No replacement found for Labatt Jolly – yet

By The SUN

Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre is not likely to leave Hong Kong yet. Not at the end of this month, at least.

This emerged as Labatt Dela Torre was reportedly told stay put in Hong Kong because no replacement had yet been found for him. Neither has he received his marching order for his supposed next posting to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

His three-year term in Hong Kong is supposed to last only until Mar 31 this year.

Consul General Antonio A. Morales said he was also surprised on being invited to a farewell party for Dela Torre on Mar 25, as he had not been informed that the labor official’s term had ended.

He said as a matter of practice, an appointment letter or recall order from a government agency attached to an embassy or consulate would be coursed through the head of post. But he said he had not received such communication from Manila.

He made his remarks as he received a petition letter signed by around 5,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong, calling for Dela Torre to be retained in his post. An online signature campaign for the petition started only a day earlier, already had around 800 supporters.

More signatures are expected to submitted this coming Sunday, when the petition is circulated among various other groups in the community.

“We can assure you that we will convey it to our Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, pero siyempre ang talagang nakakapagdesisyon niyan ay si (Labor) Secretary (Silvestre) Bello,” ConGen Morales said after skimming through the petition.

He said he would transmit the petition to the Department of Foreign Affairs the same day.

Congen Morales was accompanied by his deputy, Germina Usudan, and Consul Roderico Atienza, in receiving the petition.

Those who handed it in were Eman Villanueva of Bayan HK-Macau, Bishop Gerry Vallo of Global Ministers Association of HK, Merlinda Mercado of Metrobank Remittance, Dolores Balladares-Pelaez of Unifil-Migrante, Sheila Tebia of Gabriela HK, Pastora Diosy Mendoza, and Vir B. Lumicao of The SUN.

Two days earlier, Dela Torre was feted at Linklaters in Central by around 100 people from various sectors, including non-government organizations, the academe and legal profession, business and migrant workers.

The sendoff was hosted by former Hong Kong legislator Emily Lau, and co-organized by human rights lawyers Alan Bell and David Bishop.

“We don’t want you to go,” said Lau to Dela Torre, adding that the petition calling for him to remain in Hong Kong was going to be signed by everyone at the gathering.

Lau cited the labor attaché for his work in cracking down on the “bad agencies” and on putting a stop to the trafficking of Filipino workers to other places.

In his tribute, Congen Morales said it was clear the labor attaché had the support of many people in the community. He cited in particular the two emotional protests by various Filcom organizations against Bello’s earlier decision to recall Dela Torre.

The protests which received extensive media coverage, resulted in Dela Torre being sent back to Hong Kong in October last year, after being in the freezer for six months.

Morales also credited Dela Torre for the insertion of the ban on dangerous window cleaning in the standard employment contract of foreign domestic workers.

Employment agency owner Vincent Lau who also gave tribute,  emphasized the importance of this ground-breaking move by exclaiming, “That contract has not been touched for 10 years!”.

Lau said Dela Torre should also be credited for two other big achievements- his successful campaign to end third-country  deployments of Filipino domestic workers and his crackdown on approving  job contracts for Filipinas working in bars in Wanchai.

The same sentiments were aired by The SUN editor Daisy CL Mandap who said she and publisher Leo A. Deocadiz had worked closely with Dela Torre since he was first posted as deputy labor attaché in Hong Kong in 1998.

This collaboration included doing outreach Know Your Rights seminars for FDWs, running an advice column on workers’ labor and legal concerns, and The SUN’s publication of  Dela Torre’s book, “Survive Hong Kong”.

More recently, Dela Torre also worked with The SUN on uncovering illegal recruitment and human trafficking activities, rescuing abused workers, and putting a stop to sleazy shows put together by a beauty contest organizer.


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Even more touching were the comments posted online by migrant workers who signed the petition for Dela Torre’s retention. Here are some of them:

“We still need his service in Hong Kong.  He is the greatest Labatt ever,” — Nimfa Dulfo.

“Hong Kong OFWs need Labatt. He has a good heart, he is a good person,” – Rodelie Acosta.

“I’m signing because I want him to stay here in Hong Kong. He is very helpful and ready to come to help. We need him here to be a voice for us. I wish he could stay and serve longer here. Thank you for listening and considering us about this matter. God bless.” – Mercy Vargas

“Ano mang oras at may katanungan o problema ang isang OFW, agad na may kasagutan at tulong si Labatt Dela Torre. HK OFWs need him. Fearless and excellent public servant. One of a kind.” – Jo Campos


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“We want him to stay, please!!! He is a one of a kind person and has a big heart. He helps OFWs here in Hong Kong and I’m the one, he’s helping me about my work situation with my employer.” – Maridel Forcadilla

“Sir Jolly saved my trembling hands and feet when he stopped the dangerous window cleaning. Thank you so much for all the good things you have done for us. I pray, Sir, that you will be retained in Hong Kong for more years of excellent and dedicated service. God bless you.” – Delia Gonzales

“I want him to stay in Hong Kong because I see how he cares about the migrant worker. I like his leadership”.- Jazel Tampepe

“He is the best option for the job.” – Josie Dionisio

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“We need him because he loves us.” – Jovelyn Ayap

“He’s a good man. Even how busy he is if you ask help from him you can talk to him…and that’s why I am amazed because not all in position can do that…giving you time and effort..God bless you more Sir Dela Torre.” – Jenneth Senson

“Tatay Labatt has a big heart for the OFWs here in Hong Kong.” – Mary Rose Pragata

“Si Labatt dela Torre ay nararapat na manatiling magsilbi para sa mga OFW sa Hong Kong. Let’s all sign this petition.” – Golda Mae Pay-ong

“He is a good public servant. He listens, he makes reforms with humility. The community needs him.” – Dolores Balladares-Pelaez

“Because I care.”- Raymond Flores

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Pinay DH arrested at Consulate for alleged job scam

Consul Paulo Saret

Police arrested a 40-year-old Filipina in the lift lobby of the Consulate offices at United Centre in Admiralty on Mar 24, for allegedly obtaining money by deception from a fellow Filipina domestic worker in what appears to be illegal recruitment.

The arrest was witnessed by several people, as it happened during office hours on a Sunday, when many Filipino migrant workers queue up for services at the Consulate.

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 “The woman was suspected to have deceived a 37-year-old foreign woman by claiming to arrange a job for her in an overseas country. The victim had paid around HK$27,900 in total as application fee,” a police spokesman said in response to query.

Police do not normally provide names of the accused or the complainant in cases reported to them.

The spokesman said the arrested woman was released on bail and was required to report back in mid-April to the Central Police District for further enquiries.

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Asked for further details, Consul Paulo Saret of the assistance to national section said the alleged victim had filed a complaint against the recruiter for allegedly offering to get her a job overseas.

After some time and no job came, the alleged victim asked for her money back but the suspect was not willing to do so.

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“We invited them here to try and settle their dispute pero nagmatigas pa si Ate at siya pa ang matapang,” said Saret. “The two women left and shortly later we learned that the recruiter was arrested by police,” he said.

Saret said it turned out that before going to the meeting at ATN, the alleged victim went to the police to report the alleged scam.

The duped worker had told ATN that the police had advised her to call them if the alleged scammer did not return her money.

Some of those who witnessed the arrest of the alleged scammer said the complainant had told them that there were at least two other victims, and that they were all promised jobs in Canada. – Vir B. Lumicao

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PCG: No anti-measles shots required of Filipino workers entering HK

Many Filipinos are flying home for the graduation of their children.

By Daisy CL Mandap

The Philippine Consulate has quelled fears all Filipino domestic workers entering Hong Kong need to have proof that they had anti-measles shots before their journey.

The fear was apparently stoked by a letter sent to employment agencies on Mar 28 by Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection, advising them to include anti-measles shots as part of the medical screening of foreign domestic workers entering HK.

Some Filipino workers in Hong Kong took this to mean that they can no longer leave or re-enter Hong Kong from the Philippines, unless they can show the inoculation proof.  

But an officer of the Consulate denied that there is such a requirement. He said the CHP should have sent them an advisory beforehand if it were true.

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Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre agreed, saying the CHP letter to the employment agencies was just a recommendation, and should not result in any Filipino migrant worker being denied entry into Hong Kong if she can’t prove that she had been inoculated.

But he said he will confer with Hong Kong’s health authorities on how best to handle the situation.  He said he was also worried the employment agencies would pass on the costly anti-measles shots to the worker.

In its letter to the agencies, the CHP noted an upsurge in the number of measles cases in Hong Kong, with 30 reported so far this year, compared to only 17 for the whole of 2018. Of these 30 cases, 4 were foreign domestic workers who traveled to their home country during the incubation period.

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The letter pointed out that in the Philippines in particular, there had been 18,407 cases of measles being reported in 2018, nearly 8 times as many as in the previous year. For the first three months of 2019,  a total of 23,563 cases have already been reported, resulting in 338 deaths.

The CHP advised the agencies to inform potential employers about the need to ensure that the FDWs they intend to hire has been immunized through receiving two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.

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According to Labatt dela Torre, getting the two anti-measles shots would require a wait of at least a month.  Thus, employers should be willing to wait this long so the worker can be fully immunized, or allow her to fly in and get her shots in Hong Kong.

Posts in an online Facebook page, Domestic Workers Corner, show that employers, especially those with young children, are not taking any chances, and have already started having their helpers immunized.

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But at least one said her employer told her to cancel her planned visit to the Philippines because of the worrying measles outbreak, both in Hong Kong and the Philippines.

What sparked the most concern, however, was a post from a worker who reported that a friend of a friend was not allowed to leave Hong Kong on Mar 27 because she had no vaccination proof.

The report could only be a hoax, or at best a fluke, because this writer flew to the Philippines on the same day, along with dozens of Filipina workers going home for a vacation, and not one of them was asked for such proof.

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Pinoy ‘Peeping Tom’ locked up for 6 months

Eastern Court

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipino bartender accused of entering a female toilet twice in Quarry Bay in February was jailed for a total of six months on Mar 27 by an Eastern Court magistrate after he pleaded guilty to two counts of “loitering causing concern.”

The sentencing came after prosecution filed a second charge for the same offence against Eduardo Pakit, 44,  after a review of CCTV footage showed him following a woman into the same toilet in a shopping center in Quarry Bay a day earlier.  

Pakit, who just two weeks earlier told the High Court that the police had arrested him by mistake, this time pleaded guilty to both
charges.

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Court records show that at 4:01pm on Feb 16, a female tenant saw Pakit emerging from a cubicle in the basement ladies’ toilet for shop owners of Manly Plaza on King’s Road. The door, which can be opened by using a code, was unlocked.

The woman asked Pakit why he entered the toilet, but he ran away. He was suspected to be peeping at another lady who was using an adjacent cubicle at the time. The witness got worried but did not report the incident.

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At about 3:20pm on Feb 17, another female tenant saw Pakit using a cubicle in the same toilet, alarming her. She suspected that he was peeping and told two other female tenants.

The three women reported the incident to the building security and police were called. CCTV footages for the specific times on those two dates showed Pakit following two different women into the toilet and later running away.

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A search was launched in the area and he was arrested in a pub on Feb 19. He was charged in Eastern Court on Feb 21.

In a police ID parade on Feb 22, Pakit was identified positively by the first witness. Eastern Magistrate Peter Law refused bail for Pakit when he was charged on Feb 21.

The defendant went to the High Court on Mar 13 to apply for bail, saying he was worried about the safety of his wife and their 13-year-old daughter if he remained in custody. He said the girl would be left alone at home because his wife was working.

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But Judge Joseph Yau of the Court of First Instance said the case against him was very strong and there was a risk he would loiter again into women’s toilets if he got out. The judge refused his bail application.

Sentencing Pakit on Wednesday, Magistrate Law said he was a repeat offender who had figured previously in five loitering cases in women’s changing rooms on a beach, and in ladies’ toilets in shopping malls.

Law imposed a sentence of three months’ imprisonment for each charge, to be served consecutively, keeping Pakit behind bars for six months.

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