filipina claims employer burned her with flatiron

DECEMBER 2015MIDMONTH EDITION, HKFREE COPY

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INSIDEComplainants againstRoldan opt out of DOLEinquiry

Page 2HK gov’t says FDHs donot need recruitmentagencies

Page 7From shooting criminalsto kicking extortionists,Duterte vows better Phil-ippines for OFWs

Page 21Continued on Page 2

forced to terminate her contractby her employer of just over amonth. Rizza was accompa-nied by The SUN to the Mis-sion for Migrant Workers onDec. 13 to seek help the morn-ing after the reported attack.

Rizza’s photograph showingtwo ugly blistery burn markson her back were posted over-night Saturday by her friendsalong with an appeal for help tobring her justice.

At about the time The SUN

By Vir B. Lumicao

Hard luck struck two Filipinasisters at the weekend, afterthe younger one was reported-ly burned on her back with ahot flatiron by her elderly maleemployer. Her sister, who wasemployed by the elderly man'sson, was subsequently sackedfor allegedly colluding tomake up the scalding story.

The alleged burn victim,Rizza del Rosario from Piat,Cagayan, said she was also

Filipina claims employer burned her with flatiron

Victim shows her injuries.

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The SUN Mid-month December 20152

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alent amount.CSPEM and other commu-

nity leaders in Hong Kong im-mediately assailed the deci-sion, saying only Roldan wasallowed to present evidenceand not his accusers.

Baldoz deflected the criti-

Meantime, there has been nonews on the progress ofDOLE's reinvestigation of thecase, which followed a meet-ing between Labor SecretaryRosalinda Baldoz and Rep.Leah Paquiz of Ang Nars Par-tylist.

The party-list representativesought the meeting to inquireabout the status of the case. Sheand her fellow members ofCongress' committee on over-seas workers affairs (COWA)conducted a public hearing onRoldan's case in Hong Konglast year, but failed to pursuetheir investigation.

After meeting Baldoz,Paquiz told The SUN: "They(DoLE) are opening the case ofLabatt Roldan. You can sendDoLE complaints, evidence,etc."

DoLE had earlier foundRoldan guilty only of simplemisconduct, and ordered himsuspended for a month and oneday, or pay a fine in an equiv-

Philippines who came to HongKong recently to provide freeconsultation to overseas Filipi-no workers.

This was confirmed by Con-sul General Bernardita Catalla,who introduced the group tothe IBP lawyers on Nov. 14.

"I did not call them to ameeting regarding DoLE's re-investigation of the case," Con-gen Catalla clarified. "They(CSPEM) wanted to take ad-vantage of the presence of theIBP lawyers so they could con-sult about the case".

However, the consultationdid not result in any lawyerfrom IBP taking up the case.Some CSPEM leaders are nowreportedly planning to conferwith another Philippine lawyerwho has initially indicated aninterest in pursuing the case.

By Daisy CL Mandap

The complainants in the gravemisconduct case againstformer labor attache ManuelRoldan have ignored an invita-tion from the Department ofLabor and Employment(DoLE) to submit evidence inits reinvestigation of the case.

The groups that make up theCoalition of Service Providersare instead looking at consult-ing a lawyer who could pursuethe case in other venues, in-cluding the Office of the Om-budsman.

This was according to Cyn-thia Tellez, general manager ofthe Mission for Migrant Work-ers. She said this was the rea-son her group decided to con-sult with a group of lawyersfrom the Integrated Bar of the

Complainants against Roldan opt out of DOLE inquirycism by saying the case couldstill be appealed to her.

The charges against Roldanranged from his act of endors-ing the accreditation of an em-ployment agency owned by thedaughter of his driver who wason DoLE's payroll, to accredit-

ing about 90 new agencies de-spite a long-standing ban.

He was also accused of wid-ening the scope of the concili-ation proceedings at the Philip-pine Overseas Labor Office(Polo) in violation of depart-ment orders.

Rizza said.In that letter, Rizza informed

the employer that she was re-signing effective Dec 12 for anundisclosed reason. The latterpart of the document statedvarious amounts totaling$4,000 that she was to receive,including $2,000 for her planeticket and $200 for her trans-port cost from Manila to herhometown.

Rizza told The SUN thatsince her arrival, the old manwas always nagging her orthrowing things at her when hewas displeased.

“He would also ask me tomassage him often but wouldscold me if I did not press toohard. If I told the wife about it,she’d only smile,” the Filipinasaid.

She said it was her sisterRona who enticed her to cometo Hong Kong when Rizza wasworking in Malaysia, and rec-ommended her to the elderTang.

She quit the job in Malaysiaand waited for a month in Ma-nila while her papers andHong Kong visa were beingprocessed.

“I’ve made a mistake, myemployers in Malaysia werekind,” she said with regret.

On Dec 13, Cynthia Tellez,executive director of the Mis-sion, interviewed Rizza, whowas later joined by Rona at theNGO’s offices. After lunch,they went to Ruttonjee Hospi-tal in Wanchai for a medicalcheckup and treatment of Riz-za’s burns.

Rizza was also made to fillup a form and make a writtenstatement about her ordeal,which, together with the medi-cal certificate, would support acomplaint to be filed with thepolice against the employer.

As of the evening of Dec 13,Bethune House executive di-rector Edwina Antonio said theshelter was making spaceavailable for Rizza and Rona.

his 80-year-old wife.Photographs posted online

by her friends clearly showedtwo red burn marks on bothsides of her upper back.

She said the attack happenedin the early evening of Dec 12,when only she and the old manwere in his flat in Mei Foo SunChuen. When the wife arrivedand saw the distressed helper,she accused Rizza of lying,telling her that her husbandwas a kind man.

“They called the police andwhen an officer came to theflat, the couple told him I my-self inflicted the burns, and theofficer apparently believedthem. He asked me to sign adocument which said I causedthe injury myself,” Rizza said.

Later, when the youngerTang came over to the oldman's flat, he opposed Rizza’splea to go to the hospital formedical treatment, allegedlytelling her that they won’t treather there and that he was cer-tain about it because he sup-posedly worked in the hospital.

The victim also showed TheSUN a resignation letter whichthe couple had allegedly or-dered her to write and sign be-fore she could leave the housethat evening. “I signed it be-cause they told me I won't beable to leave if I didn’t do so,”

had established contact withthe victim, her elder sisterRona was given her walkingorders by the son of the allegedassailant. Both father and sonare surnamed Tang.

“I was folding the clothesthat I had just ironed when theold man suddenly pressed theflatiron against my back. Iscreamed in pain and cried,”related Rizza, who arrived inHong Kong on Nov 10 to servethe 82-year-old elder Tang and

Filipina claims employerburned her with flatironFromPage 1

The SUN Mid-month December 2015 3


Trapik!Kamakailan lang ay umuwi sa Pilipinas si Jay para dumalo sakasal ng kanyang pamangkin. Maayos naman na nakaratingnang maayos ang sinakyan niyang eroplano, at nasa oras. Medyonatagalan nga lang ang pagdating ng bagahe mula sa loob ngairport. Nagpatuloy ang kanyang swerte nang dumating satamang oras ang kanyang sundo at masaya siyang nakipagbatiansa mga ito. Tantiya ni Jay ay mga isang oras lang ay makakarat-ing na sila sa kanilang bahay sa Cainta dahil tanghali namannoon, kaya malamang na hindi sila mata trapik. Pero ganoon nalang ang pagkadismaya niya nang paglabas pa lang ng airport aytila gitgitan na ang mga sasakyan. Halos usad pagong na agadang daloy ng trapiko hanggang makarating sila ng C5, kaya in-abot na sila ng mahigit dalawang oras sa kalsada. Kahit saan du-maan ang tsuper ng kanilang sasakyan ay naiipit pa rin sila satrapik. Napabuntong hininga na lang si Jay nang maisip na masmahaba pa ang oras ng biyahe niya pauwi mula sa airport kaysasa paglipad niya mula sa Hong Kong na tumagal lang ng dala-wang oras. Para siyang nabunutan ng tinik nang makarating nasila sa kanilang bahay.- Jo Campos

Nakuha ang loobHindi naging madali ang mga unang buwan ni Maria sa mgabagong amo na Briton. Halata kasi niya na malayo ang loob sakanya ng kanyang alagang lalaki, bagamat wala siyang problemasa kapatid nitong babae. Hindi naman niya ito inilihim sa mgaamo. Ipinaalam niya na halata niya na mabigat ang loob ng batasa kanya, at sinabi naman ng kanyang among babae na pagpasen-siyahan na lang muna ang bata. Intindihin na lang daw niya dahilbagong lipat lang sila sa Hong Kong mula sa London, at ito angunang pagkakataon na may kasama silang ibang tao sa kanilangbahay. Sinabi naman ni Maria na naiintindihan niya ang bata, atsusubukan na lang daw niyang mapalapit dito. Gabi-gabi kapagdumarating ang amo ni Maria mula sa trabaho ay lagi nitongkinukumusta ang ipinapakitang ugali ng kayang anak. Isang gabi

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kamakailan ay dumating ang amo niya na halatang masaya. Pag-pasok pa lang niya sa bahay ay sinabihan niya agad si Maria namay importante silang pag uusapan kapag napatulog na niya angkanyang mga alaga. Hindi nga naglaon mula nang makatulogang mga bata ay tinawag ng amo si Maria, at masayang ibinahagina malaki daw ang naging pagbuti ng ugali ng kanyang anak.Mismong ang batang lalaki daw mismo ang nagsabi sa ina napanatag na ang loob nito na may iba silang kasama sa bahay. Nihindi daw ito tinanong ng ina tungkol dito, kundi ang bata mis-mo ang bumanggit dito habang sila ay nasa beach. Hindi maita-go ang saya sa mukha ni Maria, lalo na at hindi matapos-taposang pasasalamat ng kanyang amo sa kanya, dahil natitiis dawniya ang ugali ng anak nito. Ang laki daw ng ipinagbago ng ugaling kanyang anak magmula nang lumipat sila sa Hong Kong, atmalaki ang naging papel niya dito. Sinabi na lang ni Maria natinatrato niyang parang mga anak ang dalawang alaga. Nag-pasalamat din siya sa mga amo dahil sa kabutihang ipinapakitanila sa kanya. Si Maria, 30 taong gulang, may tatlong anak attaga Mindanao, ay naninilbihan sa among Briton na nakatira saWan Chai. —- Grace Gonzaga

NahiyaAraw ng Linggo, at umaga pa lang ay aligaga na si Erlinda sapaghahanda ng kanyang mga dadalhin para sa isang salu-salokasama ang kanyang mga kaibigan. Dahil tinanghali siya ng gis-ing ay nagkukumahog siyang nagluto ng pagkain na babauninniya. Nahihiya siya na baka magising na ang kanyang amo atmakitang nagluluto siya ng baon. Pagkatapos nito ay naligo langsi Erlinda at umalis na ng bahay. Mabuti naman at hindi siyanahuli sa kanyang lakad at maghapon siyang nakipagkwentuhanat nagsaya kasama ang kanyang barkada sa isang beach. Gabi naay tuloy pa rin ang saya, at dahil medyo nakainom ay hindi nanamalayan ni Erlinda ang paglipas ng oras. Naalala niyang umu-wi na nang mapansin na malalim na ang gabi. Pagdating sa harapng kanilang pintuan ay hinanap niya ang kanyang susi ngunithindi niya ito makita. Kinabahan si Erlinda na baka nahulog iyonkung saan at tiyak na mapapagalitan siya ng kanyang amo. Dahildis-oras na ng gabi, hindi magawa ni Erlinda ang mag doorbelldahil tiyak na tulog na lahat ang mga tao sa kanila. Isa pa ay bakamagising ang alagang bata at tiyak na pahirapan na naman angpagpapatulog dito kapag ito ay nagising. Sinubukang tumawagni Erlinda sa Pinay na kapitbahay nila para makitulog ngunitnaka off na ang cellphone nito. Wala naman siyang kilala na mal-apit na pwede niyang tuluyan para magpalipas ng gabi. Nagdesi-syon si Erlinda na matulog na lang sa may pintuan ng kanilangbahay, kaya nang nagbukas ng pinto ang kanyang amo para ku-nin ang diyaro ay nakitang nakatalungko siya doon. Nagpali-wanag si Erlinda na naiwan ang kanyang susi at ayaw na rinniyang maistorbo pa ang mga ito kaya't natulog na lang siya salabas. Hindi naman nagalit ang kanyang amo at sinabi lang natiyaking dala niya ang kanyang susi sa susunod para di siya

parang basang sisiw na natutulog sa labas ng kanilang pintuan.Si Erlinda ay dalaga at nagtatrabaho sa isang pamilyang Britonsa Mid Levels.-Jo Campos

NainisMag-iisang buwan pa lamang si Victoria sa bago niyang trabahosa Shatin nang may dumating na bisita ang mga amo na galing sakanilang bansa. Buwan ng kapaskuhan kayat maraming dalangregalo ang bisita para sa pamangkin na amo ni Victoria at aponiya dito na apat na buwan pa lang. Habang nagpapadede si Vic-toria sa alagang sanggol ay panay ang kwento ng bisita tungkolsa kung saan binili ang bawat regalo. Natuwa na nainis si Victo-ria nag sabihin ng bisita ang, "I bought these two hand-madedress from a charity sale in the Philippines because I hate to seepeople leaving their families to look after other families abroad.I was thinking that would help them stay with their families."Biglang sumama ang loob ni Victoria dahil hindi man lang naisipng kausap na isa siya sa mga natamaan sa tinuran nito. Buti sanadaw ay isang kahon ang binili nitong damit para siguradong na-

Continued on page 24


By Vir B. Lumicao

There has been a 3% increasein the number of Filipino do-mestic workers in Hong Kongin the last four months alone.As of the end of October thisyear, there was a total of182,469 Filipino migrants, ascompared to 177,000 in June,according to figures madeavailable by the Consulate.

The increase drove up theFilipino population in HongKong to 199,148, up 2.78%from 194,000 in June, with res-idents numbering about16,700.

Vice Consul Fatima Quintintold The SUN the growth inthe domestic worker numberswas apparently driven up by acombination the strength of theUS currency that had also lift-

Pinoy DH numbergrows to 182,000

ed the Hong Kong dollar, andthe recent increase in the min-imum salary for helpers.

"Dumarami. Kasi mataas naang palit, at tumaas na rin angminimum," said Quintin, whonoted that there was also aslight rise in the number of Fil-ipino residents.

The minimum salary fornewly hired domestic workersin the territory was increased to$4,210 a month, or roughlyUS$543 at the current ex-change rate. In peso terms, thatwould mean P25,554 a month.

Hong Kong is the sixth-larg-est source of OFW remittanceswith the workers in the territo-ry sending US$576,884 in Jan-uary to September this year, up14.7% from US$503,096 forthe same nine-month period in2014.

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Hundreds of migrant workersfrom Southeast Asia staged aprotest march on Dec 13 call-ing for better working condi-tions, higher wages, and anend to modern-day slavery andsocial exclusion of foreign do-mestic helpers.

Police escorts directed ve-hicular traffic as the protestersmarched from Causeway to theCentral Government Offices tomark the 25th InternationalDay of Solidarity of Migrants.

Hundreds mark International Migrants’ Day

spokesman, said migrants fromSri Lanka and Thailand werenot around this year as they hadimportant events planned earli-er. The location of the assem-bly area also affected atten-dance, with a smaller numberof protesters this year.

to reforming policies detrimen-tal to FDWs' rights, the two-week rule and the mandatorylive-in policy.

"Justice can only beachieved if the detrimental pol-icies are ended, human rightsare upheld and the dignity ofmigrants is promoted," theAMCB said.

The group said that the exist-ing polices perpetuate the vul-nerability of FDWs to abuseand exploitation as what hap-pened to Erwiana.

Eman Villanueva, AMCB

able wage and added $31 to themonthly food allowance ofthose who are receiving it.

According to the Asian Mi-grants' Coordinating Body, theyear 2015 started with a legalvictory of Erwiana Sulistyan-ingsih over her employer LawWan-tung, who was sent to jailfor 6 years.

But, unfortunately, the HongKong government downplayedErwiana's ordeal as an isolatedcase that did not merit a reviewof the conditions of foreigndomestic workers with a view

migrant workers.The Hong Kong Govern-

ment has so far refused to ac-knowledge and follow the in-ternational human rights cove-nants and international laborrights standards.

Countries around the worldmark International Migrants'Day to recognize the contribu-tions of migrants to the econo-mies of both the home and hostcountries.

But the Hong Kong govern-ment gave minimal incrementof $100 to the monthly allow-

The atmosphere was festiveas the protesters, mostly fromIndonesia, the Philippines andNepal, sang protest songs andshouted slogans to the jingle oftambourines and beat of mini-drums as they made their wayto the Indonesian Consulateand down Hennessy Road toCentral.

The march coincided withInternational Migrants Day de-clared by the United NationsGeneral assembly on Dec. 18,2000, when it adopted a resolu-tion protecting the rights of


ing jobseekers and will actpromptly upon receipt of anycomplaints. Prosecution will beinitiated when there is suffi-cient evidence and the Com-missioner for Labour will con-sider revoking, or refusing torenew, an agency’s licenseupon its conviction,” thespokesman said.

He urged jobseekers whosuspect that they had beenovercharged by agencies to re-port their case to the EAA assoon as possible and act asprosecution witnesses.

3sion is the ninth employ-ment agency that has been con-victed of overcharging thisyear. Its license expired in No-vember and the commissionerwill consider refusing to renewit, the spokesman said.

The other eight agenciesconvicted of overcharging thisyear are Bagus EmploymentAgency in Central, Satisfacto-ry Employment & Travel Cen-tre Ltd in Tai Wai, Vicks MaidConsultant Co in Sha Tin,Joyce Agency in Kwai Chung,Maidhouse EmploymentAgency Co Ltd in Tsuen Wan,Smile Sunshine EmploymentLtd in North Point, Shun TatEmployment Agency Co inCauseway Bay and ArtellectLtd in Tuen Mun.

For enquiries or complaintscall the EAA at 2852 3535 orvisit its office on 12/F, HarbourBuilding, 38 Pier Road, Cen-tral, Hong Kong.

he said. The Government has been

working closely with relevantconsulates in Hong Kong inraising the helpers’ awarenessof their rights and encouragingthem to report cases of abuse orexploitation to relevant author-ities as soon as possible, thespokesperson said.

The committee “commend-ed Hong Kong in a number ofimportant areas” during itshearing of the report in Genevaon Nov 17-18, the spokesper-son said. The HKSAR delega-

meet the acute and long-stand-ing shortage of local live-indomestic helpers and the fun-damental policy that local em-ployees (including local do-mestic helpers) should enjoypriority in employment”.

He said each year, the gov-ernment receives around 5,000applications for change of em-ployer after premature termina-tion of contract for various rea-sons. “Less than 20 (0.4%) ofthese cases involved FDHswho had been abused or ex-ploited by their ex-employers,”

workers, as well as its live-inrequirement for helpers, whichit calls as the cornerstone of itsFDH policy.

He said the two-week rule’smain purpose is to allow for-eign domestic workers suffi-cient time to prepare for theirdeparture and “not to facilitatethem to find new employers”.

He also said any change tothe requirement that domestichelpers must stay in their em-ployers’ homes “will goagainst the rationale for allow-ing the importation of FDHs to

the well-being of FDHs,” saidthe spokesperson. “In fact,where there is evidence that anFDH has been abused or ex-ploited, discretion would begiven to allow him/her tochange employer in HongKong without being required toreturn to his/her place of originfirst,” the spokesperson said.

The statement was issued af-ter the United Nations Com-mittee against Torture in Gene-va issued its concluding obser-vations on the third report ofthe HKSAR under the Conven-tion Against Torture and OtherCruel, Inhuman or DegradingTreatment or Punishment(CAT).

The spokesperson also de-fended the Kong government’s“two-week rule” policy for ter-minated foreign domestic

The Hong Kong governmenthas categorically stated that aforeign domestic worker neednot go through an employmentagency to get a job here.

“We wish to clarify that it isin fact not the government’srequirement that foreign do-mestic helpers must be recruit-ed through employment agen-cies,” said a governmentspokesperson in a statementreleased on Dec. 9.

The Philippines and Indone-sia, which supply the mostnumber of domestic workers inHong Kong, however, requirethe workers to go through re-cruitment agencies.

“The government will con-tinue to strengthen its monitor-ing over employment agenciesand work closely with the rele-vant governments to protect

HK gov’t says FDHs do not need recruitment agencies

Employment agencies haveagain been warned against col-lecting any fees from jobseek-ers other than the 10% com-mission on the latter’s firstmonth’s salary upon success-ful placement as prescribed bylaw.

The Labour Department saidin a press release that failure todo so could lead to prosecutionand possible revocation or re-fusal of renewal, of the agen-cies’ licenses.

The department issued thewarning after the licensee of3sion Employment Agency inTin Hau was convicted andfined $6,000 at Eastern Courtrecently for overcharging ajobseeker. The court also or-dered 3sion to refund $7,389 tothe jobseeker, the governmentsaid.

In July 2015, the Employ-ment Agencies Administrationreceived a complaint against3sion for overcharging com-mission from a job-seeker.

An investigation revealedsufficient evidence that 3sionhad collected excessive place-ment fees from a foreign do-mestic helper, and the agencywas prosecuted.

“We are glad that the FDHconcerned was willing to comeforward to report her case tothe EAA and act as prosecutionwitness,” a Labour Departmentspokesman said.

“The department will not tol-erate any agencies overcharg-

tion was led by Permanent Sec-retary for Security Joshua Law.

One of the Hong Kong gov-ernment’s important actionswhich the committee praisedwas the amendment of theProsecution Code in 2013 pro-viding guidelines for prosecu-tors to handle cases relating toforced labor, the spokespersonsaid.

The government’s next re-port under the CAT is due in2019 and will contain its de-tailed response to the commit-tee’s recommendations.

Another agency finedfor overcharging


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Edith Gomez of PLDT hasbeen elected as the new chair-man of the Philippine Associa-tion of Hong Kong during theinitial meeting of the 2016Board of Directors held onDec. 7.

The other officers are: EricQuizon (ABS-CBN), vice-chairman; Michael Vincent(Metro Broadcast), secretary;Emilie Veringa (Wimler), as-sistant secretary; Edna Hui(PNB), treasurer; Stephen Go(BPI), assistant treasurer; FredValencia (Metrobank), auditor;Leah Nicolas (PAL), internalPRO; Kissa McDermott(Home Journal), external PRO.The committee heads are RexAguado (freelance journalist)and Jun Paragas (Metro Broad-cast), events; Tom Magno(PAL) and Joanna Uson(PLDT), membership; Yanyan

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At the AGM, outgoingchairman Gilbert Legaspi re-ported on the activities con-ducted by PAHK during thepast year, including its earn-ings from several events, in-cluding the annual PhilippineIndependence Day Ball. Out ofthe money earned, the PAHKdonated to several charities,including Bayanihan Trust,$60,000; Bethune House Mi-grant Women's Refuge,$40,000; and Wimler, $15,000.

PAHK also provided schol-arship grants to the children ofeight overseas Filipino workersin Hong Kong, seven of whomare in their last year in college.They are: Maryknoll Abellera,daughter of Imelda Abellera;Jon Bon Lacaten, son of RuenaCorpuz; Maria YsabelLandong, daughter of Yvonnede Guzman; Samantha Este-ban, daughter of Marilou Este-ban; Jan Ryan Pacalda, son ofMerylin Pacalda; Mary RoseRamos, daughter of MedinaRamos; Marisol Rivera,daughter of Soledad Rivera;and Joseph Tanael, son ofJesus Tanael. Everyone is ex-pected to graduate in April orJune next year, except forMary Rose Ramos, who is fin-ishing at the end of this month.

PAHK electsnew officers

First Meeting of PAHK Board 2016 at Metrobank office in United Centretochose the officersfromamong the 15 elected as members of the board. Those present (in photo) were Edith Gomez,who was elected chairman, Fred Valencia, Arnold Grospe, Rhea Donna Bayona Boyce, FedericoMendez Paragas Jr., Michael Vincent, Rex Aguado, Edna Hui, Tom Magno and Kissa Castañeda-McDermott.

Beneficiaries of PAHKScholarship Grant: MerilynPacalda, Jesus Tanael,Medina Ramos, Yvonne DeGuzman, Imelda Abellera,Marilou Esteban and RuenaCorpuz.


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Armed with their songsheets, red hats and some care-

Members of Road HK pose for souvenir photo before giving gifts to people on Chater Road.This is their way of sharing their blessings in celebrating Christmas.

fully wrapped gifts, Roadmembers who all work as fam-ily drivers in Hong Kong, tookto Chater Road to sing Christ-mas carols and distribute good-ie bags to fellow Filipinas.

Their merriment and gestureof goodwill was so contagious

a few Chinese and expat resi-dents along with their children,joined in the fun. It was truly amemorable Christmas for themembers who managed toprove to themselves that truly,sharing is caring, especially onthis holiest of seasons.

Giving love on Christmas

Double Christmas cheer for Musang, Imaso memberstial arts, business and profes-sional groups.

Guest speaker was DeputyConsul General Christian deJesus who said he shared thegroup's wish that the next pres-ident of the Philippines willhave the interest of the over-seas Filipino workers.

"Ipanalangin natin na

A joint Christmas party attend-ed by around 100 people washeld by Musang Martial ArtsSociety and the InternationalMarshal Society (Imaso) atEmpire Hotel in Wanchai onDec. 13.

The two groups which areboth led by Joseph Bautista,had guests from various mar-

magkaroon tayo ng pangulo napinili ng ating mga OFW," hesaid in his speech.

The celebration was cappedwith a toast to The SUN's 20thanniversary and to its publish-er Leo A. Deocadiz and editorDaisy CL Mandap, who wereamong the guests at the event.

Officers andmembers ofMusang MartialArts Society andthe InternationalMarshal Societyoffer a toast to TheSUN on its 20thanniversary. Below,the guests for thecustomary souvenirphoto.


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Officers and members of PGBI Legendary Chapter bring their gift to wards of Bethune House.

By Ramon Dizon Jr.

Newly founded Hong KongLegendary Chapter of thePhilippine Guardians Brother-hood Inc. undertook its firstcharity work on Nov 29, pick-ing Bethune House MigrantWomen's Refuge as its firstbeneficiary.

"Today, we are going to con-duct a 'sagip' program for (theshelter) on Jordan Road. Weheard that they (need help re-garding) the daily basic needsof OFWs who have been un-fortunate in their employ-ment," the group said in a state-ment.

Chapter president SusanDiaz visited Bethune House todeliver grocery items, inquireabout the residents' conditionsand find out how her group canhelp further.

Shelter coordinator EstherBangcawayan spent almosttwo hours sharing with themthe plight of the migrants, whoare mostly Indonesians.

"Some are seeking help andjustice against abusive employ-ers, which is only one of themany reasons why they are inthe shelter," said the chapter

Guardians' group donates to Bethune

statement.Diaz, a former OFW who is

now a Hong Kong resident, islooking to seek help from herlocal friends to meet the legalneeds of migrant workers. Shesaid most of the funds thegroup used to buy the groceryitems were collected from herfriends and customers at the

restaurant where she works.She said her group has only

26 members, and they were allpart of a group they had previ-ously set up, and became inac-tive seven years ago.

Prospective members needto attend the group's activitiesfor two months and pass an ex-amination about their by-laws

to be officially accepted.The group promised to do

more charity work especiallyfor Bethune House, in additionto supporting its member intimes of financial emergencies.

"But not very soon, we justreorganized last March," saidDiaz.

PathFinders held a Migrants’Health Day event in YuenLong on Dec 13. About 1,000migrant workers came to theevent to avail themselves ofvarious health- and job-related services offered by 10partner NGOs or watchcultural presentations. Themost popular booth was thatof Chinese Medicine for All, where visitors were given freeaccupressure massage or accupuncture for those with moreserious body pains. At right, David Siu, project officer ofHKAids Foundation, hands out kits to a migrant worker.


IMBITADO PO KAYONG LAHAT!

The Mission for MigrantWorkers and its Care toCaregivers Project

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"The evaluation exercise wedid this year was a humblingexperience, a learning activityand a process that broughtmore vigor to the MFMW tocontinue with our two-foldmission of bringing timely, re-sponsive and quality service tomigrants in distress while pur-suing the rights-based empow-erment of the community for abetter, more harmonious andinclusive Hong Kong," saidTellez.

Among the guests at the

viding assistance to migrantworkers in Hong Kong formore than 30 years.

In her speech at the launchattended by around 100 guests,the Mission's general managerCynthia Tellez said the land-mark evaluation process wasconducted with help from An-tonio Tujan, Jr. of the Institutefor Social Concerns and theIBON International in the Phil-ippines.

She said the exercise al-lowed them to look at theirstrengths and weaknessesthrough an analysis of howtheir services have impactedmigrants.

By Daisy CL Mandap

Staff and volunteers at theMission for Migrant Workershad reason to celebrate whenthey launched the non-govern-ment organization's 10-yearImpact Evaluation Report atLi Hall of St John's Cathedralon Dec. 4. Nearly all, or 97%of migrants who sought assis-tance said that they werehelped by the Mission, andmore than half of them (57%)said they would recommendthe NGO to others.

The result was an over-whelming endorsement of theMission, which has been pro-

Mission gets top approval rating from clientsevent were Philippine ConsulGeneral Bernardita Catalla,members of the Mission'sBoard of Directors and its sup-porters and partners over theyears.

Among the services provid-ed by the Mission, the mostwidely availed of is its labourand employment assistanceprogram. Between 2013 and2014, the number of clientswho sought help under thisprogram averaged around4,400, which represented a

four-fold increase from the1,000 recorded before 2012.

Most of Mission's clients, or71%, paid placement feeswhich in most cases, were farhigher than what is allowed bylaw.

As a result, the Mission hashelped in the recovery of $2.5million on average of illegallycollected or overcharged agen-cy fees.

Another service that has giv-en the Mission a high profile isits know your rights seminars,

where a total of 1,700 partici-pants were recorded in 2013.

In 2011, with support fromthe Love Ideas, Love HK pro-gram of the Li Ka Shing Foun-dation, it pioneered the highlysuccessful Give Care to OurCaregivers project, which pro-vides day-long pampering tomigrant workers.

Six GCC events were heldthat year, which catered toaround 15,000 clients. Thenumber of beneficiaries peakedto 24,000 in 2013.

Ayala house winnerswas Lou Anne Anosa, whilethe second winner wasWendyline Casibang. Bothwere ecstatic when their nameswere called during the luckydraw.

Bellavita is a brand of Ay-alaland group of companieswhose affordable and social-ized housing programs are lo-cated in Cavite, Laguna, Ba-tangas, Rizal, Quezon, Pam-panga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija andCagayan de Oro. For more in-formation about Bellavitahomes, visit Ayalaland HongKong's office at Shop 331, 3/FWorldwide Plaza in Central, orcall 2810-1190.

Bellavita, an Ayalaland com-pany, thru AyalalandHongkong’s Country ManagerTesha Bancod, handed overthe certificates of the 2 Gemel-li house and lots from itsAlaminos, Laguna project to 2lucky winners during SmartPinoy’s 11th anniversary cele-bration on Dec 6 near piers 9and 10 in Central.

Joining Bancod were theSmart Pinoy HK Team andspecial guests/artists EricQuizon, Vandolph, EpyQuizon, Jake Cuenca, ArciMunoz and Long Mejia.

The first winner to receiveher certificate of ownership

UPAA-HK has new officersco, secretary; Dave Centeno,treasurer; and Cyndi Ang,press relations officer. Theywill take their oath of officeearly next year.

The gathering was also high-lighted by a report from outgo-ing president Jeko Abila and anawarding of token gifts to peo-ple who extended help to thealumni group over the pastyear.

For the 11th straight year, theUniversity of the Philippineshas chosen its new officers at aparty held to also gather mem-bers for a Christmas celebra-tion. The party and electionwas held on Dec. 10 at OsteriaFelice in Central.

Elected uncontested as offic-ers for the coming year were:Euvi Regis, president; ReyAsis, vice president; Bea Siasi-

UPAA-HK members and guests during the party.


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The long lines of Filipino mi-grant workers clogging the pe-destrian bridge in Admiralty inprevious days have virtuallydisappeared, as a new schemeintended to avoid chaos duringthe seasonal rush for overseasemployment certificates wentinto effect on Dec 9.

But the sheer number ofOFWs going home for theChristmas holidays resurrectedthe long queues again on Sun-day, Dec 13, as applicationforms for the OEC reportedlyran out.

The scheme which took ef-fect at the prodding of ConsulGeneral Bernie Catalla, in-volved designating time slotsfor OEC applicants queuing upon the Admiralty-United Cen-tre footbridge.

It also cut short attempts bysome people to make moneyby selling copies of OECforms for up to $4 each to thoseon the queue. The originalforms are free.

Staff at the Philippine Over-seas Labor Office who handledcrowd control on the foot-bridge leading to their officeshave also begun issuing num-ber cards to people on thequeue for more orderly pas-sage.

Applicants immediately wel-comed the change, saying itshould have come much earli-

New scheme shortens OEC queues, foils form-sellingBy Vir B. Lumicao

ihilo kaapa..9:00 am until 6:00pm grabe," she said.

Others suggested what theythought were better options,such as POLO staff setting uptables on the footbridge where

Vicky Serrano suggestedthat the crowd should have tak-en a photo of a man who cameoffering forms for $4 each.

"Dapat kinunan ng picture,baka taga Consulate lng yun.$4 eh, grabe, tapos sakripisyopa sa pagpila," she said.

Cecile Yraola Diala alsowelcomed the change. "Mabutinaman…grabe pinila ko noongSunday grabe kahaba...maskimakapag-rest naubos lang sapagpila. Pagdating sa taas hin-

er, although many of them in-sisted the OEC should bejunked.

The crowd that used tostretch all the way towards theGovernment Centre before11am on Dec 9 numbered just46 -- just a fraction of the 400or so who lined up the day be-fore.

Another 38 were slouchingon one side of the bridge wait-ing for their turn to line up.

Those who received theforms with the time slot weretold to queue up again 15 min-utes before their appointment.However, on reaching thePOLO on the 16th floor of Ad-miralty Centre, some 300 peo-ple were still packing the hall.

A woman said she arrived at8:30 am and was still near therear end of the queue.

The timed appointments andnumber cards also eliminated awidely known and criticizedselling of OEC forms whichsome enterprising people hadthought of to cash in on theshortage of forms on the previ-ous days.

Applicants who had boughtthe forms said a photocopyingshop in Admiralty Centre wasselling them for $4 a copy.

"Grabe, wala man lang nag-aabot ng free form doon. Maybumibili na ng form doon dahiltakot silang mawala yungpila," Trisha Mae Reyes com-mented on a Facebook post.

the OEC could be issued, in-stead of sending the people upthe building.

But one applicant, callingherself Ri Tah, made a morepractical solution to the

queues: "Bakit di na lang kasitanggalin ang OEC na yan?May kontrata namang ipapak-ita kung babalik. At makikitanaman sa passport kung taposna ang kontrata mo o hindi."

Consul General Bernie Catalla and Deputy Consul General Kit de Jesus oversee the OEC processing at POLO;

... But the long lines for OEC are back on Dec 13


Ni Gina N. Ordona

Napasugod ang mga pulis ha-bang nagsasagawa ng kilosprotesta ang mga militantenggrupo sa ibaba ng AdmiraltyCentre noong ika-6 ng Di-syembre dahil sa maling akala.

Naunang dumating ang apatna pulis upang siyasatin kungmay pahintulot ang mga nagra-rally at nang matiyak na nasaayos ang lahat ay umalis dinang mga ito. Ngunit pagkalipasng ilang sandali ay mas malak-ing grupo ng mga pulis ang sa-bay-sabay na dumating.

Tinanong ng isang pulis siEman Villanueva kung kasamasa kilos-protesta ang maramingtaong nakapila sa footbridge nanag-uugnay sa Admiralty Cen-tre at Citic Tower. Mariin itongitinanggi ni Villanueva at sahalip ay sinabing ang maha-bang pila ang dahilan ng kilos-protesta. Matapos marinig angkanyang paliwanag ay umalisdin ang mga pulis.

Ang kilos protesta na binuong mga kasapi ng Unifil-Mi-grante Hong Kong ay nagla-layong manawagan sa Philip-pine Overseas Employment

Pila sa OEC, nakatawag-pansin sa pulismanggagawa at hindi na kina-kailangang magbayad ng trav-el tax at terminal fee paglabasng Pilipinas.

Katwiran naman ng mganag-protesta, hindi kailanganang OEC dahil sapat na angvisa at kontrata bilang patunaysa pagiging OFW ng isang pal-abas ng bansa.

Marami ang nakaplanongmagbakasyon sa Pilipinas lalona ngayong panahon ng ka-paskuhan kaya nauubos angoras ng mga aplikante sa daming mga nakatayo sa pila.

Dahil dito, muling nanan-awagan ang mga militantenggrupo na tuluyan nang ibasuraang OEC. Dagdag lang daw itona singilin bukod pa sa perwi-syong dulot nito sa OFWs. Gi-nagamit lang daw itong paraanng gobyerno para pagkakitaanang mga OFWs.

Hinamon din ni Villanuevaang Polo o Philippine OverseasLabor Office na humanap ngagarang solusyon sa problemahabang hindi pa naibabasuraang OEC. Hindi daw dapatsabihin na Polo na sumusunodlang sila sa direktiba ng ka-nilang mga opisyal sa Maynila.

Protesta sa ibaba ng tulay,pila sa itaas (sa itaas nalarawan). OEC ang dahilan.Sa kaliwa, ang mganagpoprotesta at angkanilang ipinaglalaban.

nagbabakasyon.Bawat OFW na uuwi sa Pil-

ipinas ay kailangang makaku-ha nito bilang patunay na angmga may-hawak ay isang

Congen moves to shorten OEC queuesBayanihan issuance which hadbeen in place for at least 12years was stopped becausePolo now has enough space toaccommodate OEC applicants.She also said the shifting ofpersonnel from OEC issuanceto other tasks is easier if theyare all in the same building.

As to the numbering systemwhich Congen Catalla had putin place when the OEC issu-ance was still being done at theConsulate, German said Polodecided to stop it after receiv-ing complaints, but did notelaborate.

Catalla forestalled a break-down in the talks by announc-ing she was resuming the ap-pointment or numbering sys-tem.

The next day, she and herdeputy, Christian de Jesus, per-sonally supervised and moni-tored the OEC issuance at thePolo offices.

Polo records show that at thepeak of the OEC applicationson Dec. 6, a total of 2,150OFWs were served, the highestfor any single day. Since thestart of the month, the numberof applicants has reportedlyaveraged around 1,000 per day.

ba discrimination yun?"The practice, first noted dur-

ing a massive post-holidaysurge in the number of OECapplicants on Dec. 1, was im-mediately stopped after it wasbrought to the attention ofConsulate officials.

But the meeting which start-ed on a friendly note nearlyturned sour when Villanuevalost his cool after repeatedstalling by acting labor attacheMa Nena German on variousproposals set before her to ad-dress the queuing problem.

Villanueva also got irkedbecause of his perception thatGerman was accusing OFWsof not being tolerant enoughover the problems related toOEC

"This is not all about incon-venience, it is also about secur-ing the welfare and safety ofour kababayans", he said.

Villanueva said he got thefeeling that the meeting wasgoing nowhere because Ger-man resisted all suggestionsraised to solve the problem,like returning the OEC issu-ance to Bayanihan Centre evenonly during the peak season.

German had earlier said the

The move came a day after adialogue was held betweenleaders of United Filipinos -Migrante Hong Kong and oth-er advocates for the scrappingof the OEC, and Consulate of-ficials led by Consul GeneralBernardita Catalla.

Unifil secretary-generalEman Villanueva sought themeeting, saying that even if hisgroup was against the OEC re-quirement, they saw the needto help find ways to ease theburden on the thousands whohave been lining up for thedocument during peak season.

"Walang kain, walang pah-inga, walang ihi" was how hedescribed the condition ofthose who have been lining forup to seven hours just to securethe document needed by anOFW returning from the Phil-ippines.

Their pitiable plight was re-portedly made worse by thebuilding's security staff requir-ing the Filipina applicants totake the service elevator to the16th floor, instead of the regu-lar lifts used by other tenants.

One of those herded to theservice lift told The SUN: "Na-kakasama ho ng loob, kasi di

By Daisy CL Mandap

All it took was one meetingwith concerned Filipino com-munity leaders, and the longqueues for the overseas em-ployment certificate or OECduring the pre-Christmas rushwas gone in a flash.

Starting Dec. 9, a numberingsystem was introduced to getrid of the long lines for theOEC to the 16th floor of Admi-ralty Center where the OECsare being issued in the Philip-pine Overseas Labor Office(Polo) annex.

Those who stand in line forthe document are issued a formstamped with a time periodduring which they can go di-rectly up to the Polo office toget their OEC.

Before the indicated time,they can while their time some-where else, doing other thingsthey need to do like runningerrands.

Each applicant is given onlyone time-stamped form toavoid people lining up for oth-ers, or foil those who have re-portedly been selling the blankforms for up to $4 each to thosein the queue.

Administration o POEA natanggalin na ang overseas em-ployment certificate o OEC naipinapataw sa bawat OFW na

Migrants urge:scrap ‘illegal’ feesand policies

"Sila ay mga bingi at bulagdahil hindi nila naririnig anghinaing ng mga OFWs, hindinila nakikita ang paghihirap atpaglapastangan sa mga karapa-tan ng bawat Pilipinong mang-gagawa sa labas ng bansa,"Sanny delos Santos said, di-recting his tirade at the Philip-pine Consulate.

Migrante dirctor generalEman Villanueva said Interna-tional Migrants' Day was a cel-ebration of all the fruits of theoverseas workers' sacrifices infighting for the rights of everyforeign domestic worker, justlike the successful legal battleof Erwiana Salustiyaningsihagainst her abusive employer,the recent $100 increase to theminimum wage, and the imple-mentation of an appointmentsystem in securing OEC.

The new system of obtainingOEC ended the agony ofOFWs queuing up 4-7 hourson the Admiralty footbridgejust to get that piece of paper.

He ended his speech by say-ing, "Ngayong taong 2016, kai-langang paghandaan ang nala-lapit na election, kailangangmaging usapin sa eleksyon angmga issue tungkol sa migrante,tanungin ang mga kandidatokung ano ang kaya nilanggawin at kung ano ang mganagawa na nila sa mga OFW.

"Kailangang magbantaykung sino ang dapat malukloksa gobyerno sa darating nahalalan."

By Marites Palma

Filipinos in Hong Kong cele-brated International Migrants'Day by handing a petition tothe Consulate demanding theabolition of the overseas em-ployment certificate and a haltto the collection of a Php550terminal fee, "tanim bala," andopening of door-to-door box-es.

The protesters solidifiedtheir ranks by forming an alli-ance called NO FEE (Networkof OFWs Against ExcessiveGovernment Fees).

They also demanded the re-moval of Customs Commis-sioner Alberto Lina who initi-ated the opening of balikbayanboxes, and Manila airport gen-eral manager Jose Honrado,who insisted on adding the ter-minal fee to OFW air ticketprices.

The petition was accepted byVice Consul Fatima Quintin.

Some 100 organizationsjoined the march-rally fromChater Road to Admiralty.

During the assembly, differ-ent leaders spoke in front of themarchers expressing their an-ger at the Philippine govern-ment for collecting differentfees from the OFWs illegally.

They said the governmentonly knew how to extract mon-ey from millions of OFWsworldwide, but they did noteven care for them and neglect-ed their rights as OFWs.

Proresters parade their banners on Chater Road.


Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Have your association’s upcoming activities publishedhere. IT’S FREE! Just send email to:

[email protected] or call: 2544 6536

CALENDAR

THE SUN'S 20th Anniversary Celebration -Two Decades of Service to Filipinos in Hong KongDec. 20, 10 am- 6pm, Chater Garden, CentralOrganized by: The SUN, with the support of the Mission forMigrant WorkersGuest Performers: Jennifer Palor, Satur Tiamzon, WilliamElvin and surprise guests. Featured activities: Care to Caregiv-ers, Filcom parade, Launch of The Sun Radio and Coins forBethune projects, Free art and craft lessons, and counselingand consultations at the PCG and HK Labour DepartmentboothsAll Filipino community organizations, especially those thathave worked closely with The SUN over the past 20 years, areinvited to take part. For details, call 2544 6536

PaStaran 2015Dec. 24, 7pm, Chater Garden, CentralYearly parol-making contest organized by the Philippine Con-sulate General and the Chaplaincy of Filipinos in Hong Kong.This year's theme is "Pagsilang ng Pag-asa at Bagong Simula".For contest rules, call the Cultural Affairs Section, 2823 8537

Christmas CelebrationDec. 25, 9am onwards, Chater Road, Central. Organizer: Uni-fil-Migrante HK. Contact, Dolo Pelaez, 9747 2986

SYZYGY LiveJan. 7, 9:30pm-12midnight, Orange Peel Music Lounge,D'Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central. Chill to SYZYGY'sunique sound - taking iconic pop songs and mixing them withjazzy grooves and flowing harmonies. Tickets available atdoor - $200 includes one standard drink.

PCG ANNOUNCEMENTS:The Philippine Consulate will be CLOSED on the followingdates:Dec. 22 (Tue) Chinese Winter Solstice DayDec. 24 (Thu) Additional Special Public HolidayDec. 30 (Wed) Dr Jose Rizal DayDec 31 (Thu) Last Day of the YearIn addition, the PCG will remain closed every Friday and Sat-urday

Distribution of Voters' IDVoters IDs may still be claimed personally or through autho-rized representative at the PCG service area, Monday toThursday. from 9am to 4pm, and on Sunday, 9am-2pm.To facilitate the distribution of the voters ID and avoid longqueues, the PCG requests Filcom organizations to claim thevoters ID of their members by authorizing any representative.For details, please email [email protected].

Hiring of SBEI MembersApplications for SBEI members who will serve in the 2016elections are now being accepted. Kindly submit the curricu-lum vitae of interested applicants either personally or via emailto [email protected], attention: Mr. Jethro Dela Cruz,not later than Nov 15. Applicants must submit a Certificate ofGood Moral Character duly signed by the organization's pres-ident or chairperson. Shortlisted applicants will also be inter-viewed by the PCG prior to submission of their names to theDFA Overseas Voting Secretariat.

Post-Arrival Orientation Seminar for Newcomers(held twice a month). Lecture Room, POLO Office, 11th floor,Admiralty Center Tower 1

Junior Association of Migrants gives free zumba lessons ev-ery Sunday, 10-11am on Chater Road. Open to the public.

By Vir B. Lumicao

The refusal of Overseas Work-ers Welfare Administration of-ficers in Hong Kong to house asick and elderly overstayingworker who had surfaced andsurrendered has triggered anonline OWWA-bashing fromthe Filipino community here.

The Dec 6 drama, capturedin a voice recording and postedonline by the group “OFWs inHong Kong,” highlighted a se-rious need for a bigger govern-ment shelter for distressedoverseas workers here.

The case of 68-year-oldTarcila Alabastro, who wasshown on a Facebook post be-ing helped down a stairway,has generated almost 1,100 re-actions, 827 shares and 226comments, mostly chastisingOWWA for its alleged insensi-tivity.

Contacted by The SUN, wel-fare Officer Judith Santos didnot deny refusing shelter toAlabastro. But Santos said thiswas because OWWA’s three-bedroom Filipino Workers Re-source Center in KennedyTown, with space for just ninepersons, already had 14 tenantsat the time.

“Ganoon po ang ipinaliwan-ag namin sa kanya, labing-apatna ang nandoon sa shelter atyung iba ay sa salas na natutu-log. Hindi naman namin siyapwedeng pahigain sa sahig da-

hil malamig,” Santos said.But this explanation did not

sit well with those commentingon the FB post.

“Ang laki ng ibinabayad ngmga OFW every contract…sanapakadaming OFW sa HK nanagbabayad ng $200 everycontract, yan lang ang allowedsa shelter nila, 9 to 14 kataolang? Ano ito, OWWA, biga-san ng gobyerno ng Pinas angmga OFW… para sa akin, angOWWA ngayon walang silbi,”a commenter calling herselfFlower R. Rose said.

OWWA refusal to shelter elderlyoverstayer stirs FB firestorm

OFWs in HK said: “Hindiusapin ang legal o TNT (tagonang tago). Dapat aksyonan ngKonsulado ang sinoman nahumingi ng tulong dahil yunang tungkulin nila, ang pangal-agaan ang kapakanan ng lahatng mga manggagawang Pilipi-no sa labas ng bansa.”

The government’s sparse ac-commodation for OFWs in dis-tress is in sharp contract to theluxurious office space current-ly being rented by the Philip-pine Overseas Labour Officefor nearly $500,000 a month.

Tarcila Alabastro gets help getting down stairs.

Nanay Tarcila, from Cadiz,Negros Occidental, reportedlylimped painfully to theOWWA offices at about 4:30pm on Dec. 6 supported bythree fellow OFWs. She hadasked for temporary refugewhile awaiting the outcome ofher case, after surrendering tothe Immigration Department.

It was not clear whether shehad also asked for financialhelp, as she was destitute afteralmost a decade of eking out aliving illegally, and needed$2,000 for her bail and $200for her travel document.

According to Alexise Tiu ofOFWs in HK, the elderlywoman literally dragged her-self into the room of Santosand Welfare Officer LornaObedoza in the PhilippineOverseas Labor Office on Ad-miralty Centre Tower 1 to seekhelp.

The old woman begged thetwo officers to take her in butwas turned down. “Ang prob-lema po niyan, napakadami napong tao sa shelter namin. Angbilang po namin ay nasa ka-torse na po sila eh,” Santos washeard saying on the recording.

“OK lang basta may matu-lugan, basta may matuluyan,”Nanay Tarcila retorted, insist-ing she could sleep on the sofa.

“Saan naman kayo patutulu-gin? Talagang puno na kami,”Santos said.

Continued on Page 27


NEWSBRIEFSTieup to curb smugglingThe Bureau of Customs (BoC) has signed an agreement withDHL Group, the largest courier service in the Philippines, for anexchange of information and consultation on shipments meant tocurb smuggling. The BoC said in a statement that it is the first-of-its-kind public-private partnership that aims to counter smug-gling. Under the agreement, the Germany-based global courierwill provide technical assistance to BoC to upgrade the capabilityof its personnel on tracking deliveries in and out of the country.BoC, for its part, vowed increased efficiency on clearance of airconsignments.

NBI confirms ‘tanim-bala’The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed robbery-extortion and graft complaints against six individuals includingfour policemen involved in a “tanim-bala” incident at the NinoyAquino International Airport (Naia) passenger terminals. Whilethe NBI has found sufficient evidence to file criminal chargesagainst airport personnel, it concurred with the assertion of Pres-ident Benigno Aquino III and Transportation Secretary JoseEmilio Abaya that while the “tanim-bala” extortion racket hap-pened, those involved were not organized as a syndicate. Thosecharged were airport personnel involved in the case of LaneWhite, an American missionary victimized by the scheme lastSeptember.

OFW lawyer wants Honrado outLawyer Spocky Farolan, pro-bono counsel of overseas Filipinoworker (OFW) Gloria Ortinez who was detained for several daysat the ASG office over the “tanim-bala” scam, has urged ManilaInternational Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager JoseAngel Honrado to resign out of delicadeza. Farolan said Honra-do, a distant cousin of President Benigno Aquino III and close-insecurity of his late mother, should resign “to allow a more com-petent and qualified manager to manage the airport.” Ortinez, 56,was prevented from taking her flight on October 28 back to HongKong where she has been working for more than 20 years afterairport personnel found a bullet for a carbine rifle in her hand-carried bag. She was detained after failing to pay P80, 000 bailon charges of illegal possession of ammunition filed before thePasay prosecutor's office. But Honrado refused to heed calls forhis resignation.

455 years for pyramid queenThe Makati regional trial court had sentenced so-called “pyramidqueen” Rose Baladjay and her husband to imprisonment of up to455 years after they were found guilty of scamming investors ofthe Multinational Telecoms Investors Corporation (Multitel) in2001. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said in astatement on December 9 that Makati RTC Branch 56 had sen-tenced Baladjay and her husband, Saturnino, to 7 years imprison-ment for each of 65 counts of violation of Section 8 of the Secu-rities Regulation Code (SRC) for selling or offering unregisteredsecurities to the public. The Baladjay couple was also ordered topay P8 million to the victims of the pyramiding scam. Each vio-lation of the SRC is punishable, upon conviction, with a fine ofnot more than P5 million ($106,033.30) or imprisonment of 7 to21 years, or both. The SEC said the ruling was dated Nov. 2 yetbut was transmitted to the SEC only on Dec. 2. The Baladjaycouple operated under Multitel which was not registered with theSEC. The SEC then issued multiple cease and desist ordersagainst Multitel and its officers, prompting the couple to registerMultitel International Holdings, Incorporated (MIHI) with theSEC. MIHI, while registered with the SEC, used several conduitcorporations to continue their illegal operations. Multitel man-aged to attract investors by offering them a guaranteed 4 percentmonthly interest or 48 percent per year, for a minimum invest-ment of P10,000 ($212.02). Investors were also offered an alter-native of double-your-money scheme for a period of 18 months.

NEWS FROM HOME

at Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao City,for his martial-law type ofkeeping law and order. UnlikeDuterte, Roxas said he wasagainst the restoration of thedeath penalty and vowed tofight against summary justicewhich, he said, would mark areturn to the dark ages.

Roxas said the claim thatDavao is peaceful is a myth,noting that it is the fourth inrank among the cities withworst crime rate.

For his remarks, Roxas cameunder fire from Duterte and hisdiehard supporters. Duterteshot back by saying that Roxas'credentials as a graduate of theWharton School of Business inthe US was a myth. Roxaspromptly showed evidence hegraduated from Wharton.

Duterte likewise narrated ininterviews alleged incompe-tence of Roxas in handlingemergencies in the aftermathof the Yolanda storm surge inTacloban.

Roxas and Duterte werefriends but their relationshiphas turned sour after the latteraccused the LP of spreadingrumors that he has cancer.Roxas has clarified he hasnothing to do with the news-man who wrote on Facebookthat Duterte has cancer.

With at least one — and possi-bly two disqualification casesin the presidential race — theSupreme Court has assured thenation politics will not dictateits decisions.

Chief Justice Maria LourdesSereno said that all cases willbe discussed and decidedbased on “utmost wisdom” andnot on politics.

She said the high tribunal isanticipating a “not so usual”Christmas season because ofthe urgent election-related peti-tions, such as those involvingdisqualification cases and the“No Bio, No Boto” program ofthe Commission on Elections(Comelec).

The justices, she said, havebeen undertaking preliminaryresearch in preparation for dis-cussions on the cases.

Disqualified presidential as-pirant Rizalito David had takenhis petition to unseat SenatorGrace Poe after his defeat inthe Senate Electoral Tribunal

(SET). Poe, on her part, saidher lawyers will ask the Su-preme Court to reverse the rul-ings of two divisions of theComelec to cancel her certifi-cate of candidacy (CoC) be-cause she failed to meet the 10-year residency requirementunder the Constitution.

Another disqualificationcase involves Davao CityMayor Rodrigo Duterte, whosecandidacy as substitute for acandidate who had withdrawnis being questioned before theComelec.

Poe herself counts on the Su-preme Court to allow her toseek the presidency in the May2016 elections by reversingtwo Comelecdecisions.

The second division had vot-ed 3-0 on December 1 to grantthe petition of lawyer EstrellaElamparo to disqualify Poe be-cause she is not a natural-bornFilipino and she failed to com-ply with the 10-year residencyrequirement under the Consti-

tution.Ten days later, the first divi-

sion voted 2-1 on three consol-idated petitions to cancel Poe’scertificate of candidacy (CoC)on the same issues involvingher citizenship and residency.

The Comelec panel said Poe“committed material misrepre-sentation in her CoC when shedeclared that she has been aresident of the Philippines for aperiod of 10 years and 11months as of the day of theelection on May 9, 2016.”

The panel cited inconsisten-cies in Poe's declarations in herCoCs when she ran for theSenate in 2013 and her CoCfor president filed last October.Based on its interpretation, theComelec panel said Poe's resi-dency in the Philippines couldbe reckoned from April 2006,not May 2005 as she claimedin her CoC for president.

Poe took to Facebook min-utes after her disqualification,saying that she has no plans to

abandon her presidential bid. “Iam still a candidate for Presi-dent,” she posted on the socialmedia tool. “Let’s fight for de-mocracy, where the people’welfare takes front & center.”

She added: “It is sad that theComelec First Division haschosen to ignore the facts justto deny me the chance to betterserve our countrymen, and toalso deny our people theirchoices in an open election.”

Poe won at the Senate Elec-toral Tribunal (SET) that voted5-4 on Nov. 17 to dismiss thepetition of another presidentialaspirant Rizalito David to un-seat her as senator. Five sena-tors voted to uphold Poe’s ar-gument that she is a natural-born Filipino while the threeSupreme Court justices andSen. Nancy Binay voted in fa-vor of the petition.

The case reached the Su-preme Court on Dec. 9 whenDavid filed a petition for thereversal of the SET decision.

No politics on poll-related cases: SC

THE 2016 CAMPAIGNHe said people should not be

afraid to kill criminals whoprey on civilians and molestminors.

According to him, the coun-try needs a firm resolve to pun-ish wrongdoers such as thosewho peddle illegal drugs,which he considers as theprime factor that pushes peopleto commit crime.

Presidentialcontenderstrade barbsVerbal exchanges among theleading presidential contend-ers have been heating up aspart of effort to in pre-electionsurveys toward the fourthquarter polling.

Senators Grace Poe andFrancis Escudero, independentcandidates for president andvice president, have separatelyaccused administration stan-dard bearer Mar Roxas II offlexing his muscles on theCommission on Elections(Comelec) to disqualify Poe,adopted daughter of actionking Fernando Poe Jr. who ranbut lost in a fraud-tainted elec-tion to Gloria Macapagal-Ar-royo in 2004.

Roxas, in turn, took potshots

gions. Our aim is to have onemega project per region andone major project per prov-ince,” he said at the forum at-tended by about 100 people.

Duterte wants5 thugs killedweeklyLiving up to his image asDavao City’s “The Punisher”,presidential aspirant RodrigoDuterte said he believes thatlaw and order problems can besolved by “killing five crimi-nals” every week.

The 70-year-old Duterte, in-cumbent mayor of Davao City,vowed to make sure that whenhe is elected president in 2016,Filipinos could walk the streetseven at night without fear ofbeing victimized by criminals.Eradication of crime will be histop priority, he said.

The tough-talking mayor,has admitted having killedmore than 1,000 criminals overthe years.

Duterte also said he wouldrevive the death penalty, andmobilize the police and themilitary to maintain law andorder across the country.

Binay enticesLGUs withhigher IRAIn an apparent bid to lure localgovernment executives to sup-port his presidential bid in2016, Vice President JejomarBinay promised to build majorinfrastructure projects acrossthe country and provide higherfunding through the internalrevenue allotments (IRA) tolocal government units.

Appearing at a Galing Pookforum at the Ateneo de Manilacampus in Quezon City on De-cember 11, the oppositionUnited Nationalist Alliance(UNA) standard bearer in the2016 elections, said each of thePhilippines’ 18 regions willhave at least one mega projectand each of the 81 provinceswill have a major project.

Binay had earlier said hewould overspend in infrastruc-ture development projects ifand when he is elected presi-dent in 2016. “I will convenethe regional developmentcouncils to identify, imple-ment, and monitor major infra-structure projects in their re-


Taos-pusong pagbati sa pa-hayagang The SUN sa pagdiri-wang nito ng ika-dalawam-pung taong anibersaryo.

Ang okasyong ito ay pa-tunay na ang pagtulong at pag-bigay ng serbisyo sa ating mgakababayan ay may kapalit napagpapala mula sa ating May-kapal.

Sa pamamagitan ngmahusay na pamamahayag,pagpapayo, pagpaalala, atpagkokomentaryo, ang TheSUN ay nakakatulong mag-payaman ng kaalaman atpananaw sa buhay ng atingmga kababayan sa Hong Kong.

Isinusulong ng Konsuladoang malayang pamamahayagna tumatalima sa mga paman-tayan ng katotohanan, walangpagkiling, at patas na paglala-had.

Umaasa kami na magpapat-uloy ang maayos at matibay nasamahan ng Konsulado at ngThe SUN.

Muli ang aking maalab napagbati. Mabuhay!

Bernardita L. CatallaKonsul Heneral ng Pilipinas

sa Hong Kong

The Mission For MigrantWorkers expresses its congrat-ulations to The SUN in its 20thyear of existence in HongKong. It is not only a Filipinocommunity newspaper for ourcompatriots to read importantnews in Hong Kong and in ourhomeland, but it also provides

services to our compatriotswho encounter difficulties asmigrant workers. With TheSUN’s many projects that ad-dress community concerns,from scholarship for deservingindigent youth to Coins forBethune House, The SUN’ssocial concerns make it a natu-ral supporter in implementingthe Mission's core program ofcrisis intervention.

The SUN is an institution inthe community of Filipinos inHong Kong and we look for-ward to more years for it tocontinue serving our migrantcompatriots.

Mabuhay !Cynthia Abdon-Tellez

General Manager, Missionfor Migrant Workers

Congratulations to The SUNon its 20th anniversary!

My deep admiration goes toLeo and Daisy for their com-mitment in maintaining a com-munity newspaper for theoverseas Filipinos in HongKong.

Special recognition shouldalso be given to their involve-ment in other community ac-tivities, especially in the devel-opment of the writing and jour-nalistic talents of Filipinos.

I wish you continued suc-cess.

Noel ServigonFormer Philippine Consul-

General in Hong Kong

On behalf of the board andstaff, our residents in our twoshelters, and the hundreds -thousands - of women whostayed with us through theyears, the Bethune House Mi-grant Women’s Refuge ex-tends our warmest greetings tothe The SUN on the occasionof your 20th anniversary cele-bration.

We are most grateful for allthe help that The SUN has ex-tended to Bethune Housethrough the years. From activepromotion and participation tothe Coins for Bethune initia-tives to providing us free spacefor announcements and callsfor support; from featuring sto-ries of our shelter and residentsto connecting us with Filipinoorganizations for further sup-port; from patronizing our ac-tivities to direct support to ourresidents, The SUN has proventhat its service to the communi-ty is not only to bring news andinformation, but it also has aheart for those who are in mostneed of support from the com-munity.

We wish for more success toThe SUN. May you continueto shine brightly and your raystouch more of those in the mar-gins and in need of help. Thankyou for all your support andmore power.

Edwina AntonioExecutive Director

Bethune House

I wish to greet The SUN as itcelebrates the 20th year of itsfounding! Yes it has been 20long years of honest-to-good-ness, fearless yet fair journal-ism that has benefited in partic-ular the Filipino community inHong Kong hungry for news inthe vibrant city and at home.The Sun has served its noblejob of empowering the Filipinocommunity thru informationvital to their interest and wellbeing. For that reason alone,The SUN deserves everyone'spraise and respect.

Yet The SUN over the yearshas also engaged in advocacyfor migrants in HK. Partneringwith the Consulate General ofthe Philippines, the PhilippineOverseas Labor Office, law-yers, the academe, religiousand other advocacy groups aswell as various workers' asso-ciations, The SUN has taken upissues affecting the rights andwelfare of migrants in the city.Through its vigilance, a num-ber of individuals and institu-tions out to defraud migrantworkers have been exposed,prosecuted and had their de-

Messages

Service to Filipinos is thetheme of The SUN 20thAnniversary Celebration

plain to OFWs how their fam-ily members back home couldbe helped in setting up and run-ning businesses under CARDMRI, the biggest microfinanceinstitution in the Philippines.

On hand to provide adviceon how OFWs could attaintheir dream of owning theirown homes are sponsors Ay-alaland Hong Kong and Pag-IBIG Fund. Ayala, the premierproperty development compa-ny in the Philippines, offers awide range of affordable hous-ing for migrant workers in sev-eral places across the country.For its part, PAG-Ibig Fundcould advise how it could helpfund the building or purchaseof an OFW’s dream house ataffordable interest rates.

Rounding up the list of spon-sors is AFreight, the foremostcargo company serving Filipi-nos in Hong Kong. AFreightholds the distinction of beingthe first advertiser of The SUN,and a firm supporter of thenewspaper in its various cam-paigns and advocacies over thepast two decades.

Labour Department will alsobe on site to extend free work-related consultation with Filipi-no migrant workers. The rareservice is part of the LabourDepartment's effort to reachout to more domestic workersin the community.

Service is also very much inthe mind of three groups thatwill occupy separate booths atthe event.

Pintura Circle through its art-ist-officers Irene BernarteHaagen and Grace Pineda Ca-macho will offer two separateart lessons free to migrants,from 11:30am to 12:30 noon.This will be followed by a tuto-rial on making Christmas dec-orations between 3:00 pm to4:00 pm to be led by porcelainartist Abigail Camaya Hills.

Occupying an adjacentbooth will be the Balikatan saKaunlaran HK Council whichwill conduct on-the-spot mac-rame bag and ribbon making aspart of its livelihood training.

The third booth will be occu-pied by CARD OFW Founda-tion, where trainors will ex-

True to its original motto ofbeing of service to Filipinos inHong Kong, The SUN will fo-cus on giving back to the com-munity during its 20th Anni-versary Celebration on Dec.20 in Chater Garden, Central.

The centerpiece of the cele-bration is the "Give Care toCaregivers" program of theMission for Migrant Workers,which acts as co-organizer ofthe event. A total of 15 boothswill be set up as part of this ac-tivity, all aimed at providingvarious kinds of free service toFilipino migrant workers inHong Kong, from blood pres-sure check-ups to therapy andacupuncture, as well as finan-cial and work-related consulta-tion. .

Also providing direct serviceto Filipino migrants are thevarious agencies under theumbrella of the PhilippineConsulate General, includingthe assistance to nationals sec-tion, Social Security Serviceand Pag-IBIG Fund.

At the Consulate's behest,officers from the Hong Kong

Top local artists to shine inThe SUN’s anniversary show

olic mass from 10-11am, fol-lowed by a parade of partici-pating organizations.

The event will be cappedwith a concert by artists be-longing to the Hong KongMusicians Union to be led byjazz diva Jennifer Palor, drum-mer Satur Tiamzon and singer-musician William Elvin.

The event is open to the pub-lic.

For more information, call2544 6536/ 2541 7869.

the Isabela Federation with itsprize-winning street dancingroutine for the Bambanti Festi-val. Not to be outdone is LeyteAchievers, which will show-case its multi-awarded dancesequence for the "Sinulog", themost popular religious festivalin the Visayas.

Also providing top entertain-ment are the "Balagtasan"group from the National Orga-nization of Professional Teach-ers - Hong Kong, the socio-re-alist drama dance group fromLikha Cultural Group, the mar-tial arts masters from UnitedPhilippines Taekwondo Orga-nization, and the comedy-dance performers from the Ra-diant Organization of Profes-sional Drivers. An entertainingtake on Philippine TV's AlDubphenomenon will be providedby its official fan group inHong Kong.

The day-long celebrationwill be kicked off with a Cath-

The SUN has always been afriend and an avid supporter ofFilipino artists in Hong Kong,from painters to actors andmusicians, to dancers and oth-er performers.

To underscore this commit-ment, its 20th Anniversary Cel-ebration in Chater Garden willfeature all Hong Kong-basedtalents representing varioussectors.

The morning entertainmentwill be a showcase of the bestand the brightest among the topperforming OFW groups in thecity, starting off with the Min-danao Workers Federation,whose brass and bugle corpswill lead the singing of thePhilippine National anthem.Later on in the program, Min-Fed will feature the beautiful"Singkil", which is more of aspectacle than a dance, show-ing the colorful courtship ritu-als of Muslims.

Kicking off the program is

11:30-12:30:Acrylic painting con-ducted by Grace GracePineda Camachoand Oilpastel workshop con-ducted by Irene IreneBernarte Haagen3:30- 4:30:Jewelry making by GailGail Camaya Hills

Schedule of Events:

The SUN Mid-month December 2015 19plorable activities stopped.Through lobbying and appear-ances before concerned bodiesincluding the Philippine Con-gress and Hong Kong's Legis-lative Council, measures weretaken to further advance theinterest and promote the wel-fare of migrants workers. This,obviously, is another reason tothank The SUN for.

I'm confident that in theyears to come The SUN willremain relevant and will con-tinue with its objective of em-powering people through newsgathering and dissemination.

Bernie B. JulveCommissioner, National

Labor Relations CommissionFormer Labor Attache to HK

In behalf of the Iglesia Filip-ina Independiente/PhilippineIndependent Church communi-ty here in Hong Kong pleaseaccept my greetings and heart-felt congratulations on thisyour 20th Anniversary.

The SUN has not only beenthe source of reliable informa-tion for the Filipino communi-ty. The community news andannouncements of activities ofthe different migrants’ organi-zations provide us with a senseof neighbourliness and of thevibrancy and the creativity ofthe Filipino. The commentariesand the regular columns pro-vide the readers comprehen-sive views and importantguides to the issues and topicsat hand. The cooking tips andthe jokes lighten up the other-wise routine lives of the mi-grants. But most important ofall, The SUN is the voice ofFilipino migrants on a numberof concerns that affect theirlives, rights and welfare andthose of their families, This, forme, is the greatest contributionDaisy and Leo, and all yourstaff, are doing for us.

I know publishing a newspa-per like The SUN is not aneasy job; probably often athankless job. But it is my ar-dent prayer that God will con-tinue to bless and prosper youin this crucial work you aredoing in the service of the Fil-ipino community here in HongKong --- and around the world.

The impacts of your advoca-cy are immeasurable.

Fr. Dwight de la TorrePhilippine Independent

Church

Congratulations, THE SUN,the leading Filipino Newspaperin Hong Kong, on your 20thAnniversary!

We thank you for all your

valuable and unwavering sup-port to migrant workers in HK.

Indeed, your service to theFilipino community reflectsyour principles and aspirationsfor better living conditions andcommon good of Filipinos inHong Kong and our familiesback home.

More Power and more yearsto come to celebrate!

Dolores Balladares-PelaezChairperson, United

Filipinos (Migrante) HK

Isang mainit at mapagpalay-ang pagbati ang ipinaaabotnamin sa inyong lahat sapagdiriwang ng ika-20 taonganibersaryo ng The SUN.Bagama't napakaraming pag-subok ang patuloy na dinaranasng mga OFW, ang inyong taosna serbisyo ang nagsisilbing li-wanag sa pagtahak nila satamang landas. Kaming nasahanay ng groupongpangkalusugan, ang IntegratedMidwives Association of thePhilippines - Hong Kong(IMAP-HK), ay sama-samangnananalangin para humaba paang buhay ng The SUN.Nararapat lang ipagbunyi angaraw na ito.

Happy Anniversary!Brenda Atrero

President, IMAP - HK

The SUN is an extraordinaryenterprise; its CSR mission isno mere appendage but an inte-gral part of its core philosophy,which, to my mind, is to in-form and empower and thusenrich the lives of The SUN'sreaders, who are mostly Filipi-no migrant workers in HongKong.

News in this age of the Inter-net and smartphones is withineveryone's easy reach, butwhat The SUN uniquely pro-vides its avid readers is infor-mation that truly matters totheir lives and times in the ter-ritory and which is focused bythe lens of truth and honestyand analyzed and dispersedthrough the prism of caring ad-vocacy. The SUN has trans-formed journalism into a highart and practice of public ser-vice.

Twenty years of public ser-

vice can tire many but not TheSUN’s people; their dedicationto truth and commitment to Fil-ipino migrants’ welfare sustainthem.

Congratulations and morepower!

Claro CristobalFormer Consul General in

Hong Kong andAmbassador to Egypt

On behalf of the CARDMRI OFW Foundation HongKong, we extend our warmestcongratulations to The SUN onits 20th Anniversary.

The team behind The SUN,led by publisher Leo Deocadiz,editor-in-chief Daisy Mandapand their untiring editorialstaff, has been fearless champi-ons of the rights and welfare ofthe Overseas Filipino Workers—empowering the powerless,defending the oppressed andhelping uplift the economiccondition of our kababayanshere in Hong Kong and be-yond.

We share and celebrate thesevalues with The SUN and thepeople behind it, all of whomhave been our staunch allies inpromoting economic empow-erment for our OFWs and theirfamilies back home. Here's to20 years more of indefatigableservice to the Filipino globalcommunity!

Rex AguadoChairman, CARD MRI

OFW Foundation Hong Kong

On behalf of AyalalandHongKong (ALIM-HK) andAyalaland International SalesInc (ALISI), I wish to congrat-ulate The SUN and its team,under the leadership of DaisyMandap and Leo Deocadiz, onthe occasion of the newspa-per’s 20th Anniversary thisDecember, 2015.

Since Ayalaland office waslaunched at 3/F WorldwidePlaza last February 2014, TheSUN has always been one ofour most reliable media partnerin promoting the company’spresence in Hong Kong and itshouse and lot projects special-ly the affordable housingbrands in the outskirts of MetroManila. This helps to inform

Participating organizationsMindanao Workers FederationInternational Marshal SocietyMusang Martial Arts SocietyIsabela FederationLikha Cultural GroupLeyte AchieversUnited Philippines Taekwondo OrganizationNational Organization of Professional Teachers HKRadiant Organization of Amiable Drivers Hong KongAbra Tinguian Ilocano SocietyGabriela Hong KongOFC AlDub MaidenSection JuanHong Kong Musicians UnionBalikatan sa Kaunlaran HK ChapterCARD OFW HK FoundationPintura CircleBethune House Migrant Workers RefugeMission for Migrant WorkersPhilippine Association of Hong Kong

our Filipino community that infact, they can finally achievetheir dream home at such af-fordable payment terms.

Again, my warmest congrat-ulations and looking forward tomore fruitful years!

Tesha BancodCountry Manager

Ayalaland HongKong

Maraming, Maraming sala-mat po, ma'am Daisy and TheSUN. Happy, Happy 20th An-niversary po..!

Mercy PermalesPresident, United

Philippine TaekwondoOrganization

Pagbati at pagpupugay sa ika-20 Taong Anibersaryo ng TheSun!

Maraming salamat sa pagig-ing tulay upang ang bawat Pili-pino sa HK ay magkaroon atmakapagbasa ng balita at mala-man ang kaganapan sa atingkomunidad dito at maging saating bayang Pilipinas. Nawaay maipagpatuloy pa ninyo angmisyon na ito sa susunod nadalawampung taon o higit pa.

Mabuhay!Lenlen Mesina

Enrich HK

Congratulations to The SUNon their 20th Anniversary! Mayyou continue to support the Fil-ipino community by providingrelevant news and various ser-vices. Pintura Circle wouldwant to further extend collabo-rative works with your organi-sation in the future!

Irene HaagenPresident, Pintura Circle

Happy 20th Anniversary toThe SUN!

As all of us in Hong Kong(and beyond) know Daisy &Leo’s newspaper, The SUN,has served the Filipino migrantworker and professional com-munity in the territory long andwell.

They have kept alive the spir-it of Bayanihan and made usPinoys aware of our rights andresponsibilities away fromhome, as well as conscious ofthe need to fulfill our obliga-tions to Inang Bayan.

Through their journalisticefforts they have constantlychampioned the rights particu-larly of vulnerable womenwho have had to leave theirfamilies and homes to toil inforeign places, both hostileand hospitable.

The world today may be asmaller place, and becausemany Filipinos have chosen tomigrate to other countries, it isalways good to have publica-tions like The SUN remindingus of our roots and fosteringnot just a narrow nationalismbut the universal fellowshiprequired by all would-be citi-zens of this world.

Congratulations to Daisy &Leo—may your creation con-tinue to flourish!

Isabel EscodaWriter and

Migrant Rights Advocate

When I was connected withthe IBP National Center forLegal Aid, I witnessed howmy classmate Daisy workedcourageously and tirelessly forthe welfare of OFWs in HKand for that, I salute her andLeo. For establishing andmaintaining The SUN and thehelp, support and encourage-ment that you have extendedto our kababayans, congratu-lations on your 20 years ofsuccess and I look forward toworking with you in your cru-

sade.June Ambrosio

Lawyer andex-columnist for The SUN

Happy 20th anniversary, TheSUN. Congratulations. Ma-raming salamat sa mga balita atmga impormasyon na hatid ngThe SUN newspaper. Moreyears to celebrate. More powerand God bless!

Ching BaltazarPresident, Balikatan saKaunlaran Hong Kong

Happy 20th anniversary, TheSUN: Services of UndefeatedNewspaper...God bless.

Joseph BautistaPresident, Musang Martial

Arts Society

Happy Platinum Anniversa-ry to The SUN-Hong Kong!Wow, 20 years and counting...

Lanie Caderao-CharlesEx-HK OFW/VisayasAlliance Chairperson

Being OFWs in Hong Kongwith limited access to media,The SUN newspaper has al-ways been a very effectivemeans for us to get a glimpseof what is currently happeninglocally as well as abroad, fromnews and current events, law-related issues, financial literacyconcerns, to cooking tips andjokes and a lot more. Thosewho need a reliable and soundsource of information shouldalways pick The SUN.

Happy 20th anniversary, TheSUN. Keep up the great job.We at ROAD Hong Kong willalways be grateful for your ser-vice to the Filipino communityin Hong Kong.

Ma. Weena AdvinculaPresident, Radiant Organi-zation of Amiable Drivers

The BandWilliam Elvin, guitar and

vocalsSatur Tiamson Jr., drumsAndrea Charity Battad,

acoustic guitar and vocalsGabriel Gallardo, keyboard

and vocalsMatt Alvarez Mateo, bass

SponsorsPEYA Travel

AFreightAyalaland Hong Kong

Pag-IBIG FundMetrobank

Emry'sAsian DragonSmart-PLDT

Mr. Nicky FloresMr. Raymond PerezMs. Yanyan BoyceMs. Susan LozanoMs. Tesh Bancod

Ms. Babes MercadoMr. Joseph Bautista

Mr. Rex Aguado

Consul General Bernardita CatallaMs. Cynthia Abdon-Tellez

Ms. Edwina AntonioMs. Ruth Grospe

Mr. Arnold GrospeMr. Saturnino Tiamzon, Jr.

Ms. Jennifer PalorMr. William Elvin Manzano

Acknowledgments:


This is the monthly column fromthe Mission for Migrant Workers,an institution that has beenserving the needs of migrantworkers in Hong Kong for over31 years. The Mission, headed byits general manager, CynthiaTellez, assists migrant workerswho are in distress, and focusesits efforts on crisis interventionand prevention through migrantempowerment. Mission has itsoffices at St John’s Cathedral on Garden Road, Central,and may be reached through tel. no. 2522 8264.

By Cynthia Tellez

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Magpapasko palang, sa‘Via Crucis’na ang mga OFW

Ni Vir B. Lumicao

KURU-KURO

shown to us that the hours,days, months and years spenton making a difference arebearing fruit.

Beyond the statistics – thethousands per year who wecounseled, sheltered, andhelped refer to professionals;the HK$2.5M per year wewere able to help our clientsclaim; the thousands membersof FDW organizations we part-ner with and whose capacity tobe an empowered communityin Hong Kong we tried to de-velop; the researches complet-ed and tens of thousands of re-sources published; the inter-ventions made to make the lifeand condition of migrants morehumane, and; the numerousmore members of the Hong

problems in the living andworking conditions are theprevalent concerns of FDWs

· The MFMW enjoys a rela-tively high awareness amongFDWs who know about usfrom their friends, social mediaand from migrant organiza-tions

· 57% of those who areaware of the MFMW will rec-ommend us to others

· 97% of those who ap-proached us said that we wereable to help them

Many more facts were dis-covered or affirmed in theevaluation exercise. What wasreally striking for us was therevelation that our services andactivities are recognized andwell-appreciated. These have

did this year was a humblingexperience, a learning activityand a process that broughtmore vigor to the MFMW tocontinue with our two-foldmission of bringing timely, re-sponsive and quality service tomigrants in distress while pur-suing the rights-based empow-erment of the community for abetter, more harmonious andinclusive Hong Kong.

Guided by our external eval-uator, Mr. Antonio Tujan, Jr.of the Institute for Social Con-cerns and the IBON Interna-tional in the Philippines, theevaluation process let us lookat our strengths and our weak-nesses, analyzed the impacts ofour work to our service andsupport constituencies, andmade clearer the path we musttake to realize our goals. Mr.Tujan had intimate knowledgeof the MFMW as he also did aprogram evaluation of our or-ganization in 2003.

Looking back to the past 10years, we are very much heart-ened at the accomplishmentswe made and the lives we wereable to touch. From the surveyand focus group discussionswe conducted, we learned that:

· More than half of FDWsare first timers in Hong Kongand went through recruitmentagencies

· Contracts violations and

(This was the speech deliveredby the Mission for MigrantWorkers’ general manager,Cynthia Tellez, at the launchof the 10-year ImpactEvaluation Report of theMission’s work held onDecember 5, 2015 at the LiHall of St. John’s Cathedral)

To the MFMW Board mem-bers; fellow outreach ministriesand the St. John’s family;members of church-based andvarious other NGOs in HongKong; members of the Coali-tion of Service Providers forEthnic Minorities; long-timepartners and supporters of theMFMW; migrants and ethnicminorities communities; distin-guished guests,(I wish to rec-ognize the presence of the Phil-ippine Consul General Ms.Bernardita Catalla) and; theMission’s staff (past, present,old and new)and volunteers(from overseas, in Hong Konguniversities and even from thesecondary school like Cheryl,our pianist) – thank you very,very much for gracing us withyour presence tonight as werelease to the public the resultsof the comprehensive andpainstaking evaluation processof its programs and servicesthe MFMW conducted thisyear.

The evaluation exercise we

The Mission Kong public we were able toreach – there are also the sto-ries of hope we kindled, cour-age we helped them find, con-fidence built, awareness devel-oped, and other unquantifiableimpacts we were able toachieve through our servicesand programs.

In the words of a pastor,“Hong Kong is a far betterplace in having the Mission.”Our heartfelt thanks for such adescription.

From our gains and the iden-tified shortcomings, theMFMW will continue to perse-vere with our mission.

We affirm our belief thatmigrant workers are integral inHK society and thus, they de-serve care, respect and the pro-tection of their rights. We shallendeavor to provide compre-hensive services to migrants indistress, empower their com-munities, promote harmony inhouseholds and work for amore multicultural and inclu-sive society because withoutthese, marginalization and ex-clusion in Hong Kong will per-sist.

As an outreach ministry ofSt. John’s Cathedral and a HKNGO, we hope to contribute todeveloping harmonious andproductive households that arefor the good of all concerned.We will work to ensure thatboth employers and domesticworkers are adequately in-formed about labour laws and

OEC, sabi niya.Kinabukasan ay lalong du-

mami ang mga kumuha ngOEC, kaya doon na sila pinapi-la sa tulay pa-Tamar. Ang bi-lang ay umabot ng 1,300noong araw na iyon, ani ALAHenry.

Sinabi ng mga nakapila naapat na oras na raw sila sa kina-tatayuan at halos hindiumuusad ang pila. Angkaramihan ay OEC talaga angpakay.

Tuwing tatanungin naminkung bakt pinili nila ang pum-ila nag ilang oras dono kaysa samagrehistro sa BM Online atsa internet na lang kumuha ngOEC ay iisa ang sagot nila:“Ano iyon, paano iyon?”

Kung ang pagpila nang mat-agal ay isang paraan para mat-uto nang mag-apply ng OEC sainternet ang mga OFW,harinawa’y nakuha nila angmensahe.

kalye, pinaaakyat sa masikipna hagdanan at pinasasakay samasikip na service lift o eleva-tor na gamit ng mga nagha-hatid ng mga abubot ito angsagot ng isa sa kanila: “Kasinaiinis ang mga taga-HongKong kapag nasisiko o nagigit-git sila ng mga katulong.”

Sinabi naming diskriminasy-on laban sa isang lahi iyon atkapag nakarating sa gobyernoay magkakaproblema ang mgamay pakana. Umiling-ilinglang ang lalaki at hindi nakumibo.

Binanggit namin iyon kayAssistant Labor Attache HenryTianero nang matiyempuhannamin siyang nasa labas ngkanyang salaming hawla saOEC counter. Ang sagot niALA Henry, “Ni-requestnamin iyon, kasi dumami naang tao rito sa itaas, mahirapnang kuntrolin.” Noong arawna iyon ay 950 ang kumuha ng

Nang tiningnan namin ay safire exit ng gusali pala pinapu-punta ang mga kababayan nat-ing may pakay sa POLO, namatatagpuan sa ika-11 at ika-16 na palapag. Sila ay pinaba-baba sa hagdanan at pinapipilasa sidewalk na nakapaligid sagusali upang dumugtong samay mahigit 200 na naunanang pumila roon paakyat mulisa hagdanan.

Nawawalan ng lakas-loobang mga Pinoy, lalo yaongmga nagpaalam lang sandali sakanilang mga amo para saglitinang OEC, kapag nalaman ni-lang ang mga nakapila roon aynakakatatlong oras na pero il-ang metro pa lang ang iniaa-bante.

Nang tanungin namin angmga tauhan ng building man-agement kung bakit nila pi-napipila ang mga Pilipino sa

Kauumpisa pa lang ng Di-syembre ay init ng ulo na angnangingibabaw sa mga OFWsa kahabaan ng tulay mula saAdmiralty Centre hanggang sabagong lugar ng GovernmentHouse sa Tamar.

Kahit palamig na ang simoyang hangin ay nag-iinit pa rinng damdamin kapag nakikitamo ang daan-daang kababayannatin na muling pumipila nangilang oras sa tulay na iyon up-ang kumuha ng isang doku-mentong nagkakahalaga ng 20dolyar.

Unang nag-init ang ulonamin noong Dis 1, nang sapagdalaw namin sa PhilippineOverseas Labor Office saAmiralty Center Tower 1 aynapansin naming ang bawatPilipinong dumarating sa liftlobby ay pinapupunta ng mgaguardiya sa isang sulok.

are culturally sensitized to pro-mote better understanding,mutual trust, positive attitudesand respect of rights.

We will work to developeven more partnerships withimportant sections of the HKsociety such as local communi-ty groups, schools, churchesand faith-based organizations,policymakers and even localauthorities so that services tomigrants in distress are furtherexpanded and made moreavailable. More so, we shallwork with every section of theHK society to work towardsthe elimination of exclusionand marginalisation of migrantworkers for these hurt not onlythe hundreds of thousands offoreign domestic workers whoare mostly women, but thewhole HK society.

We hope that in our continu-ing journey, you will remainwith us and even help us reachout to more people the messageof love, care, charity, harmony,service and empowerment.

What you are holding now isthe concise version of the re-port.

Here, we included the high-lights of our programs and ser-vices for the past 10 years in-cluding what we considered asmilestones of our work. Youcan also find the results of theawareness survey and the im-pact to beneficiaries survey weconducted, as well as the majorpoints in the focus group dis-cussions with beneficiaries,employers and members of theHK public.

This publication also includ-ed the conclusions and recom-mendations of the evaluation.It can give you a glimpse of thedirection that the MFMW willtake in the next years of ourservice.

Should you wish to get acopy of the more detailed one,please do not hesitate to ask usand we’ll gladly provide you assoon as we can.

Again, on behalf of theMFMW, I wish to thank every-one for being with us. Do en-joy your night with everyone.You can approach any of theMFMW staff if you wish toknow more. We also have aphoto booth for souvenir pic-tures that we can send you aftertonight.

For your support and for afuture that truly cares for peo-ple and upholds the dignity ofmigrants and everyone, we re-quest everyone to raise yourglass. Cheers!

Thank you very much.

Kailangan ding pag-ibayu-hin ng POLO, sa tulong ngmga organisasyon ng mgaOFW dito sa Hong Kong, angpagmumulat sa mga kababay-an natin na kailangang magre-histro na sila sa BM Onlineupang sa internet na lang silamag-a-apply ng OEC.

Hangga’t hindi lubusang natatarok ng mga OFW ang kaal-wanan ng pag-aayos ng mgadokumento tulad ng OEC sainternet at hindi mawawala angpila sa POLO.

At lalo pang hahaba ang“daang pa-Kalbaryo” na iyonng mga manggagawang Pilipi-no dahil dumarami ang bilangnila rito sa Hong Kong habangkumakaunti ang mga kasam-bahay na taga-Indonesia.

Ngunit ang pinakamabuti ayalisin na lang ang OEC dahilnakararagdag lang iyon sa mgasinisingil sa mga manggagawanating maliit lang naman angsinasahod. Kapag nagawa iyonng gobyerno, isang pako iyonna mababawas sa kanilangpasang krus.

The SUN Mid-month December 2015 21By Ramon Dizon Jr.(2nd of 2 parts)

The tough-talking mayor ofDavao City, presidentiableRodrigo Duterte, turned senti-mental towards the end of anexpletive-rich exclusive inter-view with The SUN on Nov24.

He said he feels strongly foroverseas Filipino workerslonging to go home to a betterPhilippines.

“Hindi naman ako nagpapa-sentimental pero (naririnigko): ‘Mayor, sana maayos naang Pilipinas para makauwina kami doon’”, he shared.

He said he can’t promise animmediate solution but that ifhe wins the presidential elec-tion next year, he would workon improving the economy“para balang-araw, in the full-ness of God’s time, baka iba naang ekonomiya, uwi kayo,meron ng trabaho”.

But it’s not only economicprogress he said he is after butalso peace and security.“Maubos itong mga kriminal,mawala ang droga, safe mgaanak ninyo”, he said. “I cannotpromise you heaven but I willmake the Philippines a com-fortable place, a comfortablecountry.”

In his bailiwick, Davao, hesaid he challenged the policeand the military to let their chil-dren wander the streets in thewee hours.

“Kung hindi sila nagalaw,walang namolestiya, iyon anggusto ko”, Duterte said.

The recent spate of ‘laglagbala” cases at Manila airportsalso caused the mayor to raisehis hackles. He said the OFWfrom Hong Kong who fall preyto the apparent extortion rack-et could have called him andbeing a lawyer, he could havedefended her.

“Kung may mangyari tawa-gan ako, sabihin n’yo nabaya-ran na ninyo ako (bilangabogado). Ipapakain ko sa ka-nila ang bala, sipain kita diyanah, ipakain ko talaga, bakaakala mo nagbibiro ako,” hesaid, partly in jest.

While he believes that thereare airport personnel who vic-timize passengers, he does notthink there is an organized syn-dicate behind it.

But he said OFWs are partic-ularly vulnerable.

“Ang paborito talaga nila aymga OFW kasi takot yanmagkakaso, (kapag) ’dimakasakay (sa eroplano),mawalan ng trabaho.”

He said the scam would not

be a big concern if he becomespresident.

“Pu....i., huwag mo ako big-yan ng problema na ganun,maraming problema sa Pilipi-nas, wala na nga makain yong(mga) tao eh pasukan mo ngganung gimik”, he warned.

Duterte recalled an incidentin March 1995 when he burneda Singaporean flag in protestover the hanging in the citystate of OFW Flor Contempla-cion.

“Sinunog ko ang flag ng Sin-gapore dahil sa galit ko. Ga-nun ang simpatiya ko sa mgaOFW.” Duterte said. “Ako langang unang opisyal sa Pilipinasna nagsunog ng flag. Yongumagang yon, sinindihan ko nakaagad (ang watawat)”, hesaid in recollection on how heset fire to the flag in the earlymorning after Contemplacionwas hanged to death in Sin-gapore.

He said that then PresidentFidel Ramos and Interior Sec-retary Rafael Alunan III urgedhim to apologize but he reso-lutely refused, saying it was“because of his principle”.“Gusto ng Presidente Ramos,pati si Alunan noon, humingi

ako ng tawad. Ayoko. Isali mona lang rin ako kay Contem-placion, patayin mo na rin, ’dimo ako mapahingi ng tawad.Eh prinsipiyo yan eh, impor-tante sa akin yan, yan lang angmaiiwan ko sa (mga) anak ko.”he said.

Showing his awareness ofOFW-related concerns, he saidhe hoped alleged drug muleMary Jane Veloso won’t sufferthe same fate in Indonesia.

“Sana eh hindi na lang nilapatayin, kawawa naman”, hesaid.

He stated it was also becauseof principle that he decided torun for the presidency at thelast minute. He said he threwhis hat into the ring only afterthe Senate Electoral Tribunalruled that leading presidentialcontender Grace Poe was a nat-ural-born citizen, and was thuseligible to run for the post.

Duterte said this was a clearviolation of the Constitutionand he could not accept it.

As a foundling Senator Poedid qualify to be a citizen of thePhilippines, but not as a natu-ral-born, which is the foremostqualification for a presidentialcandidate.

“Ang pinag-uusapan hindiyang foundling-foundling...ngayon nagbubulahan tayo, gi-nagamit lang nila yan pang-drama! Kasi sa batas, maskidito sa Hong Kong, kinukuhatalaga ng gobyerno yan(foundling), considered citizen,period. Wala naman idinagdagna natural-born.”

He went on to explain whythe Constitution explicitly re-quires presidential candidatesto be natural-born citizens.

“Itong presidency sagrado’to... para yan sa tunay na maydugong Pilipino”, said Duterte.

He also accused Poe of con-tinuing to use her United Statespassport even after she hadsupposedly given up herAmerican citizenship.

“Bumalik na sa pagka-Pilipi-no, pero ’pag lumalabas siya sabansa, ang ginagamit niya ayang American passport”, hesaid.

According to a case decidedby the Supreme Court, he saiddoing amounted to Poe re-nouncing her Philippine citi-zenship all over again.

Had the SET disqualifiedPoe, Duterte said he would’venot considered running at all.

“Kung wala yong desisyon namali.. hindi ako talaga tatak-bo”, he reiterated.

Proof of this, he said, was hisact of declining to board a pri-vate plane sent by a friend tofetch him from Davao to filehis candidacy in Manila on thelast day of submission.

“Wala talaga kasi akongkaambi-ambisyon magingpresidente, o tumakbo manlang. Kontento na ako sa bu-hay ko bilang mayor at isangterm na congressman.”

He said he is already tiredand old having spent 30 yearsin politics, but changed hismind because of principle.

“Prinsipyo lang talaga nag-tutulak sa akin, kailangan ip-agtayo ko at masunod yan,mamatay man ako diyan”, hesaid.

According to him, he doesn’tcare whether he wins or loses,or even be disqualified by theCommission on Election, say-ing “I needed only one day toface the Filipino people and tosay my truth”.

“Alam mo kasi ganito yaneh. Itong Pilipinas, maramitayong tribu-tribo: Ilokano,Bisaya, Tausug, Maranaw,Pangalatok... pero iisang do-kumento lang ang nagpadikit-dikit sa atin. Iyon ay ang Kon-stitusyon.” he explained.

“Ang may hawak sa unitynatin is that piece of papercalled the Constitution. If youdon’t obey it... then that is trou-ble. Pag walang naniwala diy-an talagang sasabog ang bayanna ito.”

“Kaya ang sabi ko, na kungganito, eh wala namang na-niniwala sa Konstitusyon, kungayaw ninyong maniwala, ehhindi na rin kami maniniwala.Yong mga Moro peoplemagsabi ako... magsarili nalang kami sa Mindanao. Ehyong Konstitusyon pala eh bin-abale-wala ninyo. Pinipilit nin-

yo kaming maging parte ngPilipinas ayaw n’yo namangsundin ang Konstitusyon.”

Still, he is not gunning forthe presidency empty-handed.He told The SUN he has a five-fold campaign platform, whichhe said, are of equal weight.

“It’s not one after the other,tabla lahat yan, sabay sabayyan,” was how he put it.

These are:1. Criminality and drugs -

“Tatapusin ko talaga yanmaniwala ka, kasi yong mgakriminal, (pu... i...), pinapatayko talaga. Drugs, baha talagasa Philipinas. Mga snatcher atholdaper, papatayin pa rinkita, eh di sige, kayo rin! Ay-okong magsalita ng patayatayan, pero itong (pu... i...)Pilipinas sumusobra na angkriminal .” He bragged aboutkilling three kidnappers of aChinese national.

2. Graft and corruption - “Ehilan taon ng nag-e-enjoy yongmga nasa gobyerno, tama na,tama na.”

3. Government reform -“Putulin ko yong mga opisinana may digression sa pera-pera. Yong BIR, doon mag-filepero ang bayad sa bangko na.Customs ganun rin. Hindi nasila makahawak ng pera.”

4. Peace and order - Mak-ikipag-usap ako sa lahat, samga rebelde, si Nur Misuari, siJose Maria Sison.. propesor koyan. Sabi naman niya na uuwisiya pag nanalo ako. Sabi ko,‘Sige Sir’”

5. Economy - Magpapaga-wa ako ng marami pang rail-ways para (maibsan) yongtraffic congestion.

Duterte ended by saying hewould not shirk from any de-bates with the other presiden-tial contenders.

“Sanay naman tayo sa yaky-akyak diyan eh, hindi ko kina-tatakutan yan. Hindi ako takot,abogado ako eh!”, he said.

Usapang batas: ano ang mahalaga sa OFWwang eksperto. Ang kaso parasa annulment o dissolution ofmarriage ay maari daw tuma-gal ng isang taon o mahigit pa,at maaring gumastos ngPhp150,000 pataas, depende salugar kung saan isasampa angpetisyon. Kailangan din na per-sonal na humarap sa korte angmag-asawa para tumayongsaksi sa petisyon. Payo niCastillo, mas maigi kungpwede pang ayusin ang relasy-on ng mag-asawa para mulingmabuo ang kanilang pamilya.

asawang kinamumuhian.Nilinaw ni Castillo na ang

legal separation ay pagkahiwa-lay lamang sa higaan dahilbawal pa ring mag-asawa ngiba. Ito ay maari lamang kungnagkaroon na ng annulment, opagpapawalang-bisa sa kasal.Ayon kay Castillo, hindimaaaring makakuha ng annul-ment nang dahil lang hindi namagkasundo ang mag-asawa.Dapat daw ay may mabigat nadahilan, katulad ng “psycho-logical incapacity”, na dapatpatunayan sa korte ng dala-

papawalang bisa ang kanilangkasal. Ganunpaman, may mgaparaang legal upang mapaghi-walay ang kanilang mga ari-arian. Kabilang dito ang legalseparation, o ang paghihiwalayna may basbas ng korte; pre-nuptial agreement o kasunduantungkol sa paghahati ng ka-nilang mga ari-arian bago paman sila ikasal; pagsampa ng“petition for dissolution ofproperty” o ang pagpapangalansa anak na may edad 18 ng lu-pain o anumang pag-aari up-ang hindi ito mahabol ng

tao, at isang forum kasama angilang lider ng mga organisasy-on sa Hong Kong.

Gaya ng dati, pinakamaramiang tanong tungkol sa hiwalay-an, annulment o separation, atang epekto nito sa ari-arian ngmag-asawa. Ayon kay BembolDL. Castillo na isa sa mgaabugadong nagsalita, conjugalo magkahati pa rin ang mag-asawa sa mga ari-arian nanapundar nila kahit hiwalay nasila ng ilang taon. Sa mata ngbatas ay nanatili daw silangmag-asawa hanggat hindi na-

Ni Marites Palma

Napuno ang conference roomng Konsulado noong Nob 15at 16 ng mga Pilipinong mayproblema o katanungantungkol sa pamilya, utang atscam para sa muling pagbaba-lik ng may 40 abugado namiyembro ng Integrated Barof the Philippines o IBP.

Ang dalawang araw na sesy-on ng “Idulog Mo sa IBP2” aynahati sa dalawang parte: per-sonal na konsultasyon tungkolsa batas ng mga indibidwal na Continued on Page 26

From shootingcriminals to kickingextortionists,Duterte vowsbetter Philippinesfor OFWs


exploitation. “So, there’s a lotof abuses happening in secret,”he said.

For the first part of his re-search, Frection interviewedabout 80 domestic workers. Heis now trying to find out whoamong them are in a forced la-bor situation based on 11 indi-cators identified by the Interna-tional Labor Organization.

In the second part of his re-search, which deals with con-ciliation, he has talked to an-other six and accompaniedthem to the EmploymentClaims Board or the LabourTribunal.

He said he was on the lastmonth of his field work andwould spend the next yearwriting his report.

native to judicial and non-judi-cial mechanisms of redress”.

Frection questioned whetherthe conciliation process inHong Kong provides protec-tive remedies for any harm orviolation of human rights asrequired under human rightslaw. His argument is, duringconciliation for claims, the do-mestic worker is under pres-sure to settle because of fearwhen she is fighting for moneythat she has already workedfor, such as salary, vacationpay, or allowance that are stip-ulated in the contract.

One issue in contention, hesaid, is wages in lieu of notice,when one party terminateswithout giving the other party amonth’s notice as agreed in thecontract a worker should not“negotiate and give up some-thing for money that (he) hadalready worked for.

“Nobody’s educated aboutthe plight of migrant workerswhen (conciliation is) handledin secret. No laws are appliedwhen it happens in secret, andno judicial decisions are ren-dered that will impact orchange the way things are hap-pening, so there’s no benefit.”

He said it is only the em-ployers who benefit from thisconciliation system and thiscertainly leads to further labor

vague end of it which is calleda labor dispute.”

His research on local laborlaws was prompted by an inci-dent when he moved to HongKong in 2010 and lived in ablock where one night a live-out Sri Lankan helper cameknocking on his door com-plaining she was starving. Thecouple who employed her hadnot yet returned from dinnerand she was not allowed totouch anything in the fridge.

Frection learned the helpercould not leave until the boss-es arrived and food she broughtwas only for lunch. She saidshe was not properly treated byher employers.

The incident led him to re-search Hong Kong labor laws,and found there was nothing inthose laws governing workinghours. That was also when hecame across Helper for Do-mestic Helpers and offered hisservices to the NGO.

“My focus is on the concili-ation process (which he calledAlternative Dispute Resolutionmechanisms) and how they doit here, not only in the LabourDepartment, resolving so-called labor disputes,” Frectionsaid. He said the focus is onmicro-level conciliation, “butwhen you look at it on a biggerscale, it’s more about an alter-

and regulation of employment,I think very little attention isbeing paid to the seriousness ofthe offense,” said Frection.

“The government seems toconsider simple labor disputes,such as arguments betweenemployer and employee, as thebigger issue and I think there’san opportunity to probably tryand change that”.

Frection said setting up anNGO was one option he hadbeen considering to achievechange. “If you want to raisethe issue then you have to havethat avenue,” he said, but theminimum he could do waswork with another NGO that’salready providing advice.

“So, I think there’s still anavenue for working with thatNGO or set up something dif-ferently,” Frection said in aninterview in a coffee shop inSheung Wan on Nov 19.

The former US Army soldierand police officer who hadworked for three years withHelpers for Domestic Helpersin Hong Kong before returningto the United States, said hewould rather focus on the hu-man rights side of labor issues.

“When you think about it,what you’re dealing with nowis actually a human rights vio-lation,” Frection said. “It’s justthat you are looking at the very

hours a week, the only reasonfor that is your employer isabusing your position of vul-nerability,” Frection said.

He said “if you’re living inyour employer’s home, youdepend on them for your shel-ter, food and wages, and if youwork 15 to 16 hours a day andyour livelihood depends ion it,how can you say no?” he said.

Frection says his research fo-cuses on the human rights vio-lations such as the very longworking hours and very littlefood common in Hong Konghouseholds, which put the cityin a category where forced la-bor exists, based on Interna-tional Labor Organizationnorms.

Another issue he considers ahuman rights violation is theban on domestic workers livingoutside their employers’homes.

Frection came to Hong Kongin May this year as close to fin-ishing his study of the plight offoreign domestic workers forhis PhD in Human Rights Law.He told The SUN that from hisinterviews with migrant work-ers here, he thought “there’s aspace in the law” where the is-sue of human rights has notbeen considered properly.

“When you look at the cir-cumstances of employment

By Vir B. Lumicao

Hong Kong employers’ prac-tice of requiring their migrantdomestic helpers to work up to18 hours a day is tantamountto forced labor, as the workersobey out of fear and are vul-nerable to abuse because of thelive-in policy, a visiting re-searcher says.

Petty issues such as argu-ments between the employersand helpers seem to be givenmore weight by the govern-ment than violations of work-er’s labor and human rights,said Reginald Frection fromthe University of York’s Cen-tre for Applied Human Rights.

“Excessive working hours isone of the indicators of forcedlabor, and the law says that if aworker is working substantial-ly more hours than the nation-al average, you’re working ex-cessive hours,” Frection said.

A Labour Department studyin 2012 showed the averageworker puts in 48 hours aweek, and in a worst-case sce-nario, a security guard wasfound to have worked 69 hoursa week. On the other hand, do-mestic helpers work 16 hourson average, or up to 18 hours aday, or 96 to 108 hours a week,he said.

“If you’re working 96 to 108

Gov’t turning blind eye to forced labor in HK: researcher

Frection

touch the ground.Poon Ku Lam was put out on

second base, Ng Yin Yi man-aged to reach second base butfailed to go home when batterWu Yau Yin was caught onfirst base.

Hidalgo batted first in thesecond inning and got safely tofirst base. Octaviano wascaught on first base, but Hidal-go managed to run to the homeplate when Badajos slammedthe ball to the left outfield.

The feat allowed Badajos, aformer Philippine NationalTeam and UP Diliman player,to run all the way to third base.She later dashed to home basewhen Gaborno struck anotheroutfield ball.

Gaborno, however, wasstuck on second base whenMendez was caught on first.

When it was Feliz's turn tobat, pitcher Gaborno swappedpositions with third basemanBadajos, giving the latter achance to pitch and train forthat role as well.

field ball that took her to sec-ond base and sent Mendez re-turning to home base.

At their turns on the battingplate, Carol Baguitan took afree walk while Edith Hidalgostruck the ball to the center out-field that took her safely to sec-ond base. Hidalgo's hitter alsoallowed Mabaquiao to dash tohome base and Baguitan tothird base.

Cherry Octaviano was putout on first base.

Fate scored five more runsvia Badajos, Japitana,Gaborno, Mendez and Algon-ez to put the Filipinas safelyahead at 12 in the first inning.

The rattled Feliz playershoped to gain ground as theytook over the batting plate, butfirst batter Michelle Lee wascaught on a fly ball by thirdbaseman Badajos.

Playing with what seemed tobe ironclad defense, Fate gaveFeliz no room to score. Onlyfour of the local players got achance to swing their bats, asthe Filipinas did not let the ball

Don Gaborno also blastedthe ball to the center outfield,sending base runners Badajosand Japitana to the home baseunhampered, and the team cap-tain herself sailing safely tosecond base.

Ma. Eva Mendez alsosmashed the ball to the outfieldwhile Lyka Algonez wascaught on first base. But EmilyMabaquiao struck another out-

league following a 2-5 loss tolast year's No.3 team Sieger onNov 22.

Zenny Badajos of the awayteam started the game at TinKwong Road with a free walkon pitching errors by Feliz.Then Myra Japitana slammedthe ball to the center outfieldthat allowed her to reach sec-ond base, and base runnerBadajos to the third.

By Emz Gaborno

All-Filipina team Fate A com-bined brilliant playing andtight defense to engineer a 20-4 victory over local squadronFeliz in a Hong Kong SoftballAssociation women's leaguematch on Nov 29.

The triumph gave Fate, thefifth places last season, a 2-1win-loss slate in the 2015 open

SPORTSFate A pounds rival Feliz, 20-4

Christmas party at the beach: Members of Mindanao (HK) Workers Federation spent a fun-filled Christmas Party at Repulse Beach on Dec. 13. Special dishes were served for lunch, afterwhich Christmas carols were sung during a short program. Some members took advantage ofthe warm weather to frolic on the beach and take part in parlor games. --Gina N. Ordona

Feliz first batter Wong MauTing got a free walk as Badajosadjusted to the new role.

Next batter Chau Wing Yeewas put out on first base with apass ball from Gaborno to Jap-itana, but Chow Yee Ling alsohad a free walk.

Leung Ka Po keyed Feliz'sfirst two runs when she blastedthe ball to the outfield, sendingbase runners Wong and Chowdashing unhampered to homebase while Leung herself sailedto second base.

In the third inning, coachMa. Eva Mendez reshuffledthe players to give others achance to play.

The Filipinas continued toscore, courtesy of Algonez,Sherlyn Gamata, Romela Osa-bel, Sarge Cepe, Badajos andJapitana.

Feliz also scored two moreruns in their last chance to batvia Wu Yau Yin and WongMau Ting, 4-20, to stay at thebottom of the ladder with a 0-3win-loss slate.


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PEOPLEBy Vir B. Lumicao

Christmas has come early for83 Filipinos languishing ineightjails in Hong Kong forvarious offenses. Since thefirst week of December, the in-mates have been visited by of-ficials of the Consulate bear-ing gifts consisting of basicitems that they need in theprisons, such as bath soap,shampoo, chap sticks or lipgloss for winter, and fooditems.

The annual prison visitscame as Consulate officials in-dicated a sharp rise in the num-ber of Filipinos locked up injail this quarter compared withthe quarter ending Sept 30.

Vice Consul Fatima Quintin,head of the assistance to na-tionals section of the Consu-late, told The SUN on Dec 2that Filipino convicts in HongKong prisons had increased to83. That figure is 29.7% morethan the 64 reported at the endof September.

The officials kicked off theyearly prison visits with aChristmas program for the Fil-ipino inmates at the Lai ChiKok Reception Centre on Dec3, Quintin said.

Leading the visits was Con-

sul General Bernie Catalla,who delivered the Christmasmessage to the inmates, ac-cording to Quintin.

Catalla was joined by Quin-tin and other ATN officers whotook turns in escorting the con-sul general on the visits.

In the second week of De-cember, the Consulate officialsvisited Lowu on Dec 7, SiuLam on Dec 8, Tai Lam onDec 9, and Stanley, Tung Tauand Pak Sha Wan on Dec 10,Quintin said. The last visit willbe at Pik Uk on Dec 21, shesaid.

Aside from those in Lowu,Filipino inmates at two othermajor detention facilities, Stan-ley Prison and Tai Lam Cor-rectional, were treated to a fullChristmas program with aband led by Nicki Flores, whohas been providing music tothe annual treat.

“Masaya, aside from thegift-giving, meron pang kan-tahan at dancing kasi ngayonlang sila nagkasama-sama,Nagkaroon ng opportunity nanagkita-kita sila,” said Quintin.

FOOD TRIP

PCG holds Christmasvisit to jailed Pinoys

achuete seed extract is used toadd color to the dish. It is al-ways served with bagoong orshrimp paste, which is oftensauteed in pork oil, or spicedup with chili.

Although every region in thePhilippines has its version ofkare-kare, Filipinos neverseem to tire of eating thismuch-loved dish whicheverway it is served.

tional pork trotter. Even thevegetables used varied fromone dish to the other, withsome using banana blossoms,okra, green chili and the usualeggplant, string beans andpechay.

Kare kare is a Filipino dishthat acquires its distinct flavorfrom its thick and creamy soupbase made from ground peanutand rice flour. Annato or

gade who took the last slot pre-sented her dish in a no-non-sense way, though it tasted al-most as good as the rest of theentries.

The judged were asked torate each dish based on taste,texture and presentation.

Each entry was unique, withthe cooks using different kindsof meat, from the usual oxtailand ox tripe to the non-tradi-

the National Organization ofProfessional Teachers. Er-estain made her dish distinct bypre-frying her eggplants in vir-gin coconut oil to give it asmoky flavor. Cejeben did hersin the most unpretentious buteye-catching way, with thetripe so soft it could almostmelt in the mouth.

Vicky Adriosula of Consoli-dated Filipino Community Bri-

was made entirely fromscratch.

Lorna Villano of CapizAchievers who took secondplace used all natural and freshingredients in her dish that onecould still see traces of thecrushed peanuts she used tomake the sauce.

Tying for third place wereJanine Erestain of Sikap Asso-ciation and Grace Cejeben of

cookingcontestBy Jo Campos

A traditional Filipino recipedone in different ways was thefocus of Damayan OFW HongKong's Pamaskong Handog2015 held in Admiralty Gar-den on Dec. 13.

Five confident cooks tookpart in the "kare-kare" cookingcontest held to highlight thecelebration, with the judgescarefully selected from theConsulate and the professionaland business sectors.

Taking top prize was NatyManalo of Diwa't KabayanBenlife Society who dished upher entry in a slotted tray wherethe ingredients were servedseparately. She said her sauce

Damayan HK holds kare-kare

The winning entry. Damayan members and guests led by Congen Bernie Catalla join in the feasting.

As in previous years, theemcees for the program wereradio show hosts Jun Paragas,better known as “Tita Kerry”and Michael Vincent.

Quintin said the top three of-fenses of which the Filipinoshad been convicted were theft,breach of condition and over-staying.

The majority of the 83 con-victs are in Lowu Correctional,a major detention center forimmigration offenses, mainlybreach of condition of staysuch as taking on other jobsthan their contractual domesticwork and living outside theiremployers’ homes.

The longest-held Filipinoprisoner, who was sentencedfor murder, has been in HongKong’s maximum securityprison in Stanley for more than20 years.

One of the bands thatperformed (upper photo)

made their drums sing. Inthe lower photo, the crowd is

one of the biggest in years.

Concert in the Park rocksHong Kong for 29th year

29th Concert in the Park onDec 6.

Around 2,000 people fromdifferent walks of life, mostly

Gave Me You" by BryanWhite, nine of the city's topbands dished out a rich reper-toire of songs as they rockedand regaled the public in the

By Ramon Dizon Jr.

From the classic "Heaven" byBryan Adams to the AlDub na-tion's national anthem "God Continued on page 26


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For enquiry please call:3488 9583 • 6381 0109

Blessings Employment Agency1. Car Park Security Guard 15K.Any Nationality.8pm to8am TKWan2. Driver 15K Stay out Tai Po3. Driver Bel Air Stay in 12K. American boss.4. Driver SHung Shui S tay in.New HK drving licence 6K+.5. Stay in/out Cheung Sha Wan Indo or Fil 3 adults.6. Lady Drivers, 3 vacancies,5.5K-11K, stay-in6. Male Masons/ Female nurses 6.5K7. Waiter/Waitress (salary 9Kup) 50/hr x 10hrs Mongkok

Dishwasher - salary 12KMongkok (Have Dishwasher )Working hours: 12-10pm

8. Yuen Long Houseboy/Gardener and 2 maids.8. Houseboy, 6’ tall, 200 lbs,body builder,20K, any nationality.10. Male Nurse or Male Caregiver, to care for paralyzed.11. Male 5’11” 200 lbs. to care for male patient 200 lbs. live-in.12. Filipina Clinical Instructor ($ 9,000) – 1yr.exp., + 3 yrs. Reg. staff

nurse, Hospital with 100 bed capacity. Private Nurse – Reg. Nursewith exp. Tube Feeding & suctioning.7K

13. Male caregiver - Yuen Long. Take care of a disabled 130lbs.14. Couple job for male (new comer), possess International driving

license, gardener first later become driver, give time going out toattend the driving lessons, Yuen Long.

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Buhay PinayFrom Page 4

katulong nga ito sa mga naghihirap na pamilya sa Pilipinas. Da-hil sumama ang loob ay tumayo si Victoria sa kinatatayuan atdinala ang sanggol sa kwarto nito. Nahalata naman ito ng mganag-uusap kaya pinuntahan siya ng bisita at inabot ang regalo,sabay sabi ng, "Thank you Victoria for looking after my grand-daughter. Merry Christmas," sabay yakap sa kanya. Tumangolamang si Victoria, at hindi na nakuhang magpasalamat pa sainis. Totoo man ang sinabi ng bisita ay masakit pa rin sa ka-looban niya, lalo pa't ang kahirapan sa Pilipinas ang talagangnagtulak sa kanya para magtrabaho sa ibang bansa at iwanan angnag-iisang anak sa kanilang bayan sa Cagayan Valley. - MaritesPalma

TsokolateAnim na taon nang naninilbihan si Ana sa mga among puti saShatin, at masayang masaya siya dahil hindi nagbabago ang ma-gandang pakikitungo nila sa kanya, lalo na ang kanyang mgaalaga na binata't dalaga na. Itinuturing siyang kapamilya ng mgaito, at lahat ng kanilang kinakain ay natitikman din niya, mali-ban sa isang klase ng tsokolate na paborito nilang kainin at hindiniya pwedeng pakialamanan. Lahat ng mga regalong tsokolateng mga amo ay inaabot nilang lahat kay Ana, kaya madami siy-

ang naiipon na ipinapadala niya agad sa pamilya tuwing maymagbabakasyon. Kapag siya naman ang umuuwi ay hindi nasiya bumibili ng mga pasalubong na tsokolate dahil sa dami ngkanyang naiipon. Gayunpaman, tuwing makakakita niya na mayuwing tsokolate ang mga amo na paborito nila ay agad niya itongitinatabi sa refrigerator. Sa tuwa ng mga amo sa pagiging maala-lahanin ni Ana ay lalo pa siyang inuuwian ng iba't ibang klase ngtsokolate na ayaw nilang kainin. Si Ana ay isang Ilokana, mayasawa at dalawang anak. - Marites Palma

TakotBiglang nagbago ang ugali ni Nelia magmula nang lumipat siyang amo. Hindi na siya ang dating palapansin at madaldal na Pi-nay na matagal na nilang kakilala dahil palipat-lipat lang ito ngamo sa iisang gusali. Ayon sa mga kapwa niya katulong ay hindina ito sumasabay sa kanilang kumain kapag wala ang kani-ka-nilang mga amo, hindi na namamansin, at kahit kausapin mo ayhindi sumasagot. Kahit makasabay daw nila ito sa paglalakadpapunta sa pagsusunduan sa kanilang mga alaga ay lagi dawmabilis ang lakad nito, bago bigla na lang mawawala. Medyonaliwanagan lang sila nang minsang mabanggit ng amo ni Neliasa isa pa nilang kasamahan kung magkano ang ipinapasahodniya dito. Medyo malaki sa karaniwang sahod ang nabanggit nahalaga, kaya napag-isip isip nila na marahil ay ito ang dahilankung bakit iniiwasan na sila ni Nelia. Gayunpaman, ipinagkibit-balita lang nila ang nalaman. Hindi naman daw dapat pinipilit na

kausapin ang tao kung halatang umiiwas ito sayo. Mula noon ayhindi na lamang niya ito pinapansin kahit magkasabay pa sila sapagsundo. Si Nelia ay sampung taon na dito sa Hong Kong, tu-bong Iloilo, may asawa at naninilbihan sa mga among Briton saMidlevels. ---Grace Gonzaga

BukingIlang buwan pa lang si Rosie sa kanyang matandang amo kayahindi pa niya kabisado kung saan nakalagay ang mga gamit nito.Nag-for good na kasi ang dating nag-aalaga dito kaya kung maykailangan ang amo ay naghahalungkat muna siya para makitaang anumang hinahanap. Isang umaga ay hinanap ng amo angcardigan niya na Hermes pero nailabas na lahat ng laman ngaparador ngunit wala siyang nakita. Hindi mapakali ang amokaya iminungkahi ni Rosie na tawagan na lang ang dating katu-long. Sandali lang nag-usap ang amo niya at dating katulong da-hil nadala daw nito pauwi ang hinahanap na cardigan. Hindi na-man nagalit ang amo pero bago ibinaba ang telepono ay mariinnitong sinabi sa dating katulong na kailangang ibalik ang cardi-gan sa lalong madaling panahon. Makalipas ang ilang araw aydumating nga ang nawawalang damit sa pamamagitan ng koreo.Bagama't hindi kilala ni Rosie ang pinalitan ay nahihiya pa rinsiya sa naging asal nito. Buti na lang daw at umamin naman agaddahil kung hindi ay baka siya pa ang napagbintangang kumuha.Si Rosie, may asawa, ay taga-Laguna. ---Gina N. Ordona

NasunogNaka-iskedyul na operahan si Jenny sa isang ospital dito sa HKpero nag-desisyon siyang gawin na lang ito sa Pilipinas para maymag-aasikaso sa kanya na kamag-anak. Maganda naman angresulta ng kanyang desisyon dahil nang pumunta siya sa opital saMaynila ay sinabi ng doktor na hindi siya kailangang operahan.Sumailalim siya sa iba pang pagsusuri at sa huli ay sinabi ngdoktor na kailangan lang daw siyang i-raspa upang malinis angkanyang matres. Simpleng operasyon lang naman ang raspakaya madali din lang itong natapos. Pero paglabas ni Jenny saoperating room ay napansin niyang nasunog ang kanyangkanang tuhod. Nang tanungin niya ang nurse tungkol dito ay sin-abing baka allergic siya sa gamot. Pero ayaw maniwala ni Jennydahil nang sumunod na araw ay nahalata niya na talagang na-sunog nga ang kanyang balat. Bandang huli ay umamin din angnurse na hindi daw namalayana na bumagsak ang droplight sakanyang tuhod. Hindi na siya nagreklamo pa pero nang lumabassiya ng ospital na mas ininda pa niya ang sakit ng tuhod kaysa saginawang pag-raspa sa kanya. Si Jenny ay may asawa at dala-wang anak. ---Gina N. Ordona


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By Vir B. Lumicao

Door-to-door cargo volumesfrom Hong Kong have startedto bounce back this quarterfollowing a slight slowdowntriggered by the Bureau ofCustoms’ foiled attempt in Au-gust to inspect all balikbayanboxes and tax all dutiablegoods.

But the pace of recovery isuneven, with the market leaderreporting a significant increasein volume and other playerssaying business is just startingto pick up, or simply has notclimbed back to previous lev-els.

There have been protestsfrom OFWs in Hong Kong andelsewhere after Customs Com-missioner Alberto Lina orderedthe opening of door-to-door

boxes sent home by overseasFilipinos purportedly to curbtechnical smuggling.

The largest Filipino freightforwarder in the city, A-Freight, said it had achieved a10% rise in cargo shipmentsfollowing the temporary set-back in September.

Yolly Marquez, manager ofthe A-Freight shop in World-Wide House, Central, told TheSUN there was a brief slow-down when OFWs delayedtheir shipments as they waitedand watched out with concernfor the next Customs move re-garding the boxes.

The only delay happenedduring the Asia-Pacific Eco-nomic Cooperation summit inManila last month, when thecapital was off-limits to allland, sea and air transports.

Deliveries of OFW boxes wereheld back by delayed releasingof containers.

“Actually, nagkaroon langng delay yung releasing dahilsa APEC, pero ngayon, so farso good. Wala namang effectyung pagbubukas ng box saamin,” Marquez said. So far,everything has returned to nor-mal.

Focus Door to Door, whichhas been in the Hong Kong-Manila freight-forwardingbusiness for the past 29 years,said there had been no changein its sales volume since theCustoms started opening box-es.

World-Wide House branchofficer-in-charge Evelyn Cruzsaid Hong Kong, in fact, wasnot affected by the Customspolicy.

“Hindi naman talaga naape-ktuhan ang Hong Kong, eh.Naniwala lang ang mga tao.Mas maganda nga po angnangyari na dinala sa yard da-hil nababantayan namin,” Cruzsaid, adding that if a box fromHong Kong was opened, Focuswould ask the inspectors to putback the contents into the boxproperly.

It was a different story forSuper Ace Cargo, which stillhas to see volumes return tolevels before the balikbayanbox controversy, said a staff inits shop in World-Wide House.

“Since nagkaproblema saCustoms, hindi na namin(maabot) yung dati,” the staffsaid.

“Kung nakita nyo sa TV,yung binubuksan-buksan nilaang mga box, that is so bad,

natakot tuloy ang mga tao,ayaw nilang magpadala,” shesaid.

Lina reminded OFWs thatthe value of a balikbayan box’scontents must not exceedUS$500, and canned goods,grocery items and other house-hold effects must not be morethan a dozen of a kind. He saidused or new apparel must not

Cargo box business picks up ahead of holidays exceed 3 yards per cut.Lina said home appliances

were not allowed in balikbayanboxes unless these are con-signed to returning Filipinoresidents and overseas contractworkers.

The regulations are meant toprevent OFWs taking advan-tage of their tax-free privilegeto engage in business.

The Customs head also saidthe law allows only one con-signment per sender during aone-month period.


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Tungkol naman sa usapingscam, payo ni Socrates Paduang IBP na iwasan ang mag-pabuyo sa mga investment nanangangako ng mabilisangpagyaman, lalo na kung na-kasalalay ito sa dami na iyongmare-recruit na maglagay dinng pera. Huwag daw maniwa-la agad sa mga nakaimpren-tang testimonya na nagsasab-ing yumaman ng walang ka-hirap-hirap ang isang tao samaikling panahon. Magtanongsa Securities and ExchangeCommission kung lehitimongnakarehistro ang kumpanyanglalagyan mo ng pera.

Dagdag pa ni Padua, huwagmaging inggitera at umasa nayayaman agad dahil maaringmaging dahilan ito ng pag-aaway ng isang pamilya kapagang pinaghirapang pera aymawawalang parang bula.Ayon pa sa kanya, kung nalokona minsan ay huwag nang ul-itin pa ang pagpasok sa isanginvestment na kaduda-duda.

Ang isa pang isyu na binigy-ang linaw ay ang tungkol samga pag post sa social mediakabilang ang Facebook ng mgamalalaswang litrato ng isangdating ka-relasyon. Maari dawireklamo ang taong gumawanito, pero sa lugar lang kungsaan ito nangyari.

Ayon kay Kimberly See naisa rin sa mga nagsalita, hindiilegal ang pag-post ng litratong isang nangutang na hindinagbayad, basta hindi malaswaang litrato, at tama lahat angmga impormasyon inilagay.

Sa tanong naman ng isangginang na natatakot diumanona baka hulihin siya paglapagniya sa airport, sinabi namanng mga abugado na maari niy-ang malaman kung may luma-bas nang warrant of arrest la-ban sa kanya. Alamin lang dawniya ang case number at lu-mapit sa IBP Bulacan Chapterupang mabigyan siya ngkaukulang tulong.

Ang mahalagasa OFWFrom Page 21

Kaalaman sa long-distance parenting, mahalaga sa OFWsNi Grace Gonzaga

Paano mo pangangatawananang pagiging magulang kungikaw ay wala sa piling ng iy-ong mga anak, dahil ikaw aynasa ibang bansa upangmagtrabaho?

Ito ang binigyang kasagutanni Irene Padasas, isang manan-aliksik sa Psychology Depart-ment ng Ateneo de ManilaUniversity, sa isang seminar naginanap sa Konsulado noongDis 6, at dinaluhan ng may ha-los 20 katao.

Ayon kay Padasas, mas

malaki ang epekto sa mga anakkung ang ina, kaysa sa ama,ang mangingibang-bansa, lalona kung hindi kaya ng pag-ii-wanan ng mga anak na ala-gaang mabuti ang mga ito.

Ang matinding epekto ngpaglayo ng isang ina ay laloraw nakikita sa mga sanggolhanggang sa limang taong gu-lang na mga bata.

Sinabi ni Padasas na angedad 0-5 taon ang pinakama-halagang yugto upang mabuoang relasyon ng anak sa kan-yang mga magulang at dapatay nasa piling siya ng kanyang

nanay at tatay.Kung talagang kinakailan-

gan magtrabaho sa malayo, saedad na 6-10 umano ang mara-pat na pag-iwan sa isang anak,ngunit kailangan ding tiyakingmaayos ang sistema ng supor-ta sa mga naiwan.

Sa isang isinagawang pag-aaral, natuklasang isa sa pi-nakamahirap na karanasan ngisang magulang o sitwasyon ngisang pamilya ay yaong nasaibang bansa ang magulang atparang hindi na siya kilala nganak na iniwan.

Ayon sa pag-aaral na iyon,

ani Padasas, nangyayari angganoong sitwasyon at alam ngisang magulang na may kulangpa rin kahit naibibigay niyaang mga pangangailangan ngkanyang anak.

Dito umano pinakamahalagaang komunikasyon sa pagitanng isang anak at ng magulangna malayo sa isa’t isa, ayon kayPadasas.

Sinabi niyang kailangan saugnayang ito ng mag-ina angmga tanong at pag-uusap namay kalidad, kaysa sa tanunginkung anu-anong mga bagayang gusto ng anak. “Kahit na

malayo ka sa iyong mga anak,dapat masiguro na hindi la-mang materyal ang naibibigaymo sa iyong mga anak, kundipati ispiritwal, emosyonal, atsosyal na pangangailangan,”ang payo ni Padasas.

Ang nasabing pagbabahaging kaalaman tungkol sa pagig-ing isang magulang na nawalaysa mga anak ay programa ngUgnayan at Tulong sa Marali-tang Pamilya Foundation, Inc.

Isa sa mga nagtatag sa gru-po, na mas kilala sa tawag naUgat Foundation, ay si Fr. NiloTanalega SJ.

Ang Ugat Foundation aymay misyon na tulungan angmga pamilya ng mga OFW namaibsan ang lungkot ngpagkakalayo. Ang layuning itoay nasasaad sa kasabihan nggrupo na “We seek to help Fil-ipino families ease the pain ofseparation and to strengthenthem through healing and em-powerment.”

Concert in the Park rocks HK for 29th yearFrom Page 22 during their half-hour on the

stage.The final act was percussion

ensemble Salvaje, a group ofAfrican, British, Chinese andFilipino musicians, "perform-ing Afro-Brazilian rhythms us-ing traditional samba batucadainstruments".

The band received an enthu-siastic welcome from thecrowd as it performed popularChristmas carols and even theiconic Filipino pop song,"Anak".

As in previous years, theshow was hosted by Filipinoradio personalities MichaelVincent and Jun "Tita Kerry"Paragas with Jay Martinez asthe disc jockey.

The concert "aims to pro-mote cultural exchange and thejoy of music for the Filipinocommunity and locals alike",according to a flier promotingthe event.

The high energy sent mid-performer T4Band starting itsslot wild on hip-hops but end-ed up with its female lead vo-calist turning emotional.

She was handed tissue paperto wipe off her tears while a"last song" flag was wavedwhen the group performed be-yond its allocated time.

Local Filipino bands such asthe Black Widow, Call ofDuty, D'bloodFunk and Mish-mash played a wide array offoreign and Filipino songs.

New Filipino youth organi-zation Section Juan also sent itsyoung performers for the firsttime on stage as the bandAmusika.

Kick-starting the whole-af-ternoon concert was Stacs, alocal rock band comprisingJapanese, Chinese and Ameri-can musicians.

Blues band 852Blue beltedout a series of British blues

The bands' rendition of"Sweet Child o' Mine" byGuns N' Roses, "Always" byBon Jovi, the more contempo-rary "Mr. Brightside" by theKillers, and "Diamonds" byRihanna further electrified thecrowd.

The marshals eventuallygave in to the swaying andstomping after their few failedattempts to keep the crowd ontheir seats on the outdoor stairsof the piazza.

HKMU chairperson ManuelaLo. This was followed by thepresentation of certificates ofappreciation to all participatingbands and the show's sponsors.

A mix of pop, rock, punk,hip-hop, blues and samba mu-sic interspersed with Tagalogrock and ballad songs usheredin the Christmas season as thebands pitted against each otherin the annual event at the HongKong Cultural Centre piazza inTsim Sha Tsui.

overseas Filipino workers,sang and swayed to "The Beatis On" theme of the loud andlively free concert presented bythe Leisure and Cultural Ser-vices Department and the Phil-ippine Consulate General andorganized by the Hong KongMusicians Union.

Starting off the program wasthe ribbon-cutting ceremonypresided over by Consul Gen-eral Bernardita Catalla and


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By Vir B. Lumicao

For bringing in a stunning de-vice given by her bodyguard, awoman from Manila ran afoulof Hong Kong law and wasfined $1,500 by a Tsuen Wanmagistrate on Nov 30.

Ma. May Getulio appearedbefore Acting Principal Magis-trate Cheang Kei-hong andpleaded guilty to a charge ofcarrying an unlicensed weap-on.

The defendant, a tourist, was

arrested at 7:13 am on Nov 28after a security scanner at theHong Kong International Air-port detected the weapon in hersuitcase.

Police checked the deviceand said it was a stunning de-vice.

“Hong Kong prohibits per-sons from carrying such weap-ons. You are convicted of theoffense of possessing an unli-censed weapon on your ownadmission,” the magistratesaid.

“I’m sorry, your Honor. Mybodyguard gave it to me, say-ing it was for my protection.But I use it only as a flash-light,” Getulio said.

There was no indication incourt as to what the defendantneeded a bodyguard for.

The magistrate said this be-ing Getulio’s first offense, hewas fining the Filipina $1,500.

Hong Kong laws prohibitcarrying of offensive weaponssuch as tear gas, bullets, stunguns, flick knives and knuckle

Filipina tourist fined for stun gun in luggagedusters in their checked in orhand-carried luggage.

This year, about 85 Filipinosincluding Getulio have beenconvicted of carrying offensiveweapons. Most of the offend-ers were seafarers visiting ortransiting Hong Kong.

Vice Consul Fatima Quintin,

head of the assistance to na-tionals section of the Consu-late, has urged Filipino travel-ing or transiting Hong Kong toavoid bringing offensive weap-ons in their luggage as thesecould put them in trouble.

She said the Department ofForeign Affairs had asked the

airport authorities in Manila towarn travelers about the re-striction.

Frequent travelers to Manila,however, say there are no post-ers at any of the Ninoy AquinoInternational Airport terminalswarning people about the pro-hibited gadgets.

Drug carrier’s case adjournedBrazil via Abu Dhabi.

The slew of drug traffickingcases originating in Manila hasled concerned groups to askwhy Ninoy Aquino Interna-tional Airport security cannotdetect kilos of drugs being tak-en to destinations abroad,while they could intercept suchtiny things as bullets.

Even officials of the Consu-late in Hong Kong have ex-pressed concern and suggestedthat trained dogs be used tosniff baggage at the NAIA ter-minals before they are loadedonto planes to ensure they arefree of drugs. – Vir Lumicao

drug was detected when hersuitcase was run through an x-ray scanner.

Acting Principal MagistrateCheang Kei-hong granted theprosecution’s application foran adjournment of the hearingto Jan 11 and ordered Dia re-manded in jail custody.

Around 10 Filipina drugcouriers have been arrested atHong Kong airport this yearwhile attempting to smugglecocaine and methamphetaminehydrochloride, popularly calledice, into the city from Manila.

At least two cases involvedFilipinas who traveled from

A Filipina tourist charged withtrafficking more than one kiloof suspected cocaine in Sep-tember returned to Tsuen Wancourt on Nov 30 but the magis-trate ordered her to return inJanuary pending test results onthe drug seized from her.

Ma. Cristina D. Dia was ar-rested by customs agents atHong Kong airport on Sept 5after the drug, with a street val-ue estimated at $1.3 million,was found hidden in a secretcompartment of her luggage.

Dia arrived on a flight fromManila and was about to clearcustoms when the dangerous

The welfare officer learnedfrom her colleague Obedozathat one shelter client was leav-ing but that another distressedworker was already booked forthe place to be vacated.

“Meron hong aalis na isa,kaso mauuna ho muna angnasa likuran nyo, kasi OFWyan,” she said.

Tiu, who helped NanayTarcila walk to the OWWA,found Santos’ comment offen-sive. “Sa ganitong sitwasyonhindi ba siya puwede sa shel-ter?” Tiu asked. Santos ex-plained the shelter was full.

“Puwede naman ako kahit sasofa, sanay naman ako kahitnakaupo,” the woman insisted.

Tiu and her colleagues inOFWs in HK then took Nanay

OWWA’s refusal to shelter sick, elderlyoverstayer sparks firestorm on FacebookFrom Page 18 at Bethune House in Jordan.

On Dec 9, Bethune Houseofficers accompanied the eld-erly woman to the ImmigrationDepartment to surrender. Shewas told to post bail of $2,000and go for a medical check-upon Dec 15, before returning foranother interview.

Tarcila to the assistance to na-tionals section of the Consulatewhere she was issued a one-waytravel document.

The group then contactedCynthia Tellez, general managerof the Mission for MigrantWorkers, who was able to ar-range a place for Nanay Tarcila


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She tried with her right hand,then with her left, still nothing.She tried with her mouth, firstwith the teeth in, then with herteeth out, still nothing.

“We even called up Arleen,the lady next door and she triedtoo, first with both hands, thenan Armpit, and she even triedsqueezin' it between Her knees,but still nothing.”

The doctor was shocked!

“You asked your neighbor?”The old man replied, “Yep,

none of us could get the jaropen.” —Carolyn E.

PreggieHillary Clinton goes to her

doctor for a check-up, only tofind out that she's pregnant.

She is furious. Here she is —in the middle of her electioncampaign — now this has hap-pened to her!

She calls home, gets Bill onthe phone and immediately

starts screaming: “You bas-tard! How could you have letthis happen? With all that's go-ing on right now, you go andget me pregnant! How couldyou? I can't believe this! I'vejust found out I'm five weekspregnant and it's all your fault!Well, what have you got tosay?”

There is nothing but dead si-lence on the phone.

She screams again, “Did youhear me?”

Finally, she hears Bill's very,very quiet voice, in a barely

audible whisper: “Who's call-ing?” —Andre Kahn

Farmer who?Inutusang mag-grocery si

Yaya. Pagdating doon, nag-text agad ito sa amo.

Yaya: Mam, wala po silangfarmer sanchez dito.

Amo: Ha? Ano yun, Yaya?Yaya: Farmer sanchez po.

yung inilagay nyo sa ispageti.Amo: Yaya, it’s parmesan

cheese.Yaya: Ay, ganun? Thanks ,

Mam.

DangerousWhen you drink vodka over

ice, you can get kidney failure.When you drink whisky

over ice, you can get heart

probems.When you drink gin over ice,

you can get brain problems.Apparently, ice is really bad

for your health.Warn your friends!

NaanakanAnak: ‘Nay, buntis po ako!Nanay: Walang hiya ka!

Binigyan ka ng maayos na bu-hay kahit hirap kami ng tataymo, iyan pa ang igaganti mo!

Anak: Mayaman po yungama, ‘Nay.

Nanay: Bakit hindi namansinabi agad, anak. Sige, mag-pa-checkup tayo bukas. Sa-mahan kita. Love you, anak!

RelaxingNagbakasyon si Juan sa

Pinoy JokesFrom Page 31

Boracay.Nakahiga siya alapotsa beachnang duman ang isangAmerikano.

Amerikano:Hey, are you re-laxing?

Juan: No!May dumaang Intsik.Intsik: Are you relaxing?Juan: No!May dumaang Hapon.Hapon: Are you relaxing?Juan: No I’m not relaxing.Nabuwisit si Juan dahil

araming nagtatanong sa kanya.May nakita siyang Koreano, ayitinanong ang kinaiinisan niya.

Juan: Are you relaxing?Koreano: Yes, I’m relaxingBinatukan ito ni Juan.Juan: Buwisit ka. Ikaw pala

si Relaxing. Kanina ka pa hina-hanap ng mga turista dito!Nagpagkakamalang pa tuloyako.


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BalitangArtistaFrom Page 30

VIC, PAULEEN NASA HKDumating sina Vic Sotto at

ang kanyang fiancée na si Pau-leen Luna noong Dec. 11 saHong Kong. Balitang ditobibili ng sapatos si Pauleen atiba pang gagamitin sa kanilangkasal.

Wala pang sinasabing mgadetalye sa magaganap na kasalat sabi ni Vic ay hindi nila ita-tago, pero malamang na sa Jan-uary na ito maganap, pagkata-pos maipalabas ang kanyangpelikula na kasali sa MetroManila Film Festival. Sa ngay-on ay nais lang daw muna ni-lang magkaroon ng privacy.Tatlong daang katao na rawang kumpirmadong dadalo,kaya sana ay makontrol ito ngmaayos.

Sa presscon ng pelikulang"My Bebe Love", ganito angsinabi ni Vic: "Gusto namin'yung solemn na seremonya.Simple, hindi grandioso, walamasyadong fanfare. Kumbaga,it's more of family and friends.I don't call it exclusive. It'smore private, para solemn angseremonya. Hindi namannamin itatago o ipagkakait saating mga Dabarkads, dahil isi-

share namin at the right time."Basta lahat na announcement,lahat na pangyayari, makikitanila sa Eat Bulaga,."

CRISTINE AT ALI, TU-LOY ANG KASAL

Hindi natuloy ang pagpapa-kasal nina Cristine Reyes at ngfiancé niyang si Ali Khatibi sabuwang ito dahil hindi pa taposang bahay na ipinapatayo nila.Garden wedding sana ang bal-ak nila na gaganapin sa baku-ran ng bago nilang bahay, perohindi nga natuloy.

Sa interview sa kanila niKris Aquino sa KrisTV, sinabinila na sa January na nila itutu-loy ang kanilang simplengkasal na dadaluhan lang ngkani-kanilang pamilya. Bayadna raw sila sa gagawing prenuppictorial sa Balesin island re-sort, kaya doon na rin dawgagawin ang kanilang beachwedding. Mas gusto raw niCristine na naka-dress at slip-pers lang siya.

Noong 2013 nagkakilala angdalawa sa pamamagitan ng ka-nilang mga kaibigan, kabilangna si Champ Lui Pio na pare-hong malapit sa dalawa, peronang panahong iyo ay maygirlfriend si Ali. Noong na-karaang taon sila naging mag-on, at isinilang ni Cristine angkanilang anak na si Amarahnoong February 2015.

MGA NANALO SA AWITAWARDS

Napanalunan ni SarahGeronimo ang Album of theYear para sa kanyang albumna Perfectly Imperfect sa 28thAwit Awards noong December9 na ginanap sa Music Muse-um.

Panalo bilang Song of theYear ang awiting "Ikaw" nanilikha ni Yeng Constantino,samantalang nakakuha namanng dalawang awards ang ba-tang singer na si Darren Espan-to para sa Best Performance bya New Male Recording Artistpara sa "In Love Ako sa Iyo" atBest Album Package of theYear.

Si Julie Anne San Jose angnakakuha ng Best Selling Al-bum of the Year para sa albumniyang "Deeper", at Best RapRecording, kasama si Abra.

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Janice Javier ("Never KnewLove (Until I Met You)

Male Recording Artist - (Buntong Hininga ) JohnoyDanao

New Female Recording Art-ist - Kiana Valenciano ( DearHeart )

New Male Recording Artist- Darren Espanto ( In LoveAko Sa Iyo)

Group of Recording Artists -Koro Ilustrado ( Krismas Na )

New Group Recording Art-ists - Innervoices ( Paano )

Best Collaboration - LaniMisalucha ft Angeline Quinto,KZ Tandingan & Yeng Con-stantino ( May Bukas Pa )

Best Performance by aChild/Children: Lyca Gairanod( Narito Ako )

CREATIVITY:Album of the Year - Perfect-

ly Imperfect ( Sarah Geroni-mo)

Song of the Year - "Ikaw"(Yeng Constantino)

Best Ballad Recording - "Mahal Ko o Mahal Ako" ( KZTandingan)

Best R&B Recording -"Torpe" ( Kris Lawrence)

Best Inspirational/ReligiousRecording - "Ipagpatuloy Mo,Galing ng Pilipino" (Gary Va-lenciano)

Best Jazz Recording - "Hin-di Magbabago" (ArthurManuntag)

Best Rock/Alternative Re-cording - "Salbabida" (Kyla,Jungee Marcelo)

Best Rap Recording - "Ded-ma," ( Abra & Julie Anne SanJose)

Best Dance Recording -"Dyosa" ( Yumi Lacsamana)

Best Novelty Recording -"Di Sinasadya," ( Crazy as Pi-noy)

Best World Music Record-ing - "Salubong," ( JohnoyDanao)

Best Christmas Recording -"Pamaskong Anyaya" ( Musi-

ca Chiesa)Best Regional Recording -

"Usahay" ( Pilita Corrales ft.Chad Borja)

Best Song Written for Mov-ie/TV/Stage Play - "Ipagpatu-loy Mo, Galing ng Pilipino" (Gary Valenciano, TFC 20thAnniversary)

OTHER AWARDS:Best Selling Album of the

Year Award - "Deeper" ( JulieAnne San Jose )

Music Video of the Year -"Out of Control," ( Pupil)

Best Album Package - Dar-ren Espanto

Most Downloaded Song-"Nakakamiss"

Most Downloaded Artist/s -"Smugglaz, Curse One, Dello& Flict G

Dangal ng Musikang Pilipi-no Award: The Dawn

Ang Awit Awards aytaunang proyekto ng PhilippineAssociation of the Record In-dustry , Inc. (PARI).

The SUN Mid-month December 201530pon dahil kalaban sa pulitika niVilma ang dating mayor nito.Ang nakaluklok ngayon na siMayor Edna Sanchez na biyu-da ng dating mayor ay nakipagkasundo na rin sa kanila at na-kiisa sa kanilang magandanglayunin.

Ito na ang huling Ala EhFestival sa pamumuno ni Vil-ma dahil huling termino naniya ito bilang gobernadora,kaya ang hiling niya ay sanaipagpatuloy rin ito ng hahalilisa kanya. Mahalaga raw itodahil nagkakaisa ang mga Ba-tanguenos upang maipakitaang kultura, tradisyon atprodukto ng kanilang lalawi-gan.

Gaya ng mga nagdaang taon,may mga kaibigan ang gober-nadora mula sa showbiz angdumalo at makipagsaya. Saevent na Voices, Songs angRhythms ay nag-perform sinaPops Fernandez, Vhong Na-varro, Christian Bautista, BillyCrawford, Alex Gonzaga atang mag-asawang DingdongAvanzado & Jessa Zaragoza.Sana raw ay mapakiusapanniya ulit ng mga kaibigan niyasa showbiz na muling dumalosa susunod pang taon para ma-pasaya ang mga Batanggenyo.

Samantala, naitanong dinkay Vilma kung kailan mapa-panood ang pelikulang "All ofMy Life" na pinagsasamahannila ng kanyang future daugh-ter in law na si Angel Locsin atni Xian Lim. Hindi pa raw sig-uradong maipapalabas ito saJanuary dahil may anim nashooting days pa silang natitira.Nahinto raw ito dahil kinailan-gan nang magpa-opera si An-gel sa iniindang sakit sa kan-yang likod.

Baka pagbalik ni Angelmula sa bakasyon sa Amerika,kasama ang kanyang boyfriendna si Luis Manzano, ay itutuloyagad nila ang kanilang peliku-la.

4) Haunted Mansion - (Re-gal Entertainment) - JanellaSalvador, Marlo Mortel, Jer-ome Ponce. Directed by JunLana

5) My Bebe Love (datingRomcom-in Mo Ako) - Oc-toarts Films,/ MZET Prod./APT Entertainment. StarringVic Sotto, Aiai Delas Alas, Al-den Richards, Maine Mendoza

Directed by Jose JavierReyes.

6) Nilalang (The Entity) -(Haunting Towers PicturesInc.), Cesar Montano, MariaOzawa, directed by PedringLopez

7) Walang Forever - (Quan-tum Films), starring JerichoRosales, Jennylyn Mercado,Lorna Tolentino, with guestsDerek Ramsey & Maja Salva-dor, directed by Dan Villegas

8) Honor Thy Father - (Real-ity Entertainment). John LloydCruz, Tirso Cruz III, MerrylSoriano. Directed by Erik Mat-ti. Pinalitan ng pelikulang itoang naunang finalist na "Her-mano Pule" na umatras dahil sakakulangan sa budget.

Ang awards night ay gaga-napin sa December 27. Gaga-napin naman sa December 23ang tradisyunal na parade ofstars, kung saan ay sasakay samakukulay na floats ang mgaartistang kasali sa ipapalabasna mga pelikula.

ALA EH FESTIVAL NIGOV. VILMA, DINAGSA

Masayang nairaos ang 2015Ala Eh Festival na pinamunu-an ng Batangas governor Vil-ma Santos. Nakilahok ang 31bayan at 3 siyudad ng Batangassa taunang festival para sapagdiriwang ng 434th founda-tion day ng lalawigan. Ginanapang festival mula Dec 1 hang-gang Dec 8, at sa unangpagkakataon ay ginanap ito sabayan ng Sto. Tomas, na datiay hindi sumasali ang Sto. To-mas sa mga ganitong pagtiti-

ABS CBN President CharoSantos-Concio. Directed byAntoinette Jadaone.

2) Beauty & the Bestie - (ABS CBN Film Prod./ VivaCommunications Inc) starringVice Ganda, Coco Martin,James Reid, Nadine Lustre,Alfonso Muhlach. Directed byWenn Deramas.

3) Buy Now, Die Later (for-merly Death and Senses) -Vhong Navarro, John Lapus,Rayver Cruz, Alex Gonzaga,TJ Trinidad, Lotlot de Leon &Janine Gutierrez. Sa direksyonng baguhan, at batang directorna si Randolph Longjas.

malakas pa rin ang hatak sapubliko nina Vice Ganda atKris Aquino. Isinali sa kani-kanilang pelikula ang dala-wang sikat na love team nasina Kim Chiu- Xian Lim(KimXi) at James Reid at Na-dine Lustre (JaDine) para masmasiguro ang pagtabo nila satakilya. Ang tanong na langngayon ay kung alin sa tatlongpelikula ang tatanghaling "topgrosser" sa MMFF.

Ang mga pelikulang magla-laban-laban:

1) All You Need is Pag-Ibig( Star Cinema) - Kris Aquino,Derek Ramsey, Kim Chiu,Xian Lim, Jodi Sta Maria, IanVeneracion, Bimby Yap, NovaVilla, Ronaldo Valdez at Pok-wang. Kasali rin sina Julia atTalia Concio na mga apo ni

Puspusan na ang promotion ngmga pelikulang kalahok saMetro Manila Film Festival2015 na magsisimulang itan-ghal mula sa December 25.Ngayon pa lang ay inaaban-gan na ang pagsasanib-puwer-sa ng mga fans upang supor-tahan ang kani-kanilang idoloat magka-alaman na kung kan-inong pelikula ang tatanghal-ing top grosser at mananalo ngawards.

Kaabang -abang ang resultang unang pelikula ni MaineMendoza (aka Yaya Dub),katambal si Alden Richards(AlDub), lalo na at kasama nilasina Vic Sotto at AiAi delasAlas, na dati nang nag-hari atreyna ng takilya sa mga na-karaang taon.

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Remittancecan now bedone by phone— for freeA new system to send moneyto the Philippines through asmartphone has been launchedin Hong Kong.

The mobile app, availablefor download at www.bux.com, promises to lower thecost of sending money home orpaying bills in the Philippines,while doing it from anywhereand at any time. With the app,an OFW needs only to buyload at 7-11 conveniencestores, from which her remit-tances will be deducted.

Vice Ganda, a bux.combrand ambassador, said remit-tance is no longer a product buta value added service and soonremittance from Hong Kong tothe Philippines should and willbe a free service.

With the app, the servicemeans no bank account and nocredit card is needed.

One also no longer needs togo to banks and remittanceshops to remit amounts to thePhilippines because this is nowa function of one’s mobilephone, the company said. “Themass deployment of the Inter-net-enabled smart-phone is al-ready starting to turn retail,customer interaction and pay-ment experiences upsidedown,” the company said.

“The world of remittancehas changed forever,” it added.

Vice Ganda shows app.


Share a joke! Send it to:PINOY JOKES

c/o The SUN, Rm. 1002 Yue ShingCommercial Bldg., 15 Queen

Victoria St., Central Hong Kongor e-mail to:

[email protected]

TV bloopersBihira akong manood ng TV

kaya hindi ako naambunan ngtalino nang pinalabas ang mgaquiz segments na ito:

Q: Kung ang light ay ilaw,ang lightning ay . . .

A: Umiilaw!Q: Kung ang tawag sa kuma-

kain ng gulay ay vegetarian,ang tawag sa kumakain ng taoay . . .

A: Humanitarian?Q: Sina Michael at Raphael

ay mga. . .A: Ninja?Q: Ang isang sikat na Willie

ay si . . .A: Willie da pooh!Q: Kung ang bansa ng mga

Pakistani ay Pakistan, ang ban-

sa naman ng mga Hindu ay ...A: Hindunesia?Q: At ang bansa ng mga Ca-

nadians ay . . .A: Canadia!Q: "Kumpletuhin - Little

Red . . . "A: "Ribbon!"Q: Beauty is in the eye of the

. . .A: Tiger?Q: Ang “S” na tawag sa

duktor nag nago-opera ay . . .A: Sadista?Q: Si Dr. Jose Rizal ay bina-

ril sa . . .A: Likod!Q: Kung ang dengue ay na-

kukuha sa lamok, ang sakit naAIDS ay nakukuha sa . . .

A: Motel?Q: Kung ang H2O ay water,

ang CO2 ay . . .A: Cold water!Q: Ang sagot sa bugtong na

"Heto na si kaka, bubuka-bukaka" ay . . .

A: Operadang bakla?Q: Sa Biblia, ang higanteng

G na tinalo ni David ay si . . .A: Godzilla?Q: Kadalasan ang TV ay pi-

napatay pag oras na ng . . .A: Balita (aray ko!)—Chelo B.

New jobA businessman hailed a cab

from his hotel and asked to bedriven to the hospital about amile away.

The driver started drivingbut he was only going about 15mph.

The passenger banged on thepartition and said speed it up.

The driver screamed, hit thegas and plowed into a tree.

The passenger said, “Whatthe heck is wrong with you?”

“This is my first day drivinga cab,” the driver said. “I drovefor a funeral home for 15 years

TUPA Isinilang noong 1919/31/43/55/67/79 at 91Magtatagumpay ka sa ginaga-wa mo ngayon, pero mag-in-gat sa mga naiinggit na nasahanay ng iyong kaaway atmaging ng mga kaibigan. Ban-tayan ang kinakain upang ma-pababa ang cholesterol level.May oras ka ngayon para saintelektuwal na bagay: pagba-basa, at pagkakaroon ng inter-es sa iba’t ibang bagay.Hangga’t maaari, iwasangmagkaroon ng love affair samga kasamahan upang makai-was sa problema at maingatanang reputasyon. Lucky num-bers: 13, 19, 25 at 36.

UNGGOY. Isinilang noong1920/32/44/56/68/80/92May kutob kang napapagkai-sahan ka; pakalmahin ang lu-molobo mong self pride at anglahat ay magiging maayospara sa iyo. May pag-asa angmga lonely hearts ngayon da-hil sa mga bagong kakilala.May perang darating, ang ibaay tatanggap ng mana. Ma-ganda ang relasyon sa mga ta-ong malalapit sa iyo. May

problema sa panunaw ngay-on, iwasan ang pagkaing mat-itigas, at nguyaing mabuti angkinakain. Lucky numbers: 7,18, 23 at 44.

44.

TANDANG Isinilang noong1921/33/45/57/69/81/93Kung walang karelasyon, ma-rami kang pagpipilian ngay-on. Piliting makita angkabutihan sa mga bagay, atisipin ang magagandangbagay sa iyong buhay. Huwagpahirapan ng husto ang sarilisa mga problema! Ugaliingkumain ng tama at mag-eher-sisyo. Sa trabaho, mas main-am ang maingat kaysa samabilisan na lagi namangmay mali. Sanaying gumawang maayos at ibuhos ang aten-syon sa trabaho. Lucky num-bers: 15, 21, 31 at 45.

ASO. Isinilang noong 1922/34/46/58/70/82/94Negatibo ang pananaw mo salahat ng bagay, kaya hindi kanakakatulog at nakakakain ngmaayos. Kumilos at ayusinmo ang iyong pananalapi. Salove life, magkakaroon ngmga pagtatalo, away o hiwa-

layan, pero hindi nawawalaang iyong masimbuyo atpisikal na hangarin. Maii-wasan din ang hindipagkakaunawaan dahil mabi-lis kang makapag-isip at mak-agawa ng paraan. Makakaasang tulong sa kaibigan Luckynumbers: 22, 28, 30 at 41.

.

BABOY. Isinilang noong1923/35/47/59/71/83/95Huwag maiinggit sa iba dahilmarami rin silang problemanggaya mo. Sa pag-ibig, magingmapagbigay at dagdagan angpasensiya. Kung nainsulto sasinasabi ng iba, piliting kal-imutan ito. Kung mas mabiliska pa kaysa sa musika, maba-bawasan ang pagiging epekti-bo ng galaw. Oras na upangpangalagaan ang iyong kiniki-ta. Maaaring lumago ang perasa tamang pamamahala atpag-iingat. May swerte ringdarating. Lucky numbers: 6,18, 29 at 32.

DAGA. Isinilang noong1924/36/48/60/72/84/96Magiging mapangahas ka sapakikipag-relasyon ngayon.Mag-ingat. Kahit sa tingin moay maaga pa, pag-isipan mona rin ang pag-iiwanan mo ngiyong mga ari-arian kapag du-mating ang tamang oras. Mag-eenjoy ka ng husto sa piling ngiyong barkada. Mainit at

maayos ang relasyon sa mala-lapit sa iyo, lalo na sa mgaanak dahil maipapadama moang pagmamahal. Luckynumbers: 11, 19, 27 at 44.

39.

BAKA. Isinilang noong1925/37/49/61/73/85/97Huwag pakasiguro sa mga ki-los, kontrolin ang sarili. Mag-ingat na baka matuksongsumugal sa isang bagay namaaring ikapahamak mo sahalip na kumita. Malakas dinang loob mong pumasok saisang relasyon na maaringmagdulot lang ng kabiguan.Mahihirapan kang makisamasa malalapit sa iyo dahil ikawlagi ang hinihingan ng tulong,pero wala kang nakukuhangkapalit. Huwag mahiyangbanggitin ito sa kanila. Luckynumbers: 7, 25, 26 at 37.

.

TIGRE Isinilang noong1926/38/50/62/74/86 at 98Hindi mapakali at balisa kangayon. Sa trabaho, unti-untimo nang nakikita ang positi-bong resulta ng pinaghirapan.Mag-ingat na ipagkamali angpanaginip sa totoong pangya-yari dahil magdudulot langyan ng katamaran o kaya aysama ng loob. Pagkakaroonng love affair o pagkakaibiganng magkaibang henerasyonang maaaring mangyari sapanahong ito. Magiging

masaya ka sa piling ng mgataong kinagigiliwan. Luckynumbers: 3, 17, 25 at 30.

KUNEHO Isinilang noong1927/39/51/63/75/87Mag-ingat sa isang taong pi-nagkakatiwalaan dahil ito paang maglalagay ng hadlang saiyong patutunguhan. Isantabimuna ang nakasanayanggawin at lumabas upangmakakita ng mga bagongmukha. Hindi ito ang tamangpanahon para sa transaksyongpinansyal o hinggil sa lupa.Isang masaya at nakakalokanglove affair ang namumuo. Up-ang makamit ang inaasam,sundin ng buong higpit angmga plano at huwag hayaangmadiskaril ito. Lucky num-bers: 10, 29, 30 at 35.

DRAGON Isinilang noong1928/40/52/64/76/88Iwasan ang mga taongnamimilit na umanib ka sa ka-nilang grupo o organisasyon.Makikilala mo na rin ang pi-napangarap na karelasyon, atkung nagsasama na, magigingmaligaya ka. Bawasan angpag-inom ng alak o matatamisna inumin kung ayaw monglumobo ang katawan. Malakiang tsansa mong ma-promoteo tumanggap ng umento.Kung may sariling negosyo,mag-ingat sa mga delikadong

transaksyon. Lucky numbers:16, 20, 23 at 40.

AHAS Isinilang noong 1929/41/53/65/77/89Masayahin ka sa pakikipag-usap ngayon. Ang love life aypatuloy ding mainit at mali-gaya. Maganda rin ang lagayng kalusugan, maliban sa ibana nakakaranas ng hindi regu-lar na pagtibok ng puso. Satrabaho, hindi ka takot sumu-gal pero alalahanin na hindimatibay ang kalagayang pin-ansyal ngayon. Huwag magti-wala sa kaunting pagbabagosa pananalapi dahil panan-dalian ito; iwasan ang malak-ing pamumuhunan. Luckynumbers: 9, 15, 24 at 45.

KABAYO. Isinilang noong1930/42/54/66/78/90Magbabalik ang tiwala ngmga tao sa iyong kakayahan.May magagaling kang ideyana sayang kung hindi magag-amit. Mag-ingat sa mga gas-tusin, at iwasan ang mangu-tang. Makikilala mo ang isangtaong makakasundo mo samaraming bagay. Mas mataasang ambisyon mo ngayon atmakakaasa ka ng tulong samga taong kailangan mo. Hu-wag mag-alinlangang subu-kan ang matututuhan upangmaisagawa ang plano. Luckynumbers: 12, 26, 28 at 39.

HOROSCOPENi Ate Johna

which was as clean and emptyas on the previous day.

The doctor asked what hap-pened and the man explained,“Well, doc, it's like this — firstI tried with my right hand, butnothing. Then I tried with myleft hand, but still nothing.Then I asked my wife for help.

quested by his Doctor for asperm count as part of hisphysical Exam. The doctorgave the man a jar and said,“Take this jar home and bringback a semen sample tomor-row.”

The next day the 85-year-oldman reappeared at the doctor'soffice and gave him the jar,

and no one ever banged on mypartition. You scared the liv-ing-daylights out of me!”

Old problemsOld people have problems

that you haven't even consid-ered yet!

An 85-year-old man was re-

Haaay, ang saraaap!


filipina claims employer burned her with flatiron

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