Exclusively HK

While taking a needed break from chanting and blowing whistles, a trade unionist remarks:

"Only nine members voted for the amendment. As a Hong Kong citizen, I feel sad and ashamed."

If someone who is not directly affected by the exclusion of foreign domestic workers or FDWs from the statutory minimum wage can feel that way, what more for those who are the ones excluded.

After over a year of discussions and lobbying it can now be said again that for all the hoopla of Hong Kong being liberal or a wonderful city for foreign workers, discrimination against those who are already at the gutter of this society is institutionalized.

In a society like Hong Kong that treats free market capitalism like a god, a successful campaign for a legislated minimum wage is a significant victory for the worker's movement. It could have been sweeter if only FDWs – numbering around 250,000 – are not sidelined.

The FDWs chant "we are workers, we are not slaves" encapsulates the various reasons why they assert their right for inclusion to such an important law. Their labour is as important as any worker in Hong Kong. Their labour also builds Hong Kong. Their labour makes it possible for these high and mighty LegCo members to sit in their plush offices and halls and debate how best to marginalize in law those who already have less in life.

Considering though the composition of the LegCo – majority coming from the business sector, some from a trade union who doesn't deserve its name, some more from "democratic" groups whose concept of democracy is quite selective – we were already uneasy on how the vote will go. When it came, it was as appalling as we thought it would be.

Good thing there was this unionist – and there are more of them – who felt the same as the FDWs.

Hope, indeed, still floats.

10 for 10

This time next month marks my 10th year of being in HK.

Probably because I needed something to help me recoup my blogging ante, I thought of writing 10 posts for the past decade that I have been here. Considering my recent lackadaisical efforts to write on this blog, this will really be a tall order.

But then again, it may very well be worth the time to think about some stuff that I've learned and experienced within the period that my hairline receded for at least half an inch, my weight jumped by 30 lbs more (three pounds a year, not that bad actually), and my Chinese vocabulary improved from swear words to ordering my favorite dish, chiu pa fan.

Just to kick off, here are some random and trivial bits that I picked up along my 10-year, and counting, journey with friends, colleagues and compatriots in Hong Kong:

• When you want to meet a friend who is not familiar with HK on a Sunday, just ask him/her to go to Black Man. It is a place that is at the heart of HK but is not really identified in any official map. Only Filipinos know about it.
  
• An alley is a narrow street. But the alley-alley is a place to shop for cheap clothes and various knick-knacks. It is sometimes called alley-mall.
  
• When a Filipino domestic worker says she just came from doing aerobics, do not look for leotards.
  
• HK Bank (HSBC main building) has one the biggest concentrations of Filipinos on Sundays. In one day of petition signing, we gathered about 2,000 signatures from the habitués of the place.
  
• Winter has started when manangs sell coffee while summer commences when now-you-see, now-you-don't halo-halo stands sprout.
  
• Singing is really a passion for Filipinos – be it outdoors in Chater Road or in videoke bars in little nooks and crannies of Central. And no, Born Free is not part of the repertoire. More of Carpenters and Abba.
  
• If you are invited for a couple of parties on a single day, expect to eat loads of pancit from sunup to sundown.
  
• The nominal wage now of foreign domestic workers in HK is HK$280 less than 1999. Real wage is most probably much less.
  

Alright, that last bit is not really trivial. It may even be one of the major reasons why I'm still here after 10 years … and why I may still be here for 10 more.

A virus like no other

Together with the rising cases of swine flu in Hong Kong, another threat looms above Filipino domestic workers: that of racial profiling. This one can prove to be even more virulent than A(H1N1).

Our kababayans have not yet fully-recovered from getting tagged as 'Superbug' carriers a few months ago. Now here comes the HK government declaring that Filipino domestics – after one has been diagnosed with it together with three others who just arrived from the Philippines – are carriers of the dreaded A(H1N1) virus and has called for employers to restrict them in their days off and their mobility. What a lot of bull!

Alright, I don't mean to downplay the seriousness of the rapid spread of swine flu. Even the World Health Organization has declared it as an epidemic already and they are already stonewalled on its origin and how to effectively stop it from spreading. We do need to seriously take precautions and probably, foreign domestic workers are as concerned as most of us because their work is their family's bread and butter.

Still, why zoom in on Filipinos? To set the records straight, the first cases of swine flu in HK were not Filipinos and most of the recorded cases now are also not Filipinos; not even domestic workers to boot. So why are Americans, Australians, British and the whole dang HK population not given the same advice as a preventive measure?

In reality, foreign domestic workers are not as exposed to crowded places as the rest of the people in Hong Kong. They only have one day off in a week for chrissake! The only time they leave their employer's house for the rest of the week is either to go to the market or send and pick up their wards from school. They also do not have the capacity to travel outside of HK whenever they want to. If truth be told, who is really more prone to this epidemic?

Already, some people I know of have been warned by their employers against going to the places they frequent during their days off, were ordered to go out on a different day, or were commanded not to take a day off at all. They have already been uprooted from the Philippines and now they are again uprooted from their communities, friends, families and social practices – a whole way of life.

Public health is indeed the public's concern. But when it gets racist and discriminatory, it breeds a sickness to our humanity that is an epidemic of probably even greater proportion.

Between agitation and titillation

I want to blog about sex and love.

But it's hard to have a titillating blog when you are confronted with the face of Chip Tsao splattered in the internet, print media and TV. How can I think of blogging when all I want to do is wash that oh-so-innocent smile off Tsao's face and tell him that there's a big difference between satire and a distasteful piece, a witty article over a racist writeup against a whole people and a particular sector who have been eating abuses and discrimination for breakfast?

Tsao can go the whole stretch of defending his column but at the end of it, Filipinos and the Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong felt demeaned.

If he made fun of GMA instead, I'll probably cheer him on. If he espoused a change in the situation of domestic workers in Hong Kong, I'll sincerely invite him for a cup of tea.

While Tsao's face haunts me for a couple of hours a day, another blood-curling news that keeps me from blogging comes by: foreign maids are not included in any statutory minimum wage for HK workers. The reason given by the Labour Advisory Board was that since maids work for 16 HOURS A DAY, they cannot likely give them its equivalence of HK$12,480 in a month!

Hmmm, so is the problem with the wage or the working hours?

So after a series of meetings with government agencies who gave them hope they'll be considered in this process, foreign domestic workers are again left in the ditch. Typical Hong Kong.

Maybe next time I'll really blog about sex and love. As long as my libido and romanticism hold up against my agitation at looking at Tsao's photo and dreading the next bad thing to happen to FDWs.

Karerista

Marami akong kinarir nang nakaraang linggo.

Nangarir ako ng pagiging tibak.

Buong linggo halos na hindi namin tinantanan ang isyu ng pag-suspinde ng levy. Eh kasi naman, kabuhayan ng mga DHs ang nakataya dahil kung hindi kasama ang ongoing contracts sa suspension, tiyak na magiging sunod-sunod ang termination dahil gugustuhin ng employer na ma-exempt na sa pagbabayad ngayon pa lang.

August 1 ang proposal na magsimula ang suspension. Para na kaming maiihi kung ano ang magiging pinal na desisyon.

At syempre, kasabay pa ito ng SONA na kabit sa bituka ng mga Pinoy sa labas ng bansa. Ayoko nang magpahaba sa kung ano ang tingin ko sa SONA. Marami na akong nai-post tungkol kay Gloria.

Kaya noong Linggo, dalawang magkasunod na rally ang naganap. Sa gitna ng kainitan ng araw eh nag-martsa kami papuntang konsulado at nag-programa ng maigsi. Tapos, bumalik para hintayin ang mga migrante ng iba pang lahi para naman pumunta sa Central Government Office ng Hong Kong.


Nangarir din ako ng pelikula.

Pinanood ko ang The Dark Knight pero saka na ang review. Basta nag-enjoy ako sa kanya. Ayoko munang pag-isipan kung bakit.

Sa gitna ng muni-muni sa mga kailangang sulatin eh kinarir ko rin ang mga pelikula ni John Lloyd at Bea. Mga mushy pero disente naman. Pinatos ko rin pala ang My Best Friend’s Girlfriend ni Richard at Marian. Marami pa akong kinulimbat na pelikulang Pilipino kasama na ang Dear Heart at PS I Love You ni Sharon at Gabby pero hindi ko pa pinapanood.

Halos puro love story pala ang pinanood ko. Pelikula lang talaga ang love life ko.

In between, may iba pa akong mga kinarir.

Nangarir ako ng librong nabasa ko na. Kinarir ko rin ang aming aso na si Banci. Pinatulog ko sya sa kama ko pero, I swear, wala kaming ginawang masama. Kinarir ko rin ang pag-setup at pag-operationalize ng bagong computer dahil sumusuko na ang 3-year old laptop ko. Kinarir ko ang pagle-layout. Kinarir ko rin ang gym.

Kinarir ko rin pala ang pagtawag sa nanay ko. Miss ko na sya.

Kaya Gibo, hindi pa ako magsasara ng blog.

Naging busy lang sa aking karir.

PS. Tingin ko ay walang sense ang sinulat kong ito. Pero ang alam ko, may sense naman para sa akin ang mga kinarir ko kahit paano.

V is for

Victory.

Not yet full but still a success. Just a while ago, the Hong Kong government has announced the suspension of the HK$9,600 levy it collects from employers of foreign domestic workers. After two years, the decision shall again be reviewed.

Though it is not the same as abolition, the two-year suspension is still a cause for celebration.

In broad strokes, the levy was implemented in 2003 by the HK government supposedly to finance efforts to retrain local workers for domestic work to face the unemployment issue of HK that time.

The levy was introduced at the same time as the monthly salary of foreign maids was cut by HK$400. It doesn't take a mathematician to see that the total amount cut from the wage of FDWs for a two-year contract is exactly the same amount as the levy. Thus, it has always been the position of FDW groups that the levy is an indirect taxation to them.

For years, FDW groups have campaigned for its abolition. Rightly so for their experience has also shown that as long as the levy is in place, their wage is also held hostage. Despite HK's economic boom, FDWs have only received mere pittance for a wage hike.

Early last week, the monthly wage of FDWs was increased by HK$100. At first glance, it may look like another victory. But if one can see that it is actually only HK$4 per day or 25 cents per hour, one shall be bound to agree with FDWs who say that it is too little.

Besides, the cumulative wage hikes for the past four years are not even enough to recover the amount slashed in 2003 and 1999. FDW wage now stands at HK$3580 per month. Nine years ago, it was HK$3860.

Developments like these are what reaffirm my belief in the movement and the people's militant collective action. They are not merely slogans nor dreams nor merely a 13-year old agitation borne by the idealism and impetuousness of the youth.

They may be small in the larger scheme of things - given the whole gamut of other issues that migrant workers have to confront - but considering the situation, any victory, however small, is a step forward.

V may take long in coming. When it comes, it fuels the people for more.


UPDATE:

Darn it. It seems like this government is still dilly-dallying as to the details of the suspension.

While it appears that the suspension is in the offing (by September), it is still isn't clear when in September, what to do about the unused HK$4.4 BILLION fund collected, and whether it will only apply to new contracts and to existing ones.

When it comes to cutting the wage, the HK government has a one-track mind. When it comes to giving relief to migrants ... mas makunat pa sa dilang makunat.

Banci (ban-chi)

Sya si Banci. Ang aming collective aso.

Ilang buwan pa lang sya nang ibigay sa amin ng isang Intsik na may mareklamong kapitbahay. Hindi ko alam ang breed nya pero who cares. Obviously she doesn’t.

Malambing sya. Nang minsang mawala kami ng lampas isang linggo sa bahay at naiwan sya sa ibang kamay, sumabog ihi nya pagkakita nya sa amin.

Hindi sya mahilig sa kanin. Yan ang kaibahan ko sa kanya. Matakaw sya sa dog food. Yan ang kaibahan nya sa akin.

Nang ibinigay sya sa amin, maraming habilin ang huling may-ari sa kanya:

1. Huwag pakainin ng buto ng manok. Busugin sa gulay at prutas.
2. Paliguan minsan isang linggo at putulan ng kuko minsan isang buwan.
3. Bigyan ng gamot para sa puso at para sa tapeworm. Wag kalimutang dalhin sa beterinaryo.
4. Gamitan ng dog shampoo at dog powder.
5. Gupitan ng buhok laluna kapag summer.
6. May kasama syang kulungan pero wag nyo syang ikukulong.

Parang last will and testament.

Ibinigay din nya sa amin ang bag na ito:

Ito ang gamit namin para maisakay sya sa bus, MTR at taxi. Dinadala namin sya sa beach, sa office at sa rally. Ang bakla-bakla ko pag bitbit ko sya dito.

Maraming batas dito patungkol sa mga alaga. Kailangan mo pa ngang palagyan ng chip na nakalagay ang detalye nya at kung sino ang may-ari. Andami ding mga grupo ng lokal na pangunahin eh animal welfare ang programa.

Pansin ng isa kong kaibigan na ex-Hong Kong, mas pinahahalagahan daw ang aso dito kesa sa tao. Naalala ko tuloy yung isang kliyente na syang unang nagpaiyak sa akin. Yung kumakain kasama ng aso. Pag tumae ang aso, kailangan nya munang linisin bago sya bumalik sa pagkain.

Meron din akong nakitang aso na nakasuot ng winter clothes na galing Burberry at worth HK$2,000 daw ang isa.

May punto nga siguro ang kaibigan ko.

*****

Kanina eh sumama ako sa rally dahil pagbobotohan sa Legislative Council ang proposed Race Discrimination Bill. Sobrang walang-kwenta ang proposal na kahit sa papel pa lang eh wala ka ng makikitang tunay na proteksyon laluna sa mga DH na syang pinakarami kung usapin ng ibang lahi sa HK.

May punto nga siguro ang kaibigan ko.

R & R & R

A friend of mine recently pointed out that my recent posts were a bit morose. For sure it was not intentional but they were what struck my mind on the events of the past few days.

Pardon me if I gave the impression of being depressed. I was not. Tired, yes. Off the weather maybe. But generally still me.

Yesterday was a new day and boy was it good. It started with a rally and ended up so gay.

July 1st - the anniversary of the territory's hand over to mother China - is traditionally the time for HK activists to go out on the streets. Notwithstanding the tradition part, the issues presented to the HK government were concrete and urgent.

For the foreign domestic workers, it was the time to ask the HKSAR government: "where's our wage increase?"

Halfway through the year, there is still no clear indication that a even a little wage hike is in the offing. While businesses have already benefited from the showers of incentives from the HK$100 billion budget surplus, FDWs are still waiting for the economic rebound to ... err, rebound to them.

The searing heat did not stop the people from calling for a genuine racial discrimination bill, a legislated minimum wage for all HK workers, as well as a break from cuts on social services. Though the weather did not help at all, a dose of direct action is always an uplifting experience.

From the rally, I took a bit of rest. Just surfed around and took a chance to chat with someone who did not want to chat with me. But that's another topic altogether.

Anyway, I then had a great night with my gay friends. Alright, also with the straight guys. Fine, also with the women who were there.

It was the birthday party of a friends' mom (who, by the way, can be the PFLAG prexy in the RP if ever there shall be one) and little bro. The place was great, the food was greater, and the company was the best.

I missed these bunch.

They all have their eccentricities but it's always a riot when they come together. Maybe it's a thing with us gays.We usually accept people as they are, warts and all. Unless you are a bigot and, at least in my case, GMA and her ilk.

After a couple of rounds of vodka and any chaser at hand, talks just flow from the mundane to the ... well, less mundane. Peace beckies! It was fun, relaxing and very very gay!

I started off this month somewhat reinvigorated. Rally, rest and recreation.

There's another R that I can write about: Romance. But it sucks. And if I do write about it as of this time, the tone of the post will be much different. Morose may not even be enough.

Mother, daughter, strangers

In just about five minutes and a 50-meter walk, I was again struck by how sad life can be for a migrant worker.

I walked home from our office with T and I asked her why she and her daughter didn't go to the movies. A couple of hours ago, V even invited us to tag along but due to some work I had to finish, I had to beg off.

Off-handedly T said that the movie starts at midnight and she decided to go back to the office instead. When I asked where V was, she said that she went straight home.

I jokingly said, "lagot ka, tampo na anak mo." Apparently, it hit a nerve.

You see, T has been a migrant worker for almost 13 years. She left the Philippines when V was only about eight. They only get to see each other every time T comes home for two weeks or she sends for her daughter here for vacation.

My friend admitted that she just doesn't know how to be with her daughter - with only the two of them - anymore.

She loves her daughter, that I am sure of. V also loves her mother, that I am also sure of.

But as with any other relationship separated by distance, it is bound to change through time and sometimes for the worse.

Some will say that the level of technology right now is so advanced that communication is just a phone call or a YM away. While it is true enough that migrant workers of the 70's or 80's had it harder with only snail mail and voice tapes to get by, nothing still beats being together to maintain that harmony in a dynamic relationship where people develop and change.

Still others will say that it is not the amount of time spent together that is important but rather its quality. True as well but quantity and quality have a dialectical relationship that to say one is more important does not diminish the importance of the other. They are two sides of a coin that are held in a precarious balance.

Still others may assert that if they love each other, nothing should have changed. On this point, I rest my case and just read Mills and Boons.

Now T has got to know her daughter all over again. Soon V will be going back to the Philippines.

It only took five minutes for T and I to cover the 50-meter distance from our office to our flat where her daughter was.

But the time of separation and the distance between that migration has forced on them is much longer and considerably wider.

Oh it's so just sad when a mother and daughter become strangers.

Some Endings (or not)

A friend of mine is leaving Hong Kong for good.

He put our relationship succinctly in a card he gave me last night: weird.

We are not the type who talk endlessly for hours on a regular basis. In fact, it takes a miracle for us to see each other twice or thrice a month.

Despite such infrequent meet ups, our different takes on GMA and other political matters, our different fashion sense, and our different lifestyles, our friendship survived the three years that we’ve known each other. We usually talk as if we just saw each other yesterday.

I’ll miss the cakes he brings me from the Philippines (he gave me a sinful, chocolate-topped, chocolate-filled chocolate cake last night). I’ll miss his questions about Hong Kong as if I’m the expert. I’ll miss talking to him about his exes. And darn it, I never even got the chance to see his boyfriend I advised him to say yes to years ago.

We had an easy camaraderie. Somehow, I know we’ll see each other again and somehow, I know we’ll take it up again from where we left off.

* * *

Two of my favorite TV series just had their season finale.

Season 2 of Brothers and Sisters ended with the two most unlikely persons to get married getting hitched. Then there were these two characters I’ve been dying to see kiss finally do it. Nora was her usual self that make me wish I’m a Walker. Obviously I am not but apparently a certain “Ryan” is.

Meanwhile, Grey’s Anatomy ended its fourth season with a bang. Finally, finally Derek and Meredith seem to have a chance. Cristina has resurfaced from her recently battered self. George – why isn’t he playing gay? – is getting his mojos up. Alex has shown his gentlest side yet. Izzie looks like she has found her niche.

Shonda Rhimes did convey what she wanted with those last two episodes. There’s hope and there will be Season 5.

* * *

Ka Bel will be lain to rest today. Accolades he rightfully deserves have been given in the Philippines and abroad. Many people will surely miss him. As what my friends Kiks and Ina said, it is hard to talk about Ka Bel in the past tense.

He has been an important part of the people’s movement. I guess for as long as the national democratic movement lives on, Ka Bel will always be present.

* * *

I thought about ending it last night. There’s too much at stake, too many hassles, too much complications and too many reasons to call it quits.

But I can’t ....

Where are the men?

While researching on ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, I found out that:

• the sex ratio among ethnic minorities in Hong Kong is 293 men per 1000 women. This is much lower than the overall ratio which is 911 men per 1000 women
• broken down among nationalities, ratios per 1000 women are: Whites (1842), Pakistanis (1349), Indians (1042), Japanese (1026), Thais (103)
• there are 55 Filipino men per 1000 Filipino women
• some say that out of every 10 men, one is gay. You can do the math.

I am so into Filipino guys. I may really be in the wrong place.

(Data from Census and Statistics Department)

Wage War

A friend of mine has urged me to write about love. But there is a raging war in Hong Kong.

Within this month or maybe the next, the Hong Kong government will announce the results of its annual review of the minimum allowable wage or MAW of foreign maids. It's a yearly exercise that only god knows what process is used because it is as transparent as the pre-Lozada NBN-ZTE deal.

We've heard of how domestic workers here are abused, overworked and sometimes driven to desperation as shown by the reported suicide cases. But not much on the story of their wage.

There is a myth that foreign maid's salary in Hong Kong is one of the highest in the world. In fact, it was one of the arguments used by the venerable proponents of the wage cut on FDW's salary in 2003.

Back then, they used the wage level in Singapore and Malaysia as comparison. It was like comparing GMA to Estrada. Now that the wage is under review again, they are silent on the fact that compared with countries at par with Hong Kong’s economy like UK and Spain, FDW wage here is insignificant.

The current MAW is HK$3,480 a month. It has suffered two drastic wage cuts in the past decade – HK$190 in 1999 and HK$400 five years ago. For the past three years, it was increased by HK$50, then by HK$80 and then by another HK$80. Peanuts in relation to what has been shaved off.

This wage level is nominally equivalent to that in 1996. As if living standards have not changed since then. Even my favorite colorum restaurant has jacked off its regular meal by 25%.

It is no wonder then that wage is such a touchy topic for foreign maids.

More so now that everyone's burdened by price increases and drop in foreign exchange rates like in the Philippines. At only a little over Php 5 per HK dollar, many are forced to look for part time jobs – which is of course illegal – just to augment their remittance to their families.

So right now, everyone’s on their toes. The May First march had the wage issue as a main call. It was fantastic show of force by thousands of FDWs who joined local trade unions.

Some of the pics:


The wage campaign is a matter of survival. It is a matter of dignifying domestic worker's work. It is a matter of giving justice to one of the most neglected, abused and exploited sectors of the working people.

Though this may not be a post about love, somehow, I feel like this still is

PS: Alright. I will post about love soon. If he says yes.

Triple Tragedy

Still fresh from the rage that Jan-Jan's case stirred inside me, another issue close to my heart comes along.

Vicenta "Vicky" Flores, a 32-year old OFW in Hong Kong was found dead floating at the Tung Chung ferry pier on April 11. She worked as a domestic helper in Discovery Bay which is about a 20-minute bus ride - without traffic - from where her body was found.

Reportedly, after merely a week of investigation, the HK Police has considered the cause of death as drowning and declared it closed. However, there are telling circumstances that do not match up to the police's conclusion. Apparently, these were not accounted for in the investigation.

Concerned groups and individuals are now drumming up the issue and pushing for a more thorough probe on the case. A campaign has been launched that includes the participation of DB residents, Vicky's friends and families, migrant-serving NGOs, and OFW organizations. A blog has been created for this concern.

What is even more disturbing, Vicky's tragic death came from the heels of two more alleged suicide cases of OFWs in Hong Kong. One was that of Melba Alava Pardua and the other was of Caroline Agabin Dacqui who allegedly jumped off her employer's 9th floor flat in Aberdeen. Both happened on April 7. According to news reports, Melba was suffering from financial problems while Caroline's contract was terminated after only 10 months of work.

If Vicky's case turns out to be more than what the police has so far concluded, it is a tragic crime deserving of justice. The criminal or criminals must be apprehended and prosecuted.

If indeed it was suicide as what was reported of Melba's and Caroline's, it is still a tragic crime deserving of justice. Only this time, the criminal is the system that forces them to go through hell and plunges them in an unbearable situation. Unbearable enough for them to meet such fate.

When will these stop? How do we make them stop?

Somehow ... it ... we must.

“Memo-rice”

Out of all the lines and words I memorized, this was one of the classics. Not only for its wit but for the reality it represented then.

In 2006, nine Filipino seafarers were left stranded by their employer in Hong Kong. They were not given their proper salary, were instead issued checks that bounced, then were left to fend for themselves.

They approached the Philippine Consulate General in HK but were told that they could not be able to pursue their case. Undaunted though, they sought the help of fellow Filipinos who referred them to the Mission for Migrant Workers (HK) Society (MFMW) or Mission.

Together with the Mission, they pursued their labor claims.

Aside from their labor case, however, they had to contend with the problem of sustaining themselves while their case was heard. Generous members of the community contributed to their needs but it was not enough.

So of course they approached the PCG-HK for assistance again. So of course they were denied again. So of course we rallied … were denied … and rallied again.

It was in one of those actions that a seafarer coined the term “memo-rice” to depict how they had to stare hard at the rice in every one of their meals because they were not sure when and where the next bowl will come from.

I was moved then and it all came back to me now. Will it reach such a point back home?

But in the first place, has it not been happening at all? Even the data of the National Statistics Coordination Board (NCSB) said that 33% of Filipinos live with US$1 a day. That can barely cover daily meals much less other basic needs.

The rice crisis has raised long-standing issues on Philippine agriculture such as liberalization, non-subsidy to farmers, land monopoly, land conversion and even corruption. These are the issues that have brought about the greatest irony in our land – the producers of food are the ones who go hungry.

In the face of rising rice problem, the development GMA boasted of while in Hong Kong sounded more hollow.

It was kinda dramatic that while GMA wined and dined in one of the most lavish hotels in HK, about 2,000 domestic helpers were shouting for some of the most basic things that are usually disregarded in such expensive events – rights, food, jobs and services.

GMA has no problem with memories and memorization. It’s the reality in the ground that she conveniently forgets.

By the way, the stranded seafarers won both of their cases. The PCG-HK was pressured to provide for their needs and, more than a year after, they won their labor claims.

These are the fond "memo-rice" to hold on to.

Desperate Housemaids

Ninety-five per cent of 120,000. You can do the math and that is approximately the number of Filipino women domestic workers in Hong Kong with desperate stories to tell.

Choose a handful of that 95% and I’ll bet all my virtual boyfriends in the world that none of them will say that they’ve dreamed of becoming domestic helpers when they were young and in pigtails.

I will never demean domestic work because it is an honest and decent job. Even more honest and decent than the Presidency of RP as it is fast turning out to be.

But if really given a choice, none of these women will opt to be domestic workers. However, when one is desperate to survive, dreams fly out of the window, college degrees remain diplomas on the wall, and licenses as teachers, nurses, midwives and what-have-yous are just mementos in wallets of a profession that can not feed a family.

Desperation can make one leave their own children or old folks to take care of someone else’s brood and parents. Try showing films like “Anak” or “Inang Yaya” to a roomful of our kababayans and you can get the best casts for “Crying Ladies” including hundreds more extras.

The same desperation also makes these women bear abuses to unimaginable point. Like eating noodles and biscuits for two months because her salary has not yet been given and she is forbidden to eat the family’s food. Or being given food but ordered to eat together with the dogs and clean their shit even if she’s not yet done eating.

Or how about being forced to cover her feet and hands with plastic bag all the time because she looks “dirty”? Or being tied up and a panty shoved into the mouth while her employer beats her up? Or being spitted at? Or sexually-harassed? Or raped?

The thought of how to pay the debts incurred in the Philippines to come to Hong Kong, of debts earned while in Hong Kong, of the mouths to feed, of children in school, of needed medicines, of the future – these can drive anyone to desperation.

Desperation comes when a society provides no decent and viable employment. When social services are golds. When golds are the monopoly of the rich. When the rich has the monopoly of the government. And the government is that of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In our rally for a pay hike for foreign maids last Sunday, a colleague of mine heard this conversation when they reached the front of the building that houses the Philippine Consulate General.

Woman 1: Ibuka mo na yang placard mo.
Woman 2: (While looking at the building) Wala namang makakabasa mula sa kanila eh.
Woman 1: Mababasa pa rin yan ni Lord.

Maybe it is faith. Or maybe it is a last desperate attempt to get the Big Boss’ attention for obviously, the powers that be on earth are not listening.

Ninety-five percent of 120,000. Beyond the math are the desperate stories. Beyond the desperate stories are the reasons why there is a desperate need for change.

Made in Hong Kong

I haven’t blogged for the past few days. I’ve been too focused on a topic that I later on realized has not really matured enough for me to write about and comfortably air to the blogging public. That one underwent more revisions than all Philippine laws combined before I decided to let it simmer for a while.

A friend suggested that I blog about Hong Kong instead. My immediate reaction was “should I blog about how I hate it?”

Fine, hate is such a strong word unless I direct it to GMA, George Bush, and all the other persons and topics that make my caffeine-nicotine combo addiction rise in direct proportion to my work.

Nine years and I haven’t really defined how I feel about this place.

Hong Kong. This small former British colony whose name means “fragrant harbor”. Looking at and smelling its harbors now makes me think that history does creates ironies.

For many people, Hong Kong is Giordano, Bossini, U2, and Baleno. It is Gucci, Armani, DKNY, YSL, LV and the whole alphabet soup. It is Li Ka Shing, Stanley Ho, the Kuoks and other filthy rich names. It is Jackie Chan, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, Tony Leung and recently, Edison Chen (sorry, can’t post his winning photos).

It is Disneyland, Ocean Park, Victoria Peak, Ngong Ping, Giant Buddha, Lan Kwai Fong and Night Market. It is the MTR, the Star Ferry, high-rises, Chek Lap Kok, double-decker buses, trams, and the IFC 2 that is considered to be one of the tallest in the world but for me just looks like a giant … sandworm from Dune. (see pic)

Maybe Hong Kong are all of these. Some of these I’ve seen, many I’ve only read about.

But the Hong Kong I’ve really known are the migrant workers I’ve been with for the past years. The “manangs”, “nanays” and “titas” who surprise you with free pancit, halayang ube, or a steaming cup of coffee every now and then. Those women who are more giving than any charity foundation and more courageous than a million GMAs combined.

My Hong Kong are the housemates and colleagues I’ve been with since the start. We have are own pet peeves, eccentricities and orientation but we do manage to live together quite well without scratching each other’s eyes out. Ok, so there was a hair-pulling incidence once.

My Hong Kong is my coming out. No more peeking out of the closet for relief. It’s a life I now fully embrace though still trying to understand.

Then there are the ‘beckies’ that are becoming part of my Hong Kong. They are the newfound friends I am still getting to really know and tremendously enjoy doing so.

My Hong Kong are the people I’ve met and known. My Hong Kong are the experiences – joyful and sad, painful and liberating – I’ve had. The yam chaa in the mornings and evening hot pots with guests. Movies from time to time, eating out, gay nights. The gimiks we had, the rallies we organized, the blunders we committed, and the victories we won.

My Hong Kong is the life I made and now living.

So no, I do not really hate Hong Kong. Maybe just its freakin’ weather.

Kung Hei, Kung Hei

So yeah, tomorrow is the Chinese New Year.

It's that time of the year when a mass evacuation happens in Hong Kong. Taking advantage of the long holiday, many people - expatriates especially - leave the hustles and bustles of busy Hong Kong life at least for a while.

Many shops close for a day or two. On the eve of CNY, panic buying sometimes ensues and banks are mobbed for last minute transactions.

Lan Kwai Fong - the bar hub of HK - is of course open to cater to party animals.

Then there are the migrant workers. CNY means more days off for our kababayans. Many also receive the fabled red packet or lycee.

CNY and the period preceding the holidays is also usually the time when domestic workers in Hong Kong do more work than usual. Cleaning the house until it sparkles, work in parties employers organize, take care of kids while visiting grandparents - and a whole lot of other tasks covered by the vague term domestic work.

There is also the annual fireworks display. I've only seen it once even if I always spend CNY here. After the 2000 CNY, I guess I was just not up to elbowing people to get a better spot and saying "waaaaahhhh" every after spectacular display of lights anymore.

Pending my mood and who will be the company, I may try to watch the fireworks display this year. At the minimum, for the sake of the holiday spirits.

As all CNY goes, it'll be quite busy for us whose line of work deals with migrant workers. If I don't get a chance to say this to friends and fellow bloggers during the holidays, let me say it now:

Kung Hei Fat Choy!