Transcript DOLE seeks support as new attache takes over

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DOLE seeks support as new attache takes over
By Vir B. Lumicao
Labor Undersecretary Reydeluz Conferido has urged the
Filipino community in Hong
Kong to fully support newly
appointed Labor Attache Nenita Garcia, who officially assumed her post on Jan. 8.
Conferido, speaking to a select group of community leaders at the Consulate on Jan. 11,
said changes would be introduced, including online application and issuance of overseas
employment certificates and
addition of staff at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office to
shorten queues and speed up
processes.
At the sidelines of the briefing, Conferido told The SUN
that POLO would likely acquire nine additional personnel, who are now undergoing
pre-qualification screening in
Manila.
“Magdadagdag tayo ng
staff.
Hopefully
baka
makapagdadagdag ng siyam
or part of the local hire magiging regular na. Yung iba
manggaling na ng Maynila.
Polo has nine staff so baka
madoble, or a little less than
double,” Conferido said.
He said President Aquino
has approved 152 new items to
be distributed to the POLOs in
various countries depending on
the situation in each location.
He said POLO would move
to its new offices at Admiralty
Centre by the end of February
with Labor Secretary Rosalin-
da Baldoz coming here for the
inauguration of her project.
The official told the community that Baldoz sent him to
Hong Kong to show the
DOLE’s support for Garcia,
who has been in government
service for 21 years.
Both Conferido and Garcia
extended their hands in friendship to the community as
POLO tries to pick itself up
following a series of controversies involving Garcia’s predecessor, Manuel Roldan.
“Hindi ang titingnan natin
ay ang pagkukulang ng isa’t
isa kundi tulungan natin ang
isa’t isa nang tayong lahat ay
lumakas at umunlad,” Conferido said.
“Iyan po ang mabigat na katungkulan ni Labor Attache
Nenet Garcia, pero gagaan po
iyan kung tutulungan natin
siya.”
Conferido told leaders and
members of the 14 Filcom
groups who attended last SunContinued on Page 2
INSIDE
Unifil steps up pressure
on DOLE to sack Roldan
Page 2
Findstaff appeals licence
cancellation
Page 8
Judge rejects diminution
of Erwiana charges
Page 11
PCG eyes wider trade,
cultural ties with HK
Page 4
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
2
Unifil steps up pressure on DOLE to sack Roldan
Militant migrant groups in
Hong Kong are stepping up
the pressure on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to file charges
against former Labor Attache
Manuel Roldan in the wake of
a fact-finding report suggesting he committed illegal acts
while in Hong Kong.
Dolores Balladares, chairperson of United Filipinos in
Hong Kong (Unifil-Migrante
HK) told The SUN that LabAtt
Roldan should be held liable
for his direct violations of the
law.
“Walang puwang sa gubyerno ang mga kawani na kagaya
ni LabAtt Manuel Roldan,”
said Balladares.
She expressed alarm that
DOLE has kept quiet on the issue, despite the damning findings of a committee formed by
Consul General Bernardita
Catalla in response to a complaint made against Roldan by
a support group for foreign domestic workers.
In a report released at the end
of September last year, the
fact-finding committee noted
certain acts of Roldan which
may have violated Philippine
laws and regulations, specifically those pertaining to conflict of interest rules on civil
service.
This referred in particular to
his act of endorsing for accreditation by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency an
employment agency registered
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in the name of a daughter of his
staff, Donald Retirado.
The report also disclosed
that the Philippine Overseas
Labor Office (POLO) under
Roldan had submitted a tampered copy of Retirado’s employment contract, apparently
in a bid to deflect any accusations of wrongdoing.
In addition, Roldan was
found to have caused the accreditation of 90 additional
employment agencies in Hong
Kong, despite an already saturated recruitment market.
The investigation was
launched on Aug. 26, in response to a series of complaints made against Roldan by
the Coalition of Service Providers for Ethnic Minorities
(CSPEM) in Hong Kong.
A copy of the PCG report
had been sent to both Secretary
Baldoz and several offices under the Department of Foreign
Affairs, but no further action
appears to be forthcoming.
“Dapat na kasuhan ng
DOLE ng administratibo or
criminal charges si Roldan,”
said Balladares. “Ang kaso, sa
nakikita
natin
ngayon
mukhang pinagtatakpan pa ng
DOLE si Roldan, tahimik
sila.”
But she said Unifil and Migrante would not allow Roldan
to get away with what he did. If
DOLE would not pursue the
case, she said her group will
push for a congressional inquiry.
She disclosed that Migrante
Sectoral Party chair Connie
Bragas-Regalado is already
working on allies in Congress,
including Rep. Luz Ilagan of
Gabriela, in getting the case
heard as soon as possible.
Balladares said Unifil-Migrante is also poised to launch
mass actions to pressure
DOLE to act, and if it does not,
to expose the cover-up.
Apart from Unifil-Migrante
and CSPEM, a group of church
leaders is also calling for immediate sanctions against
Roldan.
The Global Ministers Asso-
ciation has accused the former
labor attaché of failing to act on
the complaint of some two
dozen OFWs who were illegally charged $21,000 each in
placement fee.
Conferido presides over meet with selected commkunity groups.
With hims to top officers of POLO at the consulate,
DOLE seeks support as
new attache takes over
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From Page 1
day’s meeting at the conference hall of the Consulate the
importance of cooperation between the OFWs and the labor
office.
The undersecretary did most
of the talking during the unannounced conference that Filcom members said was originally scheduled for 2:30 pm on
Jan. 11 but had to be moved
forward as Conferido was flying back to Manila that afternoon.
When it was her turn to
speak, Garcia said she had
nothing else to say as Conferido had already covered all topics.
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the next three years, and I hope
magkaroon tayo ng lasting
friendship, magtulungan kung
anuman ang programa ng
POLO para ma-implement
nating mabuti ang mga ito,” “
the soft-spoken Garcia said.
She added that if the consulate was open 24/7, she would
“take the call na … ang POLO
rin po ay 24/7 available and
sensible” to the OFWs’ needs.
Conferido said the OFWs
should be served better by
POLO when the labor office
moves out of its cramped space
at the Consulate to the 11th and
16th floors of Admiralty Centre, with offices, training rooms
for skills and enough counters.
But to further avoid queues
for overseas employment certificates, the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency is
developing its Balik Manggagawa Online project through
which OFWs could fill up
forms and print out their OECs.
“Kung narehistro na ang inyong kontrata, nakalagay na
kayo sa database, iyong susunod na hakbang hindi na kayo
kailangang pumunta rito para
pumila dahil pwede na ninyong i-print,” Conferido said,
adding that a local IT group
was studying how to make the
system work on mobile applications.
Continued on Page 8
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
3
4
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
BUHAY PINAY
Note: Unless properly identified, people reported here
have been given fictitious names to protect their privacy.
Malungkot na bakasyon
Sa halip na maging masaya ang bakasyon ni Noralyn nitong nakaraang Pasko at Bagong Taon, puro luha at pighati ang kanyang
naramdaman. Kung siya lang ang masusunod ay hindi na sana
niya itutuloy ang bakasyon na iyon, dangan nga lang at nabili na
ang kanyang tiket, at nanghihinayang siya na sayangin iyon.
Bukod dito, sabik din siya na makapiling ang kanyang mga anak.
Ang nakakalungkot aniya, ay ang pagbabago ng ugali nga kanyang asawa. Naging mapaghinala ito at kahit sa maliit na dahilan lang ay nag-iinit na ang ulo nito. Madalas din siyang inaaway kapag nakainom na ito at lango sa alak. Dahil dito ay
naging puro sama ng loob ang dinanas ni Noralyn sa loob ng
maikling panahon na kasama niya ang kanyang pamilya. Maging
ang kanyang mga anak ay nagkakaroon na rin ng takot at pangamba kapag nakikitang lasing ang kanilang ama. Dahil dito ay
umalis si Noralyn na malaki ang takot na baka magkaroon ng
masamang epekto sa kanyang mga anak ang pagiging lasenggo
ng kanilang ama. Kung hindi lang dahil sa kanyang mga anak ay
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mabigyan ng magandang kinabukasan ang mga anak at makaipon din. Pinayuhan na lang siya ng isang kaibigan na magtipid
at mag-ipon at nang sa gayon ay makauwi siya agad upang masubaybayan ang kanyang mga anak. Ayon na rin sa kaibigan,
malamang na nalulungkot din ang kanyang asawa na mapalayo
sa kanya kaya’t lagi itong naglalasing. Paalala din ng kaibigan
na maraming pamilya ang nasisira sa pagkakalayong ganito at
kung nais ni Noralyn na isalba ang kanyang pamilya ay sikapin
niyang ayusin ang kanilang problema bago pa humantong ito sa
hiwalayan. – Jo Campos
Sayang naman
Aligaga si Salve sa pamimili ng ipapadala sa kanyang mga anak
dahil uuuwi ang kanyang pinsan sa kanilang bayan sa Leyte para
doon mag Pasko. Nagpapabili ng sapatos ang kanyang binatang
anak, at ang kanyang bunso naman ay damit at cellphone ang
hiling. Mabuti na lang at binigyan si Salve ng isang buwan na
bonus ng kanyang amo kaya’t iyon ang kanyang ipamimili para
sa kanyang mga anak. Pero sa takdang araw ng kanyang pamimili ay kailangan niyang umuwi ng maaga para ipagluto ng
hapunan ang mga amo, pagkatapos idaan sa pinsan ang mga
pasalubong. Una niyang binili ay ang cellphone para sa kanyang
bunso, na kahit may kamahalan ay alam niyang magpapasaya
dito ng husto. Pagkatapos ay pumunta siya sa Wanchai para bumili ng sapatos na pang basketball na bilin ng kanyang panganay. Dahil mapili ang binata ay nag-skype sila para makita ng
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umalis sa tindahan at sumakay ng tram patungong Causeway
Bay para bumili naman ng damit para sa dalagang bunso. Noong
nasa Causeway Bay na siya ay noon lang niya namalayan na
kulang ang kanyang dala, kaya karipas siya ng balik sa tindahan
ng sapatos sa Wanchai. Tinanong niya ang mga nagtitinda doon
kung may naiwan na supot na may lamang cellphone ngunit
wala daw silang nakita. Halos himatayin si Salve sa panghihinayang. Mahigit tatlong libong dolyar ang halaga ng cellphone
na iyon na nawala lang na parang bula. Nanlulumong umuwi si
Salve at tumawag sa kanyang mga anak para ikuwento ang
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Campos
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na mabayaran dahil bawal ang ginawa ng kanyang amo ay hindi
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isang matandang dalagang Intsik na nakatira sa Tai Mong Tsai
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village sa Sai Kung nang siya ay magkasakit. Sa umpisa ay
kaunting ubo lamang ang problema niya, pero sa kalaunan ay
nauwi ito sa pulmonya. Ayaw kasi siyang patingnan sa doktor ng
amo, na nag-utos na inumin na lang niyang lahat ang mga gamot
sa bahay para sa lagnat, kahit iyong wala ng bisa. Nang lumala
ang kanyang kalagayan ay hindi na pinapapasok sa loob ng bahay si Melda dahil nandoon lang lagi ang kanyang amo at hindi
namamasukan. May sarili siyang tinitirhan na kanugnog ng
malaking bahay, kaya kung paalis na ang amo ay saka lang siya
papapasukin. Ipinagbilin din nito nang mahigpit na dapat siyang
naka-mask maghapon habang nililinis ang bahay at ipinapasyal
ang dalawang alagang aso. Nitong nakaraang buwan, halos maglumuhod na sa pagmamakaawa si Melda na dalhin na siya sa
ospital dahil hindi na nya kaya ang pananakit ng katawan, at halos walang humpay na ubo. Sa bandang huli ay pumayag ang
amo, at pagkagaling sa doktor ay isinama siya sa tanghalian
kasama ang mga magulang ng among babae. Lingid sa kanyang
kaalaman ay nakatakda na siyang dalhin ng amo sa kanilang
agency sa Hang Hau pagkatapos ng pananghalian para putulin
ang kanilang kontrata. Hindi na umalma si Melda dahil hindi na
rin niya gustong tumagal sa among walang puso. Bukod dito ay
Continued on Page 22
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The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Rizal Day rites reassert Phl-HK ties
By Vir B. Lumicao
Filipinos in Hong Kong
marked the 118th death anniversary of national hero Dr.
Jose P. Rizal on Dec. 30 with
wreath-laying ceremonies at
the Mid-Levels house where
he lived and at the site of his
medical clinic in Central during his exile here.
The memorial was highlighted by a recitation of Rizal’s
poem “Huling Paalam” by
two Filipino youngsters as the
Consulate wants the children
of Filipinos here to be aware of
the historical ties between the
Philippines and Hong Kong.
The event started with a
walk led Consul General Bernardita Catalla and other Consulate officers and staff, and
joined by members of Lakbay
Dangal, Damayan OFW Hong
Kong and Knights of Rizal, to
Rednaxela Terrace in MidLevels.
Rednaxela Terrace was
where Rizal and his family resided from December 1891 to
June 1892 during his brief selfexile in Hong Kong.
Consulate officers Maria Jo-
cel A. Hildalgo and Manely
Ma. G. Gomez laid the first
wreath at the foot of the historical marker outside the building.
In her brief message, ConGen Catalla said as the Filipino
community honors the national hero, the significance of the
day should not be lost on the
Filipino youth.
She said her objective in involving the youth in the celebration of Rizal Day was to
promote to the younger generation the historical ties between
the Philippines and Hong Kong
in order to deepen their understanding of each other.
Erika Claire Gomez, the
daughter of Manely, recited the
first seven stanzas of “Huling
Paalam,” a Tagalog translation of “Mi Ultimo Adios”, a
farewell poem that Rizal wrote
in his Fort Santiago prison cell
on the night of Dec. 29, 1896.
From Rednaxela, the group
proceeded to D’Aguilar St.,
where Rizal practiced medicine in 1891-1892 in a clinic on
the spot now occupied by retail
shop Century Square.
A wreath was laid by Maria
Consul General Bernardita Catalla leads rites at the Rizal marker on Rednaxela Terrace, where
Rizalo once lived.
Luisa F. Roque and Lew Wesley B. Nuere at the foot of the
historical marker, followed by
a minute of silent prayer for the
national hero.
After the wreath-laying, Jake
Nuere, son of Lew, recited the
last seven stanzas of “Huling
Paalam” to cap the remembrance ceremony.
Philippine history books say
that Rizal spent his final hours
writing the then untitled poem
while waiting for the Spanish
troops to fetch him from his
cell.
On the morning of Dec. 30,
Rizal was marched by a platoon of Spanish soldiers to Bagumbayan Field, now called
Rizal Park. There at 7:03 a.m.,
the man now known as the
“Pride of the Malay Race” was
executed by firing squad.
Hong Kong has played a
special role in the dispersal of
the poem. According to historical accounts, Rizal’s fellow
reformist and friend Mariano
Ponce, while also in exile in
the territory, had the poem
printed in 1897 with the title
“Mi Ultimo Pensamiento”
(My Last Thoughts).
A year later, another reformist, Fr. Mariano Dacanay, published the poem in the first issue of La Independencia on
Sept. 25, 1898 with the title
“Ultimo Adios”. A copy of the
untitled poem was earlier
smuggled to the priest while he
was being held in the Bilibid
prison.
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The SUN Mid-month January 2015
7
PCG eyes wider trade, cultural ties with HK
The Consulate is expanding
the scope of its activities this
year to promote the Philippines to Hong Kong tourists
and investors, and enhance
cultural understanding between Filipinos and locals.
Consul General Bernardita
Catalla told The SUN in an interview that the expansion involved repositioning key officials in recent months, resulting in “better people” now occupying crucial positions.
Another objective of Catalla
for 2015 is to revive the Filipino chamber of commerce in
Hong Kong to increase trade
with the territory.
“Our thrust in 2015 is to improve our consular services,
promote the Philippines as an
investment and tourist destination, and enhance people-topeople relations through cultural activities,” Catalla said.
“So, we would like to expose
the people of Hong Kong to the
culture of the Philippines. Hindi lang yung nakikita nila,
OFW lang kayo eh”.
Catalla said the Consulate
has begun boosting the Philippines’ political relations with
Hong Kong and China, an activity that is being pursued by a
political-economic unit that
would deal with bilateral trade
and political issues.
The new unit is manned by
Vice Consul Charles Andrei
Macaspac, head of the assistance to nationals section, who
will pass the ATN position on
to Vice Consul Fatima Guzman in March so he could concentrate on political-economic
concerns, Catalla said.
“We would like to really expand the areas of our activities,
promoting the Philippines as a
tourism destination and, siguro, we’ll be stronger in promoting Philippine culture with
the objective of deepening understanding between the
people(s) of Hong Kong and
… the Philippines,” Catalla
said.
“Kasi hindi na lang nakatutok iyan sa consular, we would
like to build a stronger bridge
between the Filipinos and the
people of Hong Kong,” she
added.
Part of the plan is to provide
space in the consulate for the
country’s de facto tourism attaché in Hong Kong, David
Leung, when the Philippine
Overseas Labor Office moves
to its new offices in Admiralty
Centre shortly.
Leung is the marketing representative of the Department
of Tourism here.
Catalla said one way to enhance trade is to revitalize the
Filipino businessmen’s group.
“I am revitalizing the Philippine Chamber of Commerce in
Hong Kong. That’s one of our
objectives this year, and if we
can, establish a Hong KongPhilippines business office.
That’s why we want to revitalize it, bring it back,” she said.
The Consul General said she
is also strengthening the cultural section, currently headed by
Guzman, to enhance people,
culture and community relations.
“Kaya ngayon, we are not
only targeting the Filipino
youth, but also the youth of
Hong Kong,” Catalla said, adding that the Consulate is establishing links with schools, including primary, in a broader
Consul General Bernardita Catalla
activity that is not confined to
just the three pillars of diplomacy, she said.
Helping out Macaspac in the
political-economic unit are
Manely Butic and Manily Go-
mez, recent arrivals in the Consulate who both came from
“substantive” offices of the Department of Foreign Affairs,
according to Catalla.
“So, I have a section now.
Kaya kami uma-attend na ng
Hong Kong Trade and Development Council (meetings),
yung mga invitation na pangchamber,” she said.
The unit also attends to labor
matters, she added.
When the replacement of
Consul Lorena Joy Banagodos
arrives by the end of March,
Guzman will take over at ATN
and do consular work as well,
while the new diplomat will do
cultural and community relations.
Catalla said the restructure
does not involve additional
people, but added: “I believe
we have better people now as
they come from substantive offices”.
Gomez came from the
DFA’s Office of Asia Pacific
Affairs and Butic, from the
Office of Asean Affairs, two
important units of the department overseeing two key regions.
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8
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Findstaff appeals licence cancellation
after finding it guilty of violating the 2002 POEA Rules and
Regulations that prohibit the
collection of placement fees
from Filipinos deployed as
household service workers
abroad.
Cacdac also ordered the disqualification of Findstaff’s director and officers at the time
of the commission of the offense from the business of recruiting Filipinos for work
overseas.
As a further consequence, he
ordered Findstaff, along with
its surety Country Bankers Insurance Corporation, to pay
back the nearly Php600,000 in
fees collected by Satisfactory
from the complainants.
No ruling was, however,
made against Satisfactory as it
did not respond to the POEA’s
summons to respond to the
allegations. But the agency
was included in the list of
“principals or entities” barred
from recruiting Filipinos for
work abroad.
The suit against Findstaff
stemmed from the complaints
of about two dozen Hong
Kong OFWs who said they
had been made to pay $21,000
each by Satisfactory, which
had offices in Tai Wai, New
Territories. The money was to
be paid monthly thru ATM deductions from the Hang Seng
bank accounts set up by Satisfactory for them.
Of these, 10 joined the case
filed with POEA: Manayon I
Agcaoili, Joevelyn A. Balaoing, Maria Belen C. Barcena,
Maria Aurora Cabania, Ruth
Ramos Daria, Jennifer de Guzman Singit, Jovelyn D Sion,
Anastacia D. Soriano, Crisanta
G Tamiana, and Mylene R Tolentino.
In their supplementary affidavits submitted to POEA,
seven of the complainants said
the fee collection was with the
knowledge or consent of their
Philippine recruiter, Findstaff.
Two failed to respond to
summons from POEA while a
third did not file a supplemental affidavit. Still, Cacdac said
the seven complaints were
enough to merit the severest
penaly of licence revocation
against Findstaff.
He quoted sec 5, Rule IV,
Part VI of the POEA Rules and
Regulations that provides that
“a respondent found guilty of
committing an offense, regardless of the number or nature of
charges, against five or more
complainants in a single case,
shall be imposed the penalty of
cancellation of licence”.
The seven who pursued the
claim were awarded a refund
of their placement fees, ranging from Php33,036 to
Php120,248.
DOLE seeks support as new attache takes over
From Page 2
The undersecretary said the
system allows the user to pay
her OEC online, but that the
DOLE was also looking at the
issue of additional charge for
using the system.
Conferido also urged OFWs
to encourage their children to
enroll in Tesda’s vocational
courses to give them better
chances being hired in 6-9
months after graduation, compared to baccalaureate courses
whose graduates could take 2-
3 years to look for a job.
He cited Tesda graduates
Boy Logro, a former chef of
Queen Elizabeth II who is now
a well-known TV personality,
and Cristine Reyes, who beat
MBA graduates from top universities to win the “self-employment entrepreneurial program” award for 2014.
OWWA welfare officer Kris
Furaque reminded the OFWs
of
scholarships
worth
Php14,500 that they or their
next of kin could use to enroll
in Tesda short vocational
courses. There is no age limits
for members, while their next
of kin must be 21 and below.
Joining Conferido and Garcia in the meeting were assistant labor attaches Ma. Nena
German and Henry Tianero.
The Filcom groups included
National Organization of Professional Teachers, PhilReflex,
PhilWomed, Bicol Association, Kapampangan United,
Pamela, Diwa Kabayan and
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One of the Philippines’ top recruitment agencies has appealed against the decision by
the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
(POEA) to revoke its licence
for allowing its Hong Kong
counterpart to collect placement fee from Filipino recruits.
In its notice of appeal dated
Nov. 25 but received only late
last month by the complainants, Findstaff Placement Services Inc. argued that the order
of POEA administrator Hans
Cacdac was “contrary to law
and jurisprudence, and unsupported by evidence on record”.
But the complainants in the
case, who are represented by
Christian Bishop Gerry Vallo,
say they will oppose the appeal, and will instead ask for a
finality of judgment.
The case stemmed from the
complaints filed by 10 Filipino
domestic workers recruited by
Findstaff who said they were
made to pay $21,000 each,
payable in seven monthly in-
stallments, upon arrival in
Hong Kong.
They said the collection was
done by Findstaff’s Hong
Kong counterpart, Satisfactory
Employment and Travel Centre Limited. In their supplementary affidavits, the claimants said the collection of the
illicit fees was with the knowledge of Findstaff.
But in its appeal memorandum, Findstaff, which claims
to be the first to have been accredited by POEA more than
42 years ago, insisted that Cacdac “ignored the fact that (it)
never ever collected any fees
from the complainants”.
The recruiter also said the
complainants had filed the case
against Satisfactory because
they knew “perfectly well” that
it was the Hong Kong agency
that collected the illicit fee.
Findstaff said it was not just
fighting for its licence, but also
for “its honor, which was trampled upon by the POEA administrator by the issuance of
the unjust order”.
In his Nov. 19 decision, Cacdac revoked Findstaff’s licence
Queen Victoria St.
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The SUN Mid-month January 2015
9
Mission says thank you to migrant workers, supporters
By Gina N. Ordona
A leader of one of the biggest
migrant organizations in Hong
Kong has challenged the Mission for Migrant Workers to
expand its services outside its
office in Central, and beyond
employment-related issues.
Eni Lestari, chairperson of
the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body aired the message
during the Mission’s thanksgiving party and launch of its
latest publication, “Migrants
Review,” at Fanny Li Hall on
Jan. 11.
Lestari said that apart from
labor-related issues, psychological and health problems are
becoming a concern.
“We are very surprised that
even among Indonesians, it’s
no longer about underpayment
issue. It’s now about cancer,
about sending them back home
when they are already disabled
or meet an untimely death,”
Lestari said.
Another challenge that she
pointed out is the difficulty of
reaching out to migrant workers demographically.
She said migrant workers are
no longer concentrated in just
one place because the money
they earn is no longer enough
to support their travel expenses.
“This is another issue because the question is, how can
we empower them when our
center is only in one area but
the workers are everywhere?”
she said.
“We hope that you will also
soon decide to have your chapter everywhere in HK. They
also do not know how to access
services because they are very
far from us. They end up going
back to their agencies, their bad
employers and they suffer
without us knowing how to
help them.
Apart from setting up chapters in various locations, Lestari also mentioned the challenge of having more shelter.
“We understand that it is
very expensive and complicated to run a shelter. But with all
the cases we have, the bigger
challenge is, you will need
more shelters for migrant
workers,” Lestari said.
She also pointed out the increasing presence of workers
from Bangladesh and Burma
who neither speak English nor
Cantonese.
“I spoke to a few of them on
the streets but they don’t understand what I am talking
about. So this is going to be a
big challenge for the service
providers to prepare,” she
said.
Earlier in her speech, Mission manager Cynthia Tellez
said that as part of their advocacy, they have tried to engage
the locals in extending help to
migrant workers in a spirit of
“compassion, love, and caring”.
“Some of our volunteers are
from universities, corporations
and other professionals offering their services free of
charge,” she said.
Tellez said that the Mission’s “Know Your Rights”
seminars and leadership trainings have also expanded on the
various concerns of women.
The Mission is not merely a
service provider as it also conducts charity walks and other
fund-raising activities to raise
funds for the continuation of St
John’s support to migrants in
HK and other marginalized
sectors.
It is also a hub of learning for
young interns and volunteers
from HK and overseas.
“With our university and ec-
Mission members and supporters gather at the Fanny Li Hall.
umenical partners, the Mission
formulated plans for interns
and volunteers to have the
maximum opportunity to learn
being with the FDWs in HK
and assist in the numerous
work of the Mission,” Tellez
said.
One of last year’s interns
was Grace Fung, a double degree student in law and literature at Hong Kong University
who was the leading contributor to Migrants Review.
At the Mission’s event, Fung
spoke passionately of how she
had been looked after by a Filipina nanny, and how bad she
felt about the Hong Kong government’s failure to enact laws
consistent with international
standards on migrant workers’
protection.
Another guest, Prof. Amy
Sim, lauded the Mission’s
work of more than 30 years in
advancing the interests of migrant workers.
Sim, who is a longtime
friend of the migrant community in Hong Kong, took the
opportunity to say goodbye, as
she was set to return to her native country of Singapore. She
wrote the foreword to Migrants
Review.
10
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Ex-maid of Erwiana’s employer claims ill-treatment
By Vir B. Lumicao
There seemed to be a pattern
of ill-treatment of domestic
workers in the household
where Erwiana Sulistyaningsih was employed, based on
the evidence given on Dec. 30
by a compatriot of the former
maid in District Court.
But Tutik Lestari Ningsih’s
ordeal during a year-long employment with the family of
defendant Law Wan-tung was
less cruel than what Sulityaningsih had gone through, the
court heard.
In about 15 years, Law had
hired more than 10 maids and
most of them stayed with her
for about a year, her 18-yearold son Edmund testified in a
later hearing. Only three have
so far complained of ill-treatment.
She took the witness stand at
the hearing of the 20 consolidated charges of physical assault and nonpayment of wages laid against Law by Sulistyaningsih, Ningsih and a third
Indonesian maid, Nurhasanah.
Sulistyaningsih and Ningsih
are in Hong Kong fighting
their case in court. Nurhasanah
failed to testify even though
she was listed also as a victim
and prosecution witness.
Ningsih told the court, presided over by Judge Amanda
Woodcock, that during her stay
in Law’s house, she was instructed to work from 10 am to
6am the next day, leaving the
maid only four hours of rest in
a cramped room.
The helper, like Sulistyaningsih, was not given her salary, not allowed to take leave or
statutory holiday, and was kept
inside the house most of the
time.
Ningsih spoke of how Law
threatened to have her family in
Indonesia killed by contacts of
her husband if she complained
to her parents about her plight.
Sulistyaningsih had told the
court earlier about the same
threat being made by the defendant.
Ningsih said she was only
allowed to use the toilet before
going to bed and upon waking
up. Using the telephone or
opening the door unless instructed was also a no-no, and
she was told never to talk to
anybody, including the husband of her employer.
The helper said at one time
she was hit in the back with the
handle of a feather duster because the defendant was not
happy with the Indonesian’s
work.
On further questioning by
defense counsel Graham Harris, Ningsih said she was
slapped by Law in the back on
about 10 other occasions
A day earlier, check-in staff
at Hong Kong International
Airport testified they saw traces of injuries on Sulistyaningsih when she was about to fly
out to Indonesia last January.
Lee Tze-wai, a ground officer of China Airlines, said the
woman’s eyes were bloodshot,
there was swelling around her
eyes, and dark brown spots
marked her face.
“I have a deep impression
because her face was rather
swollen at that time,” she told
the court presided over by
Judge Amanda Woodcock.
At one point in her testimony, she said she saw the Chinese woman (Law) escorting
Sulistyaningsih to the check-in
counter waving her finger at
the Indonesian’s face but the
two women were not within
hearing distance.
Also taking the witness
stand was immigration officer
Man Chi-wai, who said he noticed that the maid had flaky
skin on her hands like she had
skin disease.
Defense counsel Graham
Harris QC, during cross-examination, asked Man if he had
asked Sulistyaningsih about
her condition, but the witness
replied he didn’t.
The third prosecution witness on Dec. 29 was taxi driver Wong Chi-kwong, who said
he was ordered by Law to
drive her and the helper to the
airport.
He told the court the Indonesian had stunk so much he had
to open the windows on both
sides of the cab.
The prosecution also presented customs officer Chan
Hon-keung, a neighbor of Law
on whose door Sulistyaningsih
knocked at 2.30am in December 2013 begging for food. He
said when he saw the maid, he
shooed her away and slammed
the door.
Angela Loe, a former general manager of Chan’s Asia Recruitment, confirmed that
maids recruited in Indonesia to
work in Hong Kong were
made to pay $2,542 each
month for six months.
Also giving evidence, Loe
said the payment is to be deposited by the employer to a
bank account and her agency
received part of the payment.
Harris, however, cautioned
Loe not to answer his further
questions about the payments
if she felt doing so would incriminate Chan’s Asia.
Heeding the defense counsel, Loe declined to answer
subsequent questions by Harris
on the deduction of $2,542
monthly from Sulistyaningsih’s salary.
On Day 6 of the trial on Dec.
22, the Indonesian woman who
noticed Sulistyaningsih’s condition and helped her board the
plane at Hong Kong airport,
was the prosecution’s second
witness. Riyanti Binti Noto
Parni also escorted the badly
injured maid back to her home
in Solo on Jan.10 last year.
Riyanti said she was waiting
to board a China Airlines plane
to Jakarta at Gate 32 of the
HKIA before midnight of Jan.
9 when she saw that Sulistyaningsih was very weak, in pain
and had a swollen face and
hands.
She said when the airline
suddenly moved its boarding
to Gate 1 about 400 meters
away, she helped the sick maid
to her feet but noticed the latter
could hardly walk, so, she seated her on a luggage cart and
pushed it to the new boarding
gate.
At the Sulistyaningsih home
in Solo, Riyanti helped the
maid change her clothes and
that was when she saw the
bruises and injuries all over her
body.
Law, 44, has pleaded not
guilty to 10 counts of assault
and criminal intimidation involving Sulistyaningsih, Ningsih and a third maid Nurhasanah.
She denied 10 other counts
of failing to grant holidays and
pay wages to Sulistyaningsih.
The alleged torture of
Sulistyaningsih began in 2013
after the maid tried to run away
after Law did not pay her salary for June.
The employer sent her back
to Indonesia on the night of
Jan. 9, when the maid could
hardly walk, had a swollen
face and diseased skin.
Another Indonesian DH
returns to press abuse claim
By Vir B. Lumicao
An Indonesian domestic who
has accused her former employer of chopping her finger
has returned to Hong Kong
from Indonesia to testify in the
case.
Anis Andriyani was due to
fly in from Jakarta on Jan. 13
where she was to be met by
representatives of the Justice
for Erwiana and All Migrant
Domestic Workers Committee
(J4EMDW) and the Mission
for Migrant Workers.
Andriyani’s case will be
heard at the District Court
starting Jan. 19, just as the
hearing of the charges against
the employer of her compatriot
Erwiana Sulistyaningsih enters
its final stage in the same court
the following day.
The court hearing Sulistyaningsih’s case has recessed for
over a week as both prosecution and defense lawyers prepare their final submissions.
The hearing is slated for 20
days.
Andriyani was 28 years old
when the said incident allegedly happened last Feb. 24.
The maid, who arrived in
Hong Kong on Feb. 17 last
year, began working with the
three-member family in Western District two days later.
“We express our hope that
the hearing will result in a favorable judgment for her,” said
Sringatin, spokeswoman of the
J4EMDW.
“Aside from this, for justice
to become truly for all migrant
domestic workers, we reiterate
our call to the Hong Kong government to take concrete steps
to reform the policies governing MDWs in the territory.”
She said the cases of Andriyani, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih,
Rowena Uychiat and Kartika
Puspitasari show concretely
that modern-day slavery of migrant domestic workers in
Hong Kong are not simply isolated cases.
They “are actually rampant
with many more cases remaining unreported due to prohibitive policies and conditions,”
Sringatin said.
The J4EMDW criticized the
HKSAR government for failing to repeal the “two-week
rule” and make live-out an option to decrease the vulnerability of migrant domestic workers from abuse, exploitation
and slavery.
Article 9 of the International
Labour Organization Convention 189 (Domecent Work for
Domestic) says that each ILO
member shall take measures to
ensure that domestic workers:
a) are free to reach agreement
with their employer or potential employer on whether to reside in the household; b) who
reside in the household are not
obliged to remain in the household or with household members during periods of daily
and weekly rest or annual
leave; and c) are entitled to
keep in their possession their
travel and identity documents.
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
11
Judge rejects diminution of Erwiana charges
The District Court judge hearing the case against the Hong
Kong employer of Indonesian
maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih
has dismissed an attempt by
the defense counsel to cut the
number of charges against his
client.
Turning down a bid by the
defense counsel to have charge
No. 2 dropped and give lesser
weight to charges 9 and 10,
Judge Amanda Woodcock said
defendant Law Wan-tung, 44,
had a case to answer for all the
charges filed against the employer.
The prosecution presented
its last witness while the first of
four defense witnesses – the
defendant’s son – gave evidence on Day 14of the trial on
Jan. 8, as the hearings begun a
month earlier neared their conclusion.
“There is prima facie evidence for all the charges
brought against the defendant,”
Woodcock told the court.
“I do not consider the submissions made by the defense
as these were based on the
prosecution’s
evidence,”
Woodcock said, drawing
hushed jubilation from supporters of Sulistyaningsih who
had been attending the hearings scheduled for 20 days.
The judge made the statement after listening to a summation of the defense position
on the 20 consolidated charges
lodged against Law following
radiologist Dr. Tom Cheung’s
appearance as witness for the
prosecution.
Defense counsel Graham
Harris QC called for the dropping of charge No. 2, in which
Sulistyaningsih claimed the
defendant had punched her in
the left face near the nasal bone
for two to three times, causing
her pain, nasal bleeding and
difficulty breathing.
The cases of criminal intimidation and assault occasioning
bodily harm involved another
Indonesian maid, Nurhasanah,
who had been listed as one of
the prosecution witnesses but
could not come to Hong Kong.
“There was no supporting
evidence of the threat allegedly made by the defendant on
Nurhasanah,” Harris said.
Nurhasanah had been a domestic helper of Law between October and December 2011 and
also an alleged victim of Law.
“Charge 9 depends entirely
on the evidence of Nurhasan-
ah, who is an unreliable witness,” the defense lawyer said.
Earlier in the day, Cheung
told the court x-ray and MRI
(magnetic resonance imaging)
scans done by Hong Kong and
Indonesian doctors on Sulistyaningsih after news of her ordeal broke, showed no bone
fragments in her nasal cavity,
no evidence of depression in
her nasal region or acute nasal
fractures, and no general depression in her skull.
He said the MRI image
showed “an old but serious
trauma” in the woman’s nasal
cavity, but could not pinpoint
the cause. He explained the
nosebleed suffered by Sulistyaningsih was not necessarily
due to trauma but could be
congenital or physiological.
The doctor also explained
that an MRI showed that trauma in the back of the skull
caused swelling in the back of
the brain that is not normally
seen in a CT scan.
Asked by the defense what
caused the trauma, Cheung
said: “If the impact is on the
front of the head, the hematoma is in the back part of the
brain.” This is so because the
frontal impact pushes the posterior of the brain against the
back of the skull.
The doctor’s findings drove
Harris to ask the court to drop
charge No. 2, which specified
the punches to the face that
Sulistyaningsih took from Law
“caused her nasal bleeding and
discomfort in breathing”.
“We now know there is no
fracture in Erwiana’s nasal
bone,” the lawyer said.
Earlier, Dr. Chiao Wing-fu,
a pathologist who gave evidence on Jan. 5 for the prosecution, confirmed all 40 injuries
and conditions listed in the
comprehensive post-ordeal
medical examinations Sulistyaningsih had undergone.
Dr. Chiao also said that it
was unlikely Sulistyaningsih
had inflicted injuries on herself, or sustained injuries because of clumsiness.
The pathologist said that had
the helper been prone to injuring herself, the marks would
have been different.
“It should be on the limbs
accessible to the person,” he
said, adding that sensitive areas
such as the eyes, nose and
mouth would be avoided.
The medical report on
Sulistyaningsih showed she
had several scars on her shoulders and back, as well as a fractured incisor teeth and cuts to
the inside of her lips.
The defense side called Edmund Law, the defendant’s 18year-old son, who testified that
relations between her mother
and another Indonesian maid,
Tutik Lestari Ningsih, were
good. He confirmed that on
Ningsih’s last day at Law’s
house, the family bought a
birthday cake and they celebrated her birthday.
He also denied there was a
feather duster in his home, saying he hadn’t seen one. Giving
her evidence before the New
Year, Ningsih said on a number of occasions she was hit in
the back by the defendant with
a feather duster.
“Mommy doesn’t use a
feather duster, she uses a
cloth,” the witness said.
Asked by the prosecution
whether he remembered
Sulistyaningsih, he said he did.
He also remembered an inci-
dent one midnight when he
heard a bang in the bathroom
and, checking, saw the maid
lying on her left side on the
bathroom floor wedged between the toilet bowl and the
wall. He said he asker her if
she was all right and she replied yes.
The young Law said when
Sulistyaningsih arrived she had
pimples. Later, he noticed that
her hands were chapped and
her feet were wrapped in plastic because they left liquid
marks on the floor when she
walked around.
Law’s daughter Kelly, 16;
her tutor Vincent Chan, and a
friend of Edmund named Lo,
were also called to the witness
stand in the half-day hearing on
Jan. 9.
The daughter said her mother’s relationships with her
maids were normal. She also
said she did not notice any instances where her mom used
violence on Sulistyaningsih.
Continued on Page 26
12
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Applicants for the Intl Youth
Exchange Programme sought
COMMUNITY
Post-Hagupit relief: La Salle alumni in Hong Kong have sent a total of $22,000 in three
installments to victims of typhoon Hagupit, which lashed eastern Samar last December. The
money was coursed through March for Christ, the Cebu-based partner of the De La Salle
Alumni Association Hong Kong. It was used to buy building materials and relief bags. DLSAA
HK raised the money from donations and fund-raising events. For inquiries, email
[email protected]. (photo courtesy of Charlie-Tina Sabado of Heights Church of
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The SUN editor, as a member
of Hong Kong’s Committee
for the Promotion of Racial
Harmony, has been asked to
endorse two ethnic minority
youths as participants in the
International Youth Exchange
Programme (IYEP) for 20152016.
Selected candidates will
have the opportunity to represent Hong Kong as youth delegates to Ireland, Japan, Singapore or other countries. They
could also be nominated to attend large-scale international
youth conferences held overseas, and receive counterpart
delegates from abroad when
they visit Hong Kong.
The length of stay is usually
around 7-14 days, and has been
tentatively scheduled between
July 2015 and March 2016.
To qualify, one must be aged
between 16 and 22 years as of
April 1, 2015, a holder of a HK
Permanent ID card, proficient
in English, knowledgeable
about Hong Kong, has good
knowledge of China, has sound
common sense and academic
background, and an impressive
record of volunteer/community service in the past three
years.
Preference will be given to
candidates who can speak Cantonese.
The program offers homestay, visits, interactions with
youths of visiting countries,
and provides a variety of cultural and educational experi-
Minority youths invited to become
‘employment services ambassadors’
The Hong Kong Labour Department is seeking to recruit
ethnic minority youths who
could serve as “Employment
Services Ambassadors for
Ethnic Minorities.
Under the project, free preemployment training will be
provided to selected applicants,
followed by six months’ onthe-job training with pay.
A recruitment day has been
set for Wednesday, Jan. 28, at
the Kowloon West Job Centre
of the Labour Department, 9/F,
Cheung Sha Wan Govt Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road
(exit C1, Shamshuipo MTR
station)
Successful applicants will
work in the Labour Department’s job centers and job
fairs, where they will provide
and promote employment ser-
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Bazaar, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong • Tel: 2525-1816
vices for ethnic minority job
seekers.
The salary is $8,200 per
month and the working hours
are Mon-Fri, 9am – 5:35 pm,
and Saturday duty once every 3
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All applicants must be aged
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with at least F5 education.
They must be able to commuContinued on Page 15
T&H Employment Centre
Including Mandatory
Insurance (from Philippines)
VICTORIA
PARK
ences.
All expenses such as air fare
and board and lodging will be
provided by the Home Affairs
Bureau, but successful candidates will have to buy their
own travel insurance.
The IYEP aims to provide
opportunities for youths to
broaden their horizon and international perspective, and to
exchange ideas and experiences with their counterparts in
other countries.
For more information, visit
the IYEP website: http://
www.coy.gov.hk/en/
international_exchange/
current.html. Those who have
read the requirements and wish
to be endorsed may call The
SUN at 2541 7869.
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The SUN Mid-month January 2015
13
Pinoy youth group walks with Lakbay Dangal
By Jo Campos
Lakbay Dangal took another
journey through Philippine
history on Dec 28 with Section
Juan, a support group for
young Filipinos raised in
Hong Kong.
The free tour involves walking through several sites in the
Central district which played a
significant part in Philippine
history.
Members of Section Juan led
by their president Jan Yumul
were enthralled by the recollection of the rich historical ties
between Hong Kong and the
Philippines during the walk,
which lasted for only a few
hours.
The group met in Chater
Garden, then walked to
Queen’s Road Central where
they took the outdoor escalator
to Rednaxela Terrace in Midlevels, where Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal
used to live.
The group also visited
D’Aguilar Street and Ice
House Streets, where Rizal had
eye clinics.
Aside from giving valuable
insights on Philippine history,
the Lakbay ladies, known by
their purple garb, also spoke of
Hong Kong ’s rich heritage and
history. They made the tour
more fun by presenting rare
photos as they went along the
trail.
The walk was held as part of
the commemoration of Rizal’s
death anniversary on Dec. 30.
The “tourists” take a breather in one of the stops.
Grupo sa Saikung, nagdiwang ng Pasko
Nagdaos ang ga kasapi ng Fat Big Heart ng kauna-unahan nilang Christmas Party sa Tai
Mong Tsai, Sai Kung, noong ika-28 ng Disyembre.
Matagumpay na naidaos ng
grupong Fat Big Heart ang kanilang kauna-unahang Christmas party na ginanap sa Tai
Mong Tsai, Saikung noong
Dis. 18.
Maghapon na nagkasiyahan
ang grupo na sinamahan ng
kanilang mga imbitadong
panauhin katulad ng magasawang Dave and Catherine
Leonard na kinikilala nila bilang pangunahing sponsor at
adviser mula pa noong sila ay
itatag noong nakaraang Marso.
Namigay sila ng t-shirt sa
mga dumalo.
May 40 katao ang dumalo sa
pagdiriwang, na sinimulan sa
isang panalangin, bago ang ilang pagbati at talumpati.
Nagkaroon din ng kantahan at
sayawan sa saliw ng mga tugtuging pamasko.
Ang Fat Big Heart na pinangungunahan nina Sanny delos
Santos at Joseph Sevilla, bilang
pangulo at bise pangulo, ay
may 18 aktibong miyembro sa
kasalukuyan. Nais ng grupo na
hikayatin ang kanilang mga
kapwa overseas Filipino workers na mag-hike at maging
maalam sa kalikasan. Kabilang
din sa kanilang adhikain ang
tumulong sa kani-kanilang
pamilya sa Pilipinas, sakaling
makaranas ang mga ito ng
sakuna o trahedya katulad ng
bagyo.
Nakatakdang isagawa ng
grupo ang isang “Walk for a
Cause” sa Peb. 20, unang araw
ng Chinese New Year, mula 10
am hanggang 3pm. Maguumpisa ang lakaran sa Lions
Nature Education Centre at
magtatapos sa Trio Beach sa
Saikung kung saan ang bawat
kalahok ay bibigyan ng inuContinued on Page 15
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14
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
FMA’s ‘Battle of the
Brains’ winners known
By Jo Campos
Nine of 12 monthly winners
competed in the championship
round of the Filipino Migrants
Association’s annual “Battle
of the Brains” quiz bee, held
on Jan. 4 at Li Hall of St.
John’s Cathedral. The three
other winners were unable to
attend because of work.
Of the nine who vied in the
final round, Janet Ventura
scored the highest to take the
top prize. In second place was
Coronette Joelyn Sasuman,
while Maryjane Abaya was in
third place.
The questions were classified as easy, average and difficult, and all were taken from
articles published in The SUN
newspaper.
At each monthly contest, a
champion was chosen, and all
monthly winners qualified to
go into the final round.
The contest was open to all
CALENDAR
Have your association’s upcoming activities published
here. IT’S FREE! Just send email to:
[email protected] or call: 2544 6536
PAHK Induction of Officers
Jan. 15, 6:30 pm
Philippine Consulate General
Incoming officers led by Gilbert Legaspi will take their oath
before Consul General Bernardita S. Catalla
Organizer: Philippine Association of Hong Kong
Caritas Medical Consultation
Program: Medical consultation & acupuncture service for
FDWs by a registered Chinese practitioner
Jan 31, (Saturday), 4-6pm
Venue: G/F., 28A Fortress Hill Road, Hong Kong.
Fee is $10/ head
Note: Only medical consultation with prescription if necessary
Enquiry: 2147-5988
Participants and organizers of FMA Battle of the Brains Quiz Bee pose for a group photoI (above). In
left photo, winners of the contest (from left): Janet Ventura, champion; Coronette Joelyn Sasuman, 1st
runner-up and Mar yjane Abaya, 2nd runner-up.
migrant workers, whether
members of an organization, or
were competing on their own.
It is held yearly to encourage
migrant workers to hone their
knowledge of current events.
3 into 1: Dozens of members
of the Guardians Brotherhood
Incorporated (GBI) from
Central and Kowloon districts
celebrated the new year in
Kowloon Park on Jan. 4. The
joint event marked the first
reconciliation process of three
districts headed by brothers
and national founders Mario
and Joe Jayawon, according to
Kowloon chapter president
Rebecca Sta. Maria. “We
decided to merge these two
chapters into one to have a
better relationship among
members, and we also welcome
the Tai Po district in joining
us,” she said. - RSD
Listen, Feel, Know
A fund-raising campaign for young cancer patient Tiffany
Halstrom
Feb. 17 and 18, 3pm-5pm
Cinta J Restaurant, 69 Jaffe Road, Wanchai, HK
Organizer: Penny Salcedo
Entrance tickets @ $150 each.
Half of the proceeds will go to Tiffany’s treatment
Valentine Show at OP
Feb. 14, 8pm onwards
Orange Peel, D’ Aguilar St., Central
Guests pay $200 for 1 drink and show
Contact: Ela Lo at 9771 3655
Walk for a Cause
Feb. 20, 10 am onwards
Assembly: Lions’ Nature Education Centre, Sai Kung
Participation fee is $30 each, with free snacks.
Funds raised will go to Bethune House and charity projects in
the Philippines
Organizer: Fat Big Heart
Contact: Liezl 9585 9014
ITEMS FOR SALE AT FACTORY PRICES: 501 jeans and blouses. ORIGINAL PONY and fashion bags and wallets HQ towels, blankets and
kumot s, bras and panties magic pillows and HQ pillow cases, watches and jewelries and accessories available. CALL: 2806 1132
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Filipino softbelles get taste
of defeat in top league
By Vir B. Lumicao
Age and heft spelled the difference as Fate A, the only Filipina team in the Hong Kong
women’s softball premier
league, bowed 0-7 to a younger and faster local contender,
TB, in a thrilling match at the
Tin Kwong Road field in
Kowloon.
Facing the league’s thirdranked team, the newly promoted Filipinas pinned their
hopes on accurate pitching by
Fate captain Don Gaborno to
take out their rivals right on the
plate.
TB, displaying its long experience in the division, fended
off the Filipinas’ challenge
with a combination of skillful
batting and fielding.
Fate got a sampling of things
to come when TB’s Tam Wing
Ying struck a fly ball to the
outfield that allowed her to run
to third base.
This was followed by anoth-
er hard-hitter to the outfield by
Lee Ka-he, forcing an error on
right fielder Margie Occenola
that sent Tam and Lee running
home.
That placed Fate on the defensive and put pressure on
Gaborno to do her work, and
the pitcher did oblige, striking
out Yau Tsui Fun and Yue
Chi-wah in the first inning to
limit TB’s score to 2-0.
Gaborno found her match in
TB’s power pitcher Li Puiying, whose well-directed and
fast throws awed the Filipinas.
At Fate’s turn on the plate,
veteran Ma. Eva Mendez hit a
rolling ball to left field that the
TB backstop retrieved and
threw to the first baseman,
forcing out the former Philippine national team player.
Joelle Galapin struck a fly
ball to the outfield but TB’s
right fielder caught the ball as
the Filipina dashed to third
base. Occenola followed with a
hit that propelled her to first
base, but she was caught on the
second.
Gaborno struck for another
likely homer, but she was
forced out on third base. Teammate Osabel also hit a fly ball
but was caught out on first
base.
The two teams blanked each
other in the second inning. In
the third, Ng Tsz-yau and Tam
made two consecutive runs
while the Hong Kong team
continued to hold the Filipina
sluggers scoreless.
In the fourth inning, Occenola, batting first in that period,
struck a fly ball to the outfield
that sent her Filipina supporters
cheering as she dashed through
the bases. However, the jubilation turned to a collective sigh
when she got caught on the
home plate.
It was game over when Li
blasted a home run in the fifth
inning, while the Filipinas
missed their last chance to
score a run when Hidalgo
Game schedules
Jan. 18, 1pm – Fate B vs. Joker
at Shek Kip Mei
Jan. 24, 2:30pm — Fate A vs.
Steel at Tin Kwong
slammed a flyball but was
caught by the TB outfielder.
“The match was very good
so far, no problem,” Fate A
manager Law Wai-ho told The
SUN as he consoled his team.
Coach Bernie Cabasal had
similar words for the Filipinas,
who felt disappointed at their
first loss in the three matches
that they had played so far in
the A division.
But he admitted that the
slimmer and younger rivals ran
faster than his wards, a fact that
was evident during the match
when the majority of the Filipinas who struck the ball were
forced out before they got to
first base.
“You must run faster,” the
team’s trainer also advised the
Filipinas after they gathered at
SPORTS
the bleacher.
Despite Fate’s defeat, TB
chief coach Kenneth Li held
the Filipinas in esteem.
“They are a very strong
team, they played well,” he
told The SUN .
He did not believe that the
Filipinas, who were older than
their local rivals, were disadvantaged by their age, adding it
was their aggressiveness at the
plate that brought their defeat.
“They are new to the senior
division,” Li said of Fate.
“In the senior league you
can’t be too aggressive in batting, unlike in Shek Kip Mei
(where the league’s B division
matches are played).”
He explained that in the A or
senior division, if a batter is
aggressive, the pitcher would
draw her into error to strike her
out.
“If you swing aggressively,
the pitcher won’t give you the
ball,” Li said.
In a Group B match on Dec.
28 in Shek Kip Mei, Fate B
defeated Aquila, 9-1, to remain
unbeaten after three games in
the division.
Newly formed Fate B, also
Gawing radio
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At makinig ng Pinoy music sa
SUN Radio HK.
May sariling App, kaya isang
pindot lang, konektado ka na.
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15
an all-domestic worker team,
was formed in September after
division champion Fate A was
promoted to the senior league.
‘Ambassadors’
FromPage 12
nicate in either English or Cantonese, and proficient in any of
the following languages: Hindi, Indonesian, Tagalog, Nepalese, Thai, Urdu, or Punjabi.
For more details, call the
project hotline, 2383 4932 or
visit their website: http://
www.yes.labour.gov.hk/ypyt/
en/em.htm
Saikung
From Page 13
min, sandwich at saging. May
registration fee na $30 bawat
katao. Ang malilikom ay ibabahagi sa mga migranteng
nagkakanlong sa Bethune
House Migrant Women’s Refuge at ilalaan sa kanilang
proyekto sa Pilipinas. Para sa
karagdagang detalye, tumawag
lang
kay
sa
numero
93415216.– Liezel delos Santos
16
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
NEWS FROM HOME
Jinggoy got P150-M
of pork in 6 years
Detained Jinggoy Estrada allegedly received kickbacks in
cash and checks totaling at
least P150 million over six
years from his pork barrel allocations, the Inquirer has reported.
Quoting documents on the
pork barrel disbursements, the
report said the money came
from Janet Lim-Napoles, the
alleged mastermind of a multibillion-peso scam involving
the siphoning off of congressional Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF)
meant for the poor to ghost
projects of her bogus nongovernment organizations.
The documents said there
were no “direct transfers of
funds” to Estrada from the
bank accounts of either Napoles or the NGOs she had created as conduits of the kickbacks.
However, the documents
“identified significant check
deposits or transactions” from
Napoles or the NGOs to Estrada’s “conduits” and subsequently these amounts were
traced to the senator’s own accounts in eight banks.
The papers showed that
commissions, kickbacks or
bribes in cash totaling P156
million first showed up in Estrada’s bank accounts on Sept.
21, 2007.
The cash deposits—and one
fund transfer—continued until
March, 24, 2010. From then
on, check deposits totaling
P116.6 million were recorded
in the documents until July 26,
2012. The check deposits
ranged from P1 million to P10
million.
The documents covered results of a government investigation into Estrada’s financial
transactions with Napoles and
her NGOs.
Binay in new allegations of
Pag-IBIG anomalies
Vice President Jejomar Binay
is again embroiled in yet another anomaly. This time, it involves Pag-IBIG or Home Development Mutual Fund
(MHDF).
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV
said a “concerned government
agency” that he refused to
identify has been looking into
the transactions of Pag-IBIG
under Binay.
Binay is the concurrent chair
of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and its attached
agencies, including Pag-IBIG).
Trillanes said the anomalous transactions involved contracts for HUDCC’s mass
housing projects that were allegedly awarded to Binay’s favored contractors who were
also connected to Pag-IBIG.
Binay quickly parried the allegation, dismissing it as part
of efforts to destroy his reputation and ruin his chances in the
2016 presidential elections.
Binay said he was not surprised that Trillanes, one of his
vocal critics, is dragging him
into another controversy.
“Unfortunately, ours is a
negative-thinking society, all
attacks are okay,” he said.
Rico Quicho, Binay’s new
political spokesman, maintained that no evidence could
prove allegations that the Vice
President favored certain contractors for the government’s
housing projects as claimed by
Trillanes.
“He (Trillanes) wants to run
for president in the next election but he has not been getting
any attention so he is trying to
drumbeat his name at the expense of the Vice President,”
Quicho said in an interview
with ANC.
“Maybe he can’t think of
other ways to boost his very
low ratings that’s why he’s
treating the Vice President as a
punching bag,” he added.
Binay rating at lowest in Q4 ‘14
The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed
the lowest ever net satisfaction
rating for Vice President Jejomar at +44 percent in the
fourth quarter of 2014.
The survey, conducted on
November 27 to December 1,
2014 with 1,000 adult respondents showed Binay’s net satisfaction rating falling to a +44
(65 percent satisfied, 20 per-
cent dissatisfied) from a +52
(70 percent satisfied, 17 percent dissatisfied) in September.
This was a downgrade from
a “very good” in September to
a “good” in December.
In contrast, President Benigno Aquino III’s satisfaction
rating improved slightly during
the fourth quarter to a “good”
+39 from a +34 in the third
quarter.
LRT, MRT fare increase opposed, justified
A commuters’ group has asked
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya to resign
for authorizing an increase in
the fare rates of the Light Rail
Transit (LRT) and the Metro
Rail Transit (MRT).
“We, the commuters, lambast Abaya for publicly stating
that the P1 billion to P2 billion
to be generated by the fare increase would go to the betterment of train facilities, when in
fact it would ensure the profits
promised by the government to
the private MRTC (Metro Rail
Transit Corp.),” said James
Relativo, spokesman of a little
known group called Train Riders Network (Tren).
In a report, Abaya said that
the revenue from the fare hike
would go to an escrow account
set aside for the payment of the
government’s monthly dues to
the MRTC.
He stressed, however, that
the public can still expect better MRT operations in 2015, as
Congress provided additional
funds for the rehabilitation of
the train system.
Congress earmarked P1.2
billion in the 2014 supplemental budget and another P9 billion from the 2015 national
budget for the repair and rehabilitation of the MRT.
MRT and LRT base fare
was raised from P9 to P11
starting January 4, plus P1 for
every kilometer travelled on
the mass transit routes.
Another commuters’ group,
the Riles Laan sa Sambayanan
(Riles) Network, challenged
President Aquino to a public
debate on issues involving the
fare hike.
“The arguments being put
forward by the Aquino government to defend the fare hikes
are unreasonable and unacceptable to Filipinos,” Riles Network spokesman Sammy
Malunes said.
“We believe that the main
reason for the move is to ensure the profits of big capitalists who want to own the train
systems once these are privatized,” he added.
President Benigno Aquino
III has justified the fare increase, saying he was willing
to take the bullet for an unpopular but long overdue decision
to improve train services.
“There is no perfect decision
here,” Aquino said, noting the
complaints from those who
would have additional expens-
es daily were expected.
But then he said the 86 million other Filipinos outside of
Metro Manila who were not
using the trains deserved to
have projects that would directly benefit them.
Aquino appealed to the train
commuters to consider the fact
that the train facilities being
used by 14 million people were
also being paid for by 86 million other Filipinos.
He explained the government would have to subsidize
P45 out of the P60 daily expenditure per train passenger from
end to end because commuters
were only paying P15.
“Now what’s painful is that
the equipment is old. The newest (relatively) is MRT (that
was built) in 1999,” the President said.
He said it had been 16 years
since MRT 3 was constructed
and the major overhaul was
done eight years ago.
The President said the P12billion subsidy from the government could just make the
trains run daily.
Several pro-administration
lawmakers have also thrown
their support behind the fare
adjustments, saying this was
Binay
long overdue.
In a joint statement, the lawmakers said the multibillionpeso subsidy for the commuter
train systems could be used instead to improve public transport and other social services.
They said part of the savings
to be realized from the fare adjustment would also be used by
the government to bankroll priority development programs
for poor and marginalized Filipinos in non-rail sectors.
The lawmakers added that
the fare increase would enable
the government to save P2 billion in annual subsidies, or 17
percent of the P12 billion that it
allots each year to subsidize the
LRT/MRT train systems.
The government has been
subsidizing or paying for at
least half to more than twothirds of every train passenger’s fare, the lawmakers noted.
“Malacañang could make
better use of the P2 billion in
subsidy savings to rev up these
vital mass transport systems
for the benefit of Metro Manila
commuters and to fund other
non-rail development projects
for non-MRT and -LRT users
in the Visayas and Mindanao,”
the statement said.
It noted, for instance, that the
P2 billion in projected annual
savings would be enough to
build 8,240 classrooms, 82 kilometers of farm-to-market
roads, or irrigate 11,240 hectares of cropland.
The senior administration
lawmakers who issued the
statement were Reps. Rufus
Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro
City, who heads the Mindanao
bloc; Oscar Rodriguez of Pampanga for the Central Luzon
bloc; Rodolfo Fariñas of Ilocos
Norte and Eric Singson of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos bloc; Cesar
Sarmiento of Catanduanes, Bicol bloc; Jun Chipeco Jr. of
Laguna, Southern Tagalog
bloc; and Ben Evardone of
Eastern Samar, Visayas bloc.
“I support the fare increase
to sustain proper maintenance
of the rail systems, to lessen the
Binay has been accused of
receiving kickbacks from the
allegedly overpriced construction of Makati City Hall Building II and Makati Science High
School when he was Makati
mayor. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV also accused the Vice
President of owning a 350hectare estate in Rosario, Batangas, a log cabin in Tagaytay
Highlands, and maintaining his
interest in several companies
through dummies.
Binay had repeatedly denied
the accusations, saying these
were part of a black propaganda to diminish his chances of
winning in the presidential
2016 elections.
SWS classifies net satisfaction ratings of +70 and above
as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as
“very good”; +30 to +49
“good”; +10 to +29 “moderate”; +9 to -9 “neutral”; -10 to
-29 “poor”; -30 to -49 “bad”; 50 to -69 “very bad”; and -70
and below “execrable.”
The poll results were published by BusinessWorld.
subsidy from the national government, and to reallocate the
savings to social projects in
Mindanao,” Rodriguez said.
The lawmakers traced the
current poor state of these urban train systems to the past
administrations’ “lack of political will to adjust fares in order
to generate enough funds to
upgrade their services and buy
more LRVs (light rail vehicles)
to ease the train congestion.”
Taxes, higher fares and prices are always a bitter pill to
swallow for the people but
Aquino said he did not want to
leave the LRT and MRT problems behind.
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
17
Filipinos eagerly await Pope Francis visit
Church bells will ring simultaneously at 5:45 p.m. on January 15 as a symbolic gesture of
welcome to Pope Francis who
will visit the Philippines until
January 19.
The country eagerly awaits
the arrival of the Holy Father
as President Benigno Aquino
III assures that the government
prepares for worst-case scenarios, including the possibility of
a terrorist attack and a stampede, during the papal visit.
Thousands of Filipinos are
expected to troop from the
provinces to Metro Manila to
participate in the activities of
Pope Francis during his stay.
A three-day holiday has been
declared in Metro Manila on
January 15, 16, and 19 to allow
more Filipinos to witness the
papal activities.
Some 17,000 soldiers and
20,000 police officers will protect Pope Francis during his
five-day state and apostolic
visit to the Philippines. The
Pope will be coming from a
visit to Sri Lanka. Fourteen Filipino journalists have been selected to join the papal flight
from Rome to Sri Lanka then
to Manila.
President Aquino said that
he is taking into account recent
international events, such as
the Paris terror attack that
killed 12 people, and the deadly New Year’s Eve stampede
in Shanghai in the preparations
for the papal visit.
The Catholic Bishops Con-
ference of the Philippines
(CBCP) said that Pope Francis
will bring his message of “mercy and compassion” to at least
11 different venues in the province of Leyte and Metro Manila during his apostolic visit.
Upon his arrival at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at
5:45 p.m. on January 15, Pope
Francis will go on a motorcade
to his official residence in Manila.
The following morning, he
will be officially welcomed by
President Aquino at Malacañan Palace. He will also
meet government officials and
members of the diplomatic
corps.
After the Palace reception,
Pope Francis will go on a mo-
torcade to the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral) in Intramuros for a Mass with bishops, priests, and women and
men religious.
Later, he will have an encounter with families at the
Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay
City.
On January 17, the Pope will
be flown to Leyte and visit the
Archdiocese of Palo.
He will offer Mass near
Tacloban airport in the morning and will have lunch with
the poor and survivors of super
typhoon Yolanda at the residence of the Archbishop of
Palo.
Then, he will bless the Pope
Francis Center for the Poor in
Central Bank demonetizes old bills
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has started withdrawing old bank notes from
circulation – some dating back
to 1985.
Diwa Gunigundo, BSP deputy governor, said that the demonetization process for these
bank notes would run from
January 1 until December 31,
2015.
This means that the old bank
notes may still be used to buy
goods and pay for services until December 31, 2015, Gunigundo explained.
Overseas Filipinos who have
in their possession (old) bank
notes which could not be exchanged within the prescribed
period may register online
starting October 1 to December 31, 2015 through the BSP
website, Gunigundo said.
Overseas Filipinos will be
given a year from their date of
registration to exchange their
old bank notes at BSP offices
and branches.
Consumers have until the
end of 2016 to exchange their
old bank notes for new generation currency bank notes at authorized banks and at BSP
branches or offices nationwide.
Government institutions
holding on to old bank notes
such as those used as evidence
in various cases may also write
to the BSP Cash Department
for a special exchange arrangement.
The new generation currency bank notes issued on December 16, 2010 use new and
enhanced security features to
protect the safety of the public
against counterfeiters, Gunigundo said.
Starting January 1, 2017, the
old bank notes that have not
been exchanged will no longer
have any monetary value, and
are considered demonetized.
Gunigundo said there are
729 million pieces of old bank
notes amounting to P192 billion still in circulation. These
make up about 25 percent of
the total volume and around 26
Bills to be replaced.
percent of the total value of
money in circulation.
The central bank stopped
printing old bank notes in 2013
in favor of the new generation
currency bank notes launched
in December 2010.
“Why do we need to demonetize from the perspective of
the Bangko Sentral? We want
to align with the practice of
other central banks around the
world which normally change
the currency design every 10
years,” Gunigundo said, noting
the old bank notes have been in
use since 1985.
“Secondly, we want to safeguard the integrity of the Philippine bank notes, and this has
something to do with security
and our drive against counterfeiting,” Gunigundo
explained.
Shun parochial mindset, Aquino urges
Meeting the diplomatic community at the traditional vin
d’honneur in Malacanang Palace, President Benigno Aquino III underscored the need for
unity and cooperation in dealing with global problems like
climate change.
Having parochial or a narrow mindset in solving the
world’s problems, he said,
would only foster division.
In his message and toast at
the 2015 New Year Vin
D’Honneur, Aquino cited the
example of Pope Francis, who
is expected to issue an encyclical on “the imperative for all of
humanity to take action” on
global concerns such as climate change.
Aquino said if countries
think only of themselves instead of working together, the
challenges confronting the
world will “grow more convo-
luted, and more insurmountable until we are all consumed
by them.”
For his part, Dean of the
Diplomatic Corps, Archbishop
Guiseppe Pinto, acknowledged
the government’s commitment
to restore a dignified life to the
people affected by calamities,
as well as its efforts to implement the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement on the Bangsamoro, signed in March last
year.
He also noted the “extraordinary events” that are scheduled
to happen in the Philippines
this year — the Apostolic visit
of Pope Francis and the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation
Forum (APEC) 2015.
“The Diplomatic Corps conveys its fervent wishes to see
the fruits of (the government’s)
labors for the benefit of their
fellow citizens,” he said.
Pope Francis
Palo, and visit the Cathedral of
Our Lord’s Transfiguration
(Palo Cathedral) to meet with
priests and religious leaders.
On January 18, the Pope will
meet religious leaders and
young people at the University
of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila. In the afternoon, he will
go on a motorcade for the concluding Mass at Quirino
Grandstand in Rizal (Luneta)
Park.
Pope Francis will leave for
Rome before noon on January
19.
NEWSBRIEFS
Rags to riches Pinay
Therese “Reese” Fernandez- Ruiz, a 29-year-old Filipina who
literally turned rags into riches, has made it to Forbes magazine’s
list of 30 social entrepreneurs below 30 years old. Ruiz used to
live in the Payatas dump in Quezon City and had a business venture-cum-livelihood project called Rags2Riches that she cofounded in 2007. The women from the dump, home to about
12,000 families, used to earn a living by turning scrap fabric
materials (retaso) into doormats and rugs. Ruiz taught them how
to craft scrap fabric into marketable items such as fashion handbags, eyeglass cases and wine bottles to augment their income.
Known designers – Amina Aranaz-Aluna, Rajo Laurel and Olivia d’Aboville – have collaborated with Rags2Riches while TV
hosts Bianca Gonzales and Kim Jones, celebrity stylist Liz Uy
and ABS-CBN news anchor Ces Drilon have endorsed their
products. Forbes said Rags2Riches showed “a consistent 100
percent annual growth rate” for its first five years from 2007 to
2012. Forbes described Rags2Riches as the “first fashion and
design house empowering community artisans in the Philippines.” Since its launch, Rags2Riches has trained over 900 Filipino community-based artisans, whose products are being distributed in retail outlets in the Philippines and abroad. Others
featured in the list were Kiah Williams, 28, who established a
non-profit organization that has distributed $3 million worth of
medicine to some 20,000 patients in the United States, and Minhaj Chowdhury, 25, who helped filter water contaminated by arsenic and fluoride for some 200 million people in Bangladesh
and India.
Adult diapers for traffic cops
Traffic enforcers deployed to secure hundreds of thousands of
devotees of the Black Nazarene on January 9 were given adult
diapers so they could relieve themselves without having to leave
their designated posts. Metro Manila Development Authority
(MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino said the agency spent
P120,000 for the adult diapers of about 2,000 traffic enforcers
assigned to secure the routes of the traditional Translacion or
procession of the Black Nazarene from Luneta Grandstand back
to Quiapo Church. However, local media reports said many traffic enforcers interviewed did not wear the diapers. When Pope
Francis visits the Philippines on January 15 to 19, the Philippine
National Police (PNP) spokesman said that law enforcers could
also wear diapers but at their own expense. Tolentino said it
would be difficult for traffic aides to leave their posts to urinate.
He said portable toilets or portalets could not accommodate everyone during the Nazarene feast as each unit’s capacity is limited to only one drum. He also said that should the use of adult
diapers prove successful during this year’s procession, enforcers
tasked to manage traffic during the papal visit would also be
made to wear them.
18
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
The ILO
Convention 189
(3rd Part)
In our last article, we discussed articles 1-7 of the ILO
Convention 189 or C189. In
this article we will discuss the
succeeding articles of the
C189 starting from Article 8.
It is clearly stated in C189
that a domestic worker must
have a written job offer and an
employment contract which is
enforceable in the country
where she or he will work. Article 7 enumerated essential
components of the provisions
of the employment contract to
provide clear protection for the
domestic worker.
The Convention tasked ILO
members to take measures in
ensuring the effective application of the provisions of the
Convention. It means that on
the part of the Philippine government, the implementation
of the provisions by the receiving country must be ensured.
This could take the form of a
bilateral labour agreement that
will ensure that the provisions
of the Convention are stipulated in the employment contract
that spells out the rights and
duties of the domestic worker
being deployed, including repatriation upon completion or
termination of the employment
contract.
Though most of the provi-
sions in Article 7 are already
being enforced in Hong Kong,
Article 9 presents a real problem. This article states that the
employer and the domestic
worker should talk and agree
on whether the domestic worker will reside - whether in the
house of the employer or not.
This expressly runs counter to
the mandatory live-in policy of
the Hong Kong government,
which requires all domestic
workers to live with their employers, except those given
permission to stay out before
the new policy took effect.
Aside from this, the article says
that the domestic worker cannot be forced to stay in the
house (assuming that they
agree to the live-in arrangement) during rest day or paid
leave. Furthermore, the identity documents and passport
must be in the possession of
the domestic worker and cannot be confiscated by the employer or anybody in the pretext that it is for safekeeping.
Another problematic provision is Article 10 which clearly states that local workers and
foreign domestic workers must
enjoy the same rights under
existing laws and regulations.
This also pertains to the working hours and the payment for
overtime work. Currently, the
minimum wage provision and
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
By Cynthia Tellez
This is the monthly column from
the Mission for Migrant Workers,
an institution that has been
serving the needs of migrant
workers in Hong Kong for over
31 years. The Mission, headed by
its general manager, Cynthia
Tellez, assists migrant workers
who are in distress, and focuses
its efforts on crisis intervention
and prevention through migrant
empowerment. Mission has its
offices at St John’s Cathedral on Garden Road, Central,
and may be reached through tel. no. 2522 8264.
the regulation of working
hours are only for local workers and local domestic workers.
Foreign domestic workers are
excluded. This is clearly a discriminatory act on the part of
the Hong Kong government.
The Philippine government
must take this up with Hong
Kong, especially since the
Philippines has ratified Convention 189.
There are times when an
employer requires a domestic
worker to wait for their arrival
at night for whatever reasons.
This waiting time period (even
if the domestic worker is not
doing anything) has to be considered as part of the hours of
work. In line with Article 10 on
working hours, the domestic
worker must receive overtime
compensation for this.
The Convention also reiterates that a minimum wage con-
sistent with the legislated minimum wage for the workers in
general, must also be enjoyed
by the foreign domestic worker. The minimum allowable
wage for FDWs must be reconciled with the statutory minimum wage for all other workers. It also specifically states
that wage must be given in
cash. Any other form of payment, such as cheques, must be
upon agreement with the domestic worker.
Governments of both sending and receiving countries
must ensure a safe and healthy
working environment for all.
Long working hours and lack
of sleep contravene the intent
of the Convention. Working as
caregiver for a sick person
without the proper training and
protection against contagious
disease is another example of
this.
Likas bang makalat ang Pilipino?
Naitanong namin ito dahil sa
pakiusap ni Konsul Heneral
Bernardita Catalla na paalalahanan ang mga kababayan natin na panatilihin nila ang
kalinisan, lalo na kapag sila ay
nagtitipun-tipon sa mga liwasan at pasyalan dito sa
Hong Kong.
“Ang mga Pilipino, sa totoo
lang, ang kalat nila. I want a
campaign para ang mga Pilipino maging very conscious of
maintaining cleanliness. Kasi
isa yan sa ikinaiirita ng mga
taga-Hong Kong, ang tingin sa
atin basura tayo kasi nagbabasura tayo eh,” ani ConGen Catalla.
“Kapag tumayo ang isang
grupo diyan, ang dami mo
nang makikitang bote, diyaryo,… and people now generalize: ‘Ang mga Pilipino na
ito, ang kalat’,” aniya.
Minsan daw, umakyat sa
Peak si ConGen kasama ang
isang kaibigang bumisita mula
sa Maynila. Nabigla umano
ang kaibigan nang mapansin
ang isang karatula na may nakasaad na ganito: “Para sa mga
Pilipina, bawal magkalat, dumura ….”
Ang masama nito ay tinutukoy ng nasabing paunawa
ang mga “Pilipina”, na ang ibig
sabihin ay nilahat na ng mga
gumawa ng babala ang mga
Pilipino, na ang lahi natin ay
mapagkalat ng basura.
Hindi namin sana matatanggap ang iniisip ng ibang tao na
lahi ng mga burara o
mapagkalat ng basura ang lahing Pilipino, ngunit tila ang
ganyang pananaw nila ay nasusuportahan ng mga napansin
namin: saan mang lugar dito sa
Hong Kong na tinatambayan
ng mga kababayan natin ay
nagiging makalat pag-alis nila
roon.
Mapapansin ang mga kalat
na ito sa mga sidewalk sa Central, sa mga walkway sa paligid ng World-Wide House, Statue Square, Post Office, Central
Market at iba pa kapag nagsisiuwi na sa dapit-hapon ang mga
nagsama-samang ng Pinay.
Ang pagiging makalat din ng
mga Pilipinong nagpupunta tuwing Linggo sa isang lumang
bahay-komersiyo sa North
Point ang dahilan kung bakit
nagkakaroon ng iringan ang
mga Pinoy at mga guwardiya
sa gusaling iyon.
Minsan ay pumasyal kami sa
lugar na iyon upang magmasid
at kausapin ang ilang negosyante roon ukol sa pambabastos
diumano ng isang guwardiya at
pagtawag ng “lap sap” (basura)
sa mga Pilipino na nag-uumpukan doon.
Nagulat kami dahil hindi tulad sa ibang mga pribadong bilihan at mall sa Hong Kong
ang nakita namin. Doon ay na-
kakalat ang mga kahon ng
door-to-door, at ang lugar ay
naging tambayan ng mga
pangkat na nagka karaoke
nang labis-labis ang ingay.
Dahil kaya sa nakasanayan
nating makalat at maingay na
paligid sa Pilipinas na nadala
natin sa ibang lupalop ang
pagkakahirating iyon sa dumi,
basura, at ingay? Dahil kaya sa
nakagisnang kahirapan ng Pinoy kaya tayo nasanay sa
magulo, kalat-kalat, marumi at
maingay na kapaligiran?
Madaling sabihing kahirapan nga ang ugat ng pagiging
mapagkalat ng mga Pilipino.
Ngunit, ayon sa mga social
psychologist, napakasimple at
kadalasa’y mali ang ganyang
pananaw at ang ugat ay higit pa
sa kahirapan.
Natuklasan ng mga social
psychologist sa Kanluran na
lalong natutuksong magkalat
ang mga tao kapag nakikita ni-
Social security, including
maternity protection being applied to all workers, must also
be received by foreign domestic workers. The government
should not come out with policies that will exclude foreign
domestic worker from these
social security benefits.
Article 15 of the Convention
deals with private recruitment
agencies. It obligates the government to ensure the protection of migrant domestic workers against unscrupulous private recruitment agencies. It
encourages governments to put
up adequate machinery and
procedures for investigating
complaints of abuses and
fraudulent practices against
private recruitment agencies.
There should be laws and regulations that specify the obligations of private recruitment
agencies and impose corresponding penalties if violations
occur.
If fees are collected by the
agency, the government must
ensure that the fees are not deducted from the salary of the
domestic worker.
The Convention is clear in
protecting migrant domestic
workers against the malpractices of unscrupulous private recruitment agencies. It is now
the responsibility of governments to oversee its implementation to the letter. At the moment, the governments of both
Hong Kong and the Philippines
have failed to implement even
their own laws against abuses
and exploitation by private re-
cruitment agencies.
The courts or tribunals or
any dispute resolution mechanism shall be accessible to the
domestic worker. This is to
avoid hindrances for domestic
workers in lodging their complaints and in fighting for their
rights.
As discussed in the previous
article, the ILO Convention
189 though approved by the
ILO, has to be ratified or
passed by the Congress of respective countries for it to be
enforceable in that particular
country. Upon ratification, all
existing laws or enactment of
laws and policies have to be
consistent with the Convention.
In the case of Filipino migrant domestic workers, the
Philippine government having
ratified the Convention must
do its utmost duty to protect
migrant domestic workers
wherever they are. This can be
done by determining if the
laws and policies of country
destination of migrant workers
are in consonance with the
spirit of C189. If not, then a
bilateral talk between them is a
necessary step toward the signing of an agreement that will
ensure the protection of the
rights and welfare of Filipino
migrant workers.
But migrant workers should
not just wait for the government to take action. As the
main beneficiaty of the Convention, they must push for its
ratification to fully enjoy its
benefits and protection.
KURU-KURO
Ni Vir B. Lumicao
lang makalat ang paligid nila.
Kapag marumi ang isang lugar
at may bakas ng bandalismo,
nakikita ng mga tao na normal
at katanggap-tanggap sa
lipunan ang pagkakakalat ng
basura. Ang mga pook na nakikitang madalas ay walang basura ay nananatiling walang
basura.
Samakatwid, hindi likas at
hindi lang ang mga Pilipino
ang makalat. Maging sa mayayaman o mahihirap ba bansa
ay may nagkakalat dahil nakasanayan na sa lugar na iyon,
may nagkakalat dahil hindi ipinatutupad nang mahigpit ang
batas laban sa ganoong
gawain. At may nagkakalat bilang pagtutol sa mga umiiral na
patakaran.
Dito sa Hong Kong at sa iba
pang bahagi ng Asya na nakaririwasa ay malinis ang paligid
dahil sa mahigpit na batas nila
laban sa pagkakakalat, at dahil
sa kaya nilang magpasahod ng
maraming tao para magwalis at
mamulot ng basura sa kanilang
mga liwasan, pasyalan at mga
lansangan.
Ang pakiusap lang namin sa
ating mga kababayan ay
iwasan sana nilang magkalat
ng basura, lalo na sa hindi nila
sariling bayan.
Dahil kasi sa pagsasawalang-bahala nila sa babala ng
mga kinauukulan ay naiisip ng
mga ibang lahi na tayong mga
Pilipino ay basura.
Mas mainam na makita nila
ang mga Pilipino na gumagawa ng mabuti dahil iisipin nilang marangal na lahi tayo.
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
19
The money trail
of disaster aid
Yolanda:
Disaster that
lingers still
By Earl G. Parreño
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
W
hen it became evi
dent that Typhoon
Ruby was going to
slam through central Philippines in December last year,
many began wondering what
would happen to the thousands
who were still homeless more
than a year after Super Typhoon Yolanda rampaged
through communities in the
Visayas and robbed many
families of their loved ones as
well as their homes.
Indeed, although monies
continue to pour in even now
for the communities devastated
by Yolanda, thousands who
survived its fury are still living
in temporary shelters; damaged government offices and
school buildings remain unrepaired; and many of those who
lost their means of livelihood
are still struggling to find
steady work.
In large part, this is because
mobilizing the aid funds has
been grossly inefficient, if also
severely impaired by the massive devastation, leaving efforts stuck at the recovery stage
instead of progressing toward
rehabilitation.
That in turn, could be because far too many local government units have been unable to strategize and map out
what they want to do next after
Yolanda walloped their communities. At the same time,
there has been a lack of coordination among aid organizations in the field, which has
been complicated all the more
by their apparent inability to
operationalize plans and programs at the community level.
These are just a few of the
findings of PCIJ after a scrutiny of the Yolanda aid trail so
far. Aside from looking at
available data more closely, the
Center interviewed representatives of recipient organizations
and affected individuals and
communities. In addition, PCIJ
looked at the institutional arrangements behind the aid,
identified key decision makers
involved in the allocation, release, and use of Yolanda aid
funds, and determined the extent by which all Yolanda humanitarian aid are recorded,
publicly reported, and audited.
For sure the Yolanda humanitarian aid operation is of a
magnitude that the country has
never seen before. This may
help explain why aid efforts in
the Yolanda-struck areas lack
order while previously set protocols and processes have often
been set aside.
The Commission on Audit
(COA) itself, in its assessment
on disaster management practices in the Philippines, has observed, “Yolanda’s catastrophic destruction exposed once
more the weaknesses and significant gaps in the country’s
disaster response and management system.”
Complex, cost-intensive
The task of recovering from
the destruction wrought by Typhoon Yolanda is complex.
The financial cost alone in rebuilding the devastated areas is
staggering: PhP167.9 billion,
according to the government’s
Comprehensive Rehabilitation
and Recovery Plan (CRRP).
Official and anecdotal data,
however, indicate that finding
funds is not a major obstacle in
the Yolanda relief, recovery,
and rehabilitation efforts. Rather, the problems lie largely in
the planning, processing, and
ultimate use of such resources.
The United Nations itself has
monitored, through its Financial Tracking Service (FTS), a
total of US$845 million
(PhP37 billion) of Yolanda aid
being raised and donated to the
Philippines in the period between November 2013 and
October 2014. Some 22 percent of this amount came from
Philippine Red Cross is one of the major recipients of aid money and also a major source of relief for victims.
private individuals and organizations. The rest came from
various donor-countries.
According to the UN, these
donations were coursed
through 120 operational relief
agencies from within the UN
system, the international components of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement, the
International Organization for
Migration (IOM) and some international non-governmental
organizations (INGO).
But there have also been other sources of Yolanda aid that
lie outside the UN ambit.
These include Philippine conglomerates that have been
coursing aid money through
their foundations, as well as
foreign and local charity
groups that have been donating
directly to the affected communities.
“The initial emergency response was not perfect, but it
was strong, delivering life-saving assistance to millions of
survivors,” says Oxfam International, one of the global nongovernmental organization
(NGO) partners of the United
Nations, in a report issued in
time for the first year anniversary of the killer storm. Oxfam
alone has raised US$64.5 million (about PhP2.88 billion) for
Yolanda survivors. So far it has
spent over US$40 million
(about PhP1.78 billion) of that
amount on its various humanitarian projects.
International look, feel
So huge has been the global
humanitarian response for
Yolanda that the recovery and
rehabilitation operations to this
day have a glaringly international look and feel to them.
Still present are hundreds of
foreign aid workers from more
than a dozen countries who
had swooped down the stricken areas, established offices in
the urban centers, and practically led the relief and rehabilitation efforts. Every day, dozens of brand new European-,
Korean- and Japanese-made
official vehicles of the different
agencies crisscross highways
and even barangay roads. Also
hard to ignore are the tarpaulin
banners announcing the
projects various aid agencies
are implementing in the area.
Of course, it’s not as if the
Philippine government has
been doing nothing. Through
the years, the government has
adopted various approaches to
disaster risk reduction and
management. The latest has
been the establishment of the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) through Republic
Act No. 10121. Enacted in
2010, the new law provided a
“whole of society” approach to
disaster management by expanding the membership of the
Council to 44 government
agencies, from the previous 19,
and included various financial
institutions, local government
leagues, the private sector and
civil society organizations
(CSOs) to the disaster management body.
Yet, COA says, “despite a
solid and functioning disaster
risk reduction and management (DRRM) structure, the
government’s response (to the
Yolanda disaster) still came
across as reactive and not proactive, insufficient, inefficient
and for the most part, too
slow.”
In fact, it was not the government but the survivors themselves who were the first responders to the disaster
wrought by Yolanda. Stories
abound how people shared
with their neighbors what little
food and water they could find
during the first few days after
the storm; how they cared for
the injured, even strangers; and
how they secured their communities from looters and other sociopaths.
“Help from the government
came only almost a week after
Yolanda hit and only in areas
near the main roads and highways,” says University of the
Philippines-Tacloban professor
Amy Exconde. “Relief goods
took two weeks to reach interior communities. In fact, in
some barangays it took much
longer, like about a month,”
Agonizing wait
For some survivors, the
weeks of waiting for help to
come were an agonizing experience. “Ang hirap talaga, hindi mo alam kung papaano ka
babangon (It was so hard, you
had no idea how you were supposed to recover),” says Ermita Biyo, a resident of Barangay
Gigoso, Giporlos town, in
Eastern Samar. It took three
weeks after the killer storm
battered this coastal barangay
before relief reached the community. And one year on, most
of its fishers are still without
fishing boats and gear, while
Ruby whipped through tents
that some residents had taken
to calling home (but fled from
when news of the latest storm
was issued).
To be fair, the government
provided immediate relief assistance through its various departments and agencies. To
guide the recovery and rebuilding of the Yolanda-affected areas, the National Economic
and Development Authority
(NEDA) even drafted a strategic plan called “Reconstruction
Assistance on Yolanda – Build
Back Better” (RAY) in late
November 2013, just a few
weeks after the storm struck.
This plan became the basis for
the immediate government interventions in the affected areas.
But RAY has become one
instance where funding has
come up short. Of the estimated US$8.2 billion (about
PhP366.5 billion) needed for
immediate relief and subsequent recovery and rehabilitation of the Yolanda-affected
areas, the government can only
commit US$2.8 billion (about
PhP125 billion) from its budget. Pledges from foreign donors were also not enough to
bridge the gap; most foreign
donors had opted to release
their funds to their affiliated
intergovernmental organizations and nongovernment organizations.
(Data from the government
website Foreign Aid Transparency Hub or FAiTH show that
some 63 countries and seven
multilaterals had pledged a total of P73.3 billion (US$1.64B)
for the Yolanda recovery effort. Of the total pledges,
PhP45.1 billion were cash and
P28.2 billion were non-cash.
To date, however, the pledgers
have released only a total of
PhP17.2 billion, or about 23.5
percent. Of this amount,
Continued on Page 20
20
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Community
Announcements
Have your association’s upcoming activities
published here. IT’S FREE! Just send email to:
[email protected]
LABOUR DEPARTMENT RECRUITMENT DAY
The HK Labour Department is recruiting young residents from ethnic minority groups to become Employment Services Ambassadors
for Ethnic Minorities.
Jan. 28 (Wednesday), 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Venue: Kowloon West
Job Centre of Labour Department, 9/F, Cheung Sha Wan Gov. Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Rd. (Exit C1, MTR Sham Shui Po Station).
Job Duties: Work in LD’s job centres and job fairs; provide and promote employment services for job seekers of ethnic minorities. Salary: HK$8,200 per month
Working Hours: Mon - Fri : 9:00am - 5:36pm, Sat (on duty once
every 3 weeks): 9:00am - 12:00 noon. Workplace: Job centres in different districts in Hong Kong
Target: Aged 15 to 24 school leavers with F.5 to sub-degree academic
level & EM language proficiency (Hindi, Indonesian, Tagalog, Nepalese, Thai, Urdu, or Punjabi). For enquiries, call the Labour Department at tel. no. 2383.4932
OVERSEAS VOTING REGISTRATION HEARING
(for applications received Dec 1-31, 2014. Date: Jan. 19 (Monday),
4:30-6:30pm. Philippine Consulate General public area. Details: Ms
Loise, 2823 8536 or Mr Jeth, 2823 8559
Seminar for Teacher-Applicants in the Philippines
The Philippine Association for Teacher Education (PAFTEHK) will
conduct a Seminar on Guidelines for hiring of DedEd Teacher 1 in
the Philippines. Invited guest speaker is Dr. Liezl S. Cancino, education program supervisor from the Department of Education in Dagupan City, Philippines. She is expected to discuss the guidelines covered in Teacher 1 requirements prescribed by the DepEd in the employment of public school teachers. The seminar will be held for two
days:
Jan 24 - Saturday Participants, Jan 25 - Sunday Participants
The venue for both days is the Capstone College Study Hall at 235
Wing Lok S treet, Sheung Wan, at 9:30am. Limited seating only.
Please confirm your attendance by calling PAFTE HK/Capstone
College at 25438059 and 25214954. The seminar will be followed by
PAFTE/Capstone’s first LET Review Session to be conducted by Dr.
Reymond Villare from the Lite Review Center of Dagupan City.
Limited Seating Only.
Caritas Saturday Chinese Lessons
Course : Saturday Occupational Cantonese for FDWs (Not only
Cantonese, but the Chinese courtesy, culture & taboos in speaking
Cantonese are also highlighted). Period : Jan 31- Mar 28 (8 Saturdays). Venue : Caritas Fortress Hill Centre, G/F., 28A Fortress Hill
Road, Hong Kong. Fee: $150 / head
Content: Chinese courtesy, Festival culture, greetings & taboos,
Communication with Chinese employers, Handling employer ’s
complaints, Dealing with working problems, Making request & reporting duties, Asking for assistance
Enquiry : 2147-5988
Wanted: Women’s baseball players
The Philippine Sluggers team is accepting applications for try-outs.
Those who are interested may call Cecil at 6385 8948 or Eli at
96870540.
Cultural dancers wanted: The Knights of Rizal is looking for more
Filipino groups for its cultural dance and song presentations in the
Philippine booth at the annual Flower Show at Victoria Park in
Causeway Bay. Selected groups will also perform at the cultural presentation of the Knights of Rizal on the main stage of the Flower
Show. Those interested may contact: Pieter Nootenboom, at 62997888; Aida Rebutiaco Villanueva, 6235-5486; or Merle M. Nootenboom at 6299-8887
The Philippine Cultural Art Dance Ensemble (PCADE) Tinikling
Chapter is looking for male/female dancers for modern and cultural
dances. No age limit. Contact Marie Velarde at 9770 1899 or Mayette
at 9171 3421.
Calling all OFWs from Aringay, La Union
The Aringay Overseas Workers Association, a newly formed organization, is inviting you to join the group, and get to know your town
mates. Those interested, please call Shane at 54498080
Disaster that lingers still
From Page 19
PhP1.19 billion in cash and
PhP1.27 billion in non-cash
were directly given to the government; the balance of
PhP14.76 billion was channeled through NGOs and intergovernmental organizations.)
Level 3 Emergency
To complement RAY, the
United Nation’s Humanitarian
Country Team prepared a Strategic Response Plan (SRP) to
“fill emergency gaps as identified by government and interagency assessments.”
Unlike RAY, funding for
SRP has not been a problem.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) has in place a mechanism to mobilize financial resources for humanitarian assistance. This mechanism is triggered by the UN’s Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s declaration that a major disaster –
called Level 3 emergency –
such as the Yolanda calamity,
has indeed occurred.
The mechanism is initially
activated by Flash Appeals that
are issued three to five days after the onset of the disaster.
Funds raised from these Flash
Appeals are used only for the
most critical needs of the affected people in the next six
months, such as food and water. For longer-term emergency
response, such as shelter and
livelihood, funds are raised
through the Consolidated Appeals. Consolidated Appeals
are issued after a more thorough post-disaster needs assessment, usually conducted
about 30 days after the onset of
the disaster.
In the meantime, the Philippine government has continued
to engage the local non-government sector, particularly the
private conglomerates through
their various foundations, to
help in the rehabilitation work
under RAY. It divided the 171
Yolanda-affected cities and
municipalities into 24 “areas of
development” and convinced
conglomerates to adopt specific areas by acting as “development sponsors” involved in the
implementation of the areas’
rehabilitation and recovery
plan. Through this strategy, the
government hopes to align the
private sector’s Yolanda
projects with its own priority
plans.
A number of foreign and lo-
cal private institutions with
substantial private funds, however, have been monitored to
be working directly and independently with the affected
communities, municipalities,
and cities. These include big
local foundations and NGOs;
their projects are outside the
government’s RAY and the
UN OCHA’s SRP.
Inefficient, redundant process
While these initiatives are
laudable, they have made coordination more complicated and
difficult. At times, they have
also made project implementation inefficient.
In Barangay 88, Tacloban
City, for instance, several
NGOs went directly to the survivors to distribute boats, without coordinating first with city
or barangay officials. “They
ended up giving boats to those
who were tricycle drivers before the typhoon, not fishermen,” Barangay 88 chair
Emelita Montalba tells PCIJ.
Some residents of her barangay, she says, even received
three fishing boats each from
three different NGOs.
Other barangays tell similar
tales. “Sa aming barangay,
ang tawag namin sa mga
bangka ay solar panel kasi nakabilad lang sa araw (In our
barangay, we call the boats solar panels because they just lie
under the sun),” Jun Castillo,
chairperson of the Tacloban
Urban Fisherfolk Association
said in a press conference in
Tacloban City earlier this
month. “Hindi na nagagamit
kasi isa lang ang kayang ilayag na bangka ng bawat mangingisda. Ngunit marami sa
amin ang nakatanggap ng dalawa o tatlong bangka, ang iba
apat pa nga (We don’t really
use them because each fisher
can use only one boat really.
But many of us received two or
three boats. Some even received four).”
Yet in Barangay Sto Niño,
Quinapondan, Samar, 31 fishers share five boats provided
them by the Philippine Rural
Reconstruction Movement
(PRRM). Members of the Sto.
Niño Fisherfolk Association,
they take turns using the boats.
“Bago mag-Yolanda halos
lahat kami ay may tig-iisang
bangka (Before Yolanda, almost all of us had a boat
each),” says Orly Tabungar,
the association president.
“Ngayon pinaghahatian namin
ang lima, iniiskedyul ang paggamit (Now we share five
among ourselves, we just
schedule when we’d use
them).”
Lack of coordination
The glaring imbalance in the
distribution of the fishing boats
may be due to the lack of coordination among humanitarian
organizations. Duplication,
even mismatched interventions, had happened in other
Yolanda-affected areas before.
Notably, the post-Yolanda aid
efforts involved not just distribution of boats, but also the
construction of day-care and
health centers, schools, and
permanent shelters as well as
provision of livelihoods.
Both local and international
NGOs had conducted post-disaster needs assessments in areas where they intended to implement
programs
and
projects. Yet apparently, most
of these assessments failed to
provide the NGOs with a more
holistic understanding of the
needs of the people.
As it is, some community
workers are not too happy over
the trend among aid agencies
to distribute boats as livelihood
support to coastal communities.
“It’s worrisome that the livelihood intervention of many
NGOs is too focused on fishing,” says Fr. Cesar Aculan,
director for social action of the
Diocese of Calbayog, the implementing unit of Catholic
charity Caritas for Samar.
“Yolanda has already destroyed marine resources, and
now your assistance consisting
of a lot of boats would likely
lead to overfishing. It doesn’t
seem to be a match.”
Fortunately for Calbayog,
the Social Action Center
(SAC) there has decided to put
a moratorium on the distribution of boats and instead focus
on aquaculture and seaweed
farming for its livelihood
projects.
The same approach is being
done by PRRM. “Included in
our livelihood program are
workshops on how to protect
coastal resources,” says Charlie Razo, PRRM’s Field Coordinator in Eastern Samar. “Included are workshops on how
to cultivate mangroves and establishing marine protected areas.”
Unlike many NGOs, too,
both SAC and PRRM require
that the beneficiaries of their
livelihood projects be formally
organized first and duly registered with any government regulatory body to ensure sustainability.
Imbalance in pace, shares
The imbalance, however, is
not just perceptible in the matter of aid distribution. It is also
very observable in the pace
that the different Yolanda-devastated towns have recovered.
This unevenness can even be
discerned as one traverses the
main roads of Leyte and Samar.
Before Ruby struck, some
towns, like Salcedo in Eastern
Samar, were doing very well in
the implementation of their
post-Yolanda recovery plan.
The municipality’s monitoring
report showed that it had completed reconstruction/repair of
all school buildings, day-care
centers, and health centers. It
was about to complete the repair of the public market, municipal building, and other public infrastructures as well.
Construction of typhoon-resilient houses in permanent relocation sites was also on
schedule. And according to
Rey Padit, consultant to the
municipal mayor, they were
now looking at providing alternative sources of income to
farmers and fishers who lost
their livelihoods.
By comparison, other towns
like Basey and Marabut, both
in Western Samar, were apparently still struggling to recover
from the devastation wrought
by the killer typhoon. One year
on, Yolanda’s aftermath was
still discernible in the unrepaired houses and infrastructures along its main thoroughfares.
A key element in Salcedo’s
success, according to Padit,
was the full support given to
the town by humanitarian organizations like the Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team
(AMURT), an international
NGO founded in India and its
German NGO partner Kindernothilfe (KNH).
“We were lucky,” Padit tells
PCIJ. “When AMURT and
KNH arrived a day after
Yolanda, they were asking for
a municipal profile. We gave
them not just the profile, but
also complete information of
what we needed for the relief
Continued on Page 26
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
21
Thief’s lovesick plea falls on deaf ears
By Vir B Lumicao
A Filipino tourist who tried to
get a lenient sentence for theft
by claiming to have spent his
eight days in Hong Kong looking for a lost girlfriend has
failed to impress a judge at the
District Court.
Judge E. Yip said he did not
believe the excuse given by
Antonio N. Maceda, also
known as Roland A. Ramirez
and Johnny E. Navales, who
pleaded guilty to theft and
breaching a deportation order
when he appeared in court on
Jan. 7.
But the judge agreed to postpone the sentencing after being
told during mitigation that
Maceda, a 50-year-old widow-
er from Cebu, needed to be
with his five-year-old son who
was suffering from cough and
asthma.
Maceda was nabbed on Sept.
5 last year while trying to pick
the wallet of a Hong Kong man
who had just withdrawn money from an ATM booth at Wan
Chai MTR station.
The arresting officers found
out that he was using a name
different from those he carried
during two previous convictions, also for theft and immigration offenses.
The lawyer said his client, a
father of four, was a driver in
the Philippines who used to
earn about $2,000 a month but
was now jobless and had to
leave his children in the care of
his mother-in-law.
He said his wife died in
2007.
Maceda had two previous
convictions. The first was in
October 2011 for pickpocketing and the second in March
2013 for the same offense and
the breach of a deportation order.
“Whenever he was in Hong
Kong, he committed theft. He
didn’t come here to enjoy the
life in Hong Kong, he committed theft,” Yip commented.
“He’s just a trifling offender,
your honor, and I’d like to ask
for a lenient sentence,” the defense lawyer said.
“Didn’t he say the last time
he was convicted that he won’t
come back to Hong Kong
again to commit crime?” the
judge asked the lawyer.
The lawyer said her client
had a girlfriend, a domestic
helper in Hong Kong, whom
he met in prison in 2011. He
said he missed her so much he
decided to come over to see
her.
The court learned that Maceda arrived in Hong Kong on
Aug. 28 and was arrested on
Sept.5 when he tried to pick
pocket again “by accident”.
The judge berated the defense lawyer a few times for
shifting from the word “girlfriend” to “soulmate”, saying
those words were not interchangeable as they were not
the same.
Yip said he did not under-
stand how Maceda could say
he was so short of money because his son was sick but
could afford to buy a plane
ticket and come to Hong Kong
for eight days just to see his
girlfriend.
Asked how much the defendant spent during the eight
days before his arrest, Maceda
said he had $1,000 and was
renting a room in Wanchai for
$150 a night.
“He bought a ticket, he has
to spend money to stay here for
a few days. Why didn’t he
spend the money on his sick
son?” the judge asked in disbelief.
After consulting the convict,
the lawyer said her client had
brought with him US$700 as
his girlfriend bought him a
ticket and sent him Php30,000
(about $5,000) two weeks before he flew to Hong Kong.
A day after the remittance,
he tried to call her but lost contact with her so he spent eight
days in Hong Kong looking for
her, Maceda said through his
lawyer.
“Honestly, I don’t believe
him,” Yip said, shaking his
head.
He instructed both the prosecution and defense lawyers to
compile a table of sentences for
comparable cases on which he
could base his sentence on
Maceda.
He adjourned the hearing
until Feb. 11 and remanded
Maceda to jail custody.
Pinoy convicted as judge unlocks word’s broad meaning
By Vir B. Lumicao
A magistrate has ruled that the
offence of “tampering with a
motor vehicle” applies to unlocking the front wheel of a
motorcycle.
As a result of this ruling,
Eastern Court Deputy Magistrate Winston Leung found a
Filipino resident guilty of the
offence on Jan. 2. But sentencing was postponed to Jan. 16
pending background reports.
Christopher Moya, a 40year-old casual waiter and
salesman, was found to have
tried to open the disk lock of
the front wheel of a motorcycle
that its owner, a certain Mr.
Lai, had parked at Queens
Road before midnight of July
20, 2014.
At about 2:30 am the next
day, the owner of a restaurant,
Mr. Lui, was standing on the
pavement about two meters
away from the motorcycle
when Moya arrived and began
trying to open the disk lock of
the motorbike’s front wheel.
Unable to open the lock, the
defendant walked away and
returned some five minutes later with a bunch of keys which
he used in an attempt to start
the vehicle’s engine.
Alarmed by the defendant’s
action, Liu called the police
and about five minutes later an
officer arrived at the scene.
The policeman saw Moya
standing about 20 meters away
from the motorcycle and still
holding the bunch of keys.
When accosted by the officer, the defendant said he was
looking for a motorcycle that a
friend had lent him and that he
used the keys to try to start the
motorcycle engine.
Arguing on his behalf, defense counsel Duncan Percy
said the front wheel of the motorcycle should not be considered part of a vehicle.
He also said the word
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“tamper” is defined in the dictionary as “to meddle or interfere to cause alterations and
make unauthorized changes”
to an object, which Moya did
not do. But the magistrate, disagreed, saying “I believe that
any attachment also forms part
of a vehicle. In this case, the
front wheel lock also forms
part of the vehicle.”
Having tampered with a mo-
tor vehicle without authorization, the defendant must be
held guilty of the offence.
Leung said that by convicting the defendant, he wanted to
teach other people a valuable
lesson not to touch properties
of other people, much less a
motor vehicle, as such act
could be against the law.
During mitigation, the defense lawyer said Moya was
separated from his wife and
lived with his mother, who had
been attending all the hearings.
He added that he had two previous records, one involving
theft and the other, drugs.
The lawyer said Moya was
working part-time as waiter,
salesman and construction
worker earning about $10,000
and contributed to the family
income.
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
22
Buhay Pinay
From Page 4
ipinaglaban naman ng ahensya ang kanyang karapatan na mabayaran ng tama bago siya tuluyang pinaalis ng amo. Hinanapan
din siya agad ng bagong amo, kaya nakapag-exit siya sa Macau
para doon tuluyang magpagaling habang naghihintay ng bagong
visa. Si Melda ay 43, ay may asawa’t isang anak sa Pilipinas. –
Liezel V. delos Santos
Masungit
Baldado at naka wheelchair ang inaalagaan ng dalawang Pinay
na nakatira sa Prince Edward. Napakayaman ng kanilang alaga
na isang matabang babae na edad 73. Lagi itong naiiwan sa bahay habang nasa business trip ang asawa, kaya sobrang bugnutin
at mahilig masermon. Minsan ay nagyaya ang lola na mamasyal
sila sa mall malapit lamang sa kanila. Pagkatapos ay nagpunta
sila sa supermarket para mamili. Nang matapos ay inutos ng
kanilang amo na sabay-sabay silang pumila sa counter para magbayad. Hindi tumalima ang dalawa dahil mas mahirap ang gusto
ng amo, at taliwas sa dati na nilang gawi na ang isa na lang ang
pumipila at nagbabayad, samantalang ang isa ay itinutulak palabas ang wheelchair para doon na lang hintayin lumabas ang pinamili. Nagalit nang husto ang kanilang amo sa kanilang ginawa, at pinagmumura at pinagalitan ang dalawang katulong sa
harap ng maraming tao. Sa inis ng dalawa ay tulak-hila ang ginawa nila sa wheelchair habang naglalakad papuntang taxi stand.
Pagsakay ng taxi, iniutos ng lola sa driver na dalhin sila sa pinakamalapit na police station. Nagtaka man ang dalawa ay
nagkibit-balikat na lamang. Sa istasyon ay inireklamo ng matanda ang dalawa sa tangkang pagpatay daw sa kanya. Hindi naman
naniwala ang mga pulis dahil wala naman daw sa hitsura ng dalawa ang papatay ng tao. Pinayuhan nila ang matanda na huminahon at umuwi na lang para magpahinga at matulog. Kahit
kararating pa lang ng dalawa sa amo ay nagbabalak silang umalis na dahil hindi na nila makayanan ang masamang ugali nito.
— Liezel V. delos Santos
Medyas
Nang dahil sa medyas ay nalagay sa alanganin ang buhay ni
Maylene, isang stay-out na katulong na nakatira sa Sai Kung.
Noong umaga ng Dec 10, ay masama ang pakiramdam ni Maylene, pero tumuloy pa rin sa trabaho. Pero dahil sa pagmamadali
ay nakalimutan nyang magsuot ng medyas. Habang siya ay nagtatrabaho ay naramdaman niya ang matinding lamig ng panahon
kaya tumawag sa kaibigan sa katapat na bahay para manghiram
ng medyas. Agad naman itong tinugon ng kaibigan na lumabas
para iabot ang medyas kay Maylene sa bandang likuran ng kanilang bahay na may bahaging palusong. Nawalan ng panimbang si Maylene at nabagok ang ulo sa kongkretong bahagi ng
lugar at tuluyan ng nawalan ng malay. Kaagad namang sumaklolo ang dalawa niyang kaibigan at tumawag ng ambulansya. Dinala si Maylene sa Tseung Kwan O Hospital kung saan tinahi
ang sugat niya sa ulo, bago siya inilipat sa Queen Elizabeth Hos-
Blessings Employment Agency
WANTED
1. New Indian Restaurant in TST looking for:
• Waiter/Waitress (salary 9Kup)
• Dishwasher - salary 11k (Have Dishwasher machine)
• Supervisor - Salary neg.
Urgent for HK residents only
Working hours: 11am-3pm, 6pm-10:30pm
2. Houseboy, 6ft tall, 200 lbs., body builder, 20K, any
nationality.
3. Male Nurse or Male Caregiver, to care for paralyzed.
4. Male 5’11” 200 lbs. to take care of male patient 200
lbs. live-in.
5. Filipina Clinical Instructor ($ 8,000) – 1yr.exp., + 3 yrs.
Reg. staff nurse, Hospital with 100 bed capacity.
Private Nurse – Reg. Nurse with exp. Tube Feeding &
suctioning.
6. Male caregiver - Yuen Long. Take care of a disabed
130lbs., wheelchair.
7. Houseboy/Driver- Sheung Shui, housekeeping, dogs,
with new HK driving license also accepted.
8. Couple job for male (new comer), possess
International driving license, gardener first later
become driver, give time going out to attend the
driving lessons, Yuen Long.
9. Clerical staff in the office kln side, dependent visa Indo
or Filipina.
Rm. 1506 15/F., Good Hope Bldg., #5 Sai Yeung Choi St.,
South, Mongkok, Kln. (Mongkok MTR Exit E2 above
McDonald’s, opp. to KFC) E-mail Address:
[email protected]
Flat or Room for Rent
www.blessguestshouse.com
Fully Furnished Flat/Room for rent (daily
rates), suitable for individuals and families or
groups. Enquiries:
(852) 6381 0109 on whatsapp
or email: [email protected]
Nanakawan
Nitong nakaraang buwan ay masayang umuwi si shiela ng Pilipinas para makasama ang buong pamilya sa Pasko at Bagong
Taon, at higit sa lahat sa kasal ng kanyang anak na babae. Nanghiram ng pera si shiela sa tatlong kapatid na nandidito rin para
pandagdag sa malaking gastusin para sa okasyon. Sa araw ng
kasal, habang abalang-abala ang buong pamilya sa pag-aasikaso
sa mga bisita ay nawala sa isip niya na itabi o ihabilin sa kamaganak ang kanyang bag, at bagkus ay ipinatong lang sa isang
upuan sa sulok. Bandang hapon na nang maalala niya ang bag
dahil may gustong ipabili sa asawa. Namutla at napaiyak na lamang si Shiela nang malamang wala na sa kanyang pitaka ang
Php15,000. Kinabukasan pa lang siya nagkaroon ng lakas ng
loob na itanong sa mga nandodoon na halos mga kapamilya din
lahat nila ng kanyang asawa, subalit ni isa ay walang umamin.
Pagbalik niya sa Hong Kong ay saka lang siya nagkaroon ng
ideya kung sino ang kumuha dahil nakabili ito ng bagong cell
phone gayong wala naman itong pinagkakakitaan. Ibayong ingat
na lang ang nasambit ni Shiela sa mga kapatid na nasa Hong
AMAZING SPEED INTERNATIONAL LTD.
Shop 267, 2/F, Worldwide Plaza, 19 Des Voeux Road
Central, Hong Kong Tel: 2813 5763 • 5415 6486
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR EMPLOYER?
Requirements: Well experienced in cargo industry is necessary;
Hongkong permanent resident or dependant visa holder.
Viber/Whatsapp: +852 67523508
For interested parties pls send your resume at
[email protected]
Employer pays
No Hidden Charges
Helpers No Charge
WORK IN CANADA and RUSSIA
FREE CONSULTATION
Processing Canadian Visa: $2000 only.
Include Visa Fee
Open Daily 9:30am - 6pm
NOW HIRING!
•
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-
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male or female
with valid work visa (dependant/resident)
pleasing personality & computer literate
DELIVERYMAN
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3488 9583 • 6381 0109
pital. Namalagi siya doon ng dalawang araw bago pinauwi at
pinagbilinan na mamahinga ng pitong araw. Binayaran naman
ng kanyang amo ang lahat ng ginastos ni Maylene sa hospital,
subalit hindi sinunod ang itinakdang araw na pamamahinga
niya. Si Maylene ay dalawang taon at walong buwan nang nagtatrabaho sa mga among Australyano at Sri Lankan na parehong
abugado. - Sanny delos Santos
WAREHOUSEMAN
- male
- with valid work visa (dependant/resident)
Please apply with your handwritten resume/bio-data to:
AFREIGHT (ASIA PACIFIC) LTD
Shop 372 Worldwide Plaza
19 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong
Tel No. 2522-4253 Fax No. 2521-7982
HOK TSUI COMPANY
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE CENTER
Flat 705, 7/F Kwong Wah Plaza, Yuen Long Tel: 2477 2820
Flat 1807, 18/F Hollywood Plaza, Mongkok Tel: 233 21680
Flat 1003A, 10/F, Causeway Bay Commercial Bldg.,
1-5 Sugar St., Causeway Bay HK
Tel: 3118 2354
Many Employers await
you in Canada! Act Now!
Call: 9430 1068
1. Free registration.
2. Finished/Terminated.
3 Direct Hire/Renewal are welcome.
4. Every month interviews in Manila.
5. Everyday employers come.
6. Professional and good service.
Araw-araw na naghihintay sa iyo
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Kong habang ikinukuwento nya ang nangyari sa kanya. Si Shiela ay 44 taong gulang, may asawa at tatlong anak, at tubong
Lucena. – Sanny de los Santos
Kwento ni popo
Nakipagkwentuhan ang isang matanda sa isang Pilipina sa Delifrance sa Worldwide Plaza habang ang katulong nitong si Brenda ay nagre-remit ng pera. Magaling makipagkuwentuhan ang
popo, at marami siyang tinanong sa Pinay tungkol sa trabaho
nito sa Hong Kong. Matapos niyang interbiyuhin ang Pinay, sinabi ng popo, “I think you are a sensible employee.” Natawa lang
ang Pinay. Pero sabi din ng Popo, nasubukan na niyang kumuha
ng katulong na nasa ‘20s pero hindi niya nagustuhan dahil mas
“easy go lucky” sila. Hindi daw nila iniintindi ang sinasabi ng
amo bagamat magalang sila. Mas gusto na daw niya yung mga
medyo may edad kagaya ni Brenda dahil magaling magtrabaho
at kumbaga ay eksperto na sa gawain. Ang problema lang daw
kay Brenda ay masungit ito at sakitin. Pero kaya na daw niya
sabayan ang ugali nito at palampasin. Pangatlo na daw nitong
katulong si Brenda.Ang dalawang nauna ay parehong umuwi
dahil sa sakit; ang una ay may cancer sa suso, at ang pangalawa
ay sakit sa puso. Sabi ni popo, tuwing nagre-remit si Brenda ay
sumasama siya dahil kailangan din niyang maglakad-lakad.
Gusto daw niya si Brenda dahil “smart” kahit masungit, at nandidilat ang mata kapag nagagalit. — Cris B. Cayat
Umatras
Problemado si Shirley noon kung paano niya magagawa nang
mahusay ang trabaho sa bagong amo. May bagong silang na kambal ang amo at tatlong taong gulang na batang lalaki, bukod sa
tatlong aso, isang kotseng SUV, at tatlong palapag na bahay sa
Clearwater Bay. Sa kabila nito ay pikit-mata niyang pinirmahan
ang bagong kontrata. Nang pauwi na siya sa tinutuluyang bahay
sa Tsim Sha Tsui ay may nakasakay siya sa bus na among naghahanap ng kasambahay. Nag-usap sila at agad nagkaigihan. Sabi
ng amo ay may tatlong taon siyang anak at may sariling kuwarto
ang kasambahay. Agad nakipagkasundo si Shirley at tinawagan
niya ang dati niyang recruitment agency para sabihing hindi na
niya itutuloy ang kontrata sa among may anak na kambal. Nagalit ang recruitment agency at ayaw ibalik ang $400 na ibinayad
niya, at pati ang kanyang pasaporte. Ayon kay Shirley, pinagalitan din siya ng may ahensya dahil masisira daw ang kanilang
kredibilidad sa mga kliyente dahil sa kanyang ginawang pagatras. Nakipagtalo si Shirley, at huminahon lang ang may agency
nang magbanta siyang idudulog sa Konsulado ang kanyang
problema. Sinamahan siya ng bagong amo sa agency, na ibinalik
naman ang $400 niyang registration fee at pasaporte, at mabait
silang kinausap. —Cris B. Cayat
magbayad. Naisip ni Myla na marahil ay ito ang ibibigay ng amo
sa kanya bilang regalo sa Pasko kaya hindi na siya nag-atubiling
namili. Marami siyang kinuha at hindi naman nagreklamo ang
kanyang amo nang magbayad ito ng mga binili nila. Pag-uwi sa
bahay ay excited na inilabas ni Myla sa supot ang mga pinamili
at isa-isang ipinakita sa amo. Ang masaklap, bawat labas niya ng
bagay na binili ay sinasabi ng amo na gusto din nito ang napili ni
Myla. Hindi naman magawang magpatay-mali ni Myla kaya ibinibigay din niya sa amo ang nagustuhan nitong pinili niya. Bandang huli, kahit isa sa mga napili ni Myla na para sa kanya ay
walang natira dahil napunta lahat sa amo. Hindi niya alam kung
sadyang pareho lang sila ng bagay na gusto o talagang nagkamali lang ang amo ng alok sa kanya. Si Myla ay walong taon na dito
sa HK. –Gina N. Ordona
Napaaway
Tatlong malalaking aso ang alaga ni Shirley. Kapag nakatayo
ang mga ito ay mas matangkad pa sa kanya at kung pagsamasamahin ang lakas ng mga aso ay siguradong talo si Shirley.
Parang anak ang turing ng mga amo niya sa mga aso kaya naman
alagang-alaga din niya ang mga ito. Hindi siya pumapalya na
ilabas ang mga aso ng tatlong beses sa isang araw kahit na umuulan. Habang naglalakad isang umaga ay may nasalubong silang
aso na kasing laki ng mga alaga niya, kasama ang nag-aalaga na
isang dayuhan. Hindi napaghandaan ni Shirley ang reaksiyon ng
mga aso kaya nakawala ang isa at nilusob ang kasalubong nila.
Dali-dali niyang ipinahawak ang tali ng dalawang aso sa Pinay
na nasalubong din niya at hinabol ang isa na nakikipag-away.
Sobrang lakas ng aso kaya bigay-todo din siya sa paghila. Magkahalong hapo at kaba ang naramdaman ni Shirley nang maghiwalay ang mga aso. Pinalo kasi ng babaeng dayuhan ang ulo ang
alaga niya at tinanong siya kung saan nakatira. Pagdating sa ba-
RELATIVES OR FRIENDS
COMING OVER FOR A VISIT?
NEED A ROOM AFTER RELEASE?
STAY WITH FRIENDS ON HOLIDAY?
We have 20 nice rooms each
with full air- conditioning,
Private bathroom, TV and VCD player.
BEST RATE IN TOWN
Cost $90 for 2 hours, $200 for any 8 hours.
$250 for overnight & 300 for one day.
Mahilig mag-shopping ang amo ni Myla at madalas ay kasama
siya sa mga lakad nito. Noong nakaraang buwan, habang
namimili sila sa isang department store ay sinabi ng amo kay
Myla na kunin ang anumang magugustuhan at ito ang bahalang
Go straight to the end
Locked out
Mag-aalas onse na ng gabi noong Sabado, Enero 3, nang tumawag kay Wella ang kasalukuyang nakatira sa inalisan nilang
boarding house ng kanyang asawa. Nagtatanong ang bagong lipat kung may ekstra siyang susi sa dating inuupahan. Naiwan
daw kasi nito ang sariling susi sa loob ng kuwarto nang i-lock
ang pinto. Itinawag naman ito ni Wella sa kanyang asawang
nasa trabaho pa ngunit wala naman itong maitulong. Wala naman kasing dahilan para magtira sila ng susi noong ipasa sa
bagong may-ari ang bahay. Pagdating ng kanyang mister na si
Ram bandang hatinggabi ay kinumusta nila ang sitwasyon sa
dating bahay. Nalaman nilang binabagbag na ang pintuan nito,
pero hindi pa rin nabubuksan. Hangos silang tumulong, at nakita
nila ang iba pang nagmamalasakit. Madami nang gamit pangkarpintero ang nasira sa kagustuhan nilang ma-sungkit ang lock
ng pinto nguni’t di umubra. Binubungkal na ng naninirahan ang
buong door knob dahil hindi rin umobra ang pagsipa at pagbalya
sa pinto. Napansin ni Ram na may awang na rin sa bandang lawit
ng lock. Itinusok niya dito ang ginagamit na matulis na bakal at
bumukas naman ang pinto. Maaga ang dalaw ng nagpapaupa
kinabukasan para sa buwanang renta, kaya tinakpan na lamang
ng nangungupahan ang malaking pinsala sa pintuan. Pagkaalis
ng may-ari ay bumili agad siya ng bagong door knob at iba pang
kailangan sa pagkumpuni sa pinto. - Ramon Dizon Jr.
Global Premier Consultancy Ltd.
DOMESTIC HELPERS/DRIVERS
• FINISHED CONTRACT
• TERMINATED WITH GOOD REASON
• DIRECT HIRE PROCESSING
PLEASE COME TO REGISTER FREE!!!
CALL US AT 2527 7883 • 2527 7889 NOW!!!
Shop 86, 1/F Tin Hau Apple Mall, No. 14 King’s Road,
Tin Hau, Hong Kong (MTR Tin Hau Stn. Exit A1)
(Prince Edward MTR station exit C2 / #A21 Airport Bus)
Single Room for One Person with kitchen and toilet. Only
HK$2,000/ month. Please call for more information.
(Filipino Owned)
Domestic Employment Agency
Rm.103 Chung Ying Bldg. 20 Connaught Rd. West, Sheung Wan, HK
BEST EMPLOYER
BEST SERVICE
Choosing the right employer is an important decision
WE CAN HELP YOU.
1/F., 701 Shanghai St., Mongkok, Kln.
Our role is find the right employer for you.
Please bring along your ID card, recommendation/
release letter when you visit our office.
Website: www.lydiabahayhotel.com
Call us at 2543 4982 / 2104 9804
Please call Ricky 9449 5591
Shop 165, 1/F, Houston Centre, 63 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, HK
P
hay ay eksaktong tumawag ang kanyang amo na nasa ibang bansa at kinukumusta ang mga amo. Takot na isinalaysay ni Shirley
ang pangyayari sa amo at hindi naman siya napagalitan. Bagkus
ay tinanong lang sa kanya ang deskripsyon ng may-ari ng nasalubong nilang aso kaya naibsan ang kaba niya pagbaba sa telepono. Si Shirley, taga-Ozamiz, ay limang buwan pa lang sa
HK. —Gina N. Ordona
Family rooms with kitchen $400-450 daily only.
Direct transport to Ocean Park, Disney Land & airport
Lydia’s Bahay Hotel
Napurnada
23
24
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Manila red tape delays sentencing of 3 convicted thieves
By Vir B. Lumicao
A failure by the Philippines’
National Statistics Office to
verify the age of a Filipino
tourist claiming to be an octogenarian has further delayed
his sentencing, along with two
others, for theft and immigration charges to which they
have pleaded guilty.
District Court Judge J. Lam
expressed exasperation on
finding out that the documents
sought had not been received
by the court as of the Jan 5
hearing. As a result, he had to
reset the sentencing of Victoria
O. Brillantes, 48; Rodrigo C.
Torres, 37; and Ricardo G. de
Jesus, 69, to Feb. 10.
Lam said that should give
the prosecution more time to
obtain an authenticated birth
certificate of the trio’s oldest
member, De Jesus, from the
Philippine government.
The three pleaded guilty on
Dec. 1 to charges of stealing a
ring and a watch worth about
$500,000 and violating a deportation order issued by the
Immigration
Department
against them in their previous
conviction for similar offenses.
At the hearing on Jan. 5, the
judge was disappointed when
told by the prosecution lawyer
that she was still waiting for
the Philippine consulate’s reply to its request for authentication of the birth certificate of
R
De Jesus presented by the defense lawyers. The document
was issued by the statistics office in Manila.
“How long do you think
would the court wait?” Lam
asked the prosecutor.
“You honor, we gather it
would take about half a year,
even longer,” the lawyer said.
“If we have to wait more
than half a year, do you think
that’s too long and you are asking me what to do? Of course,
I don’t want to wait that long, I
want the court to resolve the
issue as expedient as we can,”
Lam asked.
When the prosecution lawyer wavered, the judge asked
her to cite a precedent, and she
said there was only one case
where the court waited six
months.
“I’d say it may not be worthwhile to wait half a year. Just
say ‘We can’t wait, we have to
deal with the matter’,” the
judge prodded the prosecutor.
“We can’t wait,” she replied.
The prosecution said it sent a
letter to the Consulate on Dec.
HKDomestic.com
On- line Internet & Consultant for DH
2110 4782 • Whatsapp: 6285 8224 (Stephen) •
DH Service Centre
Long Distance call to Philippines ($0.1/min.)
Internet/Video Conference
Movie Show
FREE TRIAL
Karaoke
Enjoy our facilities without limit ($200/month
only)
Tel.: 3104 8148
1504 Progress Commercial Bldg., 9 Irving Street,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
HOTECH
COMPUTER
Shop 340 Worldwide Plaza (Near AFreight) Tel: 2729 6165
Buy • Sell • Repair—Mobile, Laptop, Desktop & MAC
Connect to
internet
anywhere
you are!
Open-Line
International 3G
USB Modem &
Mobile WIFI.
Buy/sell second-hand Laptop & Desktop Computer.
Reformat Laptop (No Picture, No Startup)
Change from Chinese to English.
Anti-Virus, Yahoo Messenger
Change damaged LCD Panel (Broken)
Order new Laptop Battery - Any brand
Order New Laptop Keyboard (Not Function)
System and Memory Upgrade.
MOBILE REPAIR: No picture, signal, voice, sound;
damaged screen, bad key pads, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, LG,
Samsung, iPhone. Unlock iPhone • Sell Original Samsung
Galaxy Note, Tab 2, Tab 3, iPhone 4, iPad with SIM
Website: www.HKDomestic.com • email: [email protected]
New adress: Shop 243, 2/F Worldwide Plaza, 19 Des Voeux Rd. Central, HK
(At the back of Pacific Ace shop)
Jobs in HK, Macau, UK , Europe & Canada
See they were hired Directly in Canada & HK. No Placement Fee
!
Visa granted
Kelly: Tourist,
1 day found direct
employer.
d!
Visa grante
Melba: Canada employer Princess Austria: Visa
Mary-Jane-Canada
Wilma: 5 days found
hired her directly. No
for food-counteremployer hired her diAmerican employer
placement fee.
attendant in Canada. rectly-No placement fee
in HK.
1. Free posting & free agency fee after hired for Finished contract D.H. in HK.
2. Post for Terminated, break, Tourists & bio-data from Philippines. (No agency fee after hired ).
3. Post for Macau ( Hotels, restaurant & casinos ). (No agency fee after hired ).
4. Post for Canada-Live-in-caregivers, Unskilled workers ( Food counter attendants,waitress etc.,)
High school graduated only & no working experience required-2 months up can post to be
hired
5. Canada Immigration consultant can represent you to apply visa if you have Canada direct
employers.
6. Can post for jobs in U.K. Europe, Russia, Japan, S. Korea, Taiwan or any country you like.
WE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK, INCLUDING PUBLIC HOLIDAYS (10:00 AM TO 5:30 PM)
RELATIVES OR FRIENDS COMING
OVER FOR A VISIT?
NEED A ROOM AFTER RELEASE?
STAY WITH FRIENDS ON HOLIDAY?
Enjoy the comforts of staying at:
ASTRONAUT’S
HOTEL
(Filipino Owned)
• Deluxe, fully and newly furnished hotel rooms
complete w/ TV, private telephone and kitchen.
• Special rates for lovers, $100 for 2 hours,
$300 for overnight and $400 for one day.
• Next to shopping malls, night market, restaurants.
• Direct transport to Ocean Park, Disney Land & airport.
(Mongkok MTR station exit A1 / #A21 Airport Bus)
• More discount for group tour and longer stay visitors.
Single Room for One Person with kitchen and toilet. Only
HK$2,000/ month. Please call for more information.
BOOKING HOTLINE:
9735 3090 JOHNNY
email: [email protected]
Mobile No. 90922508
ADDRESS: Flat B, 13/F, Kingland Mansion,
737 Nathan Rd., Mongkok, Kln. HK.
Website: www.astronauthk.com
8 but it had not received a reply, so it wrote another letter to
the Consulate on Dec. 31.
When The SUN inquired
with the Consulate about the
status of the court request, an
officer said he had already sent
a verification request to the
NSO but was also still waiting
for a reply.
The three defendants were
arrested on Haiphong Road in
Tsim Sha Tsui on July 24, two
days after returning to Hong
Kong following a successful
caper in which they were able
to steal a diamond ring and a
watch worth a total of
$497,922.
Judge Lam at the time delayed sentencing on the defense counsel’s plea for leniency for the old man, who
claimed his real age was 80,
not 69 as shown in a fake passport in the name of Benito A.
Suarez that he carried when he
was arrested in July.
De Jesus told the court his
genuine birth certificate was
being kept by his wife in Manila and his counsel would arrange for the document to be
transmitted to Hong Kong.
Other documents being
awaited by the judge included
a medical report from the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
about the old man’s health condition.
Judge Lam said the sentencing of the two other convicts,
Brillantes and Torres, would
have to wait until their accomplice’s true age had been ascertained.
In the meantime, the three
were remanded in jail custody.
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
PCG warns against stun guns, social media scams
By Vir B. Lumicao
The Consulate has again
warned Filipinos transiting or
entering Hong Kong against
bringing in stunning devices
and other restricted items as
they could face jail and a hefty
fine.
Last year, 81 Filipinos were
reportedly convicted of the offense.
This was significantly higher than the previous figure released by Hong Kong police.
Vice Consul Fatima Guz-
man also cautioned the Filipino
community in Hong Kong to
beware of individuals or crime
syndicates who are using social
media to befriend them so they
could be used as conduits for
money laundering and other illegal acts.
She was reacting to newspaper reports about Indonesian
maids being targeted by these
con operators recently.
“While we don’t condemn
meeting people online, we
should always take precautions, especially in sending
money. Be careful of befriending people online,” Guzman
said.
“Unless you personally
know the person, don’t send
your bank details, your passport details, not even your address in the Philippines, your
address here, your family…
We must warn the Filipino
community not to be too trusting online,” she added.
As to the ban on stun guns,
Guzman said time and again
the Department of Foreign Affairs would ask airlines flying
out of Philippine airports to
warn Hong Kong-bound passengers about the territory’s
strict laws against the carrying
of such weapons.
Stun guns and other devices
such as tear gas, bullets, extendable batons, flick knives
and knuckle dusters are all considered as ‘arms’ under the
Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance of Hong Kong.
Even body adornments, such
as blank bullets converted into
“anting anting” pendants, are
covered by the Hong Kong ordinance.
“We are asking our compatriots, especially our seafarers,
to avoid carrying these items in
their luggage even if they’re
just transiting Hong Kong,”
Guzman said. She said most of
those caught carrying stun
25
guns were seamen transiting or
visiting Hong Kong
“Items such as extendable
batons and knuckle dusters
(brass knuckles) may not be
considered as offensive weapons in other countries but they
are in Hong Kong,” she said.
Having the weapons without
a license could lead to conviction of the owner that comes
with a fine of $100,000 and a
maximum jail sentence of up to
14 years.
EMRY’s Employment
Agency
www.emrysemploymentagency.com
Worldwide Office:
Shop 355, 3/F. 19 Des Voeux, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 28156060 • 2815 4114 • Fax: 25459155
Email: [email protected]
Wanchai Branch:
Rm. 802, 8/F. On Hong Commercial Bldg., 145 Hennessy Rd.,
Wanchai, Hong Kong • Tel. 31101491-28504291-28151166
Fax : 31101499 • Emails: [email protected]
[email protected] • [email protected]
Visit our website: www.emrysemploymentagency.com
We accept
Luzon,
Visayas
and Mindanao direct
hire processing.
Services Offered
1) Direct Hire Processing: Self-found helper/employer
HK$5,680.00
2) Local Hire Processing: Introduction done by Emry’s Staff HK$3,976.00
3) Canada Hire Processing: Self-found employer in Canada HK$4,500.00
Attention: For Domestic
Helpers who have found
new employers and are
required by the
Immigration to return to
the Philippines to await
the processing of their
HK Visa we offer you
our Direct Hire
• No Agency Fee
Processing Services for
• No placement fee only HK$5,680. This fee
Refund
in the Philippines
should be paid by the
Scheme
Employer. Under HK
& HKSAR.
Labour and Immigration
Employers will
get a refund for Ordinances (See Page 1 article 8 of the
Employment Contract for DH), employer pays for
Cancelled
all fees and expenses required for the employment
application.
and departure of helper from her place of origin.
Guaranteed!
No registration
fee & no
placement fee
in the
Philippines &
in Hong Kong.
Did
You
Know...
DIRECT HIRE PROCESSING:
HK$5,680 PAID BY EMPLOYER
Main Office: G/F, No. 107- 109 A, Electric Rd., G/F Tin
Hau (MTR. Exit A2) Hotline: 9863 0677 (Thessie)
Branch: Shop 1046,1/F Smiling Shau Kei Wan Plaza
EMAIL: [email protected]
Facebook: [email protected]
MLG TradingCompany
For Filipino-Indonesia products. The Cube, F11/1/F No
122-132 Hoi Pa St., Ysuem Wan, N.T.
FIND YOUR OWN “AMO”!
Lahat amo ang magbabayad!= Promotion
We accept:
• Biodata from Philippines,
Singapore,Taiwan,Malaysia.
• Terminate, break, finish,
renew contract,tourist.
POEA ACCREDITED
AMOUNT HK$5000 ONLY
INCLUDE: TICKET / INSURANCE / CONTRACT /
VISA / POEA (OEC, OWWA, TESDA, PAG-IBIG
Contact: THESSIE V. CHAN at 8226 8307
EMRY’s collects the direct hire processing fee from Employers. We do not collect
Agency Fee and Placement Fee from helpers since they have found their own
employers. The HK$5,680 paid by the employers are used for the complete
processing in HKSAR and the Philippines of your application to work in Hong
Kong. These include: visa fee, Medical Fee, Philippine Consulate Fee, POEA/
OEC/OWWA, PDOS, One way Airline ticket (Manila/ Hong Kong).
When you process with us we offer the following:
Refund Scheme: We refund unused portions of your payment if the
application is cancelled or refused by authorities.
FREE Counselling for Labour Related Disputes.
Receipt always Issued. Pay only at our office Cashier. Our staff are
not allowed to accept payments outside our office. We have no
recruiters or sub-agents in HK.
LOCAL HIRE: FREE Registration & Consultation
Quick Hiring for qualified finished contract & terminated applicants with good
release letter. Bring original, Passport, Employment Contract plus 2-copies of
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The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Disaster that lingers still
From Page 20
and rehabilitation of our municipality – all printed up and
placed in a folder.”
Obviously, though, it was
not lady luck that made the two
international NGOs decide to
support Salcedo. More than
likely, they were impressed by
the way the municipality presented its proposal, which reflected the LGU’s capacity to
plan and document its recovery
program.
For Lotta Sylwander,
UNICEF Philippine representative, the different capacities
of local government units are a
major reason why some municipalities have recovered
faster than others. “Some
LGUs have more capacity than
others,” she says. “In some
LGUs, things are going very
well and they are keeping up
with the implementation. In
some LGUs it’s much, much
slower.”
She observes that “LGUs
(that) are poor and at really disadvantaged areas with sort of
limited resources both financially and otherwise” are finding it difficult to keep up with
the recovery efforts.
Local capacity gaps
Ladylyn Lim-Mangada, political science professor at UP
Tacloban, seems to agree. “The
problem,” she says, “is that the
LGUs are not prepared to [handle] the assistance from international nongovernmental organizations. The LGUs have
failed to set guidelines for the
various interventions being
done by the humanitarian organizations at various levels.”
For example, she says, there
has been a lack of guidance
from municipal LGUs on the
design of shelters or classrooms that needed to be rebuilt.
At the barangay level, notes
Lim-Mangada, there is also no
uniform way of determining
aid beneficiaries. “Some would
rely on voters’ list while others
do not even have lists,” she
says. “Still others don’t even
understand the concept of
households on which to base
the distribution of aid.”
World Vision Programs Director Sean Ng also says that
the problem of unevenness in
the recovery work lies with the
lack of a “standard system”
that may guide the LGUs in
implementing
recovery
projects.
“Every LGU varies in the
way they choose to implement
[the projects] because there
isn’t a standard system to do
this,” Ng comments. “I mean,
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From Page 11
But Chan said he noticed
that the maid’s face had become darker and was seriously
swollen. But it did not occur to
him that she had been assaulted as there were no visible
bruises. He thought she was
sick.
The hearing resumes on Jan.
20 after a six-day break to allow both the prosecution and
defense to prepare their final
submissions before the hearing
wraps up. - VBL
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The SUN Mid-month January 2015
27
PNU developing free online teaching refresher course
naming oline refresher course,
ang gumagawa po ay ang Philippine Normal University,”
Conferido said.
“Ang PNU ay ang pangunahing center of excellence
in education. Kung di po pasado ang PNU, wala na sigurong
eskwelahan sa Pilipinas ang
papasa,” the labor official said.
Conferido advised the
former teachers to send him a
list of all Hong Kong-based
businesses offering teaching
refresher courses so he could
ask the competent authority of
the education department to
verify their accreditations.
It is not the Department of
Labor and Employment that
accredits schools, Conferido
said. “Pero yung pinagkakasunduan namin ng DepEd at
PNU, nasisiguro namin na ang
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lahat ng bibigyan ng certification ay kikilalanin ng Department of Education,” he said.
He advised OFWs to examine the refresher course that
certain enterprises are offering
before they decide to enroll.
Otherwise, they can write directly to DepEd Assistant Secretary Jess Mateo to clarify
their doubts, Conferido said.
The Filipinas burst into
Pottinger St.
those who will apply for the
“Sa ‘Pinas’, Ikaw ang Ma’am/
Sir” program of the DepEd.
On Jan. 8, Labor Secretary
Rosalinda Baldoz was reported
as saying the PNU had submitted its initial draft of a memorandum of agreement on the
conduct of the refresher course.
The draft MOA provides for
the module preparation, material uploading online, and technical assistance in the procurement and/or rental of needed
IT equipment.
During the meeting at the
Consulate, someone in the audience asked Conferido if
schools offering the same refresher course in Hong Kong
are accredited under the
scheme.
“Hindi ko po alam yung credentials ng mga nag-o-offer
dito. Yun pong idine-develop
Queen Victoria
An online refresher course for
domestic workers who are
planning to return to teaching
when they go home for good is
being developed by the education and labor departments
with the help of the Philippine
Normal University.
The good news is that this
would be offered free to teachers-turned-helpers, Labor Undersecretary Reydeluz Conferido said during a meeting on
Jan. 11 with members of various Filipino community
groups in Hong Kong.
Returning teachers are required by the Department of
Education to pass the licensure
examination for teachers, if
they have not yet done so, and
to take a refresher course if
they had been away from
teaching for at least five years.
This requirement applies to
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Causeway Bay: Flat A3, 15/F Causeway Bay Comm. Bldg., 3
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28
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
A top diplomat’s post-Christmas story
She wanted to try something
new and make some people
feel especially happy last
Christmas, so Consul General
Bernie Catalla decided to
throw a party for all Filipina
helpers in her residential
building.
Helping her send out the invitation were two Filipina domestic workers who had become her nodding acquaintances at the official residence
somewhere in Mid-Levels.
After the two helpers spread
the word around, the beneficent consul general found herself and her driver having to
prepare for a banquet for about
50 people.
“It was a wonderful feeling
because the domestic workers
were extremely happy. They
said it was the first time a
Filipino consul general
hosted a party for them in
(the) flat,” Catalla told The
SUN in a post-holiday interview.
Previous consuls general
tendered parties for members of the community, but
PEOPLE
not exclusively for those working in the building.
“In fact, there were some
who came from other places
like Pokfulam and Discovery
Bay. They said they used to
live on the block but had
moved when their employers
changed address,” the consulgeneral said.
One guest was an Indonesian
maid on the same building,
making the gathering an Asean
affair.
With the Filipino penchant
for partying complete with
singing, story-telling, joking
and teasing and, of course, ex-
Congen’s Treat. Some of
the guests feel at home
at the Congen’s
residence in Mid-Levels
(right) during a party
hosted by Consul
General Bernie Catalla.
changing gifts, the spirit of
Christmas filled the 2,000-plus
square foot residence of the
Philippines’ top diplomat in
Hong Kong.
The merrymaking broke up
in the evening when the maids
had to return to their employers’ homes.
Their parting message to the
affable ConGen was: “Ma’am,
sana ulitin natin sa New Year.
Nainggit ang mga kaibigan
namin nang mabalitaan nila.”
Congen obliged, but this
time, with everybody pitching
in for a potluck party. —-Vir
B. Lumicao
Richard Hwan: Hong Kong’s ‘Foreignoy’
By William Elvin
On February 22 last year,
Hong Kong’s Richard Hwan
found himself at the centre of
Filipino attention from Batanes to Jolo, as he performed
the folk dance Karatong on
Eat Bulaga, the longest-running noontime show in the
Philippines. He was vying for
the grand prize of the show’s
contest “You’re My Foreignoy” that day, and he gave it
his all.
“I could say I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t win, because I think that was a pretty
good performance. I guess the
judges just didn’t like it that
much compared to the others,”
he says.
But the panel of judges,
which included beauty queens
Gloria Diaz and Ruffa Gutierrez, seemed to have been contradicted by the viewing public
when they voted Richard as the
‘Dabarkads’ Choice’ or online
favorite in the contest, and
even trended worldwide on social media. He was clearly the
Pinoy crowd favorite despite
not being awarded the top
prize, as he displayed his
youthful energy and charming
personality throughout the
competition.
While he truly enjoyed his
‘Foreignoy’ stint, Richard did
not get interested in show business until four years ago, when
he decided to go to the Philippines for his university educa-
tion.
“My plan in life before all
this happened was going to
college, joining my dad in
business, and then eventually
taking over it,” he reveals.
“Pero ito ngayon, biglang may
showbiz, and it might open
more possibilities, so I decided
to see what happens.”
Richard first went to the
Philippines in 2010 to study
broadcast communications in
UP Diliman, where his father
used to be a faculty member
after graduating in the college
of engineering.
“I needed a bit of convincing
from my parents, but it was
also a good opportunity to
spend time with my grandfather who’s staying there,” he
LEA SALONGA IN
CONCERT. The
Philippines’ pride, Lea
Salonga, together with her
brother, Gerard Salonga,
will hold two concerts on
Feb. 1 (Sunday) at the Tsuen
Wan Town Hall Auditorium.
The first concert will be at
3:00pm, the second at
4:45pm Tickets are at $50
and $100 each. Bulk ticket
orders of no less than 100
tickets for the 4:45 pm
concert are available.
Contact: Karin Cho,
assistant marketing manager
of the Hong Kong
Philharmonic Society
Limited at e-mail:
[email protected].
says. Both his parents were
born and raised in Manila.
It was in UP when he started
discovering his interest for
modeling. “I had a friend who
was working as a professional
model and she told me to try
it,” he recalls. His photos and
profile were then sent to a
modeling agency, which
helped him land a spot in the
Philippine Fashion Week in
October 2013. Soon after, a
modeling gig in Eat Bulaga
would sway his fate toward the
entertainment scene.
“They were just looking for
a Chinese-looking guy who’d
hit a gong for 6 minutes,” he
says, laughing as memories of
the seemingly ridiculous job
started coming back. “And
that’s what I did. I just hit a
gong for 6 minutes while they
did a production number with a
Chinese New Year theme,” he
states.
A freelance agent approached him during the show,
and convinced him to join
‘You’re My Foreignoy’, a contest that was then being debuted by the noontime show. “He
said they were looking for foreigners na may pusong Pinoy.”
It was the start of an overwhelming experience that
would put him in the hearts of
Pinoy fans nationwide.
“I’m really grateful that I
have many supporters to help
me out in my career. The best
thing about it is that they
formed friendships with each
other because of me,” he says.
Richard Hwan
Richard also makes sure that
he is in constant contact with
his followers, as evidenced by
his recent participation in his
fan club’s Christmas party.
“When I’m not too busy with
school, or work, I talk to them,
kahit kumustahan lang.”
Today, Richard is under contract to Mercator Artist and
Model Management, which
boasts of an impressive roster
of talents including Venus Raj,
Shamcey Supsup, and Daniel
Matsunaga.
“After I graduate in June
2015, I’m giving myself a year
to really explore showbiz and
evaluate myself if it’s really
getting me somewhere,” he
states. “But right now, my priority is to finish my last 12
units in UP.”
If his showbiz career does
not pan out as he hopes it will,
he says he is open to just going
back to his original plan of finishing his studies and preparing to go into their family business here in Hong Kong. After
all, he is happy enough to have
been declared as the ‘Dabarkads’ Choice’ by his loyal supporters.
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
29
Overseas voting registration figures dip in December
Last December’s overseas
voting registration for Filipinos netted only 671 applications, the lowest for a single
month since the list-up for the
2016 presidential election began last May, Consulate officials said.
Vice Consul Fatima Guzman, who oversees the OVR,
also said that starting this year,
the Consulate will hold regular
registration at World-Wide
House in Central.
“Instead of every Sunday,
we will try to hold it (the registration) Saturdays and holidays, or at least twice a week,”
Guzman, who heads the consulate’s resident election registration board, told The SUN.
The Consulate also contin-
ues its mobile registration, with
the latest being held at Chater
Garden in Central on Jan. 11.
Guzman said the recent
Christmas and New Year holidays could have been the reason for the low turnout, as
many of the 180,000 Filipinos
here had gone on vacation.
“We have just finished our
initial assessment because the
hearing for the OVR applications for December will be on
Jan. 19,” Guzman said.
“Six-hundred-seventy-one
came, lower than the 900 that
we had in November, but there
were many holidays in December, so that was a given, as
many Filipinos also went on a
holiday,” she said.
The Consulate officials said
Volunteers at the registration center.
Guzman:“Instead of every
Sunday, we will try to hold it
(the registration) Saturdays
and holidays, or at least
twice a week,”
at the time of the OVR, the
team was also continuing a survey of active registrants and
found out that of the more than
900 who listed up, about 300
were already active voters.
She said the hearing for any
opposition to the OVR applications would be held by the
Consulate’s resident election
registration board, which she
headed, after which the December list would be endorsed
to the Commission on Elections in Manila. - VBL
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Ingredients:
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Minced pork and beef
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Vegetable oil
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Sesame oil
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Water
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Garlic, crushed
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Mushrooms, chopped
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Carrots, chopped
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Water chestnut, chopped
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Lettuce, washed and
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trimmed (for wrapping)
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Spring
onion for garnish
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Soy
sauce
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Oyster sauce
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Hoisin sauce
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Rice wine vinegar
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Chili sauce (optional)
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Salt and pepper
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Ang resipeng ito ay padala
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ni Yvonne Alvarado ng
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Heng Fa Chuen
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Method of cooking:
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Do you have a favorite recipe that you want to share
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1. Season minced meat with salt and pepper.
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with
your fellow readers of The SUN? Send it along with
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2. Heat pan or wok, add vegetable oil and add minced meat, stir fry and add a dash of rice wine vinegar. Break
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a
photo
of the dish, your photo and contact details, to:
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or separate minced meat to avoid lumps and quickly stir fry. Add a spoonful of water to tenderize the meat.
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[email protected]
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3. Remove from pan and drain excess fat, set aside.
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4. In a separate pan, add a dash of sesame oil with a little vegetable oil and sauté garlic in medium heat. Add
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Or mail to:
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a little water chestnut, carrots and mushroom. Add a little water to let vegetable to cook through. Stir fry till
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The SUN
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all ingredients are well combined.
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Rm
1002
Yue
Shing
Commercial Bldg.,
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5. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce and hoisin sauce according to taste. Add chili sauce if desired.
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15
Queen
Victoria
Street,
Central, Hong Kong
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6. Continue cooking until the sauce is absorbed by the meat and vegetables.
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7. Transfer in a serving dish and garnish with chopped spring onions.
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A prize of $100 will be given for each published dish!
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8. Serve with whole lettuce leaves on the side, or serve meat wrapped in lettuce leaves.
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Pork and beef with
vegetable & lettuce wrap
FOOD TRIP
30
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Universe na si Mary Jean Lastimosa ay tatlong beses ding
sumali bago nakuha ang titulo.
Siya ay kasalukuyang nasa
Miami, Florida para sa Miss
Universe pageant na gaganapin sa January 25.
Ang 52nd edition ng Bb. Pilipinas ay gaganapin sa Araneta Coliseum sa March 15,
2015.
Aiza at Liza, ikinasal ulit
Bagama’t hindi legal sa Pilipinas, idinaos muli ang kasal
nina Aiza Seguerra at Liza
Dino l sa Parasol Resort, Kota
Keluarga, Laiya, San Juan, Batangas noong January 8.
Nauna nang nagpakasal ang
dalawa sa San Francisco, California noong December 8,
2014, na sinaksihan lang ng iilang katao na malapit sa kanila.
Ang pangalawang kasal nila ay
isang “symbolic ceremony”
daw upang makapiling nila ang
kanilang mga magulang, kamag-anak at malalapit na
kaibigan na dahil hindi nila nakasama sa San Francisco.
Ang isinuot na wedding
dress ni Liza sa Amerika ay
gawa ng sikat na couturier na si
Monique Lhuillier. Sa nakaraang beach wedding ng dalawa, panibagong wedding
gown ang suot ni Liza, na
gawa ng sikat na British designer na si Jenny Packham, na
tumahi sa isa sa hinangaang
gown ni Kate Middleton.
Maliban sa kani-kanilang
magulang, na sina Mr. Martin
Dino at Mrs. Marissa Bautista,
ang mommy Caring at daddy
Dick ni Aiza, siyempre, hindi
mawawala ang tatay-tatayan ni
Aiza na si Vic Sotto, na isa sa
mga principal sponsors, kasama ang iba pa na sina Antonio
Tuviera, Ado Escudero, Juan
Miguel Ongsiako, Bert de
Leon, Rahyan Carlos, Wilfredo Manalang, Anton Juan,
Wendell Capili, Joel Mendez
and Dante Jimenez; Cory
Vidanes, Bibeth Orteza, Sylvia
Sanchez, Gang Badoy-Capati,
Melinda Garcia, Annabelle
Regalado, Loida Bautista at
Regina Banaag. Ang anak ni
Liza na si Amara Espinosa ay
nagsilbing mini bride, at kasama nito ang bilang mini groom
ang kanilang alagang aso na si
Porky.
Dumalo rin sa okasyon sina
Pauleen Luna, Ruby Rodriguez, Tom Rodriguez, Martin
Nievera, Sitti, mag-asawang
director na sina Jun Lana at
Perci Intalan, Carlitos SiguionReyna at Dr. Joel Mendez.
Sa saliw ng string version ng
“Pagdating ng Panahon” ay
naglakad si Liza, kasama ng
magulang. at pagdating sa arko
na gawa sa artificial na punong
kahoy na itinayo sa tabi ng dagat, ay nagpalitan sina Aiza at
Liza ng kanilang pledges of
love.
“If there is one person who
will accept you for who you
are, it’s me. Perfect ka, kahit
gaano ka kakalat,” ang sabi ni
Aiza sa kanyang bride, habang
hawak niya ang kamay nito.
Tugon naman ni Liza,
“Love, if you go through that
transition, I will support you.
Love ko lahat lahat tungkol sa
‘yo, kahit napagkakamalan na
anak kita kung saan man tayo
pumunta. Okay lang. Tanggap
ko yon,” ang sabi naman ni
Liza kay Aiza.
Dahil hindi tradisyunal na
kasal, ang nag-officiate ng
kasal ay ang kaibigan nilang si
Carelle Mangaliag, na isang
motivational speaker, at hindi
isang pari, pastor o huwes, pero
na-ordain daw online, at legal
daw ang kasal kung sa Amerika ito ginanap. Si Mangaliag
ay asawa ng dating artistang si
RR Herrera, na siyang una’t
huling naging boyfriend daw ni
Aiza noon.
Gaya ng naunang kasal, ang
mga ipinamigay na souvenirs
gaya ng mga pamaypay na
may mga nakasulat na “crazy
is beautiful” ay specially handcrafted nina Aiza at Liza, at ni
Amara.
NORA AT ANGELICA,
GAWAD TANGLAW BEST
ACTRESS
Nag-tie sa best actress sina
Nora Aunor at Angelica Panganiban sa 13th Gawad
TANGLAW (Gawad Tagapuring mga Akademisyan ng Aninong Gumagalaw).
Ang
mga
nanalo:
FILMS: Best actress: Nora
Aunor (Dementia) at Angelica
Panganiban (That Thing
Called Tadhana) Best actor:
Allen Dizon (Magkakabaung) ,
Best director: Jason Paul Laxamana (Magkakabaung), Best
Film: Magkakabaung (The
Coffin Maker), Best Supporting actor: Richard Gomez (The
Trial), Best supporting actress:
Gretchen Barretto (The Trial),
Nora Aunor
Sabi ni Liza, “I love you, kahit minsan napagkakamalan kang anak ko.”
TV : Best Actress – Angel
Locsin (The Legal Wife) at
Julia Montes (Ikaw Lamang),
Best actors: Piolo Pascual (Hawak Kamay), Martin Escudero
(Positive) at Coco Martin
(Ikaw Lamang). Best tv series:
Forevermore at Ikaw Lamang.
Natatanging Bata (Bibo, Aktibo at Talentadong Anak ng
Sining) – Bimby Aquino Yap
Natatanging Gawad Tanglaw
sa Sining ng Pelikula – Chito
Rono
KUYA GERMS,
NA-STROKE
Unti-unti nang bumubuti na
ang kalagayan ni Geman
“Kuya Germs’ Moreno matapos siyang ma-stroke noong
January 2. Naparalisa daw ang
kanyang kanang braso, binti, at
parte ng mukha na nagresulta
ng hirap niya sa pagsasalita.
Ayon sa kanyang anak na si
Federico, isinugod nila agad si
Kuya Germs sa St Luke’s Hospital, at sa ngayon ay nakakausap na ito at nakakain na, at
sumasailalim na rin sa physical
therapy upang makatayo at
makapaglakad. Sinabihan na
daw sila ng doktor na aabutin
ng dalawang buwan bago maigalaw ng maayos ni Kuya
Germs ang kanang braso, at
anim na buwan para sa kanyang naapektuhang binti.
Napagod daw ng husto ang
tinaguriang “Master Showman” noong Disyembre dahil
sa dami ng inaasikaso nito,
maliban pa sa sunod sunod na
taping ng kanyang show na
“Walang Tulugan”. Tinutulungan din daw ni Kuya Germs
si Nora Aunor upang magkaroon ito ng proyekto, matapos
hindi na i-renew ng TV 5 ang
kontrata nito. Balitang nakipag-usap na siya sa pamunuan
ng ABS CBN at inaayos na
ang paglabas ng mahusay na
aktres sa isang episode sa
“Maalaala Mo Kaya”?
Wala pang balita kung pansamantalang mawawala muna
sa ere ang “Walang Tulugan”
habang nagpapagaling si Kuya
Germs, bagama’t marami naman siyang mga co-hosts at
nate-train niyang mga bagong
talents sa kanyang show.
Marami ang nalungkot sa
Sharon Cuneta
kalagayan ni Kuya Germs, lalo
na at napakarami niyang natulungang mga artista at singers
na sumikat na pawang nagsimula sa kanyang sikat na show
niya noong “That’s Entertainment”. Marami ang nais sanang dumalaw sa kanya, pero
ipinasiya ng pamilya niya na
huwag muna itong tumanggap
ng bisita upang makapagpahinga ng husto. Sa ngayon, ang
hiling lang ng kanyang mga
pamilya at kaibigan ay ipagdasal si Kuya Germs para sa
kanyang mabilis na paggaling.
WINWYN, KANDIDATA
SA BB. PILIPINAS
Natuloy na rin sa taong ito
ang pagsali ng anak nina Joey
Marquez at Alma Moreno na si
Winwyn Marquez sa Bb. Pilipinas beauty pageant, na matagal na niyang pangarap. Nais
niyang sundan ang yapak ng
kanyang tiyahing si Melanie
Marquez na tinanghal na Miss
International noong 1979.
Two years ago pa unang binalak ni Winwyn (Teresita Sen
Lacsamana Marquez sa totoong buhay) na sumabak sa
sikat na patimpalak, pero pinayuhan siyang maghintay-hintay muna, kaya minabuti niyang pumasok sa showbiz.
Isang mahusay na dancer
gaya ng ina, si Winwyn ay regular na napapanood sa Sunday
All Stars ng GMA Network, at
napasali na rin sa ilang teleserye. Bakasyon muna siya ngayon sa trabaho bilang Kapuso
upang paghandaan ang beauty
contest.
Makakalaban ni Winwyn
ang iba pang 33 kalahok, kabilang sina Pia Wurtzbach,
Christine Balaguer at Hannah
Ruth Sison na dating nang naging kandidata. Pangatlong beses na ang pagsali ni Wurtzbach sa taong ito at naging runner up siya noong 2013, pero
special award lang ang nakuha
niya noong 2014. Si Sison naman ay tinanghal na 2nd runner up noong nakaraang taon.
Ang reigning Bb. Plipinas-
SHARON CUNETA,
PUMAPAYAT NA
Matagal nang hindi nakikita
sa publiko si Sharon Cuneta
mula nang mapabalita na tinapos na niya ang kanyang kontrata sa TV5. Nang mamatay
ang kanyang ina, wala rin siyang lumabas na mga litrato sa
mga babasahin at maging sa
social media dahil ipinagbawal
ang pagkuha nito.
Pero sa pagsisimula ng taon,
unti-unti nang nagpaparamdam
muli ang Megastar. Ang mga
unang larawan na inilabas niya
mismo sa kanyang Facebook
ay noong nagdiwang siya ng
kaarawan noong January 6,
kung saan ay hinihipan niya
ang kandila ng kanyang birthday cake, at kasama ang kanyang pamilya at malalapit na
kaibigan, gaya ni Judy Ann
Santos at pamilya nito.
Bagama’t hindi naipakita ang
buong katawan, kapansinpansin agad na hawas at humaba na ang mukha ni Sharon.
“Thank you, Heavenly Father, for grace and mercy. And
love and understanding and
forgiveness. And knowing that
You will right the people who
have done me and my family
wrong while my Mommy was
sick, and even after. And thank
you for the new year. For new
hope. For loving friends, both
old and new, for fa-mily, for
fans who are like family.
Thank you for smiles and
laughter (belly laughs) tonight
after about eight months of so
little of them, and for the most
beautiful, loving children. And
a husband who always tries his
best. And for excitement, inspiration as I prepare to go back to
work. Thank you for my life
and another year of it. I love
You,” ang mensahe ni Sharon.
Balitang bumalik na siya sa
ABS CBN at nakatakda nang
gumawa ng pelikula.
Samantala, umalma si
Sharon sa mga lumalabas na
tinawag niyang “fake ads”
tungkol sa pampapayat dahil
ginamit ang kanyang pangalan
at mga litrato ng walang pahintulot, at Ipinalabas na iniendorso niya ang produkto. Nagbanta siyang kakasuhan sila.
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
Share a joke! Send it to:
PINOY JOKES
c/o The SUN, Rm. 1002 Yue Shing
Commercial Bldg., 15 Queen
Victoria St., Central Hong Kong
or e-mail to:
[email protected]
Kamukha
Boy : Babes, sinapak ko
yung nakasalubong ko kanina!
Nainis ako eh, sabihin ba namang mukha akong magsasaka kapag katabi kita!
Girl : Sabi niya ‘yun? Hihihi! (blush) Huwag ka na magalit babes, marangal naman
ang magsasaka. Bakit daw
niya sinabi yun?
Boy : Kasi, mukha ka daw
kalabaw!
Girl : Asan yang p*****
i****
yan?!!
Assssaaaaaaannn???!!!
Nag-tsaa
Rich vampire: Oorder ako
ng fresh blood.
Middle-class vampire: Sa
akin isang order na dinuguan.
Poor vampire: Hot water na
lang sa akin.
Waiter: Bakit hot water lang
po.?
Poor vampire: Nakapulot
kasi ako ng napkin sa kanto.
Mag-tsa tsaa na lang ako...
Hahaha!
Isang mag-asawa ang dumulog sa korte para magpa-annul
ng kanilang kasal.
Judge: Ano ang dahilan para
kayo magpa-annul?
Babae: (Nagsalita habang
nakayuko) Your honor,
katawan lang ang gusto niya sa
akin.
HOROSCOPE
Ni Ate Johna
KABAYO. Isinilang noong
1930/42/54/66/78/90
Paiba-iba ang gusto mo, lalo
na sa mga sabay-sabay mong
love affairs. Mahaharap ka sa
sa labis na emosyon, na hindi
mo na matiyak kung ano ang
tunay sa kathang -isip at mahihirapan kang ayusin kung ano
ang nasa isipan. Magkakaroon
din ng tension ang relasyon sa
mga anak, piliting makipagusap sa kanila sa kahit anong
bagay; hindi naman mawawala ang awtoridad mo kapag ginawa mo ito. Lucky numbers:
11, 17, 23 at 41.
TUPA Isinilang noong 1919/
31/43/55/67/79 at 91
Uusbong muli ang pakikipagkaibigan, magiging handa ka
lagi kung kailangan at makinig sa mga kaibigan. Magingat sa mga magiging balakid
sa iyong mga gawain na
maaaring maging dahilan para
mawalan ka ng gana. Maiirita
ka sa mas nakatataas sa iyo na
nakaambang sirain ang lahat
ng iyong pagsisikap. Subukang maging praktikal ang
pananaw sa tao at mga bagay
upang hindi ka gaanong
mabigo. Lucky numbers: 21,
30, 35 at 40.
UNGGOY. Isinilang noong
1920/32/44/56/68/80/92
Ang relasyon sa pamilya ang
laging sanhi ng pagtatalo;
dagdagan ang pasensya sa
kaanak ng iyong asawa. Kung
single, makakahanap ka ng
karelasyon na magbibigay ng
kakaibang kasiyahan at
suporta sa iyong layunin at
paniniwala. Sa kabila ng dinaranas na kakapusan sa pera
ngayon, tama ka sa paniniwalang lilipas din ito at magbabago rin ang iyong kalagayan.
Lucky numbers: 7, 19, 28 at
36.
.4
TANDANG Isinilang noong
1921/33/45/57/69/81/93
Makakaramda ka na parang
naaapi, kaya pati sa trabaho
ay may takot na nararamdaman kahit wala namang dapat
ipangamba. Dagdagan ang
pagbabasa upang palakasin
ang iyong sentido kumon at
humusay ang pag-analisa sa
mga bagay-bagay. Hindi inaasahang pagkikita ang mag-
Bingi
Judge: Anong pruweba mo?
Babae: (Nakayuko pa rin)
Tuwing nagla-lovemaking
kami tinatakpan niya ng towel
ang mukha ko.
Judge: Ikaw Mister bakit mo
ginawa yun?
Mister: No comment your
Honor. Just see for yourself.
Misis: (Nagalit at ihinarap
ang mukha sa Judge) See?
Bastos talaga ang taong yan.
Judge: (Habang nakatingin
kay Misis.) Annulment petition
granted.
Annulment
Nakalalasing!
bibigay kasiyahan sa iyo, pero
mag-ingat at isikreto na lang
ito dahil single ka man o hindi,
baka pagmulan ito ng tsismis
at pagseselos. Lucky numbers:
12, 14, 29 at 31.
ASO. Isinilang noong 1922/
34/46/58/70/82/94
Para sa iyong kapakanan, dapat nang iwasto ang pagkain ng
hindi tama na nakakasama sa
iyong kalusugan. Iwasan munang gumawa ng malalalaking desisyon o pagbabago dahil kulang sa talas ang pag-iisip mo ngayon. Ang suportang
ipinangako sa iyo ng maimpluwensyang tao upang
makatulong sa iyong trabaho
ay babawiin; huwag mag-alala dahil kakayanin mo itong
mag-isa. Lucky numbers: 5,
11, 22 at 45.
BABOY. Isinilang noong
1923/35/47/59/71/83/95
Dagdagan ang pagkain ng
sariwang prutas. Hindi ka kampante ngayon sa trabaho lalo
na kapag pinag-uusapan ang
tungkol sa pinansyal na kalagayan. Pero mas lalo kang dapat lumaban, at tanggalan ng
sungay ang nambu-bully. Mas
bibigyan mo rin ng prayoridad
ang pribadong buhay sa piling
ng mga mahal mo, at kung
paano mapabuti ang iyong
31
Juan(pasigaw): Pabili ng
SAFEGUARD!
Tindera (sumigaw): Huwag
kang sumigaw diyan! Hindi
ako bingi! Anong SIMCARD?
Globe o Smart?
Chicharon
Boy: Miss, para kang chicharon
Girl: Bakit naman?
Boy: ang sarap mong papakin!
May bakla umepal.
Bakla: Ako rin parang chicharon!
Boy: Tama ka! Nakaka high
blood ka!
Madamot
Juan: Oys, ano yan? Pinya?
Pahingi naman dyan.
Pedro: Pahingi? Nasaan ka
noong nagbubungkal ako ng
lupa sa ilalim ng init ng araw?
Nasaan ka noong nagtatanim
ako habang kumukulog,
kumikidlat at bumubuhos ang
malakas na ulan? Nasaan ka
noong oras na nag-aani ako na
nagkalat ang maraming ahas sa
dadaanan ko, noong naghihirap
ako sa pagpasan ng pinya? Nasaan ka?
Juan: Nakakulong kasi ako
noon! Nakapatay ako ng madamot!
Pedro: Ganun ba? Kuha ka
na, kahit ilan! May langka pa
doon!
Di kaya
pagkatao at kalagayan sa buhay. Lucky numbers: 13,16,
27 at 34.
lang sumulpot sa trabaho;
ihanda ang sarili. Lucky numbers: 20, 28, 37 at 40.
45.
DAGA. Isinilang noong
1924/36/48/60/72/84/96
Mag-ingat sa mga kilos at
galaw mo upang makaiwas sa
aksidente, na maaring ika-ospital mo o mas grabe pa. Kahit
maingat ka, huwag kaligtaang
basahin ang mga panuntunan
at hakbang na dapat gawin.
Mahihirapan ka rin na mabalanse ang trabaho at personal
na buhay. Huwag na huwag
magkuwento ng maseselang
bagay dahil delikado ito ngayon. Magkunwaring walang
naririnig sa nagpupumilit
humingi ng impormasyon sa
iyo. Lucky numbers: 19, 28,
34 at 47.
.93
BAKA. Isinilang noong
1925/37/49/61/73/85/97
Isa sa mga anak mo ang may
pinagdadaanan, kaya kailangan siyang pakinggan at bigyan ng pang-unawa. Posibleng
magkaroon ng malaking pagbabago sa iyong pakikipagrelasyon. Makakaranas ka ng
kaligayahan, pero kailangan
mo ring dumaan sa mahirap
na sitwasyon. Kailangan mo
ng ibayong lakas ng loob at
determinasyon upang mapaglabanan ang problema na big-
TIGRE Isinilang noong
1926/38/50/62/74/86 at 98
May mga mga problemang
darating, pero maayos mong
haharapin ito ng mahinahon at
buo ang loob at dignidad. Sa
buhay mag-asawa, magkakaroon ng bagong sigla ang pagsasama, at mas titibay pa ang
relasyon. Maswerte sa pera
ngayon dahil tumutubo ka na
sa long term investment na
matagal mo ring pinaghirapan, at magiging maganda rin
ang resulta sa papasukan na
iba pang pagkakakitaan.
Lucky numbers: 11, 19, 28 at
38.
KUNEHO Isinilang noong
1927/39/51/63/75/87
Musika ang maririnig mo sa
paligid dahil sa pag-ibig. Ito
ang pinaka-importante sa iyo
ngayon, at alam mo kung
paano malubos ang iyong
kaligayahan. Malaki rin ang
tsansa na mabago ang iyong
ugali dahil mas masarap kang
kausap ngayon dahil puno ka
ng sigla. Pero huwag kalimutan na ang labis na pagsasalita
at ang pagsasabi ng diretso sa
punto ay magkaibang bagay.
Lucky numbers: 17, 24, 36 at
Girl: Hindi na magwo-work
and relationship natin... Iiwan
na kita.
Boy: Huwag mahal! Hindi
ko kaya! Kapag umalis ka
maglalalaslas ako!
Girl: Bwiset! Magpatuli nga
hindi mo kaya, maglaslas pa
kaya?
DRAGON Isinilang noong
1928/40/52/64/76/88
Iwasang makipag-kumpitensya sa sa asawa! Hindi mo
kayang tanggapin na mas
mahusay ito sa iyo sa ibang
mga bagay. Pulikat at pananakit ng mga binti ang mararanasan, na magpapadagdag sa
iyong nerbiyos. Masisiyahan
ka naman sa pakikitagpo sa
mga dating kaibigan at kasamahan. I-enjoy mo ang pakikipag-sosyalan, pero huwag
kaligtaan ang obligasyon sa
trabaho. Lucky numbers: 15,
18, 29 at 30.
AHAS Isinilang noong 1929/
41/53/65/77/89
Nahihirapan kang itapak ang
paa sa lupa at tanggapin ang
tunay na buhay. Mag-ingat sa
masyadong magagandang
alok! Maaaring nagkukulang
ka sa tungkulin sa mga anak,
lalo na kung malalaki na sila,
kaya maaring pagsimulan ito
ng alitan. Gagana rin ng husto
ang karisma kaya makakakuha ka ng pabor, tulong at maging alok sa kasal. Kung pakakasal sa linggong ito sa taong kapareho mo ng zodiac
sign, makakasiguro ka ng
kaligayahan. Lucky numbers:
11, 18, 22 at 41.
32
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
The SUN Mid-month January 2015
33