By Daisy Catherine L.MandapAfter 18 memorable years of being at the center of Filipino community life in Hong Kong, we bid goodbye to Central two weeks ago.We have now moved to North Point, an equally vibrant, though maybe slightly less genteel, part of the city.
Our move to Central all those years ago was prompted by the realization that it was the place to be if we wanted to be close to the action. Filcom-related action, that is.
Before this, we spent two years in Tsim Sha Tsui, in a gentrified part of Chung King where several other Filipino companies somehow ended up setting up shops.
Though we were just beside an MTR exit and had rather pretty shop-front offices, there was hardly any pedestrian traffic coming our way. Hardly anyone, apart from friends and neighbors, dropped in, least of all, advertisers.
In Filipino parlance, “nilangaw kami”.
We decided then that it was time to cross back to our side of the harbor, and settle in Central.
With a Filipino newspaper that could hardly keep up with demands from readers hungry for information and advertisers looking for a vehicle for their products, this was the only place for us to do business.
In fact, every Filipino who gets to Hong Kong will realize soon enough that there is no escaping Central.
Ever heard of the “Black Man” where Pinoys often choose to meet? It is there, right smack in Statue Square, which in the pre-selfie days, was the favorite backdrop for photos of homesick Pinoys.
Nearby of course, are Chater Road and Chater Garden, the venues for some of the biggest and most memorable variety shows, festivals and mass rallies to have been staged by, and for, our community.
And who could possibly miss the two huge lions guarding the entrance to the HSBC headquarters, home to many of our card-playing compatriots? Before the public part of the building was substantially reduced in the aftermath of the Occupy protests, many enterprising Pinoys offering services such as mani-pedi, fortune-telling and even witchcraft, used to regard this as their Sunday office.
But if there was to be just one Pinoy hub in the district, it could only be World-Wide Plaza and the two alleys just a stone’s throw away from it.
It used to be that if you were a Filipino-oriented company and had a big budget for rent, you had to be in World-Wide. If you had a smaller capital the alleys were your only option. Now, with the MTR lines having been extended every which way and with the internet that could lead you practically to every shop’s doorstep, the options have become almost limitless.
Being in the heart of Central also meant you were just a short ride, or hike away, to places regarded as important by most Filipinos, like the Philippine Consulate and its adjunct offices, and St. Joseph’s Church or St. John’s Cathedral, Likewise, the offices of NGOs extending help to migrant workers in distress, such as the Mission for Migrant Workers, Bethune House shelter. and the Helpers for Domestic Helpers.
For us, being in Central also meant being close to big events that unfolded in Hong Kong, like the pro-democracy protests nearly two years ago, and the intermittent hearings in Legco on big domestic workers issues.
But the times, they are a-changing. Many people, including advertisers, have been eschewing personal dealings in favor of quick, and sometimes, more productive email exchanges. People hardly come by to drop cheques, preferring instead to just mail them, or transfer online from their own accounts
This, coupled with our increasing aversion for haggling with greedy landlords over rent every two years, made us decide to move our base elsewhere.
But Central will always be a part of us, and our long history of serving the Filipino community. We have simply changed our office address.
