PCG warns of rise in surrogacy-for-pay offers to HK OFWs

 

Consul Ferrera says 5 cases of ex HK OFWs being recruited as surrogates have been recorded

Officials of the Philippine Consulate General and the Migrant Workers Office have expressed alarm over the number of reported cases of abuse committed against overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong being recruited as surrogate mothers abroad.

During a Filipino community meeting last Sunday at the OFW Global Centre, Deputy Consul General Von Ryan Ferrera said the Consulate has already recorded five such cases involving former domestic workers in Hong Kong over the past year.

Surrogacy, or the arrangement where a woman (a surrogate) agrees to get pregnant and give birth to a child on behalf or another person or couple, is outlawed in many places like the Philippines and Hong Kong, especially when it is done for a fee.

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The ex-OFWs had reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs after they were abandoned or driven away by their recruiters because their pregnancy did not go as planned, or they were found afflicted with some ailment.

Consul Ferrera said the OFWs were promised payment of up to Php1million - but that was contingent to them getting pregnant and successfully deliver babies according to the terms set by their recruiters, or to their liking.

Labatt Chavez say some surrogates were not paid because their babies were ugly or disabled

Labor Attache Cesar Chavez, Jr. who was also at the meeting, bluntly described the situation some of the surrogates found themselves in: “Ayaw silang bayaran kasi pangit ang bata o may kapansanan” (They were not paid either because the baby was ugly or had some disability).

Chavez said there could be many more OFWs from Hong Kong who were trafficked to places where surrogacy is not outlawed, mainly in Balkan states, but have escaped their radar. Many seek help from Philippine authorities only when they run into trouble.

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“These are only the reported cases, I am sure yung mga unreported cases mas marami,” (there are many more unreported cases), he said.

He warned it would be too risky for any OFW to get into such an arrangement because they are not documented or may not even hold proper visas in the places they end up in, so they cannot go to local authorities for help.

He appealed to all OFWs in Hong Kong to reject any such offers despite the promise of a hefty reward or a chance to move to another place for work and higher pay.

Surrogates are offered up to Php1million for carrying babies for other people

In a warning issued by the Consulate only in April this year, it was said that a number of Filipinas contracted to become surrogates had reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs after their recruiter refused to pay them after learning they were afflicted with some ailment.

At the same time, their recruiter’s handlers were trying to drive them away from their boarding houses but would not give them money for their return air fare. The women were also warned that the police would be tipped off about their whereabouts if they did not leave.

The first case of reported abuse of an ex-HK OFW-turned-surrogate was reported in May 2024 after a 36-year-old Filipina sought help from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, saying she was being held captive by her abuser who was also forcing her to abort a six-month-old baby in her womb.

The OFW said she was tempted to accept the surrogacy offer after she was terminated by her Hong Kong employer and was offered a reward of US$11,800 over nine months to carry an implanted egg in her womb.

Her recruiter secured a tourist visa for her in Georgia, to where she flew directly from Hong Kong. After she sounded out the alarm she was rescued from her captor but was able to fly back to the Philippines only after giving birth in Tbilisi.

According to the PCG then, a syndicate appeared to be targeting terminated domestic helpers for surrogacy jobs in Georgia, where many ended up being raped and forced to undergo abortion.

 

 

Record 58% pass-rate for OFWs in Phil board exam for teachers

 

SPLE for professional teachers was held simultaneously in HK, Singapore and Taiwan last May

More than 58% of the overseas Filipino workers who took the Special Professional Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers held in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan last May 29, hurdled the qualifying test, setting a new record.

According to a post in Facebook page of the Migrant Workers Office, an overwhelming percentage of 67.38%, (or 126 out of 187 examinees) in the SPLE for secondary teachers, was recorded. In the elementary school teachers’ test, 41 out of 99 examinees (41.41%) passed.

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No breakdown was given as to the number of successful examinees in each overseas post was given, but the results meant an overall pass-rate of 58.39% (167 out of 286) across the board for all examinees in the three testing sites. 

Last year, a new record passing rate of 54.92% (290 out of 528) was recorded for all OFWs who took the examination in Hong Kong. This surpassed the 50% pass-rate recorded way back in 2001, when the then Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) was held in Hong Kong.

In that year in the elementary level, 103 out of 237 examinees (43.46%) passed the test, while in the high school level, 187 out of 291 examinees (64.26%) made the grade.

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The successful examinees were administered their oath on Feb. 8 by Consul General Romulo M. Israel, Jr., while Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac and Administrator PY Caunan of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration awarded their certificates.

Secretary Cacdac told the new teachers that they were assured of permanent items as teachers in their hometown should they decide to return to the Philippines, under the DMW’s “Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Maám, Sir Program.”

Elementary Level – 103 passers out of 237 (43.46%)

Secondary Level – 187 passers out of 291 (64.26%)

Overall – 290 passers out of 528 (54.92%)

The Board for Professional Teachers is currently composed of Dr. Rosita L. Navarro, chairperson; Dr. Paz I. Lucido, vice chairperson; and Dr. Paraluman R. Giron, member.

The registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will both be done online.

Successful examinees may visit the official PRC website (www.prc.gov.ph) and follow the instructions for registration.

Those who will register are required to bring the following: 1) Screenshot of system-generated Registration Form; 2) valid government-issued ID. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals at

https://prc.gov.ph/.../may-2026-special-professional...

HK OFWs warned against illegal recruitment, human trafficking

 

Contracts must be verified to prevent illegal recruitment & human trafficking, says Labatt Chavez

Philippine government officials have often told Filipinos that working or moving to another country without going through required documentation is not only illegal, but makes the worker susceptible to abuse and all sorts of exploitation.

Just how dangerous this could be?

Labor Attache Cesar Chavez, Jr. told some 200 Filipino migrant workers who gathered at the OFW Global Center on Sunday about real-life horror stories encountered by those who bypassed established government procedures, lured by promises of a cushy life abroad.

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Labatt Chavez stood in for Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernardo Olalia, who was reportedly stopped from flying to Hong Kong by his doctors because of a medical emergency.

As an example, Chavez said Filipinos enticed to move to Cambodia supposedly as highly-paid call center agents often found themselves being forced to work in scam hubs. If they did not do as told, or failed to reach quotas set for them, they were beaten up severely.

To drive home the point, he showed several photos of Filipinos rescued from the scam hubs who were found with horrific injuries inflicted by their captors. 

Photos of horrific abuse inflicted on Filipinos forced to work in scam hubs

“Bakit naman kasi tayo papayag na magtrabaho doon e mas mahirap pa sila sa atin?” (Why would we even want to go there when people there are poorer than us?) said Chavez.

“Trafficking is an organized crime,” he added. “Victims cannot seek police help because they know that what they are doing is illegal.”

The same goes for those who were already working in Hong Kong but were lured to another country with promises of higher pay and easier jobs, but were often misled.

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Chavez said illegal recruitment or human trafficking (or the recruitment, transporation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force or fraud so as to exploit them for profit) of Filipinos is now widespread in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.

“Diyan po ang napakaraming illegal recruitment activities ngayon…” (A lot of illegal recruitment activities are happening in these places), he said. “Our OFWs are being brought to Europe, especially the eastern part, or the Baltic region, in Australia and North America.”

Administrator Caunan talks about dire situation of some OFWs in Poland

Administrator PY Caunan of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) who also attended the “kamustahan” with members of the Filipino community, cited her own real-life experiences with about 500 Filipinos she met recently in Poland.

Many of them, according to her, were undocumented so they were hesitant to seek help from OWWA. “Tinutulungan pa rin namin sila” (We still help them, anyway)

Many are poorly paid, earning less than 1,000 euros (about HK$9,000) a month, much of which goes to paying for their upkeep.

And yet, to get there, they admitted paying between Php300,000 to Php400,000 to their recruiters who by skipping the prescribed processes, ultimately put the workers at risk.

“Fifty years na nating ginagawa ang pagpapadala ng mga Pilipino sa ibang bansa, alam na dapat ninyo ang mga patakaran,” Caunan said. (We have been sending Filipinos to other countries for the past 50 years, so you should all know the rules).

Even granting that salaries in the Philippines often cannot match those offered in overseas destinations, she said Filipinos who want to go abroad for work should always make sure they go through the process.

“Kung ang kontrata mo verified, alam namin kung sino ang amo ninyo, alam namin kung nasaan kayo, alam namin kung sino ang papanagutin pag may nangyari sa inyo.” (If your contracts are verified, we know who your employer is, we know where you are, we know who should be held responsible if something happens to you).

Caunan said this is the reason why the Department of Migrant Workers has been brokering deals with various overseas destination so all Filipinos who get to work there would fly out from the Philippines and pass through the rigorous system set up for departing OFWs.

This is also the reason why the DMW and OWWA have been focusing on retooling and upskilling OFWs so they will have better job alternatives or prospects, either overseas or at home, and will not be tempted to become undocumented workers.

To guard against illegal recruitment or human trafficking at overseas posts, Chavez  the processing of documents should only be done in the Philippines.

“Pag third country, dapat walang short-cut kasi bawal yun.” (There should be no short-cuts for third-country recruitments because that’s not allowed).

HK is one of 3 main transit points for trafficked Filipinos 

The other guidelines include transacting only with licensed recruitment agencies, which must have an approved job order (JO) for them; ensuring that all transactions are made in the agency’s office; and that all payments are receipted.

But he warned that even licensed recruiters have been found to commit recruitment violations, like applying for only 50 JOs then recruiting 5,000 people. After word spreads that they are legitimate recruiters they start collecting and amassing money from subsequent applicants, even while knowing that the quotas given them had already been all filled.

(To report suspected cases of human trafficking call the action line, 1343 if in the Philippines and +632 1343 if outside the country)

 

Pinay accused of $410K theft refused bail

 

 Kwun Tong Court

A domestic helper accused of stealing $410,000 worth of jewelries and watches was denied bail today at Kwun Tong Court despite her lawyer offering $10,000 in cash plus other conditions.

Lizabeth Untalan, 52 years old, is accused of theft, contrary to section 9 of the Theft Ordinance. Police accuse her of stealing four watches and some jewelries, with total value at HK$410,000, the property of female Lee Shiu Yin Catherine.

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She allegedly committed the theft last May 9 in Tai Tan, Pak Tam Road, Sai Kung.

Untalan was returned to jail after Acting Principal Magistrate May Chung adjourned the case to July 14 for bail review to see if circumstances in the case have changed, and to Sept. 14 to resume the case after prosecution has obtained legal advice.

In addition to the $10.000 cash bail, Untalan’s lawyer also offered to surrender her travel document, to report to Lamma Police weekly, not to leave Hong Kong, and not contact prosecution witnesses while the case is pending.

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He also noted that she has a clear criminal record.

But Magistrate Chung refused the bail application for fear Untalan will not surrender to the court when the case resumes. He also noted that the offense is serious.

But she said Untalan has the right to bring her bail application  to the High Court.

Automatic long service pay, higher wages urged for FDWs

 

AMCB members picket the Labour Department office in Central during the consultation meeting

For the first time, Asian migrant organizations have included long service pay for foreign domestic workers without any preconditions, among the demands they submitted to the Hong Kong Labour Department ahead of the annual review of their minimum monthly salary.

 

Currently, migrant domestic workers, along with other workers in Hong Kong, are entitled to a long service pay if they have worked continuously for the same employer for at least five years, and were not the one who terminated, or refused to renew, their work contract, when it expired.

However, unlike local workers, they are not covered by the Mandatory Fund Scheme, leaving them with no pension fund to fall back on upon retirement, or reserve cash when they suddenly lose their job. 

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Members of the Asian Migrant Coordinating Body (AMCB) picketed the Labour Department office in Central as their leaders met with government officials who had invited them and other concern groups for a consultation on the so-called “minimum allowable wage” for foreign domestic helpers.

 

AMCB, an alliance of migrant workers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka, again asked that the monthly minimum wage for domestic workers be raised to HK$6,172 and food allowance to HK$3,123 (from HK$5,100 and HK$1,236, respectively).

Labour officials are presented with AMCB's demands during the meeting

 

AMCB also raised other work-related concerns during the meeting, such as:

 

1)     The inclusion of MDWs in the statutory minimum wage for all other workers in Hong Kong, which currently stands at HK$43.10 per hour;

2)     Legislate the working hours of all workers and for migrant workers, to include a provision for a continuous 11-hour rest period between two consecutive working days, plus meal breaks;

3)     Review and discard “discriminatory policies” that leave MDWs vulnerable to abuse such as the mandatory live-in policy and the two-week policy, referring to the period an MDW is allowed to remain in Hong Kong after termination;

4)     Stipulate clearly in the standard employment contract of MDWs a clear description of their “working hours”, “suitable accommodation”, “decent food” and “rest day”.

5)     Provide clear punishment for employers who compel their MDWs to do dangerous window cleaning, and ensure it is followed

6)     Make long service benefit available to all MDWs, without regard for whoever terminated or declined to renew their work contract

7)     Conduct a thorough investigation of all unscrupulous recruitment agencies

8)     Lift the entry ban on Nepali migrant workers

9)     Liaise with the concerned government agencies so MDWs are allowed to rest in all public areas including parks and bridges, during their day-off

 

“Migrant domestic workers are the backbone or the most essential workers in the society” ensuring that someone is left at home to take care of children and the elderly and run the household while adults are out working, said the AMCB statement.

 

“Yet the contribution of  MDWs is always neglected and they are treated as commodities that are disposable.”

 

The AMCB said its petition for a living wage and more humane working conditions for MDWs was endorsed and signed by 70 different organizations.

 

Filipina gets 16 months' jail for laundering HK$1M

 

A domestic helper was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment after she failed in a trial at the Eastern Court to convince the magistrate that she accidentally threw away the ATM card used to deposit and withdraw a total of $1 million from her bank account.

Ronnalyn Manalo, 34 years old, had been accused of money laundering for letting her account in Hang Seng Bank Limited to be used in dealing with $1,086,434 in crime proceeds during the 13-day period on April 10-22 2024.

Magistrate Tobias Cheng convicted her of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence, contrary to sections. 25(1) and 25(3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

Magistrate Cheng questioned why she wrote the PIN for the ATM in a piece of paper that got mixed up with the grocery receipts that were thrown away. She also did not report the ATM card’s loss to the bank or the police.

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Magistrate Cheng noted that the testimony of Manalo‘s employer, to whom she turned over the receipts after her trip to the grocery store, did not help her claim.

The employer testified that she did not notice the ATM card among the receipts when she threw them away. “She would have noticed the bank card because of its thickness,” Magistrate Cheng said..

In mitigation, Manalo’s lawyer said she arrived in Hong Kong in 2019 to work as a domestic helper and that she has a husband and one child in the Philippines.

He said that aside from the fact that she she can’t get another job after this case, the 19 months it took to resolve it was stressful to her.

Family of deceased Filipina awarded HK$251k in wrongful dismissal suit

 

Baby Jane with 2 of her 5 children outside the Labour Tribunal where she first filed a claim

The family of a Filipina domestic helper who was dismissed after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and later died, has been awarded a total of $251,653 plus interests as compensation for her wrongful sacking by her employer in 2019.

The decision to grant the award to the heirs of Baby Jane Allas as represented in court by her sister Mary Jane Allas Pereira, was handed down by Deputy District Judge Ebony Ling yesterday, Friday (July 3).

The award was broken down as follows: $33,367 for loss of income; $120,00 as compensation for injury to feelings; and $98,286 for medical expenses. Interest should be paid for all these awards, either from the time Allas was sacked, or when she filed her claim.

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However, the court accepted as evidence that the deceased had agreed that whatever medical expenses would be recovered from her former employer, Pakistani socialite Jamil Bushra, would be repaid to the Adventist Foundation which had treated her for free after she lost her job.

Court records show that Allas started working for Bushra on Nov. 12,  2017 under a standard two-year contract. In January 2019 she was provisionally diagnosed with cervical cancer and was given a two-week sick leave.

On Feb 14, 2019 after the diagnosis of stage IIIB cervical cancer was confirmed, Allas sought comfort from her sister who was also working in Hong Kong as a domestic helper, but was told by Bushra’s father to return to their household to resume work. However, Allas felt ill and was admitted to Pok Oi Hospital on Feb. 16, 2019.

She was discharged the next day, but not before Bushra’s father repeated a requested for her to obtain a fitness certificate from a doctor. On her discharge, Allas was given a sick leave certificate from Feb 16 to 18.

Baby Jane in the hospital after her diagnosis in 2019

When she returned to her employer’s home that day she was again asked for a fitness certificate. Bushra’s father was angered when instead of a fitness certificate Allas gave him her sick leave certificate.

Later that day, Bushra gave Allas a termination letter in which the reason cited for her termination was “diagnosed with cervical cancer.”

Bushra cited other reasons for terminating their contract, including Allas’ insistence in staying in her sister’s house during her sick leave, even if the employer had originally consented to such an arrangement earlier.

“Given your medical conditions. I am no longer able to continue your employment effective from 19 February 2019,” said Bushra in concluding the termination letter.

The employer asked Allas to sign the termination letter but she refused. She left Bushra’s house on the same day and stayed temporarily with her sister at the invitation of the latter’s employer, Jessica Cutrera Papadopoulos.

Allas returned to the Philippines on Sept 13, 2019 after undergoing a radical hysterectomy in Hong Kong with help from the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation.

She subsequently died in her Palawan hometown on Mar 27, 2021 due to a liver ailment.

Pereira, as administratrix of her sister’s estate, filed the claim against Bushra with help from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), alleging violations of the Disability Discrimination Ordinance.

In particular, Sections 6(a) and 11(2)(c) of the DDO make it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a person with a disability by treating them less favourably, dismissing them, or subjecting them to any other detriment.

The notice of claim and other documents were served on respondent Bushra by substituted service (either by mail, email or advertisement) but she did not respond or took part in any of the court service. Judgment was thus rendered against the respondent on Aug 1, 2024, with damages to be assessed.

An assessment hearing was held last June 25, where Bushra again failed to show up. Pereira called herself and Cutrera as witnesses during the hearing, and Judge Ling said she found them both “honest and reliable” and accepted their evidence in their entirety.

Baby Jane in tears after the Labour Tribunal hearing in 2019

Perreira and Cutrera both testified as to the physical and emotional state of Allas as she lived with them during her sick leave and after her employment was terminated by Bushra.

They also told the court that Cutrera and the Adventist Foundation had provided financial, medical and other assistance to the deceased that enabled her to stay and receive private medical treatment in Hong Kong after she lost her job.

Cutrera also started an online campaign that raised funds for Allas. Cutrera told the court that she and Allas agreed that all medical fees recovered from Bushra would be repaid to the Adventist Foundation so as to help other patients in need.

 

 

 

$2M drug case involving Pinoy tourist to be elevated to District Court

 

Marijuana buds found in Filipino's luggage 

The case of a Filipino tourist who was arrested last year after 9.1 kilos of marijuana buds were found in his luggage as he was exiting Hong Kong Airport's arrival area, will be elevated by the West Kowloon Magistrates Court to the District Court

Clay John Tianzon, 27 years old, is accused of trafficking in a dangerous drug, contrary to sections 4(1) (a) and (3) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.

He is also facing a charge of importing an alternative smoking product, contrary to Section 13B of the Import and Export Ordinance., after Customs officers found an “alternative smoking product” in his luggage.

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Principal Magistrate Don So adjourned the case to Aug. 27 for the preparation of transfer documents.

In the meantime, he will remain in jail, where he has been confined since his arrest on July 25 last year after he arrived from Bangkok, Thailand.

Customs officers found the drugs during a search of Tianzon’s luggage at the Baggage Examination Counter S5, Customs Arrival Hall B of the Hong Kong International Airport.   

“During customs clearance, a total of about 9.1 kg of suspected cannabis buds were seized in his check-in suitcases,” the Customs and Excise Department said, which estimated the market value of the drugs to be HK$2 million.

Filipino-led theater group opens new play tonight to sellout crowd

“When God is silent, whose voice remains?”

This thought-provoking question is what propels the new musical, JOB: Fateful Fever Dream, which opens tonight to a sell-out crowd at The Hive in Kennedy Town.

It is the second full-length production of the Filipino-led theater group, The Bootstrap Theatre, whose debut play, FAKE, received wide acclaim in Hong Kong when it was staged in June last year.i

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Its makers describe JOB  “as a chamber rock musical about war, loss and unbearable silence”.

At the story’s center is Job, a man who leads his community out of bloody and violent conflict, but in the process loses everything that once defined him: family, health, and his life’s purpose.

Scene from the final rehearsal before opening night

But while it is based on the Book of Job in the Old Testament, it is not about religion, says its playwright, composer and director William Elvin Manzano.

“It’s about people who live in a time of chaos, violence, danger, and despair -- but still have to enter on cue and sing in tune. And that is all of us.”

Playing the lead role of Job is Felix Rivera, while the two other key roles of Dinah and Hassatan are played alternatively by Mikah Franco and Michelle Lam; and Mary Jane Alejo and Franz Arcilla, respectively.

It is directed by Amuer Calderon, with Erickson Dizon as choreographer.

JOB will be shown on all weekends of July (Fridays through Sundays) at The Hive Studio on the 8^th floor of Cheung Hing Industrial Building, 12P Smithfield Road, Kennedy Town. Limited tickets are available at https://www.art-mate.net/