By: Jon G. Malek
On June 5, 2021, the Manitoba Association of Filipino Teachers, Inc. (MAFTI) will proudly host its first online culminating activity in celebration of Filipino Heritage Month and a successful year of MAFTI’s Filipino Heritage Class. In this year of remote learning, our students and teachers have done an excellent job adapting to the online realities of education and have continued to deliver the programming mission of MAFTI.
MAFTI’s first online Filipino Heritage Class ran for ten classes each Saturday starting on March 6, 2021. This year, there were sixty students enrolled in three groups. Group A ran from 10:00-11:30 AM and was taught by Mary Jane Napolitano, Gloria Ortiz, and Vinza Fredis. Teachers Marilyn Gomez and Gemmarose Claveria led Group B from 1:00-2:30 PM. Group C was facilitated by teachers Loreta Genota and Lia Marqueses. The Filipino Heritage class, a successful beacon of MAFTI’s cultural and community programming, was led by Mrs. Genalyn Tan, President of MAFTI, Heritage Program Coordinator, Mrs. Mary Jane Napolitano, MAFTI Vice-President Ms. Cecil de Guzman and Mrs.Vicky Cabrera as Program Consultant.
The culminating activity will showcase the talents of our students and will allow them to present the knowledge of Filipino heritage that they have learned throughout their classes. Student presentations will include an intermission performance number, poetry recital, and singing of traditional Filipino songs. It will be attended by the parents of the Heritage students, MAFTI members and some guests like Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (MP for Winnipeg North), Mrs. Malaya Marcelino (MLA for Notre Dame), Mr. Jon Reyes (MLA for Waverly), Ms. Tehani Jainarine (Director, Multiculturalism Secretariat), Mrs. Jennifer Chen (School Board Trustee, WSD), Ms. Perla Javate (President, PHCM), Rod Cantiveros ( Publisher/ Editor, Filipino Journal), Faith Fundal (Host, CBC Manitoba), Kris Ontong (Co-founder/ Host Barangay Canada)
The Filipino Heritage Program, delivered by MAFTI members, aims to preserve, promote, enhance, and share Filipino cultural heritage, values, and traditions through the teaching of Filipino, the national language of the Philippines. Our students are cross-cultural and include many non-Filipino students. The program was developed in response to the large number of Filipino children being born in Winnipeg, and has grown to welcome children from all ethnic backgrounds. Embedded in the teaching of the Filipino language are cultural values, customs, and traditions that parents want to pass from generation to generation, and which can help other members of Canadian society understand and appreciate Philippine heritage. This is achieved by teaching Filipino to elementary students through songs, poems, rhymes, and action songs. The curriculum includes Filipino teaching materials such as pictures, stories, myths, and legends that embody Filipino culture, customs, and traditions.
Thanks to our students, parents, MAFTI Heritage teachers, officers, members and everyone else who has offered their tremendous support to this year’s cohort! We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Government of Manitoba’s Ethnocultural Community Support Program, Multiculturalism Secretariat, Sport, Culture and Heritage that has helped make this program a continued success. Mabuhay! Happy Filipino Heritage Month!
