“It was a huge crowd of Filipinos at Bathurst and Wilson. The place was awesome”, my son was saying during our get-together in November last year. Of which I responded considering I know nothing about this gig “they were lucky it was a nice weekend. Good weather gets people out.”
We are talking about the Taste of Manila, a Filipino-Canadian community inauguration event conceived in 2008 that was held on August 22 – 23, 2014. It was a huge success. Kudos to the organizers – the members of the Board of the Philippine Community Cultural Centre or Philcomcentre.
Prepping for the next event, the organizers convened a meeting with the Filipino-Canadian community media last May 19th at the Cusina Manila to announce it is a go again this year on August 22 to 23,2015. I was not invited to this meeting but I was curious what the deal Taste of Manila is all about, so I asked Balita Tess Cusipag if I could go with her.
The meeting was surreal. The pleasantries of the speakers and the emcee was something to reckon with. I rarely attend a meeting of such nature but I am glad I attended this one. It went extremely well where the enthusiasm of the members of the media was well received by the organizers in a nice fashion.
The ideas expressed by the media members were interestingly plausible and received a consideration by the organizers.
Tess Cusipag started the ball rolling by demanding a transparent Financial Statements of Philcomcentre stressing that this is her requirements from the members for Balita newspaper’s willingness to help them in marketing the event. From which, it was unveiled that Philcomcentre lost around $15,000.00 in holding the first event. Tess also informed the audience that Balita published enough marketing information on the first event. “Like a first baby step before the big one, he will likely fall”, one organizer quipped.
True. Never one can imagine a first event to be successful in any way, shape or form or in any business for that matter. Where there is no equation of revenue and lost in place, supply and demand not tested and inexperience of organizers, a first event is doomed to fail financially. The food booths making money is one thing, the organizer’s situation of losing is another thing. In many ways more than not, this is a good thing. Good luck to the organizers on the next one. I will say “Do the right thing and keep up the good work.”
“Why not Taste of the Philippines?” one media member asserted. The response from the organizers was that – Canadians during the infancy years of Filipino immigration know well more of Manila than the Philippines. The influx of Filipinos on Canadian soil boomed in the mid-70s. Manila was popularized largely in 1975 with the hype of the great philosopher-boxer Muhammad Ali in his fight with Joe Frazer “Thrilla in Manila. “ Afterwards, an answer “Philippines” means to the anxious “Manila? “
Philippines or Filipinos are well known now to all Canadians thanks to the nannies, typhoons and Manny Pacquaio. But that’s another topic for another day.
Another idea from the audience was to showcase the Chinese Dragon Dance. It is considerably acceptable considering the large Chinese influence in Filipino culture. It reminds me of the womanizer named Limahong. With a good synopsis to go along with it, it can be a Filipino-Chinese pleaser.
Filipinos are well-known for their love of attending a Sabongan – cock/rooster fighting sporting gambling event. There was one held every week-end in my hometown in the Philippines when I was there before I immigrated to Canada. In the eyes of humanity, it is brutal and illegal in Canada. Cruelty to animals is a crime in Canada. We cannot showcase this hobby-gambling-sport in here but a video/movie screen showing will work. It can be provocative but can be fun to watch.
One gambling game unique in my province of Pangasinan is the “salisi” a modified Cara y crus game. It involves three (3) ping pong balls drop over a bucket down to a tube into a square of kings and queens the size of the circumference of the ping pong ball scattered equally in numbers over a 3 feet by 3 feet flat glass bed. Where the 2 balls drop is the winner. The principle behind it is similar to that of Russian roulette. To showcase this game at the event can be legal if there is no gambling involved.
Another game we can showcase is the proverbial gambling game jueteng. Although it is of Chinese origin, it is currently the most controversial printing money machine of the powerful and corrupt politicians in the Philippines. Showing and understanding how it works to generate income for the operators might help people worldwide to ban the game everywhere.
Philippine culture is so rich, there are other stuff we can show in this event. The more the better because it helps marketing the event to sponsors easier. The more sponsors the organizers get, the more successful the event will be. But we need the help of all the Filipino-Canadians to participate. Like the Caribana, like the Taste of Danforth, Taste of Manila has to thrive.***