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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It was a funeral ceremony usually accorded only to heads of state and top military brass, but
the person for whom it was held on May 17 was no less worthy.
Ambassador Domingo Lucenario, Jr., who has since his death become known as "the
people's diplomat", was buried with full military honors at the Holy Cross Memorial Park in Quezon City
not only because of how he died, but more because of how he lived.
From the time his body was flown home from Pakistan where he died in a helicopter crash
on May 7, there was so much outpouring of grief from people who had known Lucenario that even
his family was surprised.
As his wife Nida and children Marien, Dondon and Nikki later told friends, the
overwhelming affection shown by many for the late diplomat, fondly called AmbaDoy by many, helped them
greatly in coming to terms with his death.
The grief of many was such that several of those who had worked with him or became
his friends from his postings in Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Kenya and Pakistan, flew to Manila
to pay their last respects.
Even President Benigno S Aquino III took time to personally condole with the family during
the four-day wake held at the Heritage Park in Taguig City. Afterwards, he ordered all flags at the
Department of Foreign Affairs and at all overseas posts to fly at half-mast during AmbaDoy's interment.
Several top officials sent flowers while Secretary Leila de Lima, who was in the same batch
as AmbaDoy and his wife Nida at San Beda College of Law, met his remains at Villamor Air
Base where it was flown from Islamabad on May 13.
During the wake, his colleagues at the Department of Foreign Affairs asked that
AmbaDoy's remains be brought to his home office for a few hours on May 15 so they could hold their
own memorial mass and tribute to him.
Tears flowed, not only from his friends and family members, but also from those whose
lives were touched by AmbaDoy's good deeds.
In Hong Kong, where he served as deputy consul general for four years, the ambassador
was widely known for being approachable, kind and hardworking. But it was only after his death
that many of those who had met him here got to trade stories about how AmbaDoy had gone out of
his way to help them get out of a tight fix.
Among them was former labor attache Bernardino Julve, who shared how his bosom
buddy AmbaDoy helped convince Hong Kong immigration to grant a dependant's visa to his
daughter, Smiley, despite her being past the maximum age requirement of 21 years.
"He told them that since my wife was not in Hong Kong, Smiley needed to come here to
become a substitute first lady", recalled Julve with some amusement.
Another former colleague revealed how AmbaDoy also used his persuasive powers to
convince immigration to allow his son to come back to Hong Kong to work despite leaving before he
could obtain permanent residency.
There were many similar tales shared by those who came to pay their last respects,
including some former overseas Filipino workers who recalled how the late diplomat would always greet
them warmly whenever they visited him in his office in Manila.
Not a few took the chance to get help renewing their passports, as AmbaDoy was then head
of the consular affairs office, and was tasked with producing the country's first machine-readable,
or epassport.
Until his death, only a few people knew that mainly because of his persevering work in
giving the Philippines an internationally recognized passport, AmbaDoy became one of a few, if not
the only diplomat, to have been bestowed all three top presidential awards.
Such was the way he lived: humbly, kindly and always mindful of projecting the best image
for the civil service and the country.
AmbaDoy, 54, was just three months away from ending his last tour of duty abroad when
he met his untimely death.
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