November 1, 2025 – The Philippines was colonized by Spain for over 300 years (1521 to 1898) so majority of Filipinos are Catholic. Although the church has lost many young Filipinos to modern times through the years, 79% of Filipinos are still Catholic today.
To most Catholic Filipinos, death is the will of God who decides when to call His children home. They find consolation in believing that death is the end of all pain and suffering on earth and the beginning of an eternal life in the unknown world after death. But even non-believers doubt that such a massive, random, and senseless killing as the Lapulapu Day tragedy could be the will of God. They asked each other why it happened but found no answer. Why was that driver allowed to drive a car if he is mentally disturbed? Will he now escape jail because he did not know what he did due to his mental state? They continued to ask.
Still, the death of a loved one always comes with sorrow and distress although they may find comfort in shared grief. For families left behind who are not prepared to meet funeral cost and other related expenses, grief is often multiplied by added worries over financial obligations.
For the inconsolable family and friends of those who perished at the Lapulapu Day street festival on April 26 in Vancouver, when a mentally unstable driver plowed his SUV into the crowd killing 11 of them, only time will ease their sadness and their pain. The Filipino community will mourn and grieve this tragic event for a long time.
Vancouver Filipinos were doubly grieved when insensitive Vancouver city officials removed all the flowers, messages, and memorial signs from the tragedy site on East 41-43 and Fraser Streets long before the traditional Filipino 40-day period of mourning had passed.
As All Saints Day approaches, the wounds of pain and sorrow of those impacted by the tragedy will reopen and ache once again on that day with more sadness and despair over the loss of loved ones for no reason at all.
In Canada where the dead is now often cremated and ashes interred in a columbarium, many niches on those “Walls of Sorrows” will be adorned with flowers as families honor their departed on this special occasion.
For families of those who died on April 26 who had their bodies repatriated for burial in the Philippines, their celebration of this coming All Saints Day in the Philippines will not be anything like the traditional Undas. Although Undas in the Philippines is a day to honor their dead, it is often a happy reunion, as family members come together and tell stories about the departed to show that they had not been forgotten.
However, for families of April 26 victims in the Philippines, the tragic memories will still be too fresh, too bitter and too painful to remember. For them on All Saints Day, distance will not abate their pain but will only compound their sorrows and regrets.
All Saints day in the Philippines
The somewhat solemn and timed way (never overnight in cemeteries) that All Saints Day is celebrated in Canada differs sharply with how it is celebrated in the Philippines. November 1 or All Saints Day for Catholic Filipinos is a holiday of obligation. It is locally called Undas, a day to honor family members and friends who have passed away. But it is not a sad day because family and friends from far and wide are reunited in shared prayers and remembrances.
On this day of Filipino celebration to remember, pay respects, and honor the dead, the cemeteries are overcrowded and all kinds of vehicles jam the roads leading there. Local entrepreneurs do a brisk business buying and selling snacks, soft drinks, cold water, flowers, candles, umbrellas, and paper fans. As the sun sets and darkness envelopes the grounds, the flickering candles give the place a magical eerie look.
A day before, during, and after Undas, Masses are held in churches and cemetery chapels for the eternal rest of souls so it is a week-long celebration in the Philippines. For some, the preparation for this holiday starts in late October when families troop to cemeteries to clean or whitewash tombstones. On the day itself, some people spend the night in cemeteries. They bring tents and set up camp by the tombs of their dead. They believe the souls of their loved ones will feast with them so they bring lots of the departed’s favorite foods. To pass the time, they tell stories about the departed or play card games usually played at wakes. The government has banned gambling, karaoke, and loud music in cemeteries.
On All Saints Day all the graves are decorated with flowers and candles that stay lit all day and night. Flowers of remembrance, the white fragrant azucena, brighten up grave sites and candles symbolizing hope for salvation of souls lighten the coming darkness of night.
Although death is supposed to be a great equalizer, the burial sites of the dead in the Philippines reflect the socio-economic status that divides the population. The graves of the poor are simple with only plain markers or a cross. The more affluent ones have ornate tombstones usually of marble or granite. The very rich families have huge family mausoleums.
There are two types of burial sites: the public cemetery managed by the government, and the memorial parks developed by private business which are better planned and more expensive; many rich families are buried there today. Sadly, even in death, equality is elusive in the Philippines.
For families of Lapu lapu day tragedy who are in the Philippines, Undas will be a sad day for sharing their grief. Families whose loved ones came to Canada as tourists and had the misfortune to attend the street festival have not only regret but anger with Canadian authorities that allow mentally ill drivers to drive. They believe provincial and local governments have a responsibility to ensure public safety so such a tragedy never happens.
As Kapwa stories in this series will show, death is not a taboo subject in Filipino conversations. They talk about it as part of life and accept it as God’s will. But for Lapulapu victims’ families, their death will be a bitter memory for a very long time.
Editor of Canadian Filipino Net
Eleonor R. Laquian has written four bestselling books and co-authored four others with her husband, Prod Laquian. Over ten years, she served in various capacities at the University of British Columbia’s Institute of Asian Research: as manager of administration and programs, editor and chair of the publications committee, and primary researcher of its Asian Immigration to Canada project.
She did her BA degree in journalism at Maryknoll College in the Philippines, a master’s degree in public administration at the University of the Philippines, and postgraduate studies at the School of Public Communications at Boston University in the US.
Before immigrating to Canada, she worked with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization, and the UN Information Center. She was a researcher and bureau manager of The New York Times in Beijing, China from 1984 to 1990. She was the first and only Filipino to conduct a nationwide survey of Filipinos in Canada, in 1972, for her master’s thesis at UP. It was published as A Study of Filipino Immigrants in Canada, 1952–1972.
She updated the survey in 2005 for a book, co-authored with her husband Prod: Seeking a Better Life Abroad: A Study of Filipinos in Canada, 1957–2007,published by Anvil Publishing in Manila. She and Prod have visited over a hundred countries for work and pleasure. They immigrated to Canada in 1969.
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