Fil-Canadian lawmaker Tobias Enverga passes away

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-Canadian and distinguished lawmaker Tobias Enverga Jr. has passed away unexpectedly on Thursday morning, his office said in a statement. He was 61. 

According to the statement released by his office, Enverga "passed away unexpectedly on the morning of November 16, with his beloved wife, Rosemer, by his side."

Enverga was the first Filipino-Canadian to take a seat in the Senate of Canada. He was appointed to the position in September 2012.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also mourned the loss of "a tireless advocate for Filipino community and people with disabilities."

Trudeau, who was recently in the Philippines for the ASEAN Summit 2017, cited Enverga's efforts in championing the "values of multiculturalism, diversity and inclusiveness."

Enverga was a member of the Canadian Senate's Aboriginal Peoples, Banking, Trade and Commerce and Fisheries and Oceans standing committees.

Before assuming a public position, Enverga worked as a project manager of Bank of Montreal for 30 years.

While working for the bank, Enverga pursued many charitable projects for his fellow Filipinos. He spearheaded the Filipino community in Toronto for medical missions, building schools, churches and artesian walls, funding livelihood training programs, and supporting Bantay Bata and Gawad Kalinga Villages in Camarines Norte and Quezon City.

He was the founder of the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation and a former president of the Philippine Independence Day Council.

He served as a trustee to the Toronto Catholic District School Board, a co-chair of the Asian Heritage Month for the Greater Toronto Area and was previously a director of the Canadian Multicultural Council-Asians in Ontario.

In 2012, Enverga received a Diamond Jubilee medal from Queen Elizabeth II.

Enverga was also recognized by former-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2008  for "Linkapil Award."

The Filipino-Canadian lawmaker is survived by his wife and three children.