Filipno-Canadian Youth Alliance
Press Release

Filipino-Canadian youth in an uproar over punsihed eating habits of young Filipino boy

May 3, 2006

Vancouver, BC---Filipino-Canadian youth are in an uproar after learning last week of the seven-year old boy who was disciplined for eating in a customary Filipino manner at his school in Quebec, Canada.

“The young boy has been punished more than 10 times this year for his meal conduct at school,” explains Albert Lopez of the Vancouver-based Filipino-Canadian  Youth Alliance, “What was his  offence? Eating with a fork and spoon, a customary Filipino table manner,” explains Lopez.

The principal of the Roxboro school told the boy’s mother that he the boy’s eating habits are not normal and that he wants his students to eat intelligently at the table.

In response, Mildred German of the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance in Vancouver said that “Punishing the young boy for a traditional way of eating is incredibly hypocritically. Canada is supposed to be multicultural – a country where we should be able to  practice our traditions. This incident once again exposes how deeply embedded systemic racism is in Canadian society, and just how deeply systemic racism demoralizes, destroys, and devastates our young people.”

Since 1998, the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance has been involved in a campaign to expose and oppose systemic racism in Canadian institutions that negatively impact young Filipinos and people of colour. The group has especially focused its concern in Canada’s school systems where in across the country, Filipino youth have one of the highest drop out rates.

Instead of alienating young Filipinos, the organization argues that those in the education to make more effort to learn about the real issues and struggles of Filipino youth – especially newly-arrived students.

German pointed to this incident saying “In our experience, as Filipino youth here in Canada, the issues of the Filipino community and traditions are never taught nor mentioned in schools, instead they expect us to be ‘Canadians’ by de-skilling us of our understanding of our roots.”

Maria Gallardo, the boy’s mother, has filed a formal complaint with a local school board.

The Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance is planning to work with other Filipino youth organizations in both Montreal and Toronto to condemn this latest incident of racism and to campaign for Canada’s school system to correct its racist policies and practices.

For more information, please contact:

Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada / the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance
Telephone No. 604.215.1103, or email at ukpc_fcya@kalayaancentre.net