15 March 2019, Calgary - The
Philippine Consulate General in Calgary congratulates Dr. Victorino Lantion for receiving the 2019
Immigrants of Distinction Award (IDA) for Community Service during the
ceremonies on 15 March 2019 at the Bella Concert Hall of the Mount Royal
University in Calgary.
MP Kent Hehr of Calgary
Center presented the Award to Dr. Lantion (photo left) on behalf of Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau at the 23rd Annual IDA night attended by
about 100 guests led by the Honourable
Lois E. Mitchell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, and Deputy Premier and
Minister of Health Sarah Hoffman. Lt.
Gov. Mitchell congratulated the awardees for their remarkable determination and
resilience, willingness to take up the challenge and adopt to changes, heartfelt
care and compassion for others, and for being
great citizens of Canada. Dr.
Lantion was chosen to receive the Community Service Award from among 3
nominees. The IDA has seven categories. Consul
General Gilberto Asuque congratulated Dr. Lantion (1st and 2nd
from left at right photo) who joined the other awardees after the event.
The brief background before the presentation of
the Award noted that Dr. Lantion came to Canada with his family from the Philippines in 2007. He
was a medical doctor in the Philippines with a strong foundation in public
health and community development. In the
1990’s, he began raising awareness around issues impacting families, including
domestic violence, HIV-AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, and disaster
management.
After arriving in Canada, Dr. Lantion worked for more than 10
years in the field of domestic violence prevention and transforming public
health institutions through community organizing, participatory action
research, as well as engagement in policy advocacy. Dr. Lantion co-founded the
Men’s Action Network – Calgary, a group that supports and promotes healthy
family relationships. He contributed
greatly to domestic violence prevention in the immigrant community by working
on a system, community and personal level. Currently, despite struggles with
his health, Dr. Lantion continues to volunteer for a network of 18
community-based organizations.
The IDA is organized
and presented by the Immigrant Services Calgary
(ISC), which provides a wide range of settlement services to immigrants and
refugees looking to begin a new chapter of their lives in Canada. The ISC employs a client-focused, integrated
approach when working with individuals and their families to help them settle
in Calgary.