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:
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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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March 2015
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Migrant's Forum
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I thought I was just dreaming when I heard the
continued blast of firecrackers at around
12 midnight on February 18th, the first day of
the Chinese New Year, at Clear Water Bay. For awhile,
I thought I was back in the Philippines celebrating the new
year with my family, but then I heard
the loud beats of the drum and the deafening sounds of the
cymbals, and I realized I was still in
Hong Kong, joining hordes of others in welcoming the year of
the sheep.
I first heard, then saw, the
traditional performance of the Ha Yeung Lion Dance Lau
group followed by dozens of villagers
with their kids in tow, all dressed up in brightly colored
Chinese costumes as they followed the
performers from house to house.
According to Kitty Lau, who has been playing the
cymbals for the lion dance group for the
past five years, she finds pleasure in what she does, as she
shares the traditional Chinese belief that
loud music and lion dancing can aggressively evict bad or evil
spirits.
The ritual is also believed to bring good luck the
whole year round, and the family that
takes part will have a healthier life.
During the performance of the lion, the masked
dancer of the Qilin (most commonly
peformed by the Hakka people from Northern China) will take
the potted plant with hanging red packets
from each house, strip it off its leaves, which will be left
scattered on the ground. Then the stem with
only the roots left will be given to the master of the house, on
the belief that the roots symbolize
the essence of life.
After the house-to-house dancing ritual, the
firecrackers hanging on a pole are ignited. These
let out a loud popping noise as they are usually strung
together by the hundreds. The louder the sound
of the exploding fireworks the better, as this is thought to scare
away evil spirits. The noise has
also become an integral part of Chinese New Year celebrations
in most parts of the world.
Hong Kong used to follow this tradition, but a series
of accidents caused by lighted
firecrackers has led to this practice being banned in urban
areas. To make up for this, the government has
been putting on a fireworks display over Victoria Harbour on
the second day of the lunar new year.
The three-day Lunar New Year celebration is the
biggest event in the Chinese calendar, as it
is seen as the perfect time to honor deities and ancestors. Prior
to this event, tradition dictates
that every family should thoroughly clean their house in order
to sweep away any ill fortune, and
give way to any incoming luck. Windows and doors are
decorated with red color paper-cuts with
popular themes of good fortune, happiness, wealth and
longevity.
According to Mark Rodriguez, a Singaporean
national and a resident of Leung Fai Tin,
the Chinese believe that the New Year is a time for good food,
and sharing with what you have to
families and friends. Following this tradition, his family has
been hosting lunch to close friends on
the first day of festivities, since settling in the village three
years ago.
Their Filipina household worker Claire Apilado says
that she prepares the special food that
is served to the Rodriguez family guests each year.She
normally prepares a vegetarian dish whose
main ingredient is a black, hair-like algae knows as fat choi;
boiled chicken, which every Chinese
family, no matter how humble, should be able to afford on
special occasions like this; fish or yue, which
is believed to bring in an abundance of good fortune; leek (da
suan) served with Chinese sausage
or cured meat, which is supposed to bring in money.
She also fills a fruit basket with mandarin oranges or
pinyin, the most abundant and
popular fruit during this festival, which is traditionally
associated with good fortune; melon seed (kwat
ji) and its variations which include sunflower, pumpkin and
others, as they symbolize fertility.
Sweets are also stored in red or black candy boxes, as a sign of
abundance, while tikoy (mangao)
which many Filipinos associate with Chinese new year
celebrations, is also known to usher in a
prosperous new year.
Claire Rodriguez who gave red packets (lai sze or lai
see in Cantonese, hong bao in
Mandarin) to children and grownups who were present in
their backyard, said that it is very common to
give red packets for good luck when the Qilin comes.
The money in the red packet is meant to ward off
evil spirits during the festival. In addition
to red envelopes which are usually given by to the young ones,
gifts are also brought when
visiting friends and relatives in their homes. Common gifts
include fruits like oranges, cakes,
biscuits, chocolates and candies. Certain items cannot be
given, including clocks, which symbolize the
ticking of life, or of escorting someone to the grave; green hats
which mean infidelity; shoes as they
sound like sigh in the local dialect; pears which symbolize
separation, handkerchiefs which are used
at funerals, umbrellas which signify the closing of something,
and any sharp objects such as
scissors and knives as they signify the cutting of ties.
On the other hand, wearing new clothes symbolizes
having more than enough things to use
and wear in the New Year.
Red is a preferred color as it suggests good luck, and
is seen as an emblem of joy, virtue,
truth and sincerity.
Many families also pose for portraits after the family
gathering, as this is regarded as an
important part of celebrating the occasion.The photo is
usually taken to the hallway, or placed in front
of the house. During the New Year feast, the most senior male,
usually the head of the family sits at
the center. According to Andy Wong a resident of Ha Yeung
Village, the master of each house where
the lion dance group stops, is obliged to give a red packet
containing no less than $100 to the
group. This money is spent to buy the group's needs, like food,
flags and other decorations they need
for their performance and practice, held two to three days
before the celebration.
Robert Horvath who has resided in the village for the
past three years, said he and his
family enjoy watching the lion dance and the lighting of
firecrackers. Though they are not Chinese,
they have embraced the customs and traditions associated with
the biggest event in the local calendar.
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Our guest columnist for this issue has been a regular
contributor of The SUN for the past
two years, but also holds key positions in other Filipino
community organizations. She is the
founding president of the Roxas Group of Migrants, and is
currently general secretary of Isabela
Federation. Marites holds a bachelor of science degree in
agriculture, major in crop science. She lives with
her generous employers in Clear Water Bay
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