Filipinos in Vancouver are devastated and incensed over the festival incident.

The Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver, which was supposed to be a celebration of Filipino pride, ended in a scream and siren roar.

A man crashed an SUV through the gathering, killing eleven people and injuring numerous more.
Many of us remain numb. Many of us are still upset, perplexed, depressed, and angry—and others of us are unsure of how or what to feel," said R.J. Aquino, chairman of Filipino B.C., the group that organised the festival.
On Sunday night, he spoke at a vigil that drew hundreds of people from all over the Lower Mainland.

"Honestly, I'm kind of all of the above right now," he stated.
Talking to folks in the community surrounding the festival site throughout the day gave me that feeling: a strong mixture of astonishment, grief, and rage.
Consider Roger Peralta and Bjorn Villaruel, two Filipino friends I made on the street where it occurred.
They both came to Canada in 2016, and they were enjoying a great evening at the festival while eating food from their own country and listening to music.
Bjorn remarked, "All of a sudden, I hear this unfathomable noise."
Roger remarked, "It was a loud bang,"

Just a few meters away, both men report seeing bodies bounce off an SUV.
"I did not run away," acknowledged Bjorn. "I actually followed the vehicle, because I felt like I could stop him." It was terrible. Many folks are just sobbing and pleading for assistance while lying on the pavement.

Roger claimed that he had been in shock and unable to sleep for over a day. He kept experiencing images of the horror in his head and had to stop and cry.
However, he also mentioned the Filipino spirit, which he claimed would uplift the community.
"We have in our culture Bayanihan," he stated. It means that Filipinos have a spirit of solidarity and collaboration.

 

"When you meet another Filipino, even if you don't know them, you greet them, you feel like they're family, even if you're not."
David Eby, the Premier of British Columbia, honoured the Filipino community.
"I don't think there's a British Columbian who hasn't been touched in some way by the Filipino community." In our province, it is impossible to visit a facility that provides care and not run across someone from that community. "Our hospitals, schools, long-term care facilities, and child care centres." The people in this community are generous.

 

Bjorn, a magnetic resonance imaging technologist at a hospital, concurred.
He remarked, "We are very caring people,"
Roger and he were both incensed that the SUV had entered the gathering in the first place. They claimed that Canada had disappointed them.
Premier Eby claimed to experience that anger as well.
He continued, "But I want to turn the rage that I feel into ensuring that we stand with the Filipino community," against a police cruiser that was obstructing the way to the crime scene.
"This event does not define us and the Filipino community or that celebration."