THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 5 | February 2015
PACF,
from page 03
of the community who donated get a refund of their contributions if they request it, Ms Santos
said: “I am not aware of a way
that PACF can refund any donations.”
Established in the 1990s, the
PACF has been funded mainly
by government grants, community donations and revenue generated from its activities. The
centre in Schofields was opened
after the PACF sold in 2009 the
Multi-Purpose Centre that it operated in Rooty Hill.
But since it moved to the
Schofields property, the PACF
continued to be in the red. In
September last year, the PACF
staged a concert apparently as a
major fund-raising event to develop the centre. The property
in Schofields is actually a regular
3-bedroom house with one toilet
and one garage but its value rests
on its sprawling lot located within a development area and close
to new housing projects such as
The Ponds.
With the sale on, the PACF
is already on the lookout for another property. PACF officials
told AK that the board will issue a statement to the media soon
to formally announce its plans
to the community and that there
will be an opportunity for community consultation prior to purchase of a new property.
NEWS
07
Help comes for Tatay Oscar
THE Alliance of Philippine Community Organisations, Inc (APCO) has come to the
aid of Tatay Oscar, a tourist from Visayas, who received a cash donation of $1,000
for an emergency operation.
By Richard J Ford
A SURVIVOR of Typhoon
Haiyan, Tatay Oscar and his
wife came to visit their daughter and family in Wollongong
a few months ago. It was after
a while that the couple’s holiday took on a sad twist when
Tatay Oscar was diagnosed
with bowel cancer and was
told by doctors he had to undergo surgery immediately. It
was a shock to their family.
On a tourist visa and without Medicare for treatment,
the family had to tap on all
their savings for Tatay Oscar’s medical treatment. The
family could not afford to pay
for his soaring medical bills
but fortunately a friend of Tatay Oscar’s daughter, Malyn
Vasquez, treasurer of Club
Filipino Illawara, appealed
for APCO’s assistance.
The CFI and other Filipino organisations in Wollongong also earlier held a fundraising activity for Tatay Oscar.
The $1,000 cash was
raised when Dr. Cen Amores,
who recently celebrated her
65th birthday thanksgiving
party, appealed to APCO officials and her guests to skip
presents for her and instead
pool in the much-needed
money for Tatay Oscar.
APCO’s cash donation to
Tatay Oscar was given during the 25th Anniversary celebration of Club Filipino Illawarra, Inc, a founding affiliate
member of APCO. Tatay Oscar and his family were overwhelmed by APCO’s gesture
of love to a kababayan whom
they have not even met before
offering the cash assistance.
Tatay Oscar’s house was
completely destroyed during
the Typhoon Haiyan which
struck the Visayan region last
year.
His house completely destroyed by
Typhoon Haiyan, he is now diagnosed
with bowel cancer...
Dr Cen Amores hands over APCO’s $1000 charity cash donation to Tatay Oscar
and his wife, witnessed by Club Filipino Illawarra’s president, Mir McCauley