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Boy Abunda, nagbahagi ng buhay-LGBT

Posted on 03 July 2018 No comments
Ni Emz Frial

“I am Boy Abunda,  I believe in God. I deeply love my mother,  she was the center of my universe. And I am proud to be a gay”.

Ito ang mga salitang binitawan ng kilalang TV  host na si Boy Abunda nang maging panauhing pandangal siya sa isang talakayan tungkol sa usaping LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) na ginanap sa Konsulado noong ika-17 ng Hunyo.

Tinatanggap ni Boy Abunda ang certificate mula kay Consul Paul Saret bilang pasasalamat ng Konsulado.
Bilang pagpapakilala sa sarili, sinabi ni Abunda na isa siyang ordinaryong batang lalaki na may pangarap, kahit hindi niya matukoy talaga kung ano iyon.

Ang pangarap daw ng kanyang ina ay maging accountant siya, samantalang abugado naman ang gusto ng kanyang ama para sa kanya dahil daw madaldal siya. Parehong hindi natupad ang kanilang mga mithiin na ito dahil naging talk show host siya.

Habang siya ay lumalaki ay sinubukan daw niyang maging tunay na lalaki. Nagtangka pa siyang mag basketball at magkunwari na nagkagusto sa isang babae pero hindi siya nagtagumpay.

Lumaki siyang hirap sa buhay, at maraming pagsubok ang dinaanan niya bago narating ang kanyang kinalalagyan ngayon. Naranasan niyang tumira sa Luneta at magtinda ng shampoo at fire extinguisher bago namasukan sa isang restaurant.

Noong una, mismong mga kaibigan niya ay hindi makapaniwala na magiging talk show host siya dahil isa siyang Waray, hindi kagandahan, at dahil siya ay bakla. Ngunit hindi siya pumayag na maging hadlang ang mga ito upang matupad ang kanyang mga pangarap at mapatunayan na mali sila.

Katunayan, siya ngayon ay kinikilalang “King of Talk Show in the Philippine Television”.

Lagi daw niyang inaaalala ang sinabi dati ng nanay niya sa kanya: “Before the contest begins,  you are already the winner”.

Ang mga katagang iyon daw ang nagbigay ng lakas ng loob sa kanya para hindi bitawan ang kanyang mga pangarap.

“No one can define who you are. The only person who can define you is you”,” payo niya sa mga nakinig sa kanyang pagsasalita.

Sinabi din niya na huwag matakot ang mga kasapi sa komunidad ng LGBT na ipakita ang tunay nilang pagkatao.

Aniya, marami ang naduduwag na ipagmalaki kung ano sila dahil natatakot sila na baka hindi sila tanggapin sa lipunan, o maging biktima ng diskriminasyon.

“Just be who you are and people will respect you,” payo niya.

Sa kanyang maiksing talumpati, sinabi naman ni Consul General Antonio Morales na ang mga LGBT ay mga “normal na tao, at dapat ituring na tao. Ginawa sila ng Panginoon na kakaiba,” aniya.

Nagpaalala din siya na ang Konsulado laging handang tumulong sa mga LGBT.

Pagkatapos ng pagsasalita ni Abunda ay nagkaroon ng ilang tanungan. Tanong ni James, “If given a chance to marry someone of the same sex, will you marry?” Sinagot naman ito ni Abunda ng, “I will fight to the very end the right to marry. I will fight for marriage equality.”

Ang tanong naman ni Sol, “Nasaan na ang LGBT sa kanilang pakikipag-laban? Sagot ni Abunda, “Wala kaming Gabriela pero darating kami doon.”

Ang kay MJ, “What would I do to make my Nanay proud?” Muli, sinagot ito ni Abunda ng, “Just be yourself”.

Rise in cases involving ‘fake’ bank drafts noted

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By Vir B. Lumicao

A surge has been noted in the number of cases involving Filipino tourists presenting bank instruments suspected to be fake.

A Consulate officer says there seems to be a resurgence of money scams by people claiming access to Marcos-era hidden wealth in the form of bank instruments and looking for investors willing to exchange these for cash in Hong Kong.

Three such cases are now pending in the District Court.

A fourth case was filed on Jun 28 against three Filipino tourists who had apparently hoped to make US$5 billion in Hong Kong. They were charged with  “using false instruments” in Eastern Court following their arrest three days earlier for allegedly presenting a forged bank draft at HSBC.

Defendants Elmer P. Soliman, aged 57; Eric Jude P. Soliman, 31, and Eliseo L. Martinez, 46, appeared for the first time in court for the reading of the amended charge following two days of investigation that included a police raid on their hotel rooms in Tsimshatsui.

The Solimans, who claimed to be a secretary and an engineer, respectively, applied to post bails of $1,600 and $1,800, but Magistrate Peter Law heeded the prosecution’s objection and rejected their application. Martinez, said to be a lawyer, did not apply for bail.

The prosecutor said the three arrived in Hong Kong on Jun 24 as visitors and were allowed to stay until Jul 8. They lodged at Kimberley Hotel in Tsimshatsui.

On Jun 25, the three, along with two other unidentified persons, reportedly went to Room 32 in the HSBC main office on 1 Queens Road Central.

HSBC main office.
There, the older Soliman talked to a female staff and opened a bank account, the prosecutor said. When the staff asked for his deposit, Soliman presented a government bank draft for US$5 billion that was handed over to him by Martinez.

Upon inspection of the instrument, the staff noticed it was forged and alerted police. The three defendants as well as their two companions were arrested.

The prosecution said a follow-up raid at the trio’s hotel room on the same day yielded a briefcase containing a purported letter of confirmation from an HSBC executive that said the US$5 billion bank draft was genuine.

An additional charge could be filed against Soliman after investigators have completed examining other documents found in the briefcase, the prosecutor said.

Martinez, who claimed he merely tagged along to help his friend, Elmer Soliman, with the transaction, twice made gestures during the hearing by raising his hands and tapping his left chest with his right palm.

A source not related to the case said the gestures were a form of secret communication among Freemasons.

Magistrate Law adjourned the hearing until Aug 9 pending a police review of the bank CCTV footage and examination of the seized documents.

He told the defendants the prosecution had opposed granting them bail because of the serious nature of the offense, their lack of local ties and permanent addresses in Hong Kong. But they could apply for bail at the High Court, he said.

Earlier, an elderly Filipino tourist who allegedly presented a 35-year-old deposit slip for US$943 billion to HSBC to update his account will have his case heard in District Court in Wanchai starting July.

Prosecutors said this when Brudencio J. Bolanos, who is in his 60s, appeared at Eastern Court on Jun 26, charged with using a false instrument.

In an amended charge read out in court, the prosecution said that on Apr 9, Bolanos used  a deposit slip for US$943 billion purportedly issued by HSBC on Jul 25, 1983, which he presented to a bank staff.

The charge said the defendant used the instrument with the intention to convince the bank staff, May Yuk-sheng, that it was genuine. If the staff did believe the deposit slip was genuine, other people would have been put at risk, the charge said.

The prosecutor said the case records would be transferred to the District Court, where serious crimes are normally heard.

Magistrate Peter Law instructed Bolanos to prepare his evidence and call witnesses, if any.

The accused was remanded in custody as he had not applied for bail.


Gulanit na pantulog, paborito pa rin

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Maraming bagong pantulog na damit ang among  lalaki ni Nadine, ngunit mas gusto pa rin nito yung isang luma at punit-punit na. Maraming beses na niyang sinabi sa amo na kailangan nang palitan ito dahil manipis na ang tela dahil sa kalumaan, ngunit laging ang sagot nito ay, “This is my favorite because it’s very soft so don’t throw away.”

Dahil  hindi na masulsi ng kamay ay iminungkahi ni Nadine sa amo na dalhin na lang ang pantulog sa patahian, at pumayag naman ito. Ngunit pagbigay niya sa mananahi ay agad nitong sinabi ang, “Pangyaw, these clothes are out of service,” sabay dagdag na sabihan niya ang amo na bumili na lang ng bago.

Natatawa na tinawagan ni Nadine ang amo at ipinakausap sa mananahi dahil hindi ito nakikinig sa kanya. Pagkatapos ng ilang minuto ay sinabi ng mananahi na “ok” at alam na daw ng amo niya na hindi na puwedeng tahiin ang gulanit na pantulog.

Pero kinagabihan, pagdating ng amo ay ang luma pa rin na pantulog ang hinanap. Sinabi nito kay Nadine na hayaan na lang niya na puni-punit ito dahil sa gabi lang naman niya gagamitin.

Walang nagawa si Nadine kundi sumunod. Mabuti na lang at hindi naman malaswang tingnan ang damit dahil ang punit at butas ng pantulog ay nasa bandang likod.

Si Nadine, 37 taong gulang at dalaga, tubong Zambales. Nasa pangalawang kontrata na siya sa mag-asawang Intsik na taga Kennedy Town. – Ellen Asis

Judge’s sacked DH to file labor claims after acquittal

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By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina domestic helper accused of theft by her fellow worker in the household of a High Court judge has been acquitted by an Eastern Court magistrate. She now plans to press her claim for compensation.

Marites Canacio was pronounced not guilty by Magistrate Cheung Kit-yee on Jun 15, the last day of her trial at the District Court. Among those in court was her employer, Justice Jonathan Russel Harris, and his Japanese wife.

Cheung rejected the testimony of the main prosecution witness, Rosiene Cuento Cagalitan, who spent two trial days on the witness stand answering questions from the prosecution and the defense lawyers on the events that led to Jan 13, when the judge terminated Canacio.

The defendant, who stayed at the Consulate’s shelter for troubled workers, chose not to take the witness stand.

She was helped by the Mission for Migrant Workers in preparing her statement and evidence, such as the remittance slips for Cagalitan, Googleplay card receipts and a print out of her phone conversations with her accuser.

An officer of the assistance to nationals section of the Consulate accompanied Canacio to Eastern Court to secure a court clearance stating her criminal case had been resolved in her favor, and to get back her bail money. She was to use the clearance to support her application for labor claims.

Canacio was charged with one count of theft for allegedly stealing $3,700 cash from Cagalitan, with whom she shared a room and a bunkbed in the house of Harris on Mt Kellett Road, The Peak.

Another charge over her alleged theft of Harris’ wallet which contained his credit card and $600 cash was earlier withdrawn by the prosecution.

Magistrate Cheung said she could not convict the defendant on the basis of the evidence given by Cagalitan, the prosecution’s main witness, as she was unreliable.

Cheung also chided the prosecutor for wasting court time by insisting on calling Mrs Harris as a witness although she knew the wife had nothing substantial to add to Cagalitan’s evidence.

When the prosecution called Mrs Harris to the stand, Cheung cautioned the prosecutor to make sure she would not just be repeating what Cagalitan had told the court, as that would be a waste of time. 

Defense counsel Mohammed Shah told the court Cagalitan had conspired with Jamini, an Indonesian maid who used to work for Harris, to have the judge fire Canacio.

Shah also said Cagalitan had forced Canacio to sign the termination letter prepared by Harris on Jan 13. Cagalitan denied the accusations.

The helper accused Canacio of stealing an envelope containing $3,700 that she had saved. She said she found the envelope with the missing $1,700 hidden in Canacio’s pillow case after the defendant had left the house.

Police arrested Canacio at the Hong Kong International Airport on the evening of Jan 14 as she was about to board a flight to Manila.

Filipina takes top prize in essay-writing contest

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By Daisy C L Mandap

A Filipino-Chinese mother of two kids has won the top prize in the English category of the “Love is All Around” the first Chinese and English writing contest sponsored by the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists.

Dawn Yu-Aquino, who holds a degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, took off from her bi-cultural upbringing to write about the topic of filial piety.

“It’s a concept and societal norm most Asians grow up and live with, yet some struggle to grasp its significance. Others debate its value and a few disown it altogether. For me, it is like a second skin, as natural as breathing, as important as eating, as essential as drinking,” she said in her piece.

The complete text of her winning essay can be found here: https://www.rtm.com.hk/loveisallaround-winners/#oe1
Secretive and self-effacing Dawn didn’t bring anyone along in receiving her prize so didn’t have her own picture. Photo above was published in South China Morning Post. 

The 41-year-old writing enthusiast said it took her just one afternoon to finish the essay. “It was a topic close to my heart so it was easy to write,” she said.

Her love for writing made her decide to take up journalism in her first year at UP, but this was soon overtaken by a bigger passion, cooking, that she switched to HRM.

When she and her banker-husband Derrick relocated to Hong Kong 15 years ago, she managed to take on a parttime job teaching cooking to international school kids, but continued writing on the side.

Later on, she also did volunteer work for the International Care Ministries, a church-based charity organization in Hong Kong that raises millions of dollars each year for poor communities in the Philippines.

Whenever she finds time, Yu-Aquino contributes articles to friends’ blogs and to the Youngstar section of Philippine Star, one of the country’s leading dailies. She mostly writes about food and raising kids, which is one other topic she is keen about, having two of her own, 15-year-old Joaquin and 8-year-old Gab.

“Writing puts a lot of demand on your time, and that’s not easy when you are trying to raise a family,” she said.

A few months ago she stumbled on an announcement in The Standard about the HKFJA contest, and decided to join. She didn’t hear from the organizers until just before the announcement of winners was made early this month.

On Jun 16, she led the list of winners in the English category at the awards rites held at Cordis hotel in Mongkok. Yu-Aquino was declared champion in the “open category” – meaning, all age groups – and received a cash prize of $30,000 and a certificate.

Among those who got a merit award in the same category was another Filipina, Janica Therese Bergas, a student at Chinese University in Hong Kong who took home $3,000 and a certificate.

The contest was co-organized by leading media organizations in Hong Kong and supported by the Hong Kong government.

Daughter of Filcom leaders wins merit in writing contest

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The youngest daughter of two Filipino community leaders was among those who received recognition in the “Love is All Around” writing contest, the first ever to be organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists.

Hailey Keaira Mercado, a third year secondary student at St Clare’s Girl’s School, received a merit award for her English story titled “Love For All”.

She was among the youngest winners in her category, which was open to all secondary school students in Hong Kong.
Keaira with dad Ricardo and mom Merlinda.

Keaira, who turned 15 recently, is the youngest of three daughters of engineer Ricardo Mercado, former president of the Association of Filipino Builders in Hong Kong, and Metrobank marketing staff Merlinda Alcoba-Mercado, who acts as adviser to several Filipino community organizations.

The proud parents accompanied Keaira to the awarding ceremony held at Cordis hotel in Mong Kok on Jun 16, during which she received a cash prize of $2,000 and a certificate.

Curiously, Keaira’s winning entry on the contest that focused on filial piety, was about a young man who had long dreamt of running away from home. He ended up grieving after learning of his mother’s death far from where he had succeeded in running away to.

Asked about this, the witty and often playful Keaira asked for a few minutes to put together “a really sophisticated answer” then messaged:

“I thought it would be fitting if the character was a boy to showcase the stereotypical personality traits of a male They are usually reluctant to truly show their emotions because they are afraid to sacrifice their masculinity Also, it’d be a lot more touching for the ending, because he finally gives up that barrier separating him and his mother.”

On the question of how she reacted on learning that she had won, she said: “I was not at all expecting to win. I didn’t give the story its true potential because of the time constraint. I was reminded to submit the story the night before the deadline, and that was the only time I started the essay I feel honoured to be part of winners because everyone in the ceremony was extremely talented.”

Keaira’s own attachment to her parents was reflected in the way she ended her story.
“Filial Piety is the one thing we could do to repay our debt to our parents,” she wrote.

“So give them love.” - DCLM

MDWs press HK govt on work hours, accommodation

Posted on 01 July 2018 No comments
Migrant domestic workers are urging the Hong Kong government to recognize them as workers by regulating their working hours and requiring employers to provide them humane accommodation.

Some 40 MDWs and local supporters voiced out their grievances in a rally outside Central Government Offices in Admiralty on Jun 14, two days before the seventh anniversary of the ILO Convention 189, which calls for decent treatment of domestic workers.

Speakers at the rally, organized by the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body and the International Migrants Alliance, said many MDWs work in inhuman conditions with lack of sleep due to excessive work hours, lack of food, and policies that do not consider them as real workers. 

The protesters handed a copy of their their petition for 11 hours of rest between two days and humane accommodation in the homes of their employers.

The MDWs have launched a signature campaign to get 35,000 workers to sign the petition to include their demands in the employment contract.
A representative from the Hong Kong government shows an envelope containing the petition for regulated working hours and humane accommodation for migrant domestic workers which rally leaders handed to him on Thursday, Jun 14. Some 40 domestic workers and local supporters held the rally in front of the Central Government Offices in Admiralty.

Phl signs key trade pact in HK

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The Philippines and Hong Kong have signed a Cooperation Agreement at the sidelines of the Belt and Road Summit organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The agreement is a comprehensive project through the PPP scheme, and includes the rehabilitation management of the Pasig River, metro rail system of the Makati Central Business District and economic development in the Laguna de Bay area.

The milestone was reached during the top-level Hong Kong-Shanghai business delegation visit to Manila last April, organized by HKTDC.

Undersecretary Grace Karen Singson of the Department of Finance and Consul General Antonio A. Morales witnessed the signing of the Cooperation Agreement.

In an interview, ConGen Morales said the summit is a platform that can be used to promote closer ties between the Philippines and Hong Kong.

Booths have been set up by at the venue by the Consulate and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to network and encourage foreigners to invest in the Philippines especially in infrastructure, manufacturing and tourism.
Consul General Morales (3rd left) with the Philippine delegation at the food expo.

A day earlier, on Jun 27, Morales also attended the opening of the First Belt and Road International Food Expo (BRIFE) at AsiaWorld Expo, along with Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Jose Gabriel M. La Vina.

The officials visited the booths of the Consulate and five Philippine companies.

The expo ran for three days, until Jun 29

Nadala na sa manloloko

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Walong taon na si Lita sa paninilbihan sa Hong Kong at sa loob ng panahong ito ay nakita na niya ang iba-ibang kulay at anyo ng mga kababayan.

Marami sa kanyang mga kakilala at itinuring na kaibigan ang biglang naglaho pagkatapos niyang ipangutang kaya pasanin niya ngayon ang pagbabayad sa kanilang tinakasang utang kaya halos wala na siyang maipadala sa kanyang sariling pamilya.

Katulad ng ibang sanay na sa ganitong raket, napakabait ng mga ito nang hilingin na garantiyahan niya ang kanilang mga utang sa financing company. Ngunit pagkatapos niyang sumunod sa kanilang hiling ay biglang nagkaka amnesia.

Kaya ngayon, kapag may nakakausap siya na baguhan pa lang sa Hong Kong ay lagi niyang pinapaalalahanan na huwag na huwag papayag na ipagamit ang kanilang pangalan o dokumento sa utangan. Kahit kaibigan pa nila.

Nadala na daw siya sa mga matamis na pangako at madramang pakiusap ng mga nakikiusap na mga balasubas pala. Umiwas na din siya sa mga kaibigan na kilala lang siya kung may kailangan sa kanya, kaya madalas ay mag isa na lang na lumalabas sa araw ng kanyang pahinga, o nanahimik sa kanyang kuwarto. Si Lita, 40 taong gulang tubong Pangasinan, ay may asawa at tatlong anak at naninilbihan sa mga among Intsik sa Baguio Villa sa Pokfulam. – Ellen Asis 

OFW activist seriously ill but still in fighting form

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By Daisy CL Mandap

Nothing it seems can faze Violy Madeja Macatol, not even cancer.

The feisty 62-year-old left Hong Kong today so she can continue her treatment for blood cancer in the Philippines, but she remained as upbeat as she was when she used to interview distressed clients at the Mission for Migrant Workers.

Before she left with a Hong Kong staff member of the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration office, she and her employer Edith Yuen received the Happy Homes award from the Mission in Migrant Workers, where she worked as a volunteer. Yuen's siblings, who are Christians and who came to the airport to send her off, also prayed over Macatol and wished her recovery.

A happy Homes award for Violeta and her employer before she boarded her last flight home.

A tearful farewell.

In an interview days before her departure, she was asked why she sounded chirpy just days after being discharged from the intensive care unit of Nethersole Hospital in Taipo. The former stalwart of the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno in the Philippines answered, “Ano ang magagawa ko? Nasa dugo na namin ito.”

She nonchalantly shared that both her father and a brother had died of the disease.

But this warrior of a worker also has a wicked sense of humor, as shown by her Facebook profile in which she describes herself as a “CPA. Certified public atsay.”

Her sons’ names also reflect her wacky outlook. The older one, who is 25, she named Kimuel (for KMU) while the younger one, who is 24, is called Maynard (for Mayo Uno, of course).

Violy Macatol in hospital with her employers.
Behind the humor, however, is a steely determination to improve her lot. She left her impoverished life in her native Mindoro province, still in her teens, and settled in Manila, where she first worked as a housemaid, then as a garments factory worker.

All the while, she sought to further her education, finishing high school at age 26, and would have gone on to college to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher if the fates had allowed it.

In 1998, with two young sons to provide for on her own, she decided to accept a retrenchment offer from the garments factory, Novelty Philippines, so she could work in Taiwan. She worked there for three years, then briefly returned to the Philippines before setting off again in 2002, this time for Hong Kong.

She has remained here since, and except for a few months working for an elderly ward at the beginning, has been with her current employers.

Macatol has been very much in control of her life that when she decided to go home for further medical treatment, she worked on the preparations herself. First she contacted an old friend at Philippine General Hospital. Dr. Ted Herbosa, so she could get herself admitted to there straight from Manila’s international airport.

“Nakilala ko siya noon pang 1989, nung nagpapatingin sa PGH ang tatay ko dahil may cancer,” she said. They have become close friends since.

After being told of her wish, Dr Herbosa immediately asked for her medical records so he could begin studying them, and assured her that he would coordinate her transfer to PGH.

He also told her that Philhealth “has the Z package for blood cancer meds,” meaning she shouldn’t worry so much about the cost of her treatment.

This aside, what also helps lift Macatol’s spirits is the support she continues to get from her female employer and her siblings who like her, are all in their 60s, that they are often mistaken as “barkada”.

“Sobrang simple lang nila kaya parang hindi ako ang katulong,” Macatol said, before letting out a guffaw.

The siblings whose eldest is a pastor, have paid for Macatol’s costly medical tests in private clinics because they didn’t want to put her in the long waiting queue at public hospitals just to know exactly what she was sick of.

They also visit her regularly at the hospital to bring her food and comfort, and when told of her wish to go home, immediately went to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to work out her termination pay and other benefits.

Macatol said she will have to go to the airport in a wheelchair and hopefully with a companion as she often gets dizzy, but is not otherwise worried about her impending trip.

True to form, she has been spending much of her time in hospital sending text messages and photos to people she thought should know about her condition. She also worked remotely on getting her final salary deposited directly into her account in the Philippines.

“Gusto ko lang masigurado na may sarili akong perang magagamit kung kinakailangan,” she said.
Truly, gritty warriors know no fear.

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