Fort St. John Filipino independence celebrations set for first weekend of June

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Filipino community around Fort St. John will celebrate the country’s independence in early June.

According to a Facebook post on May 26th, the Pista Sa Park Fil-Can Fiesta is slated to take place on June 8th in Fort St. John’s Festival Plaza and is being organized by the North Peace Filipino-Canadian Association, also known as Bayanihan Fort St. John.

The Asian country comprises over 7,000 islands and 18 administrative regions, with Ovvian Castrillo-Hill saying the Philippines’ “many different cultures and subcultures” give the event a chance for individuals to “get to know one another, even if we come from the same place.”

Castrillo-Hill is an organizer of the event.

“It’s an opportunity for the Filipino-Canadians in town to come together, to celebrate the things there [is] to celebrate in life,” said Castrillo-Hill. “One of them is the independence of the Philippine nation.

“Even as Canadians, we like to celebrate things that are good. [This] happens to be one of the good things in our lives. For us, it’s relevant to celebrate the freedom that comes with that independence.”

Also known as National Day, Filipino Independence Day is celebrated on June 12th, the anniversary of the declaration of independence from Spain in 1898. 

Castrillo-Hill added the event planned on June 8th also recognizes Filipino Heritage Month, which was first acknowledged by the federal government in 2018.

With a differing theme each year, this June will recognize folk art from the nation, which could be folk dancers or folk singers.  

In addition, a Filipino-themed art exhibit entitled Ex Situ will open at the Peace Gallery North in the North Peace Cultural Centre on Friday, June 6th.

The 2021 Canadian census found Fort St. John is home to over 830 residents of Filipino descent. 

However, Castrillo-Hill estimates as many as 1,200 could be in the Peace region, saying potential temporary residents and foreign workers could be making homes at any time.

She says the community has “way more” members compared to when she first moved to Fort St. John in 2009.

“When I first came there were maybe 100-plus [Filipinos],” said Castrillo-Hill. “Everybody knew each other. Now that the community is growing there’s obviously a potential for us to bump into people we’ve never met even amongst ourselves. 

“That’s actually the beauty and the intent of an event like this because we’d like to know more of the ones who have just come.”

With the recent tragedy at the Lapu Lapu festival day in Vancouver earlier this year, the event aims to “strengthen our community, by being there for each other.”

The gathering will be a potluck event, where individuals can come with their own dishes from their respective regions and “learn, appreciate and enjoy.”

The Pista Sa Park Fil-Can Fiesta will take place on Sunday, June 8th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Festival Plaza in Centennial Park and attendance is free.

However, those interested in attending or performing must contact Castrillo-Hill through Facebook or email her at ovvian@gmail.com. 

More information about the North Peace Filipino-Canadian Association can be found on the group’s Facebook page.