Members of the La Ronge and District Filipino – Canadian Community. (submitted photo/Sonny Montilla)

By Derek Cornet

community pride

Filipino-Canadian non-profit celebrates first anniversary in La Ronge

May 22, 2019 | 12:03 PM

It can be hard for immigrants to make a new life in a different country, but many Filipinos who come to La Ronge are happy to make it their home.

“La Ronge is a small town and some people say ‘Why are you guys living up there? There’s nothing there, you’re in the middle of nowhere,’” La Ronge and District Filipino – Canadian Community President Sonny Montilla said. “But they don’t have an idea about how lucky we are here in La Ronge. We have everything we expect to be offered here.”

The non-profit organization recently celebrated its first year of operations in the tri-communities by holding a sports festival and family day May 19 at the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre. A general meeting was also held at the event and each family brought their own food to celebrate. Montilla stated there are currently 90 people involved with the group.

During the first year, members participated in several community events including the 2018 Canada Day parade, where the non-profit was awarded first place for its float. They built an icon of a traditional Filipino house, which Montilla said took two weeks to build. He noted members were excited about the win as it was unexpected.

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“This year, maybe we can do something again in a different way, but we will still participate in Canada Day for sure,” Montilla said.

Another highlight for the group was last December when the local Filipino Choir performed in a community Christmas concert, as well as for long-term care residents at the hospital and clients at Scattered Site. The choir sang in both English and Tagalog. During the next Christmas season, Montilla added the choir will likely expand and hold performances for more residents.

The Filipino Choir sings for long-term care residents in La Ronge. (submitted photo/Sonny Montilla)

Since the time Montilla has been in La Ronge, he stated the local Filipino-Canadian community has grown from three families in 2008 to about 110 individuals as of 2019. He also mentioned Filipino-Canadians have contributed to the town’s workforce in that time, as well as purchased homes so families can lay down their roots.

“It’s a good place to start and, at the same time, to stay for immigrants,” Montilla said of La Ronge. “As the president of this organization right now, I would like to say thank you to all the people who support us when we do our fundraising. We make sure the profits, even though it’s a small amount, get put back to the community.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno