Reyes-FLS Present World-Class, Self-Funding Filipino Cultural Centre; Elmore Hailed By Vancouver As “Biggest Champion” Of Community

Posted by ReyFort Media

Imagine a world-class cultural centre in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and it’s owned by the Filipino community in perpetuity.

Imagine also that this future Filipino cultural centre in Vancouver is self-sustaining, revenue-generating, and financially stable.

This was the grand vision presented to the community in a townhall hosted by the office of Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim on Saturday (September 27).

Presenting the plan for a 60,000-square-foot facility were property developer Macario “Tobi” Reyes and the nonprofit Filipino Legacy Society (FLS).

The prospective cultural centre to be located on Main Street is the subject of an upcoming motion to council by Mayor Sim.

Sim’s motion intends to expedite the delivery of this long-awaited cultural home for Filipinos in the city and across the province of British Columbia.

Welcoming the community at the townhall were Mayor Sim’s chief of staff Trevor Ford and senior advisor David Grewal.

During the meeting, Ford hailed the Filipino community’s lone Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in B.C., who is none other than Mable Elmore.

“Mable has been the biggest champion of the community,” Ford said.

Elmore, who was first elected as B.C. MLA representing the district of Vancouver-Kensington in 2009, has been in the forefront of advocating for a Filipino cultural centre.

“I know what you are going through,” Ford addressed Elmore, apparently referring to the challenges Elmore has encountered along the way in leading the campaign for a cultural centre.

Ford recalled that even before Sim was elected mayor of Vancouver in 2022, Elmore has been in communication with him and Sim’s team regarding the development of a cultural centre in Vancouver.

Reyes is a Vancouver-based developer of Filipino heritage.

At the meeting, Reyes said that he plans to build a hotel on Main Street and that a portion of this development will be the Filipino cultural centre.

“This is for all of us,” Reyes told the community.

Reyes also said that the Filipino cultural centre is proposed to have an area of 60,000 square feet, which will be distributed in multiple storeys or floors.

“It needs to be self-sustainable,” Reyes said, stressing the need for the centre to be able to support its operations.

This is the reason why Reyes also shared that he is creating an endowment fund to support the centre. 

To explain, the principal amount of the endowment will remain whole or intact through the years, and only the interest or income it generates will be used for operations. 

In addition, Reyes said that a portion of the profits from the future hotel he will operation is going to coffers of the Filipino cultural centre as well.

Moreover, Reyes said that the centre will also own ground-level retail spaces that can generate revenue for its operations.

As well, the spaces in the centre can be rented out for events and public gatherings.

Mayor Sim has endorsed the Filipino Legacy Society (FLS) as the development’s non-profit partner to build the Filipino cultural centre.

During the September 27 meeting, FLS vice chair Maj Yee related that it was her who brought the proposal for a cultural centre on Main Street to the office of Vancouver Mayor Sim.

“We asked Mable [Elmore] to help,” Yee told the community.

Photo: Macario “Tobi” Reyes, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, B.C. MLA and Deputy Speaker Mable Elmore