City of Fort St. John declares June as Filipino Heritage Month

City council members once again voted in favour of proclaiming June as Filipino Heritage Month in Fort St. John.

By Jordan Prentice ● Fort St. John, News, Peace Region ● May 29, 2023 ● 1 minute of reading

The City of Fort St. John has proclaimed June as Filipino Heritage Month. ( City of Fort St. John )

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — City council members once again voted in favour of proclaiming June as Filipino Heritage Month in Fort St. John.

According to a proclamation request letter from Alan Yu, the founder and chairman of the Barangay Fort St. John Society, Filipinos have a “long, synergistic history” in Fort St. John, which dates back to the mid-1960s.

“This year, we once again see an influx of Filipinos in Fort St. John, a majority of whom are temporary foreign workers and students,” wrote Yu.

Yu’s letter requested the Philippine flag be raised and flown at city hall for the entire month of June to create awareness of the Filipino community in Fort St. John.

“Filipinos will continue to be a productive sector of the citizenry with more and more Filipinos set to arrive this year,” said Yu.

The proclamation states Filipinos have a primary goal of increasing understanding surrounding Filipino immigrant and Canadian culture and says the spirit of “Bayanihan” is “strong among us.”

In Filipino culture, Bayanihan means “helping one another to achieve a goal.”

The proclamation declaring June as Filipino Heritage Month was passed at last week’s regular council meeting.

Author

Jordan Prentice

Recent graduate of BCIT’s Broadcast and Online Journalism program, born and raised in Vancouver, Jordan’s passion for broadcast and journalism began with her dream of becoming a hockey journalist and play-by-play commentator.

During her schooling, Jordan discovered a deep passion for reporting on Indigenous issues, culture and affairs. Jordan is also passionate about connecting with and listening to stories from people from different walks of life and cultural backgrounds.

Last Spring, Jordan completed her first season providing play-by-play for Trinity Western University Women’s Hockey and gameday hosting for BCHL Coquitlam Express.

Jordan enjoys radio anchoring, creating and editing video content, and hopes to one day pursue a career in investigative journalism as well as producing documentaries.

When Jordan isn’t looking for the next great story to tell, she enjoys taking pictures, riding her bike, collecting her favourite rock and roll albums on vinyl, and, of course, cheering on her beloved Canucks. More by Jordan Prentice.

Author

Jordan Prentice

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