Barangay inauguration. | Photo courtesy of Kuya Alvin

North Vancouver has a new reason to brag; they now host the new Filipino Community Centre, Barangay North Vancouver. The centre, named after a term that means the smallest administrative partition in the Philippines, is the first one of its kind in Metro Vancouver. The project has been 7 years in the making, guided by the Metro Vancouver Philippine Arts and Culture Exposition Society. It will now settle into a permanent location at 113 West 3rd Street.

The excitement from Kuya Alvin, one of the project’s pioneers, cannot be hidden. He is proud that the Centre will be able to reach out even further to the community.

This week, the Centre is actively fundraising for relief aid for the typhoon disaster in the Philippines. But their overall mandate is also community driven. According to the centre’s mission, it will serve as a resource for every Filipino seeking to enhance their skills, complete certification programs or find employment that matches their expertise and professional background.

Many Filipino workers find employment in the cleaning, domestic care, and fast food industries, but jobs like these may not be fulfilling or stimulating for those who arrive as highly skilled and trained professionals displaced in a new Canadian context. While some Filipino immigrants may find themselves in jobs far from their passions, two success stories were shared at the Centre last week.

Overcoming tragedy

Maria Mutia. | Photo courtesy of Maria Mutia

Maria Mutia had been a licensed midwife prior to her immigration to Canada. Her immigration application was granted in 2005.

“It’s hard to go (leave home), but I had to,” she recalls.

During the early years, she worked in unfulfilling jobs while waiting for her husband and three sons to join her in Canada. Unfortunately, her husband passed away from a stroke during the wait and she became the sole breadwinner. Life as a single parent with minimal income in a new country was challenging.

As luck would have it, she was introduced to a supervisor of a large building maintenance company, who quickly recognized her potential and determination to succeed and offered her the opportunity to prove herself in the company. She worked her way up the ranks and is, today, the operations manager. She is proud of her work, of being able to raise her kids alone, and of her sons – one of whom is now studying aeronautics in college.

“[The Barangay will] help those Filipinos who are here right now not working to their respective profession,” says Mutia.

Perseverance and possibilities

Similarly, Lourdes Concepcion came to Canada as a civil engineer. She obtained permanent residence in 2001 but was only able to find employment as a domestic worker despite her qualifications. Without relatives or friends in Canada at that time, she also faced social isolation.

Unwilling to accept these jobs as her lot in her work life, she searched for opportunities that would challenge her. That search was tough.

“I didn’t give up looking for a good career, but I only got frustrations,” recalls Concepcion.

After two years, however, she obtained a life insurance licence with a renowned insurance company. She continued to persevere within the company because of her desire to have a better life in Canada. As a result, she is now the regional vice president of the company. She enjoys her career very much and adds that she is now helping others, including new immigrants, to learn the basic concepts of financial planning to generate a better income.

“I help them to get whatever they desire to achieve in Canada,” she concludes.

Looking forward

The Filipino Community Centre hopes to be able to assist new Filipino immigrants by aligning the passions and expectations of skilled immigrants so that many more of these success stories can be shared.

Barangay NorthVan
113 West 3rd Street,
North Vancouver