Labatt to hold more talks on mandatory health checks for FDHs

Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre

By Daisy CL Mandap

Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre is set to consult Filipino community leaders on Jan. 20 on his plan to require pre-employment health checks for Filipino domestic helpers, in the wake of concern his initial advisory implementing the move could lead to confusion and problems for the workers.

Labatt dela Torre had originally set the start date of implementing the new rule on Feb. 15, but decided to hold further consultations because of concerns raised by affected parties, especially migrant leaders.

One of them, Eman Villanueva of Unifil-Migrante Hong Kong said the “fit to work” requirement in the original plan could lead to many longtime domestic workers losing their jobs if their employers are spooked by any abnormal readings in their medical tests.

He also expressed fear employment agencies would use this as a way to make extra money from either the worker or the employer.

In an advisory sent out to employment agencies and some migrant leaders on Jan. 8, Labatt dela Torre said the mandatory check-up would cover all Filipino household workers, whether new arrivals, re-contracts, or signing up with a new employer.

Apart from producing a “fit to work” certificate, all workers should also show proof that they have medical insurance coverage.

The advisory also said the basic pre-employment check-up covers “physical examination, chest x-ray, stool exam, urine exam, blood test (complete blood count, hepatitis B, sugar, cholesterol, triglyceride, uric acid, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine).”

But on being told of the workers’ concerns, Labatt dela Torre immediately put the advisory on hold.

“I have signed (another) advisory that the medical test requirement has been held in abeyance until further consultations have been done,” he said in a message.

He also said he had met separately with employment agency representatives and they agreed that the advisory needed some “fine-tuning”.

After the Filcom leaders meeting, set when he returns from a vacation and emergency leave, dela Torre said he would consult with the agencies again before finalizing his decision.

In his upcoming meeting with community leaders, the labor chief said he intends to ask if a “fit to work” certification should be required for the processing of contracts, and if yes, what is the extent of the medical tests that should be required.

Another issue is whether POLO should accredit medical clinics in Hong Kong for ease of compliance with the requirement.

The free HealthWise checks for OFWs showed 'disturbing' results

Labatt dela Torre decided to impose the mandatory checks after seeing “disturbing results” in the free HealthWise medical examination his office has been offering to all Filipino migrant workers since November last year.

The tests reportedly showed that of the first 1,441 workers who availed of the service, 14% were found to be pre-diabetic, while 7.63% were confirmed diabetics. This was said to be higher than the Philippine prevalence rate among adults of 6.2%.

The same tests showed 11.24% had elevated blood pressure levels and 17% were hypertensive. More disturbing, 2.5% had critical blood pressure levels, and they were advised to immediately seek treatment.

Initially, he asked the Hong Kong government to impose the mandatory medical check-ups for migrant workers, but when no response appeared forthcoming, he decided to go it alone.

Social media comments by Filipinos on his plan were overwhelmingly in favor, with many citing Singapore’s requirement of an annual medical check-up for all migrant workers a good example.

The Indonesian government is also cited for requiring proof of medical insurance coverage for each worker who applies for a new employment contract to be processed in Hong Kong.

But it would appear not many of those who supported Labatt’s move were prepared for the extensive tests he had in mind for them.


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Cricketers SCC Divas now also into volleyball

 Best Muse Ailien Cadangin Macaya get her trophy while SCC DIVAS Vice President Jennifer Alumbro receives the trophy for best uniform. 

By Vir B. Lumicao

SCC Divas, the only all-Filipina cricket team in Hong Kong, has branched out into volleyball and made its first foray into the competitive arena by joining the recently held LBC one-day league.

The team may have failed to win that competition, but still won for best muse and best uniform.



Josie Arimas, Divas team captain, said their joining the volleyball league came at the spur of the moment.

She said three of its players heard on Oct 28 that LBC was organizing a one-day league for the various Filipino volleyball teams in Hong Kong, just a week away.



“Let’s participate just for fun. We’ll use the Divas name, anyway we already have a numbered uniform,” Arimas said she told her players.

First, the Filipinas got permission from Divas manager Animesh Kulkarni to play volleyball using the team’s name and he agreed.



With just cricketers Jennifer Alumbro, Jackie Torete, Jona Eguid, Jessie Duque and Mae Oya who could play volleyball, Arimas said she had to import other Filipina volleybelles to join Team Divas.

The LBC league organizing committee announced there would be awards for the best uniform, best muse and best team, firing up the Divas’ enthusiasm.



Arimas said she scrambled to buy black shorts, as the cricketers wore long jogging pants, and find one key detail: a muse.

With only days to go before the Nov. 4 tournament, Arimas said she finally found someone who was willing to be the muse, an Ilongga named Aileen Macaya from Sham Tseng.



On the day of the league, the teams paraded with their muses before the matches got under way at Kowloon City Park.

The Divas lost their game in Bracket B, but did not go home empty-handed. Their inspired choice of outfit and muse helped made their day fun and fulfilling.


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New Year wishes

By Daisy Catherine L. Mandap

Whenever rights of migrant workers in Hong Kong are discussed nowadays, it is inevitable that questions are raised about whether their plight has improved over the years.

Sadly, the answer to this is, there has been a diminution, instead of improvement, in this regard.
What are the losses?

They started in 1987, when the courts upheld the new conditions of stay for foreign domestic helpers, which included the oppressive 14-day rule. It required all those whose contracts are terminated to leave Hong Kong within 14 days, unless they have ongoing claims or cases.

Then came the mandatory live-in policy, the restriction on driving duties, the rule against so-called job-hopping, and several other moves that further limited the rights of migrant workers.

But what could be the biggest blow was the ruling made in 2010 that upheld Immigration’s decision to deny permanent residency to migrant workers, no matter how long they have done back-breaking work in Hong Kong.



That ruling underscored the sad reality that migrant workers are a disposable commodity in Hong Kong. They are to be discarded once they have outlived their usefulness, either through age, disease or infirmity. It doesn’t matter if some employers who have genuinely regarded their loyal help as family, are willing to bend over backwards to help them stay on, and let their family members come as well.

What about gains? There is only one that comes to mind, and that is the prohibition against dangerous window cleaning which was made part of the domestic workers’ contract early last year, and only because of persistent lobbying by our Consulate officials.



But come to think of it, that restriction should have been there from the beginning. Immigration need not have waited until Rinalyn Duollog and a few other migrants died after falling from height while doing a task no local would ever undertake.

Wage increases shouldn’t count as they do not even offset the high rate of inflation in the city.
Access to justice is another area where Hong Kong authorities appear to have taken a step backwards. Many migrants are arrested and held without bail, on the mere say-so of a disgruntled employer. Then when they succeed in clearing their names before a court, they are given no recourse against the employer who besmirched their name and left them with no job, money, or hope.



Even the victims of atrocious crimes such as extreme physical abuse or rape are left to fend for themselves, not being allowed to work or process new employment contracts while their cases are ongoing.

Meanwhile, culprits in wide-scale fraudulent recruitments are able to go scot-free while the police painstakingly build up a case against them. In not a few cases initially, they could not even be moved to listen to the complaint of the victims.



So how do all these become part of a New Year wish? At the risk of sounding foolhardy, my wish is that Hong Kong authorities would look more kindly at migrant workers, many of whom have freed many locals from domestic work so they could help build the economy.

The good deed could start with giving them a living wage, and not look at how their salary translates into peso because studies show, much of what they earn gets plowed back into the local economy anyway.



Give them better protection so employers are not emboldened to make them sleep in the toilet, kitchen, storage rooms, or in any place no local would deign to rest.

Allow them dignity by not letting employers drive them away from their homes in the wee hours of the morning with just the clothes on their back.

Help them keep body and soul together by restricting the number of hours when their employers could make them work, and that should not include doing house chores on their off days.

And if it’s not yet too late, reconsider the policy of not allowing them to become permanent residents. While the courts have decided with finality on the issue, there is nothing that will stop the government from reconsidering its stance and reward some of the true pillars of the city’s economy.

On a wider scope, I also wish that the economy in Hong Kong, the Philippines and elsewhere, would buck forecasts of doom and gloom, and become more buoyant in the coming year.

Finally, on a personal note, my wish is that people would go back to reading, and reading well. More should attempt to get away from the clutches of social media and its pernicious effect of making just about anyone, least of all those who merely skim posts, feel entitled to express an opinion on any topic under the sun.

Here’s to a more just, prosperous and enlightened 2019.

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One in three job applicants ‘not employable’, study shows

Nearly one-third or one in every three job applicants still require additional training to be suitable for a job, a study conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) revealed.

The study through the Philippine Talent Map Initiative indicated that 31.7 percent or 18,928 of the total of almost 90,000 respondents needed further training.




The DOLE conducted the study with private companies to examine the current trends and issues facing academe and the industry in terms of workforce development.



It said the study was meant to address the prevailing problem of the job and skills mismatch in the country by identifying talent, skills and training needed by the Filipino workforce.



The findings also revealed that 68.3 percent of the students, employed, unemployed and trainees involved in the study are employable with English language functional skills as top competency.




Creative problem solving is consistently the lower skill among the respondents and must be improved, along with innovation and decision making skills.



DOLE said the results of the study would be presented to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Education (DepEd), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

“(The) results of the study shall serve as basis for our policymakers to create and fund relevant laws or initiatives that can bridge the workforce skills gap and support curriculum development,” DOLE said in a statement.

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