Dieth Aquino de Leon: Youth, gender and workers’ struggle!

by Levy Abad

While searching the web for Filipino youth labour leaders, I came across Dieth Aquino de Leon. I reached out to Dieth for an interview. In my conversation with Dieth on July 19, 2024, he shared that he was elected Chair of CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) Manitoba Young Workers Committee, CUPE MB Executive - Diversity Vice-President, and Young Workers representative in 2023-2024.

North of Manila to Northwest Winnipeg

Dieth hails from Guagua, Pampanga, north of Manila. He arrived in Winnipeg in 2015 when he was seventeen. His family settled in the Northwest of Winnipeg. He finished his high school at Maples Collegiate. Dieth was a home care attendant in 2019 to 2020 at WRHA River East Access and became part of the CUPE local. By 2021, he transferred to WRHA Winnipeg West Access where he became aware of CUPE 204’s education program and learned more about unionism.

According to Dieth, it was in Winnipeg that he got involved with unionism. Most of his ideas about organization and community involvement were derived from experience. He shared that he read some books but most of his learning was through social practice and the struggles of life both on the home front and in the union. I was surprised by his response when I asked him about politics. Dieth said, “Everything is political.” He furthered that once there is interaction and exchange of ideas among people, there’s politics. It is admirable for someone who had never been an activist before joining the union to have such an understanding.

Union and human rights

I also asked Dieth what he likes most about being part of a union such as CUPE. He explained that he experienced racism in the workplace like being stereotyped, and it is because of this experience that he appreciates the union principle of engaging on issues like racism and discrimination towards transformation.

Dieth raised the question, “What if somebody experiences racism and discrimination and cowers in fear just to survive?” He added that he stands up for human rights, not only for himself but for his co-workers. When asked about the seminars he attended with CUPE, he shared that he took stewardship training, while the rest of his experience was from the crucible of union and community activism. Moreover, Dieth attended the 2023 Grace Hartman, Women and Gender Conference Rights, held at the Union Centre in Winnipeg.

As for his involvement in the Filipino community, Dieth frequents the Manitoba Filipino Street Festival, which CUPE MB supports and sponsors. In addition, he attended the Philippine Consulate General town hall meeting where he shared his ideas and listened to migrant stories.

Convergence, intersection, and future

Aside from being a member of CUPE, Dieth is the founding chair of Bahaghari Pride Manitoba, “a community group that aims to help 2SLGBTQ Filipinos in Manitoba feel celebrated.” (Source: Bahaghari Pride Manitoba Instagram). In the recent pride parade, Bahaghari mobilized more than 50 participants from the community to register their presence and stand on issues that matter. Dieth further stressed, “It’s crucial to have representation because a lot of people in our community don’t believe that we should exist.” Dieth also helps Anakbayan-Manitoba stand up for the Filipino people’s struggles in the old country and the diaspora. On June 11, 2024, Dieth became part of the Women and Gender Equity Committee of the Manitoba government.

Dieth’s activism reminds me of a friend and comrade, the founding member of Pro-Gay Philippines, Alan Tolosa, who while working for gay rights, also worked tirelessly in the fight against the three fundamental problems of the Filipino people – foreign domination, bureaucratic corruption, and the concentration of land in the hands of a few big landlords and compradors. Dieth belongs to Gen Z, characterized by the convergence of revolutionary theories of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and the present generation’s worldview. This convergence and intersection have shaped the current state and nature of democracy and freedom and will continue to do so in the coming years.

Levy Abad authored a book titled Rhythms and Resistance: Narrative of Filipino Musicians and Activists (1972-1994). Levy is also a singer-songwriter, poet, and migrant rights activist who has released four albums centred on the life and struggles of migrants.