May 1, 2026 — If there is one thing that stands out on all the commemorative events being held across Metro Vancouver on the first anniversary of the 2025 Lapu-Lapu festival tragedy, it is the strong and visible presence of armed police officers which was unmistakably missing last year.

April 16, 2026 — The man in-charge of securing the performance venue in last year’s April 26 Lapu-Lapu festival still remembers the tragedy as if it happened yesterday. James Villamayor leads the True North Hinirang Eagles Club, a community-based socio-civic organization that was tasked to secure Apl.de.ap’s arrival and performance inside the John Oliver Secondary School in Vancouver. But half an hour after the Fil-Am hiphop artist’s performance, mayhem broke loose and cellphones began ringing inside the school building.

April 1, 2026 — April 26, 2026 marks the Filipino community’s babang-luksa (literally translated as end of mourning) for the victims of the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy. How does that fateful evening in 2025 expose the Filipino community’s vulnerabilities and strengths?

March 16, 2026 —  Food has always played a huge part in Filipino culture. Filipinos share food generously with family and neighbours. We offer food to new friends. When there are disagreements, food can bridge our differences. To many Filipino families, the kitchen is the heart of the home, where dishes are lovingly prepared, to sustain us through our day, and to give comfort at the end of it. And when language fails, food speaks.

March 1, 2026 — What started as a group of strangers finding community in a non-paying  arts workshop turned into a refuge for some still reeling from the tragedy that was the Lapu-Lapu festival in April of 2025.

February 16, 2026 — It was to be the highlight of Jay Legaspi’s weekend. He was to attend the 2025 Lapu-Lapu Day Festival and watch Filipino-American hip-hop musician apl.de.ap. Going to the festival was a reward waiting for him later that day. At the last minute, he skipped it.