Rommel Silverio, Yellowknife's 1st Filipino city councillor, on IserveU

Yellowknife's first Filipino councillor won a seat on council in a nail-biter victory Monday night. Rommel Silverio compares the scene to a winning fight by Manny Pacquiao — the celebrated Filipino boxer.

"You know when you watch and there's a lot of people in the crowd and they're all Filipino," Silverio says. "And they went home satisfied and they're happy — they're proud. So that was what it felt like."

A first generation immigrant, Silverio arrived in Yellowknife in the 1990s. He worked several jobs, including one as a cleaner at Stanton Territorial Hospital. He later studied to be a nurse and now oversees patient care at the hospital, while also working as an instructor at Aurora College. 

Silverio says it was the Filipino vote, as well as the support of other Yellowknife immigrants, that won him the race.

"We're in the same boat. We feel the same thing that we feel."

IserveU 'a good tool for engagement'

Silverio was one of three candidates — and the only successful one — to run for IserveU, the online voting tool that aims to let citizens influence councillors' votes with the click of a mouse. The non-profit organization, and its website, drew both praise and criticism throughout the campaign.  

"I never thought that this thing's going to be sensationalized. For me, it was a good tool for engagement, where I could see a benefit especially for us Filipinos," Silverio says, explaining why he opted to run on the platform. 

"Most of my people, the Filipino people…  these are the people that don't really do a lot of stuff in city hall, but they are homeowners, they pay taxes here, they have concerns. And they don't know who to approach."

Silverio says Filipinos who speak English as a second language will be especially attracted to iServeU because of the site's translation feature. 

He's committed to respecting the wishes of citizens who use the site, something he says is the job of politicians. 

But he says he won't be relying entirely on IserveU, especially when making decisions on the many issues that don't meet the site's threshold for users to sway the vote. 

"People believe in me and this is just part of my platform. I'm going to hear anybody on both sides." 

Father's dying wish

This isn't Silverio's first shake at politics.

"I was 16 when I started politics," he says, referring to his work as a youth representative while growing up in the Philippines.

"I didn't have a normal teenage life."

He says his passion was re-ignited during the 2012 municipal election, when hopeful politicians, including the future mayor, visited his home. 

"Even Mr. Mark Heyck, when he won, he actually says to me he wants to see me in the council in 2015."

But it was the support of his father, who died last year, that tipped the scales.

"He actually went and talked to the leaders of the Filipino community and says, 'If ever Rommel intends to run in the council, please help him.'"

Silverio only found out what his dad did when he started campaigning this year.

"My dad's last wishes [were] me going to the city council," he says.

"It's something personal that I'm happy with, so although my dad is gone, the legacy is going to continue."