A Filipino Canadian Association of Lloydminster (FilCal) affiliated with the Alberta Filipino Canadian Leaders Association (AFCLA) has been launched in the Border City.
Support and well-wishers were in Lloydminster on Sunday, April 28 from across Alberta, including Lethbridge, Spruce Grove, Stoney Plain, Banff, and Lacombe to witness the inauguration of officers for the local group.
The group works to extend programs and services to nearly 50 communities in rural Alberta.
Communications officer, Leo Aguinaldo says they have seven people on the board to begin programming work.
“We will have programs and services for newcomers and immigrants such as healthcare and how we can accelerate [access] to these services for them.”
People new to the community may not know where to get help accessing resources, so FilCal will be assisting in that area.
Provincially, the group has identified seven areas of focus like mental health, familiy disintegration, newcomers (international students and temporary foreign workers), arts, culture, sports and youth programs as it seeks to bridge gaps and tap into available resources to help in rural areas. While the group is led by Filipino-Canadians, it is open to everyone, says president Jun Cacayuran.
“We are collaborators with other diverse communities, and we look at having this kind of team play in their communities.”
Cacayuran notes the association was started just after the pandemic and focuses on rural areas because in Calgary and Edmonton there are already some 50 groups in both cities. The president says they are exploring every avenue to bring people together. In extending provincial support for FilCal, he celebrates all the many groups and expressions of Filipino culture and stresses the need for connecting people with resources not just in the city, but also rural areas.
“Economic opportunity and employment. It is concentrated in the big cities. That’s why we have the problem of local migration. Filipinos tend to go to these congested big cities,” says Cacayuran.
MLA Colleen Young who witnessed the new officers of FilCal committing to their duties sees the importance of bringing communities together.
“They have come to Lloydminster to try to, not just bring all of the Filipinos together, and provide the supports that they need in every aspect and area of their lives, but also to bring the community together with them – and to be part of their association, a part of their community and also for them to be a part of our community. I think it is a positive step.”
Deputy mayor Jason Whiting who brought greetings on behalf of the City of Lloydminster congratulated the new group and looked forward to the programs and services that it will provide for the community going forward.