According to the Bagong Diksyunaryong Pilipino (The New Filipino Dictionary), the word Karilagan is defined as a noun which means "kariktan", beauty, pang-akit or karangyaan.
- To promote the Filipino culture and heritage.
- To provide information and facts about the Karilagan and the Philippines to the public.
- To teach the Filipino-Canadian and non- Filipino-Canadian youth the Filipino dances, songs and culture, so that they will be knowledgeable, and for the Filipino-Canadian youth to be proud of their ancestry.
- To give and arrange musical and dramatic entertainment
- To provide for the recreation of the members and to promote and afford opportunity for friendly and social activities
- To provide all necessary equipment and furniture for carrying out its activities.
- To facilitate travel of the members of the Karilagan to different parts of Canada and out of the country when the group is requested to perform their dances and songs.
- To recognize the outstanding achievements of Filipino-Canadians.
The late Dr. Remedios (Remy) Borromeo is Karilagan's founder. After so many years of dedicated work with Karilagan, she announced the end of the organization during the 1989 performance because of her continuing health problem. But in the same year, a family-oriented group headed by Fred Dimailig and Elmina Cochingco revived the Karilagan.
