Ylagan’s address change again delays hearings

Ylagan 

By The SUN staff

A change of address of Emry’s Service Staff Employment Agency/Mike’s Secretarial Services owner Ester P. Ylagan has led to a rescheduling of cases against her at the Small Claims Tribunal, forcing her alleged victims to return to court on yet another day.

This developed over the past fortnight even as the Employment Agency Administration told The SUN it had already filed a criminal case against Ylagan.

The agency owner is being sued by around 50 Filipinos who each claims to have paid her between $10,000 and $15,000 for fictitious jobs in Canada and Britain. But the total number of those who claim to have been victimized in the jobs scam is close to 500, with about half of them filing cases with the Philippine Consulate.

A HK Labour Department official, however, clarified that the criminal prosecution of Ylagan is not a police case but a Department of Labour action. He said it was up to the police to file a separate case against Ylagan.

The agency owner has not been seen since hundreds of applicants for purported jobs in Britain and Canada began filing cases with the claims tribunal for refunds against her in July.

She also notified the tribunal of a change in address more than a month later, causing court notices to be returned unopened, and several cases to be reset so the claimants could amend her address, for which they had to pay additional fees.

 “That could be a tactic of Ma’am Ester (Ylagan), to delay the hearings until we the claimants get tired,” said one of the complainants.

Most of the cases have been consolidated and are due to be heard in big batches in November and December this year.

On Monday, Oct 24, the tribunal set for hearing 24 claims against Ylagan by adding 12 cases not heard on Oct 21 because of super typhoon Haima to another 12 originally set for that day.

The tribunal reset the hearings to Oct 22 but moved them again for last Monday, causing claimants who are mostly domestic workers to worry because their employers do not allow them to go out on weekdays.

The new amendments, which cost $20 each time, are also adding to the costs of the claimants. They already had to pay filing fees of between $50 and $80 each, depending on the amount of their claim, plus photocopying charges and transportation fees from as far away as the New Territories each time they are told to go to court.

But the biggest worry is still getting their employer’s permission to take at least half the day off for the hearing. Many could not even tell their employer about the case as they worry about being fired for trying to apply for a new job while still in their employ.

During the Oct. 22 hearings, the clerks of court ask claimants who simply wrote Ester P. Ylagan as the respondent to amend both her name and address.

“The respondent’s name should be amended to Ester P. Ylagan t/a Mike’s Secretarial Services,” the clerk said when she was presented a victim’s claim form.

She said Ylagan’s new mailing address should be 5/F Lemmi Centre, 52 Hoi Yuen Road, Kwuntong, Kowloon, as she had indicated in a reply to a court notice.

Apparently, she had also stopped picking up mail from her previously registered residential address in Aberdeen. The house, which used to be jointly owned by her and her estranged husband Ricardo, had been turned over to their son Ridge Michael on Aug. 24, the day before the first case against Ester was heard.

All claims that require amendments have now been adjourned until Dec 8, whereas those vetted a week earlier had been reset to Dec 1.  

Bawal magpahinga sa bagong amo

Ang akala ni Ester, lahat ng mga among puti ay mababait at hindi istrikto kaya’t nang matapos ang kontrata niya sa among intsik ay tinanggap niya ang alok na trabaho ng isang pamilyang Briton. Masaya niyang ipinagmalaki sa mga kaibigan na ang bago niyang trabaho ay magiging mas maayos kaysa dati.

Matapos ang pagproseso ng kanyang bagong kontrata, nagsimula na si Ester at maayos naman ang naging simula. Mataas kaysa dati ang kanyang suweldo at may food allowance pa. Makaraan ang ilang buwan ay sinabi ng kanyang among babae na titigil na ito sa trabaho para tulungan siyang mag alaga sa kanyang dalawang maliliit na anak.

Ang hindi inaasahan ni Ester ay magiging mahirap ang kanyang trabaho dahil laging nakabantay ang amo. Tuwing umaga ay may listahan na siya ng dapat niyang gawin sa araw na iyon, bukod pa sa pag-aalaga ng mga bata. Mas maaga pa kaysa dati ang gising niya dahil kailangan niyang gumawa ng juice at almusal para paglabas ng kanyang amo ay handa na ang lahat.

Laging nakakulong sa kuwarto ang among babae ngunit alam ni Ester na nakamasid ito lagi sa bawa’t galaw niya. Minsan ay nalimutan niyang linisin ang lababo pagkatapos gamitin ng amo dahil inuna muna niyang kumain ng almusal. Pinuntahan siya agad ng amo para sabihin na unahin muna niyang tapusin ang gawain bago siya kumain. Napakamot na lang ng ulo si Ester at iniwan ang kanyang almusal para sundin ang utos ng nito.

Kahit sa pagluluto ng kanyang pagkain, nagrereklamo ang kanyang amo na nauubos umano ang kanyang oras sa paghahanda ng sarili niyang pagkain. Nasisita pa si Ester kapag gumagamit siya ng mantika at ibang gamit sa kusina. May food allowance na umano siya at hindi na siya dapat gumamit ng mga pangsangkap na nasa kusina.

Pinagsabihan din siyang bawal siyang pumasok sa kanyang kuwarto kung hindi pa siya tapos ng trabaho. Kapag nakikita ng amo na nakaupo si Ester sa kusina, agad na hahanap ito ng iuutos para lang may gawin siya.

Kung minsan ay napapaiyak na sa pagod si Ester. Mas mabuti pa noong ang amo niya ay Intsik na walang pakialam kung magpahinga siya basta’t tapos na ang kanyang gawain. Maghapon pang solo niya ang bahay dahil gabi na kung dumating ang datng amo. Dahil dito ay nagsisisi si Ester kung bakit tinanggihan niya ang alok nito na mag-recontract dahil sa kagustuhan niyang sumubok magtrabaho sa among puti. Alam niya na kailangan na niyang bunuin ang dalawang taon at baka sakaling umayos pa ito. –Jo Campos

Pinay scavengers escape illegal work charge

By Vir B. Lumicao

Three Filipina asylum-seekers got off the hook when charges of illegal work filed against them and a fourth defendant were dropped by the prosecution in a hearing held in Tuen Mun court.

Magistrate Merinda Chow told Jean S. Banuag, Conchita D. Egyab and Rebecca M. Martin to leave after the prosecutor withdrew the charges.

A similar charge against a fourth person, Dolores G. Malao, was also dismissed. But the defendant was kept in custody because she was also charged with breaching a deportation order.

The prosecutor told the court he was withdrawing the charge of illegal work against the four women based on the statement of a warehouse owner who said the Filipinas were in the premises scavenging for discarded old clothes.

Malao, a former domestic worker, was remanded in jail and told to return to court on Oct. 20 after the prosecution applied for a three-week adjournment for legal advice.

The case stemmed from a raid conducted by immigration and police officers on a used clothes warehouse in Yuen Long on Feb 24 this year.

A prosecution report said the four women were seen sorting and folding used clothes when the raiding team arrived.

The officers found out that Banuag, Egyab and Martin were torture claimants whose applications for third-country asylum were being processed. They were arrested on suspicion they were working illegally in Hong Kong. Malao, on the other hand, was arrested after a record check showed she was issued a deportation order on Jan 18, 2016 for another conviction.

Art auction raises $33,000 for Bethune House

By Vir B. Lumicao

Seven works by two former domestic helpers who have become internationally acclaimed artists were bought by private collectors in an auction at the Bethune House 30th anniversary charity dinner held on Sept 30 at Li Hall in St John’s Cathedral.

The seven art works were among 32 donated by Xyza Cruz Bacani and Janet Pancho Gupta to help raise funds for Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, a shelter for distressed migrant helpers in Hong Kong.

Bacani, currently based in New York, had five buyers of her street photographs, while Pancho Gupta, a Hong Kong-based painter who added photography to her artistic pursuits recently, sold two works.
According to Bethune’s executive director Edwina Antonio, the silent auction for the seven works raised a total of $33,000 for the shelter.

Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, general manager of Mission for Migrant Workers which operates Bethune House, said the unsold works would be put up again for sale in future auctions to raise funds for the refuge.

“We’re planning to continue the auctions because that’s what the donors want anyway,” Tellez told The SUN shortly after the event.

Additional funds were raised from the $500 per plate dinner buffet featuring a variety of Filipino dishes prepared by residents of the shelter.

Live music was provided by Hong Kong-based Filipino artist and The SUN staff William Elvin Manzano, who contributed his talent pro bono.

Antonio expressed thanks to Bacani, a friend of Bethune House who has been actively supporting the struggle of foreign domestic workers for their rights, and to Pancho Gupta, a former resident who was herself a victim of abusive employers.

Bacani, who is currently in New York, sent her greetings to Bethune House on a video message projected on a screen.

Pancho Gupta, for her part, recalled the days when she was at Bethune and no one knew that she was an artist until she started drawing as part of her activities in the refuge.

OFWs learn how to make empanada, doughnut

The making of doughnuts is demonstrated.

At least 161 OFWs are now equipped with the skills to go into the business of making empanadas and doughnuts when they return home for good.

The workers were taught how to make the delicious and saleable Filipino snacks and pastry in a free skills training offered on Oct 9 by the CARD OFW Hong Kong Foundation.

They went through the course held at Bayanihan Centre under Elpie Abel and Jhoan G. Cabudil, experts in this field who were assigned as trainors by CARD OFW Hong Kong.

The participants who had the first bite of their finished products said they were happy because their pastries tasted good.

Volunteers CARD OFW Hong Kong Foundation
and participants in the seminar. 

It took the trainees just a few hours to learn the skills, and they went home delighted.

Liza Barrientos from Isabela posted in her Facebook account how happy she was after the training. She said it was her first time to attend such training. Now she has decided to attend the regular financial literacy seminar to be held on Nov. 20 also at Bayanihan Centre. – Marites Palma

Warning issued against bank fraud attempts

The Hong Kong government has warned bank customers against scams to obtain their personal and financial details to gain control over their bank accounts.

Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) rules state that “whenever authorized institutions (AIs) become aware of fraudulent websites, phishing e-mails or similar scams which are designed to trick their customers into revealing sensitive customer information, they should notify promptly their customers through issuing press release and report the matters to the HKMA”.

HKMA recently reported that 28 such notifications have been issued so far this year, or an average of three scams every month. It is not known how many people have fallen prey to these scams.
The latest of such scams, which targeted customers of Fubon Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, illustrates how easily one could fall prey into these frauds. A junk email has circulated recently, asking customers to log in to the bank’s alleged website, www.fubonbank.com, to update their data. The fake website features the proper logos and forms copied from the original website, http://www. fubonbank.com.hk, in which customers log in.

Those who believed the email could have easily divulged their account details, including passwords, which could have allowed the fraudsters to drain their deposits.

An attempt by The SUN to open the fraudulent website triggered a virus-crash warning from the internet provider.

The Fubon case is classified as Fraudulent Website, the most common in the HKMA list of scams.
The list provided by HKMA, also classified other the attacks into Suspicious Internet Banking Logic Screen, Suspicious Apps and Phishing Email.

The banks that have issued notifications included The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Bank of China (Hong Kong), Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong), Public Bank (Hong Kong), Bank of East Asia,  Shanghai Commercial Bank, China Citic Bank International, Chong Hing Bank, Wing Lung Bank, OCBC Wing Hang Bank,  Dah Sing Bank, Corporate Finance (D.T.C.) Limited, and BNP Paribas.

MinFed marks 17th year

MinFed members in a gathering in Central.

By Gina N. Ordona

There was no elaborate presentation or preparation for the 17th anniversary of its founding, but Mindanao (HK) Workers Federation celebrated the milestone at Harcourt Garden in Admiralty on Oct. 9 with a memorable gathering graced by the group’s founder, Myrna Padilla.

Holding back tears, Padilla, who now manages a highly successful IT company in Davao City, thanked MinFed for giving her the foundation in managing people.

“If you are given the opportunity to lead, take it seriously and be thankful,” she said.
She also said that a leader must always look at the weaknesses and wrong attitude of the members as a challenge, and learn to turn them into something positive.

Another person who made the celebration special was Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre, who was instrumental in helping form the group when he was first assigned in Hong Kong about 16 years ago.
Labatt dela Torre said he is always proud to say that he is a good friend of Padilla, whom he described as the symbol of a successful OFW.

He announced that Padilla’s company is developing a mobile application which would help revolutionize the operation of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, which he heads. The launch of the mobile app is tentatively set in December.

Also present at the gathering were special friends of MinFed, including The SUN publisher Leo Deocadiz and editor Daisy Mandap, as well as AFreight’s Hong Kong manager Rosabelle Woolf.

Warning on mailed gifts as 2nd Pinay held on drug rap

Vallespin

Beware of presents sent through postal or courier services by foreign boyfriends that you meet online, as they could bring your harm.

This warning was made by the Consulate and a community leader after a second Filipina maid was arrested within a span of three months for taking delivery of dangerous drugs sent as gifts by their foreigner boyfriends.

On Sept 26, Welva Gannaban was arrested by Customs and police officers posing as postmen in her employer’s home in North Point after she signed a delivery receipt for an air parcel from Addis Ababa.

The package, purportedly a present posted by the maid’s Nigerian boyfriend from the Ethiopian capital, was found to contain 650 grams of suspected cocaine. Gannaban was charged with drug trafficking in Tsuen Wan court on Sept 30.

Vice Consul Alex Vallespin, head of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section, warned Filipinas in Hong Kong to beware of this new modus by international drug rings who use unsuspecting domestic workers as drug mules.

Vallespin said: “It’s the same modus – they meet online, become friends, get into an online relationship and then, all of a sudden, the man says: ‘I have a present for you’.”

So, Gannaban came running when a Customs officer disguised as a postman rang the bell at her employer’s flat. When the officer asked her if she was the addressee, she replied: “Yes, that’s me. I’m expecting that package.”

As soon as she signed the receipt, other officers emerged in the corridor, handcuffed her and took her into custody.

Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, general manager of the Mission for Migrant Women, said the workers should be wary of crime syndicates that exploit their weakness in many ways.

“Siguro malaking babala rin para sa mga kababayan natin. Sinasamantala nila (mga sindikato) ang mga kahinaan ng ating mga migrants para magamit nila,” Tellez said.

“Panawagan din sa mga kababayan natin na maging maingat sa ganoon, maraming paraan. At kapag umabot na sa ganyang mga ipadadala, naku, mag-ingat kayo. Huwag na kayong magharimunan.

Huwag kayong masyadong ma-excite kasi baka ito ay hindi maganda ang kalalabasan. Wala kayong kawala. Imagine it will cost you the rest of your life,” Tellez said.

Vallespin warned Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong not to be too trusting especially with friends they meet online.

He cited the case of the Filipina arrested in June, a single mother who was actively searching for a foreign boyfriend online because her sister had successfully found and married one.

The woman fell for a Nigerian man she met online and they “eyeballed” in Wanchai a few days before the arrival of the package.

Delivery day came and the woman eagerly signed a receipt for the parcel allegedly sent from Brazil by her boyfriend. As in the other case, the gift turned out to be illicit drugs. She was arrested and would appear in Tsuen Wan Court on Oct 20 for the resumption of her case’s hearing.

The latest foiled incident involving the use of the postal system to smuggle dangerous drugs into Hong Kong was the fourth this year, and the second time that a Filipina helper was involved.

Vallespin said he plans to include in his talks at post-arrival orientation seminars at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office a warning to newly arrived Filipinas about getting involved in online relationships.

“Ang sinasabi ko nga, kakilala mo na, Pilipino, lolokohin ka pa. What more kung ito. At Nigerian, laging may drugs na involved kapag sila, eh,” he said.

He said there is nothing wrong for Filipinas to look for boyfriends online for a lasting relationship or for fun, but they need to be extra careful.

“Sa mga kababayan natin, hindi namin kayo pinipigilan na tigilan yung mga online source nyo for whatever, whether for relationship or just friendship. Pero mag-ingat po tayo pag sinabing ‘padadalahan ko kayo ng regalo’, lalo na kapag through courier service,” Vallespin said.

“Kasi walang sabit yung nagpadala, eh. Of course, they can use a bogus or non-existent address. Ang madadale diyan yung kababayan natin na nagpadala ng address,” he added.

He said the two incidents had already been reported to the Foreign Office in Manila for appropriate action.

Helpers let voices heard in new ebook

“I promised my son a toy. I promised him a pair of shoes. I promised him clothes. That’s why I’m here…”

Those simple dreams said in lucid prose are not dramatic snippets from a seasoned writer’s work but statements of a simple Filipino mother who decided to leave her son when he was 3 years old to seek a better future overseas for the child.

The narrative “I Promised My Son a Toy” by Eunice Sacliwan is just one of 18 short stories, poems and essays written by foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong to express their feelings as they carry on with their daily struggle in a faraway and often hostile city.

The works were compiled by HelperChoice, an online platform that helps employers connect with domestic workers, and launched the collection as a free-to-read ebook titled Wishing Well: Voices from Foreign Domestic Workers in Hong Kong and Beyond.

HelperChoice says the ebook “gives readers a rare insight into the lives of foreign domestic helpers – one of the most marginalized worker groups in the region”.

“Domestic helpers hailing from countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia are an integral part of the fabric of society in better-off Asian countries. But while they play major roles in the functioning of families and communities, their plight is often ignored and their astonishing stories remain untold,” the group said in a press release.

The literary pieces were written by domestic workers for the second edition of the “Be a Journalist” writing competition, which was organized by HelperChoice in April this year with the support of news website Coconuts.

The works offer 18 original real-life accounts and anecdotal stories of domestic workers launched in open-access publication with forewords by HelperChoice founder Laurence Fauchon and the book’s co-editor Ju-chen Chen. The eBook can be found at https://issuu.com/helperchoice/docs/wishing_well_domestic_workers.

“The quality of the submissions we received was astounding. The stories offer heart-wrenching yet uplifting insights into the complex lives of migrant domestic workers, many of whom leave their families behind so they can secure a better future for them,” says Fauchon, a Frenchwoman who has been a resident of Hong Kong for several years.

The eBook has two parts: Part I, Portraits, is a collection of celebrative and upbeat stories and poems reflecting the authors’ efforts to meet social expectations and be exemplary workers.
Part II, Whispers, includes pieces that underscore the processes and internal struggles associated with meeting – and sometimes challenging – such expectations.

“We hope that by reading this book, the public – and specifically employers – will gain a deeper understanding of the emotional journeys that their domestic helpers go through,” Fauchon says.
“These are incredible women who have given up so much to support their families. By understanding the adversities they endure, hopefully employers will be encouraged to treat their domestic workers better.”
The three winning stories from the “Be a Journalist” competition were published in April this year. Instead of letting other high-caliber entries go unseen, HelperChoice decided to publish the eBook and make it easily accessible.

To promote the book and the message it conveys, HelperChoice is sharing short excerpts on social media platforms such as Facebook (HelperChoice’s page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/helperchoice/), Instagram (@helperchoice), Twitter (@HelperChoice) and LinkedIn (https://goo.gl/rK8VGv).

The book was co-edited by Ju-chen Chen and Min Lee. Chen is a lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Department of Anthropology, whose research covers migrant workers in China and foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Lee is a freelance translator and editor who has a Master of Arts degree, with focus on anthropology, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Most foreign domestic workers come to places like Hong Kong to support their families back home or fund their studies, sometimes even leaving behind stable jobs such as teaching positions in the hope of earning better salaries abroad. To the determined helpers like Sacliwan, there is no turning back until they have achieved their goals.

“I have started, and I’ll carry on. No matter how its much it hurts, no matter how many tears and how much sweat I shed, I will keep these promises,” Sacliwan writes.

‘Idulog Mo Kay Atorni’ in November

Any problems that you need to discuss with Filipino lawyers? Mark these dates.

On Nov 12 and 13, lawyers from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Central Luzon Chapter will conduct the fourth edition of their renamed free legal consultations targeting Filipinos in Hong Kong.
About 50 members of the chapter will conduct the legal outreach, now called “Idulog Mo Kay Atorni”, in the Consulate Conference Room from 10am to 4pm on Nov 12 and 9am to 2pm on Nov 13.

The mission will be highlighted by a legal forum from 4pm to 5:30pm in the Conference Room.
Members of the community who wish to discuss their problems with the IBP lawyers should book their appointments in advance because of the popularity of the free consultations, the Consulate said.
Previous missions of the IBP to Hong Kong had been highly successful as scores of OFWs seized the opportunity to seek legal advice on a wide range of problems, such as marital relations, legal separation, property disputes, inheritance and debt.

The name of the event has been changed to “Idulog Mo Kay Atorni” as most OFWs are not familiar with IBP, said Vice Consul Alex Vallespin, who is coordinating the coming event.
“The word ‘Atorni’ instantly registers with OFWs, so, they would know the event is about legal issues,” he said. - VBL

Gabriela HK, pitong taon na

Ni Gina N. Ordona

Matagumpay na idinaos ng Gabriela Hong Kong ang kanilang ika-7 anibersaryo sa kahabaan ng Chater road sa Central noong Okt. 2.

Nagkaroon ng paligsahan sa pagsayaw kung saan ang mga kalahok ay nagtagisan ng galing sa pag-indak sa saliw ng kantang pinasikat ng “One Billion Rising”, isang kampanya laban sa karahasan sa mga kababaihan at kabataan. Sa walong grupong sumali, kampeon ang Danza Filipina, pumangalawa ang Filipino Star Association at pangatlo ang Panay Overseas Workers Association.

Samantala, sa pamamagitan ng isang sulat na binasa ni Tess Aquino, ipinaabot ng pambansang pamunuan ng Gabriela ang pagbati at pagpupugay para sa pagdiriwang ng anibersaryo ng kanilang sangay na grupo sa Hong Kong.

Hinikayat nito ang mga kasapi ng Gabriela HK na ipagpatuloy ang pagtataguyod ng karapatan ng mga kababaihan.

“Tungkulin natin bilang mga Gabriela na itaas ang pampulitikang kamalayan ng mga kababaihan at hikayatin silang maging aktibo sa usaping panlipunan upang sila mismo ay maging bahagi sa makabuluhang pagbabago sa ating bansa,” ayon sa sulat.

Naging panauhing pandangal sa programa si Dolores Balladares, pangulo ng United Filipinos – Migrante Hong Kong. Hinimok niya ang mga dumalo na lalo pang paigtingin ang pakikipaglaban para sa karapatan ng mga kababaihan.

“Nais po nating baguhin ang sistema na naglulugmok lalo sa kahirapan ang pang-aabuso sa mga kababaihan. Ang nais po natin ay magkaroon ng isang lipunan na kumikilala sa kakayanan at karapatan ng mga kababaihan bilang isang sector ng lipunan,” sabi ni Balladares.

Kabilang sa mga dumalo at nagpahayag ng suporta ay ang Association for the Advancement of Feminism, isang lokal na grupo ng mga kababaihan sa Hong Kong.

Bukod sa mga nanalong grupo, lumahok din sa paligsahan ang The Unity Association HK, Tinikling Group of Migrants, Migrante Ma On Shan, Migrante Cagayan at Women Dance Club.

Poetry, speeches highlight FMWU’s 18th anniversary

LegCo member Leung Kwok-hung pledges his
olidarity with the migrant workers' struggle for
their rights in Hong Kong.

By Jo Campos

More than a hundred migrant workers gathered on Chater Road on Oct. 9 for the 18th anniversary of Filipino Migrant Workers Union which was highlighted by speeches, performances and contests in poetry writing and reading.

The SUN’s regular contributor, Marites Palma, took second place in poetry writing, which was won by Elna Apao from Sadanga Organization. In third place was Jennifer Cabanez. (The winning entries will be published in the next issue of The SUN)
In poetry reading, the winners were Angelica Benas, first; Jennifer Cabanez, 2nd; and  Cora Maranas, 3rd.

Three prominent public figures spoke before the crowd, including former legislator and Confederation of Trade Unions in Hong Kong leader Lee Cheuk-yan. The FMWU is a member of the Hong Kong union.

Lee expressed full support for the foreign domestic helpers’ call for higher wages and better security in the workplace.

Another speaker was radical legislator Leung Kwok-hung, better known as “Long Hair”, who likewise expressed full support to the FDH advocacies, and said they should also keep protesting against their social exclusion.

Indonesian domestic worker Eni Lestari also spoke at the event, straight from her ground-breaking address before the United Nations General Assembly as migrant workers’ representative.

Lestari, who heads the International Migrant Alliance decried the vicious cycle affecting migrant workers all over the world. She said: “ A generation of migrant workers in the family is not something to be proud of. We do not want to remain as slaves for other people.”

Providing a lighter note to the celebration were dance performances from various ethnic groups.

Stricter rules on window cleaning by FDHs eyed

Another Filipina seen cleaning her employer's window.

By The SUN staff

Hong Kong has agreed to work with Philippine officials in drafting a regulation by Nov. 14 that will exclude risky window cleaning from the tasks of domestic workers.

A statement released by the Philippine Consulate on Oct. 17 said the two sides had agreed to "revisit" the exclusion of window cleaning from domestic duties, in line with strict international standards.

The statement said that the crafting of such a safety provision must conform with international best practices, which provide that:
1) The worker must be supervised by the employer or an adult representative while cleaning windows; and
2) That window grilles have been installed and are locked throughout the cleaning process.
The statement further emphasized that the worker's safety is paramount, and “under no circumstances should the employer subject a domestic worker to unsafe working conditions and tasks”.

The move appears to signal an initial victory for Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre, who unilaterally decided to include a clause in Filipino domestic helpers’ contracts excusing them from cleaning the outside parts of windows.

The exclusion, which was to take effect on Oct. 15, was met with widespread protests by employers’ representatives, and apprehension by employment agency owners.

Migrant workers’ representatives, on the other hand, applauded the move.

During a visit to Hong Kong in the last week of September, Philippine Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello failed to convince his Hong Kong counterpart, Matthew Cheung, to agree to the job exclusion.
Despite this, Labatt de la Torre went ahead with amending Filipino domestic workers’ contracts to include the ban.

However, its implementation was postponed at the last minute at the request of  Hong Kong labour officials who wanted the two sides to agree on the terms of the exclusion.

Labatt de la Torre told The SUN that he had postponed the ban for 30 days to allow Hong Kong to come up with its own provision on window cleaning which would apply to all foreign domestic workers' contracts.

The Philippine government sought the exclusion in the wake of a rash of incidents involving Filipino ,maids who were killed after falling from height.

In the latest incident, 35-year-old Rinalyn Dulluog died after falling from a Lohas Park high rise on Aug.  9. Domestic workers led by the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body immediately backed the ban, but employers' groups were enraged.

An employers' support group subsequently wrote a letter to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, asking him to intervene in what they said was an attempt to subvert Hong Kong's lawmaking functions.

At a press conference held during a community event that day, Cheung said that the Hong Kong government had asked for more time in order to listen to all parties concerned before coming up with a solution.

“First of all, we attach great importance to the safety of all worker including foreign domestic helpers. We’ve got a very large population of 375,000 and of course they play a very important role in Hong Kong,” Cheung said.

He said the helpers’ safety “is something we cannot compromise” but that “we have to strike a balance between the safety of the employee and the interest of the employer”.

Cheung said the ban is not applicable to all situations because there are houses that are on the ground floor, or those with safe corridors outside or fitted with iron grilles.

That’s why he said he had asked the Consulate to suspend the ban to give Hong Kong more time to study it and conduct dialogues and take into account the views of various stakeholders including employers, employers’ groups and employment agencies.

For her part, Consul General Bernardita Catalla urged the press not to issue any report until an official statement on the talks' outcome had been issued.

She also asked Filipinos not to criticize Labatt de la Torre for shelving the ban.

“Please don’t blame Labatt Dela Torre for that (postponement). I think that it’s only fair that important issues like this be discussed openly, concurrently with Hong Kong authorities, as well as the stakeholders,” Catalla said.

Shortly after her meeting with Hong Kong's labour officials yesterday, Congen Catalla left for Beijing to join the official delegation of President Rodrigo Duterte who was on a three-day visit for talks on bilateral issues.

HK charity ICM raises nearly $15m for RP’s poorest

by Vir Lumicao

ICM auction in progress

About 800 people of various nationalities attended the 12th annual banquet of the International Care Ministries (or ICM) held on Oct. 24 at the HK Convention Centre, and gave close to $15 million for some of the Philippines' poorest communities

The money raised in the four-hour event was a little short of donations collected in the same event last year, but the second-highest since the annual fund-raising dinner began in 2004.

The proceeds included $3.9 million (US$500,000) of matching funds donated by Find Us Faithful Foundation, a US charity, for every bid that exceeded $80,000 

Nearly $2 million was raised in a silent auction for an assortment of 344 donated items ranging from paintings and sculptures by mostly Filipino artists, trips, jewelry, photographs, and other stuff.

40 artworks were donated this year, a record for the charity event

David Sutherland, chair of the ICM board, told supporters in a thank you letter that the fund raised represented 19% of the group’s annual budget of $76 million

“We are thrilled and thankful to report that the evening raised a grand total of HK$14.7 million,” Sutherland said. “This was our second highest banquet ever – we barely missed last year's record banquet of HK$15.1 million. We are grateful for your generosity,” Sutherland said.

He said the fund raised would be enough to finance social intervention activities aimed at improving the lives of 296 ultra-poor communities in the Philippines that ICM is supporting through its Transform program. 

That was just 29 short of ICM’s target of 325 communities, Sutherland said

The banquet hall was designed for 65 tables seating 11 people each but 75 were set up for the event, said Daphne Kuok, a member of the banquet committee.

With the slogan “Hope shines through Transform,” ICM tries to  equip ultra poor families with values, health and livelihood training as well as resources and support.

The NGO has its sight on some 2.2 million people who are struggling to survive on 38 US cents a day in 10 provinces in the Central and Western Visayas, in Mindanao and Northern Palawan.

Sutherland, a former chief financial officer of Morgan Stanley Asia, said at the end of the 16-week program, families would see on average a 106% rise in household income, a 28% drop in serious illnesses and a 19% increase in food security.

To show donors the impact of one donation given at a similar ICM banquet two years ago,a video on a Transform participant from Mindanao named Analyn was projected on giant screens around the hall 

The video showed the woman and her husband struggling to feed themselves and two tykes from pedicab driving and shell picking. Through Transform, Analyn learned to make spring rolls that she sold to the community to augment her husband’s income. 

Organizers tried to hook up Angie with her husband back home during the live program, but he could not leave his job in time to watch her.

A beneficiary of ICM’s Adopt a Patient program was flown all the way from his remote village in Bohol to Hong Kong for a clubfoot surgery. 

Felix, who arrived in the hall on a wheelchair with his two legs in plaster cast following surgery, dreams of being able to walk someday. 

Sharing the spotlight that evening was the ICM Children’s Choir, made up of 12  kids from poor communities in Bacolod City who were gathered in October 2009 and taught to sing by composer and songwriter Louise Joachimowski. 

The kids have performed in the annual ICM banquet in 2010 and 2011, then  traveled and performed in several cities in the US to raise awareness and support for ICM. 

The choir now includes new children, one of whom postponed a visit to the dentist just so she could experience her first Hong Kong Banquet.

As in previous years, the event was highlighted by a spirited auctioning by 

US national champion auctioneer Kristine Fladeboe Duininck, who raised $10.1 million from 123 donors in less than half an hour.

Sixteen donors gave to support surgeries for 16 children at Matilda Hospital. Their donations will also pay for surgeries for another 32 patients in the Philippines, and medical care for a further 480 poor Filipinos.

ICM put up 333 Panda stuffed toys for sale at $1,000 each and all were snapped up, raising $333,000 to pay for 1,000,000 meals for hungry children.

D30 anti-drug war new excuse for asylum-seekers

By Vir B. Lumicao

A number of Filipinos are reportedly seeking asylum in Hong Kong, using the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines amid the government’s anti-drugs campaign as an excuse.

According to a source who contacted The SUN, a number of recently-arrived Filipinos are citing Duterte’s bloody anti-drugs campaign as reason for their application for asylum.

“Some people have found a new reason to justify their bid for asylum, and the anti-drugs campaign is quite a convenient and credible excuse,” the source said.

Previously, asylum-seekers cited a number of reasons, from receiving death threats from cuckolded husbands, irate debtors and parties in property disputes, to fear of retribution from political rivals or government agents.

“The new Filipino asylum-seekers are invoking Article 2 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights, which guarantees the right to life,” said the source, who added that the bloodletting at home could set off a wave of refugees.

The anti-drugs war was part of Duterte’s platform when he ran for the presidency in the Philippines’ national elections in May this year, which he resoundingly won.

His victory was immediately followed by a daily spate of summary killings of known and suspected drug suppliers, pushers and addicts, even before he assumed office on July 1.

Statistics from July 1 cited by the Philippine National Police in a Senate probe into the killings was 3,441 dead: 1,375 in legitimate police operations and 2,066 “deaths under investigation”, a euphemism for summary executions attributed to vigilantes.

Some of those spooked by the campaign have reportedly left the country to take up residency in another country or seek a safe haven, as did these asylum or torture claimants in Hong Kong.

The SUN sent an inquiry to the Hong Kong Immigration Department to verify the reports, but failed to get a direct reply. A spokesperson for the Department merely directed this writer to a site which showed that as of June this year, there were a total of 461 Filipinos out of 11,169 torture claimants in Hong Kong.

There are no statistics yet for the relevant period of July to September, when the Duterte administration has been in power.

Long before Duterte’s ascent to power, hundreds of Filipinos who had come to Hong Kong as tourists or domestic helpers would overstay their visas and apply for non-refoulement to stop their deportation, citing threats to their lives back home.

Ex-Disney talent gets 20 months for assault on maid

By Vir B. Lumicao

A 53-year-old Filipino musician will have to spend the next 20 months in jail for indecently assaulting a neighbor’s Indonesian helper in Tung Chung in May this year, a District Court judge ruled on Oct 11.

A two-day trial scheduled for defendant Edwin Esguerra, a former trumpeter at Hong Kong Disneyland, lasted only half a day as he pleaded guilty to the charge before Judge W.K. Kwok.
“On your own guilty plea and admission, you are convicted of the charge,” Kwok said. Esguerra’s guilty plea ended a case that began on May 3, 2016 when he entered his neighbor’s ground-floor flat in Tung Chung Village after a drinking party with friends and tried to force himself on the 33-year-old maid.

The defendant, his 21-year-old son and 23-year-old daughter lived in a first-floor flat just above the unit of the maid’s employers.

A prosecution report said the maid was alone when Esguerra, holding a broken door handle, barged in and asked if her employer could fix the door handle. Then he asked whether there was anyone else in the house and she replied none.

The defendant suddenly grabbed the victim, dragged her to the employers’ bedroom and pushed her to the bed. The maid shouted and struggled but Esguerra, after stripping naked, managed to pin her down her down and pull off her clothes and underwear.

Esguerra kissed the victim’s breast and bit her left nipple, then inserted his finger in her genitals, the report said. He only stopped when he realized the victim was having her monthly period.

The defendant lingered for some time in the house and tried to assault the victim again in the kitchen, but she managed to run outside and called her agency as well as her husband in Indonesia. When police arrived, they found Esguerra fast asleep in his own flat.

A medical report showed the victim suffered a contusion on her upper sternum caused by suction, a tiny laceration along the base of her left nipple, two reddish bruises on her left abdomen, and bruises on her private parts.

The defense counsel said the defendant, who came to Hong Kong in 2005 to work as trumpeter at Disneyland, was a friendly man who had a clear record here and in the Philippines but was overcome by alcohol.

“He was too drunk that when police arrived he was fast asleep in his flat and could not recall that such an incident happened,” the lawyer said as he pleaded for Judge Kwok’s leniency for his client.
The judge replied that the only mitigation was the defendant being “very drunk” and he  even doubted it, saying that a heavily drunk man would not go asking about getting a door handle fixed.
He expressed his misgiving about the charge being just indecent assault “when the defendant could have raped the victim if she had no menstruation.”

The judge said that if the case happened in England, the accused would have been charged with sexual assault by penetration and he would be jailed for life.

Kwok called for a two-hour break to review the facts of the case after failing to get both sides to return the next day for the sentence. When the court resumed at 12:30pm, the judge meted out a 20-month jail term, discounted because of Esguerra’s guilty plea.

Nothing to frown about prawns

Creating a dish does not need to be difficult, as long as you have the main ingredient, which is TLC, or tender, loving care.

Being a food lover myself, I always try new dishes so I can savor the taste and maybe re-create them, or come up with my own version. I can often tell just by tasting what ingredients or condiments were used in a dish, and how I can probably make it taste better.

In my book, prawns or shrimps are the easiest to cook, as they are probably the most versatile of all seafood. They have also inspired me to create a number of dishes that have delighted my friends and family.

One of my most memorable shrimp stories happened a few years ago, when I attended a wedding and brought with me a large platter of my Prawns in XO Sauce as gift. It was a most peculiar wedding gift, but it was very much appreciated and according to the groom, was as memorable as the wedding itself! I am happy to share the recipe for that here.

Another recipe I am sharing was created out of boredom. Whenever I get too stressed, I pour out my tensions by cooking. This exercise has led me to whip up my Prawns in Garlic and Butter, a recipe that differs from the Chinese style where fried garlic is used. I found out that the mixture of fresh garlic and butter creates a creamy spicy coat that permeates the prawn’s flesh, making it really tasty.

Another recipe is for a Thai-inspired salad, Minty Prawn  and Veggie Salad. This is  perfect as appetizer or as a side dish.

Prawns in XO Sauce 

Ingredients: 
· 1 lb. tiger prawns
· 4 shallots, sliced
· 1 head garlic, minced
· XO sauce
· salt and pepper to taste
· Tabasco sauce
· coriander leaves
· spring onion, chopped for garnishing
· dash of soy sauce
· oil for frying
· cornstarch for coating

Procedure:
1. Wash and clean prawns. Using a sharp kitchen scissors, cut the back of prawn shell through the flesh from below the head and remove the black vein.
2. Heat enough oil to fry prawns. Dredge each prawn in cornstarch and fry in very hot oil. It will only take about a minute, when the prawns turn pink, remove and set aside.
3. Using some of the oil from frying prawns, stir fry shallots and garlic till lightly brown, add chilies and XO sauce. Add prawns and stir through till all the prawns are coated with the sauce. Transfer in a serving platter and garnish with spring onions and coriander.

Prawns in Garlic and Butter

Ingredients:
· tiger prawns or shrimps
· garlic, crushed or minced
· a knob of butter
· chopped red chili
· salt and pepper to taste
· Sprite or 7up

Procedure:
1. Wash and clean prawns, cut the back of the shell through the flesh and remove veins under running tap water.
2. In a pan, combine all ingredients and cook in high heat for about 5 minutes. When the prawns turn pink in color, stir through till the sauce thickens and are absorbed by the prawns.

Minty Prawn-Veggie Salad

Ingredients:
· prawns, peeled and boiled
· fresh mint leaves
· carrot, grated
· cucumber, grated
· shredded cabbage
· fried shallots

For the dressing:
· fish sauce
· finely chopped lemongrass
· finely minced garlic
· fresh lime juice
· sweet chili sauce
· finely chopped red and green chilies, seeds removed
· palm sugar

Procedure:
1. Combine all ingredients in a jar, cover and shake until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
2. In a large salad bowl, toss all the vegetables and combine dressing.
3. Transfer in a serving dish and arrange pre cooked prawns on top. Garnish with fried shallots and a few more mint leaves.

Old wisdom

Mga kasabihan ni Lola:
Hindi lahat ng party masaya.
Ang 3rd party ba masaya?
Hindi lahat ng 13 ay malas.
Ang 13th month pay ba aymalas?
Hindi lahat ng positive ay masaya. Ang HIV positive ba ay masaya?
Hindi lahat ng hinog ay masustansiya.
Ang pigsa ba masustansiya?

Question and Answer

Question: Kung vegetarian ang tawag sa kumakain ng gulay, ano ang twag sa kumakain ng tao?

Answer: Humanitarian
Question: Ano naman ang plural ng rice?

Answer: Extra rice.
Question: Ano ang masarap sa mga bading, itlog ng pugo o itlog ng bibe?
Answer: Itlog ng pogi.
Shorts
Seen: A sign at a karinderia saying:
Mahigpit pong ipinagbabawal ngayon ang mangutang. Natuklasan pong kumakalat na sakit na… Amnesia.
-o-
Question: Where in the Bible that says all men must make coffee for their women?
Answer: The Book of Hebrews.

Venue problem may delay civil service exam

by Vir B. Lumicao

The date is barely a month away, and about 3,000 have already registered, but no venue has yet been found for the first-ever Civil 

Service Examinations for Filipinos in Hong Kong.

For this reason, Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre told The SUN the Civil Service Commission has moved the date of the exam to Dec. 18, instead of the previously announced date of Nov. 27.

But even with the new schedule, the event is still on the waitlist at the CRC's favored site, a hall at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wanchai.

Labatt de la Torre said he is still hopeful the exam would go ahead as originally scheduled.. 

“If we’re able to book venues for Nov 27 then we will still go with that date,” Labatt de la Torre said. 

Finding a suitable venue is a challenge because the two target dates are among the busiest in Hong Kong's calendar.

Cost constraints are also part of the equation.

Labatt De la Torre said the rental for one day at the HKCEC hall is already $250,000.

He said an alternative venue big enough to accommodate the number of examinees is the AsiaWorld-Expo at Chek Lap Kok. 

“Kaya lang $1 million iyon. To break even, we have to have 2,000 examinees,” he said. 

The examination fee for overseas Filipinos taking the exams is said to be around US$44 per person. 

But gauging from the keen interest shown by Filipinos in the exam, gathering enough examinees shouldn't be a problem.  

“I imagine it would top 3,000. Those who may have backed out may be cancelled out by those taking interest for the first time,” Labatt De la Torre said, adding that the deadline for the online registration is Nov 11.

In the absence of a big venue, Labatt De la Torre said the exam could be held simultaneously at three sites. 

One of these prospective sites is the Bayanihan Center in Kennedy Town,  and probably schools because of the need for school desks, he said. 

He said he had already checked with the University of Hong Kong and Polytechnic University but their venues won’t be available on the dates they are needed.

Another ideal venue would be the  City University in Kowloon Tong, but he said the school wants to host only local events.

Maaliwalas ang panahon sa Linggo, pagkatapos dumaan ng Haima

Pagkatapos ng malakas na ulan at hagupit ng hangin na dala sa HongKong ng bagyong Haima (na nanalasa sa Pilipinas bilang supertyphoon Lawin), liliwanag ang panahon pagdating ng Linggo, ayon sa Hong Kong Observatory.

Pero bago ito ay makakaranas ng bagyo at pinapag-ingat ang mga taga-Hong Kong.

Sa isang report, sinabi ng weather bureau ng Hong Kong na papalapit sa Hong Kong ang Haima, at mapupunta sa loob ng 50 kilometro sa bandang hapon ng Oct. 22, kaya naghahanda ag HKO na magdeklara ng Typhoon signal no. 8 dahil dito.

At gaya ng nakaugaian, nagbabala rin ang HKO na mag-igat sa mga baha at landslide na maaring tumama sa iba't ibang lugar sa Hong Kong.

Mahirap ipatupad ang window-cleaning ban

Ni Vir B. Lumicao

Simula ngayong Oktubre 15 ay bawal na sa mga amo sa Hong Kong na utusan ang kanilang mga katulong na Pilipina na linisin ang labas ng kanilang mga bintana.

Iniatas ng Philippine Overseas Labor Office sa mga employment agency sa Hong Kong na isama sa bawat kontratang paabrubahan sa POLO ang tinatawag na “Rinalyn Exclusion,” na nagliliban sa mga kasambahay sa paglilinis ng labas ng bintana.

Ang pagkamatay ng katulong na si Rinalyn Dulluog nang mahulog mula sa isang mataas na gusali sa Lohas Park noong Agosto 9 ang nagbunsod sa bagong patakarang malaon nang hinihiling ng mga 350,000 migranteng manggagawa rito.

Lubhang mapanganib ang paglilinis ng labas ng bintana sa mga tahanan sa Hong Kong na nasa matataas na gusali. Si Dulluog, halimbawa, ay nahulog mula sa ika-49 palapag habang nililinis diumano ang bintana ng bahay ng kanyang amo.

Sa kasalukuyang kontrata ng paggawa ng mga dayuhang katulong ay hindi pinagbabawal ang trabahong ito. Kaya ang puntirya ng bagong kautusang ipinadala ni Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torres sa mga ahensiya noong Oktubre 1 ay ituring itong kalabisan sa mga gawaing bahay na iaatas sa isang Pilipinang kasambahay.

Tila napilitang maglabas ng nasabing kautusan ang POLO matapos mabigo si Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III na daanin sa pakikipag-usap kay Hong Kong Labour Secretary Matthew Cheung ang pagpapatupad sa ganoong pagbabawal.

Inuna ni Bello ang pakikipagpulong kay Cheung nang dumalaw siya sa Hong Kong  noong Setyembre 23 hanggang 25, ngunit walang ibinungang kasunduan ukol sa nasabing usapin ang kanilang pag-uusap.

Noong nakaalis na si Bello sa Hong Kong ay saka pa lang nilinaw ni Cheung sa isang pagtitipon ng pamayanang lokal na hindi siya sang-ayon sa pagbabawal sa paglilinis ng mga katulong sa labas ng bintana.

Sinabi ni Cheung sa isang reporter na hindi madali ang pagpapatupad halimbawang ipagbawal ng gobyerno ng Hong Kong ang pagpapalinis ng labas ng bintana sa mga katulong. Kailangan ding pagmasdan ang praktikal na aspeto ng usaping iyon, aniya.

Samakatwid, ang panig lang ng Pilipinas ang magpapatupad sa pagbabawal sa nasabing gawain dahil hindi kinatigan ng Hong Kong and panukala. Ang ibig sabihin ay bahala ang ating gobyerno kung paano niya ipatutupad ang “window cleaning ban” dahil wala itong opisyal na pahintulot ng Hong Kong.

Mapapansin ito ng mga amo at walang makakapigil sa kanila na utusan ang kanilang mga katulong na linisin ang labas ng bintana. Sa kanilang pananaw, wala namang kapangyarihan ang POLO na parusahan ang isang among lalabag sa pagbabawal.

Ayon sa kalatas ni Labatt De la Torres sa mga ahensiya, sila ang magpapaliwanag at magpapaalala sa mga amo na ipuwera sa listahan ang mapanganib na gawaing nabanggit bago nila pirmahan ang kontrata sa trabaho.

Ang ibig sabihin niyan ay hindi tatanggapin ng POLO ang kontrata kapag hindi pumayag ang amo sa kautusang hindi niya paglinisin ng labas ng bintana ang kanyang katulong. Pumayag mang pumirma ang amo, hindi iyon garantiyang susunod siya sa pagbabawal.

Sa pananaw namin ay mahihirapan ang POLO na ipatupad ang pagbabawal dahil wala itong sapat na bilang ng tao upang bantayan o manmanan ang bawat isa sa mga pamilyang may mga katulong na Pilipino. Aasa lamang ito sa sumbong ng mga kasambahay na paglabag ng kanilang amo.

Maganda ang hakbang na isinagawa ni Labatt Dela Torre ukol sa usaping ito upang pangalagaan ang buhay ng mga kababayan nating kasambahay. Kailangan ang pakikiisa ng mga kasambahay upang ituro ang mga among lumalabag sa pagbabawal upang mapatawan sila ng karampatang parusa.