Filipino-Canadians divided over Mable Elmore-Gabby Kalaw battle in Vancouver-Kensington

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      A showdown between two Filipino-Canadian politicians—and a clash of views within the Filipino community about ethnicity in politics—is on in one of the most multicultural neighbourhoods in Vancouver.

      Gabby Kalaw was acclaimed at a rousing nomination event on Wednesday evening (November 7) as the candidate of the B.C. Liberal Party in Vancouver-Kensington.

      Kalaw will be running in next year’s provincial election against incumbent NDP MLA Mable Elmore, the first politician of Filipino ancestry to be elected a member of the B.C. legislative assembly.

      As the Straight previously reported, Kalaw’s challenge against Elmore is seen by some members of the community as a form of betrayal because of their common ethnicity.

      Former UBC professor Aprodicio Laquian feels “very strongly” opposed to Kalaw’s decision to run.

      “From the point of view of the Filipino community, that doesn’t look very good that another Filipino is targeting a riding where a Filipino is already an incumbent,” the Filipino-Canadian author said in a phone interview last month after the Straight ran a story about Kalaw’s plan.

      Asked if he has that point of view, Laquian responded: “I do. It is really another manifestation of our lack of support for each other. On one hand, we should vote as individuals, without preferences and so on. At the same time, we cannot really forget that we belong to one ethnic group. That is something that is part of our being.”

      David Decolongon, a Filipino-Canadian political-science student at UBC, attended Kalaw’s nomination at the Kensington Community Centre, which attracted people from a variety of ethnic groups.

      Decolongon believes that having two Filipino-Canadians compete for the same constituency is “great”.

      According to him, voters share some common values and those values can be reflected by candidates no matter what their ethnicity is. “It doesn’t have to be a Filipino,” Decolongon told the Straight.

      The young student explained why he wants to get involved in Kalaw’s campaign. “I’ve been looking for ways to get involved with the B.C. Liberals because I’ve always believed in B.C. Liberal values,” Decolongon said. “It’s why my family prospered. My mom owns a travel agency in the neighbourhood. If it wasn’t for an environment where business can prosper, people like my mom would haven’t been successful.”

      Associate UBC professor Leonora Angeles was asked by the Straight in a phone interview last month about Kalaw’s move.

      “Having two candidates of the same ethno-cultural background running from two different parties is an indication of division, fissures, and factions within a particular community,” Angeles, a Filipino-Canadian, said.

      According Angeles, a Kalaw run will only split the vote of the Filipino community.

      In a previous interview, Filipino-Canadian community commentator Ted Alcuitas told the Straight that it’s time for Filipinos to look beyond ethnicity in choosing their representatives.

      “If both candidates are qualified, let the best candidate win,” Alcuitas said about Kalaw and Elmore. “We should not be voting based on ethnicity, without looking at the qualifications of the candidates.”

      But Filipino-Canadian commentator Dave Fernandez has harsh words for Kalaw.

      “Kalaw is a fool. He’s a total fool,” Fernandez told the Straight in a phone interview last month.

      According to Fernandez, Kalaw is making a “terrible mistake” by challenging another Filipino-Canadian.

      But for Ruby Rose Asuncion, having two Filipino-Canadians compete in the same constituency is a “good” thing.

      According to the Filipino-Canadian mortgage professional, this will allow a more informed debate on issues, with voters not having to factor in ethnicity in making their choices.

      “I welcome that challenge,” Asuncion told the Straight at Kalaw’s November 7 event. “It’s going to be a healthy competition.”

      Asuncion also said that Filipino-Canadians should be proud that members of the community are now beginning to step up to the political plate. “All these years, we were spectators. We were never involved,” she said.

      Chinese Canadian accountant Josephine Chan is the president of the B.C. Liberal constituency association in Vancouver-Kensington. According to Chan, the race will be determined by who between Kalaw and Elmore is going to work the hardest in wooing the voters in the neighbourhood.

      Comments

      20 Comments

      Evil Eye

      Nov 9, 2012 at 1:18pm

      Oh joy, two Filipino's are running in the same riding. Watch out for roast pig, sate, spring rolls and oodles of pancit to woo the voters. The riding will be alive with food!

      jarjar

      Nov 9, 2012 at 4:35pm

      merit(s) does play a great role as to who is best qualified to hold a position. yes, may the best person win notwithstanding their ethnicity.

      but affirmative action, though controversial in many areas, is based out of an acknowledgement that there exists a power imbalance in institutions such as education, work place, and the political arena stating that there is not enough participation in civic politics from ethnic communities such as the filipino community. affirmative action suggests that there should be representatives from the filipino community in order to represent and empower filipinos and their interests.

      the situation with kalaw running against a another self-identified filipino, mable elmore, is an exploiter-opportunist scenario: the liberal party as the exploiter and kalaw as the opportunist...

      in the end, the two running against one another reduces the chance of having a representative coming from the filipino community

      mango jack

      Nov 9, 2012 at 5:48pm

      Betcaha Gabby's got more shoes than Mable.

      Filipino Joe.

      Nov 9, 2012 at 9:19pm

      Sad to see a commentator say “Kalaw is a fool”. Unfortunate as only the "mal educado" among Filipino Canadians use gutter language in expressing one's opinion. Kalaw is NOT making a “terrible mistake” by challenging another Filipino-Canadian in representing a riding of multicultural constituency. Ted Alquitas is right...this is all about qualification.
      Check out the educational accomplishments and professional experience of both...then decide who will best represent the multicultural constituency of Vancouver Kensdington.
      This commentator is doing Elmore a disservice because the constituency will now start to think "tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are."

      Indira Singh Fajardo

      Nov 9, 2012 at 10:29pm

      Let not the Filipino Canadians forget that the election in Vancouver Kensington in May 2013 will be decided by the Mainstream constituents, the Chinese, Filipinos, South Asians, Southeast Asian, Latin Americans, Japanese, Blacks, Koreans, West Asians, Arabs and visible minorities.

      The latest BC stats report Chinese Canadian at 52% and Filipino Canadians at 17%.

      Elmore is a sitting MLA. The question will be “what service has she really done for the constituency?”

      Is Kalaw an opportunist? Maybe this is what Kalaw sees as an opportunity for him to offer his kind of service of true representation to all the constituents and not only to Filipino Canadians. Something Elmore has failed to deliver to the entire constituency?

      Math Student

      Nov 9, 2012 at 10:44pm

      Excuse me Jarjar... "in the end, the two running against one another reduces the chance of having a representative coming from the filipino community"?...two minus one is one. The two running against one another ensures the Filipino Canadian community having a representative in the Legislative Assembly. If a non Filipino Canadian ran against Elmore and she lost, that reduces the chance of Filipino community representation. As Politicians say, it is a matter of arithmetic!

      Nestor Yu

      Nov 9, 2012 at 11:03pm

      Thank you Georgia Straight for the article. It will be further appreciated if you educate us, your readers, on the qualifications of the two Filipino Canadian Candidates. Please inform us what Elmore and Kalaw accomplished education-wise (have they completed any Post Secondary education). What University Degree(s) do they have? What did Elmore do before going into politics and what does Kalaw have to offer in terms of professional experience?
      Thank you.

      Independent Juan

      Nov 10, 2012 at 7:39am

      Will someone please remind Dave Fernandez that the NDP have made major headlines with their claim to be totally opposed to negative campaigning... and here is Dave Fernandez, an NDP supporter calling Kalaw a “fool” simply for getting involved in provincial politics?
      If this goes on, I will vote for the Liberals in May 2013.

      Bored

      Nov 10, 2012 at 7:58am

      why do people always have to separate themselves based on their ethnicity? nobody cares. naked we are all the same. so boring this all is.
      people love to create divisions between each other.

      Richard Roe

      Nov 10, 2012 at 8:12am

      “From the point of view of the Filipino community, that doesn’t look very good that another Filipino is targeting a riding where a Filipino is already an incumbent,”

      How can this sort of nonsense be printed?
      From a retired professor?
      They're both human beings---sorry, in Canada we've evolved past tribal identity like "filipino." Please leave that regressive baggage back in the country you left in order to enjoy being Canadian.

      In Canada, we judge politicians on the content of their policies, not their ethnicity.