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Carreer Junction by Michele Majul-Ibarra

PAM in retrospect

by Levy Abad

My search for a complete set of the leadership of the Philippine Association of Manitoba (PAM) led me to pay a visit to Dr. Reynaldo “Rey” D. Pagtakhan, together with Felino de Jesus, Western Canada Knights of Rizal Regional Commander (2023 to present), who is also a pioneer activist of the Philippine Solidarity Group and a long-time supporter of Magdaragat. Dr. Pagtakhan is a Canadian physician, professor, and politician, having been elected to parliament and serving as a cabinet minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin.

Dr. Pagtakhan is also known to be responsible for unifying the two pioneer community organizations in Winnipeg – the Filipino Canadian Association, which was mostly composed of doctors and nurses, formed on August 25, 1962, and the Kayumanggi Club, established by nurses in 1967. This amalgamation led to the formation of the Philippine Association of Manitoba in 1969 (Dalayoan, Magsino, and Bailon, The First Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba (1959-1975), pp 80-81). The Fil Can Association was formed to help newcomers adjust to Canadian life, induce them to stay, and maintain Filipino culture and heritage. On the other hand, Kayumanggi was perceived to be nationalistic by showcasing and promoting Philippine cultural heritage (Dalayoan et al, p. 81). Eventually, PAM would blend the community programs of Fil Can and Kayumanggi, becoming the third oldest Filipino organization in Winnipeg. (This updates my previous article titled, “Philippine Association of Manitoba Revisited,” published in the Pilipino Express).

After a little kamustahan, Dr. Rey retrieved the 1970 PAM souvenir program and showed it to me and Kuya Felino de Jesus. It has the list of the founding officers of PAM.

  Group photo with Dr. Pagtakhan
 
Felino de Jesus, Levy Abad, & Dr. Rey Pagtakhan
  1970 PAM souvenir programme

PAM advisers

  • Hon. Gauttier Bisnar
  • Mr. Glynn Davies
  • Dr. Roland Guzman, MD
  • Executive Officers
  • President - Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, MD
  • Vice Internal - Chris Gonzalez
  • Vice External - Manny Garcia
  • Secretaries - Chita Trinidad; Mila Peñaflorida
  • Treasurers - Ismael Vila; Amelia Yadao
  • Auditors - Daniel Causon; Edgar Garces
  • Cultural Director - Pat Bigornia
  • Editor in Chief - Cleto Buduhan

PAM Board of Representatives

  1. Jeronimo Baquiran
  2. Gerry Bigornia
  3. Norma Cabatan
  4. Mel Catacutan
  5. Flordeliz “Les” Crisostomo, LLB
  6. Carolina Custodio
  7. Jessie Custodio
  8. Ernesto Fernandez
  9. Grace de Leon
  10. Eligio Natividad
  11. Rodolfo Padua, MD
  12. Juanita Pascua
  13. Norberto Peñaflorida
  14. Lolita Polvorosa
  15. Lorenzo Reyes, LLB
  16. Corazon San Miguel
  17. Conrado Santos, PhD
  18. Fundador Serrano

Delegates to the International Centre of Winnipeg

  • Flordeliz “Les” Crisostomo
  • Virginia “Jean” Guiang

The book, The First Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba, affirms the election of Dr. Rey Pagtakhan as president, Chris Gonzalez as first vice-president, and Manny Garcia as second vice-president, and also mentions Chit Richard as secretary, and Nena Lomibao as treasurer, based on an interview with Virginia Guiang (2005). However, the document that was shared by Dr. Pagtakhan provides more information.

I have already researched most of the PAM officers through the years. The 1970 PAM souvenir program kept by Dr. Pagtakhan records and preserves the information about its founding officers. The officers for the years 1977 up to 2000 had been published in Silangan and the Filipino Journal, which are available in the Archives of Manitoba. As of this date, I still need to check if there is any information in the archives from 1971 to 1976. Records of the board of representatives under Les Crisostomo’s presidency are yet to be found. Unfortunately, a lot of the old guard who may have the information have already passed away. According to Silangan founder Ted Alcuitas (July 10, 2025), the newspaper started operating in February 1976, making it the earliest community newspaper.

I am grateful to Dr. Rey Pagtakhan for welcoming us and to Felino de Jesus for the encouragement and company in doing the interview. They are my Knights of Rizal brothers and pioneers in the community since the 1970s.

It is my wish that the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba (PCCM), successor of PAM, would organize a community-level conference to sum up the community’s narrative from 1962 to 2015, at least. Part of this conference would be the submission of papers covering the missing years in the organization’s timeline to complete the documentation of the last fifty years. This would be useful in summing up the Winnipeg Filipino diaspora. If anyone has additional information about PAM, please feel free to get in touch with me. I would like to hear from you.

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.