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.
Order Born to Soar on Amazon