'Watershow Extravaganza' to light up Wanchai harbour

 

This is how the water show at the Wanchai harbour should look like

Wan Chai harbour will be transformed today and tomorrow (Oct 18 and 19) when it hosts Hong Kong’s first large-scale water show, as part of events commemorating the 75^th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

The spectacular display, which is organized by Blue Planet Action, will take place at the Water Sports and Recreation Precinct in Wan Chai, from 4:00pm to 8:30pm.

treasury.

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The two-day event, called the Wan Chai Watershow Extravaganza, will feature water fountains, light displays, and music.

It will be highlighted by a scene in which rockets transform into dragons which will then journey through iconic scenes of China and Hong Kong before changing into a phoenix.

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Lining the harbour will be more than 10 stalls where family-friendly activities and an opportunity to explore traditional Chinese crafts, will be made available to ticket-holders.

A stage to be set up at the site will feature a variety of entertainment numbers, including performances by notable singers like Karen Kong and Gabriel Hanson at the opening ceremony. The second day will have the singing group Sing’s Power providing entertainment, among others.

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To register for tickets, visit the Blue Planet Action Facebook page or collect them  at the Wan Chai Home Affairs Enquiry Centre.  

A total of 3,000 tickets will be distributed for free by the organizer and government departments through online registration, with an additional 600 tickets to be made available on-site

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Filipina DH joins elite swimmers in relay swim around HK

 

Lam (leftmost) and Tolentino (2nd from left) are among 30 'Make Waves' swimmers this year

A Filipina domestic helper is among five relay teams that will take up the unique challenge of swimming 45 kilometers around Hong Kong island on November 8, to raise awareness about the city’s massive “swim illiteracy.”

The 30 swimmers from the five teams in this year's “Make Waves for Hong Kong” will come from diverse backgrounds, and will include Olympians Geoff Cheah and Hannah Wilson, prominent jeweller, Jada Lam, and Filipina migrant domestic worker, Josephine Tolentino.

Tolentino is one of the first graduates of Splash Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing free swimming lessons to disadvantaged children and adults in Hong Kong, and is the beneficiary of the swim fest. 

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 Since learning to swim in 2016, Tolentino has competed in many local swim races, and won awards. “Swimming became the best solution I had to the stress and homesickness that comes with being a migrant worker,” she said.

Cheah, who was part of the Hong Kong team that took part in the Rio Olympics and is currently working on start-ups at Wheelock and Company, says he was shocked to learn that 47% of Hong Kong secondary school students do not know how to swim, and may never have had the opportunity to do so.

“Swimming has opened so many doors for me personally. All my best friends are those who I grew up competing and training with. I’m doing this challenge so we can improve swimming lessons for kids and adults in Hong Kong.”

Altogether, the swimmers in this year's swim fest hope to raise $3.5 million to help Splash Foundation with its advocacy.

The 45-km swim relay will start at Sandy Bay and run clockwise around HK island

Splash says that only about half of Hong Kong people can swim, despite the city having the world’s longest coastline and an abundance of swimming pools. The other half who can’t swim are mostly women and children from low-income families.

Realizing this, Splash has dedicated itself to improving access to swimming for disadvantaged children and adults by providing them with free lessons. Around 90% of the learners have learned how to swim at the end of20 hours of instruction.

Reflecting on her own experience with Splash, Tolentino  said: “I took the first step to learn to swim and found there was so much I could achieve. I want everyone to have the opportunity I had.”

Lam, who turned 50 this year, is joining the swimming relay to mark her life’s milestone.

“Swimming is an incredible exercise that teaches you that nothing is impossible,” she said. “ When I started swimming again in my 40s, I couldn’t even manage two laps of the pool! But I’ve found this incredible sense of fulfilment and camaraderie with other swimmers as I’ve progressed.”

Supporting the event are Simpson Marine, Henderson Land Group, Shanghai Commercial Bank and Kiri Capital  

 

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OV registration tally in HK expected to top 90k, despite absence of queues

 

Yesterday was the only day Filipinos were seen lining up to register for the 2025 overseas voting

The lure of being among the first to vote online for next year’s mid-term election in the Philippines failed to inspire more Filipinos in Hong Kong to rush and register as a voter, judging from the absence of queues in the lobby of Unite Centre building, where the Philippine Consulate is located.

The nearly two-year-long overseas voter registration ended today, September 30, with practically nobody trying to beat the deadline.

The only sizeable crowd was seen yesterday, the last Sunday of registration for the month-long overseas voting for the senatorial election which will be held from April 13 to May 12 next year.

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But fewer than 100 people queued up to go to the 14^th or 29^th floor of the building, where the registration had taken place since December 9, 2022.

This was in stark contrast to the hundreds, even thousands, who lined up for hours in the last days of registration for the 2022 presidential election, even amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vice Consul Jose Angelo Manuel, who overseas the overseas registration and voting, said the Consulate even extended its work hours to 5pm yesterday in anticipation of a last-minute rush, but no one came after the usual cut-off time of 4pm.

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But despite the lukewarm response, VC Manuel said the Consulate still expects the number of registered voters to hit “roughly between 90,000 and 95,000.”

He hastened to add that the final tally would still depend on the Commission of Elections in Manila, which has the sole authority to de-register voters who did not comply with requirements, or for failing to vote in the two last elections.

However, the figure is still close to the 93,265 people who registered to vote in the 2022 presidential election, for which there was a record turnout, despite the raging pandemic.

Vice Consul Manuel says the challenge now is how to steer 90k-odd voters through internet voting

Manuel said that based on previous trends, it is not likely that the turnout in next year’s vote would top that record, as mid-term elections do not attract as much interest as a presidential contest. Registration figures also reflect this.

There is also a tendency for Filipinos to hold off registering to vote until the last minute.

But some of those who queued up to register at the Consulate yesterday said they were only alerted about the looming deadline after reading about it in The SUN. They said they did not see any recent reminder from the Consulate about it.

Manuel said they never failed to remind Filipinos, either those who come by the Consulate for some services, or those they meet at community gatherings, to register if they have not done so yet.

“Kapag may pumupunta dito for some services, we would tell them, mag-register kayo. Pero sasabihin lang nila, next time na lang, busy ako. Tapos ayun nga, last minute magre register sila,” said Manuel.

(Whenever Filipinos could come here for services, we would tell them to register. But they would say they would just do it next time as they are busy. So now, many of them will register at the last minute).

The Consulate was virtually empty in the final hours of OV registration

With the registration period over, the Consulate’s attention will now shift to making sure there will be no hitches during next year’s landmark voting process. And the first step towards this is to work on the pre-registration of voters, which will be done over a month, coinciding with the actual overseas election.

Manuel said they expect this to pose real challenges, given the big number of registered voters in Hong Kong, the biggest in any city abroad.

There is also the need to inform voters thoroughly about the new method of voting. Relative to this, he said voters should have gadgets that are internet-capable and an email address they should have full control over, so they will not encounter any problems in casting their ballots.

Internet voting should be easy, he said, as voters can do it wherever they may be, as long as they have a steady internet connection. But for those who still want to be guided through the process, a number of voting kiosks will be set up, where they will be assisted by authorized people.

Manuel said the Comelec will do a run-through of the process between February and April next year, and he hopes some voters could participate and help iron out whatever kinks there may still be in the system. 

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Filipino teen organizes training for OFWs caring for kids with autism

  

Erin Arenas giving a briefing on Kaleidoscope's advocacy

It was her family’s own struggle looking for help for her youngest sibling who was diagnosed with autism that drove 17-year-old Erin Sae Arenas to start a program aimed at helping ethnic minority families, especially those on low income, cope with similar challenges.

This coming Oct. 6, a Sunday, Erin through her Kaleidoscope project, will host a training seminar in Sheung Wan for 50 migrant domestic workers taking care of children with learning disability, specially autism.

Educator and behavior specialist Divina Ancheta will provide the training, which will focus on strategies to integrate play in the development of children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

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Erin, who founded Kaleidoscope while struggling with the rigors of high school life at the Stamford American International School, said the project aims to provide help to low-income ethnic minority families with children on the spectrum.

This will be done with help from volunteer therapists who will be asked to spare one to two hours of their time to provide much-needed training  for carers of special-needs children.

Details of Kaleidoscope's first-ever training for OFWs looking after special-needs children

“I started this project because my youngest sister was diagnosed with autism at the age of three –and I figured that the costs of therapy can be quite expensive and inaccessible to these families,” said Erin.

“Additionally, I’ve come to be quite close with a few other families with ASD children and have found that most share the same struggles. Though there are free Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools, they’re usually conducted in Chinese.”

Realizing this, Erin said she is now intent on “fixing” the gap between the needs of ethnic minority children needing special care, and the lack of access to resources that could help them. 

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This she intends to do by getting more people and institutions to know and understand their plight, and hopefully help towards addressing the problem. In the meantime, Erin is wasting no time providing valuable training to the carers.  

By involving overseas Filipino workers who understand the needs of children with special needs in her first community outreach, she hopes to gain a better insight on the kind of special courses or seminars that Kaleidsocope could do, to better achieve its goals.

The seminar titled “Carers’ Guide to Effective Use of Play” is being held in partnership with Wimler Foundation.

Spaces are limited to 50 participants, so those who qualify and are interested are enjoined to register quickly by filling up this form: https://forms.gle/ZZ7DfpwzqJEDpAiA9

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Sanction urged for agencies that make OFWs undergo repeat medical tests for extra fee

Direct hires are the ones who often fall prey to the check-up scam

The leader of a big online organization of Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong has hit out at what appears to be a prevalent practice of recruitment agencies in the Philippines to subject outbound domestic helpers to further medical check-ups, just so they could make them cough up more money.

Marites Palma, founder of Social Justice for Migrant Workers (SJMW), said this happened even to her earlier this year, when she was told that her first medical check-up showed she had an irregular heartbeat, so she needed to undergo another ECG (echo cardiogram).

Anxious as she was then just a few days away from her flight back to Hong Kong, Palma asked her agency if there was a way she could be certified as “fit to work” so she could leave. She was told she could just pay extra for a medical clearance. No repeat ECG was done on her.

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Palma realized from sharing her story with other OFWs later that this has become quite common among departing OFWs lately, especially with those who are “direct hires”, or those who found their own employers.

Under Philippine regulations, even direct hires are required to go through recruitment agencies before they can be deployed abroad. But because the agencies in these cases do no more than handle the required paperwork, they are unable to charge employers as much as they do with workers they placed themselves, which is upwards of $12,000 per worker.

Fees for direct hire processing start at around $7,000 and because of the stricter enforcement of the “no placement fee” policy of the Philippine government, agencies who used to charge workers even more than this, have been coming up with new ploys to make up for the shortfall. 

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“Parang ang lumalabas ay pinagkakakitaan ang mga OFW dahil hindi na sila mapagbayad nang malaki,” said Palma, who has been a domestic worker in Hong Kong for more than  20 years.

What’s worse, even cruel, according to her, is that the worker is made to worry needlessly about a pretend medical condition, all in pursuit of illicit financial gain.

Palma is calling for immediate crackdown on the agency malpractice

This was what happened to a Hong Kong-bound OFW who sought the help of The SUN and SJMW recently, after she was told her x-ray result showed she had “lower lobe pneumonitis”.

Shareena was distressed not so much by the diagnosis but of the big amount of money she had already spent moving to Manila from her hometown so she could follow up her  job application. Now that she already has an employer waiting for her, she feared she would not be able to leave as scheduled in November.

“Nakaalis din po ba kayo kahit ganyan ang resulta ng medical ninyo? Naiiyak na ako kasi ang dami ko nang gastos dito sa Manila, tapos baka hindi ako ma fit to work,” said Shareena in a post put out by SJMW. (Were you able to leave even if you had this kind of a result from your medical check-up? I am almost in tears because I have already spent so much money here in Manila, but fear I will not be certified as ‘fit to work’).

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She was relieved when most of the OFWs who replied to her query told her that all she needed was to pay the clinic or the agency again so she could secure a medical clearance.

“Pera-pera lang yan,” (it’s all about money) said one, who added she was made to have a second x-ray the day before she was due to leave supposedly because something “suspicious” was found in her initial screening. 

She immediately got the all-clear after this second test.

Another, Em Lee, said it’s a long-standing “modus” of agencies that even if the worker has no medical issues, they would still come up with an excuse to refer her to another clinic so they could extract more money.

The agencies and the clinics are in cahoots , she said, as they share in whatever extra money is squeezed from the worker who is only too willing to oblige, because of fear of losing the coveted job.

Em Lee said that in her case,  she was told she needed to undergo further tests as she had  a rare blood type, when she knew very well that this was not true, as she was O negative, the universal blood type. She paid up, anyway.

Another OFW shared that during the pre-departure test, a doctor told her she was pregnant. She raised hell because she was not sexually active at the time as her husband was also abroad for work. That left the doctor red-faced, according to her.

Many others shared experiences of being made to undergo a second, or even a third, check-up for extra fee, only to be told afterwards that there was really nothing wrong with them.

“Yung clinic ang may sakit, sakit sa bulsa,” said another, in an attempt to make light of the nefarious practice. (The clinic is the one that’s ill, ill for money).

But the illicit practice could result in something that is even more pernicious than faking an ailment to get a desperate would-be OFW to pay more money.

In the case of Cherry, a former OFW in Qatar and Hong Kong who hails from South Cotabato, it cost her more than just money or peace of mind, but also the job she had worked hard for months to get.

Shortly before she was to leave for Qatar last August, her agency told her she needed to undergo a CT scan for some irregularity that supposedly showed in her X-ray examination. Her agency assured her she need not worry about it since it was the employer who would foot the bill, so she relented.

But soon after the employer learned about this he flew into a rage, and cancelled Cherry's visa. The employer was angry that after waiting for too long, he still did not know when Cherry could be in Qatar. 

By this time, Cherry had already spent Php30,000 on the application process, and despite doing odds in Manila she barely earned enough to pay for her daily expenses. She decided to just return to her family in Mindanao, her dream of going back to work abroad all forgotten for now.

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Business ideas for OFWs: Innovative food products get recognition

 

Slow: Health drink from coconut sap

Coconut flowers, when cut before they develop into coconuts, secrete sap that has for centuries been collected by farmers in the Philippines and turned into tuba, a sweet, mildly alcoholic drink.

But what if the sap is canned right after being collected from the tree?

The result is the Power of SLOW Coconut Flower Sap, developed by Lionheart Farms Philippines Corporation, targeting the export market with a refreshing health drink perfect as an alternative to sugary drinks.

In the case of Destileria Barako Corporation, it added ube, a root crop best known as flavoring for ice cream, to vodka distilled from fermented sugarcane juice. It packaged the drink in a fancy bottle and marketed Ube Cream Liqueur in selected stores such as Kultura in SM Malls.

Long lines at its free taste tests indicate its potential for success
 

Ube Cream Liqueur

These products are two of the nine winners of the 2024 Katha Awards for Food, a yearly project of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) , the export promotions arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), to champion Philippine food excellence.

The winners were announced as part of the IFEX Philippines 2024 held earlier this month at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.

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CITEM Deputy Executive Director and Officer in Charge Ma. Lourdes Mediran said: “Katha Awards has been a hallmark of Philippine creativity through the recognition of fresh and innovative food products and applications. It seeks to inspire courage among food entrepreneurs to explore galleries of flavors and work on new, untried idea.”

“Out of 79 products submitted for evaluation, 21 made it to the final screening and only nine (9) emerged as the creme dela creme, meticulously selected by luminaries who are all well-respected within the food community,” Mediran said.

Katha Award winners and CITEM officials

The Board of Judges for this year’s Katha Awards for Food was led by former Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary, former CITEM President and now President of International School of Sustainable Tourism, Dr. Mina Gabor. Joining her were Anna Marie Ozaeta, co-founder of the Philippine Culinary Heritage; Ferdinand Cabo Chanpongco, Food Industry Consultant; and Millie Dizon, senior vice president for marketing of SM Retail.

Here is the list of winners of the 2024 Katha Awards for Food:

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Beverages

The Power of SLOW Coconut Flower Sap by Lionheart Farms Philippines Corporation: A refreshing coconut flower beverage perfect as an alternative to sugary drinks.

Ube Cream Liqueur by Destileria Barako Corporation: An innovative fusion of sugar cane vodka and Filipino ube.

Ready-to-eat Savories and Home Meal Replacements

Bean Appetit Monggo with Squash in Coconut Milk and Dilis by Bestfriend Goodies: A convenient and ready-to-eat, Halal-certified monggo dish made special with squash, coconut milk, and anchovies.

Meat, Poultry and Dairy Products

Real Bacon Crisps by Baken Philippines, Inc.:Original, crispy, and smoky bacon strips made with hundred percent real pork.

Fruits and Vegetables, Seaweeds, and Plant-based Meat Alternatives

Buenas Dried Vegetables by Gem Foods International, Inc.: Seasonal leafy vegetables processed in dry format, ready to use for soup, dish, or tea.

Bakery Products and Confectionery

Handcrafted Chocolate Treats by Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory, Inc.: Ready-to-eat and handcrafted chocolate, made with real coconut and natural ingredients.

Cereals and Cereal Products

Doña Maria Brown Rice Puffs Series by SL Agritech Corporation: Crunchy, tasty, and nutritious oven-baked puff snacks made from Doña Maria Brown Rice.

Food Ingredients, Condiments, and Sweeteners

Maharlika Pure Calamansi Extract by One Vizcaya by Gulf Pacific Integrated Exports, Inc.: Pure calamansi extract conveniently packed in sachets for any time use.

Fish and Other Seafood Products

Northbay Deli Classic Salmon Smoked in Oil by Kai Anya Foods International Corporation: Ready-to-eat salmon belly strips in soya oil mixed with choice spices.

Here is the list of finalists:

● The Locale Farm Strawberry Tea by Northern Roots SG Group, Inc. by The Legacy Farmers Agriculture Cooperative

● Sabroso 100% Pure Cacao with Coconut Milk and Sugar by Sabroso Chocolate Manufacturing

● OSH! Oh So Healthy Get Nutty (Nuts N’ Crisps Mix) by Innovative Packaging Industry Corporation

● Stips Chips Salted Egg Cassava Chips by Happy Eats Corporation

● unMEAT Meatballs in Spaghetti Sauce by Century Pacific Food, Inc.

● unMEAT Luncheon Meat Hot & Spicy by Century Pacific Food, Inc.

● Hab Eat Calamansi Extract Powder by PFP (Pautricia Food Processing) Corporation

● Wangsil Radish Cubed Kimchi by Daebak Korean Food Trading

● Hueza Crisps by Hueza Bakery

● Daily Apple Chocolate-Coated Candied Roselle Flower by Herbanext Laboratories, Inc.

● Sarap Pinoy Ginataang Bilo-Bilo by Grand Alphatech International Corporation

● Coco Natura Premium Coco Syrup by Los Ricos Compania Corporation

● Buenas Creamy Halo-Halo Series by Gem Foods International, Inc.

● Buenas Gourmet Bagoong Tomato Flavor by Gem Foods International, Inc.

● Grand Kim Sardines in Curry Sauce by ZC E & L Corporation 

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OWWA admin back in HK for Fil Migrant Workers Day

 

The celebration features OWWA chief Arnell Ignacio, a former TV actor and singer,
alongside acclaimed singers Jed Madela and Reiven Umali

Administrator Arnell Ignacio of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will be back in Hong Kong this Sunday, Jun 2, to lead the celebration of the Filipino Migrant Workers Day on Chater Road.*

Admin Ignacio will deliver the keynote speech in the afternoon of the whole-day celebration, which will start with street zumba, to be led by invited artists from the Philippines.  

The OWWA chief might just spring another surprise like in last year’s celebration, when he joined overseas Filipino workers in their morning zumba session.

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However, OWWA welfare officer Marilou M. Sumalinog said Admin Ignacio’s schedule for the day does not include any meeting with Filipino community leaders.

Also slated to deliver a speech is Consul General Germinia Aguilar-Usudan, while Labor Attache Mel Dizon will give a message of support.

Spicing up the celebration is the TFC 30^th live concert starting at 4pm, featuring acclaimed Filipino artists and singers Jed Madela  and Reiven Umali.

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Throughout the day, various Filipino community organizations will take part in various numbers, including a street dance, a mass dance, as well as song and talent competitions.

Top prizes await the winners in two contests, OFWs Got Talent and Battle of the Bands, where the grand winner will receive $10,000 cash as prize.

The June 2 event is co-organized by the Department of Migrant Workers, OWWA, the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) and Global Alliance Hong Kong.

It kick-starts a whole month of celebration of the 126th Philippine Independence Day, including a Diplomatic Reception and Breakfast Gathering on June 12 both hosted by the PCGl and the Annual Dinner Ball on Jun 7  Kapangyawan Luncheon gathering on Jun 16, both organized by the Philippine Association of Hong Kong. 

There will also be whole-day celebrations on Chater Road on the three remaining Sundays of June organized by various groups, including the traditional Independence Day parade and show on June 9.

* Under Republic Act 10022 which was signed into law in 1995, the Philippines has been observing June 7 as Migrant Workers Day. However, International Migrant Workers Day is held every December 18 each year.

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Symposium calls for promoting harmonious MDW-employer relationship

Mission's Cynthia Tellez, PolyU's Hans Ladergaard and PathFinders' Catherine Gurtin
co-organized the symposium, 'Migrant Worker Lives Matter'

Open communication is key to ensuring a harmonious relationship between migrant domestic workers and their employers.

This was one of the key takeaways from a symposium held last Friday on the most pressing issues faced by MDWs working and living in Hong Kong, organized by the Department of English and Communication at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in collaboration with PathFinders and the Mission for Migrant Workers.

Apart from improved employer-employee relationships, the other issues tackled in the “Migrant Worker Lives Matter” symposium were inclusivity, diversity, healthcare and promoting ethical recruitment practices by employment agencies.

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Participants in the half-day seminar that included stakeholders, policy makers and academics, all agreed on the significant role played by MDWs in Hong Kong, who look after hundreds of thousands of households and provide healthcare services so their employers can go to work.

But despite their immense contribution to society, MDWs’ rights were seen as not getting enough protection.

During the discussions, three main themes were addressed: domestic work as a caring profession; migrant worker health issues; and employer-employee relationships.

In light of the growing number of MDWs coming to Hong Kong to provide elderly health care, it was agreed that the community should look for ways to foster a better understanding between them and their employers.

To achieve this, participants agreed that the following courses of action should be pursued:

• More transparency about employment agency dealings to prevent unethical practices;
• More information about health issues to be made available to MDWs in their own language
• More information/education be provided to employers about MDWs’ rights and cultural variations like food
• Open communications to foster more harmonious employer-employee relationships

The symposium recommended the establishment of more effective systems to protect MDWs' rights and wellbeing, and how the diversity they bring could be tapped to promote a more inclusive Hong Kong society.

At the same time, the importance of collaboration among NGOs, government departments and other stakeholders to ensure the rights and wellbeing of MDWs are safeguarded, were highlighted. 

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