​Join the Filipino International Students Convention 2024 and learn about settlement, employment, and integration supports for international students.

​Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.

​So, we bid farewell to 2023. With that, let’s take a moment to reflect on the year that was. It was a year marked by quality achievements, with each striving to deliver our best in every task we undertook. Our collective efforts have led to significant progress, pushing the boundaries of what we thought possible. We embraced progressiveness, adapting to changes with an open mind, and continuously learning and growing. I want to take a moment to thank you for being a valued member of our community. You have made 2023 an incredible year for us, and we couldn’t have done it without you. We are not stopping there. We have big plans for 2024, and we want you to be part of them.

Camaraderie was the cornerstone of our success in 2023. We supported each other through challenges, celebrated each other’s victories, and worked together to create a positive and productive environment. Our productivity soared as we found new ways to work efficiently and effectively, always upholding the highest standards of integrity.

As we welcome 2024, let’s carry forward the spirit of connection that has been a hallmark of our journey so far. Let’s continue to foster strong relationships, collaborate, and learn from each other.
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On behalf of the UPAABC Board of Directors, here’s to a new year filled with achievements, growth, and shared success. Thank you again for your continued support and trust. We look forward to serving you in 2024 and beyond.

Muli, Manigong Bagong Taon!
 
Sincerely,

Bella Balisi Bevilacqua
President, 2023-2024
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This is the 5th annual outreach program of our UP alumni group. Many thanks to the donors, volunteers, organizers, and supporters.​

Line of performances included UP alumnus Cliff Belgica’s Ivadoi Bendian Dance - a traditional Cordillera tribal war dance, Ikaw and Rosas ng Pandan (Harana/Kundiman) by Himig Kabataan, and the timeless traditional dance numbers of PCG to the tune of Alitaptap and Binatbatan. (“Binatbatan” is an Ilocano occupational folk dance translating the old, painstaking process of weaving “abel”, the Ilocano’s indigenous woven cloth.) Former UP Diliman Professor Veronica Caparas recited her original historical narrative poetry with the title, “Wika Mo, Wika Niya, Wika Ko… Anong Wika Yan?”.

​What a meaningful way to end the year by sharing blessings with our brethren at the Downtown Eastside. Many thanks to the UP alumni group and friends who braved the icy roads.  We are also very grateful to those who donated cash, and items for the gift bags.  Special mention to Tim Horton's thru Katya Tristan Juanima and Cobb's Bread Panorama thru Lisa Flemig.

With the theme, “The Philippine Language in Song, Serenade, Debate, Poetry, and Dance – 8th Chapter (Harana, Kundiman, Balagtasan, Tula, at Sayawan – Ikawalong Yugto), the University of the Philippines in British Columbia (UPAABC), in partnership with the Philippine Consulate in Vancouver, held its traditional annual event of the Balagtasan to celebrate “Buwan ng Wika” once more.

The event kicked off with an enlivening “La Jota” dance number from the Philippine Consulate Vancouver. Next performance was a mesmerizing rendition of “Dahil Sa Iyo” and Paru-Parong Bukid” by the Holy Cross Regional High School Choir, a Catholic senior high school group based in Surrey. They were performing for UPAABC the first time and are expected to execute anew in the coming years.

The highlight of the program, Balagtasan, had the theme, “Bakit Mahal Pa Rin Kita, Pilipinas?” that conveyed the current realities of Filipinos living abroad, to which debaters argued on the “whys” and “hows” of showing love for the Philippines while living a more quality life away from its nest. In the end, audience participation decided that “to love the Philippines with full-cycle idealism is impossible while the mother land never delivered expectations, especially on the issue of financial stability.”
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​The much-awaited singing number, “Harana”, has given much joy to the audience as Friends, Apothic, and Music (FAM), a group that also hails from the University of the Philippines, gave the traditional version of Harana a modern twist by performing Filipino love and dance songs from the 1970s.

This year’s celebration of UPAABC’s and PCG Vancouver’s Balagtasan wrapped up by singing “Ako ay Pilipino” and with a simple dinner prepared for sponsors, performers, and guests.
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Balagtasan, Kundiman, Harana, Tula at Sayawan: Ikawalong Yugto is presented by the UP Alumni Association in British Columbia (UPAABC) and the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver. UPAABC would like to give its wholehearted thank you to the generous support of Hablon Styles & Hues, Sun Life, Irene Querubin from RE/MAX, Praise International Church, Friends, Apothic, and Music (FAM), Iris Radev, M.D., T1 Mobile, United Filipino-Canadian Associations in BC, Paradise, Grandt Kitchen, Eat Kanadiyan, and Vicki Buechler from Greatway Financial.

​By: Bella Balisi-Bevilacqua