Vancouver police investigate a crime scene after a man drove into pedestrians at the annual Lapu Lapu festival celebrating Filipino culture, at East 43rd Avenue and Fraser, in the south of Vancouver on April 26, 2025. Don MacKinnon, AFP

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that the car-ramming incident in Vancouver “could not be categorized as a terrorist attack” as the “perpetrator was just mentally disturbed.”

Marcos Jr. gave the statement during his meeting with New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Colins, who condoled with the Philippines after at least 11 people died and several others were injured when a vehicle plowed through a Filipino festival in Canada over the weekend.

“It was stunning. We could not quite believe what had happened and it was totally unexplainable,” Marcos told Colins. 

“It couldn’t even be categorized as a terrorist attack. It was simply, apparently, the perpetrator was just mentally disturbed,” he said.

“It wasn’t particularly against Filipinos.”

9 people killed after car plows into Filipino festival crowd in Vancouver

Colins described the incident as a “terrible tragedy.”

“I would like to acknowledge though the tragedy in Vancouver, Canada, that the victims are citizens, it’s a terrible tragedy that happened, and I know that the whole community of the Philippines will be feeling for those families that have been so badly affected,” she said.

Marcos thanked the New Zealand official for her kind words, saying: “There is no way to explain it in any kind of logical way so thank you for your thoughts and prayers for our casualties.”

Dramatic video shows emergency personnel rushing to aid Vancouver attack victims

Eight of the 11 people who died were female, including a 5-year-old girl, the Vancouver Police Department earlier said in a press conference.

Seven people remained in critical condition, while three others were in serious condition, authorities said.

“We are working to confirm the nationalities of all victims,” police said.

Investigations are still ongoing, but police have already detained the 30-year-old driver who plowed through a crowd during the Lapu-Lapu Festival.

“The accused in this case has had previous interactions with police and medical professionals related to mental health,” Vancouver Police said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a brief address to the nation, called the incident deliberate, saying Vancouver police describe it as "a car-ramming attack."

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