Two GTA FilCans Vie for Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Posts

By Tony A. San Juan, OCT.
Toronto-Canada
April 9, 2018




History is in the making....that is, in the province of Ontario. Filipinos for the first time since the diaspora in the early 60s have in its political radar 2 Filipino Canadians who are vying for nomination or elective posts in four electoral district associations, commonly called "riding", in the Greater Toronto Area.

These Filipino candidates who are considered to be ambitious, courageous, determined, willing and able enough have entered the realm of Canadian parliamentary political system. They are hopeful and purposeful of passing the political litmus tests  in their respective party nomination ( convention) process and once chosen, becoming the official candidates for Member of Provincial Parliament ( MPP) and then, meaningfully winning in the coming June 7 provincial election.

Among them are 1 gentlemen and a lady across the political spectrum, namely:  Ramon Estaris of the Ontario Liberal Party, and Rosemer Enverga, of the Progressive Conservative Party . Any one of the two, aspires to become the first Filipino MPP in Ontario and to represent the voice of more than 350,000 kababayans in the premier province of Canada.

Ramon Estaris

Ramon " Mon" Estaris, a hard working Filipino Canadian , is a well- known community leader, real estate broker, small- business entrepreneur, and social- cause advocate. He is running for the Ontario Liberal Party Member of Provincial Parliament -MPP nomination for York Centre.  Ramon is the experienced voice York Centre needs to ensure community issues are on the legislative halls at Queen’s Park. Given the chance, Ramon Estaris will fight for improved health care, better transit, excellent education, best child care, dental & pharma care, senior care, fair minimum wage rates, reasonable tax cuts and excellent living conditions.

Estaris is a senior organizer and director of two popular community- wide festivals, the "Taste of Manila" and the "Taste of Asia" annual events. He was active in charity -driven social events doing fundraising efforts for calamity victims in the Philippines and other parts of the world. In past elections, as a longtime member of his party, he actively campaigned for and helped Liberal candidates. R. Estaris, is a businessman in York Centre for 7 years and as a realtor, was a recipient of "100 Club Award Winner-ReMax" and "Top 25 Producer " North America of  ACN.

As a proud community leader, Ramon is a past director of the Pangasinan Association of North America - PANA and also past president of San Jacinto, (Pangasinan) Association of North America. Having the largest Filipino population residing in the Greater Toronto Area. He is pretty hopeful that his kababayans will rightly support his nomination journey in York Centre.  Members of other cultural communities and small- business owners in the electoral riding have shown their admiration and they assuredly promised to deliver the nomination plum to Ramon.

Ramon is the experienced voice York Centre needs to ensure community issues are on the legislative halls at Queen’s Park.  Happily married for 25 years to Donna, a Toronto clinical researcher, Ramon understands the challenges York Centre families face. He will work tirelessly so that families will have a good life and a better future in our adopted home province.  The nomination meeting is coming up on April 8, 2018, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Madonna Catholic Secondary School in the Keele Street and Wilson Avenue, Downsview area, Toronto.

Breaking News! As of yesterday afternoon, April 8, 2018, Ramon Estaris won the Ontario Liberal Party Nomination against 2 other candidates. He is now the Official Member of Provincial Parliament Liberal Party Candidate for York Centre.

Rosemer A. Enverga

Under the Progressive Conservative Party, Rosemer Albovias Enverga, the widow of the late Senator Tobias Enverga, is running for Member of Provincial Parliament - MPP nomination candidate for Mississauga Centre in the Peel Region. She was recently chosen by Filipino Canadian community leaders and leading professionals in the new City of Mississauga electoral riding.

R. Enverga has attended St. Scholastica's College in Manila with major in Business and was in the College Dean's List. Her employment experience includes serving as a CIBC manager, insurance company vice-president, and TV network consultant to GMA International. She is a co-founder, and currently an executive vice president, of Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation -PCCF.

An active member or officer of faith-based organizations , she is a member of " Campaign For Life";  ministry head of  temporalities of Our Lady of Assumption parish; director of Mother of the Poor Foundation ; ardent supporter of  Mother Theresa's Missionaries of Charity and the Archdiocesan of Filipino Catholic Missions - AFCM . Her charitable work includes fundraising projects and services for: ANCOP- Answering the Cry of the Poor's targeted low-cost housing and self- help initiatives in economically depressed communities in the home country. ; the Philippines Elsie Gaches Village for orphans and abandoned children; Down Syndrome Association in Toronto ; and  relief efforts and assistance  for  calamity victims in the Philippines, Japan and Nepal.

Rosemer , as a woman of distinction , has received many awards among which are : " Most Outstanding Canadian" in 2004; "Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal" in 2012 and one of " 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World" in 2013. She is being supported by "FilCom for MPP" a Mississauga - based group and other members of cultural communities and organizations. Now a single mother, Rosemer Enverga is the loving parent of Rystel, Rocel and Reeza.

The PC Party Nomination Meeting (Convention) date for Mississauga Centre is scheduled on April 21, 2018, Saturday at 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.

In the coming days and weeks, Filipino Canadians who registered or renewed as members of their respective provincial political parties will troop to the voting venues to select their own candidates , ang kanilang sariling manok. Be counted! Be a proud part of the cherished cusp of the kasaysayan ng ating lahi!  Get out the Vote! Your Vote Matters! ( Tony A. San Juan)