Latest news with #DatuLapuLapu
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Northerners come together to honour victims of Vancouver Lapu Lapu Day festival attack
Hundreds of people gathered in Whitehorse and Yellowknife on Friday to show solidarity with the victims of last week's attack at a Filipino cultural festival in Vancouver. On April 26, a man drove through a crowd of people at the city's Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, killing 11 people and injuring more than 20 others. The festival was a joyful event honouring Datu Lapu Lapu, an Indigenous Filipino freedom fighter who resisted Spanish and Portuguese colonization in the Philippines in the 16th century. Since the attack, communities across Canada have organized vigils and donations for the victims of the tragedy. Friday was also designated a provincial day of mourning in British Columbia. Yellowknife vigil The Yellowknife vigil was organized by the Philippines Cultural Association of Yellowknife (PCAY) and held at Somba K'e Civic Plaza outside of Yellowknife city hall. The event was called Luksang Bayan, meaning Community of mourning. PCAY president Narlie Dapilos began the ceremony by speaking to the Filipino values of Kapwa — solidarity with others — and Bayanihan — coming together — that he saw embodied in the crowd of well over a hundred people, of all demographics. "The significance of this vigil is to show that support, show that Kapwa, that Bayanihan spirit, that we are there for them. Even though we are not there physically, we are there for those who are affected by the tragedy," Dapilos told the crowd. Those remarks were followed by a prayer from Father Brando, a priest who travelled to the event from Norman Wells, N.W.T., a town about 685 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife. The crowd then took 11 minutes of silence to remember each of the victims who died in the attack. Before the event, Dapilos told CBC News that one of the organization's goals was to provide a communal space for members of Yellowknife's Filipino community to heal from the tragedy. "There's strength in community, there's strength in solidarity," he said. "No one has to go through things alone." Cheiyenne Fontanilla, who volunteered to make signs for the event, said it was good to see so many people come together in a time of such sadness. "This Indigenous Filipino concept of Kapua, this shared sense of community, of self, of kindred, it just reflects what Yellowknife, as a community, is as a whole," Fontanilla said. Whitehorse vigil The Whitehorse vigil took place at the Healing Pole on Front Street in the city's downtown. The Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, the Community Cache and the Canadian Filipino Association Yukon (CFAY) organized the event. Leaders from various community groups spoke in solidarity with the Filipino community at the gathering. Lianne Charlie, an organizer who is also a faculty member with the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, hoped the gathering would be an opportunity for different communities to learn from each other and heal together. "As a Northern Tutchone woman, I know that, for our people, we have ethics of caring and sharing. These ethics are embedded in other people's cultures as well," Charlie said. "I really like the idea of us learning that about each other." Community leaders at the gathering spoke of the support the Yukon Filipino community has shown to others. During the gathering, Saba Javed, a member of the Yukon Muslim Society, recalled how the Filipino community immediately welcomed his family — one of the only Pakistani families around. "We have to return that embrace," Javed said. James Antopina, speaking on behalf of the Canadian Filipino Association Yukon during the event, said the support from other communities this past week has meant a lot to him. "As a member of the Filipino community, I can see now how I felt that we are not alone as a minority community," he said. Antopina named the gathering 'I belong to community.' He hopes that message will resonate with each person who attended the gathering. "I wanted the message to be personal," he said. "Whatever happens, or you might be undergoing some problems right now, personally or [with] community or family, the message will say, 'You belong. We are here,'" he said.
CBC
03-05-2025
- CBC
Northerners come together to honour victims of Vancouver Lapu Lapu Day festival attack
Hundreds attended vigils in Whitehorse, Yellowknife on Friday Hundreds of people gathered in Whitehorse and Yellowknife on Friday to show solidarity with the victims of last week's attack at a Filipino cultural festival in Vancouver. On April 26, a man drove through a crowd of people at the city's Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, killing 11 people and injuring more than 20 others. The festival was a joyful event honouring Datu Lapu Lapu, an Indigenous Filipino freedom fighter who resisted Spanish and Portuguese colonization in the Philippines in the 16th century. Since the attack, communities across Canada have organized vigils and donations for the victims of the tragedy. Friday was also designated a provincial day of mourning in British Columbia. Yellowknife vigil The Yellowknife vigil was organized by the Philippines Cultural Association of Yellowknife (PCAY) and held at Somba K'e Civic Plaza outside of Yellowknife city hall. The event was called Luksang Bayan, meaning Community of mourning. PCAY president Narlie Dapilos began the ceremony by speaking to the Filipino values of Kapwa — solidarity with others — and Bayanihan — coming together — that he saw embodied in the crowd of well over a hundred people, of all demographics. "The significance of this vigil is to show that support, show that Kapwa, that Bayanihan spirit, that we are there for them. Even though we are not there physically, we are there for those who are affected by the tragedy," Dapilos told the crowd. Those remarks were followed by a prayer from Father Brando, a priest who travelled to the event from Norman Wells, N.W.T., a town about 685 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife. The crowd then took 11 minutes of silence to remember each of the victims who died in the attack. Before the event, Dapilos told CBC News that one of the organization's goals was to provide a communal space for members of Yellowknife's Filipino community to heal from the tragedy. "There's strength in community, there's strength in solidarity," he said. "No one has to go through things alone." Image | Yellowknife vigil for Lapu Lapu Day attack Caption: The Luksang Bayan community vigil in Yellowknife included 11 minutes of silence for the people killed in the Vancouver attack. (Sarah Krymalowski/CBC) Open Image in New Tab Cheiyenne Fontanilla, who volunteered to make signs for the event, said it was good to see so many people come together in a time of such sadness. "This Indigenous Filipino concept of Kapua, this shared sense of community, of self, of kindred, it just reflects what Yellowknife, as a community, is as a whole," Fontanilla said. Whitehorse vigil The Whitehorse vigil took place at the Healing Pole on Front Street in the city's downtown. The Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, the Community Cache and the Canadian Filipino Association Yukon (CFAY) organized the event. Leaders from various community groups spoke in solidarity with the Filipino community at the gathering. Lianne Charlie, an organizer who is also a faculty member with the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, hoped the gathering would be an opportunity for different communities to learn from each other and heal together. "As a Northern Tutchone woman, I know that, for our people, we have ethics of caring and sharing. These ethics are embedded in other people's cultures as well," Charlie said. "I really like the idea of us learning that about each other." Community leaders at the gathering spoke of the support the Yukon Filipino community has shown to others. During the gathering, Saba Javed, a member of the Yukon Muslim Society, recalled how the Filipino community immediately welcomed his family — one of the only Pakistani families around. "We have to return that embrace," Javed said. James Antopina, speaking on behalf of the Canadian Filipino Association Yukon during the event, said the support from other communities this past week has meant a lot to him. "As a member of the Filipino community, I can see now how I felt that we are not alone as a minority community," he said. Antopina named the gathering 'I belong to community.' He hopes that message will resonate with each person who attended the gathering. "I wanted the message to be personal," he said.
New York Times
27-04-2025
- New York Times
At Least Nine People Killed After Driver Plows Into Street Party in Vancouver
A driver plowed into a group of partygoers attending a Filipino street festival on Saturday evening in Vancouver, British Columbia, killing at least nine people, according to the local authorities. Vancouver police said earlier that they were investigating a 'mass casualty incident' at a neighborhood block party. The police said they had taken 'a lone suspect' into custody at the scene: the driver, a 30-year-old Vancouver man. Investigators had ruled out terrorism as a motive, Vancouver police said in an email, but they did not offer further details. Photographs published by news agencies showed what appeared to be a black SUV with significant damage to the front of the vehicle, and its airbags deployed. 'At approximately 8:14 p.m. on April 26, a man drove into a large crowd of people attending the Lapu Lapu Day Festival near East 43rd Avenue and Fraser Street,' the Vancouver police said in a post on social media. The annual event celebrates Datu Lapu Lapu, a national hero in the Philippines. 'As of now, we can confirm nine people have died after a man drove through a crowd at last night's Lapu Lapu Festival,' the police said in another post on social media early Sunday. 'Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident.' In a news conference, Steve Rai, the interim police chief, did not address a possible motive for the incident, but said the driver had been known to the police. Members of the crowd had subdued the man before officers got to the scene, he said. The incident occurred less than 48 hours before federal elections were set to take place in Canada. When asked by reporters whether the incident was related to the elections, Mr. Rai said, 'I don't know anything about that.' Underscoring the police's initial assessment that the attack was an isolated event, the police are will allow a 10-kilometer run that drew more than 45,000 entrants last year to go ahead on Sunday. The incident occurred just as a Filipino American rapper and a founding member of the Black Eyed Peas, had finished a concert performance at the festival on the grounds of a high school. Alan Kane, a witness, told CBC Radio that just before the attack, the crowd on the street where it occurred was 'wall to wall' and lined up for food trucks. He said that it appeared that the street was blocked to traffic only by plastic barriers. Several witnesses told Canadian news outlets that those barriers had been pulled back before the incident. Kris Pangilinan, who was selling clothing at a booth, said that some cars and trucks had been allowed into the crowded street to allow vendors to pack up their stands. The Audi SUV, he said, had initially moved cautiously into the crowd before rapidly accelerating, knocking down victims. 'It looked like we literally in a war zone,' Mr. Pangilinan told the CBC. Other witnesses said the driver tried to run away before being subdued by bystanders. Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada said in a social media post that he was 'devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening.' 'I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver,' he said. 'We are all mourning with you.' A spokeswoman for Mr. Carney said that his schedule for the final day of campaigning before Monday's vote would be revised because of the attack. Vancouver's mayor, Ken Sim, said he was 'shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident.' Vancouver prides itself on being a diverse, multicultural city, with more than half of its residents identifying themselves as a 'visible minority,' according to 2021 census data. Lapu Lapu Day is an annual celebration in the Philippines, marking the memory of Datu Lapu Lapu, who stood up against Spanish colonization. In Vancouver, the festival was established as an annual event in 2023. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines said in a statement on Sunday that he was 'completely shattered to hear about the terrible incident' in Vancouver, and he expressed his 'deepest sympathies' to the families of the victims.
Muscat Daily
27-04-2025
- Muscat Daily
Several dead as car ploughs into crowd at Vancouver Festival
Police investigating 'mass casualty incident' after SUV drives into Filipino street party Vancouver, Canada – Police in Vancouver are investigating a mass casualty incident after a vehicle ploughed into a crowd celebrating a Filipino street festival on Saturday evening, April 26, 2025. A 30 year old man has been arrested at the scene, though police have yet to confirm the exact number of fatalities and injuries. Witnesses reported seeing upwards of 20 casualties after a black SUV drove into the crowd near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street at around 8pm local time. Footage shared on social media showed debris and injured festivalgoers strewn across a long stretch of road. Photographs from the scene revealed a black SUV with a crumpled front end. Festival meant to celebrate Filipino heritage The tragedy unfolded during 'Lapu Lapu Day', a celebration of Filipino culture that honours Datu Lapu Lapu, a national hero who defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Organisers of the event posted on Instagram: 'We are still finding the words to express the deep heartbreak brought on by this senseless tragedy. We are devastated for the families and victims.' Earlier in the day, the festival had been a scene of joyous celebration, with games and performances bringing the community together. Prime Minister and Mayor express condolences Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was 'devastated' by the incident, offering his 'deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver.' He also thanked first responders for their swift action. Vancouver Mayor Ken Lim expressed his shock, saying: 'Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver's Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.' Driver believed to have mental health issues According to early reports, the suspect appears to have been suffering from mental health issues. The driver allegedly attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended by police officers. Thousands were believed to be in attendance at the festival when the tragedy struck. Police are continuing to investigate and have not ruled out any possibilities at this early stage. The incident comes just two days before Canadians are due to head to the polls for parliamentary elections.
