Editor's Note |
20 years of service to the community
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Time flies.
Exactly 20 years ago this month, The SUN shone for the Filipinos in Hong Kong. It was
the fulfillment of a dream that took shape years earlier, or shortly after I arrived here in 1987 and
realized there was no reliable information channel serving the community.
But turning that dream into reality proved to be difficult. Several people offered to fund
the publication of a news-paper, but everyone wanted a business model different from what we had
in mind.
Details...
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Anak Araw |
Pagpapabaya
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Nitong nakaraang buwan ay naging saksi tayo sa nangyari kay Manang Gloria Ortinez,
ang OFW na biktima ng tanim-bala sa Manila airport. Halos buong araw kasi ay naglagi siya sa
opisina ng The SUN, kasama ang mga naghatid sa kanya na sina Susan "Toots" Ople na tagataguyod ng
mga OFW, at ang abogado niyang si Atty Spocky Farolan, kaya nasaksihan namin siya nang malapitan.
Details...
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Migrant's Forum |
Nanay Gloria's journey to HK
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President Benigno Simeon Aquino III recently told the media that cases of tanim-bala
were sensationalized, citing figures to prove his point. As an OFW advocate, I respectfully
disagree. Looking at this from a purely numbers perspective could lead one to overlook the deep trauma
that such incidents have caused its innocent victims.
Had he met and spoken to 56-year old OFW Gloria Ortinez, our President would have
learned the following:
Details...
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Know Your Rights |
The Mission
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This was the speech delivered by the Mission for Migrant Workers' general manager,
Cynthia Tellez, at the launch of the 10-year Impact Evaluation Report of the Mission's work held on
December 5, 2015 at the Li Hall of St. John's Cathedral.
Details...
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With at least one -- and possibly two disqualification cases in the presidential race --
the Supreme Court has assured the nation politics will not dictate its decisions.
See this month's stories...
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Staff and volunteers at the Mission for Migrant Workers had reason to celebrate when
they launched the non-government organization's 10-year Impact Evaluation Report at Li Hall of St
John's Cathedral on Dec. 4. Nearly all, or 97% of migrants who sought assistance said that they were
helped by the Mission, and more than half of them (57%) said they would recommend the NGO to others.
See this month's stories...
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December 2014
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Editor's Note
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A group of Filipino workers may be looking at a happier Christmas after the POEA ruled
in their favor in an illegal fee case they filed against a well-entrenched agency, Findstaff.
The recruitment firm which prides itself as the first to be given accreditation by the POEA,
lost its licence after the OFWs courageously kept up their fight, despite threats to their jobs.
All seven who stayed on as complainants are now happy enough to have been proved right,
and get back their hard-earned money.
But they and their supporters, notably our friend, Bishop Gerry Vallo, are also humbled
about having caused the mighty agency to fall to its knees.
After all, Findstaff is known in the recruitment circle not just as a pioneer agency, but also
as one of the biggest in terms of deployments.
The decision is not yet final at this stage as the agency has 15 days to appeal, which it
could very well do, given the high stakes involved.
But given the strongly worded decision written by Administrator Hans Cacdac himself,
we could dare say a reversal is not likely.
We commend not just the valiant OFWs who persisted in their quest for justice, but also
their supporters, starting with Bishop Vallo and his fellow ministers who took several trips to Manila
to help press the case.
Respect, too, to the officers at the Consulate who, despite a potential backlash from a
co-equal department, helped the complainants execute the affidavits that formed the basis for the
POEA decision.
Lastly, Administrator Cacdac should also be commended for cracking the whip on an
erring recruiter, no matter how old, or big and influential, it may have been.
This is the kind of case that makes one hope that all is not lost in the quest for justice in
our country.
But having said that, one dreads to think what could have happened if our OFWs did not have
a minister's group fighting for them. Or if there were no right-thinking officers at the Consulate
who willingly spent hours helping draft their complaints.
There, too, was Senator Alan Peter Cayetano who immediately fired off a resolution calling
on POEA to act on the matter.
But the biggest credit should still go to the seven OFWs who soldiered on, despite
pressures from their employers, their agency and even well-meaning friends to just give up.
For people who have long helped migrant workers fight for their rights, half the battle is
already won if the complainants are as tenacious as this group.
By the time the case got POEA's attention, nearly half of them had already lost their jobs.
Some managed to find new employment in Hong Kong, while others were forced to go back to the
Philippines. Still, everyone stood their ground.
With this victory, they will not only get back the money that was illegally and forcibly
collected from them; they are also showing the world that it pays to fight for one's rights.
That is what justice is all about.
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