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Niagara Falls light up in PH flag colors for 125th PH Independence Day

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Christine Santos | TFC News Toronto

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xIBet-jwQgc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Every night at dusk, the Niagara Falls transforms into a breathtaking display of colorful lights and water. But June 12 this year became more memorable for Filipinos in Canada as the falls lit up in the colors of the Philippine flag.The falls&#x27; illumination in red, white, and blue was to mark the 125th Philippine Independence Day.&quot;It&#x27;s not often that an occasion like this happens,&quot; said Filipino-Canadian Tellie Reyes. &quot;Our country has been recognized to showcase our colors at the Niagara Falls.&quot;International students Aira Arce and her friends who recently arrived in Canada, feel overjoyed and proud of their cultural heritage.&quot;It feels surreal,&quot; she said. &quot;I feel proud that at some point, the Philippine flag was featured here at Niagara Falls.&quot;The event was a collaborative effort of the Philippine Consulate in New York, the Niagara Parks Commission, and the Niagara Falls Illumination Board. The Filipino-Canadian Association of Niagara, meanwhile, unveiled plans to install a bust monument of Dr. Jose Rizal at Niagara Park.Leaders Rod Quizon and Eileen Tinio Hind said they have been working for over 24 years to get the monument&#x27;s approval.&quot;We made our first request in 1993 during the centennial celebration,&quot; said Quizon. &quot;We were turned down for the simple reason that Rizal does not have any relevance to Canadian history. But then we insisted that there is some significance in our hero&#x27;s visits.&quot;Tinio Hind said there are historical accounts to show that during Rizal&#x27;s trip to the United States in 1888, the train he rode made a stop at the Canadian border, which allowed him to see the Niagara Falls.&quot;It kinda relates what Dr. Jose Rizal felt when he came here to all of us immigrants,&quot; she said.The group said it plans to launch a fundraising campaign to support the monument&#x27;s construction, which is expected to be finished by May 2024.

June 12 became more memorable for Filipino-Canadians as Niagara Falls lit up in the colors of the Philippine flag.