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| The SUN team and Polo officers with Labatt Jolly at the final farewell - the smiles belied their heavy hearts |
By The SUN
What started out as a farewell and gift-giving ceremony by
The SUN for Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre on Jul 28 turned into an emotional
outpouring of thanks from his key officers, who all spoke of their admiration
for him and his exemplary service to Filipino migrants.
His three top women officers- Assistant Labor Attache
Angelica Sunga and welfare officers Virsie Tamayao and Marivic Clarin – all
broke down as they gave thanks to him and extolled his performance.
His former deputy and now Polo officer-in-charge Tony
Villafuerte, also remarked in a sad tone on how difficult it would be to follow
in Labatt’s footsteps.
“Napakahirap ng kalagayan namin ngayon. Iiwan tayo ng isang
beteranong katulad ni Labatt, at hindi lang yon. Napakalalim ng bakas na
kanyang iiwan,” said Villafuerte.
The SUN publisher, editors and contributors led the tributes
by presenting Labatt Jolly with a framed front page of a “special edition”
containing stories about him and the accolades he received at the end of his
tumultuous three-year term.
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| The SUN's framed special edition is all about Labatt Jolly |
Tucked into the framed gift was a message in which The SUN
team thanked Labatt for his “exemplary service and dedication” and the care he
showed to the Filipino community in Hong Kong ,
particularly the Filipino migrant workers.
“Thank you for setting
the bar high for all public servants, wherever they may be posted, wherever
they may be. Yours will be a tough act to follow, but we sure wish those who
would come after you will try their best to measure up,” said the message.
The SUN publisher Leo A. Deocadiz recalled that this was the
second time Labatt Jolly had been posted in Hong Kong ,
and since his first posting, never lost touch with many Filipino community
leaders here.
“Thank you for your service to the community – which also
happens to be our motto, ‘service to the Filipino’,” said Deocadiz. “Hopefully
you will be back.”
The SUN’s writers and editors all recalled how quickly
Labatt had acted on their queries and request for help on behalf of migrants,
even going out on rescue missions himself, and relentlessly pounding on illegal
recruiters and human traffickers.
But the most heartfelt tributes came from his women
officers, whose voices cracked as they recalled how Labatt had inspired them in
their work.
Leading the tearful goodbyes was ALA Sunga, who recalled a
lesson Labatt Jolly had taught her when she just arrived in Hong
Kong , and was desperately trying to learn the ropes of her first
overseas posting. She said Labatt told her that “for as long as you have this
(pointing to the heart), you should be alright.”
She added, “Ang dami naming natutunan sa inyo, lalo na ako
personally…Sana magkaroon tayo ng chance na
magkatrabaho muli” then added playfully, “wag lang sa Middle
East .” (This was in reference to Labatt Jolly being offered a move
back to Riyadh , Saudi Arabia
The most emotional message came from Welof Tamayao, who
called Labatt’s performance “exceptional.”
“Sa tagal ko sa serbisyo, parang siya lang ang nakita kong
ganito, eh. Kaya mahal na mahal siya ng lahat ng sector. Ang hirap kayang
mahalin ng Migrante,” said Tamayao, referring to how militant groups in Hong Kong had also heaped praise on Labatt.
She also called her outgoing boss “hypersensitive” to the
needs of most migrant workers.
“Labatt, I’ll tell you this. Sa inyo ko lang naramdaman ang
lahat – extra effort, extra time, extra resources, everything that is extra.
Unlimited. Really, I have seen how much you have loved migrant workers. Your
love is not platonic, it is real.”
Her fellow welfare officer, Clarin, promised not to shed
tears for their boss, but nevertheless failed to stop her voice from cracking
as she fondly described him as an “adik,” meaning “adik sa work.”
She recalled how Labatt would send his staff messages at any
time of the day or night, asking for information on workers who were reported
to him as needing help.
“Ang pangako ko lang, we will continue what you have
started,” Clarin said. “Padayon, sir.”
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| Labatt Jolly said later the outpouring of love and support had left him in tears |
Before the spontaneous outpouring of affection and
admiration from his staff, Labatt Jolly thanked The SUN for heaping praise on
his work.
“This is very touching, maraming salamat...Yung mga papuri
ninyo, tama yun (laughter)…pero hindi ko magagawa yun kung wala ang team ko.”
But the heartfelt final tributes must have tugged at Labatt
Jolly’s heartstrings that he lost no time in posting on Facebook afterwards
that he was also left in tears. “The last time na umiyak ako, sa burol ng Tatay
ko, 30 years ago. This is something special and I will carve out a niche in my
plaque-riddled heart for this memento.”
Labatt Jolly is due to leave for Manila
on Jul 31, the official last day of his Hong Kong
stint. No replacement has yet been found for him, giving his most fervent
supporters hope that he would somehow be sent back here.
The well-loved official arrived for his second posting in Hong Kong in March 2016. Two years into what was supposed
to be a three-year term, he was recalled to the Home Office by Labor Secretary
Silvestre Bello III, purportedly to answer allegations of favoritism among
accredited employment agencies.
Two widely-reported protests against his recall by various
migrant workers groups led to him being sent back to Hong
Kong in October last year.
A second attempt to recall him just before the May mid-term
elections this year was thwarted when it emerged the Department of Labor and
Employment had failed to get an exemption from a law that prohibits the
transfer of civil servants during an election period.
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