Alberta Filipino Journal - June 2022 Issue by Alberta Filipino Journal

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Freedom can be achieved by not being deceived!

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JUNE 2022 • Volume 15, Number 06

AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

A Diwata with a Strong Will

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Philippine Ambassador Robles visits Alberta Alberta Filipino Journal publisher Jun Angeles welcomes fellow Quezonian, Philippine ambassador to Canada, Rodolfo Robles (left), at the Palabok House Restaurant, June 15, in Edmonton. At the center is Consul-General Zaldy Patron. Photo by Moses Billacura | Alberta Filipino Journal

Malacañang Names Eight New National Artists

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First Musical & Cultural Heritage Festival of Grande Prairie

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Sari-Sari Mercado: A Tribute to our Motherland

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Stop the Deportation of Vangie and McKenna

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ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

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

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Bringing A Filipina Author to the Mainstream

Maiden R. Manzanal-Frank, a global impact advisor based in Central Alberta is launching her book, PROVOCATEURS NOT PHILANTHROPISTS: TURNING GOOD INTENTIONS INTO GLOBAL IMPACT published by Changemakers Book. The book is about everyday leaders, which she calls 'provocateurs' in their search for meaningful legacies through their international service. These are farmers, nurses, engineers, lawyers, teachers who are doing extraordinary work in developing countries using their talents, skills, and connections, mostly on a volunteer basis. While governments, multilateral institutions, and aid agencies look for the next 'shiny' trend, these provocateurs are providing the vehicle for lasting, meaningful change with their work with their grassroots partners in the developing countries. Manzanal-Frank offers her distilled insights and Global South perspectives with her lived experiences travelling in more than 30 countries and working with the poorest communities in 15 Asian countries. She provides a refreshing blueprint, the Global Impact Leadership Framework as to how the new provocateurs, agents of transformational change can enlarge their outcomes and increase their contribution in making the world a better place. Volunteer organizations, diaspora groups, members of international service organizations and clubs, sustainable-centric organizations, and local communities with global mandates or mindset can benefit from the book's practical ideas.

Authorship | Community | Business

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According to Manzanal-Frank, the biggest motivation for writing the book as a global impact advisor for Canadian organizations and internationally is the fact that alot of well-intentioned people donating their monies, volunteering their time, and helping out disadvantaged groups overseas make mistakes that they can avoid, prevent, and completely mitigate. This new breed of altruists are very techy, hands-on, and well-motivated. Yet, there are many efforts that can be redirected with far greater results if only the experts will listen to the doers and partner with unlikely allies in the field. She said that, "we need to listen more, engage more, admit our mistakes more, and be more responsive to local contexts as provocateurs, not as philanthropists with the need to fix." The book will be released by 30 September and will be available in print and e-copy formats in major retailers such as Amazon US, Amazon

(780) 456-6138 ext. 5023 587-401-3956 (780)-716-4897 UK, Barnes and Nobles and Hive. jpagdonsolan@allstate.ca “I also speak Tagalog. ” *Terms and conditions apply. Amazon pre-order information ®Trademark used under licence by Allstate Insurance Company. 005E_02/ 18 will be available at the end of the month. Visit her website at www. *The bonus cheque reward will be sent to you prior to receiving your renewal offer. Terms and maindenmfrank.com and connect conditions apply. Trademark owned by Allstate Insurance Company used under licence by Allstate Insurance Company of Canada. ©2020 Allstate Insurance Company of Canada. 202201 | 05-20 with her at her Linkedin profile: maidenmanzanalfrank if you and your organization would like to #1 Executive Coach and New York Times the many crises the world is going learn more. bestselling author of Triggers, Mojo, and through. For that we need leaders What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. who urge for radical change, out of Endorsements *** the box, and start building a new “We all want to make an impact “The world is full of people who system on all levels. You could call on the world - to leave it better mean well and have good intentions to them “provocateurs”, the ones that than we found it - but this can feel solve global issues, but many wonder how? provoke change towards a sustainable, overwhelming and confusing. Maiden Here is a book that focuses on 'Impact' fair and humane society. We have Manzanal-Frank has written the vs tick in the box good works, now you many of those provocateurs already, ultimate guide to understanding can have a measurable impact in all you but we need more! This easy reading impact, backed with research and want to do.” book will wake up the audience and first-hand experience, and practical Dr. Ravi A. Fernando let them recognize how to become an steps to start giving back today. No Chairman/CEO, Global Strategic Corporate impact leader towards the urgently matter where you are in your life Sustainability Pvt. Ltd and Executive needed system change.” or career, this book will change in Residence INSEAD Business School your life!” *** Leida Rijnhout, Chief Executive, World “We need system change,” is often Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 heard when talking about solutions for

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AFJ Family | Editor's Corner | Business

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

Freedom can be achieved by not being deceived

EDITOR’S CORNER

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 Moses Billacura Sports Editor / Photographer / Videographer Lianne Angeles Associate Editor Mark Angeles, Mike Angeles Distribution Managers - Edmonton Andy Chua Marketing Manager - Edmonton +1 (780) 965-3549, fcchua@hotmail.com Maria Visconde Advertising, Sales and Marketing Manager - Calgary 403-891-9328 or 403-608-8817 Stephen Burry Distribution Manager - Calgary 1 (587) 938-3100, Freedommigrate@gmail.com Rolan Latorre Marketing Manager Melanie C. Gomez Website and Graphic Designer Columnists: Marjorie Carmona-Newman, Tito S. Venida, Ida Beltran-Lucila, Kristian Cereno, Marco Luciano, Mervin Mendoza Cereno, Nicky Gocuan, Giselle General, Hermo Pagtakhan, Januel Cedrick Ibasco, Fr. Jhack Diaz, Bing J. Jaleco, Jon Perez (Saskatoon, SK) Contributing Writers: Katrina Marielle U. Cereno, Leonila Samarita, Raquel Getigan, Jasmine-Grace Nacu, Jonabel Cabasal 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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Lito Mendoza Velasco

n June 12, 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo declared it to be Philippine Independence Day over the window of his house in Cavite El Viejo, where the waving of the Philippine Flag tailored by Marcela Agoncillo took place. At that time, the Marcha Nacional Filipina or what we now call the Philippine National Anthem, was played by San Francisco Band of Malabon. Going back to the time long before the declaration of our Independence, you could conspicuously observe that excessive abuses and brutality toward the Filipinos were the primordial reasons why the Philippine heroes were forced to fight against the colonizers. In fact, for over three centuries under Spanish rule, the Filipinos suffered terribly from the dark ages of proven maltreatment and slavery.

For a better understanding of Philippine History, Filipinos nowadays are encouraged to comprehensively study and be aware that prior to the 12th of June 1898, there had already been a series of revolts being organized by different revolutionaries. Among those brave men and women are the following: • The Rajah of Tondo (Rajah means King or Prince - Arabic term): Rajah Sulayman along with Rajah Ache or Matanda of Manila and Lakan Dula (Lakan means Ruler - Iranian term), who ruled the neighbouring towns of Tondo - one of the three ruling monarchs during the Spanish regime of the Port of Manila and the Pasig River Delta era. (1571 - 1575). Cause of Revolt: They revolted because Miguel Lopez de Legazpi reneged on his side of a deal that was made. In exchange for accepting Spanish sovereignty, Legazpi had promised that Sulayman, Lakan Dula and Historical Accounts: The their troops, would retain some Meritorious Fights and of their local authority, and be Independence from a Painful Past exempted from paying tribute,

and be treated fairly. • Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat (Sultan means King or Ruler - Arabic) of Maguindanao (1619 -1671). Cause of Revolt: He fought against the colonizers in defence of his muslim brothers and sisters in Mindanao. In spite of his noble intentions, he still found out that some of his companions became collaborators with the Spaniards. In his lectures to them, he said: “Do not let their sweet words deceive you. Their promises facilitate their deceits, which little by little, will enable them to control everything.” [Source: kahimyang.com] • Tapar of Panay (1663 - 1664). Cause of Revolt: He founded a new religious cult under native supervision. • Diego and Gabriela Silang in Ilocos (1762 - 1763). Cause of Revolt: Unjust and anomalous collection of tribute and the abuses of the alcaldes mayores (Mayors) of indulto de comercio. But, ignored by the provincial government. • Don Francisco Mañago in Pampanga (1660). Cause of Revolt: It was an uprising caused by the natives’ protest against the “polo” (forced labour) and “bandala” (a tribute in the form of food and stuff). Bandala is the Kapampangan word for food basket, and it later became a struggle to free the natives from Spanish rule. • Francisco Dagohoy in Bohol (1744 - 1829). Cause of Revolt: A Spanish Friar, Fr. Gaspar Morales,

refused to give his brother who died in duel, a Christian burial. • Apolinario dela Cruz, also known as Hermano Pule, organizer of Confradia de San Jose from Lucban and Tayabas, Quezon (1840 - 1841). Cause of Revolt: Confradia de San Jose was established in response to the racially discriminatory practices of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. Catholic religious orders refused to admit native Filipinos as members. • Akader Akobar better known as Datu Amai Pakpak (Datu means Chieftain and next to Sultan - Malay and Nepal term) (1891-1895), Battles of Marawi. Cause of Revolt: He and his troops maintained the fortification of what was known as Fort Marawi which defended the region from Spanish colonizers. • and many others. The execution of GOMBURZA (Filipino priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora) who were executed by garrotte in 17 February 1872 in Bagumbayan, Philippines, by Spanish colonial authorities on changes of subversion arising from the 1872 Cavite mutiny. Also, after a show trial, Dr. Jose Rizal was convicted of sedition and sentenced to death by firing squad. Rizal’s public execution was carried out at Luneta Park in Manila on December 30, 1896. His execution created more opposition to Spanish continued on page 8 ►

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

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Business | Community

PH embassy officials, organization leaders to work on reducing hurdles on credential recognition

Philippine ambassador to Canada Rodolfo Robles and wife Nora (10th from left, front row) with Quezonians and guests, June 15, at the Palabok House Restaurant in Edmonton.(Photo by Moses Billacura/AFJ) By Moses Billacura

Philippine ambassador to Canada Rodolfo Robles said it is his "personal advocacy" to have Philippine-licensed professionals go through a smooth and easier credential recognition in Canada. Speaking before fellow Quezonians, June 15, at the Palabok House Restaurant in Edmonton, the ambassador, who started serving since 2020, said they have started with registered nurses and will work also on other professional recognitions. He also spoke about their current work at another gathering of Filipino organization leaders organized by Consul-General Zaldy Patron, June 16, at the Holiday Inn where ideas and suggestions were relayed to the ambassador. Josie Pollard of the Filipino Saranays said that registered nurses should not be working in Tim's or McDonald's but in hospitals. Ambassador Robles said he is saddened upon learning that experienced professionals could not immediately practice their professions in Canada because of the regulations set by governing bodies and that is why they are steadily working on it with the help of various stakeholders. Consul-General Zaldy Patron encouraged the Filipino organization leaders to also seek the help of their legislative assembly representatives to help them as credential recognitions vary in its process for every province. Edmonton-based lawyer Joseph Angeles also sought the help of the Philippine officials with regards to lawyers who immigrated to Canada and ambassador Robles, a lawyer and former law dean, said they will work on it when the position papers are submitted to them. Angeles, who runs Angeles Law Firm, told the Alberta Filipino Journal that there is a need to have an advocate, All photos and articles available online. Follow us

L-R: Marilda Kane, Ambasador Robles and wife Nora, ConGen Zaldy, and Aimee Symington (Photo by Lito Velasco/AFJ)

one each for a profession pointing out the presence of professional colleges and societies that govern and set rules for professionals. Nicky Gocuan, president of the Philippine Media Association of Alberta, suggested that Philippine professionals could start getting the credential recognition requirement while still in the Philippines with the assistance of approving bodies in Canada so that by the time they migrate to Canada, they will not be finding other type of work just to "survive". The Filipino organization representatives also said that Filipinos would do whatever to comply with regulations in order to practice their professions but what they are looking forward to is for them to be able to attain it with fewer hurdles, if possible.

Rose De Rosario (right) discusses nurses' issues with Philippine ambassador to Canada Rodolfo Robles during a gathering of Quezonians, June 15, at the Palabok House Restaurant in Edmonton.(Photo by Moses Billacura/AFJ)

Attorney Joseph Angeles (left) and Philippine Ambassador Rodolfo Robles further discuss important issues after the Townhall Meeting organized by the Consulate General's Office Calgary, June 16, at the Holiday Inn in Edmonton. (Photo by Moses Billacura/AFJ)

DOST Scholars in Alberta Clare Maristela Galon, Christy Marie Alsado, Karla Christina Cruz and Danielito Dollete graced the Townhall Meeting organized by the Consulate General's Office Calgary, June 16, at the Holiday Inn in Edmonton. (Photo by Moses Billacura/AFJ)

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Sports

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

Goon Squad dethrones Leduc Warriors, 108-101

Lucas Salumbides practices at the free throw line as they prepare for the next game in Enzo Salumbides is about to pass the ball to his teammate in the 2022 NWEBC, June 4, at this piece of action in the 2022 NWEBC, June 4, at the Legacy the Legacy Athletics. (Photo Athletics. (Photo by Moses Billacura/AFJ) by Moses Billacura/AFJ)

(Starting from 4th from left to right) Mythical Five awardees Ian Gonzales, Lem Baui, Ken Labrador, Carl Gonzales and MJ Orlina with LASBA officials headed by Dante Garcia (3rd from left), Benny Antonio, Don Palencia, Julius Besa and Rolan.(Photo by Moses Billacura/AFJ)

Goon Squad dethroned the Leduc Warriors with a 108-101 victory in the 2022 Leduc Alberta Sunday Ballers Association (LASBA) basketball finals at the West Haven Public School in Leduc. It was a see-saw battle in the fourth quarter with the Goon Squad controlling the rebounds to score the needed points to secure the win. The Warriors of Alexis Dimaculangan made attempts from the three-point area to catch but they ran out of time.

Trophies and medals were awarded to the winners courtesy of Capital Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. The scores: Goon Squad (108) -- Kenneth S 33, Avila 25, Espeleta 18, Javier 9, Orlina 6, Hernandez 4, Magtortol 3, Calina 2, Antonio 2, Dizon 2, Bonafe 2. Leduc Warriors (101) -- Baui 31, Tovillo 23, I. Gonzalez 16, Gonzalez 10, Cuenco 9, Catada 5, Samontanez 4 Guillen 2. (Moses Billacura)

Carl Gonzales receives the third place trophy for Team Synergy in the 2022 Leduc Alberta Sunday Ballers Association (LASBA) awarding ceremony, May 29, at the West Haven Public School in Leduc. Joining him is his beloved Alaissa Tolosa. (Photo by Moses Billacura/AFJ) Jayson Handugan of Leduc emerged as the first champion of the 2022 Jekasa Sportswear Billiards Tournament at the Top Shots Billiards and Ping Pong in Mill Woods, Edmonton. (Jekasa photo)

AJ Mapa receives his awards in the 2022 Maharlika Basketball Association and poses with team sponsor Doc Chum of SkinLueur Laser Centre. Joining them are SkinLueur's Sheila Jago (extreme left) and Andie Labelle Varias. (Maharlika photo)

Crosstown Auto Centre's Paulo Librea, RJ Librea, Josh Santua, Maverick Tameta, Derrick Rodriguez, CJ Liwanag, Jester Tandoc, Lem Baui, Rhay Villarosa, Generay Aquino, coaches Ches , Edwin, Jecris and Virlou took part in the PBA Legends Games, June 18, at the NAIT gym in Edmonton. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

On 3 June 2022, Consul General Zaldy Patron received Mr. Antonio Eusebio, Filipino-Calgarian rookie member of UP Fighting Maroons, Champions of University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 Men’s Basketball. Consul General Patron encourages more Filipino-Canadians who are into sports to play in the Philippines.

AFJ publisher Jun Angeles hosts an AFJ Cheering Party for the Edmonton Oilers who qualified to the Western Division Finals. Photo taken at the River Cree Casino, May 26. (Photo by Moses Billacura/AFJ)

PBA Legends

Participants in the 2022 PBA Legends Tour pose for posterity, June 18, at the NAIT gym in Edmonton. (Photo by Nicky Gocuan)

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Dennis Florentino, Prince Lacson, Trevor Kells, Mitch Caretero and Leandro Quesada of Team Fast Fat Forty placed 2nd in the 2022 Golden Two-Four Presented by Lupine, June 17-19, in Golden, BC.(Contributed photo)

Allan Caidic prepares to shoot another trey in the PBA Legends, June 18, at the NAIT gym in Edmonton. (Photo by Nicky Gocuan) THE PULSE OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, CANADA

Politics | Community | Sports

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

TRADITION OF LEADERSHIP Edmonton’s Downtown Publisher and president of the Congress of the Philippine Associations of Alberta, together with his team, paid Panaderia on 99, Sarap-Sarap Restaurant along 107 Street in downtown as well as the Kusina Filipino along 97 Street-North, a short visit as a gesture of support. He always loves to see our kababayans in business truly excelling.

Core and Transit System Safety Plan

L - R: Publisher Jun Angeles, Owners of Panaderia on 99 Mrs. Eva Yeo and her son Rolando Robles (Photo by Lito Velasco)

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi

From Mayor Sohi’s Desk By Mayor Amarjeet Sohi

L - R: Publisher Jun Angeles, Sports Editor Mo Billacura, L - R: Sports Editor Mo, Publisher Jun, and the Owner of Kusina Filipino Sarap-Sarap owner Rod Magnaye, Nanay, and Abel Cereno (Photo by Lito Velasco) (Photo by Lito Velasco)

The Oilers Fans from Alberta Provincial Laboratory From Dhalie Buenviaje

With dignity and pride. Win or lose. We are the diehard supporters of the Edmonton Oilers!

Dhalie Buenviaje, Michelle Samilo-Buenviaje, Joe Mauricio, Teresa Stacy, Ivanka Simonovic, Cori McLeod, Dr. Kinga Kowalewska, Corine Hein, and the rest of the Team in support of the Western Conference Final.

Nominations open for the Alberta Newcomer Recognition Awards! Alberta’s Government has opened nominations for the first annual Alberta Newcomer Recognition Awards. These awards will honour the outstanding contributions newcomers make to their neighbourhoods, schools, professions, communities and economies. Nine awards categories recognize the contributions of youth, women, seniors, entrepreneurs, academics, workers and community builders. Successful recipients will have enriched the province through volunteer activities,

leadership, innovation in business, contributions to their academic or professional field, and actions to help build a more inclusive Alberta. Honourable Kaycee Madu, Minister of Labour and Immigration, and Honourable Muhammad Yaseen, Associate Minister of Immigration and Multiculturism are inviting you to consider nominating a newcomer or spreading the news of the awards in your community. Nominations must be submitted online no later than July 24, 2022. Award recipients will be

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announced and their achievements recognized in October 2022. To learn more about the awards, nominate a newcomer, and/or share this information with others, visit alberta.ca/NewcomerAwards. Resources, translated in multiple languages, are available for you to download, print and share within your networks. We look forward to receiving nominations and honouring newcomers who have made great contributions to Alberta!

ead the comprehensive plan containing 16 concrete actions and 5 core asks that I sent to Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro. On June 9, Minister Shandro received our plan to address public safety, which details the City of Edmonton’s extensive actions to improve public safety on our core streets and across our transit system. The Downtown Core and Transit System Safety Plan outlines twelve recent actions that the City of Edmonton has taken to support public safety from a perspective that includes: enforcement, collaboration, bylaws, cleanliness, and communication. The plan also describes four streams of longer-term work that will improve integrated services, program access, community development and economic development. In addition, it confirms that Edmonton has a strong framework to guide decision-making, thanks to other plans supporting community safety and well-being, and transit safety and security. Let me be clear, though we created this document in response to the letter from Minister Shandro, the work in here is not new. Your City Council has worked with administration, the Chinatown community, Downtown stakeholders, and law enforcement since the beginning of our term. I believe that by building trusting relationships, we can effectively address any concerns communities have. We have shown many times that Council can move quickly when we respond to asks from community. On May 24th, 2022, we dedicated $300,000 to address Chinatown safety and in February, we also immediately addressed transit safety concerns with $3.9 million for Community Transit Outreach Teams, as well as deploying Peace Officers to hot spots. We have even shifted longer-term strategies in response to feedback, such as amending our Neighbourhood Renewal actions for areas that have identified safety as a main goal. Just last week, your City Council voted to maintain Edmonton Police Service funding and create a new funding formula to ensure policing is properly funded as part of the City’s safety ecosystem. Council also committed to cover the large gap in the City’s share of photo-radar revenue after the province upped its take of the fund’s cash in fall 2019. Plan highlights: • Strategies to increase public cleanliness,

improve streetscape, encampment clean-up, and community vibrancy • Creating a Healthy Streets Operation Centre that will be located in Chinatown • Increasing Police Officer and Peace Officer presence, coordination between City and social service agencies, and enhancing transit safety As Policing costs increase for municipalities, we are not seeing a meaningful increase in support from the province. In fact, the province has not increased its contribution to policing in any municipality since 2004. Their per-capita funding for Edmonton has stayed at $16 for 18 years, despite inflation and labour costs spiking. The province has also not increased the Police Officer Grant since its creation in 2008, leaving Edmonton taxpayers to cover costs associated with the 105 officers covered by the grant. These costs have nearly doubled since the grant was created. This plan asks the province to keep pace with increasing costs rather than downloading them to property taxes. The Minister’s letter notes that the provincial government would support initiatives that would boost the City’s safety efforts and work with us to address the underlying causes of social disorder. To make the City’s needs clear, we have included asks for the provincial government that would effectively decrease the workload on police and would reaffirm the province’s responsibility to fund the services that make cities strong. Our asks for the provincial government: • The province increases its contribution to the Edmonton Police Service to match their funding with inflation and population growth. • The province steps up to improve emergency shelter conditions (provide additional funding to shelter providers to implement the City’s Minimum Emergency Shelter Standards.) • The province increases the availability of shelter spaces and transitional housing. • The province funds wrapped around services for supportive and permanent housing. The province increases Homeward Trust’s funding by $8.9 million on an ongoing basis, starting in 2022, and continues to increase that funding to give us the same support they provide to Calgary. • The province deals with the ongoing drug poisoning crisis through investment (data collection, funding for addiction response, mental health supports, etc.) • I value transparency and accountability. That is why we have decided to release this plan in full on the City of Edmonton website and include a full listing of the referenced strategies, bylaws, and supporting documents totalling over 300 pages. I encourage you to go and read through to see exactly what we are doing now, in the future, and what we are asking of our provincial government. Edmonton deserves better, and I believe that our Council and administration, in collaboration with community leaders, businesses and other orders of governments, have the tools and will to create a safe Edmonton for all for us. To read the plan in full visit edmonton.ca/downtownsafety www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

Opinion | Editor's Corner

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

“A Single Conversation with a WISE Man is BETTER than 10 years of study! "Good Judgment comes from EXPERIENCE... and Experience comes from POOR Judgment!"

HERMO’s LIFE’s MISSING GUIDEBOOK Series: THIS MONTH’s FEATURE: “THE 90/10 PRINCIPLE” (by Stephen Covey) 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 had practised for more than 25 years in the Philippines and in Alberta and thereafter, was an Index Options Trader in Wall Street. He is currently a Family Counselor with Arbor Memorial Gardens whom he joined in 2013. Hermo is also President of PROXSMART GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES and of NOTIFY GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES which develop Mobile Apps for Digital Marketing and Contactless Technologies which enable Businesses to operate their businesses and at the same time keep their Employees and Clients safe from Covid19 Contamination.

iscover the 90/10 Principle. It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations).

What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% is decided by how you react. What does this mean?

from page 4

Editor's Corner rule and it made the Filipinos’ blood boil. Rules imposed by the Spanish became more outrageous and triggered Filipinos to fight for the welfare and independence of the Philippines. [Source: wikipedia.org]. Apolinario Mabini, another hero who showed that any physical disabilities should not serve as hindrances in order to serve the country and fight for one’s right and freedom. Tandang Sora had not taken her old age as a reason to relinquish her duty and love of country. Evidently, Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, and other propagandists made use of their pens and papers to fight; Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo y Padilla used their art works and paintings to awaken Filipino Nationalism; Lapulapu, Diego Silang, Sultan Kudarat, Emilio Aguinaldo, Gregorio H. Del Pilar, and the Katipuneros used their forces to defend and fight for Philippine Independence. www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down; the plane being late in arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light, but YOU can control how you react. Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 110 km/h in an 80 km/h speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $300 and some demerit points (traffic fine) away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. You arrive at the office 20 minutes late, because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day? A) Did the coffee cause it? B) Did your daughter cause it? C) Did the policeman cause it? D) Did you cause it? The answer is obviously D. You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened: Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently

By the aforementioned, you have clearly seen that the Philippine heroes and revolutionaries just had one and the same dream. That is, by all means, to liberate the poor Filipinos from bondage of slavery. Philippine heroes left good memories, lessons, and stories to ponder upon. They have shown and proven that the love of country is one of the greatest signs and expressions of love. President Manuel Luis Quezon said, “My loyalty to my family ends when my loyalty to my country begins.” Their courage and determination to launch a good fight, until the end of time, should have made an impact in every Filipino’s heart. Just make sure, it is and will always be a good and meritorious fight or war. Never get involved or even assault anybody because of your suspicion, personal jealousy, greed, gain and caprices. Freedom shouldn't be practised for freedom’s sake. It is coupled with duties and responsibilities or the ability to respond to others’ needs and welfare. So as independence cannot be realized by living alone.

say, "It's ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time." Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You and your spouse kiss before you go to work. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good a day you are having. Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction. Here are some ways to apply it! The 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you. React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc. How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel and hurt your own fingers? Do you curse? Does your blood pressure rocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive? Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it. You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passengers. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90/10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.

For a very simple reason that man is a social being and he cannot dissociate himself from the community where there are existing ordinances, rules, paradigms, guidelines, and laws to abide. One should not just do whatever he wants to do; but instead, one has to do what benevolently conforms with the standard norms: “In your everyday life, take care of what you write, say, and do; to avoid misinterpretation and lasting misunderstanding.” [Tau Gamma Phi’s Code of Conduct]. Liberation from Deception: Radicalism Nevertheless, it does not merely suffice to see a person who keeps on saying he loves his neighbour or country without action. One’s industry, productivity, creativity, and sustainability shall also be observed. And, to ever-changing time, please be reminded that the war against the pandemic or COVID-19 virus is not gone yet. Some evil people in the business world are still desiring to gain more wealth by deceiving the entire human race. Powerful business leaders still keep on formulating medicines or drugs

The 90/10 principle is incredible. It seems simple common-sense but very few apply this principle! The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, court trials, problems and heartaches. They never seem to be a success in life. Bad days follow bad days. Terrible things seem to be constantly happening. There is constant stress, lack of joy, and broken relationships. Worry consumes time. Anger breaks friendships and life seems dreary and is not enjoyed to the fullest. Friends are lost. Life is a bore and often seems cruel. Does this describe you? If so, do not be discouraged. You can be different! With the 90/10 Principle mindset, you have the CHOICE to REACT. UNDERSTAND and APPLY the 90/10 principle. It will change your life! (CTTO)

for their invented diseases. They are becoming richer by deceiving the ignorant consumers. Some politicians keep on implementing laws and restrictions to protect their friends in that business. For as long as evil-doers exist, there will always be a perceived war ahead of us. Liberation from Ignorance and Insolence: Education So, as citizens of any country and of the world, the best antidote and defence to acquire freedom and independence is a comprehensively proper as well as collaboratively guided education between the home and the school. As Jose Rizal said, “Through education, the country receives light.” This piece of thought also coincides with what is going on in the month of June - the graduation month. Wherein, students have ended one level and in the next school year, will climb up to another ladder as a means to achieving success—the success that would truly be liberating—freeing them from ignorance. Liberation from the Burden of Social Responsibilities: Frontliners While it is true that a human

being is mortal, it is also true that life has to be protected. No one can harm you without any valid and credible reasons. However, protecting life is not harming or killing someone in the community. Protecting one another and loving one another is the Divine Commandment. This is the reason why we have so many frontliners and caregivers who continue to render their services and should worthily be recognized and appreciated. They are modern-day heroes who keep on endangering their lives and offering their own time and just to save others from being harmed by the invisible enemies—the COVID-19 Pandemic and other viruses. Feel free to live a better life Live a life of moderation. Avoid gluttony, pride, anger, lust, envy, jealousy, sloth, drunkenness, and other vices, lest you forget your family, work, studies, fraternity, and the community. (TGP Tenet) Happy 124th Celebration of the Philippine Independence Day! Happy Graduation Month!

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

Opinion

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Hate Crime vis-a-vis Racial Discrimination LEGAL CHIKA

Raquel P. Getigan Earned Bachelor of Laws degree at Manila Law College and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Philippine Normal University. She’s an educator by profession and Apprentice at Atty. Romeo Sese Law office.

ow safe are you when traveling by yourself? Are you discerning of somebody who will attack

you physically or verbally? Recently, we’ve seen a rise in hate-related crimes. How do hate crimes parallel racial discrimination? H ate crime is a crime, typically one involving violence, that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds (Oxford). Correspondingly, the racial discrimination described in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination Adopted and opened for signature and ratification by General Assembly resolution 2106 (XX) of 21 December 1965 entry into force 4 January 1969, in accordance with Article 19, states that the term "racial discrimination" shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin, which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing,

of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life. Accordingly, Article I also states that this Convention shall not apply to distinctions, exclusions, restrictions or preferences made by a State Party to this Convention between citizens and non-citizens. Thus, nothing in this Convention may be interpreted as affecting in any way the legal provisions of States Parties concerning nationality, citizenship or naturalization, provided that such provisions do not discriminate against any particular nationality. Lastly, special measures taken for the sole purpose of securing adequate advancement of certain racial or ethnic groups or individuals requiring such protection as may be necessary in order to ensure such groups or individuals equal enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms shall not be deemed racial discrimination, provided, however, that such measures

do not, as a consequence, lead to the maintenance of separate rights for different racial groups and that they shall not be continued after the objectives for which they were taken have been achieved. Furthermore, this International Convention authorized the states in forming decrees relevant to racial discrimination as mentioned in Article 2 that, States Parties condemn racial discrimination and undertake to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms and promoting understanding among all races, and, to this end: (a) Each State Party undertakes to engage in no act or practice of racial discrimination against persons, groups of persons or institutions and to ensure that all public authorities and public institutions, national and local, shall act in conformity with this obligation; (b) Each State Party undertakes not to sponsor, defend or support racial discrimination by any

persons or organizations; (c) Each State Party shall take effective measures to review governmental, national and local policies, and to amend, rescind or nullify any laws and regulations which have the effect of creating or perpetuating racial discrimination wherever it exists; (d) Each State Party shall prohibit and bring to an end, by all appropriate means, including legislation as required by circumstances, racial discrimination by any persons, group or organization; (e) Each State Party undertakes to encourage, where appropriate, integrationist multiracial organizations and movements and other means of eliminating barriers between races, and to discourage anything which tends to strengthen racial division. The confusion over the difference between a hate crime and racial discrimination occurs due to obliviousness. Nonetheless, SocMed or Information and Media Literacy can persuade the state to reinforce laws against hate crimes or racial discrimination. Protect our people.

Edmonton Chinatown Wants Action NOW!

ecently, we had the privilege to witness the outpouring of anger of the Edmonton Chinatown Community because of the violent crimes happening in their community which claimed the lives of two community members. On May 18, Hung Trang, 64, was assaulted inside Albert’s Auto Body repair on 10604-98 Street. He and Ban Phuc Hoang were both beaten to death. Edmonton Police recently caught Justin Bone. The accused is charged with two counts of seconddegree murder. Because of the homicide incidents in Chinatown, the community went to the City Council Chamber so they could express their disappointment and for our City Officials to understand the situation they are facing. “We want action Now, not tomorrow,” said an angry Chinatown businessman who wishes to remain anonymous. The Chamber was packed with over 250 people and guards had to start turning people away because there was no more room. The City Council took at least an hour to deliberate if they would allow the people in the Chamber to speak. I was shocked with how our Bureaucracy is failing the people. Councillor Andrew Knack, who was not present in the Chamber but was present virtually said there are also other important matters that the city needs to address. In fairness to Councillor Knack, it is true that they have other matters on their agenda, but this is a pressing matter that required immediate attention and mind you, it was not only Knack who stated this but other Councillors as well. What surprised me is that I left an hour after, and they were still not yet finished deliberating. What is so hard about addressing the situation at hand? Our officials must learn to be flexible when situations like this happen. When they finally agreed to allow the people in the Chamber to speak, the City council, through the motion of Councillor Jennifer Rice, agreed to release $300,000 from their Contingency fund to help hire security guards to patrol Chinatown. Currently, there are nine guards working 12-hour days, patrolling 97 street to 101 street and 105 Ave to 110A Avenue. The Edmonton

JUST LISTEN

Nicky Gocuan, PMAA ngocuan@yahoo.com Nicky Gocuan has been a Columnist/ Photojournalist for over 15 years. He finished his Degree in Communication Arts at De La Salle University in 1990. After obtaining his University degree, Gocuan joined the Print Media and has contributed for The Philippine Star, Pilipino Star and later moved to Bagong Pinoy, where he wrote a regular opinion column. He also went on to write a showbiz column for The Tribune and Remate. Gocuan has experience in covering the Police beat, Political beat, and Entertainment beat before landing in the Sports beat. He later wrote a regular sports column for Remate Tonight. During this time, he was elected President of the Philippine Basketball Association Press Photographers Club (PBAPPC) for Two Terms and helped uplift the status of the group to become a part of the 5 Man Mythical Committee in the PBA. He is currently the President of The Philippine Media Association of Alberta (PMAA) and Host of a weekly radio program ‘The Fourth Estate” on Tala Luvz Radio in Calgary.

Police have also committed to put up a Community Interdisciplinary Station inside Chinatown where they can easily attend to situations nearby and will house Social Workers and Community officers. The way I see it is these new measures are only going to be effective if it is a long-term program. Right now, the budget provided will only last for a few months. Prior to this violent incident, The Edmonton Chinatown Community had been asking for help for a long time and they were ignored. Chinatown Area & Business Association Executive Director Wen

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Wang in an interview with this writer told us they are happy with the new short-term measures if delivered. Asked by this writer about how many Supervised injection sites are still in Chinatown, Wang says there are still two. Wang says she hopes they are not being discriminated. They have learned to Co-Exist. The Assocation organizes to pick up needles from April to December. They pick up at around 400 needles a month. “Injection sites are not functioning as planned,” says Wang. This writer told Wang that there were about one million needles picked up every year prior to injection sites, based on a reliable source from the Government of Alberta. While injection sites prevent overdose, I strongly believe injection sites should be built outside of the city and far from mass transportation, and here is why I say this. Currently, we have them inside the city core, so if we have tourists who come to Edmonton, where do they want to go? It is an obvious answer. They want to see the City Centre. And the first thing they will notice is the amount of people on the streets because they are homeless. Wang agrees with me when I said the city should be clean. In Fact, they have a joint project with Hope Mission, which is a cleaning project. So, do you know why there are so many problems in the LRT and Bus Stations? In my own opinion, it is because we have so many homeless or mentally ill people who roam around our City Core and have easy access to rapid transit. Wang adds “We need to decentralize social agencies. Addiction, Mental Illness and Homelessness cannot be rolled into one.” It is a problem that the Provincial and Municipal Government need to seriously look at. The solution is not just throwing money into building shelters. This does not solve it. “Because what if the person does not want to stay in that housing and they might feel they are being confined?” says Wang. Both the Provincial and Municipal government must work hand in hand to move services outside the city and make sure that there are Social Workers as well as Doctors who can help people with rehabilitation to get out of addition.

L to R Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Community & Social Services Jason Luan and Associate Minister for Mental Health & Addictions Mike Ellis

Chinatown protest placards

There is also a need for trainers who can Introduce them to building crafts, carpentry, or any farming work so that during rehabilitation they can feel that they can be part of the community and they have a contribution towards it. These homeless individuals could have turned to substance abuse because they feel worthless, and no one is giving them the opportunity. No one would like to be homeless, nor become an addict. It could be because of an unfortunate incident in their career or life, that they have fallen on hard times, so support them so that they can become worthy individuals who can reintegrate to society when they are ready. So how did all this violent crime happen in Chinatown? According to a very recent report from CBC news, they learned that Bone, who was charged with the crimes, was dropped off by the Parkland RCMP officers in West Edmonton on May 15, even though bail conditions prohibited him from being in Edmonton Unsupervised. Why was Bone released into Edmonton City when bail conditions were noticeably clear that he must be

supervised? Where did the system fail? Alberta Solicitor General and Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro should investigate this. It took only three days before Bone committed another crime. If Bone were not released into the city, both Hung and Hoang would still be alive. This is a clear case that our Justice system has flaws that need to be addressed not tomorrow, but now! Our Justice System needs an overhaul. People who violate laws are no longer scared of the punishment that is being dealt to them. Just imagine, law breakers who killed someone can be Freed back into society within a few years. How about the life that was taken away and the rights of the grieving family? Or Picture this, a Rapist who goes after Women and Children, is jailed for a few years, and sent back into our communities. How is this considered safe and correct when the victims are still suffering even after their release in jail? Our Federal and Provincial Legislators need to act now before it is too late. For comments, email us at tfehost@ gmail.com www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

Immigration Updates | Community

THE IMMIGRATION GUY

BLOOMS ARE IN THE AIR: Questions for an Immigration Professional New opportunities bloom!

Stephen Burry Stephen Burry is the Lead Consultant and owner of Freedom Migrate Immigration Solutions Limited, an immigration consultancy firm based in Calgary, Alberta. Stephen is licensed with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). He can be reached at 403-520-2277 or call/ text at 587-938-3100. Email: freedommigrate@gmail.com Website: www.freedommigrate.ca ASK AN IMMIGRATION PROFESSIONAL – 2022 June Edition: Our most frequently asked questions in a series called Questions for an Immigration Professional. **All names and details have been changed to protect identity**

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

Question from Angelica in Edmonton, AB: I arrived in Canada in 2014 as a refugee and was refused refugee status. I did not understand the exclusion order at the time and have stayed inside Canada. I have been out of status since 2009 and have no hope left! I stay with family and must constantly be looking over my shoulder in fear that I will be deported. Since being here in Canada, I gave birth to a beautiful son in 2018 and fear that I will not be able to provide him an education here in Canada and will be forced to go home! Answer: Hi Angelica, hope is not lost! This is certainly a serious situation that must be addressed! The first step is to overcome your status issue and work towards building a compassionate case for permanent residency. Keep the faith! The first step we always take in status issues like yours is to obtain a disclosure from the government

requesting all your documents, officer notes, and communications on your file with immigration. We never want to work on correcting your situation while working blind! – not having all the information. If you live at an address that IRCC is unaware of, you may have had communications that you never received. Step two is to determine what file works best for you! There are usually two options in this situation. Because your refugee file decision happened many years ago, you may have an opportunity to apply for a temporary resident permit and humanitarian and compassionate considerations for permanent residency. Likely, you have an enforcement action against you – which means that if you do not work to resolve this issue, eventually enforcement will catch up with you and remove you and your child from Canada. The temporary resident permit allows you to restore your status in Canada – temporarily – so you can take actions to resolve your status long term!

Next, we would build and submit a humanitarian and compassionate considerations application asking the government for an exemption to allow you to apply directly for permanent residency! There are many grounds that are considered in such a file; best interests of a child – your beautiful son, your establishment in Canada, and the reasons that prevent you from returning to your home country. Not all hope is lost! This situation is a profoundly serious one – but doing nothing about it can be even more serious.

Canadian studies may go to waste!

Question from Leo in Calgary, AB: I graduated from a business management program back in 2020 and I was issued a two-year post graduate open work permit that will expire very soon! My original plan was to get six months of work experience in my field and then qualify for a provincial nomination. Then COVID-19 ARRIVED! I have only been able to find labour jobs – paying me just enough to cover my expenses and send a bit of money back home to my family. Because of the pandemic, I have not been able to get the work experience I need to get permanent residency. However, now that things have started to go back to normal, I have been offered a job in my field! The only issue is that my permit is about to expire. Help! I feel like my education will be a waste if I cannot use it to get permanent residency here in Canada for myself and my family. Answer: Leo, we understand your frustration – and so does the Canadian government.

In normal circumstances, postgraduate work permits are not renewable. Hence, before COVID-19 came along, you would either have to find the qualifying work experience or change conditions/go home. But we were certainly not in normal circumstances between 2020 and now. On January 8, 2021, the Minister of Immigration announced that former international students who hold or held a postgraduate work permit will have the opportunity to apply for an open work permit! This is a unique chance to get an additional 18 months to gain the necessary experience to qualify for permanent residency! This is in response to concerns just like yours. Since this announcement, the government has reinforced this policy and it likely will become permanent. Students are very important to the Canadian economy, and you will have pathways for success. Rest easy knowing Freedom Migrate offers full representation for the entire process. We help you build your case and prepare you for the permanent resident application to follow. Our prices are very reasonable, and we work hard to build a competitive application for you! DID YOU KNOW? WE ARE HOLDING AN IMMIGRATION OPEN HOUSE AT OUR CALGARY OFFICE ON JUNE 18TH – DROP IN! WE ARE OFFERING FREE CONSULTATIONS AND INITIAL ASSESSMENTS. OFFICE: 129 17 AVENUE NE, CALGARY, ALBERTA T2E 1L7. Have a question? Send us your submission to freedommigrate@ gmail.com or call our office at 403520-2277 or text 587-938-3100 from anywhere in Alberta!

TAFFCE First Anniversary

his is the event of the year that we are waiting for! The Association of Friendly Filipino Canadians of Edmonton (TAFFCE) will hold its First Year Anniversary on October 1, 2022, 6:00PM at Four Points Sheraton South Edmonton in Argyll. Yes! Our theme will be Gatsby…. Night of Music and Elegance featuring DJ

Kwake (Archie) and his team with lots of nostalgic music, for sure you will enjoy, dance, and reminisce the past with your friends and love one. We are open for program souvenir sponsorships as well as prices for raffle draws. Ticket is $60 each, includes delicious dinner and we will have the 50-50 draw. For details, please call us at 780-660-7710.

Love your neighbours He who says he loves his God but ignores his neigbours is a liar. These individuals have been friends for so long. They just enjoy potlucks and each other’s presence. Their kindness and generosity are worth-copying.

Jess gelvezon, Joan Gelvezon, Sheila and Roger Medrano Zarandin, Myrna and Roger Tolentino

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

Community | Business

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

MusiKainan at Sayawan Event: Musikainan 2022 Organizers: Sarap Sarap Restaurant and Catering Service Audience: People who want to listen to good, live music and have fun Venue: St. Albert Community Hall, 17 Perron St., St. Albert Date: June 4, 7 PM Feedback: Great show, great band, great food

Demand: People are still asking for more live dates as others failed to attend due to work schedules and the Oilers game Sequel: Sarap Sarap Restaurant opening (probably in July 2022) Sarap Sarap Restaurant and Catering Services and the AZN (pronounced “Asian”) Session band partnered on June

4th to hold the first ever MusiKainan Dinner and Entertainment show at the St. Albert Community Hall along 17 Perron Street, St. Albert. Guests were serenaded with classic love songs from the 70s to the early 2000s performed by the AZN Session Band, highlighted by their rendition of the pop jazz hit “Better Days” by Diane Reeves. The 1st set started off

with the Doobie Brothers’ Top 10 hit “Long Train Runnin”, followed by “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer and “Kiss on My List” by Hall and Oates. As the guests finished up dinner, the band performed other chart toppers like “Open Arms” by Journey, “Stranded” by Heart and “Through The Fire” by Chaka Khan. The 1st set was capped by Ambrosia’s “Biggest Part of Me” followed by “Game of Love” by Santana and Michelle Branch. The 2nd Set kicked off with a

rendition of Player’s “Baby Come Back” followed by “Price Tag” by Jessie J., which set up the mood for everyone to get on the dance floor. The 2nd set was an hour and a half of all-dance music to the guests’ delight. Sarap Sarap Restaurant and Catering Services aims to continue its partnership with the AZN Session Band by putting up regular shows for the band in their new location at 10130 107 Ave NW in Edmonton. Watch out for their schedule on their Facebook Page.

The Audience

From L – R: GBoy Garcia (Vocals), Joseph Flores (Drums), Maui Bayore (Vocals), Raychel Carrasco (Vocals) Rod Magnaye (Sarap Sarap Owner), Deo Patalinghog (Guitars), Michelle Magnaye (Sarap Sarap Owner), Jessa Pablo (Vocals), Bob Sales (Drums), Roger Vasquez (Keyboard)

Michelle and Rod Magnaye, owners of Sarap- From far left: Edith Maranan, organizer; Sarap Restaurant and the main sponsor of Josehine Pascua and Lhea Mateo, receptionists. the event.

ADVERTISE WITH US 780-916-7677 publisher@albertafilipinojournal.com AZN Band

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The dancing spree

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Arts and Culture | Business

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

Malacañang Names Eight New National Artists ARTOSPECTIVE - an artist’s point of view

Ida Beltran-Lucila ida_b_lucila@yahoo.com

ast June 10, Malacañang announced eight new National Artists: Gemino Abad (Literature), Fides Cuyugan-Asensio (Music), Nora Aunor (Film and Broadcast Arts), Marilou Diaz-Abaya, (Film and Broadcast Arts), Ricardo Lee (Film and Broadcast Arts), Salvacion Lim-Higgins (Design), Agnes Locsin (Dance), and Antonio “Tony” O. Mabesa (Theater). Out of the eight, three are posthumous conferments: Diaz-Abaya, Lim-Higgins and Mabesa. The Order of National Artists is

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the highest national recognition given to Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of the arts — music, dance, theater, visual arts, literature, film, broadcast arts, and architecture and allied arts. It was established by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1001 dated April 27, 1972. The order is jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions. The last proclamation of National Artists was in 2018. Dr. Gémino H. Abad is a writer, critic, scholar, literary historian, and anthologist. He co-founded the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC) and earned numerous awards, prizes, and literature and creative writing fellowships. He received: the Palanca Awards for Poetry, Philippines Free Press Awards for Literature; the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Award for Poetry; National Book Awards from the Manila Critics’ Circle; and the Asian Catholic Publishers Inc. Catholic Authors Award. In 2009, he became the first Filipino to receive the coveted Premio Feronia in Rome, Italy, in the foreign author category. Fides Belza Cuyugan-Asensio is a Filipino coloratura soprano, actress,

director, librettist, translator, and teacher. She formed the Music Theater Foundation of the Philippines (MTFP) and also served as the artistic director of the Opera Guild of the Philippines. Her exceptional achievements contributed to a Renaissance of classical musical theater in the country. Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, also known as Nora Aunor, has been in different fields for more than four decades—film, television, music, and stage. Her journey to fame started when she joined and won a local amateur singing contest and came to be known as the girl with the golden voice. Her extensive filmography with 170 films -showing her versatility in comedy, drama and musicals, is marked by numerous awards and citations received from local and international award-giving bodies. Marilou Diaz-Abaya was a film and television director and screenwriter. Her body of work harmoniously blends entertainment, social consciousness, and ethnic awareness. It has won acclaim both in the Philippines and abroad for its high level of artistic achievement. Ricardo Lee also known as Ricky Lee is a screenwriter for film and television, journalist, playwright, and a multi-awarded fictionist who published several novels, plays, essays, and short story collections along his screenplays and screen writing manuals. He has demonstrated his mastery of writing historical films, literary and true-to-life adaptations, political, courtroom, and dramas, the stories of “outsiders” and

marginalized figures such as laborers, prostitutes, rebels, migrant workers, and gay people, and his consistent elevation of all manner of genre fare, from horror to tearjerkers to comedies. Salvacion Lim-Higgins, known to the fashion world as “Slim’s”, is credited for innovating and transforming the look of terno into a world-class silhouette by combining the elements of Philippine costume with European couture details and construction. She was known for her exquisite drapery, constant and evocative use of indigenous materials such as piña and jusi, referencing ethnic motifs in her modern dresses, and forward-looking and cutting-edge approach to fashion. Lim-Higgins introduced draping into traditional costumes and developed “convertible ternos.” Filipiniana took a more nuanced look through the eyecatching costumes she created for the Bayanihan Dance Company. Agnes Locsin is a choreographer, director, and teacher known for developing the “neo-ethnic” Filipino dance choreography, which blends indigenous themes with Western classical and modern techniques, and includes immersion in indigenous communities where she interacts with and learns about their culture and traditions through dance. At the 2nd Tokyo International Choreography Competition (1994), Locsin was the winner of the Silver Medal and the recipient of the Prince Takamado Award from Japan’s Imperial Family. She has received various awards, including the

Gawad CCP Award Para sa Sining in 2013; the Alfonzo T. Ongpin Prize for Best Book on Arts for her book, Neo-ethnic Choreography: A Creative Process; and the Gador Award from the CCP. The Davao City government also gave her the Datu Bago Award for her contributions to dance and culture. Stage director, film and television actor, and theater professor Antonio “Tony” Ocampo Mabesa ounded Dulaang UP (DUP) in 1976 and the UP Playwright’s Theater in 1980. He directed and produced over 170 shows. With a career in theater and the performing arts that spanned 70 years, Mabesa was considered one of the founders of Philippine university theater and one of the most prominent theater directors in the country. He was called the “Lion of the Theater” for his work. Each national artist will receive a gold-plated medallion minted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and a citation. Living awardees will receive a cash award, a monthly life pension, medical and hospitalization benefits, life insurance coverage, a state funeral, and a place of honor in state functions, national commemoration rites, and other cultural presentations. A one-time minimum cash award will be granted to the legal heir of the deceased awardees. Source: National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Philippines To comment on this article, go to https:// www.philippineartscouncil.com/blog.

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

Foods | Business

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

Why Cilantro (or Coriander) is Good for You KUSINA DIARIES

Leonila Samarita samleonila@gmail.com Leonila learned to take life in stride after realizing that life truly is what we make it. She believes that life, in every moment, brings opportunities for us to be better or do better. She is grateful. Finds joy in everything she does. She loves her life.

have heard about other people not liking it, but cilantro has become a favorite green addition to my food. It brightens up and enhances the taste of my salads and salsa. It gives that nice twist and freshness to my fried rice. And coriander? That’s the seed part of the same plant, and I love that in my curry dishes. Like other herbs, cilantro is a medicinal plant. Research found beneficial health claims attributed to it.

with rice for lunch or dinner, here are few quick ways to use cilantro. Fresh salsa. You cannot go wrong with diced tomatoes, red onions, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Or, just dice tomatoes and chop cilantro, adding salt to taste. It is fast and quite easy to make. You can add it to diced cucumber and apple with salt. It is also good with diced green mangoes, red onions, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. I wrote the Easy and Delicious Quinoa Salad article for this space last February. I normally put two bunches of cilantro in it just because! I wrote in there that you can replace cilantro with parsley knowing that other people don’t like cilantro but for me, one is better than the other. Cilantro infused water: Add chopped or bruised cilantro leaves in water. You can also add cucumber and lemon for a very refreshing and healthy drink.

Cilantro tea: Boil water and pour into a teapot or cup. Steep the cilantro leaves for 5 minutes. You

can also mix fresh cilantro leaves or coriander seeds with your regular tea. I do that myself.

Enjoy! Here’s to a joyful and healthy life, everyone!

What are the benefits of consuming cilantro and coriander? According to studies, cilantro leaves are high in Vitamins A, C, and K while the seeds contain more dietary fibre, potassium, iron, folic acid, magnesium, and calcium. According to healthline.com, coriander helps lower blood sugar and is full of antioxidants that demonstrate immune-boosting, anti-cancer, antiinflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. It also may protect your heart by lowering blood pressure and bad LDL cholesterol while increasing the good HDL cholesterol. Other studies suggest that coriander shows antimicrobial effects that may help fight foodborne illnesses and pathogens like Salmonella. For women, cilantro seeds aid in the proper functioning of the endocrine glands and hormones by reducing swelling, cramping, and pain during the menstrual cycle. How do you add this to your diet? I normally keep a bunch or two of cilantro in my fridge so I have it anytime I need it, which could be… anytime! One such instance is in the morning, for my fried rice. I prefer fresh chopped cilantro in it over garlic. Believe me. Starting from prepping alone when I can just wash the cilantro, chop it and bam!...just before turning off the heat. While toasted garlic is no doubt good in fried rice, I am not very fond of handling it. From peeling, chopping and the smell in the house while frying it? Ahh! I will just use cilantro instead. Period. And the taste? You must try it for yourself, so you know. Delicious tip: Use butter instead of oil in your fried rice. You will love it. If you want something fresh to accompany a meat or seafood dish All photos and articles available online. Follow us

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Politics | Community | Poetry | Heroism

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

NDP Candidate Nathan Ip is a strong bet to unseat UCP MLA in Edmonton-SW. A Message from Nathan Ip Positive Change for Alberta Mga kaibigan, Kumusta po kayo? Thank you for your support during the recent Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) nomination contest in Edmonton-Southwest I am delighted to share that I have been elected to be the NDP candidate in EdmontonSouthwest and will be running in the next provincial election. I am deeply honoured and humbled by the support from residents of Edmonton-Southwest and members of the NDP, but particularly by the

overwhelming support and kindness from many of you in the Filipino Community. To many leaders and members of the Filipino community – too many to all be named here, I will always be grateful for your kindness, your support and for the opportunity to dialogue with the community. During the last several weeks of the nomination campaign, many of you have opened your homes and hearts to me. Thank you for the many thoughtful conversations and for sharing your vision for the community and for a better Alberta. I want you to know that I have listened to your aspirations, dreams and hopes for our province and will endeavour to be a voice for you in the legislature. Indeed, the nomination race and the

provincial election next year should not be about me or any one person – it should be about what we can accomplish and achieve together. As we approach the next provincial election in 2023, I look forward to continuing our conversations over the next 11 months. We all have a role to play in creating positive change and I hope you will join me on this journey. Let’s build an Alberta that works for all of us. Maraming salamat po sa inyong suporta at pagtitiwala! Gumagalang, Nathan Ip

SkinLueur celebrates first anniversary at its new location SkinLueur Aesthetics and Laser Centre celebrated its first anniversary at its new location at 5924 104 Street NW in Edmonton on June 18, with CEO Chum Ardaniel thanking clients for continually supporting them. The occasion also saw a round of demonstrations of its newest acquisition of Aerolase equipment, a state-of-theart aesthetic laser, which finally arrived in Edmonton. "We are just grateful to our clients for continually supporting us. And we are continually upgrading our equipment so we can serve them better," said Ardaniel. SkinLueur moved its operation from 51 Avenue to 104 Street to accommodate a growing number of clients needing solutions for their acne, melasma issues, in addition to offering an acne scar and rejuvenation package, body contouring, underarm whitening package, and facials. (Moses Billacura)

Tulang Handog Para sa Mga Ama ni Jonabel Cabasal

Tatay, Daddy, Tatang,Itay, Papa, Amang kung atin silang tawagin Kaakibat ni Ina sa pagpapalaki at pagpatnubay sa atin. Kalugud-lugod isipin kung paano itinaguyod ang ating kabuhayan At lagi pa ring nakangiti kahit may mga suliraning pinapasan. Ama, isa sa mga taong aming hinahangaan Naging modelo sa mga magagandang kaugalian Na siya namang isa sa mga dahilan Para tawagin silang mga “huwaran”. Salamat sa kanila sa pagiging responsableng katuwang ni Ina Lubos kaming nagpapasalamat sa ating Dakilang may Likha

FRONTLINER

ISA KANG BAYANI (YOU’RE A HERO)

Napakapalad nami’y sapagkat kayo’y napakabuti Ginawa ang lahat para lang mga kailangan nami’y maibigay o mabili.

This column aims to recognize and appreciate everyone’s heroism when facing the challenges of life with courage and equanimity. Our society truly needs virtuous people like you. Indeed, we can speak of the truth, though, it may be hard; but we can soften it with kindness. A grand salute to our heroes!

Pagsasakripisyo ninyo’y di lubos matutumbasan Ipinakita ninyo ang kahulugan na kayo’y “haligi ng tahanan” May mga Ama na napalayo sa kanilang mga pamilya Nangibang-bansa alang-alang sa mga pangarap para sa mga anak nila. Ang pagtaguyod sa aming mga pangangailangan ay kahanga-hanga Laging sa ami’y ipinapaalala “Anak, ang edukasyon ay napakahalaga Bigyang-importansiya para di kayo sa ami’y ng inyong ina magaya.” Walang ibang hinangad kundi ang maging masaya at matagumpay sa tuwina.

Antonio Beltran is a cashier at the Home Depot, who always greets his customers with a smile. Tony, a deserving employee, was recognized and awarded for being a top donation collector of the store, asking customers to donate to local charities. Well done, kabayan.

Saludo kami sa lahat ng mga kabutihang ipinakita sa amin Kaya naman kahit ano pa ang iba’y sabihin Ama, iniidolo kayo sa pagiging bayani sa buhay namin Ang tulang ito’y nabuo dahil pag-ibig niyo na kaysarap damhin. Tanging hangad at dalangin ay ang kayo’y magkaroon pa ng mahabang buhay Nang kayo rin ay mapagsilbihan at sukli sa mga pagtitiis niyo ay maibigay Kayo’y sa aming mga buhay ay sadyang mahalaga Maligayang Araw ng Mga Ama sa Lahat ng Mga Ama! Maria Encila, Myobrace Coordinator at Great Smile Family Dental Clinic

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

Community

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

124th PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE

First Musical & Cultural Heritage Festival of Grande Prairie

he Filipino Association of Grande and Area hosted the First Musical and Cultural Heritage Festival at Muskoseepi Park Grande Prairie Alberta last June 12, 2022. It was well attended by the community of Grande Prairie. Almost 1,450 people came to the event. There were long line-ups for the food trucks and they successfully sold out all of their food. It was a combination of Filipino, Mexican, and Canadian fare. The event was highlighted by the Karilagan Dance Society. They came from Edmonton with a tourist bus full of 46 people including performers, parents, and volunteers. This dance society already won different awards around the world and performed on various big cultural events all over Canada and have been doing this for the past 50 years. The different cultural dances performed were the Ragragsakan, Bumayah, Maglalatik, Binasuan, Sakuting, Polkabal, Tinikling,

Malong, Paunjalay, and Singkil. This is the 3rd consecutive year that we are celebrating our Independence Day at the City of Grande Prairie. Our good Mayor Jackie Clayton proclaimed June 12, 2022 Philippine Independence Day at the City of Grand Prairie. On June 10, 2022 the Philippine Flag was raised for the 3rd time at the City Hall of Grande Prairie and followed by the celebration on June 12, 2022 at Muskoseepi Park with Live Bands, Fashion Cultural Shows and Cultural Dances. People were so excited to celebrate our Independence day after 2 years under restriction due to pandemic. It was also attended by the Alberta various Filipino community leaders across the Province of Alberta. The Mayor of the City of Grande Prairie, Jackie Clayton, was present at the event with Councillor Kevin O’Toole, Councillor Chris Thiessen, and Councillor Mike O’Connor.

Also joining was the MLA of Grande Prairie-Wapiti, Travis Toews, who was present with his lovely wife Kim. MLA Travis Toews was also appointed as Minister of Finance of Alberta and President of the Treasury Board. Now, he is running to be the next leader of the United Conservative Party of Alberta. The Filipino Association of Grande Prairie and Area was born in the year 1983 when Willie Villarin, Vic Ventic, and Frank Matias talked about building the community for the first time in Grande Prairie and they chose the best man for the job. Vic Ventic was the first President and the Founder of the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie. As one of the elders he was tasked to lead our kababayans in Grande Prairie that started the unity of all regions of the different provinces of the Philippines. After a year, the Association also received assistance from Romy Casilla who helped draft the By-Laws.

Manong Vic Ventic was followed by (NOT IN ORDER ) Lydia Melnichuck, Tessie Foster, Carlos Miranda, Gilbert Golamco, Ramon Tolentino, Prisilla Lanada, Ric Cabie, Virgie Tang, Tad Cortez, Frank Matias, and Neil Tuazon who is the current President of the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie and Area. Now, the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie and Area is lead by Neil Tuazon as President, Meriam Nabor as Vice President, Rosemary Hussey as Secretary, Florinda Bauda as Treasurer, Carmencita Rea as Auditor, Suzanne Bancale Smith as PRO (Events), Monserat Zapanta PRO (Sports), and Marites Dungo as Business Manager. This board is composed of the most active officers of the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie. Since this group was formed and was elected last 2019, they have given back almost $40,000.00 to the community of Grande Prairie in terms of the free Sports program,

Mental Health Programs, Community Service, Volunteering on Feeding Programs, Monetary help to Low Income families, PPE distribution during the pandemic, Community Development and Entertainment and so much more. Team F.A.G.P.A. is here to help and to serve. They are very thankful to for their volunteers, especially to Randy Russell and Dave Hussey. Our 124th Philippines Independence Day is a symbol of freedom and unity for all Filipinos across the seas. We need to remember the sacrifices of our heroes who gave their lives for our country. We need to keep our culture and traditions so we can pass it on to the next generation. Let’s not allow our next generation to be misguided by the crab mentality we inherited from the past. Let us teach them the true values of the Filipino and continue this passion so that the world will see how great our Culture and Heritage are.

City Councillors of Grande Prairie Kevin O'Toole, Chris Thiessen, Mayor Jackie Clayton of the City of Neil Tuazon President of the Wendy Bosch, and Mike O'Connor Grande Prairie Filipino Association of Grande Prairie and Area

Flag Raising at Grande Prairie City Hall

KARILAGAN Dance Society at Royal Diner Grande Prairie

The Karilagan Dance Society with the BIMPAAK Group of Grande Prairie R to L - R to L F.A.G.P.A. PRO ( Events ) Suzanne Bancale Smith, Sheryl Bancale Gamracy, F.A.G.P.A. ( Vice President )

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Meriam Nabor, Anne Engcong Macaraeg with F.A.G.P.A. Treasurer, Flo Bauda

R to L Officers - F.A.G.P.A. Treasurer Flo Bauda, Business Manager Marites Dungo, Auditor Carmen Rea, Secretary Rosemary Hussey, with past President Virgie Tang

Julie Dengay Mendoza Alberta Minister of Finance and Jervin Bendian from Travis Toews dancing the Grande Prairie. Our very own Igorot of Baguio City Jeffrey Mendoza - Jeffrey Cultural Dance of Tinikling Mendoza of BIMPAAK Benguet

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ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

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

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

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Business

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Opinion | Points of View

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

Stop the Deportation of Vangie and McKenna 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.

ndocumented migrant worker Vangie and her 6-year-old Canadian-born daughter McKenna are set to leave Canada on July 11th 2022. They are being deported to the Philippines. McKenna is a happy and smart little girl. She is a special child. In 2021, McKenna was diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), a behavioral condition that needs special attention and minimal stress, especially at her age. Given this recent diagnosis, getting deported to an urban poor community in the Philippines with Vangie's family, who are virtually strangers to McKennna, will exacerbate McKenna’s condition. She was born in Canada and it’s the only home she knows. Living conditions in the

Philippines are far different from what she’s familiar with. She does not speak the language and would not be able to access any social and health services she would need, especially for her difficult diagnosis. Her pending deportation has thrown McKenna into crisis, which will worsen if she’s deported to a place where she doesn’t speak the language, doesn’t know anyone and she has never been to. Meanwhile, Vangie, McKenna’s mother, has been in Canada for over 12 years. She lost her status in 2015 because of abusive employers. Her employers harassed, abused, and assaulted her. They used her but failed to keep their promise to help her stay. While trying to pursue pathways for her to remain in Canada, Vangie gave birth to her lovely daughter McKenna Rose. With the precariousness of her immigration status, she struggled so much as a single mother, working to survive and care for her daughter. In 2016, Vangie along with her organization Migrante, started the McKenna Rose campaign, a public campaign for Canadian-born children of undocumented parents to access healthcare in Alberta. It was a successful campaign and since 2017, it has allowed many other children to benefit from it. Through that work, she received a Human Rights Award from the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights. Despite her situation, Vangie chose to be an active volunteer in the community. She is an active member of Migrante Alberta. She also volunteered with the Food Bank and her church. The decision to deport the

mom and her daughter is not fair. McKenna is a Canadian and should have the right to stay, like any other Canadian. Migrante Alberta is running a letter-writing campaign to stop their deportation. Over one thousand supporters sent letters to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser and Minister of

Public Safety Marco Mendecino. Letters were also sent to other Members of Parliament. “Vangie is an active member of Migrante, we will do everything to fight for them to stay. They belong here,” said Nova Porquia, Migrante Alberta’s Vice Chairperson.

You can still support the campaign by writing to your MP, as well as ask others, be they organizations or individuals, to write (use the link https://www. migrantealberta.ca/stopthedeportation). You may also donate to the Vangie and McKenna support fund (e-transfer to: migrantealberta@gmail.com).

When You’re Too Broke To Donate GENERAL POINT OF VIEW

Giselle General gqgeneral@gmail.com Giselle General came from the cold, mountainous region of the Benguet province, and immigrated to Canada as a teenager in 2007. She completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta, and has a career in the nonprofit sector. 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, FilipinaYEG, and self-published a book called The Humanity of Me, and is active in numerous volunteerbased initiatives.

few months ago, I received an invitation to support an important charitable cause by buying Edmonton Oilers tickets. It’s a fundraiser where part of the money will be donated to the organization. But they’re so expensive! Not being a fan of sports is besides the point. I remember feeling disappointed in myself that I don’t have the disposable income to enjoy a fun activity and support a community cause. Everyday I see posts for calls for donations, whether it is a GoFundMe page to help with someone’s medical bills, building a playground, a children’s program, settling new migrants, and more. At least for me, money doesn’t grow on trees, there are limitations to what I can do. When my wallet tells me I can’t swipe my debit card anymore to help financially, I try to give myself comfort and empowerment by reminding myself, there are other ways to help. Time Is Money, Right? To make the math simple, my hourly wage is approximately $30/hour. So, whenever I engage in tasks to support community initiatives that I care about with my efforts and presence, I

remind myself that there is a financial value to what I am doing. And that is on top of the impact of the tasks that I am completing. Whether it is sewing bags so fabric can be re-used so people use plastic bags less often, attending meetings that are at least 3 hours long to make decisions to help a nonprofit organization, or even sharing my knowledge by attending engagement sessions by the city, for all that it seems to be “free”, time is time where I am not earning a wage instead. In-Kind Donations Many nonprofit or charitable organizations need items and supplies to keep helping people. When there is a request, I try to help in this way also. One thing I keep in mind though, is to remind myself that recipients of these donations deserve at least a decent quality of items. This is important for me particularly when there is a food bank or clothing drive. Donating ripped or very badly soiled clothes is not okay. Donating expired food to the food bank is horrible. My simple principle is “donate something that I personally would be OK using”.

For fundraiser events, when I cannot attend the actual fancy dinner gala or bid for an item, I’ve helped instead by providing items to donate. For the past eight years now, I have donated paintings to silent auctions. Since most of my supplies are recycled or upcycled materials, I don’t stress about how much they would get as a bid. It even gives me motivation to make something new. Just around the end of this month, I made five original pieces of art for a school’s fundraiser. If they get at least $50 each, I’ll be happy, but of course higher is better. Ripple Effect of Public Awareness This is when social media and word of

mouth come to shine! The exponential amplification of the simple click of a button should not be underestimated. I have 2000 followers on Twitter and 400 Facebook friends. While that’s chump change for some, if 5% of those see a post calling for donations, and some of them share or donate, the call for help can reach so many more people. Helping those who may be less fortunate than we are doesn’t require for us to be from a particular economic class. As long as you have the desire to help, you are able to set healthy boundaries for yourself, and are creative, it is possible to spread love and support in our community.

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

Community | Business

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

SARI-SARI MERCADO: A Tribute to our Motherland

AFJ spotted this event: SARI-SARI MERCADO along 99 Street and 72 Avenue in Edmonton. Groups of young Filipino business owners and Filipino

Artists displayed their products and creations during the two-day event that started on June 11 and ended June 12, 2022. The head organizers aimed

to commemorate and celebrate the 124th Philippine Independence Day. COPAA (Congress of the Philippine Association in Alberta) under the

leadership of its president, Jose “Jun” Angeles, showed its all-out support to the organizers of this nationalistic event. In adherence to COPAA’s

L - R: AFJ publisher, Arielle Velasco, Aaron, Velasco, Edgardo “Gado” Cereno, One of the many participating vendors - More to see on AFJ’s website. (Photo by Arielle Velasco) Sedes Cereno, and Cora Velasco. (Photo by Lito Velasco)

Aileen and Joshua, owners of Yelo’d Ice Cream and organizers (Photo by Lito Velasco/AFJ)

motto: “Leaders Leading Leaders.” The COPAA president said, “By grooming and supporting these good leaders of today, the future is here.”

The publisher’s friends (Photo by Arielle Velasco)

L - R: Jojo Lucila, editor Lito Velasco, Aaron Velasco, AFJ Publisher (Photo by Lito Velasco/AFJ) publisher Jun Angeles (Photo by Arielle Velasco)

The organizer’s friends (Photo by Lito Velasco/AFJ)

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The New Generation (Photo by Lito Velasco/AFJ)

L-R: Juliana, Aaliyah, publisher Jun Angeles.

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Business | Opinion | Obituary

THROUGH A TEENAGER’S EYES

Kristian Cereno Kristian is a First-Year Student at the University of Alberta. He is working towards his Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics. His hobbies include writing poems, composing songs and playing the piano. He also likes doing Musical Theatre because it fits his personality pretty well. Kristian likes the warm weather, so hockey? Leave it to the Canadians.

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

The Summer I Danced Alone

pring has passed and the sun is starting to shine and it glances down onto the trees. The trees and the grass fields have fully grown—they sway with the wind like partners on the dance floor. A dance. As I asked to take your hand on the floor and our feet decided to move, our hands grasped the other as the world moved a lot slower. Our eyes locked and I saw an endless abyss through you which made me keep falling in love with you. We danced like nobody was around us. We danced like it was the end of the world. We danced with no care in the world. We danced for which felt like a lifetime. I danced, wishing that I could grow old with you. Waltz. A popular dance composed of a step-slide-step in ¾ time. much like how you stepped into my life when I met you under the cherry

Simeon Tolentino Dizon April 27, 1938—June 13, 2022

blossoms. You smiled and my heart started sliding down a hill with you at the bottom. It was a hill among tall grass fields as I slid down into your arms. But then you stepped away. I was left alone, looking at the sky, caught in the illusion that you would be there to catch me. One two thr—, I hadn’t even finished counting and the dance had not even ended. But I guess it only took barely three counts for you to let go. Swing. A dance which is often characterized by lifts, spins and flips. Much like how you lifted me up from the deepest oceans. You lifted me from my darkest past and spun me around until I saw the sunshine. You spun me around until my life was flipped from the fires of hell to the gates of heaven. You flipped my life around but when I arrived on the other side…you weren’t there.

Foxtrot. A dance that incorporates short steps that matches the music’s tempo. My life moved so slowly with no motivation and nothing to look forward to, until I met you. You gave my life meaning. You became my inspiration. You reminded me of butterflies. You made me happy as I matched your tempo, and as we smiled at the same things. We developed the same mannerisms. We laughed at the same problems. We both cried while watching Titanic. But I guess that wasn’t enough. We may have been moving to the same tempo, but all the while, you were looking for something else. Despite everything, this summer was still my favourite one. You may not know, but you mean a lot to me. You reminded me of what butterflies felt like. You gave me a reason to continue and find

myself. Maybe in another lifetime, I will get to dance with you once again. Maybe in another universe, we could make it work. But in this universe, this is the summer… The Summer I Danced Alone.

It is with much sorrow that we bid goodbye to our beloved Father and Husband, Simeon, who passed away on June 13, 2022, at the age of 84 years. He has survived by his wife of 60 years, Aurelia; their five children Josephine, Arnold, Albert, Jasmin, and Jane; brother Melanio, sister Erlinda and three sisters-in-law; thirteen grandkids, nieces, and nephews. Simeon was a loving and devoted husband and father. He enjoyed traveling and spending quality time with his family. Simeon loved eating and trying new food, shopping, and watching basketball, baseball, tennis, and boxing. He also loved serving his community at the church. The Funeral Mass will be at St. Theresa’s Catholic Parish 7508 29 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6K 3Y8 on Saturday, July 2, 2022, at 2:00 PM. Viewing and reception will be at Hainstock’s Funeral Home, 9810 34th Ave, Edmonton, AB, on Saturday, July 2, 2022, from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM. Our family is grateful for all the thoughts, prayers, care, and concern expressed since Simeon’s passing. Special thanks to GNH units 54 and 43 and the Palliative Care Team (Pod-G) for the exceptional care, kindness, and compassion shown to him.

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Inspiration | Community | Legal Matters

A Diwata with a Strong Will

lora Perez, known to most of her friends as “Fohla”, is an Electrical Engineer who hails from Rosario, Batangas. She loves playing badminton and table tennis, as well as making sure her home is clean. She is also an avid watcher of telenovelas, and proudly proclaims to have never missed an episode of Ang Probinsyano. The youngest of four siblings, Fohla made the bold decision to leave the comforting presence of her family in the Philippines and strike out on her own. Before moving to Canada, she was an overseas Filipino worker in Taiwan and Korea. When her contract was almost over, she sent applications to Norway, Australia, the Netherlands and Canada. And luckily for her, she said, she was able to move to Canada with her husband, who was her boyfriend at the time. Fohla recounts that one of the hardest things of being apart from her family is that she was not able to be with her parents when they passed away. Her mother passed when she was in Taiwan, and her father followed after when she was in Canada. She takes comfort in the enduring love and support she gets from her siblings. She now also has two beautiful children with her husband, a daughter and a son, and has since adjusted to the fast-paced life of being a full-time working mom, wife and mother. No easy feat. Another strong love she has is for her culture. Asked why, she responded, “magalang, close-knit family ties, masayahin, resilient. Mabuti ang loob dahil may takot sa Diyos. Gusto ko matutunan ng mga anak ko.” (“Respectful, with close-knit family ties, joyous and resilient. We are good, God-fearing individuals. I want my children to learn this.”) No matter the hardships she has to face, she remains confident and puts her trust in God. According to Fohla, “The one you must trust must be the One that cannot fail.” Her favourite quote, “Lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5-6) are words that she lives by and are a strong indicator of her faith.

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Business | Community

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

Balmoral launches pro-bono campaign to rally Asian-Canadian communities in support of the Indigenous Spirit Fund President, Sharifa Khan says this work honours the historic, symbiotic relationship of Chinese and Indigenous communities, and gives back to the Native Child and Family Services of Toronto Toronto, ON (June 7, 2022) – Sharifa Khan, founder and president of Balmoral Multicultural Marketing, Canada’s largest and longest-running ethnic marketing agency launched a

pro-bono campaign with her team today to support the Native Child and Family Services of Toronto’s Indigenous Spirit Fund. This fund, established in 2018,

gives Canadians an opportunity to work together with Toronto’s Indigenous communities for the preservation, revitalization, and strengthening of Indigenous children and families. “This may not be widely known across the country, but ChineseCanadians and First Nations have had a deeply-rooted and meaningful shared history – they supported each other, reciprocally sharing foods, building community, and surviving together against colonial oppression,” said Khan. “Today, we have an opportunity to honour this ancestral lineage and tangibly practice Reconciliation by donating to this Indigenous Spirit Fund.” The Native Child and Family

Services of Toronto, which administers the Indigenous Spirit Fund is a multi-service ubran Aboriginal non-profit agency that provides holistic, culture-based programs and services for Aboriginal children and families. Its mission is to provide a life of quality, wellbeing, caring and healing for the children and families it serves. Balmoral’s pro-bono campaign is focused on building awareness and raising money for The Indigenous Spirit Fund with its multicultural audiences. Khan has been personally supporting The Native Child and Family Services of Toronto for many years too. Prior to the pandemic, Khan organized golf tournaments two-years running that brought

leaders together from the Chinese community to raise over $70,000 for the Indigenous Spirit Fund. This year, the golf tournament will be back again, and there will be more information in the coming months. “It has been an honour to work with Sharifa, the Balmoral team and the Asian community over the years, and I can tell you from first-hand experience, your donations have an incredible direct and positive impact on our Indigenous children and youth in our city,” said Kenn Richard, Executive Director, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto. “We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with this community.” The Indigenous Spirit Fund offers several programs to Indigenous People, including: On the Land – Culture Camps for Indigenous children and youth, designed to give this next generation a stronger cultural identify and sense of belonging. It offers Culture Programs to help maintain and strengthen Indigenous languages and cultures, engaging with Elders and Knowledge Carriers. It helps those who may have grown up feeling disconnected from or unaware of their rich Indigenous cultural backgrounds to re-connect and access their culture, and strengthen their identities. Another program in the fund for Indigenous children and youth in Toronto, is called: Honouring The Indigenous Spirit Awards. Individual applicants can receive funding to support their “Indigenous Spirit” and their contribution to community. This initiative aims to change the way success is measured, celebrating the everyday victories that Indigenous children achieve, when they are already so systemically disadvantaged. If you or your organization would like to put efforts on this fund, donations can be made via Canada Helps at: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/ charities/native-child-and-familyservices-of-toronto/campaign/ indigenous-spirit-fund-isf/. More information on The Indigenous Spirit Fund can be found at: https:// indigenousspiritfund.org/. About Balmoral Multicultural Marketing For more than three decades, Balmoral Multicultural Marketing has been helping Canada’s leading brands, companies and government organizations generate growth and connections in new markets by cultivating relationships with this country’s ever-growing multicultural communities. From research and strategic planning to creative advertising, digital and community outreach, events and PR, Balmoral offers a full suite of multicultural marketing services. Balmoral also has affiliated offices in Mumbai, Shanghai and Dubai. For more information, please visit: www.balmoralmkt.com.

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

Opinion | Religion | Community

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

11th Annual The Virtue of Discretion: Nazareno Charity Golf The Beauty of a Discreet Woman Tournament 2022 JAN THE MAN’S NOTE

Januel Cedrick Ibasco Januel Ibasco is a proud FilipinoCanadian who is a current law student at the Thompson Rivers University’s Faculty of Law and a graduate of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. Januel enjoys giving back to his community through volunteering for multiple not-for-profit organizations. In his free time, he also enjoys the outdoors as he is an avid golfer and hiker. He is a huge Oilers fan and loves to talk about anything sports!

he 11th Annual Charity Golf Tournament 2022 hosted by the Nazareno Council of the Knights of Columbus will be in memory of Bro. Jules Lacoursiere who was a Past State Deputy and Former Supreme Director with the Knights of Columbus, AlbertaNWT State Council, and a strong supporter of the Nazareno Charity Golf Tournament. (First Come, First Served Basis) On Saturday, July 16 2022 the Nazareno Charity Golf Tournament will be taking place at DEVON Golf and Conference Center with the following details: 1130 River Valley Devon, Alberta Phone: 780.987.3569 Ext 102. Website: www.devongolf.ca Registration opens @ 11:30 a.m.; Shotgun starts @ 1:30 p.m. sharp!

With only limited spots remaining I recommend signing up as soon as possible! Here are some further details regarding the tournament: Registration Fee: $150.00 includes: 18 holes of golf, a Texas Scramble format, shared power cart, snack bag, bottled water, proximity hole contests (i.e., closest to the pin, longest drive, longest putt, ball in the bunker, etc.), and a tasty Steak Dinner to end the day! The 2019 tournament was a huge success with 107 golfers. This year, golfer registration will be on a First Come, First Served Basis. We urge you to register early by registering online at https://forms.gle/j22L5PD51rG1oPio9 . If you want the online form emailed to you instead, please text your email address to any of the following mobile numbers 780-4998679, 780-710-1048, 825-777-1959. Our 2019 golf tournament netted a profit of $7,500.00, partially from player registration fees and incredible Hole Sponsors. All these profits were donated to Edmonton and surrounding area Charities including : Lurana, Kids N’ Us Diabetes, Canadian Red Cross, Lutheran Church Youth Program, St. Vincent de Paul, Westend, Marian Centre, St. Michael Parish Leduc Fundraising, Corpus Christi Parish Fundraising, Mustard Seed, Sign of Hope, MADD, Santa Maria Goretti Parish Fundraising, Religious of the Virgin Mary, and Alberta Diabetes Foundation. You continue to make a difference to these amazing Charities, let’s keep up the great work, Thank You! This year’s tournament net proceeds will again go to the same cause. We accept corporate and any individuals in–kind donations for prizes, cash donations of minimum $50.00 and a $200 Hole Sponsor to assist us with our annual golf charity fundraising. We are looking forward to your participation this year. Again, please register early!

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 Philippine-produced 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.

"As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion." Proverbs 11:22 KJV The beauty of a jewel of gold would pierce a pig for decoration, but the writer of the Proverb was trying to make a point. The jewel of gold is not becoming to the pig. The grossness of the fat pig far outweighs the beauty of the jewelry. Now imagine a beautiful woman who has no self-control. The grossness of her conduct would far outweigh her beauty. That is the essence of the Proverb: "As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion" (Proverbs 11:22 KJV.) To God, this is a serious issue. Now to compare the character of a Jewish woman to a pig was unheard of. It was a grave insult. However, it communicates an important lesson that women of today can learn from. The virtue of discretion, which is the beauty of a discreet woman, has many facets. A woman who is discreet in outward character is able to carry herself, wherever she goes, without fear. She conducts herself with wisdom, careful not to draw attention to herself. She knows how to avoid embarrassment. A woman with inward discretion is cautious in making her decisions.

She is careful to discern all the facts, taking heed to wise counsel before moving ahead. Today, some women feel the need to be seen. They are loud, aggressive, arrogant, and impulsive. They love to draw attention to themselves by trying to appear to have it all together. They are thoughtless in their speech, talking incessantly about whatever comes to mind. Their actions are based on whatever they feel or think at the moment. Their insecurity drives them to flaunt their outward appearance. They are oblivious to how their actions affect other people. They dress in such a way to draw attention to themselves. In contrast, godly women stand out from the women of the world. They are excellent examples of how God created a woman to be. A woman with discretion does not need to be the center of attention. Instead, she finds her security in her relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather than a pig with a jewel of gold through its snout, a woman with discretion is like a rare gem that is quarried from deep within the earth, hidden for a time until discovered by those who recognize her true beauty and value. TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Wake up! By Laarni Lising Ayson

ftentimes in the search for a better future, the mother or the father have to leave home to seek better future. The thought of giving our children a better education and better opportunities remain the constant goal. But almost always these children rather than becoming children of strong character and simultaneously improving their lives by focusing on their studies almost always resort to the easy life. They fill their time with endless chatter, text messaging, video game playing and hanging around friends. It is so difficult at times to not be sad and frustrated , they may engage in work and like the smell of money where they spend every dollar endlessly, not preparing for future like school and saving up for rainy days. One of my concerns is their pursuit of work rather than learning at a young age would end up frustrated in later life. We, as parents have already escaped from the culture of not having money and settling for education which in reality isn't our dream, but to engage in education with just the diploma in mind, not even having learned what we really wanted to pursue in life. A recipe for disaster. With the influx of overseas workers who have higher learning , they would most likely be working as subordinates rather than taking the management of the business. What I am trying to say is Wake up young immigrant Canadians, you might just end up back where we as your parents where once was. All photos and articles available online. Follow us

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Religion | Horoscope | Mind Twister

ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

BE A WARRIOR NOT A WORRIER! Matthew 6:24-34

ur gospel starts by telling us that no one can serve two masters and reminds us not to be dominated by worry. What does the common denominator of serving

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.

two masters and anxiety? Folks, are you aware that the word anxiety literally means “being two minds?” That is why when we are anxious we cannot decide rightly because we are dominated by fears. As a result, our life were dominated by stress and futile anxiety. The gospel is very timely to our modern situation because many of us were slaves by anxiety. Good number of us were prisoners of stress. Worrying is not a good habit. There were three reasons presented by Matthew in today’s gospel why we were anxious. First, it is because we serve the wrong master. We love wealth than God. Second, We focus not on the Creator but we keep on chasing the ephemeral things created by the Creator. We pursue the offer of this world and neglect the promise of Jesus. And finally, we never trust the ability of God to perform wonders and miracles in our life. Worry undermines man’s confidence in God. Worry will freeze God’s blessings in you. Anxiety is futile, be allergic to it. You know what, life is very simple but we complicate it. 99% of the things we worried about don’t even happen; so relax and free your mind from troubles. He who trust in the Lord will not be disappointed (Isaiah 49:23).“Do not worry about

HO ROSC O P E This month is perfect for exploring information and learning new things, Aries, as Gemini season activates your solar third house. These vibes will also bring out your chatty nature, though it’ll be important that you find ways to tap into your zen, or your mind could become too busy for comfort. Luckily, you’ll feel more in control of your thought process once Mercury ends its retrograde journey through Taurus on June 3.

You’ll be a busy little Bull this month, Taurus, as Gemini season brings a flurry of activity to your solar second house. Though your days will be filled with work, social engagements and the occasional shopping spree, try not to let clutter accumulate in your space or you could fall into a hole of disorganization.

It’s your time to shine, Gemini, as the sun makes it way through your sign, bringing some extra sparkle to your aura. Unfortunately, with your ruler Mercury continuing its retrograde journey through Taurus and your solar twelfth house, you could find yourself in a pensive mood with inconsistent energy levels.

Try not to overanalyze your moves this month, Cancer, or you could end up doing your goals a disservice. As the sun continues its journey through Gemini, it’s only natural that you want to weigh your options, but trying to see every angle of your situation will likely be counterproductive. These vibes could also cause you to read too deeply into the actions of others, so be sure to ask for clarification on any issues that are upsetting you before jumping to conclusions about their meaning.

You’ll be eager for community right now, Leo, as Gemini season activates your solar eleventh house. This cosmic climate is ideal for getting involved with a special interest group, class, or your local art scene, making it important that you seek such experiences. Luckily, most people will be in a chatty and friendly mood throughout the month, helping you find new connections and friends. And June 4 could bring an extra dose of luck to your quest for camaraderie because the Leo moon connects with the sun and healing asteroid Chiron.

The month kicks off with Mercury, your ruling planet, finishing up its retrograde journey through Taurus and your solar ninth house. While this planetary backspin could certainly shake things up in your daily life, you might also feel as though the Universe is sending you mixed signals.

May 2022 Crossword's Solution

C R O S S W O RD

tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” The gospel does not suggest that we stop worrying but it challenges us to trust in Jesus instead. Those who leave everything in God’s hand will eventually see God’s hand in everything. Trusting God means having faith that He knows what is the best for us. As St. Pio once said: “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” Anxiety is useless faith is power. CONCLUSION: My dear kababayans, depend on the Lord, trust Him and He will take care of you. If you are struggling right now remember this: God will always provide. His ways are often different than our own but He always provides. It just might different than what we have in mind but He will supply all our needs. Whatever causes you to worry, give it to God and sleep. Don’t worry because worry is incompatible with being a Christian. If we’re worried it means we never trust the Lord. Worry undermines faith. To get rid of worries rely solely on the hope of heavenly grace. Be a warrior not a worrier! Trust the Lord and He will take care of you. Worry ends when faith in God begins. Todays trouble is enough for today. Blessings Fr. Jhack

Watch out for sensory overload this month, Libra, as the Gemini sun activates your solar ninth house. This cosmic climate is poised to bring a huge boost to your psychic abilities, making you more susceptible to the emotions, thoughts and anxieties of others. Meanwhile, the Universe will be looking for ways to communicate and guide you, bringing an elevated yet busy energy to your psyche.

You’ll be deep in your own psyche this month, Scorpio, as the Gemini sun sails through your solar eighth house. For this reason, you might have a hard time engaging in small talk with people you don’t feel connected to, though you could be called to do so all the same. Rather than becoming bored with surface-level interactions, look for ways to relate more deeply with your extended network of friends and colleagues.

It’ll feel like everyone wants a piece of you this month, Sagittarius, as the Gemini sun lights up your social life while activating the sector of your chart that governs matters of the heart. Whether you’re single or in a relationship, you’ll find that others are taking more notice of you than usual, elevating your confidence.

Get ready for a busy month, Capricorn, as the Gemini sun blazes through your solar sixth house, filling your calendar with plenty to do. As each day passes, more and more professional or social obligations will pop up, making it important that you find ways to maintain your balance and stamina. Implementing a healthy eating, sleeping and exercise routine can help keep your body going, especially when your schedule doesn’t relent.

Look for ways to connect with your inner child this month, Aquarius, as the Gemini sun shines a light in your solar fifth house. This luminary placement acts as a beacon of light in the most playful and creative sector of your chart, making it important that you look for ways to let loose and express yourself.

You’ll be looking for new ways to bring convenience and organization to your home this month, Pisces, as the Gemini sun blazes through the sector of your chart that governs domestic affairs. Now is the time to get serious about the way you live and figure out if any improvements can be made around your cleaning processes, decorative choices and storage.

ACROSS

1. Gifts to charity 5. Uproar 8. Drama divisions 12. Make waterproof 13. Clergy mem. 14. Biblical pronoun 15. Lamp fuel 17. Fork prong 18. Reach 19. Felt dizzy 21. Quiet! 23. Motherhood 25. Neptune's domain 26. Foray 27. Wriggly fish 28. Rasp 30. Brother's sib 33. Feat 34. Bug 35. No-shows 40. Week part 41. Seesaw 42. Rubberneck 44. Reside 45. Unusual 49. Epochs 50. Beret 51. Wine-producing valley 52. Mailed 53. Explosive initials 54. Got bigger

DOWN

1. Inquire 2. Grant's rival 3. Fire _____ (fire chief) 4. Spill 5. Sports stadium 6. Family room 7. Ingest too much 8. Go to 9. Hot pepper 10. Principle 11. Shabby 16. America's uncle 20. Toledo's lake 21. Wind direction (abbr.) 22. Laughing sound 24. Exchange 28. Kelly or Autry 29. Take back 30. Motorcycle adjunct 31. Nest egg (abbr.) 32. Firmament 33. Despise 35. Book of maps 36. Ecru 37. Lucky number 38. Cairo's land 39. Tree fluid 43. Metallic sound 46. Hosiery shade 47. King Kong, e.g. 48. Legal rule

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 2022 Issue Sudoku's Solution

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

Community | Educational

JUNE 2022 ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL

PHILIPPINE CONSULAR INFO SERIES

Suite 920, 517 10th Ave SW, Calgary AB, T2R 0A8 ▪ Tel: 403-455-9346; 403-455-9457

Philippine Consulate General, Calgary www.philcongencalgary.org

Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada Comes To an End and Winners Are Announced! Calgary, AB – The first-ever Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada (FRMC), a joint project of the Philippine Embassy in Canada, the Philippine Consulates General (PCG) in Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver, and the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) ended on April 30, 2022. Consul General Zaldy Patron of the PCG in Calgary, which spearheaded the FRMC along with the PDOT in San Francisco, thanked the general public for their overwhelming support for the project during the closing program on May 5, 2022. “We are humbled by the outpouring of interest and support for the FRMC. From our initial target of 500,000 media impressions for a two-month campaign, FRMC generated a staggering 53.3 million total media impressions - over 10,000% of goal through media coverage promoting Filipino cuisine and the participating restaurants across Canada, which had a total Media Ad Value of $2.9

million,” said Consul General Patron. Throughout April 2022, the 40 participating restaurants offered prix-fixe menus to showcase the diversity of Filipino cuisine and encourage Canadians to dine at local Filipino restaurants across Canada. Among those who dined and showed their support for FRMC were special guests such as Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown, and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, as they were hosted by the Heads of the Philippine Foreign Service Posts and the Filipino communities in their respective areas. In support of mainstreaming Filipino cuisine in Canadian markets and inspiring them to consider Philippines as their next travel destination, FRMC sponsors Astoria Hotels and Resorts, Chroma Hospitality, Discovery Hospitality, Food Holidays, Philippine Airlines,

and Seafood City - provided national prizes for the raffle. The national prizes included: • 1 Round-trip Ticket from Manila to any destination in the Philippines • 2-Night Stay in a Deluxe room with breakfast for 2 in Astoria Current (Boracay) • 2-night stay for 2 in a deluxe room with breakfast at Crimson Boracay • 2-night stay for 2 with breakfast at Crimson Filinvest City, Manila • 1-night stay for 2 with breakfast at Quest Hotel Tagaytay • 2-night stay in an Oceanview Suite at Club Paradise in Palawan • Culinary Day Tour for 2 People • Ten $100 Gift Cards to Seafood City (one per person) In addition to the national prizes, all 40 participating restaurants provided dining vouchers as the local prizes. Overall, over 1,000 prix-fixe meals were purchased across the country during FRMC which converted into

the raffle entries - each prix-fixe meal purchased counted as one entry. Congratulations to 17 winners of the national prizes and the 118 winners of the local prizes! The full list of winners can be found here. During his remarks, Ambassador Rodolfo Robles of the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa stated, “I am hopeful that this Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada project will become an annual platform for all of us to continue to promote and mainstream Filipino cuisine in our part of the world.” The Philippine Foreign Services Posts in Canada, the PDOT, the participating restaurants, and the sponsors would like to express their gratitude for all the diners and supporters of the first-ever FRMC and are looking forward to the Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada 2023.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Kiesha Telesforo Public Relations Coordinator, Reach Global Marketing kiesha@reachglobal.ca (647) 962-3545 ### About the Philippine Department of Tourism: Established in 1973, the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) is the executive office responsible for the regulation and promotion of the Philippine tourism industry. The PDOT’s mission is to encourage, promote, and develop tourism as a major socio-economic activity to generate foreign currency and local employment, ultimately spreading the benefits of tourism to both the private and public sectors. About the Philippine Consulate General Calgary: The Philippine Consulate General in Calgary is an organization of dedicated and highly-motivated personnel committed to delivering consular services to Filipinos in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and promoting cultural and economic diplomacy programs.

The Competency-Based Application Process of APEGA for Engineers and Geoscientists

his Article will focus on the Experience Requirement for the APEGA application. This is what most of the applicants are not able to complete because of lack of understanding of the entire procedure. It must be clear that those who wish to apply for Professional Engineer or Professional Geoscientist status from APEGA must first complete the Competency Self-Assessment Worksheet found on the APEGA website to verify if you meet all of their competency requirements. By doing this, you can save time and money on starting your application process and avoid missing a Competency. The 22 Key Competencies were discussed in the previous issues of the Alberta Filipino Journal with examples for the reader. These 22 Competencies can also be found on the APEGA website. Take note that completing the Competency Self Assessment Worksheet (CSAW) is free and it can also be downloaded from the APEGA website in PDF format. But it is recommended to fill this online so that CSAW’s results can be generated to help you make a decision whether to continue further or defer until you have substantial engineering experience. After finding out that your selfassessment will result in a favorable conclusion, and your experience from what you have “self- assessed” will meet the APEGA requirement, you can continue further by completing the Work Record Validator List (WRVL) and Competency-Based Assessment Tool (CBAT). The Work Record Validator List (WRVL) is a high-level, chronological overview of your experience. It includes brief details of your employment positions,

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 and British Columbia. He is a Volunteer and Advocates to help Filipino-Canadian Engineers to pursue their Professional Engineering licenses in Canada. For advice on a specific case in pursuing your application whether in ASET or APEGA, please email me at mmcereno@gmail.com.

responsibilities, and experience. Each WRVL page must include: • The name of the employer you worked for and the position you held there; • The country the work was performed in; • Your start date, your end date, and the total months you worked for the company. You must provide at least 48 months of engineering experience

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supported by validators and references. However, you are encouraged to provide all your relevant experience. A validator is a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) who took technical responsibility for your work. Validators will be asked to review your selfassessment and provide a score and commentary for each competency that was assigned. Validators will also be asked to provide overall feedback about your suitability and readiness for registration. Work Record Validators A validator must have first-hand knowledge of the examples you provide and be able to comment on the quality and competency of your work. Supervisors, mentors, managers, colleagues, or clients are all possible validators for your application. You must provide at least three validators who can rate and validate the indicators that you provide for each of the 22 key competencies. Colleagues or mentors that you did not directly work with do not qualify as validators, because validators need to have taken technical responsibility for your work. If your validator is not registered with an engineering regulatory body in another Canadian jurisdiction, please identify the following: • Professional designation • Registration country Work Record References A reference is a person who can confirm your position and the duration of your experience with a company. This person can be your manager, a colleague, or a human resources staff member. Your reference does not need to have technical knowledge of your

work and does not need to have been your direct supervisor. You need at least one reference for each employer you have worked for. A reference can also be a validator. The complete forms for the Work Record Validator List will be completed online and need to be submitted online through the Applicant portal. The Competency-Based Assessment Tool (CBAT) is an electronic form designed to capture your understanding and achievement of the 22 key competencies required for registration as a Professional Engineer or Licensee. When completing each page of the form, you will provide: • at least one situation in which you proved competency; • several actions you took within the situation that support your competency; and • the outcome of your actions. This should include a basic summary of the solution, product, process, or other outcome of the situation and your actions. APEGA's Board of Examiners will assess your competence on the information you and your validators provide—and nothing else. Be sure to focus on your personal contributions to a situation and provide details about the decisions you made. You should write in first person ("I" statements instead of "we") to show ownership. Competencies are skills or knowledge that APEGA has identified as crucial to the professional practice of engineering. They are based on your decisions, behaviours, or applications of skill or knowledge, in response to different employment situations. Each competency is evaluated against a score from 0 to 5.

• 0 demonstrates no awareness for the competency • 5 shows a mature level of practice You will assess yourself on each key competency. You must meet a minimum score of 1 on each key competency while also meeting the minimum overall average level for each competency category. Indicators are generalized examples of skills or behaviours that illustrate how you may have achieved a given competency. The indicators provided by APEGA serve as a framework for you to determine which aspects of your work experience apply for each key competency. They can also highlight deficiencies you may have. Include specific details of your personal work experience for every competency. Do not copy and paste the generic indicators provided. Once you have approved and submitted your CBAT, your validators will be contacted to complete a Validator Response Form (VRF) for each key competency validation you have assigned to them. They will provide their own ratings of your competencies on the same five-point scale you have used. They will also add comments they feel are necessary. The information above about the WRVL and CBAT are lifted directly from the APEGA website so that the information here is as accurate as possible at the time of writing. After completing these online form, you need to pay the necessary processing fees and will continue to the next stage of the assessment. For more information, visit the APEGA website at www.apega.ca or email the writer for more detailed advice. www.AlbertaFilipinoJournal.com

Immigration Updates | Community

IRCC introduces enhancements to the super visa program for parents and grandparents! 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 Committee and previously served as Prairie Chapter representative for the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) in the Governance and Nomination Committee and Education Committee. Marjorie was a recipient of CAPIC's Members Service Award for four consecutive years (2015-2019).

arly this month, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Sean Fraser announced changes to Canada’s super visa program. He said that these changes will make it easier for Canadians and permanent residents to reunite with their parents and grandparents in Canada and will allow parents and grandparents with the super visa to stay for a longer period of time in Canada.

insurance companies to provide coverage to super visa applicants in the future. Currently, only Canadian insurance providers can provide the necessary medical coverage that super visa applicants are required to have. Information about any designated medical insurance companies located outside of Canada will be communicated on IRCC’s website at a later date. The super visa for parents and grandparents program has been a popular program since 2011. The program has been able to reunite parents and grandparents with their children in Canada who are either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Supervisa whic is a multiple entry visa, is valid for up to 10 years, and has allowed parents and grandparents to remain in Canada for two years at a time. This makes the super visa more beneficial than a regular multiple-entry visitor visa, under which the length of stay is usually 6 months or less. To be eligible for a super visa, you must: -Be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada -Have a signed letter from your child or grandchild who invites you to Canada that includes: a promise of financial support for the length of your visit, the list and number of people in the household of this person and a copy of this person’s Canadian citizenship or permanent resident document. -Have medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company that is: valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry, at least $100,000 coverage and have proof that the medical insurance has been paid. -The child or grandchild (Canadian citizen or permanent resident) must prove that their household meets the minimum necessary income. -The parent or grandparent must have completed the upfront medical exam.

Here are the changes below that will start on July 4, 2022: -To increase the length of stay for super visa holders to 5 years per entry into Canada. Parents and grandparents who have a super visa also have the option to request to extend their stay in Canada by up to two (2) years at a time while in Canada. -To allow the Minister of Immigration, If you have questions regarding the Refugees and Citizenship Canada above article, you may contact Marjorie to designate international medical at info@mcncanadaimmigration.com

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ALBERTA FILIPINO JOURNAL JUNE 2022

Learning for Interdependence & Global Awareness of the Philippines & Canada LINGAP-Canada celebrates World Environment Day, June 5th, 2022 On June 5, LINGAP-Canada joined millions of people, communities, institutions, and organizations organize diverse activities to celebrate World Environment Day. Opening the event, Dr. Jean Cawagas, President, LINGAP-Canada noted that this United Nations international day encourages worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It is a special day to address the environmental crisis that threatens the survival of humanity and mother Earth. LINGAP-Canada’s celebration featured posters created by grade school and high school students from various countries on the theme “THERE IS #OnlyOneEarth, TOGETHER WE CAN PROTECT IT”. A total of 29 colourful and creative posters were submitted by students from Canada, the Philippines, India, Timor Leste, and Costa Rica. The 29 posters illustrated diverse issues and problems of environmental destruction globally and practical suggestions to address the environmental crisis, including pollutions, deforestation, overuse of plastics, loss of biological diversity, and carbon emissions from fossil fuels which have culminated in climate change. A panel of three judges awarded prizes to the first, second and third places for entries in Senior High School, Junior High School, and Elementary School. The winners were announced by Dr. Mila Philipzig, a well-known Filipino-Canadian author of children’s illustrated books, poetry, short stories, and essays.

She commended the posters for their vision, creativity, vibrant colours, in contrasting various aspects of environmental destruction with alternative ways of sustainable living such as renewable energies, recycling, conservation, saving endangered species, the forests and oceans. In her inspirational message, Dr. Philipzig quoted the great Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy “One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man (humanity) and nature shall not be broken”. She called on the poster artists and other young people to remember how our mother Earth has generously given to human beings, and to show our love of mother Earth from our hearts by changing our lifestyles. She added, “The youth are the future of the world, and the adult generation love and support you in your efforts to protect our #OnlyOneEarth”.

Lito Velasco, AFJ’s Editor-inChief and LINGAP-Canada Board member, presented the winners’ certificates and affirmed that loving the environment, nature, and planet Earth is also loving the Creator. The program showed the awardwinning WWF International film “How to Save Our Planet” narrated by Sir David Attenborough, who emphasized the urgent need for humanity to live in balance with nature by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, a food revolution with reduced domesticated meat consumption, sustainable management of oceans so people can have more fish to eat, and rewilding or maintaining biodiversity. An inspirational message was given by a respected Filipino educator, researcher, and author, Dr. Genevieve Kupang, who is also Vice-Chair of SANDIWA: Network of Advocates for National Minorities Right and an associate of the Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue (CBCP).

Dr. Kupang reminded participants that all humanity are children of the Earth. As a strand of creation, we have the responsibility to respect and gently care for Mother Earth. This principle is a core vision of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si, now in its seventh year anniversary. She also talked about her life experiences as a member of the Indigenous community in the Cordillerean mountains in the northern Philippines, where the people have learned to live in harmony with the green environment and Mother Earth. In her concluding remarks, Dr. Kupang shared with the young artists an inspiring message from a long-time environmental advocate in the Philippines, Bro. Jose O. Nacianceno, from the Marist Ecology Ministry of East Asia. Bro. Jose said, Young men and women, you can dream and work for a better and brighter future where everyone can live in peace and harmony inclusive of all life forms. He found the posters phenomenal and amazing, showing the young peoples’ intelligence, energy, and vision. Bro Jose called also on the adults to help, guide, and sustain the youth. Finally, he appealed to the children and youth to not waste your lives in meaningless activities; do not allow digital addiction and consumerism to ruin your lives… Raise your voices like Greta Thunberg and help shape a future where humans can live in harmony with the world

community. Be the change you want the world to be, as Mahatma Gandhi said. Dr. Josie Pallard, Vice-President of LINGAP-Canada, introduced the closing speaker, Mr Nathan Ip, a three-term Trustee, Edmonton Public School Board and Lead Program Manager of Startup Edmonton who has extensive leadership experience in community development and the social profit sector leading provincial and national initiatives in mental health, youth engagement and social equity.

In his inspirational message, Trustee Nathan Ip encouraged the poster artists and other young people: you matter - your actions no matter how small (e.g., your posters) can make an important difference. You are leaders of tomorrow and also today. The world needs young people to help solve the climate crisis. He also highlighted the indigenous wisdom of the seventh generation - whatever each generation does affects members of future generations. Quoting the American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead’s famous words Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Mr. Ip appealed to the young people to practice the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and to reduce our carbon footprints through sustainable living. At the end of this inspiring celebration of World Environment Day, on behalf of LINGAP-Canada, the celebration coordinator and Board member, Jea Cawagas-Cates, thanked all the poster artists and their supporting parents and teachers, the inspirational speakers, the judges and certificate presenter, the event committee members [Erica Cawagas and Dr. Zoltan Berkes], and the prize donors [Filipino-Canadian Saranay Association, Mr. Nathan Ip, Dr. Zoltan Berkes; Artist House Studio; Erica Cawagas; and Toh Swee-Hin]. LINGAP-Canada looks forward to future celebrations of World Environment Day and other UN International Days and the solidarity and collaboration of Filipinos in Canada and the Philippines and friends in many countries worldwide. Virginia ( Jean) Cawagas, President, LINGAP- Canada lingapcanada@ yahoo.com LINGAP-Canada website: http:// www.lingapcanada.com

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Winning Posters WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL ENTRIES

WINNER - 1st Place Meet Chawla - India

WINNER - 2nd Place R.Sayali Ashley Queen - India

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL ENTRIES

WINNER - 3rd Place Diksha Pandey – India

WINNER - 1st Place Andre Gusmao – Timor Leste

WINNER - 2nd Place Valentina Garcia-Duran – Canada

WINNER - 3rd Place Janzel Anareta – Canada

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENTRIES

WINNER - First Place R.Prithika – India

WINNER - 2nd Place S.Thiyakshwa - India

WINNER - 3rd Place R.Rajamithran - India

WINNER - 3rd Place M. Joshua – India

President’s Award Harold Casana - Canada

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FAREWELL CEREMONY 2022: The New Beginning

Aaron B. Velasco (Son of editor Lito Velasco)

ongratulations to the parents and the graduates! Indeed, future’s destiny depends on the way of life the youth of today is embracing. Their parents, teachers,classmates, the educational system itself, and peers usually form the vital and integral parts in achieving their goals and aspirations. This farewell ceremony just serves as the culminating exercise in order to take the next step to advance their level of commitment to success and in the long run, faithful service to the community. Education is not only a transmission of knowledge but rather, a catalyst of qualitative change. A well-educated person would definitely become an agent of such change. Education is also known as the carrier of values. He who transfers the proper knowledge and wisdom shall be called a virtuous man and will surely become not only a vehicle and an avenue but a certain destination to achieving fairness, progress, and peace.

50th Golden Wedding Anniversary of Romy & Dides

Congratulations on your Golden Wedding Anniversary. Marriage vows renewed on May 7, 2022 at Corpus Christie Church officiated

Aaron’s classmates and friends

Heart Beatrice Cincioco Manlapaz

Heart’s family

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publisher@albertafilipinojournal.com Luzel Dizon

Luzel’s parents: Erica and Albert Dizon

by Deacon Gem Mella. Reception followed after at Palabok House Restaurant attended by the family, relatives and friends.

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CELEBRATIONS OF LIFE: Moving Forward

Birthdays are everyone’s most cherished moment as this is when we celebrate the covenant between life and its Giver. Nobody is born alone. There are two causes of life that we have to acknowledge, appreciate, and recognize. The first is the Ultimate Cause or Giver, our God and the second are the proximate causes, our parents. Now, He who doesn’t acknowledge, appreciate, and recognize his or her life is also rejecting its Causes. Lucky are these individuals who truly celebrate life with significant people around them. May you all continue to share the gift of life with others. Active co-existence follows essence.

Amor wears a teenager’s smile on her 63rd A fun-filled night during the celebration of Amor Quedado’s 63rd birthday. Her TAFFCE family and friends’ presence fills her with happiness.

L - R: Abel Cereno - June 28, Jona Minamo - June 21, Nanay Cora Velasco - June 12, and Edgardo “Gado” Cereno

The celebrant

Amor and her husband Panfilo “Pompei” Quedado

The Velascos, Cerenos, Angeles, and Chua

Amor’s friends

The TAFFCE Dancers with the celebrant

Guests: Group of Amor and Pompei’s APO (Alpha Phi Omega) brothers and sisters

Table #9: Abel, AFJ publisher Jose “Jun” Angeles, Doc Chum of Skin Lueur, (standing) Letty Tria, Gemma Lyn and her partner Mel Gillingham

Amor’s friends

Katrina Umali Cereno (daighter of Mervin Cereno Joseph Lucila (Son of Ida and Jojo Lucila) and one of AFJ writers) - May 8 - June 10

Pia Liberty - June 6

Celebrant Gem Espela Correa with her mom Yolly Espela - June 8 Gem Espela Correa’s family during the celebration of her birthday.

Nanay Cora Mendoza Velasco (mother of editor Lito) - June 12

Albert Dizon - June 18

John Stanley Caguioa (standing) with mom Marlyn (first from left), Sisters Isha Caguioa (first from right), Bea Caguioa and her partner Yash, with their two other friends - June

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