1970s Hotdog band member helps promote Pinoy culture in Canada

Ramon Torralba, an original member of the Hotdog Band, which was very popular in the Philippines in the 1970s, is helping promote Filipino culture in Canada through the "Filipinos Making Waves Festival (FMWF)." According to a news release, the FMWF will be held in Toronto, Canada on August 18. The website of FMWF said the annual event was borne out of the "endless daydreaming" of Torralba and his wife Teresa, a welfare worker turned entrepreneur. Torralba was the second lead guitarist of the Hotdog band whose songs include "Panaginip," Now on its sixth year, the FMWF features "dynamic and vibrant activities which showcase the Filipino culture its' music, art, crafts, and food," the news release asid. The event is said to be attended every year by thousands of people not only from Canada but also from its neighboring country, the United States.

Internationally known Filipino singer Jed Madela is one of those expected to perform during the FMWF. - Romy Zetazate, VVP, GMA News