Vancouver is one step closer to getting a Filipino cultural centre, society says
As the Lower Mainland's Filipino community gathered in South Vancouver for Lapu-Lapu Day on Saturday, one of the festival's organizers set its sights on creating a future focal point for such gatherings.
Filipino BC announced Saturday that it has selected developer Hungerford Properties to help it explore "the feasibility of bringing the Filipino Community Centre to Vancouver."
"We're extremely excited about this partnership given how our values aligned and how they've demonstrated a commitment to the communities that they've worked with," said RJ Aquino, chair of Filipino BC, at Saturday's event.
Aquino described the process as "very much in the early stages," but added that the announcement of the Hungerford partnership is "significant."
"It shows a real, tangible step towards making this happen, especially as it comes on the heels of all of the announcements and all of the support from politicians from all levels of government," he said.
Last year, the province announced it would be giving $250,000 to the Mabuhay House Society for the purpose of planning and public engagement for a Filipino cultural centre. And the 2024 federal budget promised an unspecified amount of funding toward the project “once further details are announced.”
Vancouver council also passed a motion last June endorsing the creation of a Filipino community centre in the city.
"Vancouver is the ideal location. Where in Vancouver? That's to be determined,” Aquino said. “We're going to be leaning on the expertise of Hungerford to further engage the community and be more specific about where we want to have this centre."
In a statement, Filipino BC said it will “reintroduce public engagement efforts” in the coming months and asked community members to participate in making the idea happen.
The partnership announcement came during the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party, an all-day affair celebrating all things Filipino. The festival featured food vendors, live music, a film festival, a fashion show, a drag performance and a basketball tournament.
B.C. officially declared April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day in the province last year. Celebrated annually in the Philippines, the day honours Indigenous leader Lapu-Lapu, who fought against Spanish colonization and won the Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521.
"We love sharing our culture. We love bringing everyone in to enjoy and celebrate with us, and seeing the smiles on everyone's faces despite the weather has been a really important thing,” said Aquino.
According to the province, B.C.’s Filipino population is more than 150,000.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE Evacuation order issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods as wildfire nears
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
BREAKING 'A remarkable time': After 8 years at Toronto Public Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa announces resignation
The doctor who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic as the city’s top public health official is stepping down.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
BREAKING Sask. man faces 60 charges in child exploitation investigation, with crimes dating back to 2005
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.