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The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Friday, January 11, 2013 ~ The malar ey that a group of whiners led

by Oswald P. Magno and Lilac Cana pe ddled and bought by some un nowing supporters has triggered a call from a foundi ng member of the local press association for an inquiry after it was exposed tha t some alleged signers disowned any role in the effort, much less endorsed it. " It is fraudulent and by accepting it, we lend ourselves to be used in the fraudu lent activity," says Balita publisher and editor Tess Cusipag in a statement to Philippine Press Club Ontario. At least two individuals denied consenting to or signing the letter out of the 60-plus indicated in the list. The fraud could pot entially ma e the initiators and PPCO liable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Magno-Cana Malar ey Puts PPCO in Hot Water By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists As sociation (AAJA) and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC) TORONTO - The publisher and editor of Toronto's largest Filipino newspaper is as ing the community's social press club to inquire why proponents of a petition p assed it off as a genuine expression of concern when the fact surfaced that it w as fraudulent. The already fretful Philippine Press Club Ontario, a fellowship association of m edia and non-media personalities currently hit by resignations, has been dragged into the burning controversy after it accepted a letter or petition see ing to censure two news organizations and their respective editors for their exposes. Essentially, the authors of the petition and its signatories wanted PPCO to exer cise control and intervene in the editorial policies and management of the news organizations by reining in the flow of stories that expose wrongdoing in the co mmunity, including theirs. Oswald P. Magno, president of a little- nown cultural club, and Lilac Cana, a no ted singer, are the spearhead of the campaign launched right after both of them were written extensively about in Balita newspaper and the Philippine Village V oice-The Filipino Web Channel-Currents & Brea ing News networ . (Full stories: http://www.balita.ca/2012/12/threat-intimidation-by-the-arrogantgasbag/; http://www.balita.ca/2012/09/ex-official-admits-being-paid-by-pidc-say s-others-also-got-compensated/). Confirmation interviews conducted by this reporter on some of the purported sign atories revealed that at least two individuals had no nowledge that their names had been included in a list allegedly showing support for the petition. There could be more out of the 60-odd people who are being bandied about as havi ng signed or bac ed the effort but might not be aware of it. They also might not be familiar with the issues involved. The fact that there are two individuals who disowned their signatures and partic ipation has prompted Tess Cusipag, Balita publisher and editor, to demand a PPCO

inquiry and an explanation why the club lent itself to the Magno-Cana attempt t o undermine news organizations. Though PPCO is not the proper venue for the Magno-Cana rants, an official accept ed the petition and tabled it for consideration by its board instead of just ref using it since neither Magno nor Cana are PPCO members or media persons. "I thin it is just right that PPCO investigate Lilac Cana and Oswald Magno for producing documents against us with false signatures," Cusipag writes in an emai l to the PPCO board. " x x x it is fraudulent and by accepting it, we lend ours elves to be used in the fraudulent activity". The Cusipags (Ruben and Tess) are founding members of PPCO. Ruben has retired as editor emeritus and Tess has ta en over the editorial and day-to-day management of the paper as publisher and editor. (Bac ground story: http://digitaljournal. com/article/310439). Two of the alleged signatories - Mercy Maliglig and Joe Damasco - denied consent ing to or signing the petition. Maliglig, who is just recovering from a heart attac , was quite shoc ed to learn her name was in the list of endorsers. Same with Damasco who answered a firm "n o" when as ed if he signed or agreed to the petition. The falsification of their signatures could potentially ma e the petition author s liable. The PPCO could also be said to be complicit in pulling down media orga nizations that it should be protecting. Questions see ing clarifications from PPCO acting president Rubi Talavera were n ot answered. "As acting president of PPCO," she explains, "I would li e to get d irection from the board before I issue any official comments." . Talavera, a realtor and occasional contributor to a local paper, has ta en over the club after its president, Ricardo Caluen, quit just six months after his ele ction for some unexplained reasons. A board member, Jess Carlos, also resigned t hree wee s ago, saying he had lost his media lin s. Questions are being as ed why PPCO gave the non-media Magno and his supporters w ho are not members at all, a platform to issue their diatribe against founding m embers Balita and its editor. Magno has since become the defender and unofficial spo esman for a Toronto coupl e now in the eye of the controversy, namely, Tobias Enverga Jr., who has recentl y been appointed to the Senate of Canada, and his wife Rosemer Enverga, who gene rated the initial brouhaha by her alleged failure to submit financial reports in volving the top money-ma ing beauty pageants that she had managed. " . . . the subsequent articles targeting the Envergas are, in our opinion, misd irected and have no legitimate purpose except to annoy, harass and hold the abov e-named members of our community up to hatred, contempt and ridicule and to caus e them substantial emotional distress," states the petition reportedly drafted b y Magno. Rosemer Enverga claimed at her press conference last April that she could not re call the amount of monies gained from three beauty pageants she managed - the Li ttle Miss Philippines, Miss Philippines and Mrs. Philippines - but she was quic to remember how much she gave to her charities. Last month PIDC announced that, based on an audit, it earned only a total of $12 ,996.74 from revenues of $104,669.24. from the three beauty pageants. For purpos es of comparison, organizers of Miss Manila ma e a clean $10,000 a year from tha

t single contest alone. (Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNbGl45UP4A). The petition decried what it called "media bullying" or "the use of excessive, r epetitive, sensational, abrasive, contemptuous, crass and mean-spirited articles which have no ostensible purpose other than to badger, harass and subject their objects to emotional distress" apparently because of the constant reference to the Envergas. The petition said the Envergas "have been the main targets of the x x x media o rganizations and also Lilac Cana" whom it called "a gifted Filipino artist and c ommunity volunteer". Cana has quit PIDC after receiving a $3,000 payment for ser vices initially thought as volunteer wor . (Full story: http://www.balita.ca/201 2/09/ex-official-admits-being-paid-by-pidc-says-others-also-got-compensated/). Magno started the bullying with his email to Cusipag by threatening and blac mai ling her so that she would stop the stories focusing on wrongdoings in the commu nity. He wrote: I have a snea ing suspicion your star reporter is up to something. He bet ter not cross me. Remember too, I have the goods on you your letter to (Immigratio n Minister Jason) Kenney, etc. I have over 10000 contacts in cyberspace. I am wa tching your next moves and I have already readied my blogsite if you both choose to wage war with me. You will lose. But Cusipag will not be cowed either. She wrote him bac : Don t threaten me Oswald (Mag no) x x x don t cross my path as well. Let s fight in court if you can afford it. x x x Who the hell do you thin you are? (This Currents & Brea ing News may be posted online, broadcast or reprinted upon request by interested parties. Permission by the author or the editor must be o btained before any re-posting online or re-publication in print or re-broadcast. Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontar io, Canada. Volume 7, Issue no. 5, January 11, 2013. Email at: TheFilipinoWebCha nnel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or CurrentsBrea ingNews@gmail.com).

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