Lawyer to challenge police interview of 2 Pinays in alleged online sex ring

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Eastern Court magistrate rejects bail application by the 2 Filipina maids

A lawyer representing two Filipina helpers allegedly caught manning pay-for-sex websites in Mid-Levels has said he will challenge a video-recorded interview by the police of the defendant as they were conducted in the absence of counsel.

The two, Joan E. Palpal-latoc, 40, and Jeanette V. Gallego, 47, reportedly admitted their roles in the illicit operation in the police interviews.

Their lawyer made the statement as Eastern Magistrate Veronica Heung rejected the bail application of the defendants, citing as reasons their lack of local ties, the severity of the case against them, and the possibility that they would dispose of evidence.

She made the ruling despite being told that the Philippine Consulate was willing to provide shelter to the defendants if they were allowed bail.

The two Filipinas are facing a charge each of living on the earnings of a prostitute. They are due to appear in court again on Jul 13.

The prosecution opposed granting temporary freedom to the two even though they raised their bail offer from $10,000 to $25,000 each.

The prosecutor reiterated that Palpal-latoc and Gallego operated a number of dating websites operated by a company duly registered in Hong Kong, and owned by a certain Miss Wong, their employer.

Wong and two others were arrested along with the two Filipina helpers at the company’s registered address, a luxury flat on Tregunter Path in Mid-Levels.

The prosecutor said decoy police officers posing as customers found out that the two Filipinas were manning the online sites that offered sex with foreign prostitutes in a call-center-like operation.

Palpal-latoc reportedly told police in the filmed interview that she knew about the operation of the websites, the company’s operation and its income from the online sex dealing. She said she received 0.005% from the net earnings of the company.

The prosecutor said Gallego admitted in a separate interview that she received $1,200 a month as her reward for taking part in the illicit operation, but she was not a shareholder of the company. 

The company, which the prosecution didn’t name, allegedly targeted wealthy foreign tourists who logged on to the websites to transact business.

Police are continuing their investigation into the roles of the three other accused.

All-Filipina DH team, 'Divas', crowned cricket champs

'Divas' celebrate their epic win

By Vir B. Lumicao

Jennifer Alumbro delivered three sixes and bowled out three rival players as Filipinas stormed to the championship of Cricket Hong Kong’s Development League on Jun 3 with a clean sweep of all their matches in their maiden season in the sport.

The SCC Divas, an all-domestic helper team, formally took the crown via a devastating 141-run victory in 16 overs against their Game 2 opponents Craigengower Cricket Club, which managed only 37 runs.

The Filipinas warmed up for the final match in a 124-run win in 16 overs against United Services Recreation Club’s 48 in the morning game.

“Thank you for making this league very exciting,” head coach British Richard Waite told the Divas players after the final game.

Waiter later handed the team a small, token gold trophy, which he said would be replaced with a big one at the awarding of trophies and medals on Jun 22, at a still unknown venue.

“You easily dominated the league in your first cricket tournament. Next season, we will move you up to the T20 league, where you will be playing against more experienced teams,” Waite said. He urged the Filipinas to invite more of their friends to the sport.

Opposing teams in a T20 game play a single innings restricted to 20 overs.

Arimas receives token trophy for grand slam win  

Alumbro was declared the most valuable player of the day, as she scored three sets of six runs against USRC by batting the ball past the border in the first game , and another six in the match against CCC.

Ma Luz Madia was also picked as an MVP.

For the entire league that began on May 6, Alumbro was the highest scorer with a total of 193 runs. Close behind her was Divas captain Josie Arimas with 189 runs, while Zeny Badajos was third-highest with 140.

The left-handed Alumbro denied CCC a chance to overtake the 141 runs that the Divas strung in their innings by dismissing three batters with precision bowling. 

Romina Osabel, a powerful softball and baseball player, took down two wickets while Arimas dropped one as the Divas showed the opponents they were on target even from a distance. Badajos did just that when she recovered a fast ball from the right field and struck down the stump about 20 meters away.

All CCC could score in their innings was 37 runs for 16 overs, after losing some from deductions for the fallen wickets.

Coach Najeeb Amar, who honed up the baseball and softball-oriented Filipinas in this entirely unfamiliar sport, joined the players in savoring their victory.

“You made my life easier, girls,” Amar said, recalling how he initially found it difficult calling them up for training, understandably because of their jobs. But not long afterwards, it was the Filipinas who would call him to come out and train them, he said.

He said in the T20 league, he will divide the 25 Divas players into two teams playing in the same tournament. 

For now, the team will have a month-long rest before they start rigid training for the next season, which will begin in September.

Arimas could not hide her elation at her team’s success. “Grand slam talaga, walang talo. Ang saya kanina. Tapos ang kalaban (CCC) dating naglaro na sa main league,” she said.

What's on where

120th Philippine Independence Day Events
‘Panalo ang Pinoy’
June 3, (Sunday) 8am – 7pm
Features: ecumenical mass, parade and street dancing. Also, the coronation of Ms Tourism 2018
Guest performer: Jason Fernandez, ex-frontman of Rivermaya

‘Celebrating Global Pinoys’: 120th Philippine Independence Day Charity Ball
An annual event organized by the Philippine Association of Hong Kong, Jun 9 (Saturday), 6:00pm-onwards, Marco Polo Kowloon Hotel, 3 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Guest performers: Rivermaya frontman Jason Fernandez, standup Fil-Am comic Rex Navarette and Voice of the Philippines grand champion Jason Dy. Ticket Price: $1,300 per guest
For tickets: email oficialpahk@gmail.com Or contact: Amiel Brul: 9858 1236; Tesha Bancod: 6143 0587; Gary Flores: 9853 7945; or Franco Villanueva: 6070 7636

Kapangyawan Festival
Filcom event to celebrate 120th year of Philippine Independence
Jun 10 (Sunday) 8am-7pm, Chater Road, Central
Organizers: Philippine Consulate General with Global Alliance, Philippine Alliance . Guest performers: Ronnie Alonte, Jason Dy and Lassy. Contact: Leo Selomenio, 5336 6530

Flag Raising and Pinoy Salo-salo
Jun 12, (Tuesday) 9am-11am. PCG Service Area
Features: Reading of messages from top Philippine officials
Open to all Filcom members

Coronation of Bb Kalayaan 2018
Jun 17 (Sunday), 9am onwards. Highlight: Search and coronation of Bb Kalayaan and Live Band performance
Organizer: Global Alliance. Contact: Leo Selomenio

Diplomatic Cocktails
Jun 19 (Tuesday), 6:30pm-8:00pm
Granville and Nathan Rooms, Conrad HK. By invitation
Hosted by: Consul General Antonio Morales and Madame Shirlene C. Mananquil

Kalayaan Ball 2018
Jun 24 (Sunday) 12nn-3pm. Foo Loom Palace, King’s Road, North Point. Organized by: Global Alliance/Philippine Alliance
Entrance ticket: $100 @ Contact: Leo Selomenio

PUBLIC HOLIDAY ANNOUNCEMENT: 
The Philippine Consulate General and all its attached agencies including POLO will be closed on the following dates:
June 12 (Tuesday) – Philippine Independence Day
July 2 (Monday) – Hong Kong holiday
There will be no official transactions on these dates.

In case of emergency, call:
9155 4023 (Consular assistance)
5529 1880 (POLO)
6345 9324 (OWWA)

Unleash: A Concert by The Harmonics
(Hong Kong’s First LGBTQ Choir including Filipino members Brenda Alegre, Mae Lim, Josh Lemuel Reyes and Andrei Reyes)
Featuring: Filipino guest artists Andrew Gyne and The Unsung Heroes . Jun 9 (Saturday), 7:30-9:30 pm, Caritas Kowloon Community Hall, 3/F, 256A Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon
For tickets, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.hk/e/the-harmonics-unleash-live-conc…

Sali na!

Silid Sining Pinay: Unlocking Pinay Creativity
Painting Workshop Sessions for OFWs in HK with Filipino artist Grace P. Camacho
July 1, 9am-12nn, Aug 5, 9am-12nn, Sept 2, 9am-12nn, Oct 7, 9am – 12nn, PCG Gallery
Organized by: PCG with Pitter Painter
Requirements: HKID copy and one 2x2" photo
To register, visit the PCG Cultural Section or email cultural.pcg@gmail.com with subject: “SilidSining”

Free Zumba Class
Sundays, 10am-11am (or stay longer if you want)
Pier 10, Central. Open to everyone
Offered by: Kayumanggi Zumba Fitness Group HK

Free Yoga Class 
Sundays, 8:30am-9:30am, Pier 10, Central. Open to everyone
Organized by: Andappan Yoga Community

For Tinikling Lovers: 
The Tinikling Group of Migrants is in need of male/female performers with or without experience, no age limit. TGM performs mostly for LCSD events. Interested person may contact Marie Velarde @ 67175379, Emz Bautista @ 98512804and Rowena Solir @97331049.

Attention: Rugby enthusiasts: 
The Exiles Touch Rugby group is inviting rugby enthusiasts to join the team. We practice every Sunday at the Happy Valley Pitch 8 from 5pm to 8pmat the Happy Valley Pitch 8.  For those interested please contact: Ghelai 65414432whatsapp/sms or click “like” on Exiles HK facebook page

Wanted: softball players: 
The all-Filipina softball team is now open for tryouts. Those who are interested, especially those with prior experience in the game may contact Team Captain Don Gaborno 5318-5113

An invitation to play volleyball:
Calling sport-minded Filipinas who want to play volleyball. A team is being organized by a group led by Shane Key Gonzales to compete in upcoming volleyball leagues in Hong Kong.  Interested parties may contact Shane at 54498080.

Heroes and hypocrites

By Daisy Catherine L. Mandap

Our community is blessed to have so many people from all walks of life and of various nationalities extending help, from outright financial donations to helping out with court cases.

Time and again, I would come across volunteers, mainly from the Mission for Migrant Workers and Help for Domestic Helpers, who go to court and vigorously help foreign domestic workers fight for their rights.

Of a different category are, of course, the seasoned warriors of these NGOs, in particular Edwina Antonio, Cynthia Tellez and Ester Bangcawayan, who have dedicated their lives to helping migrant workers in distress.

These women are all smart enough to have been hired for far easier jobs with much higher pay, but they have chosen to fight for migrants rights instead. For them, this does not only entail speaking at media briefings, but also spending much of their time hearing out migrants in distress, attending court hearings, rescuing them from abusive employers, and even living with them.

They are to me, what real heroes are.

In a different class, but no less admirable, are the students, lawyers and real do-gooders who quietly offer their free time to help our migrant workers.

They include Christine, a young Chinese law graduate from Hong Kong University, who recently represented Mariel, an abused Filipina domestic helper, in her labour claim. It was so heartwarming to see Christine looking as excited as Mariel when the employer agreed to settle the case.

There was also Nicole, an elegant French professional who came to the Labour Tribunal on behalf of Help, to represent another Filipina who was pursuing a claim for compensation from an employer who terminated their contract illegally. Nicole surprised me with her thorough grasp of the case and of the law, and of how fiercely she asserted the helper’s case.

There was also Klaus, an exchange student from Poland who appeared for the Mission on behalf of Lanie, also an abused helper. Klaus pursued the case with a lot of passion and compassion that it felt like he had a personal stake in it.

There are many others who I haven’t had the privilege to work with, or study from afar.  They work quietly and without fanfare, but are a real blessing to the Filipino community in Hong Kong, especially to our highly disadvantaged workers.

On the flipside are a bunch of self-proclaimed do-gooders who often give interviews to mainstream media on how much help they have extended to migrant workers, and how their hearts bleed for them. In reality, these groups thrive on, and sometimes, even make money from, the services they provide to foreign domestic workers.

Without discounting the benefits they provide to our workers, we also have to be aware that their very existence depends on the people they profess to serve.

Thus, it can be downright annoying to hear them speak, or even hint, that we have to write about their good deeds, as if they are doing it all for free, that they are not being paid a comfortable salary for it, or there is no big corporate sponsor propping them up.

At least one has demanded that we have to pay for attending their event – and maybe write about it – because well, it was for a good cause. And all the while they were auctioning off “donated” works from some of our migrant workers.

This same group would also hold forums on the plight of our workers, and organize a panel that has no Filipino in it except for a token domestic worker, as if that’s all we’re good for.

Another group calls itself a “non profit” but appears to make a tidy income from its operations, enough to provide for a bunch of highly-paid expat officers and a huge staff support. Their business model is also not that unique, as there are a couple of low-key companies providing the same service.

One tends to compare them with Pathfinders, a real non-profit which provides valuable help to pregnant migrant domestic workers, but does not go around trumpeting about its good work. Or to Bethune House, which has off and on, suffered from severe funding crisis because of the all-out support it gives to distressed migrant women, but goes about its work quietly.

There is nothing wrong with soliciting support or financial backing from big companies while extending help to the needy. It is in fact, a given, if an enterprise is to survive and continue doing its good work.

But there is wisdom in going about quietly while you help, and of not demanding that you be noticed for all the wonderful things that you do.

Real help could only come from the heart.

Maid accused of child abuse set to file claim against employer

Legion was arrested in one of the flats
at Green Code estate in Fanling (googlemaps photo)

By Vir B. Lumicao

The Filipina domestic helper in Sheung Shui who was detained by police for more than a day for allegedly hurting her four-year-old ward, is preparing to file a case for unjust termination against her employer.

Michelle M. Legion, 29, who is out on $500 police bail, has vehemently denied laying a hand on the boy.

“Kahit kailan ay hindi ko sinaktan ang alaga ko, mahal ko iyon kahit madalas siyang nagta-tantrums,” Legion told The SUN. 

She claimed it was the boy’s father who would slap the kid whenever he acted up.

Police released Legion at midnight on Friday, Jun 1. Two officers had picked her up at her employers’ home at Green Code estate on Ma Sik Road in Fanling at about 8pm the previous day.

After granting her bail, the police reportedly told her that she will know in three weeks whether she will be formally charged in court.

Legion says she was held without any investigation
being conducted at Sheung Shui police station

Legion, who has sought shelter at the Filipino Workers’ Resource Center in Sheung Wan, went to the assistance to nationals section of the Consulate on Jun 3 to file a report about the incident. She was told she will be assisted in filing a labour claim for unjust termination against her employer.

An ATN officer said the fact that Legion was allowed to post bail indicated the complaint filed by the employer against her needed further investigation.

In her phone conversation with The SUN, Legion said that during the 26 hours that she was held at the police station, she was put in a cell and was told not to call her friends. But she did manage to make a few calls before the officers took her phone away.

Legion said she told the police to review the CCTV footage in the employers’ home as there allegedly were cameras everywhere in the house.

“How can anyone with common sense touch the child when every corner of the flat was monitored by CCTV,” said the helper, who had been employed by the family for two years and five months.

On Thursday afternoon, the boy was reportedly crying when his father asked Legion to take him to his kindergarten class. At 6:10 pm, the male employer reportedly told her to return home and prepare dinner.

In the evening, when the female employer arrived from work, she called the maid for a talk and accused her of beating up the boy and showed the reddish imprints of a hand and a fresh scratch on the child’s back.  The maid denied she was responsible for the injuries.

The employer then called the police, who took the maid to the Sheung Shui police station.

Legion said the two officers who arrested her could not investigate her because they could not speak English and there was no Filipino interpreter available.

In the end, they told her she would be released if she posted $2,000 bail but she said she had no money because her wallet was left in the employers’ flat. Then eventually lowered the bail to $500 and allowed her to phone a friend to bail her out.

Legion said before she left for her vacation in December, she was accused by her female employer of stealing her mother-in-law’s money. They asked her to return the money, but she said how could she return something that she did not take?

She said she learned later on that her employers were already in the process of hiring someone to replace her.

Police told Legion to return to the Sheung Shui Station on Jun 22 to find out if she would be charged.

Tramway fares to increase in July

The Hong Kong government has allowed an increase in tram fares, effective July 2.

The Chief Executive in Council gave its concent to Hong Kong Tramways Limited (HKT) to alter fares, in accordance with section 51 of the Tramway Ordinance (Cap. 107).

Persons aged 12 or above will be charged $2.60, from $2.30. Children  aged 3 to 11 will be charged $1.30, $1.20.

The monthly ticket will be $220, from $200.

In addition, the fare for the elderly (aged 65 or above) will increase from $1.10 to $1.20. The fare for a tourist ticket will remain at $34.

A Government spokesman said the Government should ensure that HKT would have sound financial capability in providing economical, efficient and quality tram services at reasonable fares.

In assessing the fare increase, the Government took into account various factors, including the quality and quantity of service provided and the planned improvement projects of HKT; the changes in operating costs and revenue since HKT's last fare adjustment; HKT's forecasts of future costs, revenue, profit and return; and the likely public acceptability.

HKT submitted a fare increase application to the Transport Department in August 2017. The Government has consulted the Legislative Council Panel on Transport and the Transport Advisory Committee.

 HKT has not adjusted its fares for the past seven years. Since the last fare adjustment in June 2011, given the competition from other public transport modes, its patronage has been decreasing and the revenue has also correspondingly dropped.

The potential to further increase non-fare box revenue is rather limited. Although HKT made profits between 2011 and 2017, its profit after tax has been decreasing since 2014. HKT's profit after tax in 2016 and 2017 was $37.6 million and about $22.9 million respectively (the profit margin was 14.7 per cent and about 9 per cent respectively).

Nevertheless, HKT has planned to invest about $110 million in the next few years for service improvement projects.

All the president’s men

The first full-year reports of the Commission on Audit on the Duterte government described in documented details irregularities in some agencies, So far, these reports have claimed the head of Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo, who was replaced quickly by Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Fatima Romulo Puyat. Pressure is on for others to follow Teo’s fate — including President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter Sara, the mayor of Davao, who was questioned for spending P1 billion on casual employees at the city hall.

Solicitor General Jose Calida and ex-Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo.

But opposition senators are aiming their guns at the government’s chief lawyer, who is facing corruption charges before the Ombudsman.

Solicitor General Jose Calida, who engineered the removal of Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on quo warranto proceedings, is accused of conflict of interest because his family-owned security agency got P150 million worth of government contracts.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros said Duterte should not only fire Calida and other officials who had been removed on charges of corruption, but also charge them in court. 

“I challenge President Duterte to prove his anti-corruption rhetoric,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan said Calida should resign out of delicadeza if Duterte would not fire him.

Calida and his family reportedly owned Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency that allegedly bagged P150 million in contracts from various government agencies.

The allegation was detailed in a complaint filed against Calida by businesswoman Jocelyn Marie Acosta-Nisperos before the Ombudsman.

Despite the claim of Calida’s camp that he was no longer connected with the security agency, Sen. Francis Pangilinan said the Solicitor General should step down.

Malacañang came to Calida’s defense, saying there was no conflict of interest in the deals in question.

Duterte spokesperson Harry Roque said the solicitor general’s enemies were only out to get back at him for successfully ousting Sereno through a quo warranto petition.

Calida has kept mum on allegations of corruption being hurled at him, saying he would defend himself in a proper forum.

In her complaint, Nisperos said Calida failed to divest his 60-percent capital stock in their family business, the security firm Vigilant Investigative and Security Security Agency Inc. (VISAI), when he was appointed as Solicitor General in 2016.

Calida’s wife Milagros and their three children each own a 10 percent stake in VISAI.

Nisperos said VISAI bagged contracts from four agencies —the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), and the National Parks Development Corporation (NPDC) — due to its connection with Calida.

Nisperos also accused Calida of having an affair with his 22-year-old executive assistant, who allegedly received P1.8 million in public funds as compensation.

She said Calida, who was confronted by his wife Milagros upon learning of their affair, and his girlfriend have taken a leave of absence since their break-up.

“When Calida's wife found out about the affair and the corruption, she confronted him in his office last April 23. Calida and his alleged EA have since then taken a leave of absence from the OSG,” Nisperos said.

“By divesting P1.8 million from public funds to whom he is having an illicit relationship with, Calida is guilty of malversation that is punishable under the (Revised Penal Code),” she added.

Nisperos, however, admitted having no evidence on the alleged affair aside from her supposed “verified sources.”

“I acknowledge we do not have hard evidence when it comes to the relationship. But the eyewitness reports are strong, very credible ang witnesses. We beseech the Ombudsman to investigate this relationship,” she said.

Apart from his conflict of interest, Hontiveros also questioned Calida’s previous links with high-profile personalities in conflict with the law. “We cannot tolerate public officials who coddle and give special treatments to drug lords and high-profile criminals, or in Mr. Calida’s case, a solicitor general who lawyers for plunderers like pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and the Marcoses, and a Solicitor General whose personal businesses profit from the government,” Hontiveros said.

The senator also called on Duterte to stop recycling corrupt officials or the practice of reappointing dismissed government officials.

“Recycling corrupt public officials is recycling corruption. Corrupt public officers, who have been shielded from calls of transparency and accountability, are non-recyclable,” she said.

Pangilinan voiced a similar call. “If DoT Secretary Wanda Teo resigned because the DoT/PTV 4 favored her Tulfo brothers’ TV production company to the tune of P60 Million worth of government contracts then Solicitor General Jose Calida, the lawyer of the government, should resign as well for P150 million worth of government contracts in the DoJ (OSG is an attached agency), Pagcor, NEDA etc. that went to the security guard agency belonging to his wife and children (kasi nag resign na daw siya),” the senator wrote on his Facebook page.

“Family TV Production Company. Family Security agency. Same same. Halos times 3 nga lang ‘yung halaga nung kay Calida,” he added.

Teo stepped down from her post at the height of the controversy hounding the Department of Tourism (DoT) over its P60-million advertisement deal with the state-run, People’s Television Network Inc. (PTNI). The ad placement reportedly went to a program produced by Teo’s brother, Ben Tulfo, and co-hosted by another brother, Erwin Tulfo.

Other government officicals who faced adverse COA reportsa were:
• Resigned justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre under whose reign th Department of Justice was flagge for P27-million worth of payroll without supporting documents, and P65-million worth of accounts maintained without authority. But he says he “has no participation whatsoever” in the transactions.
• Government Corporate Counsel Rudolf Philip Jurado, who has been fired by Duterte for issuing a legal opinion that led to the approval of a 75-year permit for a casino operator inside the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (Apeco).  He said COA earlier issued an Audit Observation Memorandum dated March 12, which said lawyers of the Office of Government Corporate Counsel have been receiving, among others, “secret allowances” directly from some GOCCs.

Ekonomiya at ikaw

Ang buhay ng bansa, gaya ng isang negosyo, ay nakasalalay sa paglabas-pasok ng kayamanan sa kanyang kaban. Dito rin makikita kung tama ba o hindi ang pamamalakad dito.

Ang pagbagsak ng piso sa 52.60 sa isang dolyar, na pinakamababa sa loob ng 12 taon, ay nagbabadya ng paglabas ng kayamanan at kapital sa Pilipinas. At gaya ng gumuguhong dam, ang butas ay lalaki nang lalaki hanggang ang susunod na balita ay bagsak na ng ekonomiya, kung walang gagawing pampaampat ng pagdurugo.

Marami sa mga OFW ay natutuwa sa lugmok na piso, dahil ang kita nilang dolyar ay mas maraming katumbas, kaya nakakatipid sa pagpapadala ng nakagawiang halaga. Pero ang totoo, ang ipinapadala mong Php10,000 buwan-buwan ay kulang na. Ang kailangan ng pamilya mo ay Php15,000 dahil sa taas ng presyo ng bilihin. Sa huli ay imbes gumaan, mas bumigat ang dinadala mo.

Gaya ng iba’t ibang bansa, ang Pilipinas ay kailangan ding magbayad ng mas mahal na dolyar para sa inaangkat nito, gaya ng langis, bigas at iba pa. May maniobra pa ang iba’t ibang bansa upang ma-protektahan ang kani-kanilang ekonomiya, na karahiman ay nagpapahirap sa mga bansang gaya ng Pilipinas.

Sa ngayon ay pinababayaan ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas na hanapin ng piso ang tamang halaga nito upang hindi masyadong magalaw ang reserba nitong $80 billion para sa bayaring internasyonal.

Pero kung ang pamahalaan ay gumagastos ng mas malaki sa nakokolekta nitong buwis, baka kahit iyan ay maubos din. Sa unang apat na buwan sa taong ito, halimbawa, ang budget deficit ay umabot na sa Php116 bilyon – apat na patong noong 2017.

Sinabi ni Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez na hindi dapat mabahala dahil mas mababa ito sa inaasahan. Pero ito ay mangangahulugan ng mas malaking uutangin ng pamahalaan upang mapunan ang kakulangan, na magpapataas sa interes na singil ng mga bangko, na magpapataas sa gastos ng mga negosyante, na sa huli ay magpapataas sa presyo ng bilihin.

Kaya hindi nakapagtataka ang report na dumausdos nang 9 lugar ang Pilipinas sa World Competitiveness ranking  sa ika-50 sa 63 bansa, mula 41 noong 2017. Ito ang pinakamalaking pagbagsak ng Pilipinas sa loob ng isang dekada, at pinakamalaking bagsak na nairehistro ng isang bansa sa Asia-Pacific.

At gaya ng inaasahan, nabagok tayo sa apat na basehan ng World Competitiveness Yearbook, ang pinagmulan ng report na ito – economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, at infrastructure.

Kung sana napagtutuunan ng pansin ang mga ito ng mga namumuno kesa pagpapalapad ng papel, ay sana maayos ang buhay natin.

At siya nga pala, ang Hong Kong ay No. 2 sa ranking. Kaya nga ba maraming OFW na nagtatrabaho dito, imbes na sa sarili nilang bansa?

New welfare officer says her heart is with workers

By Vir B. Lumicao

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s newest welfare officer in Hong Kong may have been destined to serve the working class.

Virsie B. Tamayao, a 57-year-old social worker by profession who hails from Cagayan province, says this predilection began after she graduated from St Paul’s University in Tuguegarao in 1982.

“My heart is with the workers. Ever since I’ve worked, first with farmers, then with workers, and now with OFWs,” Tamayao told The SUN in an interview on May 24. It was her first day on the job, having flown in from Manila the night before to take up her post at the OWWA Hong Kong office.

Virsie B. Tamayao

By noon, Tamayao had spoken to about a dozen OFWs who made inquiries or brought up problems about their employers. Other workers went to the OWWA office on 16th floor of Mass Mutual Tower for wage, severance or long service pay computations.

Once, at the beginning of the interview, she took a call from an OFW and patiently listened for about 5 minutes to the worker’s woes, before tactfully telling her to go to the Hong Kong Labour Department.

Tamayao’s job path has seen her dealing with workers from the beginning. She first worked for the National Irrigation Administration regional office where her daily routine was talking with farmers. Then she became a community organizer of farmers for some time.

In 1999, Tamayao joined the OWWA Region 2 office in Tuguegarao as a social worker. She would later be promoted to community development officer, assigned overseas twice – to Abu Dhabi in 2005-2007 and later to Seoul, South Korea, in 2013 – before returning to the same office as overseas workers welfare officer.

Tamayao told the SUN that before coming to Hong Kong, she went through immersion in the home office where she was briefed on the usual OFW problems in Hong Kong and the kind of assistance the workers here needed.

Worker situations vary from place to place, she acknowledged, citing the difficult conditions in Abu Dhabi where the OFWs are mostly domestic workers, and the better lot of OFWs in Korea simply because they are in higher job categories.

“Previous welfare officers here, such as Mila Peña, say that Hong Kong is totally different because problems are easier to settle than in the Middle East, as the workers are covered by labor laws and employers are easier to talk to,” Tamayao said.

But she said she has yet to see for herself the real picture and can only make the comparison after her tour of duty.

For Hong Kong-based OFWs, Tamayao says she will follow what she did in Korea, that of pursuing existing programs that prepare the workers for reintegration once they decide to return home. These programs include training in financial management, employable skills, livelihood projects, and businesses that will enable the workers and their families to sustain their daily needs.

But she said the preparations do not just involve the workers: it must also encompass the workers’ family members. So, while the mother or father is working abroad, OWWA operatives reach out to their families to teach them about their responsibilities.

“Ang reintegration ay hindi lang sa OFW nakatuon kung hindi maging sa pamilya niya para mintindihan nila na uuwi rin ang OFW pagdating ng panahon,” Tamayao said.

The spouse must know how to manage the money and save, while the children must finish their studies so the hard-earned money is not wasted.

Tamayao is married to a social worker who is now retired and will join her shortly in Hong Kong.
Their four children are now professionals, two of whom are OFWs. The eldest is a nurse working in the Middle East, the second is a lawyer of the Public Attorneys Office, the third is a seaman, and the youngest has just earned his diploma in international studies.

For the next three years, the presence of Tamayao in Hong Kong should provide comfort to the city’s growing army of OFWs.