Peso seen to hit P54:$1 by yearend

Foreign-currency earning Filipinos may get more pesos for their money as the Philippine money is predicted to be valued at P54 to a US dollar by yearend.

Singapore-based bank DBS said the Philippines’ weakening external position and higher interest rates will continue to put pressure on the peso, keeping its expectations of a fall to P54 versus the US dollar by December.

“The currency has depreciated 5.8 percent year-to-date, more than the full-year depreciation of 5.4 percent and 4.7 percent seen in 2016 and 2015, respectively, to become the weakest currency in Asia ex Japan,” DBS said in a report released on Tuesday.

It noted that the peso had fallen to a 12-year low against the dollar on Monday, closing 25 centavos down at P52.95:$1, the lowest since a P52.98 finish on July 3, 2006.

“The latest weakness was triggered by the trade deficit which widened to a cumulative $12.2 billion in the first four months, 1.6 times wider than the same period a year ago,” it added.

The trade shortfall is being pressured from both sides, DBS said, pointing to a 6.2 percent year-on-year decline in exports and a 10.5 percent increase in imports over the first four months of the year.

It also noted that the country’s foreign reserves had, for the first time since 2014, fallen below $80 billion to settle at $78.96 billion in May.

DBS also weighed in on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) decision last month to raise key interest rates, saying this was prompted by inflation having hit five-year highs.

The 25-basis point adjustment took the central bank’s overnight borrowing, lending and deposit rates to 3.25 percent, 3.75 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

May’s headline inflation of 4.6 percent brought the year-to-date average rate to 4.1 percent, above the BSP’s 2.0-4.0 percent target.

“We see one more hike later this year,” DBS said.

“With opinion divided on whether the economy is overheating, the peso is likely to keep its depreciation path towards 54 by end-2018,” it said.

Month-long Independence Day celebrations roll off in HK

Mindanao groups present the dances of the lumads and their colorful costume (above) on the second Sunday.

By Daisy CL Mandap

Rains at first threatened to mar the start of the promised month-long celebration of the 120th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day celebration in Hong Kong, but in the end, it was intense heat that participants had to endure to get the show going.

“Panalo ang Pinoy,” the first Sunday show on Chater on Jun 3,  organized by the Philippine Association of Hong Kong and corporate sponsors led by Smart-PLDT and Philippine Airlines, languished in the searing heat for the most part. Beauty contestants in their fineries ended up parading with umbrellas on stage to protect them from the sun’s intense rays.

The audience perked up only toward the late afternoon when former Rivermaya frontman Jason Fernandez took to the stage and sang a string of popular Filipino pop songs.

Jason Fernandez, former Rivermaya vocalist, highlights the first Sunday show. 

The next Sunday, Jun 10, the “Kapangyawan Festival”, usually the centerpiece of the annual celebration, was held also on Chater Road, with the Philippine Consulate joining hands with Global Alliance and Philippine Alliance in putting on the show. Another airline, Asia Air, was the main sponsor.

The crowd was noticeably thinner than in previous years, but again, the heat and humidity, plus the prospect of seeing the same performances being staged on Chater Road over three Sundays, must have caused many to stay away.

The Philippine flag leads a parade of colors on Chater Road.

The highlight of the show was the “Kulay Pinoy” performance of several migrant workers groups, the culmination of several Sundays of choreography and rehearsals. The much-awaited part was held in mid-afternoon, but the sun’s rays were still bearing down heavily on the performers as they bravely put their best foot forward.

After the show, an announcement was made that the performance will be restaged on Jun 17, the third Sunday of Chater events, which will have another beauty contest, the “Search for Bb Kalayaan 2018” as its main attraction. The penultimate Sunday event dubbed “Kalayaan Concert” will also feature performances by three live bands, including one from the Hong Kong Musicians Union.

PAHK honors past and present officers.

The next Sunday will be an indoor event, the Kalayaan Ball, an annual lunch gathering of Filipino migrant workers dressed in their best Independence Day outfits. This year’s party will be held at the Fulum Palace in North Point.

Earlier, on Jun 9, Saturday, another indoor event was held at the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui - the annual Philippine Independence Day charity ball. As in past decades, the biggest gathering of Filipino professional and business people was hosted by the Philippine Association of Hong Kong.

This year’s venue was far smaller than the Conrad ballroom - the traditional home of the annual ball - and the sound system was far from perfect, but neither setback failed to stop the partygoers from having fun.

Helping fire them up was the array of top performers for the evening, from singers Ogie Alcasid, Jason Fernandez and Jason Dy, to FilAm standup comedian Rex Navarrete.

As befits its theme “Celebrating Global Pinoys,” the charity ball paid honor to five “Most Valuable Pinoys” – entrpreneur Myrna Padilla for technology; photographer Xyza Bacani, arts; Dr Miguel Manio for education; banker Lourdes Salazar for business and professional practice; and Global Alliance founder Noemi “Leo” Selomenio for community development.

Killing not a solution

Our guest columnist for this issue is Christine, otherwise known as #395450 at Lowu Correctional Institute, where she is serving a long prison sentence for drug trafficking. This is the second time Christine has written for us. The first time, she wrote of how her faith in God has helped her overcome her shock and distress in finding herself in “this dark tunnel, a life in prison.” This issue she writes about an issue close to her heart, the reported mass killings of suspected drug users and traffickers in the Philippines. She laments, why focus on drugs alone? Why not try to find a solution to poverty and corruption? And why kill drug users and pushers? Killing is not a solution…”

Whenever I open the newspaper I often read about what’s happening to my homeland, the Philippines. It is the country where I was born and raised, but here I am in Hong Kong, not as an overseas Filipino worker, but as a prisoner. When my family and friends learned that I was arrested for drug trafficking they were aghast. No one believed it until they confirmed it through the news online. But even I still ask myself how I got involved in this kind of trouble.

But I do not blame anyone because I believe that I must take responsibility for everything that I did in my life. I should not blame other people if the decisions and plans I made have been unsuccessful.
When I read the news I feel so much pain, knowing that there are lots of my countrymen who have died because of the (government’s) campaign or the war against drugs. They are killing pushers, traffickers, drug dealers and all people who involved in drugs. But the one thing that hurts me most is that even the young and the innocent are being killed.

They’re taking the lives of Filipinos as easy as that. In my own opinion, it’s all extrajudicial killing. What kind of law do we have?

It’s been two years since I was arrested. I was sentenced to 14 years and 8 months, and here I am in Lowu, with 12 more years to serve behind bars.

I can say that most of us knew (that we were being used as drugs mules) but some are  innocent. But there are big reasons why we ended up here. Some were threatened, some were tricked, and some really didn’t know. All of us have a story to tell.

I committed a crime and I have already accepted that I need to pay for the consequences of breaking the law.

But, prisoners still need to be heard. It feels like the Philippines has already dumped us, that we don’t have the right anymore to seek help.

Prisoners are still human beings with feelings, and should not be treated as just convicts. We still have families back home who love us and are waiting for our return. Nobody is perfect. People make mistakes, and some like myself are now in prison because of this.

But our misdeeds are being corrected here and we also help reform ourselves, unlike thousands of real criminals who are still on the loose.

Maybe if the Philippine government is able to provide jobs for many, maybe if there is an opportunity to find a good job so that we can have a normal life, we wouldn’t be in this situation.

But some people are just too judgmental. They think a convicted person is useless, and will always be a threat to society. Why? Why is it so easy for people to see the mistakes of others and not their own?
Why do they keep thinking drug mules are a menace to the society? We’re also victims of this dangerous world, we are only humans, after all. Don’t put all the blame on us.

There are a lot of problems and issues that the government must tackle, not just drugs. Instead of focusing only on drugs, why not try to find a solution to poverty and corruption, when we all know these are the biggest problems that need to resolved?

Killing is not a solution!

We have the right to be given a second chance. We may be prisoners but we are still absolutely normal and not just criminals.

We need support but we are not getting it because they are all afraid of our leaders and the campaign against drugs. They’d all rather remain silent.

If our country cannot be a safe place for people who get involved in drugs, where will I go after I am released, tell me?

But I am not losing hope. I keep the faith and pray to God to open the eyes of prejudiced people so they can accept us and our mistakes so we can have a fair chance in life… for a better future.

Nabusog din

Mag-iisang taon na si Nadine sa mga unang amo sa Hong Kong. Maayos at mabait naman ang mga ito sa kanya ngunit nalulungkot siya dahil madalas na hindi nila nauubos ang pagkaing niluluto niya, kahit sa tantya naman niya ay tama lang ang dami nito para sa kanila.

Tahimik at wala namang reklamo ang mga amo kapag kumakain pero madalas na nakakalahati lang ang pagkaing hinahanda niya. Hinayang na hinayang siya tuloy dahil ayaw ng mga amo na nag-iimbak siya ng tira sa refrigerator kaya tapon lahat ang hindi nakain sa mga niluto niya.

Dahil lumaking mahirap, mas malaki ang panghihinayang niyang nararamdaman dahil alam niya ang pakiramdam ng kumakalam ang sikmura. Ang kahirapang iyon ang nagtulak sa kanya para magtrabaho sa Hong Kong.

Imbes panghinaan ng loob ay nagtanong-tanong siya sa mga kaibigan kung ano ang sikreto ng pagluluto ng masarap na pagkain. Pinayuhan siya ng mga ito na manood sa youtube ng mga paraan ng pagluluto, at tanungin din ang among babae kung tama sa panlasa nila ang kanyang mga hinandang pagkain.

Sinunod lahat ni Nadine ang payo ng mga kaibigan at pinaghusayan ang pagluluto. Hindi naman siya nabigo dahil ngayon, pagkatapos kumain ng mga amo, ay lagi siyang sinasabihan ng, “Nadine, look. The plates are all empty, everything is very yummy, thank you!”

Laking tuwa ni Nadine dahil natupad din ang gusto niya na magustuhan ng mga amo ang kanyang niluluto.

Si Nadine ay isang dalagang Bikolana na ang mga among Intsik ay naninirahan sa Robinson Road sa Mid-Levels. – Ellen Asis

Nasalanta ng masamang panahon

Nalugi si Lorena sa kanyang babuyan dahil sa kakulangan niya ng kaalaman tungkol sa epekto ng pagsalanta ng masamang panahon. Ayon sa kanya, sa pagnanais na magkaroon ng dagdag kita at matulungan ang mga kapatid ay nag-isip siya ng ibang mapagkakakitaan.

Ang kanyang nakababatang kapatid na wala ring muwang sa pagpapatakbo ng babuyan ang namahala. Sa una, inakala niyang kikita siya ng maayos kaya namuhunan siya ng husto, hanggang umabot na sa 80 patabain at 16 na inahin ang kanyang babuyan.

Pero pagsapit ng tag- ulan ay nagkasakit ang ilan dahil sa lamig, at pati ang ilang inahin ay hindi nakayanan ang panganganak. Binaha kasi ang kanyang kural dahil sa malakas na ulan, at hindi na nagawang isalba ng beterinaryo ang mga baboy na nagkasakit.

Ang ilang natira ay napilitan niyang ibenta sa mga barat na mamimili ng baboy. Wala na kasi siyang magagawa dahil kapag hindi niya ibinenta ay lalo siyang malulugi dahil sa mahal ng pakain sa baboy.

Nakakadala, sabi ni Lorena, ang kanyang pagkabigo sa unang pagtatangka niyang magnegosyo. Mabuti na lang daw at hindi utang ang ginamit niyang pang capital, dahil inipon niya ito sa loob ng limang taon na pagtatrabaho sa abroad. Ang bentaha na lang niya ay 30 taong gulang pa lang siya, at may pagkakataon pang makabawi. Sa ngayon ay nag-iipon siya muli at ayaw na munang magnegosyo. Saka na lang daw kapag nagdesisyon siyang umuwi na sa Pampanga para siya na mismo ang magpatakbo. – George Manalansan

Hinayang sa pinalampas na pagkakataon

Ngayong hirap sa pagiging kasambahay sa Hong Kong ay saka nakaramdam ng pagsisi at panghihinayang si Precy 40, Ilokana. May tsansa kasi siyang makatapos ng pag- aaral dahil may kaya naman ang kanyang pamilya, pero mas pinili niya ang mag- abroad para kumita agad.

Hindi lang kasi trabahong bahay ang pinapagawa sa kanya ng among babae. Nag-aral ito ng paggawa ng mga kakanin ng Intsik, tapos ay ginawa siyang assistant, kaya nadagdagan ang kanyang trabaho. Habang tumatagal siya sa amo ay mas lalo pa daw itong naging maselan at maarte.

Para gumaan ang nararamdaman ay idinadaan na lang ni Precy sa pagkanta ng “Doon Lang” ang nararamdaman. May tama kasi sa kanya ang parteng ito ng kanta: “Kung nakatapos lang ako ng pag- aaral, disin sana ako'y mayroong dangal (propesyunal) na ihaharap sa iyo at ipagyayabang...”

Ayon pa kay Precy, nasa kanya daw ang lahat ng pagkakataon noon na makatapos dahil bunso siya. Kung ginusto lang niya, tiyak na papaaralin siya ng ate niya na nagtatrabaho din sa Hong Kong.

Inakala daw niya na maganda ang magtrabaho dito dahil sa tuwing magbabakasyon ang kanyang mga ate ay may magagandang damit, alahas at ibang gamit. Sa tingin din niya ay siyang siya ang kanilang mga magulang sa naging kapalaran ng kanyang mga kapatid.

Nang siya ay lumagay sa tahimik ay nag-umpisa na siyang maghirap dahil iresponsable ang kanyang napangasawa. Hindi na nga ito nagtatrabaho ay nambabae pa, kaya nagdesisyon siyang hiwalayan ito kahit may dalawa na silang anak.

Ngayon ang mga anak na lang daw niya ang nagbibigay ng lakas sa kanya at ng inspirasyon para kayanin ang mga pagsubok, lalo na ng dahil sa amo niyang maarte. Kailangan niyang magtiyaga para mapaaral ang mga anak at nang hindi matulad sa kanya na nagtitiyagang magtrabaho bilang katulong sa ibang bansa dahil walang tinapos. – George Manalansan

Noted Filipino design consultant speaks at seminar for OFWs

By Ellen Asis

A new level of pushing a business idea was tackled at a seminar for Filipino domestic workers held at the Consulate on May 13, with famous design and brand managing consultant Chris Dingcong as guest speaker.

A total of 79 Filipino migrant workers attended the seminar where Dingcong told them of “The Importance of Design in Business.”

According to Dingcong, design plays an important role in connecting a business with people, and branding provides the competitive edge in driving business growth.

Design and brand managing consultant Chris Dingcong is joined by Deputy Consul General Roderico Atienza ang seminar participant for a photo.

Dingcong, the founder and managing director of Springtime Limited, a Hong Kong-based brand consultancy company, counts among his creations the MTR Corporation signage system maps, and many other high-profile projects.

He told the OFWs branding is primarily important in a business because it is “a way of talking to the customer or target market.” But the brand becomes valuable and meaningful only if it is aligned with the company’s identity core, mission, vision, values and brand story.

He said branding creates awareness. It is what tempts the mind of the target customer, and once they become fully aware of the product, the experience could be akin to personal encounter.

But creating a brand does not just involve a light bulb moment. It is a process that takes time,  research, strategy formation, and a creative expression to create and design a logo.

Chris Dingcong

He encouraged participants to be impressive and innovative when they create a design for their business, and use hypothetical branding application. He also advised participants that when they start planning a business they should also think of a business name, and how to create packaging and leaflets that will make it easier for them to communicate to people in their target market, and who they are as a business.

Dingcong was introduced to the audience by Deputy Consul General Roderico Atienza who said the seminar provided a new learning experience to participants, and would be a big help should they decide to start a business back homeThe seminar was a collaborative work of the Consulate and Wimler HK Foundation.

To get information on the Consulate’s upcoming seminars, like their Facebook Page,  Philippine Consulate General.

Pangasinan Society inducts officers

Officers of the Pangasinan Society Hongkong took their oath last May 6 at the Philippine Consulate General. They were inducted by Consul Paulo V. Saret.

The PSHK officers are:
Bonifacio Madelar, chairman; Leilani Campos, president; Cecilia Ocaspablo Layog, vice president internal; Flor Chisholm, vice president external;  Cristina Bondoc Bautista, secretary; Mellicent Mendoza Villanos Malate, assistant secretary; Jessita Villanueva, treasurer; Estefania Lomaque, assistant treasurer;  Welva Delim, auditor;  Imelda E. Emy Emperador Nicer, assistant auditor.
Joyce Ann Dulatre Alleycia Ibay, Leizel N.Gasmen, Marisa S.Hermosura, PRO; Elizabeth Baldonado, business manager, Lanilyn Pagula, Mhyla Q. Delim, Raquel Bartolome, business managers.

Advisers are Consular Attache Hermogenes V. Cayabyab Jr., Mary Rose Rhose Campos, Lorena Ugay and Rizza Tam.

Pangasinan Society Hongkong officers have their photo taken with their inducting officer, Consul Paulo V. Saret (right) at the Consulate.

Ylagan allowed to post bail

By Daisy CL Mandap

Ylagan was held for conspiracy
to defraud and money laundering

Ester Ylagan, co-owner of the defunct Service Staff and Employment Agency, was allowed to post bail earlier today, 9 June, after being questioned by Hong Kong Police for about 48 hours.

In an emailed response to a query on the status of Ylagan’s investigation, a police spokesperson said, “the 65-year-old arrested woman was released on Police bail and is required to report back to Police in early July 2018.”

Earlier, the Police confirmed to The SUN that Ylagan had been arrested on June 7 in Western District for “conspiracy to defraud” and “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” (also known as money laundering).”

The arrest reportedly stemmed from complaints filed by 210 individuals starting in 2016, alleging that they had been deceived in a job recruitment scam in which each lost between $5,000 and $20,000.

Earlier reports indicated, however, that Ylagan had recruited up to 500 Filipino job applicants in Hong Kong, Macau and the Philippines for non-existent jobs in Britain and Canada. The total amount involved was estimated to be closer to $5 million.

Subsequent investigations revealed she and several other people close to her had sent a total of around $10 million to several countries as far apart as Malaysia and Burkina Faso. 

Ylagan was arrested one day after Arnold Grospe, another Filipino on the police’s lookout list was detained in Central.

Grospe was the marketing director of Peya Travel, which collapsed in December last year amid complaints of unpaid air tickets from more than 1,000 of its customers.

Hundreds of complainants were unable to board their flights back to the Philippines over the last Christmas holidays because Peya failed to pay its airline agents for the tickets.

Check out The SUN's earlier story on this here: https://www.sunwebhk.com/2018/06/hk-police-arrest-ylagan-grospe.html

‘Strip-searched’ DH jailed for theft, says she will appeal

By Vir B. Lumicao

Eastern magistrate denied application
for bail pending appeal

A Filipina helper accused of stealing a $500 banknote and a lip balm from her employer was sentenced to 28 days in prison on Jun 7 after an Eastern court magistrate found her guilty of theft.

Despite the setback, Margie Lotino’s defense counsel quickly began the process of appeal. He applied for bail on the defendant’s behalf so an appeal against her

conviction could be launched at the High Court.

The prosecutor, defense lawyer, court interpreters, agency representative and a Consulate officer who had stood by Lotino during the six days of trial, returned to the court for the bail application just minutes after Magistrate Simon Ho meted out the sentence.

But Ho rejected the application, saying, “I cannot see any reason why I should grant bail”.

Ho then threw a glance at Lotino, who was crying inconsolably.

The magistrate said he gave weight to the prosecution’s evidence and also on the  defendant’s statement to police in which she admitted her guilt. He also said the sentence he imposed was light, considering that the case involved a serious breach of trust.

Lotino’s trial was halted early on, when the magistrate decided to call six police officers to the witness stand to respond to the defendant’s complaint that they had made her strip down to her underwear during three separate interrogations.

The Filipino court interpreter was also called to explain why she allegedly told the defendant to admit the offense in her police statement.

Ho said the police witnesses were reliable and honest, and the court interpreter was independent and accurate and would not have sided with any of the parties in the case.

In the previous hearing on May 16, Ho rejected an attempt by the defense to include the alleged repeated body-searches and other police misconduct in Lotino’s evidence. He also cleared the officers of misconduct.

On Apr 20, Lotino accused her female employer, who is a teacher and wife of a traffic officer, of framing her up. She said she signed a statement admitting the offenses because she was cold, hungry, fatigued from lack of sleep and under intense pressure from body searches and interrogations lasting more than 14 hours before she was freed on bail.

She said during the ordeal the police refused to give her water or make phone calls to the Consulate or to Technic Employment Service Centre Ltd, which deployed her.

Technic staff Melanie Fisher testified on May 16, saying Lotino went straight to the agency distraught after being released by the police. The next morning, she took Lotino to the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section to seek help.