CNN's Haiyan experience recalled at HK conference

Clark (exreme left) and Watson (extreme right) in a huddle with AFP's Mark Levine and Eric Wishart

"We let them down."
That was how Roger Clark, CNN Hong Kong's bureau chief, described how he felt when the network's news crew was stranded in the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan's onslaught in the Philippines in November 2013.
Clark was speaking at a forum on "Covering Conflict and Disaster" at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong earlier today, Apr. 23.
He recalled how senior correspondent Andrew Stevens and his crew were cut off for days in Tacloban after Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines), slammed hard, unleashing a water surge that wiped out the city and left an estimated 10,000 people dead.
http://ewn.co.za/Media/2013/11/11/philippines-reporters-notebook-typhoon-haiyan)
Clark said the experience taught them the importance of arming their people sent out to conflict or disaster zones with enough provisions to last for at least three days.

Watson with the 'grab bag'

He, along with CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson then displayed what they called a "grab bag" which reporters on dangerous assignments are made to carry. The black traveling-size bag contains, among other things, mobile phones and battery packs, instant noodles, water purifying tablets,and even tampons.
The two also spoke of how the journalism profession has veered away from its tough, macho image to one that recognizes human frailties and vulnerabilities.
Watson, a veteran war correspondent, admitted to undergoing counseling as a result of the trauma that he's been subjected to in the course of doing his job. - Daisy CL Mandap







http://ewn.co.za/Media/2013/11/11/philippines-reporters-notebook-typhoon-haiyan

DAY 15: FOURTH VOTE COUNTING MACHINE CRASHES

The defective machine has been shipped back to Comelec

Another vote counting machine crashed today, Apr 23, at Bayanihan Centre, the fourth to break down since overseas voting began here two weeks ago.

The incident which happened at around 2:45 pm, caused Consulate officials to scramble to come up with contingency arrangements ahead of what is expected to be another heavy voter turnout tomorrow. Sunday.

The day ended with a total of 1,179 voters casting their ballots, the highest Saturday count so far in the month-long overseas voting for the Philippine national elections.

This brings the total tally in 15 days of voting to 17,653, or 19%  of the more than 93,000 registered voters in Hong Kong.

Three voters who failed to insert their ballots into the machine in room 501 were asked to put them inside sealed individual envelopes which they were asked to sign, then hand over to the Special Board of Election Inspectors for safekeeping. They will have to reinsert their own ballots into another machine at a future date.

Vice Consul Alex Vallespin who heads the electoral board, immediately sent out an urgent request for the Commission on Elections to send four new spare machines to Hong Kong by Monday.

He is, however, optimistic that the latest machine breakdown will not cause too much of a problem tomorrow, when another voter surge is expected.

Last Sunday, Apr 17, more than 6,000 people cast their votes, the biggest tally for a single day in the ongoing election. – Vir B. Lumicao

Voter’s rage

There was more drama at Bayanihan Centre today when a woman claiming to be a resident reportedly blew her top upon learning that she could not vote because her name had been deactivated by Comelec.

According to a Facebook post by Consul Charles Macaspac, the woman failed to vote in the past three overseas elections.

Comelec has deactivated the registration of voters who failed to cast their ballots in at least two successive elections. If they wanted to get back on the voters' list, they should have applied for reactivation during the prescribed period which ended in December last year.
"We were not informed! You should have texted us, trabaho ninyo yan! Ang hirap sa inyo, OFW lang inaasikaso ninyo! OFW lang sila, residente kami!", the woman reportedly shouted.

That led Macaspac to step in and tell her she should have read the reports in community newspapers and watched Philippine television. The woman retorted by saying she only read the SCMP and watched ABS-CBN.

Macaspac’s post about the irate voter drew the ire of many Filipinos, who were particularly incensed by the woman’s arrogant assertion that she, as a resident, had better rights than an OFW.

Obviously miffed himself, Macaspac closed his post with the statement: “Isang boto po para sa bawat isang rehistradong Filipino. Walang residente, walang OFW, lahat Filipino.”

MORE STORIES IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE SUN

Elderly employer jailed for indecent assault on maid

An elderly employer was acquitted at the High Court yesterday, Apr 21, of a charge of raping his Filipino domestic helper two years ago. However, he was jailed for two and a half months after being found guilty of a separate charge of indecent assault on her. A third charge of indecent assault was also dismissed.

Guilty of indecent assault but not of rape

The split verdict in the case of 65-year-old Lee Man-biu, who owned a toy factory in the mainland, came after more than 10 hours of deliberation by a jury made up of two men and five men.

The jury returned unanimous verdicts on all three charges, one for rape and two for indecent assault, after a trial that was originally set to last for six days but stretched to eight and a half days.

Among those who testified were Lee and the victim, a 48-year-old mother of two, as well as two police witnesses.

Justice Esther Toh commended the jurors “for returning a difficult verdict” after spending the night in the courthouse to continue their deliberations.

The first indecent assault charge involved an incident in Mar 2014 when the maid was in the kitchen and Lee allegedly grabbed her breasts. She said she managed to film the  assault but Lee grabbed her cell phone and deleted the video.

Lee was acquitted of that charge.

However, he was convicted of a second charge of indecent assault which took place in the morning of Oct 13, 2014. In this case, Lee was found to have grabbed the woman’s breasts while she was cleaning the living room, and dragged her to the bedroom.

Lee reportedly warned the victim that he would throw her out the window if she told anyone about the assault.

He repeated the warning when he allegedly raped her on the night of the same day. However, the charge of rape was dismissed by the jury.

During cross examination, the defense lawyer suggested that Lee and the maid had consensual sex, but the victim vehemently denied this.

She also said she used to be scared every time Lee’s wife and daughter would go to China because the employer would assault her indecently “almost everyday”, and would hit her in the head if he was angry.

But during cross examination, it was revealed that the woman had lent $5,000 to Lee at one point. She also admitted keeping $60,000 in her room, money that she meant to take home. – Vir B. Lumicao

Pinay who molested young ward gets 4 1/2 years in jail

A 45-year-old Filipina domestic helper was sentenced yesterday, Apr 21, to a total of 4 years and six months in jail for indecently assaulting her young male ward more than three years ago.

The sentencing of the self-confessed lesbian, SRM, came more than a month after her conviction on Mar 4 for three counts of indecent assault committed against the boy, then 8 years old, between July 1, 2011 and Aug 31, 2013.

In sentencing, District Court Judge Johnny Chan said: “The defendant has done much damage to the boy. The defendant’s duty was to take care of the victim when his parents were away, but she flagrantly breached that duty and assaulted the boy.”

He said the boy would need a long time to recover and would have to be undergo therapy.

The impact report presented to the court cited the child victim’s “recurrent nightmares” and “crying in the middle of the night” following the assaults.

But earlier, another report submitted by a clinical psychologist said he interviewed the boy three times before the trial and found him “calm and settled”.

Because of the apparent discrepancy in the two reports, defense lawyer John Hemmings advised the defendant to immediately ask for legal aid so they could appeal her case. – Vir B. Lumicao

MORE IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE SUN

Man jailed 5 weeks for exposing himself behind his maid

A Hong Kong man was sentenced on Wednesday, Apr 20, to five weeks in jail for indecently assaulting his Filipino domestic worker by exposing and fondling himself behind her. 

But Kwun Tong magistrate Vennie Chiu acquitted the employer, Shek Kwok-ngai, of three other indecent assault charges and one of common assault.
The guilty verdict against Shek
concerned one particular incident when the maid managed to film him with her phone camera while he was performing lascivious acts behind her.
The verdict and sentencing capped a four-day trial that followed a High Court order to the Director of Public Prosecutions
Keith Yeung to pursue the case. The DPP had originally declined to prosecute, citing insufficiency of evidence.
Chiu had adjourned the case for a month to consider his decision.
Shek was accused by his former maid “D” of indecently assaulting her several times by abusing himself right behind her while his act was reflected on the TV screen or on cabinet glass panels.
The defense counsel vigorously argued that the defendant’s acts could not be described as assault because he never touched the complainant's body.
“The mere fact of raising a fist against your face is considered assault,” the lawyer said.
“But not touching the complainant’s body may not constitute assault…in the end, it’s whether he act is intended to be hostile,” he said.
But Chiu believed otherwise. She said that by masturbating and fondling his genitals in the presence of the complainant, Shek committed an indecent assault. - Vir B. Lumicao

MORE IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE SUN

Day 11: Limping their way up to vote, and be counted

Jess and Jenny Cruz waiting for their turn to vote

Hong Kong old-timers Jess Cruz and his wife Jenny wanted to cast their votes on Sunday but the 74-year-old retired driver could not walk. He had bad knees.

But today, Apr 19, the couple decided they could make the long trip from their Tin Shui Wai home to the polling center in Kennedy Town, a distance of about 40 km.

“Gusto naming bumoto noong Linggo pero hindi siya makalakad dahil namaga ang mga tuhod niya,” said Jenny, who at 60 still works in a restaurant as assistant cook.

They were among the 457 voters who came from various parts of Hong Kong to take their turn in voting for the country’s next president and vice president, as well as 12 senators and a partylist.

The long trip from the New Territories was not the only thing they had to contend with in casting their ballots They also had to hobble their way up several flights of stairs leading to the election secretariat at Bayanihan Center.

But once there, they were given chairs near the verification desk and asked if they wanted to vote upstairs or have their ballots brought down from their respective precincts.

“Dito na lang kasi si Tatay, kahapon pa hindi makalakad,” said Jenny. She recounted that the day before Jess had relished eating the marrow and fat from the beef soup that she cooked, but this apparently caused his mobility problem.      

After filling up their ballots, the couple chose to go up their precinct so they could insert the ballots into the vote counting machines themselves. Who they voted for was a tightly kept secret.

Jenny came to Hong Kong in 1984 when she was 28, and was granted right of abode. She later met Jess who arrived in 1988 and became a family driver for several employers, mostly westerners, the last one being an American who was liberal with both time and benefits.

They live in a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, which Jenny praised for size, quality and convenience, compared with the tiny flat they used to rent in crowded Sai Ying Pun.

Jess, whose sons are also drivers here on a domestic helper’s visas, now enjoys the benefits of Hong Kong social support for the elderly, especially health care – a blessing for someone like him who is a cancer survivor and diabetic. – Vir B. Lumicao

DAY 10: Lull after a record turnout

Only 303 Filipino voters cast their ballots on the 10^th day of the overseas voting for the 2016 Philippine national elections at the Bayanihan Centre in Kennedy Town today, Apr 18.

This contrasted sharply with the previous day’s tally of 6,367 voters, a record for this year's election.

With 21 days left in the month-long elections, the total ballots cast in the past 10 days represent roughly 16% of the more than 93,000 registered voters in Hong Kong.

The figure for Monday was the second-lowest daily total in Hong Kong since the month-long overseas voting for Filipinos started on April 9..

Yesterday’s figure brought to 14,503 the total number of people who cast their votes to elect a successor to President Benigno Aquino III, his vice-president, Jejomar Binay, eight new senators and a partylist.

If the turnout trend continues over the remaining three weeks of the elections, the overall turnout for the Hong Kong overseas balloting would be about 50%, far below the 80% goal set by the Commission on Elections for all overseas posts.

This is partly because many would-be voters have not been able to cast their ballots because they had either been deactivated by the Comelec for failing to vote in two previous national elections, or their names were dropped from the official list for some other reason.

On Apr 17, the heaviest day so far in the elections, about 50 people found to their disappointment their registration had been de-activated, said Vice Consul Fatima Quintin.

About 30 others were dropped from the Comelec list even if they had registered in Hong Kong, while others failed to transfer their registration from elsewhere.

Those who had been inadvertently dropped from the official list were able to vote after Comelec gave the Consulate the go signal through an exchange of viber messages. - Vir B. Lumicao

Sacred duty

On Saturday, April 9, most of us will go to the polls in Bayanihan Centre to choose our country’s next leaders.

This is a hallowed task that demands no less than a painstaking effort to know the candidates really well -- what they stand for, what they have to show for in terms of qualifications and achievements, and what sets them apart from the rest.
With the advent of modern technology and in its wake, social media, we have been inundated with all sorts of information about the candidates vying for the top posts.
On one hand, this helps us a lot because much of what we need to know about each candidate is virtually just a click away. All we need to do is to take time to research on their background and hopefully, come up with choices that are based more on rational thought rather than emotional impulses.
This we should do with an open mind, meaning we do not let other people, especially the vociferous ones prone to mindless adulation and verbal mudslinging, to cloud our judgment.
Did you listen to the presidential and vice presidential debates? If you haven’t, spend some quiet time to listen to the candidates and observe their body language.
Who looks the most knowledgeable? Who speaks of concrete plans and actual achievements, and not mere promises? Who projects an air of respectability and sincerity, traits that are important for a future head of state?
Who is the one we would be proud to call our leader?
Admittedly, social media, or more accurately, its misuse, has made it difficult for us to readily discern the truth in every information that is made freely available to us.
With an election that is shaping up to be one of the contentious ever in our history, the deliberate attempt at misinformation has become even more intense. More and more trolls are being let loose on social media to wreak havoc on any attempts to initiate an intelligent discourse online. Worse, they have been spreading lies, making up stories, and even distorting images to suit their evil intents.
We should not allow ourselves to be swayed by any of these. Given our good education, our proud heritage and our innate sense of decency and fairness, we should be able to choose on our own, and choose well.
We owe this not only to ourselves, but our children, and all the future generations of Filipinos who could suffer from the bad choices that we make today.
Think. Choose according to your conscience. Vote wisely.

Day 9: Lines grow, tempers flare amid flood of voters

Voters lining up for their turn to cast their ballots fill up Bayanihan Center's basketball court.

Overseas Filipinos eager to choose a new President turned out in full force yesterday, April 17, at the Bayanihan Centre to vote in the 2016 national elections, making up the biggest crowd yet in the first nine days of the month-long exercise.

At the end of the day, 6,367 voters had exercised their right of suffrage, almost doubling to 14,200 the nine-day total in the overseas voting for Hong Kong-based Filipinos.

Waiting time for voters from the verification counter to the precincts on the upper floors of the Bayanihan building was about 2 hours 30 minutes, as good weather encouraged thousands to descend in droves on the Kennedy Town voting center.

The line of people stretched from outside the election secretariat in Bayanihan to well beyond the Jockey Club Family Clinic about 200 meters away.

One vote counting machine malfunctioned, holding up 15 voters in Precinct 501 from inserting their ballots for about a quarter of an hour and fraying the nerves of some people waiting in the holding area for their turn to go up to the precincts.

The impatient ones heckled Consular staff in the secretariat, causing Vice Consul Alex Vallespin to lose his cool and shout back at them: “Kung sisigaw pa kayo, palalabasin namin kayo.”

Then turning to the media, he said:  “Puwede naming gawin iyon, di po ba?”

It took about 15 minutes for the consular staff to troubleshoot the machine and get it running again.

Dozens more of would-be voters found out their names were not on the voters list.  It turned out they had either been delisted by the Commission on Elections for failing to vote in the two previous national elections, or had registered last year but their names did not appear on the list.

One voter from Saikung who listed up last year in the overseas voter registration at the Consulate was disappointed when her name was missing from the Comelec voters list.

“They told me to come back and bring my registration slip so I could vote,” she said.

Another woman, Arlyn Panes from Mid-Levels, said she had registered several years ago and was surprised not to find her name on the list.

When asked if she voted in the past two national elections, she said no. She said she was not aware of the Comelec deactivating nearly 14,000 Hong Kong-based voters from the list for failure to exercise their rights.

Yesterday’s voting took on a festive air as campaigners for various candidates and groups greeted busload after busload of Filipinos arriving at the Kennedy Town bus terminus.

A group of about 20 male and female supporters of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte of PDP-Laban stood a couple of meters away from a handful of campaigners for his rival Mar Roxas.

At the foot of the exit stairs from the voting center, four Duterte supporters were taking an exit poll of departing voters. They had a huge count of voters who claimed to have picked their candidate.

Number of disenfranchised voters grows

By Vir B. Lumicao

Rowena, foreground, and Michelyn 

took a chance but failed to vote because 

they're not registered in Hong Kong.

As the voting in Hong Kong entered its second Sunday at the Bayanihan Center in Kennedy Town, Consulate officials were wary of the growing number of Hong Kong-based Filipinos who said they registered last year but were unable to vote.

The daily total it expected to rise again this Sunday. It fell to 366 last Friday, from 434 on Thursday, despite the weather improving after four days of rain that deterred voters from traveling to Kennedy Town.

Bayanihan staff counted 428 people arriving at the polling center as of 3pm on Friday, but not all were able to vote because their names had either been delisted, or they were registered elsewhere so they could not vote in Hong Kong.

With 24 days to go in the month-long overseas voting, the seven-day total of votes cast stood at 6,696 yesterday.

As of 3pm on Friday, 17 people had failed to vote either because their names had been delisted for not voting in two consecutive national elections, or they were active voters caught up in a last-minute purge by the Commission on Elections last September.

Each case of missing name from the voters list was immediately referred by the election secretariat to the Comelec head office in Manila for verification

The number of voters in Hong Kong whose names were missing from the Comelec’s voters list has now reached 147.

Some disenfranchised voters vented their frustration on the Consulate’s Facebook page.

“Nagpa-register ako last year sa Consulate tapos nagpunta ako sa Bayanihan kanina para bumoto. Nang i-check sa computer wala ang name ko doon kaya hindi ako nakaboto,” complained a certain Bing Gallego.

Many more of those who went to Bayanihan were registered in the Philippines but did not bother to have their registration transferred to Hong Kong. The ended up rejected.

Except for the missing names from the voters’ list, Friday's proceedings went on smoothly with no technical problems involving the vote counting machines.

Meanwhile, some 150 voters who tried to claim their election IDs had been unable to find their names on the list provided by Comelec.

Several thousand ID cards had been moved from the Consulate to Bayanihan in the hope that the owners would come and claim them.

Across Victoria Road from Bayanihan, Migrante members and other political supporters hung some banners on the roadside railing but collected them after the polls closed. There had been confusion the other day about hanging streamers after staff from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department took off the banners and told the supporters they must secure a permit to display the campaign materials there.   

DAY 8: ‘Invisible pen’, dot marks and other gaffes uncovered in overseas voting

Thinking that what she had was a pen that left “invisible” marks, a voter simply swiped its tip on the circles corresponding to her chosen candidates, and was shocked when no names registered on her receipt from the vote counting machine.

Another tested the pen on the ballot itself, leaving a small dot on the top part, which inadvertently wiped out all markings on the paper, including the shaded circles, when it was fed into the counting machine.

Still another put Xs on the circles beside her chosen candidates for president and vice president, then encircled the names of her preferred senators. Again, the ballot was deemed spoiled.

These were just some of the voter errors uncovered in the ongoing overseas voting for the 2016 Philippine national election now underway at the Bayanihan Centre in Kennedy Town.

Day 8 saw a total of 1,157 Filipinos casting their ballots, bringing the total number of voters so far to 7,833.

At a hastily arranged consultation on Apr 16, Consul General Bernardita Catalla appealed to the community leaders present to help voters get familiar with the process, including the use of the VCRs and what the voting receipt was meant to.

Vice Consul Alex Vallespin who is the officer-in-charge of the overseas voting, shared that he also had to fend off a voter’s demand that she be given the receipt from the VCR.

While Hong Kong is still on record as having by far the highest tally for any post in the first week of voting, Consulate officials have called on the community to help get more of the 93,000 registered voters to troop to Bayanihan.

Part of the effort is to get seafarers who are often docked in Hong Kong waters, including those from the Star Cruises fleet, to cast their ballots.

“We intend to go to the seafarers kasi hindi naman sila nakakapunta dito,” said Congen Catalla.

Another is to get as many people as possible to avail of the free shuttle service to Bayanihan from several pick-up points around Hong Kong.

Efforts are also being made to help those inadvertently left out of the certified list of voters for Hong Kong to still cast their ballots by referring their case to the Commission on Elections in Manila.

“Hindi kami ang gumagawa ng desisyon dito kung sino ang pwedeng bumoto at hindi pwedeng bumoto kundi ang Comelec,” Catalla said.

The consultation was held at the request of United Filipinos – Migrante Hong Kong which wanted clarification on poll watching conduct in the precincts, the scheduling of the free buses to Bayanihan, and the replacement of the three VCMs which have broken down. – Daisy CL Mandap

Day 7: More people fail to vote

More would-be voters failed to cast their ballots on Friday, Apr 15, in the ongoing overseas voting for the 2016 national elections at the Bayanihan Center in Kennedy Town.

The daily total fell to 366 yesterday from 434 on Thursday, despite the weather improving after four days of rain.
With 24 days to go in the month-long overseas voting, the seven-day total of votes cast stood at 6,696 yesterday.
Bayanihan staff counted 428 people arriving at the polling center as of 3pm, but not all were able to vote because their names had either been delisted, they were not listed, or they were registered elsewhere.
As of 3pm on Friday, 17 people had failed to vote for various reasons.
Each case was referred by Consulate staff to the Comelec head office in Manila for verification
The number of voters in Hong Kong whose names were missing from the Comelec’s voters list has now reached 147.
Across Bayanihan, Migrante members and other political supporters hung some banners on the roadside railing but collected them after the polls closed. There had been confusion the other day about hanging streamers after staff from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department removed all the banners and told the supporters they must secure a permit to display them there.

Roxas, Robredo mobbed during Hong Kong visit

By Daisy CL Mandap

Pictures don’t lie.
Thousands of people thronged to five different locations in Hong Kong on Apr 3 to hear and see presidential candidate Mar Roxas and his running mate, Leni Robredo, as they went around Central, talking and listening to overseas Filipinos.

Mar Roxas (above) and Leni Robredo (below)
address the huge Chater Road crowd.

As it was a Sunday, the two were besieged by many overseas Filipino workers out on their only day off in the week.
Roxas and Robredo who requested that no security escorts shield them from the crowd, gamely shook hands, posed for pictures, and when time permitted, gave short speeches and chatted with the OFWs.
In one of her impromptu speeches, Robredo told a jubilant crowd at Edinburgh Place that she and Roxas were there not to make promises – as most candidates are wont to do during the election season – but to listen.
“Sa panahon na ito ng eleksyon, marami ang pupunta sa inyo, makikiusap, mangangako. Pero sabi namin ni Pangulong Mar, nandito kami hindi para mangako, kundi para pakinggan kayo,” she said.
She also said it was important for the government to listen more to OFWs before coming up with any programs meant to address their needs.
“Mas mahalaga sa lahat na nabibigyan kayo ng boses para yung mga programa ng ating pamahalaan (ay) naaayon sa kung ano ang kailangan ninyo, at naayon sa kung ano ang gusto ninyo,” she said.
Roxas, in his speech at a lunch forum in Pier 7 Cafe, told more than 100 Filipino community representatives, that after listening to OFWs who have spent years, even decades working abroad, he was convinced that government had to step forward to help them before, during, and even after their stint abroad.

Roxas meets community leaders at a restaurant
where he explained his plans 

“Mahalaga na ang pamahalaan ay hindi pabigat sa inyo, kundi madaling lapitan”, he said.
He said that those who are about to leave should get the best training possible so they are not left vulnerable when they are abroad. Once they reach their destination, it is important that they get a direct line to the government, and when they return, that they have an easy access to capital and cheap loans to start their own businesses.
The first stop in their itinerary was St Joseph’s Church on Garden Road, where they, along with party mate and senatorial bet Risa Hontiveros and congressional candidates Bolet Banal and Alfred Vargas, attended the 10am mass.
More than a thousand people besieged them afterwards, including not just churchgoers but supporters and representatives from both Hong Kong and community newspapers, as well as freelance photographers.
An even bigger crowd gathered as they later walked through the Sunday crowds around the HSBC headquarters and Statue Square in Central. A small group of Migrante members camped at HSBC and armed with a megaphone tried to counter the cheering of supporters but were largely unsuccessful.
Over lunch at Pier 7, more than 100 people representing various sectors in the community had the chance to confer privately with Roxas and his team, and then raise questions during a forum.
A brief break followed for media interviews, first with Roxas, and then Robredo. It was during Robredo’s interview that Roxas took the chance to go out and sit in a secluded area by the sea, where he pursued chats with the few OFWs who were around.
A photo of him listening intently to OFW Marites Palma was subsequently used by his election rivals to suggest that he was brooding about being shunned by people in Hong Kong.

The yellow crowd at Edinburgh Place.

The next stop was Edinburgh Place, where three tents were set up earlier in the day to await the 3pm meet-up which was, however, delayed by an hour. The event turned into one big carnival with zumba and ati-atihan dancers, and the impromptu program being hosted by Roxas himself.
Nearby, thousands of people were also gathered for a day-long campaign rally by supporters of another presidential candidate, Rodrigo Duterte, who did not come despite earlier reports that he would, along with his vice presidential candidate Alan Peter Cayetano. The crowd was entertained by actor Aljur Abrenica and girly group Mocha Girls. (The SUN tried to cover the event but was denied an interview by the lead organizer).
The final stop in the administration candidates’ visit was Chater Road, where the organizers Luzon Alliance extended an invitation to the two, after hearing about their visit.
The original guest was Roxas’ celebrity wife, Korina Sanchez-Roxas, who was invited to crown the winner of a beauty pageant held that day.
An estimated 5,000 people came to watch and listen to Roxas and Robredo, as each delivered a short speech.

Mga regular na bumoboto

Nakakatuwang pagmasdan ang mga OFW na sa tinagal-tagal nila sa Hong Kong ay hindi pa rin nakakaligtaang bumoto. Ni minsan ay hindi sila pumalyang magpunta sa Bayanihan Centre para bumoto tuwing halalan.

Evelyn Gavarda

Isa dito si Evelyn Gavarda, 63 taong gulang at 26 taon na sa Hong Kong. Ayon sa kanya masayang masaya siya kapag dumarating ang halalan dahil nararamdaman niya ang kanyang pagka Pilipino. Sana raw ay ganoon din ang pagpapahalagang ibigay ng kanyang mga kapwa Pilipino sa pagpili ng kanilang mga susunod na lider. Dagdag pa niya, mas maayos daw ang daloy ng botohan ngayon keysa sa mga nakaraang halalan.

Mercy Fullido

Kabilang din sa mga may edad na bumoto si Mercy Hirika Fulido, 61 taong gulang, taga Bohol,  at 29 taon nang naninilbihan sa iisang amo sa Hong Kong. Kahit ang pabugso bugsong ulan noong Abr 10, unang Linggo ng botohan, ay hindi naging hadlang para magtungo siya sa Bayanihan para bumoto. Naniniwala daw kasi siya na mababago ang sistema ng pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng pagboto.

Luz Ollanas

Si Luz Ollanas, 60 taong gulang at 22 taong nang malayo sa pamilya, ay kabilang din sa mga bumoto noong araw na iyon. Naniniwala daw siya na kapag nanalo ang ibinoto niya ay magiging maayos ang paliparan, mawawala ang corruption, at magiging maayos na ang bansa. Nagmula si Ollanas sa Las Pinas.
Kabilang din sa mga masisagig na bumoto sa araw na iyon si Maria Tiongsin 62 taong gulang, at 21 taon nang nagtatrabaho sa ibang bansa. Kasiyahan daw niya ang bumoto, kahit mukhang hindi masyadong popular ang kanyang napiling presidente. Ngunit kahit mag-isa lang daw siyang bumoto sa kandidato niya ay masaya pa rin siya dahil malaya niyang naipahiwatig ang kanyang saloobin. – Marites Palma

Bullying backfires; voter changes mind

It may have been just an attempt to poke fun at presidential candidate Mar Roxas, but the joke went out far and wide, before coming back to haunt the person who sent it out through Facebook.
Early on Apr 4, barely a day after Roxas and his running mate Leni Robredo were mobbed by crowds of overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong, a picture was posted on Facebook of the presidential bet sitting alone, hunched and looking forlorn.
The picture was shared by Peter Lavina, spokesperson of another presidential bet, Rodrigo Duterte, with the caption: “Mar was in for a real shock after finding out for himself that indeed Duterte has captured almost all OFWs.”
“Nilangaw ang rally doon ng tuwad na daan. The visibly disoriented, demoralized Mar was a picture of defeat,” the post said.
Almost immediately, The SUN contributor and OFW leader Marites Palma came out to disprove the claim. She posted an unedited version of the picture, showing Roxas surrounded by a number of people, including her. She said Roxas was actually listening intently to the stories she was sharing at that time.
In her post that immediately went viral, Palma said: “Ako po yung nakasuot ng blue shirt [sa larawan]. Maling mali naman po ang caption ng kuhang larawang ito.”
“Matama pong nakikinig sa aking hinaing si Mar Roxas tungkol sa aking naging karanasan noong inuwi ko ang aking pinsan, na may malaubhang sakit dito sa Hong Kong. Yung hinaing ko tungkol sa taxi driver sa airport na nangotong sa amin from airport to the terminal papuntang Isabela,” she said.
Palma’s disclaimer immed-iately shut up the other camp, even if the cropped picture was shared extensively by its members on social media.
Palma, who the founding president of the Roxas (Isabela) Group of Migrants, said she couldn’t keep silent amid the unfair criticism hurled at Roxas, who had given her precious time during his visit to Hong Kong.
Although unnerved by the bullying she has received from some Duterte supporters after stepping up to disprove the lie, she said the incident opened her eyes to the seamy side of politics. It has also made her decide to turn her back on her earlier choice for president, and support Roxas instead. – Daisy CL Mandap

Elderly voter says she wants ‘peace of mind’

Norma Gulapa (right) is aided down the
Bayanihan stairway after she cast her vote on April 10.

Norma Gulapa waited for the heavy rain on Sunday, Apr 10, to ease before she ventured out of her rented public housing flat in Yau Tong to travel by bus and tram to Kennedy Town. She wanted to be an early bird on Day Two of the 2016 Philippine national elections.
Nanay Norma, 78, appeared weak and wan and was helped by volunteers up the steep flights of stairs to the polling booths at Bayanihan Centre.
“Kalalabas ko lang sa ospital kahapon, sumama ang pakiramdam ko, tumaas ang aking dugo,” Nanay Norma said in an interview with The SUN shortly after she voted.
Her blood pressure was 218/60, indeed alarming for a septuagenarian. She was hospitalized and released only a day earlier, yet there was fire and firmness in her speech.
She said she voted for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
“Duterte, baka sakali,” she replied confidently when asked who she voted for president.
“Kasi sa buong buhay ko parang masyadong walang peace of mind, eh. Kasi, tingnan mo, kahit ang tahi-tahimik mo, mayamaya huholdapin ka, o kaya aagawan ka ng ano,” Nanay Norma said.
She related how shocked she was one time when a man snatched her necklace from behind as she sat on a jeepney in Muñoz, Quezon City. The thief’s sharp nails scraped her nape and neck leaving scars. That influenced her choice.
But that choice is not a popular one in her family.
Her two grown-up sons who both work as bartenders heaped scorn on her when she said she was voting for Duterte, saying she was supporting a “murderer”. She told them that was a lie.
With the current state of affairs back home, Nanay Norma said she prefers spending her retirement in Hong Kong, where she stays in a public housing flat and lives on the meager pension she gets from the government. – Vir B. Lumicao

Migrante leader is first to vote

Baneng Mendez (left) awaits the opening of the poll center.

She waited for more than 18 hours to become the first voter in the 2016 overseas election in Hong Kong, but for Baneng Mendez, the wait was well worth the effort.
“To become the first voter in Hong Kong (is) to mark the first vote for Neri Colmenares as senator and Migrante party-list sa party-list naman,” said Baneng, who is one of the active leaders of Migrante in Hong Kong.
Baneng took over the yearly quest for a place in overseas voting history from fellow Migrante leader, Rowena de la Cruz, who has gone home for good after setting the record as the first voter for the past three elections: in 2007, 2010 and 2013.
Baneng said it means a lot to give their candidates the first vote because “gusto namin silang manalo”.
To make sure no one nudged her from the top spot, Baneng set up camp by the gate of Bayanihan Centre where the polling was due to take place, at 2pm on Apr 8, the day before the overseas vote was set to start.
Aside from a small reclining chair, she brought with her a small bag of “baon” which contained 15 pieces of puto. For dinner, she said she asked a friend who lived nearby to bring her some “ulam”.
During parts of her vigil, she was joined by some fellow Migrante leaders, who were as keen as her to be among the first to cast their votes.
But she was quick to say it was not a group decision. “Sarili naming effort ito, kasi hindi naman namin hawak ang schedule ng iba naming mga kasama sa kanilang mga employer,” said Baneng.
Her effort did not escape the notice of Commission on Elections officers led by Commissioner Arthur Lim and lawyer Jane Valeza, who spent some time talking to  Baneng, and marveling at her determination to have her place in OV history.  – Daisy CL Mandap

Heavy security irks Consulate protesters

By Vir B. Lumicao

Bayan Hong Kong chairman Eman Villanueva
denounces the heavy police presence at the Consulate

Migrant workers denouncing the recent killing of three farmers and wounding of scores in a police dispersal in Kidapawan, North Cotabato were upset when more Hong Kong police than they expected were posted at the Consulate lobby during their rally on Apr 6.
At least 15 uniformed and undercover police officers were around when the rally which started at 11 am got underway in the 14th floor lift lobby of United Centre.
Speakers demanded to know why the North Cotabato local government did not use a P238 million calamity fund to help the farmers whose lands were ravaged by drought. Instead, police and soldiers dispersed the farmers who staged a protest with water cannons, truncheons and bullets.
“This is inhumanity. This is fascism. The ones who have violently dispersed the hungry farmers are without mercy,” the rally organizer Hong Kong Campaign for the Advancement of Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines said in a statement.
The protesters were joined by Aglipayan, Anglican and Methodist ministers, LegCo Member Leung Kwok-heung and representatives of 14 other migrant groups.
Father Dwight de la Torre read two statements from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente Hong Kong Fellowship and the Iglesia Filipina Independiente condemning the violent dispersal of protest that killed three, injured 116, and left 89 missing.
“This is unconscionable, This is condemnable…All they wanted was for the Philippine government to provide them assistance during the long spell of drought,” the statement said.
A joint petition signed by 17 groups and individuals in Hong Kong was handed to Vice Consul Fatima Quintin who came out to meet the group.
Before this, Bayan Hong Kong chairman Eman Villanueva protested the unusually heavy police presence during the rally.
“There are more police than protesters here. I think the Consulate should rescind its policy. You do not need to invite so much police presence here. We have been doing this protest action for decades and never did we commit any violation or destruction of property here,” Villanueva said.
He said the protesters were there to condemn the police armed assault on the hungry farmers asking for food.
Quintin struggled to explain to Villanueva why there were more police officers in the consulate lobby this time than in previous protests staged by the same group.
She said it could be because the officers saw Leung join the protest, she said.
Later, Quintin said it was not the Consulate that asked for heavy police security. She said the police as usual arranged the security when the protesters applied for a rally permit the day before.
In previous rallies, only about six officers would go up to the lobby with the marchers.

POLO plans to move to United Centre

By Vir B. Lumicao

Plans are afoot to move the Philippine Overseas Labor Office back to the United Centre building in Admiralty, but not necessarily returning to its former space inside the Philippine Consulate on the 14th floor.
Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre said in an interview on Apr 8 that he was looking for available space in United Centre so overseas Filipino workers will not have to go to two different buildings to process their work contracts.
“We are planning to move back to the United Centre if there’s a vacant unit there. This place is too inconvenient for OFWs,” De la Torre said of POLO’s offices on the 11th and 16th floors of the Admiralty Centre Tower 1 where it moved about two years ago.
He said it was too burdensome for the workers to move from one building to another “for basically the same transactions” such as contracts, authentication, and passport renewal.”
De la Torre disclosed that he had already met with the building administrator at United Centre to discuss his search for POLO’s new home.
His other objection is over the high cost of rental for POLO’s offices in Admiralty Centre. For the two offices, the total rental amounts to $460,000 a month, a sum that even other labor officials deem excessive, especially considering the more pressing need to provide help to distressed migrant workers.
“This is a mistake, and it’s expensive,” De La Torre said in describing POLO’s present quarters.
Finding the new offices has also proved challenging to many OFWs. More than a year after POLO moved to its posh quarters, many still find it difficult to find their way there.
On Sundays, entry to the building is also restricted by the building management, which lets in OFWs to the lift lobby by batches, after making them line up in a dim alley outside the building.
POLO moved to its current address on Mar 1 last year, with no less than Philippine Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz gracing the occasion. She and other labor officials hailed the move as a big step towards improving services to OFWs. But soon after, then Labor Attache Nenita Garcia decided to move the OEC application processing back to POLO, after several years of providing the service at Bayanihan Centre during Sundays.
That decision resulted in the new POLO offices being swamped by thousands of Filipino workers applying for the OEC during the peak months, ahead of going back home to the Philippines.

PGBI Globe is 2

The Philippine Guardians International Globe HK chapter celebrated its second anniversary on Apr 9 in Tin Hau Garden, in Causeway Bay. Bethune House migrant shelter’s Edwina Antonio was supposed to be the guest of honor, but she became ill, and sent Analyn Ningala in her stead. Ningala was asked to hand the certificates of recognition to the presidents of the different PGBI chapters who attended the celebration, and pledged their full support for the Coins for Bethune House charity fund drive. Apart from this, the PGBI groups aim to extend financial support to needy members, and to family members back home in times of emergency. – Marites Palma