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Five influential Filipino Canadians honored in Toronto event

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Rowena Papasin | TFC News Toronto

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ot5Wxt0h3uE?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>People recently packed the Islas restaurant in Toronto to celebrate remarkable Filipino women.The event named &#x27;Pinay Tayo&#x27; put a spotlight on Filipinas who are leaving their marks in various industries.&quot;All the hard work they’ve been doing for the last two years. I felt like this is the best time to celebrate us, celebrate Pinay and all our hard work, and continue to connect and support each other,&quot; the restaurant&#x27;s owner Mariel Buenaventura noted.The event awarded five influential Filipina Canadians in diverse fields. Among the awardees was Rechie Valdez, who made history as the first Filipina elected to the Member of Parliament in Canada. She said she hopes to inspire the next generation of Filipino leaders.&quot;It&#x27;s really through seeing what&#x27;s possible and it can help people look within themselves and say &#x27;yes, I wanna do the same thing. I wanna be like that, or I wanna be like them and do it in my own way&#x27;,&quot; Valdez said.Other awardees include multi-award-winning film director Priscilla Galvez and TFC&#x27;s very own Toronto correspondent Christine Santos.&quot;I&#x27;m still hustling. I&#x27;m still working like 14 to 18 hours a day,&quot; Galvez shared.Arlene Oliveros and Sherry Hugh, also awardees, likewise excel in male-dominated industries. Oliveros is the first Filipino sommelier in Canada. She said, &quot;I have seen my life [on] both ends of the spectrum. I have lived in both poverty and affluence. Hence, when I say I have seen it all, it often comes with a deeper reflection of life.&quot;Meanwhile, Hugh is an executive in a prominent foundation.&quot;My Filipino heritage is such a big part of who I am and in that journey I realized, that&#x27;s actually where I got my strength. That&#x27;s actually where I learned my skill,&quot; Hugh said.Event organizers hope that &#x27;Pinay Tayo&#x27; becomes an annual tradition to celebrate and highlight more Pinays as they continue to break barriers.

Five Filipina Canadians in diverse fields were honored in an event in Toronto. Organizers hope the event will become an annual tradition as more Filipinas break barriers.