Ambassador Petronila P. Garcia led officials from Team Philippines in Canada in undertaking a roadshow to the longitudinal centre of North America, in the city of Winnipeg, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The province is also the historical ground zero for the first major wave of Filipino migrants into Canada.
Ambassador Garcia led the diplomatic and consular mission to Winnipeg from 13 to 18 October 2015. She called on provincial officials and business leaders, while overseeing the delivery of consular services to the largest concentration of the Filipino community in any province in Canada.
Joining the Ambassador over the course of the various meetings and encounters are Consuls General Rosalita Prospero from Toronto, Neil Ferrer of Vancouver, Eric Gerardo Tamayo of Ottawa, Consul Shirley Banquico from Toronto, Agricultural Attache Josyline Javelosa from Washington DC, Commercial Counsellor John Paul Inigo from New York, Consul General (honorary) Orlando Marcelino, and Consul (honorary) Ronaldo Opina both of Winnipeg.
Ambassador Garcia and her delegation were warmly received by a host of provincial and municipal officials including Lieutenant Governor Janice Filmon, Premier Greg Selinger, Labour and Immigration Minister Erna Braun, Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn, Winnpeg Mayor Brian Bowman and Education Deputy Minister Gerald Farthing.
In all occasions of her meetings, Ambassador Garcia thanked the provincial and municipal officials for their contribution to the typhoon Haiyan relief effort in the Philippines as Manitoba contributed C$200,000 to the Philippines with the community pitching in another C$75,000.
The Ambassador also called on top business officials in the province, including Paul Soubry of New Flyer, Greg Dandevich of Economic Development Winnipeg, Chuck Davidson of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce, Diane Grey of Centreport Canada, David Angus of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, Mariette Mulaire of the Winnipeg Trade, Dan Reeves of Winnipeg Aviation, and George Matheson and Andrew Dickson of the Manitoba Pork Council.
In her meet and greet opportunity with the Filipino community at the Philippine Community Center of Manitoba, the Ambassador commended Filipinos for their contribution to Canadian society. The province of Manitoba is home to the largest population, on a per capita basis, of Filipinos in Canada.
In a province where Filipinos comprise almost 10% of the provincial population, Manitoba is also the province where Filipinos have attained a greater measure of success in getting attaining elective positions. Their roster includes the first Filipino to be elected in Canada, and the first Filipino to run for leadership of a major party, as well as the first Filipino to be elected to federal parliament, and to hold a cabinet position. Currently, Mrs. Flor Marcelino, the spouse of the Philippine Consul General, is the first Filipina in the provincial assembly and the first woman to hold a cabinet portfolio. Meanwhile, Mr. Ted Marcelino is also the incumbent party whip for the National Democratic Party (NDP) in the provincial legislature.
The 2011 official census puts the number of Filipinos in Manitoba at almost 62,000. The number is estimated to have increased by as much as 75,000 since then. In comparison, Filipinos in Ontario number almost 300,000, or about 5% of the provincial population.
According to Statistics Canada, total merchandise trade between the Philippines and Manitoba stood at C$53 Million in favor of Manitoba. Manitoba exports to the Philippines was at C$40.5 million while Manitoba imports from the Philippines stood at C$12.6 million.
Leading Manitoba exports to the Philippines include wheat, iron/steel articles, pork and processed foods. Top imports from the Philippines to Manitoba include TV cameras, electronic circuits, moving/grading/scraping or boring machinery, furniture and electronic parts.
Live animals and animal products topped the export products of Manitoba to the Philippines (C$14.78 million), followed by base metals/articles of base metals (C$12 million), vegetable products (C$7.2 million), prepared foodstuffs; beverages, spirits and vinegar; tobacco and manufactures tobacco substitutes (C$5.2 million), and animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes (C$700K).
Top Philippine exports to Manitoba include machinery and mechanical appliances; electrical equipment; parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles (C$10.2 million), followed by optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; clocks and watches; musical instruments; parts and accessories thereof (C$820K), Miscellaneous manufactured articles (C$552K), vegetable products (C$265K), and Textiles and Textile Articles (C$262K)
With Filipinos very active in Manitoba business circles, the formation of the Manitoba Filipino Business Council in the province is providing impetus to growing economic relations with the province.
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