Labatt warns against multi-level selling

By Vir B. Lumicao

Foreign domestic workers who engage in multilevel marketing in Hong Kong, whether physically or online, may be in breach of their conditions of stay.

This was the warning aired by Hong Kong’s Immigration Department and Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre on separate occasions recently.

Labatt dela Torre first spoke out against the practice in a speech to participants at a forum co-organized by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Bulacan Chapter and Global Alliance on Sept 3.

“Multilevel marketing companies may be legal in the Philippines, but OFWs may be breaching their visa conditions if they engage in remunerative work (for pay) other than what is in their contracts,” Labatt Dela Torre said.

There are multilevel marketing companies that target migrant workers in Hong Kong and elsewhere to sell their products, which are mainly expensive cosmetics or wellness merchandise.

The OFWs are encouraged to join the networks, often through social media, with promises of good returns if they recruit other members, in addition to enjoying the benefits of products they sell.

The Immigration Department echoed the warning, in response to an inquiry by The SUN. Immigration reiterated that foreign domestic helpers cannot do part-time work, including online marketing, because it is against the law.

“FDHs can only provide full-time domestic service,” the Immigration official said.

“They cannot take up any part-time work because they may breach their conditions of stay and, if they do, we will prosecute them.”

Labatt Dela Torre said he had been warning OFWs about this offense at POLO’s post-arrival orientation seminars.

“Every PAOS is an occasion for me to warn them, not only about pyramiding and multilevel marketing, but about illegal work in general,” Labatt Dela Torre said.

Pyramiding, which is often disguised as a quick cash investment scheme, is illegal because it promises huge payback but sells no products and members get their investment back only if they can add more members to the network. The pyramid eventually collapses when no new recruits are found.

Dela Torre said pyramids are illegal per se, while multilevel marketing, whose business model is based on a pyramid, could be legal because products are sold.

“Even then, engaging in online business while in Hong Kong may be considered breach of condition of stay,” he said.

Ex-HK OFW, pumanaw na

Ni Merly T. Bunda

Inilibing noong Set. 16 si Gemma P. Albacete, 37, at dating domestic helper sa Hong Kong, sa bayan ng Duenas, Iloilo, tatlong linggo matapos mamatay dahil sa cancer sa dila.

Una nang naibalita sa The SUN na dinala si Albacete ng kanyang amo sa ospital noong mga unang buwan ng kasalukuyang taon dahil hindi gumagaling ang kanyang sugat sa lalamunan matapos siyang matinik sa isda. Sa isinagawang pagsusuri ay nakitang may bukol na tumubo sa kanyang lalamunan, at ito ay cancerous.

Nang matapos ang kanyang unang kontrata among Intsik noong katapusan ng Abril ay gusto sana siyang pirmahan pang muli para maipagpatuloy niya ang pagpapagamot dito, nguni’t nalaman nilang hindi na siya puwedeng pa-insure dahil sa kundisyon niya.

Pagbalik niya sa kanilang bayan sa Dingle, Iloilo ay ilang beses siyang naglabas-masok sa ospital nguni’t patuloy na lumala ang kanyang kundisyon.

Labis ding nagpalungkot kay Albacete ang balitang ang dati niyang alaga na matanda sa Hong Kong na isang retiradong empleyado ng gobyerno ay namatay na.

Naulila ni Albacete ang kanyang asawa at apat na anak na nasa elementarya at high school pa lang.

Ipinaabot ng kanyang pamilya ang pasasalamat sa lahat ng mga kaibigan at kakilala ni Albacete para sa kanilang mga dasal at pakikiramay.

Ayaw sa ilegal

Sa unang kontrata ni Rosing, 35 at Bulakenya,  malaking pasakit ang dinanas niya sa amo dahil sa pagpapatrabaho sa kanya sa ibang bahay. Noong  una ay ang bahay ng magulang ng among babae ang pinalinis sa kanya at sa dalawa pang katulong na mula sa kapatid ng kanyang amo.

Tatlong palapag ang bahay at dalawa ang kuwarto sa bawat palapag. Dahil walang katulong ang mag-asawa ay napakarumi ng bahay, lalo na ang kusina na nanggigitata sa mantika. Maghapong naglinis ang tatlo kaya pagod na pagod sila.

Pero kahit plastado na ang katawan ay kinailangan pa niyang magtrabaho sa bahay ng amo dahil may inimbita pang bisita ang mga ito para sa hapunan.

Sa una ay “pakisama ko na lang” ang pumasok sa isip ni Rosing, tutal ay binayaran naman siya kahit di sapat. Inisip niya na pang-allowance man lang niya ito tuwing Linggo.

Ang kaso ay hindi lang ito naulit, kundi nadagdagan pa, dahil ang bahay naman ng mga magulang ng lalaki ang pinalinis. Mas malaking hirap ito dahil ni hindi siya binayaran, at ilang beses ding naulit.

Ayon kay Rosing, naisip niyang kailangan na niya ang tulong ni Gabriela Silang para matapos na ang kahangalan ng mga amo. Nang patapos na ang kanyang kontrata ay gumawa na siya ng aksyon para maputol na ang hindi makatarungang pagpapatrabaho sa kanya, lalo at may kasama siyang dalawa pa na napipilitan ding lumabag ng batas.

Isang buwan bago siya matapos sa kontrata ay kinausap niya ang amo ng tapat, at sinabi ang : “Ma’m I want to continue working with you. But.. sorry I don’t want to work anymore outside your house, with or without pay. If this will cause you not to sign a new contract with me, I’m okay with it”.

Natulala daw ang kanyang amo dahil gusto nila si Rosing kasi ito ay masipag at maasahan.

Kinabukasan ay hinarap siya ng mag-asawa na nakangiti, at sinabing, “Please stay with us, we will sign a new contract.” Nagpasalamat naman agad si Rosing, sabay dasal na sana ay tumupad sa pangako ang mga amo. — George Manalansan

Masuwerte sa amo

Mapalad ka kapag kasing bait ng amo ni Jenny 42, ng Cotabato, ang pinagsisilbihan mo. Nitong huling uwi niya sa Pilipinas ay nabuntis nang hindi inaasahan si Jenny, at tuwang-tuwa ang kanyang pamilya, lalo na ang kanyang panganay na 15 taon bago nasundan.

Kabilang sa mga natuwa ang kanyang mga amo na siya pang nagpayo na dito na sa Hong Kong manganak si Jenny dahil libre. Bukod dito ay doktor ang kanyang amo kaya mas mababantayan siya.

Hindi naging madali ang pagbubuntis ni Jenny dahil na rin siguro sa kanyang edad. Tinamaan siya ng thalasemia, isang klase ng sakit sa dugo na ang kapupuntahan ay anemia kapag hindi naagapan. Dahil alaga siya ay nakita agad ang sakit niya sa ikaapat na buwan niyang pagbubuntis, kaya nagpalipat-lipat siya ng pagpapatingin sa Prince of Wales Hospital at isang klinika sa Shatin.

Tumaas din ang kanyang blood sugar kaya apat na beses siyang kinukunan ng dugo sa isang araw.

Ngunit dahil na rin sa alaga siya sa patingin ay nailuwal niya ng maayos ang bunso, dangan nga  lamang ay may jaundice ang bata, yung naninilaw ang balat. Kinailangan niyang iwan ang sanggol sa ospital ng tatlong araw para mapasinagan ng espesyal na ilaw para gumaling.

Pag-uwi ng mag-ina sa bahay ng amo ay sa kuwartong bakante pa sila pinatulog. Binigyan pa ng maternity leave si Jenny hanggang  lumakas silang mag-ina at pwede nang sumakay ng eroplano. Bago umuwi ay binigyan pa ng mga amo ng pera ang bata, at inalok na i-sponsor nila sa pag-aaral.

Laking pasasalamat ni Jenny dahil umulan ang biyaya magmula nang siya ay magbuntis at manganak. — George Manalansan

Tinuruan ng alaga

Natawa na lang si Angela, 36 at isang Bicolana, nang minsang kumpiskahin ng kanyang bunsong alaga ang kanyang telepono para maturuan siyang magbasa.

Nakaugalian na ng kanyang among babae na basahan ng libro ang tatlong anak pagkatapos nilang maligo sa gabi. Ngunit nang lumaki na ang dalawang nakatatanda ay dito na tumutok ang amo at ipinasa kay Angela ang pagbabasa ng libro sa bunso.

Minsan ay isang librong Harry Potter ang binasa ni Angela sa alaga at nahirapan siyang bigkasin ang ilang salita dito. Dahil mabait ang bata ay siya na ang nagturo kay Angela na magbasa. Noong gabing iyon, pagkatapos magtrabaho ay dinalhan siya ng alaga ng tatlong makakapal na libro at sinabing kailangang basahin niya ang mga ito.

Dapat daw ay 30 pahina ang nababasa niya bawat gabi. Nang akmang babasahin ni Angela ang mga mensahe sa kanyang telepono ay nagbabala pa ang bata na kukumpiskahin ito kung ititigil ng yaya ang pagbabasa.

Natatawa at naaaliw si Angela sa kanyang alaga kaya pinagbigyan niya ito. Ngunit wala pang limang minuto ang nakalilipas nang dumating ang kanyang among lalaki, kaya tumayo si Angela para mag-init ng pagkain.

Agad na sinabi ng bata sa tatay na, “Dont disturb Angela, she is in reading session”, pero kahit natatawa ay tumayo pa rin si Angela para silbihan ang amo.

Kahit kaunti na lang ang natitirang oras para sa sarili ay hindi ito ipinagkakait ni Angela sa alaga dahil alam niyang kailangan ng ina nito na bantayan ang dalawang mas nakatatandang anak.

Si Angela ay 14 buwan na sa among taga Tung Chung. Nakatuntong siya ng kolehiyo bagamat hindi siya kampante na magbasa nang malakas, lalo pa at iba ang alam na pagbigkas ng mga salitang Ingles ng alaga. Natutuwa naman siya sa ginagawang pagtuturo ng bata dahil alam niyang makakatulong ito para mas lumaki ang kanyang kumpiyansa sa sarili. - Rodelia Villar

Hinahon sa pagtrato sa bata

Bago pa lang sa Hong Kong si Madel na tubong Capiz, pero sa edad na 22 ay agad niyang natutunan ang mga dapat gawin habang naninilbihan sa isang pamilya na mula sa ibang lahi. Mabuti naman at mababait ang kanyang mga among Intsik at ang dalawa nilang anak na 11 at 7 taong gulang.

Malambing si Madel sa mga bata kaya agad niyang nakuha ang loob ng mga ito. Ang pinakamalaking problema na lang niya ay ang bagal sa pagkain ng bunsong alaga.

Dahil sa kusina siya kumakain ay ang amo niyang babae ang nagpapakain sa bunso.

Isang gabi, nagalit ang amo dahil ayaw kumain ng bata kaya pinalo niya ito sa kamay. Umiyak ang bata kaya lumabas si Madel at tumayo sa tabi ng amo para siya na ang magpakain sa alaga. Nguni’t hindi pa pala tapos magparusa ang amo.

Nang akmang papaluin muli nito ang bata ay hinawakan ni Madel ang kamay ng amo, bago dahan-dahang nilagay sa mesa, sabay tapik sa balikat, at ang sabi ay, “I will help you feed Sai Lo”.

Nagulat din si Madel sa kanyang ginawa pero ikinatuwa naman ito ng mag-asawa dahil napakita niya na maaaring idaan sa hinahon ang pagpapakain sa bata. Simula noon ay kasama na nila sa hapag kainan si Madel at sobrang napamahal na siya sa buong pamilya. - Rodelia Pedro

Bala sa padala

Tuwang tuwa si Melisa, 39 taong gulang, nang sabihin ng kanyang amo na kung may kapatid siyang gusto ding mamasukan sa Hong Kong ay maaari nilang kunin din ito. Agad niyang sinabihan ang kanyang kapatid at inayos agad ang mga papeles nito. Itinakda ang pagdating ng kanyang kapatid noong Set. 12, alas onse ng gabi.

Ilang araw bago ang takda nitong pagdating ay naikuwento ni Melisa ang tungkol dito sa isang kaibigan at kababayan.

Nang tanungin ng kaibigan kung may nagpadala ba ng gamit sa kanyang kapatid ay sinabi ni Melisa na oo, dahil yung isa nilang malayong kamag-anak na nandito rin sa Hong Kong ay may ipinapadalang dahon-dahon.

Agad namang sinabi ng kanyang kaibigan na payuhan niya ang kapatid na buksan ang ipinadala para alam nila kung ano ang nasa loob nito. Ganun na nga ang ginawa ni Melisa, at hindi nagkamali sa sapantaha ang kanyang kaibigan.

Nang buksan ng kapatid sa Pilipinas ang padalang herbal daw na pakete ng asawa ng kanilang kababayang si Tanya ay tumambad sa kanilang buong pamilya ang isang basyong bala na nakatago sa loob ng mga dahon.

Galit na galit ang kanilang pamilya sa ginawa ni Tanya, at bilang ganti ay pinaiwan sa kapatid ni Melisa ang padala. Ayon kay Melisa, mabuti na lang at nasabihan siya agad tungkol sa malaking problema na malamang na harapin ng kanyang kapatid ng dahil sa pakete, at baka makulong pa ito kapag nagkataon.

Bawal kasi hindi lang sa Pilipinas kundi pati sa Hong Kong ang magdala o magpasok ng bala at iba pang paputok o armas. Si Melisa ay taga Iloilo, may asawa at isang anak na babae. – Merly T. Bunda

Nabiyayaan ang hindi niya pagsuko

Pagkatapos ng pitong kontrata ni Maria ay biglang nagbago ang turing sa kanya ng mga among Intsik. Kung dati ay napakabait ng mga ito sa kanya at hindi madamot, ay kabaligtaran lahat ang ipinakita sa kanya kamakailan.

Bigla na lamang siyang pinagbawalan na gumamit ng telepono at pinaghigpitan sa perang ginagastos para sa kanilang kinakain. Ang komportable niyang kama ay pinalitan ng matigas na higaan, at pinuno ng gamit ang kanyang kuwarto. Pati ang susi na hawak niya ng ilang taon ay binawi din.

Dahil hindi niya maintindihan kung bakit naging ganito ang trato sa kanya ay hindi niya napigilang magsumbong sa matalik niyang kaibigan. Ayon naman dito, sa 14 taon niyang paninilbihan ay malaki na ang kanyang tatanggaping long service sakaling ang amo ang umayaw sa kanya. Marahil, sabi pa ng kaibigan, ay talagang ginagalit siya ng amo para siya na ang sumuko.

Kahit araw-araw siyang umiiyak sa ginagawang pambabastos sa kanya ng amo ay nagtiis siya dahil nanghihinayang siya sa makukuha niyang kabayaran kung sakali. Umabot sa dalawang buwan ang kanyang pagtitiis bago sinabi ng amo na puwede na siyang umalis dahil hindi na daw nila kailangan ang kanyang serbisyo.

Ibinigay naman ang lahat ng dapat niyang matanggap, pati ang para sa long service.

Napatalon siya sa tuwa dahil nagbunga ng maganda ang kanyang pagtitiis at pagiging kalmado.

Ngayon kahit 56 taong gulang na siya ay naghanap pa rin siya ng amo dahil gusto niyang masuportahan ang kanyang tatay na mahina na. Sinuwerte naman siya dahil mukha naman daw mababait ang kanyang mga bagong amo. Pumayag pa daw sila na maghintay sa kanyang pagbabalik para alagaan ang bagong silang nilang anak. Si Maria ay isang Ilokana, 56 taong gulang at dalaga. – Marites Palma

Walong takot sa harap ng pang-aabuso

Ilang araw pa lamang sa paninilbihan si Jane sa kauna-unahan niyang amo dito sa Hong Kong ay napagtanto niya na may mali sa pagtrato sa kanya. Gaya ng pagtutok ng CCTV sa kanyang kwarto, at pagsabing hindi niya maaring isarado ang pintuan kapag matutulog na siya.

Kahit ang pakikipag-usap niya sa kanyang mga kapamilya sa oras na ng kanyang pahinga ay ipinagbabawal din dahil oras daw iyon ng kanyang pahinga at hindi oras ng pakikipag-usap niya sa cellphone.

Nang hindi na siya makatagal ay walang takot siyang nagsumbong sa pulis. Ang amo naman niya ay agad na lumapit sa kanilang agency at binaligtad lahat ng mga sinabi ni Jane.

Maniniwala na sana ang agency, kaya lang ay nalaman nilang pangalawa na si Jane sa nagsumbong sa pulis sa parehong sitwasyon kaya mas pinanigan nila ang Pilipina.

Sinamahan nito si Jane sa POLO para ipa blacklist ang amo, at hinanapan din siya ng bagong malilipatan. Sinuwerte naman si Jane dahil pumayag ang POLO at ang Hong Kong Immigration na huwag na siyang umalis ng Hong Kong habang hinihintay ang paglabas ng panibago niyang visa.

Napahanga naman kay Jane si Alma na nakilala niya sa agency.

Isinumbong ni Alma sa agency ang laging pagsigaw-sigaw sa kanya ng among babae, bagay na nagdudulot sa kanya ng malaking kaba. Dinig na dinig daw kasi sa buong kabahayan kapag sinisigawan siya.

Dala na rin ng kanyang bagong angking katapangan ay naglakas-loob si Alma na isumbong sa among lalaki ang ginagawa ng asawa nitong pambubulyaw. Hindi naman pala lingid sa lalaki ang ugali ng asawa, kaya humingi na lang ito ng paumanhin kay Alma.

Gayunpaman, pinagsabihan nito ang asawa kaya medyo bumaba na ang boses nito kinabukasan. Sinabihan din ito ng lalaki na isulat na lang sa papel ang lahat ng gusto nitong mangyari kaya hindi na kailangan pang manigaw at manakot sa katulong. Sina Jane at Alma ay parehong Bisaya. – Marites Palma

Left hits Duterte for reneging on reform vow and eyeing martial law

By Vir B. Lumicao

Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr
(left) and Eman Villanueva, reelected chairman of
Bayan HK & Macau

A year after Rodrigo Duterte assumed the presidency, he has yet to fulfill his promise of undertaking reforms, and instead exposed himself as a reactionary representative of the ruling class, Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr said.

Reyes, in a lengthy speech at the second general assembly of Bayan Hong Kong & Macau on Sept 10, also said the progressive movement would oppose any moves by Duterte to declare martial law nationwide, as he has threatened to do.

“Natapos ang isang taon, ganap nang nalantad si Duterte bilang reaksiyunaryong kinatawan ng rehimeng naghaharing uri at mga ekonomista. Hindi tinupad ang mga pangako at naghahasik ng lagim sa buong bansa. At maaaring lumala pa ang sitwasyon,” Reyes said at the event attended by around 300 people at the University of Hong Kong.

Duterte’s use of repression, violence, murder and disregard of human rights, and its protection of US interests, were not the change he promised in his election campaign. Reyes said.

He warned Malacanang may be heading toward imposing martial law throughout the country, after putting Mindanao under military rule in the wake of the attack on the southern city of Marawi by Muslim rebels.

Reyes said martial law has displaced nearly 500,000 Filipinos and led to the biggest man-made calamity in the country that has killed 136 soldiers, 45 civilians, and 620 rebels, in addition to the growing number of human rights violations.

Elsewhere, he said the nightly killings of suspected drug addicts and pushers continue, despite the government’s claims to the contrary. He cited Duterte’s dismissal of the recent deaths of Kian delos Santos, 17; Carlo Angelo Arnaiz, 19; and Reynaldo de Guzman, 14, as mere coincidences.

The Bayan leader has accused the military of sabotaging the peace talks between the Left and the government, leading to the collapse of the negotiations.

On the removal of leftist Cabinet officials earlier appointed by Duterte, Reyes said: “Pumasok tayo diyan para gumawa ng mabuti. Kung sisibakin tayo, hindi tayo maglulupasay at parang asong (sabik) sa puwesto at isusuko ang prinsipyo para lang mapanatili sa puwesto.”

He said the Left had proposed social and economic reforms, including free distribution of land to farmers, but Duterte had yielded to pressure from landlords and the military.

Meanwhile, corruption was well-entrenched, as shown by the smuggling into the country 6.4 billion kilos of shabu of methamphetamine hydrochloride into the country through the Customs “Green Lane” for VIPs.

On Sept 21, Bayan will lead a protest rally in Manila against Duterte’s plan to declare martial law nationwide, as well as the extrajudicial killings and other key issues.

Meanwhile, Eman Villanueva was re-elected by the 47 voting delegates from member organizations as chairperson of Bayan HK & Macau. Shiela Tebia was elected as vice chair; Josie Pingkihan as secretary general, and Rina Beldia as deputy secretary general. Betty Maguinsay was elected as treasurer. The new officers were sworn into office by Reyes.

Before the voting, delegates approved the alliance’s general program of action for the year.

Police called to stop alleged Pinoy pyramid scam

By Vir B.Lumicao

A group of migrant workers who claimed they were victims of a pyramid scheme called the police after cornering their alleged swindler in the midst of his business presentation to would-be investors at a coffee shop in Central on Sept 3.

However, their quarry whom they identifed in Facebook posts as July Macapas was eventually sent home by the police for “lack of a case”.

The incident happened at around 11:45 am at a Starbucks outlet on Manly building on Des Voeux Road, while Macapas was reportedly introducing his investment plan to about a dozen people.

The women, part of an estimated 40 alleged victims of Macapas, told the officers Macapas was the founder of Team Donatos, a pyramid operation that had invited scores of OFWs to invest in his quick-rich scheme, one of the victims told The SUN.

Officers found transaction receipts totaling Php500,000 issued by Macapas and his wife to investors in the couple’s luggage. The documents were proof the victims had invested in Macapas’ scheme, which called for a Php10,500 “pay-in” that would grow into Php90,000 in just three months.

Macapas was escorted by the officers out of the coffee shop away from his detractors.

However, the police later said in reply to an inquiry by The SUN that the incident was just a “dispute” between a man and a woman and that “there was no case.”

Before the day was over, video clips of the “arrest” went viral on Facebook, with vengeful commenters— alleged victims or plain kibitzers—heaping accusations of greed and deception against Macapas.

The SUN contacted one of those who posted a comment — Fe Masiba, an alleged victim who claimed Macapas had disappeared with her Php10,500—and asked about her video post on Facebook.

In her reply two days later, Masiba said Macapas was taken to the police station where officers took his statement. But the police sent him home afterwards because, accordingly, they didn’t have jurisdiction over his case.

“Nalaman namin na papunta siya rito kaya nagkasundo kami (ng ibang mga biktima) na ipapulis (siya). Hindi siya umamin sa pulis sa kasalanan niya, pero nakita ng mga pulis ang mga resibo na nakapangalan sa kanya at sa kanyang asawa,” Masiba said.

She said Macapas founded Team Donatos after promoting a previous gold-trading pyramid scheme called Global InterGold. This time, he came to Hong Kong offering slots in Monspace, a get-rich-quick cryptocurrency operation in Kuala Lumpur.

There seems to be no stopping Macapas. In a Facebook post on Sept 12, he said he would travel to Malaysia later this month. “On the way to Malaysia to 3rd year anniversary Monspace Malaysia! September 28 to Oct 2, 2017,” he proclaimed.

In another FB post on Sept 11, he was inviting the public to invest in his new “special offer”, a cryptocurrency called Anniversary Indonesia Declaration Currency.

“GET YOUR AIDC NOW! While Supply Last! ± 9,300 = 2,900 MSD YOU NEED ± 66,700  JUST TO GET 2,900 MSDOLLAR,” his offer read.

The Macapas couple is facing three criminal complaints of “syndicated estafa/swindling” filed by three groups of Team Donatos investors in the Quezon City Prosecutors Office in August and December 2016, according to a Facebook post by a concerned group of alleged scam victims.

Would-be teachers await final list as LET clock ticks

The countdown for the next Licensure Examination for Teachers in Hong Kong on Sept 24, has begun, with would-be examinees eagerly awaiting the approved list of applicants.

A total of 464 would-be teachers have registered online for the exam, which will be administered by the Professional Regulation Commission at Delia Memorial School-Hip Wo in Kwun Tong.

However, the applications are still being assessed by the Professional Regulation Commission, which means there is a chance that some may not make it to the final list.

On Sept 11, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office issued the general guidelines to exam-takers on what to do, what to bring, and how to get to the exam venue at 122 Hip Wo St, a distance about 500 meters from the MTR Kwun Tong Station.

The National Organization of Professional Teachers (Hong Kong) said the only concerns now were the final list of examinees from the PRC and the mobilizing of proctors and watchers.

“As of the moment, we are still waiting for the advisory from POLO about proctors and watchers,” said NOPT President Gemma Lauraya, who said no briefing or orientation had yet been held or slated.

She said NOPT held its last and final review on Sept 10 at Bayanihan Center.

In its Sept 11 announcement on Facebook, POLO said the exam will be from 6am to 6pm. It reminded all examinees to arrive on time, stating that those who show up after 6pm will no longer be admitted, and their registration fees will be forfeited.

The arrival deadline will be a challenge to the examinees, as Hong Kong’s public transport system start running only around that time. Even if they manage to get onto the MTR ahead of that time, they will have to walk about 15 minutes from the nearest station. Otherwise, they will have to queue really early for the minibuses plying that route to ensure they get to the venue on time.

But Lauraya said that based on her observations in past exams, those who were not so late were still able to sit for the test, and only those who arrived after midday were barred.

She said some takers were allowed by their employers to leave early or stay in boarding houses near the venue on the eve of the exam. Others went to the venue on taxicabs in groups. - VBL

Family presses for inquiry as SZ police rule out foul play in Pinay’s fatal fall

By Vir B. Lumicao

Guangdong police have ruled out foul play in the fatal plunge in July of Filipina maid Lorain Asuncion from the flat of her employers’ relative in Shenzhen.

The news came as the maid’s family told The SUN that an autopsy had been carried out on her remains on Sept. 1, but the results won’t be known until the end of the month.

Until then, Asuncion’s body will remain in Shenzhen.

“Hinihintay pa yung result bago maiuwi ang body niya. After 20 to 30 days pa yung result. Na-autopsy siya noong Sept 1,” Javier said.

“Ang sa police naman po, ganundin po. Hihintayin din nila ang result bago mabuksan yung area,” she said, referring to the 22nd floor flat in a housing block from where the Filipina fell to her death on July 24.

However, as early as Aug. 9, the Guangdong Public Security Department had indicated it was not looking at homicide as the cause of Asuncion’s death.

In a reply to a note verbale from the Philippine Consulate in Guangdong, the police said:

“At present, the legal medical expert has certified that Asuncion Lorain Escorial died from falling off the building and has excluded any possible homicide.”

Despite this, Asuncion’s male employer, Gu Huaiya, and his wife, surnamed Liu, were arrested on Aug 17 after they were summoned to the Hong Kong police headquarters in Wanchai.

The couple was held on a charge of conspiring to defraud HK Immigration by claiming that their domestic would work only in the territory.

Police reportedly found out that the Filipina had been taken across the border by her employers four times in the nine months that she was in their employ.

They were released on bail but told to report to the police again by mid-September.

The police report said Asuncion entered Shenzhen through Futian port on July 22 and stayed in the house of her female employer’s father, Liu Heping, while her employers’ family was touring other parts of China.

When Liu woke up at around 9am on July 23, he could not find Asuncion in the flat but all her personal belongings were there, the police report said. Liu reported the Filipina’s disappearance to the police station in Ban Tian.

 Around 9am on July 24, Liu again called the police and reported that he had found the body of Asuncion below the residential block, the police reported.

Asuncion’s sister, Jenevieve A. Javier, said in an online message she had requested the Philippine Consulate in Guangzhou to hire a private doctor to carry out the autopsy to ensure a thorough examination of the victim’s body.

She said the autopsy would include an internal examination of Asuncion’s body to find the exact cause of death, as a police autopsy would only look for external telltale signs.

Javier and an aunt, Susan Escorial, went to Shenzhen via Hong Kong in early August and were escorted by police and an officer from the Consulate in Guangzhou to Liu’s house, which had been sealed as the investigation was ongoing.

600 FDHs rally for higher wage, food allowance

Protesters march from Exchange Square in Central to the Labour Department in Sheung Wan .

By Vir B. Lumicao

Foreign domestic workers have stepped up their campaign for higher wage and food allowance, amid the annual government review of their minimum allowable wage (MAW).

More than 600 Filipino, Indonesian, Thai and Nepalese workers marched from Exchange Square in Central to the Labour Department in Sheung Wan on Sept 3 demanding a monthly minimum wage of $5,500 and food allowance of $2,500.

At present, FDWs must get no less than $4,310 a month in wages, and an extra $1,038 if they are not provided food by their employers. Workers who don’t get the food allowance often complain of not getting enough food to eat, even as they are made to work up to 18 hours a day.

Also marching with the protesters were Hong Kong human rights activists and civic group members who supported the workers’ demands and their struggle for their right to non-discrimination and non-exclusion.

“We are not asking too much. We are not asking for a very high increase in our salaries.  What we are asking for is a livable wage in Hong Kong,” said Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, spokesperson of the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body.

Balladares said a living wage would allow FDWs ‘to live as people, as human beings having fair salary increases”.

“The salary of the local people in Hong Kong should not be different from the salary that the foreign domestic helper is receiving,” she said, adding that based on the local workers’ computation, they should receive at least $12,218 as minimum wage.

She said the helpers’ $5,500 monthly pay demand had already taken into account their free accommodation and use of electricity and water.

The Hong Kong government conducts a review of the basic salary of local workers every two years, but the statutory minimum wage does not include domestic workers. Balladares decried the unfairness of conducting a separate review of helpers’ wages.

In May this year, the government raised the statutory minimum wage for local workers to $34.50 per hour from $32.50, or a $16 increase per 8-hour working day, and $433 for a 27-day working month.

In contrast, FDW salaries increased ony $96 a year on average, according to Balladares.

“We are caring for the families of Hong Kong people, we are giving our best to ease their anxieties, we are contributing to the society. But we are not receiving livable wages,” Balladares said.

The campaign will continue to reach out to legislators, key organizations, and other local workers in order to unite with them in calling on the government for wage increase.

“We don’t want the Hong Kong government to let local workers and the migrant domestic workers fight each other,” Balladares said.

Also speaking at then rally, Ma Wan-ki or Majai, the deputy secretary general of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, scoffed at the irony of Hong Kong people starving their domestic workers.

This issue was dramatized by a group of Indonesian domestic workers who marched carrying bowls of plain or sauced-topped rice in their hands.

 “It is very ironic how hundreds of people are rallying for this very basic thing, rice. Everybody has that in Hong Kong, every Chinese people, every kind of people, whoever, only domestic helpers have not enough food,” Ma said as he pledged his solidarity with the helpers’ struggle.

“It’s too basic, $5,500, how can I live on that wage, and sufficient food, it’s the minimum of minimums but still you have to fight for it,” Ma said.

Departures leave Consulate, POLO short-handed

By Vir B. Lumicao

Assistant Labor Attaché Henry Tianero
gets a sendoff from Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre
and staff.

The Consulate will be short-handed from mid-September, when Vice Consul Alex Vallespin of the assistance to nationals section leaves for his new assignment in Guam, with no replacement expected at least until early next year.

Consul General Bernardita Catalla is also expected to leave anytime in October for her new post as Philippine ambassador to Lebanon, aggravating the situation. Her designated successor, Ambassador Antonio Morales, is not expected to step in immediately, as his appointment has yet to be approved by the Hong Kong government.

Vallespin told the SUN he would be leaving for Agana on Sept 18.

A parallel staff shortage is also about to take place at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, whose two assistant labor attachés end their three-year tour of duty this month but whose replacements won’t be coming over any time soon.

Deputy Consul General Roderic Atienza sought to allay concerns about the impending shortage of personnel, saying the Consulate would still render the same kind of service to its constituents.

“Gagawin pa rin namin ang aming makakaya upang mapaglingkuran namin ang ating mga kababayan nang buong-husay tulad ng serbisyong naibibigay namin sa kanila ngayon,” DCG Atienza told The SUN on Sept 3.

Deputy Consul General Roderic Atienza takes
over when Consul General Bernardita Catalla
leaves for Lebanon.

He said the replacements of Ambassador Catalla and Vice Consul Vallespin would not be able to take up their Hong Kong assignments soon because of diplomatic procedures, so the understaffing could stretch into early 2018.

Pending the arrival of Ambassador Morales after Congen Catalla leaves, DCG Atienza will be the officer-in-charge in Hong Kong.

Other staff at the Consulate said the two interim vacancies should not pose a problem as the current personnel would still be able to keep the outpost running normally.

But it could be a different situation over at POLO, where Assistant Labor Attaché Henry Tianero has gone on leave since Sept. 13, despite assuring that he would fly out of Hong Kong two weeks after the arrival of his replacement.

Also expected to end her tour of duty soon is ALA Maria Nena German, POLO’s liaison officer with employment agencies and representative on the Technical Working Group.

Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre told The SUN earlier that their replacements, both also assistant labor attachés, would come from the POLOs in Singapore and a Gulf state.

Labatt Dela Torre said the situation at POLO would be tough as, even with the two ALAs around, staff had to work on their holidays to serve OFWs with transactions whose days off fall on the labor office’s weekend.

He said he had requested for additional four personnel from the home office but was not sure when the new staff would come.

Foodfest by top Pinay chef delights HK gourmets

By Vir B. Lumicao

Margarita “Gaita” Fores, Asia’s best
female chef of 2016, lords it over at House of
Madison in Wanchai to dish out Filipino cuisine for a day.

When Margarita “Gaita” Fores stormed into Hong Kong on Aug 31, about a hundred local journalists swarmed her “Kain Na!” food-tasting event at House of Madison in Wanchai to sample Filipino cuisine dished out by Asia’s best female chef of 2016.

Excitement and wonder lit up the faces of guests as they moved around the spacious modern kitchen at Madison, which hosts similar food festivals featuring top foreign chefs or cooking workshops for locals as a subtle way of introducing new kitchen technology.

The two-hour gathering kept Fores occupied, mostly with interviews with Hong Kong food writers eager to know more about Filipino fine dining, and why it has nary a presence in a city known for its jungle of eateries and melting pot of tastes.

It’s been decades since the closure of a full-fledged Filipino restaurant called Mabuhay, and the more upmarket Café Adriatico, both in Tsimshatsui, leaving the Philippines unrepresented in Hong Kong’s vibrant world of fine dining.

Was she ready to fill the gap? The SUN asked Fores in a quick interview.

“Of course, I’d love to,” she said, adding excitedly that Filipino cuisine has come of age, supported by players in the country’s spice and produce markets that are aggressively promoting native ingredients to international markets.

“If I’m going to set up here, I’d target the foodies,” she said, explaining that this market segment looks for new ideas and tastes.

But setting up in Hong Kong, where Fores worked in the finance industry before she became a restaurateur, is not in her immediate plans.

She held out the hope, however, that Philippine cuisine will find its place here again because the country’s young culinary talents are ready to take their own ideas of fine dining to foreign markets like this city.

Besides, she said, Filipino food attracts foreigners because of its unique taste drawn from centuries of colonial influences combined with native flavors and exclusively Filipino ingredients.

“Filipino cuisine is well known internationally. We have our lechon and adobo, which are very popular abroad because of their distinctly Filipino flavor.  And now our sisig is also captivating foreigners. The first time they taste it, they get so interested to find out its ingredients,” she said.

Fores runs more than a dozen high-end Italian restaurants in Manila, led by Cibo in Bonifacio Global City and Grace Park in Rockwell, both in Makati.

A Google check of Grace Park’s pricing showed us, for example, that a classic ham and cheese sourdough sandwich costs Php515 and a 500-gram dry-aged prime rib-eye main course has a tag of Php3,800, levels meant for the upper crust.

The event was also a showcase of myriad Philippine organic farm and fishery products  such as rice – regular and heirloom – corn, banana, coffee, cacao, cheese, nuts, ham, pork jerky and sausages, herbs and spices.

“This is our first time to put up a food festival like this in Hong Kong, and we’re  planning to come back for more of it and find new markets for our herbs and spices,” Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat told The SUN.

For the Aug 31 food-tasting, the Department of Agriculture brought Fores’ team of six chefs to Hong Kong, along with lechon de leche (because they did not know where to  source bigger butchered pigs) and other native dishes served with exotic grains such as adlai (Job’s tears) and colorful heirloom rice from the Cordilleras.

Six tables were set up, serving eight cocktail sets of recipes such as barquillos and chive mousse, baby crab fat and fish roe for appetizers; shredded chicken adobo, Amadeo coffee liqueur, boiled adlai and atchara; pork sisig on heirloom rice; tuna kinilaw on fried corn tortilla; seafood sinigang sa batwan, a sour nut from the Negros provinces; and the centerpiece lechon suckling pig.

For dessert, it was servings of heirloom rice suman, mango and pulot crumble as well as maja blanca moderna and halaya glaze.

The aperitifs featuring mixes of native mango or calamansi juice and a range of liquors bottled by Destileria Limtuaco found favor with the guests, as the 165-year-old distillery tested the waters prior to launching into the Hong Kong market.

“We’re ready to market our products here, but we’re still looking for a distributor. We are initially targeting the hotels,” Aaron James Limpe-Aw, business development manager, told The SUN.

Filipino spice and condiments brand Mama Sita’s, which is eager to expand its market in Hong Kong, provided the grains, spices and sauces that Fores used in her dishes.

Beaten-up DH flies home with $15,000 settlement

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina domestic worker who was mauled in June by her employer’s wife just six days into her two-year service, has gone home with $15,000 settlement money from her male boss.

Jen-Jen Gambol, 24, left Hong Kong around the end of August, after entering into a settlement with W. H Tang, her male employer, at the Labour Department.

The status of the Mong Kok police investigation against Tang’s wife remains uncertain now that the helper is back in her home province of Nueva Vizcaya.

Edwina Antonio, a director of Mission for Migrant Workers, told The SUN that Gambol informed her she was going home after she agreed on a settlement with Tang.

The maid had earlier consulted the Mission after the Labour Tribunal adjourned her claim against Tang until Dec 12 pending the result of the criminal investigation of Tang’s wife.

“Mukhang gusto na niya talagang umuwi. Nag-decide na iyon. Sayang nga eh, kasi six days lang siya,” Antonio said.

The Labour Tribunal initially heard on Aug. 11 Gambol’s claim totaling $106,000 against Tang, including compensation for summary dismissal and loss of earning capacity. But the hearing was adjourned until Dec 12 pending the police action on the assault case against Tang’s wife.

Presiding Officer Daniel Tang cautioned the helper before adjourning the hearing that the Tribunal was not the appropriate court for the amount she was claiming from her employer, while her boss said he was going for a settlement.

Police rescued Gambol on June 21 after Mrs Tang allegedly beat her up the previous evening for accidentally damaging the woman’s blouse while ironing it. Officers rescued her and took her to a hospital for a check-up. They arrested Tang’s wife the next day but released her after investigation.

The helper realized fighting her case in court would take time after Presiding Officer Daniel Tang told her the civil claim would have to be put on hold pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.

Gambol, a mother of a 5-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, told The SUN on Aug 22 that was considering settling with her boss.

“Sir, ayaw ko na yata ituloy ito,” she said in a Facebook message. “Eh ang tagal pa naman ng hearing. Paano kung maki-settle na lang ako sa amo ko?”

On the same day, she said in another message that it seemed her employer did not want to settle and would instead fight the case.

Gambol elevated the claim to the Tribunal after a failed preliminary meeting at the Labour Department on July 13 when the employer insisted on paying her only $1,900 for a plane ticket to Manila.

Overstaying Pinay caught shoplifting

A Filipina who worked for 19 years as a domestic helper then returned as a visitor and overstayed, was jailed for 14 days on Aug 30 after she pleaded guilty in Eastern Court to a charge each of theft and breach of condition of stay.

Ana Saldivar, 52 and single, was found to have overstayed in Hong Kong for a year after she was caught shoplifting in a Park ‘N’ Shop supermarket in Sai Wan Ho on Aug 29.

The prosecution said the Filipina went to the supermarket at 7:50 am and took three bottles of coffee and six cans of sardines in olive oil from the shelves and put them in a black shopping bag.

Unknown to Saldivar, a shop staff saw her and when she left without paying for the goods, the staff stopped her outside the supermarket and inspected her bag.

The theft was reported to the police and Saldivar was arrested. The officers discovered she had a Hong Kong ID but came in as a visitor and allowed to stay only until Aug 29, 2016. They also found more than $4,000 cash in her wallet.

The prosecution said the woman had a previous theft conviction in 2014. She was jailed and eventually sent home. Before that, she had worked as a domestic helper for 19 years.

In mitigation, her counsel from the duty lawyer service said Saldivar was supporting a sick sister in the Philippines and stole from the shop because she had no work but did not want to go home because of a threat to her life.

When Magistrate So Wai-tak asked why she overstayed, Saldivar said it was unsafe for her to go home because her brother was threatening to kill her.

So sentenced her to seven days in jail for each of the offences, to be served consecutively. - VBL

Umela leader looks to home after 21 years

UMELA president Ofelia Baquirin (right) says she will miss the company of her eldest daughter Juliefe, who will continue training new members in massage therapy while working in Hong Kong.

By Vir B. Lumicao

In the safety of their hangout on a quiet passageway near the High Court building in Central, Ofelia Baquirin supervises about 20 Filipina domestic workers undergoing theoretical and hands-on training in massage therapy.

The session, which lasts from 10am to 1pm, is the usual Sunday activity in that obscure corner of the building that is otherwise busy on a normal working day.

For the past few years, the area has been used by the United Migrants Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Association (Umela-HK) to train interested OFWs in various skills they that they will need to make a living when they go home for good.

Umela has more than 100 members, mostly graduates of the massage therapy course conducted by trainers duly certified by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, a training arm of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Like a good teacher, Baquirin guides her students through an illustrated book on reflexology as she immerses them in basic anatomy and physiology,  pathology and microbiology, before they go into practice.

Like any good team leader, too, the 49-year-old domestic worker goes hands-on showing a trainee the proper strokes of Swedish massage and the vital points of a human body as well as corresponding pressure points to relieve pain anywhere in the body.

“See, the learners go through both theoretical and hands-on training here. They are also like students in a formal school who go through theory and practice,” Baquirin tells The SUN.

“We conduct massage therapy training every Sunday and also teach other skills such as macrame bag making and basic dressmaking.”

The workshop training includes preparing each individual trainee for the NC II certification examination to be taken in the Philippines or at a TESDA onsite assessment in Hong Kong so she will become a more competitive massage therapist.

As gusty winds and intermittent rain brought by Typhoon Hato lashed on Aug 27, a total of 96 trainees graduated from Umela’s training program – they made up batches 20 and 21 and comprising 75 massage therapists and 21 macrame bag makers. The ceremony was held at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Admiralty Centre.

Baquirin feels a sense of fulfillment each time a batch graduates. But on Aug 27, there was hesitation and sadness in her voice as she announced that the graduation was the last one she was gracing, as she would be going home to Victoria, Mindoro Oriental, on Dec 14 after 21 years in Hong Kong.

Baquirin co-founded Umela-HK on June 22, 2008 with fellow veteran community leaders: Arnold Grospe, Joel Almeda, Rolando Cruz, Danny Velasquez, and two who are no longer in the territory, Cora Carsola and  Remedios Borlaza.

“Sila po ang mga kasama kong bumuo ng Umela at nagtulak at nagbigay ng lakas ng loob na kaya kong pamunuan ang Umela Livelihood Training Program,” Baquirin said.

The program began with meat processing, ribbon folding,beads crafting and soap carving), added basic dressmaking and macrame bag knitting. Then came massage therapy, which proved to be very popular because of the potential for employment or business back home that the training provides.

“Dec.19, 1996, noong bagong salta ako ditto sa Hong Kong. Ako ay 28 lang at that time,” Baquirin recalled. ”Sa darating na Dec.19 ay 21years na akong nagtatrabaho rito. God willing, sa Dec.14 uuwi na muna ako sa atin upang makapiling muli ang aking pamilya.”

She said her stay in Hong Kong had enabled her to fulfill all her dreams.

 “Noong unang dating ko pa lamang dito sa Hong Kong,paglapag ng eroplano nangarap na akong magkaroon ng sariling lote at bahay at lupang sakahan na mapapagkunan ng pagkain ng aking pamilya at mapagtapos ko sa pag-aaral ang aking mga anak at maipagamot na rin ang aming ina,” Baquirin said.

Prayers and hard work kept her focused on those dreams. Over the past years, she has sent her children to university with her eldest Juliefe, 29, finishing midwifery; Jellian Pearl, 23, hotel and restaurant management; and JorenGel, 22, BS Marine Engineering.

 She said only her son Jeraldy, 25, who did not earn a degree because he got married early.

 She also shared the blessings with a nephew who she helped finish a BS Marine Engineering course, in addition to supporting he parents and helping her siblings.

 Baquirin said she would be missing a lot, including the Filipino community here, when she leaves Hong Kong.

 “Ang mami-miss ko dito sa Hong Kong ay ang anak kong panganay na iiwanan ko dito at ang lifestyle during Sunday off, ang Umela family ko at mga kaibigan, kamag-anak at ang events natin sa Filcom,” she said with nostalgia.

John Lloyd, humingi ng paumanhin

Ni Johna Acompanado

Humingi ng paumanhin si John Lloyd Cruz kaugnay ng mga naglabasang mga larawan at video niya noong nagbakasyon siya sa Sante Fe, Bantayan Island, sa Cebu, kasama ang nali-link sa kanya ngayong si Ellen Adarna. Hindi raw dapat nakita ng mga bata ang mga ito lalo na ang kanyang pagsenyas ng dirty finger. Marami raw siyang natutuhan sa mga nangyari, pero wala siyang pinagsisihan dahil nag-enjoy naman siya doon. Nagpasalamat din siya sa mga nagtatanggol sa kanya sa kabila ng mga batikos na ipinupukol sa kanya.

Nakakasira raw sa imahe ng actor ang mga kuha sa kanya na halatang lasing habang sumasayaw at kumakanta na parang wala sa sarili, nag-dirty finger, sumiksik sa tabi ng mga tangke ng gas,  naglalaro ng kutsilyo at umaakyat sa puno ng niyog. Hindi rin kaaya-aya ang mga kuha niyang nakahubad ng pang-itaas dahil parang ipinakita na hindi niya inaalagaan ang kanyang katawan.

Galit ang mga tagahanga ng aktor sa kaibigan ni Ellen, na nag-upload ng mga ito sa social media dahil parang sinabotahe nito ang imahe ng actor, na maraming taon din nitong iningatan, lalo pa at may mga product endorsement pa ito. Naiintindihan ng lahat na matanda na si John Lloyd at pwede niyang gawin ang gusto niya, lalo na at dati na siyang napabalitang malakas uminom ng alak, pero sana raw ay pribado na lang ito at hindi na inilabas sa publiko. Pero ang sabi ng mga nakasama nila sa bakasyon, “clean fun” lang daw iyon at nagpaka-normal lang ang aktor at nag-enjoy.

Bilang reaksyon, tinawanan lang ito ni Ellen at sinabing hindi naman sila nag-yoga retreat. Lalo lang nainis ang mga tao sa kanya dahil bad influence daw siya, at hindi nararapat kay John Lloyd. Matatandaang sa ganito ring paraan nalantad sa publiko si Baste Duterte, na naging karelasyon din niya. Nakilala si Ellen bilang isang party girl at walang takot na magpa-sexy at walang pakialam sa mga negatibong bagay na sinasabi sa kanya.

Si Ellen ay kabilang sa cast ng Home Sweetie Home na pinagtatambalan nina John Lloyd at Toni Gonzaga.  

RACHEL ANN, ENGAGED NA 
Ibinalita kamakailan ni Rachelle Ann Go na engaged na siya sa kanyang American boyfriend na si Martin Spies, at nag-post pa siya ng larawan nila nang mag-propose ito sa kanya. Nakaluhod si Martin sa harap ni Rachelle Ann, habang nasa tabing dagat sila sa Boracay. Ang caption niya: “ I just prayed for this on my 31st birthday, and just like that, this happened. What an amazing God we have. Thank you Father God for this man. A man who loves you first. I still cannot believe this!”

Noong nakaraang buwan, nag-post na rin sa Instagram si Rachelle Ann tungkol kay Martin.

“Look for a man who will not just patiently wait for you after work, carry your bag ‘coz he knows you’re tired, treat you like a queen, make you laugh constantly but also who puts God first and pray for/with you. If he loves God first he will also honor & respect you all the days of your life!”

Si Martin ay general manager ng luxury fitness at wellness company na Equinox sa Amerika.

Unang lumabas ang larawan nina Rachelle Ann at Martin na magkasama noong Abril. Kuha ito sa New York, kung saan itinatanghal ang “ Miss Saigon”. Mula noon ay madalas nang nakakasama ang lalaki sa mga pasyalan ng pamilya ni Rachelle, na ang pinakahuli nga ay nang muling dumalaw ito sa Pilipinas at nakasama sa bakasyon sa Boracay.

Ilan sa mga unang nakaalam sa engagement ng sikat na singer at stage actress ay ang mga kaibigan niyang sina Kyla at asawa nitong si Rich Alvarez, Yeng Constantino at asawang si Yan Asuncion, Moi Bien, at ilang kasamahan nila sa Cornerstone Entertainment, nang magbakasyon din sila sa Boracay upang sorpresahin si Rachelle Ann. Isa sa pinakamalapit din niyang kaibigan, si Erik Santos, ang nag-post ng close-up picture niya na suot ang engagement ring.

Nakatakdang umalis papunta ng London si Rachelle para naman sa pagtatanghal ng popular na musical na “Hamilton” sa Victoria Palace Theatre na magsisimula sa December 6. Gagampanan niya ang mahalagang papel bilang Eliza Schuyler Hamilton.

MARIAN, BALIK–AKSYON
Hindi na bago kay Marian Rivera ang pagganap sa mga action roles dahil nag-bida na siya sa Darna, Dyesebel at Amaya sa TV, at Super Inday and the Golden Bibe sa pelikula. Sa muling pagbabalik niya sa primetime TV, sasabak ulit siya sa aksyon sa Super Ma’m ng GMA Network, simula sa September 18. Gagampanan niya ang papel ng isang guro na si Minerva Henerala, at bilang Super Ma’m, na isang super heroine.

\Ang Super Ma’m ay sa direksyon ni LA Madridejos, (director ng dating TV series na Meant To Be), at makakatambal ni Marian ang baguhang aktor na si Matthias Rhoads at si Jerald Napoles. Kabilang din sa cast sina Kim Domingo, Carmina Villaroel, Helen Gamboa, Joyce Ching, Kristoffer Martin, Kevin Santos, Isabelle de Leon, Jackielou Blanco, Jillian Ward, Meg Imperial, Al Tantay, Chariz Solomon, at marami pang iba. May special participation din sina AiAi delas Alas at Dina Bonnevie.

Pinipili ni Marian ang kanyang mga projects dahil ayaw niyang mawalan ng oras para sa kanilang anak ni Dindong Dantes na si Zia. Mas abala ngayon si Dingdong dahil bukod sa Alyas Robin Hood series nito ay may pelikula pa itong ginagawa, kaya si Marian ang mas nakatutok ngayon sa anak.

Pagkatapos ng Super Ma’m ay balak na rin daw nilang sundan si Zia, dahil naghahanap na ito ng kapatid, at ang gusto daw nito ay isang baby brother.

Pagkatapos dumalo sa bonggang kasal nina Vicki Belo at Hayden Kho sa Paris, kung saan ay isa siya sa mga a flower girls si Zia, nakatakda rin siyang dumalo sa kasal ng isa sa malalapit niyang kaibigan sa showbiz, si AiAi delas Alas. Ikakasal si AiAi sa Dec 12 sa kanyang live-in partner na si Gerald Sibayan, at gaya ng ipinangako ni Marian, sagot nito ang bridal gown na ang tatahi ay si Frederick Peralta. Veil sponsor si Marian sa kasal.

CELEBRITY WEDDINGS
Bukod kina AiAi delas Alas at Gerald Sibayan na ikakasal sa Dec 12, nakatakda na ring magpakasal ang mga Kapuso stars na sina Max Collins, 25, at Pancho Magno, 25, sa Dec 11. Gaganapin ito sa Marriott Hotel at kabilang sa principal sponsors ay sina Sen. Manny Pacquiao at asawang si Jinkee, Kuh Ledesma, Perry Lansigan at director Maryo J. Delos Reyes. Ang mga kaibigan ni Max na sina Andrea Torres at Rochelle Pangilinan ay kabilang sa bridal entourage.
I
naabangan na rin ang petsa ng kasal ng mga engaged na celebrity couples na sina Anne Curtis at Erwan Heussaff, Billy Crawford at Coleen Garcia, Richard Gutierrez at Sarah Lahbati, Maxene Magalona at Robby Mananquil, Kylie Padilla at Aljur Abrenica, Desiree del Valle at Boom Labrusca, Buboy Villar at Angilyn Serrano Gorens, Ms. World Ph 2014 Valerie Weigmann at Bodie Pulido, at Rachel Ann Go at Martin Spies.

Inaasahang susunod na ring magpapahayag ng engagement sina Carla Abellana at Tom Rodriguez, Jennylyn Mercado at Dennis Trillo, Geoff Eigenmann at Maya, Alex Gonzaga at Mikee Morada, Roxanne Barcelo at Will Devaughn.