Acclaimed Philippine animated film on child abuse shown in HK

 By Daisy CL Mandap

Still photo from the animated film showing Eric and mother in tense scene

An uneasy, dead silence greeted the end of screening of “The Missing”, at M+ Cinema in West Kowloon on Sunday, Sept. 22, as part of the Asean Film Festival 2024.

For one, it touched on the sensitive topic of child sex abuse that has long blighted Philippine society. For another, the film managed to hold the audience in thrall by using rotoscope animation to tell the story of Eric, the lead character.

The audience came to life when the film’s director, Carl Joseph Papa, was called after the screening, giving him a hearty round of applause in a belated but heartfelt accolade for his work.

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Papa’s admission that Eric’s story was his own gave momentary shock to many in the audience, but later led to profuse praises for his bravery in sharing his experiences to help other children going through the same experience.

“The Missing,” (“Iti Mapukpukaw’ in Ilocano) tells the story of Eric, a young animator who has no mouth and cannot speak, communicating only through a white board perpetually slung over his neck.

With help from his boyfriend Carlo and mother Rosalinda, he manages to recover from a long-kept childhood trauma, triggered when he found his long-lost uncle in bed, dead for days, and with flies hovering over his body.

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The catharsis came after Eric dug up his uncle's grave, and recovered from the coffin various body parts symbolizing his long years of struggle against the abuse. Among this was his mouth, enabling him to speak again. 

Director Papa bravely told the live audience that Eric's story is his own

Papa said his own trigger came when he learned through friends and family posting condolences on social media that an uncle “who did things to (him) which he shouldn’t have", had died.

“I wrote the story of Eric so I could recover,” said Papa. He also said he wanted the film “to be like a hug to the other victims” and as a “refuge” so other victims may be encouraged to speak up as well.

He said that right from the start he wanted to use animation in the movie as it complemented the state of mind of the main character, Eric.

Also, he said the story he wanted to tell was “gruesome” so the animation helped hide the horrible details of what Eric had to go through.

Papa said that he dared not raise his hopes for his indie movie, which was shot in only four days with a budget of less than HK$200,000.

“I thought I would be the only one inside the cinema, watching it,” he said.

But glowing words about the movie quickly spread, leading it to become not just the top grosser in the 19^th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in 2023, but also as Best Film awardee.

It also won the Best Supporting Actress trophy for Dolly de Leon, who played Rosalinda,  although it was only her rotoscoped image and voice that could be seen and heard throughout.

Later, the Film Development Council and the Film Academy of the Philippines entered “The Missing” in the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards, making it the first animated film submitted by the country to the prestigious award-giving body. 

Though shot in just four days, the animation works for the movie using the rotoscope technique - a laborious process that consists of drawing or tracing over a photo or live-action footage frame by frame, to produce realistic action - took one year and seven months, involving a team of 90 animators.

The other lead characters in the film aside from de Leon were Carlo Aquino who portrays Eric, and Gio Gahol as his friend Carlo.

Work on the movie using rototype animation took 1 year, 7 months

It is the third Philippine-made movie to be screened as part of the 2^nd Asean Film Festival in Hong Kong. The two others were the top-grossing movie, “Hello, Love, Goodbye” which tells the travails of OFWs in Hong Kong, and “K’na the Dreamweaver,” which chronicles the life of South Cotabato’s select weavers whose designs come from visions in a dream. 

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Unemployed Pinoy jailed 6 months for fake money

 

Place where Filipino was found carrying fake money

An unemployed Filipino was jailed for six months Tuesday after pleading guilty in Kowloon City Court to having in his custody five fake $100 bills.

Acting Principal Magistrate Ko Wai-hung handed the sentence after Ray Onate Jr., 35 years old, with no fixed address, admitted violating section 100(2) of the Crimes Ordinance which makes the offense punishable by up to three years in jail.

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The case arose after Onate was intercepted by police officers last July 7 at Woo Sung St. in Yau Ma Tei.

They found in his possession three fake $100 banknotes supposedly issued by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp. and two by the Bank of China.

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He was charged with having in his custody, “without lawful authority or excuse” five banknotes “which you know of believed to be a counterfeit of a currency note, namely banknotes of one hundred dollars.”

The police complaint did not specify where the fake bills came from.

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Filipino teen organizes training for OFWs caring for kids with autism

  

Erin Arenas giving a briefing on Kaleidoscope's advocacy

It was her family’s own struggle looking for help for her youngest sibling who was diagnosed with autism that drove 17-year-old Erin Sae Arenas to start a program aimed at helping ethnic minority families, especially those on low income, cope with similar challenges.

This coming Oct. 6, a Sunday, Erin through her Kaleidoscope project, will host a training seminar in Sheung Wan for 50 migrant domestic workers taking care of children with learning disability, specially autism.

Educator and behavior specialist Divina Ancheta will provide the training, which will focus on strategies to integrate play in the development of children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

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Erin, who founded Kaleidoscope while struggling with the rigors of high school life at the Stamford American International School, said the project aims to provide help to low-income ethnic minority families with children on the spectrum.

This will be done with help from volunteer therapists who will be asked to spare one to two hours of their time to provide much-needed training  for carers of special-needs children.

Details of Kaleidoscope's first-ever training for OFWs looking after special-needs children

“I started this project because my youngest sister was diagnosed with autism at the age of three –and I figured that the costs of therapy can be quite expensive and inaccessible to these families,” said Erin.

“Additionally, I’ve come to be quite close with a few other families with ASD children and have found that most share the same struggles. Though there are free Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools, they’re usually conducted in Chinese.”

Realizing this, Erin said she is now intent on “fixing” the gap between the needs of ethnic minority children needing special care, and the lack of access to resources that could help them. 

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This she intends to do by getting more people and institutions to know and understand their plight, and hopefully help towards addressing the problem. In the meantime, Erin is wasting no time providing valuable training to the carers.  

By involving overseas Filipino workers who understand the needs of children with special needs in her first community outreach, she hopes to gain a better insight on the kind of special courses or seminars that Kaleidsocope could do, to better achieve its goals.

The seminar titled “Carers’ Guide to Effective Use of Play” is being held in partnership with Wimler Foundation.

Spaces are limited to 50 participants, so those who qualify and are interested are enjoined to register quickly by filling up this form: https://forms.gle/ZZ7DfpwzqJEDpAiA9

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Eight months’ jail for lying thrice to Immigration

 

The Filipina was sentenced at Shatin Court

Lying to an Immigration officer three times has resulted in a Filipina being jailed for eight months.

Hydee Cauton, 45 years old, pleaded guilty on Monday at Shatin Court to three counts of telling an Immigration officer that she was a domestic helper under contract with a certain Wong Yiu Hung, in violation of the Immigration Ordinance,

In truth, however, she did not actually work for her supposed employer but elsewhere, as an illegal worker, for better pay.

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The charges against Cauton were for the false representations she made when she applied for an extension of stay on March 9, 2022, when she arrived at Hong Kong Airport on March 31, 2023, and when she again requested an extention of stay on May 16, 2024.

In his appeal for a lenient sentence, her lawyer said Cauton had worked in Hong Kong legally as a domestic helper for 10 years but resorted to this arrangement because her father fell ill with a kidney disease. Later, however, both her parents died.

He said she paid $30,000 to an employment agent to process her papers with the Immigration Department using a falsified contract.

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The lawyer said she should be credited for pleading guilty, and for cooperating with Immigration officers investigating others involved in helping her get her spurious domestic helper visa.

Magistrate Andrew Mok sentenced her to six months in prison for each of the three counts.

Because of her guilty plea, he gave her a one-third discount for each sentence, leaving four months each.

Magistrate Mok then ordered that half of the sentences for the second and third charges run after the first sentence, resulting in a final sentence of eight months.

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FDH arrested for possessing drug used in Viagra

 

Sildenafil is more commonly known by the brand name Viagra

A supposed tour of Macau has turned into a problem for a Filipina after Customs officers checked her luggage at the departure area of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, and found pills that turned out to be on the Poisons List.

Marjorie Villegas, 29, appeared today at the West Kowloon court, charged with possession of sildenafil, in violation of the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance.

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She was freed on a cash bail of $4,000 by Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui.

The case was adjourned to Nov. 11.

The charge filed last Sept. 20 by the Customs and Excise Department alleged that officers at the Customs Departure Hall found 100 sildenafil tablets -- in 10 foil packs containing 10 tablets each -- in her luggage.

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Sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, is used to treat erectile disfunction in men.

Since it is included in Part 1 of Hong Kong’s Poisons List, the law requires that no person should possess it unless they are authorized. Violators are liable to a fine of up to level 6 ($100,000) and imprisonment of up to two years.

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MWO to start free flu jabs for OFWs 50 years old and above

 

The free flu jabs at MWO will start this Sunday and last until November

The Migrant Workers Office will start offering free influenza vaccination to all overseas Filipino workers who are turning 50 years old this year, or older, starting this Sunday, Sept. 29, from 9am to 3:30pm.

The free service will be available at the same time on the succeeding Sundays: October 6, 13, 20 and 27; and on November 12 and 26.

There will be separate half-day sessions on the following Tuesdays, Oct 8, 15, 22 and 29; and on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, from 9am to 12:30pm.

Those who do not qualify for the free jabs can avail of the subsidized fee by inquiring with MWO at 2866-0640.

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Across Hong Kong, the seasonal vaccination program will start this Thursday, Sept. 26, with schools and residential care homes being given top priority.

The announcement comes as temperatures dropped to the their lowest level today, under the influence of a northeast monsoon.

The minimum temperature recorded this morning at the Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui was 23.4 degrees, but the reading in Tai Mo Shan was as low as 18 degrees.

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Health authorities say they will step up efforts to get more toddlers vaccinated, given their susceptibility to serious complications from the flu.

Parents of children aged six months to under two years may book an appointment for their children to receive the vaccine for free at designated maternal child and health care centers via the online booking system starting at 9am today, Sept. 23.

People aged 50 and above get priority, as well as those between 6 months and 18 years

The eligible groups that can get the vaccine either free of charge, or with partial subsidy, include anyone 50 years old and above, or between six months and 18, or those who are pregnant, resident in residential care homes or work in healthcare institutions.

The Hospital Authority, meanwhile, urged everyone to get the vaccine, citing uncertainties about the winter peak season.

According to the Centre for Health Protection, flu cases in Hong Kong typically surge twice every year, between January and April, and then again from July to August.

However, the winter peak this year lasted way beyond the usual, lingering for 28 weeks until mid-July, or more than double the normal interval of 12 weeks.

Health specialists say the vaccine this year has been specially formulated to safeguard residents from the prevalent flu strains, namely the H1, H3 and influenza B virus.

Everyone is encouraged to take the jab, as a simple flu could lead to fatal complications.

Health records show that as of May 8 this year, a total of 676 severe flu cases have been recorded since the onset of the 2023-2024 influenza season, which resulted in 409 deaths.

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Asylum seeker jailed 15 months for illegal work

 

Immigration officers escort individuals they arrested for illegal work.

A Filipina has been jailed for 15 months for working illegally, while her companion was returned to jail to await her next hearing on a similar charge.

Ellyn Pinana, 30 years old, received the jail sentence from Magistrate David Chum when she appeared  on Friday at the Shatin Court and pleaded guilty to the charge of taking employment against whom a removal order is in force.

Pinana’s conviction also activated a suspended two-month jail sentence she had received earlier at Eastern Court for overstaying, but Magistrate Chum made it run at the same time as the new sentence.

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With the completion of her case, her next hearing scheduled for Oct. 24 was cancelled.

But her co-accused, Arlene Suratos, aged 47, was told to return on Oct. 24. She was remanded in jail custody.

Pinana and Suratos were charged with violation of the Immigration Ordinance which prohibits those who are facing deportation from taking employment, whether paid or unpaid.

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Both were arrested last Sept. 9 while doing odd jobs in Central.

They were among the 30 persons arrested -- 22 suspected illegal workers, five suspected employers and three overstayers -- during anti-illegal worker operations conductd by Immigration Department (ImmD) Hong Kong Police Force and the Labour Department from Sept. 9 to Sept. 12.

During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 34 target locations including premises under renovation and restaurants. Six suspected illegal workers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised five men and one woman, aged 23 to 44.

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During operation "Powerplayer", enforcement officers raided 100 target locations in the Central, Eastern, Wan Chai and Western districts including car parks, food stalls, massage parlors and restaurants. Sixteen suspected illegal workers, five suspected employers and three overstayers were arrested.

The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised seven men and nine women, aged 19 to 57. Among them, three men and three women were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment.

ImmD said in a warning: "As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment."

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Sanction urged for agencies that make OFWs undergo repeat medical tests for extra fee

Direct hires are the ones who often fall prey to the check-up scam

The leader of a big online organization of Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong has hit out at what appears to be a prevalent practice of recruitment agencies in the Philippines to subject outbound domestic helpers to further medical check-ups, just so they could make them cough up more money.

Marites Palma, founder of Social Justice for Migrant Workers (SJMW), said this happened even to her earlier this year, when she was told that her first medical check-up showed she had an irregular heartbeat, so she needed to undergo another ECG (echo cardiogram).

Anxious as she was then just a few days away from her flight back to Hong Kong, Palma asked her agency if there was a way she could be certified as “fit to work” so she could leave. She was told she could just pay extra for a medical clearance. No repeat ECG was done on her.

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Palma realized from sharing her story with other OFWs later that this has become quite common among departing OFWs lately, especially with those who are “direct hires”, or those who found their own employers.

Under Philippine regulations, even direct hires are required to go through recruitment agencies before they can be deployed abroad. But because the agencies in these cases do no more than handle the required paperwork, they are unable to charge employers as much as they do with workers they placed themselves, which is upwards of $12,000 per worker.

Fees for direct hire processing start at around $7,000 and because of the stricter enforcement of the “no placement fee” policy of the Philippine government, agencies who used to charge workers even more than this, have been coming up with new ploys to make up for the shortfall. 

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“Parang ang lumalabas ay pinagkakakitaan ang mga OFW dahil hindi na sila mapagbayad nang malaki,” said Palma, who has been a domestic worker in Hong Kong for more than  20 years.

What’s worse, even cruel, according to her, is that the worker is made to worry needlessly about a pretend medical condition, all in pursuit of illicit financial gain.

Palma is calling for immediate crackdown on the agency malpractice

This was what happened to a Hong Kong-bound OFW who sought the help of The SUN and SJMW recently, after she was told her x-ray result showed she had “lower lobe pneumonitis”.

Shareena was distressed not so much by the diagnosis but of the big amount of money she had already spent moving to Manila from her hometown so she could follow up her  job application. Now that she already has an employer waiting for her, she feared she would not be able to leave as scheduled in November.

“Nakaalis din po ba kayo kahit ganyan ang resulta ng medical ninyo? Naiiyak na ako kasi ang dami ko nang gastos dito sa Manila, tapos baka hindi ako ma fit to work,” said Shareena in a post put out by SJMW. (Were you able to leave even if you had this kind of a result from your medical check-up? I am almost in tears because I have already spent so much money here in Manila, but fear I will not be certified as ‘fit to work’).

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She was relieved when most of the OFWs who replied to her query told her that all she needed was to pay the clinic or the agency again so she could secure a medical clearance.

“Pera-pera lang yan,” (it’s all about money) said one, who added she was made to have a second x-ray the day before she was due to leave supposedly because something “suspicious” was found in her initial screening. 

She immediately got the all-clear after this second test.

Another, Em Lee, said it’s a long-standing “modus” of agencies that even if the worker has no medical issues, they would still come up with an excuse to refer her to another clinic so they could extract more money.

The agencies and the clinics are in cahoots , she said, as they share in whatever extra money is squeezed from the worker who is only too willing to oblige, because of fear of losing the coveted job.

Em Lee said that in her case,  she was told she needed to undergo further tests as she had  a rare blood type, when she knew very well that this was not true, as she was O negative, the universal blood type. She paid up, anyway.

Another OFW shared that during the pre-departure test, a doctor told her she was pregnant. She raised hell because she was not sexually active at the time as her husband was also abroad for work. That left the doctor red-faced, according to her.

Many others shared experiences of being made to undergo a second, or even a third, check-up for extra fee, only to be told afterwards that there was really nothing wrong with them.

“Yung clinic ang may sakit, sakit sa bulsa,” said another, in an attempt to make light of the nefarious practice. (The clinic is the one that’s ill, ill for money).

But the illicit practice could result in something that is even more pernicious than faking an ailment to get a desperate would-be OFW to pay more money.

In the case of Cherry, a former OFW in Qatar and Hong Kong who hails from South Cotabato, it cost her more than just money or peace of mind, but also the job she had worked hard for months to get.

Shortly before she was to leave for Qatar last August, her agency told her she needed to undergo a CT scan for some irregularity that supposedly showed in her X-ray examination. Her agency assured her she need not worry about it since it was the employer who would foot the bill, so she relented.

But soon after the employer learned about this he flew into a rage, and cancelled Cherry's visa. The employer was angry that after waiting for too long, he still did not know when Cherry could be in Qatar. 

By this time, Cherry had already spent Php30,000 on the application process, and despite doing odds in Manila she barely earned enough to pay for her daily expenses. She decided to just return to her family in Mindanao, her dream of going back to work abroad all forgotten for now.

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Thunderstorm, rainstorm warnings raised amid heavy rain

 

The Victoria Harbour is enveloped in thick fog amid the heavy rain

The Hong Kong Observatory raised two different rainstorm warnings today over a three-hour period amid heavy rainfall.

At the same time, the thunderstorm warning was raised at 10:55am, and is forecast to remain hoisted until 5:30pm.

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More squally thunderstorms and heavy more rain are expected to continue until tomorrow, with temperatures ranging between 22 and 29 degrees.

The amber rainstorm warning was initially raised at 11:45am, and was quickly upgraded to red 12:05pm. This was kept until 1:30pm, when the alert was again lowered to yellow.

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Hong Kong has three levels of rainstorm warnings: amber, red and black.

Amber is raised when heavy rain has fallen over the city exceeding 30 millimetres in an hour. People are advised to take precaution and limit their exposure to the rain and to listen to public weather announcements.

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The red warning is hoisted when the rainfall has exceeded 50 millimetres an hour, and is likely to continue. People working outside should head back indoors while motorists should keep an eye on road conditions.

When the black rainstorm warning is raised it means that the rainfall has exceeded 70 millilitres an hour and is likely to continue. Everyone, including students and workers, are advised to stay indoors or take shelter until the heavy rain has passed.

If the thunderstorm warning is hoisted, everyone must seek safe shelters if they are outdoors, especially those who are swimming or engaged in other outdoor water sports.

The public is advised not to remain  on high grounds and to keep away from highly conductive objects, trees or masts.

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