Plea for sanity

By Daisy Catherine L. Mandap

It is scary enough to see so many people being killed across the Philippines in the name of the government-declared war against drugs, but it is worse that not a lot of people seem to be affected by it.

Far worse is that a great number of people – and social media trolls – are actually cheering on the killers.

The argument goes that it is better for the drug pushers and abusers to be killed instead of them killing, raping, or victimizing innocent people.

But is this argument sound or logical? Why should we equate the actual incidents of people being killed wantonly with something that is prospective, or could just be in the mind of someone who is anticipating the worst?

Sure, drug-crazed people are capable of committing heinous crimes, and that is why we have laws, and we have the media. The reason we know that a crime was committed by somebody who was high on some illicit substance is because the culprits were arrested, tried, jailed, or at the very least, that they were being tracked down by the authorities.

That is how it should be. Everyone, including drug users and pushers and even the lowliest of criminals, has the right to be heard, not silenced outright.

In law, that is what we call due process. There is a basic presumption that an accused is innocent until proven guilty. This means that he or she should be heard, and based on the evidence, adjudged guilty or not by a competent judge in a lawful forum.

The police cannot be the accuser, law enforcer and judge at the same time.

Those who say the killings were carried out because the suspect was “nanlaban” or had fought back can go find someone else to believe them. Out of the hundreds killed so far, and given the prevailing climate of fear in the country, a suspect was more likely to have gone down on his knees to plead for mercy, rather than engage the police in a shootout.

In many documented cases, a target never even had the chance to do this, but was killed outright.

One needs listen only once to how the current PNP chief who proudly calls himself “Bato” eggs on his officers to kill or burn down houses of suspected drug dealers to realize that a ruthless killing spree is well on its way to being waged across the land.

As in any such lawless campaigns, many innocent lives have been sacrificed, and bad enough as this is, it is far more abhorrent to see or hear mindless supporters of the killing spree calling this as collateral damage.

Equally galling is being labeled as “yellowtard”, “bitter” or any such denigrating names when one finds the courage to protest against the wanton killings or plead for a return to sanity.

When someone as powerful and generally respected as Senator Leila de Lima is bashed and vilified no end for daring to conduct a probe into this flagrant disregard for our laws, what chance do we ordinary Filipinos have of standing up for what is right and just?

Still, we must speak up. If we sway with the wind or hide in the face of a storm, what would become of our land, our laws and institutions and our people?

We have already taken the path to darkness once, we must resist going that way again.

Alam mo na ba?

Isa sa katangian ng mga Pilipino sa Hong Kong ay ang pagiging maalam sa mga nangyayari sa pali-paligid nila. Kinikilala rin sila bilang maalam sa karapatan, at mga tungkulin at pananagutan nila—mga bagay na nagresulta ng respeto para sa mga Pilipino ng kalahatan.
Mataas kasi ang pinag-aralan ng mga Pilipino.
Pasensiya na kung magbubuhat kami ng bangko sa  puntong ito, pero hindi natin matatawaran ang nagawa ng The SUN sa katayuan nilang ito sa lipunan, dahil sa paghahatid ng balitang tunay at matalinong pagtalakay ng mga paksang may kabuluhan sa mga Pilipino sa Hong Kong.
At mas mabilis na ngayong maipapaabot namin sa inyo ang balita. Halimbawa ay ang nakalipas na eleksiyon, kung saan ay may live coverage kami. Isa pa ay ang nakatakdang pagtataas ng sahod, na hinihintay ng lahat. Sa pamamagitan ng aming website  (www.sunwebhk.com), makakarating sa inyo ang balita  sa loob lamang ng minuto matapos mangyari ito.
Hindi na kailangang hintayin pa ang susunod na isyu ng The SUN upang malaman ang mga balita. Isang pindot lang sa iyong smart phone ay malalaman mo ang nangyari.
At kung gumagamit ka ng Facebook, mas madali mo pang malalaman dahil makakatanggap ka ng alert—kung nag-like ka sa aming FB page (The SUN Hong Kong).
Nasanay na yata ang mga Pilipino sa Hong Kong na buksan ang mga balitang hatid namin, kaya naman noong Aug. 30 ay naitala ang pinakamataas na “pageview” ng The SUN website: 102,860. Iyan ay bilang ng tingin sa mga pahina ng website sa loob ng 24 oras.
Hindi lang iyan ang nakikita naming statistics ng aming website. Alam din namin na 94% ng mga bumibisita dito ay gumamit ng Android phone. Nakikita rin namin kung ano ang pinakagusto ninyong basahin — isang paraan upan malaman kung papaano namin pagbubutihin ang aming serbisyo.
Ano naman ang mababasa sa The SUN kung lumabas na ang balita sa website namin?
Dahil mas maraming ang oras namin magsulat ng mas malamang balita, mapapansin ninyo ang kaibahan kapag regular na nagbabasa kayo ng pareho.
Sa loob ng 21 taon, ito ang aming sikreto kung bakit kami ay nananatiling No. 1.

BIG WIN FOR CLAIMANTS IN JOBS SCAM

by Daisy CL Mandap

  

Some of the winning complainants against Ester Ylagan are seen here 
filling out complaint forms before Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre on July 3.

Six claimants in a massive job placement scam have won claims totaling $56,000 against Ester Ylagan, co-owner of Emry’s Service Staff Employment Agency in cases heard separately in just one day at the Small Claims Tribunal on Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Claimants Ronia Maria Benalio, Be-Ann Barranco, Richiebelle Aballe, Lumen Llagas and Mary Ann Cacho, were each awarded their claim of $10,000, plus interest and costs. Another claimant, Remia Guriel, won a refund of the $6,000 partial payment she made to Ylagan.

The defendant, whose Emry’s employment agency was the biggest recruiter of Filipino domestic helpers into Hong Kong, failed to show up at any of the hearings.

A solicitor she sent to the tribunal on Aug. 29 for the hearing of the first case filed against her told the court Ylagan was in the Philippines for eye surgery. The solicitor also said Ylagan would not pay any of the claims as she was herself a victim of a scam by an unnamed business partner in Britain.

After the solicitor was told by the court that he could not represent a client at the tribunal, a former staff member of Emry’s appeared on Ylagan’s behalf on Aug. 31, but was not allowed to represent her for not giving prior notice.

In the first case, Marites R. Moreno sought the return of the $20,000 she said she paid for herself and her Philippines-based daughter Michelle for the offered jobs in Britain. The hearing of her case has been reset to Oct. 14.

The same date was set for the next hearing of a separate case filed by Elvira Balajadia and heard on Aug. 31. 

A lone case was set down for hearing today, Sept. 2, for a case filed by Roseann Tonguia, a former domestic worker who had gone back to the Philippines after being terminated by her employer. However, the court did not allow this writer, as Tonguia’s designated representative, to appear on the claimant’s behalf, but gave no reason.

Ester Ylagan airs at The SUN office

Ylagan was a no-show herself, but the case was dismissed on the basis of Tonguia’s failure to appear in court. The court said the claimant could refile the case.

Tonguia was claiming the $15,000 she said she paid Ylagan for a job in Canada. Included in her evidence were documents seized by the Employment Agencies Administration from Ylagan’s office in Worldwide Plaza in Central, which indicated Tonguia did pay the amount she was claiming.

More claims are scheduled to be heard over the next few days.

Around 500 Filipinos from Hong Kong, Macau and the Philippines had reportedly been victimized in what appears to be the biggest recruitment scandal to have hit Hong Kong.

More than 200 of them have already filed complaints with the Philippine Consulate, but more have been showing up in recent days, finally convinced that the jobs promised them did not really exist.

The complaints have been forwarded to the Hong Kong Labour Department, which began interviewing the applicants in July. The investigation is ongoing.

The Consulate, through Vice Consul Alex Vallespin, has also sought help from the Hong Kong Police, but no investigation has been commenced. However, the police accepted a complaint for deception that Ylagan had filed in July against an unknown business partner, who allegedly cheated her out of $4.2 million.

In a previous interview with The SUN, Ylagan, a 30-year veteran of the recruitment industry, had named the London-based business partner as “William Clinton James” or “William Clinton Erich”. She said she never met or seen the man, and communicated with him only via email.

The Small Claims Tribunal in Wanchai

Following the filing of complaints against Ylagan, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, suspended on June 20 the processing of domestic workers contracts by Emry’s.

On July 2, Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre recommended to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration the cancellation of Emry’s accreditation after Ylagan failed to appear at a meeting called so she could explain her side.

In their claims, all the applicants said Ylagan had offered a variety of jobs, ranging from factory workers, sales staff, hotel attendants and caregivers, in both Britain and Canada, during briefings she conducted between January and May this year.

No educational attainment or work experience was required, because the jobs that would be given them would fit their background. The offered salary was no less than 2,000 pounds, and the contract was for two years. All applicants would be flown on a chartered flight to Britain, then on to Canada for those intending to work there.

Ylagan collected $10,000 from each of those applying to go to Britain, and $15,000 from those who wanted to go to Canada.

Several applicants had paid for several people, mostly family members back in the Philippines. At least one reportedly paid a total of $50,000, for herself and four relatives.

Ylagan did not issue any receipt, allegedly because she did not want to be taxed by the Hong Kong government.

All said they were enticed to apply because Ylagan told them she was the owner of Emry’s, which was highly regarded within the Filipino community in Hong Kong. She also told them that she had 30 years of experience in the recruitment business.

All the applicants were promised that they would get their “job orders” within three months, and they could all fly out by June this year. Later, however, she told them that the deployment had been moved to October.

Had they agreed to wait until October, not one of them would have been able to file a case because both the Small Claims Tribunal and the HK Labour Department use a time bar of six months for those who file money claims or work-related complaints.

Isa pang biktima ng kanser, yumao

Pumanaw ang dating kasambahay sa Hong Kong na si Judy Anne G. Bautista noong Agosto 22, makalipas ang isang taong pakikipaglaban sa sakit na cervical cancer sa kanilang bayan sa Santo Domingo, Nueva Ecija.
Ayon kay Gemma Adan Solomon, pangulo ng Filmcass, isang samahan ng mga biktima at sumusuporta sa mga may kanser, binawian ng buhay si Bautista sa piling ng kanyang mga mahal sa buhay.
Walong araw pa lang noon pagkatapos ipagdiwang ni Bautista ang kanyang ika-28 kaarawan. Ang yumao ay hiwalay sa asawa ng at may anak na babae na 9 na taong gulang. Pangalawa siya sa tatlong magkakapatid.
Isang taon pa lamang siyang naninilbihan sa kanyang amo noong 2015 nang mapag-alaman ang kanyang sakit. Binalak ng kanyang amo na sisantihin si Bautista dahil sa kanyang kalagayan, ngunit namagitan ang Helpers for Domestic Helpers.
Pinauwi siya ng kanyang amo noong Nobyembre 2015 para makapiling ang mga mahal niya sa buhay habang nagpapagamot.
Inilibing si Bautista sa Sto Rosario Cemetery sa kanilang bayan nong Agosto 30.
Makikipag-ugnayan pa ang kanyang pamilya sa OWWA tungkol sa mga benepisyong matatanggap ng kanyang anak para maipatuloy ang kanyang pag-aaral. Siya ay aktibo pang miyembro ng OWWA nang bawian ng buhay.
Ayon kay Solomon, na nakapanayam ng The SUN tungkol kay Bautista, kailangang mag-iingat lagi at huwag ipagwalang-bahala ng mga kakaiban ang kanilang mga nararamdaman.
“Kung may matinding karamdaman sila, ipaalam nila sa mga kinauukulan ang totoong sitwasyon upang matulungan ng mga organisasyong tumutulong sa mga maysakit na nananatili sa kanilang trabaho habang nagpapagamot,” sinabi ni Solomon. Kailangan ding magkaroon ng balanseng pagkain, sapat na oras ng pagtulog, at pag-eehersisyo para mapanatiling malusog at malakas ang katawan habang kumakayod sa ibayong dagat, ani Solomon.
Mula noong Enero ay 22 manggagawang Pilipino sa Hong Kong ang namatay, kabilang na si Bautista at si Rinalyn Dulluog, na nasawi sa pagkakahulog sa Tseung Kwan O noong Agosto 9, ayon sa talaan ng Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
May 19 na iba pang OFW na nasa mga ospital sa Hong Kong noong Agosto 23 dahil sa iba’t ibang karamdaman ayon sa OWWA.
“Puwera po diyan yaong mga hindi pa inireport sa amin,” sabi ni Welfare Officer Judith Santos.
Mula noong Enero, 64 na Pilipino ang isinugod sa mga ospital, ayon kay Santos. Pinakamarami sa mga ito ang 26 na na-stroke, at sumunod ang 19 na may kanser, 11 na may depresyon at 8 na may sakit na hika, ubo at sipon, ani Santos. Ang mga bilang ay nalikom mula sa mga pagdalaw ng mga tauhan ng OWWA at Konsulado sa mga ospital sa loob ng panahong nabanggit. – Marites Palma at Vir B. Lumicao

HK Labour sues agency for overcharging

Tsuen Wan courthouse.

By Vir B. Lumicao 

An employment agency was charged in court by the Labour Department on Aug 22 for overcharging a Filipina when she came to work as a domestic helper in Hong Kong last year.
The department’s Employment Agency Administration lodged the case against Jen’s Employment Agency in Tsuen Wan for former helper, Relly Manuel, who flew back to Hong Kong at government’s expense to testify against the agency.
A man identified as the licensee of Jen’s appeared in court for the agency.
Manuel, who was terminated by her employer in March, presented evidence to support her claim that Jen’s charged her fees well above the legally mandated 10% of her first monthly salary.
Testifying in Tsuen Wan court for the prosecution, Manuel claimed that Jen’s had taken out a $12,000 loan in her name from a lending company named Sliver Brighter Ltd but kept the money as her recruitment fee.
The agency then kept Manuel’s passport and work contract and required her to pay $3,000 each for four consecutive months to settle the loan.
She provided the court copies of the four receipts of the monthly payments that Jen’s staff issued her and which were admitted as court exhibits.
Manuel recounted how she was recruited by a partner agency of Jen’s in Ermita, Manila, and deployed to Hong Kong on Aug 24 last year. She began working the next day for Amy Tong at The Bellagio on Castle Peak Road, Sham Tseng.
The helper said she first came to Hong Kong in April 2011 and finished her first work contract, then signed up anew with the same employer but was terminated in Dec 2013 before it was completed, prompting her to return home.
In mid-2015, she again applied for a helper’s job in Hong Kong and this time her employment with Tong was reportedly arranged by Jen’s through Jennifer Cheung. However, she said she was dismissed abruptly by Tong after about six months.
Manuel said she paid the first installment of $3,000 to Jen’s on Oct 11, 2015, and returned on Nov 1 to pay another $3,000 as her second installment. The third payment was made on Nov 22 and the final on Jan 3 this year.
The helper confirmed that all four receipts presented as exhibits were issued by the staff at Jen’s. But she could not say why the receipts were under the name of Silver Brighter Ltd.
The witness also confirmed that it was Jen’s which signed her up for the job but her contract was stamped by Topman Agency.
During cross-examination, the defense lawyer showed Manuel a loan agreement with Silver Brighter purportedly signed by her and stating she had taken out a $12,000 loan which she would be paying in four installments. When the lawyer asked if the signature on the document was hers, Manuel said yes. But asked if she remembered signing a loan agreement, she said no.
Magistrate Lau Suk-han adjourned the hearing to an unspecified date.

Sumama ang loob nang bilhan ng uniporme

Halos ayaw nang tapusin ni Maria ang paglabas ng mga gamit nang may nahagip ang kanyang mga mata sa loob ng maleta. Kagagaling lang ng kanyang Pinay na amo sa Maynila at may mga binili itong uniporme ng kasambahay. Walang imik na inilapag ni Maria ang iba-ibang kulay na uniporme sa isang tabi. Maya-maya pa sa kaswal na sinabi ng amo na para sa kanya ang mga damit. Walang katagang lumabas sa mga bibig ni Maria dahil parang kinukurot ang kanyang puso. Pangalawang kontrata na niya sa kanyang amo at hindi niya maintindihan kung bakit bigla na lang siyang pasusuutin ng umiporme. Gayunpaman, hindi naman daw diretsahang sinabi ng amo na isuot niya ang mga ito kaya hindi niya ginagamit. Hihintayin daw niyang sabihan siya ng kanyang amo at kung sakali ay aamin siyang ayaw niya itong isuot. Kapag isinuot daw kasi niya ito ay lalong bababa ng pagpapahalaga niya sa sarili. Alam naman daw niya kung saan ilagay ang sarili kaya hindi na daw dapat ipangalandakan ng kanyang amo na katulong siya sa pamamagitan ng pagsuot ng uniporme. Bago siya lumipat sa kasalukuyang amo ni Maria ay nagtrabaho siya sa isang pamilyang Amerikano at parang kapamilya kung ituring siya ng mga ito. Ang ipinagmamaktol ni Maria, sa kapwa pa daw niya Pinay mararanasan ang kakaibang pagtrato sa kanya bilang isang kasambahay. —Gina N. Ordona

Changes mark Labor chief’s visit

Bello (right) during the inauguration of the One-Stop Service Center for OFWs at the POEA. (photo: DOLE)

By Daisy CL Mandap

What a difference a year makes.
On Sept 11, the new secretary of labor, Silvestre Bello III, will come to Hong Kong for a dialogue hosted by United Filipinos – Migrante Hong Kong.
Just over a year ago, his predecessor, Rosalinda Baldoz, was also in town, but was at the other side of the table with Unifil-Migrante, which has often not seen eye to eye with government’s top labor officials.
Unifil secretary general Eman Villanueva told The SUN Secretary Bello will come at their invitation, so they are the ones arranging for his visit and his itinerary.
A dialogue with Filipino community organizations has been set down from 2-5pm at the University of Hong Kong, but Villanueva says they have other plans for the secretary if his schedule would allow it.
“Gusto namin siyang dalhin sa Chater para makita niya ang tunay na kalagayan ng ng ating mga manggagawa dito,” said Villanueva.
Then, subject to his approval, he could be asked to attend the anniversary celebration of the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge on Chater Road, and possibly address the crowd.
During the consultation at HKU, Unifil plans to present the long-standing demands of overseas Filipino workers.
These include the strict implementation of the government’s no placement fee policy,  scrapping many of the fees imposed on OFWs, including membership in the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, PhilHealth and PagIBIG, and lowering the passport fee and extending its validity.
A key demand, which is the removal of the overseas employment certificate (OEC), has already been met, but Villanueva said his group still wants clarification on the resolution which is due to take effect on Sept. 15.
“Mabuti na lang din at tinanggal na yung OEC, pero gusto namin na wala nang exemption, kasi sabi sa resolution, yun lang babalik sa mga amo sa parehong lugar ang exempted,” said Villanueva.
Another issue they are anxious to discuss with Secretary Bello is the case of former labor attache Manuel Roldan, who was let off lightly by Baldoz after being accused of allowing his driver to operate an employment agency in violation of anti-graft laws.
Roldan was also cited for extending accreditation to 90 new employment agencies, despite a long-standing freeze on the practice.
However, an investigating panel of the Department of Labor and Employment found Roldan guilty only of simple misconduct for widening the scope of the conciliation proceedings at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in violation of department orders.
He was ordered suspended for one month and one day, or pay an amount equivalent to his pay for this period.
The original charges against him, filed after a thorough investigation by the Philippine Consulate General, were for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

Napasubo sa mumurahing ayaw naman pala

Gustong gumawa ng DIY na cabinet ang amo ni Linda at para makatipid, naghanap sila ng mga segunda manong muwebles sa Asia Expat. May nag-anunsiyo ng malaking aparador na taga-Mei Foo. Ibibigay daw ito ng libre kaya agad na nakipag-ugnayan si Linda sa may-ari.
Gabi lang daw puwedeng pumunta dahil nasa opisina ang may-ari buong maghapon. Dala ang sasakyan ng kanilang amo, pumunta sina Linda, ang kanyang kasama sa bahay na si Jelly, at ang drayber na si John.
Isang lalaki ang nagbukas ng pinto at wala itong kasama sa bahay. Sinalubong sila ng masangsang na amoy at hindi rin nakaligtas sa kanilang paningin ang naninilaw na mga dingding dahil sa dumi. Nasulyapan din ni Linda na kinakalawang na ang pintuan ng refrigerator sa bahay.
Pati ang pakay nilang aparador ay punong-puno ng alikabok. Bukod sa sobrang bigat ay medyo luma na ang materyales nito. Nais nang umatras ni Linda pero natatakot naman siyang pagalitan sila ng lalaki. Ayaw din niyang nakipagtalo kung sakali dahil nasa loob sila ng bahay nito. Dahil napasubo na, pinagtulungan na lang nilang kalasin ang aparador para agad makaalis at para rin magkasya sa sasakyan. Tagaktak ang kanilang pawis matapos maikarga sa loob ng sasakyan ang mga kahoy.
Pakiramdam din nila ay dumikit sa kanilang katawan ang amoy sa loob ng bahay. Si Linda ay tatlong taon na sa kanyang amo na nakatira sa Mid-levels.---Gina N. Ordona

Ismael ang nakabuntis sa kanya

Hindi makapaniwala si Glenda habang ikinukuwento ni Lenny ang kapalaran ng kaibigan nito.  Nagkaroon daw ng kasintahan ang kaibigan nito habang nagtatrabaho dito sa Hong Kong pero napilitang umuwi sa kanilang bayan sa Pangasinan nang hindi inaasahang mabuntis.
Nangako naman daw ang kasintahan nito na hindi ito magkukulang sa pag-alalay at tiniyak din nitong regular na magpapadala ng sustento. Maayos naman daw na naisilang ng kaibigan niya ang anak nito at tumupad din sa pangako ang kasintahan.
Bagamat hindi lingid sa kaibigan niya na hiwalay sa asawa ang kasintahan nito, hindi sinasadyang natuklasan ni Lenny na may iba pa palang babae sa buhay ng lalaki. Hindi lang isa kundi tatlo, bukod pa sa asawa at kaibigan niya. Ang masaklap, pare-parehong inanakan ng lalaki ang mga babae at hindi nagkakalayo ang edad ng mga bata. Walang mahagilap na salita si Glenda habang nakikinig.
Nang makabawi ay tinanong niya kung ano ang pangalan ng lalaki. “Ismael,” sabi ni Lenny. “That explains everything,” ang tanging nasambit ni Glenda dahil talaga namang pinangatawanan ng lalaki ang pangalan. ---Gina N. Ordona

Naninibago sa bagong amo

Pagkatapos ng apat na taong paninilbihan sa kanila ay lumipat ang mga Australyanong amo ni Emma sa ibang bansa, kaya kinailangan niyang maghanap ng bagong pagtatrabahuhan. Dumaan sa maraming interview si Emma bago siya nakapili ng bagong amo.
Bagong kasal ito kaya naisip ni Emma na magiging magaan lamang ang kanyang bagong trabaho kumpara sa dati dahil may dalawa siyang alagang bata. Ngunit hindi pala tama ang akala niya. Kung dati ay nasanay siya na siya ang namamahala sa lahat ng bagay sa loob ng bahay, mula sa pamimili at pag-aayos, ngayon ay di numero na lahat ng kanyang ginagawa. Nakalista ang lahat ng dapat niyang gawin, at dahil nakatakdang lumipat ang mga amo ay napagod siya nang husto sa loob lamang ng isang buwang paninilbihan sa kanila.
Hindi kasi basta-bastang pag-iimpake ang pinagawa sa kanya, dahil nakalista ang lahat ng dapat niyang gawin. Pati sa pamimili ng gamit ay nanibago siya dahil kabilin-bilinan ng amo na maging matipid siya at iyong mga pinakamurang brand lang ang kanyang bilhin.
Nasanay kasi si Emma sa dating amo na mamahalin ang lahat ng binibili mula sa budget na $5,000 bawat linggo, at wala siyang naririnig na reklamo dito hangga’t may mga resibo siyang ipinakikita. Sa pamamagitan ng mga maliliit na mga bagay pa lang na ito ay ramdam na ramdam na ni Emma na malaki ang magiging pagbabago sa kanyang buhay.
Gayunpaman, pinapanatili niyang positibo ang kanyang pananaw. Ika nga niya, hindi naman sa lahat ng pagkakataon ay magiging masuwerte siya sa amo. Si Emma ay nagtatrabaho kasalukuyan sa Pokfulam.  – Jo Campos

Remorse of a drug trafficker

Cover photo on Narido's Facebook account that she opened behind bars

By Vir B. Lumicao

“No drugs. Save life, love life.”

Her last message on Facebook at 7:30 pm on Aug 1 was brief and concise. Yet the short  slogan emblazoned across a yellow rectangle is loud enough to send the message across: drugs ruined her dreams.

On Aug 26, Eden Monica Narido was sentenced by a High Court judge to 15 years and eight months in jail for carrying 1.9 kilograms of cocaine worth about $2.1 million at Hong Kong International Airport in late Dec 2014.

Narido’s FB messages, apparently allowed by Hong Kong correctional authorities as part of the city’s campaign against dangerous drugs, reveals the agony of a 33-year-old single mother who came here as a domestic helper and ended up in jail for drug trafficking.

She was one of more than a dozen Filipinas “drug mules” who had been arrested over the past two years at Hong Kong International Airport as they tried to smuggle big loads of mostly cocaine from Manila.

Eden Narido was jailed for 15 years and 8 months

How the country became a transshipment point of drugs in Asia speaks of the corruptive power of drug money and narco-politics that enabled drug lords to send overseas-bound mules undetected through Manila airport’s customs and immigration zones.

That another alleged drug mule was arrested on July 30, the first since President Rodrigo Duterte took power a month earlier, shows that a drug smuggling syndicate still operated at Manila’s airport despite the new administration’s bloody anti-narco campaign.

Narido said in the public FB page Faith Behind Bars that she opened from jail that as a single mother to a six-year-old boy, she came here in search of a better life for her family – a typical OFW dream. But, in a third-person account, she said by a twist of Fate, “she ended up becoming a victim of this so-called drug problem.”

“She is one of the women who was sent to prison (for) drug trafficking without (realizing) what was being asked of her,” she said. “She wants to reach out to others who may fall easy prey to marauding drug barons and baronesses who sit eagerly waiting to recruit unsuspecting people into their cartel,” she said.
Narido spoke of weathering many storms and bearing the ordeal of being far from the family, “especially my son. They bore the pain, not to mention the shame.”

On July 21, she said “being in prison is the hardest predicament that I am very much grateful to my parents for standing by me…Without them things would be so tough for me to face.”
She wrote about meeting a new detainee who shared her own encounter with heroin, another dangerous drug in which, she said, an addict can deceptively appear normal to people around him for as long as he has money to buy the dope.

The woman had been injecting heroin to the point where she was doing it in the soles of her feet because she could not find anymore vein in her forearms for it. She started stealing, smashing, grabbing others’ property or running dealers around so “she could get a cut.”

Meeting drug addicts made Narido conclude that “they are selfish, the most selfish people you’ll ever meet. And self-pitying and manipulative”.

“An addict feels a huge compulsion to take drugs regularly. She feels that life is impossible without drugs. Many young girls, single moms, women suffered from withdrawal symptoms here in prison. Addicts suffer a huge craving,” Narido wrote.

On July 17, Narido asked forgiveness from her “dearest Tatay and Nanay”. She said “in my world of lonesome(ness) and anguish, I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering you’re being forced to deal with. My only desire is that I could be out there to look after you Tatay and Nanay, as you have done so many times for me and the rest of my siblings.”

“I am sorry for the shame and embarrassment my being here has caused to our family name. I am sorry for the extra burden on you and Nanay over the years,” she said, adding that she missed her son Arden, her mom and dad, and her siblings.

Narido said she never saw or met either a drug user or an addict until she was in prison. “Having met girls and women who were serving sentences for drug trafficking, I was overcome with guilt and regretted ever getting involved in such a deadly money-maker that was ruining so many,” she said.
Asking God’s and people’s forgiveness for her wrongdoing, she said “I wanted to educate young people about the danger if nothing is done to stop the sale and distribution of drugs.”

In a Mar 7 post, she said: “Drug abuse is the most serious evil.”

Inaangkin ang kanyang mga luto

Metikuloso sa paghahanda at pagluluto ng pagkain ang mga amo ni Mae, palibhasa’y chef ang lalaki at food blogger naman ang babae. Hindi naman problema kay Mae ito dahil mahilig at magaling talaga siyang magluto, kaya isang hamon ang turing niya sa maselang panlasa ng mga amo.
Bawat hapunan nila ay mistulang handa sa isang mamahaling restawran, mula sa pagluluto hanggang sa pag aayos at pagsisilbi ng pagkain sa plato. Tuwina ay napapansin din ni Mae na laging kinukunan ng kanyang among babae ang mga pagkaing iniluluto niya. Sa isip niya, marahil ay talagang nagugustuhan ng kanyang amo ang pag-aayos at paghahanda niya ng mga pagkaing niluluto niya. Kadalasan ay mula sa cookbook ang mga putaheng inihahanda niya kaya lalong nahahasa ang kanyang galing.
Minsan, habang naglilinis si Mae ay napasulyap siya sa laptop ng kanyang amo na naka log-in sa Facebook, at napansin niya ang mga larawan ng kanyang mga niluto na naka-post sa isang page doon. Agad niyang hinanap ang Facebook page sa sarili niyang telepono at nakita niya na mula pala sa blog ng amo niya ang mga litratong naka-post doon. Iyon nga lang, ang mga putaheng pinupuri ng mga follower ng page ay inangkin ng amo na sarili niyang luto. Isa-isang binasa ni Mae ang mga comment doon at tila tumataba ang kanyang puso dahil panay papuri ang mga nandoon.
Natatawa na lang siya dahil tila isang impostor ang kanyang amo sa pagtanggap ng mga magagandang puri sa mga nilutong hindi naman siya ang gumawa. Naisip niya na kaya pala kung minsan ay nagtatanong ang kanyang amo ng mga detalye kung paano niya niluto ang putahe.
May isa pang comment na sinagot ng amo base sa ginawa nitong pagtatanong sa kanya. Nang ikuwento ito ni Mae sa isang kaibigan ay pabirong sinabi nito sa kanya na na kung sa isang manunulat ay may ghost writer, siya naman daw ang ghost chef ni Ma’am. -Jo Campos

May kalaguyo ang among biyuda

Nandidiri na si Sunshine sa kanyang among biyuda mula nang matuklasan niya na nakikipagrelasyon ito sa asawa ng matalik niyang kaibigan. Noong una ay pinaniwala siyang magkakaibigan lang sila, pero nabisto niya ang mga ito minsang madatnan niya sa bahay ng amo ang lalaki. Noon pa kasi siya nag-iisip kung bakit lagi siyang pinapalabas ng amo tuwing day-off nito. Iyon pala ay nagpupunta sa kanilang bahay ang lalaki at doon sila nagtatagpo. Noong una ay parang nahihiya pa ang kanyang amo pero ngayon ay sadyang makapal na ang mukha nito dahil mismong sa bahay na nila ginagawa ng kalaguyo ang di dapat. Sumagi sa isip ni Sunshine na isumbong sa asawa ng lalaki ang ginagawa ng dalawa, ngunit ayaw naman din niyang makialam dahil siguradong siya ang mapuputukan. Alam din niya na darating ang panahon na magkakabistuhan silang tatlo. Ang isa pang gumugulo sa isipan ni Sunshine ay ang kanyang alagang lalaki na madalas niyang mahuli na naglalaro ng ari. Lagi niya itong sinasaway at pinagsasabihan kapag nahuhuli niya sa akto ngunit nagagalit ang bata. Sa isip-isip niya, kung isusumbong niya ang alaga paano naman ito didisiplinahin ng kanyang ina kung ang sarili niya mismo ay gumagawa ng mali? Kahit nahihirapan ang isip ay hindi naman maiwan-iwan ni Sunshine ang mag-ina dahil mabait ang mga ito, lalo na ang among biyuda. Isa pa, may hinihintay siyang visa papuntang Amerika, kaya tinitiis na lang muna niya ang pagiging kunsintidor sa amo. Si Sunshine ay dalaga at tubong Cagayan Valley, na kasalukuyang naninilbihan sa New Territories. – Marites Palma

Bawal sa FB ang larawan ng alaga mo

Muntik nang nasisante si Reyna sa kanyang trabaho dahil sa pag-upload niya ng kuhang larawan ng kanyang alaga.
Bago pa lamang siya noon nang sabihan siya ng amo na huwag ilagay sa Facebook ang sino man sa kanilang pamilya, at maging ang kanilang tirahan ay bawal ilagay ang kinaroroonan para sa kanilang seguridad. Ngunit nang halos isang taon na si Reyna sa kanila ay nakalimutan niya ang kabilin-bilinan ng kanyang mga amo.
Dahil dito ay tinawag pa ng amo ang unang nanilbihan sa kanila para pakiusapan na paliwanagan at pangaralan si Reyna. Ganito ang mensahe na ipinarating ng amo:
''Don't share the photos of the family to others. Teach children to respect the privacy of others. Parents and teachers should also encourage children to respect privacy of others in the way they would like to be respected. For example, children should be encouraged to have regard to the personal consent of their friends and families when they plan to share or tag their photographs."
Matapos ito ay nagpaalala si Reyna sa mga kapwa kasambahay na sundin ang kagustuhan ng amo para hindi sila mapagalitan o mawalan ng trabaho. Karapatan naman talaga nila na hindi magamit sa social media ang sarili nilang litrato at pamamahay, at dapat respetuhin ng mga kasambahay na nakikitira lang ang patakarang ito. Walang kinalaman dito ang kung “friends” man sila ng kanilang amo o hindi, dahil basta lumabas na sa social media ang litratong pinagbabawal ay kahit sino ay maari itong magamit o maipamahagi. Ihiwalay ang personal na buhay sa trabaho para walang mangyaring aberya. Si Reyna ay tubong Iloilot, kasalukuyang naninilbihan sa mga among Intsik sa Kowlon Tong. – Marites Palma

Different flans

Food Trip with JC The Foodie

There are many ways of cooking one of the Filipinos’ favorite desserts, leche flan or caramel custard. Some do it all-creamy and soft, while others prefer the firmer kind, with lots of caramelized sugar on top.
Still others try to vary the recipe a bit to come up with something altogether different, like the yummy-looking flan pictured below, which was sent to us by a reader, MCLeeBenjamin. This recipe is similar to the traditional leche flan. The only difference is the addition of cream cheese in this version. Thus, while the method of cooking is the same as with leche flan or caramel custard, the texture of this is similar to a cheese cake.
Below that is my own recipe for a classic leche flan, which I call  JC’s Creamy Leche Flan-tastic! Try and compare!

Cream Cheese Flan with twist of lemon

Ingredients:
(For a 2-layered flan)
6 eggs
1 block Philadelphia cream cheese
1 big can condensed milk
1 big can evaporated milk
1 cup fresh milk
lemon rind
1 ½ cup sugar

Procedure:
1) Separate the yolk from egg whites, reserve only 3 of egg whites.
2) Using a hand mixer, put 6 yolks in a large bowl, add 1 cup of fresh milk, condensed and evaporated milk. Mix for about 10 seconds.
3) In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese and ½ cup of fresh milk with the 3 egg whites.
4) Blend in cream cheese mixture with egg yolk and milk prepared and whisk gently, add lemon rind. Set aside.
5) For the caramel sauce: prepare 2 tin flan moulds, put half the amount of sugar on each mould. Melt the sugar till bubbly and caramelized on low fire. Make sure that the caramel is not burnt. Let the caramel set in.
6) Gently pour custard mixture into the flan moulds equally.
7) Cover with aluminum foil and steam on medium heat for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8) Remove from heat. When the flan is completely cool, refrigerate.
9) To serve, run a knife around the edge of the flan and invert on a serving plate, then stack the second flan on top.

JC’s Creamy Leche Flan-tastic

 Ingredients:
12 fresh egg yolks
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
250 ml. fresh milk
1 pkg. all purpose cream
1 tsp. vanilla essence
Finely grated lime (dayap) rind
For the caramel sauce:
1 ½ cup granulated sugar

Procedure:
1) In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the custard mixture. (except lime rind).
2) Whisk gently to incorporate all ingredients into a smooth creamy consistency. Set aside to let any bubbles subside.
3) Prepare caramel. In a heavy pan, cook sugar slowly till caramelized into golden brown, making sure that it does not burn or caramel will have a bitter taste. Alternatively, you may do this procedure in individual metal moulds or llanera. If you are making small individual portions, you may use ramekins.
4) When the caramel sauce is ready, pour enough amount into the ramekins or moulds. Leave to cool and the caramel to harden.
5) Carefully pour custard mixture into the prepared moulds or ramekins. Sprinkle some lime rind on top.
6) Cover each mould with aluminum foil, making sure they are covered tightly to avoid water from seeping through the custard while steaming.
7) Steam for about 45 minutes. Custard should be fully cooked when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8) Remove from the steamer.
9) Remove aluminum foil cover and leave to cool. Refrigerate before serving.

Kwentong droga

Ni Vir B. Lumicao

Noong umpisa ng Agosto ay isang kapwa-OFW natin dumulog sa Konsulado upang magtanong doon kung maaari siyang sumaglit sa Pilipinas bago magtungo sa Canada para magtrabaho roon. Ang dahilan: nais niyang masilayan sa huling pagkakataon ang kanyang kapatid na lalaki bago siya lumayo.
Noon ay ikalawang araw pa lang ng pagkakapatay sa kapatid ng OFW. Binaril diumano  ng mga lalaking nakamotorsiklo ang biktima nang lumabas ito sa lansangan.
Nagkataon din na noong Agosto 1 ay iniharap sa hukuman ng Tsuen Wan ang isang turistang Pilipina na nasabat ng mga tauhan ng Customs habang may dalang mahigit 700 gramo ng cocaine sa Hong Kong. Ang droga ay nagkakahalaga umano ng $750,000.
Ang cocaine ay isang uri ng bawal na gamot na gawa sa Latin America mula sa puno ng coca. Idinaraan ito ng sindikatong Colombian sa Pilipinas at sa iba pang mga bansa bago  dalhin sa huling destinasyon tulad ng Hong Kong.
Nakababahala ang pagkamatay ng kapatid ng OFW dahil kusang sumuko diumano ito sa mga awtoridad, at nabigyan ng katibayang dati siyang gumagamit ng droga at gusto nang magbagong-buhay.
Gayundin, nakaliligalig ang balitang muling nakalusot sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport ang ganoon karaming cocaine sa kabila ng ibayong kampanya ni Pangulong Duterte laban sa droga. Iyon ay nangangahulugang mayroon pa ring mga galamay ng sindikato na nagpapalusot sa NAIA ng mga tagadala ng droga.
Kung susuriing mabuti ang mga balita ukol sa mga napapatay at pinapatay sa kampanya ng gobyerno laban sa droga ay nakakatakang ang karamihan sa mga napapatay ay tila maliliit na tagatulak lamang ng bawal na gamot, at iilan lang sa mga ito ang supplier ng droga.
Pati na ang mga durugista, yaong mga sugapa sa bawal na gamot na kung tutuusi’y mga biktima, ay napapasama sa mga itinutumba at sinasabitan ng kartong may nakasulat na babalang sila ay mga tulak o kaya ay adik sa droga.
Natatandaan pa namin na noong kumakandidato pa lamang si Pangulong Duterte ay nangako siyang uubusin niya ang mga nagsu-supply at nagtutulak ng mga bawal na gamot dahil sila ang sumisira sa mga kabataang Pilipino.
At noong nanalo na siya sa eleksiyon nang malaki ang kalamangan sa mga nakalaban ay agad-agad nang sinimulan ng pulisya ang “paglilinis” sa mga itinuturing na nasa likuran ng industriya ng bawal na gamot sa bansa – iyon nga lang at puro maliliit ang mga bumubulagta sa kalsada.
Naisip tuloy naming baka ginagamit ng mga bulok na elemento sa kapulisan, yaong mga mayhawak diumano sa maliliit na pusher, ang pinag-ibayong kampanya upang itumba ang mga taong posibleng magturo sa kanila bilang mga supplier ng droga.
Ito ay isang malaking posibilidad dahil hindi lingid sa sambayanan na sa bawat barangay, bayan at lungsod sa Pilipinas ay may masasamang elemento ng kapulisan na siyang kumukuntrol sa lahat ng bisyo sa mga pook na iyon, at kadalasan ay sila rin ang nakakasagupa ng mga kapwa alagad ng batas na pumupuksa sa mga bisyo.
Isang sapantaha lang namin na ang kasalukuyang pamamaslang sa mga diumano’y tagatulak at sugapa sa bawal na gamot ay isang malawakang pagliligpit sa mga “asset” ng pulisya na posibleng kakanta.
Ngunit kung totoo ang aming suspetsa, higit na nakababahala ang nangyayari dahil lalabas na ginagamit lamang ng mga maykapangyarihan ang kasalukuyang pagpapadanak ng dugo upang pagtakpan ang kanilang masamang aktibidad.
At sa pagpapatuloy ng pamamaslang sa maliliit na tagatulak, mga adik na mga biktima ng bisyo, at mga inosenteng tao, kasabay ng pagpapatuloy ng pagpapalusot ng mga sindikato ng kilu-kilong droga sa NAIA, malinaw na hindi natutumbok ng kampanya ni Pangulong Duterte ang ugat ng suliranin sa droga.
Lalo lamang lalaganap ang inhustisya at mawawalan ng saysay ang kanyang kampanya.

Correcting (Mis)information

By Cynthia Tellez

This article aims to clarify a couple of things that domestic workers are usually misinformed of, or about which they don’t get complete information.
The Mission for Migrant Workers usually gets inquiries on: the date on which the contract takes effect, the probationary period, statutory holidays, and computation of daily wage.
Most of the complainants we receive in our office are new arrivals in Hong Kong or are in their first six months of the contract. Thus, they do not know other persons in Hong Kong other than the placement agency representatives so we hope to reach those in similar condition through this article.

Start of contract

The contract depends on your visa. The contract says that it takes effect upon your arrival. It is in Clause 2. a.  which says “The Helper shall be employed by the Employer as a domestic helper for a period of two years commencing on the date on which the helper arrives in Hong Kong”.
The usual (mis)understanding or what the agency representatives (AR) make you believe if you are the worker, is that your contract starts when you arrive in your employer’s house or the address in your contract as your workplace and abode. In many cases, the AR takes you to the Immigration Department to apply for a Hong Kong Identity Card first; or sometimes takes you to undergo medical examination if the employer requires it, and unfortunately, in some other cases, you are also made to sign a loan agreement for agency fees.
The days you spend doing all these should neither be reckoned as your day-off nor removed from your working days in the contract because “you haven’t started”.  These or any other official activities imposed on you by the agency are already part of your working days in the contract. Even if the employer happens to be away for holiday or for whatever reasons, those days are already part of the employer’s responsibility to you. It is not the day when you enter the employer’s house that the contract starts, it is when you took the plane that brought you to Hong Kong. That is precisely why the “travelling allowance” covers that travel from your place of origin to Hong Kong in the shortest manner.

“Probationary period” and statutory holidays

There is no such thing as probationary period.
You are a foreign worker, treated as an alien, with no permanent domicile in Hong Kong and with a visa that allows you to work at a specific household address during a specific period of time. You cannot be left uncertain upon arrival.
This goes, too, for the misconception that many placement agencies make you and your employer believe: that you are not qualified for statutory holidays in the first three months of the contract. They confuse the provision in the Employment Ordinance of Hong Kong that says that a worker can only avail of a paid holiday after three months of continuous work. This provision only refers to the unspent holiday that cannot be paid with money, but it does not mean you are not allowed to go out on a statutory holiday. You can go out , even when your first day at work or your day of arrival, happens to be a statutory holiday.
The ordinance says that if the employer cannot give you the holiday on the specified statutory date, alternative day or another day should be assigned within the next 60 days. What you cannot do is to exchange that holiday for cash. Neither can your employer deduct your salary for the days that you took the day off because they were statutory holidays, within the first three months of your contract.
Those who were forced to not take statutory holidays that fell in the first three months of the contract  can claim these when the contract ends prematurely or upon completion.
Upon completion or premature termination of contracts, annual Leave pay can also be claimed as these are earned while you work continuously with the same employer. A domestic worker who works continuously for three months qualifies for the statutory annual leave of  seven days for the first two years. If the contract is prematurely terminated after three months, one can get what you call a pro-rata pay for the annual leave earned.
For example, if you are in your sixth month and your contract was terminated: you can get the equivalent number of days with this formula: 6/12 months = .5 which means you finished only “.5” of the year. Multiply this by seven days (.5  x  7 days). The annual leave for that year  equals  3.5 days.  This means you have 3.5 days earned as your annual leave.
Please be aware that when annual leaves are taken before the end of the contract, the days off  that are included in the inclusive period should be computed separately. The same is true if some statutory holidays were used during the vacation period.

Daily wage

We are aware that computing the daily wage is another point of argument. In many cases, the days when the statutory holiday (or any holidays, leaves, days-off for that matter) is computed, the monthly salary is simply divided into the number of days in that particular month. If you do that, if the salary is divided into 30 or 28 days, you win and your employer loses. But if it falls on a month with 31 days, you lose. So being a monthly wage earner, the computation should be to take  the average daily wage by getting the whole year’s salary. For example: HK$4,210  x  12 months = HK$50,520 for the whole year. Then divide the total by 365 days which is the number of days in a year: HK$50,520 / 365days  =  HK$138.40. This is your average daily salary.
If these computations still look confusing, you may contact the Mission for Migrant Workers at 2522-8264.
But lest you forget, these are your rights and to be able to decide wisely, you should know your rights.

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This is the monthly column from the Mission for Migrant Workers, an institution that has been serving the needs of migrant workers in Hong Kong for over 31 years. The Mission, headed by its general manager, Cynthia Tellez, assists migrant workers who are in distress, and  focuses its efforts on crisis intervention and prevention through migrant empowerment. Mission has its offices at St John’s Cathedral on Garden Road, Central, and may be reached through tel. no. 2522 8264.

‘World’s largest pearl’ found in Palawan

A fisherman in Palawan hid a giant pearl under his bed as a ‘good luck charm’ for 10 years, unaware that he had already struck gold when he found it. 

The 37-kg pearl, now believed to be the largest, is possibly worth millions of dollars, and could change the course of his life forever.

The 30 by 60 centimeter pearl is currently displayed at the Puerto Princesa city hall. Local officials are hoping to have gemologists assess its value soon. 

It was said to be discovered by the fisherman in a giant clam while waiting out a storm at sea. His aunt, Puerto Princesa tourism officer Cynthia Amurao, only told him of its potential value when he asked her to hide it for him when he moved to a new address. 

Before the discovery of this 34-kilogram pearl, the largest known pearl was the  ‘The Pearl of Lao Tzu’ also known as ‘The Pearl of Allah’. It weighed 14 kilograms, and was appraised by experts to be worth tens of millions of dollars. 

According to Puerto Princesa information officer Richard Ligad, the fisherman still owns the pearl as he has not signed any deed of donation to the city. 

The ‘good luck’ that he had hoped for in keeping the pearl for a decade may soon finally pay off. 

Judge calls out unequal treatment in illegal jobs case

The High Court houses the Court of First Instance

A judge at the Court of First Instance has taken a jab at the prosecution in a case of illegal work against a Filipina domestic worker, when he asked why her employer was out on bail and she was in detention.

At a hearing on Aug. 25, Justice Michael Stuart-Moore asked why in Hong Kong law “you’ve got the employer on bail and the employee in custody.”

He then allowed Adora Regodon to post bail after accepting an offer by a merchant-friend of the employer to put up surety of $10,000 for the helper.

“Today I will decide. I’m going to give you bail today when the $10,000 surety is paid in court. He’s very kind to put up surety for you,” Stuart-Moore told the Filipina.

The court heard that Regodon arrived in Hong Kong on Aug 8 to take up employment as domestic helper of a certain Rani Ramchandran, who operates a hotel on Nathan Road.

Regodon was caught several days later by immigration officers while allegedly working in the hotel. She and her employer were arrested.

The prosecutor said she feared Regodon would go back to work for the employer if she was given bail. A friend of the maid had previously offered to take her in but the friend’s husband reportedly objected.

The judge told Regodon to reside in the address given by the merchant who posted bail for her and attend the hearing set for Sept. 6. – Vir B. Lumicao

Bethune House appeals for more donations

Filipino community organizations and individuals are being asked yet again to help fund the needs of the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, which provides shelter and sustenance to women migrants in distress.

Bethune House, which cares for up to 30 migrant women in its two shelters in Sheung Wan and Jordan, needs $150,000 each month to pay for rent, food and other essentials.

Its funding comes mainly from donations, and in line with this, the annual Coins for Bethune House fund-raising drive was started five years ago with help from various Filcom organizations and The SUN.

Apart from helping raise much-needed funds for Bethune House, the project aims to raise awareness among the organizations about what the shelter does to help migrant women who not only need a roof over their heads, but also support with their cases and other needs.

The current Coins for Bethune project was launched at The SUN’s 20^th anniversary celebration in Chater Garden last year, and is slated to end on Sept. 11. Previous campaigns helped raise between $20,000-$50,000 for Bethune House.

Bethune’s executive director Edwina Antonio is urging all participating individuals and groups to submit their coin donations to the Mission for Migrant Workers office at Garden Road next to the St John’s Cathedral in Central before the deadline.

Coins for Bethune 2016 launch at The SUN's anniversary in Dec

Cash donations for Bethune House are used to run the two shelters that have provided temporary refuge since 1986 to distressed migrant women workers who mostly have pending labor and criminal cases against their employers.

Others are cared for at the shelter while undergoing treatment for cancer and some other serious medical condition.

Its clients are mainly Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers who were often banished by their employers in the middle of the night penniless and with nowhere to go.

Many of them claim to be victims of collusions between their employers and their employment agencies. The agencies allegedly force the helpers to take out loans to pay for illegal placement fees, and when they protest, their employers are asked to fire them.

The employer is then given a new maid without having to pay for the agency fee again.

In its Annual Case Work Report 2015 released in March, the Mission said 97% of foreign helpers with agency-related problems were charged by recruiters more than the legally mandated fees equivalent to 10% of the first monthly salary of workers.

Last year, cases related to fee collection by recruitment agencies made up 41% of total cases handled by the Mission. - The SUN