2 October  2020, Calgary – Philippine Consul General to Calgary Zaldy Patron participated in two online Filipino activities that added color to the month-long celebration of the Alberta Culture Days 2020 in September 2020 throughout the Province of Alberta, Canada. The provincial event featured the various arts and cultures of Alberta’s diverse community.

 

The two Filipino activities that Consul General Patron joined were Hulaan Mo (Guess It) and Historya 2 (History 2).

 

Hulaan Mo was organized by the Edmonton-based Philippine Arts Council (PAC) on 26 September 2020. Two sessions of this online guessing game introduced the participants to Philippine arts, culture, language, history, architecture, geography, cuisine, customs, traditions, and pop culture. Each question was followed by a discussion to provide the participants with the context and deeper understanding of the topic.[ACEB1] 

 

Historya 2, on the other hand, was a two-part learning series of visual and intercultural dialogues about the historical and cultural experiences of Filipinos in Alberta. The UP Alumni Association of Edmonton hosted the event.

 

The first session of Historya 2 featured the stories of four Filipino-Canadians.

 

First to be presented was the story of Mr. Panfilo Quedado who came to Canada in the late 1960s. He became one of the landscape designers of the Muttart Conservatory’s tropical pyramid botanical garden and of the gardens of the Alberta Legislature, both located in Edmonton. Next was Ms. Ledinila Murgatroyd of Red Deer, Alberta, who helped many Filipino women come to Alberta via the Live-in Caregiver program. Also featured was Mr. Albert Remus, an international student completing his PhD at the University of Alberta. The last to share her story was Ms. Kitbielle Pasagui, former member of the UP Madrigal Singers who is now a member of the esteemed Kokopelli choir in Edmonton.

 

The second session of Historya 2, held on 30 September 2020, was mainly a dialogue on Filipino diaspora.

 

Consul General Patron thanked the PAC for coming up with a fun and entertaining way of learning Philippine arts and culture, and commended UPAA Edmonton for highlighting the stories of Filipino migration in Alberta.

 

He underscored the support of the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary for activities that help promote Philippine arts and culture, and those that raise the community’s consciousness about the realities and challenges surrounding the Filipino migration.