Opinions
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FSGW at 50: To honour and gather |
by Levy Abad
The Filipino Seniors Group of Winnipeg (FSGW) was founded on October 15, 1977. Aida Champagne, a three-term president of FSGW, excitedly shared with me that the FSGW will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year. She also e-mailed me a document prepared by Cris Aglugub, titled A Brief History of the Filipino Community in Manitoba (1977-1987). Cris was a two-term Member of the Legislative Assembly and a two-time President of the Philippine Association of Manitoba (PAM).
Before I go deeper into this narrative, I would like to trace back the growth of our community through the years to provide some context. According to Cris’ document, in 1973 there were about 1,593 Filipinos in Manitoba. In 1977, that number went up to 10,000 and by 1981, based on Statistics Canada, it grew to 11,660. By 1987, there were about 25,000 to 30,000 Filipinos (A Brief History of the Filipino community). At present, it is estimated that the number of Filipinos in Manitoba is more than 100,000.
Furthermore, in 1969, before the formation of the FSGW, the Philippine Association of Manitoba or PAM, was organized to unite different groups in the community under the leadership of Dr. Rey Pagtakhan (see “PAM in Retrospect,” Levy Abad, Pilipino Express). Eventually, PAM would “initiate and encourage the formation of special groups to address specific concerns” and advance the rights and welfare of the growing Filipino community in Winnipeg. The FSGW would be an example of this (C. Aglugub). See also, “Filipinos in Manitoba”, Cris Aglugub, p. 11, Philippine Echo, Jan 1986.
Aida Champagne e-mailed me the updated list of the presidents of the FSGW from 1977 to the present.
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1. Eustaquio Urrutia
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2. Manuel Quiogue (1980-1981) |
3. Cosme Luna (1981-1983) |
4. Gonzalo Teodoro (1983-1985) |
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5. Lucien Doma (1985-1987) |
6. Francis Dumaua (2001-2006) |
7. Mario Manzano (2007-2008) |
8. Benjamin Arroz (2008-2010) |
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9. Aida Champagne
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10. Leonardo “Jun” Isla
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11. Rodrigo “Rod” Domingo
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12. Leonardo “Jun” Isla (2020-2024) |
Among them are the diaspora forebears who we must cherish for the volunteer time they rendered to the community in the early years of our migration in 1962 (see The First Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba (1959- 1975), Gemma Dalayoan, Leah Enverga-Magsino, Leonnie Bailon).
In my Messenger chat with Aida Champagne on July 24, 2026, I asked her what she remembers about the events organized back then. She listed the following events: Pista sa Nayon Celebration, Yearly Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, (Mother of the Year and Father of the Year), Valentine’s Day, including Mr. and Mrs. Valentines, and Pabasa ng Pasyon.
During her stint as president of the FSGW, Aida shared that they were able to make some changes, such as taking out “restrictions” for membership, so younger members could join and learn about seniors’ issues and matters that affect the FSGW as an organization. During this period, the program started to change with the introduction of Arts and Crafts, Painting for Beginners, Computer Literacy Training, Knitting and Crochet workshops, Seniors Got Talent, Ballroom Dancing and lastly, outdoor activities for seniors. All these programs helped our forebears overcome homesickness in our Winnipeg diaspora and make it easier to integrate into Canada’s economic context.
Reflecting on 50 years of managing the survival of the FSGW as a volunteer organization, I am deeply grateful to all the pioneering leaders who selflessly shared their time, helping the FSGW continue to thrive. In conversations with Filipino seniors at Garden City Food Court, I learned that, through the years, fundraisers were held to help the organization overcome some financial crises. I hope our community will always rally around the FSGW as an organization and institution.
I would like to express my gratitude to Aida Champagne for providing documents and granting me Messenger interviews, without which this article would be devoid of substance. I would also like to thank Danilo “Danny” Henson for helping me connect with Rodrigo Domingo, who, during his time as president of FSGW, diligently collected the photos that I used for this article. May this article pay tribute to all the leaders and officers who helped usher the FSGW from its humble beginnings to where it is now.