VANCOUVER -- We have been taught since our formative years that the best way to help untangle a brethren from the bondage of poverty is not to give him fish, but to teach him how to fish. Today, we shall not give only fish, we shall provide the paraphernalia to give semblance to the gesture and make the fishing expidition a voyage to remember.

This biblical and oft-repeated popular aphorism can be applied in a larger scale as we are strongly sending not only a message of hope and prosperity but a mes­sage of camaraderie and fellow­ship when we unwrap the promis­ing 1st Philippine Summer Festival “Hataw Pinoy” at the Richmond Olympic Oval on August 28-29 in the magnificent City of Richmond in British Columbia.

The birth of this gigantic event heralds the maturity of the Filipino Canadian community as a force to reckon with in this part of Northern America in terms of cooperation and awareness of the need to get involved in any community-based conclave and commitment to up­hold and preserve the Filipino cul­ture and bayanihan spirit. We have high hopes to achieving the para­mount goal of strength­ening the bandwagon and unity of the community through this huge event and we are determined to topple the barri­ers that prevent community mem­bers from scaling higher and be­coming part of the winning pack in this age of globalization.
As we have elaborated in our website, there will be an event that Filipino Canadians in BC can call entirely as their signature event in this part of the globe for the very first time.

It may just be the beginning, a gestation exercise of what may eventually become a landmark “Pinoy Woodstock” “Hataw Pi­noy”, the Summer Festival’s “bat­tlecry” depicts just that- a mes­sage of strength, of togetherness, of sharing combined talents, ex­ploring ties and connecting lives. “Hataw Pinoy” simply conjure the motivational push “kaya natin ‘to!” especially “kung sama-sama, nag­kakisa at nagtutulungan”. It is so much reminiscent of the new soci­ety’s battle-cry in the 70’s – “Isang Bansa, Isang diwa!”.

The only difference is that, now, we are in a country we call our sec­ond home, a country that totally respects multicultural diversity, and encourage visible minorities to share their God-given values in building a great society of Canadi­ans. The challenge for our “lahing kayumanggi” is to create a com­mon stand, a uni fied goal and a strong functional community.

The Philippine Summer Festival is only one event. To a common “tao”, it may only mean just one of those Independence Day cel­ebrations in the lower mainland. It’s merely a gathering for fun and fellowship, food and festivities. However, if one will think deeper to what it can accomplish, this event can be deduced as a show of strength, a voice of change, a mark of influence. For, after all, it is a gathering of a rare breed of people scattered in all sectors of industries in this province, be they in healthcare, IT, construc tion, media, etc.

“Hataw Pinoy” – the event, is n opportunity for all Filipinos to prove that we can, as one visible minority in this part of our country, be a potent catalyst of change and development. But we must begin somewhere, somehow, someday. August 28 and 29 may be those days! Only if you will make your presence count ... and felt!

Watch the three big stars to grace this occasion. Joey Albert, Ray-An Fuentes and Fe Delos Reyes bring together an amazingly unbeatable chemistry of musical talent, fun & laughter, and “stage performance par excellence” as they join the Filipino community of British Columbia in its very first Philippine Summer Festival cel­ebration.
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Come to think of it. With an estimated 15,000 Filipino Cana­dians filling the grounds of the Richmond Olympic Oval on Au­gust 28-29, the event promises a lot of excitement and thrills, as more sponsors join in the band­wagon of amazing prizes and surprises to make this first ever unified gathering of Filipinos in British Columbia a tremendous success. With still over a month to go, there are now just a few food and merchandise booths remain­ing for concession opportunities. Feedback from neighboring cities outside Metro Vancouver reveals preparation from various Filipino communities to participate in this landmark event of the Filipino Brit­ish Columbians, as well as positive responses from “Pinoy” groups across the border.

The Filipino Canadian Cultural Heritage (FCCH) of BC, organizer of the 2010 Philippine Summer Festival is very optimistic about the huge success of this maiden celebration in the province, given the responses they are getting from all sectors of the Filipino community. We really wanted to create an identity for the Filipino community of British Columbia through this event.
We wanted to showcase our amazing talents and great culture as Filipinos, as well as create a dis­tinctive festival worthy of recogni­tion around the globe. This event will be our version of such big Fili­pino celebrations as the Toronto, New York and London Festival.

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RUDY FERNANDEZ’S EXORBI­TANT FINE. No, he is not the late Filipino action star and matinee idol who died of cancer in 2008. He is the lackadaisical Portland Trail Blazers swingman who was fined (US) $25,000 by the National Basketball Association (NBA) for public statements that are “detri­mental” to the league.

The fine was imposed last Au­gust 19, a day after Fernandez’s agent said he did not want to re­turn to the Blazers this season. Agent Andy Miller told several me­dia outlets that Fernandez wants to play in Europe and is willing to sit out for the next two seasons, the time left on his contract with the Blazers.
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