CG bids UPAA HK goodbye as tour of duty set to end this month

 

UPAA-HK members in a farewell toast to Congen Raly Tejada

Consul General Raly Tejada gave what was probably his first farewell speech to a Filipino community group last Saturday night, during the annual general meeting and Christmas party of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in Hong Kong.

CG Tejada said he will end his six-year overseas tour of duty at the end of this month, the last four years of which he spent in Hong Kong. For the first two years, 2017 to 2019, he served as the Philippine consul general in Malaysia.

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He will move back to the Department of Foreign Affairs office in Manila, where he will serve as assistant secretary in  charge of the legal division. His Hong Kong post, meanwhile, will be taken over by his current deputy and fellow lawyer Germinia Usudan.

Tejada served during what was easily one of the most turbulent periods in Hong Kong’s  history. He arrived in December 2019, just as the massive anti-government protests were peaking, then spent the next three years leading the community through the Covid-19 pandemic.

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“Three years ng pandemic, napakahirap talaga,” (Three years of the pandemic, that was really tough) he told his fellow UP alumni during the gathering.

But nevertheless, he said he was happy that he received a lot of support from various groups and individuals during those difficult years, including members of the UPAA-HK.

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“I always look to UP for inspiration and guidance,” he added.

Tejada recalls the difficulty of leading the community through the pandemic

Tejada went to UP for his undergraduate course and also part of his law studies, before eventually moving to San Sebastian College where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1998. He is currently working on his master of public management degree at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

During his term, Tejada graced several events hosted by UPAA HK, with the last being the Christmas party they had two years ago at a venue tucked away in a rundown building in Causeway Bay, amid some of the most severe pandemic restrictions imposed by HK.

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But in the same year, UPAA-HK turned over more than Php200,000 to the Philippine General Hospital in the Philippine to help protect medical frontliners there, and  to honor the late Ambassador Bernardita Catalla, a former congen in HK who died of Covid-19 while serving in Lebanon.

During last year’s overseas voting in the country’s presidential election, UPAA HK officers were among those who signed up to help control the huge crowds that poured into the polling centre at Bayanihan Centre in Kennedy Town.

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Through the years, and even during the pandemic, the group has donated money it raised from various events to several charities, in particular the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge which is run by one of its members, Edwina Antonio.

The outgoing CG administering the oath to the incoming officers led by Turingan (leftmost)

This year, Tejada again administered the oath of office to the newly elected officers of the UPAA-HK: Maritess Turingan, president; Rey Oliver Fabros, vice-president; Jennifer Madarang, secretary; Marie Abigail Perez, treasurer; Jad de Guzman, auditor; and Elaine Grace Bauto, PRO.

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Immediately after the event, Turingan asked members to fill out a survey form to help the new officers decide on the activities and projects they will undertake in 2024, the 20^th year since the organization was founded.

A quiz show on entertainment, general trivia and anything related to UP livened up the party, along with an exchange of gifts and a sumptuous dinner.

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(Watch out for The SUN Hong Kong's exit interview with Congen Tejada later this month).

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Another ‘lost’ Filipina being sought by relatives

 

Photo taken last month shows Margarita loitering in Chung King Mansions in TST

The family of a Filipina recognizance paper holder is asking for help in locating her, after photos emerged of her scavenging, and apparently not of sound mind.

According to a daughter of Margarita G. who was last seen wandering around Tsim Sha Tsui on Nov. 12, barefoot and looking emaciated, her mother stopped communicating with them after being released from jail for overstaying in 2019.

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Last she heard, the daughter, Carol, said her mother had been evicted from her shared flat in Harilela Mansion on Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui in October.

“Baka po may nakakita sa mama ko na pagala-gala sa Hong Kong,” said Carol. “Namumulot daw ng basura kung saan-saan…Kahit tissue na gamit daw po pupulutin pa nya at sasabihin daw niya na pwede pa po.”

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(Someone might have seen my mother wandering around Hong Kong. She reportedly picks up trash everywhere. She picks up even used tissue paper, saying they could still be reused).

Carol said her mother, who is now 44 years old, separated from her father when she was still very little, and had been the sole breadwinner for her and her older brother.

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Margarita first came to Hong Kong in 2009 and had been going home every two years until her contract was terminated and she decided to overstay.

She was arrested and jailed in 2018 and was released the next year, during which she decided to file a claim against non-refoulement, or against being sent back to the Philippines. She stopped communicating with her children after that.

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For some reason she was not clear about, Carol said her mother became depressed afterwards,  leading to her current mental state.

Photo of a comely Margarita taken before her apparent mental breakdown

Carol said she and her brother had reached out to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in the Philippines for help in getting their mother repatriated, but they have yet to get an update on their appeal.

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The only information they have received since losing touch with her came from the Pakistani friend of a friend of  their mother, who also sent them her photo taken last Nov. 12.

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Carol is begging anyone who has spotted her mother to report immediately to the police and communicate with OWWA in Hong Kong, as they have also been alerted about her case. She said she just wants her mother brought home to safety to their hometown of Santiago, Isabela.

OWWA HK’s hotline is 6345 9324.

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Alternatively, people who know Margarita’s whereabouts can message us here at The SUN and we will forward the information to the Consulate and to Carol.

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Philippines, HK formalize cooperation on intellectual property

 

At the at the signing ceremony are (from left) Consul-General Raly Tejada, IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba, HK Director of Intellectual Property David Wong and Deputy Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Andy Lam.

The Philippine and Hong Kong governments have agreed to help each other strengthen their systems to promote and protect intellectual property.

The agreement was in a form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Hong Kong’s Intellectual Property Department (IPD) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

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The document, signed by IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba and Hong Kong’s Intellectual Property Director David Wong, was one of the highlights of the Business of Intellectual Property Asia (BIP Asia) Forum held in Hong Kong.

Among those who attended the signing was Philippine Consul-General Raly Tejada.

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The MOU aims to establish a framework to facilitate co-operation between Hong Kong and the Philippines in the areas of IP awareness, creation, protection, utilisation, management, trading and commercialisation.

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Under the MOU, Hong Kong and the Philippines will pursue further cooperation in various areas of IP by exchanging information and sharing experience; fostering high-level dialogues on policy developments; strengthening co-operation in IP training; sharing best practices in providing quality and efficient services to stakeholders; and promoting co-operation among the two places and the relevant IP practitioners, industries, institutions and organisations.

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"The National 14th Five-Year Plan supports Hong Kong's development into a regional IP trading center,” Wong said. “Both Hong Kong and the Philippines recognize the value of IP rights in driving economic growth.”

He added”The IPD will continue its engagement with IP offices and authorities outside Hong Kong to tell the good stories of IP in Hong Kong."

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The BIP Asia Forum is an annual IP flagship event in the region organised by the HK Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

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Its 13th edition, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on December 7 and 8 under the theme "IP and Innovation: Steering New Economic Growth", features over 90 renowned speakers.

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They included senior officials from the China National Intellectual Property Administration, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and IP offices of member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

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Police to crack down on jaywalkers anew from Monday

 

35 elderly people were killed in traffic accidents in the first 10 months of the year

The police are set to launch a new round of anti-jaywalking operations from Monday, Dec. 11, after a marked increase in the number of traffic fatalities in the first 10 months of the year.

Government statistics show that a total of 85 people were killed in traffic accidents from January to September, the highest number for the same period since 2020.

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This means that on average, two people lost their lives in traffic accidents each week, according to police.

Of  those killed, 56 were pedestrians, with 35 of them being elderly individuals aged 65 or above, accounting for 63% of pedestrian deaths.

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Trucks constituted the largest number of vehicles involved in fatal accidents involving elderly pedestrians, followed by taxis and minibuses.

The main causes of the fatal traffic accidents were improper or non-use of pedestrian crossings and using phones while crossing.

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Pedestrians  are urged to obey traffic rules and to always use the so-called “four treasures of pedestrians” - traffic lights, zebra crossings, pedestrian tunnels, and footbridges.

The fixed penalty for those found violating traffic rules is a $2,000 fine. Enforcers in civilian clothes will be deployed, to stop the practice of pedestrians obeying traffic rules only when they see police officers nearby.

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A similar police operation was conducted across the city in the third quarter of the year, which resulted in 1,786 pedestrians each being issued with the $2,000 fixed penalty for violating traffic regulation.

Police say that as a result, there has been a 50% drop in serious or fatal traffic incidents affecting pedestrians. However, the number of fatalities remains high.

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Thus, in the first week of the month, the Police Traffic Branch, in collaboration with the Regional Traffic Safety Unit, stepped up the education campaign on road safety, with the trusty mascot, “Bear Sir” helping put the message across.

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At the same time, pedestrian safety banners have been hung at around 100 locations with high pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and “Bear Sir” stickers affixed on traffic light controllers.

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But after these promotional activities, the police said it will start “unpredictable, indefinite an varied” forms of law enforcement across all districts to bring home its message about the importance of traffic safety.

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Mentally ill Filipina found, another sent home

 

Kris, who was ordered arrested yesterday after failing to show up for her court hearing,
is receiving treatment at Kwai Chung Hospital

Family members of Kris Hope Vargas, who was found wandering around Tsim Sha Tsui late last month, apparently mentally ill, are relieved to find out that she has been located and taken to the Kwai Chung Psychiatric Hospital, where she is now receiving treatment.

Welfare officers at the Migrant Workers Office at the Consulate today said they have been made aware of Kris’ whereabouts, and will visit her.

The Filipina’s cousin who has been in touch with The SUN regarding the case, said they are hoping that Kris will be sent home after treatment, although they realize she still has a pending case for overstaying.

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But as of now, they are relieved that she is safe in hospital, and no longer wandering around.

They were first alerted about her condition on Nov.27 when they were sent a copy of a Facebook post calling for help for 32-year-old Kris, who appeared disheveled and was said to be walking aimlessly around Tsim Sha Tsui.

Separately, a concerned Filipina posted an appeal for help on behalf of another 32-year-old fellow domestic helper who claimed she was being held against her will in a public hospital.

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Mary Y., who arrived in Hong Kong only last year, also shared a photo of herself lying in a hospital bed, with her legs tied to each of the bed’s posts. She also posted a long tirade against someone supposedly dictating to her on her every move.

Her friend, Mitch, who shared the post on the Facebook page of Social Justice for Migrant Workers, said that it took five days before the administrators of the page published it. Last she heard, she said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration had already extended help.

Mitch said she and some other friends did not see Mary for a month, and they were shocked when they saw her disturbing post, where she also said she was being prevented from using her phone and talking to other people.

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But when they expressed concern, she blocked them all from her account. Luckily, one of their mutual friends managed to take a screen shot of the post, so she was able to share it with others.

A check with social welfare officer Rem Marcelino revealed that Mary had indeed, suffered from a mental breakdown but recovered well enough to be sent home, with OWWA helping her until she reached her home in the Philippines.

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Mary is lucky, said Marcelino, because her employer was very kind and her family members in the Philippines are all supportive.

It was not clear, though, what prompted Mary’s breakdown.

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