Civil service applicants top 1,000 as registration ends

Sunday registration was held at Metrobank's office in United Centre

By Vir B. Lumicao

Over 300 Filipinos beat today's deadline for the filing of application for the first ever civil service examination in Hong Kong for Filipinos.

But at the end of the day, the total tally of 947 applicants was still less than a third of the more than 3,000 who had signified their intention to take the exam.

The final tally, however, did not include those who registered in Macau, and will also take the examination in Hong Kong.

Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre said he was a bit upset that the number of registrants was way below expectations. 

“A little disappointed but my take is that those who signed didn’t really have the full commitment to take it. In any case, it’s food for thought for next year’s preparations,” Labatt De la Torre said.

POLO was opened on Friday, Nov 11, and Saturday, Nov 12, to accommodate all those who wanted to register.

But Labatt De la Torre said only 27 came on Friday and 50 on Saturday. On the last day of registration on Sunday, 347 went through the process.

He told The SUN he had asked for the registration deadline to be moved to Nov. 20, but the Civil Service Commission refused.

“I tried extending the deadline to Nov 20 but CSC didn’t agree because of the printing period for the exam materials,” Labatt De la Torre said.

The exam will be held on Nov. 27 at two venues: the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai and at Delia Memorial School Hip Wo in Kwun Tong.

Applicants sat on floor while filling in the registration form

The registration on Sunday was held at the Metrobank office in United Centre in Admiralty, as POLO’s public areas were packed with people processing their contracts and applying for the overseas employment certificate.

Before the registration opened at 8am, hundreds had already lined up, said Metrobank’s remittance manager Fred Valencia. The registration ended at 5pm.

Many of those who registered were heard complaining that they were given only little time to complete the registration requirements, such as copies of their job contracts, Hong Kong IDs, passports and school certificates.

The applicants were made to fill up registration forms, pay the Php1,500 exam fee, and submit the required documents. Afterwards, they had to register online.

Each would-be examinee queued about 30 minutes just to be photographed; much longer to get to the registration desk..

Trisha and her friend Sally told The SUN they lined up for two hours before they were allowed to take the lift up to Metrobank. When they got there, about 30 applicants were still waiting for their turn to be served.

“Nakakain lang po kami noong 1:30 na, pero pasalamat kami at natapos na,” Trisha said.

Friends Hannan and Honey had the same experience. They said the registrants should have been given more time to prepare their documents because they could only do so on their day off.

Big HK corporations pledge support for ethical hiring of FDWs

L to R:  Fair Employment Foundation’s Scott Stiles, Shangri-La’s Anissa Yao, Macquarie'ss Ben Way, Thomson Reuters’ Kimberley Cole, Barclays’ Anthony Davies, Harvey Nash’s - Tim Cox, Hasbro’s Greg Morley and KPMG’s Jackie Lee.

By Daisy CL Mandap

Seven top companies in Hong Kong have signed the “Fair Hire Pledge” to support a campaign promoting the ethical hiring of foreign domestic workers.

The pledge bound the companies to make their employees aware of the problems faced by domestic helpers though information sessions and training workshops, and to take action, if necessary, to help protect the workers’ rights.

The pledging session organized by the Fair Employment Foundation was held on Nov. 4 at the Macquarie offices at the International Finance Center in Central.

Those who joined the inaugural pledge held on Nov. 4 at the International Finance Centre were Barclays, Harvey Nash, Hasbro, KPMG, Macquarie Group, Shangri-La and Thomson Reuters.

Fair Employment's Scott Stiles

Scott Stiles, co-founder and general manager of the Foundation, said he hoped that more companies would also take the pledge.

“With their support we want Hong Kong to set the standard for ethical hiring of domestic workers and we look forward to welcoming more Fair Hire Pledge companies over the coming months,” he said in a statement.

Macquarie Group Asia chief executive officer Ben Way said the Foundation’s advocacy echoes his own company’s campaign against modern-day slavery.
He related how Macquarie had funded a year-long research that looked at issues involving foreign domestic workers in a bid to help them have a better life.

“Unfortunately, as that report has found, there are many instances within our community where those foreign workers were inherently a form of modern slaves and again, in a city as wealthy, as cosmopolitan as Hong Kong, that’s frankly not acceptable,” Way said.

He thus welcomed the chance to address the issue by being among the first signatories of the Fair Hiring Pledge.

Macquarie Group Asia CEO Ben Way

At the launch, Stiles said getting corporate support was the latest step taken by his group to extend protection to some 340,000 migrant workers in Hong Kong who are routinely exploited from the time they leave their home country.

A study reportedly showed that domestic workers are charged fees of up to four times their monthly salary by their recruitment agency. This is despite laws prohibiting the collection of any such fee in the Philippines, while in Hong Kong, the maximum amount that could be collected is just ten percent of the worker’s first monthly salary.

With this in mind, the Fair Employment Agency was set up two years ago. FEA undertook to remove the burden of paying agency fees from domestic workers and to promote the concept of transparent and ethical service to both employers and workers.

Its most recent thrust has propelled the Foundation into working with big companies to send its message across to even bigger audiences.

“After this signing, we will be doing the rounds of companies and provide training on ‘what does it mean to act fairly,” said Stiles.

The training will encourage the company’s staff to do three things: ask, report and support.

The first involves finding out (1) whether the agency collected any fee from the worker, and (2) whether it kept the workers’ passport for any reason.

The reporting phase will kick in when an affirmative answer is obtained for either of the two questions, while the support phase will require employers to allow their workers time to file a case should this become necessary.

Stiles said these all need to be done “so we can change people’s minds and help them benefit from doing what is right”.

Those who signed the Pledge apart from Way were Shangri-La’s HR director Anissa Yao, Thomson Reuters’ head of sales and business development Kimberley Cole, Barclays chief executive Anthony Davies, Harvey Nash director of financial services Tim Cox, Hasbro’s vice president for human resources Greg Morley, and KPMG senior manager Jackie Lee.

Do more to protect domestic workers, HK and PHL urged

L to R: Josua Mata, Shiella Estrada and Fernando Cheung: They all urged for tougher action against errant agencies

By Vir B. Lumicao

Labor leaders are urging the Philippine and Hong Kong governments to do more to protect foreign domestic workers from excessive agency fees and other forms of  exploitation.

Hong Kong legislators, for their part, said they would push measures that would give more teeth to the law prohibiting agencies from charging domestic workers more than 10% of their first monthly salary, or $430, as commission.

The statements were made during the launch on Oct. 30 of “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” a research on Filipina helpers who were victims of illegal fees and abusive employers.

A documentary film on the report was also shown at the event held at the Hong Kong Teachers’ Union in Yau Ma Tei, and attended by about 100 workers, supporters and media people.

The research, made jointly by the Progressive Labor Union of Domestic Workers in Hong Kong, or PLU, and Hong Kong Federation of Domestic Workers, or FADWU, involved in-depth interviews with 68 helpers who were victimized by agencies in the Philippines and in the territory.

“Our research clearly demonstrates that a significant number of agencies are systematically charging Filipino migrant domestic workers fees well in excess of the legal maximum. Yet, very few are ever charged in the Philippines or Hong Kong,” said Shiella Estrada, chair of PLU, which published the report.

The PLU said 84% of the Filipina helpers interviewed paid an average of Php52,644 in fees to Philippine agencies despite a government ban on placement fees. The agencies also forced experienced workers to undergo training for bigger profits, Estrada said.

Norma Muico from Rights Exposure who headed the PLU research said that despite claims of protecting the workers’ rights, the Philippine and Hong Kong governments have “failed to adequately monitor, prosecute and punish agencies that act illegally.”

She said that for 2014 and 2015, the HK Labour Department secured only 10 convictions for overcharging, and the agencies found guilty of excessive fee collection and unlicensed operation were fined only $1,500 to $45,000.

LegCo member Fernando Cheung said the corruption in the recruitment trade seen 20 years ago is still “widespread…with blatant violation of the law in placement, inspections, and importation of migrant workers.”

He said even those recruited in Hong Kong who choose to exit to Macau are charged excessive fees. He rued the exploitation of migrant workers by employers and agencies, saying that despite the disrepute that the Erwiana case brought upon Hong Kong, its people still treat migrant workers inhumanely.

“Without public concern and without sufficient pressure, we will continue to see these problems. So I think we really have to find ways to mount a social movement. It is not only changing or amending the law, one way to crack the nut is to press the government to exercise what it has to do and go after these employment agencies… and charge them according to the law,” Cheung said.

Josua Mata from SENTRO said the workers should unionize so they are better protected.

“Unless they unionize, domestic workers cannot really access all the rights that even legislation cannot give them,” he said.

He also said China should ratify ILO Convention 189 on decent work for domestic helpers so Hong Kong is also bound by it.

Claire Hobden from the ILO Decent Work for Domestic Workers unit said only 10% of the world’s domestic workers enjoy full labor protection, and “yet they work the longest hours without sitting down to rest”.

“Of the 67 million domestic workers worldwide, 11 million are migrants and 20% of these migrant domestic workers are in East Asia. Yet Asia is a region where domestic helpers enjoy little protection,” Hobden said.

Also present were LegCo member Leung Kwok-heung and former legislators Lee Cheuk-yan and Emily Lau.

Tears as CARD HK’s ‘Ina’ bids goodbye to her baby

By Vir B. Lumicao

CARD OFW's officers and  trainors bid their 'Ina" goodbye

The mother of one of Hong Kong’s financial literacy providers for migrant domestic workers has weaned her baby five years after nursing it into a robust, empowered entity.

Edna Aquino’s announcement on Oct 23 that she was finally leaving the group she founded, CARD MRI OFW (Hong Kong), in order to enjoy her senior years in Manila, left many members in tears.

She made the announcement during the latest general assembly and graduation ceremony for CARD OFW’s outreach, skills training and entrepreneurship trainees at the Catholic Diocese Centre.

Aquino has so endeared herself to CARD OFW members that they have taken to calling her “Ina”, the Tagalog word for Mommy.

Its variation, “Inay” or “Nanay” is also the name used for the rural mothers in the Philippines who have managed to start their small businesses with help from CARD MRI, the Hong Kong group’s mother organization.  

In a tribute to the woman who spent her life fighting for human rights and women’s empowerment since her university years before Martial Law, senior CARD trainors described Aquino as a true mother who had taught them so many priceless things that enriched their knowledge and improved their lives.

'Ina" Edna Aquino

Trainor Vicky Munar said it all in her homage: “Ikaw ang aming naging gabay sa aming paglalakbay as trainors, Ma’am Edna/ Aming ina, mentor and friend, maraming salamat sa lahat/ Sa lahat ng encouragement, pag-alalay at, siyempre, ang iyong empowerment/ We salute you, our mentor and friend, we love you/ Ikaw ang aming ina, ang ina ng CARD OFW Hong Kong.”

In an interview with The SUN after the event, Aquino said CARD OFW’s financial literacy program was about empowering the thousands of domestic workers in Hong Kong and that her decision to leave the work to the trainors who are OFWs themselves was intended to empower them.

“Kami, sa simula’t-simula pa lang, community development ang aking expertise, very conscious ang aming programa at strategy that we are not

Edna and Alex Aquino (middle) with CARD OFW officers

going to stay here for long. We have to make stakeholders out of OFWs, they have to own the program,” she said.

Thus, in CARD HK’s first year, she and her husband Alex already identified OFWs who could be groomed as special trainors.

“Pangalawa, hindi kami nainiwala na wala silang kakayahang mamuno. Sa tingin namin ay mas credible pa nga ang programa kung ang mga nanumuno ay OFW. So, integrated yung empowerment sa kanila doon sa aming financial literacy,” Aquino said, pointing proudly to the uniformed trainors who were vibrantly coordinating activities during the event. She said they were now experts in what they were doing and were themselves empowering their fellow OFWs.

Aquino recalled the times when she and her husband thought of promoting financial literacy to legion of OFWs long before they actually set up CARD OFW HK in 2010.

Alex said separately in a conversation during the event that he and Edna did a survey of Filipino workers when they set up a remittance business in London in the 1990s, but that they found Hong Kong to be a better launch site for their financial literacy project.

So the couple moved to Hong Kong in 2007 and prepared the ground for CARD OFW HK. They conducted a survey and held group discussions to find out the concerns and needs of OFWs here, with Aquino developing modules for the programs.

“Based on that survey, we designed the curriculums and prepared the modules. We started with a two-day workshop and condensed it to one-day. We adjusted it along the way,” Edna Aquino said.

For example, the entrepreneurship training was part of a two-day workshop. “Ang ginawa namin, inihiwalay yung financial literacy sa entrepreneurship so, ang follow-up workshop nila will be entrepreneurship naman,” she said.

CARD workshops are distinctively not lecture-type but participatory so that the trainees would grasp better the ideas that are imparted, Aquino emphasized. In her modules she injected creativity and diversity in approach to financial literacy to sustain the participants’ interest.

One of the modules, business planning, teaches participants how to maintain livelihood initiatives back home that their relatives operate, as this is where most OFWs have failed.

“Ang pinakamalaking concern ay kung bakit hindi nagiging successful yung maraming negosyo, kasi ang communication with their families back home hindi nalalatag nang maayos” as the OFWs monitored their businesses by remote control, she said.

“Napakahirap, napakahirap,” she said. To illustrate, she gave the example of an OFW going and giving his family capital for business.

“Dahil guilty siya at wala siya sa Pilipinas, kapag nagtatanong siya kung ano ang nangyari sa negosyo, either hindi niya masusing tinatanong, or, sinisita niya to the point na yung other side naman sa Pilipinas ay nagi-guilty kasi parang hinahanapan sila. So, either way, dysfunctional yung nasa Pilipinas, dysfunctional din yung OFW,”   she said.

CARD OFW HK was set up in 2010 and it held its first financial literacy and outreach workshop in 2011. Its 137 graduates highly rated the topics – budgeting, goal setting, needs and wants, savings and unforeseen events, investment and debt management.

The number of graduates rose 28% to 176 in 2012 and jumped 75% to 308 the next year. Entrepreneurship seminars were added in 2013 and drew 54 people. In 2015, graduates in financial literacy and outreach grew to 485 from 409 in the previous year, while those in entrepreneurship tripled to 145 from 46.

So far this year, CARD OFW’s seminars have produced 383 financial literacy and 180 entrepreneurship graduates.

They bring to about 2,5000 the number of OFWs who have benefited from CARD OFW’s programs.

The Aquinos were both activists and human rights advocates and so their becoming OFW advocates came naturally, said Edna.

Going to London to work for Amnesty International, Edna and her husband sought out the “undocumented” OFWs who fled their employers and campaigned for their legalization. Their victory drove them to pursue their advocacy organizing Filipinos.

The Aquinos then set up the Centre for Filipinos, which helped troubled OFWs, and won an award from Queen Elizabeth II and another from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

They moved to Hong Kong after Edna retired from AI and Alex set up a company. They linked up with the community and continued their advocacy until one day they met their compadre, CARD MRI founder Dr Jaime Aristotle Alip. That was when CARD OFW Hong Kong was conceived and its “mother” buckled down to work.

Back in Manila, Aquino is not really retiring yet but is actually working on a new baby, a project for farmers and small entrepreneurs.

Tesda stamp eyed for CARD OFW grads

The graduates, their trainors and guests pose for the camera at the end of the event at Caritas Catholic Diocese Center.

By Vir B.Lumicao

Graduates of financial literacy, entrepreneurship and livelihood skills workshops offered by CARD OFW Hong Kong may be granted accreditation by the Technical Education and Skills Training Authority, or Tesda, in the near future.

CARD MRI in the Philippines is working on Tesda accreditation for its Hong Kong financial literacy modules and hopes to secure it, CARD OFW chair Rex Aguado announced at the graduation ceremony for nearly 300 participants on Oct 23.

The graduates, including volunteers at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, burst into cheers at the Caritas Catholic Diocese auditorium at Aguado’s announcement.

“Ito ay makakatulong sa requirements kapag kayo ay mag-apply ng loans, ng trabaho. Magkakaroon na po kayo ng Tesda accreditation through your CARD MRI authorization,” he said.

CARD HK is also arranging for its graduates to be issued membership numbers so that when they return to the Philippines for reintegration, they would get priority at any CARD MRI branch they go to for transactions, Aguado said.

“So take care of your diploma and be very proud of that,” he said.

CARD HK vice chairman Alex Aquino told The SUN that there had been 1,999 graduates since the NGO started its financial literacy program for migrant Filipino workers began in Hong Kong five years ago.

On Sunday, the total number of graduates was 275, comprising 152 graduates in financial literacy, 98 in entrepreneurship and 25 in outreach.

Since January this year, there have been 383 financial literacy and 180 entrepreneurship graduates, for a total of 563. The 24% jump in the entrepreneurship figure reflects individuals in the financial literacy and outreach programs also joining the seminars.

“We have one more financial literacy seminar scheduled for this year, so the figures will still change,” said a CARD officer who provided the data.

The guest of honor and speaker at the event, Consul General Bernardita Catalla, congratulated the graduates for their perseverance and determination to undergo training courses such as those offered free by CARD MRI.

“Paulit-ulit kong sinasabi na importante ang ganitong mga proyekto…may diploma tayo at kailangan iyong mapapakinabangan natin in the near future,” ConGen Catalla said in her speech.

She wished that the graduates would become entrepreneurs in the future who would be able to provide work for themselves, their families and relatives, as well as members of the community. There are already some OFWs who have become successful entrepreneurs, like Myrna Padilla (a former domestic worker in Hong Kong who now owns her own IT company in Davao), she said.
The consul general stressed the importance of persevering and planning to achieve success.

Catalla also paid tribute to Edna Aquino, the founder of CARD OFW HK who had announced her retirement from CARD MRI. The consul general said Aquino had accomplished a very important work for which she deserved an award.

“Edna, maraming, maraming salamat dahil kung wala ka ay hindi mapapatnubayan at mapapalakas ang CARD MRI dito,” the consul general said.

Aquino and her husband Alex are now both based in Metro Manila but came to Hong Kong for the CARD OFW general assembly and graduation ceremony.

Despite her retirement from CARD OFW, Edna Aquino said she was doing some projects for a Belgian group involving farmers in the Philippines.

The next CARD OFW financial literacy workshop is scheduled for Nov 20. For reservation and inquiries, contact 95296392 and 54238196.

The evils of third-country deployment

By Jalilo de la Torre

Our OFWs in Hong Kong continue to ignore warnings against applying for jobs in third countries. The psychology seems to be that if others made it to those countries, they’d be foolish not to try it.

Our experience with what’s happened to those who made it to those third countries seems to put a damper on those false expectations. There have been a number of cases of our nationals falling into harm’s way in Turkey, Russia and the United Kingdom. Cases of Filipinos not being met at the airport by their supposed agents, working in jobs not applied for, being abandoned, becoming victims of human trafficking—adorn our files.

Why risk it then? Is your situation so desperate that you become deaf to government warnings? Why come to Hong Kong and just make it a jump-off point for a third country? Aren’t you being unfair to your present employer?

The rules against third country deployment are out there for a reason, just as there is a reason for all the rules of the POEA—the protection of our workers abroad. Some rules, like the OEC and the rule against direct hiring, have become unnecessary not because they were not valid in reasoning but because technology and the increasing maturity and awareness of our workers of their rights, have rendered some rules obsolete or slow in adapting to modern-day realities.

The recent case of an employment agency has once again brought to the fore the dangers of third country deployment. The non-existence of the jobs applied for in the UK has failed to deter the gullible from risking their money to this scam. Out of the hundreds who are suspected to have been victimized, less than half have taken the bold step to take the agency to court. More than a dozen have been awarded favorable judgments but enforcing those judgments is another matter. We are doing our best, together with The SUN, the Mission for Migrant Workers and the ATN section, to assist these claimants. At the end of the day, however, our OFWs need to step up and avoid being victimized. Not knowing that third country deployment is illegal and harmful is no longer a valid excuse. They owe it to themselves and their families to be vigilant and not fall for these fraudulent transactions.

Third country deployment is prohibited for the same reason that deploying from the Philippines without a license, without a verified job order and without going through the regulatory gauntlet of the POEA—we need to ensure that our OFWs are not being taken for a ride or being defrauded. Illegal recruitment is a crime and if you recruit Filipino workers for jobs overseas without authority to do so, you are committing a crime. If you commit a crime, you should do the time.

We’ve suspended and recommend the permanent cancellation of the accreditation with the POEA of this agency for the above reasons. But our OFWs must not allow their vulnerability to be preyed upon by the unscrupulous because the more that we trust these businesses and individuals who are out there to beguile you to part with your hard-earned money, the more victims there will be.
The perpetration of this prohibited practice akin to human trafficking is made possible by the expectation of these criminal elements of the gullibility of the victims, and their state of desperation that even strong warnings from the government would not dissuade the victims from “trying”.
In most cases, it is one try too many. In some cases, the victims do not listen to warnings because of the lack of trust in government, and this is the very divide that human traffickers exploit to lure victims and offer them sweetheart deals that are unrealistic and often lead to disappointment, or physical harm.

It is worth repeating this warning for the benefit of our OFWs in Hong Kong: there is no agency in Hong Kong, whether accredited by POEA or not, authorized to recruit and deploy Filipinos to third countries. Newspaper ads of agencies offering job openings in Canada or the UK or other countries are meant to deceive and victimize workers, and have not been verified by the Philippine Labor Attache in those countries.

For information or inquiries, please like our Facebook page, Ask Ko Lang, Kuya Labatt, or call our POLO hotline, 55291880.

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For this issue we welcome back an old friend and a former regular columnist at The SUN, Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre. Labatt Jolly, as he is known to most people in Hong Kong, used to have a column in The SUN titled “Action Line”, where he responded to work-related queries and complaints or suggestions from our migrant workers. We hope to revive that column soon. In the meantime, he has kindly responded to our request for a self-written piece on third-country deployment, and why the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA expressly forbids recruitment agencies from engaging in this practice.

Ang pagkakaiba

Ang pagtira sa ibang bansa, gaya ng Hong Kong, ay nagmulat sa mga mata ng marami sa atin sa pamumuhay at pamamaraan na iba sa nakagawian natin sa Pilipinas. Ang mga bagong salta, gaya noong tayo ay bagong salta din, ay naninibago sa mga kalakarang sosyal na dinaratnan nila.

Isang halimbawa na lang ang nakaraang bagyong humampas hindi lang sa Hong Kong, kundi sa Pilipinas na rin. Siyempre, dahil sa lakas ng ulan, nagbaha sa Hong Kong at sa mga lugar na tinamaan ng bagyo sa Pilipinas. Nagliparan din ang maraming bagay, dala ng malalakas na hangin sa parehong lugar.

Ang pagkakaiba lang ay ilang oras ang pagkatapos dumaan ang bagyo, balik na sa dating gawi ang Hong Kong. Bumaba agad ang baha. Naglinis ng kalat ang mga kinauukulan. Nagpasada ang mga bus at ibang sasakyang pampubliko. Nagbukasan ang mga opisina at mga palengke. Naglabasan ang mga taong humahangos sa kani-kanilang obligasyon. Kinabukasan, burado na ang bakas ng kalamidad  na dumaan.

Sa Pilipinas, isang linggo na ang nakararaan ay naghihintay pa rin ng relief goods ang ilan sa mga nasalanta. Samantala, naglabasan ang mga pekeng balita at pekeng larawan na sako-sakong bigas ang ipinamamahagi sa mga nasalanta. Ang baha sa iba’t ibang lugar ay hindi pa rin humuhupa. Ang buong bayan ay parang sadlak pa rin, kahit taun-taon ay sumasailalim ito sa ganitong oportunidad upang matutong maghanda sa mga bagyong darating.

Bakit hanggang ngayon, parang hindi pa rin nasanay ang Pilipinas? O baka naman ang nakasanayan ng bayan ay ang pagiging biktima sa ganitong kalakaran?

Kung nabuksan ang mga mata nating nakatira sa ibayong bansa sa pagmamasid sa pagkakaibang ito, hindi dapat matapos ang prosesong ito dito. Sana ay maibahagi din natin sa ating bansa ang ating natutunan.

Gaya ng nakasaad sa ating mga kontrata, ang ating pagtatrabaho sa ibang bansa ay hindi pagmatagalan. Ang araw din ay darating na tayo ay uuwi, upang doon na tuluyang manirahan.
Sana ay hindi masayang ang ating karanasan at magamit natin sa ikauunlad hindi lang ng ating kabuhayan, kundi ng ating bayan.

Pregnant DH faces jail term for abetting money laundering

Fan Ling Law Courts building.

By Vir B. Lumicao

A 37-year-old pregnant Filipina domestic worker faces imprisonment after being found guilty of money laundering.

Sancha Luz Medina was convicted of the charge of “aiding and abetting the dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offense” by Magistrate Chan Tin-hoi in Fan Ling court on Nov. 9.

Medina claimed she had lent her ATM card  to a friend who, unknown to her, used it to receive money from illegal sources.

The magistrate set sentencing for Nov 23, saying she was aware that Medina, who was separated from her husband, was five months pregnant and needed to find help in managing her pregnancy.

In the meantime, Medina was remanded in custody.

Magistrate Chan said she could not accept the defendant’s claim that she lent her bank account to a friend named “Anna”, just because they both worked in Taiwan before Hong Kong and came from the same area in the Philippines.

The magistrate also said she did not believe the helper had no knowledge of what was taking place in her bank account during the month-long period that Anna borrowed her bank ATM card.

The case was uncovered in late October 2013 when a Mrs Chen, who owns the trading company Laveer, received an email from a Hong Kong company named Ryder reminding her about overdue payment for a purchased item.

Mrs Chen said she had already transferred the payment to Ryder’s bank account with the Bank of China. A bank investigation found the lost payment had been diverted to the account of Medina with Hang Seng Bank.

The investigation also uncovered a number of transfers and withdrawals of money totaling US$16,637, equivalent to HK$131,270 at the time from the defendant’s account between late October 2013 and November 2013.

Medina told Commercial Crime Bureau investigators she had only $20 in the account when she met Anna on Oct 23, as she had not used it for a long time. Medina said she lent the account to Anna who needed it for a bank loan.

The account was closed in February 2014 when the investigation got under way.

Magistrate Chan said investigators wanted to find out the relation of Medina to the people who were behind the money laundering.

The defendant knew Anna only for a short while and their telephone conversations were all about general topics relating to their work as domestic helpers, the magistrate said.

Chan said the investigators wanted to find out how Anna was able to forge Medina’s signature and use her bank account.

“The defendant was aware that Anna was using her account to receive money but did not monitor how the account was being used by her friend. By doing so, she was encouraging Anna to use her account for illegal transactions,” Chan said.

Fate slams local rival as to open new softball season

Fate members and their leaders celebrate after the victory.

By Emz Frial

The all-Filipina softball team, Fate, kick-started the 4th season of the Hong Kong Softball Association games with a massive win over its local rival, Hysan, at Shek Kip Mei field on Oct. 23.
Through all four innings, Fate kept piling up points while leaving Hysan scoreless. The game ended on a score of 22-0 for Fate.
It was sweet victory for Fate, whose members spent all their Sundays off practicing, soon after the third season ended. Their perseverance paid off with their resounding victory against Hysan.
The game started off well for the Filipinas, who got the first chance to bat. A pitching error by Hysan’s Hon Yan Yin gave the first two batters of the away team, Liezeal Algonez and Myra Japitana, a free walk. Don Gaborno then blasted a short infield ball and was safe to first base, while Algonez ran off to third base, and Japitana to second base.

Ma. Eva Mendez then took her turn to bat, but she was caught on first base. Luckily, Algonez managed to make it to homebase.

After that, the Filipinas scored six more homes, courtesy of Japitana, Gaborno, Cherry Octaviano, Rubieline Ondayang, Editha Hidalgo and Romela Osabel.

When it was Hysan’s turn to bat, Chan Cheuk Shan hit the ball and managed to run to first base, but was put out to second afterwards. The same thing happened to the next batter, Chu Wia Ting who was able to run freely to first base after hitting the ball, but was put out to second base.

Next to bat was Cheung Ka Tung who got safely to first base but got stuck there when batter Hon Yan Yin was caught on a fly ball by Ondayang. The first inning ended with Fate well ahead,  7-0.

On the second inning five more Fate players add a point each to their score, making it 12-0 by the close. Those who scored were Algonez, Japitana, Gaborno, Mendez and Octaviano.

By this time, Fate had become more confident of fulfilling their goal of not allowing their rival to set a foot on homebase.

On the third inning, coach Ynez Badajos called for substitution and reshuffled the players to give the others a chance to play.

But even this strategy failed to stop Fate from piling on the points. Six players added a point each to the total score, making it 18-0 by the close of the third inning. Those who scored in this round were Maribel Sitchon, Gaborno, Eunice Locop, May Ledesma, Ondayang and Percy Jayme.

On the last and final inning the Filipinas scored four more points courtesy of Ynez Badajos, Sitchon, Gaborno and Locop, to add it all up to 22, with the locals still at nil.

But like good sports, Hysan happily shook hands with the Filipinas, and gamely posed for pictures with them afterwards.

Coach Badajos was obviously very pleased when she congratulated the team for a job well done. Fate manager Law Wai-ho was also very happy with the result of the game that she treated the players to a free lunch.

Idulog Mo Kay Atorni - 4

The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong in cooperation with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Central Luzon Chapter presents "Idulog Mo Kay Atorni - 4".

Lawyers from IBP Central Luzon will be providing free legal consultations on 12 November (Saturday, 10:00am to 4:00pm) and 13 November (Sunday, 9:00am to 3:00pm).  Venue will be at the PCG Conference Room.

On 13 November (Sunday, 4:00pm to 5:30pm), a Legal Forum will be also be conducted on various topics.

For registration and appointment, please call 2823-8537 (Cholo) or 2823-8511 (Charlene); or email at cru.pcghk@gmail.com.

'Sexual predator' gets life for killing two Indonesian women

Rurik Jutting

by Daisy CL Mandap
He sat, unmoved, as the nine-man jury unanimously adjudged him guilty on two counts of murder, prompting a muted applause from a section of the courtroom.

He remained stoic as the judge imposed the prescribed sentences for his offence: two concurrent life sentences.

And just as he was led away from the dock, 31-year-old Rurik Jutting showed just the slightest sign of emotion, a slow release of air, as if he had just come out of a classroom examination.

In reality, Jutting, a high-flying British investment banker, was on that day, Nov. 7, convicted at Hong Kong's High Court
of bludgeoning to death two Indonesian women he had picked up from bars near his Wanchai flat two years ago.

He pleaded not guilty to murder but to manslaughter on the ground of “diminished responsibility”.

He claimed his judgment had been impaired by his cocaine and alcohol abuse and a narcissistic and sexual-sadism disorder, but the jury rejected this.

The killings of Sumarti Ningsih, 23 and Seneng Mujiasih, 26, were done so savagely that in sentencing, Justice Michael Stuart-Moore declined to accept an apology that Jutting offered to the victims’ families by way of a letter read out in court.

“Let no one be fooled by the defendant’s superficial charm,” said the judge. “He has not shown any shred of remorse”.

Press people jostle for space outside the High Court

The judge also said that if he were sentencing Jutting in a court in the United Kingdom, he would have sentenced him to a full life term, which was not available in Hong Kong.

His life terms here means he could be available for a periodic review of his sentence.
Taking note of Jutting’s request that he be sent to the UK to serve out his sentence in line with a mutual pact between Hong Kong and Britain, Judge Stuart Moore said he would make sure “the English authorities would know the type of person they will have to deal with.”

The judge then recalled how Jutting killed his victims in what he said was one of the “most horrific” cases to have been heard in Hong Kong.

Opening the trial 10 days earlier, he also called the case “strange” as the most incriminating evidence against Jutting was the video recording that he himself made on his Iphone before, and immediately after, the killings.

Jutting's flat in Wanchai where he killed his victims

The judge recalled how Jutting had picked up Sumarti on Oct 24, 2014, then tortured and abused her for three days before killing her. He then put her body in the shower, before stuffing it into a suitcase he left in his balcony.

Sumarti was reportedly too scared to resist. “No wonder she was scared, she weighed 37 kilos,” said the judge.
At the time, Jutting himself weighed about 90 kilos, but had trimmed down considerably by the start of his trial.

The court heard earlier that Jutting had a previous encounter with the victim, who was so spooked by that initial experience that she had to be paid a huge sum to go with him again.

“What made this worse was he actually knew and liked the victim”, the judge said.
Sumarti's relatives had said in a separate interview that the victim had complained about Jutting stalking him, although he also reportedly offered to marry her.

In a recording he made after killing Sumarti, Jutting spoke of how the experience had given him a high that made him decide to look for a prey so he could do it again.

This prey turned out to be Seneng, who like Sumarti, had left her Central Java hometown to work as a domestic helper in Hong Kong, and later moonlighted as a sex worker to provide much-needed support to her family back home.

But it took Jutting four days to do the stalking for his next victim because he decided to equip himself well for the kill, as if it were a sport. He bought about $7,000 worth of paraphernalia from a sex shop and a hardware, which included a blowtorch, hammer, nails, sandpaper, ropes and a gag.

He later told police Seneng had shouted on seeing the “monstrous” gag he had left lying around, so he killed her.

“I cut her, when she tried to struggle, I cut her more deeply,” he said.

Seneng’s throat was cut so savagely that it left a wound 28 cm wide.

By then, Jutting had become delirious from the combined effect of drugs, alcohol and lack of sleep that he imagined police and “special forces” were about to seize him. He eventually called 999 and offered to surrender. The police instead sent officers to his home where they uncovered the grisly crimes.

During the two years before his trial Jutting was interviewed by psychiatrists who noted his incredibly high intelligence (he had an IQ of 137, which put him in the upper 2 percent of the world’s population) but also his sadistic and narcissistic tendencies.

Rurik, whose mother was born in Hong Kong to a Chinese mother and British father, came from a privileged background. He was educated in public schools in Surrey, England before attending Cambridge where where he took up history and law. After graduation in 2008, he joined Barclays in London. Two years later he moved to Bank of America Merrill Lynch where, simultaneous to moving up the corporate ladder, he began going on alcohol and cocaine binges.

The company relocated him to Hong Kong in September 2013 allegedly to “get him out of the way” following an investigation into a dubious tax product that he had tried to sell.

According to the defense, his move to Hong Kong accelerated his downward spiral. A year after his arrival, he met a cocaine dealer who supplied him with massive amounts of the drug on a regular basis that he was unable to work. At that time, he was earning $2.5 million a year, which Judge Stuart-Moore said “was a salary most people could only dream of”.

In contrast, the family members of his victims are so poor that they could not even go to Hong Kong and attend the trial.

The Mission for Migrant Workers is helping them get full justice by filing a civil claim against Jutting on their behalf.

Mission’s general manager Cynthia Tellez, “We have been instructed by the families to file the case. We are only about to do it now because it took quite awhile for the death certificates to be released”.

Jutting, meanwhile, is apparently not seeking an appeal. His solicitor, Michael Vidler said, “The jury has spoken”.

But if he were to remain in Hong Kong, Jutting may not end up spending the rest of his life in jail. Vidler said there would be a periodic review of his sentence, with the first one likely to be held five years from now.

Ople tells OFWs, write to relieve stress

Attache Jalilo de la Torre gives a Certificate of Appreciation to Susan Ople for holding the Writing as Therapy workshop at Polo Hk.

By Jo Campos

A quiet and tense room filled with about two dozen eager participants was what greeted OFW advocate Susan “Toots” Ople when she showed up for the first Writing as Therapy workshop at the Metrobank conference room in United Centre on Oct. 23.

But as soon as she started the talk, the atmosphere changed into something a lot friendlier and comfortable, with the participants quickly warming up and eager to share their thoughts.

The same thing happened in the afternoon session, with the second set of participants equally loosening up as the three-hour workshop organized by Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre ran its course.

Ople, a writer and former labor undersecretary, said it was her first time to hold such a workshop with overseas Filipino workers. Her previous experience on the same advocacy was with drug dependents.
Still, the purpose was the same: to encourage participants to put their feelings down, using pen and paper.

Writing as a therapy aims to encourage OFWs to deal with their problems, frustrations or any emotions through writing, whether it is in the form of a poem, a short story, or even just a list of their day-to-day struggles as an OFW. This way, they can vent out all the thoughts that bother them especially homesickness and family problems.

To break the ice, the participants were asked to write on a small piece of paper their problems or what worries them the most. The pieces of paper were then placed in a container, sealed and put away.
Then participants were asked to do some exercises, in-between short inspirational talks.

One exercise involved asking the participants to write a short story about their first love and to describe the person they love in ten minutes. The room was filled with emotion as the participants read what they had written.

Free-flowing writing was also introduced to the participants, which involved getting them to write everything that came to mind without a pause in two minutes.

A participant in the morning session, Sheril Bayucan said, “I got excited after learning that there would be a writing workshop here in Hong Kong. My interest in writing was re awakened. I was there listening and interacting in a room surrounded by people who were just as excited like me. It was inspiring and comforting to have the opportunity to learn from the best. I am very thankful that Labatt Dela Torre and Susan Ople initiated this kind of event and I am looking forward to the next workshop.”

In an interview, Ople described how the participants responded to the workshop thus: “ It was a Sunday after the storm and words poured like sunshine, warming everyone up to life’s endless possibilities.”

She said she was touched by the participants’ desire to learn, and their willingness to share what they had written.

During her lecture, she told participants, “In this workshop, there are no rules. Kung hirap kayo sa Ingles, huwag pilitin. Kung gusto niyong magmura, isulat sa notebook niyo. We are here to communicate.”

She shared how writing has helped her cope with her own problems: “ Matagal ko na itong gustong gawin kasi sa pagsusulat ko din nakuha ang lakas ng loob na harapin ang pagpanaw ng tatay ko. Doon mo ibuhos ang lahat, ang pangarap at hinanakit, ang lungkot at kasiyahan, ang sikreto at suliranin mo. Walang paghuhusga, pero may kapatawaran sa sarili.”

At the end of the workshop, Labatt Dela Torre gave an equally inspiring closing remarks. He praised Ople for her advocacy and passion to reach out to OFWs around the world and share her knowledge and extend support.

The enthusiastic response from participants has prompted Labatt to schedule more such workshops in the coming months.

Stripped down

I got my concealed gun permit  and wet over to the gun shop to get a small pistol for home protection

When I was ready to pay for the gun and bullets,t he cashier said: “Strip down, facing me.”

Making a mental note to complain to the manager later, I did just as she instructed.

When the hysterial shrieking finally subsided, I found out she was referring to how I should place my credit card in the card reader.

Overstayed DH jailed 8 months as asylum bid fails

Shatin courthouse entrance.

A former domestic helper was sent to jail for eight months by a Shatin magistrate on Tuesday, Nov 8, for overstaying, after failing to gain temporary asylum in Hong Kong for an alleged threat to her life in the Philippines.

In three other immigration cases at the court,  a Filipino tourist who overstayed his visa for 16 days was sentenced to two weeks in jail but suspended for three years, while two former helpers charged with breach of condition of stay had their cases reset for mention in December pending the results of their applications for torture claim.

Evangeline Zabala pleaded guilty to a charge of overstaying in Hong Kong for two years and two months before Magistrate Andrew Ma at Shatin Court.

“Defendant, you are convicted on your own admission of the charge,” Ma said,

and handed her the discounted sentence that took into account her plea.

The prosecutor told the court that Zabala, 50, surrendered to Immigration authorities last month after the Torture Claims Board rejected her application for torture claim, the prosecution told the court. If the claim had been approved, Zabala would have been entitled to stay in Hong Kong while her claim was being processed, plus rent money and food allowance.

The mother of three came to Hong Kong on Oct 14, 2010 to work as a domestic worker but was terminated by her employer on Aug. 28 the following year.

Failing to find a new employer during the 14-day extension of her visa, Zabala stayed on illegally in Hong Kong.

On Oct 8, 2013, she surrendered to the Immigration Department and applied for non-refoulement so she would not be sent back home, citing fear for her life because her husband was allegedly engaged in illegal activities. Her application was rejected last month and she turned herself in to the Immigration authorities.

Magistrate Ma adjourned the hearing of charges against overstayed former domestic workers to Feb 8 for Veronica Quebedo and Dec 6 for Robina Carolino, both former domestic workers, pending the results of their applications for torture claim.

Meanwhile, Kelvin Jeremias, who came to Hong Kong as a tourist, received a two-week jail sentence suspended for three years after overstaying in Hong Kong for 16 days. He surrendered to Immigration officers in September.  

   

Pinay DH cleared of illegal job charge

Shatin courthouse entrance.

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina domestic helper was acquitted in Shatin Court on Tuesday, Nov 8, of a charge of breaching her condition of stay by allegedly working in the snack shop of her Indian employer in Mirador Mansion in Tsimshatsui.

Raquel Manacop was on the verge of tears as Magistrate Colin Wong found her not guilty on the second day of a trial attended by her employer.

Magistrate Wong, however, rejected Manacop’s attempt to recover court costs of $20,000 representing lawyer’s fee when she applied for bail at the High Court after the magistrate court remanded her in jail custody for the alleged offense.

The magistrate said the receipts presented by the Filipina for reimbursement did not show her name as the payor of the cost as the invoices bore the name of Worldwide Food, the company owned by her employer.

Wong only allowed reimbursement of the $540 that she paid for duty lawyer service and told her to collect her $15,000 bail money.

Manacop was arrested on Aug 10 after she sold food to an Immigration officer who posed as a customer during an operation of the department to ferret out foreigners performing jobs illegally.

The Immigration officer identified as PWI, giving evidence on Monday, said he entered the restaurant of Manacop’s employer and saw the Filipina sitting at a table near the payment counter.

PWI said he pointed to a food on the menu and asked the maid how much it cost but the Filipina told him to wait for her employer, who was in the toilet at the time.

The officer insisted to buy at that moment, pretending he was in a hurry. So the Filipina took his money and gave him the food. She also took out change from her own wallet and gave it to the officer.

A few seconds later, immigration officers and police arrived and arrested Manacop for working illegally in the restaurant.

She was charged with breach of condition of stay before Shatin Court Magistrate Andrew Ma, who ordered her remanded in custody and told her to go to the High Court to apply for bail.

Manacop reasoned out that she dropped by at the shop and was waiting for her employer after coming from the market to buy food for the house.

Wong said he had to consider if Manacop’s selling the food item to the undercover Immigration officer for five minutes constituted employment.

He said he also had to consider why the defendant was standing outside the cash counter while serving the officer, did not use the cash register to put the cash paid by PW1, and used her own money to give the customer his change.

In the end, the magistrate said he found Manacop not guilty.

Ang mga hugot

Matuto kang magpahalaga sa taong nagpapakatanga sa iyo. Tandaan mo, bilang na lang ang mga taong seryoso at hindi lahat iyon, ikaw ang gusto.
-o-
Na TRAIN TO BUSAN ka na ba?
Yung TRAINaTO ka lang niyang kaibigan, pero ikaw, minahal mo siya nang luBUSAN?
-o-
Minsan kung kailan ka lumalaban saka ka naman nasasaktan, kung kailan ka natututong magmahal saka ka iniiwan. Kung kailan ka nagseseryoso saka ka niloloko.
Saan ka ba lulugar? Doon sa mali na masaya ka o sa tama na lumuluha ka?
-o-
Tandaan mo, hindi mo na kailangang magpa-impress, magpapansin, magpaganda o magpacute. Kasi kung mahal ka talaga niya kahit wala kang gawin, ikaw pa rin ang pinaka magandang babae sa buhay niya
-o-
May papel ka nga sa buhay niya, scratch paper nga lang.
-o-
Minahal kita ng Pak na Pak. Tapos iiwan mo'ko ng Ganern Ganern lang?
-o-
And finally...
Alam mo yung feeling na sabay tayong nahulog? Ako sa iyo at ikaw naman sa kanal? Hahaha akala mo hugot na naman!

The POLO office will be used as venue for the exams.

Staff of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office will skip their weekend break this Friday and Saturday to accept applications for the maiden civil service examinations for Filipinos in Hong Kong on Nov. 27, Labour Attache Jalilo de la Torre said.

The POLO official said more than 300 prospective examinees queued at Admiralty last Sunday to file their applications for the yearly test, which would enable passers to work for the government.

This Friday and Saturday, POLO will assign six people to receive applications and a further six will be on standby just in case they will be needed to help, he said.

The civil service exam will be held at the POLO offices on the 11^th and 16^th floors of Admiralty Centre Tower 1, Labatt Dela Torre said.

On Sunday, Nov 13, the last day of filing, the applicants will be served on the 16^th floor of Admiralty Centre Tower 1 and at Metrobank United Centre, he said.

Weekday applicants will be entertained on the 11^th floor of the Admiralty Centre Tower 1,  De la Torre told The SUN in reply to online queries.

Regular services at the offices of the POLO were not disrupted by the huge number of applicants last Sunday, as the processing of the applications was done at the Metrobank on the second-floor lobby of United Centre.

The United Centre lobby is spacious so big crowds of OFWs lining up for services, such as the phased-out overseas employment certificate, are easier to handle there.

He said that the filing of paper applications was part of procedures that prospective examinees go through before they go online to register.

“Three hundred-plus filed applications on Sunday. After filing papers with us they go online for registration,” Labatt Dela Torre said.

The rush to file applications led to long queues at the picture studios where applicants had their passport-size photos taken.

The labor attaché advised applicants to have their pictures taken in photo shops elsewhere before they go to Admiralty so as to avoid congestion and long lines at the photo studios in the commercial centre.

“We advise that you avoid the long queues by having your pictures taken somewhere else. Just advise studio to prepare a hand-held sign showing your signature over your full name. You can then proceed to POLO HK for processing,” Labatt De la Torre said.

One prospective examinee expressed her relief after successfully filing her application on Sunday afternoon – with the photo-taking session accounting for much of the long wait that started at 10:30am and lasted until 3:15pm.

“Sana may ibang studio na mag-facilitate na pareho lang ang bayad, $60, para mas madali lang… Pero salamat na din, at least natapos at na-submit na,” Rose Magallanes commented on a post by Labatt De la Torre.

Wan Chai, Noon at Ngayon (Wan Chai Heritage Trail)

Ang mga bagong gusali sa Quees Road East sa Wanchai.

Ni Jo Campos

Kapag nabanggit ang Wan Chai, malamang na ang pumapasok agad sa isip ng karamihan ay ang reputasyon nito bilang “red light district” ng Hong Kong. Dito kasi matatagpuan ang maraming mga bahay-aliwan at mga disco, lalo na sa kahabaan ng Lockhart Road. Pagsapit ng dilim, agad mapapansin ang pagkutitap ng mga ilaw mula sa mga bar at disco dito, at ang pagdagsa ng mga parokyano.

Ang hindi alam ng marami ay hitik sa kasaysayan at kultura ang Wan Chai.

Ang Wan Chai ay halaw sa salitang Cantonese na ang literal na kahulugan sa Ingles ay “cove district” o’ “small bay”. Ito ang tinawag sa distrito na ito dahil dati itong pinamamahayan ng mga tsinong mangingisda.

Noong unang panahon, ang bungad ng Wan Chai ay nasa Queen’s Road East, ngunit sa pagdaan ng panahon at dahil na rin sa patuloy na reclamation ay lumawak ang lupang nasasakop ng Wan Chai.
Ngayon, ang maraming makabagong mga gusaling nagsusulputan sa Wan Chai ay nagkukubli sa mga gusaling may ilang daang taong gulang na. Hindi sila giniba kahit  na patuloy ang modernisasyon ng distrito, alinsunod sa batas na naglalayon na panatilihin at pagyamanin ang kultura at kasaysayan ng Hong Kong.

Dahil dito, nananatiling makasaysayan ang maraming mga lugar at gusali sa Wan Chai.

Kabilang sa mga ito ang makukulay na lumang gusali sa iba’t ibang sulok ng distrito. Halimbawa, sa panulukan ng Mallory St. at Burrows St. ay matatagpuan ang gusaling tinawag na Green House, na itinayo noong unang bahagi ng 20th century. Ang mga haligi at punong hagdanan nito ay gawa sa bakal at hango sa French at Western architecture ang disenyo. Ginagamit ito ngayon bilang gusaling pang komersyo, o para sa mga tindahan at opisina.

Dahil maraming mga banyaga ang nanirahan sa lugar na ito mula nang sakupin ng mga Briton ang Hong Kong noong 1841, marami sa mga gusali dito ay inayon sa kanilang nakagisnang disenyo.

Ang isa pang natatanging gusali ay ang Blue House, na matatagpuan sa Stone Nullah Lane, at abot- tanaw lang mula sa palengke ng Wan Chai. Sa kasalukuyan, ang gusaling ito ay sumasailalim sa preserbasyon at pag-aayos upang mapanatili ang dating anyo nito. Ang Blue House ay may tinaguriang Grade 1 historic building na ang ibig sabihin ay hindi ito maaring gibain o baguhin ang disenyo.

Ang lumang post office na daang-taon na.

Sa kahabaan ng Queen’s Road East naman ay matatagpuan ang Old Wan Chai Post Office na itinayo sa pagitan ng taong 1912 at 1913, at nagsilbing tanggapan ng koreo hanggang taong 1992.

Sa kasalukuyan, ito ang tanggapan ng Environmental Resource Centre. Ang gusaling ito idineklara bilang isang monumento mula pa noong Mayo ng taong 1990.

Sa di kalayuan ay mararating ang dating Lee Tung Street, na ngayon ay Lee Tung Avenue na. Matapos ang ilang taong negosasyon sa pagitan ng gobyerno at mga may-ari ng bahay at negosyo sa kahabaan ng kalsadang ito, isinagawa ang paggiba sa hanay ng mga tradisyunal na imprenta at iba pang kalakal dito noong taong 2007, alinsunod sa mandato ng Urban Renewal Authority. Sa kanilang dating puwesto ay itinayo ang The Avenue, isang gusaling tirahan at pang komersiyo na ngayon ay isa nang sikat na pasyalan.

Sa kabila nito, nananatili ang bansag sa Lee Tung Avenue na “wedding card street” dahil marami pa ring natitirang maliliit na pagawaan ng imbitasyon sa kasal at iba pang okasyon, bukod pa sa mga mga lai see packet at mga kalendaryo. Ang nawala lang ay ang imprenta ng mga pahayagan noon.
Para sa mga mahilig mag selfie, isang kakaibang background ang dulot ng pasyalang ito. Ang mga tansong imahe ng masasayang bata na naglalaro at makikita sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng makukulay na ilaw at lamparang nakasabit sa Lee Tung Avenue ay parang sadyang ginawa para pagandahin ang bawat litratong kinukunan dito.

Kung ang pamamasyal sa Wanchai ay nataon sa araw ng Linggo at napadaan ka sa Southorn Playground, tiyak na makakapanood pa ng mga Pinoy na na naglalaro ng basketball sa malawak na palaruang ito. Halos lingo-linggo ay may paliga ang mga grupo ng mga Pilipino na nahuhumaling sa larong ito.

Sa kabilang bahagi naman ng Wan Chai, matatagpuan sa 55 Ship Street ang Nam Koo Terrace, isang gusali na mas kilala bilang “The Wan Chai Haunted House”. Itinayo ito noong 1915-1921, at pag-aari ng isang mayamang negosyante mula sa Shanghai. Sinamsam ng bansang Hapon ang bahay noong ikalawang pandaigdigang digmaan at ginamit bilang bahay-aliwan ng kanyang mga sundalo. Dito ginahasa at paulit ulit na inaabuso ang mga “comfort women” na bihag ng mga Hapon. Dahil dito, sinasabing ang Nam Koo Terrace ay kinatatakutan dahil umano sa mga naririnig na panaghoy at hiyaw ng mga kaluluwang nagmumulto dito. Nananatiling bakante ang bahay na ito hanggang sa kasalukuyan.

Dinarayo din ng mga turista at dayo ang Star Street Precinct na malapit sa Three Pacific Place sa ibang kadahilanan. Dito matatagpuan ang mga makabagong bar at kainan na paboritong puntahan ng mga banyaga, katulad ng Soho at Lan Kwai Fong sa Central.

May apat na bahagi ang Star Street Precinct, ang Star Street, Moon Street, Sun Street at ang Wing Fung Street. “East meets West” ang tema ng mga gusali sa lugar na ito dahil karamihan sa mga kainan ay nasa loob ng mga lumang gusali na inayos at ginamitan ng makabagong disenyo.

Sakaling magutom habang namamasyal, maraming pagpipiliang kainan, mula sa Thai, Vietnamese, Cantonese, o Italian, at marami pang iba. Ano man ang gustong kainin, tiyak na may matatagpuang restawran na akma sa iyong panlasa.

Nakaaaliw na habang namamasyal, hindi lamang magagandang tanawin ang makikita, kundi mga lugar na may mayamang kasaysayan at kakaibang kuwento.

Maraming puwedeng sakyan papunta sa Wan Chai. Mula sa Central, maaaring sumakay ng MTR, bus 5B at 10, o di kaya ay sumakay ng tram papunta ng Causeway Bay, Happy Valley, North Point o Shaukeiwan.

Simulan ang pamamasyal mula sa Wan Chai market, at baybayin ang Queen’s Road East o ang Johnston Road upang marating ang mga lugar na ito na hitik sa kasaysayan.

HK Pinoy art in ‘Halo Halo’ exhibit

Some of the works in  the ‘Halo Halo’ exhibit.

By William Elvin 

From September 23 to 25, The Hive Studios in Kennedy Town hosted an art exhibit that had no thematic thread other than what was promised in the title: a hodgepodge, or “halo-halo”, of different artistic styles, influences, and intentions.

The five artists who put together their own show through the help of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association – Hong Kong all came from different backgrounds. Supported by the confidence of two art veterans Aaron Pormarejo and Manuel “Boyet” Sabido, the works of new contemporary artists Pats Angco, Jason Siao, and JL Timbreza-Siao had fit in perfectly in the gallery’s mix.

Pormarejo’s artistic rendering of the city as a concrete jungle in his series “Hong Kong Apartment Series” is the most relevant in the gallery.

The urban life in Hong Kong, with all the stress and chaos that goes with it, is presented through frames of abstract paintings that clearly illustrate the artist’s point of view.

The works of Sabido and Angco can be viewed from the same lens. They both presented beautifully detailed drawn pictures of nature’s most exquisite creatures and creations.

The way they portray the subjects is the main element that differentiates their craft. While Sabido paints his wild animals and nature scenes with a tone and color palette that suggests serenity, Angco presents his images with sharper colors and edgier details that suggest a more hostile environment in his paintings’ realism.

Jason Siao displayed his fascinating talent in composing pictures inspired by the works of impressionist painters of the 19th Century.

Though still finding his own voice as an artist, Siao is already exhibiting his special visual and creative skills that will make any art enthusiast excited for more.

JL Timbreza-Siao provided the most entertaining corner of the gallery with her series entitled “Death by Dessert”. The colorful, pop-art inspired frames feature ants drowning in delicious looking pastries, ice cream, and chocolate. The images successfully illustrate a juxtaposition of pleasure and pain in a deceptively light-hearted manner.

For more information about the new art group, visit www.halohalo.visualspate. com, or like their Facebook page www.facebook.com/halohalohk2016.

A task too risky

By Daisy Catherine L. Mandap

When a foreign domestic helper falls to her death from a height, police and employers often say it's suicide.

Relatives of the worker, on the other hand, almost always suspect foul play.

With Rinalyn Dulluog's unfortunate passing on Aug. 9, however, it now appears some of those deaths may have happened due to some other cause.

Police say Rinalyn fell while cleaning windows.

This is a task long considered as mundane by many, including the helpers themselves, but as Rinalyn's death showed, it is not. Far from it.

It is, in fact, almost criminal to demand that helpers clean windows not secured by grills in high-rise flats, whether from the inside or out.

In Rinalyn's case, she fell 49 floors to her death. Surely, someone ought to take the blame for exposing her to such a hazardous chore.

It was just right that Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre decided, in the face of Hong Kong labor officials' initial refusal to recognize the danger, to take matters into his own hands.

He decreed that by October 15, all employment contracts for Filipino domestic helpers should have the "Rinalyn exclusion", which provides that  employers should not make the worker clean window exteriors.

The clause was supposed to state, "For safety purposes, cleaning the exterior of windows is not part of the domestic helper's duties."

For all its claims to being a liberal state, Hong Kong, along with many of its people, reacted with alarm to the prohibition, which should have been part of the domestic helpers' contracts in the first place.

Radio talk shows which discussed the proposed ban were flooded with calls from irate employers.
Not a few were indignant because a Philippine official dared impose a requirement on the hiring of its nationals. The argument was that this unilateral act contravened Hong Kong's right to enact its own laws.

Lost in the flood of angry comments were some sound counter-arguments like, the Philippines is a sovereign state that has the obligation to protect its own citizens.

International laws also provide strict guidelines on how such a high-risk task should be delegated, and Hong Kong was clearly not compliant.

But the bottom line is, local employers can always go hire a maid from some other country if they think the Philippines was being unreasonable when it imposed this exclusion.

At least one employer dared say that she would not have hired a maid who could not be told to clean windows.  "So I'm meant to clean the windows while my maid just sits there to watch?," she asked indignantly.

Luckily, Hong Kong was not swayed by the negative comments, and in the biggest surprise of all, asked to meet with Philippine consulate officials to discuss the issue.

Both sides eventually agreed to hold off implementing Labatt's order while they consulted with affected parties on the draft exclusion. But the message was clear: an exclusion of some sort is in the offing.

Rinalyn did not die in vain, after all.