PHL’s prime property developer woos HK investors

Ayala's Rex Mendoza (left) says now is the time to buy a prime property in Metro Manila

Close on the heels of Manila being named as the hottest market worldwide for prime residential properties, executives of the Philippines’ biggest property developer, Ayala Land Inc., came to Hong Kong to tell would-be investors why they should head for the country now.

“This is a call for you to make that investment now,” said Rex Mendoza, a director of Ayala Land, during a talk on Thursday night at Novotel in Wan Chai.

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Mendoza was speaking to a group of Ayala agents and local residents who had expressed interest in buying property in the Philippines, in the wake of a report by property consultancy Knight Frank which showed that prices of prime properties in Manila gained 21.2 percent in the past year.

This put the Philippine capital on top of the list of major cities abroad in terms of price appreciation for the third quarter of the year, outperforming Dubai, where the average yield was 15.9 percent, and Shanghai, with 10.4 percent.

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Hong Kong with its overheated market fell to the 36^th slot, from the 35^th place in the previous quarter.

Mendoza said that given the Philippines’ strong fundamentals, investors are likely to gain even more if they put their money in the country. As it is, the Philippines is already among the world’s fastest growing economies, and is even forecast by HSBC to become the 16^th largest economy by 2050.

Even in the worst of times such as the pandemic, property prices in the Philippines did not plunge, said Mendoza. 

“As long as the Philippines manages to address its problems with infrastructure it should do even better,” he added.

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Right now, he said several major infrastructure projects being carried out in the Philippines have already cut down travel times in many places, including the highways linking the regions of Bicol to Ilocos, and another, between Bataan in the north to Cavite in the south.

Why invest in properties, Mendoza asks with this slide

There are other factors that augur well for keeping the economy robust, such as the country’s booming tourism sector, the ever-reliable remittances from overseas Filipino workers that should bring in $37.5 billion this year, and a nearly equal yield of $35 billion from the business product outsourcing (BPO) industry.

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In addition, said Mendoza, the Philippines is in a demographic “sweet spot” because of its young population, meaning those aged 15 years old and below comprise 30% of the total number of residents while those aged 65 years old and above make up less than 15%.

In comparison, many other places in Asia have a rapidly ageing population, leading to lower productivity. In Japan and Hong Kong for example, the number of elderly residents comprise about a third of the total population.

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To earn the promised return, however, one needs to invest in Philippine properties that cost around HK$5 million, such as two new developments unveiled by Ronald Galura for Alveo, Ayala’s second most expensive brand.

The introductory price for a three-bedroom condominium measuring between 124 and 126 square feet in Astela in Circuit Makati and Lattice in Parklinks, Pasig City could set a person back by $5.5 million and $4.96 million respectively.

But considering that a small one-bedroom flat in a not-so prestigious address in Hong Kong could already cost this much, it is likely there would be quite a number of takers here, especially among those keen to make a profit after the havoc wrought by the pandemic.

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Filipino Olympian joins fund-raising swim

 

Olympic athletes Jasmine Alkhaldi and Toto Wong joined the 11-hour swimming relay around HK

Filipino Olympian Jasmine Alkhaldi joined two other Olympic athletes in the inaugural “Make Waves for Hong Kong”, a 45km multi-relay swim around Hong Kong Island last Nov. 4, helping raise $3 million for Splash Foundation, a charity providing free learn-to-swim programs for domestic helpers.

Alkhaldi joined fellow Olympic athletes Camille Cheng and Toto Wong in leading 30 elite swimmers who helped raise the funds for Splash, whose aim is to address swim illiteracy in Hong Kong, where only half of the population know how to swim despite its long coast line and abundance of swimming pools.

Aside from domestic helpers, Splash also provides free swimming lessons to underprivileged individuals, including low-income families and children with special educational needs.

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“Swimming in the dark was definitely something I was anxious about but I found it calming and almost meditative - especially seeing the lights set up for us by supporters and Splash beneficiaries at 3am in the morning,” Alkhaldi said. “The camaraderie of this whole event has been great and it's been a pleasure to support Splash’s amazing program to teach people to swim.”

Also among the swimmers were amateurs new to open water swimming, among them Rachael Guan, a breast cancer survivor, who swam as part of her rehabilitation.

“I have come such a long way from accepting the challenge, committing to training, to completing the swim. For me, swimming is about potential, and this has been an empowering experience for me. Never thought I’d achieve something like this - but I’m owning it!” she said.

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The first relay swimmers, grouped into five teams, started the 11-hour event at  3:15am in Sandy Bay near Cyberport.

They were relieved 30 minutes later by the next relay swimmers stepping in outside Kennedy Town, and then progressing clockwise through Victoria Harbor as the sun came up, to Chai Wan, Shek O, around Cape D’Aguilar and on to Stanley, Ap Lei Chau, and finishing back at Sandy Bay.

The first team to reach the finish line was former Hong Kong Olympic swimmer Annemarie Munk’s Purple Team in 10 hours 14 minutes and 55 seconds. Shortly thereafter, the other four teams finished the swim, with the final team, Team Orange, completing the swim in 11 hours and 26 minutes.

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The swimmers were greeted by enthusiastic supporters and beneficiaries of Splash Foundation.

Said Camille Cheng, Hong Kong Olympic swimmer: “It’s been an incredible experience to do this iconic Hong Kong swim again, this time with multiple relay teams. Swimming truly brings people together and today, we were able to make it possible for thousands more people to experience the joy of swimming as well. Hopefully one day it will be the norm that everyone in Hong Kong learns to swim, and until then, we will keep pushing to make swimming accessible.”

Funds raised from Make Waves for Hong Kong will benefit Splash Foundation's free learn-to-swim program.

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Since its establishment in 2015, Splash Foundation has taught over 6,000 individuals to swim, achieving a 90% success rate after only 20 hours of instruction.

Roy Pang, chairperson of Splash Foundation, who also swam in the relay, said: “I would like to express my deepest appreciation to our incredible staff, volunteers, swim community, corporate sponsors and donors, whose tireless efforts and generosity ensured the success of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our 30 swimmers to swim 45km around the beautiful coastline of Hong Kong Island.”

Make Waves for Hong Kong is the largest swim and fundraising campaign Splash Foundation has undertaken.

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“We look to make this an annual event that allows Splash to continue its mission to teach key water safety and swimming skills to thousands more in our underprivileged communities,” Pang said. 

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Filipina, employer in dog-bite case argue over who terminated contract

 

The case is being heard at the Labour Tribunal

A Filipino domestic helper and her employer have found themselves facing off at the Labor Tribunal over who should pay the one-month salary in lieu of notice after they argued and parted ways at the Shan Kwong Road Park in Happy Valley.

Aiza Tenorio claimed she was constructively terminated, but her employer Chong Hui Sai Stephanie countered she resigned “out of the blue.”

In a two-day trial that ended today, they each presented their case to Deputy Presiding Officer Jennifer Ng over who should pay the $6,000 that both Tenorio and Chong claimed they should be paid by the other.

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Their dispute arose from an argument that erupted after an unleashed dog attacked the two dogs that Tenorio and her employer were walking last Feb. 10. After the attacking dog was pulled by its owner and Tenorio tried to control one of her employer’s dogs, named Seal, it bit her arm.

Chong even took pictures of the bite, using Tenorio’s phone.

They then argued over which dog bit her, with Chong insisting it was the other dog. “If you don’t follow me,” Tenorio quoted Chong, “it is better to fire yourself.”

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Tenor answered: “Okay, I fire myself.  Take Seal.”

But Chong said, “No, not now because I will call the Police first.”

Chong took the leash of the two dogs and left Tenorio in the park.  As she had nothing in her pocket at that time, Tenorio said she had to borrow money for the taxi ride home to her employer’s house in Hong Kong Parkview, where she found three police officers waiting and told her she was being accused by Chong of stealing $30,000 worth of “European currencies”.

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When Tenorio packed her belongings and her employer checked them in front of a security guard, not finding her missing money, she went to Ruttonjee Hospital for treatment and reported the dog-biting incident to police.

In her summing up, Tenorio said, “I was not safe in my workplace because of (the behavior) she showed me after I was bitten.”

The same dog had also bitten another domestic helper at Parkview on Nov. 30, and Tenorio said she was told by Chong to advise the victim to seek treatment from a private clinic instead of a government hospital so it would not be reported.  

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Now she faces the risk of being fined $10,000 for not reporting the this dog-biting incident, being Seal’s handler, because the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has charged both of them at the Eastern Court of violating the Anti-Rabies Ordinance.

“She put me at risk,” Tenorio added.

For her part, Chong said the reason Tenorio brought the case to the Tribunal was “to make me look bad” and to stay in Hong Kong longer.

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She added that the case would not have reached the court had Tenorio accepted her offer of $4,700 as her salary and a plane ticket home. “The money is with the court,” she added.

“You took me to court instead of taking your money and moving on,” she added.

Chong said Tenorio used to be happy working for her family.

She said treated her helper as part of the family, ate with her, walked the dogs with her, sometimes cooked for her, allowed her to bring friends to her home, and even paid for her driving lessons “so she would have a better future in our family.”

The tribunal officer will hand down her decision on Dec. 5. 

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Drop in at St John’s Christmas bazaar and support Bethune House

 

Juvy (left) with another Bethune client at the bazaar

Here’s one way of showing your love and support for Bethune House, the shelter that has been looking after migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong for nearly four decades.

Visit St John’s Cathedral’s 2023 Charity Christmas Cards and Handicraft Fair where Bethune residents sell hand-made Christmas cards they made themselves.

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“Our labour of love,” says Juvy, a cancer survivor and long-time Bethune resident, who has been involved in the Christmas card project for years, under the guidance of the shelter’s executive director and mother hen, Edwina Antonio.

“Your purchase means a lot to our service to migrant domestic workers in distress currently sheltered in Bethune House,” says Juvy.

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The fair which opened today will run until tomorrow, Nov. 11.

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Employers to be briefed on rights and obligations toward FDHs

The law against dangerous window-cleaning should be among those taken up

The Labour Department is inviting employers of foreign domestic workers, especially first-time employers, to a briefing on their employment rights and obligations which will be held on Friday, Dec. 8, 7:30pm, at the Hong Kong Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui East.

Enrolment to the briefing, which will be conducted in Cantonese, is now open.

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Speakers will be representatives of the Occupational Safety and Health Council and the Customs and Excise Department. They will talk on creating a safe and healthy working environment for FDHs and points to note on money remittance and exchange by FDHs.

Admission is free but will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The enrolment deadline is on December 6, Wednesday.

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The enrolment form can be downloaded here. For enquiries, please contact the LD at 3582 8993.

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Court extends asylum-seeker's stay in HK

 

An asylum seeker who just lost an appeal in the High Court where he sought to overturn a decision rejecting his application not to be sent home to the Philippines, has received another extension to his stay in Hong Kong after he appeared in Eastern Court.

A duty lawyer for Armando Molina, 56 years old, told Acting Principal Magistrate Amy Chan in a hearing on Wednesday (Nov. 8) that he had filed an appeal against the High Court’s decision.

On this basis, Magistrate Chan adjourned the overstaying case against Molina  to March  6 and set him free on $3,000 bail. Among the bail conditions is that he wil not leave Hong Kong while the case is pending.

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Molina’s case dates back to 2014, when he was charged with breach of condition of stay after he failed to leave Hong Kong as required 14 days after arriving as a visitor on Oct. 30, 2006. He was arrested five years later, on Sept. 23, 2011.

He raised a non-refoulement claim with the Immigration Department and later, the Torture Claims Appeal Board, claiming that he would be killed or harmed by a former governor of Isabela province because Molina failed to help him get reelected.

Both agencies rejected his application, saying his reasons did not fall within acceptable grounds, such as risk of torture, risk of violation of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights, and risk of persecution as a refugee.

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He appealed to the High Court, but last Sept. 14,  Deputy High Court Judge Bruno Chan rejected Molina’s application for leave to apply for judicial review.

Judge Chan asserted that in his appeal, Molina “failed to put forth any proper ground for his intended challenge, and in the absence of any error of law or irrationality or procedural unfairness in his process before the Board or in either of its decisions being clearly and properly identified by the Applicant, I do not find any reasonably arguable basis for his intended challenge or any merits in his intended application.”

The judge also defined the use of judicial review.

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“… judicial review does not operate as a rehearing of a non-refoulement claim when the proper occasion for the applicant t\o present and articulate his claim is in the screening process and interview before the Immigration Department and in the process before the Board,” Chan said. “… the court will not usurp their role as primary decision makers in the absence of any legal error or procedural unfairness or irrationality in their decisions being clearly and properly identified by the applicant.” 

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