Pera, padala, saan napunta?

Pagsasanay sa pag gastos ng mga kalahok.

Ni George Manalansan

Paano gastusin nang maayos ng kapamilya sa Pilipinas ang perang padala ng isang OFW?

Isa ito sa mga katanungan na tinugunan ng Card Hong Kong Foundation sa ginanap na workshop sa community hall ng Philippine Overseas Labor Office sa Wanchai noong ika-20 ng Enero. Dinaluhan ito ng 43 migranteng manggagawa.

Bawat lumahok ay nagsabi na ang kanilang New Year’s resolution ay ang baguhin ang pagtrato nila sa kanilang kita. Para matupad ito, ang unang hakbang nila ay ang pagdalo sa mga pagsasanay para sa dagdag na kaalaman, at para matuto na maging masinop.

Ayon sa isa sa mga trainor o tagapagsanay, dapat ay unahin nila ang layunin na kumita o mag-ipon bago gumastos sa ibang bagay. Matutong mag-adjust o bawasan ang gastos sa mga hindi  importanteng bagay.

Nang tanungin sila kung alam pa nila kung saan napunta ang pinadala nilang pera sa Pilipinas sa unang taon ng kanilang pagtatrabaho, sinabi ng karamihan na hindi na nila mapagtanto.

Maraming iba pang paksa ang tinalakay sa pagsasanay, kabilang ang mga iba’t ibang dahilan kung bakit dumarayo sa ibang bansa ang mga manggagawang Pilipino. Ang karamihan ay sinabi na ang pangunahing dahilan ay ang edukasyon ng kanilang mga anak, ang makapagpatayo ng sariling bahay, makaipon ng kapital sa negosyo, o kaya ay para makabalik sa Pilipinas ng matiwasay.

Ayaw nilang lahat umuwi ng bigo.



Tinalakay din ang mga dahilan kung bakit marami ang tumatagal sa Hong Kong ng walang ipon, pundar o plano man lang. Kabilang dito ang hindi pagtatabi ng pera para sa mga hindi inaasahang pangyayari, kawalan ng disiplina kaya walang pakundangan ang paggastos, at ang walang patumanggang pangungutang.

May ilan din na ang asawang iresponsable ang itinuro na dahilan.



Nang tanungin ang mga kalahok kung paano sila naghahanda sa kanilang kinabukasan, marami ang nagsabi na kakaunti, o wala silang naipon na pera, bagamat may iilan din na nagpatunay na bihasa sila sa paghawak ng kita.

Marami sa kanila ang nagsabi na ang malaking bahagi ng kanilang suweldo ay napupunta sa mga kapamilya na umaasa lahat sa kanila. Ayon naman sa mga trainor, hindi agad masosolusyunan ang ganitong problema, maliban na lang kung maisasama ang kapamilya sa pag-aaral ng tamang pag-gastos.



Sa isang banda, isang malaking hakbang na nagpasya ang mga kasali na gumawa ng paraan para maiba ang takbo ng kanilang buhay kumpara sa karamihan ng mga tambay sa Central.

Kabilang sa mga naengganyo na planuhin ang kanyang kinabukasan ay si Edna Sagur na may dalawang anak at dalawang taon na rin sa Hong Kong. Nagtakda siya ng ilang “goal” para sa kanyang kinabukasan: una, ang mag-ipon ng kapital sa negosyo na tutustos sa pag-aaral ng kanyang mga anak, magpagawa ng bahay, at maging katuwang ang asawa sa pagbabagong buhay. Bagama’t may problema daw sa paa ang kanyang mister ay magaling naman daw itong magluto, kaya angkop sa kanila ang negosyong kainan.



Ito ang batch 52 ng mga migranteng manggagawa na sumabak sa libreng pagbibigay kaalaman
ng Card tungkol sa tamang paghawak ng pera, pagnenegosyo at pagsasanay pangkabuhayan.

Para sa mga gustong sumali sa mga nalalapit na pagsasanay, bumisita lang sa Facebook page ng  “Card Hong Kong Foundation”.

Health check para sa OFW

Wala na ang mandatory health check. Kung gusto mo pa ring malaman kung ikaw ay malusog o may sakit, pwede kang pumunta sa POLO para sa libreng checkup o magpatingin ka sa pribadong doktor. At dahil hindi ito “mandatory”, iyong mga walang sakit o iyong gustong itago o ipag-walang bahala ang kanilang nararamdaman ay patuloy na hindi mapapansin hanggang isang araw ay bigla na lang itong umatake at igupo sila.

Nagsimula ang ideyang ito bilang resulta ng libreng check up na ginagawa ng POLO. Nalaman kasi mula sa mga blood test at pagkuha ng blood pressure, na marami sa mga OFW ang may mataas na presyon ng dugo, na pwedeng lumala at maging mitsa ng buhay, o mataas na asukal sa dugo na sintomas ng diabetes.

Marami pang ibang sakit ang nadiskubre sa simpleng check-up na ito. May nadiskubreng may mataas na uric acid, na dahilan ng mga sakit-sakit na kanilang dinaramdam. May nakitaan pa ng cancer na agad pinapunta sa tamang gamutan.



Kung sa mga simpleng pagsusuring ito ay natuklasan ang mga sakit, ano kaya kung gawin itong mandatory para sa lahat? Ito ang pinaka-natural na tanong kung ang may malasakit ka sa mga OFW.

At ano ang pinaka-epektibong paraan na ipatupad ito? Siyempre, gawing requirement ang health check kapag nagprocess sila ng kontrata.



Ang problema nga lang, sa paghahangad ng isang bagay, may nakakaligtaan tayo. Sa kasong ito, nakalimutan natin ang orihinal na layunin. Imbes na maging paraan ito na salain ang hanay ng OFW upang matunton ang nangangailangan ng tulong pangkalusugan, naging banta ito sa kanilang pagpapatuloy ng trabaho.




May kasabihan na, “The fastest way to a destination is not a straight line.” Minsan, mas mabilis makakarating sa puuntahan kung dadaan sa liko-liko. Sa madaling salita, imbes na gawing mandatory ang health check, bakit hindi iba ang gawing mandatory?



Halimbawa, iutos ang health insurance. Ginagawa na ito ng Konsulado ng Indonesia kaya hindi na bago. Siyempre, naroon pa rin ang health check, dahil ito ay kailangan sa insurance na ganito.

Ang layunin dito ay hindi mamatay ang idea. Nakita na natin ang pakinabang nito. Huwag nating pabayaan

Pinay jailed 30 days for $21k theft in employer’s house

By Vir B. Lumicao

Malana admitted the theft in Eastern Court 

A Filipina domestic worker who had been working for less than two months for her employer has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for stealing the personal belongings of the employer’s niece worth more than $20,000.

Maricris Malana, 30, pleaded guilty to theft before Eastern Court Magistrate Peter Chun on Feb 12.

Malana was accused of stealing in the house of her employer Winnie Yung Wai-yee in Green Lane, Happy Valley, various items worth a total of $21,600. The items belonged to Yung’s niece, Christy Cheung Hiu-ching.

The prosecution said the thefts took place between Sept 4 and Oct 26 last year, while Malana was working for Yung.

A prosecution report said the stolen items included a Hermes wallet worth $20,000, a silver necklace that cost $500, a silver ring valued at $300, a YSL lipstick worth $300 and a pair of Zara boots valued at $500.

All the stolen items had been recovered because the defendant kept them in her drawer instead of disposing of them immediately, the prosecution said.

Cheung, who was staying with Yung, reportedly noticed that some of her personal property were missing but took no heed.

But on Oct 26, Yung found all the missing items in a drawer in the maid’s room. Cheung confirmed they were her property.

Yung recorded the theft to police and Malana was arrested. 

Magistrate Chun said Malana, who has a son in the Philippines, came to Hong Kong in 2017 and worked for another employer before she started working for Yung on Sept 4, 2017.

The defendant, a Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate, had a clear record.

The judge said Malana’s offense was a serious breach of trust, considering that she committed it inside her employer’s flat.

But because she pleaded guilty and the stolen items were recovered, Chun said he was sentencing the helper to 30 days in jail, instead of the 40 days that he had in mind.

Malana was accompanied to Eastern Court by an officer of the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge and about half a dozen of her fellow wards at the shelter run by the Mission for Migrant Workers.

The prosecution said Cheung, who was staying with Yung, noticed that some of her personal property were missing but took no heed.

But on Oct 26, Yung found the wallet, silver necklace and ring, lipstick and pair of boots in the drawer in the maid’s room. Cheung confirmed they were her property.

Yung recorded the theft to police and Malana was arrested. 

A ‘Bagong Bayani’ goes home for good

By Daisy CL Mandap

Consul Deric Atienza handed the Consulate's plaque of appreciation to Ching on Feb 3, the day she went home for good 

Up until the day before she was to return home for good in the Philippines, multi-awarded migrant worker Conchita “Ching” Baltazar was hard at work in the kitchen.

At the last minute, her employers for the last 12 years of her stay in Hong Kong decided to throw a party, and Ching did not think twice about canceling a previously arranged farewell dinner so she could do their bidding.

“Nakiusap na i-train ko yung kapalit ko,” said Ching, with nary a trace of annoyance in her voice. “Tinuruan kong gumawa ng Hainan chicken.”

Still, she was gratified when on leaving their house for the last time, her male employer, a lawyer, bid her goodbye with tears in his eyes. He reportedly said, “We will never find another one like you.”

Ching shows off her newest award to BSK members on the Admiralty bridge where they hang out

Indeed, her dedication to work - and passion for helping fellow migrants - made Ching, who decided to go home for good on Feb 3, a month after turning 65 years old, one of the most exemplary overseas Filipino workers to have served in Hong Kong.

Ching is the recipient of two top awards from the Philippine government, the Bagong Bayani presidential award in 1999, and the Bayani Cagayanos award presented by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the local government in Tuguegarao City in 2001.

She also remembers receiving some sort of a public service award from former President Fidel V. Ramos in the 1990s, but when pressed for more information, just shrugged it off, like it was not that important.

This remarkable humility was another trait that endeared Ching to many in the community. Despite her string of achievements which many Filcom leaders could only aspire for, Ching never threw her weight around.

And, while she may have been called “Bossing” by many of her friends, it was more a term of endearment than an acknowledgment of superiority because Ching dirtied her hands along with everyone else when it came to work.

She was legendary for not taking phone calls, much less chat via social media, while attending to the needs of her employers and their three grown-up sons, all of whom became lawyers like their father when Ching was already part of their household.

She was the only help in a huge Taikoo Shing flat which had two floors and a rooftop, which meant she had to do everything, from cleaning to cooking and washing clothes.

“Nag ha handwash pa yan,” said her friend Cristina, who is clearly in awe of the veteran migrant.

Another group close to Ching's heart is Card HK, which provides financial literacy and livelihood training to OFWs

Indeed, Ching was from a vanishing breed of Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong who are so focused on their work that they do not fritter time away on Facebook or chatting with friends.

Luckily, Ching had loyal friends who willingly helped her set up an email account, worked on her organization’s logo, and typed out her solicitation letters the few times she decided to hold an event.

Outside of her employer’s home, Ching was equally unstoppable in the various roles she assumed to help serve her fellow migrant workers.

She was founding president of Balikatan sa Kaunlaran Hong Kong Council, a provider of livelihood training for migrants; and a financial literacy and livelihood trainor for Card HK Foundation.

As if these didn’t make her busy enough, Ching often volunteered for projects ran by the Philippine Consulate and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, and attended many livelihood courses offered by various groups. These included the six-month long Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship program for migrant Filipinos offered by the Ateneo School of Government.

Ching’s swan swong was the realization of her long-held dream of holding a livelihood fair on Chater Road last November, where various groups providing skills training to OFWs displayed their products.

No less than Consul General Antonio A. Morales and Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre spent the whole morning with Ching’s BSK, a clear proof of how much her work for the community was valued by even the country’s top representatives here.

The last award she received was a plaque of appreciation from ConGen Morales, which cited Ching’s support for the Consulate’s various projects, and her “invaluable contribution to the upgrading of skills of Filipino Community members in Hong Kong…”

Ching first came to Hong Kong in 1985, after realizing that her management degree and job as bookkeeper in a government agency could mean her compromising her ideals just to pacify some officials who expected her to fiddle with the books.

After working uninterrupted for 20 years, she headed home when her older brother Peter decided to run as mayor in their hometown of Enrile in Cagayan, so she could help in his campaign.

Peter won by a landslide but managed to serve only briefly, as he was murdered by a political rival. That made Ching fear for her own safety.

Despondent and wanting to help provide for the large brood her brother had left behind, Ching made her way back to Hong Kong in early 2007, just over a year since her return home.

As with many of those who succeed because of hard work, Ching managed to turn her life around again. She was able to send six of her nieces and nephews through college and buy some real properties, including an apartment row and a house in Laguna, from her earnings as an OFW.

Despite some misgivings, she also helped bring over to Hong Kong some of her nieces, all college graduates, who decided to follow her journey as a migrant. A nephew who had gone all the way to Afghanistan in search of work, is now reportedly earning well enough to take over the job of supporting his siblings.

While she may have gone home for good, Ching is not done doing projects. For one, there is that cleaning service business hatched up among her classmates at Ateneo’s LSE program that is waiting to be pursued back in Manila.

Along with her live-in partner for the last couple of years, Ching is also looking at starting her own livelihood projects in Laguna, which could be partly funded by her share in the sale of some ancestral properties in Cagayan.

Serving her in good stead is her frugal ways, which means the long service pay she had collected from her employers and deposited directly into her bank account in the Philippines would go a long way.

It would seem that life is all set for Ching, after all the hard work she did working away from home for the past 32 years – but not quite.

“Ma mi-miss ko ito,” she says, her hand sweeping across the happy groups of migrants camped at her group’s favorite haunt on a bridge in Admiralty.

They, in turn, would surely miss her more. Ching’s work ethic, humility and passion for helping others made her one of a rare breed of migrants, the ones who will long be remembered by many in the community.