03 June 2018, Calgary -  The Province of Alberta has declared June of each year as “Philippine Heritage Month” as “the opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Filipino-Canadians in Alberta, and to honour Philippine Independence as well as the historic struggles of Filipinos.”

 

The Proclamation (photo right), signed on 01 June 2018 by The Honourable Lois Mitchell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, stated that the Province “recognizes the significant contributions of Filipino-Canadians to the social, economic, cultural and historical richness of the Province of Alberta.”   It added  that “the Province of Alberta values diversity and Filipino-Canadians in Alberta represent a vibrant and dynamic component of our cultural mosaic.”    Madame Lieutenant Governor Mitchell signed the  Proclamation in representation of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second of the United Kingdom, Head of the Commonweath, and with the advice  and consent of the Executive Council of the Province of Alberta.

 

Deputy Premier of Alberta Sarah Hoffman (photo left, holding document with CG Asuque) formally announced the Proclamation of Philippine Heritage Month “from today and for eternity” at the conclusion on Sunday of the 2-day Alberta Filipino Leaders Conference held at the Hotel Blackfoot in Calgary.  The conference was attended by about 200 leaders and volunteers of Filipino communities and organizations in the Province and held at the initiative  of the Philippine Festival Council of Alberta, chaired by Mrs. Vangie Caoile, to enhance the participation and wellbeing of Filipino Albertans and accelerate Filipino involvement and leadership in the civic life of Alberta. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Proclamation stressed that the celebration of Philippine Heritage Month in June every year is in response “to the unified vision of Filipino-Canadian community organizations, leaders and volunteers from across the Province of Alberta.”   Deputy Premier Hoffman joined the Filipino community leaders in the celebration and invited youth leaders (right photo) to read the Whereas clauses of the Proclamation as a symbolic recognition of their important role in carrying forward the vision and goals of the annual celebration of Philippine Heritage Month.

 

Consul General Gilberto Asuque conveyed the congratulations and best wishes of the Philippine Government to the Filipino community leaders in Alberta for the success of their 2-year effort culminating with the signing of the Proclamation.  He also thanked Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, Deputy Premier Hoffman, Minister for Community Services Irfan Sabir and the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Alberta (who represent various districts in Calgary and who attended the 2-day conference) for providing the funds for the leaders’ conference and for  their total  support to the petition of the Filipinos in Alberta to proclaim June  of each year as Philippine  Heritage Month. 

 

In his remarks, Consul General Asuque (photo left, 3^rd from L) noted  that the signing of the Proclamation gains greater meaning as the Philippines celebrates its 120^th Independence Day on June 12 with the theme “Pagbabagong Ipinaglaban, Alay sa Masaganang Kinabukasan” (Change We Fought For, An Offering To an Abundant Future).  “The change that you, the Filipino community leaders and volunteers in Alberta, fought for that culminated with the annual celebration in June of the Philippine Heritage, is your great and  lasting offering for the present and future generation of Filipino-Canadians who will now have the means and  platform to strengthen their connection with the Philippines and share the Filipino culture, values and history with all Albertans”, Consul General Asuque said, as he  challenged the community leaders to gather and pool their talents and organizational skills to hold the first and historic Philippine  Heritage Month in June 2019. 

 

During the conference, the community leaders along with Consul General Asuque, Deputy Premier Hoffman and  the MLAs (photo right) placed on a native Filipino canvas their commitment for the successful annual celebration of Philippine Heritage Month and for the welfare of the Filipinos in Alberta.

 

 

In a  demographic overview  of Filipinos in Canada and Alberta presented during the conference, it was pointed out that the Filipino diaspora is one of the  largest and fastest growing ethnocultural groups in Canada.  According to the 2016 census, immigrants from the Philippines represented the highest percentage (15.58%) of total immigrants to Canada between 2011 and 2016.  The second largest was India with 12.14% and China was  third with 10.64%. The 2016 census stated that approximately 837,135 individuals identified having Filipino ethnic origins.   Across the different provinces and territories of Canada, 40.3% of the total Filipino population live in Ontario, followed by 20.9% in Alberta (approximately 175,130 Filipinos) and 18.9% in British Colombia.  In terms of gender, there is a slightly larger number of Filipina women than Filipino men in Canada.    Within Alberta, the two cities  with the  largest population of Filipinos are Calgary with 75,020 and Edmonton with 64,275.