The Filipino community of Greater Sudbury is probably much larger than you might think.
When people began immigrating to Sudbury from the Philippines in the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. David Javier, the president of the Filipino-Canadian Association of Sudbury, said, there might have been 30 or 40 members of the community.
Then, as Canada began encouraging more international students to choose this country for post-secondary education and began encouraging more immigration, the community has exploded in size and now numbers, conservatively, somewhere between 500 and 700 people, Javier estimates.
A cardiologist by trade, Javier himself came to Canada in 2019.
With such a large and strong community in the Nickel City, the Mabuhay Philippine Festival was born. “Mabuhay” is a common Filipino greeting.
To be able to come together with so many people who share their culture and language is wonderful, he said.
“It’s a good feeling, we feel more at home,” Javier said. And with so many international students in Sudbury from the Philippines, the festival provides a sense of place. While they love Canada, many still look “for connections to home.”
The Mabuhay Festival opened with performances from some younger members of the Filipino community in a kind of American Idol-style event. This was followed by the grand entrance of a “parade of colours,” highlighting several of the cultures that call the Philippines home.
An extensive choreographed dance number followed, featuring traditional styles from different parts of the country.
Also on hand was Bela Ravi, president of the Sudbury Multicultural and Folk Arts Association, who brought greetings from the association. Ravi remarked that one of the benefits of living in a country like Canada is that people can be proud Canadians while being free to celebrate their roots, traditions and cultures of their home countries.
There were a few vendors on hand at the Grace Hartmann amphitheatre as well, and several booths selling food. Naturally, Filipino cuisine was on the menu, but in the true multicultural spirit of Canada, local vendors also sold Korean, Venezuelan and Japanese food as well.
Javier said many volunteers helped make the festival possible, using a Filipino word, “bayanihan” to describe the sense of community that came to pervade the festival and the work that went into organizing it.
Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com.
