By The SUN
 |
| Labatt Jolly has been told his last day at his HK post is July 7 |
Labor Attaché Jalilo dela Torre has been recalled from his
Hong Kong post yet again, and told that his last day in office is tomorrow, Jul
7.
The shock order was relayed to Dela Torre just days before he
was supposed to give up his post at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.
Filipino community leaders who were set to throw him a farewell party on the
last Sunday of July, scrambled to organize a send-off for him on his last day
instead.
Dela Torre told The SUN he received orders to move to
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where thousands of Filipino workers who knew him when he
served there in the early 2000s, are also clamoring for his return. But he said
he is planning to retire instead.
“I have orders to assume the post in Riyadh,” said Dela
Torre, or “Labatt Jolly”, as he is fondly called by friends, colleagues in the
service and the legion of OFWs who have protested his recall twice during his
controversial stint.
“I plan to retire in my farm and do some writing,” said the 62-year-old
bar topnotcher, author, and chronicler
of the Filipino workers’ journey through life, who was also a stage actor in
his student days at the University of the Philippines.
“I have not closed the door on Riyadh
But he said he has asked for a month's extension at his post to wrap up things, and also to comply with the required notice to his landlord.
Labatt Jolly's going into retirement puts a full stop to a career with
Department of Labor and Employment that began in 1979, and was punctuated only
by a three-year stint as a private lawyer in Cebu from 1995 to 1998.
He was first sent abroad to work as assistant labor attaché in
Hong Kong in 1999, and later became labor attaché in Riyadh, Tel Aviv and
Canberra. He was sent back to Hong Kong on Mar 25, 2016 to replace Nenita
Garcia.
But just two years into his current term he was told to
return to Manila by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, purportedly to answer
charges of favoritism in granting accreditation to employment agencies in Hong Kong .
Labatt Jolly complied with the order, but only after Filipino
community leaders in Hong Kong held two massive protests supporting him, which were
widely covered by both Philippine and foreign media.
The protesters had blasted Bello for the recall order,
saying he had favored illegal recruiters and human traffickers instead of
protecting vulnerable overseas Filipino workers.
They alleged the recall was instigated by a Hong Kong group that
had applied for visas for sexy dancers in Wanchai, but was turned down by Labatt
Jolly.
In October last year Labat Jolly was allowed to go back to
Hong Kong after being asked to write a letter of apology to Bello, purportedly
for instigating the rallies against his recall.
A second attempt by Bello to recall him just before the
mid-term elections in May was stymied yet again when it emerged that DoLE had
not secured authorization from the Commission on Elections as mandated by law.
By the same law prohibiting the movement of civil service
personnel before and after an election, Labatt Jolly is not supposed to be taken
out of Hong Kong until early August.
But possibly the most loved labor attaché ever posted in
Hong Kong is done resisting his recall.
Asked what he wishes his replacement would do, Labatt Jolly
said: “I hope he will work hard to deserve the support and respect of the
community. Particularly, the crusade against traffickers and rogue and abusive
agencies.”
What advice does he have for the legion of Filipino workers here
who feel being orphaned by his leaving?
“They just have to be strong and not to be afraid to
exercise their rights, and to look beyond themselves to protect and help others
in need. And to be always mindful of their health, while in Hong Kong, and to
always be inspired by their own dreams and aspirations,” he said.
Apart from waging a relentless and vocal campaign against
illegal recruiters, human traffickers and organizers of sleazy beauty contests,
Labatt Jolly will be remembered by many in Hong Kong for his humility, accessibility,
and genuine concern for Filipino migrant workers.
He responds directly to appeals for help using his private
Facebook account and mobile phone number, and has gone on outreach missions to
remote areas in Hong Kong to provide basic medical check-ups to OFWs, and
information about POLO’s services.
His HealthWise project, through which thousands of OFWs have
been given free tests for blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and uric
acid levels, was made available at POLO six days a week, and during the
outreach services.
Assistant LaborAttaché Antonio Villafuerte has been
designated as officer-in-charge until a replacement for Labatt Jolly has been
designated.
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