Sweet Cravings

By JC the Foodie

Filipinos are very fond of sweet cakes and desserts. The use of condensed milk is very common in most cakes and other dessert recipes. Being away from home, working or living abroad, we often crave for these unique Pinoy desserts. When the sweet cravings come, nothing is more heavenly than those fluffy and creamy cakes like the Brazo de Mercedes and Yema cake. Some wouldn’t even trade these cakes for a red velvet or a macaron!

The taste of these sweet indulgence brings us back to home, where the family would share food on the table, on special occasions or just a simple family get together.

I am sharing two of the popular cakes Pinoys love and crave for. Bake your own, and if you master the techniques, it may be a good gift idea or a pasalubong for your next party with friends. These recipes are worth a try.

Brazo de Mercedes is more popularly known as a Goldilock’s Bake Shop classic meringue roll with creamy custard filling. It is best served with coffee, tea or  just on its own for dessert.

Another popular cake is the Yema Cake. Originally from Rodilla’s Cake shop in Quezon Province, this cake has gained popularity. The soft and fluffy chiffon cake is smothered with Yema made from condensed milk, egg yolks and sugar.


Brazo de Mercedes
Ingredients:
• 10 large raw eggs, yolks and whites separated
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 14 ounces condensed milk

Instructions:
1. Combine egg whites and cream of tartar then beat using an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
2. Make the meringue by gradually adding the granulated sugar while mixing the ingredients. Continue mixing until the texture is semi-firm.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Place wax paper on top of a cookie sheet or large rectangular baking pan and grease the surface.
5. Place the meringue on top of the greased wax paper then spread evenly using a spatula.
6. Bake the meringue for 20 to 22 minutes or until the color of the top part turns light to medium brown.
7. While the meringue is in the oven, make the filling by combining the egg yolks and condensed milk in a small cooking pot. Apply heat and cook the mixture while continuously stirring until the texture becomes thick.
8. Add the vanilla extract to the condensed milk and egg yolk mixture, turn off the heat, and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
9. Remove the meringue from the oven and cool down for a few minutes.
10. Sprinkle the confectioners sugar on top of the meringue then place wax paper on the top part of the meringue followed by a similar sized baking pan or tray. The meringue should now be in the middle of two baking trays.
11. Flip the meringue: the new cookie sheet/baking tray placed on top should now be below. Remove the baking tray and the wax paper (you should now see the opposite side of the baked meringue) then spread the filling (cooked egg yolks, condensed milk, and vanilla extract mixture) over the meringue.
12. Roll the meringue. Complete rolling side to side starting at the longest side. Make sure that the layer with filling is rolled inward.
13. Transfer to a serving plate then serve

Yema Cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
· 50 g butter
· 250 g cream cheese
· 110 ml milk
· 1 vanilla pod (optional)
· 60 g all purpose flour
· 20 g cornstarch
· 1/4 tsp salt
· 6 egg yolks
· 1 tsp calamansi (or lemon) juice
· 6 egg whites
· 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
· 140 g sugar
· 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling or icing
· 2 cans condensed milk
· 6 egg yolks
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
· 1/2 tsp almond extract
· 1/4 cup butter
· 1/2 cup grated cheese

Cooking Instructions:
1. In a small pan over simmering water, melt together cream cheese, butter and milk. If you opt to use vanilla beans, scrape the beans from the vanilla pod and add it to the pan. Once melted, cool to room temp. Using a mixer, add in flour, cornstarch, salt. Then add in egg yolks and lastly the lemon juice. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, mix egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy (or frothy). Add in vanilla then gradually add sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in the egg whites to the cream cheese mixture. Make sure everything is well combined.
3. Pour batter into an 8-inch round cake pan covered with parchment paper. Bake the cake in a water bath for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until done at 180 degrees Celsius.
4. To make the icing, open two cans of condensed milk and pour it over a pan. Add in egg yolks and cook in low heat. Add in vanilla and almond extract. Cook until it thickens enough to spread. Add in butter.
5. To assemble the Yema Cake, divide cake into two. Add the filling then cover it with the other half of the cake. Cover the rest of the cake with icing. Top with grated cheese.

OEC online registration stretches beyond holidays

The difference from previous years is that today's OEC queues are opportunities for applicants to create their BM Online accounts on their phones or tutor other OFWs on how to make one for themselves. In previous years times was simply wasted in waiting.

By The SUN team

The queue to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office for online registration for the overseas employment certificate (OEC) has remained long, weeks after the Christmas holiday rush.
And among those who have come back from their holidays, several have complained about being held up at airports in the Philippines because of problems with the OEC exemption that they got back home.

Merly Bunda, a longtime correspondent of Bombo Radyo in the Philippines, said that on her way back from Iloilo on Jan. 4, she met a fellow OFW who was barred from taking the flight back to Hong Kong because of problems with her OEC exemption slip. The OFW reportedly said she obtained the certificate from POEA Iloilo.

Another OFW from Capiz reportedly complained about having been made to pay P300 at a computer shop just to access her records and have her slip printed. She said she had to stay long at the shop because the internet signal in their area was weak.

The same experience has been shared online by OFWs who complained about the proliferation of shops around POEA offices and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila that take advantage of the OEC requirement by offering online and printing services for a high fee.

Earlier, hiccups were also reported by those who were held up at the Cebu International Airport because the temporary exemption slip issued them by POLO were not being honored at the immigration counters.

One of them, Novie Maglasang, got so incensed on being told her slip was of no use that an airport official ended up helping her register online so she could board her flight back to Hong Kong. “Mabuti na lang nagpunta ako sa airport nang maaga kaya nakaalis ako,” she said.

There were at least two other Hong Kong-bound OFWs who missed their flights ahead of her, she said.

On Jan. 10, another OFW, Joan Ibayan Bruce, posted a complaint on the wall of Assistant Labor Henry Tianero about her online records not being found.

“Pati sa immigration NOT FOUND kaya bumalik aq ng POEA sa airport, muntik na aq maiwan ng eroplano sa manila.”

Joan posted a screenshot of the stage where her online registration stalled.

In reply, Tianero said, “If no record has been found click ‘CLICK HERE’ to continue and complete your BM account registration and for appointment with POLO or POEA anywhere at your convenience to get your OEC.”

“In your case, this is an incomplete registration which requires to be fully accomplished to make an appointment and for your OEC,” he added.

Meanwhile, the long wait at POLO Hong Kong for the registration with the Balik Manggagawa Online (BMOnline) system has continued.

On weekdays POLO is still besieged daily by about 300 people waiting to get their registration completed so they are enabled to get the OEC exemption that they need when they go back to the Philippines for a vacation.

On Sundays the number doubles. Given these figures, the online registration of the estimated 187,000 OFWs in Hong Kong should continue well into the next year’s peak periods.

As of mid-December last year, only 38,000 OFWs have registered with the online system. Of this number, some may even have to re-register if they transfer to another employer.

The need to register online to enable POEA to build up its data base continues to meet resistance from older OFWs.

“Ang hirap naman mag-register sa online,” one middle-aged OFW in the queue to POLO in Admiralty Centre said recently, as she tinkered with her cell phone just before the registration’s closing time neared.

Each of the 40 or so people who were also lined up was trying to create an online account using their phones with help from volunteers and fellow registrants.

Under the new system for the queue, applicants must have already created an online account, and have set an appointment so validators in POLO can finalize their registration.

Those with appointments on the same day are listed batch by batch on a pink elevator access form by NOPT volunteers who marshal the crowd.

“Ayaw na ninyo ang pumila para sa OEC, iyan na ang kasagutan sa hiniling ninyo. Minsan lang ang online registration na ito at pagkatapos ay wala na. Diyan na lang kayo magkuha ng exemption sa mga phone ninyo,” Tianero told those waiting to get in.

He was shuttling between the POLO offices on the 11th and 16th floors and visiting the applicants on the bridge leading to the building.

POLO expects the crunch to ease up a bit after requiring accredited employment agencies in Hong Kong to register their new recruits from the Philippines. By mid-December, Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre also made it mandatory for all those processing a new contract to register with BMOnline.
But the full impact of these new arrangements has yet to be assessed.

Lamma: ang pang-akit ay pagkain at tanawin

Mga seafood restaurant ang nangungunang dahilan kung bakit dinarayo ag Lamma. 

Ni Marites Palma

Gusto mo bang maranasan ang buhay sa isang tradisyunal na nayon ng mga mangingisda, o matikman ang mga tanyag na lutong Cantonese ng mga isda at iba pang lamang-dagat?
Sumakay sa Hong Kong Kowloon Ferry sa Pier 4 sa Central patungong Yung Shue Wan, o sa iba pang pribadong shuttle ferry sa Pier 9 at magtungo sa Lamma Island.

Sa kalahating oras na biyahe sa ferry, ikaw ay malilipat mula sa ingay at kislap ng isa sa pinakamodernong lungsod sa mundo papunta sa isa sa mga pinakalumang baryo ng Hong Kong na tila sadyang iniwasan ng pagbabago.

Doon tikman mo ang iyong paboritong putahe ng pagkaing-dagat, sa magkabilang hilera ng mga tanyag na restaurant, at namnamin ang tahimik at di nagmamadaling pamumuhay na hindi mo makikita sa lungsod.

May kakaibang pang-akit ang Lamma sa mga turista. Maliban sa pagiging daungan ng mga mangingisda, mayroon itong nakatagong mga hiyas pangkultura at pangkasaysayan.

Malaon nang may mga nakatira sa Lamma. Tinatayang noong Bronze Age pa lamang ay mayroon nang mga bangkang pamalakaya na lumulunsad sa karagatan mula sa tahimik na dalampasigan ng isla.

Maipagmamalaki rin ng Lamma ang mga makasaysayang pook sa pulo na nakasama sa talaan ng mga historical site ng Hong Kong. Kabilang sa mga atraksiyong ito ang mga templo, mga lumang bahay sa nayon na nahaluan ng mga makabagong tirahan.

Ang tradisyunal na industriya ng lamang-dagat at handicraft ay nakikita sa maliliit na tindahang ng mga pinatuyong pagkaing-dagat at, gayundin, mga makabagong paninda.

Dahil ang Lamma ay ilang dantaon nang isang pamayanang nabubuhay sa pangingisda, tabi-tabi sa isla ang mga seafood restaurant na nagbebenta na rin ng mga buhay at sariwang mga lamang-dagat pinaluluto ng mga kakain sa estilong Cantonese.

Matatagpuan ang maraming seafood restaurants sa magkabilang daungan sa isla – ang Yung Shue Wan at Sok Kwu Wan. Kung seafood ang dahilan ng pagpunta mo sa isla, ang Sok Kwu Wan ang makakapagbigay sa iyo ng lahat ng hanap mo.

Ang templo sa pinaka-plaza ang unang
tatambad paglabas ng lugar ng mga kainan.

Pero kung ang gusto mo ay yaong may maraming pagpipilian ng putahe at mas marami kang panahong manatili sa isla, ang Yung Shue Wan ang nababagay sa iyo.

Bukod sa masasarap na luto ng pagkaing-dagat, marami pang atraksyon ang dinarayo sa Lamma – ang mapuno, maayos at malinis na kanayunan nito, ang magubat at mabatong kabundukang nagbibigay ng likas na ganda sa isla, at ang mapayapang dalampasigan.

Isa sa mga atraksiyon sa isla ay ang Hung Shing Yeh Beach. Pinamamahalaan ng gobyerno ng Hong Kong ang nasabing beach kaya may mga nakatalagang lifeguard sa tag-araw, may mga kubeta, bihisan, at lambat laban sa mga pating, at puting buhangin.

Makikita rin sa isla ang tatlong “Kamikaze Cave”, mga labi ng isang malungkot at nakakalimutang bahagi ng kasaysayan ng Hong Kong nang sinakop ito ng mga Hapon noong Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig.

Sa mga nasabing yungib na inuka umano ng sundalong Hapon mga mananakop sa ilalim ng bundok itinago ng mga Hapon ang mga speedboat na ginamit nila sa mga suicide attack sa mga bapor ng US. Ang unang yungib, na tinawag ding “Kamikaze Grotto” ay may layong limang minuto ng paglalakad mula sa Sok Kwu Wan ferry pier.

Tradisyunal na pangingisda naman ang makikita sa Lamma Fisherfolk Village. Ito ang “living history at heritage discovery center” na pinamumunuan ng mga retiradong mangingisda. Layunin nitong mapanatili ang natural na estilo ng pangingisda at pamumuhay ng mga mangingisda. May bayad na $80 para sa may edad na at $60 para sa bata, kasama na ang bayad sa bangkang maghahatid sa village mula sa pier.

Makikita rin sa Lamma ang isang electric wind turbine na tulad ng mga nasa Ilocos Norte. Bukas ito para sa sinumang nagnanais makasilay at makaranas na tumayo nang ilang metro ang layo mula umiikot na turbine.

Ang electric wind turbine ay bukas mula ika-7 ng umaga hanggang ika-6 ng hapon araw-araw at maaaring lakarin mula sa Yung Shue Wan sa tagal na 40 minuto. Sulit na sulit and paglalakad dahil sa ganda ng tanawin.

Karamihan sa mga nagagawi sa isla ng Lamma ay naglalakad mula sa ferry pier patungo sa Lingkok Shan Hiking Trail. Makikita ang opisyal na signpost sa hiking path na iikot sa magagandang bahagi ng isla paakyat sa bundok at pababa sa Sok Kwu Wan. Ang pagtahak sa landas ay umaabot ng dalawa o tatlong oras.

Ang Lamma Island Family Trail ay dinisenyo para sa mga ayaw umakyat nang paikot dahil ang rutang ito ay mula sa Sok Kwu Wan papuntang Yung Shue Wan. May mga hilltop pavilion sa daan na puwedeng pahingahan at maaari ring magpiknik.

Matatagpuan din sa Yung Shue Wan playground ang Tin Hau Temple, ang pinakaluma at pinakamahalagang templo ng diyosang patron ng mga mangingisda sa mga Taoist. Ito ay inayos noong 1876 at pinaniniwalaang pinakaluma sa lahat ng mga templo sa Lamma.

Mula noong dekada 1960 ay napapanatili ang pinakabagong Stone Lions na may kakaibang estilo. Dito nakalagak ang pinakamahabang isda sa mundo, ang giant oar fish (Regalecus glesne) na may habang 2.7 metro na nahuli noong 2001 ng isang mangingisda sa dagat ng Lamma.

Ang pinakamataong lansangan sa Lamma ay ang Yung Shue Wan Main Street, kung saan may iba’t ibang mga kainan may lutong Tsina, Europa, Gitnang Silangan at iba pang mga putaheng nagmula sa lahat ng bahagi ng Asia.

Mayroon ding arkilahan ng bisikleta at bike trial para sa mga malalakas ang loob -  at katawan - na gustong tuklasin at ikutin ang buong isla.

Establishing a Family Budget – Part 1

By Francisco J. Colayco

With the New Year, families may want to be more careful about their budget and keep track of their expenses every month.  They have to continue working on their financial goals as a family so this exercise should be with each member’s participation. Include your children if are old enough to understand.  Otherwise, you will never be successful.

I am assuming that you have done your Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth so that you know where you are in your Financial Life.  If you have not done so, you can check out my books or visit www.colaycofoundation.com for some guidance.

Let us review what each family should be doing to make their budget.  The first step is to make a list of the short-term goals.  For example, is a vacation or repair of your house part of your goals for the year?

Long-term goals should always include your retirement, no matter how young you are!

If you know how to use the computer, it will be very easier for you.  In fact, there are many computer programs that will help you keep a reconciliation of your checkbook, keep track of all your loans and investments so that you know at any one time how you are doing.  The program can also quickly show you if you are within budget or not for each specific item.

However, as in any computer, you have to diligently put in all the information and especially, in the beginning, this requires a lot of time and commitment.  After inputting all the initial information, you still have to be disciplined to input the daily information.  The computer is actually at the same time easy and difficult for budgeting.  You may end up following the regular manual method.

Here are some steps to follow.  It is always better to have a daily budget but this might be too tedious.  Therefore, a weekly or monthly basis might be more realistic.  The first step is to understand all the cash that you will receive.  Include the income of your family members if they are part of your budgeting process.

If you are an employee, it is your take-home pay.  Your company should have removed from your take home pay all the taxes, SSS, Philhealth, insurance and any other contributions you might be making to your company retirement plan etc. You should go to your Personnel Department and understand all of these deductions.  If, for example, you do not have tax deductions, understand this because you will definitely need to pay taxes.  It is always good to be covered by SSS, Philhealth, Pag-ibig, insurance. You will be surprised how much these can help you.  (More next issue)

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish us all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2017!  Despite all the world problems, there is always hope as we continue to make Jesus Christ a part of our lives together with our family and closest friends.
--
Francisco J. Colayco is an entrepreneur, a venture developer and financial advisor.  He is the Author of Seven Bestsellers in the Pera Palaguin Series, the latest of which is now available in bookstores:  “Wealth Reached. Money Worked. Pera Mo, Pinalago Mo!” Find his works and catch him on TV and radio.  Check out: www.colaycofinancialeducation.com, www.franciscocolayco.com, www.kskcoop.com, FaceBook and Instagram.

Fate B trounces Synnix in latest outing

Fate players line 

up to start the game.

By Emz Frial

The all-Filipina softball team, Fate, has again scored victory at the ongoing Hong Kong Softball Association’s. The latest to yield to Fate’s superior might was local team, Synnix, during their game on Dec. 18 at Shek Kip Mei field.

The brave Filipinas kept piling up points, although a slight error allowed the rival team to break the spell briefly. Fate won the game, 19-2 against Synnix.

Fate as the away team started the game. A throwing error by Synnix pitcher Leung Ling Yi allowed batter Ynez Badajos to take a free walk to first base. Myra Japitana who was up next hit the ball and ran to first base, while Badajos moved to second base. Don Gaborno then blasted the ball to the left outfield, allowing her to run up to second base, while Badajos dashed to home base and Japitana stayed on third.

Unluckily, batter Ma. Eva Mendez was caught on the first base with a pass ball from third baseman Lai Hiu Chui to first baseman Wong Wai Yin. Rubieline Ondayang smashed the ball to the center outfield, then ran to first base. Gaborno moved to third base and Japitana quickly ran to home base. Gaborno later managed to reach the home base unhampered. Later Ondayang ran to home base but was caught before she reached the base. Romela Osabel scored another point.

Synnix then took its turn to bat. However, none of the first three batters managed to step the bases. A fast ball of pitcher Gaborno caught the two batters standing out while the other one was stopped on first base. The first inning ended on a score of 4-0 for Fate.

In the second inning, Fate added six more points, to make the score 10-0 against Synnix. Those who scored for Fate were Editha Hidalgo, Eunice Locop, Badajos, Japitana, Mendez and Osabel.
Fate added three more points in the third inning via Hidalgo, Badajos and Japitana.

The locals became alive when they took their turn to bat, while Fate’s defense turned shaky. A throwing error by first baseman Osabel to third baseman Badajos gave the locals a chance to gain two points through Leung Ling Yi and Pan Ying. The third inning closed on a score of 13-2 in Fate’s favor.

In the fourth inning,  Fate piled up six more points courtesy of Badajos, Maribel Sitchon, Gaborno, Osabel, Octaviano and Rose Blanco.

Synnix did not take its turn to bat at the fourth inning since time was running up. The game ended with Fate’s total score at 19, and Synnix at two.

Gear up for cold spell, bosses and workers urged

Hong Kong will be under a cold spell in the next few days, and employers and employees must take appropriate measures to keep themselves warm, the authorities say.

The Labour Department said employers and employees should pay special attention to work during the cold weather, particularly for those who have to work outdoors or in remote areas, and those suffering from heart, respiratory or chronic ailments.

The department said these people could take the following precautions:

Employers
1) Take heed of the weather report and remind employees to wear appropriately warm clothing. For those wearing uniform, additional warm clothing should be provided when necessary.
2) Reschedule work outdoors or in remote areas to warmer periods in the daytime, such as noon, or warmer days where practicable.
3) Make arrangements for employees to rotate from outdoor to indoor or sheltered work sites within the shift to reduce their exposure to the cold.
4) Remind employees to stay alert to their health condition during outdoor work in cold weather and seek the attention of their supervisors, as appropriate.
5) Provide hot drinking water or other beverages for employees.

Employees
1) Employees should mind their health condition when working in the cold and seek their supervisors’ attention and medical help immediately if feeling unwell, such as having cold limbs, body shivers and goose bumps (chicken skin).
2) Take note of the weather report and wear appropriately warm clothing, particularly when working outdoors or in remote areas.
3) Consume sufficient high-calorie food and drink.
4) Exercise to facilitate circulation and production of heat.

The Labour Department has published a leaflet entitled “Health Guide for Working during the Cold Weather” to provide guidance for employers and employees to minimize the risks of working during the cold weather.

The department said the leaflet can be obtained free of charge from the Occupational Health Service of the Labour Department, or downloaded at www.labour.gov.hk/eng/news/pdf/Cold_Weather.pdf.
For enquiries, call the Labour Department hotline 2717 1771.

Ayaw matuto

Sa simula pa lang, ipinahayag na namin ang aming opinyon tungkol sa OEC, o overseas employment certificate:

• na hindi ito kailangan dahil may dokumento na nasa kamay na ng mga OFW bilang patunay na nagtatrabaho sila sa ibang bansa, gaya ng kanilang employment visa.
• na isa itong dagdag lang na trabaho para sa empleyado ng gubyerno.
• na, pagkatapos mong pumila ng maghapon upang mag fill-up ng application form paras sa OEC, ay hindi rin naman binibigyan ng halaga ng gubyerno ang impormasyon na ibinigay mo. Sa halip, tambak-tambak na application form ang iniimbak at itinatapon kalaunan. Isang palatandaan na hindi naman ipinapasok sa database at impormasyon ay wala silang rekord ng luma mong OEC.
• na, kahit munti ang halaga nito, ang OEC ay dagdag na pasananin para sa mga OFW.
Pero hindi rin natin maipag-walang bahala na hahanapin ito sa airport sa Pilipinas kapag pabalik ka na sa iyong trabaho. Wala tayong lusot, ika nga.

Kamakailan, may nakaisip ng Balik-Manggagawa o BMOnline. Ito ay ang pagpaparehistro ng mga OFW sa pamamagitan ng internet, gamit ang computer o mobile phone. Kahit exempted sa OEC a ng mga babalik sa kanilang trabaho, kailangan pa rin silang magrehistro, na minsanan lang.

Sa pagpasok ng OFW ng kani-kanilang impormasyon sa database, na rerepasuhin ng POLO para siguradong tama, unti-unting nabubuo ang database ng mga OFW, na maraming maitutulong upang mapabuti ang proteksiyon nila laban sa pang-aabuso.

Pero bakit maraming nagrereklamo dito? Dagdag daw na  pahirap daw, hindi raw nila alam gawin, kahit mas madali pa ito kesa sa pag-post nila ng kanilang komento sa Facebook. Dahil sa pagpili nila na maging ignorante, may may naniningil ng HK$100 upang gawin ang akala nila’y hindi nila kaya, sa loob ng ilang minuto lang. Ito, ika nga, ang “cost of ignorance”.

Sana ay bukas tayong matuto kung kinakailangan, upang hindi ito mahuli sa pag-unlad. Kung gusto mong matutunan ang BMOnline, may ginawang video ang The SUN tungkol dito. Ito ay makikita Dito: http://www. sunwebhk.com/2016/12/aabutan-ka-na-ba-ng-pasko-na-wala-pang.html.

Change is in us

By Daisy Catherine L. Mandap 

Now that the Christmas festivities are almost over, we need to again focus on the mundane, but important, concerns back home.

Foremost are the unabated killings that continue in the name of the war on drugs.

What is perhaps more disturbing than the killings themselves is the seeming apathy among the Filipinos toward the relentless violence.

When more than 40 defenseless Filipinos are killed each day for no reason, often in broad daylight, and no one is held to account for them, shouldn’t we be worried?

When the country’s leader shows no sympathy for the families of the thousands of Filipinos killed during the first bloody six months of his term, shouldn’t we be angry?

When all our other officials, save two, practically abet the killings by pretending to look the other way, shouldn’t we speak up, even take to the streets in protest?

The deafening silence of those who should take a stand for us is not just disturbing, it’s sickening.
These include a great many friends who have gone eerily quiet amid the mayhem, when they used to take to the streets at the slightest provocation, real or imagined.

Where have all our more militant advocates gone? Has political expediency become more important to them than their avowed support for human rights, justice and peace?

It is disturbing, even bizarre, to hear them speak against Marcos and martial law when they don’t – can’t – raise the slightest fuss over the most sordid human rights violations being committed in our midst, right now, when it matters most.

Thankfully, there are a few exceptions.

A crusading journalist friend who has moved overseas started out giving this administration the benefit of the doubt. She got to interview the president from way back, when he was still mayor of Davao, and was somewhat impressed by his seeming candor and incorruptible nature.

Now she is out there, on the streets of Tondo even, interviewing victims’ families, and cringing at how ruthlessly lives are being snuffed out by vigilantes and law enforcers who have been given the licence to kill.

Another is our neighborhood masahista. Formerly apolitical, she was shocked into realizing that ordinary, hardworking people like her could easily be targeted in the deadly web of killings when she witnessed how a magbabalut was shot in broad daylight by two men who casually drove off on a motorbike soon after. “Parang hayop lang na pinatay,” was how she put it. She rued that someone who was obviously trying hard to make a living could be so easily killed, drug crazed he may be.
Indeed, anybody could be a target. By the latest count, 6,200 Filipinos, mostly poor, have been killed in about the same number of months since the new administration took power.

What is more chilling is that there seems to be no effort whatsoever to stop the madness.
Given this, and the seeming lack of will on the part of our leaders to protect the very people they have sworn to serve, it devolves upon us to make a stand.

We all should speak up, no matter how puny our voices are. We should condemn the lawlessness that now rules our land, no matter how difficult, no matter how frightening.

We owe this not only to ourselves, but for our country, and the generations of Filipinos still to come. They, like us, deserve to have freedom as part of their birthright.

May the new year bring us back justice, freedom and peace. Happy 2017 to all!

The BM Online’s Teething Problems

By Jalilo O. Dela Torre, Labor Attache

“Mabuti pa noon, ang bilis lang kumuha ng OEC. Pila ka lang at magbayad, okay na. Ngayon, pahirapan! Buti pang ibalik na lang yung dati!”

These are some of the unflattering comments we hear not only in the lift, in the queuing bridge, or on the MTR, but even right in our face. Most of it is true. But as implementors of the new POEA policy exempting categories of workers from having to obtain an Overseas Employment Certificate or OEC through the BM Online, we regard this criticism as fodder which we need to eat. In other words, bring it on. Next year, the ease and convenience it will afford our workers will far outweigh this one-time sacrifice.

The trouble with the new system is that workers who are qualified under the new policy need to be registered before they can get exempted, and that means having to obtain an OEC online. The process is a little complicated, but help is available.

There is no other way to make the BM Online work, except through a relentless and dogged campaign to register our workers online. This may have resulted into long queues, anger, heated arguments, some tears, anxiety and frustration, but there is no other way. We wish we could lessen the pain, but each worker has to find the means and the patience somehow to get familiar with the system and register. If she prefers to get help from POLO HK, we do offer tutorials.

The more workers who register, the less number of people crowding in POLO in the future. The more people who help our workers register, the better. It is an attrition challenge: the more sustained our campaign is for workers’ registration, the better the system works, the less pain in the future. Sacrifice today, convenience the next time.

Having learned to render this service myself, and trouble-shoot some issues a bit, I have concluded that for an average worker, registering online can be a real challenge. The data labels are confusing, some data fields aren’t necessary and when the system bogs down as it had several times, there is no offline version that can be used to prevent disruption of the service.

But many of the problems which makes registration a hair-pulling experience is related to technical issues like: passwords being forgotten, accounts becoming inactive because the confirmation link sent to the applicant’s email address had not been clicked, or when a former user signs in as a new user. These are technical problems that can be addressed by the computer programmer. We have strongly recommended that these issues be addressed by POEA. In addition, we have also asked the POEA, to which the latter agreed, that workers in HK be given temporary exemption during the Christmas season and that the compulsory online registration be done after they’ve come back to HK. For some reason, POEA decided to withdraw the temporary exemption facility.

What is difficult to address are the human-related issues. People walking in ahead of their appointments. People walking in without a clue how to start the process of registration. People demanding to be served ahead of everybody else.

We have tried to accommodate all kinds the best we could. On Sundays, the walk-ins are only served after those with appointments are done, which is around late afternoon. We have opened our doors up to 8 pm to accommodate the walk-ins. We have suspended our computer training for OFWs to devote the use of our OWWA desktops to tutoring our workers. We have beefed up our crowd control volunteers at the bridge. We have increased the number of volunteers who can give tutorials and do evaluation. We have opened even on weekends and holidays. We have called on communities to help out and big groups like JIL have brilliantly responded. We have conducted a briefing for community volunteers who might be able to help. We have even made it mandatory for agencies to register the workers they are hiring or rehiring.

But our workers need to take some of the responsibility and meet us half way. They can help us by:
   1)  registering early, and acquiring their OECs or exemption only a few days before their travel date, and not to worry about minor errors in their profiles, because the evaluator can correct those;
   2)  obtain their OECs in the Philippines, something which we encourage every chance we get at the queuing bridge;
3) for those who are already familiar with the system, to help others.
4) for those without appointments, to walk in late afternoon.

The Unifil group is calling for its outright abolition, not just exemption. This isn’t my call. This should be addressed to POEA and its Governing Board chaired by Secretary Bello. To tell you the truth, we’d be relieved if the its abolition is ordered because it would free up a good chunk of our physical, financial and human resources, which we could otherwise devote to more meaningful services for our workers.

Until it is decreed, however, we have no choice but to make this service available to our workers. And if this means having to endure criticism, so be it. We roll with the punches because for as long as the complaints are about the process, we can continue to work on its improvement.

But every coin has two sides. Some of the more rewarding comments we get are when some of the workers we have served say, ”Ay ganyan pala yan. Next time pala, exemption na lang aplayan ko. Hindi na ako babalik dito, Sir? Ang galing!” Others were clearly pleased when after going online, a message just popped out: Congratulations. You are exempted”. They needed to be re-assured that yes, that was all they need to show at the airport.

This is not a self-congratulatory note. POEA needs to simplify the process and reduce the number of data fields. We need to be better in communicating to the community that this new technology has birthing pains, but that it will get better as we refine its procedures to make it less painful to users.
But if we are to make this work, we need the help of our community.

Ateneo grabs HK baseball crown again

The Blue Eagles savor their victory after turning
the tide against Hong Kong Red in a very
tight match at the recent HK International Baseball Open.

Ateneo Blue Eagles outwitted defending champions Hong Kong Red, 7-6, in a tight duel over nine innings at Sai Tso Wan Field in Lamtin on Dec 20 to recapture the Hong Kong Baseball Open championship.

It was the second time that Blue Eagles ruled the annual slugfest organized by the Hong Kong Shanghai Alliance WSBC, repeating their performance in 2014 when the Ateneans crushed HK Red 6-1 and foiled its bid for the trophy.

“It was a close game, pretty much non-stop action throughout nine innings,” Blue Eagles head coach Randy Dizer said after the game. “Hong Kong really gave us a good game.”

HK Red, who won last year when the Filipinos skipped the tournament, promised to avenge that defeat on the eve of the showdown. “This is the side that beat us two years ago and we will be going for revenge for sure… I definitely think we have what it takes to beat them,” third baseman Matthew Holliday said.

The local sluggers, batting first as the away team, capitalized on their familiarity with the style of the Filipinos’ first pitcher Paulo Macasaet, a rookie on the National Team.

“Talagang napaghandaan nila si Paulo since siya ang dating pitcher nang masungkit ng Ateneo ang kampeonato noong 2014,” said Ynez Badajos, playing coach of Fate softball team and player of Philippine Sluggers, current Hong Kong women’s baseball champs.

Members of both women’s teams cheered the visiting varsity team as it hurdled three other local teams in the four matches they played since kick-off on Dec 17.

HK Red blanked Ateneo 4-0 in the first inning, but the Filipinos held the local boys scoreless in the second and stole a run at the bottom of the inning, 1-4.

The two teams battled neck and neck in the third and fourth, with both sides scoreless, then HK Red broke away again with two clean hits in the fifth, taking the score to 6-1.

Macasaet said he was done in the sixth and Dizer fielded in left-handed pitcher Angeles, a strategy shift that threw off HK Red’s momentum. The locals’ hits were off and their balls flew into the Filipinos’ clutches.

HK Red also changed pitchers twice in the sixth, but Ateneo struck back with Dino Altomonte batting in two runs to narrow the gap, 6-3.

In the seventh, Dizer unleashed his key men, including National Team player Ros Bernardo, who he kept in reserve for the championship game. Bernardo played short stop.

Ryan Hilario, Altomonte and Bernardo kept the bases loaded, but batter Rapho Balagtas hit a drop ball to centerfield that the umpire ruled as a caught ball. This nonetheless went in Blue Eagles’ favor as Hilario was tugged up so his run was counted, while Altomonte was out on second  base.

HK Red assumed there were three outs so they all walked to the bench. But Ateneo’s coaches clarified the situation and found out there were only two, with runner Bernardo still on first base.
Next batter Radito Banzon was awarded a walk as a base on ball, leaving Ateneo with two runners. Then Marco Mallari slammed the ball to the outfield, sending Bernardo and Banzon running home in succession to turn the tide for Blue Eagles, 7-6.

In the eighth, Dizer again replaced his pitcher, this time assigning Miguel Dumlao.

HK Red batters hit the pitcher’s balls, but these were easy to catch. Only Holliday drove a hard ball to short stop, but Bernardo halted it and threw it to first base.

Both teams ended the eighth inning scoreless. HK Red tried to score once more in the ninth with another hard ball to Bernardo, but a quick throw to first base dealt the Hongkongers their last out, and the Filipinos took the championship.

“I’m very proud of the team because while we fell behind early, the boys never gave up,” said Dizer, who also coaches the RP Blu Girls. “They believed in each other and never caved in.”

Altomonte was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Dizer the Best Coach, and Renzo Ramos had the Most Stolen Bases.

The Blue Eagles are staunch supporters of Philippine Sluggers. In 2016, they shipped a complete set of gear including uniforms, bats and balls to the self-financed team of domestic helpers.

Induction of POWA, Filipino Star held

Consul General Bernardita Catalla inducted the officers of two organizations during ceremonies held at the Consulate recently.

POWA officers take oath: The incoming officers of the Panay Overseas Workers Association (POWA) took their oath of office on Dec. 18 before Consul General Bernardita Catalla at the Consulate. The officers for 2017 are: Leo Selomenio, chairman; Lindy Paclibar, president; Don Ofiaza, vice president, internal; Diana Juanillo, vice president, external; Christian Jean Jallorina, secretary; Theresa Mailim, treasurer; Elisa Linda Lorca, assistant treasurer; Annalisa Bretana, assistant secretary; Mayflor Pirote, auditor; Mie Cueva, asst auditor; Grace Macahilo, business manager; Alma Mae Capanang, asst business manager; Leah Dorilag, Bilenda Ortega and Grace Bayona, PRO;  Sharon Habiona, muse; and Leo A. Deocadiz, Katherine De Guzman and Francis Ita-as, advisers.

Star Induction: Officers of the Filipino Star Association Hong Kong took their oath of office before Consul General Bernardita Catalla on Dec. 18. The officers are: Yanz Cascayan, president; Jham Abalos, internal vice president; Victoria Buenaventura, external VP;  Jhazel Gawigawen, general secretary;  Ailyn Agcol assistant secretary; Ivan Longui, general treasurer; Devee Claire de la Cruz, assistant treasurer; Jaz Ordonez, general auditor;  Jhay Catipay, assistant auditor; Jano Tangonan and Cindy Pascual, PRO; and Leo Selomenio and Arlene Abrugar, advisers.

Malungkot ang Pasko niya

Nasanay na si Bella na kapag Pasko ay kasama niya ang kanyang pamilya sa Cavite, kabilang ang kanyang dalawang anak na lalaki. Ngunit ilang buwan bago itong pinakahuling Pasko ay inabisuhan siya ng kanyang amo na hindi siya makakauwi dahil isasama siya sa holiday ng mga ito sa Thailand.

Noon pa man ay nalungkot na siya dahil hindi lang sa Pasko niya hindi  makakasama  ang mga anak, kundi pati sa kaarawan ng kanyang bunso ilang araw bago magpasko. Pilit na lang niyang inisip na  trabaho naman ang pinunta niya dito sa Hong Kong at kung iyon ang gusto ng kanyang mga amo, wala naman siyang magagawa.

Pero pagdating pa lang nila sa Thailand ay nanibago na siya dahil di gaya sa Hong Kong ay wala man lang kahit anong diwa ng kapaskuhan sa paligid. Lalo lang siyang nalungkot kaya kapag nag uusap sila ng kanyang mga best friends ay puro hinaing ang kanyang sinasabi. Nililibang na lang siya ng mga ito at kinakantiyawan para maging masaya ang usapan.

Ang mga kaibigan din naman ni Bella ay hindi rin nakauwi ngayong Pasko, kaya ika nga nila ay patas lang silang apat na magkakaibigan. Pare pareho na lang silang nabibilang sa SMP, ang samahang malalamig ang pasko!

Sa kabila nito, sa pamamagitan ng chat sa FB ay sama-sama pa rin silang nag uusap at nagsasaya para kahit paano ay hindi sila nalulungkot, Isang malaking dahilan ito kaya naiibsan nang husto ang hinaing ni Bella, na nakatira sa Causeway Bay, at mahigit 10 taon nang nagtatrabaho sa Hong Kong. — Jo Campos

DH in cocaine parcel case told to get a lawyer

By Vir B. Lumicao

Prosecutors have objected to the granting of bail to a Filipina arrested in North Point in September after receiving an air parcel containing 650 grams of cocaine allegedly sent by her African ex-boyfriend.

Tsuen Wan Magistrate Jin Chun-ki adjourned the hearing for 15 minutes to give defendant Welba E. Gannaban, who faces a drug trafficking charge, time to find a duty lawyer to represent her. The 40-year-old defendant did not apply for bail, but he prosecution said anyway that she should not be allowed temporary liberty due to the seriousness of her offense.

The prosecutors applied for an adjournment of the hearing to Feb 3 pending a chemist's report and legal advice.

Magistrate Jin set the next hearing for 9:30am on Feb 3 at West Kowloon Court and instructed Gannaban to engage a duty lawyer to represent her in future hearings.

Jun asked the domestic helper why she was not represented by a lawyer on Dec 23, and also when she was first committed to the court in June, and Gannaban replied that nobody had told her to get a lawyer and she thought the police would do that for her.

Gannaban was the second Filipina helper to be arrested in just a span of three months for taking delivery of a drug-laden air parcel posted from abroad.

In June, 31-year-old Eleanor Amorin fell in a similar entrapment employed by the authorities after they intercepted a gift parcel stuffed with about a kilogram of cocaine that was addressed to her employer’s house. The package was sent to her from Ethiopia by her newfound Nigerian boyfriend.
Amorin was initially charged at Tsuen Wan Court with trafficking in a dangerous drug but freed by Magistrate Chang Kei-hong after the prosecutors withdrew the case.

Gannaban was arrested on Sept 23 by a joint Customs and police team on Sept 23 after she accepted a parcel posted from Addis Ababa and addressed to her at her employer’s North Point flat. She did not suspect the delivery man was an officer.

The defendant told investigators the parcel was sent by her former boyfriend, a Nigerian she met in Hong Kong, supposedly for a friend who would pick it up later from her.

Her arrest prompted the Consulate and the Mission for Migrants Workers to warn Filipinas in Hong Kong to be wary of the new air parcel modus being used by drug syndicates, particularly those based in West Africa.

The modus involves African men, particularly Nigerians, befriending and courting unsuspecting foreign domestic helpers who they meet through friends or on social media and then asking for their employers’ addresses so they could send gifts to the women.

Vice Consul Alex Vallespin had earlier warned Filipinas about strangers offering friendship and love online because of the probability they would be used to smuggle dangerous drugs into Hong Kong.

POLO local hires get reprieve

Labatt de la Torre asked for reprieve for the local hires 

Six local hires at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Hong Kong have been given more time to remain at their posts after the Department of  Labor and Employment put off a plan to replace them with organic staff from Manila.

The move is in line with DOLE’s staff realignment for all overseas posts.

According to a POLO insider, two of the so-called local hires would reportedly leave for Manila soon to undergo training on overseas deployment under the supervision of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The training will hopefully allow them to assume permanent items in Manila that will pave for their eventual overseas deployment once DOLE’s plan is set in motion. It is not clear whether they would be allowed to return to their POLO posts after the training.

In their absence, DOLE has allowed POLO to recruit two local hires on emergency basis. Several people have reportedly applied for the newly opened posts but their credentials are awaiting evaluation by Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre, who will be returning from vacation on Jan 12.

One of the six, meanwhile, is applying for a transfer to the Overseas Workers Welfare Office in Hong Kong, which is also attached to POLO, while two other local hires remain as drivers of the labor office. Their future likewise remains uncertain.

The local hires’ immediate relief was put on hold after Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre asked the DOLE head office to spare them the axe because of the heavy workload in Hong Kong over the holiday season.

During this period, POLO staff including Labatt De la Torre, had to work even at weekends and holidays to speed up the processing of exemptions for the overseas employment certificate for thousands of home-bound OFWs. – Vir B. Lumicao

Results for civil service exam in HK out, low pass rate posted

by The SUN Team

Applicants check their names against the list of those approved to take the Civil Service exam

About 1 out of 10 who took the Civil Service sub-professional examination given in Hong Kong last November passed, while the pass rate for the professional-level grade was just 2.5%.

The results for Hong Kong, posted separately on the Civil Service website, show that of the 277 who took the sub-professional exam, only 30 passed, for a pass rate of 10.8%. In the professional level, where the examinees were more than twice as many, at 676, only 17 passed.

As disheartening as the results may be for the majority of the examinees, they were not unexpected, given the lack of time for review and their general difficulty in getting off work to brush up on current events and other subjects for which they were tested.
The examination, the first ever to be held in Hong Kong, took place on Nov. 27 at Delia Memorial School in Kwun Tong, barely a month since the month-long registration ended. Up until a few weeks before it was held, Labatt de la Torre was scouring for a venue big enough to accommodate the nearly three thousand Filipinos in both Hong Kong and Macau who had originally expressed an interest in taking the exam.
"We can aim to improve this year by fixing the date of the exam months in advance so they have time to prepare," Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre said when asked for a reaction by The SUN.
"We will also encourage Filcom (members) to help them in the review".

Blanche Abasa  passed the sub-prof exam

One of the successful examinees is Blanche Abasa, founder and president of Cebu Federation International, whose surname guaranteed her being put on top of the list for those who passed the sub-professional level.

Abasa said she was overjoyed on hearing from The SUN that she was among those who passed the exam.

She said she was confident for the most part about taking the exam, but felt at the last minute that she needed to brush up on mathematics.

“(It’s so) overwhelming, kasi I never reviewed, and only reviewed for math two days before the exam since it’s my weakest subject”, she said. “The last part was the most difficult, because I had to answer 50 questions in just 7 minutes”.

Without anyone to help her with the review, Abasa said she checked out blog sites that gave tips on the exam questions. From there, she found math formulas that she memorized in preparation for the test.

As a domestic helper who started working at age 17, barely a year after graduating from high school, Abasa said she compensated for this by embracing learning.

“I love learning, but I admit that I found the exam really difficult,” she said.

Abasa said she is sure that many of her friends will be encouraged to give the next civil service examination a try after learning about her hurdling it.

She is also willing to help out those who will take it, as she regards her success a blessing that must be shared.

The exam was conducted by the Civil Service Commission in support of the Department of Labor and Employment’s reintegration program to “encourage the vulnerable OFWs to return to the country and be with their families again.”

Those who passed the exam are advised to personally claim their Certification of Eligibility at the CSC office they indicated on the online registration when they return home.  No representatives will be allowed to claim the certification for passers.

Passers of the professional level exam will earn a Career Service Professional Eligibility appropriate for both first level (clerical) and second level (technical up to division chief).

Those who pass the sub-professional test will be eligible only for the first level positions. 
The CSC also clarified that a professional or sub-professional eligibility is just one of the requirements for landing a job in government. Education, experience, and training are also required of those seeking permanent positions in government service.

The full list of successful examinees can be found here:

http://www.csc.gov.ph/112716cseppthongkong

Pakistani denies killing Austrian-Filipina girlfriend

By Vir B. Lumicao

Andrea Barr's FB profile photo

A Pakistani security guard accused of killing his Austrian-Filipina girlfriend Andrea Bayr in March last year, pleaded not guilty to murder on Jan 3 in Eastern Court.

Safdar Husnain, 28, made his plea before magistrate Jason Wan, who immediately ordered the case committed to the High Court for trial.

Husnain was remanded in jail. No bail was set as the charge is murder, a non-bailable offense.

The defendant, a tall and burly man who worked as a night-shift guard at a footbridge construction site in Tuen Mun, was subdued and arrested by police at dawn on March 29 while he was still allegedly battering Bayr, then 25, with an electric drill.

Husnain’s Pakistani friend who witnessed the incident called the police after the defendant allegedly attacked the victim during a fight over Bayr’s plan to break up with him.

Local media reports quoting police said Husnain was enraged when Bayr, a jobless divorcee, went to him to say she was moving in with a Caucasian boyfriend.

The reports said Bayr, who had been a waitress and manager of restaurants in Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai, was born in Hong Kong to an Austrian father and a Filipino-French mother.

The Consulate could not confirm the victim’s nationality, saying it did not have records of her or her mother, although she was a friend to many Filipino residents in Hong Kong’s, especially those working in the nightclub circuit.

Consulate leads Rizal remembrance

Consulate officers led by Consul General Bernardita Catalla officiated at the commemoration of Dr. Jose Rizal’s 120th death anniversary with the traditional wreath-laying at No 2 Rednaxela Terrace, where the national hero lived with his family, and at D’Aguilar Street where he ran a clinic.

Those who attended apart from the Consulate officers and staff included members of Knights of Rizal and Lakbay Dangal.

At Rednaxela Terrace  in Central, HK.

Global Alliance brings Christmas to Bethune House

Global Alliance officers with Bethune House clients and executive director Edwina Antonio.

The officers of the Global Alliance headed by chairman Leo Selomenio brought Christmas cheer to the Sheung Wan shelter of the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge on Dec. 11, by visiting and bringing along gifts.

They were welcomed to the tiny refuge by Bethune’s executive director Edwina Antonio, along with the shelter’s clients. \

The affiliated groups who shared in the donation were Bacnotanians of HK, Bangar Association, Guardians Brotherhood Intl., DAFWA, Filipino Dance Circle, Kabisig Society, La Union Federation of HK, POWA, Oriental Mindoro Assn. HK, SMACK- HK, TUCSO, and United Mindanao-ans HK.
The group brought along items from Bethune’s wish list, such as laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, bath soap, cleaning detergents, rice, noodles, cooking oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt, coffee and some cash.

Panay Overseas Workers Association (POWA) members assemble their donations for Bethune House, consisting mainly of daily necessities  such as soap, toothpaste shampoo and so on.

Maswerte siya sa amo

Isang taon pa lamang ni Disha sa paninilbihan sa mga among Briton pero napatunayan na niyang super bait talaga sila dahil pinabisita ang kanyang nag-iisang anak mula sa Pilipinas, at kasama pati ang kapatid niyang nag-aalaga dito, para magkakasama sila sa araw ng Pasko.

Bukod dito, pinayagan pa siyang mag-stay out para makasama niya ang anak sa araw-araw nitong pamamasyal. Noong araw mismo ng Pasko ay niyaya silang mag-ina na makipag lunch sa kanila, kasama ang mga magulang at kapatid ng among babae.

Maliban sa biniling ticket para sa kanyang anak ay binigyan pa siya ng pera sa red packet para may gastusin sila sa kanilang pamamasyal. Hindi lang iyan, inamubunan pa sila ng mga regalo, kasama pati ang kapatid niyang nagdala ng kanyang menor de edad na anak.

Namangha mismo ang kanyang kapatid sa kabaitang ipinakita ng kanyang mga amo, kaya pinayuhan si Disha na pagbutihin pa ang kanyang trabaho at asikasuhing maigi ang kanyang alaga para lalo pang matuwa ang mga amo sa kanya. Huwag daw masyadong mag Facebook para mapanitili ang magandang samahan nilang mag-amo. Sagot naman ni Disya, may panahon ang lahat ng bagay, sabay ngiti sa ate niya. Si Disya ay tubong Isabela at solong magulang. — Marites Palma

Health checks for FDWs

Caritas Asian Migrant Workers Social Service Project will hold its two-day Health Concern Days for foreign domestic workers on Jan. 8 and 15, 2017.

The schedule is as follows:
Day 1: Body check on Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, glucose, musculoskeletal assessment & level stress.
Jan. 8, Sunday: 10:30 am – 12:30pm and 2-5pm
Day 2: Result Explanation & Community Resource for Follow up
Jan. 15, 2017 (Sunday): 10:30am - 12:30pm (English); and 2:30-4:30pm (Cantonese & Bahasa)
Fee: $20 for the two-day program, including tests and handout
Venue: Caritas Fortress Hill Centre, G/F. , No.28A, Fortress Hill Road, Hong Kong.
For reservation, call 2147-5988.