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 PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL SPEARHEADS FIRST FILIPINO FILM CARAVAN IN TORONTO

Left to right- Siné Institute President Michaelangelo Masangkay, Consul Katrina Isabelle Borja-Martin, FDCP Executive Director of Film Philippines Joierie Pacumio, Consul General Angelica Escalona, FDCP Executive Assistant Marian Torre and Consul Rodney Jonas L. Sumague

28 September 2024 – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto in partnership with Siné Institute, York University and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) organized the two-part Filipino Film Caravan 2024 held on 7 September at The Royal Theater and on 27-28 September 2024 at The Nick Mirkopoulos Screening Room at York University (Keele Campus).

Scheduled to coincide with the Philippine Film Industry Month and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) which are both held in September each year, the Filipino Film Caravan is part of the Consulate General’s activities celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Philippines-Canada diplomatic relations. It was made possible through the Philippine Embassies Assistance Program (PEAP) of the FDCP.

The first installment had a very good turnout with some 369 members of the Filipino-Canadian community filling the 400-seater theater to watch the screening of the critically-acclaimed coming-of-age film Cleaners by Glenn Barit. The film, which is regarded as a paragon of Filipino contemporary film, was particularly well-received by millennials and Generation Z attendees, who said that they were able to relate to the theme of the film, which is about challenges faced by Filipino youth in the Philippines.

For the second installment, members of the Filipino-Canadian community, faculty members and students of York University were treated to both classic and contemporary Filipino cinema through the screening of the short film Living Things and feature film Ma’Rosa on 27 September, and the short documentary In Paglayag, feature film Tale of the Lost Boys, and feature documentary A Piece of Paradise on 28 September. The viewers, especially first and second generation immigrants in Canada, applauded the documentary A Piece of Paradise, which was reminiscent of their own challenges when they migrated to Canada.

Both events opened with a video message from FDCP Chairman Jose Javier Reyes, which highlighted the importance of film in promoting greater understanding between the Philippines and Canada and of the Filipino-Canadian diaspora. “It is through the medium of film that we can grasp each other’s mindsets better… that the Filipino and the Canadian can understand each other better, but more so for the Filipino-Canadians to understand their Filipino roots and for the Filipinos back home to understand the voice of you Filipino-Canadians,” Chairman Reyes emphasized.

FDCP Executive Director of Film Philippines Joierie Ann Pacumio, who was in Toronto to attend and support Philippine films featured at the TIFF, also took the Caravan as an opportunity to provide attendees information on incentives and co-production opportunities available for foreign filmmakers in the Philippines. This year’s TIFF featured Filipino films Bona, Sunshine and Vox Humana, and Filipino co-produced films, Viet and Nam and Don’t Cry Butterfly.END

Left to right: The signage at The Royal Theater of the Filipino Film Caravan; FDCP Executive Director Joierie Pacumio giving a talk on film incentives and co-production opportunities available for foreign filmmakers in the Philippines. Below: Moviegoers at The Royal Theater. Members of the Filipino-Canadian community, faculty members and students at York University during the two-day Filipino Film Caravan at The Nick Mirkopoulos Screening Room

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FILIPINO PROFESSIONALS CONVENTION 2024 - 26 OCTOBER 2024 

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COMMUNITY FORUM IN TORONTO DISCUSS WAYS TO HELP PROTECT THE PHILIPPINES’ MARITIME HERITAGE

Dr. Deo Onda of the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute giving a presentation on the West Philippine Sea

22 September 2024, Toronto – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, in partnership with the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in Toronto (UPAAT), conducted a community forum on the West Philippine Sea in observance of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo). The forum was the last stop of a roadshow for MANA Mo initiated by the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Canada led by the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa.

In her welcome remarks, Consul General Angelica C. Escalona explained the need to raise awareness about the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and its importance to the Philippines and the rest of the world. The Consul General shared a quote from the forum’s main speaker, Dr. Deo Onda, who said “The more you know, the more you care. And the more you care, the more you will act.”

In a recorded video presentation, Professor Jay Batongbacal, Director of the University of the Philippines’ Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, described the significance of the WPS as part of the broader South China Sea (SCS). He also gave an overview of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitration Award, and the importance of these on the Philippines’ maritime entitlements in the WPS.

Dr. Onda, Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute, emphasized that the Philippines is an archipelagic nation and that it is important for Filipinos in Canada to recognize their roots and heritage as a maritime people. It is a heritage that they should be proud of as the Philippines, which is located at the center of the coral reef triangle, is the epicenter of marine biodiversity. As such, protecting the WPS and its rich resources is important not just to the Philippines but to the rest of the world. “It is an inheritance that the Filipino people is giving to the world”, Dr. Onda remarked.

An open forum followed which began with reactions from Professor Philip Kelly of York University and Ms. Olivia Camacho of UPAAT. Discussions centered on what the Filipino diaspora can do to help protect the Philippine’s maritime heritage, especially in the WPS. The recommendations include helping raise awareness and mobilize support on the WPS to amplify the Philippine position for a rules-based order in the region. Another recommendation is supporting efforts for the training of Filipino scientists and oceanographers and for marine scientific research in the Philippines.

The community forum was attended by around 80 members of Filipino community organizations and student groups who described the forum as enlightening and inspiring. END

(left to right) Consul Katrina Isabelle Borja-Martin, UPAAT President Agnes Manasan, Ms. Olivia Camacho of UPAAT, Consul General Angelica Escalona, Dr. Onda, Professor Philip Kelly of York University, Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate and Consul Rodney Jonas Sumague Attendees during the community forum with Consul General Escalona and Dr. Onda 

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PUBLIC HOLIDAY NOTICE - 14 OCTOBER 2024