ANCOP Vancouver Partners Up with Local Organizations

A social gathering was recently hosted by ANCOP Vancouver in Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, BC. Invited guests included individuals and groups who were open to the possibility of supporting the charitable organization and its projects. It was an opportunity to let the guests know more about ANCOP and the ANCOP Walk 2014 scheduled for August 24th at the Burnaby Central Park.

The highlight of the affair was a commitment signing in support of ANCOP which was witnessed by Deputy Consul General Anthony Mandap who opined that ANCOP fits as a suitable partner in bringing about meaningful transformation in the lives of the less fortunate.

Emcee Rosette Correa calls the meeting to order.

Rene Garrucho, ANCOP Coordinator for BC, invites attendees to be not just donors but active participants.

Rene Garrucho acknowledges guests and the organizations they represent. He thanks them for exploring meaningful partnership and lasting relationship with ANCOP.

Anita Aytona, who represents ANCOP and Holy Cross High School, describes the roles the youth play as agents of change.

Holy Cross students John, Laura and Rachel lively express their experiences during their Mission Trip to the Philippines in March 2014 where they helped provide manual labor in building ANCOP houses.

Open forum. Among the questions asked was the administration cost where it was disclosed that ANCOP has a low rate of 10% vis-a-vis other charitable organizations where it goes up to 25-30%.

Deputy Consul General Anthony Mandap shakes hands with Rene Garrucho after his brief speech where he acknowledges that ANCOP in the Filipino vernacular means being of the "right fit." He further declares that ANCOP is the right fit for partnership with the Philippine government in delivering meaningful progress and assistance to our less fortunate kababayans. 

Members of the media were among those who signified their commitment to support ANCOP. Representatives of business organizations, alumni associations, regional groups, trade and professional societies likewise expressed support (see their photos below).

Shared Vision Supporters

Our partners in attendance during the gathering were:

Filipino Seniors Club of BC

Holy Cross Regional High School

One La Salle Alumni Association

Ateneo Alumni Association

University of the Philippines Alumni Assiciation

BIBAK British Columbia

Filipino Canadian Construction Society

TFC

Balitang Vancouver

Reyfort Media Group

AJ Insurance

LBC Express

Unang Hirit Parade

Philippine Canadian Inquirer

Conservative Party Nominees Mike Calingo and Jojo Quimpo

Salad Master

Lita Tapia, Community Leader

Usana Health Sciences

PLDT Global

Allan Espejo, Community Leader

ANCOP Walk 2014 Expands Its Campaign

One with the Filipino Community in commemorating the 116th Anniversary of Philippine Independence, ANCOP Vancouver joined the Pista ng Bayan Community Picnic at Slocan Park. In the true spirit of a Filipino fiesta, participants and visitors not only get to enjoy the rich culture and diversity of our heritage through song and dance numbers but they also get to savor the unique delicacies of Philippine cuisine, from the mundane to the ambrosial, as they visited the stalls around the park. Such was the scene when Rene Garrucho, Peter Dumlao, Rey Fortaleza and Chito Concepcion, all ANCOP volunteers, went around to campaign for the ANCOP Walk 2014 tabled in August 24.

Clad in their neon green ANCOP shirts, the group were like walking billboards attracting the attention of anyone close by and those they come in contact with. They distributed flyers and leaflets and more importantly they engaged key people and leaders of various groups and associations in promoting ANCOP and its work. The men toured the park meeting and greeting people while the rest of the troop stationed themselves at the booth where passers-by were presented with materials and photos of ANCOP programs.

Cursory to joining the festivity was to promote awareness of ANCOP and its projects which are intended to uplift the lives of the poor in the Philippines, India and Africa.

Ramon Busaing of BIBAK pays attention as Rey Fortaleza and Peter Dumlao explains what the ANCOP Walk 2014 is all about. BIBAK is an acronym for Benguet  Ifugao Bontoc Apayao and Kalinga, an association of people hailing from the Cordillera Central Mountain Region in Northern Luzon. After the discussion we were handed bubod, a starter culture and important ingredient in the making of tapuy, a ceremonial rice wine.  

Members of the Filipino-Canadian Construction Society (FCCS) mingle with ANCOP representatives. FCCS is an umbrella organization of Filipino Canadian engineering and architectural professionals, contractors and industry workers. They were invited to join the ANCOP Walk 2014 happening on August 24 at the Burnaby Central Park.

A gentleman who represents an alumni association looks at Rey Fortaleza of the Reyfort Media Group and co-chairman of the ANCOP Walk 2014. Among the alumni associations approached by the team are those belonging from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo University and De La Salle University.

Business owners and leaders of private organizations were also approached by the group to explore the possibility of supporting the ANCOP Walk 2014.

Rene Garrucho, ANCOP Coordinator for BC, shakes hands with Neil Frank Ferrer, Consul General of the Philippine Consulate General. The two bump into each other as they separately visit the many groups and organizations participating in the event.

Evelyn Bantayan of the West Coast Domestic Workers Association (WCDWA) welcomes Rene Garrucho. WCDWA is a non-profit association that provides free legal advocacy and other services to live-in caregivers based in British Columbia.

Peter Dumlao and Rey Fortaleza, co-chairmen of the ANCOP Walk 2014 together with Rene Garrucho exchange information with S.U.C.C.E.S.S. volunteers. Established in 1973, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is one of the largest social service agencies in the province.

Members of the Batangas Club of British Columbia (BCBC) listen intently as Rey Fortaleza encourages them to support the ANCOP Walk 2014. BCBC is composed mainly of people from the Batangas province and those related or affiliated to a Batangueno by blood or marriage. The club later on persuaded the group to feast on their sinaing na tulingan, ginataang munggo and menudo.

Treenee Lopez of Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada shares a light moment with the team. Her group is  a community of Filipino Canadians, Filipino immigrants and Filipino overseas contract workers. She offered bread pudding which the gang took on with much gusto. 

Peter Dumlao, Rene Garrucho, Rey Fortaleza and Chito Concepcion surround the booth of One Filipino Cooperative of British Columbia (ONEFILCOOP) and engage them in lengthy and positive discussions. ONEFILCOOP is the first Filipino Cooperative established in the province and aims to enhance the lives of our kababayans through bayanihan.

Tireless ANCOP volunteers at the ANCOP station

ANCOP Walk 2014 Vancouver - The PNE Launch

In a campaign to expand participation and involvement of the public in the ANCOP Walk 2014, members of the Couples for Christ in the Greater Vancouver area came out to invite the people attending Reyfort Media Group's Vancouver Spring Fest at the PNE. This was aimed at building awareness of ANCOP as a charitable organization and was the initial salvo at launching the event. "We are opening opportunities for the public to embrace the God-given mission of answering the cry of the poor," remarked Rene Garrucho, ANCOP Coordinator for BC.

The ANCOP Walk 2014 in Vancouver will be at the Burnaby Central Park on August 24, 2014 at 8:00 am. Early registration begins by visiting www.ancopwalk.ca or by calling 604.270.1988.

Rene Garrucho, ANCOP Head for BC, invites the audience in the forthcoming ANCOP Walk 2014 at the Burnaby Central Park.

Members of the Couples for Christ (CFC) and the Handmaids of the Lord (HOLD) stand before the stage as the Vancouver ANCOP Walk 2014 is unveiled.

A perspective of ANCOP's participation during the Vancouver Spring Fest at the PNE Forum.

Another point of view from the platform. 

Edna Garrucho, ANCOP co-coordinator for BC, reads the liturgy in the celebration of the Sunday mass organized by the CFC.

Rev. Fr. Gilbert Nunez of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Vancouver delivers his homily. The cleric who will soon be appointed as the Rector of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary (Vancouver) reminds us of our need to shed our troubles and worries. 

A curious onlooker reads materials at the ANCOP booth in the Vancouver Spring Fest at the PNE Forum.

Right Here Write Now - A Preview

Performing in the company of the various groups and ministries of St. Matthew's as well as to the supporters and friends from neighbouring parishes, the cast and crew of the musical Right Here Write Now staged a preview of the theatrical performance at the elementary school gymnasium to the delight of a receptive audience. Sponsored in partnership with the Parish and Couples for Christ, the affair was a treat for the spectators who witnessed the skills and talents of the performers some of whom belong to the parish.

Written, directed and produced by the talented Jose family from Richmond, the wholesome play is a fund-raising project that would directly benefit St. Matthew's Parish, ANCOP International Canada, Holy Cross High School and the White Fathers of Africa. It will be presented at the Bell Center for the Performing Arts in Surrey on November 29, 2014. Main performance is set at 7:00 pm. A matinee will also be scheduled at 2:00 pm and this is where patrons could take advantage of special ticket prices. Available while quantities last, five (5) tickets for the price of four (4) could be snapped up. Regular ticket price is $25.00 only and will be available at the parish office or at key ticket resellers.

A cast member dramatizes in front of an attentive audience as Mikey Jose arranges the music.

Tricia Jose, a graduating UBC Cognitive Systems student, playacts a musical number as viewers remain observant.

RJ Jose renders a ballad during one of the scenes from the play.

Mikey Jose, a grade 11 student at Vancouver College, exhibits his musical prowess as he vocalizes the lyrics and strikes the notes while his mother Liza helps with the microphone. 

Roselyn Bobiles emotes as she does a duet with a cast member. 

Alyssa Gutierrez gleefully imparts her musical piece.

The cast coordinately executes an episode in the play.

A large number of invitees appeared for the preview showing. Here, they are seen showing their appreciation as they applaud at the end of the presentation. 

The Jose Family (from right) Mikey, Tricia, Liza and RJ are presented to the audience as Cookie Aytona interviews them. RJ and Liza developed the concept and wrote the script. They are the overall directors. Tricia co-wrote the script and acts as the artistic director, vocal coach, lyricist and choreographer. Mikey takes his part as musical director, composer, vocal arranger and orchestration master.

Bill Bouwman of the Parish Pastoral Council, reveals his initial skepticism in the musical. He has since turned one-eighty and now openly endorses the production show and invites everyone to help and take part in promoting it. Later, it was revealed that he would be assuming a role in the play.  

Maureen Fadum of the Hospitality Committee reminds the audience to take advantage of the special promotion of five (5) tickets for the price of four (4) on the matinee showing.

Cookie Aytona, Holy Cross High School teacher and Couples for Christ member, thanks everyone who participated in the preview of the Right Here Write Now Musical as she invites them for light dinner prepared by the parish.

Birch Bay Visit: An ANCOP Outing

Long holiday weekends give folks an opportunity to unwind and to enjoy some time off. They allow people to escape the rigors of everyday life and to relish a little bit of what the Lord's creation has to offer. On one such holiday, the servants of ANCOP organized a long-awaited overnight outing. Victoria Day found the troop delighting in on the mud flats of Birch Bay in Washington State amidst a balmy afternoon.

One of the highlights of the picnic was the dig for shellfish. More than anything else it was the thrill of the search that fueled the activity; it was in knowing that the prize was just at the end of the shovel or at the bottom of a shallow pit. Being able to reconnect to an era of simplicity and restraint when humankind were hunters, gatherers and fishers foraging the land and the sea for food, was in a sense therapeutic.

Earthmovers on the tidal flats

On the onset of low tide the group set-off about 150 meters from the shore and selected a general location. They then clustered into three distinct 'dig' parties as illustrated in the photos that follow.

The Bong Group

The Chito Group

And the Sherwin Group who is already hard at work.

What ensued next were smiles, fun and laughter.

Ecstatic over their first catch most especially Marie.

Paparazzi in action

With an analytical stare, Caine intently looks on as he studies the moves of Uncle Chito.

Dirty hands but soul-enhancing

Feet can get ruined but not the sandals please

With their captain taking a break, work continues for these ladies.

Caine wonders how he got his hands dirty.

Pure enjoyment for Cayden

With their boss back at work, the rest of the gang act like meerkats on the lookout.

No caption could fit this image of you my dear, my one and only.

The Ruiz Family in action

Time for the group shots

You'd think that was our cue to call it quits? Apparently not. There was so much amusement we just had to indulge some more.

And the digging lingered

They look so serious I wonder what they were thinking about.

Chito C points to the rising tide slowly creeping back in.

More, some more...

Chito M offers a seaweed he collected to add into the mix, as Bong wonders what has gotten into Chito.

Group photos the day after

All things must come to an end, even the good ones. Thank you to everyone who joined us. There were a lot of parts during the days (and night) that were not photographed by yours truly but they were capably snapped by Marj and the rest of the paparazzi (no one walks around without a camera these days). For all the genuine fun and laughter, the delicious picnic food and the endearing revelations, thanks a million.