Early Filipino organizations in Winnipeg

by Levy Abad

	Ric Cruz	Jess Lazo
	Jesse Mamaril	Eddie Miller

Back on February 4, 2014, I was able to interview the late Flordelis “Les” Crisostomo. Les immigrated to Canada in 1968. He worked in the provincial government until his retirement. Les shared his perspective on the earliest Filipino organizations in Winnipeg.

Beginnings of Philippine Association of Manitoba (PAM)

According to Les and mentioned in the book, The First Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba (1959-1975), the first group was the Filipino Canadian Association (FilCan) and the second was Kayumanggi (1967), followed by the Filipino Garment Association of Manitoba (1969) under the leadership of Fundador Serrano.

Les reckoned that Dr. Rey Pagtakhan (who became a cabinet minister during the John Chrétien and Paul Martin governments 1988-2004) was the one who initiated the merging of the three associations known as the Philippine Association of Manitoba (PAM). Les was responsible for incorporating PAM when he took over from Dr. Rey Pagtakhan in 1971. Les also recalled suggesting that Rey Pagtakhan run the new association in transition until the constitution was passed. During that time, a contest was held to submit tentative names of the unified organization. A panel comprised of FilCan and Kayumanggi members was tasked to vote on the names submitted. It was Les who submitted the name PAM, which was approved by the panel. I heard a lot of comments that the community was fractious in the early seventies and there was class tension between the professionals such as doctors, nurses, and teachers on one side, and the working class on the other, garment workers in particular, which is not unique as most communities have issues and struggles.

By 1970, Dr. Rey Pagtakhan would become the first president of PAM and by 1971, it would be Les Crisostomo. PAM led the Filipino community through its early years from 1971 when the community was estimated to be 1,211 (A. Tesoro) until the formation of the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba or PCCM.

It is worth noting that in 1977, during the PAM presidency of Cris Aglugub, the Provincial Conference of Filipino Communities, sponsored by PAM, made some recommendations, one of which was the formation of a Philippine Centre, which came to fruition in 1998. Hence, the period of unifying Filipinos of diverse class tendencies was achieved through the formation of PAM. However, there was a contradiction within PAM, which resulted in the first community schism. This led to the formation of the Barangay Filipino Organization of Manitoba or BFOM in 1980.

Community schism

According to Eddie Miller, some community leaders who joined PAM’s elections were allegedly not allowed to assume their positions. This controversy resulted in the formation of the Barangay Filipino Organization of Manitoba in 1980-82 under the leadership of Ric Cruz, president, and Jessie Mamaril, vice-president.

“Barangay Filipino elections break 1980 record” was the headline on the front page of the New Silangan community newspaper in September 1983. More than 3000 Filipinos who flocked to St. Edward Parish Hall witnessed the biggest election turnout in Canada. If this election broke the previous community record in 1980, it only proves this was a major community schism. This was confirmed by Jess Lazo who won the Barangay Filipino Organization of Manitoba elections as President in 1983, together with his friend, former Philippine movie star and CAW Labour activist Eddie Miller. As mentioned earlier, Filipinos in Winnipeg in the 70s were about 1,211 and by 1996, the number grew to 26,085.

Facing the challenges

The unification happened in the community in the early years of the Filipinos’ arrival in Winnipeg. To date, based on my conversation with Filipino seniors in Garden City, most of them would assert the solid nature of the community back in the early 70s. Amid the growth of the community, various issues surfaced, like the different approaches for running the community shaped by ideologies: the liberal approach and the communitarian way of doing things. Despite the tension between these two schools of thought, the community survived. Community weaknesses, like corruption happen, but this is addressed in the process. Hence, the struggle for transformation and development continues.

Sources

CBC News – “First Wave of Filipinos Immigrants mark 50 years in Winnipeg,” Sept 16, 2018
Dalayoan, Gemma, et al – The First Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba (1959-1975), 2005, p. 80-81
Malek, Jon – Filipinos in Canada, 2021, p. 3, Canadian Historical Association, Ottawa
New Silangan – “Barangay Filipino elections break 1980 record,” September 1983, Volume 7, no. 9

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