Vancouver MLA urges release of funds from $2-million Lapu Lapu victim donations | Daily Hive

One-year after tragedy, Vancouver's Lapu Lapu Day festival victims' families still waiting for support from over $2 million raised through donations

Protest by families of victims and survivors at Filipino BC's Lapu Lapu Day Festival on April 19, 2026 at Vancouver's Italian Cultural Centre. (Mable Elmore)

One year ago this Sunday, April 26, a troubled man behind the wheel of a vehicle drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day festival in South Vancouver, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more.

In the aftermath of what authorities described as the darkest day in the city’s history, the public and business community in British Columbia responded swiftly. In the weeks and months following the tragedy, millions of dollars were donated. Some funds were raised through crowdfunding campaigns that were entirely directly received by families of those killed and injured, while a very significant portion flowed through charities and non-profit organizations.

However, as the months passed, a growing number of those most affected — including families and friends of the deceased, as well as individuals living with life-altering injuries — began speaking out. Many shared that they continue to struggle and have yet to receive any funds from the significant Kapwa Strong Fund — established by United Way BC — to cover growing bills, loss of income from not being able to work, and other enormous hardships over the long term.

You might also like:

As even more time passed, families of the deceased and other victims had grown increasingly close, united by their shared tragedy. In speaking with one another, they came to realize that the funds they had each collectively received — only during the immediate aftermath of the incident — fell far short of the total amount raised through the Kapwa Strong Fund.

These concerns came to an in-person head this past weekend.

Filipino BC, the non-profit organization behind last year’s tragic event, held a much smaller Lapu Lapu Day festival in the parking lot of Vancouver’s Italian Cultural Centre, attracting a very small attendance. During the event, survivors and family members staged a disruptive protest, arguing that a community celebration was premature. But above all, they called for greater accountability and transparency regarding the distribution of donations, particularly those received by Filipino BC, which was by far the largest recipient of funds in the wake of the tragedy.

Those who joined the protest included Mable Elmore, the MLA for Vancouver-Kensington, and a prominent member of the local Filipino community. Her constituency office is located a few blocks from the site of the incident.

Request to “show compassion and respond favourably” by releasing any “unspent” funds from donations

Today, Elmore publicly shared she is calling on the organizations that received Lapu Lapu donations to turn over all unspent funds so that these resources can be redirected to support survivors and families of victims. She said that earlier this week, she wrote to United Way BC CEO and president Michael McKnight, the charity’s board chair Nicolas Jimenez (who is also the president and CEO of BC Ferries), and the charity’s senior leadership and board of directors to assist in the process of the “repatriation of unspent funds.”

“Survivors and families of those whose lives were taken continue to bear the weight of their loss. They need all the help we can give in their healing,” said Elmore.

“I am confident that with your suggestion, groups that received part of the Kapwa Strong Fund will show compassion and respond favourably.”

Today, survivors and families of victims of the #Vancouver festival tragedy delivered a powerful message to Filipino BC at the group’s 2026 Lapu-Lapu festival: #transparency and #accountability and #respect matter. pic.twitter.com/zqgCI7qUQG

— Mable Elmore (@mableelmore) April 19, 2026

According to Elmore’s provided account, United Way BC’s Kapwa Strong Fund raised over $2 million.

Filipino BC received $501,570, including $451,570 directly to the organization that staged the deadly event, and $50,000 from the remaining pool of $1,574,556 that was distributed to 37 organizations, including more than a dozen groups that are directly related to the Filipino community. The balance of the groups was other general arts and culture entities, health and wellness-related organizations, groups operating community facilities in other parts of the city, groups representing other ethnic groups, and even at least one Indigenous organization. (Note: A full list of the 37 organizations and their allocated amounts is provided towards the end of this article.)

Daily Hive has reached out to United Way BC and Filipino BC for comment.

Around the world, it is commonly assumed that donations received in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy are typically directed entirely to supporting the injured and the families of those who lost their lives.

That raised money, 100 per cent, directly goes to them. That is the universal expectation for the sheer amount of goodwill.

Later that fateful spring, the City of Vancouver planned a formal memorial event for June 2025, securing Vancouver Canucks’ home venue, Rogers Arena, at no cost. The event was intended not only to honour the victims but also to serve as a major direct fundraising opportunity for the injured and the families of those who lost their lives. However, Filipino BC strongly vocalized its opposition to the memorial event, citing that it was not consulted, which ultimately led the City to cancel it.

Nearly a year later, no formal memorial event has been held — an outcome that contrasts with how communities around the world typically respond to such tragedies.

Families of the dead ask where the money went

In an early April 2026 letter to Filipino BC and organization chair RJ Aquino, Maisug-Vancouver organizer Sandra Gumboc — who says she was involved in the initial outpouring of fundraising efforts — alleged that “all the community has seen from Filipino BC is that significant portions of those funds were directed toward programs such as public park healing circles, art therapy, a basketball court project, and other workshops that do not provide direct, tangible support to those most affected — the victims and their families.”

Gumboc shared some concerning examples, such as one victim’s family only receiving $1,300 in total support, while another family saw just $800 from Filipino BC.

“These amounts are a stark and shameful contrast from the figures you boasted to have received, and they are deeply inconsistent with what the public was led to believe their donations were meant to support,” wrote Gumboc.

She also accused Filipino BC of being highly dismissive and unresponsive to their concerns and requests to provide clear, detailed information, and asserted that the trust between many local Filipino Canadian residents and the province’s largest and most prominent Filipino community organization is now effectively broken.

Gumboc questioned whether Filipino BC used any of the donations to help pay for their staffing.

“Many in the community have noted the number of individuals represented to be in staff and leadership roles, and there are concerns being raised that victim funds are being used to pay Filipino BC rather than going to victims,” she continued.

“You raised funds in connection with this tragedy and represented that those funds would benefit the victims. The public deserves a clear and direct answer from you. Failing to address these basic questions, and instead pointing fingers elsewhere, deepens our concern and avoids accountability.”

In another letter earlier this month to Filipino BC and Aquino, Alejandro Samper described the devastating loss of his entire family — his father, Daniel; mother, Glitza Maria; and sister, Glitza Daniela.

“Many donors, including individuals, small businesses, and community groups, gave to the Kapwa Strong Fund and also directly to Filipino BC during a time of grief and urgency. The common understanding was that these funds would go directly to victims. I also note that a number of questions previously raised by former directors, community members, and affected individuals regarding funds related to the Lapu-Lapu tragedy remain unanswered. Responses to date appear to avoid direct and complete answers to straightforward questions,” wrote Samper.

“This has created a growing sense within the community that concerns are being deflected rather than addressed. This undermines trust, especially given the sensitive and emotional context in which these funds were raised.”

In a March 2026 letter to Filipino BC and Aquino, Blaine Redlac shared that he, too, suffered profound personal loss, as his fiancée Jendhel (May Sico) and his friend Glitza (Daniela Samper) were among those who died on April 26, 2025.

“I formally request clear and complete financial transparency regarding funds received and managed by Filipino BC, especially funds donated for the benefit of victims of the festival tragedy and related community support efforts,” wrote Redlac, who stated that the organization has not clearly responded to the fact-finding requests made by four Filipino BC board of directors in late 2025. He also questioned Filipino BC’s staff hiring practices.

“At a minimum, I believe that individuals, families, businesses, and community organizations that donated funds deserve clear and direct answers. These donations were given in good faith, with the expectation that funds would be used responsibly, ethically, and in line with the stated purposes,” continued Redlac.

Furthermore, they suggested that if Filipino BC had the funds — and the fundraising capacity — to stage its Lapu Lapu Festival event this past weekend, those resources should instead have been directed toward a memorial event and support for the victims.

Here is Elmore’s breakdown of how $1,574,556 — roughly three-quarters of what was raised by United Way BC’s Kapwa Strong Fund — was distributed to 37 organizations:

Alliance Philippines Cultural Heritage Association – $50,000
Amici Curiae Friendship Society – $50,000
Association for Neighbourhood Houses – Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House – $20,000
Association for Neighbourhood Houses – South Vancouver Neighbourhood House – $49,483.12
Bandits Community Foundation – $30,000
Bibak Organization of British Columbia – $25,000
British Columbia Bereavement Helpline – $25,000
Dance West Network – $25,000
Filipino BC (Filipino Canadian Community & Cultural Society of British Columbia) – $50,000 (plus $451,570 from the remaining balance of United Way BC’s Kapwa Strong Fund for a total of $501,570 from the same charity and program to Filipino BC)
Formative Motion Society – $25,000
Gallery Gachet Society – $3,189.54
GJ Multicultural Services Society – $65,000
H.I.M. Health Initiative for Men’s Society – $25,000
Himig Kabataan Cultural Society – $25,000
Indigenous Wellness Training Society – $50,000
Kathara Pilipino Indigenous Arts Collective Society – $25,000
KCH Collective Society – $25,000
Latincouver Cultural & Business Society – $55,000
Mabuhay House Society – $75,000
Maple Bamboo Network Society – $15,000
Migrante BC – Filipino Society – $25,000
Moving Forward Family Services – $25,000
Multicultural Helping House Society – $25,000
National Pilipino Canadian Cultural Centre Society – $25,000
Philippine Cultural Arts Society of BC – $20,800
Philippine Nurses Association, British Columbia, Canada – $25,000
PNA Philippine Nurses Association – $50,000
Pinoy Pride Vancouver Society – $25,000
REACH Community Health Centre Association – $12,370
Sher Vancouver LGBTQ Friends Society – $75,000
St. John Society – $22,800
The Landing Youth Centre Foundation – $49,955.27
The Little Mountain Neighbourhood House Society – $50,000
United Filipino Canadian Associations in BC – $165,000
University of the Philippines Alumni Association in British Columbia – $10,000
Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art – $25,000
VS. Creative Society – $25,000

In February 2026, Filipino BC announced it had partnered with local developer Hungerford Properties to pursue the construction of a Filipino Community and Cultural Centre — a redevelopment of a car dealership into a major mixed-use development immediately east of SkyTrain’s Marine Drive Station and the Marine Gateway complex in South Vancouver.

Their proposed development has yet to be unveiled, but it would compete with proponents for a separate mixed-use hotel and Filipino cultural centre proposal on Main Street in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. However, both concepts would vie for the same pool of federal and provincial funding, which will support only one project as the province’s designated Filipino cultural centre.

You might also like: