Philippine Press Club of Ontario
By Jose Victor “Jayvee” Salamena
Toronto-Canada
October 1, 2018
TORONTO, Canada – The Philippine Press Club of Ontario (PPCO) hosted a non-partisan political forum on Sunday, September 30, 2018 for the Filipino-Canadian candidates running for city councils or for district school board trustees. The event was graciously hosted at the church building of the Friends of Jesus Christ Church in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, a non-denominational church that is one of the largest Filipino-Canadian churches in the Greater Toronto Area.
Filipino-Canadian Candidates for City Council and School Board Trustees Take Part in the PPCO Forum. Candidates pictured are (from left to right): Paulina Corpuz, Miles Roque, Maria Montemayor, Randy Bucao and Garry Tanuan. (Candidate Louroz Mercader was also seated but is covered)
The event invited the Filipino-Canadian candidates in the Greater Toronto Area that were running for the municipal elections slated for all the municipalities and townships in the Canadian province of Ontario, to be held on October 22, 2018. The candidates that were able to take part in the forum were Paulina Corpuz (running for City Council for the City of Toronto), Miles Roque (running for City Council for the City of Mississauga, the second-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area), Louroz Mercander (running for City Council in Mississauga as well), Maria Montemayor (running for the Toronto Catholic District School Board), Randy Bucao (running for City Council in Toronto), and Garry Tanuan (also running for the Toronto Catholic District School Board). Unfortunately, Benjamin Abis and Enrique Olivo, both running for as trustees for the Toronto Catholic District School Board as well, were not able to take part in the forum due to personal reasons.
Also in attendance were various members of the PPCO, representatives and friends of other Fil-Can organizations and charities, Pastor Teck Uy, founder and Senior Pastor of the church hosting the event, as well as former candidates Willie Reodica (who formerly ran as a City Councilor), Antonio VIllarin (who ran as a provincial election nominee), and Rosemer Enverga (widow of the late Senator Tobias Enverga, and who also ran as a provincial election nominee).
The candidates that took part of the forum were able to outline their platforms and what their key issues and projects would be if elected. The candidates also fielded questions from the various members in attendance. Topics of discussion ranged from what can be done due in the municipal level to the increasing incidents of gun violence that had plagued the Greater Toronto Area in recent months, to issues related to the police services and oversight in the various municipalities, to topics related to the legalization of marijuana that will take into effect throughout Canada in a month, and how to keep it away from schools and from minors.
The event concluded with light snacks and refreshments, as the candidates mingled with the various heads and active members of the Filipino-Canadian community.
The forum showed a bright future for the Fil-Can community, as many of the candidates were young people willing to represent the concerns and needs of the Filipino-Canadian community in the municipal level. It also showed a unity in the Filipino-Canadian community in yearning for political representation. While Fil-Can candidates were shut out in the Federal elections in 2015, as well as in the Ontario provincial elections just three months ago, the over 300,000 Filipinos in the Greater Toronto Area are resolved and united to bring one or more of their own into the Canadian halls of power.
PPCO Host Political Forum for Greater Toronto Area Fil-Can Candidates
By Jose Victor “Jayvee” Salamena
Toronto-Canada
October 1, 2018
TORONTO, Canada – The Philippine Press Club of Ontario (PPCO) hosted a non-partisan political forum on Sunday, September 30, 2018 for the Filipino-Canadian candidates running for city councils or for district school board trustees. The event was graciously hosted at the church building of the Friends of Jesus Christ Church in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, a non-denominational church that is one of the largest Filipino-Canadian churches in the Greater Toronto Area.
Filipino-Canadian Candidates for City Council and School Board Trustees Take Part in the PPCO Forum. Candidates pictured are (from left to right): Paulina Corpuz, Miles Roque, Maria Montemayor, Randy Bucao and Garry Tanuan. (Candidate Louroz Mercader was also seated but is covered)
The event invited the Filipino-Canadian candidates in the Greater Toronto Area that were running for the municipal elections slated for all the municipalities and townships in the Canadian province of Ontario, to be held on October 22, 2018. The candidates that were able to take part in the forum were Paulina Corpuz (running for City Council for the City of Toronto), Miles Roque (running for City Council for the City of Mississauga, the second-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area), Louroz Mercander (running for City Council in Mississauga as well), Maria Montemayor (running for the Toronto Catholic District School Board), Randy Bucao (running for City Council in Toronto), and Garry Tanuan (also running for the Toronto Catholic District School Board). Unfortunately, Benjamin Abis and Enrique Olivo, both running for as trustees for the Toronto Catholic District School Board as well, were not able to take part in the forum due to personal reasons.
Also in attendance were various members of the PPCO, representatives and friends of other Fil-Can organizations and charities, Pastor Teck Uy, founder and Senior Pastor of the church hosting the event, as well as former candidates Willie Reodica (who formerly ran as a City Councilor), Antonio VIllarin (who ran as a provincial election nominee), and Rosemer Enverga (widow of the late Senator Tobias Enverga, and who also ran as a provincial election nominee).
The candidates that took part of the forum were able to outline their platforms and what their key issues and projects would be if elected. The candidates also fielded questions from the various members in attendance. Topics of discussion ranged from what can be done due in the municipal level to the increasing incidents of gun violence that had plagued the Greater Toronto Area in recent months, to issues related to the police services and oversight in the various municipalities, to topics related to the legalization of marijuana that will take into effect throughout Canada in a month, and how to keep it away from schools and from minors.
The event concluded with light snacks and refreshments, as the candidates mingled with the various heads and active members of the Filipino-Canadian community.
The forum showed a bright future for the Fil-Can community, as many of the candidates were young people willing to represent the concerns and needs of the Filipino-Canadian community in the municipal level. It also showed a unity in the Filipino-Canadian community in yearning for political representation. While Fil-Can candidates were shut out in the Federal elections in 2015, as well as in the Ontario provincial elections just three months ago, the over 300,000 Filipinos in the Greater Toronto Area are resolved and united to bring one or more of their own into the Canadian halls of power.