Rosalina Bustamante – a long-serving community leader is gone, and as we mourn her passing at the age of 90, we can’t help but be in awe at the legacy she has left behind. It is a treasure worth celebrating.
When Ros arrived in Canada in 1973, she
took a job at Willard Hall in Toronto and began her life-long connection with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. She would soon be made President, serving in this capacity for 8 years. While working for the Union, Rosalina earned her degree in Masters of Education in Multicultural Studies at the University of Toronto. She then became an elementary school teacher with the Toronto District School Board in 1982, specializing in English as a Second Language, until she retired in 1995.
Ros’ success in professional life is but the icing in the cake, as along with it she had also become a cornerstone in the building of a dynamic, growing Filipino community in the Toronto area. She was driven in her patriotic zeal, and passionate in promoting Filipino culture and heritage. She advocated for kababayans, be it in confronting the social justice issues of the times, empowering them in their settlement and adjustment problems, or sharing her expertise and leadership on behalf of Filipinos. For her efforts she would receive many citations and awards of recognition.
Ros was already an experienced hand when she landed in Canada. She studied and worked at the Manuel L. Quezon University in the Philippines, earning a Bachelor degree in Education and a Masters degree in Guidance and Counselling, then serving for 10 years as Secretary to the Dean, and as Assistant Professor. At work she dealt with the fallout from the political and social ferment affecting the student body of the University. It was this exposure that would eventually temper her sense of justice and activism in the new land.
The young Filipino community in the early 70s faced an entirely different set of integration problems. Ros was among those early concerned compatriots who responded to address the challenges. She did not hesitate to help, personally mentoring and helping fellow newcomers find work, housing, and tutoring for kids, navigating the governmental systems and facilities, like courts, schools, health, etc.
Later, along with like-minded kababayans, she initiated a more serious discussion of the bigger concerns. Here is where I sat down with them, with Ate Ros doing the gentle facilitating. Out of these brainstorming sessions came up community organizing, social and political action awareness and plans. Now the Filipino community was taking on a personality, serving notice that henceforth we are a force to be reckoned with.
It was in 1989 that the Markham Federation of Filipino Canadians was formally organized. Ros was a central figure and one of our Founding Directors. Through the MFFC was embodied the aspirations and ideals that Ros had stood for all those years. MFFC went on to achieve many “first” for Filipinos in Canada, showing the way for other community organizations to follow, many unmatched up to this day. Among many dedicated community leaders like Councillor Alex Chiu, Yolanda Ladines and Tess Cusipag promoting the good image of the Filipino, Ros remained the visionary, the conscience of the group, and the catalyst that kept us bonded and forward looking.
Ros’ sense of community was shared with many other Filipino organizations, among them FilPar, Kababaihang Rizalista, Knights of Rizal, and with Balita Newspaper as its Associate Editor and Columnist. Through her extensive involvement in the social activities of these groups, and her expansive writings on topics of interest to Filipinos, she poured out what seemed to be an endless love and caring for her kababayans.
She was also a Court Interpreter in Toronto for the Filipino language. She served as well with the York Catholic District School Board as a Student Assessor, helping assess students from the Philippines as to their equivalent grade placement in the elementary and high school systems here. Further to her love for writing, she contributed many articles about Filipino Canadians in Polyphony, the publication of Multicultural Society of Ontario.
With her social standing and strong leadership in the community Ros became the perennial voice representing the Filipino community among mainstream civic organizations. She was a volunteer Committee Member or Director in many, such as– the Multicultural Society of Ontario, Catholic Community Services of York Region, Markham Race Relations Committee, Ontario Young Leaders of Tomorrow Program, Catholic Immigration Bureau, and Coalition of Concerned Canadians.
At the time when Chinese Canadians became targets of racism in Markham, Ros served as the representative of the Filipino community in the Advisory Ad-Hoc Committee to seek for solutions to the problem and find ways to move forward in peace and harmony. She was the senior member, and authoritative antiracism resource of the group, contributing invaluable inputs that guided the formation of the Markham Race Relations Committee. The work of the Committee was hailed and adopted as a viable template for other cities in pursuing their diversity and racial harmony programs. For this Markham received an award for its excellence in promoting the cause of Multiculturalism in all of Canada.
For her years of untiring community volunteerism Ros has received many remarkable awards, among them – City of Markham Mayor’s Senior Hall of Fame as one of the first inductees in 1999, Who’s Who of Canadian Women 1999, Outstanding Filipino Canadians Ontario 1996, Markham Multicultural Association for Outstanding Contribution toward the promotion of Racial Harmony in Markham 1992, Province of Ontario 10-Years Volunteerism Award 1992, and Ontario Young Leaders of Tomorrow Program Outstanding Services as Board Member of the Catholic Immigration Bureau 1991.
In Facebook, many touching tributes were posted for Ros. Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti commented: “Rosalina Bustamante was a trailblazer and leader in our Filipino Canadian community. She helped the City of Markham establish the Race Relations Committee and was a founding member of the Markham Federation of Filipino Canadians. She received many honours for her volunteerism and was inducted into our Seniors Hall of Fame in 1999. She was a dear friend and will be greatly missed by many. On behalf of the City of Markham, I offer heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. May she rest in peace.”
Ros’ significant legacy in her strong promotion of Filipino culture and heritage, in her staunch advocacy for the welfare of compatriots, in her work for the advancement of multiculturalism in Canada, in her untiring efforts for peaceful communities and racial harmony, are greatly appreciated and remembered. We are all better in our daily lives today because of the sacrifices of devoted community people like her.
I have learned so much from you Ate Ros in terms of community advocacy and volunteerism, you have mentored me on peaceful conflict resolution and leadership, you have inspired me to be the best I can and to go forth beyond my comfort zone – it has been quite a memorable journey for me under your wings. Rest in eternal peace!