Pinoy Festival Alliance applauds inclusion of Filipino Community and Cultural Centre in Federal Budget

Posted by ReyFort Media

Vancouver, BC — The Pinoy Festival Alliance applauds the inclusion of funds for a Filipino Community and Cultural Centre in Metro Vancouver in the Federal Budget announced today.  This is a testament to the years of tireless advocacy, community unity and the legacy of the Filipino-Canadian community’s elders who first dared to dream of a permanent cultural home.

For decades, our pioneers and community leaders ensured that Filipino heritage was honored, preserved and passed on — often without the benefit of a central space. Their hard work laid the foundation for this moment and it is on their shoulders that we stand on today.

In 2022, the provincial government provided important support to this project by awarding a capacity-building grant to the Mabuhay House Society. This strengthened the collective effort towards the creation of a provincial Filipino Cultural Centre.

Last April 2024, the Federal Budget also included support for a Filipino Cultural Centre under “building new museums and cultural centres” and recently, the provincial government concluded its community engagement period for the project with the release of its What We Heard Report.  With federal support renewed in this latest budget, the path ahead is clearer than ever.  But our work is far from over.

We call upon the Filipino community and all our allies to remain united and steadfast in this historical journey. As we build on the combined efforts of provincial support and decades of struggle, let us continue to work collaboratively to bring this long-awaited dream into reality.

The Pinoy Festival Alliance commits to supporting initiatives for a Filipino Community and Cultural Centre that is transparent, community-driven, sustainable and reflective of the genuine aspirations of British Columbia’s fast-growing Filipino community. #