British Columbia celebrates Filipino Heritage Month

VANCOUVER (CityNews) — June is Filipino Heritage Month, a yearly celebration that coincides with the anniversary of the Philippines’ 1898 Declaration of Independence from Spain.

In Canada, Filipinos are often known for their work in hospitality, caregiving, and health, but there are a number of people in Metro Vancouver who are of Filipino heritage being noticed for other kinds of work.

Tonight on @CityNewsVAN @NEWS1130 we're taking a look at Filipino Heritage Month and how it's being marked locally. June 12th is #philippineindependenceday. #pinoythings pic.twitter.com/SsdxGs7Urm

— Ria Renouf ???? (@riarenouf) June 12, 2021

They’ve taken on an array of occupations, whether it’s owning an Italian restaurant and gelato shop, designing modern Filipino clothing, or creating safe spaces to thrive, the Filipino — or Pinoy — community continues to make a name for itself locally.

Barb Mackenzie is based in Vancouver and created Our Anak, a safe, open space for women.

“When I had my first daughter, everything on Instagram was perfect. You would find different groups or retreats or gatherings, but it was a very specific kind of clique.”

Mackenize says she began to push the idea forward after hearing another Filipino woman speak at a talk for women of colour.

“She said when she was growing up, she had no representation in media. And I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, me too!’ I never even really thought about it, you’re just used to seeing what you’re seeing, and you don’t question it.”

Mackenzie says the space welcomes those who are mothers, want to or are unable to be mothers, or want to explore the topic of family in a nurturing environment. In Filipino, ‘anak’ means ‘child’ or ‘children.’

 

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“If you don’t know what the word means or you’re not part of the culture, you’re like, ‘What is that? I’ve never heard that word before. What does that word mean?’ So, it’s a great conversation starter as well.”

Mackenzie is just one of a growing generation of those sharing ideas driven by Filipino culture.

A new generation of Filipnos

Maria Austria is the Philippine Consul General for B.C., and she says that while her office is always trying to connect with anyone who is interested in learning about the rich, diverse culture of the Philippines, there’s been an interesting increase in the last few years as second generations try to connect with their roots.

“What we aim to do is to showcase Filipino-Canadians who are working beyond our traditional roles, and these are people that we would like to get our community, and the bigger Canadian community, we want them to learn about these Filipinos.”

Austria says this is especially important for those who have never been back to the Philippines.

“They have been raised all their lives in Canada, by parents, or themselves, trying to integrate into Canadian society. So because of the pressures, lack of time and other priorities, what we want to do as the Filipino community and the Filipino consulate is help fill that gap, in raising awareness, of how beautiful, rich and diverse the Filipino culture is.”

I spoke w/Maria Austria, @PHinVancouver who says there’s been a shift to focusing on the 2nd generation of Filipino/a/x people who may have never seen the Philippines/were born here. She wants to connect them – and anyone else interested – in the richness of Pinoy culture. pic.twitter.com/bn9PVwbNuP

— Ria Renouf (@riarenouf) June 12, 2021

With things still online this year, the Consulate has created a four-week-long event called, ‘Proudly Philippines, Proudly Filipino!’ The campaign showcases Filipinos who work in journalism, the culinary arts, and business owners, to name a few.

She says the increased presence of Filipino culture across the country has been impressive – and long overdue – with nearly one million people across Canada now identifying as Filipino. Austria says it’s much easier in this day and age to dive in and learn about Filipino culture, thanks to the World Wide Web.

“We have initiated a new love affair with Zoom, WebEx, it’s that we are able to push boundaries, and overcome geographical distances, so everything is accessible online. If you want to learn about Filipino culture, everything is just a click away.”

Mackenzie agrees and says there’s no harm in trying something new. Since Filipino culture has multiple influences, she believes there is something for everyone.

“There are clothing businesses…there are lots of caterers who are Filipino, lots of restaurants, lots of at-home businesses. There’s lots of cool stuff.”

The virtual festival runs until July 16, and all the events are accessible through the consulate’s social media pages