Vancouver is one step closer to getting a Filipino cultural centre, society says
CTV
As the Lower Mainland's Filipino community gathered in South Vancouver for Lapu-Lapu Day on Saturday, one of the festival's organizers set its sights on creating a future focal point for such gatherings.
As the Lower Mainland's Filipino community gathered in South Vancouver for Lapu-Lapu Day on Saturday, one of the festival's organizers set its sights on creating a future focal point for such gatherings.
Filipino BC announced Saturday that it has selected developer Hungerford Properties to help it explore "the feasibility of bringing the Filipino Community Centre to Vancouver."
"We're extremely excited about this partnership given how our values aligned and how they've demonstrated a commitment to the communities that they've worked with," said RJ Aquino, chair of Filipino BC, at Saturday's event.
Aquino described the process as "very much in the early stages," but added that the announcement of the Hungerford partnership is "significant."
"It shows a real, tangible step towards making this happen, especially as it comes on the heels of all of the announcements and all of the support from politicians from all levels of government," he said.
Last year, the province announced it would be giving $250,000 to the Mabuhay House Society for the purpose of planning and public engagement for a Filipino cultural centre. And the 2024 federal budget promised an unspecified amount of funding toward the project “once further details are announced.”
Vancouver council also passed a motion last June endorsing the creation of a Filipino community centre in the city.
