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| Organizers are joined by guests and the audience in the community dance |
Abra Tinguian Ilocano
Society (ATIS), recognized as one of the outstanding community organizations in Hong Kong,
celebrated its 31st anniversary on Sunday (March 10) with an
afternoon show of native culture, beauty and vigilance for reforms in the
country.
The celebration, held at
Eaton Hotel in Jordan, Kowloon, featured a competition of cultural
presentations by towns in Abra, as well as the selection of Miss ATIS 2024 from
among representatives of participating towns.
The competitions were intended
to raise funds for ATIS projects to benefit its members and their families.
The event was also an
opportunity to look back at ATIS efforts to fight unjust Philippine policies,
such as mandatory fees and government exactions which now cost every OFW about PhP24,000
every year.
In his keynote speech, Eman
Villanueva, chairman of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Hong Kong-Macau, paid
tribute to ATIS as the biggest mobilizer when OFW support was needed, not just in
protests but also in projects for the Filipino community, especially during the pandemic.
He attributed these to years
of leadership focused on helping not only its members but also their families
back in the Philippines. For these efforts, its former president, Caring
Bachiller, was declared Bagong Bayani for Asia-Pacific Region in 2023. ATIS was also declared the most outstanding
community organization in Hong Kong by The SUN in 2015.
Villanueva noted that during
the Covid-19 pandemic, when uncertainty reigned over job security among OFWs, “we
were abandoned by our own government” and the Hong Kong government gave aid to
residents but none to OFWs.
“ATIS was one of those who
helped, along with the Mission for Migrant Workers, Unifil and others to gather
facemasks, sanitizers, medicines, food and so on,” he said. “They delivered
care packs to those who had Covid.”
He added that they helped everyone,
regardless of political color.
For her part, ATIS President
Ludy Guinaban thanked those present for their show of solidarity.
“OFWs are called present day
heroes but we are always at the bottom of the list in receiving aid,” she said.
She recalled that during pandemic
days, “we experienced discrimination in Hong Kong and even in our own
country. We were not included in the
relief aid of both governments.”
But this did not faze ATIS.
In the 2022 earthquake that hit the country, and which left the most damage
in Abra, OFW families were excluded from government relief distribution. A
protest by ATIS which became viral reversed this policy.
“When Covid hit, we were also among
the first to send assistance back home,” she said.
Declared winners in Cultural
Presentation were Licuan-Baay, first place; Tayum, second and Malibcong, third.
In the beauty pageant, the winners were Miss ATIS Jovelyn Galarde of Tayum,
First Runner-up Ma. Rhodora Casay of Maliobcong, second Runner-up Desiree Joy Barcena
of Abra Migrant Workers Welare Association and Third Runner-up Karen Joy Lunes of
Licuan-Baay.
Other winners were Miss Photogenic Ginayn Martinez of La Paz, Miss Collective
Sharon de Jose of Tubo Maeng Tribe Associatiom, and Best Production as well as Best
in Ethnic Gown, Gretchel Bolanos of Lagangilang.
