ASIA PACIFIC
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PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY March 16 - 31, 2019
Pinay who sheltered Ed
asylum in
A Filipino woman who helped
American
whistleblower
Edward
Snowden hide in Hong Kong after his
leaks exposed U.S. global surveillance
programs arrived in Canada where
she and her daughter were granted
asylum.
Vanessa Rodel, 42, and seven-
year-old Keana will begin their new
lives in Montreal.
Rodel and her daughter arrived in
Canada on March 25.
“Now me and Keana are permanent
residents in Canada. Now we are safe
and free. I’m so grateful,” Rodel told
reporters at the Lester B. Pearson
Airport in Toronto.
They were set to proceed to Montreal
on March 26 to settle as refugees
sponsored by the non-governmental
group For the Refugees.
Rodel was among a group of people
who sheltered Snowden, a former CIA
employee and U.S. National Security
Agency (NSA) contractor.
She is part of a group of people
called Snowden’s “guardian angels”.
Rodel put him up in her apartment
in 2013 while he was in Hong Kong on
the run from U.S. authorities.
His leaks of highly classified
documents revealed the existence of
global surveillance programs run by
the NSA in cooperation with partners
Australia, Britain and Canada.
The pair’s arrival in Canada
brought an end to what her lawyer
Robert Tibbo described as a saga
dating back to 2013.
At that time, when Snowden fled
to Hong Kong after divulging classified
documents from the U.S. National
Security Agency, Tibbo said Rodel and
a handful of others banded together to
help the whistleblower in his early days
as a fugitive.
Snowden, who now lives in Russia,
was charged in June 2013 in the U.S.
with espionage and stealing state
secrets.
Canada granted Rodel, who is
originally from the Philippines, and
her daughter asylum in January but it
Victoria Filipino Association
The Victoria Filipino Canadian
Association is celebrating its 50th
anniversary with a weekend of activities
anyone interested in a fun and culture-rich
time can attend.
This Saturday, starting at 6 p.m., a
50th anniversary dinner celebration will
take place at the Hotel Grand Pacific, 463
Belleville St. A few tickets for this buffet
feast, followed by dancing, are still available
and cost $60 per person. To enquire about
tickets, call 250-888-8837.
On Sunday, a Filipino-style brunch
will be held at the Philippine Bayanihan
Centre, 1709 Blanshard St. For just $12
per person you’ll get to choose two main
items, such as longanisa, a Philippine
kind of breakfast sausage, marinated beef
and/or pansit, a noodle dish with sautéed
vegetables. Those items will be served with
egg and rice and coffee or tea. The brunch
is being served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and
you pay for the meal at the door.
What organizers say is the main event
of this weekend celebration is a song and
dance presentation that will tell the story of
the Victoria Filipino Canadian Association,
from its beginnings in 1969 to what’s
happening now. This sure to be spirit-
lifting occasion will take place at 3 p.m.
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
at the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre,
Oak Bay High School, 2121 Cadboro Bay
Rd. Tickets, available at the door, are $10
per person, $5 for students and children
under five get in free. Tickets can also be
purchased in advance by calling 250-704-
8311.
VIP guests attending the Saturday