Duterte treats HK Pinoys to trademark speech

By Vir B. Lumicao

President Rodrigo Duterte, regaling Hong Kong-based Filipinos on May 13 to his brand of public speaking, announced a series of measures meant to provide relief to overseas Filipino workers.
Foremost among these  is the creation of a Department of OFWs and an OFW Bank to serve the needs of the country’s estimated 10 million overseas workers.

Duterte’s announcement confirmed plans disclosed in February by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, and reportedly affirmed earlier in the day to militant OFW leaders. However, the president held back information on new directions for the overseas employment certificates (OEC) which Bello whispered to him in the middle of his speech.

Duterte addressed a select group of about 400 Filipino religious leaders, businessmen, professionals and household workers in Hong Kong in his first meeting with them since he became president in June last year. He stopped over on his way to the two-day “One Belt, One Road” forum in Beijing starting May 14.

Spicing up his lengthy impromptu speech with his trademark humor, expletives, jokes about women and tirades at Catholic bishops and media-owning “oligarchs”, the President reaffirmed his resolve to rid the government of corruption and continue his campaign against drugs.

The former Davao mayor used his usual cusswords to cheers from his supporters as he blasted the bishops for hitting his bloody campaign against drugs and his fondness for women, and those who were giving OFWs a hard time. “Kung sila ang sinasabi na mga bagong bayani natin, bakit pinahihirapan nyo ang mga bagong bayani? Bakit binubuksan mo ang bagahe? ‘Stop it! I don’t like it,’ sabi ko. Kasi kung may magbubukas ng bagahe niyo,  there has to be a compelling reason,” he said. Customs officers at NAIA open baggage only on the back of outside information.

He advised OFWs not to bring home “shabu” when they go on vacation. “Baka mamaya, instead of your relatives going to you para sa pasalubong, pupunta sila may dalang abuloy,” he  added.
Warning those in the drugs trade, he said: “Do not destroy the country, do not destroy the Philippines.”

On his trip to Beijing, Duterte said China would build two bridges across the Pasig River for free to help boost economic activity such as trade and tourism. “At this moment I can only thank China profusely for helping us without conditions,” he said.

Duterte said joining the “One Belt, One Road” economic initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping would allow his government to promote trade in agricultural products with other countries.

Duterte said that as the country’s economy is agriculture-based, it needs to find markets for its farm products. He said China is willing to help the Philippines revive its economy without any conditions because that country is awash with money.

“Mine is really to provide employment, so I invite people to invest in the Philippines,” he added.
“Today, walang akong masabi except my profuse thanks to China for helping us out. Remember that there was a time when lahat ng export natin ay hindi tinatanggap dito,” Duterte said.

About 100 people who wanted to see their president were refused entry to Regal Airport Hotel by the strict security, made up of  Hong Kong Police’s Special Branch and personnel of the Malacanang Presidential Security Group.

Representatives of militant groups who
had invitations were held off two and a half hours
before being allowed in and asked to sit in the last rows.
(Photo by Bing Yungco)

Among those refused entry were Bayan Hong Kong & Macau, and Unifil Hong Kong officers led by Eman Villanueva, who said they had invitations and were invited by Bello to the meeting after a dialogue at the Consulate. “Ayaw silang papasukin ng PSG,” said Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre.
Consul General Bernardita Catalla, in her welcome speech,  apologized to those who were not allowed in.  “Humihingi ako ng paumanhin sa napakaraming gustong makita si Presidente ngunit di namin napagbigyan dahil sa kakulangan ng lugar at oras...”

But she was interrupted noisily by a group of Duterte supporters who shouted, “Dito, maraming bakante!”

Catalla replied, “Nais nating ipaalala na mayroon tayong security arrangements na sinusunod.”
But in a lengthy Facebook post afterwards, Villanueva challenged the decision to ban them from the venue initially, and made to wait for more than two hours being finally allowed in.

“Maraming dapat ipaliwanag mga kinauukulan sa Konsulado.Hindi dapat palampasin  ang nangyaring  pambabastos sa mga progresibo at lehitimong OFW,” said Villanueva .

If the Consulate’s purpose was as they said, they did  not want to embarrass the President, then Villanueva said they did exactly that when they banned the militants  as it led to commotion and undue publicity from the international media.

Walang kaligtasan sa dagdag na pagpiga

“Piga pa more!” Ito ang pakutyang sinasabi ng mga OFW sa napipintong pagpapatupad ng pamahalaan sa Universal Health Care Act na ipinasa ng Senado noong Okt 11 at pinirmahan ng Pangulong Duterte noong Peb 20.

Maganda ang batayang layunin ng nasabing batas – ang pagkakaloob ng gobyerno sa lahat ng mamamayang Pilipino ng health insurance coverage upang maipapagamot nila ang kanilang karamdaman.

Ang pagsasabatas ng panukalang iyan ay bunsod ng katotohanang maraming Pilipino ang namamatay sa sakit nang hindi nakapagpagamot dahil hindi nila nakakayanan ang mataas na bayad sa pagpapagamot.

Ayon sa Pangulo, sa pamamagitan ng awtomatikong paglilista sa mga mamamayan sa National Health Insurance Program at pagpapalawak sa saklaw ng PhilHealth, ginagarantiyahan ng batas ang pagkakaloob ng de-kalidad at murang serbisyong pangkalusugan sa lahat.

Call us!

Sa ilalim ng bagong batas na iyan, isasama sa saklaw ng PhilHealth ang libreng konsultasyon at pagsusuri sa laboratoryo at iba pang mga diagnostic test.

Itinatadhana rin ng Universal Health Care Act na isasali tayong lahat na mga Pilipino, kabilang na ang mga OFW, sa PhilHealth na popondohan ng kontribusyon ng mga OFW sa nasabing programang pangkalusugan.

Dahil sa itinatakda ito ng batas, hindi makaiiwas ang mga OFW sa sapilitang pagkaltas sa kita nila upang mapondohan ang nasabing programa. Dahil dito, asahan nating lalaki nang ilang ibayo ang kinakaltas na taunang kontribusyon ng mga OFW sa PhilHealth.

Call us now!

Ang isang OFW na miyembro ng PhilHealth ay nagbabayad sa ngayon ng PhP2,400 bawat taon. Sa pagpapatupad ng Universal Health Care Act, iyan ay magiging PhP6,864 bawat taon, ayon sa komputasyon ng isang tagapagtaguyod ng mga OFW.

Ang mga skilled worker, na kinabibilangan ng mga magdaragat, ay magbabayad naman ng PhP16,500 sa PhilHealth sa isang taon.

Ayon kay Susan Ople ng  Blas Ople Center sa kanyang tudling sa Business Mirror, nakita niya sa isang balangkas ng komputasyon ng PhilHealth premium na pagkaraan ng limang taon, ang magiging taunang kontribusyon ng isang OFW ay PhP12,480.

Call now!

Kakayanin kaya ng mga kasambahay na patungong Kuwait o Saudi Arabia ang halagang iyon? tanong ni Ople.

Ang katanungan ay kaugnay ng isang rekisito sa panukalang implementing rules ng bagong Social Security System Law na hindi bibigyan ng Philippine Overseas Employment Administration ng OEC ang isang OFW hanggat hindi siya ganap na bayad sa mga ambag sa SSS.

Nakakainit ng ulo kung isipin ang iba’t ibang mga sinisingil sa mga OFW bago sila umalis sa kanilang bansa upang maghanap-buhay. Ayaw man aminin ng pamahalaan, ito ay pamimiga sa mga migranteng manggagawa bago pa lang sila makapagsimula sa kanilang mga trabaho sa ibang bansa.

Hindi na nga sila maprotektahan sa paniningil ng mga employment agency nang labis-labis bago sila makaalis, ngayon ay idinagdag pa sa pasanin ng mga OFW ang mga bagong patakaran sa SSS at Universal Health Insurance.

Ang masaklap ay ang pagiging “mandatory” ng mga patakarang ito na isa lamang ang ibig sabihin: hindi makaliligtas ang OFW sa karagdagang pamimiga.

Kung itinuturing ng mga lider ng bansa at mga pulitiko ang mga OFW na mga “bagong bayani,” bakit ginagawa silang gatasan ng mga ahensiya ng pamahalaan samantalang sila ay nag-aambag ng malaking halaga sa kabuhayin ng bansa?

Malinaw na pang-uuto lamang sa mga OFW ang pagturing sa kanila bilang mga bayani kung garapalan naman ang pagpiga sa kanila. -- Vir B. Lumicao

===

I-TRY MO ITO, KATRIBO!
Mas madali nang tawagan ang mga advertiser natin dito. Pindutin lang ang kanilang ad at lalabas ang automatic dialer. Isa pang pindot ay matatawagan mo ang advertiser na hindi na kailangang i-dial ang numero nila. I-try mo!

CALL US!

Call us!

Call us!

Press ad to call

Call Us!

PRESS TO DOWNLOAD OUR APP!

Call us now!

Call us now!

Trekkers ease OFW depression with charity hikes and eco-cleanups

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Trekkers gather for their first anniversary to hike, do beach cleanup, and eat

It began with a call for help from a fellow overseas Filipino worker whose village in Mindanao was ravaged by two earthquakes in the closing days of October last year.

Veteran hiker Ligaya Francisco said she and a bunch of friends wanted to help but knew it was difficult to solicit donations since her fellow helpers were also hard-up. They eventually decided to raise funds by hiking.

“Naging successful naman ang fundraising. Noong nagkasunud-sunod na ang mga humingi ng tulong ay nagtatag na kami ng grupo,” Francisco said on Nov 22, as Bagong Bayani (The Trekkers) celebrated its first anniversary with hiking and a beach cleanup in Discovery Bay, Lantau.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The 54-year-old unassuming woman, who is called “Nanay” or “Happy” by members of The Trekkers, said there had been several requests for help this year as natural calamities and pandemic safety protocols put communities back home in difficult situations.

As the hikes for a cause became frequent, more workers joined, Francisco said. From a bunch of just eight women who met on the trails, the group that initially called itself The Trekkers grew to more than 50 members as it attracted other workers.

The group expanded even as pro-democracy protests and the coronavirus pandemic affected their activities.

Francisco says the protests and pandemic drove them further afield

“Dinaanan namin ang mga rally, pero ang pinakamatindi ay ang Covid-19 dahil mahigpit sa social distancing. Kung saan-saang gubat at bundok kami nagtago para magkasama-sama. Naghanap kami ng mga tagong lugar at isla,” said Francisco.

Call now!

There was a time when social distancing measures limited group gatherings to just two persons, but the group managed to continue hiking without breaking the rules by trekking in twos. The strict protocols were a blessing nevertheless as they enhanced group growth. 

“Noong panahong iyon ay saka naman lalo kaming lumago, dumami ang sumama sa amin,” Francisco said. She said many of their friends brought along friends until the group grew and camaraderie improved.

Members brought food so they would have picnics when they went hiking to stay away from the city, she said.

CONTACT US!

“Kasi yung time na iyon, ang hirap e, napaka-isolated natin. Yung depression, yung gusto mong umuwi, may mga namatay hindi ka makauwi, may mga problemang pampamilya, hindi rin maayos kasi na-stuck na tayo dito. At saka yung emotional need, kailangan namin ang isa’t isa,” Francisco said.

“Pumupunta kami sa mga ganitong lugar walang tao, malaya kaming magsalita, malaya kaming tumawa, malaya kaming ilabas yung kung ano ang nararamdaman namin,” she said.

She admitted there had been intrigues due to petty misunderstandings or pressure brought about by the times, but they stayed together as a family.

“Para kaming magkakapatid, minsan may away-away, minsan nagkakatampuhan. Normal lang po iyon dahil sa panahon. Maraming pressure. Pero eto pa rin kami, magkakasama, kailangan namin ang isa’t isa, parang isang pamilya yung community,” Franciso said.

The Trekkers try to maintain social distancing even in isolated areas

The members come from all regions of the Philippines. She said the priority is helping fellow OFWs, especially since they and their families don’t get dole-outs from their government even if they need help, too. The group reaches out to any OFW, even a non-member, who is in dire need to ease her worry, especially when a family member falls ill.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Whatever amount the members give, these add up and mean a lot, said Francisco.

She said that’s one reason why almost every week The Trekkers hold charity hikes. At the same time, Francisco said, they would do cleanups on the trails and beaches to teach members to love and protect the environment.

“Gusto kong masanay sila at magkaroon ng mind-set na kailangang mahalin ang environment, na huwag itapon ang kalat kung saan-saan kundi ilagay sa tamang basurahan,” the group’s “nanay” said.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang klwentong Dream Love

At their anniversary celebration, about 40 people gathered before noon on an isolated beach at the northern fringes of Discovery Bay. Many others came in twos or threes in the early afternoon.

On the site they strove to be in fours in line with protocols, even in preparing the food they served to celebrate the anniversary and the birthdays of two or three members.

Tap for more details

However, not all their weekends are devoted to hiking and cleanups, Francisco said. Sometimes they also hold a hammock festival, where members hang layers of hammocks from trees and spend the day or night in those nylon cocoons suspended in mid-air.    

The group has no elected leaders. It is the organic core group, including Francisco, Annabeline Allera, sisters Mary Joy Rebucan and Ma. Ana R. Bautista, as well as Jessie Lopez that coordinates activities. Lopez, who figures in several OFW fundraising drives, takes charge of The Trekkers’ charity projects.

Last Sunday, as they marked their special day, The Trekkers also superseded the group name with Bagong Bayani, or New Heroes, a name that best fits them.

CALL US!

CALL US FOR MORE DETAILS

PRESS FOR MORE DETAILS

CALL US NOW!

Call Us!

A ‘Bagong Bayani’ goes home for good

By Daisy CL Mandap

Consul Deric Atienza handed the Consulate's plaque of appreciation to Ching on Feb 3, the day she went home for good 

Up until the day before she was to return home for good in the Philippines, multi-awarded migrant worker Conchita “Ching” Baltazar was hard at work in the kitchen.

At the last minute, her employers for the last 12 years of her stay in Hong Kong decided to throw a party, and Ching did not think twice about canceling a previously arranged farewell dinner so she could do their bidding.

“Nakiusap na i-train ko yung kapalit ko,” said Ching, with nary a trace of annoyance in her voice. “Tinuruan kong gumawa ng Hainan chicken.”

Still, she was gratified when on leaving their house for the last time, her male employer, a lawyer, bid her goodbye with tears in his eyes. He reportedly said, “We will never find another one like you.”

Ching shows off her newest award to BSK members on the Admiralty bridge where they hang out

Indeed, her dedication to work - and passion for helping fellow migrants - made Ching, who decided to go home for good on Feb 3, a month after turning 65 years old, one of the most exemplary overseas Filipino workers to have served in Hong Kong.

Ching is the recipient of two top awards from the Philippine government, the Bagong Bayani presidential award in 1999, and the Bayani Cagayanos award presented by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the local government in Tuguegarao City in 2001.

She also remembers receiving some sort of a public service award from former President Fidel V. Ramos in the 1990s, but when pressed for more information, just shrugged it off, like it was not that important.

This remarkable humility was another trait that endeared Ching to many in the community. Despite her string of achievements which many Filcom leaders could only aspire for, Ching never threw her weight around.

And, while she may have been called “Bossing” by many of her friends, it was more a term of endearment than an acknowledgment of superiority because Ching dirtied her hands along with everyone else when it came to work.

She was legendary for not taking phone calls, much less chat via social media, while attending to the needs of her employers and their three grown-up sons, all of whom became lawyers like their father when Ching was already part of their household.

She was the only help in a huge Taikoo Shing flat which had two floors and a rooftop, which meant she had to do everything, from cleaning to cooking and washing clothes.

“Nag ha handwash pa yan,” said her friend Cristina, who is clearly in awe of the veteran migrant.

Another group close to Ching's heart is Card HK, which provides financial literacy and livelihood training to OFWs

Indeed, Ching was from a vanishing breed of Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong who are so focused on their work that they do not fritter time away on Facebook or chatting with friends.

Luckily, Ching had loyal friends who willingly helped her set up an email account, worked on her organization’s logo, and typed out her solicitation letters the few times she decided to hold an event.

Outside of her employer’s home, Ching was equally unstoppable in the various roles she assumed to help serve her fellow migrant workers.

She was founding president of Balikatan sa Kaunlaran Hong Kong Council, a provider of livelihood training for migrants; and a financial literacy and livelihood trainor for Card HK Foundation.

As if these didn’t make her busy enough, Ching often volunteered for projects ran by the Philippine Consulate and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, and attended many livelihood courses offered by various groups. These included the six-month long Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship program for migrant Filipinos offered by the Ateneo School of Government.

Ching’s swan swong was the realization of her long-held dream of holding a livelihood fair on Chater Road last November, where various groups providing skills training to OFWs displayed their products.

No less than Consul General Antonio A. Morales and Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre spent the whole morning with Ching’s BSK, a clear proof of how much her work for the community was valued by even the country’s top representatives here.

The last award she received was a plaque of appreciation from ConGen Morales, which cited Ching’s support for the Consulate’s various projects, and her “invaluable contribution to the upgrading of skills of Filipino Community members in Hong Kong…”

Ching first came to Hong Kong in 1985, after realizing that her management degree and job as bookkeeper in a government agency could mean her compromising her ideals just to pacify some officials who expected her to fiddle with the books.

After working uninterrupted for 20 years, she headed home when her older brother Peter decided to run as mayor in their hometown of Enrile in Cagayan, so she could help in his campaign.

Peter won by a landslide but managed to serve only briefly, as he was murdered by a political rival. That made Ching fear for her own safety.

Despondent and wanting to help provide for the large brood her brother had left behind, Ching made her way back to Hong Kong in early 2007, just over a year since her return home.

As with many of those who succeed because of hard work, Ching managed to turn her life around again. She was able to send six of her nieces and nephews through college and buy some real properties, including an apartment row and a house in Laguna, from her earnings as an OFW.

Despite some misgivings, she also helped bring over to Hong Kong some of her nieces, all college graduates, who decided to follow her journey as a migrant. A nephew who had gone all the way to Afghanistan in search of work, is now reportedly earning well enough to take over the job of supporting his siblings.

While she may have gone home for good, Ching is not done doing projects. For one, there is that cleaning service business hatched up among her classmates at Ateneo’s LSE program that is waiting to be pursued back in Manila.

Along with her live-in partner for the last couple of years, Ching is also looking at starting her own livelihood projects in Laguna, which could be partly funded by her share in the sale of some ancestral properties in Cagayan.

Serving her in good stead is her frugal ways, which means the long service pay she had collected from her employers and deposited directly into her bank account in the Philippines would go a long way.

It would seem that life is all set for Ching, after all the hard work she did working away from home for the past 32 years – but not quite.

“Ma mi-miss ko ito,” she says, her hand sweeping across the happy groups of migrants camped at her group’s favorite haunt on a bridge in Admiralty.

They, in turn, would surely miss her more. Ching’s work ethic, humility and passion for helping others made her one of a rare breed of migrants, the ones who will long be remembered by many in the community.

ATIS marks 31st anniversary with pomp and fervor

 

Organizers are joined by guests and the audience in the community dance

Abra Tinguian Ilocano Society (ATIS), recognized as one of the outstanding community organizations in Hong Kong, celebrated its 31^st anniversary on Sunday (March 10) with an afternoon show of native culture, beauty and vigilance for reforms in the country.

The celebration, held at Eaton Hotel in Jordan, Kowloon, featured a competition of cultural presentations by towns in Abra, as well as the selection of Miss ATIS 2024 from among representatives of participating towns.

The competitions were intended to raise funds for ATIS projects to benefit its members and their families.

How? Pindutin ito.

The event was also an opportunity to look back at ATIS efforts to fight unjust Philippine policies, such as mandatory fees and government exactions which now cost every OFW about PhP24,000 every year.

In his keynote speech, Eman Villanueva, chairman of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Hong Kong-Macau, paid tribute to ATIS as the biggest mobilizer when OFW support was needed, not just in protests but also in projects for the Filipino community, especially during the pandemic.

He attributed these to years of leadership focused on helping not only its members but also their families back in the Philippines. For these efforts, its former president, Caring Bachiller, was declared Bagong Bayani for Asia-Pacific Region in 2023.  ATIS was also declared the most outstanding community organization in Hong Kong by The SUN in 2015.

TAWAG NA!

Villanueva noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, when uncertainty reigned over job security among OFWs, “we were abandoned by our own government” and the Hong Kong government gave aid to residents but none to OFWs.

“ATIS was one of those who helped, along with the Mission for Migrant Workers, Unifil and others to gather facemasks, sanitizers, medicines, food and so on,” he said. “They delivered care packs to those who had Covid.”

He added that they helped everyone, regardless of political color.

PINDUTIN DITO

For her part, ATIS President Ludy Guinaban thanked those present for their show of solidarity. 

“OFWs are called present day heroes but we are always at the bottom of the list in receiving aid,” she said.

She recalled that during pandemic days, “we experienced discrimination in Hong Kong and even in our own country.  We were not included in the relief aid of both governments.”

But this did not faze ATIS.

In the 2022 earthquake that hit the country, and which left the most damage in Abra, OFW families were excluded from government relief distribution. A protest by ATIS which became viral reversed this policy.

“When Covid hit, we were also among the first to send assistance back home,” she said.

Declared winners in Cultural Presentation were Licuan-Baay, first place; Tayum, second and Malibcong, third.

In the beauty pageant, the winners were Miss ATIS Jovelyn Galarde of Tayum, First Runner-up Ma. Rhodora Casay of Maliobcong, second Runner-up Desiree Joy Barcena of Abra Migrant Workers Welare Association and Third Runner-up Karen Joy Lunes of Licuan-Baay.

Other winners were Miss Photogenic Ginayn Martinez of La Paz, Miss Collective Sharon de Jose of Tubo Maeng Tribe Associatiom, and Best Production as well as Best in Ethnic Gown, Gretchel Bolanos of Lagangilang.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!