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PR-2021-50

04 September 2021, Toronto, Ontario – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto is pleased to inform that a consular team led by Consul General Orontes V. Castro conducted the first Consular Outreach Mission in Southern Ontario to St. Catharines this year on 04 September 2021. Consul General Castro also met with Filipino students with foreign student visas in Canada. The representatives from POLO-Toronto and SSS joined the consular mission to reply and attend to queries on employment, membership with OWWA, and financial and non-monetary benefits for retirees.

The OF applicants were thankful to the consular team for undertaking the outreach mission and for providing consular and other services to Overseas Filipinos in Ontario. The consular outreach mission was supported by the Caregivers and Support Network of Niagara (CANN) led by its President, Ms. Salvacion Silva.

A total of 198 consular services (including 67 Overseas Absentee Voters registration) were extended to Overseas Filipinos in St. Catharines and the nearby City of Hamilton and the Niagara Falls region.

Another Consular Outreach Missions are scheduled this month in the Southwestern Ontario city of Windsor and municipality of Leamington, and the South-central town in Ontario of Orangeville. END-

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31 August 2021, Toronto, Ontario – The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Toronto (UPAAT), in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, presented on 26 August 2021 at 8:00 pm (Toronto time) via Zoom, its second lecture of the Summer 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (QCP) Talks on Pre-Colonial Philippine History, Arts and Culture titled, “The Food in Identity, A Shortened Story of Philippine Branding”.

As in the last two (2) webinars held on 25 March 2021 and 5 August 2021, this last lecture is one of the Consulate General’s Filipino community events for the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines and also a continuation of UPAAT’s event contribution to the 2021 QCP in Toronto and around the world, which aims to promote the richness of Philippine heritage and culture from pre-colonial times and its continuing evolution through present times.

UPAAT President Ms. Agnes Manasan welcomed the participants to the event while UPAAT Executive Council & Education and Awareness Committee member Ms. Helen Balderama was the emcee of the webinar.

Consul General Orontes V. Castro graced the webinar and delivered his Special Greetings to all the viewers of the webinar. He mentioned that people’s dependence on food is the basic element that connects peoples all over the world, bringing people together. He added that in modern civilization the end to human hunger is still an ideal in spite of science and technology. He ended with the hope that the learnings from the UPAAT Talk on Filipino Food will “resonate with the participants and that Filipino food and ingredients will find a permanent place in foreign cities’ everyday life and be eventually integrated in world cuisine.”

The resource speaker was Ms. Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, Philippine Cultural Heritage Advocate and Culinary Historian who studied in UP Diliman. She was former President of the Board then Vice Chairman for Cultural Development at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila. She was also the former Commissioner for Cultural Heritage at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) of the Philippines and former Commissioner and Chairman of the Social and Human Sciences Committee at the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines. She is presently a Trustee at the National Museum of the Philippines and Board of Advisers at Ayala Museum.

In the webinar, Ms. Sta. Maria shared insights from her newly-published book “Antonio Pigafetta’s Philippine Picnic”, which explores a largely overlooked construct in the study of Philippine history – the role that food played on the first encounter between Ferdinand Magellan and his crew, and the natives of Homonhon Island. She also shared this in the just concluded successful project of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, in collaboration with the Mama Sita Foundation, titled “Mga Kuwentong Pagkain: Filipino Food Cook-along Series” held on 23 July, 6 August, and 20 August 2021, where she is one of the guest speakers.

Ms. Sta. Maria mentioned that Ferdinand Magellan and his crew, which included Antonio Pigafetta who was assigned the role of a chronicler keeping a record of the voyage, settled in Homonhon Island in the Province of Eastern Samar after surviving three (3) months of extreme hunger while crossing the unchartered Pacific Ocean. Nine (9) men from the Zuluan Island of Samar gifted Magellan and his crew with uncooked fish, two (2) coconuts, one (1) jar of uraca wine, and bananas. This showed the generosity and hospitality of our ancestors to foreigners suffering from hunger and scurvy.

Ms. Sta. Maria introduced the word “Nayanaya” from the 1851 Visayan-Spanish dictionary by Father Felix Encarnacion, which has two meanings. Firstly the word means “to entertain and to serve guests”, and secondly “to be a happy person”. She added that “putting the two definitions together, we find that Filipinos become happy by entertaining and serving others. We not only enjoy eating but feeding others. Nayanaya is a possible Filipino synonym for hospitality… it is a people-to-people word…... founded on human relations, as in the way ancestors cared for Magellan’s crew….”.

A Q&A followed after the lecture. UPAAT President Manasan thanked Consul General Castro for gracing the event. A Certificate of Appreciation was presented by Ms. Manasan to Ms. Sta. Maria for the very informative lecture and presentation. Ms. Manasan also recognized the previous resource speakers of the UPAAT Culture Talks.

The webinar was officially closed by Dr. Mayrose Salvador, Chair of the UPAAT Education and Awareness Committee who thanked Ms. Sta. Maria for the informative and interesting presentation.

The webinar is available for viewing via YouTube at the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwm_3QJulso

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PR-2021-49

3 September 2021, Toronto, Ontario.- The final episode of the three-part webinar by the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto and the Mama Sita Foundation on Philippine culinary culture and foodways, “Mga Kuwentong Pagkain: Filipino Food Online Cook-Along” was held last 20 August 2021 from 7:30 pm to 9 pm (Toronto time, and was attended by over a hundred participants from Canada and all over the world.

The webinar entitled “Filipinized” had a live lecture segment from Ms. Carmela “Meah” Ang See, former director of Bahay Tsinoy Museum and advocate of Filipino-Chinese heritage. She discussed the Chinese influences on Filipino food and ingredients, as well as in the names of Filipino dishes. Ms. Ang See said that the evolution of Philippine food is evident in the centuries of interaction and intercultural exchanges between Filipinos and the Chinese in their midst. It is worthy to note that Filipinos made their own variations which suited to their palate.

There was also an exclusive cooking demonstration of the much-loved Pansit Palabok by Filipino food writer and home cook Ms. Nina Daza-Puyat, featured on the latest edition of the classic cook book “Let’s Cook With Nora”, which was authored by her mother, Filipino culinary legend, Ms. Nora Daza.

Drawing from the writings of esteemed food journalist, the late Doreen Fernandez, an engaging sing-along by all the participants and commentary on the iconic “Bahay Kubo” folk song was led by program emcees, father and daughter tandem of Paolo and Malaika Paculan of the Ateneo de Manila University and Canada-based podcaster of Exploring Filipino Kitchens, Nastasha Alli.

The participants also learned why Lumpiang Shanghai and Pancit Canton can only ever be found in the Philippines, plus other interesting perspectives on Filipino adaptation of foreign influences. Mr. Paculan explained the Indigenization of Philippine Food. He said that “there is an indigenous base, much of which we share with other Southeast Asian neighbors; influences come but do not take over. Instead, they are Filipinized, in terms of ingredients, pastes and cooking methods”.

The participants were also shown how to cook the popular Visayan street food Chicken Inasal, an annatto-tinged grilled chicken marinated in vinegar, calamansi, spiced with lemongrass, and ginger, plus an East meets west dessert/snack recipe of bibingkrep using Mama Sita’s artisanal product that brings a modern and international twist to the Filipino rice cake, bibingka.

As in the second episode, a Filipino restaurant was featured during the webinar to recognize and celebrate those in the community who excel and promote our culture through food. This is aligned to the economic diplomacy objective of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, of helping promote Filipino Canadian restaurants and businesses that were affected by the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Casa Manila, a well-loved Filipino restaurant in Toronto was the featured restaurant. Ms. Mila Nabor-Cuachon, owner of Casa Manila, shared their distinct wholesome food philosophy in making Filipino dishes, healthy and preservative-free. Ms. Nabor-Cuachon gave an advice to young Filipino entrepreneurs, “Be passionate about what you do, persevere and know that you are helping to preserve our stories through our food.”

At the end of the program, all the winners of the three episodes’ homework cooking challenges were proudly shared with the audience. Through these activities, the event organizers and partner organizations hope to create a greater and deeper awareness of Philippine Cuisine and encourage more people to cook Filipino food wherever they may be.

The three episodes of the Mama Sita Foundation’s “Mga Kuwentong Pagkain: Filipino Food Online Cook-Along Series”, had large numbers of viewership which shows the interest of participants to know more about Filipino cuisine. The webinar series celebrated Filipino foodways and gave a spotlight on Philippines grown ingredients. Through this initiative, Mama Sita Foundation and the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto hope to create a greater and deeper awareness of Philippine cuisine and encourage more people to cook Filipino food wherever they may be.

The first episode titled “Philippine Rice and Foodways”, with more than 250 viewership, can be viewed from the following link: http://www.philcongen-toronto.com/announcements/959/mga-kuwentong-pagkain-filipino-food-cook-along-features-the-artisanal-goodness-of-mama-sitas-heirloom-rice-champorado-session-1.

The second episode (almost 200 viewership) placed a spotlight on “What Our Ancestors Ate” and reconstructed the feast shared by our Philippine ancestors with the first Spanish visitors who landed on Philippine shores, based on the diary of Italian chronicler Antonio Pigafetta. Participants learned how to cook the Visayan KBL (kadyos, baboy at langka) and Tofu Mushroom Sisig, a healthy adaptation of one of Pampanga’s famous dishes. The episode also focused on the Aeta food culture, which still maintains Philippine ancient food practices that are sustainable and profound in the understanding of the environment and our role as its stewards. It also featured restaurant Republika Restobar and Grill’s Jannie Luz-Benico, who shared how they were able to triumph over the challenges as a Philippine restaurant offering authentic and sought-after Filipino dishes. The episode can be viewed from the following link: Announcements | The Philippine Consulate General - Toronto, Canada (philcongen-toronto.com)

“Mga Kuwentong Pagkain: Filipino Food Online Cook-Along” is brought to you by Sentro Rizal of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, and partner organizations: Anderson College, b2Bpreneur, Filipino Canadian Association of Vaughan (FCAV), Filipino Canadian Students Association (FILCASA), Markham Federation of Filipino Canadians (MFFC) and Scarborough Ontario Seniors Association (SOSA); and supporting organizations: Pinoylicious, and Pueblo Science. - END

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PR-2021-48

28 August 2021, Toronto, Ontario – Sentro Rizal of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, in partnership with the Katutubo Exchange Philippines, and in celebration of Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa, National History Month, and the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, presented yesterday 27 August 2021 via Zoom “Kultura at Wika: A Webinar on Philippine Indigenous Culture”.

Before the actual webinar, a 10-minute music video of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) titled “Filipino Ako, Filipino Tayo” was presented. The song, composed and arranged by Roy del Valle and lyrics by Nelson Cruz, was made for the 2014 Sagisag Kultura II Project by the Advertising Foundation of the Philippines. The video featured historical places and attractions in the Philippines, national heroes and renowned Filipinos, national celebrations and occasions, and Philippine natural and man-made creations and arts of Filipinos. A tourism video from the Philippine Department of Tourism was also featured.

The webinar was formally opened with Consul General Orontes V. Castro introducing Ambassador Rodolfo D. Robles who graced the evening’s event with his Welcome Remarks. Ambassador Robles commended Toronto PCG for collaborating with Katutubo Exchange Philippines, a volunteer cultural organization of indigenous youth and cultural workers that advocates the promotion of indigenous cultural heritage and cross-cultural understanding, on the conduct of the webinar. Ms. Nastasha Alli moderated the online presentation.

The webinar is Post’s event celebrating three landmark observances in the month of August namely, Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa (National Language Month), Buwan ng Kasaysayan (National History Month), and the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples which was celebrated globally on 9 August 2021.
<center><figure>
<img src="/http://philcongen-toronto.com/images/1500.jpg" alt="ofw day" style="width:100%">
<figcaption align="justify" ><i>Consul General Orontes V. Castro (left) introduced Ambassador Rodolfo D. Robles (right) who welcomed the viewers to the Kultura at Wika webinar conducted by Katutubo Exchange Philippines via Zoom on Friday, 27 August 2021 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.</i></figcaption></figure></center>

The three resource speakers of the webinar were Dr. Edwin V. Antonio, Ms. Anastacia B. Viola, and Mr. Rogelio Icdang Batongmalaki. Dr. Antonio, Founder of KXPH and Head of the National Committee on Northern Cultural Communities, gave a brief introduction of the organization. He also conducted a workshop on Baybayin, a Philippine historic script widely used in Luzon and other parts of the Philippines prior to the Spanish colonization, and did a demonstration of writing Baybayin. Dr. Antonio likewise gave a presentation on national living treasures, indigenous games, textiles and attires.

The featured National Living Treasure was Magdalena Gamayo, National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) 2012 Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee who recently turned 97 years old on 13 August 2021 and has been weaving inabel for 80 years now, learning the craft at age 15 by watching her aunts work at the height of World War II. Ms. Gamayo, a master textile weaver from Pinili, Ilocos Norte in the Philippines made a pre-recorded presentation of the Inabel fabric, one of the many prides of the Ilocos Region. According to the NCCA, “there are no better artists who exemplify the best of Filipino “abel” (Ilocano word for weave) weaving tradition than Magdalena Gamayo.”

The second speaker was Mr. Batongmalaki who lectured on the indigenous culture of the Obo Manobo of Cotabato in Southern Philippines. The Manobos are concentrated in Agusan, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Davao, Misamis Oriental, and Surigao del Sur.

The third and last speaker was Ms. Viola who presented the Ivatan culture of Batanes, a chain of small islands at the northernmost point of the Philippines. Ivatan’s culture has been largely influenced by the climate of the province. Since the province is often times exposed to severe climatic disruptions such as typhoons and drought, the Ivatans have developed numerous successful ways to protect their food supply and way of life.

The beautiful, colorful and informative video presentations of Mr. Batongmalaki and Ms. Viola on the indigenous cultures of the Manobos and Ivatans amazed and inspired the viewers and made them want to learn more about and visit the Philippines.
An Open Forum moderated by Ms. Nastasha Alli followed after the lectures of the three speakers.

The webinar was formally closed by Consul General Castro who thanked everyone who attended the online event. He also thanked Dr. Antonio, Mr. Batongmalaki and Ms. Viola for the very informative and inspiring presentations and expressed hope for more collaborations on projects in the future. – END