Benson Flores, first Filipino in Canada

Painting by Reva Diana, Filipina Canadian abstract realist artist based in Calgary, Alberta whose work is a direct reflection of the unique experience of living within a diaspora. Her art is a juxtaposition of beauty and darkness, as she navigates the complexities of imagery from her Philippine culture, Catholic upbringing and experiences growing up as an immigrant in Canada.

I am Teodoro 'Ted' Alcuitas, Editor & Publisher of Philippine Canadian News.Com. We are doing a documentary film : 'Benson Flores: The First Magdaragat', the first Filipino on record to have settled in Canada - in Bowen Island, British Columbia in 1861. He died in 1929 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Vancouver. While Filipinos are known to have arrived in Canada in 1930s, this is disputed with the 'discovery' of Benson Flores by broadcast journalist Joseph Lopez in 2011. A memorial tombstone will be placed on his grave at Mountainview Cemetery in Vancouver with a Celebration of Life on April 13, 2024. We hope to distribute the film thru YouTube and other platforms to help trace any descendants of Benson Flores as he died a bachelor and left no record of any family.