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 PR-2021-45 23

August 2021, Toronto, Ontario – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto is pleased to inform that Consul General Orontes V. Castro paid a courtesy call on 17 August 2021 with The Honourable Janice C. Filmon, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and the vice-regal representative of Queen Elizabeth II in the Province of Manitoba. Lt. Governor Filmon enthusiastically received Consul General Castro and mentioned that she had fond memories of her previous visit to the Philippines with her husband and former Premier of the Province of Manitoba, Honourable Gary Filmon. She expressed happiness on the presence of the estimated 100,000 Overseas Filipinos in the province as well as with their happy disposition and positive values in life. She further informed that she has Filipinos among her security staff and she was happy with their service. The Lieutenant Governor gave a signed Certificate to Consul General Castro indicating that a tree was planted in the Province of Manitoba in commemoration of the courtesy call.

Consul General Castro also met with Honourable Kelvin Goertzen, Deputy Premier and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Internal Relations; Honourable Jon Reyes, Filipino-Canadian newly appointed Minister of Economic Development and Jobs; Honourable Cathy Cox, Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage, and Honourable Malaya Marcelino, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Notre Dame. Among the items discussed were: the positive family values and significant contributions of Overseas Filipinos to the economy and socio-political development of the Province of Manitoba; support on the credentials recognition of Filipino professionals in the province, especially Filipino nurses and those working in the health sectors; the recognition by the said Manitoba officials on the hard work and sacrifices of the Filipino frontliners at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic; and enhancement and expansion of the bilateral economic relations between the Philippines and the Province of Manitoba. Consul General Castro was joined by Consul (honorary) Ronaldo Opina while Senior Trade Commissioner Maria Roseni Alvero joined in the meetings with the Minister of Economic Development and Jobs and the Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage.

Consul General Castro, STC Alvero and Consul (honorary) Opina also met on 18 August 2021 with Ms. Mariette Mulaire - President and CEO of World Trade Centre (Winnipeg) and Executive Director of the Bank of Canada; Honourable Tracey Maconachie, Deputy Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage; and the officials of Manitoba Film and Music – Manitoba’s CEO and Film Commissioner Rachel Rusen, Director of Film Financing, Tax Credits & Film Commission Services Louise O’Brien-Moran, and Mr. Sean Garrity, Film Director of the movie “I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight”, where most of the actors and actresses in the movie were of Filipino descent. The movie was highly successful in its showing in Canadian movie theatres but was affected by the onset of the pandemic last year. Mr. Garrity is currently negotiating for a Filipino counterpart for the showing of the film in the Philippines. The Manitoba officials were likewise informed of the Consular Outreach Missions in Winnipeg in September, October, and November this year. END-

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PR-2021-44

The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto and the Mama Sita Foundation marks the Quincentennial and this month of August’s Buwan ng Wika at Buwan ng Kasaysayan with the second episode of webinar series on 6 August 2021, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm Toronto time. The three-part webinar series explores Philippine culinary culture and traditions in one and a half hour episodes packed with live and recorded storytelling and cooking sessions, restaurant features, and fun games for an enjoyable online experience for viewers of all ages. The Media coverage on this project can be viewed from the following link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=535628197558140. The first episode titled “Philippine Rice and Foodways” was held last 23 July 2021, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm Toronto time. The first episode 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 latest 06 August 2021 episode held from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm 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. 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.

Sustainability was also highlighted by featured restaurant Republika Restobar and Grill’s Jannie Luz-Benico, who shared how they were able to triumph over the challenges of the pandemic and emerge rebranded from being known as a bar and karaoke place into a Philippine restaurant offering authentic and sought-after Filipino dishes.

In between the presentations, 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 Adobo cooking challenge video of 6-year-old Jeanne Nathaniella Basay won the First Episode homework cooking challenge and was proudly shared with the audience with the hope of encouraging more young Filipino audiences to cook-along and try to make more Philippine dishes.

A new homework challenge to make KBL and Sisig was announced. The whole episode was also made more interactive and upbeat with games and stories by hosts Ms. Nastasha Alli and Ms. Cecile Nepomuceno-Gamad, as well as the wholesome engagement of the father-and-daughter tandem of Mr. Paolo Paculan and Ms. Malaika Paculan. Mr. Paculan is a teacher at the Ateneo de Manila High School. He taught all the Filipino programs in the high school of the university – from first to fourth year, remedial to advanced. His daughter, Malaika, is a BS Communications technology Management student also at the ateneo de Manila University and aims to pursue a career in journalism or law.

The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto and the Mama Sita Foundation invites everyone to catch the last webinar episode of this series which will center on “Filipinized Food” this 20 August at 7:30 PM (GMT -4) for participants in Toronto, and 21 August 2021 at 7:30 AM (GMT +8) for participants in Manila. There will again be cooking demos of Philippine well-loved recipes, with discussions on its evolution and origins to how it became part of Philippine cooking’s timeless traditions and how they evolved modern adaptations. “Mga Kuwentong Pagkain: Filipino Food Online Cook-Along” is supported by Sentro Rizal 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-2021-43

6 August 2021, Toronto, Ontario – Ambassador Rodolfo D. Robles and Consul General Orontes V. Castro joined and participated in the second part of the Canada-wide online discussion on Pre-Colonial Philippine History, Arts and Culture organized and presented by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Toronto (UPAAT) Education and Awareness Committee. The online event was held on 5 August 2021 at 8:00 pm (Toronto time) via Zoom. The webinar is one of the Consulate General’s Filipino community events for the 2021 QCP and also a continuation of UPAAT’s event contribution to the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP) in Toronto and around the world. The event is the second partnership between the Consulate General and the UPAAT. The first collaboration was the initial Culture and History Talk held on 25 March 2021. The series of talks by renowned Filipino public historians, artists and scholars aim 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 webinar. Consul General Castro introduced the Guest Speaker of the event, Philippine Ambassador to Canada Rodolfo D. Robles. Ambassador Robles delivered his Special Greetings to the participants.

Dr. Patrick Alcedo, an alumnus of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Chair of the Department of Dance at York University in Canada and leading scholar and ethnographer on Philippine traditional dances, was the Lecturer and Presentor of the UPAAT webinar. Dr. Alcedo spoke of his researches on the Ati-atihan festival, Philippine folk dance, as well as his documentary filmmaking. His latest film “They Call Me Dax”, a short documentary on a 15-year-old student trying to survive as a ballet dancer, recently received the 2021 Best Short Documentary from the Cannes Indies Cinema Awards.

Being a native of Andagao, Aklan, Dr. Alcedo grew up dancing in the Ati-atihan festival in Kalibo. Dr. Alcedo’s documentary film, “Ati-atihan Lives” is a product of his research on the lives of people who are devotees of this annual feast. It is known that every third week of January residents of Kalibo celebrate with their visitors the Ati-atihan (“to imitate Ati”) festival to honor both the indigenous Atis (local name of the Aeta people) and the Holy Child Jesus (otherwise known as the Sto. Niño). Dr. Alcedo also lectured on his passion for Philippine folk dances. He was born in a family of dancers and musicians and his mother, a piano teacher, is one of his inspirations. As a dance artist, he directed “Luzviminda: the Philippines Dances for Canada150”, a concert that filled York University’s Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre to capacity from 16 to 18 October 2021 and received a standing ovation. The final part of Dr. Alcedo’s presentation discussed his love for documentaries, which started in 2009. His first documentary film was “Boxing in the Shadow of Pacquiao”, which was cited in The New York Times. Todate, he has directed, written, and produced nine films – “Ati-atihan Lives”, “A Piece of Paradise“ (his first feature length documentary which received the first back-to-back win in the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival’s 20-year history), “Dancing Manilenyos”, “They Call Me Dax”, “A Will to Dream” and “Am I Being Selfish”, among others. Trailers of these films were presented shown during the lecture, including “Am I Being Selfish” which world-premiered during the lecture. Dr. Alcedo believes that dance and documentaries have a unique connection. His documentary films complement his written publications and are invaluable to his teaching and promotion of Filipino expressive culture.

A Q&A, moderated by Ms. Helen Balderama and Philippine Senior Trade Commissioner Maria Roseni Alvero, followed after the talk. UPAAT President Manasan thanked Ambassador Robles and Consul General Castro for gracing the event. A Certificate of Appreciation was presented by Ms. Manasan to Dr. Alcedo for the very informative lecture and presentation. She expressed her wish that the young generation of Filipinos and Filipino Canadians would follow his footsteps. Consul General Castro also took the opportunity to present the Consul General’s Quincentennial Award to UPAAT for its invaluable effort and activities to foster unity among the Filipino Community and for the continued support to the Consulate General. A photo of the handing-over of the Quincentennial Award to Dr. Alcedo, held at the Consulate General on 9 July 2021, was also shown. The webinar was officially closed by Dr. Mayrose Salvador, Chair of the UPAAT Education and Awareness Committee. She thanked Dr. Alcedo for the amazing presentation which allowed the participants to appreciate the richness and diversity of Philippine heritage, culture and arts. She also invited everyone to the next Summer Talk on “Food in Identity – A Shortened Story of Philippine Branding”, which will be presented by Mrs. Felice Sta. Maria on 26 August 2021. – END