Filipino festival turns into flood fundraiser
Posted August 10, 2012 9:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The biggest Filipino cultural festival in Canada is turning into a fundraiser to help those hit by devastating floods in the Philippines.
The Summer Pinoy Fiesta happens this Sunday. Organzer Jojo Quimpo says it makes sense to use the gathering to raise some money for the emergency.
“Well, I’ve been reading all the messages on Facebook. Family members were the first ones to approach us. Their families have been affected and they said we should do something about it.”
He’s hoping performers will rally festival-goers.
“We were thinking the entertainment part will focus on getting people to donate for the flood victims. We’re going to call it a music-a-thon, like a telethon.”
Half of Manila, the capital, was under water at the height of the flooding. Now, 360,000 people are in need of shelter.
Money collected at the Fiesta will be handed over to the Filipino consulate here in Vancouver.
The fiesta parade launches at Fraser and 26 Ave. Sunday at 11 in the morning. It winds its way to Memorial South Park, at 41 Ave. and Prince Albert St., where entertainers will perform for free.
