Her vote is 100 years old, but ours isn’t

In January 1916, the Manitoba legislature approved the bill to make our province the first in Canada to give women the right to vote. This is without a doubt a proud moment in our history as Canadians, as Manitobans, and especially as women. However of those three identities, I am also another. I am also Filipina or, to generalize, I am also racially Asian. So, this got me thinking. Amidst all the celebrations of this important centennial, I am curious to know what this day also means in our multicultural history.

When Nellie McClung and her colleagues appeared at the Walker Theatre in a mock Women’s Parliament in 1914, they represented a disadvantaged portion of Canada’s ruling Anglo-Canadian population. Their call for women’s suffrage was in reaction to their own husband’s, brother’s and father’s chauvinism. Women’s suffrage was about gaining a political voice alongside that of their male and British kin.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/m_V9xIh0pKU?feature=player_embedded

Heritage Minutes: Nellie McClung

(YouTube/Historica Canada)

Under the 1900 Dominion Elections Act, those with a legal right to vote in a provincial election is also legally entitled to vote in a Federal election. The Women’s vote became possible in Manitoba and later Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1916 (as well as BC and Ontario in 1917). However, the Act still formally denied (male and female) minorities such as the Chinese, Japanese, South Asian and Aboriginal peoples this democratic right.

 In British Columbia, where nearly ten percent of the population is represented by Chinese, Japanese, and South Asian-Canadians, this demographic was not only ghettoized and isolated but also restricted in number under immigration law. The Chinese Immigration Act (1885) imposed a hefty $50 head tax on each Chinese arrival. The Gentlemen’s Agreement (Hayashi-Lemieux Agreement, 1908) urged the Japanese government to restrict emigration to Canada to 400 Japanese people per year. Also, the Continuous Journey Regulation (1908) blocked Indian Immigration as the required direct passage from their home country to Canada was impossible. (Dyk 2015)

The numbers of Scandinavian, Jewish, Ukrainian, Polish, Italian and German immigrants already increasing in Winnipeg had other concerns. The Great War and Russia’s “Red Scare” made them a visible threat as newcomers. The General Strike of 1919 culminated with attacks against them for “fomenting radicalism and causing unemployment.” (Palmer 1991, 8-9). Provisions under the 1917 Wartime Elections Act further excluded “enemy aliens” such as Ukrainian and German Canadians the right to vote. (Canadian Immigrant 2011)

Philip Timms, “Sign on wooden sidewalk in 300 block Cambie Street” (190-) Vancouver Public Library VPL 785423

In order for me to celebrate the impact of 100 years of women’s suffrage, I must first reflect on my own identity in terms of gender, nationality and race. If I were alive a century ago, I’m sure this victory would have little significance to me. This news would likely represent a fleeting footnote in my daily struggles as a visible minority. Although the first Filipino-Canadians did not appear in the Canadian census until the 1930s, I have little doubt that my distinguishing Asian features would lump me in with the rest (as it still does in the 21st Century). The truth is that Canadians of Asian Origin were given the right to vote in 1948 (the Japanese in 1949). Notably still, First Nations peoples were only recently extended the right to vote in 1960.(Historica)

So as a woman and a Canadian, I still cheer with the rest of my country. However as I am reminded almost too often, I am still different. I am part of a past where the coloured vote has yet to reach its centennial. It still has a long way to go before a multicultural Canada can truly value and engage all levels of the democratic process.

Bibliography 

Canadian Immigrant. 2011. Voting in Canadian History. May 24. Accessed January 28, 2016. http://canadianimmigrant.ca/community/being-canadian/voting-in-history.

Dyk, Lisa Van. 2015. Canadian Immigration Acts and Legislation. Accessed January 28, 2016. http://www.pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/canadian-immigration-acts-and-legislation. 

Historica. n.d. Aboriginals and the Vote. Accessed January 28, 2016. http://www.histori.ca/voices/page.do?pageID=316. 

—. n.d. Asian-Canadians and the Vote. Accessed January 28, 2016. http://www.histori.ca/voices/page.do?pageID=313. 

Palmer, Howard. 1991. Ethnicity and Politics in Canada Since Confederation. Ottawa: Canadian Historical Association.

Environmental Migrant or Climate Refugee?

Since Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) reached the Philippines a few weeks ago, I’ve received a number of emails from MP Jason Kenney and the Canadian government. I am not quite sure how they were able to get my email, but I assume my name was on their list of Filipino-Canadian voters. In each email (including the one I just shared in my last post), it announces what the Canadian government will do (or has done) to help the Philippines. The problem is that after I read them I get to wondering what exactly it is they are not doing.

The exponential growth of the Filipino-Canadian community in Winnipeg (and all of Canada for that matter) is a bragging point for our government and their stance on immigration. Yes, we are the largest immigrant group in the country to arrive under both permanent resident and work visas. But, when it comes to arriving on compassionate terms what happens to the Filipino refugee? Do you even know of any?
The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees defines refugees as those

owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.

For those displaced by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), it’s difficult to argue that they were persecuted for any of the above reasons. Their only fault really was that they lived near the ocean shore. Although Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board has promised to expedite federal family-class applications from Filipinos affected by the typhoon, there is no mention that this help will also be offered to those without existing applications.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) wants countries to consider offering those people help. The IOM defines “environmental migrants” :

as persons or groups of persons who, for compelling reasons of sudden or progressive changes in the environment that adversely affect their lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their habitual homes, or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad.

Moreover, the Global Governance Project defines “climate refugee” as migrants who are displaced

due to sudden or gradual alterations in the natural environment related to at least one of three impacts of climate change: sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and drought and water scarcity.

Clearly, the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) must fit into either one of these definitions.
Sadly, Canada has yet to adopt either definition.

So, what now?

Attorney Reis Pagtakhan suggests that the Manitoba government get involved. He writes in the Winnipeg Free Press (11/15/2013):

What Manitoba should do is follow what Quebec did after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Quebec set up flexible criteria to allow for some Haitians not covered by federal rules to immigrate to Quebec. Manitoba should work with Canada to create flexible criteria to allow people affected by the typhoon to be fast-tracked to Canada through the provincial nominee program. If individuals have already been approved by Manitoba up to this date, the Canadian government should fast-track these applicants.

It is true that the Provincial Nominee Program allows for Manitobans to provide an “Affidavit or Support” for  in-laws, first-cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as immediate family members (like the Federal family-class). Sure, the Manitoba government can move to include parents and grandparents as part of this list (since the federal government has now limited such applications). There’s just one problem – the Province can nominate all the potential migrants it wants, but in the end it is the Federal government that can issue visas. They’ve already slowed down on that.

We’re back to square one.

If I could only hit “reply” the next time I received an email from Mr. Kenney so that he would listen, I would write him a short curt email to first say “thank you” (I am a polite Canadian after all) and then tell him to do more. Canada must take a hard look at its existing immigration policies to include those victimized by our own environment. It doesn’t matter how our community has grown or what immigration channels it took for us to arrive here. The fact of the matter is that we are a community of families divided. The nature of our changing climate will only serve to make this separation harder.

Further reading:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
International Organisation for Migration
Reis Pagtakhan. “Bring Filipino refugees to Manitoba” WFP 11/15/2013
The Global Governance ProjectUNHCR

Viva San Clemente! : Recreating the Philippine fiesta in Winnipeg

Angono town fiesta in Winnipeg 2013

Members of Winnipeg’s Angono community incorporate the Easter tradition
of the Kapitana and Tinyente into its November town fiesta.

Source: ANAKwinnipeg/ Youtube

November 23 is a special day for the people of my parent’s hometown. It is the day the people of Angono, Rizal celebrate their patron saint, Saint Clement (San Clemente). After 9 days of prayer, the town comes together for a lively, colourful, and musical parade down its historic and narrow streets. Mothers, fathers, children, and grandparents come out to march in the procession or squeeze through crowds to find the best view. People throw water and the marching bands play music. There are cheers and drunken laughter (from those starting the celebration early). It is a lively time in Angono to watch the statue of Saint Clement make its way around the town.



In Winnipeg, this tradition carries on.

The Angono Rizal Association of Winnipeg (ARAW) has hosted the same prayer and celebration for as long as I can remember. Although the celebrations were smaller when I was a kid (think pinatas and potato sack races), it has since gained new energy in recent years. There are a great number of newcomers from Angono who now reside here. They may have come under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program to put their skills to work, but they have also brought a new sense of modernity to our regional celebration. Gone are the days when the elders only spoke Tagalog. Instead, it is a mix of young and old communicating in modes of Tag-lish (Tagalog and English). The divide is no longer as pronounced. During the weekend, we celebrated not only the tradition of our patron saint, but the idea of nostalgia, culture, imagination, and belonging.





Parehadoras (left) and Higantes (right) during the Angono fiesta Source: demortalz.com



The Philippine fiesta is a Catholic tradition brought from the Spaniards in the 1500s. It incorporates Catholic Saints and religious rites. However, one might notice that the celebration is also much more. The imagery of the higantes (paper mache giants) and the parehadoras (female devotees carrying small wooden oars) imply that there are also pre-Catholic traditions that remain. Here, we too celebrate the ocean and its offerings to the people whose livelihood depend on her. In much the way this evolution has taken place, I imagine the same thing is happening here in Winnipeg.

Instead of marching through the streets of Winnipeg (it is winter here by the way), we gather at the local parish hall. We delight in the endless amount of food everyone has contributed towards. We hold 50/50 raffles and silent auctions to finance this gathering. The marching band music is no longer live, but we dance nevertheless to the DJ who plays it. Our higantes resemble some of the members of our own community and our parehadoras are now elderly. We still throw water, but we also hear our mothers scold us in the background. We throw coins at our own Kapitana and Tinyente as they perform the traditional Easter dance (even if it’s not Easter yet). This is the Angono fiesta in Winnipeg.

I hope as I get older I will look back and smile at the ways the traditions have changed over the years. Maybe, I will smile the same way my parents do when they hear a familiar song from the Philippines. I’ll think back and overlook the fact that it wasn’t played in its purest traditional form, but in an adapted way to suit the needs we have – at home away from my imagined Filipino home.

Pista ng Higantes sa Angono, Rizal (Tagalog)

Higantes Festival in Angono, Rizal

Source: PTV PH/ Youtube

Connecting from afar: Giving to Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) survivors

http://www.cbc.ca/video/swf/UberPlayer.swf?state=sharevideo&clipId=2418639841&width=480&height=322

 “Winnipeggers rally to help typhoon-struck Philippines”

  Source: CBC News.15/11/2013 cbcnews.ca

 

Now that this blog has been up and running for the last few years, I can’t help but get a sense of deja vu during this time. It is typhoon season in the Philippines and it seems that its 7,000 islands annually anticipate these vicious storms. In 2012, I remember writing about “Diaspora Giving” in the wake of Typhoon Nesat (Pedring) and Washi (Sendong). It is 2013 and it is time to write about Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). I hope I never have to use the adjective “super” again.

 

I apologize to those expecting a post about my genealogical research (as I had originally planned). I hope to continue with those posts soon. Given the urgency of what has happened in the Philippines (in Leyte, Samar, and Cebu specifically), I want to share this blog to answer questions I’ve received. Winnipeggers want to know how to help.

 

First things first, please donate to registered relief organizations. The Canadian government has promised to match all donations made to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), but only until December 9th. A donation to these organizations will ensure that your help is doubled. I recommend:

 

Canadian Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan Fund

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

World Food Programme

Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders Canada

 

For those who would like to take part in local fundraising events, I offer this sampling:

 

ZUMBA-iyan Relief Fundraiser

in support of the Canadian Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan Fund

Friday, November 22 from 6:30 to 8:30pm at St. Mary’s Academy (550 Wellington)

Tickets are $20 visit eventbrite

 

Tulong Kababayan:

A fundraising event for the Bohol-Cebu Earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda survivors

Saturday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. at Jimel’s International Cuisine (1045 St. James)

Tickets are $10 Contact Rey-Ar 204-956-7845

 

Lastly, for those with family living in the Philippines (like my own), I understand the only consolation we may have for not being with them is to offer them direct remittances.

 

There are a vast number of remittance centres that have sprung up in the city. I’m not talking Western Union, but family owned businesses that run Philippine franchises like iRemit, Instant Money Solutions, and LBC among others. It is a sign of the the growing Filipino-Canadian population in the city. I remember growing up in the 1980s and learning about remittances only when a friend or relative was returning to the Philippines. At that time, financial support was often offered in an envelope wrapped in a letter perhaps with some photographs. Times have certainly changed with the digitization of just about everything.

 

One can offer financial support with a click of a mouse at his/her desktop or even a text from his/her mobile phone. We can turn on the TV and watch Philippine news as it unfolds live. We can talk in “face time” and never have to wait for telephone connections to clear up like we did then. I’m grateful for all of these opportunities to connect more closely than ever before.

 

Lately, I’ve left my TV tuned in 24/7 to the Filipino channels our local cable company has offered for free (Thank you Shaw!). I’m usually too busy to sit down and watch, but the ambient noise it creates throughout the house makes me feel so close and so far from the Philippines at the same time. I’m reminded that I love hearing the different intonations of Tagalog and the vocabulary that is constantly changing. I’ve also come to love watching my dad laugh during those corny variety shows at jokes I don’t quite understand. But, I can’t say I enjoy feeling the overwhelming sense of guilt I feel when I watch the news. The images of constant devastation forces me to think about the life I left behind some years ago as a human rights intern. I can only hope my friends and colleagues are ok. I miss them dearly.

Thank you to everyone who has kept the Philippines in their thoughts and well-wishes. I only wish I knew how to do more.

 

 

 

 







 

 

 

 

 



Tacloban: The latest victim of climate change?

Philippine delegate Yeb Sano at the 2013 UN Climate Change Conference

(Source: Rob Harbinson/YouTube)

Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) reached the Philippines on Friday, November 8. This super typhoon has affected over 9 million people rendering hundreds of thousands either homeless or dead. Winnipeg local news have broadcasted efforts from the community to raise funds for relief efforts. But, is it enough? Can we donate to help rebuild Tacloban as it once was with the confidence in knowing that super storms like this won’t strike again? I want to encourage us to think beyond emergency relief and consider our role in shaping climate change.


Typhoons are nothing new to the Philippines. Over 20 such storms have already hit the islands this year. The strength of Typhoon Haiyan however has never been seen. Proponents of climate change argue that warmer oceans means stronger storms. Haiyan happened to harness this energy to build 300 miles wide (about the entire north-south distance of the continental United States) to hit Tacloban and surrounding Visayan islands at its peak intensity. We can see from the media that there isn’t much left. Here, our hearts bleed at the images.

On November 11, Naderev “Yeb” Sano, stood before 190 delegates in Warsaw at the UN Climate Change Conference to make an emboldened plea on behalf of his “countrymen.” A resident of Tacloban, he shared in the horror of losing communication with his family while at the conference. He also shared how his brother survived and is now helping in efforts to bury the numerous dead. Fighting back tears, he stated:

In solidarity with my countrymen who are struggling to find food back home … I will now commence a voluntary fasting for the climate… This means I will voluntarily refrain from eating food during this (conference) until a meaningful outcome is in sight.

His statement touched me. It brought me to feel his pain and guilt. There are thousands of us here in Winnipeg preparing our homes for the upcoming harsh winter. We have running water, heat, and food. Many among us have cars (some are likely to be SUVs) and countless electronic gadgets. We watch the news and shake our heads. We want to help so we dig into our wallets. But, we don’t question why. Why did Haiayan become a super typhoon? Is this the new normal?

Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development announced that the federal government is prepared to  match funds raised as well as donate $5 million towards Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts. In Manitoba, Premier Greg Selinger has also pledged $100 thousand towards the same cause. As a community we are grateful. However, as a member of the same planet, we should think to do more. Let’s ask our governments what climate change means to them. Let’s ask ourselves what our own carbon footprint looks like.

I am hardly an expert on climate change. I only fear that there are more Taclobans out there if we don’t shift our thinking.

Sources:

BBC News. 11/11/13 “Typhoon prompts ‘fast’ by Philippines climate delegate,” News Asia (cited 11/11/13).

BBC News. 11/11/13 “Why was Typhoon Haiyan so fierce?” News Asia (cited 11/11/13).

Government of Canada. 11/10/13 “Canada launches matching fund to help those impacted by Typhoon Haiyan,” Foreign Affairs Trade and Development Canada (cited 11/11/13).

Province of Manitoba. 11/9/13 “Province pledges $100,000 in response to Typhoon Haiyan” (cited 11/11/13).

Washington Post. 11/11/13 “Tearful plea from Philippines delegate as typhoon overshadows opening of UN climate talks,” In the News (cited 11/11/13).

What’s in a name?

A copy of the Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos (source http://carcarfamilies.wordpress.com)

Growing up, there were a number of stories my father told me about our family tree. His stories always started somewhere in the middle with little context or introduction. Much of the time, I thought it was my dad telling another story of his factual or fictional old days. One of the stories he told me was how his great-grandfather chose the surname of Tolentino from a giant chalkboard. I always listened, but I didn’t quite understand what he meant.

There are a number of surnames that appear on my family tree. Filipino genealogy is traced in a bi-linear fashion to reflect both the mother and father’s families. On my mother’s side, I am aware that we are Ubaldo, Mendiola, and Alejandro. On my father’s side, my father’s stories share that we are Bautista, Fuentes, and Tolentino. Through my parent’s narratives, I can only trace as far back as my great-grandparents. Anything beyond their generation becomes a bit hazy. I want to trace the exact branches that link my family throughout the Philippines and beyond. But, where do I start?

In my research, I came across the article “Origination and Proliferation of Names: Genealogy making for family history” by Michael Vincent P. Caleres. The article is strictly written within the Philippine context. So, it was a delight to find. I had tried all the mainstream online searches (for example, ancestry.com), but with little results. I believe those sites are best for settler communities with at least four generations found in Canada, the United States, or the United Kingdom. Finding a search engine that reveals documents from Asia are particularly difficult to locate (if they exist at all).

Caleres’ article offers an introduction to Filipino surnames in both its’ evolution and history. He credits the surname as a marker to not only the family’s history, but that of the country’s as well (p.233). Some surnames in the Philippines are a mixture of “mythology, oral tradition, and fiction” that describe links to gods and achievements. They however serve a more practical purpose at the local level. He argues that surnames also help prevent blood related marriages and clearly define legal inheritances (p.237). Moreover, he demonstrates how genealogical charts are created with an analysis of Jose Rizal (the Philippines’ national hero) and Jesus’ family tree. I will leave the latter analysis out of this blog post and concentrate on the actual resources he describes for aspiring genealogists.

Unbeknownst to me, there are a number of resources in the Philippines that concentrate on genealogical research. I had assumed that this type of information would be limited to Catholic church records (baptisms, marriages, funerals) and government registrars (land titles, school records, medical records). However, the Family History Centre, National Archives of the Philippines, Iglesia Filipina Independente, and the Palacio Arzobispado are also listed as worthy places to visit. I unfortunately will be unable to fly to the Philippines anytime soon. However, Caleres offers more information that may aid my research while I am in Winnipeg.

On November 21, 1849, Governor General Narcisco Claveria y Zaldua issued a decree that ordered all natives of the Philippines to receive a Spanish surname. The Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos was used by officials in every town found on the colony. Surnames were either chosen or assigned to families. He lists the actual decrees in the article. I was particularly interested to learn that families were also given the opportunity to retain original family names gained through intermarriage between locals and the Spaniards or Chinese. Surnames that were inherited were also retained. For example, Islamic communities found in the southern Philippines were able to retain their titles to reflect their royal lineage. The surname Dela Cruz (of the cross) is particularly interesting. Caleres argues that this surname reflects a time when early indigenous Filipinos marked their name on official documents with an “x”. I found the history of the Catologo fascinating because it substantiated my dad’s story.  I can imagine somewhere long ago my great grandfather lining up to choose the name of Tolentino from a giant list of Spanish surnames.

Moving forward, there are a number of archives and catalogs I can try to search online. The Catalogo would indeed be something worth reading (if not for just plain fun). As I draw up my family tree, I see pieces of clues scattered everywhere. I’m hoping the fun part will be putting it all together.

Source:
Caleres, Michael Vincent P. “Origination and Proliferation of Names: Genealogy Making for Family History,” CHED Accredited Research Journal 6.2 (December 2010): 233-252.

A Universal Health Care System without the ‘Foreign’ Doctor? (c.1957-1967)

Filipino physicians and nurses arrived in Canada towards the latter end of the 1950s. Many arrived in transit from the United States (US) as participants of the Exchange Visitors Program. The program required participants to leave the US before renewing their visa to return. There is ample research that attests to this experience (Choy, Stevens et al.). However, there is little (if any at all) scholarship that speaks to the experience of direct physician recruits from the Philippines.

We were honoured to have interviewed Dr. Belmonte, a direct physician recruit to Sudbury, Ontario in 1956. He later relocated to Winnipeg in 1962 with his young family and worked as an Anaesthetist in St. Boniface, Children’s, Grace, Winnipeg General and Victoria Hospitals. He described his life in Camarines Sur during the Pacific War and later his education at the esteemed University of Santo Tomas medical school, before sharing his throughts on the debate over medicare during his early days in Canada. He shares:

I think they were right too because when I was doing my internship I can see people with no coverage. They just leave there with no doctor, you know? It’s too bad that time if you are not covered by medicare.. Most of them can’t afford so Tommy Douglas started all those medicare.

There it was. An important Canadian experience from a new Canadian – A Filipino-Canadian. So, what can we gather about the role Filipino-Canadian physicians played?

Historians Sasha Mullaly and David Wright provide a vital clue to our investigation. They argue Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) played a vital role in implementing the early stages of universal healthcare during the post-war period. FMGs filled a growing demand for doctors that local medical graduates could not fill alone. They state, “of the 826 new licensees between 1950 and 1958, almost 50% (404) went to newcomers trained in foreign schools” (Mullaly et al., p.72). In 1961, the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that between the period 1953 to 1960, Canada received 3370 FMGs (Clarkson, pp.1162-1164). The characteristics of these arrivals were, for the vast majority, British Medical Graduate who gained licensure with relative ease in comparison to other foreign medical graduates.

I continue to search for the official number of Filipinos who arrived in Canada as direct recruits during the post-war era. I have come to learn that remarkably, no official system to recruit doctors abroad actually took place. As Dr. Belmonte will attest, advertisements in medical journals and word-of-mouth information was the common method of recruitment (Wright, et al. pp.26-27). However, I am confident Dr. Belmonte’s experience is shared by at least a dozen other Filipino physicians during the post-war period. The obituary of Dr. Honesto Hernando in 2000 reveals he and 11 others were also direct recruits from the Philippines. Dr. Hernando practiced in The Pas in 1962 (see Hache, p. B07). However large or small this figure is (and whether we can find it or not) I feel their impact to Canada’s healthcare system deserves further investigation. This history adds a new dimension to the very system that defines us as Canadians.

Please view the above video from the Canadian Museum of Civilization to gain an overview of Canadian medicare and their exhibit.



Note:
‘International Medical Graduates (IMGs)’ is the contemporary term used by recent scholars. The author used ‘FMG’ in this blog to remain consistent with the terms used by the sources listed below.

Video:
Canadian Museum of Civilization. Making Medicare: The History of Health Care in Canada, 1914–2007 (Viewed 4 Feb. 2011 on You Tube)

Suggested Readings:
Rosemary Stevens, Louis Wolf Goodman, Stephen S. Mick. The Alien Doctors: Foreign Medical Graduates in American Hospitals. New York: John Wiley and Sons. 1978
Catherine Ceniza Choy. Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History. Durham and London: Duke University Press. 2003.

Sources:
Monica De Castro, Darlyne Bautista. Interview with Dr. Jose Belmonte (2009) ANAK Oral History Project
Guy C. Clarkson. “Future Requirements for Physicians in Canada,” CMAJ 85 (18 Nov. 1961): 1162-1169.
Sasha Mullaly and David Wright. “La Grand Seduction? The Immigration of Foreign-Trained Physicians to Canada, c. 1955-1975,” Journal of Canadian Studies 41.3 (2007): 67-89.
Trevor Hache. “Honesto Hernando loved family, patients; One of the first Filipino MDs to work in Canada,” Toronto Star (25 Aug. 2000) p.B07.
David Wright et al. “Worse than being married’: The exodus of British Doctors from the National Health Service to Canada, c.1955-75,” Journal of History of Medicine and the Allied Sciences. p.5.