EDMONTON PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE
For Immediate Release June 5, 2020
Filipinos in Edmonton celebrate Philippine Heritage Month in a vehicle train
Edmonton, AB – In the morning of Sunday, June 14, 2020, the Edmonton Filipino community will be going around two locations in the city in a vehicle train to celebrate the Philippine Heritage Month. The organizers call the participants and supporters to get creative and decorate their vehicles, highlighting the rich culture of the Philippines.
The PHM Vehicle Train is just one of the many creative ways the community is finding to observe this joyous occasion, in a time when major gatherings such as the Edmonton Filipino Fiesta and kick-off performances are canceled. The first vehicle train starts at 8:00 AM in South Edmonton, beginning from the Mill Woods Town Center SW parking lot. The second vehicle train will move at 9:30 AM in West Edmonton from Callingwood Park, making a loop around Secord and The Hamptons.
“As a collective of Filipino businesses, organizations, individuals, it has been vital for us to stay connected even in simple ways. We are ever grateful for the recognition given to our community,” said Ida Lucila, Chair of the EPIC initiative. “We are looking forward to when we can gather again in a bigger celebration – but for now, we are one with the community as we get through these trying times.”
Other than the PHM Vehicle Train, the Edmonton Philippine International Centre Initiative is also taking video submissions for its Celebrate PHM video montage project. Participants show how they are celebrating this month in their little ways while showcasing their favorite Filipino items, skills, and talents.
Filipinos in Edmonton
Filipinos in Edmonton continue to demonstrate their capacity for self-development and the community participates actively in civic life. Over 65,000 people of Filipino descent reside in Edmonton, with a reported over 175,000 across Alberta, a significant number having arrived within the past decade. In 2017, Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, was the city’s most common “immigrant language” spoken by nearly 43,000 Edmontonians or 3.3 per cent of the total population.
Visit www.EPICalberta.com/phmvehicletrain for more information about the EPIC initiative and its campaigns for the Philippine Heritage Month.
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For media and general inquiries, please contact: Kehrl Reyes at edmontonphilippinecentre@gmail.com
