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| MWO's Danny Baldon reminds OFWs in Central that they cannot moonlight |
Staff of the Migrant Workers Office in Hong Kong were seen Sunday going around Central, reminding Filipinos not to breach their conditions of stay by taking on odd jobs, particularly hawking or selling food, giving massage, manicure and pedicure services, and dressing up eyebrows.
The MWO staff were
accompanied by police and officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department as they visited places where many Filipino migrant workers hang out on Sundays,
and distributed flyers.
In videos posted
online, Danny Baldon of the MWO’s assistance to nationals section could be
heard saying, “Nakalagay dyan bawal ang
magtinda, magmasahe, pedicure, manicure at saka yung paggawa ng kilay. Bawal po
yan, pag-ingatan natin, marami ang nagkaka problema ngayon.” (It says
there, that selling, giving massage, pedicure, manicure and doing eyebrows are
prohibited. They are not allowed. A lot of people are now encountering problems
because of those).
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
The move comes
amid an intensified crackdown on illegal work led by the Immigration Department.
In their weekly raids, Immigration officers mainly target restaurants, premises
under renovation, massage and beauty parlors, and packing warehouses.
But on Sundays,
operatives have been spotted apprehending a cigarette peddler, food and clothes
vendors, and a group of Filipino migrant domestic workers and tourists providing
manicure and pedicure services on a staircase beside World-Wide Plaza in
Central.
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| Filipinas giving mani-pedi services in Central were arrested last March |
Often overlooked are those who openly trim and shape eyebrows of their fellow MDWs in various spots, mainly in Central. They offer their services for HK$20 a pop, which could easily earn each of them between HK$1,000 to HK$2,000 per day, given that it takes only a few minutes to complete the service which hardly costs them anything.
In an unusual but
well-publicised operation last year, six Filipinas were arrested in a Sham Shui
Po flat and charged with practising illegal dentistry. Two pleaded guilty to
the charge, while four were acquitted last month for lack of evidence.
And last week, a
well-known Filipino vlogger who uses ChefBoy Mangyan as his social media
handle, was invited by Immigration officers for questioning after he joined a
Facebook live meet-up at the office of a travel agency in Central which he has
been promoting on his vlog.
Under Immigration laws, foreign domestic helpers are allowed to work only for their employer and family members, in the address stated in their standard employment contract. They are strictly prohibited from taking on any other work, paid or unpaid.
Those found to
have breached their conditions of stay face a maximum of two years in prison
and a fine of up to HK$50,000.
Overstayers,
illegal immigrants and recognizance paper holders (or those seeking eventual asylum)
who are caught working face a maximum jail time of three years, plus HK$50,000
fine.
