Members of the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie and Area raise the flag of the Philipines at Grande Prairie City Hall on Friday, June 12 (Photo: Shaun Penner)

By Shaun Penner

Philippine Independence Day

Philippines flag raised at Grande Prairie City Hall to mark Independence Day

Jun 12, 2020 | 4:37 PM

For the first time ever, the flag of the Philippines is flying at Grande Prairie City Hall.

The flag was raised Friday afternoon during a ceremony to mark Philippine Independence Day, which dates back to June 12, 1898, when the Filipino people gained independence from Spain. The day is marked as a national holiday in the Philippines.

Now, Philippine Independence Day has officially been proclaimed in the City of Grande Prairie by Mayor Bill Given, which he says is long overdue.

“Grande Prairie has had a very strong Filipino community for years and years, really as long as I can remember,” said Given. “The opportunity to recognize their contributions to our community in the past, the ones they make today and their place in our future really seemed to be long overdue.”

Mayor Bill Given reads the proclamation of Philippines Independence Day in Grande Prairie on June 12 (Photo: Shaun Penner)

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Given said it was an easy decision to recognize the day in the Swan City after he was recently approached by the Filipino Association of Grande Prairie and Area President Neil Tuazon about marking the occasion.

Tuazon says it is an important milestone as the Filipino community makes up a large part of the community of Grande Prairie, Alberta and Canada. As of the 2016 census, over 850,000 Canadians were recognized as being of Filipino descent. In Alberta, that population sat at just over 175,000 as of four years ago.

As for Grande Prairie, Tuazon says he and the Filipino community here are proud to call the Peace Country home.

“For the fact that we were really meant to go to another place like this, a nice place here in Canada. I think this is the best opportunity for everybody.”

Tuazon adds he is grateful for the City’s recognition of such an important day in the history of the Philippines, while also saying he has always felt strong support from both City Hall and the community.

“Filipinos have a different culture,” said Tuazon. “If you help a Filipino, they will remember it from the heart, not from the mind.”

Mayor Given echoes Tuazon’s sentiment and says celebrations like Philippine Independence Day serve as an important reminder of Grande Prairie’s multi-cultural community.

“Grande Prairie is very fortunate to have a lot of people from different backgrounds, different countries, who all add to the rich diversity of our community.”