There are approximately more than 80,000 Filipinos in Winnipeg, one of the city’s most visible immigrant communities, according to Statistics Canada.They are known to be amongst the hardworking people to hold multiple jobs compared to those who are non-racialized or Indigenous. Pinoys tend to earn lower wages hence the need for more shifts or extra work.Noel Evangelista, 52, is one of them. He brought his family of five to Winnipeg 15 years ago and has always juggled two to three jobs to support...

Every day at midnight, Tita Mailah Sumaya, 50, gets home from her night shift at Carfair Composites Inc. as a lay-up operator. Her family had gone to bed by then, and she barely sees her son. The next day, she wakes up at 11 a.m. to an empty house (everyone has gone to work and school) — time to prepare for work.Tita Mailah has been an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) for more than 10 years. She has worked for six years in Qatar. She became a permanent resident and settled in Winnipeg after remar...

On Arlington Street, the digital bell of St. Edward the Confessor Church rings, signaling parishioners that the mass is about to begin. Filipino families hurry to find a spot amongst the pews. Some want to sit at the front. There is a belief that the nearer you are to the altar, your prayers will be given more importance and answered quickly by God.Nanay Gregoria Santos’s answered prayer was to be free. Free from her emotionally abusive and cheating husband. He died years ago. She doesn’t bother...

Tita Carolyn Enano cried herself to sleep every night for three months after arriving in Winnipeg on January 2011.She had left her mother back home in the Philippines — one of the people she loves the most. The 46-year-old is one of the 70,000 Filipino immigrants in Winnipeg, many of whom had to make the same difficult choice: leaving their family behind for chance at a better life and opportunities.Tita Carolyn had a stable corporate job in sales in the Philippines before flying to Canada. When...

Louise Nicole Alcala lives with her tito (uncle) and tita (aunt) in Winnipeg. It’s convenient for her as an international student, but it comes with a cost that don’t show up like a bank statement.One of her relatives started acting violent in their home months ago. Alcala ran outside the house for her own safety and dialed 911. The police came three hours later and gave her information where and how she can file a lawsuit.Alcala still loves her relatives, regardless of what happened. She pours...