Let’s Build the Filipino Community & Cultural Centre (Letter from Filipino BC)

SEPTEMBER 23, 2026

With the provincial election now called, we’re asking the parties to make a clear commitment to making it happen.

So… what does it mean that the writ is dropped?

You may have heard that the writ dropped in BC. In simple terms, that means the provincial election has officially begun.

BC’s provincial election is happening on October 24, while municipal and other local elections are taking place on October 17. These are two separate elections, with different candidates, roles and responsibilities.

We’ll be sharing more over the coming weeks to help make sense of the elections, what’s being decided, and how you can participate.

Today, we want to start by sharing a letter we sent to provincial parties and their leaders about an issue that matters to our community: a commitment to build a Filipino Community and Cultural Centre.

The Letter: Election Commitment to Build the Filipino Community and Cultural Centre

With the writ now issued, Filipino BC is asking each provincial party to make a clear and public election commitment to fund and advance a purpose-built Filipino Community and Cultural Centre.

Since the December 2022 mandate letters directed the Province to begin work toward a Filipino cultural centre, only $250,000 has been dedicated to early public engagement. While that engagement was an important first step, the Filipino community is still waiting for a site, a capital commitment, and a clear path toward construction.

Throughout this period, Filipino organizations and community members have continued creating the “third spaces” our community urgently needs—places where people can gather, access services, celebrate culture, preserve our history, and build belonging. This work has largely been carried by community organizations without sustained provincial investment.

Engagement alone will not build a centre. During the engagement and planning phases of comparable cultural infrastructure projects, communities have received funding to develop programs, strengthen organizational capacity, and prepare for the eventual operation of their spaces. Filipino organizations should receive the same support.

A Filipino Community and Cultural Centre must be purpose-built and shaped by the community it will serve. It should be more than a symbolic cultural facility. It must provide permanent space for arts and culture, community and social services, food security, education, recreation, children and youth, seniors, and the many Filipino organizations that have advocated for this centre over the years.

The recent selection of Surrey as the future home of the South Asian Heritage Museum demonstrates that government can move from public engagement to site selection and implementation when a project is treated as a priority. We congratulate the South Asian community on this important milestone. We believe the Filipino community also deserves a clear decision and a meaningful commitment to move our centre forward.

Three proposals for the Filipino Community and Cultural Centre were submitted to the Province in December. The government therefore has concrete options before it and should not require the community to begin this process again. These proposals should be assessed transparently based on community need, accessibility, feasibility, established partnerships, financial readiness, and the ability to proceed within a reasonable timeline.

The federal government has already demonstrated its willingness to participate as a funding partner by identifying the Filipino Community and Cultural Centre as a priority project under the federal Build Communities Strong Fund. Our proposal, including a pro forma and early financial modelling, has already been submitted through that process.

Following the tragic events of April 26, 2025, the federal government recognized the importance of creating a permanent home for the Filipino community. The Province must now demonstrate the same commitment and be prepared to work alongside the federal government to make the centre a reality.

We are asking your party to include the following commitments in its election platform:

1. Make the Filipino Community and Cultural Centre a priority of the next provincial government;

2. Commit the Province to working with the federal government as a capital funding partner should the project receive support through the Build Communities Strong Fund;

3. Include funding in Budget 2027 for site selection, planning, program development, organizational capacity, pre-construction work, and the Province’s contribution toward capital development;

4. Include the advancement of the centre in the mandate letters of the responsible ministers;

5. Establish a clear and transparent process for reviewing the three proposals submitted to the Province in December;

6. Work with local governments, Indigenous partners, Filipino community organizations, and private-sector partners to establish a complete funding and implementation strategy;

7. Ensure the centre is purpose-built, community-led, and developed as a shared home for Filipino organizations and the broader community; and

8. Publish a timeline for proposal assessment, site selection, funding agreements, design, approvals, and the beginning of construction.

The Filipino community should not be asked to continue proving the need for a centre while receiving little support to build the programs and institutions that will bring it to life. Our community has organized, consulted, developed partnerships, and submitted three viable proposals. A federal funding pathway has been identified. What is needed now is a clear provincial commitment and meaningful investment.

We respectfully ask your party to confirm, before election day, whether it will commit to partnering with the federal government, providing provincial funding through Budget 2027, and directing the responsible ministries to move the Filipino Community and Cultural Centre forward.

This centre has been discussed for long enough. The time has come to move from engagement to implementation.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and your team during the election period to present our proposal, discuss the partnerships already in place, and outline a realistic path toward construction.

Sincerely,

Kristina Corpin-Moser & RJ Aquino of Filipino BC