Rodel J. Ramos

I believe the Philippine Press Club of Ontario is more relevant today than any time in the past because of the problems in the community and the global crises. Those of you who are new in the organization may not know it, but it was members of the PPCO who really made a lot of things in the community happen including Kalayaan Centre, FCT and changes in the criminal justice system in Ontario. In fact PPCO can influence the community to achieve greater things or stagnate.

I wondered why Mama Ching Quejas did not mention the role of the media in making the Kalayaan Centre into reality during her speech at the PPCO.

At the start of the planning stage of the Philippine Centennial Festival at the SkyDome (Rogers Centre) Kalayaan, the major initiator of the event came out with press release appealing for the community for support signed by Mama Ching. Loo of Filipiniana who proposed the name Spirit of Kalayaan ‘98 published this appeal in a small box that people did not notice and there was little response.

Carlos Unas did not publish the letter. He said that we are coming with a big event and we are begging the community to support it? We should appeal to their patriotism for the 100th years of Philippine Independence and to their desire to have fun. Other newspapers just ignored that letter.

When I took over as Chairman of the Marketing and Promotions committee, I asked that that Department (Press Relations, chaired by the late Tony Dumlao with 17 members mostly past chairs of Kalayaan) be merged with Marketing and Promotions and they can make Tony Dumlao Chair and I as Co-Chair. I have to fight for this because press releases were the cheapest way to promote an event. I told them that they don’t really need all those people to make press releases because one man can do the job.

Eventually they listened to me but not even one of those past Kalayaan chairmen joined my committee. They probably did not like an outsider to tell them what to do. I had to built from scratch from my network of supporters from the Narcisinians, Zambales Assn. Jun Enverga’s Quezon Province, the Charismatic Group, and but most specially media friends who also believed on our dreams.

My goal in getting involved was to bring back the faith and pride of Filipinos in themselves and their leaders. Also to break the mindset that Filipinos were only good at holding small events like gala nights and picnics. Ultimately my agenda was to strengthen the foundation of the community but some suspected my motives.

It was the media group that promoted the event for more than 6 months. Carlos Unas was the first to volunteer support to the cause. Ace Alvarez, Rolly Cabrera who also made the artworks, Hermie Garcia, Tess Cusipag of Balita, Paul de la Cruz who published Ano and Sino magazines, Likha with the late Roger Torreno as editor and Turing Muere as publisher and Bin Kon Loo published and featured all of the press releases, ads and pictures with prominence mostly in the front pages of their newspapers.

Knowing that our local papers do not reach most Filipinos I prayed that we would find someone who will promote us in the mainstream. Cleve Sandy married to a Filipina saw the potentials of the event and volunteered to promote in the major media. He was able to get Toronto Sun, CTV, CBC and some major radio stations. Also, TTC and GO Transit agreed to display our posters.

I also knew that once the Filipinos saw these promotions materials in the mainstream, they will feel proud and will want to be a part of this once in a lifetime event. And so it happened.

Years before, our people accepted the belief that our hundreds of organizations was a sign of our disunity. To my mind, being a graduate of management and marketing that we need this grass root organizations to really unite our community. We can’t reach them without that vital link. You only have to give them the right motivation and an irritable common goal. I did that by giving sellers of tickets 33% of the proceeds of the tickets which are $5.00 of the $15.00 ticket. The centennial celebration of the Philippine Independence and being at the SkyDome (Rogers Centre) were two big attractions. A few weeks before the event, Ticket master asked us if the event was still going to push thru because they have only sold 3,000 of their tickets. However, our more than 350 organizations at that time including religious and sports groups have already sold 15,000 tickets.

And so we made history, the largest gathering of Filipinos outside the Philippines with more than 35,000 in attendances because we united in the media except a few. Most of the Kalayaan Steering Committee members expected only 10,000 to 15,000. It also made profit of more than $120,000 which was the seed money for the Kalayaan Centre in Mississauga. They never acknowledged this, not even with a certificate of recognition to the media heroes.

After the Festival, my group with the late Vince Vargas left Kalayaan having been mistreated during the event. We agitated to build the community center in Toronto in spite of the skepticism of most Filipinos at that time. People asked us, “Ano na namang pakulo iyan?” It has been 30 years that we have tried and failed to build a Centre starting with Silayan, Culture Philippines of Rick Torres and San Lorenzo Ruiz Centre of Dr. Jun de Villa. Some said it was an impossible dream. But we believed deep in our hearts that we could do it.

We agreed that Filipinos listen to people of authority and credibility. We had in our group Clem Cabillan, Bernie Sychangco, Roy Start who was an old friend of Pres. Joseph Estrada, Freddie Toledo and Manny Bade. I just came from a heart bypass surgery due to a massive heart attack a few months before in 1999. Freddie Toledo fetched me from the hospital to a meeting at Marriot where we agreed that we would write Joseph Estrada to get involved. Roy sent the letter signed by him thru a compadre in Malacanang. Joseph was just elected President and there was no image of corruption yet. The letter said that if the President wanted to be a hero among the Filipino Canadians, he should order his people in the Philippine Embassy and Consulate to get involved in the project.

The letter was forwarded to Clemencio Montesa who was the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for the Americas and he requested Ambassador Francisco Benedicto, Consul General Susan Castrence and Consul Olivia Palala to help the community built the Centre. That started the appeal of the Consulate to build the Centre in every meeting where they were invited to speak. Ambassador Benedicto offered to donate $5,000 of his own money to start the fund.

Our plan was to gather private money to fund the Centre instead of making it a community funding effort. It was easier to get funding that way. Our theory was if we could convince 1,000 Filipinos to contribute $1,000 that is $1 million dollars. We were sure some investors would give more. Our plan was to have the Consulate and Trade which was spending $200,000 a year in rent to join so and us with other Filipino businesses.

Congen Castrence however wanted to have it a community effort. And so she called the community to a meeting and asked for nomination from organizations and later was an election of the board. Dr. Portugal was elected President, Linda Javier as Vice President. At the same time, Ambassador Benedicto asked Mann Nacario to organize his own group which was composed of Dr. Jun de Villa, Dr. Vicky Santiago, Evelyn Laraya, and others.

When Ambassador Benedicto came to Toronto for a public meeting, he told us that it is better to have two groups compete to set up the Centre. Ace Alvarez and I convinced him that Dr. Jun de Villa’s group needed us and we needed them. They may have the money but they have tried already in the past to build the San Lorenzo Ruiz Centre but failed. They needed promotion and marketing and people who will do the leg work. The Ambassador called Man Nacario to a meeting and they agreed to join the two forces. They made Dr. Jun de Villa the Chairman of the Board and Linda Javier the President. Dr. Portugal gave up the position because he was too busy.

I chaired the Marketing and Promotions of FCT. Vince Vargas chaired the Logo Contest which started the awareness of the project. We again collaborated with Carlos Unas, Rolly Cabrera who created many of our ads and promotions articles, Ace Alvarez, Bin Kon Loo, Hermie Garcia, Turing Muere of Likha, Paul de la Cruz of Ano and Sino Magazines, and some others. Again, the project was featured prominently in their front pages, ads and articles. With an all out support of the media, the Consulate, business and professional groups were able to promote the Logo Contest, the Raffle Draw and gala events of the FCT. And in 18 months were able to buy a building worth more than a million dollars.

After I resigned from FCT, Aida d Orazio took over. At this time, I convinced Paul de la Cruz that we should organize the media. And so we emailed Ruben and Tess Cusipag, Ace Alvarez, Turing Muere, Hermie Garcia, Joe Damasco, Jess Cabrias, Ricky Caluen and others to join us. Loo of Filipiniana opposed the move thinking that we have a hidden agenda. In fact he came out with an article questioning the need and he wrote that two new comers organized it in the media business. Jess Cabrias advised us to ignore him knowing history will judge us. Some skeptics did not join and more than ever, the media people had become closer now.

It was cooperation and collaboration of the PPCO members that made Gawad Kalinga a household name in the community and gained credibility. It was us who also promoted its GK Walk and the Ramos visit.

Paul de la Cruz during his term launched the Suporta Filipino to support the Filipino businesses. He also had forums for the Absentee Voting and the Dual Citizenship and we supported it in our articles and press releases. Our new leadership under Tenny Soriano has co-sponsored the FVR visit with the press conference, had fund raising, socials and forum on different issues.

There is Ramon Datol who exposed the alleged mismanagement at the FCT, Jess Cabrias, Joe Baking, Ace Alvarez Hermie and Mila Garcia who chastise officials of organizations and business enterprises when they abuse our people. Lately, Rolly Cabrera, Tess Cusipag, Ralph Logatoc and I were charged in Court for Libel for exposing the abuses in the community.

The media again had a rallying cause when Jeffrey Reodica was murdered by a police officer. The media group supported the cause and so with other organizations.

Hermie and Mila with Ed Mercurio, Mel Catre, and others continued the fight for justice, corruption, and the cause of the caregivers, new comers, and abuses in the community. Hermie and Mila have tenaciously stuck to these issues and we are proud of their progress. Many of us also volunteer to worthy causes like Faye Arellano who work for the poor in Toronto and helped promote Gawad Kalinga. Joe Damasco has focused his time and effort with Knights of Rizal and another brotherhood where he has much influence.

Before us, there was Ruben Cusipag who championed the cause of the oppressed here and in the Philippines. He led the fight against the Marcos dictatorship. Even before he came to Canada he was a fierce critic of the Marcoses and for this he was imprisoned with Ninoy Aquino, and other anti Marcoses. Hermie and Mila Garcia also suffered imprisonment during that era. They exposed abuses of fellow Filipinos to their kababayan and fought for the rights of the domestics (caregivers). Ruben was there to rally with Eddie Lee and Mel Catre against the Toronto Sun when it headlined “Filipinos eats dogs”. He was in the front line when our youth were discriminated at the Scarborough Town Centre and they were not allowed to enter and many other fights and so with Hermie and Mila.

If there is any group that can create change and direct our community in a better way, it is the media people with our influence. It is a force to reckon with if it works together. It is time we should sit together and plan the future of our people and how we can make their dreams and aspirations to come true.

Some of us just want to report events. Others just want the PPCO to be a social club. But we know deep in our hearts that we can make a difference if we want. We have the influence to do that. We have redefined the role of community media to take a more active to the needs of our people.

There is a need to train a new breed of leaders in order to overcome our weaknesses and excel among Canadians, not use our energies and talents fighting each other. We know that we carried a lot of bad baggage from the old country and we have to recognize them and get rid of our demons. Then and only then we can move forward. Most of our time is spend in infighting, debating about useless things. We focus too much on entertainment and close our eyes on many vital issues. We are too sensitive yet insensitive of the feeling of others. We are good in criticism but slow to recognize and praise the contributions of others.

We need to improve our political and economic clout both here and in the home front. We have to learn from outside the box if we want to progress – from the Jews, Koreans, Italians, Vietnamese, Japanese and others. They have achieved our dreams. We only have to copy them.

The foundation of the community is weak and we need to bring together people who can point out what is wrong and structure those foundations in a rock. Let us gather the most brilliant among us to show us the way. Let us involve other organizations in our plans and activities.