A man lays flowers on April 28, at a memorial near the scene of a fatal vehicle attack in Vancouver.Jesse Winter/The Globe and Mail
For almost a decade, Filipinos around the world have marked April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day, celebrating a hero of the Southeast Asian nation’s anti-colonial struggle and the successes of the modern Philippines and its extensive diaspora.
The ties and legacy of that diaspora were what brought large numbers out in Vancouver this past weekend, and, when a Lapu-Lapu Festival turned into tragedy, meant the shock was felt far beyond Canada.
“A tragedy experienced by Filipinos anywhere is grieved by Filipinos everywhere,” Francis Joseph G. Escudero, president of the Philippines Senate, said Monday.
At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured when a car drove into a crowd at the street party in central Vancouver on Saturday evening. A suspect, 30-year-old Adam Lo, has been charged with multiple counts of murder. Police have so far not given any motive for the crime, though Mr. Lo is believed to have suffered from mental-health problems.
Explainer: Vancouver Lapu-Lapu festival attack: What we know so far
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he was “completely shattered” when he heard news of the “terrible incident.”
“We are one with the families of the victims and the Filipino community in Vancouver during this difficult time,” Mr. Marcos said in a statement, expressing his sympathies to the wider diaspora in Canada, which he described as “strong and thriving.”
Prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old Vancouver resident with murder for killing at least 11 people aged between five and 65 and injuring dozens after he rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival on April 27.
Reuters
There are almost a million ethnic Filipinos living in Canada, according to the most recent national census, the second-largest population of overseas Filipinos behind the United States. Only India sends more immigrants to Canada, with the largest Filipino populations in the Prairies and British Columbia.
A former colony of Spain and the United States, the Philippines has long had a strong history of migration. There were an estimated 2.16 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 2023, a figure that does not include those who have naturalized in other countries. Remittances from Filipinos living overseas accounted for 8.3 per cent of the country’s entire gross domestic product last year, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
Speaking Monday, Philippines Migrant Workers secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the government “stands ready to provide all the necessary assistance and support to the victims of the incident, as we remain committed in ensuring the safety and wellness of our OFWs.”
The Vancouver attack dominated news coverage in the Philippines on Monday, and in his statement, Senate President Escudero pointed to the country’s legacy of migration and the strong ties binding the diaspora.
“When we are linked by blood, not even a vast ocean that separates us now deadens the pain, and that is why the homeland also weeps,” he said. “What should have been a celebration of heroism and freedom by our race, in their new country that cherishes and defends it, has turned into a moment of despair.”
He expressed thanks to first responders in Vancouver and to the Canadian public’s show of solidarity.
“This has not been unexpected, for a people who have given so much, as Filipinos have to societies they have enriched with their competence and compassion, have earned the right to receive the same,” Mr. Escudero said.
He called on the Canadian authorities to bring the perpetrator to justice, adding “there is no place in this world for such horrible acts of violence.”
Apl.de.ap, a Filipino-American rapper best known as a founding member of the Black Eyed Peas, had just left the stage in Vancouver when the attack occurred.
In a post on social media, he said it was “hard to describe the shock and the heaviness we feel.”
“Our hearts are broken for the victims, their families, and everyone affected by the tragedy at the Lapu-Lapu Festival,” Apl said.
“The one thing I have noticed from the audience to the messages sent around, is the sense of community that wraps its loving arms around us.”
Mohamad Sariman, a food truck operator at the Filipino festival that was attacked on Saturday night, says he initially thought the incident which left 11 dead was an explosion.
The Globe and Mail