T.O.Consulate marks 124th Philippine Independence Day

T.O.Consulate marks 124th Philippine Independence Day

Consul General Orontes V. Castro receiving the Congratulatory Message of the Honourable Ted Arnott, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario during the Philippine flag raising ceremony at Queen’s Park on 13 June 2022.

June 13, 2022

TORONTO – On the occasion of the 124th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence, as well as the celebration of the National Flag Week and the Filipino Heritage Month in Canada, the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto and the Federation of Filipino-Canadians Ontario held the Philippine Independence Day Flag Raising Ceremony 2022 in front of the the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen’s Park at 12 noon on 13 June 2022.

The event was also for the National Flag Day and the Filipino Heritage Month celebration in Canada. The event was held in the seat of government of the Province of Ontario and after the recently held June 2, 2022 elections of the Members of the Provincial Parliament of Ontario.

Consul General Orontes V. Castro with the Consuls General of India, Poland and Indonesia and the Honorary Consul of Malaysia with the Filipino Canadian community

The Philippine flag raising ceremony was led by Consul General Orontes V. Castro and Speaker Ted Arnott with other provincial government officials, including Minister and Mrs. Raymond Cho, MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament) Michael Kerzner (York Centre), MPP Robin Martin (Eglinton-Lawrence), MPP Laura Smith (Thornhill), and MPP Doly Begum (Scarborough Southwest), who supported and joined in the celebration with the Filipino-Canadian community.

In his remarks, Speaker Ted Arnott acknowledged the significant contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community by saying: “We are very proud of the vibrant Filipino community here in Ontario and we want to thank you for your important contributions to the province.” He presented Consul General Castro with a framed Congratulatory Message on behalf of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario sending “heartfelt congratulations for this important occasion of Philippines Independence Day.”

Consul General Orontes V. Castro with the young Filipino Canadian staffers of the Ontario Provincial Parliament – Jedi Garde Casana, Graham Pedregosa and Mark Pelayo.

MPP Honourable Robin Martin (Eglinton-Lawrence), on the other hand, presented to Consul General Castro the written Congratulatory Message of the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of the Province of Ontario, who is delighted “to extend warm greetings to everyone celebrating Philippine Independence Day. For Filipinos here and around the world, this is a time to gather with the community and to honour a history that is a source of much pride and inspiration. Ontario is fortunate to be home to a strong and vibrant Filipino Canadian community. We recognize their tremendous contributions to our province, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Their hard work, skills and rich traditions have helped build this great province. I thank Consul General Orontes Castro and his amazing staff for hosting this celebration and for all their hard work building strong bilateral relations between our two jurisdictions. Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan!”

During the Philippine flag-raising ceremony, Consul General Orontes V. Castro also conveyed appreciation for the support of the provincial government to the Filipino community and reminded the Filipino Canadians to “take this opportunity to always remember the sacrifices of our ancestors and heroes for us to enjoy the blessings of freedom and liberty.”

He also highlighted that the Philippine Independence celebration theme: “Kalayaan 2022: Pagsuong sa Hamong ng Panibagong Bukas” (Rise Towards the Challenge of a New Beginning) is timely with the reopening in the City of Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area, the Province of Ontario and the whole country of Canada.

Consul General Orontes V. Castro delivering his remark during the Philippine flag raising ceremony in front of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen’s Park on 13 June 2022.

The Philippine flag was proudly raised in front of the Filipino community and the officers and members of the community organizations while singing the Philippine National Anthem – “Lupang Hinirang.”

Philippine Independence Day Reception at Earl Bales Community Centre

Immediately after the flag-raising at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in Queen’s Park, Consul General Castro with the other officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto hosted a Philippine Independence Day Reception at 4:00 PM at Earl Bales Community Center on Bathurst St., Toronto that was attended by 180 guests – with provincial and city officials, including Minister and Mrs. Raymond Cho, MPP Michael Kerzner (York Centre), MPP Robin Martin (Eglinton-Lawrence), MPP Laura Smith (Thornhill), City of Toronto Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson, Council Thompson, Councillor, and Dr. Eileen de Villa, Filipino Canadian City of Toronto Medical Officer of Health, and the Filipino Canadian community.

In his welcome remarks, Consul General Castro thanked all the guests for celebrating the 124th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and the Filipino Heritage Month with the Filipino Canadian community. He recalled the privilege of raising the Philippine flag at the Philippine Center in the City of Winnipeg with the Honourable Heather Stefanson, Premier of the Province of Manitoba on June 4, 2022; the Honourable Deputy Mayor Mario Ferri of the City of Vaughan on June 11, 2022; the Honourable Mayor John Tory at the historic City Hall of Toronto on June 12, 2022; Honourable Mayor Patrick Brown at the Brampton City Hall on June 12, 2022; and the Honourable Ted Arnott, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in Queen’s Park on June 13, 2022.

The officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto together with the personnel of the attached Philippine government agencies.

He also challenged the Filipino Canadian community to have more representations in various fields and endeavours – politics, arts, culture, academe, and other advocacies that promote the welfare of the community.

For his part, City of Toronto Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson recognized the significant contributions of Filipinos in the City of Toronto and Canada. He said that: “It is such a great opportunity that we are here to celebrate the great milestone of 124 years of independence for a great nation, a great people and we in Canada have been the beneficiary of the diaspora who made Canada their home. We have benefited so greatly. And now the community is really starting to shine. And so we have to work collectively to ensure that our development for the community continues. And by all standards, we are here today, we are on that journey.”

Minister Raymond Cho and Councillor Pasternak similarly paid tribute to the vast contributions of Filipinos to the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario, and Canada as a whole.

Regional Councillor of the City of Brampton Rowena Santos emphatically emphasized in her brief remarks the resiliency of the Filipinos like the proverbial bamboo that can bend itself whenever it is faced with natural calamities and can stand again on its own after the challenges.