Gaano kahirap sa isang ina ang mangibang-bayan?

Ni Daisy CL Mandap 

Si Marites Palma kasama ang anak na si Levi bago siya mangibang bansa 

Sa bawa’t isang ina na nangingibang bayan para mabigyan ng mas magandang buhay ang pamilya ay may isang anak o higit pa na nangungulila sa kanyang kalinga. Sa bawa’t araw silang magkawalay ay hindi matatawaran ang sakit ng loob na namamahay sa puso ng bawa’t isa sa kanila.

Nguni’t sa ngalan ng mas magandang buhay para sa mga anak ay handang tiisin ng maraming mga migranteng nanay ang mga pagsubok at sakit ng dibdib. Ang tanging hiling nila, sana ay maunawaan ng kanilang mga anak balang araw ang ginawa nilang pagsasakripisyo.

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Ngayong Araw ng mga Ina ay kinausap namin ang ilan sa mga nanay na ito at tinanong kung ano ang pinakamasakit nilang karanasan dala ng pagtatrabaho ng malayo sa pamilya, at sa isang banda, kung paano naman nakatulong sa kanilang mga mahal sa buhay ang naging paglayo nila pansamantala.

Gemma Adan Solomon, 25 taon na sa abroad at may asawa at 2 anak:

Si Gemma kasama ang asawang si Edgar at mga anak na sina Rommel at Geoffrey

Ang pinakamasakit na na experience ko bilang isang OFW (overseas Filipino worker) na nanay ay noong magkasakit ako ng breast cancer kasi two at four years old pa lang ang mga anak ko noon. Sabi ko kay Lord huwag niya muna akong kunin kasi maliliit pa ang ang mga anak ko. Kako, “Lord after 10 years na lang.” Kahit may sakit na ako noon ay sila pa rin ang inaalala ko, kasi kung uuwi kako ako baka pati gatas hindi na sila makainom dahil magagamit ko ang pera sa pagpapagamot.

Kaya naki bargain ako sa amo ko na payag akong magtrabaho ng walang sahod huwag lang mapauwi. Sa awa ng Diyos ang mga anak ko ngayon ay 18 at 20 years old na at hindi pa naman Niya ako kinuha.

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Palagi kong ipinagpapasalamat ang aking buhay at patuloy pa ring nakikipaglaban para sa aming mga anak.

Sa kabilang banda, ang pinakamagandang dulot ng aking pagiging OFW ay naibibigay ko ang pangangailangan ng mga anak ko lalo na sa pag-aaral, at nakakapagamot ako dito ng mura lang at may mga follow-up check-up pa. Nakakatulong pa rin ako kahit papaano sa aking mga kapatid lalo na kung may mga karamdaman sila, at nakakaipon kahit papaano para sa kinabukasan naming pamilya.

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Marites Palma, 21 taon na sa HK at solong ina sa nag-iisang anak

Umuwi si Marites para sa debut ng nag-iisang anak na si Levi

Ang pinakamasakit ng karanasan ko ay noong malaman ko na halos magdamag na naghihiyaw ang anak ko sa pag iyak matapos akong bumalik dito mula sa aking pagbabakasyon. Walong taon pa lang siya noon, at akala ko ay ok lang siya noong iniwan ko kasi masaya naman. Yun pala noong nakaalis na ako sa bahay ay humagulgol na at hindi na siya mapahinto sa pag-iyak. Ayaw pala niyang malaman ko na nalulungkot siya at masakit sa loob niya na iiwanan ko na naman.

Masakit din na lumaki siya na wala ako sa tabi niya. Eleven months pa lang siya noong iniwan ko, ngayon ay 21 years old na. Pero para sa katuparan ng mga pangarap naming mag-ina ay kaunting ng sakripisyo pa ang kailangan.

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Sa kabila nito, may maganda ding naidulot sa akin ang pagiging isang OFW. Naging matatag ako bilang isang solong ina at nakuhang labanan ang mga hamon sa buhay namin ng anak ko. Naibigay ko din ang lahat ng kanyang pangangailangan, at hindi na niya naranasan ang hirap sa buhay na gaya ng naranasan ko. Sa tulong ng aking mga employer ay naipadama ko din sa kanya ang lubos na pagmamahal ng isang ina. Nakapamasyal kaming magkasama dito sa Hong Kong, Macau, China at Thailand.

Dahil sa pamamasyal namin na magkasama ay nakita niya at naintindihan ang hirap ng maging isang OFW. Naging malawak ang kanyang pang-unawa at lalo syang naging mapagmahal sa akin, at naging responsableng anak at estudyante. Ayon sa kanya isang text lang naman daw ang layo ko sa kanya.

Adela San Luis, 18 taon na sa abroad at may asawa at 3 anak

Si Adela at kanyang asawa at 2 sa 3 anak

Lubhang masakit para sa isang OFW na nanay na katulad ko na lumaki ang mga anak ko na hanggang video call lang lagi ang usapan namin. Minsan naiisip ko na ring mag for good pero takot pa rin ako kung  paano ako magsisimulang muli pagbalik sa Pilipinas.

Ang maganda lang dito, dahil sa pagiging OFW ko ay natutustusan ko ang mga needs at wants ng aking mga anak at iba pang miyembro ng aking pamilya. Masaya na ako tuwing makikia ko sila na may masaganang pagkain at nakakapag-aral sila kung saan nila gusto.

Marites Toralba, 28 taon nang OFW sa HK, biyuda at may 3 anak

Si Marites kasama ang tatlong anak na pawang napagtapos niya 

Ang pinakamasakit kong karanasan bilang OFW ay hindi bilang ina kundi bilang anak. Hindi ako nakauwi para ihatid sa huling hantungan ang aking pinakamamahal Inay.

Bawi naman ako sa aking tatlong anak. Dahil sa pagiging OFW ko ay napagtapos ko silang lahat, at ang bunso ay isa na ngayong ganap na dentist namay sariling clinic.

Ang mga anak ko ay sina Mark Anthony, aged 35, Sheena Mae, 34; at William Luther, 30. Yung bunso ko ay ipinanganak ko sa barko, at ang una niyang pangalan ay hango sa William Lines, ang may-ari ng barko; samantalang ang Luther ay pangalan nung kapitan.

Janice Andeza, solong ina sa nag-iisang anak

Janice at ang 13 taong gulang na anak

Ang ina ay tinaguriang ilaw ng tahanan dahil siya ang nagkakalinga at nangangalaga sa pamilya, lalo na sa anak. Kaya ganoon na lang kabigat sa kalooban ko at isipan na mawawalay ako sa nag-iisa kong anak. Maraming pagsubok ang pagiging OFW na ina dahil nandiyan ang oras na mangungulila ka at mananabik sa anak mo. Gusto mo siyang yakapin at hagkan nguni’t napaka imposible sa kadahilanang malayo ka.

Ang nakakagaan lang sa pakiramdam ay yung makita mo ang iyong anak na nasa maayos na kalagayan. Nabibigyan mo siya ng magandang edukasyon at mga pangunahing pangangailangan, at nasisiguro mo na magkakaroon siya ng magandang kinabukasan pagdating ng panahon.

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Friday surge in voters pushes OV turnout to 53,500 so far

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

About 1,600 people cast their votes Friday (Photo from ConGen Raly Tejada's FB page)

Friday delivered an unexpected surprise in the ongoing overseas voting in Hong Kong, when  around 1,600 Filipinos turned up to cast their ballots at the Bayanihan Centre in Kennedy Town.

The renewed weekday surge pushed the total turnout in 27 days of voting to 53,500 - or more than 57% of the total registration figure of 93,625.

If the current trend continues, and with three days left in the voting – including a Sunday and a statutory holiday on Monday - the total turnout could well pass the 60% mark, far higher than the 49% set in the last presidential vote in 2016.

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The recent spike in the weekday turnout started on Thursday, when members of the Iglesia ni Cristo known for bloc voting, began trooping to Bayanihan after the church hierarchy publicly endorsed their chosen candidates in the election.

The Sunday and Monday voting tally could also boosted by those whose names were mistakenly excluded from the Certified List of Voters but recently received approval from the Commission on Elections to cast their votes.

Among them is Liezel Lao who was in grief after being told that her name was not in the CLOV, hours after she queued up with thousands others on the first day of voting on Apr 10.

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Lao, who had kept her registration receipt which clearly showed she had registered at the Consulate on Aug 29 last year, immediately asked the OV Secretariat to get Comelec to allow her to vote.

She kept following up afterwards, fearful that she would not be able to vote anymore as she had only one day-off left before the May 9 close of the polls. Finally, with just four days left in the election, she got word from the Secretariat that she could already vote.

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“Please be informed that the Comelec allows you to cast your vote until 09 May 2022. Kindly proceed to the Secretariat in the Bayanihan Centre and you will be endorsed to SBEI 10,” said the notice.

To this, Lao replied, “Thank you so much! Good luck and God bless. I am so happy makaka vote na ako.”

Voting on the last day will be held from 8am until 7pm, when all the polling places across the Philippines will close at the same.

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More than 67 million Filipinos have registered to vote in the election where the top contenders for the presidential post are Vice President Leni Robredo and former Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

In the last general election in 2016, Robredo beat Marcos in the vice-vice-presidential race, despite initially ranking last in surveys. A series of election protests resulted in Comelec unanimously affirming her victory.

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Migrants hit out at PhilHealth’s plan to start collecting 4% premium

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Pelaez speaking at an anti PhilHealth rally in Central in 2021

Migrant workers groups have again hit out at the Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) after it announced that it will start collecting the mandated four percent annual premium from members starting next month.

In a statement issued Wednesday, PhilHealth said it would resume collecting the higher rate on Malacanang’s directive, after lawmakers failed to pass a law suspending the mandated increases.

Previously, President Rodrigo R. Duterte suspended the collection of the accelerated premium contributions from members amid the pandemic following raucous protests from Filipino migrant workers around the globe.

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The collection of higher PhilHealth contributions is provided for in the Universal Health Care Act passed in 2018, which mandated premium rates to gradually increase from 2.75% in 2019 until it reaches 5% for both 2024 and 2025, with a salary cap of Php80,000.

For Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong earning the minimum wage of $4,630 which is the equivalent of Php30,000, this would mean an annual premium of Php14,400 this year. That’s a massive six-fold increase from the flat rate of Php2,400 collected from them before the new law was passed.

What makes the burden far heavier for migrant workers is that failing to collect directly from their employers, PhilHealth, like the Social Security System, classifies them as “self-paying,” meaning they get to bear the financial burden of both employer and employee.

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PhilHealth said in its statement that the 4% contribution rate will be collected starting in June. Those who paid at the old rate of 3% from January to May will be allowed to pay the difference until December this year without interest.

“PhilHealth assures all members that legislated contribution schedule will continue to provide all Filipinos with adequate financial protection against hospitalization costs,” the state health insurer said.

The announcement was immediately condemned by Bayan Muna Partylist Hong Kong which called the PhilHealth premium hike as government extortion.

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The group called not just for the scrapping of the higher rates but also of mandatory membership for Filipino migrant workers who they say are already covered by a medical insurance that their employers are obliged to take in their name under Hong Kong laws.

Bayan Muna Hong Kong chair Dolores Balladares Pelaez said the money paid to PhilHealth will be of better use if sent to their families back in the Philippines instead of a government agency “with unresolved corruption scandals.”

In 2020, Philippine lawmakers initiated an investigation into alleged corruption in PhilHealth, after whistleblowers had claimed that up to Php15 billion in funds were pocketed by its executives.

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The allegation sparked anger among Filipinos, as the country was then experiencing the worst Covid-19 outbreak in Southeast Asia.

However, PhilHealth officials have denied the allegation and after a few highly publicized congressional hearings, the issue died down. 

A sign-up desk for a petition to stop all government exactions on Filipino migrant workers (File)

Pelaez said whoever wins in the upcoming presidential election will have to deal with the PhilHealth issue right away.

Should Vice President Leni Robredo win, Pelaez said there is hope that the mandatory collection of PhilHealth premiums from OFWs will be stopped.

But if the vote goes to her main rival, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., an avowed Duterte supporter, Pelaez said not only will the higher PhilHealth fees be implemented, but there is also a possibility that other government fees will be collected.

Just recently, migrant workers groups were also up in arms after the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency announced that OFWs will have to pay for membership in Pag-IBIG Fund before they can be issued overseas employment certificates.

The Fund is responsible for the administration of the national savings program and affordable housing financing for Filipinos while the OEC serves as the exit pass for OFWs who are about to leave the country or return to their jobsites abroad.

Currently, the OEC is not tied to either PhilHealth or Pag-IBIG Fund so Filipino migrant workers are not obliged to pay for membership to either agency.

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Rapid tests at HK airport to cut waiting time of inbound travelers

By The SUN

 

Arriving passengers will be able to get to their quarantine hotel if they test negative on rapid tests

Travelers arriving in Hong Kong from Monday will no longer have to wait for a long time for their Covid test results, as they will be given both PCR and rapid antigen tests at the same time.

If the rapid test shows a negative result, the passenger will be able to go through immigration immediately and head to his or her designated quarantine hotel to await the PCR test result.

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As before, those who test positive on subsequent tests during quarantine will be moved to an isolation facility until they are deemed recovered.

Health officials said passengers who have recovered from Covid in the past 90 days but still test positive for the virus with a low viral load will not be classified as confirmed cases. As such, they will be allowed to continue their quarantine at their hotels.

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Meanwhile, 29 imported infections are among the 324 new Covid-19 cases reported today.

The patients flew in from various places such as the United Kingdom, Taiwan and Vietnam. Among them 11 tested positive at the airport while the rest were found infected during hotel quarantine.

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Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said 23 other cases were detected among students and teachers, but there has been no indication of an outbreak at schools.

He said the cases were all unrelated and the patients did not know each other, so it was not likely they caught the virus at schools.

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Hospital Authority’s Dr Larry Lee also reported 11 more Covid-related deaths, including six people who died at public hospitals on Thursday.

The total infection tally in the fifth wave of the epidemic has reached more than 1.19 million, with 9,131 related deaths.

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PathFinders pays tribute to migrant worker-moms on Mother’s Day

 By Catherine Gurtin, CEO, PathFinders

Sunday, Mar 8, is Mother’s Day - a big pat on the back to all mothers in Hong Kong (HK), especially our resilient migrant domestic workers (MDWs), many of whom are mothers too!

We can't thank MDW mothers enough for all the sacrifices they make, not only for their own families and children, but for the tens of thousands of households in our community that also rely heavily on their care and support - especially for children and elderly parents.

For almost half a century, MDWs have made tremendous contributions to our society. Far from being mere "helpers", many operate as second mothers raising generations of children in HK; typically at the expense of heart-breaking separation from their own children.

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Many MDW mothers spend many years away while their children are growing up, to provide financially for their families with the hope of giving their children a brighter future.

"The separation of a mother from her family is always painful, and the trauma lingers," said  Xyza Bacani, a renowned Filipina author and photographer based in Hong Kong and New York, as she opened up about her own experience of being left behind at an early age by a MDW-mother.

Xyza’s mother, Georgia, hugs youngest daughter Sharila just before returning to HK in 2017

"I grew up without her, so I know how challenging it is (for children) to be away from (their) mothers," shared Bacani. "Saying goodbye was a routine we had done countless times since my mother left for work in 1996, but the pain never ceases."

Bacani's story is not unique - it is the story of millions of children of migrant parent(s). For decades, HK has heavily relied on MDWs’ support to care for children and elderly so that employers are able to work themselves.

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The city currently employs 340,000 MDWs, with the number forecast to rise to over 600,000 by 2047 to help care for a rapidly aging population. More than 80% of MDWs are women of childbearing age. This means the number of children left behind in the MDWs’ home countries will inevitably continue to escalate over the coming years.

As a result of this separation, some children are left in extremely vulnerable situations due to a lack of parental care and support. They are also at greater risk of experiencing violence, exploitation and abuse, often from the very caregivers their mothers entrusted them with.

Ms Remilene Marcelino, the newly-appointed social welfare attache to the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, has shared her deep concern for the children of migrant mothers in their home country.

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After coming across an alarming number of teenage mothers who were raped or abused by people their mothers had entrusted them with, her advice to MDW mothers is to keep a close eye and communicate frequently with their children to ensure their protection, safety and wellbeing.

More often than not, many MDW mothers struggle with long-distance parenting and to maintain heart-to-heart connections with their children across the miles. As their working day runs late into the night, they are unable to speak with their children who have already gone to sleep by the time they finish work.

The Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the situation, with prolonged travel restrictions preventing many MDW mothers from returning home at the end of each two-year contract to see their children, who miss them terribly.

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If you employ a MDW, please take moments to show your care, appreciation and support through simple gestures. Ask how she is and find out more about her family.

If she is a working mom, encourage her to take short breaks throughout the day to connect with her children. She would appreciate this time to connect, albeit virtually, to at least ensure her children are well taken care of, helped with their homework, and to just be there for them.

As a community, let’s come together to ensure adequate and much-needed support is in place to safeguard the wellbeing and best interests of all children born to migrant mothers.

It is a child’s basic right to feel safe, supported and cared for, so they can survive and thrive - something all parents desire for their children every day. 

(PathFinders is the only Hong Kong charity dedicated to supporting migrant women and their children. For more information check their website: https://www.pathfinders.org.hk/en/ or call ther hotline for migrant workers: 5190 4886)

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INC votes help push OV tally to more than 52k

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The total turnout with 4 days left in overseas voting is now at a high 56%

More than 2,000 voters, mostly from the local chapter of the Iglesia ni Cristo church, cast their ballots Thursday in the overseas voting for Filipinos currently underway at the Bayanihan Centre in Kennedy Town.

The unexpected surge in the daily tally pushed the total turnout to more than 52,000 after 26 days of voting.

The cumulative total has surpassed the 50,000 target set by Consul General Raly Tejada, who had initially worried about the possible impact of the strict anti-Covid restrictions in Hong Kong on the in-person election.

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It has also gone beyond the 46,396 turnout recorded in the last presidential election in 2016, which amounted to 49% of the total voter registration figure of 93,978.

It came one day after the INC’s hierarchy in Manila endorsed the candidacy of former senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr who is running for the presidency, and his running-mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Before this, INC members who are known to observe bloc voting, were seen to come in trickles, and voted mostly on Sundays.

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The weekday tally, meanwhile, had continued to drop from a high of more than 2,000 in the first week of voting to about 650 last Tuesday.

Consulate insiders say Consul General Raly Tejada had written to the church leaders earlier, asking them to encourage their members to vote as soon as possible to avoid a possible last-minute deluge of voters in the coming long weekend.

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Sunday, May 8, is likely to be hectic as Mother’s Day and Buddha’s Birthday both fall on this day. The next day, May 9 has been declared as a statutory holiday and also happens to be the final day of voting so a big crowd is also likely to gather at Bayanihan.

Overseas voters get to elect a president, vice-president, 12 senators and one party-list while those in the Philippines can also vote for local officials, including a representative in the Lower House of Congress.

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About 67 million people are registered to vote across the Philippines on May 9.

In Hong Kong, the total number of registered voters this year is 93,625, which means that the total turnout with four days left in the election is already at 56%.

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