Ten months after the horrific mass killing at the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver, there is a clearer picture of how the donation money was spent, while also raising concerns.
“Breaks my heart, makes me feel angry, all the emotions, because that money was intended to help us victims,” said Alejandro Samper.
His father, Daniel, mother, Glitza, and sister, Glitza, were among the 11 people killed when an SUV plowed through the festival near the food trucks.
In Filipino B.C.’s Crisis Response Impact report, it shows United Way BC raised over $2 million following the tragedy.
A large majority of it, $1.57 million, was designated to the Kapwa Strong Fund, which distributed 45 grants to 36 agencies.
Nearly a quarter of the total funds, $451,470, was earmarked to support the work of Filipino BC. United Way said some donors had specified that’s where they wanted their money to be directed.
Samper is calling on Filipino BC to be more open with how it is spending the donation money, saying that, as the festival organizer, it is partially to blame for the tragedy that happened.
“They’re not being transparent,” he said. “They’re hiding stuff that we don’t they don’t want us to know, like their endowment funds,” Samper said.
Questions over endowment fund
Of the 36 agencies that received grants through United Way’s Kapwa Strong Fund, the United Filipino Canadian Association of BC received the highest amount, totalling $165,000.
United Way’s report shows many of the agencies used the grants to offer mental health supports and host healing circles. UFCABC is the only non-profit that provides financial aid.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Clifford Belgica, program director of UFCABC, said some examples of how the money has been used are paying for accommodation close to the hospital or rent relief.
“Get some funds in their hands as a respite,” he said, adding that so far, the group has helped 77 victims, but there are still many more waiting for aid.
“We have 88 more victims, we were told, ‘Oh, there’s no more funding because it’s been uploaded to Filipino BC for an endowment fund.’ And I said, ‘What’s an endowment fund?’”
RJ Aquino, chair of Filipino BC, said the endowment fund is money from people who donate directly to Filipino BC, not through United Way’s Kapwa Strong Fund.
Aquino said his organization still hasn’t received the full amount from the Kapwa fund.
“Filipino BC has not received the full disbursement of it, because we still need to apply for those disbursements in order to receive them, and that’s where we outline how that’s going to be distributed to the people under our care,” he explained.
A media manager with the group later clarified that of the $451,570, Filipino BC has only received $190,000 so far.
Aquino said he understands people’s frustrations and calls for transparency, highlighting how it illustrates the larger systemic issues that are allowing people to fall through the cracks.
“They didn’t get the help that they needed right away, and they’re still not getting the help that they need. So we’re calling on, again, all levels of government to do that,” Aquino said.
“We were festival organizers one day and a crisis response team the next, and that’s not something that we were originally built for.”
Concerns funds being mismanaged
At a press conference earlier this month, when Aquino revealed the location of its future community centre, he explained how the community centre would be funded.
“Filipino BC has done a lot of work to also establish an endowment fund to help with funding this centre,” Aquino said at the time.
The interim PR manager later told Global News the endowment fund is currently at $38,479.
This caught Samper’s attention, as he grew concerned about how the donation money meant for victims was being used.
“It’s very sad and heartbreaking to see they’re taking advantage of this money from United Way that belongs to the victims and their families to just fuel their own agendas, their own community center,” he said.
Aquino is adamant that none of the money intended for victims is being used for any other purpose.
“None of the funds that are being directed to victims are going towards the center. None of the funds that are being directed to victims are going towards paying Filipino BC staff,” he said.
Samper is calling for an audit of how the funds are being used.
Aquino said an auditor was recently hired from one of the big four accounting firms.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
