Canadian Launch · Sama Sama Gala

Born to Soar Takes Flight in Canada

At Sama Sama, a gala in support of the Apl.de.Ap Foundation International and the Presidents' Bayanihan Scholarship, Born to Soar made its Canadian debut alongside apl.de.ap, the Philippine Ambassador to Canada, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, and leaders across government, academia, and business.

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📅 August 24, 2026📍 Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto

At Sama Sama — a night of Filipino excellence, community, and giving back — Born to Soar made its Canadian debut in the company of the leaders shaping this country's future.

On August 24, 2026, Born to Soar: Why Culture-Based Leadership Will Win the AI Era officially soared into Canada — not at a bookstore, but at Sama Sama, a gala evening that brought together the Philippine diplomatic corps, sitting Cabinet ministers, university presidents, and one of the most recognizable Filipinos in the world, apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas.

Sama Sama — Filipino for "together" — was a fundraising gala hosted in support of the Apl.de.Ap Foundation International (APLFI) and the Presidents' Bayanihan Scholarship, a fund established with the Philippine Independence Day Council to remove financial barriers for Filipino and Filipino-Canadian students at George Brown Polytechnic. It was, fittingly, a room built entirely around the values Born to Soar is written to defend: bayanihan, community lift, and the idea that culture is not something Filipinos rise despite — it's what they rise because of.

Copies of the book were placed directly into the hands of the people in that room — many of them holding it for the first time as photos were taken, conversations struck up, and a quiet but unmistakable message travelled table to table: this is our moment.

Why the Canadian Launch Matters

Canada is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing Filipino diaspora communities in the world. Sama Sama was the right room for Born to Soar's Canadian debut — not because it was a book event, but because it wasn't one. It was a room where Filipino identity was already being treated as an asset worth investing in, publicly, by government, by academia, and by industry.

A Diaspora Coming Into Its Own

From Parliament to City Hall to the boardrooms of Bay Street, Filipino-Canadians are stepping into rooms their parents' generation could only enter through the service door. Born to Soar names that shift and gives it a framework.

Bipartisan, Cross-Cultural Support

The book left the gala in the hands of Filipino and non-Filipino leaders alike — a signal that culture-based leadership isn't a niche idea for one community, but a model with something to offer every organization navigating the AI era.

Purpose Before Promotion

The launch happened inside a scholarship fundraiser, not around one. Every copy handed out that night sat beside a cause built to send the next generation of Filipino-Canadian students further than the last.

"What makes this book pioneering is that it does not simply celebrate Filipino identity; it challenges every generation, wherever we are in the world, to look honestly at who we have been and step boldly into who we could become as leaders."
Michael Herrera, FCPA, FCA, ICD.D — Chief Financial Officer, George Brown Polytechnic

In the Room That Night

Born to Soar was placed into the hands of leaders spanning government, academia, business, and the arts — Filipino and non-Filipino alike — each a signal of how far the conversation on culture-based leadership has already travelled.

apl.de.ap

Global Artist, Black Eyed Peas; Founder, Apl.de.Ap Foundation International

Amb. Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga

Philippine Ambassador to Canada

Hon. Rechie Valdez

Minister for Women and Gender Equality; first Filipino-Canadian woman elected to Parliament

Marci Ien

President, George Brown College Foundation; former federal Minister

Mayor Olivia Chow

Mayor of Toronto

Dr. Gervan Fearon

President, George Brown Polytechnic

Ana Serrano

President & Vice-Chancellor, OCAD University

Dr. Eileen De Villa

Board of Advisor, The Geese Project; former Medical Officer of Health, City of Toronto

Michael Herrera

Chief Financial Officer, George Brown Polytechnic

Tom Tan

President, Philippine Independence Day Council

Alfredo Tan

CIO, Canada Goose

Kristine Salle

Consul General, Toronto, Canada

Valerie Damaso

Assistant Professor, Trent University

A Night Built on Bayanihan

Sama Sama raised funds for two causes bound by the same spirit that drives the Geese Project — lifting the next generation, together.

Apl.de.Ap Foundation International

Founded by Grammy Award-winning artist Allan Pineda Lindo (apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas), APLFI empowers underserved youth through access to education, technology, arts, and creative opportunity.

The Presidents' Bayanihan Scholarship

Established by George Brown Polytechnic in partnership with the Philippine Independence Day Council, the fund removes financial barriers for Filipino and Filipino-Canadian students pursuing their academic goals.

This Is Our Moment.

Born to Soar is now flying across the Filipino diaspora — from Manila to Toronto and beyond. Get your copy and join the movement toward culture-based leadership.

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