Time to clean up the helping house!
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July 19,2018
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Avendano family take-over looming
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Dynasties have dominated the political landscape of the Philippines for a long time.
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From Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao, powerful families have controlled the political system, undermining genuine democracy.
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Here in Vancouver, a dynasty of sorts is emerging in an organization that is deeply rooted in the Filipino community.
That’s the Multicultural Helping House Society (MHHS), a charity that grew out of the Filipino Canadian Support Services Society, a group whose mission is to help Filipino newcomers to succeed in Canada.
On July 28, 2018 MHHS members will elect a new set of directors, and one family is out to get more than one seat in the board: the Avendanos.
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One must remember that there are currently two Avendanos in the board.
They are Tomas Avendano or Tatay Tom, and his younger brother Demetrio ‘Demi’ Avendano.
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Now it seems that two Avendanos are not enough. Kulang pa!
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Including Tomas and Demetrio, a total of three Avendanos are running for directors.
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The other Avendano is benny avendano who is the son of tatay tom.
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It’s a Kamag-anak Inc., pure and simple.
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It’s astounding how the Avendano family can even contemplate to run three candidates when everyone knows that there are other qualified individuals who can faithfully serve on the board.
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It begs the following questions: Why are they doing this? What do the Avendanos want? Have they totally thrown out of the window any remaining notions of propriety?
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Hindi ba ito nakakahiya? Sila na lang ang magagaling?
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Tomas Avendano or Tatay Tom has been president and CEO of MHHS for 22 years, and his contributions to the MHHS cannot be undervalued.
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However, it seems that Tatay Tom, a former Pasay City councilor, cannot seem to understand that MHHS is much more than himself and his family.
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The MHHS belongs to the Filipino community, and not to any individual like Tatay Tom.
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After all, MHHS was founded on the spirit and principle of bayanihan, which is the community working together to achieve a notable goal.
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Hindi ito para sa kapamilya lang.
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It’s time to ask Tatay Tom and the Avendanos: What’s going on? Ano ba yan?
"THERE'S MORE TO COME!!!"