Wisdom

One Oriental philosopher says:

• When without money, keep pigs; when have money, keep dogs.
• When without money, wish to get married; when have money, wish to get divorce.
• When without money, eat at home with wife; when have money, dine with women in fine restaurant.
• When without money, wife becomes secretary; when have money, secretary becomes wife.
• When without money, act like a rich man; when with money, act like poor man.

Making a baby
The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, “Well, I'm off now. The man should be here soon.”
Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale. “Good morning, Ma'am>>,” he said, “I’ve come to...”
“Oh, no need to explain,” Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, “I’ve been expecting you.”
“Have you really?” said the photographer. “Well, that’s good. Did you know babies are my specialty?”
“Well that's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat.”
After a moment she asked, blushing, “Well, where do we start?”
“Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there.”
“Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work out for Harry and me!”
“Well, Ma'am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.”
“My, that's a lot!” gasped Mrs. Smith..
“Ma’am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I”d love to be in and out in five minutes, but I'm sure you’d be disappointed with that.”
“Don't I know it,” said Mrs. Smith quietly.  
The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. “This was done on the top of a bus,” he said.
“Oh, my God!” Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat.
“And these twins turned out exceptionally well - when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with.”
“She was difficult?” asked Mrs. Smith.  
“Yes, I'm afraid so. I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look.”
“Four and five deep?” said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement..
“Yes,” the photographer replied. “And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots. Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in.”
Mrs. Smith leaned forward. “Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh...equipment?”
“It’s true, Ma’am, yes. Well, if you’re ready, I'll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away.”
“Tripod?”
“Oh yes, Ma'am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big to be held in the hand for long.”
Mrs. Smith fainted

Covers the period May 1-15

DAGA. Isinilang noong 1924/36/48/60/72/84/96
Hindi ka magkandaugaga sa trabaho ngunit huwag panghinaan ng loob dahil masusulit din ang lahat ng hirap at pagod. Maaring mabigo sa pag-ibig ngunit mabilis ding makakabawi lalo na kung mananatiling positibo ang pananaw. Madaling mapagod kaya maglaan ng sapat na oras sa pahinga para mabawi ang nawalang lakas. Magkakaroon ng problema dahil sa asal ng mga anak.

BAKA. Isinilang noong 1925/37/49/61/73/85/97
Huwag hayaang matali sa responsibilidad lalo na kung napipilitan lang upang hindi masayang ang oras, dahilan upang sisihin ang sarili sa bandang huli. Tiyakin na matiwasay ang paligid bago sumabak sa laban upang maiwasan ang panganib at posibleng kumplikasyon na dulot nito. Mag-ingat sa mga taong mapagsamantala at kilalanin ng husto ang mga kaibigan.

TIGRE Isinilang noong 1926/38/50/62/74/86 at 98
Asahan ang malaking pagbabago na maaring magdulot ng matinding dalamhati pero huwag mag-alala dahil maganda ang resultang kaakibat nito.  Huwag magpaapekto sa hindi kanais-nais na pag-uugali ng mga anak dahil kailangang ipakita sa kanila na kontrolado mo ang sitwasyon. May problema sa sikmura kaya iwasan ang mamantikang pagkain pati na rin ang kape at alak.

 KUNEHO Isinilang noong 1927/39/51/63/75/87
Ihanda ang sarili sa pagdagsa ng maraming biyaya. Pagtuunan ng pansin ang mga pagbabago na kailangang isakatuparan sa trabaho para mas madaling maabot ang tagumpay. Malaking leksyon ang matututunan dahil maaring mawala ang perang ipinautang sa kaibigan at magiging dahilan ito upang masira ang relasyon na hinubog ng matagal na panahon. Unti-unti nang magkakaroon ang katuparan ang mga pangarap.
.
 DRAGON Isinilang noong 1928/40/52/64/76/88
Matindi ang pangangailangan sa pera at makakatulong ng husto ang pagkakaroon ng kontrol, lalo na sa pagbili ng mga bagay na hindi naman kailangan. Huwag hayaang matali ang sarili sa relasyon na walang patutunguhan. Sa mga walang asawa, maaring makilala ang taong magpapatibok sa puso. Maglaan ng sapat na panahon para sa sarili upang makapagpahinga ng husto at agad na makabawi ang nanghihinang katawan.

AHAS Isinilang noong 1929/41/53/65/77/89
Malaking pagbabago ang magaganap dala ng magandang takbo ng negosyo. Sa mga mag-asawa, maglaan ng panahon para seryosong pag-usapan ang plano sa buhay upang magkaroon ng linaw ang patutunguhan ng relasyon. Pag-aralang mabuti ang hakbang bago gumawa ng desisyon upang hindi mapahamak . Matinding pananakit ng ulo ang mararanasan kaya iwasan ang mataong lugar o magulong paligid.

KABAYO. Isinilang noong 1930/42/54/66/78/90
Maganda ang pasok ng pera sa linggong ito kaya maari nang mabili ang isang bagay na matagal nang inaasam. Makikilala na ang taong magbibigay o magpupuno ng iyong kaligayahan. Maraming oportunidad ang uusbong sa trabaho kaya samantalahin ang bawat pagkakataon na ipamalas ang tunay na kakayahan.

KAMBING. Isinilang noong 1919/31/43/55/67/79 at 91
May malaking problema sa pera ngunit malaking tulong ang naimpok sa bangko upang malampasan ang sitwasyon. Maglaan ng oras sa pamilya gaano man kaabala sa ibang bagay. Huwag matakot magkamali sa trabaho dahil sa ganitong pagkakataon higit na nahuhubog ang tunay na kakayahan. Makakatanggap ng sulat na naglalaman ng magandang balita. Mag-ingat sa mga patibong ng mga kasamahan sa trabaho.

UNGGOY. Isinilang noong 1920/32/44/56/68/80/92
Angkop ang panahon para gumawa ng desisyon na base sa sariling sapantaha at sentido kumon. Panatilihing masaya ang disposisyon sa buhay kahit maraming problema na kailangang harapin. Sa mga mag-asawa, punan ng pang-unawa ang nakikitang pagkukulang ng bawat isa. Asikasuhing mabuti ang pangangailangan ng mga anak.

TANDANG. Isinilang noong 1921/33/45/57/69/81/93
Makakatulong ng husto ang lakas ng loob upang maiwasan ang matinding pagkakamali. Malaki ang pangangailangan sa pera pero hanggat maari ay huwag kumapit sa patalim. Makakakuha ng positibong tugon kung magpapamalas ng tunay na pagkagiliw sa taong napupusuan. Sa kabila ng pagiging abala, tiyakin na laging may oras para sa pamilya. Aani ng tagumpay ang mga proyekto kaya linangin ng husto ang sariling kaalaman.

ASO. Isinilang noong 1922/34/46/58/70/82/94
Maaring magkaroon ng malaking problema lalo na kung sobrang pabaya sa buhay. Huwag hayaang maloko ng mga kasama sa trabaho kahit na nangangahulugan itong dadami ang mga kaaway. Maayos ang kalusugan pero huwag magpabaya para manatiling masigla ang isip at katawan. Matiwasay ang sitwasyon sa loob ng tahanan.

BABOY. Isinilang noong 1923/35/47/59/71/83/95
Madaling maibagay ang sarili kaya maaring pakinabangan ang lahat ng pagkakataon. Babalik ang lakas mula sa hindi maipaliwanag na pananamlay kaya kailangan ibaon na sa limot ang masamang alaala. Kontrolin ang sarili at huwag magpadala sa silakbo ng damdamin. May malaking problema sa loob ng tahanan kaya kailangang maging matatag alang-alang sa pamilya.

FDHs seek $5k minimum salary

By Daisy CL Mandap

Foreign domestic workers who will join the annual Labor Day rally on May 1 are set to call for their minimum wage to be raised to $5,000.
This was revealed by Eman Villanueva, a spokesperson of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body, which is organizing the FDW contingent in the protest.
Participants who will mostly come from trade unions will gather at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay and after a brief program, march to the Central Government Offices in Tamar.
Villanueva said the higher wage demand by migrants is based on the $38 per hour minimum pay being sought by local workers, up from the current rate of $32.50.
After factoring in the latest data on the “per capita” expenditure of workers, he said the figure should actually be $5,300.
But even with the reduced amount of $5,000, he agreed it would be difficult to get the Hong Kong government to yield to the wage demand, given its track record of being stingy where migrants were concerned.
For the past three years at least, migrant workers had pushed for their so-called minimum allowable wage to be increased to $4,500, to no avail. The minimum salary is currently set at $4,100 per month.
“Pero mahirap namang masyadong maging conservative sa demand namin dahil we have to base it also on the prevailing cost of living and the current minimum wage given to other workers,” said Villanueva.
With the $38 per hour demanded by local workers, he said the monthly minimum wage would already be in the region of $12,000 which is far more than what the migrants are asking for.
Alongside the minimum wage hike, the FDWs are again demanding shorter working hours.
“Local workers are asking for a maximum of 44 hours of work per week, while we are willing to extend it to 60 hours,” said Villanueva. That means, a migrant worker should be working for only 10 hours a day on average for a six-day work week.
Studies show that on average, they work for between 12 and 16 hours daily.
The demands will also include the long-standing issues over the live-out ban and the two-week rule for foreign domestic workers.

Secret bank account linked to Duterte a game-changer?

Deposit confirms Duterte account. Photo: Ellen Tordesillas

Rodrigo Duterte had been leading public opinion surveys, even widening his lead over the field by capturing 33 per cent in the latest poll of the Social Weather Stations, a nine-point lead over second-placer Grace Poe-Llamazares.
This, despite public uproar against his joking about wanting to be first to rape an Australian who died in a Davao City hostage incident in 1989, which his opponents wished would tarnish his appeal.
Gimmicks such as signing an art board with his vice presidential candidate Alan Cayetano pledging to waive their right to keep their bank accounts from scrutiny under the bank secrecy law – and daring the other candidates to follow suit –were lapped up by his supporters.
Last April 27, however, his dare appears to have put his popularity to the test just two weeks before election day on May 9. Vice presidential candidate Antonio Trillanes accused him of accepting P211 million in deposits on his birthday in 2014 through a bank account he jointly held with his daughter Sara.
Trillanes said Duterte did not include the amount in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, which showed the Davao City mayor only had Php21.9 million in net assets.
When Trillanes challenged Duterte to waive his right to bank secrecy, Duterte refused, saying the accusation was fabricated.
“I will make it difficult for him,” Duterte said, “I will not play into his game.”
Trillanes answered with a threat to expose more such secret accounts.
While Duterte has remained aggresive, the tide in the comment section of major newspapers that carried the story is turning; those bashing Duterte appeared to have outgunned the normally dominant Duterte supporters.
Counter-propaganda against Trillanes that appeared on  social media was weak.
A photo showing a San Miguel Corporation check for Php500 million payable to Trillanes was quickly umasked as a fake when San Miguel denied it issued that check, and Banco de Oro said the account number in the check did not exist in its system.
Another social media offensive originating from Duterte’s spokesman Peter Lavina was a photo of Duterte with his vice presidential bet Alan Peter Cayetano, showing off the art board they signed as a pledge to waive their right against scrutiny of their bank accounts.
But this raised even another question: If there is such a waiver, why then is  Duterte refusing to open the account that Trillanes specified?
Chatter inside pro-Duterte Facebook pages also centered on Trilanes’ revelation -- mostly how to answer them.
The latest center of such attention was an April 28 Facebook post by journalist Ellen Tordesillas, who said her friend deposited Php 500 in the account cited by Trillanes. The deposit slip confirmed not just the existence of the account, but that it was owned by the Dutertes.
Thus, when asked about this by reporters during a campaign trip to Balanga, Bataan, the same day, Duterte said he indeed had accounts in the Pasig branch of the Bank of the Philippine Islands that Trillanes identified. But he said the deposits in these accounts were no more than Php50.000 and Php17,000.
Unable to deny the existence of the account, Duterte's camp was telling its followers the deposits in those accounts were just Php500 and less than Php50,000 -- not the millions that Trillanes mentioned.
Instead of opening the account and proving that Trillianes was a liar -- that his SALN was an honest statement of his net worth -- Duterte’s attitude appears to be a reminder of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
After Trillanes initiated the Senate investigation into the billion-peso anomalies in Makati, Binay refused to attend the hearings. Instead, he answered the charges in press conferences where reporters were not allowed to ask questions. With the hearings broadcast live on radio and television, Binay is now trailing in the surveys.
But Binay had choice words for his rivals: “Kung wala tayong itinatago, kung lahat tayo ay naniniwala na dapat ihayag natin ang lahat sa ating mga kababayan, kung lahat tayo nagsasabi na pabor tayo sa freedom of information, pirmahan ninyo ang waiver. Magpa-AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) din kayo.”
Other presidential aspirants have jumped into the fray.
Poe, whom Duterte’s camp accused of instigating Trillanes to make the accusations (because she was Trillanes’ choice of president), said: “The easiest way to do it is for him to open the account for public scrutiny. He was the first to dare his rivals to sign a waiver. He said he was willing to die for the country, this is one of the ways of doing it.”
Administration candidate Mar Roxas offered to sign his own waiver, and challenged Duterte to prove that his hands were not as dirty as his mouth.
On April 24, in the last of three presidential debates, Roxas dared Duterte to quit the race if he proved that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. had brought its services to Davao City. He was referring to Duterte’s claims that Philhealth had not reached his city.
The next day, Duterte dismissed as fake the documents showing that Philhealth had 1.4 members in his city and paid billions of pesos for their hospitalization.
Trillanes, for his part, issued his own challenge to Duterte. If his accusations are proven false, he would withdraw from his own race and resign as senator. But if it is true, then Duterte should withdraw from the race.

(Note: this is a running story so check for updates)

DAY 19: Voting ‘mirage’ livens up dull day

HK Police are on hand to keep the peace.

A little drama at the voting precinct provided some excitement on Apr 27, on an otherwise dull day at Bayanihan Centre, where only 466 came to cast their ballots in the ongoing 2016 Philippine general elections.
The day’s votes nudged up the total count to 24,628 after 19 days of the month-long balloting to elect a new president, vice-president, 12 senators and one partylist. The total translates to a 24.8% turnout from 93,000 registered voters.
A voter in Room 603 roused members of the Special Board of Election Inspectors when she raised a howl over why the names printed on her tear-off ballot receipt were not those of the candidates that she had marked on her ballot.
Vice Consul Alex Vallespin, head of the election board that conducts the voting in Hong Kong, rushed to the room when the issue was relayed to him.
“We told the voter that looked impossible, but we asked her to file a complaint so that we would send it to the Comelec,” Vallespin told The SUN in a telephone interview.
He said the voter declined to fill out a pro forma affidavit stating her complaint.
Vallespin said SBEIs were supplied the affidavit forms starting this week so that voters who complain about what they perceive as cheating in the precincts can file a formal complaint that would be investigated by the Commission on Elections.
“It seems some people are seeing mirages,” a puzzled Vallespin said of some voters’ claims about mismatched ballots and receipt printouts.
“I can’t still make out how such things happen,” he said.
He said he was doing a report to the Comelec about the various voter complaints relating to the vote counting machines installed in the polling precincts.
Vallespin said so far there was only one voter who filed an affidavit on Tuesday, complaining that her receipt showed more than the 10 senatorial candidates she had picked.
Two spare vote counting machines shipped by Comelec would be delivered to Bayanihan on April 28, Vallespin said. He requested for four of these machines after four spares that the poll body sent to Hong Kong earlier were used to replace broken machines.
Still, Vallespin was amazed that despite only nine vote counting machines operating, the election at Bayanihan has not been disrupted. – Vir B. Lumicao

DAY 18: VOTING QUIET BUT SOCIAL MEDIA ABUZZ WITH CHEATING CLAIM

The voter who claims to have been cheated

More than 500 people took advantage of the fine weather today, Apr 26, to cast their ballots at Bayanihan Center in Kennedy Town for the month-long overseas voting for the Philippine general elections.

Overseas Filipinos are voting for president, vice president, 12 senators and one partylist for the House of Representatives.

“Everything went on smoothly,” said Consul Charles Macaspac, the officer-of-the-day in the month-long overseas voting.

However, there were more people whose registration were deactivated for failing to vote in two consecutive elections, or who registered but whose names did not show up in the list provided by the Commission on Elections.

The election officials have yet to hear from the Comelec regarding their request for additional vote counting machines after another one broke down last Saturday.

Four VCMs have broken down so far, but three have been replaced by spare machines sent by Comelec in the first week of voting.

The Consulate is asking for at least four more spares, with about two more weeks to go before polling ends on May 9.

But amid the quiet day at Bayanihan was a big fuss on social media over a cheating claim by a supporter of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte.

(https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=eva%20ocate%20villa%20video)

The supporter who cast her ballot on Apr 17, returned to Bayanihan last Sunday, Apr 24, to complain about an SBEI (special board of election inspectors) who allegedly threatened to file a case against her for taking a photo of her ballot receipt.

The voter said she took the photo because the receipt did not show the names of her chosen president and vice president.

But according to Consulate officials, the receipt just got crinkled on top so the names overlapped. Taking a photo of the receipt is indeed, a violation of Comelec rules.

After some explaining by Consulate officials in the presence of media representatives and poll watchers, the voter eventually calmed down.

However, a video of her being interviewed by Duterte supporters about the alleged cheating immediately circulated on social media.

By today’s end, a total of 516 people voted, taking to 24,162 the total figure for the 18 days of voting since Apr 9. This represents 26% of the more than 93,000 registered Filipino voters in Hong Kong. – with a report from Vir B. Lumicao

DAY 17: VOTE TALLY DIPS DESPITE GOOD WEATHER

Fair weather took over yesterday, Apr 25, but work had apparently kept most Filipino voters in Hong Kong from trooping to the Bayanihan Center in Kennedy Town to cast their votes for the Philippine presidential elections.

By the day’s end, only 334 voters were recorded, one of the lowest in 17 days of voting.

Laging dagsa ang mga tao tuwing Linggo kahit maulan

The total figure now stands at 23,646, representing just over 22% of the more than 93,000 registered to vote in Hong Kong.

With just 14 days left in the month-long overseas voting, Consulate officials are still optimistic they could hit their target turnout of between 45% to 50%.

They described Monday’s voting at Bayanihan Centre as quiet and smooth, and with none of the technical glitches involving the vote counting machines.

Only nine VCMs are being used at the polling place, instead of the 10 originally designated for Hong Kong.

Comelec sent four replacement units in the first week of voting, but three have already been used in place of those that had broken down earlier. The fourth is not configured, so is useless.

A request for additional units has yet to be met.

Name change holds up poll tally

What’s in a name? A bit of trouble, as one voter realized last Sunday, Apr 24.

Aling Carmen

Old timer Carmencita D. Han caused the tallying of the votes to be delayed by an hour after the scheduled closure at 5pm, all because she had used a different name when she registered.

Aling Carmen arrived at Bayanihan Center where the overseas voting is being held at about 4:30 pm, after taking a circuitous two-hour trip by bus, train and taxi from her home in Tsz Wan Shan. Then she took 15 minutes to limp her way up to the secretariat because of her arthritic legs.

At the information desk, her name could not be verified because the name on her Hong Kong ID did not appear in the list of voters. She did, however, present a passport which bore the name she had used to register an as overseas voter.

“I registered as Carmencita D. Bautista, but I remarried about six years after my husband died in 1995,” she said.

She related she married a Korean trader surnamed Han, and decided to get a new HK ID card using his surname.

She said she last went to the polls in 2010, when she voted for incumbent President, Benigno S. Aquino III.

What encouraged her to travel all the way from Tsz Wan Shan to vote? She said she wanted her candidate to win and even placed a bet on him.

She is hoping the government will give farmers more help, provide children better education, and the country is rid of rape, drugs, and killings.

“Kung sinong gusto natin, yung nakikita nating may ginagagawa para sa bayan,” Aling Carmen said.

After checking with the Commission on Elections which gave the all-clear, Consulate staff helped Aling Carmen secure a ballot and feed it into the vote-counting machine.

Aling Carmen came to Hong Kong in the 1960s with her first husband, Ruben, a musician. Their children who were all born and raised in Hong Kong, are now grown-ups with families of their own and have adopted different nationalities.

Vir B. Lumicao

DAY 16: LESS THAN 6,000 TURNOUT AS RAIN, INCIDENTS MAR VOTING

The rain did not deter them
from casting their ballots 

Seasonal rain marred the third Sunday of overseas voting for the 2016 national elections today, dampening hopes for a new record tally in the month-long exercise.

At the end of the day, 5,659 cast their votes, about 1,000 fewer than the tally for the previous Sunday.

But more than hobbling with one vote counting machine down, the bigger concern yesterday was the growing list of people being unable to vote because their names were not in the list furnished by the Commission on Elections.

As of 3pm, 34 voters found to their dismay that their registration had been deactivated because they failed to vote twice consecutively in previous elections.

Another 80 who registered last year were not on the list.

Those whose names were deactivated did not stand a chance, but those who had been mistakenly left out of the list were made to wait while the secretariat texted Comelec to try to get them cleared to vote.

These were among those whose names
were not in tne list of voters

Two incidents were noted by poll watchers, one involving a voter who was mistakenly given two ballots that were stuck together, and another who complained about being threatened with a suit because she had taken a picture of her receipt.

In the first case, the poll watcher said the ballots could not be inserted into the vote counting machine so the SBEI (special board of election inspectors) marked the ballots as spoiled.

But according to Vice Consul Alex Vallespin, the voter was made to choose which of the two ballots she wanted to insert into the machine: the first where her choices for president, vice president and senators were marked, or the second with her partylist vote.

The voter chose the first.

In the second case, the voter returned to her precinct with two media representatives to confront the SBEI member who allegedly threatened to file a case against her afer taking a picture of her receipt.

But Vallespin assured her that her complaint had already been forwarded to Comelec, so there was no need to take a picture of her receipt, which was really prohibited under election rules.

The Consulate’s total tally after the 16^th day of the month-long balloting was 23,312 votes, or 25% of the 93,000 registered Filipino voters in Hong Kong. – Vir B. Lumicao

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

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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

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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