Anne-Marie Jennings
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 29/98) - Freedom is the wealth of the nation. That's the focus of the Filipino community in Yellowknife as they prepare for a year full of celebrations.

This year marks 100 years of national independence for the Philippines from Spanish rule. The national holiday will take place June 12, with Filipinos around the world participating in organized events.

The focal event for the year-long celebration in Yellowknife will come on June 12, when the Alberta-NWT Chapter of the Philippine Centennial Movement of Canada hosts a fashion show and dance at the Explorer Hotel.

The fashion show will include costumes from all three distinct regions of the Philippines: the north, including Luzon, the central region, and the southern region, which is greatly influenced by its predominantly Muslim population.

Reynaldo Lau-a, president of the Philippine-Canadian Association of Yellowknife, says that the celebrations have not been met with much excitement until recently.

"People are just starting to see what this anniversary means to the Philippines," he says. "But people are planning celebrations all over the world."

For Lau-a and co-chairman Alfonso Santos, the event which lit their desire to mark the centennial in Yellowknife came last year in Vancouver.

"We had the opportunity to see the Philippine President (Fidel Ramos) in Vancouver during his visit to Canada," Lau-a says. "We were there with 5,000 other Filipinos celebrating."

"Even though we have been in Canada for many years, we are still connected to the Philippines. It will always be our homeland."

Santos says that a number of events are scheduled for the year, and that Yellowknife residents will be encouraged to participate in all events -- whether they are from the Philippines or not.

"We are considering organizing a cross-cultural exchange for later this year," Santos says. "This would allow different cultural communities to share and learn about each other."

"There used to be cross-cultural events in Yellowknife, and perhaps there will be more in the future."

Throughout the rest of the year, Santos says centennial celebrations will continue at events such as Raven Mad Daze, Folk on the Rocks, and many others.

1898-1998: A Celebration of the Philippine Centennial will take place on Friday June 12 in the Katimavik rooms of the Explorer Hotel beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are available at Pacific Rim and Wink's for $35.