Holding Off Community Gatherings Due to COVID-19

Volume 1, Issue No. 35

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . .

 Our latest as of Wednesday, April 1, 2020 

~ A welcome respite it is, both for our health and our pockets, that Filipino community organizations have decided to either cancel, postpone, or reschedule their events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The province of Ontario and its capital, Toronto, have imposed tighter rules and penalties for violators of emergency orders, notably the physical distancing protocol, so as to contain the spread of coronavirus.

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DUE TO CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Filipino Community Events Are Scrapped

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community". - Anthony J. D'Angelo

TORONTO - The coronavirus pandemic has caught up with the Filipino community.

This spring and summer, and maybe through the fall, the usual reunions of family and friends in different venues are coming to a halt both by choice and by edict.

The Ontario provincial and Toronto city governments have issued emergency orders prohibiting public and social gatherings of more than five people or else face fines and jail time.

"Physical distancing is critical to stopping the spread of the COVID-19 virus," Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a press statement furnished The Filipino Web Channel. 

"The breadth of the COVID-19 crisis and the City's need to ensure the sustainability of essential services also limits the City's ability to provide the usual level of support to third-party event organizers to ensure public safety," the statement added.

"The City urges event organizers to follow Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health’s recommendations of physical distancing as a way to minimize COVID-19 transmission in the community when reviewing their event plans for the upcoming months and make prudent decisions about cancellations.

"Physical distancing means limiting the number of people a person comes into close contact with, including keeping two metres (six feet) apart from others, avoiding mass gatherings and avoiding crowds," the statement said.

Toronto, the capital of Ontario and Canada's largest city with a population of over 2.9 million, has reported a total of 793 cases with 11 deaths as of Tuesday, March 31, 2020. 

While 43 have recovered, there are 12 physicians and 13 nurses diagnosed with the disease, according to Toronto Public Health. (More info at: https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/media-room/covid-19-status-of-cases-in-toronto/).

Province-wide, COVID-19 cases stand at 2,392, representing an increase of 426 confirmed cases from the previous report. A total of 37 deaths has been reported, Ministry of Health statistics said as of April 1, 2020.

From across Canada, authorities reported a total of 9,005 confirmed cases and 105 deaths. The number of people tested was placed at 250,095 as of the latest.

With those grim reports coming in daily, the provincial government advised that breaching emergency orders would have consequences.

Several Filipino community organizations have either canceled or postponed their events in the coming weeks. 

The Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC), which mounts the annual Mabuhay Philippines Festival, said it was canceling its four beauty pageants scheduled for July 7, 2020, in compliance with the health ministry's advisories to keep everyone safe from the COVID-19. (More info at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/PIDCTORONTO/posts/?ref=page_internal).

The Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT) has scrapped all its services and activities effective March 16, 2020, "until further notice" because of COVID-19. As it continues to spread, FCT said its "priority is to protect those most at risk, including (our) volunteers, staff, tenants, guests and community at large". (More info at: http://www.filipinocentretoronto.com/).

The Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF) has postponed "until further notice" its Pinoy Fiesta & Trade Show sa Toronto scheduled for June 27, 2020, citing concerns over COVID-19. "The safety of our guests, pageant candidates, performers, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, judges and everyone who make our events possible is of paramount importance," it said in a Facebook post. (More info at: https://www.philippinecanadianfoundation.com/).

The Fiesta Filipina Dance Troupe of Canada, which undertakes the Miss Manila beauty pageant, has rescheduled its annual gala due to the COVID-19 pandemic and following the decision of its board of directors. "Health and safety is paramount," the FFDT announced on Facebook. (More info at: https://www.fiestafilipina.ca/information/miss-manila).

Meanwhile, the fate of Taste of Manila (ToM), Toronto's largest street festival, remains largely unknown after its sponsoring organization, the Philippine Cultural Community Centre, has disbanded recently. ToM's Facebook account has not been updated since 2015. (Related story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2020/01/3-in-1-who-is-amba-congen-consul-of.html).

Since its first staging in August 2014, ToM has become a favourite summer destination for local and foreign tourists. In 2018, it has fallen on bad times, and got nearly canceled had Toronto Mayor John Tory not intervened and waived some fees due the city. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3djfjNVR8Q). (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).