{"id":2466,"date":"2014-02-19T12:20:25","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T04:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=2466"},"modified":"2014-04-05T19:26:29","modified_gmt":"2014-04-05T11:26:29","slug":"filipino-canadian-in-focus-frank-and-olga-tan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2014\/02\/19\/filipino-canadian-in-focus-frank-and-olga-tan\/","title":{"rendered":"Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Frank and Olga Tan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Frank<\/a>
Frank and Olga Tan’s family. Photo courtesy of Frank Tan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Every Pinoy must have heard the expression \u201cmula Aparri hanggang Jolo<\/i>\u201d (from Aparri to Jolo) at least once in their lifetime.<\/p>\n

To put this in perspective, Aparri is more than 500 kilometers from Manila, which is about 18 hours by bus\u2014if you\u2019re lucky.<\/p>\n

Despite such distance, Frank Tan and (then) Olga Alvarado\u2019s paths crossed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Destiny written all over<\/b><\/p>\n

Francisco \u201cFrank\u201d Tan Jr. is a native of Pasig City, while Olga Dumlao Alvarado grew up in Aparri, Cagayan. He studied Fisheries Technology and earned his master\u2019s degree in government management from the University of the Philippines, she earned her Pharmacy degree from the University of Santo Tomas.<\/p>\n

In spite of the differences, Frank found Olga and Olga found Frank.<\/p>\n

Together, they built their humble beginnings in Cagayan Valley, where Frank was assigned as the regional director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Olga established her own drug store.<\/p>\n

They got married on January 25, 1964.<\/p>\n

Remember that old clich\u00e9, \u201cif it\u2019s meant to be, it\u2019s meant to be?\u201d Well, this lovely couple is a living testament to that beat-up saying. No matter the distance, despite taking different disciplines in difference universities, they still found their way to each other.<\/p>\n

Recently, Frank and Olga celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in downtown Toronto. The couple renewed their marriage vows with the help of Rev. Fr. John Sullivan, parish priest at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, as the officiator.<\/p>\n

After the ceremonies, a formal reception was held at the Ellas Hospitality Center in Danforth Road, Toronto. Relatives and close friends joined the Tan family as they celebrated 50 years of blissful togetherness. Eleanor Alvarado Calbes-Thomson serenaded Frank, Olga, and their guests. And of course, the festivities wouldn\u2019t be complete without performance from their grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Talk about destiny, eh?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More than blessings<\/b><\/p>\n

Frank and Olga\u2019s love brought them unspeakable joy and priceless rewards in the form of their five children.<\/p>\n

They consider them to be the source of their pride. And why not? After raising five achievers, they should give themselves a pat on the back for a job very well done.<\/p>\n

Their eldest daughter, Liesel, earned her degree in medicine from Manila Central University. She is now a registered nurse in Canada and currently working as the Nurse-in-Charge at the Leisure World Nursing home in Mississauga. She is married to Jose Aguila. They have two children.<\/p>\n

Rommel, their second child, finished his accountancy degree in San Beda College. He is now working for a British financial company in Mississauga. He married Jocelyn Co and they have two kids together.<\/p>\n

The middle child, Vanessa, earned her degree in pharmacy from Centro Escolar University. She is now a licensed pharmacist in Canada. She is running her own drugstore with the help of her husband, Aftabul Habib. They have two kids.<\/p>\n

Ramie earned his degree in medical technology from his mom\u2019s Alma Mater\u2014University of Santo Tomas. Today, he is working as a licensed medical technologist at the Blood Bank of Toronto East General Hospital. He married Myla Tan and they bore two children.<\/p>\n

Last but certainly not the least, their youngest kid Omar is an Economics graduate from York University. Now, he is working at the Bank of New York in Bermuda.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very thankful that they\u2019re all obedient children. They follow our [advice]. Our children are very good because they are religious\u2026 They know how to give and take with their brothers and sisters and help each other. There\u2019s nothing more we can wish [for] because everything is okay with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just in case you failed to do the math, their five kids have blessed Frank and Olga with eight grandchildren\u2014all between the ages of 6 to 18.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moving to Canada<\/b><\/p>\n

With the encouragement of Frank\u2019s sister and the hope of finding a better future for their children, Frank and Olga decided to move to Canada in November 1991 with their entire family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was invited by my sister who happens to be a professor in the University of Toronto, a doctor of psychology,\u201d Frank shared. \u201cShe told us that our children will have a better future here, although I\u2019m okay na <\/i>in the Philippines.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first, Frank\u2019s relatives helped them out as they all tried to find whatever job they could in order to make a living.<\/p>\n

For Frank and his household, the biggest challenge they faced after moving to a new country was employment.<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber one there is finding your profession\u2014a job in order to support the family, any kind of job you [can] take,\u201d Frank said.<\/p>\n

Frank himself met some new friends who introduced him to the Primerica Financial Corporation.\u00a0He started out as a subscriber, then an agent, and he continued to work for financial services for some time.<\/p>\n

As for their kids who all earned their college degrees back in the Philippines, most of them had to study again in Canada to get accreditation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have to study again here,\u201d Frank said about his children.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very, very discouraging,\u201d he noted, \u201cbut I told them, \u2018you have a better future here. Just take your chance and be patient\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

And patient they all were. Frank, Olga, and their five children started to take odd jobs here and there to make ends meet\u2014both in school and at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy two daughters, they [worked as nannies] for my sister in their condominium, at least they can support us,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd my other [sons], one worked in McDonald\u2019s and the other one worked with my brother-in-law who happens to be in capitals management,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges, Frank noted that the Canadian government, even more than two decades ago, has always been helpful\u2014even to immigrants like him and his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government here in Canada is very helpful,\u201d Frank pointed out.<\/p>\n

Around three or four years later, after years of working during the day and studying at night, their kids finally finished their studies, earned their accreditation, and found better jobs. Since then, everything started to get better.<\/p>\n

Today, almost 23 years after they flew to The Great White North, Frank and Olga still think of home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used to go home to the Philippines every year, because [she still has] relatives in Cagayan Valley to visit. In my case, I still have nieces and nephews in Makati. We have to see them and see how their lives are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Words from the Wise<\/b><\/p>\n

For those who just arrived in Canada (or for those who are planning to make The Big Move), Frank shared two pieces of advice based on experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first important thing to do is to join any community organization. From there, you can have networks and find some help, and whatever you do, you owe it to the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As for the second advice:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point is: do not lose hope, just keep on working and keep on praying that the Lord will help you in what you\u2019re doing. Don\u2019t lose hope and everything will come out alright\u2026 If you lose hope, you\u2019re a goner. Hope is always there. It will come out okay. Just keep on praying [for] whatever you are doing and the Lord will help.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Every Pinoy must have heard the expression \u201cmula Aparri hanggang Jolo\u201d (from Aparri to Jolo) at least once in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":2467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[35],"class_list":["post-2466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-filipino-canadian-in-focus","tag-original","mauthors-ching-dee","mauthors-philippine-canadian-inquirer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}