News
Business owners: Making hard decisions on re-openings
As the number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario continue to trend downwards, many are cautiously venturing outdoors.
However, with a virus still looming large and the race for a vaccine still ongoing, fears of a second wave are all too real.
Family becomes target of racist comments in Father’s Day campaign
While racist incidents are becoming widespread in the Asian-Canadian community, one family learned what it’s like to be the target of discrimination on a public platform.
For foreign students: Pandemic spells uncertainty
While some international students may have chosen to return home as international borders closed, others have little choice but to stay and contemplate their future in the midst of a pandemic. A combination of school closures and mass layoffs have left many foreign students in precarious situations both in terms of their visa status and financial situation.
Filipino-Canadians on Anti-Terror Law: We shouldn’t allow history to repeat itself
Critics have deemed the law unconstitutional and could pave the way for further violation of basic human rights. The Philippine Reporter reached out to community members to share their thoughts on this issue.
Migrating during a pandemic from Dubai to Vancouver
Of all the scenarios Rosemarie Delos Santos, 33, envisioned that could affect their immigration to Canada, a global pandemic was not one of them.
Websites allow people to report COVID racist experiences
Long before COVID-19 became a pandemic, stirrings of anti-Asian sentiments were already being felt by the community across the globe. Now, two Canadian websites are giving people the space to share their experiences.
Black Lives Matter: Why it should matter to Filipinos
Outrage over the murder of George Floyd has sparked rallies across the world, gaining support from ethnic groups such as Anakbayan Toronto. The group showed its support for the Black Lives Matter movement by joining 30,000 protesters during a recent rally in downtown Toronto.
Toronto man shares COVID experience: ‘I felt like it was the end of me’
In April, Toronto-based pharmacy assistant, Jay*, 31, tested positive for COVID-19. What ensued was a harrowing ordeal that would leave him forever changed. He shares his story as a warning to anyone who underestimates the dangers of the disease.
Immigration protesters demand: Full status for all
On Saturday, July 4, over 100 protesters gathered outside Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino’s office at 511 Lawrence Avenue West. The protest was part of a series of rallies scheduled nationwide. Their demands: full immigration status for non-permanent residents.
45 U.S. Representatives to Duterte: Rescind anti-terror law: ‘We are watching’
“This law comes during a global pandemic, during a time when we’re already witnessing increased attacks on human rights defenders and critics of the Duterte government and his administration and under a climate of impunity,” said U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).
Three Filipino-Canadian health workers die from COVID-19
Last year, Ford’s proposed cuts to funding drew outcry from workers at Ontario’s long-term care homes that were already struggling with staffing shortages.
And the facilities where Christine Mandegarian and Victoria Salvan worked are two of the hardest hit.
How Kababayan and Kalayaan centres create community connections
Although it’s been months since community centres were forced to shut their doors, that hasn’t stopped organizations from reaching out to their members.
During pandemic, care workers’ struggles worsen
Care workers have long been fighting for more rights, less restrictive requirements and landed status. But the pandemic has since slowed down those efforts while also exposing the very issues they’ve been struggling with for years.
As pandemic spreads, so does anti-Asian racism
What does it mean to be Asian during the pandemic?
It’s a topic that’s explored during the May 27 webinar ‘Resisting Anti-East Asian Racism.’ Hosted by University of Toronto’s Office of Inclusion & Diversity, panelists discussed the multifaceted issue of racism, with incidents on the rise as a result of COVID-19.
Ordeal of returning to Canada from the PH lockdown
For retiree Benji Adriano and his wife Jay, their three-month vacation in the Philippines was meant to be a reprieve from Canada’s winter and a chance to reconnect with family and friends. However, caught in the chaos of COVID-19-related lockdowns, travel restrictions and cancelled flights, the couple would spend over a month trying to return home to Toronto.
Filipino-Canadians react to crisis
It’s a sign of a community on edge: practicing social distancing, financial worries and concerns about the situation in the Philippines. As shock gives way to a new reality, we asked Filipino-Canadians how the pandemic has affected them in ways big and small.
Fil-Cans struggle to apply for benefits
According to a March 24 report by the Royal Bank of Canada, unemployment rates could be as high as 11% by April 2020. That’s nearly double the 5.7% rate in April 2019 reported by Statistics Canada.
Steven Del Duca to push for improved foreign credential recognition
According to Ontario Liberal Party front-runner, Steven Del Duca, immigrants deserve a more efficient process when it comes to assessing their credentials. “Tackling this issue is important to ensuring that everyone has a chance to join the middle class,” he said
Q&A with Ontario Liberal Leader frontrunner Steven Del Duca
In an e-mail interview with The Philippine Reporter, Steven Del Duca discusses plans to expedite and improve foreign-credential recognition.
Family safety worth the challenges of online homeschooling
With classes going virtual, parents and their children find themselves navigating new territory. As schools scrambled to put together online curriculums, families are experiencing the benefits and challenges of homeschooling.
Life on the COVID-19 Frontline
For the last 12 years, Marilou Virtucio, 39, has worked as an environmental services partner at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. On an ordinary workday, she cleans and sanitizes operating rooms and spaces in the hospital’s burn unit. But since March, her days have been far from ordinary.
Suspect charged with first-degree murder in death of Rhoderie Estrada
A week after the death of Rhoderie Estrada, 41, left the Filipino-Canadian community reeling in shock, Toronto Police announced that a suspect has been arrested.
‘It’s a different kind of pain,’ says son of missing Winnipeg man
On June 4, 2018, Winnipeg resident Eduardo Balaquit left home for his second job of the day as he’s done every day for about 20 years. He never returned. Nearly two months since his disappearance, his family is still looking for answers. His son, Edward, 31, recalls the day his father went missing and talks about staying hopeful in the ongoing search.
Filipino-Canadians react to mask laws
They’re no longer just recommended – they’re mandatory.
As of Tuesday, July 7, Toronto residents are required to wear masks in enclosed public spaces with the city issuing guidelines on appropriate ways to wear masks. Laws, however, vary by region.