“The only constant is change.” But, unfortunately, this innocuous phrase has a pace in the homeland that leaves a lot to be desired. I can’t think of a better metaphor than Rip Van Winkle’s 20-year slumber but waking up to see nothing had changed. This article will chronicle my own experiences to show how cultural impediments can obfuscate changes and retard… Read More »
“Every man is nothing more or less than the demands of the world, and that the more a man demands of the world, the bigger the magnitude of his success or failure in life.” Omar El Akkad, What Strange Paradise (2021) By Rey Moreno Creativity I have been told it must be there Within the confines of my… Read More »
A Life Profiled: Andres Bonifacio “Kaya, O mga kababayan! Ating idilat ang nabulag na kaisipan, at kusang igugol sa kagalingan ang ating lakas sa tunay at lubos na pag-asa na magtagumpay sa minimithing kaginhawan ng bayan tinubuan.” – Andres Bonifacio, Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Tagalog. He is called the Great Plebeian, the Supremo and Founder of the… Read More »
Can Their Lawyers Answer Simple Questions? by Cress Vasquez The Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT) has demonstrated a dislike for conventions such as the accounting principle of listing payables as a liability in financial records like balance sheets and financial statements. Instead, what FCT President and CEO Mary Ann San Juan has done was use a special resolution to… Read More »
Can San Juan, Lumanlan Point Out What is False Here by Cress Vasquez Good deeds should not go unnoticed, especially with a community organization like the Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT), which is supposedly run by volunteers. But if FCT’s general membership is not fully aware of the process of granting reward and recognition, who should stand to blame?… Read More »
Turnabout on AGM On September 28, 2021, Mary Ann San Juan, President & CEO of FCT, issued an Annual General Meeting (AGM) Letter postponing the AGM for October 2021 until further notice. Thus, 2021 would have been the second year of no AGM for its members. She stated Covid as the reason and that “a virtual meeting may… Read More »
“Having the choice at the end of my life has become incredibly important. It has given me a sense of peace during a time that otherwise would be dominated by fear, uncertainty, and pain.” –Brittany Maynard The debate is over. MAID or Medical Assistance In Dying has been the law in Canada since Bill C-14 was passed in June… Read More »
by Cress Vasquez Working for the same organization for several years has its rewards, but wait until you see how the Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT) board of directors passed a special resolution that put some $500,000 into the pockets of a husband and wife. The payment, according to lawyers from two different law firms, was likely a violation… Read More »
“And what is this writing, anyway, as a human activity or as a vocation, or as a profession, or as a hack job, or perhaps even as an art, and why do so many people feel compelled to do it?” Margaret Atwood, Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing (2002). Unless you are being paid to… Read More »
I take this opportunity to share my feelings on today’s concerns and the many developments in recent memory. The COVID pandemic has focused many life issues front and centre. It broke open people’s feelings about Science, Politics, and Religion. It is as if the pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns, work-at-home arrangements, school disruptions, and a general curtailment of normalcy brought… Read More »