“If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” –Winston Churchill
Over the weekend, I learned 89-year-old Tomas ‘Tatay Tom’ Avendano, Sr. was reelected president of the Multicultural Helping House Society (MHHS), which is based in Vancouver, Canada; media colleagues in the British Columbia city, along with Surrey, located within Metro Vancouver, called the July 28 polls “tumultuous and chaotic.”
I learned some individuals I know personally were attempting to oust Tatay Tom from the post he has held for 22 years.
He called MHHS, which is the umbrella organization of all Filipino-Canadian associations in the province, his “twin” and vowed to relinquish his seat upon death. However, many of his friends and MHHS associates were not fond of his brand of leadership.
While no accurate report has been made known of the result besides a total 322 votes cast, it is said Tatay Tom won in a landslide.
Opposition are reportedly calling “fraud” on the election.
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When I left Vancouver in 2012, Tatay Tom’s imposing leadership of the MHHS was suffering unwarranted cracks and starting to crumble. Many were vying to take over, hoping he would yield the post and allow for a fresh face to lead the organization, which receives municipal, city, and federal government funding to the tune of millions of Canadian dollars.
The longtime official was unfazed. Before migrating to Canada in 1982, he served as a Pasay City councilor for 12 years.
One of the major issues during his tenure was the firing of Vice President Amado Mercado, Jr. following a turbulent meeting, which I covered for the Philippine News Agency, Global Balita, and my blog (alexpvidal.wordpress.com). Tears; word war; name-calling; charges of betrayal, shaming, and emotional confrontation marred Mercado’s ouster, who fought to redeem his “sullied” reputation.
Mercado claimed his “longtime buddy” Tatay Tom convinced him to attend the last board meeting “only to be fed to the lions.”
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Some of the individuals who prepared a despedida party for me at the a Surrey pizza place in November 2012 were among those who collaborated to take MHHS leadership.
They may have had legitimate reasons for the opposition (accusations of nepotism, trying to transform the organization into a personal domain, among others); they may also have been envious of the power and authority.
MHHS provides newly-arrived Filipino caregivers and displaced overseas Filipino workers with board and lodging.
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Filipino-Canadian friends introduced me to Tatay Tom during a trip to the Canadian city in 2008. He wanted to maintain a regular column for the Philippine Asian News Today, published by our friend Reynaldo ‘Rey’ Fortaleza, who recommended I ghost write for him.
Without that opportunity, I would not have been able to break bread, along with earning the trust and confidence of a legendary community leader.
I learned Tatay Tom “resented” the expose I wrote regarding an apparent lack of transparency in the construction of the MHHS annex building. While both the city and federal government each provided C$500,000, I asked in an exclusive interview, “Where’s the blue print of the project? Where are the job orders?”
He was slighted but I had no idea as I hadn’t talked to him until I left for Los Angeles.
I have no regrets with the expose I published./WDJ