‘Spoon and fork’ controversy was about safety — Canadian panel

CHICAGO, Illinois — Luc Joachim Gallardo-Cagadoc, the seven-year-old second grade Filipino boy, was stopped by his school lunch supervisor from stuffing more rice than he could take in his mouth during a lunch break to prevent him from choking. Robert Sylvestre, spokesman of the Quebec Human Rights Commission in Montreal, Quebec, told this reporter in a phone interview that the issue involved is a safety issue, never about table manners. "There is nothing wrong with eating with fork and spoon at the same time. It doesn't matter if Canadians eat with fork, spoon and knife at the same time," Sylvestre added. Nobody, however, seemed to take the commission’s findings seriously. Philippine Ambassador to Canada, Jose S. Brillantes, based in Ottawa, Ontario released a statement, saying that the “Embassy of the Philippines is fully committed in supporting and pursuing efforts toward redressing grievances committed against Luc Cagadoc. “The Philippine Embassy joins Luc Cagadoc, his family, the Filipino community in Quebec and in Canada, and all like-minded parties in their commitment to uphold the dignity of Filipinos in Canada, and urges parties to take appropriate steps within Canada’s established processes for redress of grievances by seeking proper appellate resolution of the case in accordance with Canada’s legal, judicial and quasi-judicial rules and remedies." “The Embassy expresses its sadness that Luc Cagadoc has to go through this ordeal at such a tender age, but is hopeful that out of this unfortunate incident will arise a stronger Filipino community in Montreal and in Canada, united with other immigrants in Canada in pursuing the rightful recognition of their cultures and traditions, and the strengthening of the multicultural fabric that our host country, Canada, seeks to ardently pursue." Luc’s mother, Maria Theresa Gallardo-Cagadoc, was joined by the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) in Montreal in lodging a complaint against the lunch supervisor, Martine Bertrand, of the daycare service Ecole Lalande in Montreal before the Quebec Human Rights Commission for discriminating against Luc and for violating Luc’s human rights for disciplining him for eating with fork and spoon at the same time, which is a common Philippine habit. Bertrand also described Luc’s habit of eating with spoon and fork “disgusting" and asked Luc whether in his country, “do people wash their hands before they eat?" According to Sylvestre, Luc was clowning around and stuffing his mouth with more rice than he could take and was reprimanded for his own safety. When Mrs. Gallardo-Cagadoc, 38, brought the matter up with Bertrand’s school principal, Normand Bergeron, about the treatment of her son, who was “isolated" from the rest by Ms. Bertrand, Mr. Bergeron told her, “You are in Canada, and here in Canada, you should eat the way Canadians’ eat. If your son keeps eating like a pig, then he will go to another table because that is how we do it here." Gallardo-Cagadoc said she finds Bergeron’s statements as “racially insensitive and discriminatory towards me and my family, something the Commission did not address." In a decision last month, the Commission ruled that there was no proof Luc was punished because of his use of fork and spoon, or that the principal made discriminatory remark. The Commission, however, found the lunch supervisor’s (Bertrand) comment on hand-washing discriminatory. Because the Commission considered the incident an “isolated" incident, it did not elevate the matter to the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal. It instead suggested mediation for the parties. Angelita Ogerio, president of the Federation of Filipino-Canadian Association of Quebec, was quoted by the Montreal Gazette as saying, “The remarks of the principal and the lunch supervisor were not acceptable to this community." Fo Niemi, executive director of CRARR, is studying with the family the possibility of bringing the case before the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal within the 90-day statutory deadline, which is in the early part of December 2008. Luc, now 10, is enrolled in grade school at Ecole Ste. Genevieve, one of the Margeurite Bourgeoys School. His younger sister, Hannah, 7, is also enrolled at Ste. Genevieve. Luc, who was born in Manila, came to Canada at the age of eight months. His father, Aldrin Cagadoc, 39, a nursing assistant at night and assisting in their daycare business by day, is a native of Cotabato City in the Philippines. The Cagadoc family became Canadian citizens in 2002. GMANews.TV