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12 November 2020, Toronto, Ontario – Canada celebrated Remembrance Day yesterday, 11 November 2020. The Queen’s Park Ceremony of Remembrance was held on the said date to honor the veterans and active service members, at an outdoor service in the Ontario Veterans Memorial, in front of the Legislative Assembly in Toronto. The Ontario Veterans Memorial, built in 2006, is a lasting tribute to Canadian veterans and serves as a continual reminder of the heroism, bravery, and sacrifices made by those who have served and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict, and peace, for the protection of the freedom of Canada.

Like many nations around the world, Canadians gather on Remembrance Day to remember and thank millions of Canadians who served, not only the First and Second World Wars, but also the Korean War, the Persian Gulf War, and the Afghanistan War. As Major Jean-Michel Gidlow, Master of Ceremonies at the Ontario’s Remembrance Day Ceremony, “By remembering their service and their sacrifice on Remembrance Day, we recognize the significant differences these men and women have made to our democracy, our freedom, and our future”.

Remembrance Day 2020 was different from previous celebrations during the past years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To reduce the risk of exposure or spread the virus, the ceremony followed provincial health and safety protocol, including having fewer attendees, adhering to the strict rules on physical distancing. The public was encouraged to watch the solemn ceremony on television or through the online livestreaming.

The Platform Party, which were the distinguished guests at the ceremony, was composed of the following:  (1) Honorable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; (2) Honorable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario; (3) Mrs. Raine Samson Dawe, 2019 National Silver Cross Mother; (4) Honorable Carolyn Ann Bennett, Member of Parliament & Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations & Northern Affairs; (5) Honorable Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries; (6) Brigadier-General Conrad Mialkowski, Commander, 4th Canadian Division; (7) Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnn Archibald; (8) Jessica Bell, Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament, Legislative Assembly of Ontario; (9) General (Retired) Rick Hillier, Former Chief of the Defense Staff, Canadian Armed Forces; (10) Major-General (Retired) David Fraser, Canadian Armed Forces; and (11) Mr. Steven Davidson, Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Ontario Public Service.

The highlight of the ceremony was the Laying of the Wreaths by the distinguished guests. Veterans and community organizations, as well as members of the Consular Corps of Toronto, bring wreaths to Queen's park every year to take part in the Remembrance Day ceremony. This year, these organizations sent their wreaths, which were placed along the Veteran Memorial. The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto was among those who donated a wreath for this momentous occasion. The donors of wreaths were duly acknowledged during the live streaming by flashing their names on the screen during the wreath-laying. END

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PR 64-2020

16 October 2020, Toronto, Ontario – On 13 October 2020, during its flag-raising ceremony, the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto participated in the commemoration of the 17th Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Week. Consul General Orontes V. Castro led the celebration by giving a brief message on the relevance of the celebration.

The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Week, with the theme, “Converse. Control. Connect”, is celebrated from 11-18 October 2020.

Below are some photos taken during the activity.

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PR 66-2020

02 November 2020 Toronto, Ontario – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto participated in the humanitarian activity of the religious leaders and members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s (Church of Christ) Celebration of Giving called “Aid to Humanity” at the INC Chapel Function Hall, Guestville Avenue, City of Toronto.

During the Program, the donations of the INC were turned over through the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, the humanitarian arm of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) or Church of Christ, to the following charitable organizations: C$10,000.00 to support the SickKids Hospital Foundation in its vision of Healthier Children. A Better World. North York Harvest Food Bank received a ceremonial food box signifying the 10,000 lbs. of essential food items from the Church’s recently concluded two-week food drive and C$5,000.00. The donations were received by Ms. Kiersten Eyes, SickKids Foundation Representative and Associate Director, Community Partnerships; and Mr. Henry Chiu, North York Harvest Representative and Director of Development and Marketing.

Consul General Orontes V. Castro highlighted the generosity and high sense of compassion among the INC members, volunteers, and donors despite the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. He also mentioned that INC members are known for their piety and for being law-abiding citizens. He also conveyed his birthday greetings to INC Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo.

In his opening remarks, Brother Glendo Baitan, INC District Minister for Greater Toronto Area and Director of Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, warmly welcomed the delegates, invited guests, volunteers, donors, and members of the Church. He also informed that the INC’s humanitarian activity is being done worldwide and in several places in Canada.

Honorable Salma Sahid, Member of Parliament-Scarborough Center, and City of Toronto Councillor Frances Nunziata (Ward 5, York South-Weston), both lauded the INC’s humanitarian activity despite the pandemic. They both warmly extended their greetings to INC Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, on his birth anniversary. The event was live streamed through WebEx to 800 households in the Greater Toronto Area and all over Canada.END

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PR- 63-2020
13 October 2020, Toronto, Ontario – Sentro Rizal Toronto of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto hosted a Zoom webinar with Dr. Eileen de Villa, Chief Medical Officer of Health of Toronto Public Health of the City of Toronto, titled “Briefing on Recent Developments on COVID-19” on 09 October 2020. The Consulate General saw it fitting to organize a follow-up briefing to Dr. Eileen de Villa’s “Talk on the Novel Corona Virus Situation in Toronto”, which was held at the Philippine Consulate General on 13 February 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic.

The virtual briefing on the recent developments on the COVID-19 pandemic comes at an opportune time as the Province of Ontario was beginning to experience a resurgence of cases and the Thanksgiving (12 October) long weekend was forthcoming. To ensure more viewership, the Consulate General live streamed the webinar in its Facebook page and linked it as well to the Filipino Canadian radio and television stations who joined.

The virtual briefing on the recent developments on the COVID-19 pandemic comes at an opportune time as the Province of Ontario was beginning to experience a resurgence of cases and the Thanksgiving (12 October) long weekend was forthcoming. To ensure more viewership, the Consulate General live streamed the webinar in its Facebook page and linked it as well to the Filipino Canadian radio and television stations who joined. 

In his welcome remarks, Consul General Castro expressed the very essence of the forthcoming Thanksgiving holiday by thanking everyone who joined the webinar, especially Dr. de Villa for graciously accepting the invitation to serve as the Resource Speaker for the webinar. He mentioned that the briefing is part of the Consulate General’s efforts to continuously equip the Filipino Canadian community with the right information regarding the COVID-19 situation in Toronto. Consul General Castro also took the opportunity to “recognize our kababayan nurses, personal support workers and caregivers who are among the brave frontliners in the fight against the perilous effects of the COVID-19 pandemic”. “Our brave frontliners, as well as their co-frontliners, never wavered in their commitment to serve and care for the vulnerable members of society, even dispensing personal safety so that others may be spared of the pernicious effects of the pandemic”, he added.

Deputy Consul General Edna May G. Lazaro introduced the guest speaker while Ms. Catherine Dimalanta of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Toronto (POLO Toronto) moderated the webinar.

Before starting her briefing, Dr. de Villa thanked the Philippine Consulate General for the invitation to speak with her fellow Filipino Canadians and share updates on the relatively new virus which caused the unprecedented global pandemic. She appreciated the opportunity to interact with the community and advise on what people can do to keep themselves and their families safer, especially because of the steady and very concerning increase in the number of people who have contracted the virus in the city for the past several weeks. She also said that based on data, there has already been almost 2,000 cases in the city in the last 8 days, which is almost 10% of all the cases that Toronto had so far since the beginning of the pandemic, proving that the city has an immediate rising risk of continued and significant COVID-19 resurgence.

Dr. de Villa shared the advice she has been offering over the last several days and weeks, on limiting contact, as much as possible, to the people in one’s household, especially that the Thanksgiving weekend is forthcoming. She admitted that it was hard for her to offer the advice because she knows that nobody wants to really stay away from extended family and friends during holidays, especially with Filipino culture. But she stressed that “we need to make really hard choices right now in order to preserve the safest environment possible for everyone on a go-forward basis”. She added, “and that’s why I have been asking people and I will ask you again today as we approach the Thanksgiving celebrations… please don’t hold the big Thanksgiving dinner, limit your Thanksgiving celebration… give thanks only with those people that you live with; and for those who live alone, the safest option to celebrate Thanksgiving with others is to actually join family or friends virtually, just like we’re doing here tonight”. She also emphasized, “I would rather that we change our plans for this one Thanksgiving, for safety sake, rather than finding ourselves in a place where we’re looking back at Thanksgiving 2020, with regret, and wishing that we had done something different. At the end of the day, the most powerful weapon that we have against the COVID-19, our greatest strength in dealing with COVID-19, is YOU, every single person here in the City of Toronto”.

At the Q&A, queries on the possibility of a second lockdown, contingency plans and measures for Toronto COVID-19 hotspots, isolation centres, vaccine against the virus, as well as the importance of the flu shot, among others were addressed by Dr. de Villa. Regarding the seasonal flu, she was happy to note that all the preventive measures that they advise people to take on and to adopt in order to prevent COVID-19 also happen to be really good at preventing influenza. Hence, following the self-protection measures and using the flu shot, is immensely powerful in terms of protecting one’s health and the health of others.

In closing, Dr. de Villa said, “Every single one of your efforts makes a difference… in our community, in protecting health, and… in saving lives; every single action you take brings us one step closer to getting more of the hours of our lives back… I just want to thank each and every one of you for doing your part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, by following public health advice, by staying informed, and by participating in virtual events like this one in order to keep yourself informed.”

Members of the Filipino Canadian community posted in the webinar’s Chat Room, their expression of appreciation for Dr. de Villa’s dedication and commitment in protecting the three million Torontonians. They thanked her for the great job she is doing at Toronto Public Health in this unprecedented time, as well as for taking time to keep the community abreast and informed. They also wished for her to stay safe and healthy. The community also thanked the Philippine Consulate General for organizing the highly informative webinar.

After the very informative briefing of Dr. de Villa, moderator Ms. Dimalanta presented and read the Certificate of Appreciation signed by Consul General Castro, recognizing Dr. de Villa’s selfless commitment in leading the Toronto Public Health in providing public health programs and services, as well as for her support for the Philippine Consulate General’s projects and activities.

At his closing remarks, Consul General Castro thanked Dr. de Villa for sharing invaluable information and advices on the recent developments on the COVID-19 virus and health regulations of the City of Toronto. He reiterated that there is no better source of information on the state of the pandemic than from the expert herself. He added, “With you around, we know we will be very safe in the city with the ongoing pandemic”. The Consul General also thanked Ms. Catherine Dimalanta for moderating the webinar. Lastly, he expressed appreciation to the sixty-one (61) people who attended the webinar – leaders and members of the Filipino Canadian community, including the media, the young Filipino Canadians, the personnel of the Philippine Consulate General and its attached government offices, as well as the 1,300 people who watched the live streaming.

The webinar will continue to be available in the official Facebook page of the Consulate General so the public and those who were not able to join can access and watch it.  As of this date, there are already 4,800 views, 2191 engagements, 89 shares, and 101 likes of the briefing by Dr. de Villa (48.01 minutes) in the Consulate General’s Facebook page.  A complete version of the webinar (55.11 minutes), with the Opening Remarks of Consul General Castro, the Introduction of Dr. de Villa, and followed by the Briefing itself, was also uploaded in Facebook, and has now 494 views , 144 engagements, 5 shares, and 14 likes. -END