What's on, where

Silid Sining Pinay: Unlocking Pinay Creativity
Painting Workshop Sessions for OFWs in HK with Filipino artist Grace P. Camacho
Aug 5, 9am-12nn
Sept 2, 9am-12nn
Oct 7, 9am – 12nn
PCG Gallery
Organized by: PCG with Pitter Painter
Requirements: HKID copy and one 2x2" photo
To register, visit the PCG Cultural Section or email cultural.pcg@gmail.com with subject: “SilidSining”

“Be Courageous”
(Jehovah’s Witnesses Annual Convention HK and Macau)
Starts on Aug 10, from 10:20am
Hall 5BC, HK Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai
Free admission
Those attending will learn practical ways to face present and future challenges, and observe what real people - and even five animals - can teach us about courage!
On Sunday, Aug 11, a feature film, “The Story of Jonah – A Lesson in Courage and Mercy” will be shown.
For details, check: http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahswitnesses/conventions/video-clip-international-convention-report/
Or contact: Ravel Sutherland  at rsutherland4110@gmail.com

Blood Donation Drive
Aug 19, 11am-5pm
Hong Kong Red Cross Causeway Bay Donation Center
14/F, Plaza 2000, 2-4 Russell Street
Causeway Bay (MTR Station Exit A)
To register as a donor, send an email to cultural.pcg@gmail.com with subject line na: “Blood Donation”, and give your name, telephone number and indicate your preferred time from the schedule below:
* 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
* 12:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
* 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
* 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Important Advise: Only 10 participants will be allowed into the Donation Centre every hour to avoid overcrowding

Foreign Domestic Work: Understanding the Journey
(A talk by Dr. Ju-chen Chen of Chinese University in Hong Kong)
Aug 26, 2-5pm, PCG Conference Room
To book a slot, call Analyn at 6500 9288 or Lorna at 2823 8512
Organized by: Philippine Consulate General and Wimler Foundation

FBC’s 7th Anniversary Bowling Party
Oct 7, 10am-4pm
South China Athletic Association Bowling Centre, Causeway Bay
Come in your funny costume, and join the games!
Organizer: Filipino Bowling Club Hong Kong
Contact: Jenny 9401 7051

Nueva Vizcaya Day 2018
Oct 21 (Sunday), from 10 am
Chater Road, Central
Highlights: Search for Saniata ti Nueva Vizcaya 2018 and Sassy Look International 2018
Organizer: United Nueva Vizcayanos - HK

Maswerte ka ba sa Agosto?

ASO. Isinilang noong 1922/34/46/58/70/82/94/06
Namnamin ang magagandang bagay sa pang araw-araw na buhay dahil diyan nagmumula ang kaligayahan. Sa trabaho, pakiramdam mo ay para kang gumagapang sa hirap, pero ang totoo, tuloy-tuloy ang iyong pag-asenso. Huwag gaanong pahirapan ang sarili sa paghahanda sa kinabukasan, lasapin ang mga benepisyong tinatamasa ngayon. Nabibigatan ka sa iyong responsibilidad at laging inaalala ang nagawang pagkakamali; huwag nang sisihin ang sarili at piliting maging masaya. Lucky numbers: 17, 25, 31 at 40.

BABOY. Isinilang noong 1923/35/47/59/71/83/95/07
Matutukso kang pumasok sa magulong relasyon, mag-ingat at baka mabigo ka lang. Maswerte sa materyal na bagay dahil kakapal ang laman ng pitaka. Huwag nang magreklamo sa bagay na matagal  nang tinitiis dahil lalo lang bibigat ang pasanin; kumilos upang makaahon. May magandang pagkakataong darating, paghandaan ito at huwag nang malungkot. May matatamong tagumpay sa trabaho.  Lucky numbers: 11, 28, 32 at 41.

DAGA. Isinilang noong 1924/36/48/60/72/84/96/08
Susuwertehin ka sa iba’t ibang bagay at dadami ang iyong kakilala. Sa pag-ibig, dagdagan ang tiwala, sa halip na magselos at magduda. Makakaramdam ng pamimigat ng mga binti. Humingi ng payo sa kaibigan upang malutas ang isang mabigat na problema. Sa trabaho, maayos ang takbo ng lahat ng higit pa sa inaasahan mo. Masigla ang katawan at mataas ang enerhiya kaya marami kang magagandang ideya na mabubuo. Lucky numbers: 3, 15, 21 at 37.

BAKA. Isinilang noong 1925/37/49/61/73/85/97/09
Kontrolin ang pagiging agresibo dahil wala namang kumokontra at wala ka rin namang  awtoridad. Pananakit ng leeg at pamamaga ng tonsil ang mararanasan. Sa trabaho, lahat ng panukala mo ay papaboran, kaya may karapatan kang taasan ang ambisyon. Mahihirapan kang makipag-usap sa pamilya mo. Gaganda ang pinansyal na sitwasyon kaya umpisahan mo nang mag-invest sa maliliit na negosyo. May konting swerte rin sa sugal. Lucky numbers: 19, 23, 29 at 35. 

TIGRE Isinilang noong 1926/38/50/62/74/86 at 98/10
Darating ang pagkakataon na lahat ng nasa paligid mo ay aayon sa lahat ng bagay. Harapin ang responsibilidad ng buong tapang at sipag at magagantimpalaan din ang lahat ng pagsisikap mo. Madali kang makakahanap ng suporta para magtagumpay ang layunin mo. Dagdagan ang pag-iingat sa pakikipag-relasyon. Mababawasan ang alitan sa pamilya, kaya magiging masaya ulit ang tahanan. Lucky numbers: 20, 22, 30 at 45.

KUNEHO Isinilang noong 1927/39/51/63/75/87/99
Hindi matatag ang trabaho mo, pero may magagawa ka upang masiguro ang kinabukasan mo. Harapin ang mga problema bilang pagsubok na dapat pagdaanan, at hindi pagkatalo o kamalasan. Ang kalusugan ay nakasalalay sa iyong disposisyon, o lagay ng kalooban. Sa pag-ibig, iwasang gawin ang dalawang bagay ng sabay. Turuan ng disiplina ang mga anak, lalo na kung maliliit pa sila at nag-aaral, maging istrikto sa oras ng pagtulog nila. Lucky numbers: 16, 29, 34 at 43.

 DRAGON Isinilang noong 1928/40/52/64/76/88/00
Kung kasama sa bahay ang karelasyon, iwasan ang mga mapaghamong salita. Maayos ang pangangatawan at kalusugan sa ngayon. Iwasang maging negatibo sa lahat ng bagay, sabihin ng maayos ang hindi mo gusto. Masaya ang pagsasama ng pamilya. Nasa iyo na ang mga bagay na kailangan upang matupad ang ambisyon mo at makagawa ng hakbang; ipakita mo kung ano ang kaya mong gawin. Lucky numbers: 6, 11, 18 at 37.

AHAS Isinilang noong 1929/41/53/65/77/89/01
Malakas ang intuisyon mo sa mga tao at mga bagay, at naiintindihan mo kung ano ang totoo. Madali kang mairita at mainis, pero mawawala din ito kapag nakatulog ka ng maayos. Magtatagumpay ka sa trabaho. Iwasang mamuhay ng marangya at higit sa iyong kinikita. Marami kang responsibilidad at desisyong gagawin dahil ikaw ang takbuhan ng iyong mga kasamahan, at malaki ang maitutulong mo. Lucky numbers: 17, 33, 40 at 46.

KABAYO. Isinilang noong 1930/42/54/66/78/90/02
Sakit sa balat ang mararanasan; dagdagan ang pagkain ng sariwang ng prutas at gulay. Unti-unting bubuti ang pinansyal na kalagayan dahil kabi-kabila ang magbabayad sa iyo ng utang. Masaya ang pamilya. Mas makakabuti kung bawasan ang pagiging istrikto at mapaghanap sa mga kasamahan sa trabaho upang maiwasan ang hidwaan. Maging maunawain at aminin din kung ikaw ang nagkamali. Lucky numbers: 9, 18, 36 at 42. 

KAMBING. Isinilang noong 1919/31/43/55/67/79/91/03
Hindi pa napapanahon ang paghingi ng umento o taas ng sahod, sa kabila ng magandang ipinapakita sa trabaho. Dagdagan ang tulog upang mabawasan ang nerbiyos na nararamdaman. Huwag nang palakihin pa ang usapin kung ang isang kaibigan ay hindi naging tapat sa iyo. Kilalanin ang mga kaibigang sinasamahan ng iyong mga anak. Kung single, alam mo kung paano mo magagamit ng husto ang iyong karisma. Lucky numbers: 10, 19, 25 at 40.

UNGGOY. Isinilang noong 1920/32/44/56/68/80/92/04
Tigilan na ang mga walang saysay na nakagawian mong gawin. Mag-ingat sa pagkalason sa pagkain at sa nakakahawang sakit. Magpapakita ka ng kawalan ng interes sa love life. Kung may pinangakuan, gawin ang lahat upang  matupad ito. Tahimik ang trabaho ngayon; tungkol sa turismo at show business ang mainit at masigla ngayon. Magiging mapalad ka sa pagi-invest at pagbili ng ari-arian. Lucky numbers: 6, 15, 22 at 41.

TANDANG. Isinilang noong 1921/33/45/57/69/81/93/05
Sa trabaho, matatapos mo ang mga dapat mong gawin sa takdang oras. Huwag hayaang maloko ka ng ilang kaibigan; itulong mo na lang sa pamilya ang pera kesa mapunta ito sa wala. Gamitin ang libreng oras sa pag-aaral upang lumawak ang kaalaman. Babalik ang iniindang sakit ng likod, umiwas muna sa paglalaro ng tennis at ibang nakakapagod na sports. Maglakad-lakad na lang muna o mag-swimming. Lucky numbers: 12, 27, 31 at 39.

New OFWs disclose illegal HK loan scheme

By Vir B. Lumicao

A number of employment agencies in Hong Kong, helped by their counterparts in the Philippines, appear to be using a new ploy to get their new recruits to take out loans from financing companies, in violation of the laws in both jurisdictions.

This apparent collusion between the Philippine agencies and their Hong Kong partners was disclosed to The SUN over the past week by at least 19 Filipina domestic workers who arrived from Manila in recent months.

Complainants see Labor Attache Nida Romulo.

Some of the workers reported the intricate illegal loan scheme to the Philippine Consulate on Jul 29 after receiving demand letters sent by the lender, Mutual Honour (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Labor Attaché Nida Romulo, head of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, asked her staff to call the agencies, but did not get through to the persons in charge. Someone who answered the phone in one of the agencies said their managing director suggested a meeting with the workers on Aug 31.

But Romulo rejected the offered date, and set the meeting in POLO on Aug 5, a Sunday, when most of the complainants take their day off.

Romulo advised the workers to submit sworn statements, a chronology of events and documentary evidence before that date and attend the meeting with the agency manager.

“Yung employment contract ninyo, i-xerox nyo na at ilagay ninyo roon para kumpleto ang ebidensya laban sa inirereklamo ninyong agency,” she said.

She said POLO will have to see how many workers have been affected and the labor office will summon the agencies involved to meet with the complainants.

The workers named the Philippine agencies as iEmploy Manpower Services, Infinity Manpower Services and MIP International Manpower Services. Their partner agencies in Hong Kong are Pacific Jet Consultants, Sacred Heart Consultant Inc, and Waytech Consultants.

The new money-making ruse reportedly involves requiring Hong Kong-bound domestic workers to sign a loan agreement for PhP16,000 in Manila with a lending company based here, before leaving for their jobs.

But on arrival in Hong Kong, the workers learn they will have to pay the partner agency here through a lending company. They are told to pay back the loan through 7-11 outlets using a payment account already set up while the workers were still in Manila.

And instead of merely Php16,000 the “loan” that they must pay is converted to HK$2,936 payable in two monthly installments of $1,469 each (or a total of Php19,671 at current exchange rate), for a 22% markup. The payment to the partner agency in Hong Kong is supposedly for “further training” that the workers say has not materialized. 

Under Hong Kong’s labour laws, an agency may charge a commission of no more than 10% of the worker’s first monthly salary, which in this case should just be $441. Amendments made to the Labour Ordinance which took effect in February this year provide a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of $350,000 in overcharging cases. The helpers, some of whom have sought help from the POLO and the Mission for Migrant Workers, showed demand letters sent by a Tai Po-based lending company, Mutual Honour (Hong Kong) Ltd, advising them to remit their payments through 7-11 convenience stores. 

The loan amount is on top of other illicit fees reportedly collected from them in the Philippines.

“Umabot ng Php60,000 ang binayaran ko sa ahensiya sa Maynila. Iba pa yung P25,000 training fee na siningil sa akin para sa TESDA certificate,” said one of the workers.

Two complainants said an agency branch that processed their documents in Cebu charged them PhP25,000 each for training and other fees for medical, video, and other charges. To their surprise, they were again charged the same fees in the Manila office of the same agency. 

The workers said the Manila agencies refused to issue receipts for all the payments, while the training center did issue a crude receipt, using a small piece of paper on which the amount paid by a particular worker is written down. But the firm’s name is not indicated on the proof of payment. 

The workers have sought help from the Mission for Migrant Workers to prepare and document their complaints against the agencies before lodging these with the Philippine and Hong Kong labor departments.

As of this writing, a further batch of 18 workers are still processing their papers in Manila and are due to fly to Hong Kong soon.

Number of poor Filipinos growing

More Filipinos surveyed recently consider themselves poor, a new Social Weather Stations survey found.

In the second quarter survey covering April to June, the survey with 1,200 adults as respondents, showed that 48 percent (estimated 11.1 million) families consider themselves poor. This was six points higher than the 42 percent (estimated 9.8 million families) in March.

The six-point nationwide increase in Self-Rated Poverty in the second quarter was due to sharp increases in Mindanao, Metro Manila and Visayas that were offset by a slight decrease in Balance Luzon. Meanwhile, 12 percent of self-rated poor families transitioned out of poverty.

The monthly budget that a poor household needs for home expenses in order not to consider it poor in general is P15, 000.

The SWS said proportion of families who rate their food as “poor” likewise surged by five points to 34 percent. The monthly budget that a food-poor household needs for food expenses in order not to consider its food as poor is unchanged at P6, 000.

The five-point rise in the nationwide Self-Rated Food Poverty in the second quarter of 2018 was due to increases in Mindanao, Metro Manila and Balance Luzon, and an unchanged proportion in Visayas.

The survey has sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages, and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao

House coup plotters in disarray over plum posts

Allies of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who had installed her as speaker of the House of Representatives have vowed to settle the leadership row by next week to restore order in the legislative chamber.

“We will try to resolve the majority leadership issue on Monday,” Rep. Michael Romero of 1-Pacman said in a television interview.
After that, he said, the leadership would attempt to settle the row involving the position of minority leader.

So far, only the position of Speaker has been filled following the ouster of former speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in a chaotic leadership change on Monday before and after President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (Sona).

With Arroyo’s clearance, deputy speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. has since been presiding over the session, while another deputy speaker, Fredenil Castro of Capiz, has been serving as acting majority leader.

Reports said Arroyo prefers Andaya, who had served as her budget secretary, to be the successor of Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, who was majority leader under Alvarez.

But a group of Arroyo allies is working for the retention of Fariñas, who told his colleagues last Wednesday that he was still majority leader since he has not been formally replaced.

Aside from the critical position of majority leader, up for grabs are the chairmanships of at least four committees whose chairmen either did not vote for Arroyo or are sticking it out with Alvarez.

They are Reynaldo Umali of Mindoro Oriental, committee on justice; Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur, good government; Dakila Cua of Quirino, ways and means; and Roger Mercado of Leyte, constitutional amendments.

Albay’s Joey Salceda, senior vice chairman of the ways and means committee, is expected to replace Cua.

Other Arroyo allies want to grab other important committee assignments. A Lakas loyalist of hers from Mindanao is reportedly interested in the committee on accounts, which manages House funds.

The chamber has P11.2 billion for this year.

Batangas Rep. Elenita Milagros Buhain, whose father Eduardo Ermita served as executive secretary of the former president during her Malacañang days, chairs the accounts committee.

The minority leadership quarrel is a bigger headache for the new Speaker. The current minority leader is Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez. At least three colleagues want to wrestle the post from him: Edcel Lagman of Albay, Romero Quimbo of Marikina and Antonio Tinio of Alliance of Concerned Teachers.

Lagman heads the independent minority group Magnificent 7, while Quimbo, who is a deputy speaker and was part of the majority, is the leader of the Liberal Party in the House. Tinio belongs to the seven-member leftist Makabayan bloc.

Add to these three is the group of Alvarez, who said in a television interview over the weekend that he wanted to “join the minority but not the opposition.”

Ex-OFW entrepreneur gives pep talk on doing business

By Daisy CL Mandap

“If you want change, you must start by changing yourself.”

This was the core message of Myrna Padilla, a former overseas worker in Hong Kong turned chief executive officer of her own software company, when she spoke at the 1st anniversary celebration of Surigaonon Association at Bayanihan Centre in Kennedy Town on Jul 8.

Padilla said a lack of proper education or means, should not hinder anyone from succeeding in life.

She cited her own humble beginnings in Bohol, where she reached only up to second year in high school and married early, before deciding to go to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper.

Padilla, who was recently honored by the Philippine Association in Hong Kong as one of its Most Valuable Pinoy awardees for 2018, said it was her hunger for learning that prodded her to develop her talents and potential.

From learning how to use a “mouse” from her young ward, she went on to form Mynd Consulting, which provided IT support to US-based companies, and staffed by the best software engineers in Davao City.

Her advise to OFWs who aspire to set up their own businesses was to keep the passion in whatever they do, and always aspire for originality.

“Doing business is not a matter of copy and paste,” she said.

After her speech, Padilla was awarded a certificate of appreciation by Surigaonon leader Resty Suareza, who was profuse in thanking the guest speaker who flew all the way from Davao to join them for the occasion.

Suareza is concurrently chairman of Mindanao Federation, which was founded by Padilla, who also acted as its leader until she decided to go home for good.

A surprise guest was Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre, who revealed in private talks that he had just been reinstated to his post, and will return to Hong Kong on  Aug. 1.

3 UP students track Diaspora with Mission help

By Vir B. Lumicao

Three female Political Science majors of the University of the Philippines Manila are on a two-week internship at Mission for Migrant Workers to document OFW experiences in Hong Kong as material for their thesis.

Justin Francia, Trisha Aguilar and Joy Asuelo, all 19-year-old senior students who could be mistaken for high school kids, arrived on Jul 4 and have been using their 14-day visa-free visit interacting with other international volunteers and interns at the Mission.

While living and working with clients of Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge in Sheung Wan, the students hope to understand better the plight of migrant workers in Hong Kong as they study the root of the modern-day Diaspora in Philippine society.

“Hopefully, we can use these experiences for our thesis topic,” said Francia, associate editor of the Manila Collegian and photographer of the group. She said they had a two-week internship at Migrante in Manila before coming to Hong Kong.

Carl Marc Ramota, assistant professor at UP Manila’s Department of Social Sciences who accompanied the students to Hong Kong, told The SUN that the internship is part of the practicum program of the Political Science course.

“For our section, the theme of our practicum program is labor and migration, so, it’s primarily the choice of working organizations because the Mission for Migrant workers is based on the theme itself,” Ramota said.

“So, we want to explore this type of partnership to expose our students to the plight of migrant workers here in Hong Kong,” he said.

Ramota said this is the second year that UP Manila has sent students for an internship at the Mission. Last year, the school also sent three interns, limiting the number due to logistical concerns and the capacity of partner organizations to accommodate them. 

Ramota said this is a relatively shorter program than those of other interns because of Hong Kong’s visa constraints. The students, who came here at their own expense, will return home on Jul 17.

Justin Francia, Trisha Aguilar and Joy Asuelo have been living and working with clients of Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge in Sheung Wan.

Aguilar said Ramota requires all his students to do internship in the direction of labor and migration because he wants to open their eyes to the root causes of labor migration.

“Ipinapakita sa aming mga estudyante kung gaano kalala ang  sitwasyon sa Pilipinas, kaya napipilitan ang mga Pilipino na mag-migrate, (kahit) 50-50 ang chance nila na makakuha ng magandang employer o yung employer na tinatrato silang parang hindi tao,” Aguilar said.

As part of their training, the girls tagged along with Mission director Cynthia Abdon-Tellez on Jul 8 to Chater Road, where they helped man the Mission and Bethune House booths at the anniversary celebration of United Filipinos in Hong Kong.

Whenever there is a break from their internship tasks, the three go sight-seeing, or share moments with the distressed wards at Bethune House.

“The migrants in the shelter are including us in their daily routines,” Francia said. “Most of them are also really talkative and we really enjoy our kuwentuhan with them,”

The arrival of the three was just in time for the “thank you and welcome” treat that the Mission gave on Jul 6 to their volunteers and interns at the Fanny Li Hall of the St John’s Cathedral on Garden Road, Central.

Johan Tong of the Mission said the volunteers came from Britain and the United States, Finland, and other countries. Some are with Hong Kong organizations which advocate for the welfare of migrant workers.

     

Getting avocados to ripen quickly

When cooking, many people are often taken aback by a dilemma that may seem easy to most, but could be difficult to others, especially those pressed for time and just want to get on with the chore.

One such problem is the question of how ripe is ripe for a fruit, and how can one hasten the ripening process to better plan their menu.

A fruit that often leaves people puzzled is the avocado, especially the small, roundish ones that are most prevalent in supermarkets or wet markets, and are imported from Australia or New Zealand.

For Filipinos, knowing when this type of fruit will ripen could be a big question mark, as they are often sold rock-hard and with no semblance to the Philippine variety we are more acquainted with. In the Philippines, if you buy the local variety unripe, chances are you could already use it for salads or dessert after just one or two days.

Not so with the kind usually sold in Hong Kong, which could remain hard to the touch for days. Sometimes, they get forgotten because of this, and end up being too mushy to use. Considering their cost, this could be quite disheartening.

Faced with the dilemma of ensuring her avocados are ripe enough for the day when she’d need them, Katrina Montoya-Paragas asked her fellow members in the Domestic Workers Corner this question: “Hello po, ask ko sana kung anu yung dapat gawin para madaling mahinog ang avocado?? Kasi 5days na itong nabili matigas parin?”

From about a dozen replies, the most common was one familiary to most Pinoys: Put them in your rice container.

One added this extra bit: Make sure they are well-covered by the rice.

Another suggested wrapping them in newspaper, another said they should be put inside a tightly sealed plastic bag.

Other suggestions were more unusual: One said, put them inside a brown bag with an apple and check after one day. Another suggested putting them together with big brown onions and leave them uncovered in the kitchen or living room, adding her employer taught her this. “Effective naman po,” she said.

But the hands-on winner in terms of immediacy was this suggestion: Put them in the microwave; when cooked, they should be ready to eat.

Katrina went with the most popular suggestion of burying her precious fruits in the rice box. So the jury is still out on which method is most effective.

Turning now to the biggest challenge often faced by members of DWC, which is preparing their employer’s daily meals. Being on a tight budget often adds to the problem.

Linalene J. Galvez met the challenge head on recently when she prepared two simple but from the looks of it, flavorful dishes of chicken and minced meat for her employers.

She shared the recipes and photos as below:

marinate minced pork with garlic,pepper,sugar,dark soysauce pampakulay lng po tas ibalot n po sa plastic para mai roll po...tas fry
LINARINE J GALVEZ

FBCHK sets 7th anniversary costume bowling tournament

By Vir B. Lumicao

Fancy yourself as Wonder Woman, Charlie Chaplin or a Cordillera warrior rolling a tenpin bowling ball?

Well, the rare opportunity is coming your way on Oct 7, when the Filipino Bowling Club Hong Kong celebrates its seventh anniversary with a bowling party at South China Athletic Association Bowling Centre in Causeway Bay.

Filipino Bowling Club Hong Kong promises fun in tournament.

The fun at the 60-lane bowling centre at 88 Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, will begin at 10am and end at 4pm.

Jenny Gafate, founder and chairwoman of FBCHK, said this year’s celebration will be a lot more fun than in previous years because bowlers will have to wear funny costumes.

 “We also have free food and drinks for everyone. Kakaibang anniversary ito…nakikita kong masaya,” said Gafate.

Lucky participants will take home prizes in a raffle draw that is part of the merriment, the FBCHK said in a poster on Facebook.

The celebration is open to all interested persons or teams who are willing shell out a joining fee of $1,200 per team of four. 

Gafate said funds raised from the joining fee, which already includes the SCAA playing fee of $120 for three games, will go to a good cause.

“We’re doing it to raise funds for our future projects here in Hong Kong and in the Philippines,” Gafate said.

Every year the club uses the funds raised from its bowling tournaments to undertake charity projects, such as the feeding program for Aetas that FBCHK carried out in Subic, Zambales, on Apr 30 this year.

All-Filipina Fate is one game away from being HK's softball champion

By Emz Frial

The all-Filipina softball team Fate is one step away to victory in the Hong Kong Softball Association’s regular league. The team now leads the current season’s tournament with 10 wins and no loss.

Fate won its 10th game on Jul 22 at Shek Kip Mei field against locals Deborah, 22-3, in a game that lasted five innings.

All smiles: Fate and Deborah players pose for a picture after the game

First to bat was Myra Japitana who blasted an outfield ball that allowed her to get to second base. Then Eunice Locop batted and was safe to first base. Third batter Maribel Sitchon smashed the ball to the outfield, then ran up to the second base, while Japitana and Locop all reached home.

Later Sitchon also ran to home base when Don Gaborno hit a short infield ball. Gaborno also reached home safely, which all added up to four points for Fate.

When the locals took their turn to bat, only four players managed to stand on the batters’ box. The first of their batters was caught on a flyball by short stop Editha Hidalgo, while the second and fourth batters were called standing out.

The score remained at 4-0 in Fate’s favor at the end of the inning.

In the second inning Fate added three more to its score, courtesy of Japitana, Locop and Gaborno.  Again, the Filipinas’ tight defense made it difficult for the locals to step on the bases.

The first batter on the other side was caught on a flyball by center fielder Sitchon,  while the next two batters were both caught on the first base. 

The second inning ended with scores at 7-nil, again in Fate’s favor.

Deborah bounced back with a vengeance in the third inning, scoring three points while preventing Fate from reaching home base. Those who scored for the local team were Chiu Ka Yee,  Ngai Sze Hing and Hui  Ka Wai. 

That brought the score to 7-3 for Fate, at the end of the inning.

But Fate’s luck was not over yet. The team scored a bounty of 8 points in the fourth inning, raising their score to 15. The locals were again blanked. Those who scored for Fate were ; Hidalgo,  Jonalyn Cupag,  Percy Jayme, Juliet Fernandez, May Ledesma, Japitana, Locop and Sitchon. 

With the scores at 15-3 for Fate at the end of the fourth inning, the writing was clearly on the wall.

But there was still no stopping Fate. By the end of the fifth and final inning, the locals had added 7 more points, making the final score 22-3 in their favor.

Team captain Gaborno was understandably pleased and thankful for the overwhelming win, and again credited it to the cooperation and unity among the players.

Fate is set to play its last game of the season on Jul 29 at Tin Kwong Road field, against Red Castle Infinity.