In the last 14 months we’ve been seeking answers to many questions about the way individuals and organizations seduce the community with a combination of guile, sweet-talk and appeal to our sense of compassion.
There seems to be a widening scheme to keep quiet among officials, in and out of government, associations and plain citizens. An invisible wall has been erected to insulate themselves from being accountable and transparent.
From the top diplomats in Canada to the responsible officials of community associations, keeping tight-lipped about issues has been adopted as their mute riposte.
A few dare to speak but only in hushed tones. Those who try to come out with what they know are then obstructed by incessant personal attacks and fabrications aimed at keeping the lid on some secrets.
The next several weeks will witness the annual spectacle in the Greater Toronto Area – picnics, beauty contests, golf tournaments, stage presentations, cultural extravaganza, musicals – all to be carried out in the name of service to the community.
The understated goal, of course, is to raise money – money for the poor, money for the sick, money for this charity, money for that foundation, money for this and that project. But who really gets the benefits of the community’s kindness and a willingness to help?
The people in the community are not endless fount of wealth. Every dollar that they donate or contribute by buying tickets for mindless stage shows is a dollar taken from their savings or from money allocated to their loved ones here and in the Philippines or from their own upkeep.
Yet through all these, the community is unrecognized in its charitable anonymity. The credit, the pompous acknowledgement and the infinite rewards go to the organizers, the individuals and organizations that make a career defrauding unsuspecting people.
One way to put an end to the fraud is for us to be vigilant and assertive. We encourage the community to speak up. We ask everyone to report to us any scam, wrongdoing, criminal activity, abuse, threat or intimidation and we will do our best to bring the story out and let the authorities do the rest.
We should not allow fear to rein us and consequently get the better of us. We should not allow liars – and there are many in our community – to have room corrupting the minds of the people by their distortions and sweet promises. It is time that we take umbrage at them who hide their identities in false names.
As Balita, Toronto’s largest Filipino newspaper, is founded 35 years ago on the principle of truth and openness, one need not fear in having candid, honest and truthful conversations with us.
The freedom of expression is one of the many liberties that are held sacred in Canada. We encourage the community to exercise them to their fullest.
And as we practice these freedoms, the community must insist on its right to know where the money solicited from us goes and how it is being spent. The community must demand that individuals and organizations account for every dollar supposedly donated to unnamed recipients.
Let us empower ourselves. Let us stop the deception. Let our legitimate and illegitimate leaders know that we are not pushovers. Let us tell them that they are accountable to us. #