By Vir B. Lumicao
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| Congen Tony's last words for the Filcom focused on the debt problem that plagues many Filipino migrant workers |
Consul General Antonio Morales has urged the Filipino
community in Hong Kong to help in extending
assistance to those in need as the number of Filipinos in the city continues to
grow.
He made the call in a hastily organized send-off for him on
Jul 28, where the attendance was visibly affected by the tens of thousands of anti-extradition
bill protesters marching on nearby Queensway as the party got under way.
But even as he made his farewell Morales remembered to warn
the community about the debt problem that plagues many Filipino workers here,
and which sometimes leads to tragic consequences, such as the case of a worker who
took her own life recently.
He urged the community to help fellow Filipinos who need
urgent help especially when the Consulate can’t help them directly.
He said the Filipino population here has grown fast, from 221,000
when he arrived one and a half years ago, to 240,000 today.
“Siyempre pag marami yan, maraming nagkakaproblem. At isa sa
pinakaproblema natin ngayon, siguro alam nyo…yung utangan, napakalaki ng
interes ngayon, kung isanlibo ang uutangin, e di $1,600 ang babayaran mo,” he
said.
He recalled the case of the more than 1,400 passports hocked
by Filipino workers for loans from an unlicensed lending company and recovered
by police in a raid in recent weeks, and again appealed to the community not to
resort to the practice.
He advised them to avoid debt, especially if their only
reason for borrowing money is to buy a new cellphone.
Thanking the volunteers in last May’s elections, he noted
that Filipino voters here are of different colors, and requested them to
respect whatever beliefs their compatriots have because they are all Filipinos.
Congen recalled that he did not want to be posted in Hong Kong initially, but said that his brief stint here
was a blessing in disguise as he had been happy serving the very active community
here.
He said in jest that this is his only post, his eighth, where
Philippine Independence Day celebrations
last for a month.
Deputy Consul General Germinia Usudan, leading the tributes,
noted the Filcom’s sadness in bidding Congen Tony goodbye.
“Napakahirap talagang magpaalam. Sa amin ho, ilang beses na rin
kaming nagpaalam kay Congen, pero hindi pa rin maubus-ubos ang aming paalam,
kasi para sa amin ang isang mabait at magaling na lider ay napakahirap bitawan,”
she said.
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| The SUN team poses with Congen underneath the balloon arch specially created for the occasion by BSK |
The SUN editor Daisy Mandap thanked Morales for being open
to the community and the newspaper, an attitude that, she said, was reflected
in how the other officers of the Consulate also freely shared information.
“The attitude of the head of post is best reflected in the
way the ones under him relate to the people in the community, and for that I would
also like to thank the other officers for being open to us in The SUN,” Mandap
said.
She said she hoped his successor would be as open and as kind
to the community here.
Other Filcom leaders thanked Congen Tony for helping carry
out projects for OFWs.
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