WHAT'S NEWS

	(ACGTDT) The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto kindly requests your organization to disseminate the announcement   re: 8th Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT) in the Philippines on 09-15 July 2013 among your members and, if possible, upload the same link on your website. Phil. CONSUL GENERAL Thank you for your assistance. Philippine Consulate General TORONTO maple 1 161 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800 Toronto, ON M4P 1J5 Tel. 416.922.7181 Fax. 416.922.2638 Email: consularmatters@philcongen-toronto.com Website: www.philcongen-toronto.com

	FYI Resource Center on Fire Victims Aid                                        December 17, 2012 Hi Folks,    Just finished talking to City Housing Services Authority. At this time they were not able to find accommodation. The City has extended their hotel stay another night and tomorrow’s chance of getting their accommodation is somewhat questionable also. The offer from our community are as follows: 1.      Nat and Linda Sadsad offer accommodation to 2-3 ladies. 2.      Diamantes (Mario & Jane) accommodation to 1 family. 3.      Third option is – for them to stay at HFCC building, 2nd floor. However, we will need beds and beddings. Food donation is needed at this time. Naty Dayap donated 2 trays of food (taken to the hotel). Tomorrow’s plan is – from the hotel assemble them at HFCC to start processing where they will go. We need food please! We will open the Resource Centre hours Wednesday Dec. 19 (10:30AM to 1:00PM), there are some donors to come that day. There is also a direct deposit to TD Canada Trust HFCC Calamity fund No. 191-5221540 available for cash donors.    Bonner

	An Open Letter:  Thank-you letter Dear Bonner and Dodong (Cabilan), I felt glad and proud when I and my colleagues in the Consulate General shared in the festivity of your Independence Day Ball and met the members of the Filipino community in Hamilton.  Your efficiency -- I fully agree with your arrangement of having all of Filcom join in one big Independence Day commomeration --  discipline and patriotic fervor are an inspiration to us all. I look forward to productive and meaningful working relations with your group.  Rest assured that the door of your Consulate-General in Toronto is open to all our kababayans for whatever consular needs they may have.  I would have loved to respond immediately that, yes, I could join the golf game but the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila has asked all Heads of Posts in Canada and the U.S. to be in Manila for consulations at that week. So I have to send my regrets at this time but I am looking forward to future  opportunities when I could enjoy with you the beautiful greens of Canada, and thusly inspired, would at last be blessed with an improvement in my game. With my best personal regards to you and your family, Mr. and Mrs. Cabilan, the HFCC and its 10 supporting organizations, and to all our kababayans and Filcom friends in Hamilton. Very truly yours, (Sgd.) JUNEVER MAHILUM-WEST Consul-General Consulate General of the Philippines Toronto

	Press Releases:  The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto kindly requests your  organization to disseminate the attached press releases among your members and, if possible, upload them on your website. Link Shield  to PCG Site MAY 16-19, 2013 The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto wishes to announce the biggest and most respected government-organized food event. “IFEX Philippines” click here JMMW.01.2012  Philippine position on Bajo De Masinloc and Waters Within the Vicinity. click here JSVP-05-2012 Discontinuance of Extention of Green Machine Readable Ready Passports (MRRP) click hereJSVP-04-2012

	PBA HAMILTON IS NOW ON FACEBOOK . LOG IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT and type "PBA HAMILTON" in search. Check Schedules and league updates with ease.  Hill Park Gym Open to PBA  Contact romeo_valencia@hotmail.com 2012 PRE-LEAGUE GYM AVAILABILITY: Use of Hill Park gym is now approved starting Sept. 23rd 2012 till Dec. 16, 2012. Time is from 2:00 p.m to 6:00 p.m. Both courts available for our use basketball or volley ball.

	Tagalog/Filipino Flyer- Asking Advice from Senior Immigrant Men A research study by Citizenship and Immigration Canada through Ryerson University is looking to interview at least 3 Senior Filipino Men Immigrant (around 65 yrs. old) who arrived within 10 years. Please find the attached flyer in Tagalog for your reference.  The interview will take about 1-2 hours and we will pay you $41 for your participation. Please feel free to contact her if you have questions.   Esel LAxa Panlaqui Homeme 905.212.9368 Cellphone 416.421.1495 Ms. Naty Dayap Tel. 905 574-5692 UPDATE: A Ryerson University researcher is conducting a study through CIC (Canadian Immigration & Citizenship) will be coming to HFCC November 3, 2010, Wednesday, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm to interview 3 male Filipinos who must be 65 years and over in age and must have arrived Canada 10 years ago. In other words, those that arrived here at age 55 and now 65 years old. It does not matter whether this person is employed or not employed. This person will be paid $41.00 by the research group. Snack will be provided by the HFCC Resource Centre Volunteers.   If you know of any one who falls into this category please let us know and instruct the person(s) to be available next Wednesday at HFCC. This will be on a first call basis. We don’t want 5 or 10 people to be there and expect to sit in for the interview, they just need THREE (3). By the way, the interview will be in Tagalog language.   Board members, please distribute or circulate to your members. Bonner Villabroza HFCC President & CEO

Phil. Mission within Canada HFCC BOARD MEMBERS WITH SEAFARERS A group of Filipino seafarers from merchant ship MTAsphalt Carrier based in Belgium on their way up to the great lakes docked at Hamilton harbor and tried to seek religious reinforcement from their long voyage from Europe, across Atlantic ocean, up the St. Lawrence canal, into lake Ontario before proceeding north to great lakes via lakes locks starting from the Welland Canal then up to lake superior.   Most of them are Catholics, they found Deacon Gerry Guinto, a Filipino/Canadian trained deacon based at Asuncion Church to bring them Eucharistic service to their ship. Through Deacon Gerry they expressed the desire to meet some members of the local Filipino community and they were longing for some Filipino food... especially pancit.  The Hamilton Filipino Community Centre (HFCC) is usually open everyWednesday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Upon news of their  arrival, the staff and officers of HFCC Resource and Learning Center prepared and received them with smile and open arms. The seafarers were overwhelmed by the reception, they made this comment. Tears almost welling from their eyes, "Kami po ay mga seaman lamang, wala po kaming mga katungkulan, ngayon po lamang kami nakadama sa tanang buhay namin na kami po pala ay impotante rin, maraming maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat". We are only ordinary seamen, no important ranks in ship but, for the first time in our lives we felt we are somebody, thank you very very much. They left the Centre happy and fully satisfied. They asked and took everything that we let them such as, left over food especially pancit, every Filipino newspaper we had lying around, pens, etc.   For the HFCC staff and officers, it gave us the feeling that: One does not have to go back home to extend help to our kababayans. Names in the picture - #1 Seated L_R: Chris Aberilla, Josie Monaco, Naty Dayap, Cely Villabroza, Sally Viquiera and Nila Tallara Standing L-R: Gaspar Aberilla, seaman Rey Ojano, seaman Nelson Austria, deacon Gerry Guinto, Tony Viquiera, seaman Oscar Pascua, seaman Melvin Palmos, seaman Gabriel Bagnol Jr. and Rey Viquiera. Picture taken by Joe Monaco. Bonner Villabroza HFCC President & CEO MELVIN, NELSON, REY, OSCAR & GABRIEL ENJOYING FILIPINO HOME COOKING

Bayanihan Conference Oct. 9, 2010 at Chelsea/ Delta Hotel in Toronto. After the usual preliminaries of opening a conference with the singing of the Philippine and Canadian National Anthems and the speech of the key note speaker, the first in the agenda was a 4 panel presentation of what and how to form and sustain a Filipino association/organization and a community centre.  Every panel member presented their subject beautifully and effectively. At the end of their presentation, questions and answers period ensued. This writer was the first one to hit the microphone to ask question, but instead of asking question he delivered a comment or some audience thought it was a speech as a rebuttal to the issues brought up by the panel members. Here is the content: Ladies and gentleman of the panel, congratulations and thank you for your enlightening insight to the subject that each of you touched on. The subject of how to form and sustain an organization; the subject on how Filipinos found and populated Canada with the accompanying statistic of the past, present and future projection; the what and how to apply for government funding together with the stringent obligation and responsibilities that comes with it; and, the what and how to sustain a community centre.  Please allow me to share with you our experience in Hamilton when we started our community centre back in 1993 in which it touched every subject that you just illustrated in your power point presentation.  The dream of having a community centre goes back to the year 1975 when the first Constituted Organization in Hamilton, the Pilipino Canadian association (PCA), etched in their constitution and by-law, “to save enough money to start a community centre”. This dream remain dormant for many years due to lack of resources, finance and know how.  In 1989 to 1990, the past president of PCA was appointed to head the community centre committee. A conceptual drawing of a building and projected cost of 2-3 million dollars was presented to the community. At the time, the population of the Filipino community in Hamilton was around 700 families and the 2-3 million dollars seem unrealistic. There were a couple of meetings by the committee and the dream remained a dream. After two years of inaction, the PCA revived the project and appointed another executive member to lead the project. There was a kick off start where people pledged personal and financial supports to start the project. Even after the kick off start the drive suffered a let down.     In 1990 the project leader decided to recruit another person to be his co-leader. The other members of the committee were named and in placed. The first that came up was how are we going to raise the money? The pledges that were remained uncollected were only over $2,000.00. PCA the supposedly owner of the project had only $20,000.00. One member of PCA was a frequent Bingo player. She saw the potential of Bingo fundraising as a major source of raising the necessary fund. We might not reach the million dollars that we were targeting but, this will be a good start to supplement the other fund raising events that we were having at the time such as car wash, calendar sale, bazaar sale, walkathon, beauty pageant and dinner and dances.   On the deliberation of how, what and why the organizational structure be formed, it took many months before we finally found what we thought was the right direction.  We asked and entertained community feedback on how to start and how can we expect their continual support.  Remember, it was a project started by PCA and therefore, they have the right to claim that it is theirs.  However, the other major Fil. Association in Hamilton, the Philippine Islanders’ Association of Hamilton or PICAH has expressed non-support if PCA claims ownership. The other smaller organizations, sports and social clubs expressed the same sentiment.  Based on these strong feedbacks, the committee on the recommendation of the legal counsel decided to form another organization, hence, the birth of Hamilton Filipino community Center in 1990.  The project starter, PCA swallowed their pride and gave full consent for formation of another non-profit organization with its’ own Mission, Vision and Objectives, www.HFCC3.com.  PCA also made a solid commitment that they will donate the $20,000.00 that they saved over the years once the property is bought.  Soon after we formed and registered the organization to Consumer and Commercial Ministry the other organizations and clubs came aboard. This is the case of ‘you build it and they will come’. The moment we accomplished this very important set up or foundation, the fundraising activities intensified. Every supporting organization had their own fundraising events with the proceeds went toward HFCC. In our fund raisings, we learned not to entertain ‘high profile events’ such as hiring a well known entertainer back home to promote the event. It usually cost a lot of money for our small community and at the end either we don’t make any or loss money. We just stuck to bingo sponsorship which brought as quick funds. In 1993 we bought our community centre, a 2 storey building with total square footage of 8,000 sq. ft. We paid cash for it, $106,000.00, spent $150,000.00 in renovation and still… we have over $300,000.00 cash money n the bank. Since we have enough funds to sustain our operation, we stay away from government hand outs.  We received assistance from our City to finish and improve our parking lot and since then we are self sustaining as we operate the organization with business prowess.  Our organizational structure consist of 21 Board Members, 9-4 elected or appointed from the general public and we have 9 supporting organizations and each of them is represented at the Board of Director with equal voting power and say. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have more things to share with you on how to become a successful community centre operator, but my time here is restricted. Maybe, what I should do, with the assistance of a publisher, present our accomplishment in Hamilton as a series in the print media. Thank you for listening……. Bonner Villabroza President & CEO Hamilton, Filipino Community Centre Hfcc@cogeco.net www.hfcc3.com