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The cast of the play “Through the Bamboo” receive accolades from the audience.

10 July 2019, Toronto-The officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, its attached agencies and members of their family, watched the world premiere of the Filipino-Canadian play entitled “Through the Bamboo” last Monday, July 8, 2019 at the Factory Theatre in downtown Toronto.

Inspired by Philippine mythology, “Through the Bamboo” is an action-packed adventure about the value of storytelling, and how families deal with loss. Through the Bamboo will be performed at the Factory Theatre Mainspace starting July 3 until July 14, 2019 as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival.

Following is a summary of Through the Bamboo, based on the play’s website: “When Philly’s Lola (grandma) dies, she finds herself in the fantastical land of Uwi. Will Philly be able to end the reign of the Three Sisters, find her Lola, and bring her back home? Through the Bamboo is a Filipinx-Canadian tale suitable for the whole family 7+, told in the style of The Wizard of Oz, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Alice in Wonderland while rooted in Philippine mythology.”

Post’s personnel and members of their family pose for a souvenir photo with Ms. Andrea Mapili, one of the writers/producers of the play “Through the Bamboo”.

Directed by Nina Lee Aquino (Artistic Director, Factory Theatre and 2019 recipient of the Margo Bindhart and Rita Davies Award), Through the Bamboo is co-written by wife and husband team Andrea Mapili (Cassettes 100) and Byron Abalos (Good Morning, Viet Mom).

As to why they wrote the play, Andrea Mapili and Byron Abalos said, “We wrote this play to fill a void. We wanted to write a Filipino play for young audiences; an epic tale featuring Philippine mythology that featured women, young and old, as the central characters. After experiencing death and loss in our own family, we were inspired to write a play about grieving from a child's perspective.” END.

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19 June 2019 Toronto, Ontario - The 158^th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Jose Rizal was commemorated by the Order of the Knights of Rizal (KOR) Canada Region at the Earl Bales Park, North York, on 19 June 2019. PCG Toronto’s Deputy Consul General (DCG) Bernadette Therese Fernandez, Consul Edna May Lazaro, Consul Edwin Gil Mendoza, KCR, Cultural Officer Cecil Santos and Communications Officer Errol Reyes attended the celebration.

 A highlight of the event was the wreath-laying ceremony at the bust of Dr. Jose Rizal at Earl Bales Park. KGOR Regional Commander Sir Jose Damasco, DCG Fernandez, Consul Mendoza, representatives of the Knights of Rizal Ladies, representatives of Rizal Youth Canada Council and other guests laid wreaths in front of Dr. Rizal’s bust.

DCG Fernandez and Consul Mendoza delivered their messages during the event. Also in attendance was Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for North York Sir Roman Baber, KCR. The great great grandniece of Dr. Jose Rizal, Bea Villaroman, also graced the occasion.

 The ceremony also witnessed the presentation of awards to officials and members of KOR for their contributions in the successful implementation of various activities of KOR in the past months. The event was sponsored by the Rizal Youth Canada Council.

Deputy Consul General Bernadette Fernandez delivers her message to the KOR Canada officials and members and guests during the celebration of the 158^th Anniversary of the birth of     Dr. Jose Rizal at Earl Bales Park, North York, Toronto, Ontario.

Deputy Consul General Bernadette Fernandez (6th from R) and Consul Mendoza (5^th from R), along with Sir Joe Damasco, KGOR (4^th from R), and Sir Mario Alpuerto (3^rd from R) prepare to lay their wreaths in front of Dr. Jose Rizal’s bust.

Consul Edwin Gil Mendoza delivers his inspirational message during the event.

PCG Toronto officials, Knights of Rizal officials and members, Ladies of the Knights of Rizal officials and mebers, Rizal Youth Canada Council officials and members, and guests pose at the Earl Bales Park Community Centre.

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09 July 2019, Toronto--Toronto-based alumni associations of various Philippine colleges and universities kick-started an expected busy summer 2019 for the Filipino community with its annual picnic and Summerfest. The picnic was held on Sunday, July 7, 2019 at the Mississauga Valley Community Park. Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez, Consuls Edna May Grecia-Lazaro and Edwin Gil Q. Mendoza graced the annual Summerfest. Philippine College and Universities Alumni Associations (PCUAA) is an umbrella organization of different alumni associations representing colleges and universities from Philippines.

Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez delivers her remarks during the annual picnic and Summerfest of the Philippine College and Universities Alumni Association (PCUAA) held on Sunday, July 9, 2019 at the Mississauga Valley Community Park.

In her speech, Deputy Consul General hFernandez congratulated PCUAA for “once again coming together as a community of colleges and universities-united in reminiscing excellent education in the Philippines and happily re-enacting active participation in sports when we were still in university.” “Let us embrace the outdoors, let us feel the warmth of the air and come together as a community to play, eat and reflect upon life in general,” she added.

Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez delivers her remarks during the annual picnic and Summerfest of the Philippine College and Universities Alumni Association (PCUAA) held on Sunday, July 9, 2019 at the Mississauga Valley Community Park.

Through the annual summerfest picnic, the PCUAA aims to foster communication, involvement, cooperation, and friendship among alumni association members, their families and friends. The picnic boasts of the salo-salo lunch, where all alumni are encouraged to share food with other alumni associations, performances by individual members or groups, children’s games and inter-alumni sports competitions. END.

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17 June 2019, Toronto, Canada--The week surrounding June 12 was a busy week for the Filipino-Canadian community in the Greater Toronto Area as they celebrated the 121st anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence with a series of activities. This year’s commemoration of Philippine Independence coincides with four(4) other milestones: the first Canada-wide celebration of the month of June as Filipino heritage month pursuant to House Bill 105 introduced in the House of Commons in October last year; the declaration of June 12 and the month of June as Filipino Heritage Day and Filipino Heritage month in the City of Toronto and in in all schools under the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-Canada diplomatic relations.

Unveiling of the Rizal Monument in Markham

09 June 2019-(Left photo): The life-size bronze statue of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal was unveiled in Markham, Ontario on June 09, 2019. (Right photo): Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti (3rd from left), former Markham Councillor Alex Chiu (4th from left) and Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez (2nd from right) are joined by children of Filipino descent in posing for a souvenir photo to mark the occasion. Photo Credit: Mr. Bin Kon Loo of Filipiniana News

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti (5th from left), former Markham Councillor Alex Chiu (Center), Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez (4th from right) and the sculptor of the bronze statue Mr. Mogi Mogado are joined by other dignitaries to mark the occasion. Photo Credit: Mr. Bin Kon Loo of Filipiniana News

On 09 June 2019, the Philippine Consulate General, led by Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez, participated in the flag-raising rites and unveiling of the monument of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Luneta Gardens. Luneta Gardens was built on a portion of Box Grove Community Park in Markham, Ontario.

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and other local elected officials joined the Filipino community during the Philippine flag-raising rites. A brain-child of former Markham Ward 8 Councillor Alex Chiu, the life-size bronze statue of Dr. Jose Rizal was sculpted by a local Filipino-Canadian Mr. Mogi Mogado and stands across the road where Rizal Avenue in Markham begins.

Flag-raising ceremonies The Philippine flag was proudly hoisted at Toronto City Hall and Provincial Parliament of Ontario on June 12, 2019 and from June 9 to 13 in the following key cities in the Greater Toronto Area and nearby areas: Vaughan, Brampton, Markham, Barrie and Hamilton.

12 June 2019, Toronto-(Clockwise from the left): (1) Mayor John Tory joins the Filipino community in celebrating the 121st anniversary of the declaration of Philippine independence; (2) Mayor Tory poses for a souvenir photo with Consul Edna May Grecia-Lazaro (middle); Welfare Officer Ms. Ma. Lourdes V. Reyes (rightmost), Pag-IBIG Fund Representative Ms. Elizabeth Borres (leftmost) and Social Security System Representative Mr. Roberto Roldan; and (3) Councillor Jim Karygiannis (2nd from right) of Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt and Councillor Josh Matlow (rightmost) for Ward 12-St. Paul pose for a photo with PCG officers. Photo Credit: Mr. Bin Kon Loo of Filipiniana News

Local officials, notably the Mayor of Toronto John Tory, MPP Doly Begum for Scarborough Southwest, Councillor Jim Karygiannis of Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt, Councillor Josh Matlow for Ward 12-St. Paul, and former Councillor Neethan Shan, were present to celebrate with the Filipino-Canadian community. In their remarks, they acknowledged the important contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community to the economic development of Canada and their role in further enriching Canada’s cultural mosaic. The messages of the officials carried a common theme; they cited the shared values of freedom, democracy and the importance of family that binds the Philippines and Canada.

Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez (4th from right), Labor Attache Rachel Nagayo(5th from left), Cultural Officer Ms. Cecilia Santos (3rd from left) and some members of the Filipino community await the start of the flag-raising ceremony at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

(From left to right): Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez, Ms. Monina Lim-Serrano, President of the Federation of Filipino-Canadians in Ontario, MPP Raymond Cho, MPP Doly Begum, MPP Chris Glover, MPP Kathleen Wynn, Ms. Michelle Serrano of the Federation of Filipino-Canadians in Ontario and MPP Robin Martin.

Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez led the flag raising ceremony at the grounds of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Queen’s Park. Organized by the Federation of Filipino-Canadians in Ontario, the event was attended by some Members of Provincial Parliament (MPP): Kathleen Wynn (Don Valley West), Raymond Cho (Scarborough-Rouge River and Ontario Minister for Seniors and Accessibility); Robin Martin (Eglinton-Lawrence); Doly Begum (Scarborough Southwest) and Chris Glover (Spadina-Fort York)./

Other Activities Marking Philippine Independence Day and Filipino Heritage Month

The Consulate General attended the reception launching the photo exhibit ``Larawan``, meaning portrait. The event was organized by Philippine Advancement Through Arts and Culture (PATAC) as part of the Filipino Heritage Month celebration. The exhibit will feature portraits of Filipino-Canadians whose work and story has inspired the Filipino community and highlight their positive contributions to Toronto, Canada. The portraits were taken by Christian Ryan, PATAC`s feature artist for 2019 and will be displayed in various locations across Toronto.

Her Excellency Ambassador Petronila P. Garcia (4th from right), Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez (3rd from right) and Cultural Officer Ms. Cecilia Santos (2nd from right) pose for a photo with Brampton City Mayor Patrick Brown (middle) and Brampton City Councillor Rowena Santos (beside Mayor Brown) and some members of the Filipino-Canadian community.

Brampton City Mayor Patrick Brown and Brampton City Councillor Rowena Santos unveil the marker for the construction of a park in Brampton named after Dr. Jose Rizal.

Led by Her Excellency Petronila P. Garcia, Philippine Ambassador to Canada, the Consulate General also participated in the Halo-Halo event organized by the Office of the City Mayor of Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and members of the City Council on 13 June 2019.

During the event, Mayor Patrick Brown announced the approval of the resolution sponsored by Brampton City Councillor Rowena Santos naming one of the parks in Brampton after Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal. END