Trailblazers of the Philippine Association of Manitoba

by Levy Abad

The Philippine Association of Manitoba or PAM was formed in 1969 and remained active until 2015. It was the community’s way of gathering and shielding our incipient presence from migration issues in Winnipeg. Out of the strengths and weaknesses of this organization, three pioneer leaders will shine as trailblazers: Dr. Rey Pagtakhan (PAM’s founding president), Dr. Conrad Santos (founding board member), and Cris Aglugub (two-time president of PAM).

Rey Pagtakhan

Dr Reynaldo Daluz “Rey” Pagtakhan was born on January 7, 1935, in Bacoor, Cavite. He graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. After several years of being active in the community, he was a member of the Liberal Party and became the first Filipino member of the Canadian Parliament (Privy Council). Rey assumed important positions in the federal government from 1988 to 2004. Among them were the Secretary of State for Asia Pacific, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and Secretary of State (Science, Research, and Development). He held these positions under the leadership of the former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. When Prime Minister Paul Martin was elected in 2003, Rey was appointed Minister of Western Economic Development. His various roles on the national level were the furthest projection that the Filipino community of Winnipeg had from 1969 to 2004. In Ysh Cabana’s article, he noted, “Rey championed the preservation of universal Medicare, the cause of immigrants, and helped secure Winnipeg as the site for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, to mention a few.” Lastly, out of the plethora of honours he received, the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), and Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012) were the most notable.

Conrad Santos

Dr. Conrado De Regla “Conrad” Santos, PhD (born in 1934), was the first Filipino-Canadian to be elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in 1981. He was a member of the New Democratic Party and was a five-term MLA, representing the constituencies of Burrows, Broadway, and Wellington until 2007. Ysh Cabana portrays Conrad Santos as a pioneering politician. “His career in the Manitoba legislature paved the way for other Filipino politicians. He was an advocate for multicultural education in pursuit of easing racial tensions and holding police accountable.”

Fortunately, as a member of the New Democratic Party, Conrad popularized social democratic politics among the Filipinos of Winnipeg when it comes to healthcare and working-class rights and welfare.

Most Filipino seniors, who were members of the working class, remember Conrad as a Law graduate from the University of the Philippines. Pablo Herrera, a socialist activist from the Chilean community, shared that Conrad was a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan. He also described Conrad as a kind professor. In 2002, Conrad became the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. Conrad passed away in Winnipeg on February 29, 2016 (Manitoba Historical Society Archives).

Cris Aglugub

Cris is another leader who paved the way for empowering the Filipino community of Winnipeg. Born on December 25, 1942, in Negros Occidental, Cris was a graduate of the Araneta University Foundation in the Philippines and Red River College in Manitoba. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. He was elected as the President of PAM for two terms. Cris ran as the New Democratic Party’s candidate for The Maples and was elected to the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, serving from 1999 to 2007. Furthermore, he was appointed as Legislative Assistant to the Minister of Labour and Immigration and later to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade. Cris was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal (2002).

Rey, Conrad, and Cris, in their roles as founding members of the Philippine Association of Manitoba, were instrumental in opening doors for other members of the community to serve and empower not only the Filipinos in Winnipeg but throughout Canada. In the early years of our community’s presence in the Canadian diaspora, their mere presence in both provincial and federal governments is a testament to their dedication and service.

Sources

• Dalayoan, Magsino and Bailon, The First Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba 1959-1975 (2005)
• www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rey-pagtakhan
• Cabana, Conrad Santos,www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/conrad-santos

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.