Hong Kong
Bayanihan Center’s longtime administrator, Teresita “Tess” Ibañez-Ubamos,
passed on after a lingering illness on September 25. She would have turned 67
on October 3 this year.
She is survived by
her husband Ed, children Odessa, Rocky and Michael, and granddaughters Kisha
and Kaitlyn.
Tess, as she was
known to many, had managed the day-to-day operations of the Bayanihan Center in
Kennedy Town since 2004, when it became the site for the first overseas voting
for Filipinos in Hong Kong.
She continued
overseeing the massive operations involved in administering the manual casting
and counting of ballots for the overseas vote every three years, until the
switch to automated voting in 2022.
In her role as administrator
of the six-floor Bayanihan Center, Tess became fast friends with many Filipino
community leaders, as well as the hundreds of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who
have done volunteer work, or have taken part in various events at the activities
and training hub over the years.
Officers of the
Philippine Consulate and its attached agencies have also heaped praises on her,
for having ably managed the center through more than two decades and thousands
of events and training activities, despite its tight budget.
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| The Ubamos family at Bayanihan Center |
Among the first to
extend their condolences was the Bootstrap Theatre Hong Kong, which paid tribute
to Tess’ generosity in providing them a venue for their rehearsals for their
debut play last year, and for an intensive acting workshop they provided to
OFWs.
The University of
the Philippines Alumni Association Hong Kong, which has held some of its
activities at the center, including the grand oath taking of its officers in March last year, has also expressed regret.
“Tess was a true
pillar of our community, a dedicated leader, and a wonderful friend who touched
so many of our lives with her kindness and warmth,” said UPAA-HK’s president,
Catherine Marsden.
Longtime residents
who, like Tess and her family, have played an active role in the various activities
of the Filipino Catholic community in Hong Kong, have also expressed sadness at
her passing.
In an emotional Facebook
post addressed to the Ubamos family, tech executive Jun Sison said, “We would like to
embrace and comfort you - all of you - at this very moment, but we do
understand that, for now, we can only offer prayers, yes - tears of empathy,
and words of consolation hoping our deep sentiments, thoughts and words may
even ever so slightly ease the pain you now feel in your hearts.”
Details of the funeral service for Tess have yet to be announced.
