By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer
Lapu-Lapu Day — a day to celebrate resistance — traces its roots to when Datu Lapu-Lapu defeated Spanish colonial rule during the 1521 Battle of Mactan in the Philippines. Since 2023, Vancouver has held a festival honouring Lapu-Lapu, which serves as a vessel to bring the community closer, through music, food, and stories.
The 2025 Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy was devastating; however, the Filipino community’s resilience, care for one another, and strive towards collective healing is emblematic of the day’s significance.
Local musicians Chanel Barcelon and Helen Dejene, both members of the Filipino community, attended the festival. The Peak spoke with them about using music as an outlet for grief.
Helen Dejene
The significance of the day drew Dejene to attend the festival. Lapu-Lapu was a hero fighting against Spanish colonization, an aspect that resonated with Dejene. It was a celebration of her community, an acknowledgement of the fight towards liberation.
From children to grandparents, “everybody was just there wanting to turn up and celebrate the culture, celebrate being Filipino. Because, for a lot of us, [there isn’t an event like this] on a grand scale.
“I left five minutes before the tragedy struck. I was with my cousin, but we had seen a lot of our friends that were there.” Dejene’s first reaction was to call everyone to ensure their safety. “I could feel in my heart that I would not be the same since that Saturday.”
Prior to the tragedy, the festival was a joyous occasion. Dejene felt validated seeing all the Filipino representation at the event. Being a musician herself, the role of art and music has been prevalent throughout her life. The environment surrounding her at the festival was lively, and the excitement of seeing headliners made the experience feel more grand. Dejene expressed deep appreciation for the two Black-Eyed Peas stars Apl.de.Ap and J.Rey Soul. “Whether people realize it or not, [they] were probably one of the biggest Filipino representations out there, starting from the early ‘90s, going into the 2000s.
“Music is there for you. It’s an outlet for me and for so many. I’ve already been seeing so many musicians writing songs about what happened.” Dejene shared she’d admired seeing her community come together and express their grief and tribute those lost to the tragedy through song and poetry. “You do have to write lyrics. But sometimes it’s easier to just put it in a melody, attaching lyrics to a melody than to explain it to a person.”
We are all grieving as one and we will all move forward as one.
Dejene shared she felt proud of her community’s resilience. “We are all grieving as one and we will all move forward as one.”
Chanel Barcelon
Barcelon brought her friends to the festival, who were not of Filipino descent, to share her culture with those she was close with. The festival felt like home to her. From eating Filipino barbeque to enjoying taho, a street food she remembers fondly as “soft tofu, a brown sugar syrup and then sago,” Barcelon was transported to her homeland.
“I felt bad that I brought my friends who I wanted to celebrate my culture with,” expressed Barcelon. “A risk of harm is not something that I had in mind. I wanted it to be like showing them a piece of my heritage.
“I was feeling a little guilty, that I was mourning and grieving, even though I didn’t witness the traumatic event.” It wasn’t till the next day when she attended the vigil that the reality of the situation manifested. “I was a little anxious because I was like, this is like where it happens. What if something happens again, and I’m putting myself at risk?”
To grieve with the community, not just fellow Filipinos, but also friends, became important in Barcelon’s healing process. She went to a counsellor for support, someone who offered his time freely to those affected by the tragedy, “I’m lucky enough to have a resource that was free,” said Barcelon. A safe space free of judgment allowed Barcelon to process her emotions. “There’s something called pendulation in therapy, [in which you sway] between good moments and the grief.” This process can help alleviate the feeling of being stuck in one constant low. It allows a person to authentically feel a range of emotions, instead of leaving certain feelings undealt.
Along with therapy, Barcelon also surrounded herself with communal activities. From working out with her roommate, to embracing spirituality with others. “To cope, I prayed a lot. We went to church and I haven’t gone to church in many years. We lit candles at home, at the vigil, and brought flowers. I wrote a song to process my own grief.”
Barcelon knew she wanted to write music as it has been an outlet for her. She has “leaned on [it] in the past for things like anger, sadness, trying to process things that have happened.” Barcelon performed her song at a vigil that took place in Minoru, Richmond.
Writing music wasn’t just an outlet but also a learning experience. “I learned a word like kapwa, which is the word for interconnectedness.” The experience of being around a community was woven into Barcelon’s song as the community “think of each other as family, we call each other tita, tito (aunt and uncle), kuya, ate (brother and sister).” Barcelon’s song was a prayer for those who were affected by the tragedy. Processing emotions is one part of the journey, but to articulate that grief is also another battle within itself. “At the time I didn’t really have words to express what I was feeling, so I just posted the song.” Knowing others resonated with it brought comfort to Barcelon.
