estudio cabana

Our first encounter was out of the ordinary. She was sitting under a tree around noon, maybe on a break, holding a cup of coffee. The sky was an extra shade of blue. I walked past, tipped my glasses up, playing with reason. Had I lost my inhibition, I might have asked her to come down. Instead, I stood there in silence, watching her disappear.

Then, to my surprise, she held the door open for me. In that moment, it seemed we had known each other all along. Laughter filled the air, took over my vision, my lenses covered in a sudden fog. The feeling left me jacked up for a fortnight—I hadn’t seen it coming, such an exquisite treat. Now I can’t wait to meet her again, knowing we pull each other closer.

I’ve grown fond of you. Something about those moments keeps me growing.

No more playgrounds, Not even a home, None at school Nor places of worship.

The streets alone remain The only space left in the world. In our shortcomings, Are they the ones at fault?

Innocence besieged by malice, Hope is slowly strangled— The nation’s promise fading, In shadows wrongly tangled. Translated from Tagalog:

Original: JL Burgos Translation: YL Cabana Like you, I have my heart set on taking special care of a grave. to celebrate the life of our beloved by preserving the memories in their honor when we used to be together. And brightening their resting place with arranged flowers on the niche. This wish, I know, is grim Unlike many who in every respect desire not to pay visit the deceased. At the tomb, I also yearn to place a candle its open flame shedding soot and residue We don't have to hide our saline eyes. While their remains or ashes are nowhere to inter we've been deprived of the period to bereave. The coffin, in customary practices so we’re told to believe, is to receive the final nail. Under the gun, left with no rites to mark our way, an empty plot is where justice springs forth. They tried to bury us, they didn't know we were seeds. Names of our fallen reduced to numbers,  to bow to our martyrs is to become one.

Following a motley crew on a relentless pursuit of a narco-trafficking slum lord, writer-director Erik Matti’s most recent action flick paints a nihilistic vision of classed society. “BuyBust” outbursts into a bilious bloodbath due to an ongoing drug war where the characters play roles that aren’t exactly black and white.

Special operatives make no bones about the fact that besieging the big boss known as Biggie Chen (Arjo Atayde) is decidedly a dangerous dealing. Here comes in the squad of Rico Yatco (Brandon Vera). Drug enforcement agent Nina Manigan (Anne Curtis) is stubborn but her sharpened skills prove better than her superiors including team leader Bernie Lacson (Victor Neri) alongside senior detectives Dela Cruz (Lao Rodriguez) and Alvarez (Nonie Buencamino).

Buybust begins when mid-level drug dealer Teban (Alex Calleja) agrees to help the agents get undercover in the heart of Manila. When the first attempt failed, the team had to re-group to meet the elusive Chen in Gracia ni Maria, a densely-populated settlement of “sinners and saints.” The plot is quite well trod with a familiar premise—an anti-drug operations in a gonzo world gone wrong.

Cartel activity is becoming the dominant story of contemporary films. There is “Miami Vice” (2006), the Chinese-Hong Kong thriller “Drug War” (2012), and more recently Canadian auteur Denise Villeneuve’s “Sicario” (2015). But to some extent Matti’s botched buy-bust narrative is comparable to the Indonesian martial arts action “The Raid (2011) in terms of body count.

But unlike most police procedural movies, this screenplay does not try to thread the personal lives of the agents off-duty. The only background the viewers are presented is that of main character Manigan as the sole survivor of a squad that was tragically slaughtered in a previous sting operation. Despite all the trauma of being busted, Manigan embarks on training anew that seems to prove the drug war is worth it. The result presents as strictly business.

Soon the shantytown turns into a place of anarchy and the squad’s goal shifts from catching the bad guys to getting out of the fences alive. There are the tambays, throngs of women, some of whom are wearing hijab, and gangs of gay people. Everyone is painted as who the operative should knock down in a bizarre way. Bullets, knives, knuckles, pots and pans, and any found object improvised as a weapon permit no rest for the viewers as it takes a while to come to a full boil. The operatives try to make their way to safety by shooting, stabbing, and smashing their way through wave upon wave of bodies. As Matti himself describes it, BuyBust is ‘a zombie movie without zombies’. And fighting back feels futile.

Up to this point, the film makes a few stops in noir-flavored repetition and slows its progress in the last third. The viewer gets lost in disarray after watching the high octane scenes.

Can we just be moved by a film or are we desensitized because the things on the screen are not exactly what’s happening in reality? Is it really anti drug war as how the director claims himself to be or it is an anti-drug war film?

Buybust is basically a mass murder from a middle class gaze. It may be a social commentary of the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs; but it also mocks the masses as a motive force, which can animate popular sovereignty and which the powers-that-be may reckon with.

Will the horrors of the tough anti-drug policies be resolved only through individual righteousness? In the end, our heroine, who still represents the establishment, gives an insight into the pro-war sentiments of this particularly spectacular film.

For that, the filmmakers reflect the moral compass of henchman Chongki (Levi Ignacio). In a standstill with the agents, Chongki demands the squad to surrender to spare the life of a local resident. While threatening to execute the man, he proclaims like the biblical Pontius Pilate that the man’s “blood is in your hands, not mine.”

BuyBust premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) on June 29, 2018. It had a wide Philippine release on August 1, 2018, and a limited North American release beginning August 10.

BuyBust

TORONTO—”Meron tayong Rizal Commercial Bank, Rizal Sports Complex, meron tayong Rizal town at Rizal province hanggang posporo meron tayong Rizal, kaya baka sumosobra na tayo sa ating ‘veneration without understanding,’ sabi nga ni Renato Constantino noong 1970s.”

Philippine national artist for literature Virgilio Almario, concurrently the chair of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), lectured during the inauguration of Sentro Rizal-Toronto on May 12.

The event was graced by Consul General Rosalita Prospero, Commission of Overseas Filipinos Overseas (CFO) and local Toronto Filipino community members clad in Filipiniana dress. Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador Petronila Garcia and Almario inaugurated the Sentro Rizal Ottawa on May 10.

In her welcome remarks, Prospero thanked Almario and the NCCA and all those who contributed to make the launch of the cultural hub.

“We are around 400,000-strong Filipinos in Ontario contributing to the diverse and dynamic cultural landscape of the province so I think it’s just fitting to have a Sentro Rizal here,” added Prospero.

The bust of Dr. Jose Rizal and the gold-plated inscription was unveiled as guests were treated to a performance by folk musician Joey Ayala and a live painting by local visual storyteller Eric Tigley.

Astravel Pimentel-Naik, CFO executive director, issued to the consulate office a package of the Virtual Sentro Rizal, the digital counterpart to the established centers all over the world. It is a multilingual collection showcasing the country's arts, culture and language through animation, audio recordings, photos and detailed articles.

“Angat na tayo ngayon, mayroon na tayong maipamamahagi sa ating mga kabataan,” said Pimentel-Naik that it is primarily to cater to the cultural formation of children of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

VSR was inspired by Republic Act 66, initiated by former Senator Edgardo Angara, stating that the government should promote Philippine culture in overseas communities with a significant number of Filipinos.

QUEEN'S PARK, TORONTO—Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence) told a Toronto Filipino audience the legislation of an Ontario province-wide Filipino Heritage Month in June "could have been a great celebration" and was "denied at this point."

"I'm just disappointed we didn't get this done as quickly as we should've done," Colle said.

The comments were made during a invite-only group discussion on Wednesday May 2 that followed the demise of Bill 10, Filipino Heritage Month Act this session of Provincial Legislature.

Bill 10 was given "strong" support by MPPs Raymond Sung Joon Cho (Scarborough—Rouge River), Peggy Sattler (London West), Han Dong (Trinity-Spadina), Sylvia Jones (Dufferin—Caledon), Peter Tabuns (Toronto—Danforth), Dipika Damerla (Mississauga East—Cooksville), and Mitzie Hunter (Scarborough-Guildwood).

However, right after the popular bill passed second reading, Colle proposed to fast-track its third and final reading to become official legislation. During the voting procedure it failed to get unanimous consent.

Bill 10 is among the 73 bills not passed out of the 88 bills brought forth during the last session of legislature. Only 15 received royal assent ahead of the provincial elections on June 7.

Colle said he is focused on reintroducing the bill even after the elections. But he did not provide details on how his proposed process would work.

Asked his message to hopeful Filipino community members, he said: "The big picture is this: you are going to get this bill whether it's now or in the very near future because you built up so much political awareness, so much community support." 

"Be on your toes, don't take the baloney and you will get it, you deserve it," he added.

The shortlist for a new mural in Bathurst and Wilson underpass has been announced with concepts that intend to beautify and to create space that represents Filipinos among many diverse people.

On April 23, 2018, the City of Toronto hosted a community consultation where residents of Ward 10, York Centre were invited to meet the artists.

The shortlisted artists Margaret Cresswell, Team Spudbomb, Troy Lovegates, Jason Pinney and Nick Sweetman presented their initial concepts.

These walls are located in the Bathurst tunnel that runs south of Wilson Avenue close to Highway 401 on-ramp.

Councillor James Pasternak led the presentations explaining the renovations done on the underpass known for its busy vehicle and foot traffic. The tunnel has been in disrepair for many years, he said, but the city’s investments have been managed well to put public art there,aside from fixing the retaining walls and lights up.

“Public art animates our neighbourhoods, it creates value in our homes, it enhances parks in Ward 10 and elsewhere,” said Pasternak.

The proposals were recommended to a five-person selection committee that reviewed all submissions received by StreetArt Toronto in a call for artists to create a mural 8.5 feet by 311 feet long (3.0 x 95 meters) on each wall. An online survey was made available to the public to review and rank each shortlisted concept.

StreetArt Toronto administers and funds the creation of artworks that bring vibrancy to the street’s throughout the city.

The winning design to be selected will be installed in June 2018 for the west wall and in 2019 for the east wall.

TORONTO—It’s not always easy making ends meet when you live in a shoebox but the newly reestablished Filipino migrants group aims to carry out its tasks here and in the home front.

A celebration was held at a centre for Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) region 5 adorned with banderitas in Downtown Toronto on April 7 for the Migrante-Ontario general assembly and election of officers.

”You may be wearing warmer clothes and shiny shoes, but you’re just as exploited and abused,” Jecris Tubigon teased the crowd with his bon mot. “Even though you’re here, you are part of what’s going on in the Philippines.”   

He further explained that the conditions in the country that has been the major factor of people being pushed out of the country in droves.

“If there were no oceans, there will be no one left because of forced migration. It seems there’s no future because we haven’t even landed in the places to go, we’re already buried in debt,” added Tubigon that the number of both sea- and land-based Filipinos abroad are growing.

Youth group Anakbayan-Toronto spiced up the program with various cultural performances. In a play, members read through letters from a Pinay perspective on leaving one’s own child in exchange of caregiving work for another. Mae Janelle Berte also rendered an acoustic music with her composition “We can be anything”: “What if money was no problem/ And the colour of your skin was no issue/ Will you stay content at the bottom/ Or fly away to a better view.”

Being uprooted from the homeland, it’s the sensibility of organizing collectively wherever they may re-locate that is almost unique among members. 

Long-time labour organizer Bayani Edades shared the rich history of Migrante’s advocacy from case-to-case campaigns with the latest actions in response to Canada’s pathways to permanent residence. “Makikita lang natin ang ani kung masipag tayo ay maraming punla,” he stressed. (Our yield can only be within the purview of how many seeds we’ve planted.)

First launched in Toronto 2008, Migrante Ontario used to be an alliance of various groups, members had an extensive experience organizing temp workers, domestic workers, personal support workers, cultural workers, Cordillera peoples, migrant youth and overseas Filipino workers in various occupations as wide as the area from Barrie in the north to Niagara region in southern Ontario. 

The group continues to operate its flagship media programs such as Radyo Migrante and TV Migrante. The changing conditions in Canada also prompted the creation of not-for-profit organization Migrants Resource Centre Canada with its mandate of "research, training and direct assistance to migrant workers and their families."

Migrante-Ontario members expressed their commitment to take part in the movement for national liberation and democracy in the Philippines. With the assembly`s theme to "reinvigorate the Filipino migrant workers' struggle for rights and welfare in Ontario," the membership went through “back-to-basics” restructuring from an alliance to become a stand-alone chapter of its mother organization Migrante-Canada. The new set of officers elected were: Leny Rose Simbre (Chairperson), Mac Seguerra (Vice-chair), Jecris Tubigon (Secretary-General), Bayani Edades (Solidarity Officer) and Nancy Quiñon (Treasurer).

In an interview with The Philippine Reporter, chairperson-elect Leny Simbre said “Para maisulong ang karapatan at kagalingan lalo na ng mga manggagawang Pilipino, susuportahan natin kung anuman ang mga pangangailangan nila” (We will support whatever the needs of our fellow Filipino migrant workers for us to advance our rights and well-being).

TORONTO—The debate about how to resolve the Korean crisis is stuck in a frustrating rut. Nearly 65 years since the war ended in an armistice, neither side is able to claim outright victory. But the sudden prospect of inter-Korea summit may clear the path and direct talks between North Korea and the US may set a peaceful settlement.

A professor, who has a unique access in the tightly controlled country visiting it a hundred times, claims the game is over and “North Korea has won.”

Korean-American Dr. Kiyul Chung didn’t only refer to the recently concluded 2018 Winter Olympics. Although it was accompanied with all sorts of promises. But he believes that reunification—which he has organized support for decades-long—is “soon to be an irreversible reality.”

Dr. Kiyul Chung traveled back to Toronto to share his insights in a talk organized by Korean Federation in Canada and the Korea Truth Commission (Canadian Chapter) on Saturday March 31, 2018.

Comrade Kim goes to China

Six years after his ascent to power, Kim Jong-un made his first state visit to China at the request of the supreme leader  of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping. Chung showed footage from the website The 21st Century, where he is editor-in-chief, of the rendezvous at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan feted a banquet for Kim, his wife Ri Sol Ju and the entourage, explained Chung. They also watched some cultural performance.

“What Kim Jong Un received from the whole Chinese national leadership was unprecedented. Even South Korean media say he was treated like an emperor,” stressed Chung. (17:00)

As a scholar of northeast Asia, he explained that there’s a sense of “genuine goodwill” and that the meeting helped fray a weathered relationship, especially with the Korean people who for years have “suffered so much, singled out, demonized non-stop, and threatened by the nuclear war and sanctions.”

“That says the Korean people will have much broader space to breathe. It’s been difficult for them to hang on but they have never knelt down before any powers from outside,” he added comparing them to Vietnamese people. (21:00)

The North’s diplomatic outreach also had Kim restate his commitment to give up his potent weapons:  intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), nuclear warheads and, its latest electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that could take down an electrical power grid, causing economic chaos rather than human casualties.

It is with such capability that, according to Chung, DPRK is “almost certain” in this maneuver.

“China lost their central leadership role in the 21st century, when everybody looked upon expecting some leadership on the question of the so-called Korean issue. China, in a way, has given up. And like an assistant to Washington, cheating their little brother for 25 years and suffocating the North Korean economy,” said Chung. 

The Game is Over

“No matter what, the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang showed a united North-South team enter into the stadium. It’s a moving, moving moment. Something has definitely changed,” said Chung.

North Korea is known here to usually frown upon the joint US-South Korea military exercise each spring. However this year's exercises was moved to a later schedule because of the Games in South Korea. And DPRK is taking a charm offensive following security preparations. Kim is reportedly saying that he “understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue.” The Foal Eagle and Key Resolve military exercises which began on Sunday April 1, pales in comparison to previous ones with only 300,000 Korean military personnel and 11,500 US troops in a series of field drills and computer simulations. Thus, pieces begin to shift.

At present, the signs are that bilateral and even “multi-party process” may take place, bringing the nations of the region back together.

“The third summit is happening on April 27th which will be quite different from former two summits. The dimension is different because the North is already a nuclear power. They have the power to force Washington to sit down and talk. It’s a win-win power to make everybody co-exist. I argue that’s the most fundamental difference from 1999 and today that will be the principal barometer in moving forward,” said Chung.

Subsequently, Pyongyang offered direct talks with the US—what would be the first between a US president and a leader of the isolated nation. President Donald Trump agreed on the offer to negotiate aid-for-disarmament deals sometime in the next several weeks but the details and timing of which are yet to be confirmed.

‘Gift to the World’

For Milton-resident Henry Na, the two leaders will find a workable solution to put the Korean war to an end. He is hopeful that a peace treaty will replace the Korean Armistice Agreement. Na and other Koreans are vigilantly optimistic.

Asked what is the impact of the summit to other people in east Asia, for Southeast Asia region in general and the Philippines in particular, Dr. Chung answers: “If Koreans finally bring the North and South into a peacefully reunited country, as a neutral power, it’s going to be our people’s humble present to the world.”

“It’s our gift to the people, like our brothers and sisters, who still struggle to bring about your own independence.”

The 26-year old filmmaker Mikhail Red packs more into his years than most people — after all, he’s already helmed two movies and his galvanizing 2016 sophomore Birdshot is one of the few Filipino content to be released by online streaming service Netflix.

Birdshot centers on a man and his daugher, who lives in isolation while tending a vast cornfield surrounding a forest for the state-protected Philippine eagle (haribon). Secluded from the rest of civilization, young Maya (Mary Joy Apostol) is exposed to the roots of key questions of poverty and puberty. She is taught by her pragmatic father Diego (Manuel Aquino) to shoot animals like ducks so she would be able to survive on her own. Maya wanders into forbidden territory where she shoots the endangered haribon, unaware of its privileged status and unknowingly leaves a shotgun shell, the titular birdshot. 

Their fate would be hinged on two policemen assigned to investigate on the lost eagle’s case after a botched police investigation on a missing bus-riding farmers’ case. In contrast to the cynical cop Mendoza (John Arcilla) who only warranted to pursue what he was tasked with, the rookie Domingo (Arnold Reyes) seeks the uphold what is just and righteous amidst corruption as status quo. This episodic slow-paced storytelling of dialectical characters leaves the viewer hanging for more. 

The narrative arc winds up when the path of the four meet. The poor caretakers are unsurprisingly in the cross hairs of the constabulary rattled by anonymous threats to the young captain’s family. The parallels become stronger between the protégées in each of their training for survival and their turning points. As Maya blossoms into womanhood painted in the film with bloodstained bed from her menarche, the budding Domingo matures into an authority bent to fit the system then he later guns down the young woman’s dog Bala (played by german shepherd Argo).

One can find so many juxtapositions of figurative language here. For levity, Bala translates to bullet in English. Kidding aside, Maya is a personification of the former Philippine national bird “pulang maya” or red sparrow, which may also allegorically refer to the sparrow units of the New People's Army in real life. The Special Partisan Unit (Sparu or Sparrow) are young idealists who prey on law enforcers, government officials and perceived privileged predators. For director Mikhail Red, it is a “moral parable” that can mirror Philippine social realities. 

The screenplay grew from an actual news report from 2008 about a farmer who shot a haribon (or the “king bird” literally), unaware of its legally protected status, ate its carcass and was jailed for having felt hunger. The grandmother reminds Maya to comb her hair a hundred times every night to impress men so she doesn’t need to fend for herself. It also resonates a universal appeal. Its a commentary how indiscriminate logging and illegal hunting of animals have ruined the environment. Scattered throughout the film, these are the issues the viewers are informed with. Cinematographer Mycko David brilliantly uses the camera to depict the rural landscape in earthy tones splattered with reds in some elements of clothing and gratuitous gore. Visual cues suffice that sometimes dialogue are not necessary. As Birdshot tackles the extinction of a bird so revered by the state, it also attempts to capture fleeting truth and justice. In one scene, the cruel Mendoza asks “Saan tayo magsisimula kung ang meron lang tayo ay wala?" (Where do we begin when all we have is nothing?). To which Domingo answers "Lahat naman nagsisimula sa wala." (Everything starts from nothing)

Since its debut theatrical run, it has garnered attention by critics. It won Best Asian Future Film Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2016, and was the Philippine entry to the Best Foreign Film category of the 2017 Academy Awards.

Birdshot was released ‪on the online platform on March 26‬. Meanwhile Cannes best director awardee Brillante Mendoza’s “Amo” will be available ‪starting April 9.

Birdshot

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Community’s hope of having first Filipino elected parliamentarian in Ontario legislature is surrounded with uncertainty in run-up to the provincial elections.

Ontario Progressive Conservatice candidate Angely Pacis is left “appalled” after president Jag Badwal issued a statement on the party’s website March 15 that the party’s Provincial Nominations Committee (PNC) reopens in the riding where she is running.

The PNC only stated that it reached a “unanimous decision.” Mississauga Center (Square One area) is one of three ridings where nominations were reopened.

"They did not give me any reasons nor a statement of grounds for the re-opening of my riding and the setting aside of my candidacy. There were no grounds, no notifications, I was totally blindsided," said Pacis in an email correspondence with The Philippine Reporter.

Pacis, who won the nomination last February 2017 is one of a number of PC tickets dogged by claims of “flawed electoral processes.” According to one senior campaigner, Pacis is trying to find out and make inquiries on the whole process.

Asked if she will run again despite the PC dropping her, she said “I am considering my options. I am committed to fighting for our community, vis-a-vis immigration policies on both a provincial and federal level and for all Ontarians in the areas of health care, taxation, strong economic development and the environment."

As the dust is yet to settle, some of Pacis supporters are seeking a replacement candidate.

Mississauga residents Gerry Villareal and Clemente Cabillan of the Fil-Can for MPP Search Committee, are casting the net for the purpose of receiving nominations from other members of the Filipino community.

“It is important that the community be involved in this search and we want to follow democratic processes,” the group stated in a press release that also called for a community meeting on Sunday March 25 at Huron Park Center.

“We received information from a source which we believed to be credible that Ms. Pacis is no longer a member in good standing of the Party and will likely not be permitted by the PNC to run for nomination again. This is why we are searching for a new nominee in case the information turns out to be correct,“ explained Villareal in an email.  

"First, we will focus on identifying one or more qualified Fil-Cans who are willing to throw their hats into the ring, with the help of members of the Filipino Community.  Second, once we have a nominee or nominees endorsed by the community, we will submit their names to the PNC. Third, we will work to support the nominee approved by the PNC during the nomination process by registering voters from the riding and getting them to vote for him or her on nomination day. Fourth, should our Fil-Can nominee win the nomination, we will launch and implement a campaign plan designed to help our candidate win on election day," added Villareal.

Apparently not if Pacis has anything to say about the need for a Filipino parliamentarian to be seated in legislature. "Filipinos have a beautiful heritage which is already part of the Canadian narrative. Being elected is a different ball game. This is the forum where a Filipino Canadian can contribute directly to the shaping of Canadian norms, values and culture as it speaks through the law,” said Pacis.

“This where community concerns can be answered and problems resolved with the effect of helping the many and not just one single individual. And this is how I want to contribute to the community, to Ontario and to Canada— as a Parliamentarian—because that is what I meant to do and be," she added.

Recently, videos have been circulating on social media of a heated exchange of words between Pacis, her husband and early supporters, escalating to online discussions of alleged misconduct from either side.  

Some Alberta Filipinos urge the month of September to be declared Philippine-Canadian Heritage Month in the Canadian province. Organizers of Calgary-based Fiesta Filipino annual cultural festival submitted their petition Saturday March 17.

Senior adviser Dolly Castillo made the official announcement as the group launched the inaugural Youth Empowerment Program, which was attended by distinguished guested including Alberta Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman, Member of Legislative Assembly Irfan Sabir (Calgary-McCall) and Philippine Consul General to Calgary Julius D. Torres.

“The Filipino community is the fastest growing ethnocultural community in Alberta and in Canada. Its also one of the most diverse, in terms of generations, languages, professional backgrounds and cultural traditions,” said Castillo, adding Filipinos have long been contributing to the “richness” of the province and country.

“Filipinos in Alberta constitute an important segment of the province's entrepreneurial, labour and professional force in all areas of the economy,” she added.

According to the 2016 census data, the prairie province is home to 170,000 -strong Filipino population, which has taken a significant share of immigrant population across generations.

For young Filipino Canadians, the proclamation of a Philippine-Canadian heritage month is a source of celebration “to put the community in the map.”

“We are Filipinos our colour says so. Our nannies say so. Our parents and older relatives say so. But we are also Canadians, many of us were born here. Many of us grew up here from when we were very young. Many of us identify what is Canadian. What does it mean to have these identities inside you?” said one of the youth presenters.

The petition collected more than 2,000 signatories since Fiesta Filipino council started rallying June 2017, according to Castillo.

“We are closing the circle on the process we started in the past year. But we also recognize similar petitions have been launched by other committed members of the community,” said Castillo admitting the “difference in tactics” as other cities push for the June Filipino Heritage Month proclamation across Canada.

Edmonton motion

Meanwhile, Cecilia Camba of Edmonton signed the online petition entitled “Alberta Legislature to Declare June as Philippine Heritage Month” on change.org. For Camba, June is the “most reasonable” as the anniversary of the country's independence falls in that month.

“It is important that we preserve our Filipino Heritage even though we are living in a different country. As we retain our culture and heritage in Alberta, the younger generations will greatly appreciate not only the awareness of their roots but also the utilization of what we are preserving for the benefit of themselves and the future generations," wrote Camba.

Over fifty community members in the northern Alberta city gathered for a community consultation on March 5.

The proposal consultation was participated by Minister of Labour Christina Gray (Edmonton-Mill Woods), MLA Nicole Goehring (Edmonton-Castle Downs) and Rodrigo Loyola (Edmonton-Ellerslie). The three parliamentarians, together with the Edmonton-based Philippine Arts Council put up the online petition in an effort to build up on the legislation that was initially approved in the province of Ontario.

Asked how locals have responded on the ongoing multiple petitions, Marietta Pangan of Diaryo Filipino shared both cities of Calgary and Edmonton rallies have been picked up positively. “Different organizations and groups where I’m part of are doing their part—from getting signatures, sending letters of petitions to MLAs to using multi media platforms (online, radio, tv, social media and print) to spread awareness,” Pangan wrote in an email to The Philippine Reporter.

Montreal rolls along

In Quebec, the popular resolution was also picked up in a Montreal borough council. The motion to declare June as Philippine Heritage Month was adopted unanimously at a meeting in February. Snowdon councilor Marvin Rotrand put forward the motion, which was seconded by Darlington councillor and Montreal’s official opposition leader Lionel Perez.

“The community has experienced continuous growth within the borough since the 1960s and their presence has helped to make Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce a good place to live,” said Rotrand.

Rotrand highlighted that Montreal’s most populous borough has half of Quebec’s 35,000 Filipinos with numerous businesses, sports, cultural and recreational clubs and other organizations.

Toronto rising

In Queens Park, Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence) reintroduced Filipino Heritage Month Act, or Bill 10, before the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on Tuesday March 20, following the  prorogation of the legislature and the start of a new parliamentary sitting. Colle declared his commitment “to seek cooperation from members from Opposition parties to ensure that June will be recognized as Filipino Heritage Month in Ontario” in a statement.

The City of Toronto became the first government in Canada to officially create a heritage month for Filipinos in November 2017. Responding the need to brainstorm how activities would be carried out in the city, a June-Filipino Heritage Month Working Group (JFHMWG) was formed earlier this month.

Nez Lacdao, JFHMWG convener and youth organizer, said the group would like to be more inclusive with a focus on young people who will pass on the torch to the next generations. Lacdao also invited the public to participate in the branding and logo design contest the youth is to spearhead.

Nicole Sudiacal's grandfather worked in the gold mines for a quarter century.

It's a story she has never forgotten.

"He would tell us about the effects of the mines being crushed. He would see people die," said Sudiacal, a member of Filipino youth group Anakbayan.

Despite being a second-generation Filipino-Canadian, the "mining mess" in the Philippines hammers home for her.

Sudiacal spoke at the University of Ottawa on Tuesday March 6th in a panel co-organized by Anakbayan-Ottawa and Filipino Students Association of uOttawa.

"Abante, babae, palaban militante!"

Pinays chanted with other migrants, Blacks, Muslims, transgender, indigenous people and other groups to celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) on March 3.