Page 15 The No.1 Filipino Newspaper Vol.VI No.350 July 1, 2016 ARRIVED. Meet Vice Consul Robert “Bob” Quintin and discover why he is glad Hong Kong is his first Labatt puts ‘on foreign posting. hold’ top agency Page 2 By Philip C. Tubeza cused of offering non-existent jobs in the violating the Philippine government’s ban “Kung wala siyang sagot, we will for- United Kingdom. on third-country deployment. ward that to the POEA (Philippine Over- LABOR Attaché Jalilo dela Torre has Dela Torre said he “put on hold” on June “Pinaexplain natin pero wala pang ex- seas Employment Administration) with temporarily stopped processing contracts 20 the processing of contracts submitted planation. We’re asking (the owner) to our recommendation---either cancellation from the top provider of Filipino domes- by Emry’s employment agency after eight explain kung bakit nagrecruit (for UK),” (of license) or suspension,” he added. tic workers in Hong Kong after it was ac- Filipino domestic workers accused it of Dela Torre said in an interview. The agency allegedly offered jobs in the United Kingdom to at least 200 applicants WE’RE OPEN. The who paid $10,000 each. POLO will open its Dela Torre told Hong Kong News earli- doors on Saturdays er that he checked with the POLO in Lon- don and discovered that there were no job starting July 9 to orders for the work Emry’s was offering. accommodate OEC “Public interest yan. Ang daming na- grereklamo (pero) hanggang ngayon wala applicants. pang nadedeploy, pinapahintay hanggang October,” he said. Emry’s is said to be the biggest provid- Page er of Filipino domestic helpers in Hong 28 Kong, submitting an average of eight con- tracts to the POLO every day. POLO records showed that, since Jan- uary this year, Emry’s had submitted 676 FDH contracts, including 614 new con- tracts, four renewals, and 58 transfers. The owner of Emry’s had insisted to POLO officials that she did not intend to dupe the jobseekers and promised that she FIGHTING. Actress would refund the applicants. Sunshine Dizon She also complained about the POLO decision to stop the processing contracts struggles after her submitted by Emry’s, saying that this was marriage to pilot NO TO third-country deployment. Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre has “put on hold” the processing of contracts Timothy Tan ends. from Emry’s employment agency after it was accused of offering non-existent jobs in the United Kingdom. Turn to page 16 PUBLISHED BY HK PUBLICATIONS LTD. TEL: 2851 1766 WEBSITE : WWW.HONGKONGNEWS.COM.HK 2 NEWS July 1, 2016 HONG KONG NEWS 500 FDHs to take LET POLO to open on By Philip C. Tubeza could be held in June next year because the PRC had no budget this year. AROUND 500 Filipino domestic helpers Dela Torre said the National Organiza- are expected to take the upcoming Licen- tion of Professional Teachers Inc. (Nopti) Saturdays for OECs sure Examination for Teachers (LET) to has agreed to conduct review classes at the get a chance to go home to the Philippines Bayanihan Centre in Kennedy Town for By Philip C. Tubeza and teach, Labor Attaché Jalilo dela Torre those who will take the test. said. Those who want to take the exam should STARTING on July 9, the Philippine Dela Torre said the Professional Regu- register online through the PRC website. Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Admi- lation Commission (PRC) had approved For repeaters, the deadline is on July 22. ralty will be open for those who want to holding the exam here in Hong Kong on Those who are going to take the exam for get an OEC (overseas employment cer- September 25. the first time should register by July 29. tificate), Labor Attaché Jalilo Dela Torre “Five hundred ang expected takers. May The requirements include photocopies said. nagsusubmit na ngayon,” Dela Torre said of their transcript of records, passport, Dela Torre made the announcement as in an interview. NSO certificate of marriage (for married the number of applicants began to rise He said the Philippine Overseas Labor applicants with inconsistent entries in since July is peak season for OEC appli- Office (POLO) was also planning for a their passports and other documents), and cations. civil service exam and a nursing board four Philippine passport size colored ID “We had 1,000 on Sunday (June 26) so exam next year. pictures. magbubukas kami ng Sabado kasi bayad “Isa rin yung civil service exam sa mga The originals must be present when na rin naman yung rent plus aircon. Com- tinatarget natin. Ang dami ng opening sa these are submitted to the POLO. For fortable pa sila dito,” Dela Torre said in gobyerno ngayon. Maganda ng magka- those who have questions, please call Glo- Overseas Filipino workers line up in Admiralty to get an OEC an interview. roon rin ng civil service exam dito. At ria at 2866-0640 (POLO landline), 5529- He said the POLO would open its doors “Baka mag-Shatin din kami sa Metro- PNB Global Remittance Shop No. 122 in saka, mas madali yun ipasa,” Dela Torre 1880 (POLO hotline), or leave a message on Saturdays while it closes its post at the bank doon. Di nga lang masyadong sen- Worldwide from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on said. on the POLO-HongKong SAR Facebook PLDT Hongkong Smart Pinoy Center in tro. Yung sa Tsuen Wan sana magandang Sundays. He said the nursing exam in Hong Kong page. Worldwide House, which had been issuing lugar pero ang sabi ng Labour Department Dela Torre earlier said he was already OECs on Saturdays. (, nakapila ang gustong gumamit dun. So, talking with banks and remittance compa- “So, ililipat natin dito sa POLO kasi hanap pa kami ng ibang alternative,” Dela nies so that OECs could be issued in their maliit yung lugar sa PLDT sa Worldwide,” Torre said. branches or offices in Tsuen Wan, Tseung Dela Torre said. The number of OEC applicants at the Kwan O, Sai Kung, and even Yuen Long He added that the POLO would also POLO had earlier gone down by 40 per- in the New Territories. double its personnel at the Metrobank cent after it decided to issue OECs in other “We want this so that our kababayans in branch in United Centre, Admiralty which parts of Hong Kong. the New Territories won’t have come all issues OECs on Sundays from 8 a.m. to Besides the Metrobank branch in United the way down here (in Admiralty) to get 4 p.m. Centre, OECs can also be secured at the their OECs,” said Dela Torre. ‘Don’t make wards feel sexually offended’ By Peter Castillo centre for victims of sexual violence, for fended or intimidated. Certain acts, such FDHs to learn about sexual harassment. as fondling someone’s genitals, kissing on SAYING that Hong Kong takes crime “During the workshop, one of the par- the lips or touching the buttocks, should against children very seriously, members ticipants asked what they should be aware not be taken lightly as children could feel of the police advised foreign domestic of when they are looking after the employ- intimidated or offended by these,” it add- workers to avoid making their wards feel er’s children to prevent accusation of inde- ed. “sexually offended or intimidated,” the cent assault or sexual harassment against The EOC said another participant asked Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) employer’s’ children,” the EOC said in a whether a person can file a report of rape said. statement. if she was unconsciousness at the time of The EOC said it conducted a workshop “It was advised that domestic workers the assault. with representatives from the Eastern Dis- should not commit any acts that may make “The police explained that any sexual trict Police Station and RainLily, a crisis their employers’ children feel sexually of- intercourse without consent is considered rape and consent could not be obtained by force, fraud or deception. Therefore, a victim of rape under these circumstances can file a report to the police for rape,” the EOC said. It added that if the perpetrator of the rape were an employer or a co-worker, then the victim can also lodge a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission as the perpetrator may also have civil liabilities under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance. Under this ordinance, sexual harassment refers generally to unwanted sexual atten- tion, including unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in circumstances in which a reasonable person would have anticipated that you would feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. Examples are touching, comments of a sexual nature, making sexual noises or gestures, asking to touch someone, or ask- ing someone for sex. Another form of sexual harassment is a sexually hostile working environment where there are actions, languages or pic- tures of a sexual nature. HONG KONG NEWS July 1, 2016 NEWS 3 Herminia Garcia now back in PH By Cheryl M. Arcibal head of the assistance to nationals section ance executive Nick Cousins and they had In October 2015, Garcia was sentenced of the Philippine Consulate General, said two daughters. to one year imprisonment HERMINIA Garcia, the former domestic Garcia was released from jail in the first The eldest, then 15, apparently commit- Garcia came here to work as a domestic helper and the mother of a teenager who week of June. ted suicide in April last year, leading the helper but she decided to stay on after her jumped to her death from a luxury apart- After being released, Garcia was tak- police to discover Garcia’s overstaying in visa reportedly expired in 1994.