Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver holds 5th Proudly Philippines Food and travel Fair in Vancouver

To celebrate Filipino Heritage Month in Canada and commemorate the 125th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence Day, the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, in partnership with the Philippine Department of Tourism in San Francisco, held the fifth edition of Proudly Philippines Food and Travel Fair on 03 June 2023 at the Robson Square Plaza in Downtown Vancouver.

The whole-day event kicked off with a brief opening ceremony graced by Ambassador Maria Andrelita S. Austria, who undertook her first official visit in Vancouver as Philippine Ambassador to Canada. In her remarks to the guests, she noted the need to create a “Philippine experience” as key in encouraging more foreigners to visit the Philippines, eat Filipino food, and buy proudly Philippine-made products, and the importance of the growing Filipino diaspora in Canada as partners in achieving this goal.  The opening program was followed by the launch of the Philippine government’s newest tourism promotion program, the “Bisita Be My Guest”.

PHOTO-Consul General Arlene T. Magno and Ambassador Maria Andrelita S. Austria cut the ribbon, marking the formal opening of the Proudly Philippines market.  Assisting them were (L-R) Tourism Attache Soleil Tropicales of the Philippine Department of Tourism-San Francisco, MLA Michael Lee and MLA Mable Elmore.

PHOTO (L-R):  Consul General Magno opens the event with her welcome remarks. Ambassador Austria and MLA Elmore deliver their messages to the community.

More than 40 Filipino-Canadian businesses participated in this year’s Proudly Philippines.  Most were from the food industry, although a significant number of vendors were in the non-food business.  The Philippine Department of Tourism Office in San Francisco, the Consulate’s major partner in hosting Proudly Philippines, led the vendors from the travel industry.

PHOTOS - The logos of businesses which participated in the market were featured in these blurbs shared on the Consulate’s website and social media accounts

PHOTOS (clockwise from left) – Market shoppers crowded the ice rink where food and travel vendors are located; visitors wait for their turn at the free photo booth; guests enjoy the live entertainment at the north plaza; the non-food vendors were located in the south plaza

Visitors enjoyed an array of Filipino food favourites, from dishes such as sisig, pancit, barbecue, and palabok, to mouth-watering desserts like halo-halo, puto, ensaimada, bibingka, and turon. Included in the non-food section were hand-made candles, weaves and Filipiniana outfits, fashion accessories, children’s books and services offered by Filipino-Canadian entrepreneurs.

PHOTOS  (L-R) -The Max’s Restaurant Vancouver food truck and Potato Corner kiosk serve their customers along Howe Street

The whole day event was made more enjoyable with the cultural program held alongside the market.  The program featured performances by local Filipino-Canadian singers, dancers and musicians, and martial artists from the Filipino community in Metro Vancouver.

PHOTOS:  Some of the performers at the cultural program- clockwise from left - Ms. Raquel Konrad and band; the UPAABC Trio (Ms. Melissa Briones, Ms. Charen Cusi and Ms. Buena Chua), Mr. Shien Paler and United Maskarra.

PHOTO – The winning dance group, Red Fillo, dances the tinikling to the tune of a medley of hip hop songs.

The highlight of the entertainment program was the Tinikling 2.0 competition, which showcased the traditional dance with a modern twist.  Announced at last year’s Proudly Philippines, the competition was held with the support of GMA Pinoy TV and Telus.  Three groups vied for the grand prize of CAD 1,500.00. END