How easy it is to be misled

Balita is leading the print newspapers in the Filipino community.   We were very solid when in 2012 an outcast of San Diego by the name of ROMEO PILPIL MARQUEZ was introduced to us. 

I was stunned, as this was the guy that I was reading when he was fighting with community leaders of San Diego who did not have any decent words to use.   I read that exchange for days while they were arguing, and it was a fight of one person against so many.

IT was all dirt coming from Marquez end, while the opponents were trying to be civilized.  For some reason, all newspaper publishers were copied probably to warn all of us that his days in San Diego are ending and soon the guy might come to us.

They were right, he came here in Toronto and introduced himself by interviewing Ruben and myself for his vlog and then later in our monthly get together, Tenny Soriano, Butch Galicia took him to our home. He introduced himself and talked about his work and what he had done.

Ruben  saw  the opportunity and said he could help us.  Marquez announced it right away to his enemies in San Diego and of course came all the warnings that he would eventually bite me alive and that I was making a  big mistake. 

With the advertisers, some really were questioning the negativity of his articles and his presence was not welcomed by some of them. 

We tried to make Marquez comfortable, he was able to travel to Europe, Philippines, back and forth and with us lending him money without even thinking how he would be able to pay for all of them, till it accumulated. 

We really felt of being taken advantage and his articles were causing us troubles after troubles. The first lawsuit, the first of the three from Kol Foundation was  2013.  I think it was purposely served on  Christmas Eve when I was grieving, as it was my first holiday without my husband Ruben.  Marquez also became so abusive and acted so superior till I said, we could no longer work together, and we let him go.

We still do not understand that after so many years, he is still feeling so bitter always finding reasons to defame us.  For him, Balita became a tabloid, a rag, garbage, the best for wrapping items in grocery stores because of its thickness etc. 

There was a time when he was going to become  editor of a newspaper named Periodico.  He then wrote a lengthy article saying he wasted his seven years with us, and that he finally found his place.  

After three issues, the Periodico folded. It was a newspaper with no address, no staff, just to attack people in the community.

If Balita was a waste of time, why did he stay? We did not have a contract, strictly a contributor, and he could have left for the other opportunities, if there was one, that he was always talking about. Compared to my late husband Ruben when he first landed in Canada was hired as Editor  of  Newfoundland Signal till he left to start Atin Ito with some friends. 

  He said he joined us to increase readership, but it was the other way around, we lost some of our advertisers because of his presence. 

Now he is back to his status when he first came here. He is on his own not seen or heard consistently aside from articles vigorously attacking members of the community he did not like.

I know that he could not forget those people that made him be escorted out by police at the Metro Convention Centre years ago that he was not able to forgive those responsible for it.

One time we received a big brown envelope addressed to us, the lawyers and I believe the plaintiffs in our law cases.  It had copies of  police reports about him in San Diego and  how he harassed women that were involved with him when they were no longer interested and the  alleged bigamy. 

  We also now have a copy of the case of a former girlfriend Marissa Acierto and there we found out how she was stalked by Marquez and published their sexual experience when she broke up with him.

This was the subject of a TV expose’ years ago that was disseminated by his enemies all over. That malicious and total disrespect for the woman resulted in  San Diego’s Filipino community revolt against him.

There  was also a page implying that he was responsible for the disappearance of his  first wife and her lover in the Philippines.  

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There were six cases we faced and fought but those cases were all Romy Marquez’ doing, he took advantage of us and attacked his enemies left and right at our expense.  Now, he writes  as if he had nothing to do with them.

I personally paid for all the lawyers’ fees and judgement because he was struggling,  and the plaintiffs came after me.

I always wonder what turned him into an enemy when with our friends we did everything to welcome him with open arms.  Having monthly get together, sharing personal jokes.  We took turns in driving him back and forth to events. 

In Balita as a contributor, he received good honorarium, gifts, bonus, but now he claims the designer clothes we gifted him were in his words “mabantot”  so he recycled and gave them away as gifts.  He mentioned that  they were bought from Orfuz Road.  I had to look up where and what is in Orfuz Road. 

I reminded him of his responsibility for the lawsuits, for half of the lawyer’s fees and the judgement,  He said, that my brain has snows accumulating that I should start shoveling it. He also told me blankly, that he would not pay his personal loans to us.   He still feels so angry being out,  it has been years and yet he could not move on.  Some years back during an argument, he sent an email quitting but took it back saying, he could not afford to live without his job so he would have to stay.  

Every move, every harassment that he does now is making him feel superior. and continuously publishing his personal attacks.  

He says I am not competent being an editor forgetting that I was trained by one of the best in the field, my late husband Ruben Cusipag, who never needed an introduction wherever we went. 

Ruben  advised me “write from the heart and leave the analysis to us journalists”  I did exactly what he said not using words that readers would have to look up for its meaning.

The bright journalists write analysis of the happenings in the world, and insulting and attacking  individuals left and right is not one of them. 

Am glad that I have the support of many friends and members of the community. With me, what you see is what you get,  just honest to goodness dealing with people. No questionable background, no hidden records, and no surprises.

I have always believed that strong love, care, respect, and support could tame even the wildest animal but with Marquez, we failed miserably.

  I should have listened to our contacts because right now, all I have been hearing is “I  told you so.  You learned your lessons so, let it go and let your lawyers handle him.”  ******