Filipino Heritage Month

Last updated
Filipino Heritage Month
Observed by Filipino Canadians
Date June
FrequencyAnnual

Filipino Heritage Month is a month-long celebration in Canada that takes place every June. The work for the declaration of Filipino Heritage Month was started by Paulina Corpuz of Toronto, Ontario, through a petition. Through the sponsorship of Councillor Neethan Shan, a motion was submitted at the City of Toronto Council and with the endorsement of about 50 people and organizations, the motion was approved by the council unanimously. It was finally declared in Canada on October 30, 2018, Motion M-155, through the authorship of MP Salma Zahid, Liberal MP, Scarborough Center. [1]

History

The work to declare June as a Filipino Heritage Month started in November 2016. Paulina Corpuz, Toronto-based community leader and President of the Philippine Advancement Through Arts and Culture (PATAC), first raised this idea with Ontario New Democratic Party Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). With the help of Laura Casselman, Corpuz met with the NDP MPP and was advised to submit a petition through the OLA process. Signatures were gathered at various community events held from June 2016 until August 2017.

In October 2017, Corpuz attended a Filipino Workers consultation organized by Neethan Shan, a Toronto City Councillor (Ward 42, Scarborough Rouge River). In that consultation, Shan offered to sponsor a motion to declare the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month, at the Toronto City Council. A Filipino Heritage Month motion was introduced by Councillor Neethan Shan, [2] in November 2017 [3] with the help of Corpuz who had started the petition in November 2016, gathered endorsements from 50 individuals and organizations. The City council passed the motion unanimously. [4]

As a result of the motion passed at the City of Toronto, the provincial government of Ontario and the federal government of Canada took notice.

Several days after the passing, MPP Raymond Cho of the Progressive Conservative presented a motion to declare June as Filipino Heritage Month. This was defeated. Recognizing the importance of the Filipino Canadian community but not willing to work together, the three political parties forwarded their own members' bill version to declare June as Filipino Heritage Month. [5]

NDP MPP Doly Begum introduced [8] a private member’s bill in the Ontario legislature to proclaim June as Filipino Heritage Month, which passed its final reading and received Royal Assent on May 20, 2021. [9]

Liberal Party MP Salma Zahid of Scarborough Central also started a petition in British Columbia . [10]

The first Filipino Heritage Month celebrations

Starting in 2018, Toronto celebrated Filipino Heritage Month, [11] becoming Canada's first municipality to mark June as Filipino heritage month in perpetuity. Alberta was the first Canadian province to do so. [12]

The Toronto Catholic District School Board [13] also voted on May 17, 2018 to declare June 12th as Filipino Heritage Day and June as Filipino Heritage Month, across all Catholic elementary and secondary schools in Toronto. As of June 2018, there are 168 elementary schools, 31 secondary schools, and three combined (elementary and secondary) schools.

Montreal also named June as Filipino Heritage Month, by the local Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Council in February 2018, [14] introduced by Councilor Marvin Rotrand and Councilor Lionel Perez. [15] which led to the formation of the Filipino Heritage Society of Montreal (FHSM). The first chairman was Paul Imperial. It composes of 20 administrators who volunteer their time to promote Filipino Heritage in Quebec. The FHSM collaborates with 10 major associations mainly the Filipino Association of Montreal & Suburbs (FAMAS) during the Flag Raising ceremony every June 12 commemorating Philippine Independence Day, the Independence Day Parade and event at Place Jose Rizal with the Council of Filipino Association of Quebec (FFCAQ), the Knights of Rizal Chapters and the Canada Day with the Federation of Filipino Association of Quebec.

During the pandemic, the FHSM has been actively interacting with the Filipino community by conducting computer lessons, knitting, and games to the seniors virtually. The FHSM is also collaborating with the study La Ville Extraordinaire: Learning from the older Montrealer's urban knowledge through oral history research-creation. Members are also trained to digitize old VHS tapes for archives in cooperation with the Atwater Library and digitizing old Filipino periodicals, newspapers and tabloids to be available in public libraries. The Society is fully supported by Anthony Housefather MP of Mont-Royal, Rachel Bendayan MP of Outremont, Francis Scarpaleggia MP of Lac-Saint-Louis, Sameer Zuberi MP of Pierrefonds-Dollard, David Birnbaum MNA of D'Arcy McGee and Frank Baylis (former MP Pierrefonds-Dollard).

However, Calgary organization leaders petitioned for Philippine-Canadian Heritage Month, instead of Filipino Heritage Month, to be celebrated in September, [16] conflicting with the Edmonton organization leaders' petition, a motion started by Marco Luciano, to celebrate Filipino Heritage Month in June. [16] [14]

On March 15, 2019, MP Salma Zahid led officials in launching Filipino Heritage Month in Canada in her federal riding of Scarborough Centre. The event kicked off the initial celebration, which will begin on June 1, 2019, the first commemoration across Canada. In the Greater Toronto Area, the June 1 festivities will be held at Albert Campbell Square in the eastern suburb of Scarborough.

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References

  1. ↑ Cabana, Ysh (9 November 2018). "Parliament adopts June as Filipino Heritage Month". The Philippine Reporter. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  2. ↑ Torontoist (2017-02-14). "Neethan Shan is Now a City Councillor, But Will He Stay Put?". Torontoist. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  3. ↑ "Agenda Item History". app.toronto.ca. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  4. ↑ Cabana, Ysh (10 November 2017). "Toronto Council Votes: June as Filipino Heritage Month in Toronto". The Philippine Reporter. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  5. ↑ "Canada declares June as Filipino Heritage Month". canadianfilipino.net. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  6. ↑ "NDP Introduce bill to designate June as Filipino Heritage month". Ontario NDP. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  7. ↑ "Filipino Heritage Month Act, 2018". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  8. ↑ "MPP Begum introduces bill to recognize June as Filipino Heritage Month in Ontario". Ontario NDP. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  9. ↑ "Filipino Heritage Month Act, 2021". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  10. ↑ Cabana, Ysh (26 January 2018). "MP seeks support for Filipino Heritage Month across Canada". The Philippine Reporter. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  11. ↑ "Filipino Heritage Month". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  12. ↑ "June officially declared Philippine Heritage Month in Alberta". Balitang America. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  13. ↑ "Filipino Heritage Month". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  14. 1 2 de la Cruz, Jhong (10 April 2018). "Unity Sought: When is Filipino Heritage Month in Canada?". Inquirer. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  15. ↑ Suburban, Joel Goldenberg The. "Montreal's Filipino community launches Heritage Month". The Suburban Newspaper. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  16. 1 2 Cabana, Ysh (27 April 2018). "Filipino Heritage Month spreads across Canada". The Philippine Reporter. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
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