Every time a car passes, two-year-old Jeb flinches in terror.

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His small hands slip from his parents’ grasp as he runs screaming, afraid the vehicle will hit him.

‘It’s too fresh for us’: Some B.C. Lapu Lapu Day survivors oppose 2026 festival Back to video

Less than a year after the deadly Lapu Lapu Day attack, many survivors and families in Vancouver oppose the 2026 festival’s return, with community leaders warning the celebration must balance respect for victims with transparency over how more than $1.5 million in relief funds were spent.

For Val De La Cruz, Jeb’s reaction is a painful reminder of the day 11 people were killed when an SUV plowed into crowds gathered on the street.

That evening, the 44-year-old was standing in line for lemonade with his wife and son near John Oliver Secondary School when the vehicle crashed into the crowd. He was knocked unconscious, sustaining multiple injuries and fractures. Jeb slipped from his grasp.

The next thing De La Cruz remembers is waking up in a hospital ICU, calling out for his son. The father learned Jeb was at B.C. Children’s Hospital in critical condition when a friend at his bedside showed him a photo of his child unconscious in the hospital, hooked up to medical apparatus.

“I wanted to go to the hospital at the time, but I couldn’t because I couldn’t even move my legs,” he said choking back tears. On Saturday, speaking publicly for the first time since the attack, De La Cruz shared his family’s story at the community office of MLA for Vancouver-Kensington, Mabel Elmore. Surrounded by Filipino community members, he called for time to heal.

Arcie Lim, president of the United Filipino-Canadian Associations in B.C., agrees with De La Cruz.

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“I think it’s not a question of whether we should hold an event … the question is, is this the right time? And another question is, is the money that will be spent to hold another festival — a year after the tragedy — be wiser spent to benefit the victims directly?”

This week, victims of the attack met with Vancouver Police Department victim services.

“It’s too fresh for us. We’re still recovering from the trauma,” De La Cruz said.

Originally planned for April 18–19 at the Italian Cultural Centre, Filipino B.C.’s third-annual Lapu Lapu Day festival has been scaled back to one day, April 19, under the new name Lapu Lapu Day of Togetherness.

The festival is being planned with community members, including those directly affected, according to the organization’s sponsorship proposal. Mental health supports will be available and security planning is co-ordinated with the city, province and first responders.

The festival’s planning comes as questions mount over how the money raised was spent.

Four former Filipino B.C. board members have called for an independent review of about $1.5 million raised for the Kapwa Strong Fund. Temporarily managed by United Way B.C., the fund collected roughly $1.57 million in the months following the attack. By December, about $1.5 million had been distributed as grants to 40 non-profit and charitable organizations, including $451,570 directed to Filipino B.C., as specified by donors.

“Accountability and transparency are critical, and funds raised, the intention was to go toward victims and their families — and so those questions need to be answered,” Elmore said, noting that “it is very disproportionate in terms of how much went to organizations versus how much went to victims.”

Elmore said that any remaining funds should go directly to victims and their families.

“There’s more to be done, and we will do more,” she told De La Cruz.

The Kapwa Strong Fund has since been transferred to the Vancouver Foundation as a long-term endowment managed by Filipino B.C. to support its programs, services and operations.

Before the accident, De La Cruz often worked overtime to support his family. Nearly a year later, he and his wife, Mary, are still out of work, caring for their recovering son. The family relies on ICBC for 90 per cent of his salary and recovery benefits for Jeb, taxi vouchers, and a nearly depleted GoFundMe to cover daily expenses, while De La Cruz awaits reconstructive shoulder surgery.

The family received $3,500 from the Kapwa Strong fund following the attack.

“It’s not enough,” he said.

Antoni Ortega, a former Filipino B.C. board member, recently launched the Lapu Lapu Society of B.C., which will host a commemorative dinner on April 12 at Fraserview Banquet Hall, with victims in attendance. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to those directly affected.

“We all know there is a continuous need for the victims,” Ortega said. “I hope the community stays united and keeps supporting them.”

sgrochowski@postmedia.com