122nd Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence and in celebration of the 2nd Filipino Heritage Month in Toronto
Flag-raising at Toronto City hall with The Honorable, Mayor John Tory, Consul General Orontes V. Castro, Councillor James Pasternak and Mr. Tote Quizan
PRESS RELEASE
PR-27-2020
Toronto PCG's Historic Flag-raising Ceremony at Toronto City Hall and Virtual Celebration of Philippine Independence Day 2020
12 June 2019, Toronto, Canada - This year's celebration of the 122nd Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence by the Filipino Community in Toronto was a unique and memorable one, as everyone in the city adjusts to the "new normal" brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the suspension of mass gatherings and permitted events in Toronto until 31 August 2020, virtual and online celebrations became the popular alternative.
Flag-raising ceremony at the Toronto City Hall
As Ontario steps up to stage 2 of re-opening businesses and work places beginning on 12 June 2020, the Philippine Consulate General Toronto was honored by the kind gesture of Toronto City Mayor John Tory, in allowing, at the eleventh hour, the raising of the Philippine flag at the Toronto City Hall. However, social distancing measures, including among others, limiting the number of people attending the memorable event to a maximum of five (5), was strictly implemented.
In his speech, Mayor Tory expressed his great affection and high regard for the Filipino people and his utmost appreciation for the "many contributions made by the Filipino community to the well-being of the City, in every single respect, economic, social, cultural, and health." He noted that "the Filipino community is a gentle, hardworking and family-focused community and acknowledged that "a number of Filipinos have ended up in sectors related to health care and long-term care and as such have been part of the group we paid tribute to during past couple of weeks." Before ending his speech, Mayor Tory handed to Consul General Orontes V. Castro the original copy of the Proclamation declaring June 2020 as Filipino Heritage Month. The message reads in part, "The City's ongoing response to the pandemic and our work on the restart and recovery has been supported by members of the Filipino community. This is one more example of the importance of the community in our city and its commitment to helping Toronto."
Before reading the message of Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Consul General Castro thanked Mayor Tory for honoring "us today with this special and historic gesture of hoisting our national flag at the City Hall of Toronto."
Mr. Tote Quizan of the National Congress of Filipino Associations and Chair of the Toronto City Hall Flag-Raising Committee also delivered brief remarks. Councillor James Pasternak, representing York Centre, also delivered a few words.
Mayor Tory also took the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Eileen De Villa, Chief Medical Officer of Health of Toronto Public Health. "This city is so lucky to have a among many leadership positions occupied by Filipino-Canadians, our Medical Officer of Health, who guided us with such sound, calm, reassuring advice through this pandemic and that is Dr. Eileen De Villa. She herself is a Filipino-Canadian and this is the ultimate proof that we can see as Torontonians of the many contributions of Filipino-Canadians to our well-being that the very person we relied on completely for sound advice that gets us through this terrible health crisis is a proud daughter of the Filipino-Canadian community," he said.
Thereafter, the Philippine flag was proudly hoisted at Toronto City Hall while the Philippine National Anthem was being played at 9:10 am on 12 June 2020. Mayor Tory and Councillor James Pasternak and Mr. Quizan joined Consul General Castro during the ceremonial raising of the Philippine flag.
The event was live streamed through YouTube and the Philippine Consulate General's website. The link to the video is as follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMdIo6xzRV4&feature=youtu.be
Philippine Consulate General in Toronto's Virtual Celebration of Philippine Independence Day and Filipino Heritage Month
Sentro Rizal-Toronto of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, in responsibly adhering to strict social distancing measures, celebrated Philippine Independence Day and Filipino Heritage Month, virtually, which was uploaded in its official website and Facebook page on 12 June.
The virtual program was formally opened with the live streaming of the Flag-raising ceremony at the Toronto City Hall with Mayor John Tory, Councillor James Paternak, Consul General Castro and Mr. Quizan, followed by the playing of the Philippine and Canadian national anthems.
The celebration of Philippine Independence Day in Manila, courtesy of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) was among the highlights of the program, along with the written and video messages of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila P. Garcia, Consul General Orontes V. Castro, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, and Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez.
Canadian government officials likewise sent in their congratulatory and inspirational messages for the Filipino-Canadian community, from Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, Toronto City Mayor John Tory, and Minister of Parliament Salma Zahid who sponsored M-155 in the House of Commons for Filipino Heritage Month to be celebrated in June every year in the whole of Canada. Toronto Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa, as well as Mayors, Councillors and Trustees of the Catholic District School Board, from various cities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Winnipeg, likewise gave their messages.
The greetings of Philippine Honorary Consul to Winnipeg Ronaldo Opina and Fr. Sherwin Holandez, Chair of the Toronto Organizing Committee of the 500th Year (Quincentenary Jubilee) of Christianity in the Philippines were also included in the virtual program.
A united Filipino-Canadian community in Toronto and the GTA was featured in the program through their messages and greetings of solidarity and resilience, amidst the threat of the pandemic. As of this writing, around 35 Filipino organizations shared their messages and greetings through the Consulate's website. They were also invited to share the links to their respective virtual events celebrating Philippine Independence Day and Filipino Heritage Month and Day, for inclusion in the Consulate General's virtual program. The link to the virtual celebration is as follows: http://www.philcongen-toronto.com/about/kalayaan20.php