 |
| CARD OFW’s Marites Mapa outlines the points to be taken up during the seminar. |
The only way to avoid being victimized in a scam is to value your hard-earned money more.
With this in mind, an unusual financial education seminar was conducted by CARD OFW Hong Kong, in cooperation with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office and The SUN on Sept. 4, which targeted those who had fallen prey to a scam.
A follow-up seminar was held by CARD HK at the Consulate the next Sunday, Sept. 11.
Most of the participants had lost between $5,000-$20,000 in a jobs scam to Britain and Canada, which were offered to them by veteran recruiter Ester P. Ylagan.
The applicants sought help from Polo and the Hong Kong authorities in getting their money back, and for Ylagan to be sanctioned.
In his opening remarks, Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre lauded the initiative, saying he had been swamped with pleas for help from the victims.
He suggested that apart from a financial education seminar, a counseling session could be arranged for the applicants, many of whom are despairing because they only borrowed the money they paid Ylagan from financing companies, which charge hefty interest.
A participant, Axle, said she was grateful for the seminar because she was taught how to make the right decisions in handling money, including getting into a business.
“Kapag gustong mag-business, kailangang pag-aralan mabuti ang advantages at disadvantages nito,” Axle said. “Sa pagba-budget naman, kailangang unahin yung mga needs kaysa sa wants”.
Most importantly, she said it is very important to have a goal while working in Hong Kong. “Dapat nakasulat siya dahil may posibilidad na makalimutan”.
She said the goal-setting is meant to help one prioritize her activities and not to lose sight of what she values most in life.
The seminar was conducted fully by Filipino migrant workers who underwent rigorous training from CARD-MRI, one of the biggest micro-enterprise organizations in the Philippines.
CARD HK is a foundation chaired by journalist and entrepreneur Rex Aguado.
