Tears behind the dazzle of Sunday Beauty Queen

 Sitting for Q and A during the premiere of the Sunday Beauty Queen are , from left:, Rudelie Acosta, cast; Leo Selomenio, cast, Baby Ruth Villarama, director; Hazel Perdido, cast; Micheal Wong, co-producer; and Liza Dino Seguerra, Film Development Council of the Philippines chairperson. CBC

By Cris B. Cayat

The screening of the independent documentary film Sunday Beauty Queen at Asia Society on Feb 7 was awash with tears, as men and women alike unabashedly shed tears as the movie ran its course.
The movie, which won the Best Picture award at the Manila Film Festival last December, centers around Filipinas who escape the drudgery of working as domestic helpers in Hong Kong by joining beauty contests.

But Sunday Beauty Queen is as much about living on borrowed glamor, as it is about the difficulty and loneliness of working abroad to fend for families back home.

Vice Consul Robert Quintin set the tone for the rest of the evening when he said in a speech before the film started that everyone should step back and rethink how to deal with the lure of beauty contests to overseas Filipino workers.

“I hope that after the film, after the glitter, after the crown came down their heads, they know that they are mothers, sisters, daughters here to provide livelihoods for their families back home,” Quintin said.

He also challenged those in academe to look more closely into the phenomenon.

“To those in the academe, this topic is worth studying. Try to explain why this is happening,” Quintin said, noting that beauty contests are rooted from where the workers came from, and are not about to go away anytime soon.

After the screening, the movie’s cast which included several OFWs in Hong Kong, joined a Q&A with those who were in the audience.

One of them, Rudelie Perdido, said joining pageants was her escape from her daily work grind. Though the pictures she posts on Facebook, she also tries to assure her children back in the Philippines that she is doing fine.

“Gusto kong makita ng mga anak ko na masaya ako,” she said, with tears in her eyes.
But at the same time, she said she hopes the movie would help open the minds of OFW families back home that a domestic worker’s life in Hong Kong is not easy.

Also in the audience were several local Chinese people, one of whom asked if there was a version of the film with Cantonese subtitles.

Chinese co-producer Michael Wong said there was. Wong was said to have been instrumental in convincing the employers of the OFW cast members to participate in the film and open their homes for filming.

Another OFW cast member, Leo Selomenio, said she organized beauty pageants to raise money for charity. She admitted that candidates were asked to sell tickets, but added that after the movie’s success, she may no longer have to do this as several business establishments in Hong Kong have expressed interest in sponsoring her beauty pageants.

SBQ’s director Baby Ruth Villarama said former Consuls Joy Banagodos and Charles Macaspac were the ones who got her interested in delving into the phenomenon way back in 2011.

Villarama said the movie was filmed over four years, and that she was not confident at first about completing it because of the unstable work situation of the main cast members who are all OFWs: Selomenio, Acosta, Mylyn Jacobo, Cherry Bretania and Hazel Perdido.

But in the end, the film was not only finished, but also went on to win top honors, bringing accolades to its maker and renewed interest on the Sunday beauty queen phenomenon among OFWs.
SBQ is just one of several independent films being shown at Asia Society this February.

The others are Entre Medio del Fin, Sakaling Hindi Makarating, Imbisibol, and Curiosity, Adventure and Love.

OFWs to protest against VAT hike on remittance fees

By Vir B. Lumicao

Villanueva

A militant Filipino workers’ group in Hong Kong is set to lead a big protest rally on March 5 against moves by the Duterte government to increase value-added tax on remittance fees, which they say would ultimately add to their burden.

Eman Villanueva, Bayan Hong Kong & Macau chairman, said in an interview with The SUN that the rally, to be timed with International Women’s Day, would combine the VAT hike issue with their ongoing protest against the OEC and the P550 terminal fee.

“Ang matindi naming tinututulan kasi diyan, ang kanilang tax reform package ay nakatuon sa pagre-raise ng tax revenue mula sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan eh, hindi sa business, kaya talagang papasanin ng mga tao iyan,” Villanueva.

Villanueva said migrant groups in Hong Kong and Macau are now preparing for the planned Mar 5 mass action that will start with a march to the government complex on Tamar to call for better wages and fixed working hours for migrant domestic workers.

The march will then move to Chater where the VAT issue will be added to the two other main issues of wage hikes and shorter working hours, he said.

He said the plan to raise the VAT on remittance fees to 12% is part of the reform package that President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic team is cooking up.

The first part of the tax reform proposal or House Bill No. 4774 was submitted by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to both houses of Congress on Sept 26 last year.

Government press statements said the first of four packages of reforms includes the reduction of the personal income tax rate from 32% to 25%, and the reduction of the coverage of VAT exemptions.

The package also aims to raise fuel excise tax, revamp the excise on cars with exemptions for buses, trucks, cargo vans, jeeps, jeepney substitutes and special purpose vehicles.

The plan to raise the VAT on remittance fees, was however, the one the drew the most flak from overseas Filipino workers.

“Kahit pa sinasabi nilang i-impose nila ito sa remittance fee at hindi necessarily doon sa amount of the remitted money, still ipapasa naman iyan ng mga bangko eh, hindi naman nila ia-absorb iyan,” Villanueva said.

The migrant leader said the tax reform package includes the lifting of tax and VAT exemptions on certain basic goods, such as medicines for rare diseases, as well as VAT exemptions on purchases by senior citizens.

At the same time, the tax reform would raise duties on oil, potentially triggering a “domino effect” because power plants, industries and transports rely on crude oil, so prices of all goods and services would also go up, Villanueva said.

“Kapag tinamaan si oil, tataas si pamasahe, tataas si kuryente, kasi yung ating mga power generators, oil ang (ginagamit), babawiin nila yun siyempre. In the end, sabi nga namin, iyang mga increase na iyan sino ang sasalo kundi ang mga OFW, dahil lahat ng mga increases na iyan ay sasaluhin ng mga dependents ng OFWs,” he said.

Villanueva said that ultimately, all the new taxes would be borne by OFWs because they are the breadwinners, he said.

Hustisya pa rin ang hinihintay

Hindi matahimik ang isang grupo ng mga Ilonggo bagamat nabalitaan nila na nahuli na at nasentensiyahan ng dalawang buwang pagkabilanggo ang isang Batanguena na nag-alok sa kanila ng pekeng trabaho sa Hong Kong kapalit ng malaking halaga.

Hindi raw sapat ang sentensiya kay Cerila dahil sa dami ng taong niloko nito. Ayon sa kanila, 54 silang lahat na naloko ni Cerila, at umabot sa $166,000 ang lahat ng naibayad nila sa kanya  apat na taon na ang nakakaraan.

Marami sa kanila ay Ilonggo, pero mayroon ding taga Batangas at iba pang lugar.

Nagpakilala daw si Cerila na kasambahay ng isang nagtatrabaho sa Gammon, isang kilalang construction company sa Hong Kong. Sinabihan daw siya ng kanyang amo na maghanap ng mga interesadong magtrabaho bilang construction worker sa malalaking proyekto ng Gammon, katulad ng mga itinatayo na bagong MTR station.

Nagtangka daw tumakas pauwi si Cerila matapos manloko, ngunit nasabat ng immigration sa Hong Kong kaya nahuli at nakulong. Hinihintay na lang ng mga biktima na makalaya si Cerila para doon muling ipadampot sa Pilipinas sa kasong illegal recruitment, na ang kaparusahan ay maaring umabot sa habambuhay na pagkabilanggo. – Merly Bunda

Nanghingi ang lalaki ng larawan niya na nakahubad

Si Madelyn ay isang Ilongga na sa edad na 49 taong gulang ay dalaga pa rin. Maganda siya bagamat may pagka pihikan, at dahil na rin sa kagustuhang maiayos ang buhay ng pamilya ay nakalimutan na ang sariling love life.

Noong Hunyo ng nakaraang taon ay may isa siyang kababayang biyudo na naki-chat sa kanya at nanligaw. Tinanong si Madelyn kung tatanggapin daw siya nito pati ang kanyang tatlong anak. Ilang linggo pa ang nakalipas at ginulat si Madelyn ng lalaki dahil nanghihingi ito ng kanyang seksing litrato.

Sinabi ni Madelyn sa kanyang dalawang kaibigan ang tungkol sa lalaki at agad siyang sinabihan na huwag agad bibigay, at kilalanin pa muna nang maigi ang ka-chat. Huwag daw siyang magbigay ng litrato, at lalong huwag mag video call para ipakita ang kanyang hitsura.

Hindi naman nawalan ng interes ang lalaki; katunayan ay ang sunod nitong hiningi ay larawan ni Madelyn na nakahubad. Sinabi pa nito na kapag ipinadala ng dalaga ang kanyang hubad na larawan ay magpapadala din ito ng kanya.

Para hindi maisahan ay sinabi ni Madelyn na ito na muna ang maunang magpadala, na agad namang sinunod ng lalaki. Talagang hubo’t hubad ito, at para pang ipinangangalandakan ang kanyang pagkalalaki.

Hindi naman tumupad sa pangako si Madelyn, dahil ayaw daw niyang magpauto. Marami na kasi siyang nabalitaan na mga OFW na na-blackmail pagkatapos magpakita ng hubad sa ka-chat o sa nobyo. Dahil hindi nito nauto si Madelyn ay galit na galit sa kanya ang lalaki ngayon.

Ayon naman sa dalaga, hindi dapat agad nagtitiwala sa kanino man, kahit kababayan mo pa. Kung matino ang intensyon ng isang lalaki sa iyo, dapat ay iginagalang ka niya at hindi hinihingan ng litrato na maari mong ikapahamak. — Merly Bunda

Nakakabobo ba ang pagiging OFW?

Naabutan ni Judy si Rina na naglalakad kasama ang alaga sa playground, at nagkumustahan sila ng sitwasyon sa amo at ng kani kanilang pamilya. Maganda sa una ang kanilang kwentuhan hanggang sa nasambit ni Rina ang ganito kay Judy.

“Alam mo Judy, nakakabobo pala ang maging domestic worker dito sa Hong Kong, hindi gaya sa Taiwan lalo na sa mga nagtratrabaho sa mga factory doon. Dito maghapong alaga lang kasama, linis, luto, laba, plantsa, sobrang nakakabobo talaga.”

Sabi pa niya na malapit na siyang uuwi at babalik na lang sa Taiwan.

Nagpipigil si Judy na hindi magalit kaya ipinaliwanag na lang niya kay Rina na marami namang paraan para hindi mabobo habang naninilbihan na kasambahay. Marami daw na mga paraan para mapagyaman ang sarili at hindi mapurol ang utak, gaya ng pagbabasa ng mga diyaryo at magasin, pag surf sa internet, pagsali sa mga organisasyon at mga seminar, at pag-aaral ng di pormal sa mga livelihood program na iniaalok ng OWWA.

Nakumbinsi naman si Rina sa kasagutan ni Judy pero huli na ang lahat dahil nakapagbigay na siya isang buwang pasabi sa mga amo at nakatakda na rin siyang umuwi pagkalipas ng ilang araw. Sa madaling salita, hindi na niya pwedeng bawiin ang wala sa oras na pagbabalik niya sa Pilipinas.

Sa ngayon ay kasalukuyang nag-aaply si Rina sa mga ahensiyang nagpapapunta sa Taiwan. Gagastos siyang muli sa agency fee, samantalang si Judy ay patuloy na humuhugot ng lakas at inspirasyon sa kanyang pagsasayaw at pagsali sa mga patimpalak na nakakatulong para lumawak ang kanyang kaalaman at interes. Si Judy ay may anak at tubong Visayas, na kasalukuang naninilbihan sa Shatin. – Marites Palma

Buhay Pinay: Biyayang hindi inaasahan

Hindi inaasahan ni Cely na makakatanggap siya ng lai see mula sa mga amo na doble sa buwanang sahod niya. Ang mas maganda, tinaasan pang muli ang suweldo niya na mas mataas na sa minimum.

Bilang pasasalamat ay biniyayaan din niya ang kanyang dalawang kapatid na narito rin sa HongKong. Binigyan niya sila ng tig $500 na pang-shopping, at pangkain pa maghapon. Lubos ang kasiyahan nilang magkakapatid dahil ilang oras din silang nagka kuwentuhan at kulitan.

Si Cely ang panganay sa anim na magkakapatid, at tumayo bilang pangalawang ina ng mga ito. Maaga siyang nakapag-abroad, kaya pinag-aral ang mga kapatid, at kalaunan ay hinanapan ng trabaho sa Hong Kong ang mga nakatatanda para tulong-tulong silang magpaaral sa mga naiwan sa Pilipinas.

Lahat ay nakapag-abroad na rin. Naniniwala ang mga nakababatang kapatid ni Cely na kaya pinagpapala ang kanilang ate ay dahil hindi siya nagdamot sa kanila ni minsan. Hindi naman nagpapabaya si Cely sa sarili dahil panay ang kanyang pag-iipon at nang sa gayon ay may aasahan sa panahong kailangan na  niyang mamahinga.

Ang huling perang ibinigay sa kanya ng mga amo na aabot sa Php60,000 ang kabuuang halaga ay inilagak niya sa bangko,  bagamat nagtira ng kaunti para mai- blowout ang mga kapatid.

Si Cely ay 45 taong gulang, may asawa at anak at tubong Cagayan Valley. Kasalukuyan siyang naninilbihan sa mga among Intsik Sa Central.- Marites Palma

Buhay Pinay: DH gets 10 months for abortion, another admits infanticide

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina domestic helper was sentenced to 10 months in jail on Feb 2 at West Kowloon Court after admitting she aborted her pregnancy illegally.

At the District Court in Wanchai, another OFW indicated she was ready to plead guilty to infanticide for killing her newborn in April last year.

Christine Mae Villanueva pleaded guilty to a charge of “administering a poison or other noxious thing with intent to procure miscarriage” before Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong of the West Kowloon Court.

Villanueva was arrested by police on Sept 18 after she was suspected to have aborted her baby in a grocery shop in Tai Po, New Territories, by using abortion pills. Her baby was believed to be 19 weeks old when aborted.

Magistrate Cheang sentenced Villanueva to 10 months in jail after giving her a one-third discount for her guilty plea.

Meanwhile, the lawyer of Aileen Grado told the District Court that the defendant was ready to plead guilty to killing and dumping her newborn in a toilet bowl in a Tsuen Wan commercial center in April last year.

Judge Justin Ko set down the formal hearing of her plea on May 4.

Grado, 37, appeared for the first time in District Court following the transfer of her case from the West Kowloon Court, where she last appeared on Jan 11.

No bail application was made on her behalf so Judge Ko ordered her remanded in jail
Grado is accused of dumping the body of her newborn in a toilet bowl in a commercial center in Sham Tseng, Tsuen Wan, in April last year.

The helper allegedly delivered the baby boy at a nearby estate, wrapped it in layers of tissue paper and cloth, put it in a bag, then took it to the ladies’ toilet in the commercial center.

A mall staff found the wrapped body under the water closet when she traced the source of a foul smell in the toilet on April 4.

Grado was arrested a week later in Central after her former employer told police about the maid confessing she was pregnant and resigning.

Pinay held for sharing pics of boss’ documents with outsider

by Vir B. Lumicao

She took photos of her employer's documents then forwarded
them to a  male contact

A Filipina who took pictures of her employer’s personal documents and sent them to her African male contact is in jail after the man betrayed her to the employer. 

Jocelyn Tupino, a 44-year-old domestic worker, appeared in Kwun Tong Court on Feb 20 where she was originally charged with “obtaining access to a computer with criminal intent”.

The prosecution said that Tupino was ready for plea to an amended charge of  “obtaining access to a computer with a view to a gain."

Magistrate Ernest Lin, summarizing the charge to the defendant, said that on July 13 last year in an unspecified home address, the defendant took photos of personal documents of her employer with her mobile phone and sent them to the male contact.

Then one day recently, the man called Tupino’s employer and informed her that the helper had sent him the photos of the documents.

The employer dismissed the defendant and called the police.

The magistrate adjourned the hearing until Mar 20 for plea-taking.

“Defendant, talk to your lawyer for direction and legal advice on whether to plead guilty or not guilty, and on your general line of defense,” Lin told Tupino.

The magistrate upheld the prosecution’s objection to grant bail to Tupino because of her lack of local ties, but gave her eight days to apply for bail in the Court of First Instance.

Lin, in the meantime, remanded the helper in jail.

Peso falls to 50.23 to US$1

AFP File photo

The peso has fallen to a new 10-year low today, Feb. 20, closing at 50.23 to US$1.

It was the lowest close for the Philippine currency since Sept. 26, 2006, when it closed at 50.32:US$1.

The peso opened at 50.08:$1 and reached a high of 50.05:US$1 but continued to decline, until it closed at the lowest level of 50.23:US$1

Last Friday, it breached the 50:$1 level for the first time since Nov 16, 2006, when it closed at 50.12 : $1.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Armando Tetangco said in a text message to reporters that the peso’s weak opening “tracked the softness in most regional currencies.’

He said it was  “also driven by risk-off sentiment amid geopolitical concerns, especially in Europe.”

He added, “The BSP does not target any exchange rate level, but we continue to watch out for excessive market volatility.”

Analysts say the domestic currency’s depreciation was caused by political uncertainties in Europe, while US President Donald J. Trump’s tax plan improved the dollar’s appeal as a safe-haven currency.

The total volume traded jumped to $723 million from $532 million on Friday’s close. – with a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer

3 Pinoy tourists charged with pickpocketing

by Vir B. Lumicao

Exit D of the Causeway Bay MTR station is often crowded 

Three Filipino tourists were charged in Eastern Court on Feb 17 with attempted theft, following a failed pickpocketing sortie inside the MTR Causeway Bay station in January.

Angelo P. de la Cruz, an elderly man; Christopher Talao, a young black-Filipino, and

Shiela Mary Niduaza, who appeared to be in her 30s, appeared before Magistrate Bina Chainrai to listen to the charge. No plea was taken.

Prosecution lawyers sought a four-week adjournment of the hearing for further investigation to find out if De la Cruz had breached a deportation order, before finalizing the charge.

This was after the first defendant allegedly resisted being fingerprinted by the police when he and his co-accused were arrested on Jan 19. It was only on Feb 16 that investigators managed to get his fingerprint, the prosecution said.

The three arrived as tourists on Jan 18, the prosecution said. The next day, a police officer spotted them allegedly following a local inside the MTR station in Causeway Bay.

When the target went up the escalator to Exit D, Dela Cruz alleged opened the victim’s rucksack and put his right hand in the bag, while Talao and Niduaza provided cover.

Unknown to them, the police officer was watching and arrested them before they could escape.

The three defendants were prepared to enter their plea so that they could be sent home as soon as possible, the prosecutor said, as he rejected any bail application for them.

Magistrate Chainrai adjourned the hearing until Mar 17 for further investigation and finalization of the charge.

She ordered the accused to be remanded in jail and told them to get a lawyer to represent them at the next hearing. 

Napamahal na sa alaga

Bumalik sa Hong Kong kamakailan si Tisay mula sa taunang bakasyon sa Pilipinas. Kahit miss na miss na niyang muli ang tatlong anak na iniwan ay natutuwa din siyang balikan ang dalawang alaga na naiwan sa Yuen Long, lalo na ang dalawang taong bunso na siya na ang nagpalaki.

Habang wala kasi siya ay panay ang video call ng kanyang amo kasama ang mga anak dahil miss na miss daw siya ng dalawa. Yung bunso na dalawang taong gulang at katabi ni Tisay sa pagtulog ay ayaw matulog sa unang gabi na wala siya. Inabot na sila ng alas dos ng madaling araw ng kakausap sa video ay ayaw pa ring matulog ng bata, at panay ang sabing umuwi na siya.

Yung panganay din ay gusto na siyang umuwi dahil ayaw sa ipinalit sa kanya pansamantala na isang Indonesian.

Ayon kay Tisay, masaya siya sa mga among Intsik dahil mabait ang mga ito sa kanya. Katunayan, halos hindi siya nagde-day off at pumapayag na bayaran na lang siya imbes lumabas ng bahay.

Kung ayaw naman niyang magtrabaho ay sa bahay lang siya nagtutulog, at dinadalhan pa siya ng pagkain ng amo dahil tinatamad siyang magluto. Kahit simple lang daw ang buhay ng mga amo at medyo masikip ang bahay ay masaya na siya dahil maganda ang trato sa kanya, at malaki ang tiwala sa ginagawa niyang pagpapalaki sa mga anak nila.

 Panatag din si Tisay dahil maayos ang trabaho ng kanyang mister at maganda ang ginagawang pagpapalaki sa kanyang tatlong anak na 21, 19 at 8 taong gulang na. Sila ay nakatira sa Cavite. – DCLM

Binigyan ng limos ng kasakay sa MTR

Si Myrna ay isang maybahay na dating nagtatrabaho bilang katulong sa isang pamilya sa Mid-levels.

Tatlong taon pa lang siya dito sa HK noon nang makilala niya si Ricky, isang diborsiyadong Intsik na kalaunan ay naging asawa niya. Nagkaroon sila ng dalawang anak na halos isang taon lang ang pagitan ng mga edad. Mula nang magkaroon sila ng anak ay tumigil na din sa pagtatrabaho si Myrna para maalagaan ng husto ang mga bata.

Isang araw ay may lagnat ang kanyang panganay na anak. Mula sa kanilang bahay sa Kennedy Town at akay-akay niya ang dalawang bata papunta sa kanilang doktor sa North Point.

Habang nasa loob sila ng MTR ay napansin niyang tinitingnan siya ng isang mamang dayuhan. Nang magtagpo ang kanilang paningin ay magalang na ngumiti si Myrna at tango naman ang isinukli ng lalaki.

Pagdating sa kanilang destinasyon ay tumayo na din ang lalaki sa kinauupuan. Bago ito tuluyang lumabas ng tren ay lumapit ito sa mag-iina at walang imik na inabot ang hawak na papel kay Myrna sabay talikod. Wala sa isip na tinanggap ito Myrna at inilagay sa bulsa.

Nasa loob na sila ng clinic nang naalala ni Myrna na tingnan ang inabot ng lalaki. Nagulat siya dahil isang buong $1,000 pala ito. Hindi lubos maisip ni Myrna kung bakit siya binigyan ng pera hanggang sa makita niya ang sarili sa salamin. Magulo ang buhok niya at mukhang siyang may sakit. Naisip ni Myrna na malamang napagkamalan silang pulubi kaya binigyan ng limos. Si Myrna ay isang Ilonggo. —Gina N. Ordona

Ex-helper gets 12 months for overstaying

A former domestic helper who had overstayed her visa in Hong Kong for one year and seven months was sentenced to 12 months in jail by a magistrate in Shatin on Feb 10.

Ildefonsa Guzman, 49, pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching her condition of stay for not leaving Hong Kong when her visa expired on May 31, 2015.

Guzman came to Hong Kong in August 2013 to work as a domestic helper. When her contract ended, she was unable to find an employer within her 14-day visa extension and decided to remain and work illegally in the city. The prosecution said the Filipina was forced to give herself up during an anti-illegal immigrant operation in the New Territories, where she was staying on Feb 8.

Magistrate Joseph Toh said he could not give Guzman a further discount after the one-third discount for her pleading guilty because she did not surrender voluntarily.

The duty lawyer assigned to Guzman’s case pleaded for leniency, saying the woman wanted to stay on in Hong Kong for follow-up medical treatment after undergoing surgery in Tuen Mun Hospital.
Toh said Guzman’s offense called for an 18-month sentence, but because of her guilty plea he was sentencing her to 12 months.

DH charged for helping in employer’s flower stall

A Filipina domestic worker arrested on Jan 24 for helping out at her employer’s flower stall at Yuen Long Lunar New Year fair has been charged with breach of condition of stay at Shatin Court.
Jennifer Barcelo, who is in her 30s and has been in Hong Kong since October, appeared on Jan 26 before Magistrate Joseph To where she was read the charge against her.

Barcelo was arrested by police and Immigration officers at the New Year Flowers Fair in Shek Kong Garden, Yuen Long while allegedly cutting flowers which her employer sold to   fair visitors, according to the prosecutor’s report.

The prosecution applied for an adjournment of the hearing to Feb 20 saying the Immigration Department had yet to release the documents of the case. Barcelo, through her lawyer, applied for bail of $5,000 but Magistrate To rejected this. “Defendant was arrested while working in contravention of her condition of stay, she has no significant local ties, and there is a possibility she will take up illegal work again,”  he said.

But he said Barcelo could still apply for bail at the Court of First Instance.
The magistrate set Mar 9 as a tentative trial date and ordered the defendant remanded in jail. – Vir B. Lumicao

Pinoy pickpocket sent to jail for 30 months

A Filipino tourist who pleaded guilty in December to charges of attempted theft and breach of a deportation order was sentenced to a total of 30 months in jail by a District Court judge.

Jolito Mania, 52, was glum as Judge Bina Chainrai handed down the sentence after delaying it for more than one and a half months to wait for the result of the case of his alleged partner and co-defendant, Marcelo Ortega Jr.

Ortega, who was found not guilty of the charges, has remained in Hong Kong and is reportedly planning to seek compensation from the government for the eight months that he was detained while the case was pending in court.

The defense lawyer asked for a lenient sentence, saying Mania was remorseful, no property was lost, the defendant still has three of his six children going to school and that he wanted to be with his family soon.

But Chainrai said Mania committed the same offense for which he was convicted in 1991 and that he breached his deportation order by changing his identity.

“The sentences will neither be concurrent nor consecutive, but will overlap,” she said.

For the first charge of attempted theft, Mania was sentenced to 12 months in jail. For the second he got a 27-month jail sentence to take effect after the third month of the first sentence, resulting in a total sentence of 30 months imprisonment.

Mania waited since Dec 9 for his sentence as Chainrai said she wanted to wait for the outcome of the trial of his alleged partner, Ortega, before sentencing the first defendant.

Mania and Ortega were arrested on April 25 last year after allegedly trying to pick the wallet of a certain Mr Wong, an MTR passenger who they followed from the Jordan station to Mongkok.

The would-be victim noticed the attempt while Mania had his right hand in Wong’s backpack and called the police. The two suspects were arrested in Cheung Sha Wan Station.

At the start of the hearing on Dec 9, Mania pleaded guilty to both charges laid against him while Ortega pleaded not guilty to the charge of attempted theft.

The prosecution said that Mania was issued a deportation order on Mar 2, 1992 after serving a sentence for an earlier theft conviction.

On the second day, Ortega was acquitted of the charge.

About a month later, he approached the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section with a thick wad of forms to fill out for his legal aid application. An ATN officer said he would review Ortega’s application before the latter submits it to the Legal Aid Department. – Vir B. Lumicao

Ex-DH nixes lawyer for indecency trial

By Vir B. Lumicao

A male Filipino former domestic helper charged with grossly indecent behavior towards a 10-year-old girl defiantly refused on Tuesday, Feb 7, a Kowloon City magistrate’s instruction to engage a duty lawyer, insisting that he can defend himself.

Armando S. Armesto, 49, also insisted on speaking to the court in English despite a Tagalog interpreter telling him to speak his dialect.

Armesto, earlier sentenced in Kwun Tong Court to six weeks in jail for overstaying in Hong Kong for 11 months, appeared in Kowloon Court for a pretrial review of a charge of  “gross indecency with or towards a child under 16” laid against him.

Magistrate Peter Law asked Armesto why he had no duty lawyer to represent him, reminding the defendant that the hearing was a pretrial review.

“I don’t have a lawyer but I can answer the charge against me,” the defendant said arrogantly.
“Why the review? I’ve been in jail for three months.”

The magistrate was apparently piqued but kept his cool, explaining to the defendant that the pretrial review is a screening process in which the lawyers of both sides sift through evidence to determine which ones are in dispute, and which one are not.

The prosecution asked for a two-day trial in which it would present seven witnesses, two of them by way of video recorded interview because of their young age.

A 38-minute video recorded interview with the first prosecution witness (the alleged victim) and a 45-minute interview with another girl, the second witness. The prosecution also has a video recorded interview with Armesto.

Armesto still insisted that he did not need a lawyer and a Tagalog interpreter, so the magistrate dismissed the interpreter, Menchu Rivera.

But the defendant relented when Magistrate Law told him the prosecution would be getting two interpreters – one interpreting from Cantonese to Putonghua and from Putonghua to English.

Armesto changed his mind and agreed when he was told he would need an interpreter who would be interpreting the witnesses’ statements from English to Tagalog.

The defendant applied to post bail but the magistrate turned him down, saying the prosecution opposed bail for him because of the serious nature of his offense and his lack of local ties.
Magistrate Law set the trial for Mar 16 and 17.

Deceased ex-DH’s ordeal began with hocked passport

A priest blesses the remains  of Thelma before these were shipped to the Philippines.

By Vir B. Lumicao

Former domestic helper Thelma Lomohan returned to her homeland in a box on Feb 9, ending a 20-year stay in Hong Kong spent mostly as an asylum-seeker because she lost her passport to a friend from whom she had borrowed money.

Lomohan’s remains were accompanied on the Philippine Airlines flight to Manila by her younger sister Cleofe L. Alvarez, herself a domestic worker in Hong Kong.  They were met at the airport by one of Lomohan’s two sons and staff from a funeral parlor in Sison, Pangasinan, that took to them back to their hometown.

The 55-year-old Lomohan died on Jan 26 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kowloon following two major brain surgeries after suffering a massive stroke 11 days earlier at her boarding house in Clearwater Bay, Saikung.

“She was a very kind sister, the eldest of five girls among eight siblings,” Alvarez told The SUN in an interview on Feb 9 at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, where she went to secure an overseas employment certificate for her return to Hong Kong after the funeral.

Alvarez said Lomohan came to Hong Kong in 1996 to support her family, leaving behind two daughters and two sons, the youngest of whom was just a year old. Since then she had not seen her children, Alvarez said.

Cleofe Alvarez paying a courtesy call on Labatt 

Jolly a day before escorting her deceased 

sister Thelma's remains back to the Philippines on Feb 9.

“Kaya ang sabi ng mga anak niya, iuwi ko raw nang buo ang nanay nila para makita nila. Ayaw nilang ipa-cremate,” the sister said, explaining why she turned down suggestions of cremation for Lomohan’s remains as a cheaper option to repatriating her body.

A Hong Kong-based group called the Alliance of Overseas Filipinos for Change started an online appeal for financial help for Lomohan, posting her picture taken after her surgery, accompanied by her heart-rending life story.

By the evening of April 8, Alvarez said enough money was raised for the repatriation of Lomohan’s remains from donations by Good Samaritans coursed through the group or collected from drop boxes at POLO, along with money sent by their United States-based sister, Marilou Wagner.

Lomohan worked for four years for an employer who hired her in 1996, Alvarez said.

But the deceased was unable to process her third contract and renew her working visa since her friend who held her passport as collateral for a loan had disappeared.

After her visa expired, making her an illegal immigrant, Lomohan decided to overstay and live and work in the shadows.

“Minsan nga, nahuli siya dahil overstaying na, at nakulong siya nang tatlong buwan,” Alvarez said of Lomohan, who reportedly took on odd jobs just to be able to send money for her children’s food and studies.

To make things worse, her husband reportedly left their children in 2000 to shack up with another woman.

“Simula noon, sila-sila na lang magkakapatid ang tumingin sa isa’t isa,” said Alvarez. She said it was tough for the children, as they had to live on their own at a very young age, and at the same time, take care of their youngest sibling who is a special child.

At the time, Lomohan’s parents had already died, and the children managed to get by only with some help from the aunties in the neighborhood.

To avert deportation, Lomohan filed for asylum as a torture claimant. As such, she became entitled to some meager help from the government for her upkeep and monthly rent.

After Lomohan became seriously ill, her sister sought the Consulate’s help in sending her back home. Alvarez was advised to first go to the Castle Peak Immigration Centre to report her sister’s immigration status.

After the online appeal for help for Lomohan went viral, thousands of Filipinos, mostly based in Hong Kong, reportedly took notice of her plight.

The author of the appeal wrote: “While Thelma committed mistakes, just like any ordinary mortal, the battles that she fought to support her children on her own in spite of great adversities clearly reflects her unquestionable love for her children – a quality that should inspire all OFWs and is certainly worth emulation.”

What's on where

TGIF With Friends
Feb. 17, 6:30-9:30pm
97@Lkf
Organized by: Philippine Association of Hong Kong
Tickets to this charity fundraiser are $250 for members and $300 for non-members (includes the annual membership fee). Price includes three drinks and canapes.

Free Financial Check-up
Feb. 19, 1-5pm
PCG Conference Room
Organized by: PCG and Enrich
To book a place, register personally at the PCG Cultural Section or call 2823 8512

DWEP Batch 2 Graduation
Feb. 19, 2pm onwards
Rayson Huang Theatre, University of Hong Kong
Organizer: HKU Domestic Workers Empowerment Programme

HKTDC Education and Careers Expo
Feb. 23-26, HK Convention and Exhibition Centre
The Philippine booth is at 1E-D24.
Participating schools include the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University
Organized by the HK Trade Development Council
Details, call the PCG Cultural Office at 2823 8512
Philippines at Hong Kong Flower Show
Mar 10-19, whole day
Victoria Park, Causeway Bay
The Philippine Consulate will have a booth for the first time
Details, contact the cultural section at 2823 8535

Asia Contemporary Art Show Spring Edition 2017
Mar 18-20
Conrad Hong Kong
Special 2-for-1 tickets available now. You can enter the exhibit on Saturday, Sunday and Monday – and bring a friend for free if you buy tickets before the show. Tickets at the door are HK$220 per person. Free admission for children under 16 yrs if accompanied by an adult.
Tickets are available here: http://www.asiacontemporaryart.com/tickets

Teachers Oath-Taking:
Calling all Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT) passers and also all the proctors and watchers for the years 2014, 2015, and 2016 in Hong Kong SAR to contact NOPT-HK for the registration for the Oath Taking.Registration deadline is March 12.
You may contact them on their Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/nopthk2016.c0m/ ; you may call or text or whatsapp at their Hotline Number: +85252960156
or email at nopthk@gmail.com

Chinese Horoscope: Covers Feb. 16-28, 2017

UNGGOY. Isinilang noong 1920/32/44/56/68/80/92
Mag-ingat na maubusan ng lakas! Minsan ay hindi mo natatantiya ang kaya mong gawin, kaya inaabot ka ng nerbiyos kapag naghahabol sa oras. Sa trabaho, may magandang alok ang darating. Bago tanggapin o tanggihan ito, humingi ng payo sa taong alam mong makakatulong sa iyo. Humanap ng mga bagong mapaglilibangan upang maiwasang magmukmok at maawa sa sarili. Lucky numbers: 16, 22, 31 at 44.

TANDANG Isinilang noong 1921/33/45/57/69/81/93
Malilito ka sa pagharap sa importanteng pagpili. Huwag mag-alala dahil babalik din agad ang tatag ng loob kung makokontrol mo ang emosyon. Upang makaiwas sa problema sa sikmura, ugaliing kumain ng balanseng pagkain sa halip na kung anu-ano ang kinukutkot. Huwag hayaang may makialam sa pribadong buhay; iwasan ang mga taong mahilig mangggulo. Lucky numbers: 17,20,31 at 41.

ASO. Isinilang noong 1922/34/46/58/70/82/94
May tsansa kang hanapin ang iyong kapalaran sa direksyong gusto mo. Talasan ang pakiramdam upang hindi masayang ang parating na magandang pagkakataon; mag-isip mabuti bago magdesisyon. Iwasan muna ang pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga kaibigan upang mapagbuti ang trabaho, kahit na hindi magiging madali ang lahat. Maraming maiinis sa iyo dahil sa iyong pagiging dominante. Lucky numbers: 19,23,28 at 30.
.
BABOY. Isinilang noong 1923/35/47/59/71/83/95
Kahit hindi gaanong nakatuon ang atensyon, hindi mawawala ang iyong husay. Dahil sa lawak ng kaalaman at pag-iisip, maipapakita mo ang kakaibang talino. Hindi ka masaya sa mga kasamahan at matatanto mong mahirap humanap ng totoong kaibigan. Mas lalakas ang iyong imahinasyon at makakaisip ka ng mga proyektong gusto mo, mahihirapan ka nga lang piliin kung alin ang pinakamaganda. Lucky numbers: 15,19,25 at 40.

DAGA. Isinilang noong 1924/36/48/60/72/84/96 
Maraming hindi inaasahang pangyayari ang darating. Matataranta ka man, may idudulot ding maganda ito para sa iyo. Kung may nalalaman ka, huwag mag-atubiling isuplong ang mga nang-aabuso at nananakit ng mga bata, tungkulin mo ito bilang isang mabuting mamamayan. Dahil sa pagkainis sa trabaho ay hindi ka gaanong makapag-enjoy sa buhay. Magtiyaga ka muna dahil may maganda itong kapalit. Lucky numbers: 9,17,27 at 45.
 39.
BAKA. Isinilang noong 1925/37/49/61/73/85/97 
Kung may asawa, may matutuklasan ka pang magandang katangian ng kabiyak kaya lalong tatamis ang pagsasama. Kung walang karelasyon, makakadama ka ng labis na kaligayahan kapag nakilala mo na ang taong matagal nang hinahanap. May sapat kang oras upang balensehin ang obligasyon sa trabaho, pamilya at maging sa ibang bagay. Kung nais magtagumpay, ibayong pag-aaral ang kailangan upang wala kang makaligtaan. Lucky numbers: 21,29,30 at 37.
.
TIGRE Isinilang noong 1926/38/50/62/74/86 at 98 
Sa kabila ng ngiti at tahimik na ugali, magpapakita ka ng tapang na manindigan. Anuman ang inaasam ay makukuha mo dahil ibubuhos mo ang lahat mong makakaya. Gawin ang mga bagay na matagal nang pinag-isipan. Mahalaga sa iyo ang tahanan, pero hindi ka na sigurado sa nararamdaman at sa relasyon ninyong mag-asawa. Maninimbang ka ng husto ngayon, kumalma at kontrolin ang sarili. Lucky numbers: 14,26,28 at 36.

 KUNEHO Isinilang noong 1927/39/51/63/75/87 
Mas magiging palakaibigan at makwento ka ngayon kaysa dati. Nanaisin mo ring mapabilang sa grupo at sa taong malalapit sa iyo sa pagbuo ng mahahalagang proyekto o makipagpalitan ng ideya. Bigla ay parang lahat ng bagay ay napakadali para sa iyo, samantalahin ito at isagawa agad ang matagal nang plano. Sumubok ng ibang pagkain, ibang klase ng gulay, isda o prutas, kapalit ng lagi mong kinakain;. Lucky numbers: 5,8,21 at 33.

 DRAGON Isinilang noong 1928/40/52/64/76/88 
Upang masigurong magtagumpay ang plano, pag-aralang mabuti at ayusin ang lahat ng bagay, at samahan ng tapang at sigasig. Magiging maingat ka sa iyong galaw kaya madali kang makakagawa ng bagong relasyon. Madali kang makibagay at makisama kaya kampante ka kahit saan ka pumunta at marami ring maiinggit sa iyo dahil sa taglay mong karisma. Lahat ng bagay ay pabor sa iyo kaya magaan ang pasok ng pera at matutupad ang mga gusto mo. Lucky numbers: 12, 18, 29 at 35.

AHAS Isinilang noong 1929/41/53/65/77/89 
Hindi maganda ang pananaw mo sa buhay ngayon. Idaan mo na lang sa tawa ang lahat upang mabawi ang katahimikan ng loob. Huwag magpadala sa boladas ng kakilala mo tungkol sa magandang alok na pagkakakitaan ng malaki. Huwag umasa sa swerte, maging maingat sa paggastos. Lucky numbers: 16, 24, 28 at 36.

KABAYO. Isinilang noong 1930/42/54/66/78/90
Pagtatalo at away ang maaaring mangyari sa relasyon lalo na kung pareho ninyong igigiit ang inyong katwiran. Bawasan ang kinakain at samahan ng ehersisyo kung nais mong mabawasan ang timbang. Kung nagkakaedad na, mas lalong bantayan ang kinakain at siguraduhing masustansya ito. Lucky numbers: 7, 15, 29 at 31.

KAMBING. Isinilang noong 1919/31/43/55/67/79 at 91 
Kung walang karelasyon, samantalahin ito, lumabas at i-enjoy ang buhay. Maswerte kang makikilala ang matagal nang nakatakda mong soulmate, at hindi mo na siya kailangang hanapin. Kung may asawa, magkakaroon ng mga pagtatalo. Mag-ingat sa pagbili ng mga gamit sa internet o sa mga taong naglalako dahil baka hindi maganda ang kalidad nito, o hindi mo naman talaga kailangan. Lucky numbers: 12, 32, 37 at 45.

Contract ends with employer’s death, DH learns

By Vir B. Lumicao

For her ignorance of the law, Aurora Ramirez almost found herself in jail for overstaying her visa.

Ramirez, a 44-year-old mother from Isabela, told her story to The SUN on Jan. 23, while camped overnight along with about 100 others, on the pedestrian bridge just outside the Immigration tower in Wanchai to process her new work contract.

Aurora Ramirez says
she did not know that
when her employer died
on Dec 18, her work contract
also lapsed automatically.

She said she did not realize that when her elderly employer died on Dec. 18 last year, her employment was effectively terminated, and she had to immediately report to Immigration to get permission to process a new contract.

Otherwise, she could remain in Hong Kong for only 14 days.

Not realizing this, she agreed to the offer of her employer’s two grown-up children to extend her contract for a few more days.

The children said they would give Alvarez a one-month release letter on Dec 30 so that Ramirez would be leaving the house on Jan 30.

“No, you have to give me my release letter on Dec 29 because my visa is valid only until that date, and I’ll be leaving the house on Jan 27 because the 28th and 29th are holidays,” she insisted, and the employer’s children agreed.

It was when Ramirez went to the Immigration on Jan 19 to report the change in her circumstances that she got the shock of her life: “You’re now overstaying,” the officer at the window said after looking at her employer’s death certificate and examining the visa on her passport.
“How come? My release date is Jan 29, why should I be overstaying?” she retorted.
The officer referred her to another staff, who started grilling her.

“Doon na ako niluto, kasi daw ang kontrata ko is between me and Lam Tak-fan, the mother. Automatic daw na kinabukasan ay magsisimula na ang count ng 14 days (visa extension) ko dahil namatay siya,” Ramirez said.

The officer told her that whether the children reported the death immediately or not, the countdown had started. When Ramirez said she was still living in the deceased employer’s flat, she was told not to perform any work there because it was illegal.

“Do you know that since the day your employer died, you should no longer be working in that flat, not even washing the dishes? On the day your employer died, the children should have given you a plane ticket back to your country and paid your last salary and other obligations,” the officer said.
She shook her head, and the officer was astonished: “You’ve been here 18 years and you don’t know that?”

“No, because it’s only now that my employer died,” Ramirez replied. She said Lam was her fourth employer, who she had served for just six months. She said she worked previously four years each for her first two employers, then spent 8 years and six months with the third before moving into Lam’s household.

Ramirez said she argued that she was not aware of the law because it wasn’t written on the contract that the contract was co-terminus with the employer.

The officer reportedly said she was impressed by her honesty and reasoning, and asked her to write a letter addressed to the employer’s children stating that, henceforth, she was a visitor in the house who should not be performing any chores.

The officer also asked her to apply for a visa extension and she was granted just two days, enough to process the contract with her new employer.

As of this writing, Ramirez was spending time with her nine-year-old daughter in Cauayan City while waiting for her new working visa before returning to Hong Kong.

She said she would be working next for an employer in Mawan who had offered to hire her even before she decided to work for her late boss.

A reply to Question 33 of the “Question and Answer” section of the Immigration website states that “The contract with the deceased employer is no longer valid on the date of his/her death. The FDH is required to give the Director of Immigration notice in writing within seven days of the date of termination and to leave Hong Kong in two weeks. If the FDH would like to work for the employer’s spouse or family members, he/she has to submit an application for change of employment sponsored by the spouse or a family member within two weeks from the date of such termination. The Immigration Department will process these applications expeditiously.”

In passing, Ramirez said her only regret was that no one at the labor office of the Consulate told her about this provision when she went there to seek help in computing the money due her from her deceased employer.