Editorial

It was a hastily called federal election that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had hoped he could use to solidify his party’s hold on political power.

As its name signifies, the Filipino Canadian Political Association is dedicated to a singular mission.

The Toronto-based nonprofit wants to foster stronger Canadian Filipino representation in elected offices at all levels of government in the country.

The fourth Monday of August has been designated National Heroes Day in the Philippines to pay homage to the national heroes of the country.

The discoveries of unmarked graves first in Kamloops, BC at the Kamloops Indian Residential School of 215 graves and just recently of 751 graves near a former Saskatchewan residential school shook Canada’s core. We, as a nation, suddenly lost our moral compass.

With the ongoing vaccination against COVID-19, this coming summer may look a lot brighter than last year’s.

However, the fight against the novel coronavirus is far from over.

 Every year, May 3 is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day worldwide.  It’s a day which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence, and to pay tribute to journalists who gave their lives in the exercise of their profession.

News and the impacts of Atlanta spa shootings in the US on March 16 reverberated quickly on Canadian shores with protest rallies happening in major cities

like Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Vancouver during the last weekend of March denouncing violence against Asians.

 We’re not going to rehash the minute details, as many of you have probably heard of stories about Bill Gates and the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the yarn goes, the Microsoft founder and American billionaire had a role in making the virus, which was supposedly part of a plan by global elites to depopulate the world.

When Mable Elmore was first elected MLA for Vancouver-Kensington more than 10 years ago, one of her first projects was to set up an Alliance of Filipino Associations in British Columbia (AFA-BC).  It’s a sad commentary on the Filipino community that the AFA-BC did not materialize. And it was not for lack of trying on Elmore’s part. 

The year 2020 has been called many (bad) names: dumpster fire, exhausting, year of infamy, a fresh new hell at every turn.

But it will especially be known as the year that will forever be etched in every conscious mind that lived through it.

 In a recent media briefing, British Columbia’s top doctor talked about what is on the mind of a lot of people: Christmas.

Dr. Bonnie Henry joked that Santa Claus is probably immune from COVID-19, but stressed that the holiday season is going to be different in 2020.

 November 2020 - When family and friends have a birthday, we often wish them many more birthdays to come as though a long life is a great gift. Is it always desirable?  

I have many long-living relatives. My grandparents died at ages 95 and 88 in Pila, Laguna.