Toronto
Ricardo Jorge Caluen
Congratulations to my Editor!
For so many years, the reckoning of the arrival of the first Filipinos in Canada usually starts in the year 1947. But even this immigration info is not accurate because Filipino immigrants were lumped with others falling under the general category of “Southeast Asians”.
Fast forward to around the year 2021. A Fil-Canadian radio journalist in Vancouver—-Joseph Lopez– followed up on a lead about this Filipino who lived and worked in British Columbia and who died and was buried there as well in 1929.
This Pinoy—named Benjamin Flores (a.k.a. Ben or Benson Flores) is now considered as the first Filipino whose arrival in Canada is fully documented. And the year he arrived in Canada? 1861.
Teodoro ‘ Ted’ Alcuitas, a native of Carcar, Cebu who has lived in Canada for most of his 80-something years was honored not for uncovering the details of the life of Benson Flores in Canada but for ensuring that the memory of this pioneering Magdaragat is made known among Filipinos in diaspora particularly in Canada. Notably, Ted spearheaded a crowdsourcing endeavour to raise funds in order to install a tombstone to memorialize the grave of Benson Flores (for until then it was just an unmarked grave). He is also working on a documentary on this possibly the first Filipino entrepreneur in Canada.
How long ago is 1861? Flores was born in the Philippines in 1848 and landed in Canada in 1861—the year Jose Rizal was born. Ben Flores arrived in British Columbia when technically Canada was not yet a nation (this happened in 1867).
You deserve this award, Ted Alcuitas for your many contributions to the wider Filipino community over five decades of living in different parts of Canada.
The Pinoy Festival Alliance (PFA) proudly honours Teodoro Alcuitas with an Award of Special Recognition for his outstanding commitment to ensuring the story of Benson Flores is shared and remembered.
Along with initiating an effort to create a documentary of Benson Flores’ life, Ted led a successful campaign to erect a tombstone at Benson Flores’ previously unmarked grave in Mountainview is a signficant contribution to our public understanding of our long history in Canada.
Since its placement, community groups and schools — including students from Sir Sandford Fleming Elementary — have gathered at the site, keeping alive the story of Benson Flores and the early Filipino pioneers who paved the way for all of us.
Ted Alcuitas is a journalist, publisher and exemplary veteran community leader. His advocacy helps ensure that the story of the first documented Filipino in Canada is remembered, shared, and honored as part of our collective legacy.
The Pinoy Festival Alliance proudly presents Teodoro “Ted” Alcuitas with a Special Recognition Award for his leadership, vision, and invaluable contribution to preserving and celebrating Filipino-Canadian history. 
About Ricardo Jorge S. Caluen
Ricardo Jorge S. Caluen is a freelance writer based in Toronto, Ontario. A native of Iligan City, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from De La Salle University in Manila. He taught at the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology where he was Chair of the Department of Political Science. He took up a Masters in History at University of Toronto in 1987 as a scholar of the Rotary Foundation. A former editor of Toronto-based The Filipino Bulletin, he contributes to Philippine dailies and online magazines as a freelance writer.