On July 27, 2015, the Kapisanan Philippines Centre for Arts and Culture sent me an e-mail.
It was a cut-and-paste ‘message’ that graced the Kapisanan webpage since July 24, wherein Kapisanan’s executive director Nicole Cajucom took issue with a news item Filipino centre helps youth reach higher, written by Gilbert Ngabo and published in Metro’s July 23, 2015 issue and in the Metro webpage a day earlier.
Cajucom’s ‘message’ said: “We are thrilled that an article in a paper that reaches thousands of Toronto readers is able to bring visibility to the work that our organization is doing. However, this article has also elicited negative responses from our community.”
She claimed of “misquotes that have been misconstrued to fulfill a journalist’s angle,” that her “words were twisted and taken out of context,” and that the headline was “divisive” and “incredibly condescending to careers that are complex, important and so connected to the Filipino-Canadian community.”
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There were two very disturbing quotes Ngabo wrote Cajucom said in the ten-paragraph article.
The first two paragraphs read: A Filipino cultural centre is challenging youth to set their aspirations higher than what’s become a pigeonhole in their community: Working as nurses and nannies.
“Not that there is anything wrong with those types of jobs. They are very noble jobs, said Nicole Cajucom … But when you grow up with the stereotype that every Filipino in Toronto is a caregiver or a nanny, you risk missing out on so many cool things.”
The sixth to eighth paragraphs read: Some younger members of the Filipino community feel disconnected from their culture, much like Cajucom did while growing up.
“You carry around some sort of a cultural shame, and always feel like, ‘My parents are Filipino but I am Canadian’,” she said.
The workshops offer a chance for youth to learn how to better express themselves without feeling that shame, Cajucom said.
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Asked to clarify the quotes, Cajucom and Ngabo did not reply.
The silence is respected. Respected too are the loud voices that deplored what was said and written.
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Journalist Tenny Soriano, in his column Counterpoint, has a reality-filled insight on the Metro article.
Titled Nanny Nation, Tenny’s column appears on page 4 of the Waves newspaper’s August 2015 issue and its online copy at filipinosmakingwaves.com.
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Meanwhile, it is very comforting, heartening and inspiring to observe a lot of younger members of the growing and vibrant community of Filipinos and Canadians of Filipino roots.
Yes! These fine young ladies and gentlemen, many of them born in Canada, have embraced cultural pride.
They respect their parents and elders who lovingly shaped them into being good citizens; the same parents who sacrificed brain and brawn to help build a paradise for their children.
They look back, acknowledge and revere the rich customs and traditions, arts and language, and heritage of their family’s historical roots.
They keep their heads high when they proclaim their cultural identity before all and sundry. They are fearless to share it too because they have lived the ideals of that identity.
They believe in who they are. They are confident that they will be what they aspire to become.
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Cultural pride abounds among the community’s youth (16 to 35 years old as adopted by the Vatican-initiated World Youth Day).
Besides English and French, some Canadian-born children speak and understand the tongue of their parents. (Web-based publication Ethnologue: Languages Of The World says a total of 182 native languages are spoken in the Philippines. The official languages are Filipino and English.)
‘Mano po’, an age-old act of respect to elders, is common in many homes, as do the respectful ‘po’ and ‘opo’.
Though accented, a child’s rendition of Bahay Kubo is enough for the homesick to tear up.
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Through the years, youth participation and involvement in expressive cultural forms (art, theatre, song, music and dance) have been evident.
Most big Filipino events continue to highlight the individual and group talents of the youth.
Showcasing Filipino art, songs, music and dances have won them appreciation and accolades from varied audiences in community, city, provincial and federal stages.
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The best are invited to perform in international cultural events.
A case in point is the community’s famous Fiesta Filipina Dance Troupe that made a lasting impression during the 31st International Folklore Festival in The Azores, Portugal this mid-August.
The troupe’s youthful members and officials proudly marched with the Philippine tricolor in the streets of Angro do Heroismo town.
During the festival, they awed and moved the audience and tourists when they gracefully executed their repertoire of Philippine folk dances in their colorful costumes.
They even gave time to teach guests how to get through the fast and intricate steps of Singkil.
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The theatre has also found its base in the community. Notable is the Carlos Bulosan Theatre, founded in 1982. True to its vision, this professional theatre company has created and shown innovative works reflecting the thoughts and aspirations of a new generation of Filipino-Canadian artists.
In films, Filiwood Production has proven that the community’s young artists have the ‘it’ after back-to-back-to-back successes of short films Brother, Hit Me Not and Empty. The outfit is prepping up for a feature film, Sally.
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Relatedly, food also defines culture.
Such cultural pride in Philippine cuisine received a big boost during the bigger 2nd Taste of Manila street festival along Bathurst and Wilson streets, also tagged by the Toronto City Government as Little Manila, on August 22 and 23.
The wide array of Filipino deli to dig in was just awesome, a great complement to the festival’s entertainment.
Balita’s Tess Cusipag and friend Lurvie had their day with kwek-kwek, also known as tokneneng. So did many of those unfamiliar with the deep-fried orange batter covered hard-boiled egg.
Yummy! Eons ago, kwek-kwek was my habitual pre-dinner snack at a stall in Cubao. It kept my innards going for another hour until I reached home in Cainta.
Anyways, those who put up Taste of Manila should get more than just a pat on the back. They should receive unwavering support. Kudos to Philippine Community Cultural Centre chair Rolly Mangante, vice chair Pete Torralba, secretary/treasurer Joseph Franco, auditor Augusto Capitin, founding directors Philip Beloso, Danilo Doma and Linofiel Eroma, and legal adviser Arlene Martirez.
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The community, indeed, is a treasure trove of cultural pride.
Day in and day out, community members show the culture that is innate in them.
After all, “ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa kanyang paroroonan.” (butchgalicia@yahoo.com)