Mabuhay !

To the Members of the Filipino Association of Nova Scotia, Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees

Mga Kababayan:
Effective 14 October 2007, I am resigning as President of the Filipino Association of Nova Scotia.

This decision is based on several factors:

First, members present at a Special General Meeting held on 23 September 2007, approved a motion (to which I and my Vice-President, Mrs. Remy Suarez-Jamieson, were strongly opposed) for FANS to purchase the property on Caldwell Road, Dartmouth, NS, with the intention of attempting to immediately build a community centre at this site. Initially, the vote tally was thought to have resulted in a defeated motion. However, upon further examination the following day, I determined that the count was likely inaccurate. I immediately contacted the Chair of the Filipino Cultural Community Centre (FCCC), Mr. Sonny Garcia, and informed him of this. We agreed that the actual outcome of that recorded vote would be re-examined and verified shortly, to the satisfaction of all parties. In my estimation, however, the motion was indeed carried. This vote confirms an earlier vote held on 15 July 2007. Shortly after the vote on 15 July, Board members opted to have FANS seek legal advice before entering into a contract to purchase land on Caldwell Rd. with the intention of building a community centre. After two Special General Meetings on this issue, I feel that the Board and I have fulfilled our duties to at least try to present all relevant facts to the membership as verified by an independent third party (FANS’ legal advisor) and given the time constraints (i.e., deadline of 28 September 2007, established by the guarantors after negotiations with the sales agent). For various reasons, all relevant information was simply not available given these time constraints. Another factor which significantly delayed the decision-making process was the fact that on several occasions, the Board of Directors could not achieve a quorum. My overriding concern and that of the Board overall has been and continues to be the financial and organizational well-being of the Filipino Association of Nova Scotia and the best interests of its members.

Second, though neither my Vice-President Mrs. Suarez-Jamieson nor I have ever been against the concept of a Filipino community centre, we both felt that there were very compelling reasons against the immediate purchase of this property. In my judgment (and that of some other Board members) it would be profoundly unwise for FANS to engage in such a major undertaking, involving purchasing land and attempting to build a community centre, without solid and realistic financial, development, legal  and management plans. No such plans currently exist. In addition, after seeking legal advice, Board members were advised that since FANS does not have Directors Liability Insurance, in the event of any sort of lawsuit (i.e., associated with the purchase and development of this  property, among other things) each member of the Board of Directors could conceivably be held personally liable. It would therefore be highly advisable to obtain such insurance before such an undertaking was launched. This insurance, however, is expensive and not necessarily easy to obtain. As well, FANS never seriously explored the possibility of other alternatives. Purchase of land and new construction constitute one of several options to acquiring a community centre. Another alternative is acquisition of an existing building, as was done in the early days of the Manitoban Filipino community. What is more, the purchase of this land simply as an investment (i.e., which could yield investment revenue for a future community centre) was never seriously considered. It may well be worthwhile from this perspective. Given FANS’ current limited financial resources and fundraising capabilities, however, to try and build on this site (completely undeveloped, heavily wooded, apparently uneven and rocky in some places) would significantly increase the financial and managerial burden on FANS (in particular on the Board of Directors) for the foreseeable future.  Furthermore, since the Chair of the FCCC has submitted his resignation to the Board, effective 30 October 2007, were FANS to purchase this property soon, no one would be immediately available after that date to oversee this undertaking. Despite the demonstrated interest in the project, no one has stepped forward to take up this important responsibility. As President, I could have simply authorized the purchase of this land despite my own misgivings. This was the one issue, however, that I have felt very strongly about. Given the huge financial commitment involved and all the unknowns in respect to financial, development, legal and managerial issues, it would have been irresponsible for me to simply rubberstamp such a contract. And in the absence of Directors Insurance, I am also not willing to risk personal liability associated with being a signatory.

Third, the only way that this land can be purchased is if the President of FANS signs on behalf of the association. Consequently, at the Special General Meeting held on 23 September 2007, I recommended that the membership take certain measures which would result in a special election of a new executive, to be held as soon as possible (given proper notice), and which would be accompanied by a provision wherein the new executive would assume office immediately after such an election. This would then allow the next President to formally authorize such a land purchase. This option is preferable to any others because the President must be willing to assume appropriate legal responsibility for this purchase in the near future. However, the membership did not adopt this recommendation. In my estimation, the possibility of this land being lost to another party due to such delays is low, assuming that FANS were to make a successful offer after the 28 September 2007 deadline.

It has been an honor to serve as your President. Nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat sa inyong suporta, mga kababayan. I am grateful for all your support. I am also grateful to past and current members of my executive, to the Board of Directors and to the Board of Trustees for their outstanding efforts. Anyone who volunteers like this is doing an enormous service to the entire Filipino community. Things have not always been easy but leadership is not about making easy decisions or ignoring difficult issues. Among other things, it is about problem-solving and negotiation; about determination and accountability; and about listening to others; above all, leadership is about integrity and leading by example. No one is perfect and like other Presidents, I too have made mistakes. But the test of leadership is how one reacts to unexpected challenges and whether one can act decisively in a crisis situation.

There are things that I wish could have been achieved during my term but were not. This was partly because the Board had other priorities, particularly the pursuit of the community centre project. That said, the fact that the Board had such great influence over the association's priorities is merely a reflection of our bylaws. The President can suggest an agenda, but ultimately the Board has the final say. I had hoped that we would have established a Filipino Language School by now. My view was and continues to be that this is a very important priority and that it is not necessary to wait for a community centre to achieve this. I had also hoped that we could establish an English language program for new arrivals wishing to improve their language skills and who did not currently qualify for free ESL programs due to their immigration status. In addition, as we are all aware, greater unity among Filipinos in the community is a well-shared objective. My preference would have been for us to make more progress towards this end. In particular, I had hoped we could have considered a few options which would have allowed FANS and other local Filipino organizations to become unified yet fully independent. This could be achieved via a federation. A Filipino Federation of Nova Scotia could encompass FANS, the Filipino Canadian Heritage Society of Nova Scotia and any other organizations which may arise in the future. The purpose of such a federation would be to collaborate on issues or events in which such efforts would be mutually advantageous (i.e., events where all Filipinos should be united such as Christmas, New Years and of course, Independence Day as well as projects such as a community centre). The independence of each member group would guarantee a low level of risk yet allow for maximum flexibility- in the same way that our great country Canada is known as a federation of independent provinces and territories. I took the opportunity to discuss this with the Philippine Ambassador to Canada, His Excellency Jose S. Brillantes, during his recent visit to Halifax. He was in favor of this concept and noted that this model has already been adopted by Filipino organizations in other parts of Canada.

What has been achieved during my presidency? A key priority for me was to bring back order to our business meetings and we have largely accomplished this. I urge the next President to continue with this emphasis. Before I became President, I can recall many meetings when conflict could have been avoided simply if one person spoke at a time or if members directed their comments to the Chair of the meeting instead of directly to another member. A second priority was to deal with issues honestly and openly. When oversights have occurred, I have always tried to fully acknowledge this and take appropriate measures. When issues were controversial, though I did my best to keep the discussion focused on areas of agreement I also encouraged frank discussion of differing viewpoints. A third priority was to work closely with the Board of Directors. Prior to assuming office, I observed how important it was that the President consult regularly with the Board- and what can happen when such consultation does not occur. A fourth priority was to improve financial accountability. When I assumed office, I realized that basic bookkeeping was a high priority. Elementary accounting practices in the reporting of expenses and revenues have greatly increased the validity and information value of our financial records. In 2006, our books were subjected to a Review Engagement Report for the previous year by a Chartered Accountant. This was long overdue. A fifth priority was to resurrect the FANS newsletter. In the spring of 2007, the newsletter was renamed Balitang Bayan, was published on the FANS web site (links were sent to members) and was distributed at social events. The newsletter was a direct response to the desire by members to know about all things Filipino-Canadian in Nova Scotia. Among other things, it contained stories about FANS events, commentary and a spotlight on new Filipino arrivals. I was closely associated with this effort and would be willing to continue being actively involved since it has been a very enjoyable experience and provides members with a useful resource. A sixth priority was to provide members of the Filipino community with opportunities to socialize, enjoy the company of fellow kababayan (and their non-Filipino significant others) and perhaps fondly reflect on what is going on back home in the Philippines. We have had several extremely well-attended social events in the past two years. Most recently, FANS collaborated with the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines for the very well-attended and highly successful Ambassador’s Information Session and Reception held on 16 September 2007 at St. John the Baptist Parish Hall in Halifax. This event focused on how we can all assist Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s). Such social events are particularly important given the significant increases in Filipino immigrants to Nova Scotia in the past few years. The newest members of our community provide us all with fresh perspectives on what it means to be Pinoy. We in turn have been more than happy to assist them in making connections and adapting to life in Canada while retaining a strong Pinoy identity and enhancing old ties back home.

Finally, I would like to leave you with these thoughts which are partly based on my two years as your President. There is a perception that we must be more unified. Obviously, a lot can be achieved when we are all pulling in the same direction. The Filipino community, however, is not always homogeneous. We all have different backgrounds, experiences and ideas. Though we may have diverse views, however, we live in a country where diversity is truly embraced and indeed, celebrated. Yet in many ways, we all want the same things. A better life for ourselves and our children- and for loved ones back home. Self-fulfilment and a sense of community. Pride in our heritage, both Filipino and Canadian. In this sense, we are all truly Hermano Hermana.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Asuncion, MPA