Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek met with members of the Filipino community as she lauded Fiesta Filipino for being the only ethnic event in the city giving space to LGBTQIA2S+++. The first woman mayor is very happy and excited about the yearly Filipino festival and the celebration of diversity in the city. Mayor Gondek and leaders of the Filipino community also discussed other projects besides the festival.
Calgary is home to over 75,000 Filipinos, living and working, making it the fourth largest community in Canada.
Philippine Festival Council of Alberta Vice Chairperson Prima Anderson said that the meeting with the mayor was a good avenue to let the city know of the programs and initiatives that benefit not just the Filipino community but other groups. She adds, “The meeting opened a wide range of possibilities of how the City can be of help to our community and vice versa. The City’s progress is our progress.”
One of those who attended the meeting was Michael Siapno-Juarez. He said that they also brought up the plans of a “Welcome Center”. According to Siapno-Juarez, the center will be mainly volunteer-driven, which coordinates not only with Filipino communities but other communities’ newcomers to learn about the City and give them the welcoming experience. “The center will help them get integrated into the City and that they made a good choice in choosing Calgary to be their new home.”
The meeting also shared everyone’s appreciation of the contributions of the Filipino community in the City. For her part, Anderson shares that the community plays a big role and contributes to the vibrancy of the city economically (aside from employment, there are growing Filipino-owned businesses in the City) and culturally (through arts, we were able to portray our colorful culture with many different events that the city is known for).
Anderson also said that the meeting opened more doors for collaboration with the city. She said that the future of the community is bright if the community strengthens its partnership with the City of Calgary.
