As Manitobans prepare to elect municipal and school board officials on October 26, three Filipino-Canadians are among the candidates vying to be school trustees in the Winnipeg School Division (WSD), the province’s largest and oldest school division which comprises nine wards in total.

The three kababayan aspirants are realtor and community advocate Dante Aviso who is running in Ward 5, educator Ann Evangelista for Ward 9, and PHCM President ‘Tita’ Perla Javate who is seeking the Ward 6 seat. Tita Perla pledges to advocate for “inclusive, safe learning environments for all children, regardless of their background or abilities.” She also promised to work for programming, services, and community partnerships.