Cordilleran group holds songwriting contest

As part of their campaign to promote their culture and cultivate their talents as Cordilleran migrants, members of the Pinatud a Saleng ti Umili (PSU HK) held a songwriting competition on Aug. 12 at Pier 10 in Central.

Taking top honors was Linlyn Andrada Subido for her original competition, “Karapatan Namin”, sung by Andrada Clan. Second prize winner was Iris Ticagan, composer of “Paglayo”, which was sung by her group, Singles and Doubles.

The contest rules specified that singers representing the contestants would first sing the Cordillerans’ unity song, “Nasa Atin ang Panahon” from the group Buklod, before presenting their original composition.

According to PSU-HK president Joseline Tanguid, her group stages a Dap-ayan cultural event every two months and the song writing competition was one of the activities held as part of this.

Tanguid said that through these cultural activities, the group hopes not only to promote unity but also to empower members so they are better equipped to find solutions to issues faced by migrants both in and out of the Philippines.

Members and guests of Pinatud a Saleng ti Umili (PSU HK), with contest winners.

The Dap-ayan ti Umili, held alongside a Migrants Care Center where free services was given to migrant workers, was co-organized by PSU-HK and the Mission for Migrant Workers and had as theme “Palakasin ang Pagkakaisa sa proteksyon ng Kagalingan at Kultura.”

The judges for the songwriting contest were Aaron Ceradoy of the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants, Carmela Cawas of Benguet Federation, and Maricel Redita of Migranteng Artista ng Bayan.

Acting as adjuducators were Joelyn Hilyawan of Ifugao Association Hong Kong and Nancy Tanguid of Asipulo Organization.
—DCLM

Labatt Jolly set to return to Hong Kong

Labatt Jolly could resume his post  early next month

By Daisy CL Mandap

The combined voices of Filipino migrant workers have been heard. Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre, whose unceremonious and unjustified recall to Home Office in April sparked widespread protests within the Filipino community in Hong Kong, is about to come back.

The only question now is, when?

“My papers are already with the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs)”,  was all that Labatt dela Torre said in response to a message asking when he expected to be back in Hong Kong.

Once the DFA, through the Philippine Consulate, passes on his papers to the Hong Kong government, it will be only a matter of days before Dela Torre gets the go signal to reclaim his post.

According to his temporary replacement, Labor Attache Leonida Romulo, that could be soon, as she is herself already preparing to move to another post. Insiders at the Department of Labor and Employment in Manila say Romulo will be posted to Malaysia where she’s expected to remain until her retirement by next year.

Also about to leave is Assistant Labor Attache Ma Nena German, who had cracked down on Dela Torre’s supporters when she was made officer-in-charge for three months after his recall. German will reportedly spend the last four months of her extended term in Taiwan.

Romulo, who took over the top labor post only last month, said there will be a short overlap between her and Dela Torre. “I will stay until Labatt Jolly returns because there should be an official turnover,” she said

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III sent her here to take up the labor attache’s post after dela Torre was recalled a full year before his tour of duty was supposed to end.

Secretary Bello’s letter dated Mar 23 did not give any reason for the recall, but merely said Dela Torre was to report back to the Home Office “effective immediately”.

He was also instructed to turn over all money, properties, equipment and accountable forms to Assistant Labor Attache Ma. Nena German, indicating the recall was final.

The order sparked widespread criticism within the Filipno community in Hong Kong, and caused two big protests to be staged, calling on Bello to revoke the order against the highly regarded labor

One of two protests held against the recall 

attache.

In response to a petition from migrant leaders, Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano both assured the community Dela Torre would get to keep his post.

But with Bello standing firm on his recall order, Dela Torre was forced to return home in mid-April. The two met in Manila about a month later, during which Bello reportedly told his labor attache to write a letter admitting that he instigated the protests against his recall, and apologize.

The news that Dela Torre is on his way back to reclaim his post was greeted with joy and relief by the Filcom leaders who joined the protests against his recall.

Rodelia Villar, leader of the Domestic Workers Corner, said rogue employment agencies have been on a roll since Dela Torre left. “Four months pa lang ang dami nang nabiktima (na domestic workers),” she said.

Villar also said Dela Torre’s return showed how unity among leaders could bring about a desired result.

Eman Villanueva of United Filipinos in Hong Kong said his group is looking forward to meeting with Dela Torre again.

“We are eager to meet with him upon his return. Maraming mga dapat na mapag-usapan na mga concerns ng community na nais namin maihapag sa kanya for POLO's intervention. One of which ay ang illegal collection ng mga agencies. Gusto din namin syang kausapin tungkol sa mga issues addressed to the HKSAR government. We are confident na gagawa sya ng mga concrete steps para suportahan ang kampanya ng mga OFWs for reforms sa ating working and living condition dito sa HK kagaya ng kanyang ginawa noon sa issue ng window cleaning,” said Villanueva.

For Aura Ablin of Mindanao Workers Federation, the four months that the labor attache was forced to wait it out in Manila while Bello decided on his fate was a lot of time lost.

“Sana yong apat na buwan na pagkawala ni Labatt de la Torre dito ay ibalik yon by extending his term. Ang daming nabinbin na mga programa para sa kapakanan ng mga OFWs dito sa HK and six months is too short to do it all.” said Ablin.

Villanueva suggested a new petition could be made to ask for Dela Torre’s extension way beyond the seven months remaining in his three-year-term.

To this day, the reason for Dela Torre’s recall remains unclear. But recent reports suggest  Bello might have been telling the truth when he told Manila reporters that the order to get dela Torre packing came directly from Malacanang. Apparently, a Hong Kong agency owner whose wife is from Davao had approached President Rodrigo Duterte directly to complain about Dela Torre, who had been bearing down heavily on errant recruiters.

It did not help that a group of Hong Kong recruiters who bring in Filipinas to work as bar girls in Wanchai were also up in arms over Dela Torre’s rejection of their job orders, depriving them of lucrative commissions.

Dela Torre had said that he was surprised by his recall, as he was not aware that he was being investigated. He maintained that he didn't have any problems getting marching orders, but didn't want to go under a cloud of doubt.

Bello later on said Dela Torre’s recall was temporary and was meant to allow him to defend himself against the accusations made against him.

Asked for his reaction to the protests in support of his top Hong Kong man, Bello said, "I respect their right to air their grievance but they (also) have to respect our mgt (management)/ procedural due proess".

The recall attracted extensive media coverage because of the widespread support given to Dela Torre by migrant workers who often cite as reasons his uncompromising stance against illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

Solons fear budget reform would cut funds for districts

The Duterte administration may have adopt its 2018 budget for 2019 if lawmakers and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) could not agree on budget reforms.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said keeping the 2018 budget allocations was one of the options the executive department has if Congress fails to approve the P3.757-trillion appropriations by December.

The House of Representatives had suspended hearings on the 2019 budget as lawmakers rejected a shift from obligation to cash-based budgeting system.

In the past, the obligation-based budget allowed agencies to spend their respective allocations within a two-year period, sometimes leading to underspending.

“A cash-based budget instills greater fiscal discipline and prudent use of limited resources. The shift to a cash-based budget will increase the efficiency of government operations, resulting in a faster and improved delivery of public services,” Diokno explained.

“The one-year time horizon of budget execution will push heads of government agencies to
plan ahead, conduct early procurement, and regularly monitor implementation,” he added.

Congressmen feared that the budget reform would greatly affect budget allocations for their districts, since funding for hospitals, classrooms, and local infrastructure projects like roads might suffer budget cuts.

Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, chairman of the House appropriations committee, and other House leaders – representing lawmakers who crossed party lines – have filed a House resolution asking their Senate counterparts to return the budget reform bill that they sent last March.

In view of the rejection of the budget reform, Diokno said having a reenacted 2018 budget for 2019 would sustain the Duterte administration’s infrastructure spending in the absence of a new appropriations bill approved by Congress.

“We are studying all the options, including reenacted budget of 2018,” Diokno said during a press conference on the sidelines of the “Build, Build, Build” job fair on on Aug. 12 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

“Because so many projects in 2017 and 2018 have not been done, when you add those to projects in 2019, the budget is so big. The ‘Build, Build, Build’ program won’t suffer.”

Under its ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program, the Duterte administration plans to rollout 75 “game-changing” flagship projects alongside spending a total of up to P9 trillion on hard and modern infrastructure until 2022 to usher in the “golden age of infrastructure.”

But some members of the House have been questioning why the 2019 budget proposal, at nominal value, is lower than the record P3.767-trillion 2018 appropriation.

Diokno has explained that this year’s obligation-based budget should not be compared apples to apples to the cash budget proposal for next year.

According to Diokno, the cash-based equivalent of the 2018 budget was P3.324 trillion.

He had noted that “73 percent of the countries around the world, as well as the private sector, are implementing a cash-based budget.”

“This is the way to go if you want transparency and efficiency,” he said. “Annual cash-based appropriations will also encourage a more open and accountable government. In this new system, agency performance will be measured not on contracts awarded or obligated but on the actual delivery of goods and services that will improve the lives of Filipinos.”

NOPTI sets review sessions for LET

The National Organization of Professional Teachers Inc is holding its regular review classes for prospective takers of the Licensing Examination for Teachers to be administered by the Professional Regulation Commission in Hong Kong this September.

The regular review classes are held every Sunday until Aug 26 at the Bayanihan Center in Kennedy Town.

The final coaching will be conducted by the Carl Balita Review Center at the Bayanhihan Hall on Sept 2, Stanley Community Hall on Sept 9 and Bayanihan Hall on Sept 16.

Join the Coins for Bethune House fund-raising project

The Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge is calling on more organizations and individuals to join its annual Coins for Bethune House fundraising project, which is meant to raise funds to sustain the shelter’s programs and expenses.

Those who wish to join may collect cans or jars for their donations from the Mission for Migrant Workers office in St John’s Cathedral on Garden Road, Hong Kong, or from the Bethune shelter on #2 Jordan Road, Kowloon.

Those who have already filled their cans are enjoined to submit them as soon as possible to #2 Jordan from Monday to Saturday, and to the Mission office on Sundays. The deadline for submitting the cans is on Sept 30.

The first counting of donations made through the cans began on Aug. 12, and will continue for the next Sundays until the deadline.

Bethune House executive director Edwina Antonio is appealing for more help, citing a financial crisis brought about by the unexpected withdrawal of funding support from big corporate donors.

“We are always grateful and thankful for the support the Filipino Community extends to our migrants in distress, especially women. And as everybody knows, the Bethune House is undergoing a crisis to come up with a significant amount to augment its finances to sustain its programs and expenses,” she said.

“It is during times of need that challenges turn into opportunities. It is through this that the Coins For Bethune House project was born years ago. It continues to help sustain us, which is why your coins are very much welcome,” Antonio also asserted.

For enquiries, please call 27213119, 25228264 or 93572125.

Note from Bethune House Migrant Women's Refuge: “We met this young girl when we visited Bradbury School. She came to us with her teacher, holding a hundred dollar bill. She said  she and her sister made chatterboxes to sell to raise money for Bethune House. She is worried about the women at Bethune House. We, the residents were speechless by her compassion, sense of charity and social responsibility at her age, so humbled and touched by her gesture.”

Pinay in reported suicide to be flown home

Ariel (in red shirt) and other relatives meet with
CG Morales (in suit) at the Consulate

By The SUN-HK

Consulate officers say the remains of the Filipina who allegedly hanged herself at her employer’s home will be flown home on Aug. 27.

A day before this, or on Aug. 26, a Sunday, a public viewing of her body will be held at the North District Hospital in Sheung Shui, from 12 noon to 3pm. Mourners are requested to wear white.

According to Lorna Obedoza, welfare officer at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, the employers of the victim had paid for the repatriation, and also paid for long service for the seven and a half years that the Filipina had worked for them.

The employers also reportedly asked for understanding from those who had been bashing them because they did not show up at the hospital where their longtime helper was in critical condition for about a week before she was taken off life support.

According to Obedoza, the employers said they were also distraught at the helper’s passing, as she had been with them for a long time.

The victim’s husband, who is to fly back home to Anini-y, Antique to await his wife’s repatriation, had earlier called on the police to look into a possible foul play in the death of his wife.

Ariel, who also met with Consul General Antonio A. Morales on Aug. 13, said he did not believe his wife had committed suicide.

Ariel told The SUN his late wife, who would have turned 33 years old on Aug. 18, had not told him of any problem except for alleged death threats she had been hearing shortly before she was found dead.

“Lagi po kasing naririnig ng misis ko na papadampot siya at patayin,” Ariel said, but did not specify who might have been behind these threats.

He said his wife had told two of her friends on Jul 31 about the death threats but did not have time to report them to the police or Consulate.

Ariel also claimed his wife’s phone had been emptied of messages and reformatted when police recovered it. In addition, a piece of luggage where she hid her work contract and other important documents were reportedly missing.

Ariel corrected earlier reports that they had just gotten married, saying they were wed on June 25, 2009. His wife just went home recently to celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary with him. They had no children.

Other relatives told Morales that the victim, who used to work as a sales lady at a department store, used to take her day off only once a month and seldom met up with them.

The victim, who was briefly revived on being taken to hospital, was taken off life support system at 2pm on Aug 8, nearly 48 hours since she was declared brain-dead by doctors in the intensive care unit.

One of her cousins said that contrary to earlier reports, the victim was found by her employer in the toilet, and not in the maid’s bedroom of their luxury villa in The Green, Sheung Shui in the morning of Aug. 1.

Reports said the maid had hung herself with a wire, although a bottle of pesticide was also found in the room. There was no suicide note.

Police had indicated they found nothing suspicious, and were only investigating the reason for her suicide.

After talking to the victim’s relatives, Morales said the Consulate needs to conduct seminars for Filipino workers here on mental health. He added that they need to call the PCG immediately if they are troubled.

“We will be holding seminars to teach our workers how to cope with stress so that we can avoid tragedies like this,” Morales told The SUN. He said the Consulate’s hotline is also open 24 hours a day to answer calls.

“We have counselors here who can give them advice if they have problems,” he said.

The same advice was given earlier by Consul Paulo Saret, head of the assistance to nationals section. He said OFWs should also talk to relatives and friends about their problems to get these off their chests.

They could also call The Samaritans, which runs a 24-hour multilingual suicide prevention hotline at 2896 0000. Emails can also be sent to jo@samaritans.org.hk.

Allied Express Travel opens two new branches

Within just a week, Allied Express Travel opened two new branches in Hong Kong, in a bid to expand its market share of the Filipino market.
The first new branch opened on Aug. 5 at the Hop Yick Commercial Centre at 33 Hop Choi Street in Yuen Long. The second opened on Aug. 12 at shop 201 in Worldwide Plaza in Central.
Daisy Briones, chief executive officer of Allied Express Travel, said she was overwhelmed by the warm response from the public to their “Two Grand Openings,” especially the one at Worldwide Plaza.
“We had a soft opening of our Worldwide branch a few days before the grand launch, and the customers just started coming, mostly walk-ins,” said Briones. “We are truly grateful for this warm reception.”
The company’s chief operating officer, Jassen Trankow, said Allied Express Travel aims to build up customer trust and satisfaction as it continues to expand its operations.
Among the guests at the travel agency’s grand openings were representatives from Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, media people, friends and family members.

Customers and staff celebrate the grand opening the World Wide Plaza (photo above) and Yuen Long Branch (photo below) of Allied Express Travel. The two events were attended by Daisy Briones, CEO of Allied Express Travel; Jeffrey Briones, manager of Allied Express and Jassen Trankow, COO of Allied Express, as well as representatives from Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.

Allied Express Travel, which was founded in 1995, still has its main office at No 3 Queen Victoria Street in Central.

License of employment agency revoked

The Labour Department (LD) has revoked the licence of an employment agency, Galaxy Maid Employment Consultants Limited, Central and Causeway Bay.

Labour Department headquarters in Central.

LD also reminded operators of employment agencies to conduct their business in compliance with the law and the Code of Practice for EAs at all times.

Galaxy’s license was cancelled for failure “to meet the standards set out in the Code by failing to include all required items in the service agreements for foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) and their employers, failing to keep the written confirmation of FDHs and their employers that they had been briefed about their statutory rights and obligations as well as the content of the Standard Employment Contract by the EA, and failing to keep records relating to the dealings with employers.”

It added: “Despite repeated warnings given by the Employment Agencies Administration (EAA) of the LD, the EA was unable to rectify the irregularities detected.”

The LD spokesman said, “The Code sets out the salient legal requirements that EA operators must observe in operating their business, as well as the minimum standards which the Commissioner expects of EAs. The EAA conducts regular and surprise inspections of EAs and issues warning letters to EAs for contraventions of the Code, so as to rectify any irregularity detected.     

“Under the Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 that came into effect on February 9, 2018, the Commissioner is empowered under sections 53(1)(c)(iva), 53(1)(d)(iii) and 53(1)(e)(ii) to refuse to issue or renew a licence, or to revoke a licence, if the licensee or the person intending to be the licensee, or a related person of or an individual employed by the licensee or the person intending to be the licensee, has not complied with a code of practice issued under section 62A(1) of the Ordinance.”

This is the fifth case this year involving revocation of or refusal to renew an EA license. Previously, Familia Employment Agency, an EA located in Tai Po, had its licence revoked after the licensee was convicted of overcharging three job seekers. A further two EAs, namely Tin Wai Employment Company Limited, an EA located in Mong Kok and Tuen Mun, and Good Family Employment Agency Company Limited located in Kennedy Town, had their licences revoked respectively for contravening the Code and providing misleading information during the inspections and enquiries of the EAA and for contravening the Code by being involved in the financial affairs of job seekers, failing to issue payment receipts and having the management fail to closely supervise its staff. Another EA named JK Company located in Mong Kok had its license renewal refused.

Lanie is back home – for now

By Daisy CL Mandap

Lanie at HK airport about to fly home

Nine months after fleeing the flat of a couple she claims subjected her to slave-like treatment, Lanie Grace Rosareal, 28, has returned home.

The Filipina domestic worker left Hong Kong on Aug. 11, after finally being allowed to apply for a new employment visa so she could resume work while fighting her case against her former employer and her companion who Rosareal says, subjected her to physical abuse, and did not pay her salary for six months.

Rosareal was one of the few lucky migrant workers who could go home while waiting for their cases to be resolved. Many others are forced to either remain in Hong Kong -unemployed for months while the police investigate their cases - or to just give up the fight and return home.

Luck for Rosareal came when the solicitors firm, Daly, Ho and Associates, one of Hong Kong’s foremost human rights advocates, agreed to take up her case. Shocked by the sight of a “punishment book” where her employer’s companion, Au Wai-chun, had listed down imaginary faults for which Rosareal was fined each time, solicitor Patricia Meason-Ho readily agreed to take up her case.

On this page in the "punishment book" Au warned: "Also continue like this I sure will send you to police"

Here, Au calculated that up to Oct 23 (2017) the maid owed $3,600. The next day, it shot up to $5,000. 

Another fact that stood out was Au’s prior conviction for pouring hot water on a Bangladeshi maid for which the retired immigration officer was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay damages of $200,000.

On the solicitors’ advice, Rosareal managed to have a new employment contract filed with Immigration within the 10-day limit she was given so she could exit and wait for her visa in the Philippines.

Help was also extended by Consul Paulo Saret of the Philippine Consulate General and Labor Attache Leonida Romulo, who teamed up to make sure the Filipina’s new employment contract was processed within one day so she could immediately file it with Immigration.

But on Thursday, Aug. 9, Rosareal’s bid to acquire a new work visa was almost derailed when an Immigration officer rejected her employment contract, and even shouted “Do not waste my time!” when she suggested he conferred with her counselor. A quick call from Daly and Ho caused the officer to back off and accept the contract.

Also working in Rosareal’s favor was an incisive story on her case written by Simon Parry for the SCMP magazine, and published on Aug. 12. The article included lengthy interviews with Rosareal and her alleged tormentor, 65-year-old Au, and her erstwhile employer, Leung Shet-ying, 63.

In the article, Au denied hurting Rosareal, saying she treated the maid either as a “naughty daughter” or “naughty student” for which she had set up some rules for punishment and rewards.

While reportedly admitting that she imposed a penalty on Rosareal for every infraction, Au claimed she gave back most of the maid’s salary after taking it to pay for the cumulative fines for the month. However, no record was made in the punishment book for any such salary that had been paid back.

Rosareal fled the house shared by Leung and Au in Tseung Kwan O on Nov 17 last year. She was rescued, along with newly hired Filipina maid, Rowela S. Suete, by a Filipino community leader who had responded to Suete’s appeal for help on Facebook.

In statements she made to labour officers and the police, Rosareal claimed that Au had subjected her to almost daily torture from May to November last year. The elderly woman had reportedly hit her on the head with a knife and a TV remote control, boxed her in the arm, clawed on her wrists and neck, poked her at the throat with a pair of scissors, and made her kneel and bang her head on the floor.

Once, the maid said she was told to bang her forehead thrice on the floor, but when she failed to do it hard enough on the first try, Au, who reportedly pretends to be wheelchair-bound when outside the house, stomped hard on her back. At Suete’s prodding, Rosareal said she took a photo of the big bump on her forehead as evidence.

Rosareal's photo of the bump on her forehead

During the prolonged abuse, Leung reportedly stayed out of the way most of the time, but would be prevailed upon by Au sometimes to hit the Filipina with a walking stick.

Apart from the abuse, Rosareal said she was not paid her salary for the entire period because of the penalties that Au imposed for such a range of bizarre infractions such as “give the ugly hanger” to “not pay attention to the underwear” or “not stand in front of her when she complains”.

Leung would reportedly pay her salary each month, but would then tell her to go to Au to settle her “penalties.” Rosareal said that as a result, she never got any pay, but would just be given $100 or $200 by Au the few times she was allowed to leave for a few hours on a Sunday.

She never took an entire day off, Rosareal claimed, because by the end of each month, she would always come out owing Au. For the period of Sept 22 to Oct 23, for example, Au’s computation showed she still owed $3,750 after turning over her entire salary.

On her last entry in the punishment book, a total sum of $29,230 was recorded, presumably as the accumulation of all her unpaid penalties.

Recalling those times recently, Rosareal bitterly said Au would even take her to a shopping mall sometimes, and would make a big show of splurging on luxury items from the fines that she collected.

"She would show me an expensive bag or a blouse which she said she had bought with my money," the Filipina said. 

Rosareal's photo - taken while Au on trial for
her assault on Bangladeshi maid in 2014

Despite her lengthy ordeal, Lanie did not get immediate relief. Police in Tseung Kwan O took her statement without an interpreter, then told her Au had been arrested, but was allowed to post bail. She was given no more updates since.

A check with the Police Public Relations Bureau showed that Au was arrested on Dec. 11, 2017 for "criminal assault and intimidation" but was released on police bail. She was required to report back in late August, a good eight months away. "Investigation of the case has been completed and is pending legal advice," said the advisory.

Au on her way to her trial in a wheelchair and
wearing a hand splint - SCMP photo 

In the meantime, Hong Kong Immigration kept extending Rosareal's visa, but when she submitted a new employment contract, she was told it would not be processed until her case was resolved. 

Failing to get Leung to pay her claims before Labour Department conciliators, Rosareal took her case to the Labour Tribunal. But in January this year, she faced another setback when Tribunal Officer Mary Wu decided that all she was entitled to was $2,408.70 in unpaid wages and traveling allowance.

Wu said in open court that it was not irregular for Leung to pay Rosareal's salary, then tell the maid to go to Au to settle her "penalties".

"That is nothing to do with the contract. You are being punished because maybe you have done something wrong and that's why the employer punish you or that Madam Au punish you and you have to pay compensation to them," said Wu.

The tribunal officer told Rosareal to go to the Small Claims Tribunal if she wished to get her money back from Au, and at one point even suggested the maid could have written on the punishment book herself.

Left with no choice but to wait for the police to act on her case, Rosareal tried to keep her spirits up by doing volunteer work for the Philippine Overseas Labor Office. She also helped some of her fellow wards at a government shelter pursue their respective cases, but it was not always easy. Unemployed and still suffering from the trauma of the past year, Rosareal had to go for counseling

three times a week, and in between, look for ways to keep afloat and sane.

She had thought of going home, but was prevailed upon by several people to stay, saying police would probably dismiss her complaint if she left.

With the latest twist in her story going her way, Rosareal says she hopes justice is finally within reach.

What's on where

PUBLIC HOLIDAY ANNOUNCEMENT: 

The Philippine Consulate General and all its attached agencies including POLO will be closed on the following date:
Aug 27 – National Heroes Day (Philippines)
Sept. 25 – Day Following Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
Oct. 1 – PRC National Day (HK)
Oct 17 – Cheung Yeung Festival (HK)
There will be no official transactions on these dates.
In case of emergency, call:  9155 4023 (Consular assistance), 5529 1880 (POLO), 6345 9324 (OWWA)

Give Care to our Caregivers
Aug. 19, 12nn – 5pm, Victoria Park, Causeway Bay
Organized by: Mission for Migrant Workers. Volunteers welcome: Call Cynthia, 9740 9406 or Esther, 9711 1673

Empanada and Embutido Making
(Livelihood Skills Training). Aug 19, 9:30am – 12:30pm, Bayanihan Centre, 55 Victoria Road, Kennedy Town.First come, first served. Kindly bring  Apron, Hairnet, Minimal contribution for ingredients (Free training but cost of ingredients will be equally shouldered by participants, finished products will be taken home. Organized by: CARD HK Foundation. Call: 9529 6392/5423 8196/ 9606 6810

Linis Wais (Basic Hygiene Sanitation and Food Safety Training)
Aug. 19, 2-4pm,PCG Conference Room. Speaker/Trainer: Jhell Palomaria, Certified – Food Safety by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. Certificates will be issued. Registration closed as of Aug 10. For info, check the Consulate Facebook page

Blood Donation Drive
Aug 19, 11am-5pm, Hong Kong Red Cross Causeway Bay Donation Center 14/F, Plaza 2000, 2-4 Russell Street. Causeway Bay (MTR Station Exit A) To register as a donor, send an email to cultural.pcg@gmail.com with subject line na: “Blood Donation”, and give your name, telephone number and indicate your preferred time from this schedule: * 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 a.m., * 12:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., * 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., * 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Important Advice: Only 10 participants will be allowed into the Donation Centre every hour to avoid overcrowding

Foreign Domestic Work: Understanding the Journey
(Talk by Dr. Ju-chen Chen of Chinese University of HK)
Aug 26, 2-5pm,PCG Conference Room
To book a slot, call Analyn at 6500 9288 or Lorna at 2823 8512. Organized by: Philippine Consulate General and Wimler Foundation

Silid Sining Pinay: Unlocking Pinay Creativity
Painting Workshop Sessions for OFWs in HK with Filipino artist Grace P. Camacho.  Sept 2, 9am-12nn,Oct 7, 9am – 12nn,PCG Gallery.Organized by: PCG with Pitter Painter. Requirements: HKID copy and one 2x2" photo.To register, visit the PCG Cultural Section or email cultural.pcg@gmail.com with subject: “SilidSining”

“Sagip Kapwa” Free Fire Safety Classes
First Session: Sept 8 (Saturday) at Tung Lo Wan Fire Station, 111 Victoria Park Rd., Causeway Bay, HK. Second Session: Oct 20 (Saturday) at Wong Tai Sin Fire Station, 28 Fung Tak Road, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon Twenty slots are available for each session. Certificates will be given.To register, send your name and mobile phone number by email to gadhongkong@gmail.com with the title: “FIRE”. For other details, check the Philippine Consulate General Facebook page

Hike for a Cause
(Fund-raising for 10-year-old Charlene Kate Lariosa who is suffering from chronic kidney failure)
Sept. 23, 9:30am-11:30am. Route: Peak to Mount High West View. Meeting place: Peak Galleria. Contact: Marites, 5711 1533

FBC’s 7th Anniversary Bowling Party
Oct 7, 10am-4pm.South China Athletic Association Bowling Centre, Causeway Bay. Come in your funny costume, and join the games! Organizer: Filipino Bowling Club Hong Kong Jenny 9401 7051

Nueva Vizcaya Day 2018
Oct 21 (Sunday), from 10 am,Chater Road, Central
Highlights: Search for Saniata ti Nueva Vizcaya 2018 and Sassy Look International 2018. Organizer: United Nueva Vizcayanos - HK