“Crossing Barriers: A Philfest Mississauga Virtual Celebration” Honors Diversity and Excellence
By Cornell (Tommy) de Guia
Organizing Committee
Mississauga-Canada
September 14, 2021
Kapamilya singers (L-R) Jed Madela, Gigi De Lana, JMKO, and Ms. Regine Velasquez are set to conquer the virtual stage at “Crossing Barriers: A PhilFest Mississauga Celebration.”
ONTARIO, CA, September 11, 2021 --- On Saturday, September 11 and 12, the Kalayaan Filipino Cultural Organization, the City of Mississauga, and The Filipino Channel (TFC) presented “Crossing Barriers: A PhilFest Mississauga Celebration.”
Now on its 10th year, the annual summer event provides an opportunity to shine the spotlight on the best in Filipino and Canadian entertainment, celebrating the beautiful diversity of the community.
Headlining the event were world-class guest celebrities , , , and Asia’s Songbird, .
The show also featured local talents Real Dreams, , , , Cielorayne Marquez and Candace Santos. Another highlight is a grand tour of Mississauga landmarks featuring 10 children from the local community.
Local talents from around Ontario will be performing at “Crossing Barriers: A PhilFest Mississauga Celebration.” (Clockwise from top left: Culture Philippines of Ontario, Candace Santos, Musika Children’s Chorus, Real Dreams, and Fiesta Filipina.
The celebration also introduced viewers to some of the outstanding Filipino Canadians who have made an impact in the Greater Toronto Area through their valuable contributions in their respective fields.
Meet Dr. Eileen De Villa, a public health physician and the Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto; Tony Lalonde is Global Vice President at the Bank of Nova Scotia and is also involved in several volunteer programs; Caroline Cagampan-Stoute is National Associate Director for Marketing and Communications Social Impact for KPMG and is active in the community.
And there are Linda Lising, Tess Rayo, and Lori Rosas, tenacious community leaders who spearheaded the movement that led to the recognition of the caregiver program in Canada, making a difference in thousands of lives.
ABS-CBN Managing Director for North and Latin America Jun Del Rosario lauds the summer gathering when he says, “This year’s theme of “Crossing Barriers” is very appropriate since Canada is such a melting pot of different countries and cultures. And as a community, we want to go beyond those perceived barriers or differences, and really foster unity among each other.”
To end the show, various artists from Mississauga and the GTA which included Candace Santos, Belle Veneracion, Elle Delizo, Elle Renee, Liem Garcia and Ryan Wong sang “RISE”.
“Crossing Barriers: A PhilFest Mississauga Celebration” will be seen starting September 12, Sunday on TFC Cable and IPTV and on . It will be livestreamed again on October 9, Saturday at 8:00 P.M. (Eastern) on YouTube and Facebook pages of PhilFest Mississauga.