Pinay, pinalaya matapos kasuhan ng amo

Ni Rodelia P. Villar

Pinagpiyansa sa halagang $100 lamang si Liza Panabe, 46 at taga Calinog City, Iloilo City, matapos siyang ipahuli sa pulis ng kanyang amo sa salang pagnanakaw diumano ng sleeping pills, face mask at sigarilyo.

Ayon kay Panabe, mismong mga pulis ang nagsabi sa kanya na mag-impake na at bumaba sa bahay ng amo sa Wong Tai Sin  noong ika-25 ng Agosto, matapos nilang makita doon ang mga gamit sa paghithit ng marijuana. Ipinakita din ng Pilipina ang mga kuha sa kanyang telepono na nagpapatunay na lulong sa ipinagbabawal na gamot ang kanyang among babae.

Isang linggo bago mangyari ang insidente ay napansin na diumano ni Panabe na iba na ang takbo ng utak ng amo, marahil dahil sa sobrang paggamit ng marijuana. Noong ika-3 ng Hunyo, halimbawa, biglang may dumating na pulis sa kanilang bahay na may kasamang ambulansiya dahil sinaktan ng amo ang kanyang ina. Isang linggo bago siya ipadampot ay nag-away daw silang matindi ng kanyang amo na laging mainit ang ulo.

Gustong gusto na daw ni Panabe na iwanan ang baliw na amo nguni’t naawa siya sa 16 taong gulang nitong anak, at pati ang ina na matanda na. Gusto rin ng Pinay na tapusin na muna ang kontrata para hindi siya mahirapang humanap ng lilipatan.

Gayunpaman, sinunod ni Panabe ang payo ng mga kaibigan na gumawa ng diary para may proteksyon siya sa kung anumang gawing hindi tama ng amo. Isang beses din na pumunta si Liza sa Philippine Overseas Labor Office para ibahagi ang ginagawa ng amo ngunit sinabihan niyang kailangan niyang ireklamo para may umaksyon.

Madaling araw noong ika-25 ng Agosto nang bulabugin ng amo ang mga pulis para ipahuli si Liza. Hindi natakot si Liza dahil alam niyang wala naman siyang ginagawang masama.

Pagdating ng mga pulis ay itinuro ng amo ang isang itim na bag kung saan nakita daw nito ang 17 pirasong face mask, dalawang kahang sigarilyo, at 30 tableta ng sleeping pills.

Itinanggi ni Panabe na kinuha niya ang mga gamit na nandoon, na wala namang halos halaga, pero pilit siyang pinapaamin ng amo sa salang pagnanakaw. Sinabi ni Panabe na dahil sa sobrang paghithit ng marijuana ay hindi natutulog ang kanyang amo ng dalawang araw na magkasunod minsan, at laging nakasigaw.

Tiningnan naman ng mga pulis ang bag, pero sinabihan si Panabe na mag-impake na para makaalis. Tinulungan pa nila ito na bitbitin ang kanyang maleta at iba pang gamit para makababa na noon din, at dinala siya sa Wong Tai Sin police station.

Pasado alas dos na ng madaling araw nang makatawag si Panabe sa kapatid na isa ring OFW sa Hong Kong, na mabilis namang humingi ng saklolo sa Facebook page ng kanyang grupong Domestic Workers Corner.

Bandang alas sais ng umaga ay hindi na ma-contact ng kapatid si Panabe kaya naisipan ng isang miyembro ng grupo na tumawag sa Wong Tai Sin police station, at nakumpirma nilang nandoon nga ang nawawalang Pinay.

Agad na sumugod sa istasyon ng pulis si Rain Tuando ng DWC para alamin ang kalagayan ni Panabe, at bandang gabi ay sinabihan siya na puwede na niyang bayaran ang piyansa sa halagang $100.

Tuwang-tuwa si Panabe nang palabasin na sa istasyon, kasama ang apat na pulis na bitbit ang kanyang mga gamit. Binigyan pa siya ng address ng isang shelter kung saan siya tutuloy, at lahat ng mga impormasyon para sa kanyang pag report muli sa istasyon.

Pinayuhan din ng mga pulis si Panabe na kasuhan niya sa Labor Department ang amo dahil wala itong ibinayad sa kanya nang bigla siyang pababain. Sinabihan din siya na pwede siyang mag-apply ng extension ng visa at malamang na payagan na kumuha ng bagong amo nang hindi muna bumabalik sa Pilipinas. Laking pasasalamat ni Panabe dahil hindi naniwala ang mga pulis sa maling paratang ng amo.

Tumuloy si Panabe sa shelter ng Konsulado, at kinaumagahan, kasama ng kapatid ay inasikaso niya ang pagsasampa ng kaso laban sa amo sa tulong ng Help for Domestic Workers.

Peso sinks to P54.13 to US$1; lowest since Dec 2005

By The SUN

The peso exchange rate at today's close of trading was at P54.13 to US$1, or P6.88 to HK$1

THE Philippine peso breached the P54:$1 (HK$1:P6.88) level today, Wednesday, falling 19 centavos weaker than the previous day’s close at P53.94. 

The foreign exchange trading opened at P53.90:$1 and fell to P54.14 during the day. It closed at P54.13 per dollar, its lowest since the P54.15:$1 finish on December 2, 2005.

Shares at the Philippine stock market also continued sliding down as the Philippine peso posted its lowest finish against the greenback in 13 years, alongside escalating trade tensions between the United States and China.

The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped 0.91 percent or 68.81 points to 7,449.20, marking its sixth straight day of decline. The broader all-shares index also went down 0.43 percent or 20.12 points to 4,577.16.

“The peso breaking out of its psychological 54 resistance level (i.e. peso depreciation) to make an intraday high of 54.153 may have had a hand in today’s weakness,” Papa Securities Corp. trader Gabriel Jose F. Perez said.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng observed that demand for the US dollar remained strong amid the peak season for imports in September to October.

“The widening trade deficit due to a weak export performance and sustained strong imports also contributes to the weak market sentiment on PHP (Philippine peso),” he said.

The government had reported that the country’s trade deficit widened significantly to $3.546 billion in July, expanding the year-to-date tally to $22.490 billion.

Imports totaled $61.234 billion during the seven-month period, surpassing $38.744 billion in exports.

Land Bank of the Philippines market economist Guian Angelo Dumalagan said the peso’s weakness could be attributed to continued trade tension between the US and China, as well as the dollar’s rally following better US jobs data.

ING’s Cuyegkeng said that while the market expected the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise its policy rate later this month, “such a timeframe of policy response is perceived to be unaggressive.”

“Recent developments about soaring inflation and weakening peso could prompt an earlier off-cycle move as an indication of BSP’s seriousness and aggressive response to soaring inflation, deep- in-the-red real policy rates and some political noise,” he said.

Above-target inflation has prompted monetary authorities to raise key interest rates by a total of 100 basis points since May. August’s nine-year high of 6.4 percent has raised the prospect of another rate hike when the Monetary Board meets later this month.

Nightmare’s over: Erwiana graduates with honors

Erwiana with her proud parents on graduation day

By The SUN

The Indonesian migrant worker whose horrific abuse at the hands of her former Hong Kong employer sparked international outrage, has graduated with a degree in business management, cum laude, from Santa Dharma University in Yogyakarta where she was on scholarship.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih announced her graduation through Facebook on Sept 8, along with pictures of her and her proud parents, as well as friends. The announcement was met with great rejoicing, particularly by her fellow migrant workers in Hong Kong.

In her Facebook post, 26-year-old Erwiana thanked God, her family, university officials, fellow students, and fellow migrant workers for helping her with her intellectual pursuits, as well as her advocacy for “fighting injustice against migrant labour”.

Among the first to congratulate her were Indonesian migrants rights advocates and staff at the Mission for Migrant Workers, who helped Erwiana fight her cases in Hong Kong, both criminal and civil.

Erwiana’s plight came to light in January 2014, when her then employer, housewife Law Wan-tung, put her on a flight to Jakarta, hardly able to walk, and with her face and body all swelled up and bruised. Erwiana had worked for Law for just seven months.

A fellow Indonesian domestic worker who was on the same flight took pictures of Erwiana’s extensive injuries and posted them on social media, before accompanying her to her home in Central Java where she was promptly hospitalized.

After media picked up her story, Hong Kong authorities sent a team of officers to the Indonesian hospital to personally interview and examine Erwiana. 

Law was subsequently prosecuted, and the court heard Erwiana’s testimony of how she was repeatedly tortured by Law over seven months. The two most serious injuries inflicted by Law included a hard punch in the mouth, which fractured the maid’s three front teeth; and the second, when she inserted the metal tube of a vacuum cleaner into the victim's mouth, then twisted it, resulting in a bleeding torn lip and a permanent scar. 

Thirteen months after the abuse was uncovered, Law was convicted on 18 charges of assault, intimidation and underpayment of wages, for which she was jailed for six years.

In December last year, Law was also ordered to pay Erwiana a total of $809,403 in damages.

In thanking all those who helped her rebuild her life, Erwiana said they were “a gift and a bringer of hope,” sent by God to her. She pledged to continue the struggle for “the people who are still oppressed.”

HK Filcom mourns death of 'Magsasakang OFW'

By The SUN Writers

Rose Perido (rightmost and inset) with her fellow farming enthusiasts 

The Filipino community in Hong Kong has lost one of its most dedicated  leaders, migrant worker and agriculture trainor Rosanna “Rose” Perido.

Perido, who was married but had no children, died at her home in Indang, Cavite, on Sept. 6, exactly on the date of her 50^th birthday. She had been home for only four days when she passed on.

The cause of her death was not immediately known, but some of her closest friend said Perido was diagnosed with lung cancer. Others, however, claimed her ailment was a mystery even to her.

According to one of them, Hong Kong, entrepreneur Angel Payos, Perido was taken to hospital after complaining of shortness of breath. She was in hospital for about two weeks, before asking to be flown home.

Payos said Perido was cheerful and hardly looked sick during her confinement.

But according to Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre who met Perido at Manila airport, the OFW leader was already quite sick on arrival.

“When I met her at Manila airport, she couldn’t even speak and we communicated through sign language. It was very fast,” he said.

But Dela Torre declined to give any more information, saying, “She didn’t want the cause nor her hospitalization broadcast to the community.”

Staff at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office said Perido was escorted on the flight home by a doctor and staff from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. They were met at the airport by Dela Torre, who then joined Perido and her escorts in the short trip to her home in Cavite.

Perido, who had reportedly worked for the same employer for 18 years, was a volunteer trainor in the agriculture livelihood course of POLO/OWWA for the past 12 years.

People who knew or trained under Perido were shocked and saddened when Labatt dela Torre announced her demise on Friday evening, Sept 7.

Perido's photo in Labatt Jolly's Facebook post

Dela Torre, who had worked closely with Perido on several agri-based livelihood seminars at POLO, took to Facebook to express his grief over her untimely death.

“We announce with great sadness the passing of one of our most active volunteer trainors in the field of agriculture, Rose Perido,” he wrote.

“Rose exemplified the hardworking, selfless and dedicated corps of volunteer trainors of POLO HK, without whose sacrifice of spending their day offs in teaching and training our OFWs, Polo OWWA HK would’ve been hard pressed in preparing our OFWs for their eventual return. She didn’t mind the long hours, and even added value to the training through her field trips to farms in Hong Kong.”

“I am sure many of her students and graduates, many of whom have returned and engaged in agriculture in their hometowns, will miss Rose and her deep interest in farming, and her abiding concern for the welfare of OFWs. Every Sunday, she was always there, on the dot, and she would go home long after her students had gone.”

Labatt Nida Romulo, who was posted in Hong Kong pending Dela Torre’s return, also expressed shock at the news about Perido, to whom she awarded a plaque of appreciation only last month, during the graduation ceremony for the latest batch of POLO trainees.

“Tuwang-tuwa ako sa kanya dahil well-appreciated siya ng mga tinuturuan niya rito,” Romulo said.

Romulo said she was impressed by Perido’s knowledge of modern agriculture, including how to optimize production from whatever size of farmland.

Perido used to teach two lessons each on Saturday and Sunday with 30 trainees per four-lesson batch. That meant at least 240 trainees graduate from the agricultural livelihood course in a month, or an average of 2,880 graduates annually.

Small wonder that within the first hour of the announcement of her passing, scores of Perido’s friends and former students had expressed sorrow and surprise. As of Sunday evening, nearly 400 had shared their grief over the loss of someone they fondly called as the “Magsasakang OFW”.

Neglect is a Form of Child Abuse. Protect our Children, Provide them with Safe and Nurturing Environments

In the last article, we shared information on matters related to leaving children unattended. Aside from leaving child(ren) unattended, there were child abuse cases that involved parents or caregivers neglecting the basic needs of their children or children under their care. This article will continue to share information with readers about child abuse by neglect, the importance in providing sufficient supplies, care, and support for their children as well as the legal consequences for neglecting children’s needs by the sharing some cases that happened in Hong Kong.

When the subject of child abuse is brought up, often the first things that come to people’s minds will be physical or sexual Abuses.  Readers and the general public lack understanding about neglect as a form of child abuse. As quoted by UNICEF in its Review on the maltreatment of children published in 2012, “Neglect” can be broadly defined as “the failure to provide for the development of the child in all spheres: health, education, emotional development, nutrition, shelter, and safe living conditions, in the context of resources reasonably available to the family or caretakers and causes or has a high probability of causing harm to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. This includes the failure to properly supervise and protect children from harm as much as is feasible”. The same Review also quoted statistics from a survey conducted in the Philippines, where many of our readers come from, that 40% of grade six students felt they were not provided with appropriate food and care and were frequently left home alone.

As we have mentioned in the previous article, child abuse by neglect is a criminal offence in Hong Kong. The "Offences Against the Person Ordinance" (Cap. 212, clause 26-27) stipulates that any person who unlawfully abandons or exposes any child, being under the age of two years, whereby the life of such child is endangered, or the health of such a child is or is likely to be permanently injured; or any person who willfully assaults, ill-treats, neglects, abandons or exposes such a child or young person under the age of 16 years under his custody, charge or care in a manner likely to cause such a child or young person unnecessary suffering or injury to his health shall be guilty of a criminal offence.

One of the cases that we would like to share is the widely publicized case of Herminia Garcia, a Filipino mother whose 15-year old daughter fell to her death from the luxury apartment that she shared with her partner, Nick Cousins. Garcia arrived in Hong Kong as a Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) in 1994. She met Cousins and subsequently gave birth to two daughters in 1999 and 2000 at a private hospital in Hong Kong. The birth of their daughters was never registered and the girls did not own any travel documents. Without legal identities, the girls did not attend formal school and received their education through private tuition. Devastated by the passing of their daughter, Garcia and Cousins were arrested for neglect under Cap. 212. Although the charges against them were subsequently dropped, Garcia was given a 12-month jail sentence for overstaying her visa.

The case of Garcia and Cousins was controversial. While they loved their daughters, offered them private tuition and a comfortable living environment, the girls lacked legal identity, documentation, formal education and the right to freely develop their social life. As Garcia had overstayed her visa, the public generally believed that their decision was linked to her illegitimate immigration status in Hong Kong and her fear of deportation.

PathFinders has handled a number of cases of pregnant FDWs and migrant women who have overstayed their visa or whose visa was cancelled after being illegally dismissed by their employers. Pregnant mothers and mothers-to-be are advised to consider the risk and danger that they, their child(ren) and unborn child may face if living illegally in a compromised environment. PathFinders provides legal, healthcare and shelter support to pregnant FDWs and migrant women, assisting them with the process of surrendering to authorities and accessing available services through legal channels.

Another serious case of child neglect came to light in July 2015 when Mandy Wong carried her daughter, 7-year-old Suki Ling, to the hospital in a state of cardiac arrest, malnourished and covered with multiple wounds. Suki was so badly abused that she never regained consciousness and doctors believed that she would not live past 20. Suki was believed to be deprived of basic physical, emotional and medical care by her parents. In an attempt to defend herself, Wong claimed that Suki was anorexic and refused to eat. In July 2018, the judge called Suki “a Cinderella, an unwanted child who do not have a fairytale ending” as he handed Wong 10-year imprisonment, the maximum penalty for the violation of Cap. 212.

The two cases show that child abuse by neglect is not limited to acts that deliberately deprive a child of their basic needs and necessary care but also includes negligence by failing to protecting a child from danger, harm and unnecessary suffering. Children under the age of 16 may not be mature enough to to proactively seek help. Hence, parents and caregivers should prioritize their children’s safety and wellbeing over their personal interests, never neglect the importance of monitoring the physical and emotional wellness of their children, and should act proactively to provide necessary support.

Childcare support and child-rearing can be costly in Hong Kong. Parents and caregivers from less financially secure families may struggle to make ends meet and are often unable to provide for the needs and adequately care for their children. In Hong Kong, certain public and subsidized services are available to help these low-income families. Parents and caregivers are advised to contact Social Welfare Department or NGOs including PathFinders for assistance.

Apart from legal, healthcare and shelter services, PathFinders provides education workshops to pregnant migrant workers in distress and their Hong Kong-born children about childcare and parenting, and equips them with knowledge and practical advice about children’s developmental needs, and advice on how to protect them from abuse, be that virtual, physical or verbal. For information about PathFinders’ workshops, please visit our website at www.PathFinders.org.hk or call our client hotline.

If you suspect child abuse, please call the Hong Kong Police at 999. If you need other general advice and support, please contact Social Welfare Department at 2343 2255.

Card HK, pinaigting ang talakayan kontra utang

Ni George Manalansan

Dahil parang sakit na pabalik-balik ang problemang utangan sa hanay ng mga migranteng manggagawa sa Hong Kong, nagpasya ang Card Hong Kong Foundation na mas palalimin pa ang isinasagawa nilang talakayan tungkol ditto.

Nangyari ito sa pinakahuling financial literacy workshop na kanilang isinagawa noong ika-26 ng Agosto sa Bayanihan Centre sa Kennedy Town.

Mahigit 70 and sumali sa usapin tungkol sa pera na isinagawa ng Card HK 

Ito ang ika-50 sesyon ng pagsasanay tungkol sa pananalapi na ibinabahagi ng libre ng Card Hong Kong para sa mga overseas Filipino workers o OFW.

Ang mga kalahok ay tinuruan ng mga dapat nilang malaman upang maiwasan ang panganib na dulot ng pangungutang, kabilang ng kung ano ang sagutin ng isang “guarantor,” at kung paano kuwentahin ang interes na ipinapataw sa utang. Sinabihan sila na ang legal na interes sa Hong Kong ay hindi dapat lumampas sa 60 porsiyento kada taon; kaya yung mga tinatawag na “five-six” na bale 120 porsiyento ang lumalabas na tubo, ay illegal.

Ipinaalala din sa kanila na bawal isanla ang kanilang mga pasaporte at kontrata sa pinagkakautangan, at posibleng malagay pati ang kanilang trabaho sa alanganin kapag pumayag sila sa ganitong kundisyon. Hindi kasi basta-basta pinapayagan ang mga nagsasanla ng pasaporte na makakuha kaagad ng kapalit nito sakaling ito ay makumpiska ng mga pulis sa mga illegal na nagpapautang.

Dapat din nilang alalahanin na malaki ang halagang napupunta sa pagbabayad ng interes, kaya kung hindi naman talagang kailangan ay hindi sila dapat mangutang, gaano man kadaling gawin ito sa Hong Kong.

Mayroon din naman mga “good debt” na ipinaalam sa kanila, at ikinumpara dito ang mga “bad debt” o ang hindi wastong pangungutang.

Tinalakay din ng tagapagsanay ang ilang gabay sa panghihiram, gaya ng pag-alam kung may kakayahang bayaran ang inutang, at pati ang epekto nito sa pamilya at kaibigan. Tinalakay din ang iba-ibang klase ng pangungutang, katulad ng panghiram sa kamag-anak, sa lending company, sa pawnshop, gamit ang credit card, o para makabili ng bahay.

Ang importante, aniya, ay gawin ang lahat ng makakaya para makalaya sa utang at nang mabago nang tunay ang kanilang kalagayan sa buhay, kasama na ang kanilang pamilya.

Ang lumalalang problema sa utangan ang isa sa mga pinagtuunan ng pansin sa workshop

Laking tuwa naman ng mga sumali sa libreng pagsasanay, katulad ni Analiza Esmeralda, na nagsabing gusto niyang matuto kung paano niya mahahawakan nang maigi ang kanyang kita para “mabawasan man lang ang mga utang ko ng unti- unti.”

Plano naman ni Rosalie de los Reyes na umuwi na pagkatapos ng hindi lalampas sa apat na taon, matapos ang 16 na taong pagtatrabaho sa Hong Kong. Kahit wala na daw siyang utang ngayon ay wala din siyang ipon.

“Sana noon pa ako nakadalo sa financial literacy workshop,” ang sabi ni Rose na may panghihinayang.

Para sa mga gustong sumali sa mga susunod na pagsasanay ng Card Hong Kong, tumawag lamang sa numero 9529 6392/ 5423 8196/ 9606 8810. Mag “like” din sa Facebook page ng Card Hong Kong Foundation para sa mga karagdagang impormasyon at balita.

Farewell to Sir Junie, from Stanley Prison

By Mario delos Reyes

The Philippine Consulate’s Assistance to Nationals Section (ATN) lives up to its name and purpose. It is perhaps the most crucial section of he consulate, as it is a crisis troubleshooter, not only for the vast number of OFWs in Hong Kong, but also to all Filipino nationals, including tourists or those just in transit in the city, who happen to run afoul with the law.

Though relatively understaffed, it is always there to assist Filipino nationals in whatever problems they may encounter.

ATN is currently headed by a new but super active and perceptive, and seasoned diplomat, in the person of Consul Paul V. Saret. He has been in his post for just a few months but he has already visited us twice in prison, and I found out that he is so well informed on a wide range of OFW concerns, but also on the highly controversial and sometimes annoying prison transfer issue. He is so keen to make a difference in the approach to ending the impasse on getting this treaty implemented, and succeed where many others failed.

Junie Cayabyab and daughter.

In the meantime, ATN will soon be saying goodbye to one of its workhorses, a very able staff who is up for recall. Attache Hermogenes Cayabyab Jr is set to return to the main office of the Department of Foreign Affairs after completing a full six years of an eventful and fruitful service.

According to him  no specific place is in the offing for his next posting. But in one of our informal conversations he expressed a willingness to be reassigned to conflict zones in the Middle East.  I came to know that his first posting was in the oil-rich Arab emirate of Qatar although he was temporarily deployed to Syria to assist in the evacuation of OFWs from the war-torn country.

He is so eager to help our migrant workers who are in desperate and precarious situations, and he was tested to the limit during his Hong Kong sojourn.

Credibility and competence in the performance of assigned duties, coupled with tact and diplomacy, are the main traits of a model envoy. With my natural curiosity that makes me a keen observer of people, I can say that Sir Junie as we fondly call him, is one of those who possess these qualities.

On hearing about his impending recall, I placed a call to the Consulate to bid him farewell and to thank him for some unprecedented service rendered to us for which he was partly responsible. However, I was not able to get to talk to him as he was dealing with an emergency case outside of the office, which I know was part of his normal routine.

Looking back to his arrival six years ago, I remember noticing that the Consulate’s prison visit became a regular event, where previously, it was just a random thing. It also marked the first time that a consul general (Bernardita Catalla) made a surprise visit to us. Not only that, my request for the Congen to attend my graduation was granted to my delight, and of course, Sir Junie was there as an escort. Sir Junie is talk and has a solid physical built, making him an ideal escort for a lady in an all-male prison.

Due to our incessant request for the consulate to intervene on our behalf for the prison transfer to be implemented, an extraordinary event occurred. The Philippines’ acting justice secretary came for a face-to-face visit with us, for the sole purpose of responding to our many queries in regards to the issue of transfer. I am pretty sure this visit would not have proceeded smoothly without the guidance and active participation of this humble attaché.

After four consecutive days of trying to contact Sir Junie I became lucky enough to get him on the line. During our conversation I jokingly asked if he was now about to retire. “I am still young and still have plenty of years left to serve,” was his animated reply.

I next asked him what was the most unforgettable and interesting case he had handled as an ATN officer in Hong Kong. After a short pause, he finally muttered, “Marami sila, pero lahat ay itinuturing kong pare-parehas at parte lang ng aking trabaho.” Then he continued somewhat apologetically, but in an emotion-filled voice:  “Pasensiya na kayo kung ano man ang pagkukulang ko sa inyo na hindi ko nagampanan, at nawa’y makalabas na kayong lahat ng mas maaga. Lalo na ikaw, ilang buwan na lang at makakalabas ka na, at akala ko noong una ay maisasabay na kita sa pag-uwi…konting tiis na lang at magkikita-kita na lang tayo sa atin.” All I could tell him at the end of our conversation was “Thank you for being with us”.

Sir Junie had been a constant fixture in the consular prison visits for the entire duration of his tour of duty, and though he always had a friendly and genial demeanor he often spoke just a word or two. However, he would always be all ears and eyes during our often lively exchanges with the rest of the consular officers.

Sir Junie will be greatly missed, not just by us, but I am sure, also by the greater Filipino community in Hong Kong. On behalf of all the Filipino inmates in the different institutions in Hong Kong, I would like to say, “Thank you, Sir Junie, for always being there when we needed you most. Goodbye and we salute you for a job well done.”

On Hong Kong’s Live-in Policy

This was a short statement read by Gina “Jhic” G. Dacio at the Legislative Council hearing on July 16, 2018 in which she urged for the amendment, if not scrapping, of the Hong Kong government’s live-in policy for foreign domestic workers. Dacio, who is 43 and has been working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for the past 16 years, is from Tabuk City, Kalinga. She is chairperson of Share Hong Kong Society.

--

Good afternoon, I am Gina Dacio, a domestic helper and from the Philippines and the chairperson of Share Hong Hong Society. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak. This is my first time here. I am lucky because most domestic workers cannot even come to LegCo. I had to ask for time off to come here today. 

I’d like to start with a question. Can you imagine, if you have to live in your employers’ home, in a space that’s only as big as your bed, and may be waken up during the night to work? How would you feel? Do you think this is a healthy work situation? My answer is no. This is against the rights of the helper. But this is happening to many domestic helpers in Hong Kong.

The law in Hong Kong states that we should have suitable accommodation and reasonable privacy. But according to the Mission for Migrant Workers, 2 out of every 5 of its clients do not have their own private room, 9 out of 10 experience long working hours and insufficient sleep, and 34% work over 16 hours every day. 

Today, I would like to bring up the Live-in rule that foreign domestic helpers are longing to be changed and amended. This rule has led to countless cases of physical abuse and unsatisfactory, even inhumane living conditions. Migrant workers are often given tiny bed spaces to sleep in, and suffer from insufficient food and insufficient sleep due to long working hours. Also, employers and their family members are able to command the worker to do chores, even in the middle of the night.

These are all forms of breaching foreign domestic helpers’ rights, and of abuse that may lead to foreign domestic helpers becoming seriously ill, or even die.

In this regard, we must all remember Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, the Indonesian domestic helper who suffered extensive abuse at the hands of her employer which nearly caused her death.

If this rule has no chance of being amended, at least require employer to provide their foreign domestic helpers decent bed space to sleep and rest in, not in a toilet or in the kitchen, or on the sofa in living room, or the floor. Require the employers to give us sufficient food or food allowance, at least 11 hours of rest, and respect and treat us as  human beings, like they are. All of these would ensure that foreign domestic helpers are able to build up enough body resistance to sustain them through their daily routine.

I hope my message would create an impact and bring about changes and freedom from discriminations in this society. This would allow us to continue to provide better service to your families and respond to all your needs because our work makes this city function.

Kapag tumaba...

Isang sulyap lang sa Facebook ay mapagtatanto natin na marami sa mga OFW sa Hong Kong ay tumataba, o kung hindi man, ay nag-”gain weight”. Wala namang masama dito. Nagpapakita lamang na masarap ang pagkain natin, at masarap talaga tayong kumain.

Magkakaproblema lang kung, sa paghahangad na mabalik sa dati nating kaseksihan, ay kung anu-ano ang ating inumin, kahit pa ito ay nakasasama.

Sa tagal namin ditio sa Hong Kong ay kung anu-ano nang paraan ng pagpapayat ang nauso. Kung epektibo nga sila, bakit lumubog-lumitaw lang sila sa paglipas ng panahon?

Ang pinakamakamandag ay ang mga “gamot” kuno na iniinom.

Natatandaan mo pa ba, halimbawa, ang Thai slimming pills? May kakilala kami na imbes pumayat ay lalong tumaba dahil dito. Mayroon namang tinamaan ang atay at naospital nang mapansin na ang balat niya ay naninilaw, dahil may sangkap pala itong lason.

Ang pinakabago ngayon ay ang Susuya. Nagiging popular ito dahil high-tech kung bilhin, ika nga, dahil makikita ang nagbebenta nito sa internet. At dahil nga high-tech, ipinagmamalaki pa ng mga umiinom nito na sila ay nagpapa-slim sa pamamagitan ng pag-inom nito —na para bang ito ay status symbol na nakakaengganyo sa iba.

Puwes, may masamang balita kami para sa kanila: Nagpalabas na ng warning ang Department of Health (DH) laban sa produktong ito.

Sinabi ng DH na may sangkap itong Sibutramine na isang lasong pampasuya sa pagkain at naka-ban sa Hong Kong mula pa noong 2020 dahil nagsasanhi ito ng sakit sa puso, at Bisacodyl na isang pampatae na nagsasanhi ng sakit ng tiyan.

Maliban sa warning na pangkalusugan, sinabi ng DH na kung mahuli kang nagbebenta ng Susuya, maaari kang parusahan ng multang $100,000 at pagkakakulong ng dalawang taon.

Kaya mga ate, kung gusto nating magpapayat, gawin ito nang tama upang hindi tayo mapahamak. Ibang usapan na, ika nga, kung kalusugan natin ang nakataya.

Simple lang ang natural na paraan upang makamtan ang gusto nating pigura: ang pagbawas ng kinakain (o ang pagkain ng mas maraming gulay) at pagbabanat ng buto sa pamamagitan ng ehersisyo.

‘We are not slaves’

By Daisy Catherine L. Mandap

This is something that Hong Kong, being the world-class city that it claims to be, will never admit: that many migrant workers are being treated like virtual slaves here.

For just over $4,000 a month, foreign domestic workers are expected to work for as long as their employers want them to, and that means 12 hours on average daily. Some, as several studies have shown, actually work for 16 hours straight, leaving them with just eight hours to attend to personal needs, and sleep.

For most, this also involves long hours of backbreaking work – non-stop cleaning, marketing and cooking, taking young wards to and from school, washing and ironing clothes, and just about anything that the employer could fit in a day.

The expectation, fueled in large part by the government’s mandatory live-in policy, is that a foreign domestic worker must be able, and willing, to do all the household jobs set out by the employer, at practically all hours of the day.

What makes it worse is that many workers, on top of not having enough rest periods, are not given a decent place for rest and sleep. Well-documented are the cases of domestic workers being made to sleep in storage rooms, laundry areas, terrace, the sofa in the living room, kitchen floor, and even the toilet.

But despite the recurring reports of such blatant disregard for the safety, health and welfare of migrant workers, the government has not done much to ease their plight. For the longest time, the only positive step it has taken was the ban on dangerous window-cleaning, and only because our Consulate, particularly Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre, had taken the initiative to put a stop to the disgraceful practice.

Given this scenario, it is just right for support organizations like the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body to start taking a new tack in solving these age-old problems plaguing foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Instead of reiterating its previous call for minimum work hours, AMCB is now demanding 11 hours of uninterrupted rest for migrant workers. This means that a domestic worker would still be at the beck and call of the employer for up to 13 hours – but nothing longer than this.

And instead of pressing for a more detailed description of what “suitable accommodation” in the standard employment contract of migrant workers means, AMCB is now calling for some sort of an exclusion provision, in which all the unsuitable sleeping areas are listed down. This should end, once and for all, any subjective interpretation of this vague provision in the contract.

But beyond these, AMCB and its affiliate organizations are keeping up the fight for a more humane treatment of migrant workers overall. This includes raising their minimum wage to $5,500 a month, a figure they say is based on hard data and not on some amorphous calculations, as what the government is wont to do.

Less strident but no less reasonable, is the call to raise the food allowance to $2,500 a month. At this rate, a worker who is not given free food by the employer or facilities for cooking, will get an extra $100 daily, which is a fair amount, given that an ordinary lunch box in fast food outlets costs upwards of $40 nowadays.

Still in the cards is the demand to make live-in arrangements optional, and for the policy that requires all terminated workers to leave Hong Kong within 14 days, scrapped.

There are still many other problems confronting migrant workers that need to be addressed, including the persistent overcharging of fees by employment agencies, the failure of the police to immediately act on cases involving them, and Immigration’s apparent crackdown on those whose contracts are terminated prematurely.

But for now, AMCB’s Eman Villanueva says what his group is asking for are the bare minimum – a living wage, a decent place to sleep in, and basic protection from abuse for one of society’s most vulnerable sectors.

Surely that’s not asking for too much?