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Website: PIDC Mabuhay Festival For those who left the Philippines and immigrated into Canada, the culture and society can change personality and lifestyle. One can forget one's cultural roots until one attends the annual festivals celebrating them. But for those who like remembering and enjoying their own ethnicity regularly, television and movie entertainment can be brought in by satellite and film festivals to continue feeding Philippine images into the minds of viewers. Once a year, the Mabuhay Festival and a few other events, will actually invite the Philippine-based entertainers to visit and perform live. This year, GMA 7 stars Richard Gutierrez and his brother Ramon, Iza Calzado and Rhian Ramos were the finale of the night. Despite his sudden illness, Richard came on stage and sang songs to the audience. The day began with Juan de la Cruz band, with a new younger drummer from a Canadian band, singing 'Ang Himig Natin' a popular social conscious song to help the poor. The Philippine Independence Day Council headed by Jun Enverga and his wife have been building this festival through the years with the help of businesses and sponsors and are fundraising for Gawad Kalinga ANCOP to build houses for the poor in the Philippines. The money from selling entry tickets at $15 per person for the whole day to evening at the Metro Toronto Convention Center has raised enough to build small villages for the poor who have no other hope nor funding. Businesses also paid fees for their booths which covers the rent of the huge space. Welfare in the First World has a much bigger budget along with social services that are free from medical, educational, food and housing tend to be bigger than those in the Third World countries. Thus fundraising by the middle class and rich overseas, often from within the Philippine Canadian community and organizations, has helped the poor left behind. Popular entertainers bring attention to the Mabuhay Festival and its activities and fundraising campaigns. Some artists in the Philippines continue to sing sad songs about poverty but it does take the popular entertainers to bring money into alleviating the situation. ANCOP GK has a small house installed on site to show the size of a home with photos of the villages being built with the money from overseas donations. The rich help the poor and society improves as a whole together. Colourful installations of a striped sailboat, sari-sari store, karaoke talent at Minerva mini-stage, dj music and dancing, plus a kids inflated gym set, and food booths, added activities in between the stage entertainment. Mabuhay Festival is one of the biggest in Toronto and will hopefully continue on growing since it benefits all who participate in it.
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