EOC chair stresses equal rights for all at 1st ‘Are You OK’ graduation

By Daisy CL Mandap

Foreign domestic workers enjoy as much protection under the law as Hong Kong permanent residents, said the head of the Equal Opportunities Commission, during recognition rites for the first batch of Are You Ok “ambassadors” held in Chater Garden, Central, on Apr. 22

The graduates from the Philippines and Indonesia who numbered about 100, underwent four Sundays of rigorous training on domestic workers rights and how they could detect and help fellow migrants in distress. The project is a joint undertaking by the EOC, International Office of Migration – Hong Kong, RainLily and the consulates of the Philippines and Indonesia.

EOC chair Alfred Chan told the mostly domestic workers in the audience in particular that they should not hesitate to seek help – from fellow migrants, NGOs, their Consulates and  the EOC - when they fall prey to sexual advances from their employers.

EOC chair Alfred Chan (last row, center) is joined on stage by program participants.

“Do not tolerate sexual offences, these are very serious matters,” he said. “So, please, please if you have such experiences, come to EOC.”

Chan advised migrant workers not to listen to people who tell them that they are just temporary visitors in Hong Kong with limited rights and protection under the law.

“You are protected by law,” said Chan. “We promise you that we will do our best to protect you.”

Chan also suggested the question ‘Are you ok?” should be asked by employers to show their concern and sympathy for the worker who works long hours to serve them.

Speaking after the ceremony, Chan said migrant workers who are subjected to any unlawful acts, particularly sexual harassment, should approach the EOC for help. The offences could also include illegal recruitment and human trafficking, the most common problems facing Filipinos in Hong Kong.

“Regardless of who you are, domestic helper or not, you are protected,” he said.

In response, Deputy Consul General Roderico Atienza read a statement from Consul General Antonio Morales who was reportedly called to the Home Office in Manila for a meeting.

In the speech, ConGen Morales thanked the co-organizers of the project, which he said provided a much-needed link between the migrant workers and the labor rights and benefits accorded them under Hong Kong law.

He said the project was in line with the Consulate’s  Gender and Development Program which “requires us to implement programs for women in especially difficult circumstances and to provide them with relevant services and interventions.”

Attending for the Indonesian side was Vice Consul for Labour, Sholahudin.

The program was highlighted by traditional dance numbers from migrant workers from the two countries,, and a performance by the popular Filipino singing group, The Unsung Heroes.

2,000 Filipino teachers to be hired in China starting July

By Daisy CL Mandap

A first batch of 2,000 Filipino English teachers could be deployed to China as early as July this year, as part of a deal to open the Chinese labor market to hundreds of thousands of workers from the Philippines.

This was confirmed to The SUN by Philippine Ambassador to Beijing, Jose Santiago Sto. Romana, amid reports as many as 300,000 Filipino workers could be allowed to work in China in a landmark agreement to be signed before the end of the year.

According to Ambassador Sta. Romana, a memorandum of understanding on the hiring of Filipino teachers of English in China was signed at the sidelines of the Boao forum in Hainan last month, where President Rodrigo R. Duterte met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The MOU was signed on Apr 10 by Philippine Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua. The Department of Labor and Employment was designated as the lead agency in the Philippines for the agreement, and will issue the implementing guidelines for the MOU. For China, the lead agency is the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.

Bello and Jiao sign the MOU in Hainan, in front of President Duterte and his entourage,

“(The) teaching contracts will be for 2 years and can be renewed. The quota for 2018 (from July 1st to June 30th next yr) is 2,000 teachers. We are still waiting for implementing rules from DOLE for other details,” Ambassador Sta Romana said.

Separately, the Philippines’ special envoy to China William J. Lima, reportedly told the South China Morning Post that up to 500,000 work visas could be issued to Filipinos as part of an agreement to be signed by Manila and Beijing by the end of the year.

The 300,000 workers will be new hires, while 200,000 other visas will be issued to Filipinos already working clandestinely in China, mostly as domestic helpers.

Of the 300,000 workers still to be deployed, a third could be English teachers.

According to Secretary Bello in a separate interview conducted earlier, China has vacancies for 100,000 English teachers. He also said that the Filipino English teachers to be hired under the already signed MOU will be paid a monthly salary of US$1,200.

The Filipinos’ known facility for the English language reportedly made them ideal candidates for the job.

To qualify under the MOU, a Filipino teacher must have a bachelor’s degree in English teaching, education or English language from Philippine universities accredited by the Chinese Education Ministry, and must have passed the Philippine Board of Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT).

Also in the cards, according to the Philippine government officials, is the hiring of Filipino domestic workers in China “because the Chinese middle class is growing.”

“They look at what’s happening in Hong Kong and there is a growing demand for English-speaking helpers,” Sta. Romana said.

Meanwhile, Lima reportedly said that there were still some small issues to be ironed out, like the type of health services that should be provided to the Filipino migrant workers.

“For instance, China offers a range of traditional medicine that Filipino workers might not be used to,” he said. “This is something we are still talking about,” Lima reportedly said.  “However, things are going well generally and I expect we can conclude fairly soon.”

Magulang ang amo ni Lagring

Sa kumedor habang kaharap ang amo ay napaluha sa sama ng loob si Lagring, 36, Ilokana, dahil hindi binayaran ang kanyang dalawang linggong suweldo.

Kararating ng amo mula sa pagbiyahe sa Canada, at bago umalis ay sinabihan siya na puwede siyang lumabas sa panahong wala sila.  Sumagot naman siya ng may pasasalamat pa, at ngayon lang niya nalaman ang ibig nitong sabihin na mag day off siya.

Sa loob-loob niya, bakit hindi siya sinabihan ng diretso para malinaw? Kahit kasi pinalabas siya ay todong pagtatrabaho pa rin ang ginawa niya.

Akmanag tatalikod na ang suwapang na amo nang hindi nakatiis si Lagring at sinabi ang, “Ma’m..please wait. I do not mind if you do not pay me, I just want you to know what I did for two weeks.”

Habang pumapatak ang luha ay mahinahon niyang sinabi ang mga ginawa niyang paglilinis sa bahay. “I cleaned the house up-side-down,” sabi niya. “From the ceiling lamps, the walls, air- conditioner covers and filters, and I even washed the curtains...”. Hindi pa daw siya tapos magsalita ay nahiya na ang amo.

Bumalik ito sa kuwarto at ibinigay na ang kanyang buong suweldo. Lumuwag naman agad ang dibdib ni Lagring. Sadya daw kasing magulang ang amo sa pasahod. Katulad na lang daw ng kwentahan sa bayad ng arawan na suweldo o pro rata. Kapag si Lagring ang may utang na day-off ay divided by 30 days ang buwan, pero kapag ang amo ang may hindi pinagamit na day-off ay divided by 31 kaya mas maliit ang bayad sa kanya.

Sa inis ay sinabihan daw niya ang amo ng, “Ma’ m why not just divide it by 365/366 , na ang ibig sabihin ay yung bilang ng araw sa isang buong taon. Natigilan daw bigla ang amo bago tumango bilang tanda na tinatatanggap niya ang pagkakamali.

Dapat kasi ay 26 o 27 nga lang ang bilang ng araw na gagamitin sa isang buwan dahil iyon lang ang may trabaho ang isang katulong. Yung iba ay day off kaya hindi dapat ibilang.

Sa buwan ng Abril halimbawa, sa loob ng 30 araw ay may 5 Linggo, kaya dapat ay 25 lang nga ang dapat gamitin. Ibig sabihin, kung ang suweldo ay $4,310, divided by 25, dapat ang isang buwan na hindi inilabas ng isang katulong ay babayaran ng $172.40.

Ayon kay Lagring, hindi man umayon ang amo sa tamang kuwenta, dapat pa ring ipaalam para mapagtanto nila na ang kanilang ginagawang panggugulang. – George Manalansan

Macau on a budget

Kinailangang mag-exit sa Macau ni Myrna dahil matatapos na ang palugit na isang taon na ibinigay ng immigration sa kanyang visa. Umuwi kasi siya ng dalawang beses bago pa makapag renew ng kontrata dahil nagkasakit ang ama kaya wala na siyang bakasyon na natitira, at gipit din sa pera.

Eksaktong pamasahe lang ang ibinigay ng kanyang amo kaya napilitan siyang humiram ng pera para may gastusin sa isang araw na paglilibot, kasama na ang pangkain. Unang punta pa lang niya sa Macau kaya gusto niyang makasiguro na may ekstra siyang pera na panggastos kung sakali.

Kasama ang kaibigan ay nakapasyal naman sila sa ilang mga tanawin sa Macau bago nagkasundong umuwi na.

Habang naghihintay ng ferry pabalik ng Hong Kong ay may nakakwentuhan sila na isang Pilipina na kasambahay din. Napagkuwentuhan nila ang mga lugar na magandang pasyalan sa Macau at nasambit ni Myrna na masaya nga ngunit magastos ang mamasyal lalo na kung gipit sa budget.

Nang usisain siya ng kausap tungkol dito ay sinabi ni Myrna na kailangan kasing bumili ng pagkain at mamasahe ng ilang beses para makalibot.

Ayon naman sa Pinay hindi naman kailangan na gumastos ng malaki para makapamasyal sa Macau. Sa halagang $500, kasama na ang bayad sa ferry, ay maaari nang mag-enjoy sa pamamasyal, basta marunong ka lang.

Ayon sa Pinay, siya daw ay nagbabaon ng pagkain kaya hindi na kailangang gumastos para dito, at hindi na rin kailangang mag-ubos ang oras sa paghihintay ng makakain sa restawran. Hindi din siya gumagastos ng malaki sa pamasahe dahil sumasakay lang siya sa libreng shuttle na lumilibot sa mga magagarang casino doon.

Tuwang tuwa si Myrna sa mga ibinahaging kaalaman ng kausap dahil balak nilang magkaibigan na bumalik ulit sa Macau para mamasyal. Sa susunod, alam na daw nila ang kanilang gagawin. Si Myrna ay dalaga at kasisimula lamang sa ikalawang kontrata sa mga among intsik na may dalawang anak at nakatira sa Baguio Villa sa Pokfulam. – Ellen Asis

Tourist charged with trying to cash fake US$2 billion in bank drafts

A 57-year-old Filipina businesswoman appeared at the District Court on Apr 17 facing a charge of “using false instruments” for attempting to cash US$2 billion worth of allegedly bogus bank drafts in Tsimshatsui last October.

Elena S. Orosa was originally scheduled for plea-taking, but Judge Anthony Kwok adjourned the hearing for two months at the request of the defense.

A defense counsel said the woman was getting a Legal Aid lawyer and needed time for legal advice.
The judge said the defendant must prepare to plead whether she is guilty or not. He extended the woman’s bail.

Orosa, a tourist, was arrested on Oct 18 along with another Filipina visitor, Veronica F. Yambao, after they allegedly tried to cash the bank instruments at a Hang Seng Bank branch on Hankow Road.
Hang Seng staff who noticed that the bank drafts were fake alerted police and the two women were nabbed.

Orosa and Yambao were initially charged at Kowloon City Court on Oct 19. They were allowed to post bail of $6,000 each. The case came up for second mention on Dec 1, when the prosecution applied to transfer the case to the District Court.  There was no mention why only Orosa was named in the transfered case.

OWWA officer set to leave HK

By Vir B. Lumicao

Welfare officer Judith Santos

Welfare officer Judith Santos of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration - Hong Kong will soon return home as her extended tour of duty is ending.

Santos told The SUN in an online message that her replacement, who she did not identify, will be arriving shortly to take over her post.

The departing welfare officer will be returning to the OWWA home office in Manila after serving in Hong Kong for nearly four years. Santos arrived here on May 15, 2014 and assumed her position two days later.

The officer said she had not yet received her airline ticket, so, she could not tell her departure date.

Santos said her recall is a decision of OWWA, an OFW welfare and insurance unit that is under the Department of Labor and Employment.

“It’s my time to go because my tour of duty ended last year but I was extended for nearly a year,” said Santos.

She considers her posting in Hong Kong, her first assignment abroad, as a learning process as it allowed her to get to know OFWs better through dealing with them daily.

“Siguro po mas naintindihan ko yun iba-ibang mukha ng OFW (and the) struggles and success stories ng iba,” Santos said.

Santos has had the rare opportunity of serving three labor attaches during her stint at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, an extension of the Consulate that deals with overseas Filipino workers and all issues related to them.

When Santos arrived in Hong Kong, the incumbent labor attache was Manuel Roldan, who was recalled home after being investigated for malpractice on orders by then Consul General  Bernardita Catalla.

Roldan was replaced by Nenita Garcia, who ended her tour of duty prematurely because of poor health. Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre took over from Garcia, but was recalled to the Home Office on Mar 26 for alleged corruption, a move that prompted widespread protests by members of the Filipino community.

Lakas-loob na nagsumbong

Naglakas-loob si Marlyn na ipa watchlist ang kanyang amo dahil noong nakaraang taon ay binuhusan ng mainit na tubig ang kanyang kamay ng kanyang alagang matanda habang siya ay naghuhugas ng kamay, at nitong huli ay sinaktan pa siya, ngunit hindi pinigil ng anak.

Isa pa, kahit nasa iisang building ay magkahiwalay ng tirahan ang kanyang amo at ang matanda, kaya bale dalawang bahay ang pinagsisilbihan niya. Lagi pang pinahihirapan ng matanda si Marly; lagi siyang kulang sa tulog at pagkain.

Pagkatapos siyang buhusan ng mainit na tubig ay sinubukan niyang magsumbong sa kanyang agency, pero ipinaabot lang nito ang reklamo niya sa matanda, kaya lalo itong naging maging mabangis. Nang sumunod na saktan siya ay hindi na nagdalawang isip pa si Marlyn na magpunta sa Philippine Overseas Labor Office para magreklamo at ipalagay sa watchlist ang amo.

Sinusubukan pa rin niyang magtiis ngayon dahil ayaw niyang matanggalan ng trabaho, ngunit hindi niya alam kung hanggang ano ang kaya niyang tanggapin. Natatakot din kasi siya na baka sa susunod ay mas grabe pang pananakit ang gawin sa kanya ng matanda.

Noong una ay atubili pa rin siyang magsumbong, mabuti na lang ay may nakilala siyang kapwa Pinay na nagbigay ng lakas ng loob sa kanya para magreklamo at ipaglaban ang kanyang karapatan. Si Marlyn ay naninilbihan sa dalawang bahay sa Tsing Yi at tubong Bulacan.

Dahil sa dalawang anak na nasa kolehiyo kaya nagtitiis si Marlyn. Gusto sana niyang matapos ang kontrata at nang sa gayon ay maluwag siyang makakahanap ng ibang amo pagkatapos. — Rodelia Villar

Filipino in child porn case jailed for 12 months

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipino sales executive who pleaded guilty to child pornography was sentenced to 12 months in jail by a District Court judge earlier today, May 7.

Lordjel Gelizon, 33, single, was found to have downloaded 32 photos and 138 video clips from child pornography websites as early as August 2013, and stored them in his notebook PC.

He was arrested during a police raid on a flat he shared with his family in Tsimshatsui at early on Apr 19, 2016, during an anti-child pornography operation. He was charged in January last year and the case was first heard in September.

His lawyer argued vigorously for a significant discount to the 18 months used as a starting point in sentencing, citing the two-year delay in prosecuting the case.

“We were sitting here two years after the event waiting when he’ll go to prison,” the lawyer said. He said his client’s life was on hold and under the strain of waiting because of the delay in taking the case to court.

But Judge Isaac Tam stressed repeatedly that “delay will not be a mitigating factor”. He said the prosecution was delayed because it needed more time to find out the ages of the children in the sex videos and photos, as well as to seek further legal advice.

Court records showed the images found in Gelizon’s computer were of children aged from 5 to 15 years doing erotic poses and sexual acts, including “penetrative activity” with adults without the use of condoms.

The prosecution submitted to the court a folder of photos and still shots from the videos

The judge pointed out that while the defendant suffered stress after his arrest, he managed to stay on his job as a sales manager and resigned only after he was charged.

The psychiatric report said Gelizon was now stable after being reclusive and anxious after he was charged in court.

The psychological report said his downloading the child pornography photos and videos was insufficient to suggest he was suffering from pedophilic disorder. The report also said the risk of re-offending was not high.

In mitigation, his lawyer said Gelizon had a clear record. He was born in Hong Kong where he attended elementary school, but left for the Philippines after his third year in high school. After high school, he enrolled in a marketing course but did not finish it.

He then set up a concrete block production business where he employed 12 relatives, but sold the business following a downturn.

He returned to Hong Kong and worked for various companies, where he rose from being a customer service officer in a logistics solutions firm to sales executive in an electronic services company, the defense counsel said.  All rights reserved.

Mahirap maintindihan ang gusto

Bago pa lang si Airen sa kanyang amo na nakatira sa MidLevels pero gusto na niyang sumuko dahil mahirap itong pakisamahan.

Hindi naman mahirap dapat ang kanyang trabaho dahil mag-asawa lang ang kanyang pinagsisilbihan, pero lagi na lang siyang nakikitaan ng mali ng among babae, gayong sinusunod naman niya ang lahat ng utos at gusto nito.

Halimbawa na lang sa pagluluto. Ang utos ng amo ay gayahin niya ang turo sa cookbook na sinusunod naman ni Airen, ngunit palagi pa rin itong may reklamo. Kung hindi maalat ay overcooked naman daw ang niluto niya. Upang hindi na lumalala pa ang usapan ay humihingi na lang siya ng paumanhin sa amo kahit na sa tingin niya ay umaarte lang ito, at gusto lang na may masabi.

Kasi naman, laging ubos ang pagkain na inihahain niya.

Sa sumunod niyang pagluluto ay sinubukan ni Airen na baguhin ang timpla at sukat ng mga sangkap ngunit hindi pa rin siya pumasa sa masungit na amo. Nalilito na si Airen kung ano ang gagawin dahil ni hindi naman marunong magluto ang amo, at sa cookbook lang umaasa.

Sa ngayon ay hinahayaan na lang ni Airen na pumasok sa isang tenga, at labas sa kabila, ang mga sermon ng amo upang hindi siya materminate. Si Airen ay tubong Quezon at may isang anak sa Pilipinas. – Ellen Asis

Why religious leaders support war on drugs

By Leo A. Deocadiz

“Thou shalt not kill,” says the fifth commandment.

But majority of pastors and priests who were surveyed in the urban poor community of Payatas, Quezon City, are not swayed by this invocation—they support the government’s war on drugs, or have remained silent even after it has left more than 20,000 people dead in the last two years.

In a way, this reflects the national sentiment towards the drug war. A recent survey by Pulse Asia shows that 88% of adult Filipinos support the war on drugs.

The view has not been swayed by the mounting number of extrajudicial killings, which have claimed the lives of even innocent people such as student Kian de los Santos, who was dragged from his family’s sari sari store and shot by policemen.

The main reason is that drug users are viewed by these religious leaders are swine or sinners, according to Dr. Jayeel Cornelio, an Ateneo de Manila social science professor who is a visiting professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “It has nothing to do with church-state relations, is has nothing to do with the management of religion. It has to do with theological vision.”

Cornelio’s study on the religious responses to the war on drugs in Payatas is part of a three-part research funded by the Australian National University. The two others are being done by Ging Gutierrez, a sociologist of crime from the University of the Philippines Diliman, who is looking into the negotiated identities of drug dependents arrested and detained in the war on drugs; and by Nicole Curato, a political sociologist from University of Canberra who is looking into why victims of the war on drugs are not given as much compassion as victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

“When we embarked on our research in 2017, our working hypothesis was this: that a religious leader would become socially and politically involved against the anti-drug campaign if and when the congregation was directly affected.... We thought the Catholic parish set the precedent because it was clear to us that they became more involved when many of their parishioners were being killed,” Cornelio said in a lecture recently at the City University of Hong Kong. “But we noticed that this could not explain why other churches with similar experiences did not follow suit.”

Cornelio said his research revealed two groups of religious leaders in Payatas: those who believed that drug users were swine or sinners, and those who regarded addicts as poor and victims of their poverty.

Dr. Jayeel Cornelio discusses his findings during a lecture at the City University of HK.

“If the drug user is a sinner/swine, then the response is spiritual, nothing to do with politics,” he said. “If the drug user is a victim of injustices, then the response is political.”

Majority of religious leaders see taking drugs as being away from God, and a deliberate act of sinning.

“To them the problem of substance abuse is a function of the failure of their relationship with the Holy Spirit,” Cornelio said.

He cited a pastor who likened drug dependents to swine, and quoted Jesus’ injunction to “Cast not your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet. (which means that you don’t reveal the Gospel to people who are not interested in it).” (Matthew 7:6)

“He rightly says that there are more kids in Payatas than there are drug addicts,” Cornelio added.

He quoted a number of church leaders, whose identities he withheld. A pastor of a mega church, with outreach in Payatas, told him: “God gave us government to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. They have swords and guns for a reason.”

The minority view, on the other hand, characterized drug users as victims, “In their view, criminal acts are committed not because of individual choices but because of structural causes like extreme poverty, unemployment and derpessed psychosocial conditions of the area.”

This group believes that people, especially the religious, need to give drug users a chance. “As a matter of fact, for a female youth minister, not giving them a chance is a form of injustice itself. She’s alluding to the extrajudicial killing in the community itself,” Cornelio added.

“They also instituted many interventions. The Catholics are so good at this. Everything from helping the families, providing scholarships to the children, setting up psychological trauma support system for them, and even providing legal services for them. One reasons is they have the resources and the network,” he said,

Cornelio quoted a lay leader, a lawyer: “We are not fighting the anti-drug campaign, we are fighting summary executions. They destroy the bill of rights, the very pillar of our democracy.”

And worse, killing drug dependents merely worsened the poverty of the families they left behind.