Reconnect.

The Le family were there to reconnect. I don't know the exact reasons they were there but they wanted to connect with the Filipino community. That's the whole point. Go to Lapu Lapu day and immerse yourself in Filipino culture. Filipinos everywhere. I'm sure they were aware of that.

Vietnamese and Filipinos are arguably the same people. Both Southeast Asians. Both share the same Austronesian heritage (Chams). Both were invariably colonized by a European power. There are Catholic Vietnamese. There are Filipino Buddhists.

Were they there to immerse in Filipino culture? I wonder. It would have been nice to know. But. They were robbed of that immersion.

Lapu Lapu Day in Vancouver will forever be associated with this tragedy. The reconnection, immersion in Filipino culture has forever been stolen from us.