The SUN HK

PCG, Polo asked for regular updates on HK crisis

Posted on 10 October 2019 No comments

Images like these, from a day of violence across Hong Kong on China's National Day,
have spooked Philippine government officials

By The SUN

Fears over the worsening political unrest in Hong Kong has Philippine government officials at the edge of their seats, and have ordered their top diplomats in the city to send regular updates on the situation here.

The anxiety escalated recently when foreign domestic worker Joy Palmera collapsed on Oct 6 after inhaling toxic fumes from tear gas hurled by police at protesters in Wanchai.

The news that Palmera was rushed to hospital unconscious reached Manila, and frantic officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs reportedly asked the Hong Kong post to give an immediate update.

Luckily, Palmera recovered and was sent home the next day, but this did not stop the home office from badgering their officers here to keep sending updates as frequently as every hour.

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According to the officer-in-charge of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, Antonio Villafuerte, his instruction is to send updates on the “present situation as much as possible daily and hourly.”

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III is said to be monitoring the situation closely, apparently to help him determine what action to take just in case the welfare of Filipino migrant workers here are put on the line.

But Villafuerte said that as of now, the political crisis has not reached a point where emergency measures such as the mass evacuation of our workers have to be undertaken.

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Previously, Bello said in interviews in Manila that he was considering stopping the deployment of workers to Hong Kong because of the tense situation, but this did not happen.

Villafuerte said Bello later told Polo that he would defer to the DFA on how best to respond to the crisis in Hong Kong.

The DFA has already issued an advisory to all Filipinos to avoid traveling to Hong Kong, resulting in a massive drop in the number of tourist arrivals from the Philippines.

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This was after Jetro Pioquinto, a Filipino dancer in Hong Kong Disneyland was arrested during a police crackdown on protesters in Mong Kok on Aug. 3.

However, both Polo and the Consulate say the number of Filipinos arriving for work in Hong Kong has remained steady – at least for now.

But with the economy on a downward trajectory, job security, including those of domestic workers, could be in peril.

The situation could deteriorate further in the wake of a ban on the use of masks in public gatherings imposed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Sept. 29, which led to an unprecedented chaos across Hong Kong.

Many fear the violence could escalate ahead of the resumption on Oct. 16 of the Legislative Council sessions, during which the Chief Executive’s exercise of her emergency powers that led to the mask ban will be reviewed.

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It’s back to manual contract processing at Polo after online system revoked

Posted on 08 October 2019 No comments

Polo office building in Wanchai

By Vir B. Lumicao

From automated processing of employment contracts, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office has reverted to going through the documents manually, all because the new system meant to make the work faster and more efficiently has been junked.

The electronic system that Polo used previously has already been disconnected, and was supposed to be replaced with a new one in line with a contract signed between former Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre and Polaris Tools Limited.

But since the agreement was scrapped by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III last month for supposedly being a “midnight deal,” the processing of work contracts has reverted to the pre-2009 era, when the job was done by hand.

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Polo Office-in-Charge Antonio Villafuerte said he and the rest of the Polo officers who check the work contracts are just awaiting instructions from DOLE on what to do next.

“Wala pa ngang instruction sa amin kung ano ang (gagawin), magku-query na lang kami kung ano ang gagawin namin dito,” he said.

“Mahihirapan kami kung mahihirapan kami. Doon sa mga submission ng contracts, yung checking ng documents ay nagma-manual na kami. Unlike before, they could submit through online, ngayon wala na,” Villafuerte said.

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Before Polaris clinched the deal for the new system, all contracts submitted by employment agencies were processed with help from the old system installed by the previous provider, Employeasy.

Dela Torre said he decided to upgrade the system so Polo could also have a data base that tracked workers and employers on the watchlist, as well as agencies that violated the terms of their accreditation.

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But after a selection process that resulted in Polaris bagging the deal, an unsigned letter addressed to Bello purportedly from “agencies seeking justice”, alleged irregularities and imputed corruption on Dela Torre.

Dela Torre (middle) signed contract with Polaris' Lindsay Ernst while welfare officer Marivic Clarin watched

On Sept 25, an investigation team led by Undersecretary Claro Arellano recommended revoking the contract as it was supposedly done with “manifest haste and a lack of transparency”.

Dela Torre has hit back at the decision, alleging lack of due process as the team did not talk to him, or anyone from Polaris. He has posted comments on social media saying he is contemplating legal action to clear his name.

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With about 700 contracts being submitted to Polo each day, one would think the processing of the documents now takes longer than usual, and has overwhelmed staff.

Far from it, says Villafuerte, as his staff reportedly finds manual processing faster than electronic.

But he admits Polo now finds it difficult to keep track of employers who are on the watch list, meaning those with a record for abusive behavior or of committing contract violations, can now easily apply to hire a new Filipino domestic worker.

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50-year-old OFW becomes first Filipino to join HK’s taekwondo national team

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By Marites Palma

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, standing and text

Tabuena with one of her gold medals: she got into taekwondo out of boredom

Age is only a number for this determined and feisty Filipina domestic worker.

At the age of 50, and after practising the sport for only five years, Yolanda Tabuena, a diminutive native of Cagayan Valley, has become a member of Hong Kong Taekwondo National Team, the first ever Filipino to achieve the feat.

Tabuena, who is single, had been working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for 20 years when she got bored doing “nothing” on her days off so she got into the Korean combat sport, taekwondo. It was a sport that she was quite familiar with, as her family members back home were all into martial arts, and most were black belters.

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Still, starting something so physically demanding in her mid-40s did not come easy for Tabuena.

"After my first day of training I almost could not get up from bed. I was in pain but I needed to work so I would get up each morning like nothing was bothering me. Weeks, months passed by until I got used to it, and before I realized it, I was facing my opponent already,” Tabuena recalled.

She started being a member of United Taekwondo Association where she became a Red Belt. Then she got her White Belt when she moved to Everest Taekwondo Academy, which is affiliated with Cheung Do Kwan Korea and a member of Hong Kong Taekwondo Association.

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She is now a 3^rd Dan and has won numerous medals from the various competitions she has joined.

How did she manage to join the national team?

"When I was still at HKTA I joined the Hong Kong National Championship, and garnered a silver medal doing Pyungwon and Sipjin. That got me an invitation to join the national team. I was asked to fill up a form and submit some requirements, then report to the team and undergo some evaluation. Fortunately I passed, and was soon confirmed to represent Hong Kong in my category,” said Tabuena.

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She said a distinct advantage of being on the national team is that once you pass the tough selection process, you get to represent Hong Kong immediately in local or Asian competitions, whatever your race.

" I am very proud of myself because I am the only Filipino in the Hong Kong National team, " Tabuena said with a smile." I have the chance to update and upgrade myself through a series of trainings and seminars regarding taekwondo", she said.

As part of the national team, Tabuena won a silver medal along with Kenley Kwok, in the Teabak and Sipjin in Pair contest, and bronze in the Pyungwon and Sipjin category in the Asian competition held in Hong Kong in March 2017.

She has also consistently won the silver medal in her categories in the annual Hong Kong National Championship.

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Also included in her haul is the Gold Cup from the Korea Chung Do Kwan, a gold medal from the Macau Open Championship, and 4 golds and one silver medal from the Pak Ngai Cup.

Tabuena credits her supportive master (or teacher) and her teammates for encouraging her to join competitions, and for their support. She says they are like one big family who look out for each other so that they often get the overall championships during competitions.

Another advantage she has is her ability to speak fluent Cantonese, enabling her to both play and be an instructor in her club. Tabuena says this works both ways, as she gets to polish her skills while lending her expertise to students of the sport.

As a national team player, she hopes more young people will get into the sport, and later also share their knowledge with others so more will be encouraged to do taekwondo.

She lists down the various benefits one will gain from practicing taekwondo, including enhancing your skills and self-esteem, developing self-confidence, and strengthening your mind and body through increased physical coordination and mental discipline

Tabuena adds that taekwondo will help you learn how to deal with disappointments and criticisms, and enable you to become a good leader, teammate and role model.

When she goes back to the Philippines, Tabuena plans to build her own gym in her hometown so she can teach the young people in her province to also embrace the sport.

But for now, she hopes to encourage more of her fellow migrant workers to follow her example, saying taekwondo is a “total learning activity" that teaches physical coordination, flexibility, balance and acumen, while developing one’s athletic abilities and health awareness.

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More than 100 gather for DWC's anniversary party amid gloom

Posted on 07 October 2019 No comments

By Daisy CL Mandap

Image may contain: 6 people, people smiling, people standing

DWC members dance the blues away

If they were nervous or worried about the violence that has rocked Hong Kong for the past 18 weekends they didn’t show it. Or, they were just determined to have fun to mark the second year of their online group, Domestic Workers Corner.

More than 100 DWC members led by their founder Rodelia Villar, gathered at Pier 9 in Central earlier today, Oct 7, for their anniversary get-together.

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Although the celebration was more subdued than the one they had last year, everyone who came was eager to join in the fun and share stories, including how they managed to still take their days off despite the unrest that has spread across Hong Kong.

Not a few spoke of having to walk across several districts because of the MTR shutdown, or because the bus queue was too long it would take them hours to get back to their employer’s house.

Image may contain: 2 people, including Lovely Corner II, people smiling, people standing

Co-admins Villar (also founder) and Tuando with the certificates they handed to members

But Rain Tuando, one of the group’s “admins” (administrators) was lucky enough to have been picked up by her employers in Lai Chi Kok yesterday, after she got stranded when the entire Tsuen Wan line on the MTR was suddenly closed because of an accident. She would have been unable to walk home because her employers live all the way in Tai Wai.

According to Villar, the event could no longer be cancelled because the food had already been ordered and paid for from members’ contribution. She also had certificates made for the occasion, ready to be distributed to those who came.

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“Kung sino lang po ang makakarating kasi bayad na lahat,” Villar said. “Kung may matira i- take home na lang.”

But the turnout proved to be a pleasant surprise to her and most people in the group. It seemed everybody was as anxious to dispel the gloom from the long-running protests, as they were in enjoying each other’s company.

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But members’ safety was still the group’s priority, so they scheduled the gathering early in the morning so they could all start heading home after lunch. This was uppermost in everyone’s mind even as they played games, danced and did as much merrymaking as they could muster.

Having fun before they start heading back home

Shortly after 2pm, with stomachs full and hearts even fuller, they began to pack away their stuff. Not a few live as far away as Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan in the New Territories, and Discovery Bay in Lantau, and they were all anxious to be home in case trouble broke out anew, and prevented them from reaching the safety of their employers’ homes.

But at the back of everyone’s mind was the wish that Hong Kong would be peaceful again. The long-running political stalemate has gone on too long, and all they want now is to feel safe again in this, their second home.

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