‘Our spirit is unbreakable’: KPU community responds to Lapu Lapu Day tragedy in Vancouver

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Sheena Dela Torre was not at the Lapu Lapu Day street festival on April 26 in South Vancouver, but some of her friends and members of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Pinoy Club were.

Upon learning that a driver of an SUV plowed through a street filled with festival-goers shortly after 8:00 pm, Dela Torre, who serves as the KPU Pinoy Club president, and an executive began checking on their members through the club’s general chat group.

She came to learn that a close friend, who is on the club’s executive team, was on the same street of the incident about 10 minutes before tragedy struck.

Another close friend and KPU Pinoy Club member called Dela Torre the next day and told her she was lining up at a food truck on the same street, too, 30 minutes before the incident. She says the club member and her cousin decided to leave for Metrotown in Burnaby instead.

“That was a good decision,” Dela Torre says. “She said, ‘Somehow my subconscious mind was saying, OK, let’s not line up anymore.’ So they decided to go out of the line. But she was thinking, ‘If I decided to line up, I don’t know, I could be one of those people that were on the street.’ She was really devastated.”

She says no KPU Pinoy Club member was directly impacted from the attack.

Eleven people were killed, aged 5 to 65, and many others have been injured from the attack at the event, which was dedicated to celebrating the Filipino Canadian community and culture. Vancouver man Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder on April 27.

“I cannot imagine what might have happened if I attended, because when I attend events, I bring my family along,” Dela Torre says. “That’s the same thing [my friends] have thought. Some of them, though they are feeling safe and thankful … they were not part of that tragic incident, they now have fears in their hearts, like the safety of the future events they want to attend.”

In light of this incident, Dela Torre says her and the KPU Pinoy Club executives aim to discuss risk assessment and management for future events.

“[This is] to make sure that we consider any potential risk that might happen and coordinate with the KPU security team and consider the angles in terms of holding an event to make sure that it’s safe,” she adds. “At the same time, [it’s considering how] we influence and encourage the community to feel safe at the future events they will also attend.”

KPU Pinoy Club is also a member of a broader community of about 70 Filipino organizations in B.C., Dela Torre says.

As a member of the organizing committee of the Pinoy Festival in Burbaby’s Swangard Stadium, she says a central topic that came up in a recent meeting was if the organizers should continue with the festival in June.

“I think at the end of the day, it’s not going to stop us from proceeding because it shouldn’t,” Dela Torre says. “One of the Filipino [characteristics] that we are very proud of is the resiliency we have. And if we cancel that event, I feel like it’s proving the threat and the fear in the hearts and minds of our fellow Filipino Canadians communities.”

She adds that she is amazed how many Filipino communities and organizations have come together in wake of the attack, such as by supporting each other’s blood donation drives to help the victims in hospital, coordinating a mass led by a Filipino priest, and sharing GoFundMe pages to make personal contributions.

“[With] the bigger community of all the Filipino [groups], there’s no division. There’s no silos anymore.”

To the broader Filipino community, Dela Torre says “our spirit is unbreakable.”

“Even [as] we mourn … let us remember that you are not alone. There is a bigger Filipino Canadian community that you can count on,” she says.

“We share our challenges, we share our strength, we share our kindness, and we will share our resilience with one another. [With] time and [togetherness], we will eventually heal from this feeling. We will continue to rebuild our community and be stronger again as a community.”

To connect with the KPU Pinoy Club, email kpupinoy@gmail.com. The club can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.

Statement from KPU and resources

On April 27, the morning after the attack, KPU President Alan Davis sent an email announcement to students and employees, writing the university is “shocked and horrified by the tragedy.”

“To have a day of celebrating Filipino culture end this way is heartbreaking, and felt deeply by all of us,” Davis wrote. “Our deepest condolences go out to those who lost loved ones and to those who suffered injuries. We stand in support of the entire Filipino community in B.C.”

In the email statement, he also included resources for those who may need it or know someone who does.

For students:

• KPU Student Support Program provides unlimited, free, 24-hour access to trained counsellors available in several different languages. It also offers other wellness resources and information.
• KPU Counselling Services are available online or over the phone. Visit its website to learn more and book an appointment.
• KPU Student Resources Quick Guide provides online information and resources for all KPU students.
• Crisis Centre of BC: 604-872-3311 or 1-800-784-2433

For employees:

• Homewood Health is available to help with counselling and other services. It is KPU’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provider.

For more resources and to donate to those affected by the incident, visit www.filipinobc.com.