How Paolo Oliveros, a Filipino media personality, is highlighting the Asian LGBTQ community
Oliveros is co-publisher, writer for a Filipino community-based digital and print newspaper
May is Asian Heritage Month. To celebrate, CBC Calgary is highlighting the rich heritage and contributions of Asian Calgarians through a series of 10 profiles throughout the month. We welcomed nominations of diverse individuals with different goals and interests, and a common commitment to giving back to the community. Through an internal voting process, CBC Calgary staff selected the Asian Changemakers for 2022 and asked them each to write a self-profile. Here is the latest, from Paolo Oliveros:
I am a co-publisher and writer for Mabuhay Calgary, a Filipino community-based digital and print newspaper. I am also the creator and one of the hosts of Ladlad (Coming Out), a digital show that was created for and by Filipino Canadian LGBTQ communities. I have been volunteering for a lot of community initiatives like the annual Fiesta Filipino cultural festival since 2015. Apart from emceeing the festival, I also volunteered as the project coordinator for an outreach program that assisted temporary foreign workers affected by COVID-19.
I identify as Filipino. I was born and raised in the Philippines and migrated with my family to Canada in 2009.
I believe that I am an effective storyteller. As a co-publisher and writer of the community paper, I had the amazing opportunity of telling the stories of struggles and triumphs of many Filipino immigrants in Calgary. We also brought relevant news and information to our community. It has been a medium for me to promote my culture and heritage through writing.
That being said, I am most proud of my work in the Filipino Canadian LGBTQ community. We were able to put together a safe space and platform for Filipino LGBTQ to share their stories and journey and to help Filipinos understand gender identity and expression. The show is called Ladlad, (Filipino slang for coming out) and is aired on multiple online platforms. We invite Filipino Canadian LGBTQ from different generations to talk about their experiences. Although we have made progress with LGBTQ representation in the media, I feel like there is still a lack of Asian representation. Since we come from different backgrounds and cultures, we have unique stories that only we can tell.
I am very proud of my deep-rooted Filipino heritage. There is a Filipino philosophical term called Bayanihan, which means 'spirit of communal unity', ensuring that nobody in our community is left behind. Bayanihan is the driving force in helping build my own community.
A good example of this was in 2013 when one of the deadliest and most destructive typhoons hit the Philippines, and the whole Asian community in Calgary did not hesitate to come together and help. I co-chaired a fundraiser telethon for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, where we raised $75,000 in relief funds.
Make sure that you assert your voice and claim your space. It all starts with being visible. Keep telling our stories and sharing our culture. The more visible we are, the stronger our community becomes.- Paolo Oliveros
I also take so much pride in how vibrant my culture and heritage are. I would say Filipinos have one of the most colourful and lively cultures, and I have been fortunate enough to be one of the hosts/emcees of Fiesta Filipino. It's a multicultural festival that showcases Filipino culture, art and food. The festival happens every Labour Day weekend at Olympic Plaza in downtown Calgary.
My Asian upbringing taught me hard work. Like most Filipino families that immigrated to a foreign land, my family struggled. But my Filipino upbringing always reminded me of the power of resilience during tough times. The Philippines is also a melting-pot of different Asian and western cultures. I have learned through my heritage to respect and celebrate multiculturalism.
All of these values in return teach me to be proud of who I am. I hope through our show, we are able to encourage other Asians to be proud of who they are.
I would love to see more Asian LGBTQ representation in the government and in other institutions. It is time for us to be more involved in policy making, which directly affects our way of living.
I would say I have two strong female mentors in my life. First is my mother, Corazon. She taught me how to be selfless. Second is Vangie Caoile, a Filipino community leader who taught me that community comes first. She showed me the importance of community building and how our every action affects other people's lives.
I draw so much inspiration from my mother. She came to Canada and started working as a nanny. In the Philippines, she was a licensed nutritionist, so she wanted to aim higher. Even though she was struggling financially, she decided to study as a nursing care aide at the age of 60. There were days she would walk about 15 kilometres to get to school because she didn't have bus fare. All this was just to make sure that her family is taken care of. At the present moment, she is 67 and still works as a resident care aide.
We need to continue to create platforms for our community and that is why this recognition is so important, not just for me, but for my community. We need to continue to create art that promotes who we are and what we stand for. We need to continue to write about our communities and how we positively contribute to our city, province and country.