Thirty minutes after Diana Silva, a seller at the Filipino Festival in Vancouver, left the party on Saturday night, heard that a car had entered the crowd in the event. Silva said he immediately began to think about how to help.
It is an example of how the Filipino Canadians in the United Community of the area have been participating in vigils, planning fund collectors for the victims and providing meals to the premises immediately after the attack.
TJ Conwi, a Canadian Filipino chef who has lived in the area for about 30 years, said that immediate acts of community care reflect the concept of “Kapwa”, a word of Tagalo that means interconnection and union in the Philippine community.
“When you say ‘We are Kapwa’, you are talking about an entire community. You are talking about how we all fall together and we all get up together, whatever we have happened. And it is so powerful to see that in the vigil yesterday,” said Conwi, 48, who attended the festival with relatives the morning of the tragedy. “It’s automatic, it doesn’t even win.”
The attack killed 11 people and wounded more than two dozen of others. The victims were 5 to 65, the authorities said at a press conference on Sunday, adding that the death toll could increase. Until now, the police have set aside discussing a reason, but has ruled out terrorism as a possibility.
The authorities said that the suspect, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, who was accused of eight second-degree murder positions, had a history of mental illness and was known by the police.
Filipino Canadians in the area say they are shaken. The ethnic group is the third largest Asian immigrant population in the country, behind the Indians and Chinese, with approximately 957,355 people to the 2021 census. Although the largest community is located in the Metropolitan area of Toronto, Vancouver also houses a significant population, with approximately 141,230 people of Philippine descent, which represents 5.4% of the metropolitan area.
The Filipino began a sustained immigration to Canada in the 1960s as a deteriorated economy in the Philippines coincided with a shortage of Canadian work. Many went to the country for nursing work and services for patients, as well as to fill other gaps in the country’s labor market. For 2016, the Filipinos had just under a third of those roles. And for decades, the community has flourished to include owners of small businesses, leaders and other prominent figures.
The locals said that the festival that was attacked is one of the largest Philippine celebrations of the year, in honor of the 16th-century Filipino Chief Datu-Lapu, which defeated the Spanish forces and remains a symbol of resistance against colonialism. The event was a rare opportunity for the Filipinos in the low continent to meet in one place, many said.
Conwi, who leads a group of Filipino chefs who provide meals to beneficial organizations in the area, said that although Canadian Filipino premises are still in shock, the accident has not prevented them from launching to rise to each other. Conwi said that the weekend was full of zoom calls and coordination of community organizations to ensure that advice, food and other resources were taken care of. He and other chefs have also been cooking and distributing meals to afflicted families and residents.
“In less than five, 10 hours, people woke up with a purpose like you would not believe. People didn’t even have time to process this, but people are already joining,” said Conwi. “Everything occurred organically. It is very fast.”
Silva, owner of the Filipino bakery cake, is easy for desserts, said he has been selling cupcakes, with 100% of the profits going to raise funds for the victims. She said it has been difficult to accept the tragedy.
“It’s such a different feeling to know that you were there just before it happened,” said Silva, 41, about the chilling experience. “I have a 7 -year -old boy and a 5 -year -old boy, and they were running around two blocks from where it really happened.”
Silva said that during a vigil for victims, community members did not hesitate to start making a rain of ideas to help. It is almost a reflection of the occasion that they were supposed to celebrate, he said.
“Lapu-Lapu has to do with resilience, and defended himself from the Philippines,” said Silva. “I think that’s what our community is doing now.”
Celine Bacani, a Filipina Canadian who has Lee’s donuts in the city, said he has also been encouraging to see those outside the community supports the Filipinos in what was supposed to be a cheerful weekend. The leaders of all Canada spoke, said Bacani, who “spoke a lot.”
The Filipino abroad also offered their solidarity with the local community of Vancouver.
Bacani, 42, who was born and grew in Vancouver, said the community has a long healing path ahead.
“The Filipinos, by nature, are really affectionate and promotion of people. We are here to always help others,” he said.
