Philippines pavilion reflects community’s growing trend

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This article was published 27/01/2024 (960 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Elisa Sapitula photographs a tree and the birds outside the break room window where she works. She moved here 20 years ago from the Philippines and the one thing that continues to delight her is watching the tree change with each season.

The Philippines is a tropical country — “it only has two seasons, wet or dry,” Sapitula said.

She said her favourite time is when she comes off a night shift and there is hoar frost in the tree. It calms her and makes her think of a family tradition when she was little. In November every year, her father would bring a tree from the beach and she and her family would paint it white and use cotton balls and sparkles to create the illusion of a snow-covered tree. Now she sends her family back in the Philippines pictures of the tree outside the break room in every season, including when it’s snow covered.

Sapitula said since she first came to Brandon, the Filipino community has grown so much they now host their own pavilion and are excited to be back with the Westman Multicultural Festival in February.

“We started in 2005 — when we were very few,” Sapitula said. “Now we are growing. We are really growing here in Brandon, and neighbouring towns.”

She said the Westman Filipino community is ready to “offer the taste of our motherland by our foods and the cultural performances.” The Philippines pavilion, located at Knox United Church, will be open Friday, Feb. 9 from 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 10 from 1 to 10 p.m.

The menu will feature delicious favourites of the Philippines, including pancit (noodles with chicken and vegetables), lumpia (fried spring rolls with pork and vegetables), chicken adobo and embutido (a pork meatloaf). The noodles, Sapitula said, are believed to extend your life. Plan for second helpings!

For entertainment, the pavilion will have something for everyone.

“We have our cultural dances. Our performers are as young as five,” Sapitula said. “I have a grandson who is six. And he’s dancing. And originally, when we first started in 2005, it was his mom and my other daughter,” Sapitula said. “And then we have, besides the cultural dances, we have our hip hop group. Local kids and adults.”

The Crocus Plains High School Filipino Band will perform. The high schoolers were already a hit at the summer version of the Multicultural Festival last July. Sapitula said they will also have a brass band playing. Sapitual said karaoke would not be part of the entertainment, but you never know.

“You will not believe it, but all the parties are big and there will always be karaoke. You have to be ready when you go to a Filipino party because the microphone will be passed on to you,” she laughed.

The Philippines is famous for the Chocolate Hills, which is the country’s third National Geographical Monument, as well as White Beach and Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, which features an underground river.

Learn about these beautiful places to visit in the Philippines, its people and more while drinking an authentic Filipino beer and checking out the cultural displays. Bring cash for the food, drink and souvenirs.

The Brandon Sun will be featuring each pavilion in the Westman Multicultural Festival in stories leading up to the Feb. 8-10 event.

» khenderson@brandonsun.com