1,000 civil service test applicants beat deadline

POLO staff try to cope with surge of the test applicants.

By Vir B. Lumicao

Over 300 Filipinos beat the deadline for filing applications for the first civil service exam for Filipinos in Hong Kong on Sunday, Nov. 13.

But by the end of the day, only a total of 947 people had registered over the nine-day application period, less than a third of the more than 3,000 who had signified their intention to take the exam.
Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre said he was a bit upset that the number of registrants was way below expectations, although the final tally could still be bolstered by those who applied in Macau.
“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.

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 for her turn to be photographed.

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.

Hilig sa Zumba pinagmulan ng POWA

Isang pagpapakita ng galing ng POWA ay ang panalo nila bilang Champion sa Maskara Festival na ginanap kamakailan sa Chater Road.

Ni Marites Palma

Umaani ng kaliwa’t kanang tagumpay ngayon ang grupong nabuo dahil sa pagkahumaling sa sayaw na zumba, ang Panay Overseas Workers Welfare Assocation.

Dati nang magkakakilala at magkakaibigan ang mga miyembro ng grupo kaya hindi na sila nahirapang makitungo sa bawat isa nang mapagkasunduan nilang itatag ang Powa noong ika-19 ng Agosto, 2015. Naging mas puspusan ang kanilang pagsasayaw ng zumba kaya kahit mga 20 pa lang ang mga miyembro noon ay unti-unti na silang napansin ng iba’t ibang lider sa komunidad ng mga Pilipino sa Hong Kong, at nagbigay-daan upang maimbitahan sila sa ib-ibang pasinaya.
Una silang nagpamalas ng kanilang husay sa sayaw sa taunang Flower Show sa Causeway Bay, kung saan ang malakas na palakpak sa kanila ng mga nanonood ay nagsilbing inspirasyon para lalo silang magsikap na gumanda ang kanilang pagtatanghal. Hindi naglaon ay naimbitahan silang makipagtunggali sa sayaw sa iba-ibang grupo.

Una silang sumabak sa Global Alliance Palarong Pinoy 2016, kung saan sila ang tinanghal na best in uniform. Nagpatuloy sila sa kanilang pagsasanay kaya noong Agosto 16 ng parehong taon ay sila na ang tinanghal na kampeon sa Maskara Festival.

Ayon sa kanilang president na si Lindy Paclibar, ibinuhos nila ang kanilang nalalaman sa  pagbuo ng kanilang sayaw, at pati na rin sa pagdisenyo ng kanilang kasuotan na hindi gumagastos nang malaki. Pinagsanib lang daw nila ang kanilang itinatagong galing kaya’t napagtagumpayan nila ang unang malaking kompetisyon na sinalihan nila. Nagbigay-daan din daw ito para maipakita nila sa mga taga Hong Kong na ang mga Pilipinong kasambahay na katulad nila ay may angking galing, lalo na pagdating sa larangan ng sayawan.
Ang sumunod na hamon na kanilang tinanggap ay ang makipagtunggali sa “Hataw sa Sayaw” na inorganisa ng kumpanyang Globe at CSL noong Abril 17. Sa pagkakataong ito ay nakuha nila ang tropeo at pera para sa pangalawang gantimpala.

Sa pinakahuling sinalihan nila, ang One Billion Rising na isinagawa ng Gabriela Hong Kong noong nakaraang buwan lang, ay muli nilang nasungkit ang pangalawang puwesto.

Sa ngayon ay palagian na silang lumalabas sa tanghalan ng Hong Kong Flower Show at sa Yuen Long Youth Festival.

Ayon kay Paclibar, kooperasyon at tunay na pakikisama ang susi ng kanilang tagumpay sa pakikipagtagisan ng galing sa pagsayaw. Hindi daw nagdalawang isip ang kanilang mga miyembro sa pag-aambag ambag ng pera noong bagong tatag pa lang sila para sa kanilang kasuotan at pamasaheng papunta  sa lugar na pagtatanghalan.

Mabuti na lang daw at simula noong nananalo na sila ay hindi na sila gumagamit ng sarili nilang pera. Ang natatanggap nilang mga premyo  ay kanilang inipon at ginawang pondo para ipambili ng kanilang mga pangangailangan tuwing may dadaluhan silang programa.

Dahil sa magandang ehemplo na ipinapakita nila sa kanilang mga kapwa OFW ay marami ang naengganyong sumapi sa grupo. Ayon kay Paclibar, umaabot na sa 50 ang bilang ng kanilang  mga miyembro ngayon.

May sinisingil daw na buwanang bayad mula sa mga miyembro, pero hindi nila ito ginagastos. Iniipon nila ang kontribusyon ng bawat miyembro, at ang sino mang magdesisyon nang umuwi sa Pilipinas ay binibigyan ng kanilang naipong pera, pero hindi lahat dahil ang ibang bahagi ng kanilang pondo ay ginagamit nilang pantulong sa mga miyembrong nasisisante nang biglaan. Mayroon ding plano ang grupo na isakatuparan na sa susunod na taon ang kanilang misyon na magkaroon ng feeding program at magbigay ng gamit sa paaralan sa mga batang kapus-palad sa kanilang lugar.
Ayon sa mga miyembro, lubos silang natutuwa dahil sa pagkakaroon nila ng grupo na tumatayo bilang pangalawang pamilya nila sa Hong Kong, maliban sa kanilang mga amo. Nabibigyan daw sila ng lakas tuwing may problema dahil napapayuhan sila, at mas nagkaroon sila ng kumpiyansa sa sarili, bukod pa sa naging palakaibigan. Damang-dama din nila na mas masaya ang buhay kung marami silang magkakaibigan na nagtuturingan bilang mga magkakapatid na may respeto at pagmamahal sa isa’t isa. Tuwing magkakasama sila ay nawawala daw ang kanilang pangungulila sa kanilang pamilya na naiwan sa Pilipinas.

Ang isa pang nagbibigkis sa lahat ay ang paniniwala nila sa kasabihang, “Isa para sa lahat, lahat para sa isa at walang tsismisan sa bawat isa”.

Bukod kay Paclibar, ang iba pang bumubuo sa Powa ay sina Leo Selomenio, founder; Diana Estrelian Juanillo, pangalawang pangulo;  Angeli Marie Meboot, kalihim; Mayflor Pirote, pangalawang kalihim; Sheryl Joy Jordanal, ingat-yaman;  Lyn Lorca, pangalawang ingat-yaman, Analisa Bretana, tagasuri; Marites Genoguin, pangalawang taga-suri; Marites Naron, tagapamalita; Diana Rose Soriano, Elsa Duran at Maria Luisa Jimenez; Ronalyn Bayo-Ang, Christhian Je-an Jallorina, Renaly Barruis, tagapamahala.

Sa ika-6 na Nobyembre ay idadaos nila ang kanilang unang taong anibersaryo sa Pier 7, kaya’t tinatawagan ni Paclibar ang sinumang nais dumalo at makiisa sa asosasyong ito ng mga taga Panay na tumawag sa kanya sa numero bilang 68272349 at 90114272.

Gie’s 3 Ps to a perfect cake

By Jo Campos

“In baking, precision, patience and perfection are the key to achieving a perfect cake,” says Linafer Vertucio Madrigal, or simply Gie to her friends.
Gie, a former teacher from Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro came to Hong Kong in November 1994 when an opportunity to work abroad knocked on her door,. Forced to choose between teaching and a job that did not allow her to practise her profession but paid much better, she chose the latter.
After five years of domestic work abroad, she went back to her family in the Philippines. She stayed for just a year, before deciding to take up another job offer in Hong Kong.
In 2002, Gie went back to work for her former employer, Dr. Gary Cheng, where she has stayed since. She has been in his employ for a total of18 years.
Gie has spent much of her time in Hong Kong learning new skills. especially cooking. Because of her expertise in this field, she has moved up to the rare status of being an assessor of Tesda (Technical Education Skills Development Authority) in bread and pastry production.
All the while, she has also kept abreast with developments in her profession, and she is now a reviewer in social science for the licensure examination for teachers in Hong Kong.
When time permits, she also does volunteer work at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office or goes hiking with friends.
She says she doesn’t like being idle on her her days off.
"Sa hiking, doon ko natutunan ang perseverance, pushing yourself beyond your limits.”
But she confesses to getting a different "high" when baking.
“ I bake when I’m depressed, when I am happy and when I am sad”, she says.
But there's more: It’s really rewarding when people say na masarap yung ginawa mo," she says.
Gie loves to experiment with her culinary creations.
"Excited ako pag may nakita akong bagong recipe " she says,"Pero (dahil) hindi lahat ng pagkakataon perfect yung ginagawa ko, hindi ako tumitigil hanggang maging satisfied ako.”
She credits her knowledge and skills in cooking mainly to her employer who is a perfectionist when it comes to food, and who often hosts dinner parties at home.
Surprisingly, Gie has no formal training in cooking or baking, She got  her culinary skills from watching cooking demos on YouTube or through cooking and baking videos.
Gie plans to go back home soon for three reasons: to be with her family for keeps, venture in a cake shop business, and teach again.
“My real passion is to impart knowledge to others, and to encourage and push them to their limits,” she says.
Little wonder that instead of keeping secret her recipes for her most popular  baking creations, she posts them on her Facebook page. To her, this is what teaching is all about.

Boston Cream Pie
 Sponge Cake Ingredients:
5 large eggs 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (60 grams) plain cake flour (not self-raising)
1/4 cup (35 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter

To make the Sponge Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
2. Butter and line the bottoms of two-8 inch (23 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.
3. While the eggs are still cold, separate three of the eggs, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl.
4. To the yolks, add the two remaining eggs.
5. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
6. Meanwhile, in a bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
7. Place the milk and butter in a small saucepan, over low heat, and warm until the butter melts. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.
8. In your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the whole eggs and yolks and 1/2 cup (100 grams) of sugar on high speed until they are thick and fluffy (3-5 minutes) (when you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in a slow ribbon). Beat in the vanilla extract. In a clean bowl, with the whisk attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the egg whites at low speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until soft, moist peaks form.
9. Gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then add the rest of the whites folding just until incorporated.
10. Sift half of the flour mixture over the top of the batter and gently fold through with a rubber spatula or whisk. Sift the remaining flour over the batter and fold in. Make a well in the center of the batter and pour the melted butter/milk mixture into the bowl. Gently but thoroughly fold the butter mixture into the batter.
11. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes or until light brown and springy to the touch. (A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean.)
12. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Immediately run a spatula around the inside of the pans and then invert the cakes onto a wire rack. Remove parchment paper and re-invert. Cool completely.

Pastry Cream Ingredients:
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large egg yolks
1/8 cup (20 grams) all-purpose flour
Scant 3 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk 1 teaspoon vanilla

To Make Pastry Cream:
1. In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks.
        In another bowl, sift or whisk the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste.
        Meanwhile in a small saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over medium heat.
        Pour the milk slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (Strain if necessary.) Then place the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, continue to whisk constantly for another minute or so until it becomes thick.
        Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming.
        Let the cream cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Chocolate Glaze Ingredients:
    4 ounces (120 grams) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
    1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
    1 tablespoon (13 grams) unsalted butter

To Make Chocolate Glaze:
1. Place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.
2. Bring the cream and butter just to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and gently stir until chocolate has melted.
3. Set aside until it has thickened to pouring consistency.

Assemble:
1. Place one cake layer on your serving plate, bottom side facing up.
2. Spoon the pastry cream onto the cake, spreading to make an even layer.
3. Place the second cake layer (top side up) onto the filling.
4. Pour the glaze onto the center of the cake and, using an offset spatula, spread the glaze to the edges of the cake, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides.
5. Let the cake sit until the glaze sets within an hour or so.

Adult supervision requirement dropped from window cleaning ban after employers' protest

By Daisy CL Mandap

The proper way to clean windows, according to Labour Dept

A requirement for adult supervision while domestic workers are cleaning windows has  been dropped from a provision that will be included in their standard employment contracts from next year.

But the provision will still require windows to be installed with grills that must be locked during the cleaning process, unless they are on the ground floor or can be reached safely from a ledge or balcony.

It will also still provide that no body part of the helper, except for the arm, should be extended outside of the locked grills while cleaning the outside part of windows.

The amended provision was made public by the Labour Department today, Nov. 14, after a series of consultations with concerned parties.

According to Thomas Chan, an employment agency representative whose group recently met with labour officials on the proposed amendment, the requirement for adult supervision was opposed by most employers who reportedly found it untenable.

The employers reportedly insisted that it would be difficult for them to meet this requirement, given that most of them are away at work for nearly the whole day.

Had they gotten their way, the window cleaning ban would not have even received support from the Labour Department.

A militant employers group had earlier tried Hong Kong labour officials to overrule a window cleaning ban unilaterally imposed by Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre, which was supposed to take effect last Oct. 15.

Labatt de la Torre had ordered that all employment contracts to be submitted to his office from that day should have a stamped notification that the helper would not be allowed to clean windows from the outside.

Days before it was to take effect, the employers’ group called on the government to instead stop the practice of allowing the Philippine Overseas Labor Office to vet all contracts for hiring Filipino helpers before they are passed on Immigration.

But the move backfired, when Labor not only sided with POLO’s move but also expanded the safety provision by requiring all windows above ground to be fixed with locked grills, and initially mandating adult supervision throughout the cleaning process.

Labour only asked that the implementation be put off to Jan 1 next year, so it could consult with all stakeholders.

The safety provision will cover all foreign domestic workers, not just those from the Philippines.

On Oct 27 Labour Secretary Matthew Cheung met with the consuls general of countries sending domestic workers to Hong Kong and explained the safey provision to them.

All sides reached consensus to include the safety clause in employment contracts from next year.

HK Labour Department issues guidelines for window cleaning ban

Safety clause on cleaning outward-facing windows to be added to Standard Employment Contract for foreign domestic helpers

*********************************************************************************

Two Filipinas were rescued after
they were photographed cleaning
windows of this Saikung flat while
perched on a narrow ledge

     The Labour Department (LD) announced today (November 14) that starting from January 1, 2017 (Sunday), the Standard Employment Contract (SEC) for foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) will include a new clause on cleaning outward-facing windows to safeguard the occupational safety of FDHs.
     The new clause stipulates that, when an employer requires the helper to clean the outside of any window which is not located on the ground level or adjacent to a balcony (on which it must be reasonably safe for the helper to work) or common corridor, this must be performed under the following conditions:
(i) the window being cleaned is fitted with a grille which is locked or secured in a manner that prevents the grille from being opened; and
(ii) no part of the helper's body extends beyond the window ledge except the arms.
     A spokesman for the Labour Department said, "The HKSAR Government is committed to safeguarding the occupational safety of employees, including FDHs. In view of the community's concerns about the safety of FDHs when cleaning outward-facing windows, the LD has over the past few weeks consulted various stakeholders, including the consuls general (CGs) of FDHs' home countries in Hong Kong, FDH employer groups, FDH groups and employment agencies associations. They all care about the safety of FDHs and accept that FDHs should not be asked to work in unsafe situations. We are grateful to all stakeholders who have provided us with pragmatic and useful suggestions on how to ensure that FDHs can perform exterior window cleaning safely." 
     Meanwhile, the LD and the Occupational Safety and Health Council will further step up publicity and education efforts to enhance the awareness of employers and FDHs of household and occupational safety, particularly in respect of the safety precautions to be taken when cleaning outward-facing windows.
     On the implementation arrangements, all contracts signed on or after January 1, 2017 must adopt the revised SEC with the new clause added. The revised version of the SEC will be available for collection at the Information and Liaison Section of the Immigration Department (ImmD) on the second floor, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong starting from December 31, 2016.
     For contracts signed on or before December 31, 2016 using the old version of the SEC, they will still be processed by the ImmD provided that the applications reach the ImmD on or before January 27, 2017 (Friday). Late applications will not be accepted.
     The spokesman added, "Although the new clause is only applicable to new contracts signed on or after January 1, 2017, the LD strongly urges all employers who have engaged FDHs under the existing contacts to follow these requirements to ensure the occupational safety of FDHs."

Issued at HKT 17:55

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.