Edmonton Filipino community reaching out after Vancouver massacre

There was an outpouring of love and support by Albertans to Canada’s Filipino community flooding social media in the wake of Saturday’s tragedy at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu festival when a driver plowed into pedestrians, killing at least 11 from a community of street vendors who were taking down after the event.

Harlijk Mirasol is president of the Alberta Philippine Heritage and Festival Society and former president of the Edmonton Philippine International Centre.

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“I have a friend who has a food truck, and it happened right in front of her eyes. I heard from her there’s a bigger death toll and injury number,” he said.

Terrible graphic images of bodies strewn in the narrow path between rows of food trucks were widely shared on social media.

The Edmonton Filipino community is sharing the shock with their Vancouver kin, Mirasol said.

“It’s been crazy since last night,” he said. “Everyone’s still in shock, everyone’s been devastated.”

A Tuesday meeting is expected among local Filipino leaders to determine the best ways to extend support to the community in Vancouver, he said.

There’s hope the Vancouver incident was a one-off event, he said.

Monday marks the final day of Filipino Food Month, and June is Filipino Heritage Month, and the Edmonton Filipino community has festive events set for August and September as well.

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“Here in Alberta, we’ve never had the sense that organizing ourselves and being out in public poses a threat to us,” he said.

Pre-planning events involves co-ordination with government, first responders and police, he said.

“We feel like we get the right amount of support from these institutions,” he said.

There when it happened

Vancouver-based vendor Anroe Imperial was standing on his food truck a block away from the massacre, waving a flag to entice festival goers to come eat his barbecue and hotdogs on a festive day that saw people lined up for hours to enjoy real Filipino cuisine.

“Around eight o’clock, I saw a bunch of people running away. People were running around the field, and emergency vehicles were pulling directly into the street,” he said.

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“There was blood everywhere, and people on the ground.”

A horrified friend was vending food right in the spot where the invading vehicle came to a halt.

Imperial said he felt lucky his family stayed at their own vending location, and that the horrific event felt like an attack.

“So they had food trucks on both sides of the street, and the barricade was only a plastic barrier, so very easy to get through. All of a sudden it was just chaos. They were pinched in between two food trucks, so there was no escape,” he said.

“It felt like it was planned out, because out of all the locations, that was the one with the most pinch point areas.,” Imperial said.

The Lapu-Lapu holiday is named for a Filipino hero who fought off the Spanish conquistadores.

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“We were celebrating that, and now we’re kind of sad, because it was such a great event for us but now it’s become a memorial,” he said, telling Postmedia he and his family are still in shock about what they saw.

“I wish it never happened.”

Imperial said the event seemed lacking in security.

“They only had plastic barricades and guys with the stop signs. There was barely any police presence there at all,” he said.

“The safety protocols weren’t really intricate enough for the safety of the public,” he said, estimating the crowd at as many as 20,000 for the day.

Fastest growing visible minority

Internationally, the Filipino community is known for close-knit family ties, and the love of food and music, as well as deep roots in Catholic and Christian faith.

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Canada is 20 times the size of the Philippines in landmass, but the Filipino population outnumber Canadians.

Across Canada, there are 1.2 million people in the Filipino community.

“Alberta really is quite one of the first choices of Filipinos when moving to Canada,” Mirasol said, citing a fit for a population well-trained in the health care and service industries.

“Right now, Filipinos are the fastest growing visible minority in Alberta, so we’re over 100,000 strong here,” he said.

“Canada offers economic opportunities, the chance to have a better future for our kids,” Mirasol said.

A longtime resident of Canada, Imperial and his girlfriend voted in the federal election for the first time this week, and posted a proud photo on social media of the occasion.

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Condolences pour in around Edmonton

As the death toll continued to rise Sunday, messages of support rolled in from around Edmonton.

“Our thoughts are with the Filipino community following the tragic events at the Lapu Lapu Day celebrations in Vancouver Saturday night. The Edmonton Police Service offers its deepest sympathies to the victims and their families,” said a note from the Edmonton Police Service on its Facebook site.

“Filipinos are some of the most kindest, nicest people who accept others and always include others in their celebrations. This is so tragic. I feel really sick,” posted Cyrena Marie.

“The videos of all the dead bodies on the street is something I’ll never forget.”

“I’ve worked with many Filipinos over the years. They are wonderful, friendly, hard-working people. This is horrible,” Jordan Victor posted.

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“Filipino communities across Canada have been deeply affected by this tragic incident. What was meant to be a celebration has instead become the target of a hate crime. Please pray for everyone’s speedy recovery,” posted Edmonton’s Three En One Café.

“The Jewish community in Edmonton extends its support and solidarity with the Filipino community in Vancouver and across Canada after the tragic attack at the Lapu Lapu Festival last night. We mourn with you and may all who were lost that their memories be a blessing,” read a post from the Jewish Federation of Edmonton.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Albertans are heartbroken by the devastating loss of life and injuries reported.

“Filipino Canadians are kind, hard-working, and cherished members of our communities right across Canada. What happened last night at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver is truly incomprehensible,” Smith said.

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“Vancouver and its Filipino community are firmly in our thoughts and prayers.”

Edmonton Coun. Andrew Knack sent sympathies to Filipinos in Vancouver and Edmonton.

“The attack that occurred at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Festival yesterday is devastating. Edmonton is home to many from the Filipino community and I know this tragedy is incredibly hard on everyone. We must come together to provide our love and support to everyone impacted,” Knack posted.

jcarmichael@postmedia.com

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