Filipino-Canadian Gala 2012

Ida & Jojo Lucila

The 2nd Filipino-Canadian Gala was held last September 15, 2012 at the Northlands Expo Centre. Organized by Gala and Event Management lead by Lixmila Serrano and Ramon Cifra, the Gala is an annual event aimed at bringing together Filipinos and friends for a night of cultural feast and dancing, to celebrate the achievements of the Filipino community and at the same time, to support local charitable institutions. It had, as its beneficiary, iHuman, an organization that supports at-risk youth in Edmonton to rebuild their lives through the arts.  Last yearʼs beneficiary was the Edmonton Food Bank.

Philippine Choral

The Gala was held in a sumptuous hall that seats 800, in tables decked in red, white and blue, with the Philippine flag as the pattern for its layout. A tropical hut served as the dance floorʼs center piece, perfect for photo opportunities. Around the hall were booths of Filipino businesses and Gala sponsors, and display items for the silent auction. An added bonus for the night was the grand raffle prize of a free trip to the Philippines.

Philippine Ambassador Gatan

MP Rona Ambrose

MLA Thomas Lukaszuk

Guests were treated to song and dance performances prior to the official opening of the Gala, which was marked with messages from the three levels of government of Canada and the presence of the Philippine Ambassador to Canada, Leslie Gatan. Guests of honor were: Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works & Government Services, and Minister for Status of Women - Canada; Thomas Lukaszuk, Deputy Premier of Alberta; Stephen Mandel, Mayor of Edmonton; Naresh Bhardwaj, MLA; Richard Andersen, Northlands President; among others. In their speeches, they extolled on how the success of Filipinos all over the world serves as an inspiration and a reminder that much can be achieved through vision and guidance, and the Filipinosʼ reputation to be hardworking, generous and wonderful contributions to society, making Mayor Mandel exclaim

Mayor Stephen Mandel

We need more Filipinos to come to Edmonton! There are currently 330,000 Filipinos in Canada, 70% of which are Philippine-born. And to these people and their Canadian friends, Ambassador Gatan appealed for more Canadian investments in the Philippines, to keep both the cultural and economic ties, and declared that the Philippines is not the sick man of Asia anymore.

After a buffet of Philippine-inspired cuisine, guests were treated with performances by the Philippine Choral and HOJA. This performance of the Philippine Choral marked its transformation from a church choir to a show choir, with a full repertoire suite and choreography. HOJA, on the other hand, is an acapella trio who has performed all over Canada and recorded five cd albums. This followed with everyone dancing the night away, more photo opportunities and revelry. It was good to see the people of Edmonton come together in their evening finery to celebrate Filipino culture and achievements, and support a very deserving local charity. We look forward to the 3rd Filipino-Canadian Gala!

Philippine Choral

HOJA

Post Dinner Dance

Photos courtesy of Kitakits Studio Inc. To view more photos of the event, go to http://

kitakits.smugmug.com.

* This was written and published for the Pinoy Times, October 2012 issue.

First Filipino-Canadian Gala

The First Filipino-Canadian Gala was held last September 17 at the Northlands Edmonton Expo Centre.  A night of dinner, entertainment and dancing, it was a celebration of Filipino-Canadian achievements and a way of giving back to the community.  The net proceeds from ticket sales and auctions were earmarked to the Edmonton’s Food Bank.

On hand to deliver special greetings for the event were: Minister of Public Works and Government and Minister for Status of Women Rona Ambrose; Executive Director of Edmonton’s Food Bank Marjorie Bencz; Chair of Edmonton’s Food Bank Board Anne Smith; Ward 12 Councillor Amarjeet Sohi; and President and CEO of Northlands Richard Anderson.

Along with the Philippine cuisine-inspired dinner, guests were treated to a night of Filipino talent: Philippine Choral Group, who sang the Philippine & Canadian national anthems; The Lucila Project, a neo-ethnic dance company; singers Wency Calderon, Jo-Ann Aguilar and Shwag choral group ; Alyssa & Monica Tungul, pianist & violinist, respectively; hiphop groups ILLustration and Hot Sauce; Saranay Kwerdas, an ensemble using traditional Filipino instruments; and bands The Sour Patch Kids and GERIS Project.  The Philippine Outreach Program was also honored and Filipino Canadians who passed away recently were remembered.

Guests may have come to enjoy themselves for the evening but generously participated in the “giving back” portion of the night through the silent auction items and live auction of a Lexus CT200 Hybrid car and some dinner and hotel packages, conducted by Kastner Auctions.

It was a highly successful event with about 800 people in attendance, a third of which were non-Filipinos who came out to support this Filipino fundraiser.  And with this success came pledges of support and participation for next year’s Filipino-Canadian Gala, which is slated for September 2012.  Credit goes to organizer Lixmila Serrano and partner producer Ramon Cifra for their boldness in conceptualizing and hurdling the various obstacles that come in organizing such a massive but elegant event, and for securing major sponsorships from Lexus of Edmonton, Dolce Vita Homes, Wild West Shooting Range and Sun Life Financial.    

The Filipinos are the fourth largest group of immigrants to Canada and many have established their niches in their adopted country.  They are great contributors to not only the Canadian economy but the Philippines as well, supporting family back home and actively participating in various fundraisers and causes in the Philippines.  This event was another manifestation of the Filipinos’ “balikbayan” spirit - that spirit of community and giving.  

* This article was written for and published in the Pinoy Times, October 2011 issue.