A full blooded Filipino-Canadian pride is currently making waves in one of the world’s richest country, Canada. Senator Tobias C. Enverga Jr. becomes the first Canadian of Filipino heritage to be appointed to the Senate of the said country.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has chosen Tobias C. Enverga Jr. to be the first Filipino-Canadian Senator in history. He will serve as a senator representing the province of Ontario. The senator serves as a Trustee for the Toronto Catholic District School Board and was also the first Filipino-Canadian to be elected in the City of Toronto.

The 56-year old Enverga made enormous contributions not only for the Filipino community but for the whole of Ontario. He was a recipient of the Queen’s 60th Diamond Jubilee medal of distinction.

The newest member of the Canadian Senate has been involved in many community organizations. Most notably, he is the former president of the Philippine Independence Day Council who hosts the annual Mabuhay Festival, and is co-chair of the Asian Heritage Month celebration in the GTA.

Before Enverga was appointed, he holds various positions. He was the project manager at the Bank of Montreal for 30 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Letran College in the Philippines, a Masters Certificate in Project Management from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and a Computer Studies Certificate from Centennial College.

When asked about how he feels about being the only senator of Pinoy descent, Sen. Enverga couldn’t help but swell with pride. He has been hard at work since he assumed his senatorial role a couple of years ago. He has been actively supporting committees geared towards eradicating elder abuse in the Canadian community, investigating Off-label drugs use, preventing suicide among the youth, and dealing with cyber bullying, among others.

The senator who started out as an IT guy who did IT jobs for a living, may not see himself settling down for good in the Philippines, but he definitely won’t pass up on a chance to drop by the land of his ancestors every once in a while.

As one of the almost 10.5 million Filipinos that are abroad, Senator Enverga said that the present Diasporas of Filipinos to all over the world was a good thing because Filipinos have so much to offer.

Even though majority of the OFWs going abroad are domestic workers, caregivers, and nurses, Enverga said that Filipinos are more than just “white or blue collar workers, caregivers, doctors, nurses or nannies.

The half Pinoy senator is a Toronto resident, originally from Lucena, Quezon. He is married to Rosemer Albovias Enverga. They have 3 daughters, Reeza, Rocel and Rystle.