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| Abad fights back tears as she reads her farewell speech as her 6 colleagues listen on |
There were some tears and a lot of laughter when about 80
Filipino community leaders braved a new surge in Covid-19 infection in Hong Kong to gather today, Jul 12, in Sheung Wan, and say
farewell to seven departing Consulate personnel.
The seven, led by cultural attache Loise Abad and passport
officer Jethro dela Cruz, are about to
be recalled to the Department of Foreign Affairs’ head office in Manila at the end of their
six-year stint in Hong Kong.
The others are protocol officer Cholo Nuere, and four women
who worked mostly behind the scene - Malu Roque, Mavic Panganiban, Jocel
Alegria and Eva Tubana.
All of them were profuse in thanking the Filipino community
for the help they extended during their stint at the Consulate.
Abad, who interacted the most with Filcom leaders,
especially Leo Selomenio and Marites Nuval of Global Alliance who organized the
farewell, was reduced to tears as she said thank you.
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| The honorees with some Filcom leaders, including organizers Nuval and Selomenio (2nd and 3rd from left, kneeling) |
She said that with help from what she called as the “pinaka
dynamic na (Filcom) leaders, the Consulate was able to organize what she said
was “pinakamarami at bonggang events”
(the biggest number and most spectacular events) in Hong
Kong .
“Isang karangalan na
nakasama, nakatrabaho at napaglingkuran ko kayo,” Abad said.
(It was an honor being with you, working with you, and
having served you)
Dela Cruz told the mostly Filipino domestic workers group
that he understood their plight as his mother was also an overseas Filipino
worker, “kaya naiintindihan ko ang mga
sakripisyo ninyo.” (that’s why I understand what you have sacrificed).
He said Hong Kong was his first overseas assignment, having
come from doing a far more stressful job in the Philippines
During his six years at the Consulate, he started out as a
staff of the cultural section, but went on to become the most visible
campaigner for overseas voting, before settling for the more relaxed job of
handling passport applications.
Nuere spent much of his time at the Consulate doing protocol
work, which meant he was rarely seen at Filcom events. His job entailed
accompanying officers to welcome visiting VIPs from Manila
and helping ensure they had a smooth stay in Hong Kong .
But because of the coronavirus outbreak, he said he had been
spending more time at the Consulate, and so had the chance to interact more
with colleagues and other fellow Filipinos.
He thanked the leaders for organizing the farewell, saying
it was “nakakataba ng puso.”
(warms the heart).
Roque, Panganiban and Alegria also expressed gratitude for
the send-off, even if they said they mostly stayed inside offices not seen by
the general public. Alegria spoke for them all when she said “Mami-miss namin
ang Hong Kong .”
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| Alegria, Tubana, Roque, Nuere & Panganiban with their plaques from Global Alliance |
Tubana, whose ever-smiling face made her the perfect fit as
secretary to the consul general, was more introspective, and spoke of how the
pandemic made her realize that material things don’t mean as much as having
your family and loved ones around you.
She also said she was grateful for the chance to say goodbye
to the community because “malapit ang
puso ko sa inyo.” (I feel for you).
Some Filcom leaders responded in kind, shedding tears as
they said goodbye to the group.
Each Filcom group gave the guests tokens of appreciation,
ranging from plaques and trophies to a cake from Metrobank’s Babes Mercado, and
some keepsakes.
The Migrant Ilonggo Association peformed a native dance, a
throwback to the time Abad meticulously organized the Philippine Independence
Day cultural shows during her watch.
Everyone, except for a few who had to leave to beat their
employers’ curfew, then shared a festive meal that was put together from
donations by the various organizations that took part in the send-off.
