HEADLINES
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY July 16 - 31, 2018
Controversy hounds Avendanos as MHHS holds board election
There’s a lot of controversy swirling as
a Vancouver group rooted in the Filipino
community prepares to elect new board
directors on July 28.
From alleged discrepancies in financial
reporting to Canada Revenue Agency
(CRA) to the supposedly questionable
selling of costly insurance premiums to
caregivers and claims of an emerging
Avendano dynasty in the organization,
the tempest has rocked the Multicultural
Helping House Society (MHHS) to its
foundations.
At the centre of the tumult is Tomas
‘Tatay Tom’ Avendano Sr., a cofounder of
the MHHS and its long-time president and
CEO. Tatay Tom is running for another
term in the board on July 28.
Caught in the controversy is
Avendano’s brother Demetrio ‘Demi’
Avendano, who is also a member of
the current board like Tatay Tom and a
candidate as well in the July 28 board
election.
Also included is Tatay Tom’s son
Benedicto or Benny, who is seeking to
join his father and uncle Demetrio in the
board by running for director.
The emergence of the so-called
Avendano dynasty was made by public by
a group called the Concerned Friends of
Helping House.
Through
the
blog
https://
concernedfriendsof.wixsite.com/website,
the Concerned Friends of Helping House
has publicized the call to clean up the
organization, including an audit of the
MHHS Foundation that Tatay Tom also
heads.
The ReyFort Media Group sought
Tatay Tom’s comment, and he said that
the Avendano family has done a lot of
work for MHHS.
“Ipakita nila ang nagawa nila na
tulong at pantayan nila ang nagawa ng
mga Avendano sa Multi,” Tatay Tom said
about the Concerned Friends of Helping
House. “Everybody knows how much we
had dedicated our time energy to put
up this beautiful building and to look
for funding to run programs to provide
services to those who most need it.”
“We need volunteers but only few
came to help at where are the so-called
Concerned Friends?” Tatay Tom also
said.
Avendano also said that his family
does not intend to lord it over the MHHS.
“I need help to run the society,” Tatay
Tom said.
[Publisher’s Note: For purposes of
disclosure - ReyFort Media Group’s Rey
Fortaleza, publisher of Philippine Asian
News Today, is running in the July 28
election for one of the seats in the MHHS
board.]
The MHHS is a charitable organization
dedicated to helping newcomers to
Canada succeed in their country.
It was the organization that succeeded
the Filipino Canadian Support Services
Society (FCSS