The SUN HK

Umaapaw na pasasalamat sa pagtatapos ng Card HK

Posted on 06 June 2019 No comments

Ang mga nagtapos habang kapit-kamay na kumakanta ng kanilang theme song.

Ni George Manalansan

Muli ay maraming kuwento ng tagumpay at pagbabagong-buhay ang ibinahagi sa pinakahuling seremonya ng pagtatapos na isinagawa ng Card Hong Kong Foundation noong ika-19 ng Mayo sa Bayanihan Centre sa Kennedy Town.

Nanguna sa pagbibigay ng inspirasyon si Christy Panisa, dating kasambahay sa Hong Kong na sumali sa Card-MRI sa Pilipinas, at ngayon ay isa ng matagumpay na negosyante. Katunayan, siya ang nakakuha ng Gawad Maunlad award mula sa Card MRI noong taong 2016.

Ibinahagi niya na noong nasa Hong Kong siya ay labis siyang na homesick kaya nagdesisyon na lang na bumalik sa Pilipinas at magnegosyo. Dahil sa kanyang pagsisikap at tiyaga, ang itinayo niyang tapsihan at bulalohan katuwang ang kanyang asawa ay may apat na sangay na ngayon.

Mula sa Php3,000 na una niyang inutang sa Card MRI ay lumago nang husto ang kanyang negosyo, at ngayon ay may 40-60 katao na siya pinapasuweldo.

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Kasama din sa nagpatotoo kung paano sila natulungan na matutong hawakan nang tama ang kanilang kinikita buwan-buwan ang ilan sa 168 na migrante na nagtapos ng financial literacy workshop ng Card HK.

Ayon sa kanila, base sa kanilang natutunan sa pagsasanay, hindi puwedeng ipagwalang-bahala ang kaalaman kontra sa kahirapan. Natuto sila ng tamang pag ba budget, pagkontrol sa utang, pamumuhunan, at ilan pang mahahalagang bagay na may kinalaman sa kaperahan.

Nanguna sa pagbibigay-pugay sa kanila si Consul Robert Quintin na nagsabi ng:

“We want you feel good about yourself and your achievement. You are definitely better now than yesterday.”

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Natutuwa daw siya na tuwing dumadalo siya sa Card graduation ay nakikita niya na marami ang nagsipagtapos. Ibig nitong sabihin, marami ang gustong umunlad at magkaroon ng bagong kaalaman.

“Maraming salamat sa Card for continuing to provide this opportunity, for being a vehicle for our kababayan in Hong Kong to improve, make themselves better equipped with better skills,” sabi niya.

Ganito din ang sinabi ng isa pang panauhing pandangal na si Asst. Labor Attache Antonio Villafuerte. Aniya: “We should be grateful there are people who are not tired of extending their helping hand to reach out to our kababayan. By giving opportunities to upgrade their skills to promote their global competitiveness and be at par with other nationalities”.

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Kabilang naman sa mga nagbigay ng testimonya sa hanay ng mga nagtapos si Delmalyn Cajalne, 57, taga Pangasinan at kasali sa batch 52. Ayon sa kanya, 10 taon na siya sa Hong Kong pero ubos lagi ang sahod. “At kapag may na save saka naman tatawag ang kaanak (na nangangailangan) kaya wala ng natira,” sabi niya.

Noong una daw siyang maimbitahan sa fin-lit ng Card ay ayaw niya kasi ang tingin niya sa mga seminar ay “boring.” Pero nang sumama na siya sa bandang huli, laking pasasalamat daw niya sa trainors dahil tumagos sa kanyang dibdib ang narinig niya mula sa kanila kung paano ang tamang paggamit ng pera.

Ang isa daw na tumatak sa kanyang isipan ay ang sinabi ni lead trainor Vicky Munar na huwag basta-basta ipadala ang pera. Kailangan ay usisain kung para saan. Importante din daw na kasama ang pamilya sa pag-iisip kung paano gaganda ang kanilang kinabukasan.

Ayon naman kay Camille Reyes ng batch 53, marami siyang siyang natutunan kay Edna Aquino, founder ng Card HK, tungkol sa pagsasaayos ng kanyang mga gastusin. Pinayuhan din niya ang mga kapwa OFW na gamitin sa makabuluhang gawain ang kanilang libreng araw sa isang linggo, katulad ng pagsali sa workshop ng Card.

Sabi naman ni Vilma Fabricante ng batch 45, malaki ang pasasalamat niya sa Diyos at sa Card para sa kanyang dagdag-kaalaman. Isang importanteng regalo daw sa mga OFW ang ginagawang pagsasanay ng Card, at nasa sa kanila na kung gagamitin nila ito para gumanda ang kanilang buhay.

Bilang isang solong magulang, nagawa daw niya na itaguyod ang pag-aaral ng kanyang mga anak ng dahil sa tamang pagbabadyet.

Para naman kay Rhea Alig ng batch 55, nabago ng Card ang kanyang pananaw kung paano niya pahahalagaan ang kanyang pinagpaguran. Kailangan daw na itigil na ang nakasanayan na puro ang pamilya ang iniintindi.

“Kahit sila ang rason ng ating pag-aabroad, isipin din natin ang ating sarili,” ang sabi niya. “Huwag sobra-sobra ang ipadala at turuan ang mga anak na huwag maging pala-asa, tamad at naka depende palagi sa magulang. Hindi habang panahon ay nasa abroad tayo.”

Hindi na rin daw siya naniniwala ngayon sa kasabihang “I will cross the bridge when I get there.” Kailangan daw ng paghahanda para sa mga hindi inaasahang pangyayari.

Dumating na din daw sa buhay niya na talagang nasaid ang kanyang pera, mabuti na lang at may Card na umalalay sa kanya kaya hindi na niya kailangang mangutang sa kapitbahay.

Naging emosyonal naman ang ginawang pasasalamat ni Amelinde Berbidel, na kabilang sa sumali mula sa Facebook group na Domestic Workers Corner. Pareho niyang pinasalamatan ang Diyos at ang Card sa kanyang mga natutunan sa workshop na isinagawa sa Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

Ayon sa kanya, dalawang taon lang ang plano niyang pagtatrabaho sa ibang bayan, at binalak lang niya na makaipon ng Php100,000 para pang-negosyo. Pero inabot na siya ng 22 taon ay hindi pa rin niya naisasagawa ang simpleng plano.

Ngayon na tumatanda na siya ay ang sariling kapakanan naman ang kanyang iniintindi. “Bahala na kayo sa buhay ninyo,” ang sabi daw niya sa mga anak matapos niyang mapag-aral. Ayaw daw kasi niya na umasa na papakainin siya ng mga anak sa hinaharap kasi magkakaroon din ang mga ito ng kanya-kanyang pamilya.

Lalong sumaya ang pagtitipon nang ibahagi ng mga bisita mula sa Card MRI ang mga bagong produkto at serbisyo para sa mga kapamilya ng mga manggagawa dito sa Hong Kong na sumali sa pangunahing micro-enterprise group sa Pilipinas.

Kabilang sa mga panauhing pandangal ang chairman ng Card HK Foundation na si Alex Aquino at board member na si Leo A. Deocadiz, publisher ng The SUN.

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Alarming health stats recorded in latest Project HealthWise outreach

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By The SUN

Hundreds queued up for the half-day service, unmindful of the heat

A record number of 444 Filipino migrant workers took part in the Project HealthWise outreach at St Joseph’s Church in Central on Jun 2, nearly overwhelming the volunteers who helped administer the free basic medical examination.

Equally significant was the high number of abnormal findings recorded among those who took part in the project initiated by Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre, and co-ordinated by the online group, Domestic Workers Corner.

Of the 293 who had their blood sugar level checked after the required fasting, 73 or 24.9% registered abnormal results. Most vulnerable were those aged 40 to 49 years old, as there were 31 of them, or 42.5%, with blood sugar level of 5.7 and above.

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Fewer participants were found to have high blood pressure. Of the 429 who submitted for a check-up, 65, or 15.2%, had elevated blood pressure levels. Again, the incidence was highest in the 40-49 age bracket, where 24 or 37%, were found to have blood pressure readings of 130/100 or 140/100 depending on the age.

The findings underscored the need to have migrant workers undergo regular health screening, the reason Labatt dela Torre pushed for Project HealthWise.

OFW nurses were among those who administered the tests

In an interview early this year, he called on the Hong Kong government to require medical check-ups for foreign domestic workers each time they get signed up for an employment contract.

He cited “scary” initial results from Project HealthWise, which he initiated in November last year, and is being carried out at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office daily except Friday, and through outreach services on designated Sundays each month.

That time, 14% of the 1,441 Filipino migrants initially tested were found to be pre-diabetic, while 7.63 were confirmed diabetics. This, he said was significantly higher than the Philippine prevalence rate among adults of 6.2%.

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Those with high blood pressure comprised 11.24% of those tested, 17% were hypertensive, and 2.5 percent had critical blood pressure levels.

With funding for the project coming largely from private donors, Labatt dela Torre has been hard-pressed to continue providing the much-needed tests so Filipino migrants are made aware of the need to keep themselves healthy.

DWC led by founder Rodelia Villar (in white shirt) were
busy with record-keeping and helping with OEC registration

Thus, apart from calling for pre-employment medical tests to be required for all domestic workers, Labatt dela Torre is set to seek help from Hong Kong legislators who have indicated a willingness to extend public health care to migrants.

The feedback from those who queued up for the service at St Joseph’s was predictably positive. Many of the workers said the free health checks were a big help to them, as they need to work hard nearly every day, and the cost could be prohibitive for some of them.

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One said, “Malaking advantage ito sa amin. Halimbawa, hindi ko alam na mataas ang BP ko. Ngayon mas aware na ako na dapat mag-ingat.”

Another suggested that the free service be extended more frequently, and was pleased to learn that one can avail of it nearly everyday at POLO.

Everyone was grateful for the free service, and thanked Labatt dela Torre for initiating it.

But the medical tests were just one of the free services rendered during the outreach. Volunteers also helped with the issuance of the overseas employment certificate, signing up with BMOnline and for the ECard.

The team behind Project HealthWise in turn thanked Rev. Joseph Tan Lei Tao, SVD, the parish priest of St Joseph's for providing space for the outreach mission.

The outreach service will be extended to Filipino communities in several other areas in Kowloon and the New Territories on these dates:

June 7- Calvary Filipino Church, 4/F, 23 Hillwood Rd, TST, Kowloon.

Jun 16 - Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Yuen Long

Jun 30 - St. Vincent Church, Hang Hau

Jul, 7 - Annunciation Church, Tsuen Wan

Jul 14 - St Thomas Church, Tsing YiJul 21 -St. Francis' Church Tai Wai

– with a report from Rodelia P. Villar

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Healing comes to Saikung church after boycott by Pinoy parishioners

Posted on 05 June 2019 No comments

Members of the Filipino Fellowship.

By Vir B. Lumicao

Healing and life, the focus of the May 26 Gospel from St Mark, coincided with the sixth annual celebration of Helpers Day at Resurrection Church in Sai Kung.

The messages about the healing and reviving power of faith seemed apt as some 70 Filipino workers, ignoring the rain, attended the English service to join about the same number of Saikung residents for the gathering.

The unusually big Filipino attendance suggested a healing process is under way after the massive fallout from the sudden replacement of a well-liked pastor late last year.

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“I did not expect to see this big number of people returning to Resurrection Church today. I was worried because before we started, only a couple of Filipinas had arrived,” Maribel Dagan, head of the Filipino fellowship, told the SUN after the 10am service.

The celebration of Helpers Day was started in 2013 by Pastor Peter Hurricks. His successor, Pastor Chris Ponniah, made it a big event in 2016 as a way of acknowledging the help foreign domestic workers gave the local community, as well as the church.

“We want to make a difference in the lives of people,” the pastor said when he announced the church would launch of a Filipino fellowship on June 5, 2016 and unveiled a plan for a Filipino worship, which never took off.

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For reasons that were never explained, Pastor Ponniah was pulled out from the church in November last year. He was replaced by Pastor Ian Hadfield, who lost no time wooing back the disgruntled parishioners.

Pastor Hadfield acknowledged the fallout from the recall of his predecessor in a talk with The SUN after the service.

“Yeah, it was a hard time…you had a lot of empty seats in the ministry,” Hadfield said.

But his effort to lead the community healing appeared to have borne fruit when attendance suddenly grew on Sunday, May 19.

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Dagan recalls that at the lowest point of the fallout, only four to eight Filipinos would attend the service. Many local Chinese churchgoers who also resented the replacement of the popular pastor had left by then.

But with Hadfield’s ministry and his wife Nurelle’s help, the church had seen a revival, she said.

In his homily, Hadfield acknowledged the valuable contribution of the Filipino domestic workers to the community and to the church.

The church has for about a decade been a house of worship, cozy meeting place and retreat for migrant workers from Saikung and other parts of Hong Kong who want to spend their day off away from noisy and crowded places like Central.

Hadfield said the church offers a spacious and convenient place for workers in the area to spend their rest day instead of going to faraway Central because of the facilities are not in use before and after the 10am service.

He welcomed the idea of using the church’s facilities for livelihood skills training and other activities to prepare the workers for their return home in the future.

Dagan said NGOs such as Enrich had conducted a financial literacy seminar in the church in the past and she was thinking of more skills training to keep her group members intact.

Hadfield said also noted NGOs like Christian Action help workers with legal issues

With the return of the flock last Sunday, it looked like the church had regained life.

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2 overstayers fail in bid for review of their deportation

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Judge said applicants need to show enough evidence to support their claim against being sent back home

By The SUN

A Filipina former domestic helper and a tourist who stayed illegally in Hong Kong for 12 and five years, respectively, have failed to convince the High Court to allow a judicial review of the Immigration Director’s decision to send them back to the Philippines.

Both Milagros S. Fulgencio and Iris Joy G. Salas claimed they did not want to go back home because of threats on their lives. Fulgencio said she feared being harmed or killed by her abusive husband, while Salas says she is hiding from communist rebels whom she witnessed murdering a villager.

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But in separate judgments issued on May 31, Judge Bruno Chan of the Court of First Instance refused to grant them leave for a judicial review of the Director’s rejection of their claims for non-refoulement, or against being sent back home.

The Torture Claims Board upheld the Director’s decision in both cases.

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Judge Chan said he did not see any prospect of success in either application.

Fulgencio, 58, arrived in Hong Kong in January 1994 to work as a domestic helper and was terminated on Jul 20, 1995. She was allowed to remain for 14 days after this date but she remained and overstayed her visa.

On Feb 15, 2016, or nearly 21 years after going underground, Fulgencio surrendered to Immigration and then filed for non-refoulement, claiming she would be harmed or killed by her abusive husband if she went back home. She was released on recognizance while she pursued her case.

The Director of Immigration rejected Fulgencio’s claim on all applicable grounds, including risk of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and risk of violating her right to life under Hong Kong’s Bill of Rights.

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Fulgencio appealed to the Torture Claims Appeal Board but this was rejected on Feb 27, 2018.

In denying her permission to appeal her case to the High Court, Judge Chan noted that the Director found no substantial grounds to Fulgencio’s claim that she would be harmed or killed by her husband.

The judge cited the absence or low frequency of past ill-treatment of the applicant by her husband, and the lack of evidence to show that he had intended to harm her through the years.

Salas, 39, came to Hong Kong on Jun 14, 2011 as a tourist and overstayed until Sept. 10, 2015, when she surrendered to authorities.

She claims the New People’s Army will harm or kill her for having witnessed and a murder they committed in her village in Viga, Catanduanes.

On Feb 15, 2017, the Director rejected her claim on the same grounds cited in Fulgencio’s application. Salas appealed to the Board, but this was dismissed on Mar 13, 2018.

Judge Chan said Solis merely showed copies of the previous decisions and documents from her appeal before the Board, while in her written submission she simply repeated her claim that her problems back home had not yet been resolved.

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