Category Archives: General

More Victims Surface vs Marissa Odi Gonzales

“The great enemy of clear language is Insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink.” (George Orwell, 1903-50, English Novelist) Marissa Odi Gonzales’ Immigration Services Team at 1008 Pape Avenue, Suite 2W in Toronto binds… Read More »

More victims surface vs Marissa Odi Gonzales, police are investigating

By Edwin Mercurio “Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside itself—It only requires opportunity” George Eliot 1819-80. When the opportunity to make money by false promises arise, a company hiding under the name of MG immigration consultancy goes full swing by recruiting hapless Filipinos to apply for “express” immigration to Canada. Many of the victims who… Read More »

The Home of Love Gets a Boost

Contact: Joyce Rodriguez (416) 451-3320 or joycerodriguez711@gmail.com Mississauga, Ontario – Home of Love supporters Norie Blohm and Joyce Rodriguez agreed with each other that they will raise $5000 this year to help with the reconstruction and renovations of Home of Love.  The first fund-raiser was a dinner dance they called Summer Heat. Over 100 guests attended the event… Read More »

Filipino Centre of Toronto (FCT) Refuses To Have Independent Audit

The October 2, 21019 FCT Annual General Membership Meeting (AGM) chalked up another one for the books. Halloween has indeed arrived early for its members. First off, elected were the current board members, principally the ‘same sailors rowing the same boat’. Most of the current board members stayed put, meaning current culture prevailed or a status quo.    The… Read More »

On The Origin of Faith

Back in the day, when we were geographically and informationally isolated, attending a private catholic or parochial school was de regueur. In my generation, it was a formalization of faith in a culture where religion was so prevalent that one could become a Catholic by assimilation. In the years prior and into the ’60s, life revolved around the… Read More »

The Poverty of the Mind in the 21st Century

Twelve innocent people, murdered in another mass shooting in the US. ( This commentary was originally written for the Phil Daily Inquirer in the latter part of Feb of this year. Since then there were three major mass shooting ( defined as at least four people shot ), two in Texas and one in Ohio. Officially, there have… Read More »

DARK CLOUDS OVER EDUCATION

Teacher’s pay has gone up considerably since, but still below the rise in the cost of living. Still, there are grave gaps in training that may not be preparing would-be teachers to match a new generation of more knowledgeable students. Ms. Cruz asks rhetorically: “Are teachers themselves, competent readers?” To answer this, let me quote one of the… Read More »

FCT Silent on Third Party Independent Financial Audit

Member petitioners have now sent another official letter to The Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT) Board to follow up on their petition to have FCT conduct an independent third party financial audit of FCT’s books and accounting records for years 2016 – 2018. FCT President Mary Anne San Juan approved this motion for an independent financial audit way back during… Read More »

POVERTY, RELIGIOSITY AND SCIENTIFIC LITERACY

                                                                                                    BY: EDWIN DE LEON A couple of recent commentaries about our scientific aptitude  ( Mangahas, PDI, Skepticism About Science, Dec. 15; de Jesus, PDI, Filipinos Becoming Scientifically Illiterate, Jan. 5 ) brings to the fore multiple correlations of our level of education, religiosity, and poverty rates.  Our skepticism about science,  at  48%, is second out… Read More »