In community journalism, there is a strong belief that we stay local, meaning, for us, big events outside of 蜜桃视频appfall to others to cover.
We are all Squamish, all the time.
Being hyper-local is a vital guideline because who else is going to keep our hometown and its people the star of the show, if not us?
But sometimes, this focus on ourselves ignores the fact that events outside of town can have a massive impact on locals.
This is the case with the tragedy on April 26 at the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver, where 11 people were killed and many more were badly injured.
Some who live here worked with or knew victims, such as the badly injured Roland Nulada, who is a healthcare worker at Lions Gate Hospital and the father of three.
According to a created by his sister, Nulada took his family to the festival, 鈥渉oping to share with his children the beauty of their Filipino heritage.鈥�
He was struck by a vehicle that drove into the crowd around 8:14 p.m., while he was waiting in line at a food truck.
鈥淗e suffered serious injuries, including a broken leg [and] arm, internal bleeding, and is currently undergoing extensive testing and treatment,鈥� reads the online campaign, which has raised close to $157,000 to help cover expenses during his recovery.
Outside of the victims鈥� families and friends, this hit the broader Filipino community hardest.
According to the 2021 census, more than 440 locals identify as Filipino.
It is hard to imagine that number is not higher in 2025.
After the tragedy, many came together with a Memorial Mass for the victims at St. Joseph鈥檚 Parish in the Garibaldi Highlands; other events have been or are being held throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor.
Headlines move on quickly from tragedy, as the world spins on to the next big event, but for those most impacted by them, the pain continues.
Hannyliz Villafuerte, an organizer with Barangay Sea to Sky, who was supposed to be a vendor at the Lapu Lapu Festival, but didn鈥檛 attend, told Pique 蜜桃视频appmagazine that while there is a lot of support within and from outside the community, local members of the Filipino community have been reeling from the attack.
鈥淲e smile, but in our hearts, we are breaking,鈥� she said. 鈥淏e kinder when you see us around. There鈥檚 a lot going on in our minds and hearts.鈥�
For all those in 蜜桃视频appfor whom the pain of the Lapu Lapu Festival hit deep and was personal, we see you and grieve with you.
Ikinalulungkot namin ang iyong pananakit.
(We are sorry for your pain.)
