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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Filipino artists to hold art therapy sessions in Vancouver

Filipino artists to hold art therapy sessions in Vancouver

Published Apr 30, 2025 06:29 am

DAVAO CITY – Filipino artists are set to hold an art therapy workshop for the Filipino community following the attack in which 11 persons were killed during the Lapu-Lapu Heritage Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on April 27. 

LAPU-LAPU PAINTING.jpeg

COMMUNITY mural painting activity during Lapu-Lapu Festival last year. (Contributed photo) 

Bert Monterona, who hails from this city, said the free Art Therapy and Trauma Healing Mural Painting Workshop will kick off on May 17 and will run every Saturday until Aug. 2. 

The workshop, Monterona said, will be co-facilitated by her partner and fellow artist Mylene  Maranoc of Philippine Artists Network for Community Integrative Transformation (PANCIT). 

“Our target participants are the Filipino community, who will also host the activity in a hope to erase the horror impression of the place,” explained Monterona, a seasoned visual artist living in Vancouver. 

An initial 12 to 20 participants will undergo a trainor’s training for at least six sessions, he said.  

Trainors will assist Monterona and Maranoc in the on-site community healing workshop, which will be held at the incident site by July, Monterona said.  

He believes that the process of creation could help the participants in their healing process, especially those who were present when the ramming incident took place.

“If the participants are focused on what they are doing, they would be open to share their traumatic experiences. Because healing is through expressing yourself verbally and art can ignite your silent mode and self-isolation,” the 67-year-old Monterona, who has been holding community workshops since he moved to Canada in 2002.

Among the therapy workshops he had conducted were for Filipino caregivers who suffered emotional crises after they left their families in the Philippines to work in Canada. 

Monterona admitted that they were supposed to attend the heritage festival but they failed to make it to the event because they attended a Filipino class graduation. 

In the Lapu-Lapu Festival last year, Maranoc facilitated a mural community painting activity with the Filipino community.  He was not able to attend the event because he was in the Philippines. 

Monterona is known for his works that depict the plight of indigenous peoples, peace, environmental issues and other social issues. 

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Davao City BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver Canada Filipino artists
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