November 16, 2025 — Days after the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy, a powerful memorial began to take shape. Handwritten notes soon appeared on the fence; scrawled on notepads, scraps of paper, even napkins.

November 1, 2025 – The Philippines was colonized by Spain for over 300 years (1521 to 1898) so majority of Filipinos are Catholic.  Although the church has lost many young Filipinos to modern times through the years, 79% of Filipinos are still Catholic today. 

October 16, 2025 – On the night of April 26, friends, colleagues, neighbors, current and former students worldwide – some I have not heard from in twenty years – sent text messages and calls offering condolences and support following Vancouver’s “darkest day.”

October 1, 2025 – Bayanihan (collective or community care and support) is a valued tradition among Filipinos. In Philippine villages, its spirit draws farmers to join hands and help each other plow the fields, plant and harvest rice, maintain irrigation canals, or move a house. It inspires urban dwellers to get together and volunteer to patrol the neighborhood to keep peace and order or fight fires.

September 16, 2025 – Several months have passed since the senseless tragedy that struck the Lapu-Lapu Filipino Street Festival in Vancouver on April 26, 2025. What should have been a joyful celebration of culture and community turned into a day of unimaginable grief when an SUV plowed into the crowd, taking 11 lives and injuring dozens more.

September 1, 2025 — There are no longer bouquets of flowers, rows of candles, and handwritten notes at the fence of the John Oliver Secondary School along East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street– the makeshift memorial in the aftermath of the tragedy that struck the Lapu-Lapu festival in Vancouver on April 26, 2025.