TORONTO – Officials were not answering questions about the extent of involvement of the Philippine government in a fashion show whose main beneficiary is a private foundation based here.
Dubbed Canada Philippine Fashion Week (CPFW), it lists the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Tourism as “our partners”, essentially making it a semi-government affair.
Queried initially on May 9, Philippine Consul General in Toronto Junever Mahilum-West said the consulate “is not a funding sponsor” even as it supports what she calls “flagship project” for independence festivities this year.
Ottawa-based Philippine Ambassador to Canada Leslie Gatan has not responded to questions about the possible investments poured by the government into the event, which is timed with at least three other activities related to freedom day celebrations.
CPWF has not commented either. Its spokespersons –
Charise Mariel Garcia and Kaye Peñaflor – have not replied to media inquiries sent by email.
The well-established spearhead of independence day feasts in the Greater Toronto Area, namely, Filipino Center Toronto, Philippine Independence Day Council and Pilipino Fiesta in Brampton, have not received such ringing endorsements as what Consul General Mahilum-West did for an upstart like CPFW.
During its official launch on May 2, the diplomat said the Department of Foreign Affairs was “very much impressed” by the project which will actually feature a film showing and a fashion show by relatively unknown Filipino and Canadian designers. Tickets for the show on June 14 are being sold at $100 apiece and for the gala premiere, $55.
From information posted on its website, it appears that
CPWF is both an event and a “non-profit organization” of the same name. This could mean that it is the fund-raising arm of Kol Hope Foundation for Children, the principal beneficiary of the event that begins June 10 and ends June 15.
Why the Philippine government would support a private venture by a private enterprise was not immediately clear. Neither government nor CPWF officials cared to explain.
The foundation is headed by Melinda Rustia as president and chair. Its vice president and co-chair is Jeff Rustia, her son, who happens to be the father of Kol Rustia, the 14-year-old boy afflicted with a fatal genetic syndrome who died in 2011. The foundation is named after him. (Related video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_cOWXq9qI).
CPFW’s other alleged beneficiaries in the Philippines – Bacolod Boys Home and Holy Infant Nursery Home – have not returned requests for a response as of this writing. The two organizations are asked to confirm CPWF’s stated claims in its website.
At its launching at the consulate, only two media persons showed up out of 32 invited to the event despite the big hype in Facebook. (Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr3hTF6IuYg). A “national” press conference was being set for another date.
Consul General Mahilum-West has asked local media to help create the buzz for the event. But judging from the press turnout, it looked like there’s very little interest in the community, mainly because it competes with the traditional celebrations and the exorbitant ticket prices.
A spokesperson for one of the presenting sponsors, Shangri-la Hotel Toronto, declined to provide answers to questions about its funding arrangement. “It is hotel policy not to disclose the specifics of our sponsorship agreements,” says Kerry Connelly, the hotel’s director of communications.
Other sponsors contacted for comment have requested not to be named in this story, saying they did not wish to be involved in a potentially scandalous situation involving private and government participation in a venture benefiting a private foundation.
The Philippine diplomat said that the consulate “always support activities by the community to raise the profile and to familiarize Toronto with the culture of the Philippines, artistry, fashion”.
“We decided right there and there,” Mahilum-West explains, “to be a partner in this project and we endorsed the project to the department of foreign affairs. We got a feedback from DFA that they’re very much impressed and we will see later on”.
“We will be supporting this, specially the June 12 reception,” she adds. (Related video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ44XpCup9o
For his part, Rustia said the CPFW is “all in aid of Kol Hope Foundation for Children”.
In its Facebook page, the foundation claims that it is “the first and only charitable organization that helps and supports children born with Trisomy-related disorders”. The accuracy of this claim can not be immediately confirmed. #
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