Mga eksena sa Independence Day celebration sa Chater Road ngayon, June 12, 2016, sa Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong. Antayin ang buong report sa susunod na mga oras.
Consulate offers help to scam victims
Posted on 02 June 2016 No comments |
| Vice Consul Fatima Quintin |
Duped job applicants who fail to collect refunds from employment agencies that ignore tribunal orders to pay up can seek help from the Consulate, according to an official of the assistance to nationals section.
Vice Consul Fatima Quintin, head of the ATN section, said the Consulate could directly bring up such cases with relevant Hong Kong government agencies.
“Kapag ganun, papuntahin lang sila sa amin dito sa Konsulado. We can assist them. We have been coordinating with the relevant agencies of the government to impose the penalties at yung mga payments sa kanila. Meron naman tayong magandang coordination sa kanila, with the departments or tribunals, with the relevant agencies,” Quintin said
“Kahit mia-refer lang ho namin sila with those agencies and then mai-endorse sila for the payment of the penalties,” Quintin said
The affected workers must provide a copy of the court or tribunal decision to bolster their complaints, she added
Quintin made the assurance when The SUN asked her about what the Consulate can do to help OFW victims of job scams who cannot collect claims against the recruiters that duped them despite winning their cases in court.
The SUN cited in particular the victims of Vicks Maid Employment Agency, which collected no less than $10,000 each from several domestic workers in 2014-2015 for purported jobs for their relatives at a luxury resort and golf course in Shenzhen.
The women laid claims against Vicks Maid owner Lennis Ebrahim at the Small Claims Tribunal in September last year. Ebrahim did not show up at the tribunal, so, the adjudicating officer granted the claims to the victims.
But more than eight months after the order was issued, Ebrahim still has to pay up. The victims say the recruiter could no longer be contacted by phone.
One victim said that when she tried to follow up on her case, she was told that she needed to pay a $2000 fee to the bailiff to enforce the order. The victim said she could not afford to pay this amount
Vicks Maid was stripped of its license and shut down by the Employment Agency Administration in April after a magistrate court convicted Ebrahim, its licensee, for overcharging a job applicant and changing its address without informing the EAA
Quintin said the Technical Working Group made up of the Labour Department, EAA, Immigration Department, Hong Kong Police and the Consulate, would meet again in June and the Vicks Maid case would be among the issues to be raised by the Consulate.
ATN can also seek advice or guidance from lawyer Melville Boase, the Consulate’s legal consultant, on how the victims can get the tribunal order enforced, Quintin said.
“Meron din namang Legal Aid, so, aside from that, marami namang channels to obtain further legal assistance in order to proceed with the claims kasi kahit tapos na ang kaso, may desisyon na. Siyempre sa kanila hindi pa tapos yung kaso for them (victims), kasi hindi pa sila nababayaran, di ba?Hindi pa nai-impose yung penalties,” Quintin said.
“Pumunta lang sila dito. At least kung hindi man ano, we can help them push for the implementation of the penalty,” she said.
Nurses, midwives welcome Labatt’s reintegration, skills upgrade offer
Posted on No comments |
| De la Torre with nurses. |
Filipino nurses and midwives working as domestic helpers in Hong Kong have welcomed recent moves by Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre to get them to fill up jobs in their chosen field in the Philippines or in other countries abroad.
At an initial meeting called by Labatt de la Torre on May 15, a total of 62 nurses and 26 midwives showed up for a briefing on what jobs are on offer, should they decide to reintegrate back home, or practice their profession in other countries.
Since then, they have been looking at various means to upgrade their skills so they could meet the required qualifications for the jobs that are available.
Labatt de la Torre said those who showed up at the meeting, especially the registered nurses, were "very enthusiastic" about the job prospects.
The midwives, on the other hand, pressed for another licensure examination to be held in Hong Kong, and for help in setting up birthing clinics in the Philippines which they are allowed to run as an alternative occupation.
For the nurses, high on the list of options is the chance to be placed for a nursing job in the Philippines under the Nurses Deployment Program, which is said to offer a "competitive" monthly salary.
Under this scheme, 35,000 nurses will de employed in regional health units and barangay health centers nationwide. The only drawback is that the contract will only be for a year.
However, those looking forward to working as a nurse in other countries could use the time to check our various options, then complete the application process from back home.
De la Torre told the nurses that among the countries that are recruiting foreigners for nursing jobs are Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Canada
"Germany is the best new market for temporary work. But if you're looking at the pathway of migration, it's either Australia, New Zealand or Canada," he said.
The positive feedback from the nurses prompted de la Torre to suggest that a Facebook page be created so they could communicate with each other more quickly and widely. He even added his own daughter, who is a nursing practitioner in Australia, to the group so she can give advice to the Hong Kong-based nurses.
De la Torre said the recruitment for foreign nurses in Australia is through the "temporary work program or the permanent visa or independent skills migration". But he said there has always been a high demand for nurses in the country
In either case, however, a qualified nurse still needs to go through a "bridging course" which could run from between three months to a year. The cost is quite steep, at upwards of AUD12,000 ($66,720) for the three-month course.
"Kung nag bridging course ka na, you will be allowed to work," said de la Torre.
However, the amount of money involved in getting qualified for a nursing job in another destination apart from the long waiting time is just one part of the problem. More troubling for those contemplating on going home is the prospect of giving up their job in Hong Kong so they could apply from the Philippines, given the policy against third country deployment.
"Many nurses are hesitant to do this because they will have to give up a job that pays well just so they could comply with the government requirement that they need to apply for the job from the Philippines," said Lorna Pagaduan, president of the dormant organization, Filipino Nurses Association Hong Kong.
She said it would be better if the government would allow them to apply from Hong Kong at least. Then when they they get confirmation of a job availability they could go home and process their papers from there.
For most, especially those who are not RN (registered nurses) yet, the bigger concern is to have another nursing licensure examination in Hong Kong.
After the dismal result of the first ever NLE in HK in 2009, when only 2 of the 90 examinees passed, the board exam has not been held here since, unlike the one for teachers which takes place almost every year.
The nurses' core group is now asking those interested in taking the NLE to sign a petition letter to the Professional Regulation Commission so the test can be held as proposed by June next year. Copies of the petition are available at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office or at the Metrobank office, both in Admiralty.
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| De la Torre with midwives. |
Brenda Atrero, president of the Integrated Midwives Association of the Philippines Hong Kong chapter, said they are also asking the government to provide jobs for them in barangay health centers or other local government units.
They also want help in putting up the Php300,000 needed to set up their own birthing clinics.
A second meeting between Labatt de la Torre and the midwives has been set for June 5, as they were not able to discuss all their concerns during the initial round of talks due to a lack of time.
National Flag Day relives HK role as patriots’ refuge
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By Vir B. Lumicao
Officials and staff of the Consulate laid a wreath on May 26 at the Morrison Hill Road Playground site where three Filipina women sewed the first Philippine flag 118 years ago.
The National Flag Day ceremony was led by Deputy Consul General Christian de Jesus, who was accompanied by Consul Charles Macaspac, Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre, Vice Consul Alex Vallespin, Assistant Labatt Ma Nena German and a handful of Consulate staff.
Also at the remembrance were a contingent from Lakbay Dangal led by Marites Mapa, as well as members of the organization Damayan.
The wreath was laid at the foot of the historical marker the Hong Kong government installed several years ago indicating the spot at 535 Morrison Hill where once stood a house rented by exiled lawyer Felipe Agoncillo and his family.
Agoncillo, together with Galicano Apacible, set up the Hong Kong Junta, a de facto government-in-exile of the revolutionaries, and held meetings in the house with other rebels as they continued to support the revolution from exile.
It was in a junta meeting on May 7, 1898, at the Agoncillo home that Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo requested Marcela to sew a flag that would be unfurled at the declaration of Philippine independence from Spain.
Marcela went looking for the finest silk at a textile market nearby and began sewing the flag manually with needle and thread, as well as with a sewing machine.
She was assisted by her daughter Lorenza, who some historians said was just 5 years old at the time; and Delfina Herbosa Natividad, a niece of Jose Rizal and wife of one of Aguinaldo’s generals.
Sometimes the two women and the girl missed meals as they worked overtime on the flag, and finished the job after five days. On May 17, 1898, the flag was packed along with other things that Aguinaldo carried when he returned to Manila.
The flag was first unfurled on May 28, 1898, after the Battle of Alapan in Cavite Nuevo, where the revolutionaries were victorious. Fifteen days later, it was formally unfurled in Kawit when Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine independence.
Hong Kong became a haven for Filipino exiles like Agoncillo when the revolution broke out in 1896. His family followed him into exile 22 months later.
According to historical accounts, the Morrison Hill house became a sanctuary for other revolutionaries, including Generals Antonio Luna and Aguinaldo, because Agoncillo welcomed anyone who arrived at the house.
Josephine Bracken, the fiancée of Rizal, also sought refuge in that house when she fled to Hong Kong amid a Spanish threat to torture her after the execution of the national hero.
Officials and staff of the Consulate laid a wreath on May 26 at the Morrison Hill Road Playground site where three Filipina women sewed the first Philippine flag 118 years ago.
The National Flag Day ceremony was led by Deputy Consul General Christian de Jesus, who was accompanied by Consul Charles Macaspac, Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre, Vice Consul Alex Vallespin, Assistant Labatt Ma Nena German and a handful of Consulate staff.
Also at the remembrance were a contingent from Lakbay Dangal led by Marites Mapa, as well as members of the organization Damayan.
The wreath was laid at the foot of the historical marker the Hong Kong government installed several years ago indicating the spot at 535 Morrison Hill where once stood a house rented by exiled lawyer Felipe Agoncillo and his family.
Agoncillo, together with Galicano Apacible, set up the Hong Kong Junta, a de facto government-in-exile of the revolutionaries, and held meetings in the house with other rebels as they continued to support the revolution from exile.
It was in a junta meeting on May 7, 1898, at the Agoncillo home that Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo requested Marcela to sew a flag that would be unfurled at the declaration of Philippine independence from Spain.
Marcela went looking for the finest silk at a textile market nearby and began sewing the flag manually with needle and thread, as well as with a sewing machine.
She was assisted by her daughter Lorenza, who some historians said was just 5 years old at the time; and Delfina Herbosa Natividad, a niece of Jose Rizal and wife of one of Aguinaldo’s generals.
Sometimes the two women and the girl missed meals as they worked overtime on the flag, and finished the job after five days. On May 17, 1898, the flag was packed along with other things that Aguinaldo carried when he returned to Manila.
The flag was first unfurled on May 28, 1898, after the Battle of Alapan in Cavite Nuevo, where the revolutionaries were victorious. Fifteen days later, it was formally unfurled in Kawit when Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine independence.
Hong Kong became a haven for Filipino exiles like Agoncillo when the revolution broke out in 1896. His family followed him into exile 22 months later.
According to historical accounts, the Morrison Hill house became a sanctuary for other revolutionaries, including Generals Antonio Luna and Aguinaldo, because Agoncillo welcomed anyone who arrived at the house.
Josephine Bracken, the fiancée of Rizal, also sought refuge in that house when she fled to Hong Kong amid a Spanish threat to torture her after the execution of the national hero.
Anger at ‘system abuse’ as pregnant torture claimant bids to stay in HK
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A pregnant Filipina torture claimant petitioned the High Court on May 17 for a judicial review of her application for non-refoulement, which had been twice denied by the Hong Kong Immigration Department.
The petition, filed by Jocelyn Urbiztondo, was heard by the Court of First Instance a day after a magistrate in another court chafed at what she called “abuse of the system by people who are not genuine refugees”.
Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai of the Eastern Court blasted the prosecution after noticing that a 2011 charge of breach of condition of stay against a former domestic helper was still unresolved because she had filed a torture claim. Chainrai noted that Rosalie Limalima was convicted of soliciting for an immoral purpose in 2014 and had already served her two-month prison sentence but was still in Hong Kong because of her torture claim.
In the High Court, Urbiztondo reiterated her grounds for her non-refoulement petition before Judge Douglas Yau, claiming she feared for her life if she returned to the Philippines because she would be tortured by people from whom she owed money.
Urbiztondo, a former domestic helper who said she had been in Hong Kong for the past eight years, had her non-refoulement claim turned down by the Immigration Department. She lodged an appeal with the Torture Claim Appeals Board, but it was rejected.
Torture claimants like Urbiztondo and LimaLima are allowed to remain in Hong Kong by virtue of recognizance of their pending claims by the Immigration Department. But they have to apply for non-refoulement, which protects them against deportation.
Yau asked Urbiztondo why she was applying for non-refoulement, and the petitioner told the judge through an interpreter her concern. “I am applying because my life will be endangered if I go back to the Philippines. I fear for my life that’s why I asked the Immigration Department to extend my stay in Hong Kong,” Urbiztondo said.
“Apart from that, do you have anything else to say?” Yau asked.
The woman stalled for a few seconds, then said she was seven months pregnant by her boyfriend, a Pakistani resident of Hong Kong.
“Why don’t you get married if you want to be a resident of Hong Kong?” Yau asked.
Urbiztondo replied she and her boyfriend had no plans yet, as the man was in Pakistan to spend Ramadan with his family. She said he would be back in Hong Kong June 6.
The judge said he needed some time to study the petition and advised Urbiztondo that the court would mail the judgment to her.
Over at Eastern Court, Chainrai blew her top when she saw Limalima’s case on her desk. “This case is dated 2011, what are you doing with it?” she asked when the prosecutor applied for a three-month adjournment, as the defendant had filed a torture claim.
Chainrai said the woman was convicted of soliciting last year while she had a pending case of breach of condition of stay.
“Don’t you think this is abuse of the system by those who are not genuine refugees? I think there should come a time when the Justice Department takes a stand on this abuse of the system,” she said.
She adjourned the hearing until Aug 16 and instructed Limalima to expedite matters.
Transwoman ‘traumatized’ by police probe after CR row
Posted on No comments
By Vir B. LumicaoA Filipina transgender who was interrogated by police recently for using the ladies' toilet in a mall says she, backed by some supporters, is contemplating a legal challenge to the gender-sensitive laws of Hong Kong.
“The incident has traumatized me that I’ll never go to that mall again,” said B, a university lecturer, in an interview. She now fears that if she goes to other malls and uses the women’s toilet, she will go through the same experience again.
The incident happened in early May when B decided to use the female toilet on the fourth floor of the mall to relieve herself, and a similar washroom on the third floor shortly after to adjust her bra and panties
It was when she emerged from the third-floor washroom that two men in civilian clothes saying they were police officers asked her to step aside to answer some questions
“They were showing me their IDs and were asking for my ID, but I was so scared I just walked on,” B said
“My immediate feeling and reaction was fear and doubt that they may not be real police but poseurs,” she said. “Honestly, if they were in uniform, I would have stopped and submitted to interrogation. It would not have dragged on for about an hour, but fear dominated me,” B said.
Unconvinced that the men were real police, B said she even told them to stop following her.
Then two other plainclothes men arrived and were later joined by a long-haired woman in civilian clothes who was introduced as a policewoman. The female officer asked for her Hong Kong ID and she showed it.
B recalled being asked about her gender, to which she answered she was a transgender woman. Asked why she used the women’s toilet, she pointed to her breasts, hair and body and said with her overall looks “I should not be using the men’s but the women’s only”.
As the episode unfolded, several passersby, some of them Filipinas, watched and stared, making B feel embarrassed.
Sensing this, the officers invited her to an exit where the policewoman checked her backpack’s contents, including her purse, her credit card and university ID. One asked if she was a student and she replied she was a lecturer teaching Sexuality and Gender.
The police only relented when the female officer checked her mobile phone and saw pictures of B after undergoing surgery, as well as photos of different men she had met on dating sites.
Asked by The SUN to comment on the incident, a duty officer of the Police Public Relations Branch issued the following statement: “Police provide services to all members of the public in an impartial and respectful manner irrespective of their gender, family status, race and whether or not they are disabled. Police acknowledge that some persons may have special needs and therefore will adopt an empathetic, practical and sensible approach while conducting any search.
“Police will arrange an officer of the same sex as the person to be searched to conduct a search on that person. In accordance with the existing legal provisions, Police will determine the gender of a person based on the information stated in his/her Hong Kong Identity Card.”
The incident has so traumatized B that she is now considering whether to stay in Hong Kong for long.
Talk of new shelter premature, says ConGen
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By Vir B Lumicao
Reports about a new shelter being offered by the Hong Kong government to house troubled Filipino domestic workers are premature, according to the Consulate.
At this stage nothing has been finalized and there’s no certainty about it, said Consul General Bernardita Catalla, as she requested a media embargo on the issue.
“Let’s not publish anything about the shelter because there’s nothing final about it,” Consul General Bernardita Catalla said.
“Kasi nakakahiya sa Hong Kong, alam mo nakatira ka lang dito. Pangkortesiya yan eh. Before telling the world about something, pinatatawag kami at ini-inform kami especially if the documents are pinai-embargo lang,” Catalla said.p
“Let’s not talk about it, nasa negotiations eh. Baka mainis ang gobyerno e pinangungunahan natin, sinasabi natin yung terms and conditions, wala pa eh, nothing,” she said.
However, another source said the HK government has firmed up the offer for a site in Tsuen Wan and is now just waiting for the Philippine government to submit a "letter of intent" to take it up and shoulder the refurbishment of the building.
The two-storey building in Tsuen Wan is reportedly made up of 12 separate flats which used to house staff of the Water Supplies Department.
Prior to this, Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre inspected six sites being offered by the Hong Kong government as possible shelters for distressed migrant workers, to be run by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.
In a Facebook post, de la Torre showed pictures of two sites he inspected and cited the Tsuen Wan facility as the best possible alternative to the 10-bed facility being rented by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration at the moment.
POLO runs the 652 sq ft., three-bedroom shelter on Belcher’s Street in Kennedy Town, which is being leased for more than $20,000 a month.
Before this, the HK government allowed POLO to take over, rent-free, a disused post office facility in Cheung Sha Wan and use it as the Filipino Workers Resource Center for about 10 years. The place was more than four times the size of the rented flat in Kennedy Town.
According to de la Torre, ConGen Catalla brought up the search for a possible shelter during a recent meeting with Labour and Welfare Secretary Matthew Cheung. The HK official quickly offered several sites which the Consulate could choose fro
“We didn’t expect that they would act so quickly,” Catalla said.
For its part, the Philippines might take some time to match the offer with a letter of intent, given the looming change in administration with the recent election victory of incoming President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
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| One of possible sites for shelter, located on Victoria Road. |
Reports about a new shelter being offered by the Hong Kong government to house troubled Filipino domestic workers are premature, according to the Consulate.
At this stage nothing has been finalized and there’s no certainty about it, said Consul General Bernardita Catalla, as she requested a media embargo on the issue.
“Let’s not publish anything about the shelter because there’s nothing final about it,” Consul General Bernardita Catalla said.
“Kasi nakakahiya sa Hong Kong, alam mo nakatira ka lang dito. Pangkortesiya yan eh. Before telling the world about something, pinatatawag kami at ini-inform kami especially if the documents are pinai-embargo lang,” Catalla said.p
“Let’s not talk about it, nasa negotiations eh. Baka mainis ang gobyerno e pinangungunahan natin, sinasabi natin yung terms and conditions, wala pa eh, nothing,” she said.
However, another source said the HK government has firmed up the offer for a site in Tsuen Wan and is now just waiting for the Philippine government to submit a "letter of intent" to take it up and shoulder the refurbishment of the building.
The two-storey building in Tsuen Wan is reportedly made up of 12 separate flats which used to house staff of the Water Supplies Department.
Prior to this, Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre inspected six sites being offered by the Hong Kong government as possible shelters for distressed migrant workers, to be run by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.
In a Facebook post, de la Torre showed pictures of two sites he inspected and cited the Tsuen Wan facility as the best possible alternative to the 10-bed facility being rented by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration at the moment.
POLO runs the 652 sq ft., three-bedroom shelter on Belcher’s Street in Kennedy Town, which is being leased for more than $20,000 a month.
Before this, the HK government allowed POLO to take over, rent-free, a disused post office facility in Cheung Sha Wan and use it as the Filipino Workers Resource Center for about 10 years. The place was more than four times the size of the rented flat in Kennedy Town.
According to de la Torre, ConGen Catalla brought up the search for a possible shelter during a recent meeting with Labour and Welfare Secretary Matthew Cheung. The HK official quickly offered several sites which the Consulate could choose fro
“We didn’t expect that they would act so quickly,” Catalla said.
For its part, the Philippines might take some time to match the offer with a letter of intent, given the looming change in administration with the recent election victory of incoming President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
Recruiter in Canada and UK jobs mess vows to pay up
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By Daisy CL Mandap
Weeks after she was linked to a massive recruitment for dubious jobs in Canada and Britain, a veteran employment agency operator has said she is willing to return the money of applicants who want to back out, or address the concerns of others.
But Ester Ylagan, who runs the 30-year-old Emry's Service Staff Employment Agency and the more recently set up Mike's Secretarial Services, insisted during an interview with The SUN on May 20 that she never intended to dupe anyone.
"Gusto ko lang tumulong," she said.
Ylagan, whose Emry's company is known to be the biggest supplier of Filipino domestic workers in the city, said she would not risk her company's good name for instant profit.
"Wala akong balak takbuhan ang mga nagrereklamo," she said. "Ang tagal-tagal na nang kumpanya ko, at hindi ko ito sisirain dahil lamang dito."
But she said she may not be able to pay back everyone all at once, as she had already sent their money to a London-based partner with whom she has communicated only via email.
The man, according to her, goes by the jaw-dropping names "William Clinton James" and "William Clinton Erich". Despite the highly suspicious nature of their dealings, and the fact that she has never met the man personally, Ylagan said she had remitted around $2million to him.
"Yung buong retirement pay ko, ibabayad ko na sa kanila," she said.
Ylagan admitted to having recruited around 500 people for jobs in Canada and the United Kingdom using her other company, Mike's Secretarial Services. They were charged $15,000 each for those bound for Canada, and $10,000 for those applying to go to the UK, although she said some asked to be allowed to pay by installment.
The jobs she offered ranged from domestic helpers, drivers, nurses to sales and marketing staff.
No job offers, contracts or in the case of the Canada positions, no labour market opinions were given to any of the applicants. All they got was an assurance that they would be deployed by June, or this month.
Later, the deployment date was reportedly moved to October this year, and Ylagan said her applicants should consider waiting until this time before running after her for their money.
However, because of all the complaints she has been getting lately, Ylagan said she has stopped sending money to "Clinton James". She has also reportedly complained to him about getting all the flak for his unfulfilled promise to start deployment as promised.
One Filipina who was enticed to drop by Emry's shop in Worldwide Plaza and join Ylagan's orientation seminar, said they were told that the lowest salary they could expect was equivalent to HK$22,000 for the helper's job. It was supposed to be much higher for the office jobs.
She said that despite not having a college degree, she was told she could qualify for the marketing position as she had some background in sales in her previous job in the Philippines.
Despite paying $10,000 in cash - money she just borrowed from a financing company at about 26% interest per year, she was not issued a receipt.
In the interview, Ylagan readily admitted to this, but said she had a ledger where all the payments received from each applicant was entered. She said this will be the basis for paying the refund due each applicant who wants to back out.
As of the time of the interview, Ylagan said she had already refunded a total of $26,000 to four applicants who had asked for their money, citing urgent needs.
Quite a number are reportedly holding on, still hoping to fly out to their chosen destination by October.
Ylagan said she had offered to meet with the complainants at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, but was told that she had to wait for Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre's return from an emergency leave so he could personally intervene in the case.
A number of complainants have also sought help from the Mission for Migrant Workers. According to the Mission's Edwina Antonio the applicants reported attending a closed-door meeting between them and Ylagan at Labatt de la Torre's office on May 29. The group was reportedly upset after being told that their money could not be refunded in full, and are now threatening to go public with their complaint.
Weeks after she was linked to a massive recruitment for dubious jobs in Canada and Britain, a veteran employment agency operator has said she is willing to return the money of applicants who want to back out, or address the concerns of others.
But Ester Ylagan, who runs the 30-year-old Emry's Service Staff Employment Agency and the more recently set up Mike's Secretarial Services, insisted during an interview with The SUN on May 20 that she never intended to dupe anyone.
"Gusto ko lang tumulong," she said.
Ylagan, whose Emry's company is known to be the biggest supplier of Filipino domestic workers in the city, said she would not risk her company's good name for instant profit.
"Wala akong balak takbuhan ang mga nagrereklamo," she said. "Ang tagal-tagal na nang kumpanya ko, at hindi ko ito sisirain dahil lamang dito."
But she said she may not be able to pay back everyone all at once, as she had already sent their money to a London-based partner with whom she has communicated only via email.
The man, according to her, goes by the jaw-dropping names "William Clinton James" and "William Clinton Erich". Despite the highly suspicious nature of their dealings, and the fact that she has never met the man personally, Ylagan said she had remitted around $2million to him.
"Yung buong retirement pay ko, ibabayad ko na sa kanila," she said.
Ylagan admitted to having recruited around 500 people for jobs in Canada and the United Kingdom using her other company, Mike's Secretarial Services. They were charged $15,000 each for those bound for Canada, and $10,000 for those applying to go to the UK, although she said some asked to be allowed to pay by installment.
The jobs she offered ranged from domestic helpers, drivers, nurses to sales and marketing staff.
No job offers, contracts or in the case of the Canada positions, no labour market opinions were given to any of the applicants. All they got was an assurance that they would be deployed by June, or this month.
Later, the deployment date was reportedly moved to October this year, and Ylagan said her applicants should consider waiting until this time before running after her for their money.
However, because of all the complaints she has been getting lately, Ylagan said she has stopped sending money to "Clinton James". She has also reportedly complained to him about getting all the flak for his unfulfilled promise to start deployment as promised.
One Filipina who was enticed to drop by Emry's shop in Worldwide Plaza and join Ylagan's orientation seminar, said they were told that the lowest salary they could expect was equivalent to HK$22,000 for the helper's job. It was supposed to be much higher for the office jobs.
She said that despite not having a college degree, she was told she could qualify for the marketing position as she had some background in sales in her previous job in the Philippines.
Despite paying $10,000 in cash - money she just borrowed from a financing company at about 26% interest per year, she was not issued a receipt.
In the interview, Ylagan readily admitted to this, but said she had a ledger where all the payments received from each applicant was entered. She said this will be the basis for paying the refund due each applicant who wants to back out.
As of the time of the interview, Ylagan said she had already refunded a total of $26,000 to four applicants who had asked for their money, citing urgent needs.
Quite a number are reportedly holding on, still hoping to fly out to their chosen destination by October.
Ylagan said she had offered to meet with the complainants at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, but was told that she had to wait for Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre's return from an emergency leave so he could personally intervene in the case.
A number of complainants have also sought help from the Mission for Migrant Workers. According to the Mission's Edwina Antonio the applicants reported attending a closed-door meeting between them and Ylagan at Labatt de la Torre's office on May 29. The group was reportedly upset after being told that their money could not be refunded in full, and are now threatening to go public with their complaint.
Lau tells DHs: Support cases vs employment agencies with facts
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By Vir B. Lumicao
Migrant workers should come forward and report employment agency abuses to the Hong Kong government, but must include evidence to support of their allegations, according to a local legislator and advocate of migrant workers’ rights.
Legislative Council member Emily Lau also urged Hong Kong’s 350,000 mostly Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers to submit their views on the draft “Code of Practice for Employment Agencies” so their opinion can be considered by the Labour Department.
Lau and fellow Legislator Fernando Cheung met briefly with the press and 15 domestic helpers accompanying them on a visit on May 22 to the Para Site art gallery in Quarry Bay. They were taken on a guided tour by Para Site executive director and curator Cosmin Costinas.
The maids, from non-government organizations Enrich and Helpers for Domestic Helpers, also voiced their complaints.
The department released the draft code in late April and is now consulting various sectors on the way forward. The Philippine Consulate has also circulated an online link to the code to members of the Filipino community, and encouraged them to submit their views. The consultation ends on June 17.
The SUN asked Lau how prepared the government was to give more teeth to the Employment Agency Administration to punish agencies that overcharge the helpers, force them to take out loans to pay for illegal fees, and confiscate their passports in the guise of holding them for safekeeping.
Lau, who chairs the Democratic Party, said workers who are subjected to these illicit acts should go to her or Cheung at the LegCo and present their complaints along with documentary proof.
The legislator said Labour and Manpower Secretary Matthew Cheung, who drafted the code, was bent on reforming the employment agency industry.
“He wants complete change,” Lau said, adding that if workers said they were made to take out loans, they must give evidence. “Hong Kong is a rule of law, so, we don’t want to make allegations or charges. They have to be backed up by facts.”
She said that over the years she had been approached by many domestic workers with complaints against their agencies, but until now she could not move on with their cases because they had not come up with proofs.
Lau also cited the need to foster a safer work environment for domestic helpers whose service is invaluable to the day-to-day operations of Hong Kong households.
“The government needs to set up a mechanism to handle complaints. They need to improve the existing system to handle disputes between the employees, employers and agencies. Employers also need better education on Labour Code compliance,” she said.
“We must also continue to push the Philippines and Indonesian governments to do more for their people, and to defend the rights of domestic helpers here in Hong Kong.”
Fernando Cheung, vice-chairman of the Labour Party, admitted that much of Hong Kong’s discrimination against foreign domestic workers stems from the traditional attitude of older generations towards these people.
He recounted how his Labour Party lost in an election after it supported a proposal to grant permanent residency to foreign domestic workers for their contribution to Hong Kong society.
But Cheung said he was hopeful the younger Hong Kong generation brought up by foreign helpers would bring about a change in attitude towards the maids.
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| Legislator Miriam Lau says over the past years she has received several complaints about abuses but these have gone nowhere because the complainants have not presented evidence. To her right are Legislator Fernando Cheung and Cosmin Costinas, Para Site executive director. |
Migrant workers should come forward and report employment agency abuses to the Hong Kong government, but must include evidence to support of their allegations, according to a local legislator and advocate of migrant workers’ rights.
Legislative Council member Emily Lau also urged Hong Kong’s 350,000 mostly Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers to submit their views on the draft “Code of Practice for Employment Agencies” so their opinion can be considered by the Labour Department.
Lau and fellow Legislator Fernando Cheung met briefly with the press and 15 domestic helpers accompanying them on a visit on May 22 to the Para Site art gallery in Quarry Bay. They were taken on a guided tour by Para Site executive director and curator Cosmin Costinas.
The maids, from non-government organizations Enrich and Helpers for Domestic Helpers, also voiced their complaints.
The department released the draft code in late April and is now consulting various sectors on the way forward. The Philippine Consulate has also circulated an online link to the code to members of the Filipino community, and encouraged them to submit their views. The consultation ends on June 17.
The SUN asked Lau how prepared the government was to give more teeth to the Employment Agency Administration to punish agencies that overcharge the helpers, force them to take out loans to pay for illegal fees, and confiscate their passports in the guise of holding them for safekeeping.
Lau, who chairs the Democratic Party, said workers who are subjected to these illicit acts should go to her or Cheung at the LegCo and present their complaints along with documentary proof.
The legislator said Labour and Manpower Secretary Matthew Cheung, who drafted the code, was bent on reforming the employment agency industry.
“He wants complete change,” Lau said, adding that if workers said they were made to take out loans, they must give evidence. “Hong Kong is a rule of law, so, we don’t want to make allegations or charges. They have to be backed up by facts.”
She said that over the years she had been approached by many domestic workers with complaints against their agencies, but until now she could not move on with their cases because they had not come up with proofs.
Lau also cited the need to foster a safer work environment for domestic helpers whose service is invaluable to the day-to-day operations of Hong Kong households.
“The government needs to set up a mechanism to handle complaints. They need to improve the existing system to handle disputes between the employees, employers and agencies. Employers also need better education on Labour Code compliance,” she said.
“We must also continue to push the Philippines and Indonesian governments to do more for their people, and to defend the rights of domestic helpers here in Hong Kong.”
Fernando Cheung, vice-chairman of the Labour Party, admitted that much of Hong Kong’s discrimination against foreign domestic workers stems from the traditional attitude of older generations towards these people.
He recounted how his Labour Party lost in an election after it supported a proposal to grant permanent residency to foreign domestic workers for their contribution to Hong Kong society.
But Cheung said he was hopeful the younger Hong Kong generation brought up by foreign helpers would bring about a change in attitude towards the maids.
Two Indonesian maids tell court they were fired for being pregnant
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By Vir B. Lumicao
The District Court is weighing its decision on two separate cases filed Indonesian maids who claimed they were fired after being found pregnant.
Waiyah, the plaintiff in the first case, said her boss had forced her to take a pregnancy test, while the second, Riyanti, said she was insulted and fired after her employer found out she was infanticipating.
Waliyah initially sued Terence Yip Hoi-sun and his former wife, Chan Man-hong, separately but the two cases were consolidated for the trial even though Yip never showed up in court. His whereabouts are unknown.
The trial scheduled for three days should have begun March 7 but stalled as Chan came looking sick, forcing Judge Alex Lee to adjourn the case after Waliyah testified.
The judge also instructed prosecutor Earl Deng to delve deeper into the Labour Code’s stand on terminating an employee who is more than six months pregnant.
Waliyah, giving evidence, said she was seven months pregnant when Yip fired her. On the witness stand, she said Chan ordered her to pee in a potty when she woke up on Oct 31, 2013, then dipped a pregnancy test strip into the vessel. She was fired Nov 2.
Waliyah said she had a difficult time finding a job after giving birth, but found one that lasted just six months. Then on Dec 14, 2015 she found a new employer who hired her for $5,000 a month on a two-year contract
In the trial on May 20, Chan represented herself and cross-examined Waliyah. She asked the Indonesian if she heard her tell Yip to fire her, and the helper said “no”.
At one point in the trial, Judge Lee asked Waliyah whether she knew the difference between the verb “force” and “ask”, as she had stated in the case that Chan forced her to urinate for the test. The maid admitted her mistake and said she was asked to do so.
Lee adjourned the case to a future date for the judgment.
Meanwhile, Riyanti is suing her former employer Wong Po-chu under the Employment Ordinance and Sex Discrimination Ordinance for allegedly bombarding her with insults after she found out she was pregnant, a District Court writ said.
Riyanti is seeking a $121,233 claim for breach of contract and other damages the District Court may grant.
The Indonesian accused Wong Po-chu, a nurse at Yan Chai Hospital, as saying: “You are a Muslim. Why are you with this man and got pregnant? This man is dirty,” told Riyanti.
Wong found out the maid was pregnant after she grabbed from Riyanti a medical report from Princess Margaret Hospital on April 8 stating she had been treated for an abscess.
Riyanti said she was taken to a clinic for check-ups on HIV and sexually transmitted diseases on succeeding days, according to the writ.
She had renewed her work contract with Wong thrice since 2010, despite a setback early in her job when the boss did not let her go home for the burial of her husband.
Riyanti said Wong made her copy and sign a prepared resignation letter on April 8, and verbally abused her again at the employment agency the next day. She was sent home on April 10.
PathFinders, a Hong Kong charity seeking to ensure that migrant workers and their Hong Kong-born children are respected and protected, said it is unlawful to fire any female employee due to her pregnancy. The law applies to all workers, including foreign domestic helpers.
However, the law also requires the helper to inform the employer about her pregnancy within a period.
The District Court is weighing its decision on two separate cases filed Indonesian maids who claimed they were fired after being found pregnant.
Waiyah, the plaintiff in the first case, said her boss had forced her to take a pregnancy test, while the second, Riyanti, said she was insulted and fired after her employer found out she was infanticipating.
Waliyah initially sued Terence Yip Hoi-sun and his former wife, Chan Man-hong, separately but the two cases were consolidated for the trial even though Yip never showed up in court. His whereabouts are unknown.
The trial scheduled for three days should have begun March 7 but stalled as Chan came looking sick, forcing Judge Alex Lee to adjourn the case after Waliyah testified.
The judge also instructed prosecutor Earl Deng to delve deeper into the Labour Code’s stand on terminating an employee who is more than six months pregnant.
Waliyah, giving evidence, said she was seven months pregnant when Yip fired her. On the witness stand, she said Chan ordered her to pee in a potty when she woke up on Oct 31, 2013, then dipped a pregnancy test strip into the vessel. She was fired Nov 2.
Waliyah said she had a difficult time finding a job after giving birth, but found one that lasted just six months. Then on Dec 14, 2015 she found a new employer who hired her for $5,000 a month on a two-year contract
In the trial on May 20, Chan represented herself and cross-examined Waliyah. She asked the Indonesian if she heard her tell Yip to fire her, and the helper said “no”.
At one point in the trial, Judge Lee asked Waliyah whether she knew the difference between the verb “force” and “ask”, as she had stated in the case that Chan forced her to urinate for the test. The maid admitted her mistake and said she was asked to do so.
Lee adjourned the case to a future date for the judgment.
Meanwhile, Riyanti is suing her former employer Wong Po-chu under the Employment Ordinance and Sex Discrimination Ordinance for allegedly bombarding her with insults after she found out she was pregnant, a District Court writ said.
Riyanti is seeking a $121,233 claim for breach of contract and other damages the District Court may grant.
The Indonesian accused Wong Po-chu, a nurse at Yan Chai Hospital, as saying: “You are a Muslim. Why are you with this man and got pregnant? This man is dirty,” told Riyanti.
Wong found out the maid was pregnant after she grabbed from Riyanti a medical report from Princess Margaret Hospital on April 8 stating she had been treated for an abscess.
Riyanti said she was taken to a clinic for check-ups on HIV and sexually transmitted diseases on succeeding days, according to the writ.
She had renewed her work contract with Wong thrice since 2010, despite a setback early in her job when the boss did not let her go home for the burial of her husband.
Riyanti said Wong made her copy and sign a prepared resignation letter on April 8, and verbally abused her again at the employment agency the next day. She was sent home on April 10.
PathFinders, a Hong Kong charity seeking to ensure that migrant workers and their Hong Kong-born children are respected and protected, said it is unlawful to fire any female employee due to her pregnancy. The law applies to all workers, including foreign domestic helpers.
However, the law also requires the helper to inform the employer about her pregnancy within a period.
Pinay jailed nearly 7 yrs for drug trafficking
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A Filipino mother who overstayed her visa and sold dangerous drugs to allegedly support her use of “shabu” or ice was sentenced on May 19 to six years and 11 months in jail after pleading guilty to a charge of drug trafficking.
Meliza Ortega, 34, wiped away tears as Justice Remedios D’Almada handed down the substantially reduced sentence after she discussed the appropriate jail term with the prosecution and defense lawyers.
Her guilty plea spared the Filipina of a likely sentence of about 11 years.
Ortega had already served a one-day prison sentence for breach of condition of stay by overstaying her visa as a domestic worker back in 2010. At the time, she had run way from her third employer in Hong Kong due to allegedly unbearable treatment.
The former maid, who came to Hong Kong in 2006, was arrested on Jan 5, 2015, in a police anti-drug operation in Mongkok.
A prosecution report said two police officers went to the second floor of a residential building on Mong Kok Road at around 11:25 am to conduct a search when the lift opened and the defendant emerged.
The officers saw her enter Flat A, which had a wooden door, and left the door unlocked, so they followed and saw her enter a room in the subdivided flat. The police forced the door open and saw the defendant and a local woman inside.The officers seized packets of drugs meant for delivery to customers consisting of 95.14 grams of ice, 9.81 grams of cocaine and 29.6 grams of heroin. The officers also confiscated $750 and two mobile phones from the Filipina.
During interrogation, Ortega admitted that she was also using shabu, a vice she acquired when she stayed with friends after she ran away from her employer in 2010.
She became an easy recruit to deliver drug orders because she was jobless and needed to send money to her family. She admitted she herself used a small quantity of shabu to banish her loneliness as she missed her daughter, now 18.-- Vir B. Lumicao
Meliza Ortega, 34, wiped away tears as Justice Remedios D’Almada handed down the substantially reduced sentence after she discussed the appropriate jail term with the prosecution and defense lawyers.
Her guilty plea spared the Filipina of a likely sentence of about 11 years.
Ortega had already served a one-day prison sentence for breach of condition of stay by overstaying her visa as a domestic worker back in 2010. At the time, she had run way from her third employer in Hong Kong due to allegedly unbearable treatment.
The former maid, who came to Hong Kong in 2006, was arrested on Jan 5, 2015, in a police anti-drug operation in Mongkok.
A prosecution report said two police officers went to the second floor of a residential building on Mong Kok Road at around 11:25 am to conduct a search when the lift opened and the defendant emerged.
The officers saw her enter Flat A, which had a wooden door, and left the door unlocked, so they followed and saw her enter a room in the subdivided flat. The police forced the door open and saw the defendant and a local woman inside.The officers seized packets of drugs meant for delivery to customers consisting of 95.14 grams of ice, 9.81 grams of cocaine and 29.6 grams of heroin. The officers also confiscated $750 and two mobile phones from the Filipina.
During interrogation, Ortega admitted that she was also using shabu, a vice she acquired when she stayed with friends after she ran away from her employer in 2010.
She became an easy recruit to deliver drug orders because she was jobless and needed to send money to her family. She admitted she herself used a small quantity of shabu to banish her loneliness as she missed her daughter, now 18.-- Vir B. Lumicao
Ma rebuked for daughter’s shoplifting
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An Eastern Court magistrate fined a young Filipina $1,000 on May 13 for shoplifting, but not before asking her mother to join her on the dock for a lecture on parental responsibility.
Deputy Magistrate Winston Leung dismissed a similar case against a co-defendant, another Filipina youth, after the prosecution withdrew the charge against her.
The defendant, 19-year-old Alleray Arriesgado, pleaded guilty on May 13 to a charge of theft and admitted the prosecutor’s report that, on Mar 15, she entered a Manning’s shop on Des Voeux Road West in Sheung Wan and took six bottles of GNC vitamins and a tube of hair removal cream when the sales clerk was not looking.
The stolen goods were valued at more than $1,700.
At the end of the day, when the sales clerk checked the shelves, she found out the goods were gone. She reviewed the CCTV recording in the shop and saw the defendant being caught on camera taking the items but not paying for them.
The employee called the police, who checked footage from the CCTV camera outside the shop.
It showed Arriesgado leaving the store and entering building No 408 on Des Voeux Road West.
Inquiries with residents on the block led the officers to the room rented by the defendant and her mother.
There they arrested the defendant and recovered all the stolen items.
“I convict the defendant of the charge of theft,” Leung said upon Arriesgado’s admission of the prosecution report.
In mitigation, the defense lawyer said Arriesgado was a dependent of her 56-year-old mother who was a restaurant worker.
The lawyer asked for leniency, citing his client’s guilty plea, remorse, and clear record. He requested the magistrate to impose a fine instead of a jail term because all the stolen items had been recovered.
Before sentencing, Leung asked the mother to stand beside her daughter.
“I understand that you are a Hong Kong resident and your daughter is not yet a resident. A young girl like her needs your guidance and supervision, and I’m giving her a chance,” Leung said.
He said the daughter stole merchandise worth $1,700, “not a small amount”, and was bound to be caught if she did it again in future.
Leung advised the mother to supervise her daughter, and the daughter to be good for the sake of her mother.
He ordered that the $1,000 fine be offset partly from the defendant’s $500 cash bail. - Vir B. Lumicao
Deputy Magistrate Winston Leung dismissed a similar case against a co-defendant, another Filipina youth, after the prosecution withdrew the charge against her.
The defendant, 19-year-old Alleray Arriesgado, pleaded guilty on May 13 to a charge of theft and admitted the prosecutor’s report that, on Mar 15, she entered a Manning’s shop on Des Voeux Road West in Sheung Wan and took six bottles of GNC vitamins and a tube of hair removal cream when the sales clerk was not looking.
The stolen goods were valued at more than $1,700.
At the end of the day, when the sales clerk checked the shelves, she found out the goods were gone. She reviewed the CCTV recording in the shop and saw the defendant being caught on camera taking the items but not paying for them.
The employee called the police, who checked footage from the CCTV camera outside the shop.
It showed Arriesgado leaving the store and entering building No 408 on Des Voeux Road West.
Inquiries with residents on the block led the officers to the room rented by the defendant and her mother.
There they arrested the defendant and recovered all the stolen items.
“I convict the defendant of the charge of theft,” Leung said upon Arriesgado’s admission of the prosecution report.
In mitigation, the defense lawyer said Arriesgado was a dependent of her 56-year-old mother who was a restaurant worker.
The lawyer asked for leniency, citing his client’s guilty plea, remorse, and clear record. He requested the magistrate to impose a fine instead of a jail term because all the stolen items had been recovered.
Before sentencing, Leung asked the mother to stand beside her daughter.
“I understand that you are a Hong Kong resident and your daughter is not yet a resident. A young girl like her needs your guidance and supervision, and I’m giving her a chance,” Leung said.
He said the daughter stole merchandise worth $1,700, “not a small amount”, and was bound to be caught if she did it again in future.
Leung advised the mother to supervise her daughter, and the daughter to be good for the sake of her mother.
He ordered that the $1,000 fine be offset partly from the defendant’s $500 cash bail. - Vir B. Lumicao
DWEP mixes clean-up drive with hike
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The group led by DWEP proponent, Dr. Michael Manio took off from HKU at 9am and reached the Peak Tower at 12:15pm, after taking 10,948 steps to their destination.
Six groups of students participated in the hike. All of them were told to observe and engage with nature, and each one was required to identify five different medicinal plants and take photos that tell a story about nature.
Each group was also encouraged to collect trash on their way up to the Peak, while others were tasked with fixing a broken fence.
The activity ended with the participants saying how happy they were about taking part in the experience that helped raised awareness about nature's beauty and why there is a need to preserve it. -- contributed by Ellen Almacin
New Metrobank Remittance branch
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Metro Remittance (Hong Kong) Limited, a subsidiary of Metrobank Philippines, inaugurated its new branch in Tsuen Wan last April 6 at Shop 109-110 Lik Sang Plaza, 269 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories. Special guest is Labour Attache Atty. Jalilo De la Torre; officiating priest was Rev. Fr. Midas Tambot.
Countdown for new gov’t begins
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With the proclamation of Rodrigo Duterte as president-elect and Leni Robredo as vice president-elect by June 1, the final countdown for the new government has begun.
The Congress, sitting as National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), has confirmed the election of the two top officials who will take over at noon on June 30.
The Senate and the House convened in joint session on May 24 and laid the ground rules for the canvassing of the votes for president and vice president, which started the next day. The two chambers also designated the members of the joint committee, eight from each chamber with five alternates.
By May 27, the NBOC had finished tallying the votes from 167 Certificates of Canvass (CoCs) from the provinces across the Philippines and from local and overseas absentee voting areas.
The official results for President are: Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte with 16,601,997 votes; LP’s Mar Roxas II with 9,978,175; independent candidate Grace Poe 9, 100, 991; outgoing Vice President Jejomar Binay 5,416,140; Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago 1,455,532; and, the late congressman Roy Seneres 25,779 votes.
For vice president, the official vote tally had Robredo winning by 263, 473 over Senator Ferdinand “Bong-bong” Marcos Jr. Robredo had 14, 418, 817 votes while Marcos got 14, 155, 334. Other results: Alan Peter Cayetano 5,903,379; Francis Escudero 4,931,962; Antonio Trillanes IV 868,501; Gragorio Honasan 788,881.
While Senators Poe, Cayetano, Escudero, Trillanes and Honasan lost in the May 9 elections, they will still be going back to the Senate to serve the remaining three of their six-year term until 2019.
During the three-day canvassing of votes, lawyers for Marcos questioned more than three million “undervotes” that, they claimed, were unaccounted for. But lawyers for Robredo said having “undervotes” is normal in any election.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the Senate panel at the canvassing board, added: “Undervoting is a right of the voter. It’s like an abstention."
Other objections were glossed over by the NBOC, saying it was beyond its powers to resolve these. Marcos’ lawyers said they were considering whether or not to file a protest before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, although they cited the additional cost.
The vice presidential race was a difficult one for Robredo, who started with a single-digit awareness in the survey ratings compared with the other contenders, particularly Marcos and Escudero who topped pre-election surveys.
Interviewed on television, Robredo said her victory was an “impossible feat.” She said she would not have entered politics had her husband not died in a plane crash in 2012. After Jesse’s death, she was convinced to run for a seat at the House of Representatives in 2013 mid-term elections representing the third district of Camarines Sur. Jesse Robredo was a long-time mayor of Naga City in Camarines Sur.
The NBOC’s final count was poignant for Robredo because on the same day, her late husband would have turned 58 years old.
The Congress, sitting as National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), has confirmed the election of the two top officials who will take over at noon on June 30.
The Senate and the House convened in joint session on May 24 and laid the ground rules for the canvassing of the votes for president and vice president, which started the next day. The two chambers also designated the members of the joint committee, eight from each chamber with five alternates.
By May 27, the NBOC had finished tallying the votes from 167 Certificates of Canvass (CoCs) from the provinces across the Philippines and from local and overseas absentee voting areas.
The official results for President are: Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte with 16,601,997 votes; LP’s Mar Roxas II with 9,978,175; independent candidate Grace Poe 9, 100, 991; outgoing Vice President Jejomar Binay 5,416,140; Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago 1,455,532; and, the late congressman Roy Seneres 25,779 votes.
For vice president, the official vote tally had Robredo winning by 263, 473 over Senator Ferdinand “Bong-bong” Marcos Jr. Robredo had 14, 418, 817 votes while Marcos got 14, 155, 334. Other results: Alan Peter Cayetano 5,903,379; Francis Escudero 4,931,962; Antonio Trillanes IV 868,501; Gragorio Honasan 788,881.
While Senators Poe, Cayetano, Escudero, Trillanes and Honasan lost in the May 9 elections, they will still be going back to the Senate to serve the remaining three of their six-year term until 2019.
During the three-day canvassing of votes, lawyers for Marcos questioned more than three million “undervotes” that, they claimed, were unaccounted for. But lawyers for Robredo said having “undervotes” is normal in any election.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the Senate panel at the canvassing board, added: “Undervoting is a right of the voter. It’s like an abstention."
Other objections were glossed over by the NBOC, saying it was beyond its powers to resolve these. Marcos’ lawyers said they were considering whether or not to file a protest before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, although they cited the additional cost.
The vice presidential race was a difficult one for Robredo, who started with a single-digit awareness in the survey ratings compared with the other contenders, particularly Marcos and Escudero who topped pre-election surveys.
Interviewed on television, Robredo said her victory was an “impossible feat.” She said she would not have entered politics had her husband not died in a plane crash in 2012. After Jesse’s death, she was convinced to run for a seat at the House of Representatives in 2013 mid-term elections representing the third district of Camarines Sur. Jesse Robredo was a long-time mayor of Naga City in Camarines Sur.
The NBOC’s final count was poignant for Robredo because on the same day, her late husband would have turned 58 years old.
Duterte vows overhaul of law enforcement bodies
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Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to remove appointees of President Benigno Aquino III from positions at the anti-crime agencies like the National Bureau of Investigation, Philipine National Police, Bureau of Corrections and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
“They have to go,” Duterte said in a press conference.
Policemen and other law enforcers will undergo drug test starting July 1 in line with the incoming administration’s campaign against illegal drugs. This is to make sure that they are not into prohibited drugs, Duterte said.
The initial batch of Duterte’s unofficial Cabinet appointees met in Manila for the first time on May 25. Among those at the meeting were Salvador Medialdea who will be the executive secretary; Carlos Dominguez, finanace; Hermogenes Esperon Jr., national security adviser; Perfecto Yasay Jr., foreign affairs; Vitaliano Aguirre II, justice; Arthur Tugade, transportation; Mark Villar for public works and Emmanuel Piñol, agriculture.
“There are those we want to get, but the low pay in government discourages them from being part of my administration,” Duterte said.
Earlier, Duterte said he is willing to give four Cabinet posts to people identified with the Left: labor, agrarian reform, environment and social welfare.
“The Left gave me a very impressive list of people who have the talent,” Duterte said in another press conference. “I’m inclined to give in if we can talk smoothly and Jose Maria Sison (Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman) comes home in July.”
“They have to go,” Duterte said in a press conference.
Policemen and other law enforcers will undergo drug test starting July 1 in line with the incoming administration’s campaign against illegal drugs. This is to make sure that they are not into prohibited drugs, Duterte said.
The initial batch of Duterte’s unofficial Cabinet appointees met in Manila for the first time on May 25. Among those at the meeting were Salvador Medialdea who will be the executive secretary; Carlos Dominguez, finanace; Hermogenes Esperon Jr., national security adviser; Perfecto Yasay Jr., foreign affairs; Vitaliano Aguirre II, justice; Arthur Tugade, transportation; Mark Villar for public works and Emmanuel Piñol, agriculture.
“There are those we want to get, but the low pay in government discourages them from being part of my administration,” Duterte said.
Earlier, Duterte said he is willing to give four Cabinet posts to people identified with the Left: labor, agrarian reform, environment and social welfare.
“The Left gave me a very impressive list of people who have the talent,” Duterte said in another press conference. “I’m inclined to give in if we can talk smoothly and Jose Maria Sison (Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman) comes home in July.”
Aquino inspects major projects
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While counting the days to his return to private life, President Benigno has taken time to inspect some of the big infrastructure projects implemented during his administration.
On May 26, the President went to Ipo Dam in Bulacan to oversee the progress of a project that would improve Metro Manila’s potable water supply. He also visited another project at the Balog-Balog Dam in his home province of Tarlac that would boost farm irrigation, then proceeded to a solar farm in Cabanatuan City.
At the Ipo Dam, the President unveiled the P3.3-billion water transmission project that would improve the delivery of water from Bulacan to Metro Manila through the upgrading of a decades-old tunnel from Ipo to Angat dams.
The Angat Water Transmission Improvement Project (AWTIP) in Ipo Dam, located in Norzagaray, is a project of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS). The project involves the design and construction of a new tunnel, called Tunnel No. 4, which is necessary to mitigate the risk of disruption of water supply to Metro Manila.
Expected to be finished by 2020, AWTIP aims to ensure sustained and secured water supply for Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan and portions of Cavite, that would benefit an estimated 14 million people, MWSS said.
In San Jose, Tarlac, the President launched the Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project Phase II. The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said the project involves the construction of an earth-fill dam at the upper Bulsa River as well as irrigation canals and structures.
An estimated 23,000 farmers from the towns of Paniqui, Pura, Ramos, Victoria, Gerona, San Jose, La Paz, Capas and Concepcion and Tarlac City would benefit from the project. BBMP II will also be used for flood control, inland fish production and power generation of 43.5 megawatts.
In Cabanatuan City, the President inaugurated the 10-megawatt solar farm project of the First Cabanatuan Renewable Venture Inc.
Briefs
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Lawmakers switch parties
Politicians who ran and had been proclaimed winners in the May 9 elections under the Liberal Party (LP) have started switching to the incoming ruling party Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) of incoming president Rodrigo Duterte. As of May 25, more than 60 out of 115 LP members in the House of Representatives have formally signified their intention to join the majority bloc. But President Benigno Aquino III, LP’s chairman, said on March 26 that it was understandable. He said it was consolation enough that he has been getting “thank you’s” from officials, regardless of political color. Founded by former senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. in 1984, PDP-Laban was the biggest political party during and after the 1986 people power revolution. The party catapulted the late Corazon Aquino to the presidency after the revolution.
Duterte vows to behave
Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte has promised to follow protocols and behave after taking his oath of office on June 30. He also advised media persons to not take seriously everything that he says, particularly when his statements are preposterous. “I am trying to enjoy the last days of my rudeness,” Duterte said in a press conference at midnight on May 25 in Davao City where he temporary holds office. Manila-based media men, he said, should learn how to decipher which among his statements are serious and which are mere wisecracks.
Rizal sculpture on auction
A PLASTER sculpture by Jose Rizal, the only Rizaliana of its kind to be offered for public auction, is the main highlight of León Gallery’s “Spectacular Mid-year Auction 2016” on June 11, the Inquirer reports. “Jabali” (Wild Boar) is one of only some 40 extant sculptures of the National Hero. Many of them were destroyed during World War II. León Gallery director Jaime Ponce de León said the midyear auction would feature artworks, antiques and objets d’art from “distinguished provenances.” Other major works on auction include Botong Francisco’s “Pista ng Angono,” Nena Saguil’s 1953 oil-on-wood “Barrio Mother and Child,” Pablo Amorsolo’s 1942 oil-on-canvas “Dalagang Bukid,” Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo’s oil-on-canvas “Chateau d’If,” National Artist Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera’s 1998 acrylic-on-canvas “Isadora in Motion,” Ang Kiukok’s 1997 oil-on-canvas “Cockfight”
Politicians who ran and had been proclaimed winners in the May 9 elections under the Liberal Party (LP) have started switching to the incoming ruling party Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) of incoming president Rodrigo Duterte. As of May 25, more than 60 out of 115 LP members in the House of Representatives have formally signified their intention to join the majority bloc. But President Benigno Aquino III, LP’s chairman, said on March 26 that it was understandable. He said it was consolation enough that he has been getting “thank you’s” from officials, regardless of political color. Founded by former senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. in 1984, PDP-Laban was the biggest political party during and after the 1986 people power revolution. The party catapulted the late Corazon Aquino to the presidency after the revolution.
Duterte vows to behave
Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte has promised to follow protocols and behave after taking his oath of office on June 30. He also advised media persons to not take seriously everything that he says, particularly when his statements are preposterous. “I am trying to enjoy the last days of my rudeness,” Duterte said in a press conference at midnight on May 25 in Davao City where he temporary holds office. Manila-based media men, he said, should learn how to decipher which among his statements are serious and which are mere wisecracks.
Rizal sculpture on auction
A PLASTER sculpture by Jose Rizal, the only Rizaliana of its kind to be offered for public auction, is the main highlight of León Gallery’s “Spectacular Mid-year Auction 2016” on June 11, the Inquirer reports. “Jabali” (Wild Boar) is one of only some 40 extant sculptures of the National Hero. Many of them were destroyed during World War II. León Gallery director Jaime Ponce de León said the midyear auction would feature artworks, antiques and objets d’art from “distinguished provenances.” Other major works on auction include Botong Francisco’s “Pista ng Angono,” Nena Saguil’s 1953 oil-on-wood “Barrio Mother and Child,” Pablo Amorsolo’s 1942 oil-on-canvas “Dalagang Bukid,” Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo’s oil-on-canvas “Chateau d’If,” National Artist Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera’s 1998 acrylic-on-canvas “Isadora in Motion,” Ang Kiukok’s 1997 oil-on-canvas “Cockfight”
Awat na, katribo!
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Para sa mga hindi pa nag-move on, ito ang payo namin: awat na. Hindi na mag-iiba ang resulta kahit maglupasay ka pa. At kahit magmukmok ka sa lungga mo, iinog ang mundo nang wala ka. Darating ang day-off mo at magkikita-kita ang mga kaibigan mo; e ano kung hindi ka sumipot? Tuloy pa rin ang ligaya nila. At siguro, ikaw pa ang pinagtsi-tsimisan nila.
Sa halalan pinipili ng mga mamamayan ang gusto nilang maging pinuno. Ang Saligang Batas ng 1987 ay pumapayag sa paglalaban-laban ng maraming kandidato sa isang posisyon, at ang makakuha ng pinakamaraming boto ay siyang panalo at iluluklok sa posisyon kahit kapos sa kalahati ng mga boto ang kanyang nakuha.
Gaya ng nanalong pangulo na si Rodrigo Duterte. Kahit higit lang sa 39% ang nakuha niyang boto — na ang ibig sabihin ay higit 60% ang hindi siya ibinoto—may karapatan siyang pumalit sa papaalis nang pangulo na si Benigno S. Aquino III dahil ito ang itinakda ng batas.
At tayong mga mamamayan ay dapat irespeto ito at magkaisa sa likod ng bagong pangulo. Panahon nang magbuklod ulit, dahil ang patuloy na awayan ay sisira lang sa ating bayan. Bilang OFW, lalo nating kailangang magkaisa dahil walang ibang tutulong sa atin kundi kapwa natin Pilipino.
Ang dapat na hindi mawala sa atin ay ang pagiging mapanuri sa nangyayari sa ating bansa. Halimbawa, nangako ang magiging presidente na tatapusin niya ang problema sa droga at krimen sa loob ng anim na buwan. Sa darating na Disyembre, o anim na buwan matapos siyang manumpa, ungkatin kung nagawa ba ito.
At base sa tamang pagtingin sa katotohanan, malalaman natin kung dapat bang ang mga kasamahan niya sa partido ay manatili sa puwesto kapag hihingin ulit nila ang ating boto.
Ang pundasyon ng matatag at progresibong bayan ay mga mamamayang pumipili ng lider batay sa pagtanaw ng kanilang tunay na halaga.
New hopes
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One of the best moves he has made so far was to meet with OFWs who by all rights should be back home practicing their profession for the simple reason that they are badly needed there. Or at the very least, should be working in other places abroad where their education and skills are recognized and put to good use.
One of such meetings happened two weeks ago, when Labatt Jolly met with our nurses and midwives and encouraged them to either spread their wings further afield or fly back home, where thousands of jobs are being opened up for them.
Unknown to many of us, there is this program by the Department of Health where nurses are sent to barangays where their services are badly needed, and for which they are offered a year-long contract at "competitive" salaries.
Not only will this hone the nurses' skills, it will also give them the confidence and self-worth which they rarely get to feel when forced to take up domestic work abroad.
Labatt Jolly told them about this program, and more. He advised those who are inclined to look at other opportunities abroad to consider the nursing jobs that they could apply for in countries like Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Middle East.
But he didn't stop there. He also encouraged them to unite, form a group and look at ways to enhance their skills so they could boost their chances of getting the coveted jobs. This includes lobbying for another licensure examination to be held here next year.
Next on his agenda is to help the midwives, who because of their short, two-year college education, are deemed unqualified for most jobs abroad in their chosen field.
But not all is lost for them, as they could now go home and supervise their own birthing clinics, which given the country's ever-booming population, would always be well-patronized.
As this requires the midwife-proprietor to be a licensed practitioner, Labatt Jolly is also helping the midwives to press for another licensure examination to be held here, seven years after a joint qualifying test with nurses was brought to HK.
Need help raising the estimated capital of around Php300,000 for the lying-in clinics? Have no qualms, as Labatt Jolly is helping look for possible government help, either in the form of a loan or subsidy.
Next in line are the teachers, who by the sheer necessity brought about the expanded Kto12 curriculum, were the first to be enticed to go back home and return to their calling.
Under the "Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma'am/Sir" program joint jointly run by the Departments of Labor and Education, teachers who working as OFWs abroad are promised a salary that is equal, or even higher, than what they are currently earning.
This is the program Labatt Jolly is most familiar with, as he was with DoLE's reintegration center just before he was sent back here to run the labor office.
As with the nurses and midwives, teachers are expected to be of a certain degree of proficiency or skill to qualify for this program.
But trust Jolly to be a step ahead in this direction. Already, he has set a meeting with the teachers next month so they can discuss how to meet the requirements, including availing of a free online tutorial meant to update and upgrade their skills and knowhow.
More than mere words, such acts by our new labor attache show that sincerity and hard work could go a long way toward helping our migrant workers create a better future for themselves.
We just need to make them dream again.
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