Saturday, August 4, 2012
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PinoyWatchDog.Com
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Umayam supports PWD thefts; She’s guilty of anti-Semitism From Page 1
event. PWD also revealed that only $7500 from over $100,000 in revenue was actually going to the designated charity, and that Umayam was secretly planning to pay other charities that contributors had no idea about. That evening, more reports of newspapers being stolen again came in. The next day, July 22, 2012, Bander again wrote Umayam stating that the she should be a responsible community leader and make the clarion call that her ‘supporters’ should stop stealing newspapers. In response Ms. Umayam stated: “Why don’t you show them you are supporting me and write something nice about me and the event in your newspaper, maybe the community will be very thankful to you, and we will all be happy in the end. . Then, that is the time I will make an appeal to the community to stop them from getting your newspaper, If ever they really are getting it. I have no idea. I have received hundreds of calls and emails from all places everywhere comforting me and telling me they don’t believe in all your accusations. They have also told me whatever steps and decision I will make regarding this matter, they will be supporting me all the way. I will not make an appeal to the community to stop stealing your Pinoywatchdog. I was about to do it to put a stop on all this. But you still continue to hit
me below the belt. I will just do what I think is right.” However, Umayam’s undoing, behind her implied endorsement of theft of newspapers (which also contained stories about young Filipino achievers) was this email statement to Bander: “Your writers must be ashamed of themselves. They are the talk of the town why??? They must remember that Jew or Hudyo killed Jesus Christ??? Judas Iscariot the apostle who betrayed Jesus is a JEW like you!!!!!!!”
ABS-CBN’s Tina Palma and Gina Lopez cancel their attendance. Upon hearing of Umayam’s anti-Semitic slur against Bander and her support of thievery of newspapers ABS CBN anchor Tina Munoz-Palma decided not t fly to Los Angeles from the Philippines to attend the controversial “100 Outstanding Fil-Ams in the U.S.” awards dinner. PinoyWatchDog. com has learned that Umayam’s statements directed at Bander, who is Jewish, was the ‘last straw’ for Palma following a string of revelations of highly improper conduct by Umayam. PinoyWatchDog.com also learned that Gina Lopez, Managing Director of ABS-CBN Foundation, was also planning to attend but has decided not to attend even before Umayam’s bigoted attack. Lopez has long managed the Lopez families’ philanthropic division. PinoyWatchDog.com
interviewed St. Dominic Catholic Church’s Father Carey a few blocks from the Umayam residence in Eagle Rock. Carey said that Umayam’s statements were “way off base and not consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.” Father Carey added that Umayam has a “lot to repent for.” Carey added that Umayam did not attend her local Catholic Church. ABS CBN Withdraws All Together -- Umayam Calls Fabian’s Decision “Shallow” On Thursday, July 26, 2012, just two days before the “100 Outstanding” event, Robbie Fabian, has announced the ABS CBN Foundation was pulling out of the event totally. The foundation also declined the donation. Fabian stated that “the board of directors of the Foundation has concluded today that recent statements made by Ms. Umayam will make it untenable for ABS CBN Foundation International to be part of this initiative. The Foundation regrettably also has decided to decline the planned donation to Bantay Bata.” In reply Umayam wrote Fabian, and others, stating, “I found it hard to believe you did not even explain to the board that when I made those statements, it was really not meant to hurt the Jewish people. The reason for denial is so shallow.” If this is the final straw, then I would appreciate you sending me the payment for the
(1) table you confirmed. It was already paid for at Universal Hilton as part of the guarantee. I will really appreciate you sending the payment.” In an additional slap ay Umayam, the Philippine Consulate did not even send a representative to the event, even though Deputy Consul General Dan Espiritu was listed on the program as a speaker. The Consulate refused to comment on its non-attendance, which is obviously standard at these events.
Strange Twist - Publicity Stunt Using Tony Olaes and Gawad Kalinga as a Front At the dinner event Umayam stunned the crowd in attendance with a daring foray and daring. She would make a one million peso contribution to Bantay Bata even if ABS-CBN did not want the money. Umayam announced that she was using the little known Tony Olaes of Gawad Kalinga USA as a monetary conduit. In a public message Olaes stated that “Upon deposit and clearance, I will then send my check on behalf of the other 99 honorees to the children of Bantay Bata. I know that it was shocking that Bantay Bata rejected the funds and for me to, in turn, send one right back to them. I chose to do this because I felt it was the right thing to do for the children who were meant to be served - there was no either or. At the end, everyone won except for the perpetrator.”
However, at press time, almost one week later, Bantay Bata reports that Olaes has not made any contribution whatsoever. PinoyWatchDog.com has sent numerous questions to Olaes and his assistants, requesting for any type of proof or documentation. PinoyWatchDog.com Executive Editor Al Aquino said “until I see a cancelled check I do not believe Umayam has given money to anyone. Why wouldn’t this Olaes fellow come up with proof of fund right away if it were true?” Numerous other unanswered questions posed to Olaes from PinoyWatchDog.com are in the accompanying box. “Hopefully, Mr. Olaes will be a bit more transparent than he has been to date,” Aquino said. Umayam Refuses to Announce Awardees as Promised For the last two months PinoyWatchDog.com and others questioned the validity of Umayam’s selection process for her awardees. She has long kept the list secret. And while PWD’s investigative team received constantly varying reports of which awardees were in or out Umayam has been steadfast in her position that the list will be announced after the completion of the event. However, Diversity News Magazine reported on Thursday, August 2, 2012 that Umayam stated, “The awardees themselves and all of us decided we will not publish the names of the
awardees to protect all of them. …. I told all newspapers we will release after the event. Things happen.” Numerous well connected members of the Fil-Am community have reviewed the photographs of the awardees and many are unknown. “How can they be outstanding,” Aquino asked, “if nobody ever heard of them before?” PinoyWatchDog.com had been receiving reports of many awardees cancelling or declining their award, even though they paid $1000 to receive it, based on Umayam’s anti-Semitic remarks towards Bander and her support of newspaper thievery. PWD has learned that two of Umayam’s daughters were also among the awardees. In an odd editorial twist Diversity News stated it was “was honored to witness an overall success event organized by Ms. Darna B. Umayam, which she took so much controversy and heat from various people and mainly from “Uncensored media outlet PinoyWatchDog.com” who claims this event was Ms. Umayam friends event and that some of them have to “Pay for Play”. Our comment was that is up to FilAm decision and their own money on how they want to use it, which means in any way they want it, even if they have to buy an award!” PinoyWatchDog.com’s investigative team has also learned that Diversity News was ready to provide air time to Umayam on its online radio show, but she required Turn to Page 9
Umayam Had no Agreement with ABS CBN Bantay Banta until Exposed by PinoyWatchDog.com
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► By Rene Villaroman and the PinoyWatchDog.com
INCE early in 2012 Darna Umayam had been representing that the “100 Outstanding Fil-Ams in the U.S.” was ‘highly endorsed by ABS CBN Foundation” and lead broadcaster Tina Palma Monzon. However, in reality, the PinoyWatchDog.com investigative team has only been able to uncover a single communication between Umayam and Tina Palma, at a reception held by the Press Photographers of the Philippines in Los Angeles in late 2011. At that time, Umayam stated she would like to have an event with proceeds going to Bantay Bata, and in principle Palma agreed. But from that point on PinoyWatchDog.com has not been able to find any supporting evidence that Palma had knowledge of any of Umayam’s acts or claims regarding the now discredited “100 Outstanding” dinner. PinoyWatchDog.com has learned that after that brief reception meeting
Umayam’s limited dealings with ABS CBN were through Palma’s staff aide Yeng Lim. The investigative team has learned that ABS CBN considered all of these discussions preparatory, and the Manila office has told PWD that no written agreement was ever entered into between them and Umayam. However, Umayam had been boasting about the Fil-Am community that there was such a deal. PinoyWatchDog.com has learned that there is a draft written agreement be-
tween Umayam and ABS CBN in the network’s files, but it was never forwarded to the discredited fundraiser as the discussions never went far enough to merit such an activity. Mr. Robbie Fabian, ABS CBN International President has informed PinoyWatchDog.com that he never even knew of the event until this newspaper’s first story about Award Dinner Expose was released in the end of June 2012. He then had to prevail upon Umayam to
Investigative Team
enter into a written agreement with the American affiliate, which she originally resisted. Oddly, Umayam, and one of her chief boosters, Adrian Lecaros, made a big fuss on Facebook and in emails how Fabian was taking time from his busy schedule to endorse the dinner. However, in reality, the network was only going to salvage something from all of Umayam’s misrepresentations. “It appears that Umayam had been telling the community a lie all these months,” PinoyWatchDog. com Executive Editor Al Aquino said. “I think everyone who paid for a ticket should be asking Darna for a full refund. She represented the backing of ABS CBN and Bantay Banta, but
it simply was not true.” ABS CBN has pulled its belated June 2012 agreement based on crude anti-Semitic statements by Umayam towards PinoyWatchDog.com’s Senior Columnist Joel Bander, along with other statements and actions she has taken in the past. In response, PWD has learned that Umayam wrote to ABS CBN on July 27, 2012, stating “Your pulling off from the project 2 days from the event was very inconsiderate, and it created so much (sic) problems to this events in terms of programme [sic] production, timeline and many more. In the end the Filipino children were the ones who suffered and greatly affected with all your decision … If this is the final straw, then I would
appreciate you sending me the payment for the (1) table you confirmed. It was already paid for at Universal Hilton as part of the guarantee. I will really appreciate you sending the payment payable to PCCI PPP-USA and mail it to 100 OFA-USA 5221 Eagle Rock Blvd. LA, CA 90041, partly to cover for damages incurred in reprinting of the programme [sic] twice.” “What nerve,” Aquino said. “First she tells everyone that Bantay Bata is involved when there was no formal agreement, only to be forced into an agreement because of our exposes. Then, when all her chicanery is revealed, along with horrible antiSemitism, Umayam wants full payment from the network, blaming them for her misdeeds. Unbelievable.”