Latest news with #FilipinoCommunity
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Retired teacher continues to give back to Stockton and her Filipino community
STOCKTON – After arriving in the U.S. from the Philippines nearly 60 years ago, Virginia Navarro continues to inspire her community. In 1966, Navarro left the Philippines to continue her education in the U.S. "They say that the United States is the land of opportunity, so I tried my best," Navarro said. "I saw the struggles of my parents making [a] meager salary, my dad. So, I said I have to break this poverty here." She got accepted to San Jose State's graduate program and soon realized her scholarship didn't cover all costs. "I didn't know I was going to be paying my dorm and board and lodging, and my $60 is almost gone," Navarro said. So, she leaned on her faith. "I just took those problems as mere challenges, so I worked harder I found a job in the college library," Navarro said. That summer, Stanford University hired Navarro through its Peace Corps Volunteer Program to teach Philippine culture and the language. This meant moving to Stockton and joining the large Filipino American community. "The vibrant life of the Filipinos in here, and I said, 'This is [the] Philippines, you know in the south side,'" Navarro said. It didn't take long for Navrro to accept a teaching job with the Stockton Unified School District. "My goal of uplifting my family economically is realized because I had money to send them," Navarro said. Navarro eventually moved her entire family to the U.S. She worked as an elementary school teacher during the day, and at night, she taught ESL and Tagalog classes at San Joaquin Delta College. The ambitious educator wanted to do more. "Give them self-confidence and I want them to appreciate their Filipino culture through songs and dances," Navarro said. Navarro started three Filipino folk dance groups for children. It's something she did growing up in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. "It's not only for them to develop awareness and sensitivity to their culture, and appreciation of their culture, but to disseminate to other ethnicities," Navarro said. After 62 years of teaching, Navarro decided to retire. At 87 years old, she is still giving back. "I love the community, community work, I can't get away from it," Navarro said. With so many awards and accolades to her name, Navarro knows the real reason for her distinguished career. "The most important part of my success is my family," Navarro said. Navarro remains a constant leader in Stockton, advocating for teachers and students and enriching her community with culture and diversity.
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Filipinos are the NT's number one migrant community. Here's why so many call the territory home
On a Sunday evening in May, laughter can be heard from a group of Filipino locals embracing the Top End dry season at their local park. There's fried chicken, ukoy (Filipino deep-fried fritters) and plenty of sweet treats. "Every weekend there's an event," says Maria Lourdes Delin, who moved to Darwin from the Philippines in 2010. Here in the Northern Territory, Filipinos are the number one migrant community according to Australian Bureau of Statistics country of birth data. In every other Australian jurisdiction, that spot is held by English, Indian, Chinese or New Zealander migrants. So why do so many Filipinos choose to call the territory home? Gerald Danao, who grew up in the northern Philippines's Ilocos region, moved to Darwin in 2022 in one of the first cohorts of international students to migrate after COVID. The 41-year-old entomologist was looking for a place to complete his master's degree, when a friend convinced him of Darwin. "[They] knew that I wanted to grow old in a very relaxed life, a laid-back community, and be in a more tropical place," Mr Danao says. Beyond advancing his career, Mr Danao's move to Australia was also about finding acceptance as a gay man. He said being gay could be a "taboo" among many Filipino families. "I knew my family could be one of [those who disapprove] and it's going to be shocking," Mr Danao said. "When I arrived here I had the courage to actually be myself." Now on a graduate visa with a permanent job in environmental management, Mr Danao and his partner, who's also a skilled Filipino migrant, are committed to making the territory their forever home. "We need to be loyal now to NT because they are loyal to us, it should be a give and take relationship," he says. "We've decided to apply [for permanent residency] as soon as possible." For more than a century, Filipino migrants have come to the territory to fill gaps in local industries. The first wave began in 1895 when a small group of Filipinos became divers for the territory's now-iconic pearl industry. Then the White Australia policy's introduction in 1901 put a 70-plus-year limitation on non-European migration. After the policy's end in the 1970s, there was a second wave of Filipino migration with many school teachers moving to the NT. Another wave in the 80s coincided with the Family Reunion and Marriage Visa Scheme, which allowed people to bring family members or prospective spouses to Australia. Filipino Honorary Consul General for the NT, John Rivas says the territory is now seeing a fourth wave of migration with an influx of skilled workers and international students. "A lot [of the skilled workers] are in the building industry … but lately there has been an increase in the number of Filipinos working in the aged care and childcare industries," he says. For Nadine Lee, the history of Filipino migration to the NT is a story about her family lineage. Ms Lee's great grandfather, Antonio Cubillo, was one of the first Filipino pearl divers to come to Darwin in 1895. But it's Mr Cubillo's love story with a local Aboriginal Larrakia woman, Lily McKeddie, and the 10 children they had together that's created a legacy. "There's lots of Larrakia people with Filipino history and connections, and I think it does surprise people," Ms Cubillo says. As a fifth-generation descendent of the couple, Ms Lee says the Cubillo family has become one of biggest Larrakia-Filipino families in the NT. During the 90s Ms Lee's brother Gary wrote a play on the great-grandparents' love story titled 'Keep Him My Heart'. While the play was only performed six times, a book with the same title has recently been published. "Now we have a physical documentation on our ancestry. With all the children, it helps us figure out where we are in our family tree," Ms Lee says. President of the local NT Filipino Association, Emcille Wills, says Filipinos have lots to love about life in the Top End. "First of all geographically … the Philippines is so close to Darwin, the second is the climate and the third one I think is the camaraderie [of the local Filipino community]," she says. "Because Darwin is smaller compared to other states, there's only one organisation and we know most of the Filipinos, so we're quite connected." Mr Danao says the tight-knit nature of the local Filipino community has been a huge blessing. "I felt really relieved. I got a job in my first week, because of my Facebook post on the Filipino community [page]," Mr Danao says. "I owe them actually, I might not be here without them." Ms Wills says the association's goal is not just to connect with other Filipinos, but with the broader community. That includes having Filipino dances and music brought to a territory stage. "We managed to actually perform in the Darwin Festival, the Territory Day and it's never happened before. And it's not just the Filipino community, it's other cultures as well," she says.
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Lapu-Lapu murder suspect to face trial on mental fitness
Social Sharing Kai-Ji Adam Lo, the suspect in the Vancouver street festival tragedy that left 11 people dead and dozens injured, will face a two-day trial later this summer to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial for murder. Mark Swartz, Lo's lawyer, requested the trial at a hearing Friday in Vancouver Provincial Court to confirm an in-custody mental health assessment has been completed. The mental fitness trial will be scheduled to run for two days, likely in July, under presiding Judge Reginald Harris. Lo will be required to attend in person. Lo is accused of driving his SUV through a crowd of people at the Filipino community's Lapu-Lapu Day street festival on April 26. He is charged with eight counts of second-degree murder. A five-year-old girl, eight women and two men were killed in the car-ramming. Lo appeared in court Friday via video from where he is being held. He had unruly hair, a thin mustache and was wearing a black sweatshirt. Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly requested an updated psychological report be done in the weeks before the mental fitness trial. Harris agreed, stating that in his experience in similar type cases that mental health can change and evolve "dramatically." Some details revealed in Lo's court proceedings so far are under a publication ban and Swartz indicated he will be asking for a similar ban on evidence brought at the trial. Harris said he is required to balance the open court system and the right of media to inform the public versus the possibility of tainting a future jury in a murder trial — if the case comes to that — and preserving Lo's charter right to a fair trial.
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
London festival organizers seek city support for rising security costs
Social Sharing London festival organizers say they're looking to increase security measures in response to public safety concerns and would like to see more financial support from the city. Annual festivals like London's Sunfest have emergency procedures and security in place, but a recent attack in Vancouver spurred organizers to ensure "all their ducks are in a row," said Mercedes Caxaj, Sunfest's co-artistic director. "We have to be prepared for any kind of situation, especially at public-facing events." On April 26, a man drove a car into a Filipino community festival in Vancouver, killing 11 people and injuring more than two dozen others. The tragedy has since sparked conversations around minimizing safety risks at public events, with the B.C. government reviewing festival safety measures and Toronto recently announcing $2.1 million in funding for increased festival security. Caxaj said she would like to see London follow Toronto's lead. Caxaj said festival security costs have increases year over year for Sunfest, and that funding from the city would be an investment in the city's culture. "To have that kind of support from the city would mean that they're also investing in the events, the event organizers, and in the social fabric and cultural vibrancy of the city," she said. "It means that we're working collectively." London's Victoria Park is also set to host a new festival celebrating Filipino culture and heritage in August, and the tragedy in Vancouver was discussed during security planning. Organizer Faith Trigo-Sawyer said they are taking it very seriously and have plans to set up barricades and even speed bumps to protect against vehicles. Trigo-Sawyer said they will also be meeting with London police and city officials to discuss support and was pleased to see Toronto step up with added security funding. "They should do it in all the cities that are having festivals," she said. New city policy aims for collaboration London currently gives financial support to city-run and non-profit events and festivals on a case-by-case basis, keeping in mind the cost to taxpayers and the level of community support, according to Paul Ladouceur, the city's director of emergency management and security services. "We want to make sure the public can enjoy these events without concern for safety," he said. When asked whether or not the city will consider allocating funds for festival security, Ladouceur said discussions about event safety are still ongoing, and he does not know where they will land. Ladouceur said a new special events policy aimed at increasing safety could be coming, but the policy would not include funding to support for-profit festival organizers, but rather a requirement that they work with the city to develop a comprehensive emergency response plan. Organizers are asked to outline typical safety features like medical support, inclement weather protocol and road closures, but also procedures for more severe emergencies. Organizers are taking precautions but are not worried Caxaj and Trigo-Sawyer made it clear they do not believe festivals in London are less safe than before. Unexpected situations can happen anywhere, and there are some events that can't be accounted for," Caxaj said. "I think we just hear about it a lot more," she said. "But because we're hearing about it, we have to be responsible to make sure that everybody's safety is the number-one priority." Trigo-Sawyer said she isn't concerned about any danger at Fiesta Extravaganza, but as an organizer, she wants to show people that they're taking appropriate precautions. "That way, it will give them security that something like the Vancouver attack will not happen."
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Celebration to mark Philippine independence anniversary on June 1
To mark the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and UAE-Filipino friendship, a cultural celebration will be organised at Dubai World Trade Centre on June 1. The day-long cultural festival, hosted by 'Emirates Loves the Philippines', will take place from 8am to 10pm. Over 30,000 attendees from across the Filipino community in the UAE. Emirati dignitaries, Filipino diplomats, business leaders, and well-known social figures are also expected to join the celebration. Organised in collaboration with Dubai Police, the event aims to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines through traditional music and dance performances, folk competitions, art displays, and interactive exhibits. Special entertainment areas for children and food stalls serving iconic Filipino dishes will further enhance the family-friendly experience. The UAE is home to hundreds of thousands of Filipino residents, many of whom play vital roles in key sectors such as healthcare, education, engineering, retail, and tourism. The UAE and the Philippines share a long-standing friendship, even before establishing official diplomatic ties in August 1974. These relations were further strengthened with the opening of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 1980 and the UAE Embassy in Manila in 1989, paving the way for deeper and more fruitful cooperation across various fields. Dubai
