Back-To-Back Premiere of Mangarap Ka: Forced to Let Go and Devotion, the Story of Tina and Marivic

12 March 2018 TORONTO — Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila P. Garcia accompanied by Philippine Consulate General in Toronto’s Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez and Cultural Officer Cecilia Santos, attended the back-to-back premiere and screening of Mangarap Ka: Forced to Let Go (The Story of Tina), and Devotion (The Story of Marivic) at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

Mangarap Ka, produced by Ms. Judith Gonzales and Ms. Ophelia and Paul Valdez of Pinoy Dreams Media International, in collaboration with Net Global Television, Inc., is the first drama series in Toronto which is written and produced by caregivers, with many members of the cast and crew coming from the Filipino caregiver community.  The series is based on the true stories of Filipino caregivers in Canada and their struggles and sacrifices in the hope of building a better life for themselves and their families. 

Forced to Let Go is the story of Tina and her foreign husband, Kivan, who were separated due to immigration problems of the latter.  Devotion, on the other hand, shows the triumph of Filipina caregiver, Marivic, in bringing her family over to Canada, despite challenges encountered due to her daughter who has cerebral palsy.

The brains behind the two stories of the Mangarap Ka series is Ms. Analyn Aryo, a caregiver turned author/playwright, turned screenwriter. The real life stories translated into film for the Mangarap Ka series were sourced from Ms. Aryo’s interviews with individuals in the community, and selected based on the lessons that migrants can learn from them. She mentions the importance of casting real caregivers for the lead roles because they can draw from their own experiences when they play the parts. Ms. Aryo also authored a book entitled Nanny Tales, which will be launched soon.

In her speech before the many people who attended the premiere/screening, Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila Garcia extolled the people behind the creation and production of the Mangarap Ka series, as well as the many Filipino overseas workers who sacrifice a lot for their families.  She mentioned that through the stories of Tina and Marivic, she saw how our kababayans are able to surmount the challenges faced by caregivers who want to bring their families in Canada under the family reunification program.  She happily noted too that the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently reduced the backlog in the caregivers and spousal programmes from 64,000 to 21,000, which Filipinos very much welcome. Ambassador Garcia concluded her speech by acknowledging the presence of Philippine Consulate General Toronto’s Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese Fernandez and lauded the Philippine Consulate General, which is home to half of the Filipino diaspora in the whole of Canada, “for working very hard to service the Filipinos in its jurisdiction, and for recently starting consular services on Saturdays.”

Deputy Consul General Bernadette Fernandez also praised the cast and production team and appreciated the lessons learned from the stories and experiences of our kababayans.  These lessons, she said, come in handy in the day-to-day encounters with distressed Filipinos who come to the Philippine Consulate General. END

For more information, visit www.torontopcg.dfa.gov.ph/ www.philcongen-toronto.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinToronto

Ms. Analyn Aryo holding a copy of the latest edition of her book, Nanny Tales

Ambassador Petronila Garcia speaking before those who attended the premiere of Mangarap Ka. Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese Fernandez delivering her speech during the Meet and Greet/Cocktails after the screening of Forced to Let Go and Devotion.