About Us

The Bayanihan Community Centre is owned and operated by the Bayanihan Cultural and Housing Society (BCHS), a non-profit and registered charitable organization.


On January 2, 2007, the Bayanihan Cultural and Housing Society, Victoria Filipino Canadian Association, Victoria Filipino-Canadian Caregivers Association, and the Victoria Filipino-Canadian Seniors' Association achieved a monumental milestone when, as a result of the combined efforts of all members of the community, the Bayanihan Community Centre became mortgage free! A mortgage-burning celebration was held on January 28, 2007 to mark the elimination of the $225,000 mortgage in just five years.


Mortgage-burning ceremony (left to right): Philippine Consul Raul Hernandez from Vancouver; Community Services Minister Ida Chong; Victoria Mayor Allan Lowe; VFCA president Dominga Passmore; VFCSA representative Meds Ellison; former VFCA president Nina Law; BCHS treasurer and former VFCA president Laila Pires and Victoria Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe



It is supported by:

The Bayanihan Community Centre is grounded on the ethno-cultural value of bayanihan, or volunteers working together towards common goals.


The work to establish the centre, in the bayanihan spirit, began in 1991 when the Bayanihan Cultural and Housing Society was incorporated.


The building for the centre was acquired on April 30, 2001, and the centre was officially opened on November 3, 2001.


Our Guiding Principles

The Bayanihan Community Centre is a gathering place where everyone is:


  • Welcoming, warm, friendly, gracious and kind
  • Supportive of the family, particularly the elderly, children, the disadvantaged and people with disabilities
  • Inclusive of all cultural heritages, ethnicities, religions, ancestries, places of origin and sexual orientation
  • Receptive and appreciative of the diversity of people's cultures
  • Protective of the dignity, the rights and freedoms of all Canadians
  • Selfless and generous in volunteerism, and
  • Attentive to the proper and efficient use of the centre's facilities and resources and respectful of keeping a green and clean environment.

Our Purposes

The Bayanihan Community Centre is a facility:


  • To be used for workshops, programs, athletics, art, music, handicrafts, hobbies and recreation for the benefit of the general public
  • To provide housing, food and clothing for the needy
  • To provide education, counseling and support services for the needy, immigrants and refugees, including language instruction, employment training, job search programs, translation services and information programs on Canadian culture and life
  • To promote spiritual teachings and provide a place for prayer and traditional devotions of any religion.

Our Priorities and goals

  • Financial growth and sustainability:
    • Goal: to generate income
    • Goal: to continue fundraising efforts
  • Human Resources:
    • Goal: to invest in succession planning
    • Goal: to ensure and maintain organizational health through volunteer recruitment and retention
  • Programs and services for target groups
    • Goal: to develop and implement programs for seniors and youth
    • Goal: to conduct outreach activities providing support and assistance to caregivers, foreign contract workers, and newcomers
  • Charity and Cultural traditions:
    • Goal: to promote good citizenship by actively practicing charity
    • Goal: to celebrate, share, and transfer knowledge of the Filipino culture through program and support activities.