Alberta Filipino Journal - June 2020 Issue

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LIFE ITSELF MATTERS

Ilyan Ferrer: The Voice of Positive Social Change

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JUNE 2020 • Volume 13, Number 6

COPAA president calls for revival of love for PH, keep traditions alive

AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

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JP Dublado: Doubling Up on Culinary Achievements

PH flag flies high in Grande Prairie!

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Philippine Heritage Month celebrations in Edmonton

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Why Black Lives (should) Matter to the Filipino Diaspora

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We’ve got the right mortgage for you Contact me:

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Belle De Castro Manager, Mobile Mortgage Specialist Tel: 780 231 3126 E: belle.decastro@td.com

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Business

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ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Canada News | Table of Contents | Business

Prime Minister announces extension of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit June 16, 2020, Ottawa, Ontario

More Canadians are returning to work, but many people still face challenges due to COVID-19. As we begin to take steps to safely restart our economy, we will continue to support Canadians to protect their health and economic well-being.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that the government is extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) by eight weeks, to ensure Canadians have the help they need as they transition back to work. This extension will make the benefit available to eligible workers for up to a total of 24 weeks.

The Government of Canada introduced the CERB to immediately help workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, so they could continue to put food on the table and pay their bills during this challenging time. As we begin to restart the economy and get people back on the job, Canadians receiving the benefit should be actively seeking work opportunities or planning to return to work, provided they are able and it is reasonable to do so.

That is why the government will also make changes to the CERB

attestation, which will encourage Canadians receiving the benefit to find employment and consult Job Bank, Canada’s national employment service that offers tools to help with job searches. Over the next few weeks, the government will monitor international best practices, the economy, and the progression of the virus and, if needed, make necessary changes to the program so more people can have the support they need. We will also look at ways to ensure all our supports, including the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and Employment Insurance (EI), are working effectively to help Canadians get back on their feet.

The CERB is a taxable benefit of $2,000 over a four-week period for eligible workers who have stopped working or whose work hours have been reduced, due to COVID-19.

The CERB is available to workers who: • live in Canada and are at least 15 years old • have stopped working because of reasons related to COVID-19, or are eligible for EI regular or sickness benefits, or have exhausted

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their EI regular or fishing benefits between December 29, 2019 and October 3, 2020 • had employment and/or selfemployment income of at least $5,000 in 2019, or in the 12 months prior to the date of their application • have not earned more than $1,000 in employment and/or selfemployment income per benefit period while collecting the CERB • have not quit their job voluntarily Today’s announcement builds on a number of measures, including the proposed extension of the CEWS announced on May 15. The CEWS is being extended to August 29, 2020, to protect jobs, allow businesses to keep employees on the payroll, and re-hire workers who were previously laid off.

While parts of our economy safely begin to restart, many Canadians are still experiencing the effects of COVID-19. Both the CERB and the CEWS were introduced as part of our plan to rapidly support Canadians through this crisis. The government is committed to continuing to support Canadians across all sectors until they can consistently and safely return to work.

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What's inside: A reader's guide Editor’s Corner

4

General Point of View

18

Sports Journal

5

Migrant's Voices

19

Grande Prairie (FAGPA)

6

Artospective

20

Engineer In Action

7

Filipinavigation

20

Viewpoint

7

Professional Star

22

Huwag Pagtakhan!

8

Perezcope

23

Just Listen

9

From A Vantage Point

24

From Migration to Immigration 9

Make Our Daily Gospel..

26

Through A Teenager’s Eyes

10

Brain Twisters

26

Sore Truth

10

Jan The Man’s Note

31

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Editor’s Corner | AFJ Staff | Business

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

EDITOR’S CORNER Lito Mendoza Velasco

LIFE ITSELF MATTERS Published by Angeles Publishing Company Inc. 246 Lindsay Crescent, Edmonton, Alberta T6R 2T2 Jose L. Angeles Publisher / Chief Operating Officer Sales and Advertising CP: 780-916-7677 Landline: 780-988-8889 Fax: 780-988-2221 publisher@albertafilipinojournal.com Lito Mendoza Velasco Editor-in-Chief / Associate Publisher 780-655-5126 editor@albertafilipinojournal.com Melanie Rose Atizado Angeles Administrator / Office Manager Sales and Advertising 780-993-5503 albertafilipinojournal79@gmail.com Lianne Angeles Proofreader l Contributing Writer Melanie C. Gomez Website / Graphic Designer Photographers/Videographer: Moses Billacura, Noli Granado, Dario Juanillo Angeline Escano Columnists: Marjorie Carmona-Newman, Tito S. Venida Ida Beltran-Lucila, Katrina Marielle U. Cereno Kristian Cereno, Marco Luciano, Moses Billacura Mervin Mendoza Cereno, Nicky Gocuan Giselle General, Riana Torrejon, Hermo Pagtakhan Januel Cedrick Ibasco, Fr. Jhack Diaz Bing J. Jaleco, Jomil Reyes The Alberta Filipino Journal is dedicated in memory of Rosalinda Linsangan Natividad-Cantiveros of Winnipeg as she engaged her entire life in service to the Filipino Community.

We welcome submissions-news, articles, pictures and letters. Letters must include signature and phone number; names can be withheld upon request. We reserve the right to edit for length and content. All submissions, unless arrangements are made, become the property of the publisher.

Reproduction of contents, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the expressed written permission from the Publisher/Editor. Opinions by columnist, writers, and readers do not in any way reflect those of the Publisher/Editor.

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ife itself is an inalienable right that nobody, not even the highest ranking military officer, most powerful politician or elected government official, and richest man in the world can deliberately take it. Life’s entitlement is never limited to a specific individual, clan, or race. So RACISM OR DISCRIMINATION, in any FORM, has no ROOM in this WORLD! Never be afraid to express your defence for one’s right to life, to live, and freedom to respect other’s lives. We have the right but we also have the duties to respect and love other living creatures in the world.

Do we have the right to take one’s life? Has there been a law allowing one to kill each other?

Murder or brutal killing are all forms of death or killing. Committing any of these is tantamount to committing heinous crime and eventually

Credit to the owner

punishable by both Divine and Criminal Law. A murderer or a killer is disrespectful of others’ lives and most especially, it is disrespect for his or her Creator. The rule of thumb is: Respect earns respect. Love begets love.

Does one have the right to end up with his or her own life as an excuse from a certain social disintegration or saving one’s face from ostracism?

Suicide is a personal decision by anyone who chooses to end his own life—what he sees as a life that is filled with hardships and tribulations.

To him, it is a life that is suffused with fears and other forms of threatening phenomena (i.e., pandemic), and a life that is overwhelmed with both subtle and grievous mechanisms of social control such as loss of prestige (e.g, bankruptcy,termination, broken-families, expulsion, demotion from a high-ranking position, defamation or gossip victim). So, an individual chooses to commit suicide in order to avoid a possible scandal, rejection and ostracism. Whoever commits suicide dies before his or her death arrives. Disrespecting the Life-Giver. ***000*** Pandemic: First recorded in the 1660s, this word comes from the Latin word pandemus, which itself comes from the Greek pandemos, pan- meaning “all, every, whole,” derived from PIE pantmeaning “all,” and dēmos, meaning “people.”

You’ll recognize dēmos, in words like demotic, which refers to the language of the common people. The word dēmos actually comes from the PIE roots da- and mo- which together mean “division.” Thus this word implies a division between the common people and the elite. (Emily Taylor) The word epidemic is older than pandemic and it is thought that the word pandemic was modelled after epidemic. The worst is that, it can be associated with pandemonic - inspired by evil!

Pandemic is a pretty fun and challenging board game as well and might be worth checking out for something to do during social distancing. ***000*** kalayaan: Ano ito?

Ang kalayaan ay ang dikta ng karunungan at konsensya upang gawin ang nararapat.

Ang karunungan at konsenya; kapag iyong kinontra; ang sasapitin mo ay disgrasya. continued on page 10 ►

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THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Sports Journal | News | Philippine Consular Update

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Great Smile Family Dental Group back in operation

By Moses Billacura

ALMOST SOLD OUT. Madi Igpit is surprised to only find five bicycles to choose at a local store in Edmonton. Bike sales are booming because of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Moses Billacura/AFJ)

Biking therapy, PSA basketeers still waiting, Edmonton Pinoy Dirt Bikers

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side from taking long walks, biking is one way of keeping your “sports sanity” these days, I find it as a good sports therapy or shall we specifically say, biking therapy.

But I am surprised to see that almost all bikes are sold out in the stores these days, what’s left on the shelves are the expensive ones. The good thing, there’s what they call "The Marketplace" where you can buy affordable bicycles.

I am happy to discover these days that there are good biking trails in the neighborhoods. The only downside is sometimes you can smell the aroma of the BBQ in the backyards and that makes you hungry after the ride, hahahaha.

So, sports friends, let’s keep on praying for everyone’s safety and continue following health guidelines on Covid 19. *** Philippine Sports Association (PSA) president Gary Perpetua has been receiving messages from PSA members asking for any advisory if basketball will soon resume.

Gary said they really missed

SPORTS JOURNAL

Moses Billacura mo.sports@gmail.com Moses Billacura was a sports correspondent for national newspapers in the Philippines since 1992 and served as sports editor and columnist for a community paper before moving to Canada in 2010. He loves photography, manages pinoyedmontonnews.com and cheers for the Edmonton Oilers.

playing basketball these days which they have been doing for the last 24 years but the Covid 19 pandemic has changed everything.

Since March, the PSA and other Filipino basketball organizations

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have stopped all its leagues.

“Mas mabuti na yung sigurado tayo sa kalusugan natin,” said Gary, who aside from leading the PSA in organizing the leagues, also serves as a referee to keep himself running and fit.

It’s not just players who missed it but the referees like Alex Buluran who is a regular in the Edmonton Filipino-Canadian Basketball League (EFCBL).

We hope that all our Pinoy basketball friends in Grande Prairie, Whitecourt, Edson, Red Deer, Calgary and other cities are safe. *** There’s a small group of Pinoy dirt bikers who have been gathering every weekend in the Town of Vega.

Chris Ayson of Wefix Auto said there are good off-roading trails in the area. For now, the regular dirt bikers are Gerry, Melchor, Gatan, Rhuddy, Togie, Randy and himself.

“We are inviting our Kababayans to join us,” said Chris.

If you are interested, you can email mocolumnist@ albertafilipinojournal.com.

Great Smile Group's Great Smile Family Dental, Bright Smile Family Dental and Thorncliffe Family Dental are back in operation.

Mr. Great Smile himself, Dr. Rod Montaño is glad to see his patients again including new ones who were able to book appointments after the Alberta government has made announcement of allowing some businesses to reopen.

Dr. Montaño and his staff are all in full PPE gear because their patients’ safety is their priority.

Great Smile Clinic, which has been serving clients and creating “Beautiful Smiles” since 1996, are serving patients on their general dentistry needs and services are also available for restorative, prosthodontics, cosmetics, orthodontics and myobrace.

For bookings, call (780) 4441444 for Great Smile on 166 Street, (780) 487-1010 for Thorncliffe on 164 Street or (780) 478-3737 for Bright Smile on 584 Hermitage Road and 40 Street.

You can also follow Dr. Rod Montaño on his YouTube channel.

Doctor Montano with Earl Justin Miguel

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Community

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

PHILIPPINE FLAG FLIES FREELY AT GRANDE PRAIRIE CITY HALL FOR THE FIRST TIME ON INDEPENDENCE DAY

Neil Tuazon FAGPA PRESIDENT

“Ang maglingkod para sa bayan ay isang bagayna hindi matatawaran ng kahit sinumang tao. Kapag ito ay galing sa puso at walang bahid napansariling interes ito po ay kusang maririnig at mararamdaman ng pangkalahatan.”

The Filipinos are very well known as hard working individuals. They are proud of their cultural heritage and doubly proud when they hear that other Filipinos are making a difference in the communities they live in.

Building a Filipino community is not easy. You need to reach out from different regions and build them as one.

We, the people of Grande Prairie have a solid Filipino community, with a total population of 68,088 during the 2018 census; approximately 6 to 7 percent.

The Filipino Association of Grande Prairie was born in the year 1983. This was made possible by individuals who wanted to bring all Pinoys together in camaraderie.

When Willie Villarin, Vic Ventic and Frank Matias talked about building the community for the first time in Grande Prairie, they chose the best person for the job.

Vic Ventic was the first President and Founder of the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie. As one of the elders of the community he was tasked with leading our kababayans in Grande Prairie. After a year, the Association also received assistance from Romy Casilla, who helped to draft the By-Laws.

Manong Vic was followed by (NOT IN ORDER) Carlos Miranda, Lydia Melnichuck, Tessie Foster, Virginia Tang, Priscila Hinojas, Gilbert Golamco, Rick Cabie, Ramon Tolentino, Tad Cortez, and Frank Matias, with Frank serving the longest term as President of the Association.

The Filipino Association of Grande Prairie took some time off from their activities for almost 6 years

FAGPA PRESIDENT Neil Tuazon and Mayor Bill Given.

Holding the Official Proclamation from the City of Grande Prairie

City Hall of Grande Prairie

From Left to Right Officers of FAGPA and City Council with Mayor Bill Given PRO ( Sports and Events ) Monserat Zapanta, Councillor Kevin O’Toole, Sgt. At Arms Marites Dungo, Councillor Yad MInhas, Treasurer Florinda Bauda, Auditor Carmelita Rea, Mayor Bill Given, Secretary Rosemary Hussey, Adviser Virginia Tang, FAGPA President Neil Tuazon and PRO ( Activities ) Suzanne Bancale. Also Councillor Eunice Friesen and Chris Thiessen attended the Philippine Independence Proclamation. ( Not in the Picture )

and rebuilt the entire organization.

Last June 22, 2019 at Saskatoon Lake, they once again invited different Filipino groups to join and an election was held.

Neil Tuazon was proclaimed as President, Meriam Nabor as Vice-President, Rosemary Hussey as Secretary, Florinda Bauda as Treasurer, Carmelita Rea as Auditor, Suzanne Smith as PRO (Activities), Monserat Zapantaas PRO (Sports and Events), and MaritesDungo as Sgt. at Arms. These newly elected officers were guided by two advisers, Mr. Frank Matias and Mrs. Virginia Tang, both former Presidents of the Association.

The newly elected officers immediately set up a meeting after the election and rebuilt the whole Filipino community, reaching out to various Filipinos of different regions and groups.

The name of the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie has been changed by the elected officers to FAGPA (Filipino Association of Grande Prairie and Area).

For almost 40 years, the responsibility of the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie and

Tessie Rimando of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Carmelita Rea, Florida Bauda, Suzanne Bancale and Lydia Javier

Area has been the protection of the Filipinos and the community. We are always giving a helping hand to fellow kababayan in need.

Now, FAGPA has the advocacy to help not only the Filipino community but to help the whole community of Grande Prairie as well. As the umbrella group representing various Filipino regional and Sports groups in Grande Prairie, our advocacy is to unite all Filipinos so we can have a solid voice in the community.

The celebration of the 122nd Philippine Independence Day is one of the most significant and memorable events for the Filipino community in Grande Prairie.

And for the first time in the history of Grande Prairie, Mayor Bill Given proclaimed June 12, 2020 as Philippine Independence Day in the City of Grande Prairie. He was joined by the City Council and staff.

On the same day, the Philippine Flag was raised at the City Hall of Grande Prairie for the first time in history, where it remained for seven days.

It was indeed a significant and historical event for the Filipino Community of Grande Prairie. People who attended were teary eyes while the flag was being raised. This will be always remembered by the Filipino-Canadians in the community of Grande Prairie and Area.

They dedicate this historical event to the past Presidents of the Association who have passed away: Vic Ventic, Carlos Miranda, and Tad Cortez.Their hard work and memories will always be remembered.

Message from the President: Isang malaking karangalan ang pagsilbihan ang ating mga kababayan. Lahat po tayo dapat ay magkaisa. Walang mataas at walang mababa.

Lahat po tayo pantay pantay. Itapon na natin ang masamang pinamanang kolonyal nong panahon pa ng mga Kastila. Alam natin hindi po ito madali ngunit kung magkakaisa ay walang imposible. Huwag po nating haluan ng sariling interes ang paglilingkod sa kapwa Filipino, bagkus ang isipin natin ay ang kapakanan ng karamihan.

Galangin po natin ang mga taong nagsimula ng samahang ito lalong lalo na ang mga namuno napumanaw na. Maraming Salamat po at mabuhay po tayong lahat. Mabuhay ang PINOY! Mabuhay ang FAGPA!!!

Secretary Rosemary Hussey and Sgt. At Arm Marites Dungo of FAGPA

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Education | Points of View | Business

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

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Roadblocks For Internationally Educated Engineers Preventing Them From Being Integrated Into The Workforce In Canada ENGINEER IN ACTION

Mervin Cereno, P. Eng. mmcereno@gmail.com Mervin Cereno is a Filipino immigrant in Canada. A FilipinoCanadian Engineer license to practice Engineering in Alberta.

He is employed in one of most sought Engineering Consulting Firm based in Edmonton as Structural Engineer that designs small to medium-rise commercial and multi-family buildings. He is a Volunteer and Advocates to help Filipino-Canadian Engineers to pursue their Professional Engineering License in Canada.

In the past, Filipino immigrants in Canada who applied under the Federal Skilled Workers program have sacrificed a lot to be able to get back to their professions prior to migrating to Canada. Most internationally educated engineers chose to neither pursue nor continue their professions due to personal circumstances and having little to no information on how to go

Moral virus VIEWPOINT

Bing J. Jaleco bingjaleco@yahoo.com Raleigh “Bing” Jaleco was a veteran journalist and public relations consultant in the Philippines. He started out as a correspondent for Ang Pahayagang Malaya and then moved on to be a reporter, and then an editor, of The Manila Chronicle. He also served as news editor of The Manila Standard, business editor of The Manila Times, and sub-editor at the Manila Bulletin. He landed as a permanent resident in Canada in 2016.

forward with the process or further their studies to upgrade their skills and integrate into the Canadian workforce.

evaluation on the Canadian Education System Equivalent. As mentioned, there is no clear basis published on their websites on how, at least, the applicant will have a better picture of the Evaluation Process.

Summarized below are the two (2) major roadblocks experienced by these professionals; while some are still going through the “process”: 1. Education Recognition • Academic credential evaluation is performed by a 3rd party organization, World Education Services (WES). As per the WES website, there is no clear understanding for those would-be applicants on how the WES will evaluate Education Credentials.

The Comparison Matrix between your International and Canadian Education courses do not explicitly show how they arrived at your Education Equivalencies.

• Your Credential evaluation result is dependent upon which school you got your Bachelor’s Degree in the Philippines. Their database might not have been updated on how the Philippines’ Commission of Higher Education would have accredited schools and issued authorization to offer Professional Programs, especially in Engineering.

• The credential evaluation by WES from the Education Credential Assessment (ECA) submitted to CIC during immigration process needs to be upgraded to the International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP), a course-by-course assessment and might have resulted in a different

2. Integration of the New Immigrant into the Canadian Workforce • Part of the requirements to be provided by the applicants for Professional Licensing Body in different Provinces: A Canadian Experience in line with their profession. They cannot gain the full License to Practice without the Professional Experience Requirements in Canada for a Professional Engineer. The reality in most cases is that there are no jobs available for new immigrants since employers do preferred to hire those who already have Canadian work experience. Hence, internationally educated engineers have no choice but to upgrade their credentials through formal studies or worse comes to worst, work odd jobs. The question will always be: “How can internationally educated engineers gain professional recognition if there are NO job opportunities at all that will offer them at least an entry level to start their professional careers?”

• The availability of resources to help internationally educated engineers find an employer and eventually land a job is limited and not accessible to everybody.

SO amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, much of the world now finds itself having to deal with another kind of virus, different but no less dangerous.

It broke out in Minnesota, spread across the United States, and north to Canada. People call it racism, and its outbreak cannot come at a more inopportune time.

A virus is commonly defined as an “infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism.” Science gives a very clear definition of racism—an infection that grows and thrives within human beings. It is nurtured within people through hate and ignorance, and then spread through words and actions. Racism is a moral virus that is slowly but surely defining us as a nation and a people.

We saw the “outbreak” in the US, starting with the death of George Floyd followed by the chaos of those early protests that were met with a brutality of law enforcement that reminded me of the protest rallies in the Philippines during the Marcos regime, and then in the early years of the Cory Aquino administration.

I’ve always said Covid-19 was surreal, something I never thought

I would experience in my lifetime, and certainly something I prayed my children and grandchildren would not have to experience. And yet there it was, a virus that has been likened to the deadly Spanish Flu of 1918 which killed 50 million people across the planet. Count that, 50 million deaths.

Covid-19 has so far claimed “only” 418,000 lives. Many governments (though not all) quickly put in place policies and implemented programs that helped mitigate the effects of the virus. And governments continue to fine-tune these policies and programs to ensure that Covid-19 is kept in check.

Will these governments apply the same commitment to the moral virus that is racism? It is an emotional issue in the US, and it is becoming a controversial issue here in Canada.

One thing is certain, we must confront racism in much the same way we confronted Covid-19. This means eradicating ignorance and misinformation, and instead go by what is true and just. As dangerous as Covid-19 is, its threat pales in comparison to the long-term damage racism can do to a society.

The roadblocks mentioned are true for most immigrants.

Some are able to overcome these roadblocks but others were not lucky enough to go back to their well-loved professions. This is why I have always tried, with most of my

articles, to provide basic information on what internationally educated engineers must know. Access to the right information and proper guidance are very important for everybody to succeed.

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Opinion | Philippine Government Update

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE SPECIAL FEATURE: “Let’s START the MAKABAYAN CHALLENGE Movement!”

HUWAG PAGTAKHAN! (“DON’T MARVEL at MR. MARVEL”)

Hermo Toribio Reyes Pagtakhan hermopagtakhanlaw@ hotmail.com Cell: (780) 905-9288 (Hermo Toribio Reyes Pagtakhan of Edmonton, Alberta is a Lawyer who practised for more than 25 years in the Philippines and in Alberta and was an Index Options Trader in Wall Street. He is currently a Family Counselor with Arbor Memorial Gardens whom he joined in 2013. In 2005 He had his Epiphany and metamorphosed into a Servant Leader and has since been sharing his Insights and Experiences for the Benefit of those who may need it and whomever may find it useful).

“I aspire to inspire before I expire! My talent is God’s Gift to me. What I do with it is my Gift back to God. Yes, I know I am not perfect. I also know I am a persistent sinner who is struggling every day to find my way to holiness. God gave me the GIFTS of ARTICULATION and EXPRESSION. I vow to use my talent to be a witness for Him and to use it for His Glory!

God bless all!”

I

have always believed that there’s a HERO in EVERY Filipino. It is with this spirit and based on this belief and conviction that I thought of starting, effective immediately, the “Makabayan Challenge Tungo sa Tunay at Mabuting Pagbabago” Movement.

What is the Makabayan Challenge?

Before I give you the answer to this question, let me call your attention to what’s been happening to our country lately (which I know every one of us is fully aware of) and the problems our beloved country faces: massive and widespread corruption, a serious drug problem, poverty, unemployment, internal threats to the country’s security and stability posed by the New People’s Army and the MILF, an external threat to the country’s sovereignty presented

by China in the West Philippine Sea and currently, the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most of these problems have been ongoing for decades already and the thought of doing something about them has always crossed my mind and that periodically bothers me. Palagi po namumutawi sa aking isipan ang katanungang: “Papaano ba talaga natin mababago ang ating Mahal na BansangPilipinas? Ano po ba ang dapat natin gawain para makatulong sa ating bansa? Sawang sawa na po talaga ako sa mga kalunos lunos na nangyayari sa ating mahal na bansa.

Alam ko, kayo din. www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

I acknowledge that the concept of change is too broad. What I am trying to do here by starting the Makabayan Challenge Movement is to create a spark to appeal to the patriotic sense of our kababayans. Honestly, I know I want to change the bloody system. It just suddenly dawned on me today. The frustration. Enough is enough. What are we going to do now? I don’t have a complete picture of WHAT we should do and HOW we are going to do it. I know it’s a huge and gargantuan task.

But folks, if we don’t start this movement then who will? If not now, then when? Kung hindi natin sisimulan, sino ang gagawa nito? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?

The Makabayan Challenge is a Challenge to each and every Filipino residing in the Philippines or abroad.

I challenge all our kababayans to be modern day heroes for our country and be the change you want to see for the country.

Let’s all join hands to make the country great again. The change starts NOW! The essence of the "MAKABAYAN CHALLENGE" PROJECT is fostering "Love of Country and Patriotism".

"For us to have a better country, we must all first become better citizens!" ******************** The first step to solving a problem is by recognizing that there is one!

We have to identify the root cause of the problem. The problems I have identified earlier do not go to the root of the problem. They are merely MANIFESTATIONS of a far bigger, fundamental root cause. Hence, past attempts to solve them have all FAILED. Why? Because those who tried in the past all tried to deal with the manifestations instead of the root cause.

The next step is through collective action! HOW? Let's make this Makabayan Challenge, a MOVEMENT - A Movement of Every Nation-loving Filipino!

The Root Cause of the Problems: "The Filipinos' Real and Greatest Enemy?

Ourselves!

Aside from the sins of pride and greed, it is the lack of love for our country and the loss of patriotism!

"Mga Kapatid, mayroon tayong mas malaking kaaway kaysa mga Amerikano. Ang ating mga sarili!

(Brothers, we have a far bigger enemy to fight more than the Americans.

Ourselves!)" - Gen. Antonio Luna (Philippine Revolutionary Army)******************** The Other Serious Problem: "The Social Cancer has Spread and is now Endemic: The System is too Strong" I remember back when I was a student, full of youthful idealism at the University of the Philippines College of Law. Back then, I would have discussions with some of my classmates about doing something to "rectify and remediate" the shortcomings and imperfections of the Philippines' then political, economic, social and judicial systems. We vowed to eradicate graft and corruption and other pernicious problems that beset the country when "our time comes" (so to speak) to occupy positions of power in the Philippines.

As aforementioned, destiny later brought me to Canada. Many years passed. Sometime in 2008, a fellow U.P. Law alumnus who was then already a senior government official came to Edmonton as Guest Speaker for one of our community events. After the function, I picked him up from his hotel and had dinner with him.

Along the way, he noticed that the music playing in my CD player were nationalistic and patriotic songs like

"Pilipinas Kong Mahal", “U.P. Naming Mahal" etc. and he commented that it's good that I have not lost my love for the country.

That's when I reminded him about our patriotic sentiments as U.P. Law Students and our burning and fervent desire to be agents of change, tackling the wrongs of the system.

I asked him "What happened to that idealism now that you, our classmates and our contemporaries at U.P. Law are occupying positions of leadership at the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government?

What have you done to "change the system"?

You know what his answer was?

"Hermo,” he replied. “Now that we are in positions of power, we have found out that we cannot fight the system. It is too strong. The system is so strong that it has devoured and consumed those once upon a time idealistic students. Fighting the system is pretty much like swimming upstream against the current."

It then dawned on me that only a few people, even if they are leaders, cannot bring about change to the system without popular support. REAL change will only be possible if EVERYBODY commits themselves to it.

Ahhhh I felt exasperated!

To be continued in AFJ July 2020 issue.

THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS: I prayed to the Holy Spirit for light and guidance before I wrote this. I don’t care if some of my friends do not agree with me. True friends understand and know that we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable and still remain respectful of one another. But I am strongly compelled to speak my mind and write my two cents’ worth because although I am already Canadian, I still love the Philippines because it is the land of my birth and the home of my ancestors and my people. I am doing this as my humble share to contributing to the Philippines’ Nation Building and make it great again. So here it goes...para sa Inang Bayan!

THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Opinion | Immigration Consultancy Services

9

Philippine Contact Tracing App Ineffective When President Rodrigo Duterte took his oath as the President of the Philippines, everyone was upbeat that change was finally coming.

One of the biggest problems that the country faces is the proliferation of drugs. So as expected, the President got to work and started to go after people who were in the illegal drug business. Since then, the drug trafficking business in the country has slowed down.

Another major issue that the President had to deal with is the country’s slow internet speed. In Asia, the Philippines has the slowest internet speed at 3.5 mbps. If you compare it to the fastest, which is Hong Kong at 78.3 mbps, our numbers look really bad. While we are the texting capital of the world, we also have the poorest internet speed, which we cannot really be proud of.

So why the very slow internet speed? According to our recent interview with Former Department of Information Communication Technology(DICT) Eliseo Rio, we lack the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the 107 Million population. You see, SMS messages do not use up a lot of bandwidth but with the use of social media and streaming videos, it is totally different. Currently, there are only 21,000 Towers in the Philippines and we would need at least 70,000 to accommodate everyone. Vietnam, which has a population of 95 Million has 70,000 towers. In short, both Globe and Smart did not invest in additional infrastructure because

JUST LISTEN

Nicky Gocuan, PMAA ngocuan@yahoo.com As a journalist with over 14 years of experience, I have covered different events from rallies on the street, entertainment and international sports events like the Asian Games. My favorite pastime is singing. I have always believed that life would be boring without music.

they were content with the money they were earning out of the SMS. I also believe that the previous Presidents did not really have the political will to get both globe and Smart to re-infuse capital to expand their infrastructure and this is the reason why Vietnam surpassed the Philippines.

To improve service, the Duterte Administration, under the watch of Rio as acting DICT Secretary, was able to seek a 3rd telco company to come in. DITO Telecom will be bringing in $6 Billion for the Mobile Network Infrastructure.

The much needed capital infusion in the current infrastructure will

definitely help internet speed in the Philippines. But because of the global Coronavirus pandemic, the whole process has slowed.

What is even worse is that just recently, President Duterte accepted the resignation of DICT Usec. Eliseo Rio which he filed last January when he was bypassed by newly-appointed DICT Secretary Gringo Honasan on diverting 300 Million as an intelligence fund.

Rio believed that there is no need for an intelligence fund for the DICT. Both Secreatary Honasan and Usec. Rio were told to patch their misunderstanding. So Usec.

Rio continued to do his work like a good soldier.

To his surprise, he got a call from Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, telling him that the President has accepted his resignation which he filed last February. Even ExecutiveSecretary Medialdea was surprised and did not see it coming because earlier, the President himself told Rio to stay in his position because he needed him at the DICT. Obviously, Rio did not expect this to happen and only found out from reliable sources that he was kicked off the cabinet because of his opposition to the Inter Agency Task Force approval of the Stay Safe Contact Tracing App. According to a news article from Rappler, Rio suspects it was National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. who convinced President Duterte to remove him from the cabinet and accept his long forgotten resignation. In the same article, Rio said “I was not behind the StaySafe

Implied Status – When is it Lost?

FROM MIGRATION TO IMMIGRATION

Marjorie Carmona Newman info@ mcncanadaimmigration.com 780-758-2045 Marjorie Carmona Newman is a REGULATED CANADIAN IMMIGRATION CONSULTANT based in Edmonton, Alberta.

She is currently a member of CAPIC’s Policy and Lobbying Committee and previously served as Prairie Chapter representative for Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) in the Governance and Nomination Committee and Education Committee. A recipient of CAPIC's Members Service Award for four consecutive years (2015-2019).

Todays question deals with Implied Status and when is it lost. I recently had a consultation with a kababayan who received a refusal of her work permit application. Here is the scenario: a) She applied for a study permit before the expiry of her work permit, so she had an implied status and she continue to work. b) A month later her application for permanent residence under the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) was approved by the province and so she applied for a work permit as per T13 with the support of the positive decision of her AINP application. c) After submitting the work permit application, she then requested IRCC to withdraw her study permit application. Three weeks after, she received a refusal of her work permit application and was advised to leave Canada since she had lost her implied status when she withdrew her application for study permit before the officer made a decision on her work permit application.

IRCC concluded that she has been out of status since the expiry of her previous work permit.

Let us examine first Implied Status.

R183 (5) is the provision which creates “implied status”, and it reads as follows: Extension of period authorized for stay (5) Subject to sub-section (5.1), if

a temporary resident has applied for an extension of the period authorized for their stay and a decision is not made on the application by the end of the period authorized for their stay, the period is extended until (a) the day on which a decision is made, if the application is refused; or (b) the end of the new period authorized for their stay, if the application is allowed.

Please note that leaving Canada while awaiting a decision on an extension of status applications voids the applicant’s implied status. If an applicant is waiting for an extension of status, then leaves and re-enters Canada, implied status to work or study is lost, and the person reverts to visitor status with no permission to work or study until the renewed permit is issued.

IRCC updated its Program Delivery Instructions regarding Temporary Resident: Implied Status. You can find these instructions below: Extensions • If the extension is approved, the date of issue shown on the document represents the date a decision was made. Observations in the remarks box of the document indicate that the applicant maintained their status, as per subsection R183(6).

• If the extension is refused, the applicant is considered in status until

and the sponsor of the StaySafe app is Secretary Esperon.”

As an engineer who has vast experience in Information and Communication Technology, Rio’s objective was to make sure that the IATF understood the shortfalls of the StaySafe App. Mr. Rio believes that there is no need to limit the use of contact tracing apps to only StaySafe, and that there are other apps out there that also can help and be effective to help the government for free.

Based on statistics per the Department of Health’s report, as of June 12, 2020 there is a total number of 24,787 COVID-19 cases.

Guess how many of them had the StaySafe contact tracing app? The answer is none. Remember, this app was given the seal of approval by the IATF on April 29,2020 and it has never been used for contact tracing.

One of the biggest concerns is how the data collected from the app is being used. This is a privacy concern for any individual. With Rio out of the picture, the DICT is now being run by officials who do not have an engineering background, which is a requirement under Section 11 of the DICT Charter.

So why is this a concern? First, the StaySafe app was supposed to help the government stop the spread of COVID-19 and limit the number infections, but it has not been able to do that. Instead, the numbers have gone up. Second, there is no assurance that the data being collected is not used to spy on individuals.

Privacy is an important matter.

We cannot allow anyone to use our information however they want to use it. On the 122nd Anniversary of Philippine Independence, we must remember that our freedom is valuable.

the day the decision is made on their application.

• If the extension is rejected (incomplete), the applicant is considered in status until the temporary resident document expires.

I don’t have information of the validity of the work permit when she submitted her application for a second work permit. Based on the scenario laid out above, her first work permit had expired by the time she applied for the second work permit. She was on implied status when she applied for her study permit. However, she lost the implied status when she withdrew her study permit application and therefore fell out of status because the first work permit was no longer valid. Actually, she should have stopped working while waiting for a decision on her study permit to be issued.

As a consequence, the applicant must either leave Canada or apply for a restoration of her status if it falls within the 90 day time limitation period.

Note: If a second application for extension is submitted after the first application and the decision rendered on the first application was • approved, then the new status applies.

• refused, and the original permit was still valid when the second application was received, then the applicant maintains their implied status until a decision is rendered on the second application, and the applicant is out of status as of the date of refusal on the second application.

• refused, and the original permit was expired when the second application was sent, then the applicant does not have implied status and is considered out of status. (As the applicant’s original permit was expired, they must apply for restoration. The second application was missing restoration fees and would be returned to the applicant for being incomplete) • rejected for incompleteness, then the application is returned to the applicant.

The application is considered to have never been received, no implied status is granted, and the applicant will be considered in status until the original temporary resident document expires.

Going back to the applicant’s question, when did she lose her status?

If you have questions regarding the above article you may contact Marjorie at info@mcncanadaimmigration.com Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) A word of caution: You should not act or rely on the information provided in this column. It is not a legal advice.

To ensure your interests are protected, retain or formally seek advice from a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in good standing of ICCRC. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RCIC’s.

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Points of View | Editor's Note

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ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

Quaran-Time: Be a Blessing to Others

W

hen schools shut down because of the pandemic, it made a drastic change in my life and probably everybody’s lives as well. Before the school shut down, I always went outside, lived a life with my friends, went to parties, lied to my parents about going outside and even did things I should not have. But because of the quarantine, I was forced to stay home. This made me reflect on the things I did before the shut down.

I admit, I was living the life of a teenager - a teenager who partied, snuck outside, talked back to his parents and a teenager who did things that harmed himself and other people. Now, using myself as a blessing for others is such an overwhelming feeling because by changing myself for the better, it makes other people change themselves to use their life as a blessing to others as well. And also, I learned such an important thought during this quarantine - that the “R-naught” of spreading the word of God and being a blessing is greater than the R-naught of the Coronavirus.

SORE TRUTH

Jomil Reyes Jomil Reyes is a student at St. Francis Xavier High School. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and writing.

2020

G

oing into the year of 2020, everybody was ecstatic, thinking it would be a year full of happiness and luck. However, as the year approaches its halfway point, people are now wondering if it can get any worse. Some of the things that have happened so far are wildfires and floods, Donald Trump getting impeached, airplane crashes in Iran and Pakistan, the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant, protests over the killing of George Floyd,

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”(Matthew 28:18-20). This scripture relates to us that by performing Acts of Mercy, we can be a blessing to others. In our modern world, it’s hard to become a disciple because we think we will be mocked and laughed at.

Kristian Cereno But according to the Bible, "Do not be afraid; you will not be put to Kristian Gabrielle Cereno is a Grade 11 Student of Archbishop shame. Do not fear disgrace; you MacDonald Senior High School. will not be humiliated” (Isaiah 54:4).

His hobbies include writing As we continue to be a blessing poems, composing songs, acting and drama and a love to others, we will not be shamed of music. He plays piano and because God is always with us. And guitar and will soon learn to play as we continue to be a blessing, we the violin. Hockey? – Leave it to the Canadians. could make disciples and spread the word of God. I, myself, suffer from ​Being a blessing to others is being humiliated by people from such a huge privilege - by doing spreading the word of God - and I acts of mercy, we can be a blessing still do struggle with that now. But to others. The Bible says, “18 Then according to the Bible, “If God is with

us, who can be against us?”(Romans 8:31). I know that I should not be ashamed of spreading the Gospel because God will always guide us and He will be with us. Therefore, in the course of this pandemic, we should make disciples and spread the word of God by performing Acts of Mercy and by continuing to be a blessing to other people, for if God is with us, who can go against us? ​The quarantine really made my life so different - it made me build stronger relationships with my family and friends and I got to realize how important time is. I used to have so many commitments inside and outside of school. I had cadets, band, drama productions and work. I barely had any time to connect with my family because I was too focused on my extracurricular activities. During the shut down, my family and I got to eat meals together and we got to bond together by watching movies and doing recreational activities like biking. I used to only party with my friends a lot and barely have the time to connect with my family.

Lately, my uncle from the Philippines died because of a stroke.

I think that was a turning point that made me realize that time is such an important aspect of our lives.

We need to spend time with our family and friends before it is too late. If we come to think of it, life is like a game where no one makes it out alive. Time is so important that every second is precious. God is telling us that despite the sadness from the shutdown, we need to also look on the brighter side - that this pandemic is also a way for us to connect with our friends and families more, virtually or physically. We need not wish for what was normal before because what if this is the new normal? What if this is how we are going to live the rest of our lives?

We need to make the most out of it.

Time is so important; we don’t know what’s going to happen next.

But this given time with our friends and families is something that we should treasure and cherish. I have come to a realization that our time is only limited in this world.

Cherish every moment, and every second. Treasure every memory.

And because of that, we will not regret any second, or any moment that we experience.

the fight for freedom and equality for all races, and the pandemic that has so far killed over 400,000 people worldwide.

Th ​ e biggest thing that is happening right now that has brought people together is the fight for African Americans, as they are getting mistreated due to the colour of their skin. This is known as racism which is an act of “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism” against someone of another race. Racism has been happening around the world for centuries now. Racism gives people all over the world an awful perspective of life as they begin to think that they need to have a certain skin colour and look a certain way to be able to be accepted by society.

Growing up as a Filipina in the Philippines, people would notice you if you have a peachy and light skin colour, as to them, it makes you look “beautiful.” When I went to the Philippines a few years ago, I noticed that there were people selling lotions and soaps that lighten your skin colour. This justifies what many people believe: that having a lighter skin colour makes you look a lot “prettier.” This provides a negative belief, resulting in people hating their skin colour.

It is powerful that many people

been looking forward to. It’s only 6 months into 2020 and so many things have already happened. Not only is the virus concerning, but the lives of a certain group of people as well. Racism and inequality is still very much alive everywhere.

The BLM movement created a voice for those who are afraid to speak up, those who feel unsafe in their own home, and those who fear for their lives all because of their skin colour. It shouldn’t be this way, we all bleed the same colour. I see 2020 as a tragic, yet memorable year. History is slowly repeating itself; shouldn’t this be a sign? A sign for people to change their ways? A sign for people to accept everyone? Jesus did not die on the cross just to watch his people spread hate and continuously murder one another. Millenials are often seen as troublemakers and teenagers who do not take anything seriously, but despite how people portray us, we are willing to make a change, we are willing to change the world for

the better. Why? Because we’re the ones that are going to be living in this world in the future. We are the ones that are going to have to deal with the damage that has been done. It’s hard trying to live in a world where people can’t accept one another. A world full of fear, hatred, and chaos. 2020 is the year, but the events that happen during this year can last longer.” ​Given that 2020 is a chaotic and eventful year, it is important for everyone to stick together and treat one another fairly. “For he himself is our peace, who has made two groups one has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” - Ephesians 2:14. Killing and/or treating an individual unfairly is not right. This creates tension and fear amongst citizens and makes children feel terrified not only for themselves, but everybody around them. We’re halfway through 2020 and the best thing to do right now is work together as a whole and go through these obstacles that are being thrown at us.

Kailan ka pa naging malaya?

Kasabay ito ng iyong pag-unlad sa karunungan. Ang kakayahan mong pumili at magdesisyon para sa katotohanan at kaayusan ang nagpapalaya sa’yo. Noon pa man ay malaya ka na. Ang tanging problema, nasanay ka na nasa loob ng hawla.

hindi ka malaya; dahil bilanggo ka ng iyong kagahamanan o kasamiman.

THROUGH A TEENAGER’S EYES

around the world are fighting for African Americans, who have faced prejudice for centuries, due to their skin colour. Racism not only leads to a lot of conflict, but it can also lead to death. The protest was triggered when George Floyd was murdered by a police officer. This angered many people, as they believe that he was treated unfairly due to the colour of his skin. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has been an outlet and a voice for many people who are afraid to speak up.

A friend of mine, Marquesa Aringo, a former High School Student in St. Francis Xavier High school has decided to share her own opinion about the year of 2020. She stated: “It started off with the Coronavirus, and in all honesty I didn’t think much of it.

I was actually glad that school was cancelled, but I thought it would only last a week or two. But I was obviously wrong. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. I missed my high school graduation, which I had From page 4

LIFE ITSELF MATTERS Bakit may mananakop at mapangalipin?

Dahil na rin sa atin. Mahusay tayong sumipsip at magkanulo.

Ipapahamak ang iba mailigtas lamang ang sarili. Papabahuin ang kapwa upang siya ang bumango.

Kahit kapatid ay pinapatid upang siya lamang ang makatawid. Ang sanhi ng pag-agaw sa kalayaan ng iba ay ang kasakiman. Buong mundo ay nais pagharian. Papatayin ang lahat, makamit lamang ang planong hunghang!

Kailan mo dapat ginagamit ito?

Gagamitin mo ito upang itaas ang antas ng iyong pagkatao. Dahil tanging ang kalayaan lamang ang kaibahan mo sa ibang nilalang. Hindi mo naman dapat gamiting lisensya ang kalayaan sa pagtampalasan o pambabastos sa karapatan ng iyong kapwa. Kung ikaw ay maraming gusto, at kapritso,

Ano ang meron sa taong hindi kontrol ang kalayaan?

Bisyo ang tawag sa sakit kapag hindi na mapigilan ang pagnanasa sa mga hindi naman kailangan; kundi, mga kagustuhan lamang.

Samakatuwid, bilanggo ka ng bisyo mo kapag pati pag-aari ng iba ay iyo ng kasakiman.

Abusado naman ang tawag sa taong wala ng maka-kontrol.

Habang pinipigil, lalong nanggigigil!

Ang nakakatawa: Kapag lumaganap ang gumagamit ng maling kalayaan; dumarami ang bilangguan.

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THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

Community | Politics

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

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Happy Philippine Heritage Month!

Today the Filipino flag was raised at the Legislature to mark Philippine Heritage Month. Thank you for all your community has done to support Albertans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today Leela Sharon Aheer, Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women issued the following statement on Philippine Heritage Month: “In June, we celebrate the rich history, living arts, dance and traditions of Filipino Canadians in Alberta. The first wave of Filipino immigrants to Alberta arrived in

the 1980s, and we are honoured to recognize a community that gives so much to the multicultural fabric of this province.

“Filipino Canadians have proudly shared their culture with Albertans through events such as Fiesta Filipino and the Heritage Festival. This sharing of traditions has ensured that Filipino heritage is deeply woven into Alberta’s cultural tapestry.

“On June 12, people of Filipino heritage will celebrate the anniversary of the Philippine Declaration of Independence.

“The past few months have been difficult for all Albertans, and finding connection in our heritage and traditions is a way to remember that we are not alone.

“Our province is stronger, more resilient and more beautiful because of our rich cultural diversity. The more we share our stories, the better we understand our similarities and can work together to build a better province for all.”

Wishing you a happy and healthy Philippine Heritage Month.

- Jason Kenney

Premier Jason Kenney issued this statement in honour of Philippine independence: "Today, Filipinos remember their homeland’s long road to liberation.

In the wake of revolution, General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the Philippines to be a free nation on June 12, 1898. However, it would not be until July 4, 1946, that the Philippines truly gained independence and took control of its destiny.

“The Philippines is now a proud and trusted member of the international community, and its people enrich Alberta each day with their traditions and culture.

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“As Albertans of Filipino heritage reflect on the triumphs and tragedies of their ancestral history, it is tempting to celebrate as a community. This year, I encourage everyone to be responsible, avoid large gatherings and continue to observe existing measures for public health and safety.

“We live in difficult times, but there is always space for joy. Maligayang araw ng kalayaan! Mabuhay!”

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Community

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

The COPAA President Speaks on Account of the 122nd Philippine Independence: For The Love of Country!

Good Evening, Let me first greet you a Happy 122nd Independence Day. Kalayaan 2020. Tungo sa Bansang Malaya, Nagbabayanihan at ligtas.

In the past seven decades, the world has not experienced another major world war. We are blessed with an era of continuous progress.

There are problems, but we strive to find solutions and continue to work towards that elusive word called peace.

But in the latter part of 2019 and into 2020, we were faced with a different kind of war, a war of worldwide magnitude, a war that halted the progress of our economy, a war that stripped away human touch, a world that has isolated nations and kept families apart.

This is a war that is creating havoc

COPAA President Jose “Jun� Angeles

Coy Ilaga

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Angela Gamutan

Fr. Jhack Diaz

and so far, we do not have a weapon to fight the enemy.

Yes, it is the unseen virus that hit us today, the war against the unseen enemy: the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this war brings us new brave heroes, who dedicate themselves to eradicating this malady that has affected so many people. As of today, we have 7,709,359 cases of Covid-19 worldwide and there have been 427,202 deaths since January 22.

Yes, this is unprecedented in modern human history. We have created new heroes; we call them our frontliners.

Our celebration today goes back 122 years ago, when we proclaimed our independence from foreign invaders, allowing modern-day Filipinos to enjoy the freedom we

now experience. We honor the men and women who struggled against real risk and paid dearly with their lives so that others may enjoy life without oppression.

Tonight, let us reflect on the struggles of our heroes and rededicate ourselves to the ideals and principles for which those heroes gave up their precious lives. Let us revive the love of our country. Let us keep the Filipino spirit strong and alive and continue the tradition of our Bayanihan spirit especially at this time.

On behalf of the Congress of the Philippine Associations of Alberta and the Alberta Filipino Journal, let me wish you all a meaningful commemoration of our independence.

Mabuhay at maraming salamat po.

Gemmalyn Draculan

Photos by Dario Juanillo

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JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

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Lito Velasco

Christine Cayabyab

Jo-Ann Mella

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Front from left: Columnist Giselle General, Office Administrator Melanie Angeles, Publisher Jose “Jun” Angeles, Himig Pinoy DJ Jo-Ann Aguilar. Back from left: Photo-Videographer Dario Juanillo, Staff Mark Angeles, Columnist Hermo Pagtakhan, Editor Lito Velasco, 101.7 World FM-Himig Pinoy DJ Rolan, Staff Mike Angeles

Tony ang Lulu Bernal

Angel and Remor Gamutan

Jared and Jo-Ann Mella

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Community

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

Filipinos in Edmonton celebrate Philippine Heritage Month in a vehicle train Submitted by Kehrl Meeno Reyes

Edmonton, AB – On the morning of Sunday, June 14, 2020, the Edmonton Filipino community went around from two locations in the city in a vehicle train to celebrate Philippine Heritage Month. The organizers called for the participants and supporters to get creative and decorate their vehicles, highlighting the rich culture of the Philippines.

Dignitaries attended the event, including our Consul-General Zaldy

Patron, Honorable MLA Kaycee Madu of the Edmonton South-West, MLA Rod Loyola of Edmonton Ellerslie, and MLA Christina Gray of Edmonton-Mill Woods.

The PHM Vehicle Train is just one of the many creative ways the community has been able to observe this joyous occasion, in a time where major gatherings such as the Edmonton Filipino Fiesta and kick-off performances have

been canceled. The first vehicle train started at 8:00 AM in South Edmonton, beginning from the Mill Woods Town Center SW parking lot. The second vehicle train moved at 9:30 AM in West Edmonton from Callingwood Park, and made a loop around Weber Greens, Rosenthal, and The Hamptons. Over a hundred individuals participated in both locations.

“As a collective of Filipino businesses, organizations, and individuals, it has been vital for us to stay connected even in simple ways. We are ever grateful for the recognition given to our community,” said Ida Lucila, Chair of the EPIC initiative. “We are looking forward to when we can gather again in a bigger celebration – but for now, we are one with the community as we get through these trying times.”

In addition to the PHM Vehicle Train, the Edmonton Philippine International Centre Initiative is also taking video submissions for its Celebrate PHM video montage project. Participants show how they are celebrating this month in their little ways while showcasing their favorite Filipino items, skills, and talents. EPIC is proud to partner with Sundance College in this month's campaigns.

Filipinos in Edmonton

Filipinos in Edmonton continue to demonstrate their capacity for self-development and the community participates actively in civic life. Over 65,000 people of Filipino descent reside in Edmonton, with a reported over 175,000 across Alberta, a significant number having arrived within the past decade. In 2017, Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, was the city’s most common “immigrant language” spoken by nearly 43,000 Edmontonians or 3.3 per cent of the total population.

Visit www.EPICalberta.com for more information about the EPIC initiative and its campaigns for the Philippine Heritage Month. www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

Community | Business

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Cesar and President Lucy Manuntag of Filipino Senior Citizen of Alberta

Dessa Mapa, MLA for Ellerslie Rod Loyola, Manny Bautista

Jojo Lucila, Marlo, Dario Juanillo

University of the Philippines Alumni Association

15

EPIC President Ida and her husband Jojo Lucila

Roots Rondalla with Lito Velasco

Lito and Beng Agasino of A4 Oriental Store, MLA for Millwoods Cristina Gray

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Business

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ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

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Business

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Points of View | Business

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

Allergy Season Should be a Season of Greater Compassion

A

local politician was hosting one of their online weekly town halls, and one of the comments were “My goodness, I’m so thankful for the rain, as it will help tame down my allergies.” With that comment, I suspected that this person has allergies related to springtime, perhaps snow mold, pollen, tree sap or grass.

I am grateful enough to be relatively healthy that most items do not cause me serious bodily reactions. Even my lactose intolerance is manageable. They way I describe it to people is this: it is okay for me to eat pepperoni pizza with cheese, but please do not serve me a threecheese pizza.

For those with allergic reactions that are respiratory in nature, such as difficulty breathing, sneezing, sniffles or cough, the time we are facing right now is particularly distressing. Many of the symptoms overlap with those of COVID-19.

This is the first type of allergy I remember being aware of as a child. Growing up in the 90’s in the Philippines, with classrooms that used blackboards and chalk, our teachers would ask the students who has asthma and assign their seats in the middle or back of the room to limit their exposure to chalk dust.

Food allergies is a whole different world. From my personal observation, since Filipinos are passionate about food, this type of allergy is dismissed the most. I see the dismissiveness in two ways. For some people with a specific type of food allergy on

www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

GENERAL POINT OF VIEW

Giselle General gqgeneral@gmail.com Giselle General came from the cold, mountainous region on the Benguet province, and immigrated to Canada as a teenager in 2007. After completing her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta, she now dedicates her business training to the nonprofit sector, both in employed and volunteer capacities. She works at the Edmonton Community Legal Centre, which provides free legal help to low-income Edmontonians. She channels her creativity by writing in her personal blog, General Point of View, and has recently published a book of her poems and artwork titled The Humanity of Me.

delicious items like seafood, some would push themselves to have a small serving, or eat lots and endure the consequences. A cousin does this as she just loves crab so much, so she would eat crab then stock up on allergy medication, or she will

just stay at home for the rest of the day after the meal and endure feeling sick.

For some people who hear about a specific food allergy there is the combination of disbelief, unsolicited advice and blaming the person with the allergy. “Maybe if you add a bit of peanut it won’t be such a big deal and you’ll overcome it”. “I wonder what the mother did that made the baby allergic to so many items, unbelievable!”. “That sucks, you are missing out!” These comments can be really unkind, and the impact can linger more deeply than intended.

My roommate just discovered, much to her sadness, that certain foods she is eating, she is now allergic too. These are actually common

foods as well, like eggs.

When I was first dating my husband, he came over to my home for Christmas dinner. Of course, he did his best efforts to be courteous, especially trying the foods he was served. But I did not know then that a condiment used peanut oil as an ingredient. It was not only until years after that he admitted he had an allergic reaction that night.

That was when he excused himself to the bathroom in order to deal with his body’s allergic reaction, which is nausea and stomach upset.

Thank goodness he does not get anaphylactic reactions instead.

A new category of allergies I am still learning about is allergies towards manufacturing products that people use or wear. Sometimes

they are materials used in common types of household products, such as certain oils or extracts. Allergies to certain types of wood, plastics, or fabrics can cause a wide range of health issues to those affected.

Not only this year, but at any point, I encourage people to be a bit more understanding, respectful, and accommodating of all kinds of allergies. There may even be ones that are very specific, such as allergy to latex. It may be a bit tedious, but it is worth it to add additional questions to an event invitation such as “what dietary restrictions do you have?” This can help in being more welcoming and inclusive to the different kinds of people we interact in our daily lives.

THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Points of View | Community | Business

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Why Black Lives (should) Matter to the Filipino Diaspora

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n the last three weeks, there have been thousands of protesters gathering from around the world to denounce the killing of George Floyd, a 46 year old black man from Minneapolis who, while being arrested, was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin. Black Lives Matter (BLM) has become a theme for protests led by the organization with the same name.

People carried signs and chanted “I can’t breathe”, the last words of George Floyd.

In these protests there were few Filipinos, mostly young and second generation. The overwhelming majority of our community were sadly absent. A lot of these younger generation Filipinos have been trying to address the lack of empathy within our community.

A high school student that does not want to be identified said "many young Pinoys idolize black artists, athletes, and celebrities. They have appropriated fashion, and style from them and it’s a shame that many of us aren’t supporting the Black Lives Matter".

Don’t All Lives Matter?

Many people in the Filipino community question the Black Lives Matter movement. “I'm not black, does my life matter?” is a common comment that I get. Many are serious about the question; however, there are also many “pilosopo” (smart-asses) that would go on and on about why their lives are more important than anybody else’s. I find that these questions and notions are due to the lack of understanding of Philippine colonialism, history and its effects to the Filipino psyche.

"All Lives Matter" sounds like an inclusive statement. Yes it is. Full Stop!

There were well intentioned people of color (POC) including Filipinos, who suggested using the phrase in solidarity that all races should join hands and stand together against racism. They are right! It is a legitimate sentiment with good intentions. But the problem is, the phrase “All Lives Matter” takes the focus away from those who currently and immediately need it. Saying "All Lives Matter" redirects the attention from black lives, who are the ones being killed in the US and Canada.

It’s all in the context. The cases of killings and brutality of the police are not only isolated in the US and Canada. It has already been happening in the Philippines for a long time. Over 20,000 lives have been taken due to the alleged extrajudicial killings of the police force since the onset of the country’s aggressive drug war.

The case of Kian Delos Santos, a

MIGRANTS' VOICES

Marco Luciano mluciano2@gmail.com Marco Luciano is the Global Council Representative of Philippine based Migrante International.

He is also the current Secretary General of its chapter Migrante Canada.

17-year-old boy who was killed in a dark alley near his house in Caloocan City. Delos Santos pleaded “Tama na po! May test pa po ako bukas.” Based on CCTV footage and eyewitnesses, the teenager was unarmed, but was given a gun by the police and coerced to run. The police shot him in the back when he ran. A year later the three policemen were convicted of murder without eligibility for parole.

A young Filipina singer Frankie Pangilinan recently tweeted “while we remember George’s “I can’t breathe”, let’s take a minute to remember Kian’s “Tama na po”. In the context of extrajudicial killings by state forces in the Philippines, advocates and activists say “All Lives Matter”.

Why is it important for Filipinos to support Black Lives Matter?

On Friday June 6, the BLM rally was held in Edmonton, joining waves across North America demanding an end to police brutality and racism against black people. According to reports, there were approximately 15,000 people in attendance. Its unusual in the history of rallies in Edmonton.

“I’m here to protest with our brothers and sisters that are being systematically oppressed by the police,” said Madelene, a young Filipino student from the University of Alberta. “We can't stay silent because these are our fellow people of color,” she added. Mica Ho, another Filipino youth who was at the rally said “we need to have an open conversation and communication with people. There should not have violence come out of it.

As Filipinos, it's our job to represent the good in our community”.

Another group of U of A students and members of Filipino youth organization Anakbayan Alberta, Lyla Luciano and Jairus Bilo, were also present to show their support. Asked why it is important for them to be there, Lyla said “I think it's important (for me) because we all live as a community, but at this moment the black community in particular is being targeted and victimized. I’m here to fight for people's basic human rights, to fight for justice and to fight the system that keeps oppressing the people. And being at the rally gives hope for us youth that we are the change and we are the youth who will change the system.” Jairus response was that “It is important for me to support and stand in solidarity with our Black community. It is evident that there is a serious need for all of us to stand up against white supremacy and the systems that perpetuate it. Being at the rally and seeing the massive amount of people out in solidarity reminds me that we as the people have the power to work towards actual change.”

Jeffrey wasn’t armed. But cops insisted that they saw a weapon. The cops involved in the case got away while the family still seeks justice.

We are not immune to racism.

Just recently, during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, Alberta lead medical officer Dr. Hinshaw made an irresponsible announcement implying that the outbreak at the Cargill meat plant in High River was caused by multi-family households and workers’ carpooling practices. Over 70% of the 2000 workers in the plant are Filipinos. This created a backlash in our community to the point that Filipinos were not allowed in grocery stores.

Historically, Filipino migrants and diaspora were targets of racial attacks. For five days in January 1930, hundreds of white men armed with guns and sticks went around the streets of Watsonville, California beating Filipino farm workers. A young Filipino, Fermin Tobera, was killed.

By the 1960s, Fililpino farmers started to organize as physical attacks by farm owners towards the Filipino and Mexican farm workers continued in California. They were also prevented from entering private and public buildings. There were many more incidents after that.

Most importantly we were not immune to solidarity.

During the turn of the 20th century, in the Philippine-American War, there were four black soldier regiments, previously stationed in Cuba that were sent to the Philippines. Led by

Private David Fagen, they deserted the American army and joined forces with the Filipino independence forces. In the 60s, when the Filipino farm workers, known as the Delano Manongs were getting evicted, the Black Panther Party, an organization of radical African Americans stood side by side and fought for housing rights for the Filipinos. When there were issues in our community many racialized people stood with us in solidarity throughout the history of our migration.

In the last two weeks, while the world denounced the killing of George Floyd and other black people, our community generally remained silent.

I wondered why? Nahihiya ba tayo?

(Are we ashamed?), are we afraid of being judged by our fellow kababayan?

Are we brought into the idea that if we work hard enough, we could be accepted into the society of whiteness?

If you remain silent then you are in support of the white supremacy project. Remaining silent is exactly what the white supremacist system wants us to be - a “model immigrant”.

Black lives matter is not just about George Floyd and other black people who are victims of racism and police brutality. It’s about fighting against injustice and racism. It’s about fighting for our community and a better future for our youth.

“I think as a community, we are louder and stronger in numbers, and in numbers we can rise up to change the system,” said Lyla Luciano.

It’s time not to be complacent.

Black Lives Matter!

Jairus and Lya members of the group Anakbayan joined the rally

We are not immune to police brutality. In May 2004, Jeffrey Reodica, a 17-year old Filipino youth was shot three times in the back by a police officer during an altercation in Toronto.

Eyewitnesses have repeatedly claimed

Filipinos were not allowed to go in private and public buildings in California

Madelene and Mica, young Pinays went to support the Black Lives Matter rally on June 5, 2020.

All photos and articles available online. Follow us

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20

Arts and Culture | Inspiration

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

JP Dublado: Doubling Up on Culinary Achievements

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ast year, in preparation for Philippine Heritage Month events, I was planning the Edmonton screening of the “Ulam: Main Dish” documentary. I was searching for speakers for the postscreening panel discussion when a friend recommended JP Dublado, of River Cree Resort and Casino. “You have to talk to him. He’s young and he’s very good”, is what I was told.

JP is a soft spoken and reticent young man. But don’t let this quiet demeanour fool you, because he is one driven and creative man, facing challenges with nerves of steel.

Currently the Chef de Cuisine at River Cree Resort and Casino, JP found his passion for cooking when he started working at corporate kitchens upon his family’s move to Canada. This encouraged him to puruse culinary studies at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and proceeded to work at top restaurants like The Vintage Chophouse and the River Cafe in Calgary, Wildflower Grill, and learning and working with top chefs Andrew Winfield, Rob Bates, Duncan Ly and Matthias Fong.

JP has also done Pop Ups through his catering company. He is also one of the featured chefs in the Bayanihan Series dinners, collaborating with Fili-stix, Edgar Gutierrez and Earl Briones, where they advocate and promote modern Asian or Filipino flavours in their cooking styles.

Last October 2019, JP was one of nine chefs competing in Canada’s Great Kitchen Party. This event and fundraiser celebrates excellence in Canadian food, wine, sports and music, and the chef’s competition is the highlight. A description of his entry: “At the heart of his dish was a small block of a terrine made with pungent char siu foie gras, cured duck egg yolk and four layers of truffle – a

ARTOSPECTIVE - an artist’s point of view

Ida Beltran-Lucila ida_b_lucila@yahoo.com

gorgeous umami bomb that had the judges swooning. Beside this was a curious vermilion dumpling that tapered up to a point. The surface was mashed purple ube yam, crisply fried, while inside we discovered rich and flavourful chicken rillettes. All sorts of little treats surrounded these two items, so that each mouthful was an entirely fresh experience. Here were little drums of kiwi fruit (that banal fruit’s finest hour?) topped with tangy soy-pickled baby chanterelles like jaunty little hats. Over there was a pool of silky yellow purée made from parsnip, carrot and brown butter. Calamansi pearls tart with verjus and green tea added a sharp component; white foie gras powder brought more soft fat to the party.

Burgundy truffles had been grated in a couple of places and a single blue pansy completed the spectrum of what was already a mighty colourful plate.

Chef’s wine was a fine match, the opulently aromatic 2018 Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend from Howling Bluff on B.C.’s Naramata Bench, its

passion fruit intensity standing up well to the big flavours of the dish.”

Who’s not salivating after reading that paragraph? Is it any wonder that JP Dublado bagged the gold?

Garnering the top prize also meant competing against other regional winners at the Canadian Culinary Championships held in Ottawa last January. Challenges in this competition consisted of: (1) Mystery Wine Pairing - each chef was handed an unlabelled bottle of wine with which to pair their tasting plates with a budget of $500 for 400 portions; (2) Black Box competition - chefs were given just one hour to study a box of seven very Canadian mystery ingredients, devise a dish and create 15 perfect plates for the judges. The black boxes contained Wapiti (elk), phytoplankton powder, flaked naked oats, pickled fiddleheads, black kale, parsley roots and Haskap berries; (3) repeat of their winning entries that qualified them for the Culinary Championships. JP, living up to his last name of Dublado, did a double

peat, winning back to back People’s Choice Award.

Up next for JP is competing in Food Network Canada’s Fire Masters. In this competition, “Three chefs push their grilling talents to the limit as they battle in fiery culinary challenges, cooking up creative, mouthwatering, flame-kissed dishes.

One chef is eliminated in each of the first two rounds. The last chef standing goes head-to-head with a

Fire Masters judge in an epic third and final round, vying for $10,000 cash and the coveted title of Fire Masters Champion!” Watch out for his episode on July 16.

All the best JP! Keep piling up and doubling on those achievements.

Your name, after all, is Dublado.

To comment on this article, go to h​ ttps:// www.philippineartscouncil.com/blog​.

Documenting Filipinartistés!

FILIPINAVIGATION

Riana Torrejon torrejonriana@gmail.com Riana Torrejon is an undergraduate student at the University of Alberta who is a passionate advocate for human rights. In her spare time, she loves to write and sing. She is also the Fundraising and Events Director for the Child Advocacy Society of University of Alberta and a writer for Happy Columns.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of her greatest inspirations.

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his month, I had the pleasure of interviewing my good friend, Jessica Tuason. She and I went to high school together and I’ve witnessed her immense growth in her career as an animator. Jessica is a very talented, young Filipina. Please enjoy our conversation below. www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

Could you tell me about yourself?

I’m an animator/freelance artist who graduated (very recently) from Okanagan College. They have a really good animation program. You should check it out if you're interested in animation!

What does your work aim to say?

What are your goals as an artist?

For me, creating art is all about storytelling. Who a character is, where they're going, their past experiences, these are all things I want to bring to life in my work. I'm not sure if I have any specific goals, but I just hope that in the future I can create work that inspires people.

A portfolio of the animation artist, Jessica Tuason.

Who are your biggest influences?

I'd say a lot of talented artists that I admire have been a huge influence.

To name a few, Minkyu Lee, Minjue Chen, Rebecca Sugar, and Vinicius Barros. I also credit a lot of my inspiration to my college professors, without them I probably wouldn't have made it this far.

all the time, it was nice to project my thoughts into drawings. Before it was my career, I used to ignore any real structure when I drew. I didn't think about anatomy or anything like that, I just put a pen to paper and went wild. But learning how to approach art with different techniques turned out to be a lot more fruitful than I thought, and my art has significantly improved.

What was something surprising you found as you were learning to draw and create art?

At first, art was really just a way for me to relax and vent. As someone who has trouble speaking her mind

What are the greatest challenges in working with animation?

The biggest challenge would be to separate yourself from your work.

When someone says your work is

A picture of a concept character design Jessica drew recently.

Find more at jfayeart.weebly.com.

lacking, they don't mean that you yourself are a failure. It's important to remember that not every shot has to be perfect and that there's always room for improvement.

Where can people find more of your work?

I have a website! It’s jfayeart.weebly. com Is there anything additional you’d like to say for the readers today?

There's a lot of stigma surrounding art as a career choice and I think that it's largely due to the lack of knowledge surrounding the field. I didn't know animation was a valid career choice until I was just about to graduate high school. Now I know that it is a very real and achievable career path. My advice to any young artists would be to educate yourselves on what's out there. There's so much you can do with artistic talent, and the world is always in need of more creators.

THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Opinion | Business

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Pinoy Resourcefulness At A Crucial Time Site Command meeting where it received great appreciation for such innovative idea and initiative. Our top management, PPE Task Force and the Director of Infection Prevention and Control showed much appreciation for such effort.

Fortunately, we never ran out of N95 and we didn`t have to use this mask brace design since the number of COVID-19 cases are starting to taper off. I believe this design will never pass the normal hospital standard

By Carlos Tria Marquises, Jr. particularly that of Infection Prevention and Control standard due to the fact that the When US President Donald Trump materials we have used were not hospital asked 3M, a major N95 mask grade (rubber band and plastic tie strap), manufacturer, to end mask exports and that they were homemade. But during to Canada in the middle of the extreme life-threatening situations where spiking COVID-19 pandemic, it materials were not readily available, humble sent already panic-stricken hospital inventions like this will save lives. workers in Alberta to a heightened level of awareness experience only during war time Trump invoked the Korean war era ‘Defense Production Act’ to demand such action from 3M leadership. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau protested and reacted strongly by saying that doing so will be a 'big mistake'.

There are significant humanitarian implications in ceasing respirator supplies to healthcare workers in Canadian Hospitals. Trump however, appeared unmoved and claimed in a White House briefing that he will sign the act. Although 3M company pushed back on Trump`s order, the supply of PPE in Canada began to dwindle as a result of such statement from the president of the most powerful nation on earth.

The shortage of N95, both actual and imagined, became real and it placed healthcare workers lives at risk. The main challenge among frontline workers in Canada is to save N95 mask and look for alternative solutions. One such ingenious alternative solution was the Mask Brace, created by my friend from Texas, Eric Manalansan. We both grew up in Fairview Park, Quezon City, and we are both currently working in hospitals, so he immediately shared his ideas with me. Based on his research, both the N95 and surgical masks are identical when it comes to filtration efficiency. The only difference is that N95 masks provide a facial seal or the ability to encase the nose and mouth tightly, while ordinary surgical mask allows leakage around the edges of the mask. The use of a mask brace greatly reduces this leakage.

Eric and I agreed to produce and present this alternative solution to address concerns of frontline worker`s safety and the need to use N95 masks expediently. I have presented this alternative solution to Grey Nuns Community Hospital All photos and articles available online. Follow us

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22

Community | Inspiration

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

The Voice of Positive Social Change Professional STAR is a non-profit organization of students, professionals, entrepreneurs and educators who are engaged in trades, arts and research. It aims to empower the community through self-growth, professional development, continuous education and life-long learning, mentorship, leadership, relationship-building, equality, inclusivity, promotion of positive change and innovation.

Lead Correspondent and Writer: Dessa Mapa International Director for Corporate Communications - Professional STAR Assistant Correpondents: John Mark Galiza President 2020 - NAIT Philippines Students Association Manny Bautista Organizer and Corporate Planning and Strategy - Professional STAR

Portrait Courtesy of UofC

Filipinos love to sing, and music is an integral part of our lives. Our Filipina mothers sang us lullabies to put us to sleep when we were babies.

We all sing while we are cooking, and we even love hearing the echoes our voices make when we sing while taking a bath. We sing at Fiestas and birthday parties. We all know that a Filipino home is not complete without a videoke. Internationally, we hear our kababayans singing in broadway theatres, Disney animated films, and singing competitions on TV shows, such as The Voice. The Voice became successful and wellknown around the world because it gives the participants a venue to demonstrate their talents, expose their personalities and express their emotions while capturing the audience's hearts. Filipinos embrace this show because we seem to find a representation of our own voices and desires through the contenders.

Similar to The Voice, the academe and the community can be a venue for representation, not for singers, but for racialized community members seeking recognition, social justice, and equity. In this show, which is also known as the Ivory Tower, Dr. Ilyan Ferrer is one of the very few contenders. Dr. Ilyan's stage is the academe where he is bringing issues of the community. His music is his research, his publications, and his social work practice. His lyrics are the stories of the lolos and lolas of the community, Filipinos under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and Caregiver Program, international students with unrecognized academic credentials, Filipinx youth, and the family members who are left in their homeland because of immigration rules. Through this show, Dr. Ilyan hopes that one day, leaders and members of Canadian society will recognize and listen to the "music" www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

and "lyrics" of the Filipino-Canadian diaspora.

Just as the contestants of The Voice were asked what influenced them to join the competition, Professional STAR asked Dr. Ilyan the same question. We were eager to find out about his childhood and how it has contributed to how he values education and how his upbringing influenced him in choosing his advocacy work. Recognizing his roots, Dr. Ilyan revealed that his paternal grandparents were educators themselves in the small town of Gerona, Tarlac, Philippines. When his parents immigrated to Canada in the 1970s, his mom was able to practice nursing because her degree in the Philippines was recognized in Canada. His father, on the other hand, worked in secondary labour market jobs because his Philippine credentials as an architect were not recognized. Because of the impact of education on his grandparents' and parents' lives, they passed on and instilled the value of education to their children, a value that was eventually passed on to him.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, in the 1980s, Dr. Ilyan and his siblings were raised to adapt and survive in Canadian society. They learned and spoke the official languages of English and French, but were not taught Tagalog. He still yearns to speak the Filipino language and has hopes that his daughter will learn one day given how language can serve as an entry point to Philippine culture.

According to Dr. Ilyan, "Although we were raised Canadian, we live by our collectivist value system: the family is always coming first; not just our nuclear family but also our extended family and community members." Not only did his family mould his career choices and his values, so too did the society and the

community where he grew up. He community to reach out to him so recalled, "As a Filipino-Canadian in a that they can discuss their education predominantly white neighbourhood or career pathway. and white school, growing up was Acknowledging how family and very difficult to navigate. We were a community has shaped his career lower-income family growing up in and his passion for community a fairly privileged part of Montreal. development, Dr. Ilyan expressed I saw social and economic inequities, gratitude to those who have helped and where many racialized families nurture his criticality, "I credit a were working three to four jobs. lot of my friends and my family to Those inequities really shaped how create and instill this value system I saw society and how I saw my of accountability and reciprocity." community." Dr. Ilyan also grew Moreover, he also acknowledged the up with a sister (Ria Javier Ferrer) role of the community in helping him who had Down Syndrome. She get through the formal education imparted important lessons about compassion, care, and celebrating meaningful moments and people in life.

When asked about the importance of his formal education, he noted, "It is important insofar as papers and credentials are important.

In our community, we valorize education, but I think it is also important to know that degrees are pieces of paper that allow us to enter privileged spaces.

Once we enter those spaces, it's important to ask: How do we promote social justice?

How do we uplift members of our community?" Through his formal education, Dr. Ilyan was awarded McGill University's Best Dissertation in Faculty of Arts and has been recently hired at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work. Despite these personal achievements, he believes that uplifting the Photo Courtesy of UofC community and amplifying voices of marginalized community system. "I learn more from my members aremore important. He community, from my older mentors reflected on his work, "As a scholar, who were activists in the Philippines, a core responsibility is sharing our my peers who are learning what it histories, our contributions and our means to be Filipino settlers within everyday experiences to promote the Canadian diaspora, and my social change." In Dr. Ilyan'scase, family and friends who share their he leveraged his credentials to unconditional love," Dr. Ilyan added. become a professor and imparted Currently, Dr. Ilyan is an Assistant skills, knowledge and resources to Professor at the University of Calgary's equity-seeking communities. This Faculty of Social Work. He is the way, more individuals can take first Filipino-Canadian tenure-track part in the dismantling of systemic professor in any school/faculty oppression and engaging in their of social work in Canada, and he own advocacy work. He knew that hopes that there are more emerging building relationships and empowering researchers and activist scholars communities and families is more in the next few years. He is also an important than degrees. In fact, Dr. associate member of the O'Brien Ilyan welcomes any member of the Institute for Public Health, and an

affiliate of the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at the University of California. When he moved to Calgary with his partner, Jillian Sudayan, and his daughter, Hanan Sudayan-Ferrer, they committed to joining the burgeoning Filipino community in Calgary and Alberta.

He is currently the Board Chair of ActionDignity, a non-profit advocacy organization that forefronts issues of diversity, human rights, racial inequities and public participation. He is also a member of the Sikolohiyang Pilipino Collective of Calgary, a network of progressive members of the Filipinx community who share a desire to document and share their processes of decolonization. Dr. Ilyan continues to conduct research that enhances and contributes to social justice for some of the most marginalized populations of Calgarians, which includes older adults, immigrants, and temporary foreign workers.

As a result of his community and scholarly work, Dr. Ilyan has published several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters in the fields of social work, social gerontology and community development. He also coauthored the book Gerontological Social Work in Action: AntiOppressive Practice with Older Adults, Families and Communities, published by Routledge Press in 2020. Dr. Ilyan, however, is most proud of his work with the Philippine Festival Council of Alberta on the first Alberta Filipino Leaders Conference in 2018. The conference, which was funded by the Alberta Government, was the first province-wide gathering of Filipinos in Alberta, where attendees discussed emerging and urgent issues within the community.

Despite the numerous awards, nominations, recognitions and publications, Dr. Ilyan knows that in his heart, the measure of his success lies within ongoing mentorship, policy change, and the accountability and feedback from the members of the community. In his continued work within the academe, he hopes to create an impact by advocating for positive social change for not just his daughter, but for future generations of the Filipino-Canadian diaspora.

Photo Courtesy of Action Dignity THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

Opinion | Community | Erratum

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

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As Trump melts down, his presidency implodes!

PEREZCOPE

Perry Diaz PerryDiaz@gmail.com I am a writer/columnist/journalist.

I have two weekly columns -- "PerryScope" and "Balitang Kutsero." They're published in more than a dozen Filipino newspapers in five countries.

L

ittle did President Donald Trump realize that he had reached a turning point of his presidency when, in reaction to the crisis that has engulfed America, he made the comment, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

His comments were reminiscent of the civil rights era in 1968, which was invoked by a white police chief cracking down on protests. Trump claimed that he didn’t know the history behind the racially charged phrase.

Trump made his remarks in a tweet that said, “I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right.....” “....These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.

Thank you!”

It’s pretty obvious that Trump knew what he was talking about.

He’ll send the National Guard to start shooting looters, right? But he must have realized he made a big boo-boo saying those words, which he tried to take back but it’s too late. He just defined his coldblooded presidency.

He even retweeted a video in which a supporter says, "The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat."

But beyond politicizing the crisis, it began when a Minneapolis police officer and three others murdered an African-American named George Floyd by choking him to death with his knee on Floyd’s neck, which was captured on video by a bystander.

The brutal killing of Floyd ignited mass protests in Minneapolis that spread like wildfire across America.

To date, more than 100 American cities drew angry protesters, now in its ninth day with no end in sight.

And the crowds are growing.

But instead of calming the protesters, Trump threw incendiary fire into the crisis; thus, further aggravating the situation. On May 31, he announced that he would designate Antifa as a terrorist organization.

Antifa is short for Anti-Fascist, which is not an organization but a movement comprising of autonomous activist groups that aim to achieve their political objectives through the use of direct action rather than through policy reform.

It doesn’t have a central leadership but are bound together by the objectives shared by anti-Fascist groups.

Fascism On the other hand, Fascism is a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism. The first fascist movement emerged in Italy during World War I before spreading to other European countries. Fascism in the U.S. is exercised by rightwing and ultranationalist groups such as the White Supremacists, White Nationalists, Alt-Right movement, the far-right Proud Boys, and the Boogaloo Movement or Boogaloo Bois, which foments race war or a Second Civil War. The Boogaloo Bois are known for wearing Hawaiian or “Aloha” shirts. There are more than 100 white supremacist groups in the U.S., which grew in numbers during Trump’s presidency.

Benito Mussolini ruled Italy from 1922 until he was deposed in 1945. He was allied with Adolf Hitler, which formed the Axis during World War II. On April 28, 1945, Mussolini was shot to death

by Italian partisans.

Trump has always been suspected of having Fascist tendencies. But his anti-Antifa declaration last May 31 clearly identifies him as Fascist. So now, we count among the Fascist leaders in history, Donald Trump, whose affinity with White Supremacists, White Nationalists, and the Ku Klux Klan has always been suspected. In fact, over a year ago, he declared himself to be a White Nationalist.

Now that he’s clearly identified with the Fascist anti-Antifa groups, it makes it easier for Americans to identify his true political leaning, that of a Fascist believer and supporter.

The fact that he is inclined to designate Antifa groups as terrorists, he aligned himself up with Fascist groups in the U.S., nay the world.

McEnany defends Trump Trump’s fascist leaning has been defended by his press secretary, Kyleigh McEnany, who made a press statement on June 1,saying: “This president has been very clear

LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images

that we need law and order in this country. He’s taken extraordinary action, talking about activating the National Guard as we saw happen in Minnesota, criminalizing interstate travel that is geared towards inciting violence, making sure that those individuals are prosecuted, labeling Antifa as a domestic terrorist entity.”

When she was asked why the president hasn’t addressed the nation, she responded: “A national Oval Office address is not going to stop Antifa. What’s going to stop Antifa is action. And this president is committed to acting on this.”

However, an op-ed in the Washington Post has said, “Trump’s declaration seems impossible to enforce – and not only because there is no mechanism for the president to designate domestic groups as terrorist organizations. Though Antifa groups exist, Antifa itself is not an organization.”

The op-ed further states, “Trump is scared and realizes his own impotency when it comes to the protests, so he’s using symbolic declarations that have no force or legality behind them. A president who refuses to confront that face this nation head on is nothing more than a figurehead. That alone is reason to replace Donald Trump at the ballot box on November 3.”

Trump then retreated to the White House security bunker amid the demonstration last Friday, May 29, which reminds me when Hitler retreated to his underground bunker in the waning days of World War II. On April 30, 1945, Hitler and his mistress Eva Braun committed suicide.

Last Sunday May 31, the lights at the White House were turned off as protests grew outside, symbolizing Trump’s abdication as a leader during this national crisis. This occurs amid a pandemic that was exacerbated by Trump’s lack of preparation and inconsistency.

But as Trump melts down, his presidency implodes!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWLY ELECTED OFFICERS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, NAZARENO COUNCIL 12904 FOR COLUMBIAN YEAR 2020-2021!

Newly Elected Officers of The Knights of Columbus, Nazareno Council Grand Knight - Bro. Ferdinand Y. Mendita Deputy Grand Knight - Bro. Antonio Soliman A. Gonzales Jr. Chancellor - Bro. Claude C. De Joya Recorder - Bro. Eduardo A. Chan Treasurer - Bro. Orlando F. Damaso Advocate - Bro. Robert N. Croteau Warden - Bro. Leogardo S. Guevarra Inside Guard - Bro. John F. Braun Outside Guard - Bro. Aurelio B. Sumalinog Trustee (3 Yrs.) - Bro. Dario C. Juanillo Wishing you all great success and all the best for the new roles that you are going to take. Council members, let us give our full support to the new council officers.

ERRATUM:

From: May 2020 issue of Alberta Filipino Journal Column: Kaya Ko; Kaya Mo Concern: ECHO, Ltd. should be ECKO, Ltd.

ADVERTISE WITH US 780-916-7677 publisher@albertafilipinojournal.com All photos and articles available online. Follow us

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24

Religion | Opinion

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

Grace and The Law Cannot Co-Exist OUR TEXT "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Galatians 2:16 KJV Grace and the Law cannot coexist even as Christianity often times tries to make the two do so. Standing firmly on the Word of God is our goal and yet it is as hard to do as riding a horse bareback. We can ride a long way at times tightly holding on to the mane of our stallion, but it is almost impossible to get up the hills and through the woods without getting knocked off a couple times and having to get back on. When we sit slightly too far to one side of the truth it is easy to slip off, so the believer is always making adjustments trying to stay balanced in the full Word of God, not just one verse, or one chapter or one book.

I could list a multitude of truth issues like election, eternal security, depravity, church polity, submission, but nothing throws believers off the horse of truth more than Grace versus the Law. Some are so far off the truth that they are sitting in the mud of unrighteousness proclaiming "love wins" and everyone is going to heaven, and their counterparts are "black and white" legalists declaring that no one can be a Christian and drink wine, dance or smoke a cigar.

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, "Well, dear friends, you know that some men can do to the glory of God what to other men would be sin. And notwithstanding what brother Pentecost has said, I intend to smoke a good cigar to the glory of God before I go to bed to-night.

If anybody can show me in the Bible the command, 'Thou shalt not smoke,' I am ready to keep it; but I haven’t found it yet."

FROM A VANTAGE POINT

Tito S.Venida FOUNDING FATHER

Tito S. Venida is a product of the University of the Philippines.

He used to be a student-leader during his college days and became one of the founders of the Tau Gamna Phi, one of the world leading Philippineproduced fraternities. His immensurable love for the human race has brought him to the conviction of translating his mission from fraternity into Divinity--from a mere brotherhood into sainthood.

Tito authored a book entitled Quocunque Jeceris Stabit, which means, wherever you throw, it will stand.

There you go: By grace people are all running out to buy cigars and the legalists are calling him unsaved.

I hate anything and everything about smoking and can’t stand to be around the putrid and disgusting stuff, but when the Christian boys once a year pull out the Poker cards, whisky and cigars, I am never invited, but I am not about to call them sinners or unsaved because they are exercising a freedom that I do not have.

The apostle Paul found himself between the era of the Law and Grace and God used Him, and his Pharisaical training to be the ideal writer of the

horse of truth on these matters. As much as he loved the laws of Judaism and the easy nature of living within a set of "do's and don'ts" and rules, he refused to allow the apostle Peter and the others to throw the yoke of the law upon the Church. He battled ferociously to begin the church as "new wine skins" and outside the old box of Judaism and the law that could never achieve the righteousness of God. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Romans 8:3-4 KJV The apostle Paul devotes almost an entire letter to the Galatians challenging them not to go back under the old law that is weak and fading away. To instead grab a hold of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus; that law that is now written on our hearts, that we might walk in the freedom of our newness of life. No longer focused on sin, but righteousness. No longer focused on the "do's and don'ts" of religion, but instead allowing the Word of God to be living and active inside of us: "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Hebrews 4:12 KJV Friends, do you have a KJV Bible?

If you have one, do you read it daily?

If you want to know and understand what I am writing you about, start reading your KJV Bibles beginning with the book of Galatians and you will find that this is its introduction: The Christians at Galatia had become so involved in the message of the Judaisers that they had even become involved in Jewish festivals and ceremonies. The apostle Paul

insisted that the two systems were not to be combined. He said that the teaching of the Judaisers ignored the limitations of the law (Galatians 3:1-22) and also misinterpreted the true function of the law (Galatians 3:23-4:11).

The apostle Paul also said the Judaisers in their teachings disregarded the inferiority of the law to the Gospel of Grace (Galatians 4:21-31). The law had limitations (Galatians 3:1-22), including the fact that it could not create a spiritual experience.

Neither could the law secure right standing with God or establish the covenant. The true function of the law was to serve as a guide to lead men to Christ (Galatians 3:23-29), and it helped prepare the world for redemption (Galatians 4:1-11).

Dealing with the essential inferiority of the law as compared to the Gospel of Grace (Galatians 4:21-31), the example of Ishmael and Isaac is given.

Ishmael was the son of bondage, and Isaac was the son of promise. Grace and the Law cannot co-exist.

Friends, do not let anyone tell you that you are missing out on the Christian life if you don't keep the do's and don'ts of the Regular Baptists. Don't go put yourself under Judaism again, or Catholicism or anything that is against what the book of Galatians teaches.

Please, don't fall prey to those who would have you think that you need some second work of grace so you can speak in tongues, or need to exercise quiet solitude and meditation to find a higher level of spirituality.

There is no higher level of spirituality than walking in the Spirit that God has given to you.

But, please also don't fall so far off the horse of truth that being under grace means you can sin without consequence, and that "God's love wins" so everyone, but the worst of the worst are going to heaven.

If you are not showing the fruit of

God's Spirit by walking in obedience to His Word, by having the joy of the Spirit and by having a desire to please the Lord Jesus Christ, please find someone who can lead you to the Lord Jesus. You are either not saved or you have some big set of sins that have so encumbered you that you cannot live the Christian life as God intends you to live.

My dear friends, you do understand don't you that the Christian life is impossible? That the only chance we have of being happy, whole, and fruitful is to plug in directly into the source of life itself--the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have been made new creatures who are freed from sin and dead to sin, now let's go out each moment of the day and begin to live out our new reality. It takes time, not to be freed from sin but to learn how to walk in our new found freedom so that the joy of the Lord may shine through us.

So how are you doing riding the horse of truth today? Does Satan have you right where he wants you either so focused on how unworthy and sinful you are, or worse yet, so focused on not sinning that it perturbs you to watch your brother or sister in Christ sip on a glass of wine?

We must, as believers, keep pointing each other to our walk in the Spirit and when we sin, we must swipe it off quickly and move straight away into righteousness without giving the dust a second thought, instead of jumping into the mud and wallowing. Stop trying so hard, or not trying at all. Instead, use your new found freedom to shine the righteousness of God. If God calls you righteous then sure enough you are, so go about living like a free child of God whose one heart focus is living in Him and pleasing Him. Hold on tightly to that horse of truth as it is a world and thrilling ride for those who can live without the do's and don'ts yet walk in the Spirit of the righteousness of God.

Thoughts on “Equity for All” Rally in Edmonton (June 5) Mila Bongco-Philipzig

T

he “Equity for All” rally at the Legislature Grounds last Friday, June 5 had a big turnout, estimated at around 15,000.

It was reported as the most attended rally in Edmonton for the last decade.

In general, previously organized protests for human rights have not attracted participation from our Philippine community in meaningful numbers. It was encouraging that this time, many people from our community attended, and most were quite young, between 16 and 30 in my impression.

As Filipinos, we can relate very well to the focus of the rally: fight racism, end police brutality, aspire to equity for all. As people of colour (POC), Filipinos are also marginalized and constantly exposed to systemic discrimination and racism. We have our own struggles against prejudices and stereotypes that block our economic and social advances. Media and institutions constantly remind us that somehow, we are different and less valuable because of the way we look, the way we speak, the traditions and cultures www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

we uphold. And many of us grow up not fully trusting government and law enforcement policies and practices that have been used to control and subdue instead of to protect us.

Some of you may be thinking at this point, “This has never happened to me. I am successful. I am Canadian.

My children are successful. I’ve never had problems with the police. This does not apply to me.” Another line of thinking may be: “If you are good, you will not experience any of this.

If you don’t do anything against the law, why worry about all this? My family and I are law-abiding citizens.

We are good Filipinos/Canadians.

This does not apply to us.”

We need to be aware that racism is real, and that it has been supported by years and years of societal systems and power structures.

Just because we feel we have not experienced it, or that we have friends of all ethnicities, or friends in power, that we are exempt from the prejudices and discrimination enabled by racism. Just because we think that “Well, Filipinos are better off than <<name another

race here>>” does not make it right to condone practices that support any discrimination. There are no hierarchies in oppression.

It is because racism has been institutionalized and normalized that it is sometimes hard to recognize.

But pervasive racism and inequality are very divisive and can actually put one marginalized group against another. It is intended to make us fearful and vulnerable; it puts many people of color and indigenous people in precarious situations where we can be exploited and intimidated.

And even killed unjustly.

It is time to go beyond our feelings, go beyond our own experiences, and challenge our current thinking and the foundation of our systems. It is time to really inform and educate ourselves about systemic discrimination, racism, and unconscious bias. Each and every one of us should be a catalyst for positive change.

We all have to be more aware, and more intentional, in calling out racism and inequality. No matter how small the infraction, it must be constantly exposed and corrected.

We should call out discrimination

and the misuse of power and law enforcement. We should provide spaces and opportunities for the perspectives and stories of racialized people. We should help each other challenge the ways that racism has been built into laws, policies, and institutions.

Let us check ourselves whenever we start thinking or saying something like “All Latinos are <<generalization>>. All Native Americans are <<stereotype>>.

Lahat naman ng <<ethnicity>> ay ganyan! Yang mga mahihirap, lahat sila <<judgement>>” and stop contributing to prejudiced thinking.

Let us get out of resigned thinking of “Ganyan lang talaga, nuon pa.

Wala na tayong magagawa diyan.” and instead, assess how we can be valuable participants in shaping a just and more inclusive environment.

Let us have those difficult conversations. Let us commit to action towards positive change. We should speak up towards re-visioning policing and systems of justice and public safety. We should refuse to be one of those people who watches injustices yet does nothing.

By focusing on our similarities with the protest causes, I do not wish to diminish the magnitude and unique struggles of Black people and the current spotlight on Black Lives Matter. Others can better write about that, so I turn my focus on equality for all. I want to emphasize that the fight and struggles in racism and inequality apply to all minorities, to all marginalized communities.

As Filipinos, it is our reality as well and we need to understand our place in a bigger context. We will not achieve full equality by merely focusing on our own concerns and ignoring causes that we feel do not involve us. As Nelson Mandela said, “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Our freedom is inextricably intertwined with others.

We can all contribute to positive change. Let us start by asking ourselves: What am I doing now to fight inequality? What am I actually doing to actively contribute to change?

THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

Philippine News

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

25

654 returning Filipinos negative of Covid-19 sent home CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga (Philippines News Agency)– More than 600 returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who got negative results in their reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) were sent off from here to their respective destinations in the country on Sunday.

A total of 347 seafarers from the Royal Carribean Cruise Ship from the Caribbean island nation of Barbados and 307 land-based OFWs from Dubai landed at the Clark International Airport last June 11.

They were subjected to mandatory RT-PCR testing for Covid-19 at the airport and provided free accommodations while awaiting the test results.

Their swab samples were processed at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital in the City of San Fernando, this province and results were released two days later.

Two tested Covid-19 positive and were immediately isolated and transferred to the We Heal As One Center-ASEAN Convention Center here.

"Ito naman ang pinangako ng gobyerno—na hindi hihigit sa limang araw ang pagaantay ng ating mga

OFWs. Nagagalak kaming makita na napakabilis ng pagdaan sa proseso ng mga kababayan natin na lumapag sa Clark (This is the promise of the government that the OFWs will not wait more than five days. We are happy to see that the process which our countrymen that landed in Clark went through was so fast,” said Vince Dizon, National Action Plan Against Covid-19 Deputy Chief Implementer, in a statement.

On June 9, a total of 337 repatriated seafarers of Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship who tested negative in their RT-PCR tests were also sent off to their respective home destinations.

The repatriates arrived at the CRK last June 6. They were provided free accommodations at the Quest Hotel and the Park Inn

by Radisson Clark.

Aside from seafarers, a total of 262 OFWs on board an Emirates commercial flight from Dubai also arrived at Clark airport last June 5.

Dizon cited the joint efforts of the partner government agencies and local government units in Pampanga in welcoming the OFWs and attending to their needs.

The opening of the Clark International Airport is part of the government's initiative to lessen

the bulk of OFW arrivals in Manila.

The quick turnaround of laboratory test results was possible due to the increase in the number of laboratories and the daily testing capacity outside the National Capital Region.

Upon the release of the OFWs' negative results, health certificates were issued by the Bureau of Quarantine.

The returning Filipinos were transported to their destinations via buses arranged by the Department

of Transportation and licensed manning agencies in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the regional and local government units. (PNA)

PSC’s NAS sends home 123 COVID-19 survivors ZERO DEATH CASES! The Ninoy Aquino Stadium (NAS), one of the PSC facilities converted to “We Heal as One Centers” for COVID-19 patients, has sent home all of its 123 survivor cases with no recorded fatalities.

“Malaking pasalamat po natin sa Panginoon dahil wala pong namatay sa ating mga pasyente.

Napakagaling po ng ating AFP medical doctors dahil ginawa po nila ang mga nararapat talaga.” said Philippine Sports Commission’s Security Supervisor Angel Dayag.

After the discharge of the 123 recovered patients, the NAS immediately went through full disinfection and repairs last Monday and will go through until Friday.

There are other PSC facilities that are operational and still catering to suspected to mild-positive and positive COVID-19 patients.

The Rizal Memorial Coliseum (RMC) in Manila has only 67 patients remaining as per Armed Forces Health Service Command.

The Multi-Purpose Arena (MPA) inside the PhilSports Complex in

Pasig City on the other hand, has 34 patients still at the complex as of June 9, according to Philippine National Police Health Service head Lt. Col. Jay Carpio.

“Kami pong PSC frontliners, umaasa po kami na gagaling po ang lahat ng mga pasyente natin dahil ginagawa naman po lahat ng AFP medical doctors ang lahat.

Ang hiling lang po namin ay sana walang mamatay sa ating mga pasyente, dasal na lang talaga ang kailangan natin.” said Dayag.

Canada provides P45-M worth of Covid-19 aid to PH MANILA – The Canadian government is providing over 1.2 million Canadian dollars (approximately PHP45 million) in assistance to the Philippines' fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

"The Covid-19 pandemic is a global threat that does not recognize borders and can only be overcome through coordinated action around the world. The Government of Canada is therefore pleased to partner with the Philippines in its efforts to combat the virus," the Canadian Embassy in Manila said Wednesday.

Part of Canada's aid is the donation of 120,000 N95 masks worth about PHP29.5 million.

Canada is also providing an additional 400,000 Canadian dollars

or about PHP15 million to the existing 17.8 million Canadian dollars Sexual Health and Empowerment Philippines (SHE) project with Oxfam to ensure the unhampered provision of sexual and reproductive health services during the pandemic.

"This investment complements ongoing response activities, including the establishment of an emergency hotline for health services and genderbased violence, procurement of PPE (personal protective equipment) for barangay health workers, and distribution of family planning information materials," it said.

The additional funding will support core activities of the SHE project which aims to improve the quality, availability, and uptake of health services of over 85,000

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women of reproductive ages as well as adolescent girls and boys in conflict-affected and disadvantaged regions in the Philippines.

Canada is supporting other Southeast Asian nations by providing PPE and capacity-building for the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) BioDiaspora Virtual Centre within the Asean Emergency Operations Centre Network.

The Philippines is also one of the beneficiary-countries identified to receive Covid-19 diagnostic equipment, testing kits, reagents, and laboratory consumables as part of 5 million Canadian dollars global project Canada is funding through the International Atomic Energy Agency. (PNA) www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

26

Religion | Brain Twisters

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

Be an answer to someone’s prayer

CR OSSWOR D

John 17:20-26

MAKE OUR DAILY GOSPEL READING TRENDING Like it and share it!

Fr. Jhack Diaz Rev. Fr. Raldy "jhack" Diaz is the first Filipino priest ordained in the Diocese of St. Paul Alberta. He is currently the Pastor of St. Jean de Brebeuf Parish, Mallaig, Alberta.

Our Gospel today shows us what prayer is all about. Jesus prays not for Himself but for His apostles.

My dear kababayans, today we are challenged to pray for others before we pray for ourselves. Nothing proves that you love someone more than mentioning and remembering them in your personal prayers. When we pray for others, God listens to

us and blesses them. So when you are healthy, successful and happy remember that someone is praying for you. If we spent more time praying for others instead of talking about them, we get better results.

You know what? One of the best things you can do for anyone is speak to God on their behalf. Today my dear friends, I would like to remind you that without you knowing it, someone is concerning themselves about you and your welfare.

Brethren, pray for others before praying for yourself. Pray for people around you. Pray for their growth.

Pray for their protection. Pray for their happiness. Pray for peace. Just remember them in your thoughts.

When we pray for each other,

HOROSCOPE This could be a dynamic week despite the number of retrogrades already in motion. And there is another to add to the list as chatty Mercury rewinds from Wednesday to July 12. With Mercury in reverse, it helps to back up important computer files and make sure that your antivirus software is up to date. Give yourself more time to complete plans and projects because there will likely be delays.

Life may slow down further this week as talkative Mercury goes into reverse.

Along with the other retrograde planets, the retrograde of chatty Mercury encourages you to reflect on your current situation and consider how you might make strategic improvements.

When dealmaker Mercury turns backward, as it does midweek, you may notice it more acutely than most other signs. This time it occurs in your sector of finance, so take care especially when purchasing big-ticket items or doing deals that involve a lot of money. Remember to keep the receipts and paperwork because you may well need them.

something supernatural takes place.

Never doubt the power of prayer.

Folks, God made you to be the answer to someone else’s prayers. It is nice when you pray for someone but it is better if you become an answer to someone’s prayer. Today, I am blessed and luckier because I know someone is praying for me. Thank you for all those who keep me in their prayers.

Dear God, please help those who are hurt right now. Those who are lonely and upset. Those who are hopeless and helpless. Guide them and place your arms around them to comfort them and give them strength. Amen.

Blessings Fr. Jhack

Are you ready to shine? This week, the sun moves through the last degrees of a more bohemian zone of your chart and enters your sector of responsibility. Before it does, though, chatty Mercury turns retrograde in Cancer and your career zone.

This week, you come out of an intense phase into a more open and adventurous one. First, though, meandering Mercury backflips in your sector of opportunity, remaining so until July 12. Delays to your plans could stop you in your tracks and cause you to rethink things. As you reflect on your current situation, you might come to some conclusions that lead to positive changes over the coming weeks.

And you could feel much happier as a result of tackling certain issues.

On Wednesday, canny Mercury turns retrograde in your sector of business and finance and remains so until July 12. This can delay plans and encourage you to streamline and reorganize your affairs. If issues need sorting out, this is the time to do it. You might even find that you can’t progress any further until you’ve attended to these matters.

Things could change within your relationships over this week, starting when talkative Mercury turns retrograde in your partnership zone. You might find it easier to connect with buried feelings, especially those you’ve tended to repress.

The weeks until July 12 are your opportunity to talk about things that may be uncomfortable but that could free up so much energy in your partnership.

Starting this week, life winds down a little as the focus shifts to your spiritual sector. To prepare the way, communicator Mercury goes into reverse on Wednesday and remains so until July 12. This could find you naturally going deeper within and connecting with feelings that may be unfamiliar. Now, though, you might be able to give them a voice. Discussing them with someone you trust could pave the way for a breakthrough.

Are you ready to organize and streamline your life? As quicksilver Mercury rewinds in your lifestyle zone, it encourages you to jettison anything that may be holding you back. What activities could you do without? Whatever has become too boring should be the first thing to go.

May 2020 Crossword's Solution

1. Furthermore 5. Eve’s partner 9. Lime drink 12. Harvest 13. Disney clownfish 14. Woody’s ex 15. Part of TLC 16. Tidiness 18. More thinly distributed 20. From this time 21. Posed 22. Corporate VIP 23. Master 25. Take turns 31. Edible grain 32. Looks after

DOWN Copyright @ www.horoscope.com

As the sun moves through the last few degrees of your spiritual sector, it wouldn’t be surprising if an issue made a reappearance. Are you tempted to push it back under the carpet? You’ll do yourself a favor if you dive in and tackle it. Don’t overthink this!

The past few weeks may have given you an opportunity to shine in your chosen field and show how talented you are. The coming weeks could see you becoming more involved with others in a social sense as well as for the good of the community.

ACROSS

Talkative Mercury rewinds in your leisure sector this week, and you may feel moved to take up a hobby that you enjoyed in your younger years. Even if you’ve gotten a little rusty at it, the fact that it absorbs you can be a good sign. You might even decide to further hone your skills and make it one of the top ways to spend your leisure time.

1. Circle sections 2. Bound 3. Florida city 4. “Aida,” for one 5. Green Gables girl 6. Stag 7. Doctor’s gp.

8. May holiday (2 wds.)

9. Prayer ending 10. _ jockey 11. Soften 17. Inert gas 19. Not moving 22. Give in 23 “The Raven” poet 24. Lamb’s father

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33. Perfect gymnastics score 34. Very scrawny 36. Turner or Koppel 37. L. __ Hubbard 38. Lincoln’s nickname 40. Actress __ Sarandon 43. Hot red pepper 47. “Toy Story” artist, e.g.

49. Object of adoration 50. Tear 51. Portrayal 52. Nerd 53. That thing’s 54. Jedi master 55. “Electric” swimmers

26. Thin 27. High explosive (abbr.)

28. Audience member 29. Kickoff gadget 30. Complete 35. Pack tightly 39. Ecru 40. Indian attire 41. Single thing 42. Drinks slowly 43. Chilly 44. Precinct 45. Yule song 46. BPOE members 48. Moreover

Sudoku Puzzles are games of patience, numbers and genius! The satisfaction of solving a challenging Sudoku Puzzle is one of the greatest accomplishments any sudoku game player can experience. The rules are simple, fill in the blanks so that each row, each column, and each of the nine 3x3 grids contain one instance of each of the numbers 1 through 9.

Here is the puzzle. Good luck!

May 2020 Issue Sudoku's Solution

Copyright @ www.puzzles.ca/sudoku.html

www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Greetings | Business

27

The Coming of The Sixth Decade

Happy are those who love to travel in the name of love. This couple chose to take the long drive from Fort McMurray down to Edmonton just to celebrate the sixth decade of Liz Jackson’s life with some of her friends. A sumptuous breakfast was served at Denny’s Restaurant.

The presence of Liz’s husband John, and her friends AFJ publisher Jun Angeles, editor Lito Velasco, 101.7 World FM - Himig Pinoy Edmonton DJ Rolan Latorre, and A4 Oriental Store’s owners Lito and Beng Agasino made her special day complete.

JOHN STANLEY CAGUIOA: A Glimpse Into a Teenager’s Life Stanley was greatly showered with benevolent love by peers, sisters, and his mom on his birthday.

Moments like this are always a joy to experience during teenage years, and are fondly reminisced when one is older.

Here’s to more years to look forward to in your life, John! Happy Natal Day!

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ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

Summary of COVID-19 Related Resources By: Giselle General

The current pandemic and the challenging impact in our lives is being experienced by everyone in different ways. It can be overwhelming and stressful to know where to get help and support. As a starting point, this is a summary of some resources to get information and support.

Government Related Resources - Federal Government: This specific link is the official webpage from the Government of Canada regarding all updates and resources about COVID-19 including the different programs to provide relief and support. On https://www.canada.ca/ en/public-health/services/diseases/ coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html - Provincial Government: This specific link is the official webpage from the Government of Alberta regarding all updates and resources about COVID-19, including the different programs to provide relief and support. https://www.alberta.ca/ coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx - Municipal Government: This specific link is the official webpage

from the City of Edmonton regarding all updates and resources about COVID-19 including the different programs to provide relief and support. https://www.edmonton. ca/programs_services/emergency_ preparedness/covid-19.aspx Resources to help with Staying Safe and Healthy

- Guide for Outdoor Activities: As summer approaches, it is understandable that people are inclined to do outdoor activities for socialization, health, and relaxation. This specific page from the Provincial Government can help with doing outdoor activities safely. https://www.alberta.ca/guidanceon-outdoor-activities.aspx - Government of Alberta ABTraceTogeher App: This app is to help communicate more effectively to people if they have interacted with someone who has a confirmed COVID-19 case. Once installed, the app uses a phone’s Bluetooth to log anytime it comes within two metres of another person with the app for a cumulative 15 minutes. It is available on Apple App Store and Google Play. The use of the app is voluntary and is opt-in/ opt-out, according to news releases. Information can be found on: https://www.alberta.ca/ ab-trace-together.aspx - Media Materials and Posters: For those interacting with the public such as businesses, organizations, and building owners, it may be

helpful to print informative posters to help patrons and guests follow safe behaviours. Check out the posters available for download and printing at https://www.alberta.ca/ covid-19-information-posters.aspx - Edmonton River Valley Trail System: Edmonton is fortunate to have outdoor parks, forest-like trails and access to the river all over the city. For information such as walking maps and other valuable information before doing your nature hike in the city, check out the page https://www.edmonton. ca/activities_parks_recreation/ parks_rivervalley/trail-system.aspx Resources to Address Key needs - Updates about the Law and Legal Help: This Legal FAQs page is a great ouline of all legal needs, such as information about access to the courthouse, changes in the law, particularly renters right and employment law issues, and which organizations are open to give legal help: https://www.law-faqs.org/ covid-19/

- Open Local Businesses to Purchase Needs: Every day, there are changes to regulations about size of gatherings and which businesses are permitted to open. This handy webpage is a resource to see which businesses are open, and is also a great opportunity to support local businesses. https:// edmonton.thingsthatareopen.com/ - Mental Health and Therapy Supports: The pandemic could cause different kinds of emotional distress. The Canadian Mental Health Association’s website (that has online chat) https://edmonton. cmha.ca/ and Distress Line 780482-HELP (4357) is available for support. Sometimes, speaking to a compassionate listener who is professionally trained can improve our mental and emotional state.

While there are lots of resources in this article, I encourage everyone to continue their independent research and to verify each resources before using or accessing them. Stay safe and healthy everyone.

LINGAP- Canada: Reviving a Vision for Interdependence & Global Awareness of the Philippines & Canada Toh Swee-Hin (S.H.Toh), President, LINGAP-Canada

In February, 2020, a group of Edmontonians, including several Filipino-Canadians and other Canadian citizens from diverse ethnic backgrounds and vocations, gathered to revive the NGO known as LINGAP Institute that was formed in the 90s. LINGAP stands for “Learning for Interdependence and Global Awareness of the Philippines”.

Founding members included Josie Pallard (Filipino-Canadian Saranay Association), Noreen Berkes ( Changing Together) , Toh Swee-Hin & Virginia Cawagas (University of Alberta), Zoltan Berkes (Concordia Univeristy), Caridad Bernadino (Edmonton Immigrants Services Association) and Jea Cawagas (inaugural Director, Saranay Rondalla Orchestra; Artist House Studio).

LINGAP Institute is now renamed as Association of LINGAP-Canada, or LINGAP for short.

Among all the ethnic-cultural communities in Edmonton, Canadians of Filipino ancestry and heritage have a reputation for organizing many associations and groups since their arrival from the 60s and 70s. These associations contributed enormously to the maintenance and promotion of Filipino culture, such as Filipino music, dances and other performing arts and language. A number also catered to the needs of regional ethnic identities (e.g. Ilocanos, Visayan-Mindanaon, Bicolanos etc), generational groups (e.g. senior citizens, youth) and different occupations (e.g. caregivers, nurses, businesspersons etc).

LINGAP was formed in the early 90s to highlight the need for Filipinos in Edmonton to also be concerned about the Philippines as a society and nation as well as relationships between Philippine and Canadian

societies. As reflected in our acronym, LINGAP, which is the Filipino word for “compassion”, LINGAP seeks to encourage all peoples in Canada, not just Filipino Canadians, to exercise personal and social responsibility in building a more peaceful, caring, and just world and to promote solidarity for each other’s well-being and challenges.

So with this vision and mission, LINGAP became well known in the 90s for our educational and social activities.

While respecting and supporting the contributions of other Filipino associations and groups to multiculturalism, we also emphasized the importance of education in raising awareness of the Philippines and developing positive, compassionate and interdependent relationships between Canadian and Philippine society. Hence in terms of membership, LINGAP attracted not only FilipinoCanadians but also citizens, immigrants and residents of Canada from diverse heritage and countries (e.g. university students from Africa, Arab and other Asian nations).

Our educational and social activities included workshops and forums to help Filipino-Canadians, especially youth, to better understand their Filipino roots and the history and contemporary affairs (social, economic, political, cultural, environmental) of the Philippines. We organized the big successful conference in 1998 to commemorate the 100th Centennial of Philippine Independence which brought together over 200 youth from the Philippines, Canada and USA. Through forums, Edmonton schools’ workshops and visiting Filipino speakers, other Canadians

also gained a wider perspective of the Philippines and were encouraged to show solidarity for the problems of human rights, social injustices and environmental destruction experienced

by Filipino peoples.

We participated in co-organizing a study visit to the Philippines by Canadians who learned about the challenges, resiliency and hopes of Filipinos at the grassroots in urban and rural areas. We helped to promote conflict resolution skills and antiracism so Filipinos can overcome discrimination in a multicultural Canada. LINGAP was a major partner in the campaign to protect the human rights of Filipino caregivers, such as the successful campaign for our dedicated member, Leticia Cables, to maintain her OFW status. Our LINGAP-Canada officers & members: Seated (L to R): Josie Pallard, Vice -President, organizing of the concert tour of Joey Toh Swee-Hin (S.H.Toh), President; Chris Cates, Secretary; Leticia Cables, Treasurer.

Ayala and Bagong Lumad to perform in Canada and the USA was not just collaborate with groups, communities needs and fulfill the rights of temporary to promote their musical talents, but and concerned individuals, from youth foreign workers and undocumented also because their music integrated to senior generations, who share the workers, many of whom are Filipinos. awareness of indigenous peoples and values and principles embedded in LINGAP members are also very environmental issues in the Philippines. our vision and mission. LINGAP will concerned about the increasing acts When the crisis of COVID 19 also draw on its members’ extensive of racism and discrimination against is resolved, and public events are networks in the Philippine among Asians in Canada and we are joining allowed, the members of LINGAP- NGOs, CSOs, professionals and the ongoing campaign calling on all Canada look forward to reawakening educational and social institutions to Canadians to loudly say that racism the vision and mission of LINGAP in co-sponsor activities and projects in has no place in Canada’s multicultural this second decade of the 21st century. which Filipino Canadians and other society.

We feel that the original goals and Canadians can contribute ideas and purposes of LINGAP continue to energies.

Toh Swee-Hin (S.H.Toh is President of be very relevant, meaningful and In the midst of this global pandemic LINGAP-Canada and Professor Emeritus, important for the development of that has caused much suffering, University of Alberta. Since the late 80s, Canadian multicultural society. Our hardships, and uncertain futures to he has helped to promote education for a forthcoming activities will endeavour to billions of people worldwide, including culture of peace, social justice, human rebuild LINGAP as an active member in Canada and in the Philippines, rights, intercultural/ interfaith dialogue and partner of the Filipino-Canadian LINGAP-Canada is supporting and sustainable futures in various regions community of associations and NGOs initiatives and campaigns such as of the Philippines, especially in Mindanao. in Edmonton, Alberta and the wider advocating for the Canadian and Email: tohsweehin@yahoo.com.au Canada. We welcome opportunities to Albertan Governments to meet the

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Opinion | Business

JUNE 2020 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

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Hard Hearts Is The Problem Not The Color Of Skin

By TITO S. VENIDA

“Happy is the man that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.”

Proverbs 28:14

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his world in which we live in is full of people of different colors, languages and political persuasions. But that’s okay. The problem is not about the color of skin that divides us. It’s much deeper than that. Our streets are always crowded with sex offenders, murderers, looters, and drug addicts.

There are no longer safe havens in our cities for those who are striving to abide by the law.

Lawlessness seems to be the norm and not the exception. Civilized behavior has long been forgotten and was replaced by the politically correct memes of the mainstream media and the liberal community.

There is a “reign of terror” all over the world. The “Prince of Darkness” reigns with an iron fist forcing a great multitude of people to a life of fear and hopelessness.

Hard hearts is the problem not the color of skin.

Nowhere is this sad and horrible state more evident than in the homes.

We see houses full of people but there’s nobody home. People are living together but they’re living life alone. Everyone is searching diligently for their own identity.

This is the reason why IMAGE is everything to them. The fear of the

Lord is not in them. They ignore God because they are more interested with their own identity. Thus, they are all missing God’s purpose for the family – ONENESS. Amidst this self-centered and selfish attitude, ISOLATION is the name of the game.

Indeed, “All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned everyone to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). We see husbands abusing their wives and vice versa. We see wives leaving their husbands to co-habit with other men resulting in a generation of confused, abused, and misguided children. Children committing heinous crimes are no longer a

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rarity. In fact, it is the reality!

Moreover, we see a great number of men who just want to be mere fathers to their children instead of being great DADDIES to them. And these are the men who dominate their families instead of loving, leading, and serving them.

They abuse instead of caring for them.

They confuse instead of leading and instructing them with the Word of God. They divide instead of bringing their families together in a common unity through humility.

The Bible says, “He that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.”

Proverbs 28:14b

Not only have these men fallen into mischief, they have also dragged their wives and children into the quagmire of disillusionment, despair, and depression.

No wonder, we have today a wicked and perverse generation.

A generation brought about by husbands who have failed and were negligent in their duties to their wives and children. They are striving and working hard yet they are going nowhere. They provide their respective families with material things but that is all there is to it.

When it comes to nurturing their families spiritually, they are all clueless. Because they rely so much from their past experiences and depend solely on twisted traditions for directions rather than on the Living and True God of the Bible, who is the Author and Designer of a godly and happy family.

It is not uncommon to see husbands take their families to church on Sunday just to show the world that they, too, care for the spiritual of their families. Now, because of the pandemic, the churches have been closed down and they are forced to stay home with their families.

Instead of opening their Bibles to teach their families the Word of God, they buy alcoholic drinks, video games, etc. Without husbands being rooted in the Word of God,

domestic violence permeates in the homes.

For some unknown reason, they all have this notion that religion, if you embrace its teachings, will get the job of meeting their spiritual needs, the spiritual needs of their wives, and the spiritual needs of their children. The truth is, no matter how they cover up their pretense, their mischief are revealed in the open.

Yes, they strive to understand the teachings of their religion.

They will even claim to know the Bible, but they don’t want to read it much more understand it. And the Bible says, “The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor” (Proverbs 28:16a).

Even if they do not abuse their wives physically but if they fail to teach their wives the Word of God, they abuse them emotionally and spiritually.

What then? Shall we say that these men are doing a great job of leading their families in the way God wants to lead? God forbid!

I say then, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you and evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To Day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13).

Therefore, hard hearts is the problem not the color of skin. Grace is the solution not the human race.

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Para-Legal Services | Philippine News | Media Partners | Sports

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2020

PSC execs hail enactment of PH sports academy law MANILA – The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) expressed elation after President Rodrigo Duterte finally signed a law establishing the long-awaited National Academy of Sports (NAS) of the country.

"We are elated to see the hard work of our leaders in Senate and Congress come to fruition with this law," said PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez in a statement on Wednesday, hours after Duterte inked Republic Act 11470 or the National Academy of Sports Act. Ramirez added that his four commissioners, Mon Fernandez, Arnold Agustin, Charles Maxey, and Celia Kiram, share the same sentiment with him.

Set to be built at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, the NAS will cater to deserving high school student-athletes who want to

NEW LAW HAILED. Photo shows Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez posing with Senators Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Manny Pacquiao.

Ramirez and Go lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for signing Republic Act 11470 or the National Academy of Sports Act on June 9, 2020. (File photo)

excel in the sports they are in while getting quality education as well.

"The PSC commits its support and cooperation in the implementation of RA 11470's provisions, recognizing its success as a vital boost to the country's sports development and complementing the sports agency's efforts in line with its mandate to develop grassroots and elite sports," the PSC's statement added.

RA 11470 grants full scholarship to qualified student-athletes.

According to the law, it would be equipped with the necessary sports facilities, housing and other amenities that are based on current international standards.

School buildings with a sufficient number of classrooms and facilities will also be constructed at the complex.

The NAS will be attached to the Department of Education (DepEd).

The DepEd, in close coordination with the PSC, is directed to develop the athletic skills and talents of students in facilities at par with international standards.

The DepEd secretary will chair the academy’s Board of Trustees while an executive director appointed by the education chief and has an expertise in sports will head the NAS. Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, chair of the Senate Committee on Sports and one of the principal authors of RA 11470, said this law heralds a new era in Philippine sports development.

“It is about time that we establish a learning institution focused on sports,” he said. “I firmly believe that with this law, we will be able to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of sports development.” (PNA)

FC Edmonton returns to training

FC Edmonton's Amer Didic in training. (Photo: FC Edmonton).

FC Edmonton has received approval from its provincial and municipal health authorities, as well as the Canadian Premier League (CPL) office to return to training, the club announced on June 10.

The club will begin holding voluntary training sessions for players at Clarke Stadium on Thursday, June 11.

As part of the CPL’s training protocol, the club will adopt a phased approach as it returns to training that begins with non-contact individual or small group workouts, and eventually progresses into larger group and full-team training sessions over a period of time.

This plan is designed to provide a secure, sanitary and controlled environment that ensures adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols and physical distancing measures to www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

support the club’s top priority of guaranteeing the safety and wellbeing of its players, coaches, technical staff, employees, and their families when training begins and beyond.

"The team is excited to get back on the pitch but my priority still remains to do this as safely as possible for the players, staff, and their families," FC Edmonton Head Coach Jeff Paulus said.

Media will not be allowed any access to the training facility.

Any interviews will need to be arranged through FC Edmonton PR and conducted as per the club’s media policy.

Both the CPL and club will continue to monitor and follow all input, guidance and direction regarding the pandemic provided by all levels of government and all soccer governing bodies.(pr)

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The Return of the NBA JAN THE MAN’S NOTE

Januel Cedrick Ibasco Januel Cedrick Ibasco is a proud Filipino-Canadian and is currently a student at the University of Alberta studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. Sportsmanship is a big slice of his cake. He is highly-spirited when playing golf, volleyball, and basketball and loves reading, writing and volunteering at church. Jan looks forward to taking up law after his undergraduate degree.

itching to see again. As basketball fans, I know we do not always agree on who the best players are, or who the more superior team is, however, during the current state of this pandemic, I know that we can all agree on missing the game we all love to watch late in the evening. With that being said, I will now cover the changes that will appear when the NBA returns on July 31st. Though the return date is still distant, with a date set in stone, this allows all of us basketball fans to look forward to that special day.

First, it is important to note that 22 of the 30 NBA teams will be returning this season when play

resumes on July 31st. The teams returning in the East will be the 1st seeded team (Milwaukee Bucks) to the 9th seeded team (Washington Wizards). Furthermore, the teams returning in the West will be the 1st seeded team (LA Lakers) to the 13th seeded team (Phoenix Suns).

You may be wondering why there are more teams returning to play in the West compared to the East.

Continuing, the NBA decided on these teams, as the 9th seeded team to the 13th seeded team in the West are extremely close in the standings and so they wanted to distribute those teams fighting for a viable playoff spot fairly. However, in

contrast, the NBA decided on only having nine teams in the East primarily because the 10th seed and so forth would realistically, not have a strong chance of making the postseason. Although this decision will definitely anger fans whose teams are outside of a playoff spot, it is ultimately what the NBA general managers and owners voted on.

Second, the rest of the regular season and playoffs are slated to be played in Orlando with a contingent agreement at the Walt Disney World Resort. Essentially, this is the location that will house players and for games and practices to be held at.

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Third, a key change to make note of is that the top seven teams in each conference at the end of their regular season games will have clinched a playoff berth into the 2019-2020 NBA finals, while the eighth seed could be decided through a play-in tournament.

Lastly, once the playoffs begin, they will feature the same traditional format of having the lower seeded teams match up against the higher seeded teams in four rounds with each round being played in a bestof-seven matchup. The latest date the 2019-2020 NBA season can go to would be October 12th, that is if the final two teams in the playoffs must participate in a seventh game.

For a more detailed analysis of the NBA’s return and clarification for the points mentioned above please visit nba.com, specifically, this link: https://www.nba.com/ nba-returns-2020-faq

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t has now been approximately just over three months since we last saw live NBA basketball on television. Lebron’s no look passes, Antetokounmpo’s fierce dunks, Harden’s contested Euro-step and step-backs, and Doncic’s superb accuracy from long range are just a few of the highlights we have all been

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