Across the world, wherever Filipinos have planted new roots, whether in Canada, the United States, or beyond, we bring with us not only our aspirations, but also the traditions that anchor our identity. We carry home in our hearts, in the rhythms of our music, the flavors of our food, the stories of our heroes.
In Vancouver, home to one of Canada’s largest and most vibrant Filipino communities, the province of British Columbia officially designated April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day in 2023.
The following year, in 2024, the community gathered to hold the inaugural Lapu-Lapu Day Festival—a joyful occasion honoring Filipino resilience, pride, and heritage.
The festival pays tribute to Datu Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan who, in 1521, led the first recorded resistance against foreign conquest in Philippine history. By defeating Ferdinand Magellan at the Battle of Mactan, Lapu-Lapu became a symbol of bravery, self-determination, and national pride—ideals that have echoed across centuries and continue to inspire Filipinos wherever they may be.
The Lapu-Lapu Day Festival, as well as countless other celebrations organized by Filipinos abroad have come to represent more than festivity. They have become a vital thread in the tapestry of the Filipino diaspora.
These gatherings bridge the distance from the Philippines, offering communities overseas a way to soothe the enduring longing for home.Through music, dance, food, and storytelling, we keep our heritage alive, strengthen community bonds, and nurture pride among younger generations growing up far from their ancestral shores.
They also open doors for the wider public to experience the richness of Filipino culture—an offering of selfhood and spirit proudly shared with the world.
But this year’s Lapu-Lapu Day celebration ended in unimaginable heartbreak.
A vehicle sped into a crowd gathered for the festivities, claiming lives and leaving many others wounded. In one shattering moment, what was meant to be a day of unity and remembrance was transformed into a landscape of sorrow and disbelief.
That is why this tragedy cuts so deeply.
It was not simply the disruption of a festival. It was a blow to the heart of a people striving to honor their past, affirm their presence, and inspire the future.
It was an assault on a living memory—on immigrants who carried their stories across oceans, who built new lives without forgetting who they are, who gathered to teach their children that they come from courage, not conquest.
Across oceans and time zones, Filipinos everywhere are united in mourning with our brothers and sisters in Vancouver.
We pray for the victims and their families, for those still fighting to heal, and for a community now carrying the heavy burden of mending not just broken bodies, but broken dreams.
Yet even in the depths of sorrow, glimmers of hope emerge :
In the bravery of first responders and bystanders who ran toward danger rather than away from it.
In the compassion of neighbors who opened their arms without hesitation.
In the quiet strength of a community determined that its spirit will not be broken.
Let this painful moment remind us that whenever we gather, we do so not merely to celebrate, but to carry forward a living history to fortify our connections, to educate our youth, and to honor the courage of our ancestors, whose defiance centuries ago lit the first sparks of freedom.
Today, we grieve as one Filipino family scattered across continents. In every candle lit, every prayer said, and every act of kindness shown, the community honors not only the lives lost but also the spirit of hope that continues to bind us together.
Even in the face of unimaginable sorrow, the Filipino people, undaunted and resilient, shine brightly around the world.
