20,000 HK workers already signed up for OFW ID

By Daisy CL Mandap

How the OFW ID looks like.

Around 20,000 overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong have already signed up for the OFW ID issued by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, which is expected to do away with the overseas employment certificate by early next year.

This was according to welfare officer Marivic Clarin, who said all those who have been signing up with Balik Manggagawa Online (BMOnline) have been told to also apply for the OFW ID. The number does not even include those who have decided to sign up online by themselves.

It’s OEC season again and queues wind around the building housing POLO offices.

Latest figures from OWWA show Hong Kong has registered a total of 19,865 applicants for the OFW ID. This was even before Nov. 18, when nearly 800 migrant workers who applied for the OEC were also asked to sign up for the OFW ID.

This put Hong Kong with the third highest number of registrants, next only to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where there are millions of OFWs, compared to the 210,000 in the city.

By early next year, Clarin said the plan is to make the OFW ID replace the OEC as the gate pass at the airport by workers returning to their workplaces abroad.

“They’ll work on it (in the) first quarter of 2019 po dapat,” said Clarin.



In the meantime, those who already have the card and plan to go on vacation in the Philippines are still advised to get an OEC to be assured of getting cleared out of the airport.

There’s also another bit of good news for those applying to get their OFW IDs. Those who wish to get the card picked up by their designated relative at the OWWA office nearest their home can just send a signed authorization letter with a photocopy of the OFW’s passport with personal details.



Previously, the plan was to get the authorization letter authenticated at the Consulate.

When disclosed at a forum between Consulate officers and Filipino community leaders on Nov 11, the plan received a lot of flak from those who said the authentication, at $200 per document, would make the OFW Card very pricey.



This prompted Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre to suggest to Clarin to recommend that a simple authorization letter be enough for an OFW relative to pick up the card.

Earlier, talks that it would cost Php500 plus Php250 for delivery from a private provider, also prompted a howl of protest from OFWs, who were promised a free card by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.



But with OWWA now producing the e-card, OFWs are again assured that they’d get it for free.

Apart from ultimately serving as an exit pass similar to the OEC, the OFW ID is meant to serve as another identity document that can be used for official transactions with government agencies.



To apply, an OFW must have an active OWWA membership (with at least 90 days left before the expiry date indicated), a valid OEC exemption number, and a valid passport. Applications can be made directly by logging on to www.owwa.gov.ph

UPAA-HK watches historic basketball game, elects officers

UPAA HK are all smiles despite the loss of their basketball bet

By The SUN

Their alma mater’s team might have suffered an initial setback in its quest for an historic basketball crown, but members of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in Hong Kong did not let it dampen their pre-Christmas celebration.

All eyes are on the game

The gathering in Repulse Bay on Dec. 1 proved to be auspicious. The UP Fighting Maroons long an underdog in UAAP, the university-wide league, managed to get through to the finals, and Dec 1 was set as the date of their initial best-of-three clash with the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

Members of UPAA did not lose time setting an early kick-off time for their annual general meeting and Christmas party so they could all watch the game, a history in itself as it was the first time in 32 years that UP had managed to get into the finals.

The new officers being sworn in by Labatt dela Torre: Renart, Erno, Low, Rigor, Colet and Solis

The group matched the cheers from fellow alumni as they watched the game live from the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. But the cheers turned to frustrated sighs as it became clear by the fourth and last quarter that UP was outclassed by Ateneo, at least for this round.

The game ended with Ateneo winning over UP the underdog by 9 points, 88-79.

But true to their university slogan, UP Fight!, UPAA HK members took no time shrugging off the loss, before proceeding to choose their officers for next year.

Elected unopposed were Rawna Crisostomo-Low, president; Sherina Manimtim- Erno, vice president; Marion Honquilado-Renart, secretary; Randy Solis, treasurer; Geralyn Rigor, auditor; and Chiqui Colet, PRO.

They were immediately sworn into office by Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre, who attended his first UPAA HK meeting to join his fellow alumni in watching the game.

Afterwards, the usual fun games were held including Pinoy Henyo centered on UP icons, which further eased the frustration felt by many in seeing their beloved Fighting Maroons suffer a heartbreaking loss.

But as is their wont, the group regrouped via whatsapp shortly after the meeting, this time to chat about the next game in the finals, set on Dec. 5. The game will determine whether Ateneo gets to win the UAAP crown automatically, or will be forced to a third and final rematch with UP.

Taekwondo group goes sailing to celebrate Christmas

Upto members gather for souvenir photo before disembarking.

By The SUN

They’re fit and healthy and they know it – but don’t flaunt it.

These are the members of the United Philippine Taekwondo Organization (Upto) Hong Kong who went sailing around Saikung on Dec. 2 aboard the pleasure yacht Angus, for a Christmas and 6^th anniversary celebration.

Part of the entertainment was a limbo-rock contest, and many of the contestants were limber enough to go under a bar set barely four feet above the ground. A bit higher up, and even a heavily pregnant member managed to clear the hurdle.

Members show their form in the limbo-rock contest

This is obviously what engaging in taekwondo does to anyone who regularly engages in the sport, which is what Upto is all about.

Regular practitioners are fit and nimble and have bodies to die for, but they see no reason to flaunt them.

The first Filipino Taekwondo group in Hong Kong formed in June 2012 has four 3^rd dan Kukkiwon Taekwondo black belters, including three of its founders and members of the Board of Directors: Mercy Permales, Eric Jacinto and Ednalyn Serran.

A demo performance on Chater Road

Two are 2^nd dan black belters, including the current president Wilma Colobong, and Christine Gaylan.

Below them are many members who regularly take part in competitions held around Hong Kong, with the next one coming up in January.

Upto members are happy enough attending regular training and competitions, but also take time off to have fun, like holding a hula contest in Repulse Bay, or going on charity walks.

As a public service, they also provide free training on Sundays to Filipinos interested to join them at four places across Hong Kong: Sheung Wan, Western, Tung Chung and Shatin. 

The other officers, apart from Colobong are: Marilyn Anorico, vice president; Melinda Monsalud, internal secretary; Rizalyn Magon, external secretary; Soledad Flores, treasurer; Lerma Mansilungan, auditor; Josephine Rebenque, PRO; Letecia Cayudong and Virginia Isla, business managers; and Joyce Ramirez, coordinator.

The instructors are Permales, Jacinto, Serran, Colobong, Gaylan, Rebenque, Ruth delos Santos, Rey Aldea and Margie Nava. Their technical adviser is Master Tze Hong Lai.

Below is the schedule of their free Sunday training sessions:

Sheung Wan Sports Centre 10:00am -12:00 noon

Sun Yat Sen Sports Centre (Western)  1:00pm 2:00pm

Tung Chung Sports Centre 1:00pm-3:00pm

Shatin Yuen Wo Road Sports Centre Shatin 10:00am 12:00noon

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Caregiver academy to ask Tesda team to assess graduates

The trainees listen to Alfredo Palmiery, founder of Concorde International Human Resource Corp. descrube polans for their training programs. With him is Steven Chiu, Hong Kong branch manager of Active Global which organized the training,
 

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Manila employment agency and its partner training academy here are trying to get the Philippines’ Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (Tesda) to come to Hong Kong to assess their caregiver graduates so they can get NCII certificates.

These certificates would place Filipino graduates of a six-month comprehensive training in elderly care better-placed to capture the growing demand for caregivers in Asia, said Alfredo Palmiery, founder of Concorde International Human Resource Corp.

Palmiery was guest speaker at the graduation on Dec 2 of 100 Filipinas who finished the training course offered by his agency’s partner, Active Global Specialised Caregivers (Hong Kong) Pte Ltd.

Steven Chiu, Hong Kong branch manager of Active Global, Labour Attache Jalilo dela Torre, and guest speaker Alfredo Palmiery

The event at the Duke of Windsor Community Hall in Wanchai was also attended by Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre, who was the guest of honor and speaker.

Labatt Dela Torre congratulated the graduates, telling them that enrolling in skills development such as caregiving is better than joining beauty pageants that debase Filipino women and drive them to debt.

He took a shot at a pageant in a nearby pub in Wanchai two Sundays earlier that he described as commoditizing Filipina helpers. That is not the image that Filipinas should project in Hong Kong, he said.

Meanwhile, Palmiery said affluent Asian countries are fuelling demand for caregivers, thus the need for domestic workers to upgrade their skills to fill the need.

“It’s very important that (the graduates) will be able to get their NC II certificates and we are arranging that the Tesda people will come to Hong Kong to conduct the NCII assessment,” said Palmiery.

“It’s not only foretold that our caregivers will be in great demand in Japan, China, Singapore. Countries around Asia all need caregivers because they want their elderly to be taken care of at home, unlike in the US and Europe where old people are sent to homes for the aged.”

Demand for caregivers, especially in Asia, is bound to grow because the elderly population is growing and more and more families need stay-in caregivers, he said.

Steven Chiu, Hong Kong branch manager of Active Global, said an NCII certificate would be the “holy grail” for Filipina caregivers.

He said Active Global started the course in 2015 for nurses from India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines to work as caregivers in Hong Kong.

“This is our ninth batch already, each batch takes about five months to six months, since 2015. We are actually the first to start this course because no other charities or companies are offering comprehensive caregiver training courses on a weekend basis for migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong,” Chiu told The SUN in an interview.

He said Active Global is a nursing employment agency that brings in nurses from the three countries to take care of patients in Hong Kong on domestic worker visa.

He said these workers do not pay agency fee and receive a higher salary than maids.

For domestic helpers in Hong Kong, the company trains them to take care of the elderly. Tuition for the five to six-month, 16-session course is $2,200 payable in two installments.

Chiu said students get a nursing instruction every Sunday, all the materials, uniforms, teaching materials included, as well as the combination of theories and practice and practical lessons where they can learn anywhere from blood pressure taking to taking care of elderly people and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

“We are using foreign domestic helper visa because Hong Kong does not grant a caregiver visa, but if it decides later to give a caregiver visa, that will be great,” he said.

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