Page 20 Page 2 Page 12 MILESTONES. Beloved HOPE. The singer and comedian International Care Elizabeth Ramsey Ministries raises P90 dies in her sleep after million in one night decades of providing for the ultra poor in laughter to Filipinos. the Philippines. FAMILY. For more than a decade, the Culinary Arts Centre has helped thousands of Filipinos, treating them as family and The No.1 Filipino Newspaper Vol.VI No.335 October 15, 2015 not just as students. BoC won’t open box of OWWA members By Cristy Kasilag AS the Christmas season draws near, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who are legitimate Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) members, just might have an advantage when it comes to the speedy release of their balikbayan boxes. BoC Commissioner Alberto Lina said that once they get a copy of the list of the OWWA members, these hardworking Fil- ipinos working abroad would be given an “OFW treatment.” Commissioner Lina, however, declined to explain what he meant by “OFW treat- ment” and only said it would be his “sur- prise.” One of the benefits of an OWWA-mem- ber is the “pre-clear privilege.” This means that even if their shipment is still in the port of origin, they could already be cleared by Customs for as long as the OFW sends photocopies of certain docu- ments such as their airway bill, bill of lad- ing and invoice to the BOC. With the number of balikbayan boxes A PROMISE. Bureau of Customs Deputy Commissioner Arturo Lachica says customs officials will no longer scrutinize the balikbayan boxes of Turn to page 14 overseas Filipino workers who are members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Overstaying mom of Pinay who died in Repulse Bay gets 12 months By Philip C. Tubeza Magistrate So Wai-tak sent Herminia daughters, but this was suspended for two to discovery that Garcia was overstaying tified for Cousins since he was providing P. Garcia, a native of Bacolod City, to 12 years. and that their two daughters were undoc- for the financial needs of the family and The wedding will have to wait. months in prison while her British “long- This means that if Cousins does not umented. he also had to look after their remaining A 53-year-old former domestic helper time partner” Nicholas Jason Cousins,57 commit a crime in Hong Kong for the “(The act of not registering their daugh- daughter, Carla, now 15 years old. whose undocumented daughter jumped to and an executive of insurance giant Jar- next two years, the sentence will not be ters) is no doubt a selfish one. In effect, it “Imprisonment will deprive Carla of all her death from their luxury condo in April dine Lloyd Thompson, was sentenced to carried out. deprived their daughters of their rights,” parental care,” So said. was sentenced to one year imprisonment eight months in prison for abetting her It was the death of their eldest daugh- Magistrate So said on October 11. for overstaying for two decades. overstay and not registering their two ter, 15-year-old Blanca, in April that led He said a suspended sentence was jus- Turn to page 14 PUBLISHED BY HK PUBLICATIONS LTD. TEL: 2851 1766 WEBSITE : WWW.HONGKONGNEWS.COM.HK 2 NEWS October 15, 2015 HONG KONG NEWS P90 million raised for ultra poor Pinoys By Philip C. Tubeza He noted that 32 percent of the mothers for tuberculosis. who get ICM assistance have had one of The ultra poor who joined the Trans- KNOW hope. their children die while “one out of every form program also reported a 101 percent The annual International Care Ministries 10 people say they are seriously ill.” increase in household income while there (ICM) dinner and charity auction raised “Just those two facts show the enormous was a 20 percent increase in the number of HK$15.2 million (around P90 million) for emotional strain on family members and families with toilets, a 36 percent decrease the “ultra poor” in the Philippines. that leads them to fatalism,” he said. in those going hungry at least once a The money raised at the dinner---held Almost half (40 percent) of the ultra week, a 28 percent decrease in those with at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhi- poor Filipinos in ICM programs live with- serious illness and a 25 percent increase in bition Centre (HKCEC) on October 8--- out electricity, 32 percent have dirt floors, “family satisfaction. will go to ICM programs that give hope to 61 percent live in cramped homes, 31 per- “Our research shows improved fami- 1.7 million “ultra poor” Filipinos, or those cent have scrap roofs, 53 percent do not ly relationship drives all other positive who earn less than US.50 (or P23) a day, purify their water, 22 percent go to bed changes. People trust each other more. and help them escape poverty. hungry at least once a week, while 26 per- They help each other,” Sutherland said. To raise money for the poor, organizers cent “defecate outside.” “ICM focuses on 1.7 million ultrapoor bidded out trips to luxury resorts in Swit- “We’ve concluded that the underlying The ICM dinner for the ultra poor in HKCEC people in 17 provinces in the Philippines. zerland, Japan, Vietnam, and the Philip- cause of poverty is rooted on fatalism. This is a stunning number. In a few months, pines and artworks by Filipino artists. And the antidote to fatalism is hope,” The program provides holistic skills change to them and their communities. ICM will graduate its 750,000th person “If you want to address ultrapoverty, Sutherland said. training and low-capital resources that They see amazing benefits after trans- through our Transform program,” he said. hope is the key. People living in extreme To help them get out of poverty, ICM build capabilities on strengthening rela- form,” Sutherland said. “That means that in our 17 provinces, poverty, they experience extreme stress,” launched its Transform program, a four- tionships, promoting healthy practices, Transform’s health program has helped we have now taken almost one third of said David Sutherland, ICM board chair month intensive program where ultrapoor and nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit de-worm 76,175 individuals, treated 2,595 all of the ultra poor people in the entire and Morgan Stanley’s former Chief Finan- Filipinos meet once a week to get training and skills for sustainable productivity. children with diarrhea, supported, 1,124 province in our training program. That is cial Officer in Asia-Pacific. on values, health, and livelihood. “Each of these lessons brings tangible pregnancies, and screened 29,598 people outstanding,” he added. OFWs pay tribute to ‘Kuya Nazzer’ By Cheryl Arcibal smile had always why he was one of the best examples of a conveyed his warmth, Filipino who worked overseas to provide HE was a “kuya, inspiration, good father, and kindness. for his family but never forgot his moth- good friend, and a creative genius”. Amid the concrete erland and his kababayans. About 100 Nazzer Ampang, 51, and chairman of buildings housing Filipinos attended the gathering. the Philippine Alliance Hong Kong, suc- luxury brands along “Maraming salamat. Hindi lang da- cumbed to cardiac arrest on October 6, a Chater Road - the hil sa nakatrabaho namin siya pero mas few days after he was taken to a Davao AMPANG same road where Fil- importante ang pakikipagkaibigan at sa City hospital to undergo emergency treat- ipino domestic work- malasakit niya sa Filipino community,” ment for stroke. ers meet, and hold activities during their said Consul Charles Macaspac. On October 11, those who knew him rest day - in Central on a nippy Sunday He said Ampang had always been one paid tribute to the man whose bright morning, Ampang’s friends remembered of the creative minds in the planning of the annual celebration of the Philip- pine Independence day in the city. An engineer by profession, Am- pang was recently based in Macau, but would regularly visit Hong Kong to undergo medical check ups and to meet Filipinos here in the territory. “Minsan pagdating ng Linggo, tatawagan niya ako pag uwian na. “Sasabihin niya, ‘Tess, punta ka dito’. Iiwan niya sa akin ang pera para sa kalagitnaan ng week, hindi na siya babalik dito sa Hong Kong para lang mag-remit ng allowance ng anak niya,” one of his friends said. Dolores Balladares Perez of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong said Filipinos in Hong Kong should take comfort that Ampang left a legacy of serving the community in the city. “Ang mga magagandang halimba- wa na ipinakita sa atin ni Nazzer, ip- agpatuloy po natin at gawin natin si- yang inspirasyon,” she said. Nabila Asbi, president of the Mus- lim-Filipino Association Hong Kong, said the group last saw Nazzer during the Eid’l Adha celebration. “Para sa akin siya ang basehan natin ng good character.Ang natatandaan ko sa kanya talaga ay iyong smile niya. Kahit malayo pa siya, makikita mo na parati siyang naka-smile kaya talagang malung- kot para sa akin. Maganda ang samahan namin,” Asbi said in an interview. HONG KONG NEWS October 15, 2015 3 4 October 15, 2015 HONG KONG NEWS HONG KONG NEWS October 15, 2015 5 6 NEWS October 15, 2015 HONG KONG NEWS Trial set for Pinoy Judge junks drug mules’ bail petition in Tsuen Wan driver in District Court By Philip C. Tubeza Chek Lap Kok international airport on September 25 after an X-ray check of By Philip C. Tubeza Under the Road Traffic Ordinance, any- A Tsuen Wan magistrate has denied the their luggage led to the discovery of the one convicted of causing the death of an- bail petition of two Filipino women suspected illegal drugs.