By Virgilio B.
Lumicao
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| Officers of the Consulate and attached agencies came in full force, led by Congen Tony Morales (2nd from left, front) |
A heartwarming impromptu farewell party given him by some
200 Filipino community leaders and officers of the Consulate, as well as his
staff at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, has caused Labor Attache Jalilo
dela Torre to reconsider his decision to retire.
“Half of my mind is really convinced already to retire kasi
nga napaka-stressful yung trabaho namin, especially dito sa Hong Kong, although
I’ve been happy and enjoyed doing it, serving the OFW community here,” Labatt
Jolly said at the party held in the evening of his last working day, Jul.7
“(Pero) dahil sa ipinakita ninyo, parang nabuhay uli ang
aking loob na isulong pa rin ang pakikibaka natin. I haven’t closed the doors
on Riyadh,
particularly because the community there is also egging me to go there,” the
labor official said.
Dela Torre was advised only three days earlier by the
Department of Labor and Employment in Manila that he had to leave for Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia, after a tumultuous three-year stint in Hong Kong.
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He said he is being pressured by his family to quit, and he
has given this serious thought since going to Riyadh at this time is like “jumping
from the pot into the fire” because the declining oil prices could lead to job
losses for many Filipinos there.
Among those who attended the hastily arranged send-off was a
full contingent of officers from the Consulate led by Consul General Antonio
A. Morales, who paid tribute to Labatt Jolly.
“Alam po ninyo, ito ay pangwalo kong assignment sa iba’t
ibang bansa sa mahigit 20 taon pero ngayon lang ako nakakita na ang community
ay nagkaisa para i-request ang extension ni Labor Attaché,” Congen Morales said.
He was referring to two well-covered protests by Filcom
leaders last year that called for Labatt dela Torre to be retained in Hong
Kong, after Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III ordered his recall for alleged
favoritism in accrediting employment agencies.
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| One of two mass protests held last year in support of Labatt dela Torre |
He noted that a group of Hong Kong lawyers and a former Legislative
Council member had given a send-off for Labatt Jolly a few months ago, along
with a request for his extension.
Jokingly, he said that before Hongkongers learned to protest
against the extradition bill, Filipino workers here had already marched on the
streets calling for Labatt Jolly’s extension.
“But, kidding aside, it’s an honor for me to have worked with
the Labor Attaché, ang puso po niya ay nasa manggagawang Pilipino rito sa Hong
Kong at mapapatunayan nyo, kaya kayo nandito ngayon,” Congen Morales said.
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He and other PCG officers later handed Labatt dela Torre a certificate
of appreciation “for having served with competence, professionalism, integrity
and dedication” from 15 Mar 2016 to 18 Apr 2018 and 20 Oct 2018 to 8 Jul 2019.
Also paying tribute was the newly designated
officer-in-charge of Polo, Tony Villafuerte, who thanked his former superior
for the reforms that he initiated, both at work and in the community, and said
Dela Torre only had the interest of OFWs at heart.
He led fellow officers from Polo and the Overseas Workers
Welfare Administration in presenting a plaque of appreciation to their
departing boss.
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| Left-leaning leaders called Dela Torre a model government official |
Notable among the Filcom leaders who came were those from
the militant left, led by Eman Villanueva of Bayan Muna Hong Kong and Macau and
Dolores Balladares-Pelaez of United Filipinos in Hong Kong.
Pelaez noted that her group, which is known for its
critical stance towards the government on issues relating to migrant workers,
had never before joined a rally calling for the retention of a government official, but did so for Labatt dela Torre.
“Ibig sabihin lang po, siya ay isang huwaran, isang mahusay
na kawani ng gobyerno si Labatt na magandang tularan ng iba pang mga
nagseserbisyo sa gobyerno,” she said.
Villanueva warned that migrant workers need to be on guard
and to continue the reforms Labatt Jolly had initiated and, if need be, to take
to the streets to fight for these reforms.
Foremost among Dela Torre’s accomplishments that they cited was
his firm stance on banning dangerous window cleaning by foreign domestic
workers, which forced the Hong Kong government to make this part of their
standard employment contract.
Leaders of Global Alliance, a group closely identified with Dela
Torre recalled how they had gone out on a limb to protest his early recall.
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| Leaders from Global Alliance, a known supporter of Dela Torre |
Marites Nuval, GA president said, “Naranasan ko ang magwelga,
at dahil doon naranasan ko rin ang malagay sa watchlist noong dumalaw dito si
Pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte.”
GA chairman Leo Selomenio who spearheaded the preparations for the
last-minute farewell, expressed a wish for Dela Torre to return to Hong Kong in
the future.
“This is not goodbye, sana magkita uli tayo one day,” Selomenio
said.
Leaders from several Filcom organizations also gave farewell
messages, including Rodelia Vilar of Domestic Workers Corner, Elaine Espinosa
of Mindanao Federation, Reggie Buen of Luzon Alliance, Nerissa Gimena of One Visayas,
Myrna Carigada of Sacoma, Carmen Pilar of CAR, Edna Liboon of National
Organization of Professional Teachers Hong Kong, and Art Buban of Bicol
Migrants Association (HK).
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| The honoree with The SUN representatives Vir Lumicao and Rodelia Villar, also of DWC |
This writer thanked Labatt dela Torre for his friendship and
for keeping an open door to The SUN on issues affecting Filipino migrant workers
in Hong Kong.
In turn, Labatt Jolly thanked everyone, particularly the Filcom
leaders, for supporting him in pushing reforms for the welfare of the workers.
He told them to unite and protect the gains they have made.
“Sana
magkaisa uli tayo tulad nang magkaisa tayo sa window cleaning campaign natin.
Nagtagumpay tayo nang ipaglaban natin, at kung wala na ako rito maipagpatuloy
natin ang mga reporma naumpisahan natin.
Sana ay bantayan nyo yung mga initiatives na
na-launch namin at sana
maging sustainable ang mga ito.”
Labatt dela Torre expects to stay in Hong Kong for a few
more days to wrap up his affairs and decide whether to take up the Riyadh post,
or head home to Cebu.
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