Ted Alcuitas is a Filipino Canadian journalist and opinion writer who follows closely the political goings-on in his community.

A former publisher himself of a local paper, Alcuitas is the go-to person when one wants details of what’s happening in the Filipino Canadian community not only in Vancouver but across Canada as well.

He recently talked to the Straight to correct one bit of misinformation he has read in media coverage about the nomination of Filipino Canadian political novice Rafael “RJ” Aquino as a candidate for council by the Coalition of Progressive Electors.

According to Alcuitas, a number of stories, not in the Straight he correctly pointed out, refer to Aquino as the first Filipino Canadian candidate for council of COPE.

Not accurate, said the well-spoken journalist who has a reputation in the community of being fiercely independent minded and an advocate of the less privileged.

Alcuitas recalled that in the 1993 civic election, a young Filipino Canadian woman by the name of Maita Santiago ran for council on the COPE slate.

Santiago didn’t find victory in the election that saw people like Jenny Kwan and Sam Sullivan win seats on council.

Kwan eventually ran for MLA in 1996 and won. She has been reelected thrice as the NDP’s representative for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.

Sullivan became Vancouver mayor in 2005.

Meanwhile, Santiago is currently the constituency assistant to Vancouver-Kensington MLA Mable Elmore.