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.
From memorial Catholic mass services across the Lower Mainland to this year’s celebration of the Lapu-Lapu Festival at the Italian Cultural Centre, uniformed police officers armed with automatic-rifles and sub-machine guns can be seen walking around the different venues. This is magnified by marked police vehicles driving along the area and more often even barricading the surrounding streets.
On the exact day of the anniversary, police officers stood guard outside the St. Mary’s Parish Church in Vancouver’s Joyce-Collingwood area during its “babang luksa” or “end of mourning” memorial service.
Organized by the Mabuhay House Society, the church was already packed before the arrival of the invited government leaders. First to arrive was Vancouver mayor Ken Sim and four of the eight elected members of the city council. Just a few steps behind the mayor were BC Premier David Eby and BC attorney general Niki Sharma.
Inside, a somber atmosphere enveloped the church as Fr. Gabriel De Chadarevian recited and paused on each of the names of the eleven victims killed in the vehicle-ramming attack.
No messages from government leaders to address the tragedy were allowed at the end of the mass. But in a short statement given by Premier Eby in front of a small gathering at the Collingwood Neighborhood House across the parish, he said, “For us as a province, it was a challenge because of the ongoing police investigation and the criminal trial. The questions we really need the answers to are around the mental health system. About what worked and what didn’t. And whether there was an opportunity to stop this or to do a better job – the lessons we need to learn from this tragedy are really on hold until we get through the criminal trial which is still in its early stages.”
The suspect, Lo Kai-ji also known as Adam Lo, has been charged with eleven counts of second-degree murder and thirty-one counts of attempted murder.
On the other side of the country in Ottawa, Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a statement that morning, saying: “This tragedy left a profound void in the hearts of families, loved ones, and Filipino communities across Canada and around the world. In the face of unimaginable loss and grief, they have shown strength, solidarity, and compassion. Their sorrow is shared by our entire nation.”
However, it was a different atmosphere one week earlier when Filipino BC ran its Lapu-Lapu Day of Togetherness at the Italian Cultural Centre. A group of protesters started arriving shortly before 9 a.m. at the nearby Beaconsfield Park and were getting ready for a full day of demonstration.
Provincial lawmaker Mable Elmore, who has been a vocal and active supporter of the victims, echoed the sentiment of the group who are demanding transparency and accountability on the more than $1.5 million in donations that came in after the tragedy.
“So, I am here to support the victims and families as they have asked. And I think the path forward for all of us collectively to heal (is) we have to listen to the victims and families”, said Elmore and added, “(And) what do they need, what kind of support, emotional support, social support, financial support.? Many of them still struggle. And so, we’re here to support them.”
Present at the protest was Vanessa Hill, the partner of Adrian “AJ” Sico who suffered severe brain trauma and serious multiple body injuries.
“In our time of need, Filipino BC added to our stress and our trauma and our PTSD instead of helping us” explained an emotional Hill. “We still need to fight for AJ’s recovery. It’s not anywhere close to done. He can’t stand. He’s completely assisted. His mom is his fulltime care-aide now. And he can’t speak for himself. So, we need to speak for him.”
Some of the placards read: “Abuloy sa namatayan nasaan?!” (“Donations to the bereaved, where did these go?”) and “Mahiya naman kayo!” (“Shame on you!”), repeating the message that the donations that were collected on behalf of the victims have not reached the victims’ families and the seriously injured.
Alejandro Samper whose whole family was killed at the festival made his statement at the protest as well.
“The organizers of this event received a lot of funding, a lot of money from United Way, the government, the private donors, and (from) people like you and me. And we received crumbs. And they thought we would be okay with just receiving crumbs.”
At exactly 11 a.m., the same time Filipino BC’s Lapu-Lapu Day of Togetherness officially opened, the protesters started a silent march from the park towards the Italian Centre ending at Grandview Highway where they were welcomed by a chorus of car horns from passing commuters as a show of support.
Inside the centre, Filipino BC were also remembering the tragedy and the victims with their own moment of reflection. Representatives from Vancouver’s emergency services were present and were invited to pin flowers on a flower wall specially mounted that day as a symbol of remembering the people killed and injured.
“We will never forget what happened. Today is not about forgetting or rushing forward. We hope today will be about showing up for one another in community, in bayanihan, and in the many ways healing can look different for each person,” Filipino BC chair RJ Aquino said during the opening.
Except for those who came for the free breakfast that morning, the crowds from 2025 and 2024’s festivities did not show up this year. Maybe it was the unusually warm Sunday Spring afternoon or something else, but the sprawling grounds of the Italian Centre were clearly exposed.
In its website, United Way BC said that it launched the Kapwa Strong Fund in 2025 to support the victims and their families. In its February 2026 report, United Way was able to raise $1.6 million, of which $1.5 million were distributed to 45 grants for 36 organizations.
In an interview with the Canadian Press, Aquino said that this is the time the local, provincial, and federal governments, including the crown corporation Insurance Corporation of BC should step up and help the victims and their families.
"It's hard to navigate ICBC on a good day, let alone for something like, as complex as this, and as tragic as this," Aquino told the Canadian Press.
This year’s Lapu-Lapu event has not only caught the attention of Canada’s national media but has pushed the issue of division within the community to the centre of its lens.
From one tragedy to the next, CTV News reports “Filipino community divided one year after tragedy”, while the CBC News headlines “Lapu-Lapu event divides Vancouver’s Filipino community.”
For the country’s largest newspaper The Globe & Mail writes “A year after Lapu-Lapu attack, grief, anger, and hope entwine.” Independent digital publication The Tyee banners “One Year After the Lapu-Lapu Day Attack, a Community is Divided.”
There were several other memorial services held a few weeks within the anniversary. Among them was at St. Andrew’s Parish just a few blocks where the attack happened. Other than the provincial and city elected officials, federal Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre also attended the service and honoured the victims and their families who were present at the service.
In his homily, Fr. Salvador Reyes said, "Yes, there were pain, there was sadness, there was heaviness, but at the same time, there was also something else. You could see there was love."
At Mountainview Cemetery in the northside of Fraser Street, dozens of people gathered at the temporary memorial and brought flowers and other mementoes to pay their respects to the victims. Most of them were unaware that other than the deaths of 11 people and the tedious and complicated search for justice, another tragedy has already started within the Filipino community.
About the Author
Israel Cando is a freelance journalist with extensive experience in broadcast journalism specifically on TV news gathering, TV magazine production, and radio news reporting. He has worked for Philippine networks ABS-CBN, GMA Network, ABC5 (now TV5), and was a special contributor for CNN International. Cando had also written for the political tabloid “Pinoy Times” during the administration of Philippine President Joseph Estrada.
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