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Filipino newbie plays key role in acclaimed HK musical

Posted on 03 June 2017 No comments
Samson as  Prince Marbo
in “Melodia”. Photo from Hong
Kong Youth Arts Foundation
A young Filipino landed a choice role in a Hong Kong musical, with just sheer talent to back him up.

Gian Carlo Samson, or Gio to his friends, played the role of Prince Marbo in “Melodia,” which finished its run at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts on Apr. 29. The 17-year-old played the love interest of veteran performer Aoi Toba, who appeared in the title role of Melodia.

About 800 young people auditioned for parts in the locally-produced musical created by Lindsey McAllister, founder of the HK Young Artists Foundation in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil  composer Violaine Corradi and musician/artist Rose Winebrenner. Of these, only 100 youths, aged between 9 and 25, landed parts.

Gio, who had no formal musical training, not only got in, but also snagged one of the most-sought after roles in the musical spectacle that went on to receive rave reviews.

During the show's 100-minute run, the audience was thrilled and entertained by vibrant and jaw-dropping displays of puppetry and acrobatics, plus song and dance that left many enthralled.

Gio recalls being told about the auditions towards the end of 2016 by his mom’s friend who encouraged him to try out. After a few callbacks, the Filipino teenager got the thrill of his life when he was tapped to play Prince Marbo.

Apart from landing a choice part, he also got to interact with a diverse cast and production staff.

Gian was born in Baguio City but is now attending YMCA Christian College in Kowloon where he is a member of football club. He also loves to play guitar and intends to learn drama in school.

Gio had many shining moments during the play and his song/rap duet with Melodia, “What’s In a Name”, was one of its funniest and most memorable parts.

As Prince Marbo, he played the character of a conceited teenager who intimidated and bullied Melodia until he began to like her and believed in her potential to save the world.

Gio has this message to other young people like him trying to make their mark in the world:

“If there is ever an opportunity, take it, no matter what others say or think, or you might regret not doing so.  Wouldn’t you rather know that you tried and didn’t succeed instead of asking yourself, “What if? What if I tried? What if I got the part? What if I met amazing people? What if I loved it? These are just a few of the question you might find yourself asking. So go for it, no more what if's. ”

Expect to hear more about this young man in the near future. — Contributed by Hilda Ilaga Jacinto

Pinoy convict in fake credit card case gets partial leave to appeal his case

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By Vir B. Lumicao 

The High Court has allowed a Filipino former night club waiter to appeal his conviction on a charge of conspiracy to use fake credit cards, but not on the first charge of conspiracy to make the false instruments.

Justice Ian McWalters of the Court of Appeal handed down the judgment of the court on May 24, nearly two months after hearing the application for leave to appeal filed by Saudee A. Tagao, a former senior supervisor of waiters at Play Club in Central. “We allow the appeal only to the extent of quashing the conviction for the second charge of conspiracy to use false instruments, and dismiss the appeal in respect to the conviction for the first charge of conspiracy to make false instruments,” the justices said.

Tagao, along with two other defendants, was convicted of the two charges after trial in District Court on Sep 22, 2015 for his part in a conspiracy to buy electronic goods in Causeway Bay using false credit cards. He was sentenced to three years in jail for each offense, to be served concurrently.

He applied for leave to appeal against the convictions a month later and on Sep 14, 2016, Justice Michael Lunn of the Court of Appeals granted his application, while Justices McWalters and Derek Pang reserved their judgment until May 24.

Tagao was implicated in the conspiracy following police investigation of a fraudulent credit card transaction on July 15, 2014 at an Apple Store in Causeway Bay.

The prosecution alleged the card data encoded on the magnetic strip of a card that was used in the fraudulent transaction had been sent by Tagao from his mobile phone to D2’s phone using Whatsapp, a messaging application.

The justices of the Court of Appeals decided on whether the District Court judge who convicted Tagao could rely on CCTV recording as proof the appellant was in an Apple Store during a fraudulent card transaction in July 2014. Further, it should be determined if the conviction could stand should this evidence be disregarded.

The justices also said the key issue in the case was Tagao’s role in the Whatsapp communications. They said the prosecution believed “there was an abundance of evidence, apart from (Tagao’s) possible presence in the Apple Store, to prove that he was the “Saudee” mentioned in the Whatsapp messages.

The appellant and two other defendants, identified only as D1 and D2, were accused of conspiring to obtain genuine credit card details which they would then encode on stolen credit cards that they use for high-value purchases.

CCTV footage at the time of the fraudulent transaction at Apple Store was seized as an exhibit. On it, “a rather dark-skinned person in a distinctive red T-shirt” was seen wandering aimlessly around the store, and the District Court judge concluded that the person on the video was Tagao.

Two other transactions using a fraudulent credit card were reported on Aug 12, 2014. The first was at Chung Yuen Electrical Co at Times Square, in which D1 bought a notebook computer for $18,888 with an American Express card issued in Hong Kong to one Oliver Arthey. Data encoded on the magnetic strip related to another cardholder.

The second transaction was at a Fortress shop, also in Causeway Bay, where D1 tried to use the same card to buy another notebook PC valued at $15,288. When a shop sales adviser became suspicious of the card, D1 left without getting the card.

D1 was arrested when he returned to Chung Yuen for the notebook PC and a forensic expert who examined the card body was genuine. It was used at the Play Club around March 2013 and was subsequently reported lost.

D2 was also arrested shortly after D1’s arrest as he was in the vicinity of Chung Yuen and identified after police interrogated D1.

A police search on D2’s house the next day yielded two magnetic card readers and two notebook PCs. The first card reader can read data from magnetic cards to PCs while the second can read and store data from magnetic cards. Also seized were seven blank cards and two Visa cards, one belonging to Tagao.

When police examined D2’s phone, they found Tagao’s phone number stored in it, as well as some credit card data sent from it to D2’s phone. Whatsapp messages mentioning the appellant’s name were extracted by a computer expert and used as evidence of the conspiracies.

Ex-DH jailed for operating illegal guest house

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By Vir B. Lumicao

A former domestic helper told the Eastern Court she sublet her rented flat in Wanchai as a guesthouse because she needed money to support her family in the Philippines as well as herself and her young son in Hong Kong.

Maria Lailani Abad was jailed for 15 months by Magistrate Bina Chainrai on May 19 after she pleaded guilty to charges of breaching a removal order from the Immigration Department in May 2010 by doing business, and for operating an unlicensed guesthouse.

She drew 15 months on a charge of “establishing a business while being a person in respect of whom a removal order is in force” and one month for “managing a guesthouse without a certificate of exemption or a license.” Both sentences were to run concurrently.

The Filipina was arrested in February when two officers posing as guests reserved a room in the guest house in Wanchai by telephone, according to a prosecution report.

The officers talked to a woman on the telephone, who turned out to be Abad, and booked a room for two people for two nights. They then prepared marked bills for entrapment.

At 5:06pm on the appointed date, two officers posing as the guests who made the booking called up Abad and said they were checking in. The defendant met them on Johnston Road and took them to flat 401of the building.

The report said the guest house was a 900-square-foot flat with three bedrooms. The defendant opened the bedroom and showed it to the purported guests.

After the officers paid $510 for their two-night stay and received the room key, they identified themselves and arrested Abad. The woman and a young boy, her Hong Kong-born son, were taken by the officers to the police station.

Investigators said Abad rented the flat, then turned it into a guest house without the landlord’s knowledge. The Home Affairs Department confirmed the defendant had no license to operate a guest house.

In mitigation, the defense lawyer said Abad came to Hong Kong in 2005 to work as a domestic helper but lost her employment and applied for non-refoulement in 2009 and filed a torture claim but it was twice rejected, first in 2014 and then in 2015.

The court was told that she was separated from her husband in the Philippines and gave birth to a son by another man in Hong Kong in 2009.

Her lawyer said Abad committed the offenses to financially support her father in her hometown and her son in Hong Kong.

Agency owner fined for operating without license

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A Hong Kong employment agency owner was convicted on May 15 and fined $4,000 by the Kowloon City Court for operating the business without a valid license.

A Labour Department press release did not identify the agency owner, but a spokesman confirmed to The SUN on May 19 that the offender was Alice Tang Shuk-wai, who operated Blessings Employment Agency in Mong Kok.

The spokesman confirmed the case against Tang was lodged by the Employment Agencies Administration in the wake of a complaint for overcharging by a Filipina maid who was placed successfully by the agency owner for a domestic job in Mid-Levels.

The helper sought help from the industry regulator to recover her money.

She told The SUN in an interview last December that Tang charged her $16,000 for the service, but she paid only $10,000 and agreed to pay the balance through salary deduction.

The Labour report said the EAA received a complaint against Tang from the helper.

“With the complainant agreeing to assist in the investigation, which revealed sufficient evidence that the operator had operated an EA without a license, the LD then took out prosecution against the operator,” the report said.

The Labour spokesman, when contacted by The SUN, said Tang was prosecuted only for operating an agency without a license. Any claim for compensation against her will be dealt with separately, he said.

Hong Kong law requires that any establishment or person operating a business for the purpose of obtaining employment for another person or supplying personnel to an employer must obtain a license from the Labour Department prior to operation.

Labour said this was the third conviction relating to unlicensed employment agency operation this year.

In addition to Blessings, two other agencies – Gracefield Employment Service Ltd in Tsim Sha Tsui and Enoch Employment Agency in Wan Chai – were convicted of unlicensed operation of an EA earlier this year.

In 2016, eight agencies were convicted of overcharging jobseekers or unlicensed operation.

They were Marks Domestic Helper Agency Ltd in Tsuen Wan, Ka Ying Employment Agency in Cheung Sha Wan, Enoch Employment Agency in Wan Chai, Gold Union Employment Agency in Fanling, Jen’s Employment Agency Ltd in Tsuen Wan, which had been convicted twice, Ursula Advanced Employment Center in Causeway Bay, Tamas Employment Agency in Tai Wai, and a person operating an agency without a license in Fanling.


DH bites $1,100 bait, gets 2-week jail sentence

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By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina domestic helper long suspected of stealing money from her employer’s wallet struck again on May 7, but this time she unwittingly took a $1,100 bait laid by her boss.

For that breach of trust, Nerissa de Vera, 37, was convicted and sentenced by Magistrate Jacky Ip in Eastern Court to two weeks in jail on May 19 after she pleaded guilty to a charge of theft.

De Vera wept quietly as the magistrate said, “By your own admission, I convict you as charged. This is a breach of trust case, a serious matter.”

A prosecution report read to the defendant said the employer, Chan Wai-long, had suspected for some time that the maid was stealing money from her.

So, on May 9, Chan took out three $1,000 and five $100 bank notes and photographed the bills with her phone. She put the money in a wallet in her bedroom and left for work.

Returning home in the evening, she checked her wallet and found that one $1,000 and one $100 bills were missing.  She asked De Vera about the money and the maid admitted she took it and beg forgiveness. The employer then called the police.

In mitigation, the duty lawyer assigned to defend De Vera said the helper, who was hired by Chan in June 2015, was very remorseful, and admitted the offense initially to her employer and subsequently to the police.

The lawyer said De Vera admitted she stole from Chan because she needed money for her children’s education back home and to support her mother, who was suffering from cancer. The counsel said the $1,100 would be returned to the owner.

“The offense is a breach of trust where immediate custodial sentence is called for,” Magistrate Ip said in sentencing.

“Taking into account the amount involved, the defendant’s clear record, her remorse and guilty plea at the first available occasion, I reduce her sentence by one-third to two weeks in jail,” he said.

Another Filipino, Carlos Belves, appeared in Eastern Court on May 19 on a charge of theft, but the duty lawyer assigned to him applied for a six-week adjournment for further legal advice and inquiry.

Magistrate Bina Chainrai adjourned the hearing to June 30 and ordered Belves remanded in custody as he had no bail application.

The Spiritual Aspects of Financial Planning – Part 3

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By Francisco J. Colayco

The Impermanence and Giftedness of Money


Financial planning reminds us money’s impermanence and giftedness. Like everything else in this world, money does not last. You cannot take it to the grave with you. It will eventually decay regardless of what kind of physical protection it has.

Nevertheless, money is also a gift. It may be a man-made invention used to purchase goods or services, but it is essential in daily living. People need it to buy their needs and wants. In addition, many people have difficulty earning money. The fact that you are able to obtain money legitimately (whether through active or passive income) makes you realize the importance of it in your life. You are given opportunities to earn and grow it so that you can utilize it better. This is the essence of money’s giftedness!

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, gives a wonderful insight regarding the giftedness of all created things:

All the things in this world are gifts of God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily. As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God insofar as they help us develop as loving persons. But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives, they displace God and so hinder our growth toward our goal.

Ignatian Spirituality Institute

Financial planning helps you value your money in a proper way. Because money is not permanent, it’s important to know precisely how it should be used. It must never be treated as your god (Matt. 6:24)! At the same time, you become obligated to grow it. You are responsible to grow your God-given gifts (Matt. 25:14-30, Luke 19:12-28, NAB) to live authentically. Money, at its innermost essence, is God-given! You are given legitimate opportunities to earn and grow it. Having a feasible financial plan helps and keeps you responsible over your money!

To See With New Eyes
Planning is a vital aspect in any endeavor that you take. It is not just about making everything clear and specific. It also involves continuously reminding yourself of the most important aspects of life. This is what financial planning does. It may seem to be a dull and boring process, but the challenge is to look at it with new eyes! There’s much more to financial planning than meets the eye. In knowing its spiritual aspects, you empower yourself further to reach your true wealth!

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Francisco J. Colayco is an entrepreneur, a venture developer and financial advisor.  He is the Author of Seven Bestsellers in the Pera Palaguin Series, the latest of which is now available in bookstores:  “Wealth Reached. Money Worked. Pera Mo, Pinalago Mo!” Find his works and catch him on TV and radio.  Check out: www.colaycofinancialeducation.com, www.franciscocolayco.com, www.kskcoop.com, FaceBook and Instagram. 

Stop using Filipinas as drug mules

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By Christine Diones Dia

Attention: To all Filipinos especially women. Never trust at once when someone offers free travel with cash incentives.

If someone on social media offers you free travel to Hong Kong, please disregard, ignore and report it to the nearest police station. This (person)  belongs to a syndicate a drug syndicate.

First, they will make you as a friend, ask you out to eat and have some fun. Then after winning your confidence they will offer you free travel to Hong Kong. But at the airport they will ask you to bring an empty suitcase for them, saying that they will need it on their return to the Philippines. You will agree because you trust the person, and you think you’re friends. You’re traveling with them, same plane, same flight. But at the airport they will ask you to wait for them at the taxi station outside, saying they just need to buy something. Then you suddenly find yourself alone. In a snap, you find yourself being arrested. The charge: drug trafficking, in particular, trafficking cocaine into Hong Kong.

When I had time to reflect on my situation I asked myself what was I doing, getting involved in drugs. I had never seen drugs in my entire life until I was arrested by customs officers on September 5, 2015 at Hong Kong International Airport.

I chose the wrong path that many others had chosen before me, and sadly many more will do the same thing. Some had succeded in their search and respected people, but so much of that money is growing out in some people’s grave/

The path to becoming a trafficker is a path to ruin and destruction. A wise person will learn from someone else’s mistake. Do not pursue the deadly path to ruin ourselves and our family’s future.

God knows how I love my family and how important they are in my life. It was for them that I left home and came here, hoping to provide them with a better future. But I failed.

The pain of separation, especially from my kids, is a heavy burden to bear. I miss them so much and I know they also miss me.

To my beloved three children  who have weathered many storms, and continue to bear the absence of their mother with dignity;

To my mother and father and other family members who bear the pain and the shame, I am really sorry.

May the story of what I have gone through reach people everywhere who may find themselves in a similar trap, and to other women who may yield to the pressure of taking risks just so they could give their children a better life;

To all my friends I know, and those whom I will never know, and to all survivors who have managed to pick up their lives and go on after they had fallen, I cherish you.

One lesson I learned from being imprisoned is that it is never too dark to go back home. God always gives a second chance to those who want to change and contribute positively to society and their own lives. Being in prison is not the end. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. I will never, ever give up.
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In this issue, we again open our pages to a Filipina who is spending time in a Hong Kong jail for drug trafficking. Since her detention and with help from crusading priest Fr. John Wotherspoon, Christine has become a passionate advocate for preventing fellow Filipino women from being used as drug mules by shadowy groups, particularly to Hong Kong. In this extract from a message posted on her behalf on Facebook, Christine cautions fellow Filipinas against going for easy money, and in the process, falling prey to drug traffickers Christine intends to use this in her upcoming appeal against her sentence, and also to support her application for reduced sentence when the Review Board goes over her case. – Ed

Militants cautiously welcome pro OFW pledges of Duterte gov’t

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By Daisy CL Mandap

Militant migrant organizations in Hong Kong have largely welcomed new initiatives from the Philippine government on resolving some of the major problems besetting overseas Filipino workers, including the overseas employment certificate and the ban on direct hiring.

The new measures were unveiled by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III during a meeting with United Filipinos – Migrante Hong Kong on May 13, and affirmed in part by President Rodrigo R. Duterte during a meeting with Filipino community leaders later in the day

“Masaya naman kami at naging mabunga ang dialogue with Sec. Bello,” said Unifil-Migrante secretary general Eman Villanueva in a message sent in response to queries from The SUN.

“Para sa amin, we welcome the commitments and we consider this na pag advance ng OFW agenda sa Duterte administration. But we will not stop until makita namin ang actual na implementasyon ng mga ito”.

Villanueva said his group got four main concessions from the administration: (1) the scrapping of the OEC and its replacement by a free OFW card called iDOLE; (2) the resumption of direct hiring of OFWs, on the condition that the helper found the employer herself, or through relatives; 3)continuing membership in the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, despite the worker’s failure to update payment of membership fees; and the doubling of the emergency financial assistance to OFWs to Php20,000.

But, Villanueva cautioned, “At the same time it is clear to us that lahat na ito ay nasa level pa lang ng commitments, or usapan pa lang. We want to make sure that maipapatupad ito nang walang additional financial burden or inconvenience sa mga OFWs.”

He said Unifil and other allied groups are now working on proposals on how best to implement the promised moves, particularly the abolition of the OEC and the corresponding issuance of the new OFW card, and the partial lifting of the ban on direct hiring.

The OEC, which is required of all OFWs leaving the Philippines for jobs abroad, has long been in place, but became a major problem due to the recent rapid increase in the number of OFWs, particularly in Hong Kong, who often swarm the Philippine Overseas Labor Office during peak vacation periods.

Recent moves to replace it with an online exemption certificate made matters worse because the workers still found themselves queuing up to complete the online registration or get help logging onto the site.

Direct hiring of OFWs in Hong Kong was, on the other hand, allowed at least partially until around
ten years ago when then Labor Attache Romulo Salud stopped the practice, ostensibly on orders by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

Bello reportedly told the group that Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre could already start allowing direct hiring under the conditions mentioned. However, Villanueva said that during a follow-up talk, Labatt dela Torre told his group that he still needed guidelines from the head office before he could start implementing the directive.

There are at least two other equally pressing concerns the militants want resolved, and these are are the integration of the terminal fee into airline tickets issued to OFWs who are, by law, exempted from the charge; and the plan to increase the passport fee, once its validity is stretched from five to 10 years.

Villanueva said his group still has to monitor if OFWs are still being charged the terminal fee in their tickets, despite Bello’s promise as early as last April that the practice would be stopped.

“Pero naghahanda na rin kami ng proposal para sa papaano ang mga unrefunded na pera ng mga OFWs. Kasama na dito ang extension ng period ng refund at ang possible na paglagyan ng mga hindi na talaga mare-refund na TF ng mga OFWs. Pero kailangan pa itong aralin at konsultahin sa Filcom”, said Villanueva.

As for the passport, he said his group welcomes the legislature’s enactment of a law that would extend the document’s validity to 10 years since this had long been part of their advocacies.

“Pero we strongly oppose ang plan na increase sa fee. We do not see any reason for this. At dagdag pa dito, we will continue to campaign na maging pareho ang singil ng passport sa Pilipinas and overseas.”, said Villanueva.

He also admitted being wary of plans to require OFWs to obtain a government-issued ID, saying his group would first have to study its real benefits to workers, and make sure that there are no business or political interests behind the move.

Promises

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By Daisy Catherine L. Mandap

This could be a good year for overseas Filipino workers or OFWs, given the number of concessions promised them recently by the Philippine government.

No more overseas employment certificates (or OECs) after three months, no more terminal fee integration in their air tickets from the Philippines, direct hiring to be resumed under certain conditions, no more forced contribution to OWWA, and the doubling of emergency financial assistance.

A few weeks ago, both houses of Congress also passed the resolution extending the passport validity from 5 to 10 years. Again, this was supposedly meant to ease the burden on our long-suffering OFWs.

It is all well and good, but, will the promises be kept - without reservations and no alternative impositions being made on our workers?

It has always been our position, even during the past administration, that it would not have taken much effort to bring relief to our long-suffering OFWs. Much of the burden was imposed only in recent years, anyway. And nearly all did nothing for their benefit, but served mainly to enrich the government and other groups, mainly recruiters, at their expense.

We still remember the time when our OFWS, in Hong Kong at least, were not forced to contribute to the already bloated OWWA fund, and yet could expect to get help when necessary.

We still remember the time when the OWWA Medicare fund could be relied on to provide for the health needs of our OFWs and their families back in the Philippines. That disappeared when Php500 million of that money was transferred to Philhealth which does not even see it fit to post staff overseas, making the health benefit it provides to OFWs largely illusory.

We still remember when we could process employment contracts directly with the Consulate, and not be forced to go through employment agencies simply because officials back home deemed their intervention necessary.

More recently, we remember the time when the terminal fee was not included in air tickets from the Philippines so OFWs were spared the trouble, even indignity, of having to queue up just to get the tax-free privilege they were entitled to in the first place.

Over the years, the burden on our migrant workers became so heavy that we could only rage and protest each time some enterprising official came up with yet another ploy to extract more money from them, directly or indirectly.

To add insult to injury, OFWs were always told the new schemes were meant to protect them more.

If our government can't even provide jobs to our workers so that they are forced to leave the country to provide for their families' needs, why, in all conscience, does it keep coming up with new schemes to make  money off them?

How could our government pass on the duty of protecting its citizens abroad to employment agencies, when over the years, these same groups have shown to cause more grief than relief to our workers?

But now we have all these promised concessions to look forward to. We say, it's about time. Our OFWs have been subjected to so much battering in recent years they deserve this much-needed respite.

Still it may not be time to celebrate - yet.

As it is, we see signs that the promised benefits, which are supposed to augur well for  our OFWs, are not what they seem to be.

Take the newly reformulated pledge to do away with the OEC, for example. The promise this time is that there will be no more OECs in two to three months, but OFWs will be issued IDs proving their status, and assure ease of transactions with various government agencies.

OFWs are told that the IDs will be given free to them, but surely some fund will be tapped to produce them? Our guess is that the money will come from the cash-rich OWWA Fund, which by the way, appears to have escaped the scrutiny of our militant groups lately. If this is the case, then our OFWs will effectively still pay for them.

It may also be worthwhile to check out the sponsors of this project, especially the officials and legislators who backed it, as the financial rewards from helping get it off the ground would have been very enticing. Imagine being the linchpin for getting the card issued to millions of OFWs?

In line with this, the promise to set up an OFW Bank later this year is also worth a closer scrutiny. Setting it up could be costly, even with the promise that OFWs will be sold shares eventually. Again, where will the initial funding come from? More importantly, why was there no prior consultation with its supposed beneficial owners?

We have to take these promises with a grain of salt because as our recent experience with the increased SSS pension shows, there could be an onerous condition attached to the promised benefit. In local parlance, a “kabig”. In this particular case, it was the decision to raise monthly contributions where the SSS stands to gain more than give away.

A more recent example is the plan to increase passport fees. For OFWs, the issue is not so much the long waiting time for the document as the highly inflated cost of obtaining it abroad. Now, in the guise of providing them relief, the government has taken moves to extend the document's validity, but at an added cost. By how much is not yet clear.  Still, this is hardly the benefit our OFWs had long waited for.

What our OFWs need now is a sincere and genuine effort to take some of the load off their shoulders, not false or deceitful promises, Having served as the backbone of our economic survival, if not progress, for so long, they deserve no less.

Saludo kay Ina

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Itong nakaraang araw ay panahon ng pagtatapos ng mga batang nag-aaral sa Pilipinas, mula sa elementarya hanggang sa kolehiyo.

Marami sa kanila ay iniwan ng kani-kanilang ina noong paslit pa, upang magtrabaho sa ibang bansa. Marami sa mga mga batang ito ay ina lang ang nagtaguyod, dahil ang ama ay nanatiling walang trabaho, sumakabilang buhay o sumakabilang bahay.

Ang mapagtapos ang mga anak ay isa sa mga pangarap ng maraming ina, dahil ito ang daan sa kanilang pag-ahon sa hirap. Ito rin ang paniguro para sa mas maayos na kinabukasan.

Ang pagtatapos ay patunay din na ginawa ng anak ang kanyang obligasyon  bilang ganti sa mga pagsubok, kalungkutan at pahirap na hinarap ng inang nag-OFW.

Sa hanay ng mga OFW sa Hong Kong, marami na ang nagtala ng tagumpay. Mayroon diyang may maipagmamalaking anak na abogado, engineer, doktor, accountant at iba pa. Iba’t ibang propesyon ang pinuntahan, pero iisa lang ang pinanggalingan: ang inang nagtiis na iwanan sila upang mag-alaga ng anak ng iba.

Pero marami rin sa mga inang OFW ang lumuha dahil nagluko ang kanilang  anak. May anak na nagwaldas ng pang-matrikula sa luho. May nagpanggap na nag-aaral, hanggang magdiskubre sa araw ng pagtatapos — kung kailan dumating na ang ina para dito — ang kanilang kasinungalingan.

Kung tutuusin ay hindi pa ito ang pinakamasahol na balitang mag-aabang sa isang ina. May mga anak na nalulong sa droga, may nabuntis, may nakabuntis, may nasuong sa krimen.

Malungkot man ang nangyari, hindi ito hadlang sa patuloy na suporta ni Inay. Marami ang sinisisi ang sarili dahil hindi nila nagabayan ang mga anak sa kanilang paglaki. Malungkot mang babalik sa trabaho sa abroad, patuloy pa ring tutustusan ang kailangan ng mga anak.

May mga anak na mamumulat ang mata sa mga kasalanang nagawa sa ina at magbabago. Mayroon ding sisisihin ang ina sa nangyari sa kanila, at magiging palamunin habambuhay.

Pero ganito ang pag-inog ng mundo ng OFW. May  magtatagumpay at may masasawi. Kung ikaw ay isang inang OFW, ito ay saludo sa iyo.

Mushroom culture seminar draws overflow registrants

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By Vir B. Lumicao

A seminar on mushroom- growing organised by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office has attracted a long list of registrants for two sessions  calendared for June 24 and 25.

As of May 27, when registration for the seminar was declared closed by Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre, at least 724 had listed up.

He admitted that he did not expect to attract such a big number of people to the seminar. “To tell you the truth, we didn’t expect such a huge interest. We thought we could just do it on the 16th floor for one batch. But now there are four batches already and there are still plenty of interested OFWs whom I have put on the waitlist,” De la Torre said.

Since many interested workers failed to make the cut, he said he is planning to turn the seminar into a quarterly event.

The four two-hour sessions start on Saturday, June 24, from 2pm to 4pm at the POLO annex on the 16th floor of Admiralty Centre Tower 1 with 156 people signed up.

The next day, there will be two sessions at the Boys and Girls Clubs Association at 3 Lockhart Road, Wanchai. The first session will be at 9am-11 am for the first batch of 186 registrants, and 11m-1pm for the second batch of 180. The third batch, with 204 registrants, will be  held at the POLO’s 16th floor annex at Admiralty Center.

The seminar will be conducted by officials of the Department of Agriculture who are coming to Hong Kong for provide the training to OFWs for free. De la Torre said the lead resource person will be Dr. Emily Soriano, an awarded researcher of the department.

He told The SUN he had thought of the mushroom culture project as he wants more overseas workers to turn to farming when they go home for good.

“I’ve always been interested in pushing the agriculture agenda among the OFW community. But the problem was always that farming for sustainable income required land,” De la Torre said. “So, the solution lay in mushroom farming, a healthy and sustainable product with a lot of market potential, which an OFW family can just raise in their backyard and earn extra income.”

De la Torre said it must be the commercial potential of mushroom culture that has drawn a lot of interest from the Filcom in Hong Kong. “I guess this is why it clicked so much – a farming platform that requires no wide expanse of land and yet would earn them income, and very easy technology, too,”  he said.

The species of mushroom for this type of farming is oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) a common edible mushroom sold in wet markets and supermarkets across Hong Kong. In the Philippines, however, this variety fetches a higher price than the ordinary mushrooms, and thus offer a potentially high source of income to growers.


Fate suffers defeat amid umpire’s contested calls

Posted on 02 June 2017 No comments
Myra Japitana completes her  dash to home base.
By Emz Frial

Luck finally ran out for the all-Filipina softball team, Fate, when it met fiercest rival Phoenix Ghost at a hotly contested game in Shek Kip Mei field on May 14.

The game marked by a lot of contested calls by the umpire ended with Phoenix winning by a hairline, 11-1, against Fate.

It was the first loss for Fate in the regular league of the Hong Kong Softball Association.

The all-Filipina team was off to a good start, gathering six points in a row in the first inning. Those who scored were Ma. Eva Mendez, Myra Japitana, Liezeal Algonez, Don Gaborno, Romela Osabel and Cherry  Octaviano .

Locals then took their turn to bat, and managed to score two points, through Tsang Lai Shan and Qu Zhe.

The inning ended at 6-2, in favor of Fate.

In the second inning, Fate added another three homes to their score, courtesy of Mendez, Japitana and Algonez.

Gaborno’s strong pitching led to two consecutive batters from Phoenix being called for standing out. However, La Wan Lee managed to get through, adding one point to her team’s score.

The second inning ended with Fate still ahead, 9-3.

Phoenix tightened its defense in the third inning, leaving Fate scoreless. The locals, however, managed to add two points to their score, with Tsang Lai Shan and Qu Zhe making the grade.

The third ended at 9-5 with Fate keeping the lead.

Tempers flared when the locals took their turn to bat in the fourth inning. Fate protested several calls by the umpires, particularly a thrown ball by Gaborno which they said should have been a strike, but which the umpire called as balls.

Phoenix took advantage of Fate’s loss of heart, piling up six more points courtesy of Pang, Wang Sze Ni, Fung Wai Ling, Tsang Lai Shan ang Qu Zhe.

The umpire stopped the game when the locals’ score reached 11, as against 10 by Fate.

Fate was still waiting for their last turn to bat, and there was still a lot of time left in the clock, but the umpire stood pat on his decision to end the game.

Fate could only walk away in disgust and frustration.

Earlier, Fate was at its best form when it trounced local rival LHT, 11-1.

For the first three innings no one from LHT managed to reach home base. They managed to break the spell in the fourth inning, with Chung Yin scoring a point.

In contrast, Fate players Mendez, Editha Hidalgo, Gaborno, Ynez Badajos, Algonez, Katherine Gerpacio, Osabel and Maribel Sitchon all made it to homebase, earning a total of 8 points for the team.

LHT flexed some muscles in the second inning, and succeeded in preventing the Filipinas from adding to their score.

Japitana managed to break free from the rivals’ tight defense in the third inning, adding a point to Fate’s score.

In the fourth inning, Mendez and Gaborno each added a score, lifting Fate’s score to 11.

Fate is now is waiting for the rankings and the schedule of their next game.

Migrant moms, kids star in beach bash

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Fifty migrant mothers and their children bonded in the annual beach party organized by PathFinders for its beneficiaries.


By Vir B. Lumicao

About 50 migrant mothers and their babies gathered at Golden Beach in Tuen Mun on Saturday, May 20, for a beach party organized by non-governmental organization PathFinders for its beneficiaries.

The gathering, called “Cross Cultural Social Inclusion Day Beach Party 2017,” was an afternoon of fun featuring food, games, gifts and interaction among the mothers, their children, and volunteers.

US investment bank Goldman Sachs, sponsor of the event, sent its Community Teamworks volunteers to help oversee the event.

A few showers did not spoil the fun as three big yellow tents were set up by the organizers on one side of the beach to provide cover just in case the weather turned bad.

The cloudy and breezy weather was a blessing, nevertheless, as its cooled temperatures and spared the guests and hosts of the summer holiday from the searing heat of the noonday sun.

PathFinders, a private charitable group with a mission “to ensure that the most vulnerable children born in Hong Kong and their migrant mothers are respected and protected”, had been organizing similar parties for the past eight years, according to senior program manager Carmen Lam.

The NGO focuses on providing protection for migrant mothers and their children, and helping them get access to justice and healthcare. Lam estimated that PathFinders helped about 900 moms and kids last year, some 29% more than its 700 clients in 2015.

“Fifty moms with their kids, some bringing their babies, are here for the party,” Lam told The SUN at the sidelines of the event. Fifteen of those present were domestic families all of which were helped by the NGO with various issues.

She said this year’s party was the most attended because it was held on a Saturday, a family day.

Lam said this was the third year that Goldman Sachs sponsored the summer beach party, taking over from another corporate sponsor.

“We do this once a year, with or without sponsors. Sometime we do it with our own budget… because it’s good for the kids,” said Lam, who has been with PathFinders for the past three years.

She said the gathering was initially held to celebrate Indonesia’s Independence Day, which falls on Aug 17, as most of its clients then were Indonesians. But when the group began to have Filipina clients, it moved the party to other dates.

Most of the guests, sponsors and organizers gathered at PathFinders’ premises on Tung Chau St in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, and left at past noon by shuttle bus for the one-hour ride to Gold Coast on Castle Peak Road.  

The party started under the tents with lunch of beef rendang and vegetables packed in lunchboxes by an Indonesian restaurant.

The fun followed after 2pm with about a dozen children under 10 years old and their parents participating in various games and winning various presents.

A handful of the children played in the water under the watchful eyes of the volunteers. When showers interrupted the games, fish and meat ball soup was served by the organizers.

At about 5pm, all the participants gathered next to the tents for group photo-taking and tidying up of the site before the party broke up.

Plan, save for return home, finlit grads urged

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 Above, trainers graduating from trainors course pose with FinLit graduates. 

By Vir B. Lumicao

Overseas Filipino workers should not stay long in their place of work but instead plan how many contracts they will sign, and chart the future of their families to whom they will return one day, according to Consul General Bernardita Catalla.

She gave the advice to some 200 graduates of financial literacy courses at CARD Hong Kong who gathered for this year’s first graduation ceremony held at the Duke of Windsor Social Services Centre in Wanchai on Apr 30.

The 188 graduates represented four batches of trainees – from Batch 37 to 40 – who attended the one-day basic financial literacy (FinLit) course offered on Sundays by CARD free of charge at the Bayanihan Center in Kennedy Town.

From this basic course, the graduates can proceed to entrepreneurial courses where they are taught the nitty-gritty of owning, managing and growing a business.

Joining the FinLit graduates on stage were 11 graduates of the training course for trainers, which had 14 participants originally.

Catalla urged the graduates to implement all that they have learned from the short courses, and to share the knowledge and skills gained with their relatives back home.

For the new arrivals, it is important that they know what they spend on and to budget their money, said Catalla, as she advised them to save for their return home.

She also used the occasion to introduce the new deputy consul general, Roderico “Deric” Atienza, the former consul general in Seoul, Korea, whose post was taken over by his predecessor in Hong Kong, Christian “Kit” de Jesus.

The heads of each of the four batches gave testimonials on what they learned from the courses, as well as their expectations.

From Batch 37, Margarita Paclibar, the oldest graduate at 65, spoke of how she put up a rice cake, banana and camote cue business with a small capital before she came to Hong Kong. At first, it was profitable, but it eventually flopped for her lack of business know-how.

“Nang nasa Hong Kong na ako, niyaya ako ng aking kasama sa church na sumali sa CARD financial literacy. Magaling magturo at maliwanag ang kanilang explanation,” Paclibar said, thanking the volunteers and facilitators.

“Malaki na ang naiipon ko para sa negosyo. Kailangang pag-uwi ko next year, gagamitin ko ang akong natutuhan sa negosyo.”

Batch 38’s Genalyn Silvano said what she liked most was the lesson in rating one’s spending habits and distinguishing between needs and wants. She said she used to be an impulsive buyer who snapped up anything that attracted her even though she had no need for it. That attitude has been changed by the course, she said.

Trainor Rowena Rosales tearfully told her tale as an initial failure in Hong Kong and previously, a carefree drifter in the Philippines, as she was single, an orphan and had only one sibling.

She had been helping other people until she joined CARD and realized there were three person she had not helped – “me, myself and I”. She said she had learned a lot from CARD and that her training as trainor had taken away her stage fright. As a parting word she said: “Puwede tayong tumulong , pero tulungan muna natin ang mga sarili natin.”
CARD nanays Erlinda Labitorya and
Carmelita Aguilar, who shared their asuccess stories.

Two speakers who made the greatest impact on the audience, however, were “negosyo nanays” Erlinda Labitorya from Pangasinan and Carmelita Aguilar from Laguna, who were brought to Hong Kong by CARD MRI to address the graduates.

Labitorya said she was a poor housewife who borrowed Php2,000 to start a banana chips business behind her rented house some years ago. She took up a CARD entrepreneurial course where she learned how to run her business properly.

“Lumaki ang aking negosyo at nakabili ako ng house and lot, may tatlong sasakyan na ako. Dati ang factory ko ay nasa likod-bahay, nakabili ako ng lote at tinayuan ko ng factory ng banana chips,” Labitoria said. Her business was chosen this year as one of six regional winners in an industry awards event in Laguna.

Crying unabashedly, she said this was her first time to come to Hong Kong and fulfill her dream of going to Disneyland. “Wala akong pagsidlan ng saya,” she exclaimed.

Aguilar was not to be outdone. She said with the help of a Php5,000 loan and using discarded carton boxes and newspapers, she started a business making papier mache letter blocks for the US market.

Now that venture has become a P1 million business that provided jobs to people in her community in Pakil, Laguna, Aguilar said. Today, she owns a house and lot, a Hi-Ace van, a jeepney, two tricycles, 15 pigs and 13 cows.

“Akalain mo, entrepreneur na ako ngayon, kumpare ko pa si Mayor,” she exclaimed.

Pinay, 6 others face ejection as HK denies asylum claims

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The lone Filipina in a group of asylum seekers who hid American whistle-blower Edward Snowden when he was on the run in Hong Kong in 2013, fears being deported after the Immigration Department threw out their cases on May 15.

“I am really shocked and I feel so sad ... I know that they might detain me. I am very worried,” Vanessa Mae Rodel was quoted by the South China Morning Post as saying  after the Torture Claims Board’s decision. She said she didn’t want to be separated from her 4-year-old Hong Kong-born daughter.

Rodel, three Sri Lankan adults and three children are now filing an appeal to head off possible deportation, said Robert Tibbo, their Canadian lawyer in Hong Kong. Applications for their refugee status have also been filed with the Canadian government.

Snowden, now in asylum in Russia, called the board’s action a “transparent injustice”. In a 3-minute video posted online on May 16 by For the Refugees, a Canadian group that aims to raise  CA$15,000 for the seven asylum seekers, he accused authorities in Hong Kong of ignoring the peril of the refugees if they were deported to their home countries.

“These are good people who were driven from their homes by torture, rape, abuse, blackmail and war. Circumstances that are really difficult for us to imagine – these are documented, these aren’t allegations. These are facts,” he said.

The former US National Security Agency contractor was hidden by Rodel and the other refugees in their tiny homes while he was being hunted for leaking a trove of classified documents showing the extent of electronic spying by the US and other governments.

Sri Lankans Ajith Pushpakumara, couple Supun Thilina Kellapatha and Nadeeka Dilrukshi Nonis, and their two children made up the rest of the group.

Tibbo, the refugees’ lawyer, said they had 14 days to appeal and head off an imminent risk of
detention and deportation. The Canadian barrister, who also provided legal advice to Snowden while he was in the city, complained of “factual errors” in the decision, and it “failed to take material evidence into account”.

Tibbo said his clients had been singled out because of their involvement with Snowden. “I felt they already had the decision to reject the clients written up a long time ago... Their screening was expedited not to protect them, but to dispense their cases,” he said.

The refugees said they had faced questions about their links to Snowden by a social service agency contracted by the government.

A spokesman for the Security Bureau denied the accusation the Immigration Department targets any particular claimants or categories of claimants. He said the department would continue expediting the screening to clear about 9,000 claims pending.

Montreal immigration lawyer Marc-André Séguin was quoted by the SCMP as saying he felt compelled over the past few weeks “to formally petition the Canadian government to take these clients as refugees”.

His fellow Canadian lawyer, Francis Tourigny, said the claimants’ plight was “a matter of life and death”.

Séguin said the Canadian immigration minister should use his discretionary power to speed up the processing of claims. “These are people who fled persecution…and who are being actively sought after by authorities from their home countries…It’s up to Canada now to do the right thing,” Séguin said.

Natauhan din ang amo

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Biglang pumanaw ang nanay ni Natty kaya nakiusap siya sa amo na umuwi ng ilang araw. Naintindihan naman ng amo ang kanyang sitwasyon kaya pinayagan siyang umuwi ng pitong araw para ihatid sa huling hantungan ang namayapang ina.

Sa araw ng balik niya ay alam niyang may inaasahang bisita ang kanyang mga amo para sa hapunan, kaya naman ibinaba lang niya ang bag at saka parang ipo-ipong nagligpit ng mga kalat.

Abalang-abala siya sa paghahanda ng hapunan nang dumating ang kanyang among babae. Namangha ito sa nadatnan dahil maayos at masinop na ang bahay. “How did you do it?” tanong daw nito.

Habang wala daw kasi si Natty ay hindi pumasok sa trabaho ang among babae para asikasuhin ang mga anak. Humingi ng paumanhin ang amo dahil sa nadatnan ni Natty na kalat. Inamin din ng amo na nakakapagod daw pala ang trabaho ni Natty dahil halos buong araw na nakatayo.
"
Sometimes, I am not nice to you,” sabi din daw ng amo. Hindi alam ni Natty kung ano ang magiging reaksyon sa sinabi ng kanyang amo. Hindi naman daw kasi “sometimes” kundi madalas ay masungit ang kanyang amo.

Pero umaasa siya na dahil sa natuklasan ng amo ay magkakaroon ito ng mas malawak na pang-unawa, lalo na sa mga pagkakataon na hindi niya nagawa ang ibang tungkulin . Si Natty, dalaga at Ilocano, ay limang taon na sa among Pranses na taga-Pok Fu Lam—Gina N. Ordona

What's on where

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119th Philippine Independence Day Celebration
Featuring: Bb Pilipinas-OFW Beauty Pageant
June 4, whole day.
Chater Road, Central
Organized by: Global Alliance
Watch OFW candidates parade in designer gowns lent to them for free

Seminar on Sexual Harassment
June 4, 2-5pm,
EOC Conference Room, 19th floor, Cityplaza 3, Taikoo Shing. Speakers: Anju Ghising from RainLily and Devi Novianti from EOC
To book a place, call 2106 2156

Magtanong Kay Dok
Focus: Cervical and breast cancer: How to prevent and cure
June 4, 1pm, PCG Conference Room
Speaker: Dr. Romeo V. Orteza
To book a place: 2823 8512

Mga Kulay at Ngiti ng LGBT
(In celebration of Pride Month)
June 11,  3-5pm, PCG Conference Room
Speaker: Dr. Brenda Alegre
To book a place, call 2823 8511

Jam for a Cause & Benefit Dance
June 11, 9am- 7pm
Pier 10, Central
Organized by Cordillera Connection – HK
Featuring: Rock N Play Band with VC Bob Quintin

Multi-cultural Charity Event
Jun 11, 12nn-6pm,
Bayanihan Centre Auditorium, Kennedy Town. Organized by:  Zamboanga-Basilan HK Association
Open to the everyone, from whatever nationality
Categories are:
1. Ms ZamBas-Asian Beauty Pageant (female, any Nationality 18 to 40yrs old)
2. Ms Handsome (Tomboy fashion show, any Nationality, no age limit)
3. Dance Group Contest (3to5 dancers, any dance style choreography, any Nationality)
3. English Solo Singing Contest (any Nationality)
4. Indo-Singing Contest Solo ( Indonesian only)
5. Ms Kebaya Fashion Show (indonesian only)
Submission of entry will be until Apr 2.
Contact (whatsapp or viber): Becky 69726355 & 92523046 viber; Linda 97000780; Liezel 96866346.

Philippine Independence Day Ball
“Swingaround Charity Dinner and Concert”
June 17, 6pm on
Conrad Hong Kong
Organizers: Philippine Association of Hong Kong and Philippine Airlines
Tickets are priced at $1,500 and $2,000
Featured Artists: Morissette Amon and Jonalyn Viray

Kasiyahan sa Kalayaan, Kabayan
Philippine Independence Day Celebration
June 18, 9am on
Edinburgh Place, Central
Featured Artists: Boyband PH and DJ Chacha
Organizers: PAHK and Global Alliance

Holidays at PCG

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The Philippine Consulate General and its attached agencies, including the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, will be closed on the following dates:

May 30 (Tuesday) - Tuen Ng Festival
June 12 (Monday) – Philippine Independence Day

There will be no official transaction at the Consulate on these dates.

For emergencies, please call the following hotlines:
9155-4023 Consular Assistance
6165 2406 Philippine Overseas Labor Office
6345 9324 OWWA
For further information, check:
Website: www.hongkongpcg.dfa.gov.ph
Facebook: Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong
Fax No: 2866 9885

Liza Soberano ang bagong Darna?

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Usap-usapan na ang pagkakapili sa Kapamilya aktres na si Liza Soberano para gumanap na bagong Darna sa pelikula. Si Liza ay susunod sa yapak ng mga dating Darna na sina Rosa del Rosarrio, Eva Montes, Vilma Santos, Anjanette Abayari, Nanette Medved, Angel Locsin, at Marian Rivera.

Kahit wala pang opisyal na pahayag mula sa Star Cinema tungkol dito, hindi rin nila pinabubulaanan ang kumakalat na balita. Matapos ipahayag na hindi na makakalipad bilang Darna si Angel Locsin dahil sa tinamong injury, nabuhayan ng pag-asa ang mga fans nina Liza, Kathryn Bernardo, Yassi Pressman, Nadine Lustre, Jessy Mendiola, at maging ang dating Miss Universe na si Pia Wurtzbach, na makuha ng kani-kanilang idolo ang role.

Bilang pakunswelo sa mga nagpo-protestang fans ni Angel, na matagal nga namang umasa na muling mapanood siya bilang Darna, may mga bagong project na inihahanda para sa kanya. Una na rito ang pagbabalik-tambalan nila ni Richard Gutierrez, at kasama rin si Angelica Panganiban.
Inaabangan na kung sino ang mapipiling gumanap sa papel na Ding, Efren at mga bagong makakatunggali ni Darna.

BILLY AT COLEEN, IKAKASAL SA 2018
Sa summer ng 2018 napiling magpakasal nina Billy Crawford at Coleen Garcia. Hindi binanggit ni Coleen ang petsa, pero sigurado na raw itong magaganap sa susunod na taon.

May mga taga-showbiz daw na kasali sa entourage ng kasal dahil marami silang kaibigan sa mga kasamahan sa trabaho.

Nag-propose si Billy, 35, kay Coleen, 24, noong December 2016, pero dahil marami pa silang mga commitment, hindi agad nila mai-set ang petsa ng kasal. Sila ay naging officially mag-on noong 2014.

Bago si Coleen, si Billy ay naging boyfriend ni Nikki Gil sa loob ng mahigit limang taon bago sila nag-break. Si Nikki ay balitang buntis na ngayon sa napangasawa nitong businessman na si BJ Albert.

Samantala, nagsampa ng reklamo si Coleen laban sa isang dating pulis na naka-enkwentro nila ng kanyang driver nang nagkabanggan ang kanilang mga sasakyan sa Makati. Nagtamo daw ng galos sa mukha ang aktres nang tangkain siyang saktan ng pulis, mabuti na lang daw at naisara niya agad ang pinto ng kanyang van. Tinakot pa daw siya nito na  babarilin sila, bago umawat ang ilang marshal sa lugar, na inakala niyang mga pulis din.

MARIAN, HINDI PA SUSUNDAN SI ZIA
Matapos ang mahaba-habang bakasyon ni Marian Rivera, kasama ng asawang si Dingdong Dantes at anak na si Zia, balik trabaho na siya agad sa “Sunday Pinasaya” at sa bago niyang programang “Tadhana”, na tumatalakay sa buhay ng mga OFW. Malapit na rin niyang simulan ang bago niyang TV series.

Nagkita sina Marian at mag-asawang Judy Ann Santos at Ryan Agoncillo sa Italy nang dumalo sila sa kasal ng kanilang kaibigang magazine editor at stylist na si Pam Quinones. Tuwang tuwa raw sina Ryan at Juday kay Zia, kaya nag-usap silang magkita-kita ulit, para makasama rin ang mga anak nilang sina Yohan, Lucho at Luna.

Na-enjoy rin ng husto ni Marian ang muli nilang pagkikita ng kanyang amang Espanyol, at pamilya nito sa Spain. Tuwang-tuwa daw ang kanyang mga kapatid sa ama sa pamangkin nilang si Zia.

Dahil kabi-kabila na naman ang trabaho ni Marian, hindi pa raw pwedeng sundan si Zia. Sa ngayon ay si Dingdong ang nag-aalaga sa anak nila habang hindi pa ito gaanong abala, pero hinahanapan din ng sapat na oras ni Marian na makasama ang anak sa araw-araw.

MELAI, LAGING PANALO 
Tila may kakambal na swerte ang komedyanteng si Melai Cantiveros.

Kamakailan, napanalunan nila ng kanyang asawang si Jason Francisco at anak na si Mela ang jackpot na Php1million sa Bet On Your Baby show ni Judy Ann Santos.

Sa unang pagsabak ni Melai sa showbiz, sumali siya sa reality show na Pinoy Big Brother (PBB). Tinanghal siyang big winner, na may premyong house and lot at Php2milyon, pero ang kalahati ng pera ay ibinigay niya sa napili niyang charity organization. Nagtuloy-tuloy ang showbiz career niya. Nakasama siya sa morning show ni Kris Aquino, at nakalabas din sa ibang TV show at pelikula. Maging nang mag-asawa at nagka-anak ay nakabalik agad din siya  sa limelight.

Sa pagsali niya sa first season ng “Your Face Sounds Familiar”, siya ang tinanghal na kampeon, at nagkamit ng premyong Php1milyon. Tinalo niya ang mga mas  beterano na sa showbiz na sina Jolina Magdangal, Karla Estrada, Nyoy Volante, Edgar Allan Guzman, Maxene Magalona, Tutti Caringal at JayR.

Sa kasalukuyan ay regular host si Melai sa “Magandang Buhay”, at co-host niya sina Karla Estrada at Jolina Magdangal. Kamakailan ay idinaos nila ang 1st anniversary ng kanilang programa, at timing ang kanyang muling pagbabalik matapos niyang isilang ang pangalawang anak na babae nila ni Jason.

Sa kabila ng mga ngiti at pagpapatawa niya sa show, maraming pagsubok na siyang  dinaanan, lalo na sa pamilya. Nagkahiwalay sila ni Jason, na inilabas pa sa social media ang kanyang mga hinaing, pero walang narinig na pangit na salita mula kay Melai sa kabila nito. Hindi niya siniraan ang asawa, at lalong hindi sinukuan, kaya ngayon ay masaya na uli ang kanyang pamilya.  

DIREK GIL PORTES, PATAY NA
Sumakabilang- buhay na ang dating batikang direktor na si Gil Portes sa edad na 71. Isinugod daw siya sa East Avenue Medical Center sa QC noong gabi ng May 24, pero dead on arrival na ito.

Agad nagbigay pugay sa social media ang kanyang mga kasamahan sa industriya gaya nina Mel Chionglo, Adolf Alix, Senedy Que, Jose Javier Reyes at Alessandra de Rossi.

Isa sa pinakamahuhusay na director ng pelikula sa Pilipinas si Portes. Kabilang sa mga nagawa niyang pelikula ay ang “Miss X” (1980), “Never Ever Say Goodbye” ( 1983), “‘Merika” (1984), ”Bukas... May Pangarap” (1984), “Birds of Prey” (1988), ”Andrea, Paano Ba Ang Maging Isang Ina?” (1990), ”Minsan May Pangarap: The Guce Family Story” (1995), “Mulanay” (1996), “Homecoming” (2003), “Liars” (2003), at “The Mourning Girls” (2006).

Tatlo sa mga pelikula niya ang naging entry ng Pilipinas sa Best Foreign Language Film category ng Academy Awards: ”Saranggola” (1999), ”Gatas sa Dibdib ng Kaaway” (2001), at ”Mga Munting Tinig” (2002).

Siya rin ang nagdirek ng Markova: “Comfort Gay” (2000), na pinagbidahan ng yumaong Comedy King na si Dolphy at mga anak na sina Epy Quizon at Eric Quizon.

Ang mga huling natapos niyang pelikula ay ang mga period film na ”Hermano Puli” (2016) at ”Moonlight Over Baler” (2017).

Si Portes ay nagtapos ng kursong journalism sa University of Santo Tomas, at nag-aral ng theater arts sa Brooklyn College sa Amerika. Bago naging director, nagtrabaho din siya sa ilang malalaking advertising firtrams.

Ang kapalaran mo sa Hunyo

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TANDANG. Isinilang noong 1921/33/45/57/69/81/93
Kontrolin ang emosyon upang hindi magkamali sa desisyon na pwedeng pagmulan ng mga problema. Kung may gagawing proyekto na kasama ang mga kaibigan, tiyak na gaganahan kang magtrabaho. Kailangang pag-usapan ng maayos ang problema mo sa kapitbahay. Kung kailangang mag-loan o pumasok sa transaksyong pinansyal, ito ang tamang panahon dahil papalarin ka, pero huwag sirain ang tiwala sa iyo. Lucky numbers: 4,18,29 at 31. 


ASO. Isinilang noong 1922/34/46/58/70/82/94
Maligaya ang love life, at alam mo kung paano mapapasaya ang kapartner sa maraming bagay. Maayos din ang relasyon sa mga anak. Maayos ang kalusugan sa kabila ng pagod, tensyon at pag-aalalang nararanasan. Kailangan mo ng pahinga at sapat na tulog, kaya iwasan muna ang mga sosyalan at maliliit na bagay na umuubos sa oras mo. Lucky numbers: 7, 15, 23 at 41.

BABOY. Isinilang noong 1923/35/47/59/71/83/95
Tahimik at masaya ang tahanan, at matatag ang pagsasama ng mga mag-asawa. Alagaan ang sarili at maging ang panlabas na anyo dahil makakatulong ito na maging positibo ang tingin sa iyo. Madali kang masugatan at kapitan ng sakit, na magpapainit lalo sa iyong ulo. Sa trabaho, ingatang huwag masayang ang pinagpaguran. Unti-unti ay dumarami ang gulo sa pagkakaibigan, huwag hintaying lumala ang sitwasyon, humingi ng tawad kung ikaw ang nagkamali. Lucky numbers: 11, 19, 39 at 45.

DAGA. Isinilang noong 1924/36/48/60/72/84/96 
Gumawa ng paraan upang mabawasan ang gulo sa pang-araw-araw na buhay. Pag-aralang mabuti ang mga opinyon mo na nakakaapekto sa disposisyon mo. Pero mag-ingat sa magtatangkang ipahamak ka. Pagtatalo at away ang mamayani ngayon, kontrolin ang mga salitang bibitawan, lalo na kung hindi ka obligadong sabihin ito. Kung magkamali, agad humingi ng dispensa o gumawa ng paraan na makipag-ayos. Lucky numbers:16, 25, 36 at 44.

BAKA. Isinilang noong 1925/37/49/61/73/85/97 
Kailangang harapin ang problemang matagal mo nang iniiwasan. Mas magiging mainit ang samahan ninyo sa pamilya at mga kaibigan. Kung may asawa, nanaisin mong mabago ang ordinaryong pamumuhay. Walang sinuman ang makakapigil na baguhin ang opinyon mo o pigilan ka sa gusto mong gawin, at madalas ay tama ka, kaya magtatagumpay ka sa iyong gagawin. Lucky numbers:15, 27, 37 at 42.

TIGRE Isinilang noong 1926/38/50/62/74/86 at 98 
Dumadaan sa pagsubok ang mga relasyon mo sa iba, kaya maguguluhan ka sa sitwasyon. Kulang ka ngayon sa konsentrasyon at inspirasyon kaya parang wala kang natatapos. Iwasan munang magsimula ng bago o mahirap na gawain at magtiyaga muna sa dating trabaho. Malabong lumalim ang relasyon sa napupusuan dahil kahit gusto ka rin, naguguluhan siya sa pabago-bago mong ugali. Lucky numbers: 9,22,39 at 40.

 KUNEHO Isinilang noong 1927/39/51/63/75/87 
Mahirap kang manalo kung dadaanin sa korte ang usapin, mas maiging makipagkasundo ka na lang. Hindi inaasahang pera ang darating upang magamit mo sa inaasam mong proyekto. Pipilitin mong ayusin ngayon ang personal na problema. Kung may asawa, samantalahing kausapin ito tungkol sa problema sa pamilya upang makagawa agad kayo ng desisyon. Kung hindi mo gagawin ito ngayon, mas lalo kayong mahihirapang mag-usap. Lucky numbers: 2,7,26 at 44.
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 DRAGON Isinilang noong 1928/40/52/64/76/88 
Mataas ang enerhiya mo ngayon. Mas matalas ang isip, praktikal at mas naiintindihan mo ang maraming bagay ngayon. Ang relasyon ay naka-focus ngayon sa pang araw-araw na buhay, seguridad sa pag-ibig at kapakanan ng pamilya. Matapang kang humarap sa problema kaya magaan din ang pasok ng pera sa iyo. Dahil sa ipinakita mong kabaitan, masusuklian din ito ng pagmamahal ng mga tao sa paligid mo. Lucky numbers: 12, 14, 28 at 45.

AHAS Isinilang noong 1929/41/53/65/77/89 
Magiging maayos ang kalusugan, pero iwasan ang labis na pagod. Magiging maalam ka kung paano makipag-negosasyon ng maayos sa trabaho. Kalimutan na ang hindi sinasadyang insidente dahil walang namang may gustong mangyari ito, at may bagay ding kailangang sugalan. Tapos na ang isang mahalagang kabanata sa buhay, pero ngayon ay may magandang kinabukasang dumarating. Kung magiging masaya, sumige ka! Lucky numbers: 19, 29, 33 at 41.

KABAYO. Isinilang noong 1930/42/54/66/78/90
Swerte at tagumpay ang hatid ng linggong ito, pero matindi ang inggit na ibubunga. Sakit ng buto, kasu-kasuan at tuhod ang iindahin mo, kaya mag-ingat sa mga pag-galaw galaw. Masaya at punung puno ng buhay ang social life mo ngayon. May sapat kang puhunan upang maisagawa pa ang personal na ambisyon. Maging maingat sa pakikipag-usap sa mga anak upang maiwasan ang problema at mas gumanda ang relasyon. Lucky numbers: 5, 6, 9 at 40.

KAMBING. Isinilang noong 1919/31/43/55/67/79 at 91 
Ngayon ay pwede nang pag-usapan ng kalmado ang problema sa pamilya. Ang inaakalang pagkabagot sa pagsasama ay hindi mangyayari dahil mas maipapadama ng asawa mo ngayon ang kanyang buong pagmamahal at pag-aalaga. Tigilan na ang pag-iisip ng mga negatibong bagay! Makihalubilo upang makakilala ng mga bagong kaibigan. Lucky numbers: 13, 21, 35 at 46.

UNGGOY. Isinilang noong 1920/32/44/56/68/80/92
Posibleng maapektuhan ang pagsasama dahil sa problema sa trabaho. Anumang tensyon ang nararamdaman, ugaliing kumain ng tama upang mapanatili ang kalusugan. Walang idudulot ng maganda ang pagrerebelde at reklamo sa hirap ng buhay. Matutong tumanggap ng kabiguan, maging pasensyoso at maging positibo sa pananaw sa buhay. Hangga’t maaari, iwasan muna ang mangutang at pigilan muna ng paggastos. Lucky numbers: 7,15,31 at 43.

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