Les Crisostomo remembered PAM’s second president

by Levy Abad

One of the pioneers of the Filipino community in Winnipeg, worthy of a tribute, was the late Flordeliz “Les” Crisostomo. Born on June 23, 1936, he immigrated to Winnipeg in 1968 (Free Press Passages, Feb. 12, 2020) at the age of 32, from Vintar, Ilocos Norte, Philippines.

Les became the second president of the Philippine Association of Manitoba (PAM) on February 28, 1971. Les’ first vice-president was Fundador Serrano of the Filipino Garment Workers Association, with Lino “Butch” Hermano of the Visayan Association of Manitoba as the second vice-president (The First Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba (1959-1975), Dalayoan, Enverga-Magsino, and Bailon, 86). Unfortunately, I have yet to find the member list of the board of directors during Les’ term. Silangan magazine, which served as my main source, was published from 1976 to the 90s. (Please see my article, “Philippine Association of Manitoba: Revisited,” Pilipino Express).

Les’ leadership and down-to-earth approach

PAM was a unification of two organizations: Fil-Canadian (1962) and Kayumanggi Club (1967). Through my research in the Manitoba archives, I found that Les was also elected as the chapter commander of the Knights of Rizal on March 9, 1999. I also learned that he finished his law degree at the Far Eastern University in Manila and later worked in the legal department of the Philippine Assistance for Community Development (PACD) (Filipino Journal, March 16-30, 1999). The article mentioned, “The Knights is an organization dedicated to promoting the ideals and teachings of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.” Furthermore, Les also became the fourth president of the Timpuyog Ti Ilocano Ditoy Manitoba, “an association formed to promote and preserve Ilocano culture and heritage” (A.I. online). He was the acting adviser of PAM the same year.

Another thing that explains the down-to-earth working-class approach of Les was his politics. He was known as an influential leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party (NDP) at the grassroots level. In addition, he was perceived as a friend of former Manitoba Premier Gary Doer. Bob Luna, a retired bureaucrat with deep roots in the labour movement and a pioneer labour activist, shared that Les came from the Manitoba Government Employees Association, or MGEA/correctional branch. Gary Doer, Les’ union brother, served as the president of MGEA (later MGEU) from 1979 to 1986. Another friend, Pablo Dizor, a two-time Timpuyog Ti Ilocano Association president and a retired ATU unionist, attests to the compassionate nature of Les Crisostomo.

According to Bob, it was Les who introduced him to Premier Gary Doer. Les had a strong connection with the labour movement. Bob recalls that one time, Les told him, “to always protect the interests of the workers.” Moreover, Les stressed to Bob that “they (the workers) elected you and that means they trust you.” This reminder is still etched in Bob’s mind.

The Manitoba Council on Aging (MCA) recognized Les in 2013 “as a founding member and president of PAM, and was commended for his various acts of voluntarism that have contributed to the development of many organizations in Canada.” While other sources assert that Rey Pagtakhan was the first president, this had not been an issue between Rey and Les, who maintained their friendship. Both were focused on serving the community.

Other interesting facts on Les

Les found employment with the Manitoba Youth Centre Probation Service after doing two years of volunteer service. Later, he became an administrative officer, following his correctional training course. Eventually, while serving as operations officer, he opted for early retirement in 1992 after 25 years of service. I was fortunate to meet him sometime in 2013-14 and interviewed him at the Polo Park food court for a future article or book project.

Looking back and having had the chance to meet and talk to him, Les was one of the strong pioneer New Democrats from the Filipino community. He stressed the importance of protecting the workers’ interests. A lot of our folks have benefited from the activism of Les Crisostomo since his PAM period until his NDP days. His expression, “always protect the workers’ interests,” will be remembered.

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.