Alberta's Filipino community reacts to deadly Vancouver car ramming

Alberta's Filipino community is mourning the loss of 11 people who were killed at a block party in Vancouver Saturday night.

Dozens more were hurt in the incident, when a vehicle drove into a crowd during a Lapu Lapu Day festival in the city.

Police say the man who was charged following the incident has a history of interactions with police and mental health professionals. He is facing eight counts of second-degree murder.

According to 2021 census data, about 22 per cent of Canada's Filipino population lives in Alberta. 

Premier Danielle Smith said in a statement posted to social media that Filipino-Canadians are kind, hard-working, and "cherished members of our communities right across Canada."

"What happened last night at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver is truly incomprehensible," Smith said. "Albertans are heartbroken by this devastating loss of life and injuries reported. Vancouver and its Filipino community are firmly in our thoughts and prayers."

The Philippine Consulate General in Calgary expressed its concern Sunday over the incident, saying it stands in solidarity with the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, the Filipino community in British Columbia, and Filipinos across Canada.

"We trust that the relevant authorities are addressing the matter, and we remain supportive of efforts to ensure that Filipino cultural events continue to be spaces of pride, dignity, and harmony for all," consul general Emma Sarne said.

Emelcris Aurelio, president of the Brooks Filipino Community Association, says she saw footage of the incident on social media and it broke her heart.

"It was really tragic, it was horrific," she said. "They don't deserve this."

Aurelio says as a leader in her community, it's challenging to come to terms with the tragedy.

"It is a trying time for us Filipinos," she said.

"It's hard to accept the reality that maybe most of these people are breadwinners back home, they have families, they are kids that maybe have hopes and dreams and a promising future, that just ends up into something that doesn't make sense."

Mavi Tolentino, owner of Balay Coffee in Edmonton, says they've opened up their pop-up shop to mourning members of the Filipino community, offering a safe space for those who need support.

"Today is just about providing food and space. That's all we could offer right now as a small business, but sometimes, those are all the things that you need."

They say Balay Coffee has set up a mutual aid fund called "Bayanihan Fund" for Filipinos in Edmonton.

"Bayanihan means community building [and] cooperation in times of need," Tolentino said.

"It is powered by communities, so people can donate to these funds and whoever doesn't have access to funds to grab a drink or a pastry, you can just ask us to use the funds to cover the cost, and we will give it to them, no questions asked."

They add during times like these, it's important for their community to come together and lean on each other for support. 

"I know we're far apart, but it is our community, and we are a very connected culture, and we feel what they feel," Tolentino said.

The Philippine Edmonton Events and Arts Society also released a statement Sunday in response to the deadly incident in Vancouver.

"Words feel inadequate to express the sorrow we all share as a community as we learn about the tragedy that took place at the Lapu Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver yesterday," the statement reads.

"The Filipino people are beautiful and resilient. We stand together in grief and in prayer, offering our love and support to the victims and their families and all who have been impacted by this horrific situation."

Jay-R De Lara, a Filipino language and culture teacher in the Edmonton Catholic School Division, says he was distraught when he heard about what happened in Vancouver. He says when he thinks of a Filipino gathering, he thinks of a joyous time.

"Community is very big in our culture and definitely when ... something tragic happens like this, it makes us very emotional because community is such a big part of our identity," he said.

De Lara says he is still trying to figure out what to say to his students when he returns to class on Monday.

"How do you even explain why such tragedy took place?" he said.

"I think all I can do is really make sure that they know that as Filipinos, we don't back down, right? We go through many things in our lives. The country goes through many events and tragedies. But this one event won't bring us down."

Melanie Angeles, president of the Congress of the Philippine Associations of Alberta (COPAA), says when a tragedy befalls a Filipino community in another part of the country, it affects Filipinos everywhere.

"Just because they're in Vancouver doesn't mean that they're not part of our community," Angeles said.

"This is such a horrific tragedy ... we want to do whatever we can do to help them."

Marco Luciano, director of Migrante Alberta, a non-profit advocacy and self-help organization for Filipino immigrants in Canada, says he's been checking in with his colleagues in Vancouver as they grapple with the situation. 

"Folks are in shock. We just finished a candle-lighting vigil [in Edmonton] ... praying for the families of the victims, the victims, and our community in Vancouver," he said.

He says the vigil on Sunday was sombre and many reflected on how the Lapu Lapu Day event, a celebratory and happy occasion, ended up as a tragedy.

"It is very unfortunate and it really makes me feel sad, and this opportunity is really a way for us, for me as an individual, but also our organization, to connect with our fellow Filipinos," Luciano said.

"I think now is the time to, first and foremost, be together and gather together and pray and heal as a community."

Multiple Filipino organizations across the province are in the process of arranging vigils and fundraisers for the Filipino community of Vancouver.