Advisories & News
Press Release
PCG Toronto Joins Virtual Meeting of Brampton Councillors and FilCom Leaders
2021-04-23
PR-2021-15
23 April 2021 – Consul General Orontes Castro and Vice Consul Edward Chan joined the virtual meeting organized by Brampton City Councillors Rowena Santos and Paul Vicente on 12 April 2021. Also represented at the meeting were the Filipino Canadian Community organizations in Brampton namely, the Federation of Filipino Canadians in Brampton, the Brampton Filipino Seniors Club and the Knights of Rizal Brampton Chapter. Also present were Brampton Fire Division Chief Ravjot Chhatwal, Peel Region Police Officer and Inspector, Michael Mallari and Mark Dapat, respectively. Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown also joined the meeting, greeted briefly the Consul General, and mentioned that he is always eager to help the Filipino community in Brampton and is looking forward to meeting everyone in person.
Councillor Santos gave an update on the Sister City agreement between the Cities of Marikina and Brampton. Councillor Vicente discussed the opportunities for Philippine businesses to link with Brampton’s “Innovation District” project, which focuses on start-up scaling, investment attraction, and local talent development. The project aims to provide support for entrepreneurs and new business owners. Councillor Vicente also said that Brampton is the second fastest growing city in Canada, composed of young and diverse workforce with 234 cultures and speaking 115 languages.
The Philippine Heritage Month celebration in June 2021, which is going to be celebrated virtually due to the still ongoing pandemic, was also discussed during the meeting. Consul General Castro mentioned to the group that the Philippines is celebrating this year its 500 years Anniversary and proposed that the City of Brampton also incorporate the historic Quincentennial Commemoration in the Philippines, themed “Victory and Humanity”, in their Philippine Heritage Month celebration.
Councillor Santos also gave an update on the Dr. Jose Rizal Park located at 15 Sarno Road in Brampton. She said that the park sign is already up and that they are working with the City’s Communications Department to have an official video produced to showcase the park and the sign itself. The Knights of Rizal Brampton Chapter suggested that a commemorative plaque at the park be installed as a namesake for Dr. Rizal, in time for the 160th Birth anniversary of Dr. Rizal on 19 June 2021.
Councillor Santos introduced to the meeting the Philippine Association of Businesses and Professional, led by Brampton Police Officer Michael Mallari and Inspector Mark Dapat. Officer Mallari gave a background on the association which aims to be a connected network of Filipino Canadian businesses and professionals in the region of Peel that will help Filipinos realize their potential for growth and prosperity by inspiring and mentoring the youth, by providing a safe space for elders to share their experiences and expertise so there is a transfer of knowledge, by developing community partners, and collaborating with existing Filipino community organizations.
The last agenda was the Anti-Asian Racism Discussion. Councillor Santos said that the issue was brought about by complaints received from the broader Asian community, not just the Filipino community in Brampton, and mentioned that she is in solidarity with the community and with the broader Asian community. She thanked the young people who saw the need to speak-up and voice their views and complaints on the racism issue.
Consul General Castro informed the group that the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto has been in partnership with the Toronto Police Services (TPS) on the Anti-Asian Racism issue and that a webinar was organized by the Consulate General in December 2020 to discuss the matter in depth. Consul General Castro encouraged the young generation to come into the open, speak out, and be aware of their rights. -END
