Kartika says she will use compensation ‘to heal myself’

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Kartika -flanked by Lestari and Tellez - tears up as she recalls her nightmare from 12 years ago

Her nightmare might have happened 12 years ago, but Kartika still tears up whenever she recalls the two years of abuse and terror inflicted on her by her former Hong Kong employers.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday after a half-day hearing of the $1.2 million civil claim she filed against her torturers, Kartika recalled how her family back in Indonesia had left her for dead after the couple stopped her from contacting them.

That began a two-year ordeal that still leaves her terrified, long after she had gone back home and her torturers, Catherine Au and her husband, Tai Chi-wai, were imprisoned for their horrible misdeed.

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Kartika, who has yet to receive any compensation despite an insurance company paying its $350,000 share in the civil claim, said she was “very tired” from having to wait for so long to secure justice.

But she was also happy to see the people who have helped her get to where she is now, particularly Cynthia Tellez, general manager of the Mission for Migrant Workers, who had sought her out after she had gone back to Indonesia and convinced her to pursue a civil claim.

There is also her fellow Indonesian, migrant rights activist Eni Lestari, who has been communicating with her regularly, and remains outraged that the Labour Tribunal had dismissed Kartika’s claim for the two years she was not paid  wages  

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Asked what she planned to do with the money that she now seeks, Kartika immediately said “I will use it to heal myself.”

She said she needed money to get rid of some unsightly scars from the wounds inflicted on her by Au and Tai, and to get professional counseling.

But she also plans to use some of it to secure the future of her three children and set up a small business.

Migrant activists blame HK's 'discriminatory policies' for what happened to Kartika

In a statement that she read out at the start of the press conference, Kartika recalled how her former employers had thrown away her clothes, passport, work contract and HKID card three months into their employ, so she could not run away.

They then started beating her up regularly with practically all that their hands could lay on, from bicycle chain locks to clothes hangers and hot iron - and tied her to a chair in the kitchen at night, or whenever they would leave the house.

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Kartika also said she was fed only three times a week with leftover congee from the hospital where her contractual employer Au, worked. She was allowed to bathe only once or twice a week – and only in public toilets.

Once, Au told her to cut her hair, and when she refused, Kartika said the employer used a cutter to slash her in several parts of her body.

“Almost every day my employer also beat my head and back,” said Kartika.

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She said the couple had threatened to kill her if she ran away.

Worse, she was never paid any salary, and was not allowed to leave the house except when accompanied by either of the accused  

Sometime in 2011, the family of five left Hong Kong for a vacation in Thailand for seven days, and Kartika said the couple tied her to a chair dressed only in garbage bags and a diaper, with a mask to cover her face.

She also claimed she was not given any food or water during that time, although the District Court judge who found the accused couple guilty of a total of six counts of wounding and assault, had dismissed this as an exaggeration.

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In October 2012, Kartika managed to break free from being tied to a chair in the toilet, and left her employer’s Tai Po home to seek help. Some fellow Indonesian migrant workers she met on the street took her to the Indonesian Consulate General, which helped her seek police help.

After Au was sentenced to five and-a-half years in jail, and Tai, to three years and three months, Kartika, aided by the Indonesian Consulate, went to the Labour Tribunal with a claim totalling $117,272 for her unpaid wages, annual leave, and severance pay. 

However, the Tribunal rejected most of her claims and awarded her only about $5,000 in back wages. Kartika returned to Indonesia in 2014, virtually penniless.

Fortunately, she was introduced to Tellez before this, and the veteran migrants rights campaigner lost no time seeking out Kartika when she went to Central Java that same year to interview another abused Indonesian migrant worker, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih.

Lestari said that while they want the media and the public to support Kartika’s quest for justice, they also want it known that there are many other migrant workers like her who continue to suffer in silence. 

For as long as the Hong Kong government continues to turn a blind eye to the discriminatory policies that make migrant workers susceptible to abuse and exploitation, Lestari said the problems that led to the horrific fate of Kartika and Erwiana will not only remain, but fester.

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Passport-less Pinay who overstayed 18 years ago back in court

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

The Filipina's real identity is still being established even after she admitted overstaying since 2004

A Filipina tourist who does not have a passport and whose identity could therefore not be verified, was back in Eastern Court today, Monday, for another hearing of an overstaying charge laid against her five years ago.

The case of the accused who goes by the name Emelita Arista, 61, was found to have overstayed her visa as a tourist for 13 years when arrested in February 2017 for an unrelated charge of theft, appears to continue to baffle court officers.

Prosecutors told Magistrate Peter Law that no result was reached in the hearing of her case at the High Court last Friday, Sept. 23, and asked for an adjournment.

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Law approved the application and adjourned the case to Dec 28 this year, and extended Arista’s bail of $1,000 under the same conditions.

Back on Mar 11, 2017, when Arista was sentenced to four weeks in jail on a shoplifting charge, Magistrate Bina Chainrai was incensed when told that the second charge of overstaying could not be disposed of yet because the Filipina had applied for non-refoulement.

At the time, Arista claimed that a nephew of hers in the Philippines was threatening to kill her, so she had asked not to be sent back home.

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But Chainrai got upset on hearing this, saying the Filipina had abused the system by applying for non-refoulement immediately after she was arrested in February 2017, for the thefts.

“After the defendant was arrested in 2017 only did she become an asylum-seeker?” Chainrai asked angrily then.

“In this situation, the prosecution must revisit her case. If somebody overstays for 13 years and applies for asylum after being arrested, it is an abuse of the system, especially when there are so many others with more valid reasons,” she added.

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Though Arista was ordered jailed immediately, she was allowed to post bail after serving her short sentence while awaiting the outcome of her torture claim.

During the earlier hearing, prosecutors said Arista was not detected as an overstayer earlier as Immigration authorities could not determine her true identity and the exact date when she came to Hong Kong because she had no passport.

But they earlier said the Filipina had come in on a visitor’s visa, and did not leave despite being told she could stay only on or before April 10, 2004.

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When Chainrai asked Arista if that was her first visit to Hong Kong, she said no, saying she had worked here as a domestic helper for six years before going home. But she confirmed she came to Hong Kong as a tourist in 2004.

It was not made clear how she lost her passport.

Her overstaying offence came to light only on Feb. 19, 2017, when she was caught trying to sneak out of a Wellcome supermarket in Quarry Bay after stealing three bottles of lotion and three cans of luncheon meat.

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She was first taken to court on Feb 21, 2017 and charged with one count of theft and one count of breaching her condition of stay.

She pleaded guilty to the theft charge and was sentenced on Mar 11 of the same year. She should have been arraigned on the immigration breach the following month, but that was halted by her non-refoulement application.

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Covid caseload nears 10k

By The SUN

 

The CHP says the infection tally will likely top $10k in a matter of days

Hong Kong reported a total of 9,708 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the biggest number posted in five months.

The daily tally jumped by more than 1,000 cases in just one day, and health officials say it is just a matter of time before the total caseload breaches the 10,000 mark.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said the surge in new infections was due to the more infections Omicron subvariant, BA.4 and BA.5, which now account for 50.5% of all the cases.

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"The figure of the confirmed cases is still increasing…with a faster rate recently, possibly due to the increasing proportion of BA.5 Omicron variant. So (a) number exceeding 10,000 is expected in the coming days," Chuang said at the daily press briefing.

The Hospital Authority reported 10 related deaths, involving eight males and two females aged 62 to 99 years old. They took the death toll in the fifth wave to 9,451.

Four of the fatalities had three shots of a vaccine, five had two jabs, and one was not vaccinated.

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An additional 339 patients were admitted to public hospitals and infection control centres, bringing the total number to 2,453.

Among them, 43 are now in critical condition, after 10 more were admitted yesterday, and 41 are in serious condition, with nine of them being newly admitted. The total number of critical patients who are in intensive care has risen to 13.

The new infections include 213 imported from 55 different countries. They include 89 detected on arrival at Hong Kong Airport, 60 during the three-day hotel quarantine, and 51 between days 4 and 7. The 13 detected after this period are likely re-positive cases.

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There were more than 10 positive cases in each of these countries: India, 25; Thailand, 20; the Philippines, 18; United States and United Kingdom, 16 each; and Singapore, 12.

In response to the continuing surge in confirmed cases, the HA has activated phase 3 of its bed mobilization plan to reserve more beds for patients, and deploy more people to manage patients confirmed with Covid-19.

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But to do this, public hospitals will have to cut more non-emergency services such as elective surgeries and limit day and outpatient services some more.

Starting tomorrow, some general outpatient clinics will either have to suspend or reduce their clinic sessions.

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Affected patients are advised to seek consultation at other GOPCs or at private practitioners. Chronic patients with follow-up appointments at the clinics concerned are advised to refill their drugs at the corresponding medication refill clinics on the appointment day.

Those scheduled to have Covid-19 vaccination at the affected clinics will receive text messages on the latest arrangement.

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For the service adjustment on the distribution of specimen collection packs and collection of specimens for of deep throat saliva test, please refer to www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html.

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Mission & Bethune House: Beacons of hope for migrants amid pandemic

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

A Covid-positive worker gets a care pack from the Mission/Bethune team

Stuck in your quarantine hotel with your phone battery about to die and your charger does not fit into the socket provided?

Find yourself positive for Covid-19 but you’re home alone because your employers are away?

Have no fear, for the Mission for Migrant Workers (MFMW or Mission) and Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge (Bethune House or Bethune), along with their kindhearted volunteers, are always on standby to help.

This was experienced by one Filipina domestic worker who upon returning to Hong Kong on Sunday from her vacation in the Philippines, found out that she could not plug in her mobile phone because she did not have the right charger.

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Lian (not her real name) said she immediately called the front desk at Rambler Garden Hotel in Tsing Yi where she is spending her mandatory three days’ quarantine to try and borrow the right charger, but was told they were not allowed to do as she requested.

No amount of pleading worked so she sent out a message of appeal to The SUN late yesterday, saying there was only 9 percent charge remaining in her phone’s battery.

“Good day, pakisuyo naman po. Pa-post po at baka po may malapit dito sa aking quarantine hotel, ang Rambler Garden Hotel. Baka may extra charger po kayo, pwede kong mahiram? Soli ko na lang sa Sunday. Nanakaw kasi ang isang cp (cell phone) ko sa Pilipinas, kasama doon ang charger,” said her message.

(May I ask a favor? Could you please help post this message, in case there is someone near my quarantine hotel, Rambler Garden. If you have an extra charger, may I please borrow it? I will just give it back on Sunday. My other phone was stolen in the Philippines, and with it was the charger).

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Lian showed a two-prong charger that she had also brought along, but which did not fit the hotel socket.

Her message was forwarded to Bethune House executive director Edwina Antonio who promptly responded with, “Sige” and just asked for more details about the worker, including her room and phone number.

At about noon today, Lian was pleasantly surprised to receive not just a phone charger but also a “Covid care pack” from the Mission and Bethune House, which contained food, drink and other quarantine essentials.

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“Salamat po ng marami. Sobrang saya ko, higit pa sa need ko ang dumating. May pagkain at maiinom pa, salamat po,” said Lian.

(Thank you so much. I am so happy because what arrived was more than what I needed. There was food and drink, thank you).

Express delivery to Lian at her hotel in far-off Tsing Yi

What Lian did not know was that the two NGOs, which have been helping migrants for the past four decades, have been hard at work the past few months in extending help to migrants affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

From providing shelter and legal advice and support to distressed migrants, they partnered with groups like Asian Migrants Coordinating Body in delivering food, masks and medicines to foreign domestic workers who were either in quarantine or isolation, wherever they may be in Hong Kong.

This task became extremely important during the Omicron surge early this year, when dozens of MDWs were thrown out of their employers’ flats once they were found infected, were shunned by fellow migrants in boarding houses, or were driven away from the airport when their pre-boarding PCR tests turned out positive.

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To this day, the two support groups continue to cook, pack and provide support migrant workers affected by the coronavirus contagion.

“Tuloy ang assistance namin sa mga naka quarantine na newly arrived at iyong mga Covid positive na need ng care packs at isolated sa bahay ng mga amo,” said Antonio.

(We continue to assist newly arrived workers who are in quarantine and those who test positive for Covid and need care packs because they are self-isolating in their employers’ houses).

According to Antonio, among those that they are currently helping are two Filipinas who tested positive on Saturday while their employers were on an overseas trip. They reported their infection to the government but were told to self-isolate.

Another was a Filipina worker who was also at her employer’s home, alone, when she tested positive.

Since all of them are forbidden from going out until they receive word from the Centre for Health Protection that they are already Covid-free, they can only rely on outside help for their daily sustenance and other needs.

Another recent beneficiary of the Mission-Bethune project was an Indonesian domestic worker who tested positive on Monday night and at her request, was moved to a shelter where she can undergo self-isolation.

Antonio (right) receives much-needed donation from Seeds of Hope of Yew Chung Foundation

Apart from those with Covid-related concerns, Bethune House is providing accommodation, food and other needs to 18 “clients” in its two shelters – in Jordan and Sheung Wan.

Some of these clients help in the preparation and delivery of the care packs, along with 10 other volunteers from migrant organizations. There is also a local Chinese staff of the Mission who helps ease any language-related problems that may arise.

On the care packs, the two NGOs also explicitly give thanks to  the Fu Tak Lam Foundation Limited for its donation “for emergency relief for the Migrant Domestic Workers in Hong Kong.”

Volunteer-driven but inspired by love and charity, the Mission and Bethune House have proven time and again that they will stand by all migrant workers “anytime, anywhere” for as long as they are around.

Migrant workers who need help may contact the Mission’s office no, 2522 8264 or its hotline, 9529 2326. Bethune’s hotline is 9338 0035. They can also be reached through their respective Facebook accounts.

Donations are also welcome. Please click this link for details: https://donorbox.org/urgent-emergency-appeal-to-support-hong-kong-s-migrant-domestic-workers?fbclid=IwAR3LTqV80P1qadAtSav18pIynbMaSbmQPfMUUuZQiH6Y56bBwSfEnXx15h8

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Hindi pwedeng magkaso kung pumayag sa ilegal na trabaho, ayon sa Labour Tribunal

 

Hindi umusad ang kaso ng isang Pilipina sa Labour Tribunal pero may natutunan naman siyang paraan kung paano matagumpay na magreklamo laban sa amo.

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Dumulog sa Labour Tribunal ang isang Pilipina upang ireklamo na niloko siya ng kanyang mga amo at singilin ang mga dapat bayaran sa kanya. Hindi pinayagang umusad ang kanyang kaso, pero ang mga dahilan dito ay pwedeng magsilbing aral para sa lahat.

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Kakaiba ang kasong inihain ni RSV, isang Pilipinang domestic helper, sa Labour Tribunal.

Sa mga kaso na dinudulog sa Tribunal, laging ang nakapirmang amo o kumpanya lang ang inirereklamo ng isa o mahigit pang manggagawa. Pero sa reklamong isinampa ni RSV ay tatlong employer ang kanyang kinasuhan,  na tatawagin nating Defendant 1 (D1), Defendant 2 (D2) at Defendant 3 (D3).

Sinabi ni RSV na sa unang kontrata niya, ang pumirma ay si D1. Sa ikalawang kontrata naman ay pumirma si D2.

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Tinanong siya ng presiding officer na si W. H. Pun kung bakit kasama si D3 sa kaso kung hindi naman siya pumirma sa kontrata.

Ang paliwanag ni RSV,  na pinagtrabaho siya kay D3 ng dalawang pumirma ng kontrata, at si D3 din ang nagbayad ng kanyang suweldo,  ay naka-alarma kay Pun.

“Ang sinasabi mo sa akin ay pagkukumpisal ng isang kriminal na gawain,” ika niya. “Ang ginawa mo ay malamang na maging problema para sa iyo.”

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Ang pagtatrabaho sa taong hindi pumirma ng kontrata ng isang dayuhang DH ay paglabag sa mga kondisyon nang binigyan siya ng visa, paliwanag ni Pun.

Sumagot si RSV na dumulog nga siya sa Tribunal dahil gusto niyang pa-imbestigahan ang ipinagawa sa kanya.

“Pero wala kaming kapangyarihang mag-imbestiga,” ani Pun.

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Nang tanungin naman niya si RSV kung nagreklamo na si RSV sa Immigration tungkol dito, sumagot ito ng hindi dahil hindi niya alam ang gagawin.

“Kapag ipinilit mo ang ganitong takbo sa iyong reklamo at nakarating ang kaso sa husgado, kahit manalo ka pa, posibleng magkaroon ng resultang hindi mo magugustuhan. Posibleng idemanda ka ng Immigration Department, at kanselahin ang iyong visa.”

Pinayuhan niya sa RSV na kumusulta sa abogado kung gusto niyang ipilit ang ganitong linya ng reklamo.

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Tinanong naman ni Pun kung saan nakatira ang tatlong inireklamo ni RSV.

Nang sabihin ni RSV na magkakahiwalay sila ng bahay, tinanong siya kung bakit iisa ang address na ginamit niya para padalhan ng kopya ng kanyang reklamo ang tatlo.

Kailangan ng korte ang tamang address ng mga inirereklamo, paliwanag ni Pun, dahil kung hindi nila natanggap ang reklamo, hindi pwedeng umusad ang kaso laban sa kanila.

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Nang sabihin ni RSV na umalis na sa Hong Kong si D3, na siyang tunay na may atraso sa kanya, sinabi ni Pun na ang korte ay may kapangyarihan lamang sa mga taong nasa loob ng Hong Kong.

Ang huling tinalakay ni Pun ay ang hinahabol ni RSV na hindi pa nabayarang suweldo, taunang bakasyon at mga statutory holiday.

Pinansin niya na walang paliwanag si RSV kung bakit nagkautang ng ganito ang mga inireklamo niya.

“Kailangan mong ipaliwanag at magbigay ka ng ebidensiya kung bakit dapat kang bayaran para sa mga ito,” ika ni Pun.

Sa huli ay binigyan ni Pun si RSV ng panahong pag-isipang mabuti kung paano niya ipiprisinta ang kanyang kaso. “Ayaw kong pagsisihan mo ang iyong napiling direksyon.” dagdag niya.

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Filipino journalist and HK resident Jun Concepcion dies at 66

(Veteran journalist and longtime Hong Kong resident Juanito C. Concepcion passed away in the Philippines on Aug. 3 from a heart attack. Jun was known to many in Hong Kong for his easy smiles, sharp wit and generosity, especially towards Filipino migrant workers. He worked for various media organizations including Hong Kong Standard (now The Standard), Hong Kong Economic Journal and Bagwis, the Filipino community newspaper he co-founded and edited. Though he died early, Jun will long be remembered for his contribution to journalism and a life dedicated to helping his fellow migrant workers. Below is a write-up on Jun’s life and work by a friend and fellow journalist, Rosa Ocampo, as well as tributes from former colleagues and a retired labor attache who shares his passion for migrant advocacy and government accountability – Ed)

 

Jun spent more than half his life in Hong Kong

By Rosa Ocampo

Journalist Juanito C. Concepcion, Jr., well-known for his hard-hitting political commentaries as much as for his decades of writing about, and helping, overseas Filipino workers, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on August 3. He was 66.

Jun is survived by his wife Malou, their children Jessamine and Jericho, and his four siblings who he has remained close to despite the geographic divide.

Several months ago, Jun left Hong Kong for good to start a new life in the Philippines with myriads of ideas to help uplift OFWs and the downtrodden, including setting up a nonprofit and an e-book for them.

But this did not mean he had given up on things he loved doing. His weekly column at the Manila Bulletin touched on migration and OFWs. He was also about to start writing for a Hong Kong-based shipping publication this month.

Older brother Ferdie, who accompanied Jun to explore agri-business opportunities in Bacolod last week, said Jun’s goal, among others, was to help the farmers transport their produce seamlessly and sell them at higher prices.

But long hours and hard work in the two days they were in Bacolod took their toll. Jun had a heart attack which immediately took his life, shocking family and friends who knew him as a teetotaller and a fitness buff who loved basketball and walking.

Jun studied journalism at the University of Santo Tomas and worked as reporter for The Economic Monitor and Bulletin Today before deciding to move to Hong Kong in 1987.

He started off as a reporter, then chief reporter and later, property section editor at the Hong Kong Standard. He went on to write and edit for other publications including the Hong Kong Economic Journal and a shipping publication, and co-hosted a radio program for the Filipino community at RTHK.

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He co-founded Bagwis magazine in the 90s, which focused on the plight and stories of OFWs, mainly domestic helpers, and informed them about their rights and how to prevent abuses by their employers.

In social media and during his wake (before he is laid to rest later today, Aug. 8 in San Mateo, Rizal) friends and colleagues lovingly remembered him as a gentle and generous soul who did not hesitate to use his own resources in helping those in need.

Jun was a simple man contented with his music, books and basketball. His dislike for wearing neckties was legendary – this was the reason he felt compelled to invest in a rarely used clip-on tie.

Son Jericho, who will work in Prague sometime this year, recalled that his dad had simple tastes and a laid-back lifestyle, yet gave him and sister Jessamine the latest gadgets and sent them to good schools.

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While Jun was gentle of manner, he was fierce and uncompromising in his political views, especially during the last presidential election. He and Ferdie were on the opposite sides of the political fence but respected each other’s opinion.

As a journalist, Jun was hardworking, easy to work with, and got along well with various nationalities of the staff of the newspapers that he worked for.

This writer, who was recruited by Jun to work for Hong Kong Standard (now The Standard), recalled the easy camaraderie at the property section that he edited. The section was filled with laughter and banter despite the daily deadline because of him. Under his table were snacks that the staff frequently raided.

As a migrant worker himself, Jun worked early on to help other OFWs, especially the domestic helpers.

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In her tribute, daughter Jessamine quoted her mom as saying that Jun had more time for others than for his family. But that was just because for Jun, the definition of family extended to so many other people, including fellow Filipinos who worked far away from home.

I became part of his family when I first arrived in Hong Kong and he took me under his wings. After Sunday mass we would walk here and there, dropping by Statue Square and at various corners in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay where Filipinos gathered.  

Jun’s family home in Causeway Bay became the meeting place of OFWs during their days off. Some who were fired by their employers even stayed for as long as a month. He helped them find new employers and accompanied them in seeking justice for their plight. Spending his own resources and sacrificing his privacy to help OFWs was no big deal for Jun.

Ferdie said that once, when he and Jun saw some blind singers at the LRT station, Jun told them to sing at the malls’ food court so they could have fixed and better source of income.

All these showed Jun’s nationalism despite being away from the Philippines for half his life. He could have chosen a cushy life but he opted to share it with others in need.

As Jericho said, as we grieve for his dad, we should also celebrate his beautiful and rich life spent in service to the country and its people.

 

Jun in a recent trip to El Nido with brother Ferdie (right) and sister-in-law Helen

Jolly fellow, serious worker

Jun will always be remembered as a jolly good fellow with a high level of professionalism in the workplace. His concern for clear and accurate editing on the newsdesk of the Hong Kong Economic Journal where we worked together as editors back in 2011, had been utmost in his mind as a serious worker. But he had a way of making a tough day at work more bearable by being a cheerful member of the team. He always had a ready smile for everyone. When differences of opinion sometimes threatened the smooth workflow, which normally happens in any work organization driven by deadlines, he would still manage to keep a smile of diplomacy on his face while dealing with the issue squarely. Jun indicated with his actions that cordial working relations were more vital for sustainability of the job than to always insist on having the last right thing to say. Hard for ordinary editors to do because we were hired precisely to correct the wrong things written by other people. But there are special editors in this world, as Jun was, who seem to value being kind to others more than being right all the time. I wonder which virtue would be more valuable in heaven? That was a good food for thought for me, too.

- Neri A. Tenorio, ex-colleague at Hong Kong Economic Journal

Cheerful and conscientious

Jun was a thoughtful and endearing colleague, always wearing a smile and bringing cheer to all those around him. He was a conscientious worker, willing to go the extra mile to deliver the best for his team.

He had many talents and boundless energy and enthusiasm that made him constantly seek new challenges, in life and in work. His untimely demise is a big shock for all of us who know him, and he will be sorely missed.

                                                - Ravi Cherukuri, ex-colleague and editor, HKEJ

Great loss to HK Filcom

We were just exchanging texts a few weeks ago. What a great and tragic loss to the Filipino community in Hong Kong. Jun Concepcion and I kept tabs on each other long after I left HK in 2019. He was like my big brother although he was only a few months older than me. We were kindred souls, always looking out for ways to improve things and holding the government to account. He had the mass media as a platform, while I had my office as mine. He was an indefatigable fighter for OFW rights and welfare. He was one of the few friends who kept in touch and genuinely interested in what I was doing and how I could do things better. You may be gone, my friend, but you will be genuinely missed. Rest in the bosom of our Lord.

                                                - Jalilo dela Torre, ex labor attache in Hong Kong

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