the time, waste not the day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We can frolic in fun, wait for that day.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 5, Issue no. 1, January 8, 2011. Email at: <a href="mailto:TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com">TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</a> or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a> ).</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At Vimeo:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For other stories, please visit: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For newsvideos at The Gotcha Journalist Channel, please click the links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Milestone in Leadership, Friendship and Service of Alpha Phi Omega in San Diego:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. A 20-million peso Bounty for Gawad Kalinga from TELUS, a Top Canadian Firm:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Ako ay Pilipino - The Song Heard 'Round Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Bayan Ko by PAMANA Vocal Ensemble:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Candid Talk with Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Founder:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-42363514068211710362010-12-16T13:15:00.000-08:002010-12-16T13:20:53.051-08:00'Law Offices' of Fake Lawyer in LA Could Be a Front<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 4, Issue No. 45 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . A community service of Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Thursday, December 16, 2010</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ The advertisement does not openly say he's a lawyer. But Pex A. Aves, looking years younger than his most recent picture, is actively soliciting clients who may have problems with divorce, immigration, labor employment, personal injury/accidents, bankruptcy and eviction. Well, he isn't an attorney, either in the Philippines or in California, as claimed earlier. Nor is he a journalist despite his vaunted "global" newspaper he says he manages. Now, his nemesis, web editor and journalist Bobby Reyes is asking for help from legitimate lawyers in unmasking the real Aves and his cohorts in what may be an illicit but thriving law practice in Los Angeles. Reyes urges people who might have been lured by Aves' ad and "victimized" to come out and file their complaints.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHuyyw8HgD9ua90y7bvQk8MhHWtoSXgUCITYZBnrHB6s9mMKELPPNtEop8eTet6usiGsinhsXeObP6c10AYnoHUGFl5UCiikpu-OAnZNHdvvVUBafEBAP5BS-FgBwJCgms-76vXWWS0gK/s1600/IMG_3795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHuyyw8HgD9ua90y7bvQk8MhHWtoSXgUCITYZBnrHB6s9mMKELPPNtEop8eTet6usiGsinhsXeObP6c10AYnoHUGFl5UCiikpu-OAnZNHdvvVUBafEBAP5BS-FgBwJCgms-76vXWWS0gK/s400/IMG_3795.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">An ad by Pex Aves listing lawyer services.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><strong>'LAW OFFICE' COULD BE A FRONT</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Fake Lawyer Advertises Lawyer Services in Los Angeles</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Asian American Journalists Association</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - The purported law office run and manage by the non-lawyer and non-journalist Pex Aves (real name: Pacifico Aves) heavily advertises in some Filipino community newspapers in Los Angeles, California and actively solicits clients in other local publications.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The unmasking of Aves and his operation took another turn on Monday when web editor and journalist Bobby Reyes called on the Philippine-American Bar Association of Southern California to help in "documenting the illegal practices of Mr. Aves and/or his supposed 'legal team' members." </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aves boasted that he has five "high caliber" lawyers working with him in his "small law office" which he did not say where. An address in his advertising material -- at Bank of America Bldg., 3450 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1210, Los Angeles, California 90010 -- could be a front. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">(News videos are available at YouTube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvAdEAU7qM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvAdEAU7qM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> and at Vimeo at: <a href="http://vimeo.com/17767845">http://vimeo.com/17767845</a> ).</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In his letter to the bar association, Reyes said he believed people were victimized by Aves' operation and have sought remedies from its members who are legitimate lawyers.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"We need your assistance x x x so that we -- or your distinguished Bar Association -- can provide the information to the appropriate authorities for prosecution and redress of grievances," Reyes wrote.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"It is time to bring to justice the members of our community that enrich themselves at the expense of the general public and that violate the laws of the land," he added.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Of the claimed "high caliber" lawyers apparently in its stable, four, or possibly three, of the five are not licensed to practice in California, that is assuming they are real attorneys who have hurdled the Bar in the United States or in the Philippines.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The four named by Aves are Fred Holgado, Atty. Fred Marallag, Atty. Polie Okoronco and Atty. Ben Onyanaco. A fifth, Atty. Mitch Bushin, is legitimate and maintains a law office in the LA suburb of Van Nuys.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Fred Holgado is not in the list of The State Bar of California but Alfredo B. Holgado or Alfredo Banawa Holgado of Chino Hills is. He was admitted to the California Bar in September 1997 and shares one of his office addresses with Aves on Wilshire Blvd.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But two -- Okoronco and Onyanaco -- are not in the list of Philippine attorneys, either.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Similar sounding names, that of Alfredo B. Holgado and Fred Henry V. Marallag, do appear in the master list of Philippine lawyers. They could be the Fred Holgado and the Fred Marallag identified by Aves.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In his advertisement appearing in Balita newspaper in LA, Aves seeks clients who may have problems in at least six fields of law practice: family law, specifically divorce; immigration, labor employment, personal injury/accidents, bankruptcy and eviction.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In that ad, he never claims he's a lawyer. But the ad gives the impression he is.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The State Bar, an arm of the California Supreme Court, said it is authorized by law to take limited action against non-attorneys "under certain circumstances".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Information about possible unlawful practice of law by an unlicensed individual may be relayed to The State Bar of California, Office of the Chief Trial Counsel, Intake Unit, 1149 S. Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015-2299, Attn: UPL Project or at 1-800-843-9053.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the Balita issue of Oct. 2, 2010, page 37, Atty. Fred B. Holgado advertised his services and three office locations alongside Aves'.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">His expertise apparently is in labor/employment cases with emphasis on discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, whistle blowing, breach of contract and religious/retaliation/unpaid wages.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 4, Issue no. 45, December 16, 2010. Email at: PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a>).</em></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgw6aelQRVSBnD4DT-o-xsHvmNvyk_poUgsqOgY21oo1VjVscM5oywLl8T30-t6Y2nzUomywP-KeBnwqedtjzSNvnGMg9IoxyVUNEhRZzKxFXVaOh0YjJDWYyYbcvnFXSuTNk2_oqX06k/s1600/IMG_3804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgw6aelQRVSBnD4DT-o-xsHvmNvyk_poUgsqOgY21oo1VjVscM5oywLl8T30-t6Y2nzUomywP-KeBnwqedtjzSNvnGMg9IoxyVUNEhRZzKxFXVaOh0YjJDWYyYbcvnFXSuTNk2_oqX06k/s400/IMG_3804.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A check with State Bar reveals nothing about Fred Holgado.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. http://vimeo.com/16962555</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. http://vimeo.com/user4144767</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For newsvideos at The Gotcha Journalist Channel, please click the links:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Milestone in Leadership, Friendship and Service of Alpha Phi Omega in San Diego:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. A 20-million peso Bounty for Gawad Kalinga from TELUS, a Top Canadian Firm:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Ako ay Pilipino - The Song Heard 'Round Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Bayan Ko by PAMANA Vocal Ensemble:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Candid Talk with Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Founder:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. The Life of a Filipino Caregiver in Song and Dance:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARiBxo1ilNM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARiBxo1ilNM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">7. Filipino Caregivers Honor Philippine Labor Attache in Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y5HfltfkC4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y5HfltfkC4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">8. Trees of Gold, Red and Orange - My First Autumn in Toronto: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNOmsAZ8xW4&playnext=1&videos=Z4sl5t7IhZk&feature=mfu_in_order">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNOmsAZ8xW4&playnext=1&videos=Z4sl5t7IhZk&feature=mfu_in_order</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">9. The Blooming Wildflowers of Autumn in Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Oj2n_L1is&playnext=1&videos=PixfkFrNkd0&feature=mfu_in_order">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Oj2n_L1is&playnext=1&videos=PixfkFrNkd0&feature=mfu_in_order</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">10. Cucina Manila - A Taste of Filipino Food in Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbDA6rkpQw&playnext=1&videos=56RoSgO_O4Q&feature=mfu_in_order">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbDA6rkpQw&playnext=1&videos=56RoSgO_O4Q&feature=mfu_in_order</a></span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-69864636809256204062010-12-13T06:13:00.000-08:002010-12-13T06:19:43.416-08:00Los Angeles Law Office Staffed with Impostors?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE - Redefining Community News</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Currents & Breaking News</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 4, Issue No. 44 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . A community service of Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Monday, December 13, 2010</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ He was trying to build up an impressive credential of himself, dropping names of people in and outside government. But the way he articulates is the biggest give-away -- he writes likes an ignorant juvenile who laces his language with racist, vulgar unprintables and makes baseless accusations. Never would anyone believe what he says he is, a lawyer and journalist, and a broadcaster too, because he's too uncouth, unthinking and too careless to be true. Pacifico Aves alias Pex Aves says he has a law office in Los Angeles staffed with at least five "high caliber" lawyers. Well, four of the "lawyers" are not listed with the State Bar of California, which could mean he and his group are engaged in some form of scam through misrepresentation.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXzy8_wTSX0kVi8PzlKSmKxx1x7YrArgXxUhRmCZFcETigKHPv5BB5plzwIlW3H0d_H1YwshFMWFr6NJkHKdXnSiEqY4DAf1T9qrrqYwqxQBKbgAONvYsvNYIiiJIZdpKK3x6yoRNUSw-/s1600/IMG_3771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXzy8_wTSX0kVi8PzlKSmKxx1x7YrArgXxUhRmCZFcETigKHPv5BB5plzwIlW3H0d_H1YwshFMWFr6NJkHKdXnSiEqY4DAf1T9qrrqYwqxQBKbgAONvYsvNYIiiJIZdpKK3x6yoRNUSw-/s400/IMG_3771.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The MabuhayRadio.com website based in Los Angeles, California joins Currents & Breaking News and The Filipino Web Channel in exposing what may appear to be a law office staffed with impostors.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>ANOTHER CLAIM OF PACIFICO AVES PROVEN UNTRUE</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Alleged 'High Caliber' Lawyers Not in List of Attorneys</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Asian American Journalists Association</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO - Four out of the five reputed "high caliber lawyers" named by a lawyer-journalist impostor as "working" with him in Los Angeles, California are not listed in the State's roll of attorneys.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This information belies the claim of Pacifico Aves, alias Pex Aves -- who also said he's a "broadcaster" -- that he has "the lawyers working with me" at his office which he said "is more than 30 years" old.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">(For a newsvideo of the person, please click the link: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvAdEAU7qM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvAdEAU7qM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> ).</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aves, whose dubious claims surfaced in a succession of attack emails haranguing his perceived enemies, identified the five individuals in an email on December 6, 2010 as: Fred Holgado, Atty. Mitch Bushin, Atty. Fred Marallag, Atty. Polie Okoronco and Atty. Ben Onyanaco.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">According to Aves, Holgado is a retired Superior Court judge; Bushin, a California State consultant; Marallag, an associate of the late Philippine senator Jose Diokno; and Okoronco, a son of a British ambassador. He did not qualify Onyanaco.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bushin's name is the only one that appears in the roll provided by the State Bar of California, which lists lawyers in good standing and are practising in the State.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bushin has a law office in the LA suburb of Van Nuys, maintains his own website and has a published email address as required by the State Bar. He has not responded to inquiries as of this writing to confirm whether it's true or not that he's working with Aves.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is possible, however, that Aves is providing him with clients through referrals as Aves' purported law office appears to be staffed with non-lawyers like himself. Then he gets a commission.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The names of the four others -- Holgado, Marallag, Okoronco and Onyanaco -- do not appear in the State Bar list. Searches returned no results.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The fact that these four are not listed opens many possibilities. They could be lawyers but are not licensed in California; they could be lawyers only in the Philippines and are working in California as para-legals; or they may have retired from practice and their names used for cosmetic purposes to attract gullible customers.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In any of the cases, the use of their names as bandied by Aves as "high caliber lawyers" working with him could constitute misrepresentation.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The State Bar, an arm of the California Supreme Court, said it is authorized by law to take limited action against non-attorneys "under certain circumstances".</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Information about possible unlawful practice of law by an unlicensed individual may be relayed to The State Bar of California, Office of the Chief Trial Counsel, Intake Unit, 1149 S. Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015-2299, Attn: UPL Project or at 1-800-843-9053.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aves has been boasting about his powerful connections apparently to instill awe and fear among his internet adversaries who came up to the defense of three officials of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles whom Aves attacked in his online postings.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He listed three congressmen in the Philippines -- Herminio Teves, Miguel Romero and Jerome Paras -- and Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, as his "media references" that can be contacted, presumably to vouch for him.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aves also claims that he has a son who was previously assistant director of the Armed Forces Philippines Intelligence Service and who was recently taken in by the new Philippine Secretary of National Defense. "He's now with DND," he explains.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The authenticity of all the information that Aves claimed and disclosed has not been verified, however.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In another email dated December 7, Aves obliquely admitted that he is not a journalist and writer.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But, he says, he runs and manages a newspaper in the US and in every country where there are Filipinos and where his alleged "global" paper can be found. Later he said the paper had only 50,000 copies circulated weekly in the Los Angeles area.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Among his grandiose claims is his being a "columnist" at the obscure Pinas Global News. "Modesty aside," he writes in his non-punctuated, ungrammatical English-Tagalog monologue, "thousands upon thousands (libo-libo)" wrote to the paper to say they like his writings because they dwell on the average Filipino way of life.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aves also admitted that he's being fed with information against journalist Bobby Reyes by a certain Rodel Rodis, an official of the moribund National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) in Northern California.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 4, Issue no. 44, December 13, 2010. Email at: <a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</a> or <a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</a> ).</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For some newsvideos at The Gotcha Journalist Channel, click the links:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. 'High Caliber' Lawyers Not Listed in California State Bar: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12WFIgikiGc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12WFIgikiGc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Milestone in Leadership, Friendship and Service of Alpha Phi Omega in San Diego:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. A 20-million peso Bounty for Gawad Kalinga from TELUS, a Top Canadian Firm:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Ako ay Pilipino - The Song Heard 'Round Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Bayan Ko by PAMANA Vocal Ensemble:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. Candid Talk with Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Founder:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">7. Trees of Gold, Red and Orange - My First Autumn in Toronto: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNOmsAZ8xW4&playnext=1&videos=Z4sl5t7IhZk&feature=mfu_in_order">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNOmsAZ8xW4&playnext=1&videos=Z4sl5t7IhZk&feature=mfu_in_order</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">8. The Blooming Wildflowers of Autumn in Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Oj2n_L1is&playnext=1&videos=PixfkFrNkd0&feature=mfu_in_order">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Oj2n_L1is&playnext=1&videos=PixfkFrNkd0&feature=mfu_in_order</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">9. Cucina Manila - A Taste of Filipino Food in Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbDA6rkpQw&playnext=1&videos=56RoSgO_O4Q&feature=mfu_in_order">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbDA6rkpQw&playnext=1&videos=56RoSgO_O4Q&feature=mfu_in_order</a></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYNC2kXmdjq4_5ijbj3lOVhc-c55BYg8c7q7ZS74zg4ETCfRFCWVSm3I3Oh_vLB6t8yXIeLahx4KMCSBnyI59dpKp-AJdtJkSUn8U3wYio0HS7Tc-rJ09qJsbSW1ZDZpueCBThEtav3pR/s1600/IMG_3780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYNC2kXmdjq4_5ijbj3lOVhc-c55BYg8c7q7ZS74zg4ETCfRFCWVSm3I3Oh_vLB6t8yXIeLahx4KMCSBnyI59dpKp-AJdtJkSUn8U3wYio0HS7Tc-rJ09qJsbSW1ZDZpueCBThEtav3pR/s400/IMG_3780.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The MabuhayRadio.com website headlines the story.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3605698724777653782.post-63506255077604938292010-12-11T08:00:00.000-08:002010-12-11T08:43:32.527-08:00Phony Journalist Who Also Claims to be a Lawyer in LA Unraveled<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE - Redefining Community News</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Currents & Breaking News </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Volume 4, Issue No. 43 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Commentary </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>. . . . . A community service of Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Saturday, December 11, 2010</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ A practice so prevalent in Filipino communities in the United States has surfaced in Los Angeles, California. A dimwit, nondescript bully known as Pacifico Aves alias Pex Aves, who claims being a lawyer and a journalist, took his rage to the internet, splashing profanities and spilling garbage in an attempt to silence legitimate reporters from exposing him. The guy </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">is neither one nor the other. He is a fake. His kind, in the words of a Chicago journalist, is what is popularly called PNS, the acronym for "pinabili ng suka". He berates officials of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles after he felt offended at not being recognized for what he claims he is. Then he turns his ire to this reporter by writing the most obscene words only a foul mouth like him can utter.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tkE7sxCJM_2aKG5ehU_-08x6SuFsJ9Mj3KocFfGJwhraBrl_wxnhbwMyvGVMo-ZaK0si8TKJhTJ7fnhKcOkfKOdfad3ZeAyMqaM9HQyPbRAMsXzt5UUDPM6W7Z_Vb5x8DDX17TLj3_1m/s1600/IMG_3751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tkE7sxCJM_2aKG5ehU_-08x6SuFsJ9Mj3KocFfGJwhraBrl_wxnhbwMyvGVMo-ZaK0si8TKJhTJ7fnhKcOkfKOdfad3ZeAyMqaM9HQyPbRAMsXzt5UUDPM6W7Z_Vb5x8DDX17TLj3_1m/s400/IMG_3751.JPG" width="400" /></span></em></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A copy of an email written and sent out by Pacifico Aves alias Pex Aves.</span></em></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>HIS FRIENDS CALL HIM PEX AVES</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Neither a Lawyer Nor a Journalist, Filipino 'Mediaman' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">in Los Angeles Is Exposed</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Member, Asian American Journalists Association</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">TORONTO -- In some internet postings archived in Google, he's referred to as a "practicing lawyer in Los Angeles". A colleague claims he didn't know him personally with the caveat that "I thought he is an attorney from the Philippines although not sure if he practices law here in the USA".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Another journalist in Chicago, Joseph Lariosa, says he "already knew his character" once the guy walked away from a wager he himself had started upon sensing that his co-bettors were serious in calling his $2,000 bluff during a recent boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Again, the guy dangled some serious money -- $30,000 -- for journalist and editor Bobby Reyes to produce his school credentials apparently to prove he had studied journalism and law. " x x x if you can give me the right answer supported by hard evidence my 30 thousand is yours no questions ask," he dared. When Reyes accepted and produced the documents, the man went on a silent mode.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rJLIDu1iM5FBk40b_g3S9LUwT5ougfkPsHYoeQVVAp7WhtqcGiqcrgDwKgPPsu4DiwtXDYZWi7pTQToFQzpERs9_x9kaQ5Lk9477YMfJTP-B9SMxVVB7Ya4wWwRp7WLII2tTW_DYGtCP/s1600/mugPEX_AVES%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rJLIDu1iM5FBk40b_g3S9LUwT5ougfkPsHYoeQVVAp7WhtqcGiqcrgDwKgPPsu4DiwtXDYZWi7pTQToFQzpERs9_x9kaQ5Lk9477YMfJTP-B9SMxVVB7Ya4wWwRp7WLII2tTW_DYGtCP/s320/mugPEX_AVES%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pacifico Aves alias Pex Aves. (Photo by D. Grava)</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have no idea who the guy was. From his email address that suddenly popped out of nowhere, his name appears to be Pacifico Aves, alias Pex Aves. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He had added me to his email list, presumably to allow me to read his rant against three officials of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In my 16 years of news coverage of Southern California, among other beats in the United States, I've never heard nor come across the guy with this strange monicker. I looked up a number of search engines, and the name doesn't show up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The dictionary was quite helpful though. "Aves," it says, is very rarely used as a noun except when it refers to birds, therefore, it's classified under "nouns denoting animals". Pex Aves is a noun, so he must be an animal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In his email rant, Aves describes himself in his own graphic words, thus: "x x x ang MATANDANG PANGIT na Pex Aves na may-ari nang isang maliit na Law Office at Los Angeles Bureau Head at Kolumnista sa isang global newspaper (Pinas Global News)" <em>(sic).</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">His own description poses a challenge but I'm not going to contest how he pictures himself. If he avers that he is a "matandang pangit", then so be it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">However, there are also assertions implied in that statement. One, he could be a lawyer due to his fatuous claim that he owns a small law office in LA; two, that he is a journalist of a global paper. Quite likely these claims are dubious.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjpypRBT2AoUO3UFY1zuwVfMiAU-_XaGyP6kG0EXbr_NNb6ucJBYkNairFzMccV6co3LHMee83WkGSr85_VWO7a6LGVeRAd5WiEQU2rGG20COl8d1k9Vw_tnMJ6346wCm4GQO_w4P9w7i/s1600/IMG_3747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjpypRBT2AoUO3UFY1zuwVfMiAU-_XaGyP6kG0EXbr_NNb6ucJBYkNairFzMccV6co3LHMee83WkGSr85_VWO7a6LGVeRAd5WiEQU2rGG20COl8d1k9Vw_tnMJ6346wCm4GQO_w4P9w7i/s400/IMG_3747.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Part of Pex Aves' email where he makes his grandiose claims.</span></strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The State Bar of California does not list either his full name (Pacifico Aves) nor his alias (Pex Aves) in its roll of attorneys. Based on that, Aves is a fake. Why is he using an email address that says "accident.immigrationattorney@ x x x .com"?</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He should have promptly corrected the reference to him as a "practicing lawyer in Los Angeles" because he is not. He knew he is not. But why doesn't he do it? What is his racket? Who does he victimize in his law office? (Readers may want to alert law enforcement authorities).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The other part of his exaggerated claim is that he is a "Los Angeles Bureau Head at Kolumnista" <em>(sic)</em> of what purports to be a global newspaper. Oh yeah? There's only one website with the name "Pinas the Filipino's global newspaper". Not surprisingly, the website declares: "We are under repair. Be back soon".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For a while, I was amused by the sentence "we are under repair". Did it refer also to Pex Aves' head? I raise this question only because Aves seems to be the exemplar in this adage of a man reaching for something that exceeds his grasp.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For one supposedly known globally, Pacifico Aves alias Pex Aves has no cyber personality. He has no presence and no published historical records to support his wild claims. The major search engines returned no results about him in any of the two classications he claims he belongs to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Google had only one entry, which tells me that he is practically non-existent as a lawyer, journalist, or whatever he boasts he is. He could be the perfect impersonator, an impostor, belonging to a distinct Filipino tribe called "pinabili ng suka" or PNS - the types that inhabit Filipino media organizations in the United States.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In journalism parlance, anyone is called PNS (the coinage is attributed to journalist Joseph Lariosa of Chicago) who has no formal training nor experience nor talent either as reporter, editor, broadcaster, photographer, videographer or cub but who has the gumption and the thick hide to say he's a journalist.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Literally, PNS means being sent to buy vinegar (a euphemism to do errands) and when the courier returns he's already a journalist. There's a lot of them in the cyberworld and in print where they freely mingle with the real ones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Appearances deceive and many PNS-types pass themselves off as legitimate journalists specially in social events and high-profile coverages. They love to be in the pictures; the higher the official the closer they want to pose, an ego trip no less.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's during the moment of writing or talking when they unravel themselves. Most times, they speak of "envelopmental" journalism, which is to say, exploring possibilities to line up their pockets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pacifico Aves alias Pex Aves does not need to float his boat to put a semblance of authority to his rant. He is a PNS through and through, a bullying phony.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A lawyer or a journalist does not speak the way he does, or writes the way he does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As an example, he wrote and circulated on Sunday, December 5, 2010 this gem of insanity: "WALANG TUMAWAG SA AKIN NA ABNORMAL PERO YUNG IBA TINAGURIANG RITA BRENDA HEHEHEHEHAHAHAHA RITA IS RETARDED BRENDA IS BRAIN DAMAGED HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA HEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEE".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He was referring to another journalist, Bobby Reyes of Los Angeles, who was his main target.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After I demanded on Dec. 7 that he recant his unfounded accusations against me and to apologize publicly for doing so, he answered back on Dec. 8 like a child, to wit (I decided to let the profanities stand so people will know what kind of person he is): "IN BEHALF OF ALL THE BLACK GUYS WHO MOLESTED YOUR PUWIT AT ITO ANG DAHILANG NAGKA U OD (WORMS) AT SYPHILIS ANG PUWIT MO AT PATI PAG DUMI MO WORMS ANG LUMALABAS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I APOOOOLOOOOGGGIIIZZZEEE".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lawyer? Journalist? Certainly his language says differently. And he's quite profound in portraying his indecency.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am seized by pity after reading this email. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pacifico Aves or Pex Aves is sick and his response to me was a pathetic plea for help. As I write these lines, I'm also placing a call to a mental hospital close to his office in Los Angeles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This Currents & Breaking News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author and the editor must be obtained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Volume 4, Issue no. 43, December 11, 2010. Email at: </span></em><a href="mailto:PhilVoiceNews@aol.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">PhilVoiceNews@aol.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> or </span></em><a href="mailto:CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> ).</span></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My news channels can be viewed by clicking the links:</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>The Filipino Web Channel at YouTube:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT74cbxq6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2FLYca354w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>At Vimeo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://vimeo.com/16962555">http://vimeo.com/16962555</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4144767">http://vimeo.com/user4144767</a> </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>For other stories, please visit:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/">http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/">http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/">http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/">http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/">http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/</a> . </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For some newsvideos at The Gotcha Journalist Channel, please click the links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Milestone in Leadership, Friendship and Service of Alpha Phi Omega in San Diego:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lmYnkU_3s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. A 20-million peso Bounty for Gawad Kalinga from TELUS, a Top Canadian Firm:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6w59zu-os8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Ako ay Pilipino - The Song Heard 'Round Toronto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlIfQWASv4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Bayan Ko by PAMANA Vocal Ensemble:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOeLLJA094A&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Candid Talk with Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Founder:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4mkd_gX6RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL</a></span>Romy Marquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02473711860425080146noreply@blogger.com0