New Hope for Maids
The following article is from the HK Standard. The lesson here is PLEASE DON'T PANIC ABOUT THE LEVY. Wait and see what the final legislation is before taking action. If your helper was scheduled to arrive in August, but you have now put their arrival off until September, this is good news. If the government acts in the next day or two, we will do our best to get your helper here before the start of school.
The Standard - Hong Kong's First FREE English Newspaper
New hope for maids by Beatrice Siu Monday, July 21, 2008
The waiving of the domestic helper levy is likely to start a month early following criticism that the government has left foreign maids in limbo.Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said yesterday he is optimistic that the levy will be suspended starting August 1 and not September.
The original plan part of the government's inflation-relief package had been criticized for causing employers to rethink renewing contracts to avoid paying the HK$400 a month levy.
Maids whose contracts expire must be reemployed within 14 days or leave the territory.
Cheung said there will be more meetings with the Immigration Department and a decision needing the Executive Council's approval should be reached within a day or two.
Sources said the department has now
extended the 14-day period to ease the situation, with the stipulation
that the maids should not be engaged in work or study in order for them
to stay in Hong Kong.Domestic helpers without contracts have reportedly crowded temporary dormitories.
A
domestic helper named Dolores said the government did not provide
sufficient information about the waiver, causing chaos among both maids
and employers."Employers have terminated the contracts of about
20 of my friends because of the waiver," said Indonesian Migrant
Workers' Union chairwoman Rosemi.However, according to maids'
organizations, some employers despite terminating contracts will allow
helpers to stay, but without working."They were told to go out during the day and return at night to sleep," Rosemi said.
She said committee members will hold further discussions on the situation, including dialogue with the government.
The September timetable angered employers due to renew contracts as they will not enjoy the inflation-relief measure.
Hong
Kong Employers of Domestic Helpers Association chairman Joseph Law
welcomed the government's move, but said an earlier waiver may not
solve the problem.The total HK$9,600 levy for a two- year
contract can be paid in four phases. Under the law, employers have to
pay the first six months, or HK$2,400, in one installment.Law said the government should reimburse employers who have prepaid more than one installment.
Teresa
Liu Tsui-lan, managing director of Technic Employment Service Centre,
said the concession will not benefit those who have signed contracts.The best way, Liu said, would be to cancel the levy altogether so that all employers will benefit.
Liu
last week said that about half of her company's clients had called to
reconsider hiring and some had considered terminating the contract of
their maids.Meanwhile, the Democratic Party in a rally yesterday said the waiver will only benefit the middle class.
Protesters marched from Chater Garden to the central government offices where they submitted a petition.
未獲續約外傭逼爆「收容所」
(星島日報 報道)政府宣布豁免兩年外傭稅措施後，不少外傭被逼要等到九月才續約，代表全港二十五萬名外傭的十個外傭團體，今天召開緊急大會商討對策。有僱傭中心表示，中心所設的宿舍已幾近「爆棚」，擠滿「流離失所」的外傭。
關注外傭組織KOTKIHO發言人MIA指出，今午會召集包括菲傭、印傭、尼泊爾 及泰傭等十個關注團體，就政府九月一日凍結兩年外傭稅措施的連串影響，商討進一步行動，今天有決定後將公布，並要求約見政府有關官員，讓其了解目前外傭的窘境。
僱主促停徵稅
家傭的人工增加 Salary Increase for Domestic Helpers
由2008年7月10日起，家傭的人工將上調$100至$3580。若你的合約在2008年7月9日午夜前簽署，你所需支付的人工依然是$3480/每月。任何於2008年7月9日後簽署的合約都會有新的最低工資。
Starting July 10, 2008, the salary for domestic helpers will increase by $100 to $3580. If you signed your contract before midnight on July 9, 2008, the salary is still $3480/month. Any contracts signed after July 9, 2008 will have the new minimum wage.
施牧師將會去美國，但Arrow依然照常運作！Allan is going to the States, but Arrow is still open for business
我(施牧師)將會在7月12至8月4日(三星期)到美國探望我的父母。麥小姐和我的太太(Ione)會確保公司一切營運正常。如果您希望跟我洽談關於家傭的事，請於本星期與我聯絡。您也可透過電郵Allan@arrowes.hk、yahoo! messenger(Yahoo ID: allan.arrow)、或者skype (ID: ncdcoach)和我聯絡。我們可以透過網上視像會議進行面試。基於香港和美國的時差大約是15-16小時，請勿在中午時份致電給我，因我將在睡夢之中！
I (Allan) will be in the States for 3 weeks (July 12- August 4) visiting my parents. Miss Mak and my wife, Ione will keep things running smoothy at Arrow. If you desperately want to talk to me about a helper, talk to me this week. I'll also be available via email (Allan@arrowes.hk) and you can also contact me via Yahoo! messenger (Yahoo ID: allan.arrow) or Skype (ID: ncdcoach). We can even do conference call interviews through the internet. The time in the US is 15-16 hours behind us, so please don't call in the middle of the day, HK time. I'll be asleep.
2nd Annual OFW Appreciation Day
我們現正聯同大約8-10個菲律賓聚會、美國一所大型教會和一些菲律賓教會一同合作，資助一個活動，旨在於服侍和鼓勵一些來港當傭工的人。在29/6、下午3-7時，我們專誠為了這些菲國工人預訂了一艘天星小輪，分兩段時段作維港遊。介時，菲國歌手Christian Bautista 會當埸為大家表演。由於兩次遊覧只可容納約600人，我們會以「憑票入座」形式舉辦活動。所有精薦的家傭和恩禧堂的會友都是我們的對象。因此，如果你是我們精薦的僱主，我們誠懇地希望你能讓你的家傭在當日(29/6,星期日)能遲一點才回家。多謝你的考慮！
We are working together with 8-10 local Filipino congregations, a big American church and churches from the Philippines to sponsor an event aimed at serving and encouraging those who serve Hong Kong families. On June 29th from 3-7 p.m. we have booked 2 Star Ferry harbor cruises for OFWs. A Filipino music star, Christian Bautista is flying in to entertain the workers. The two cruises can only handle 600 people total, so we are issuing tickets for this event. Arrow helpers and Jubilee Church members will be involved in this outreach event, so if you are an Arrow employer, perhaps you'll allow your worker to return a little later on Sunday, June 29th. Thanks for your consideration.
The lady I wanted is already hired! *@#!
不少僱主對某些剛完成訓練的家傭有一些查詢。抱歉地，部份僱主希望雇用的家傭已被別人搶先一步地雇用。這是因為我們有部份顧客在雇用某位家傭後，他的家傭基於某些原因(驗身出現問題或證件問題)而不能來港。為了保障這些顧客的權益，我們會優先讓他們挑選新一批的家傭。當他們替換家傭後，我們會開放這些家傭讓大家選擇。我相信當你挑選了我們的家傭後，你也希望我們繼續奉行此政策的。因此，請見諒我們的難處。
Many of you have inquired about some of the ladies in our new batch of trainees. We are very sorry that some of the ones you wanted have been hired by others. We have clients who hired one of our Arrow ladies, and, for one reason or the other, their helper could not come to Hong Kong. (E.G. failed medical or passport problem). Because these are existing customers, our policy is to allow them to have first choice from the new helpers. After they have chosen their replacement helper, then we open the trainees up for everyone else. I'm sure that once you hire an Arrow helper, you will want us to apply this policy to you as well. Thank you for understanding.
On the other hand, we have many well qualified and good helpers available! Please check the ones with scores first. The 2nd week of trainees have not been fully evaluated yet. Take a look at our applicants. You won't find these ladies at any other agency. They are exclusive to Arrow.
Your baby talks! Do you know what he/she is saying?
基於我們的顧客大多期待着新生命的來臨，我特意轉貼了一個關於Priscilla Dunstan 在The Oprah Show的分享給大家。Priscilla Dunstan是個厲害的人物！她懂得跟1-3個月大的嬰兒溝通，並了解他們的語言。她能很快地教懂你他們在說什麼！初為人父人母的你，請到下列的連結瀏覽整個故事吧！
Since most of our clients are expecting babies, I am reprinting the post about Priscilla Dunstan, who was on The Oprah Show. This lady is amazing; she has disciphered the language of 1-3 month old infants. She can quickly teach you what they are saying. New moms and dads, please go to the link below and read the whole story.
Amazing Medical Breakthroughs: Priscilla Dunstan's Gift
"Priscilla Dunstan hears babies' words.
For millions of sleep-deprived mothers around the world, this woman's findings could be a miracle! Priscilla Dunstan, a mom from Australia with a special gift, says she's unlocked the secret language of babies."
"When Priscilla was a toddler, her parents discovered she
had a photographic memory for sound. At age 4, she could hear a Mozart
concert on the piano and play it back note for note.
Priscilla says her gift has helped her hear a special "second
language" beyond English, allowing her to detect moods and even
diagnose illnesses! "Other people might hear a note but I sort of get
the whole symphony," Priscilla says. "So when someone's speaking, I get
all this information that other people might not pick up."
That mysterious second language took on an astounding new meaning
when Priscilla became a mother to her baby, Tom. "Because of my gift
for sound, I was able to pick out certain patterns in his cries and
then remember what those patterns were later on when he cried again,"
Priscilla says. "I realized that other babies were saying the same
words."
Arrow Orientation May June 2008
Our new group of trainees are ready to work in Hong Kong. We have just finished two weeks of orientation and interviews and the latest batch of trainees are quite impressive. They are hard working, have good attitudes and seem to be really nice people. The level of English is the best overall of any training so far. A number of the ladies are ex-abroad. They have been very cooperative and responsive to our training. Their profiles have been added to our website, but we haven't scored the 2nd week yet. Candidates from the first week went directly to the government testing and all of them passed. Take a look, but don't take too long, because there is great interest in this class of trainees.
New Arrow domestic workers available now!
在菲律賓，為期兩個星期的家傭訓練終於結束了！新一批的家傭簡直能以完美來形容！她們的質素也是有目共睹，有證有據的。就連我們在菲律賓的合作伙伴公司，其公司主席在參與我們的訓練課程後亦讚道：「嘩！這些女傭真棒呀！」我們相信你也一定會同意的！詳情參看
We have recently finished two weeks of domestic helper orientation in the Philippines. This batch of trainees has been the best yet. The quality of these people is evident. The president of the Philippine agency that we partner with, attended our training and commented "Wow, these ladies are really good." We think you'll agree. Take a look.
Mixing church and business, hmmmm
Some of you may wonder: "Why is this guy mixing church and business?" The simple explanation is "we care". But from a strictly business point of view, it also makes sense. We provide a caring community for the people who find work through Arrow. Because they have people who care for them, they will be less likely to succumb to homesickness, or get into trouble by hanging out with the wrong people. Your helper will be happier, adjust more quickly and have the resources of a loving community to help her as she learns her new job. A happy well adjusted helper is more likely to have a happy satisfied employer. The life principles we learn at church also help us become better people during the week. Well, that's my theory anyway. What do you think?
Our church's Filipino Fellowship went to Repulse Bay for a baptism. There was a 3000 meter safety swim going on at the time. The goal was to promote health and water safety. The organizers, however, hired these old junks to put their VIPs on. The junks filled the bay with acrid smoke, making our eyes sting, and even a little difficult to breath.
Our baptism went well. Three ladies were baptized: Cristina Cauilan, Lark Modesto, and Corazon Marbebe. We had a great time playing in the ocean (the water was wonderful - clean and cool), and the beach wasn't crowded. Here are some pictures.
印尼家傭疑上班兩日涉偷千萬
A number of years ago, someone invented a couple of wonderful devices for protecting your valuables: 1) Bank safe deposit boxes and 2) safes. Employers often complain that their helpers have no "common sense". How does "mixing up the fruit knife with the meat knife" compare to leaving millions of dollars of valuables lying around your home? Where is our common sense? If you keep valuables at home, for goodness sake, spend a few thousand dollars and buy a safe.
[03/04 星期四 14:40]印尼一名家庭傭工，懷疑上班兩日就偷去僱主近二百萬美元財物，被警方追緝。男戶主是六十七歲加拿大籍退休商人兼古董收藏家。四十歲女戶主表示，她星期一外出之後，返回雅加達附近的住所，發現大批財物不翼而飛，包括九千六百美元現款、重一點五公斤的金條、一公斤純銀、三十二隻名錶、鑽石及大批金幣銀幣，而女傭就不知所蹤。
事發時屋內還有男管家、狗隻訓練員、園丁、保安及其他工人，警方已查問過他們，但對於誰是疑犯，暫時未有頭緒。
港嬰睡眠全球最遲最少
You know I hate to be "I told you so" kind of person :-), but in an earlier post we discussed the sleep needs of children. As it turns out, even our newborn babies are not getting enough sleep.
(綜合報道)
(星島日報
報道) 香港人生活忙碌，晚睡早起，原來這些習慣對下一代亦有影響。調查發現，香港嬰兒是全球嬰兒中，最夜睡及睡得最少的，而亦有近七成受訪媽媽認為寶寶睡
眠有問題。兒科專家建議，父母可以為嬰兒進行恆常的睡前準備，幫助他們入睡，及減少他們夜間醒來的次數。亞太區兒科睡眠協會於○七及○八年間，進行一項關於全球嬰兒睡眠的調查，就全球十六個國家地區共三萬個○至三歲嬰兒的睡眠狀況、睡眠習慣及媽媽對嬰兒
睡眠評估作分析，當中包括一千多名香港嬰兒。
Read the whole story below:
港嬰睡眠全球最遲最少 - Yahoo! 新聞
Shalom in the Home
TLC :: Shalom in the Home :: Shmuleyisms
You can't be a good parent without being a good spouse.
There are two kinds of parental love: the love you give your kids,
and the love you give your spouse.
Kids with loving spouses grow up believing in romantic love.
It's your kid's job to resist. It's your job to impose your will.
Arrow家庭畫冊
Arrow Family Album
Show off your kids! I've started an Arrow Family Photo album. My
problem is: "I don't have any pictures. If you have an Arrow helper,
please send me a picture of your helper with your kids, the whole family, whatever. We'd love to post them on our website.
我的仔令我發狂
Help with 7 year old boys
My grandson is 7 years old and attends a local Chinese school. Sometimes the pressure of helping him/forcing him to do his homework is enough to drive us crazy. Of all our customers, it seems that those with 6,7 & 8 year old boys are under the greatest stress. If you know of any good parent forums for children this age, please let me know. I found one in English (http://www.conductdisorders.com/), but would love to find one in Chinese. Hong Kong Character City 香港有品 also has some great resources for families. Check it out! Thanks for your help.
Maid shakes baby boy
I hope and pray that this little boy is okay. Parents with small infants are wise to install internet cameras, so that they can check in on their children during the day. I imagine that the parents are feel both anger and guilt. Whenever anything bad happens to our children we (parents) always blame ourselves.
狂搖3月大少主 菲傭還柙 - 香港文匯報
【本報訊】中年菲律賓女傭疑因不滿僱主一家遷怒於少主，涉嫌向不足3月大男少主抱起大力搖晃洩憤，但遭僱主安裝的閉路電視拍下。涉案菲傭被落案起訴一項虐兒罪，昨被解上屯門裁判法院提堂，暫毋須答辯，還柙至下月7日在荃灣裁判法院再訊，以待警方進一步調查。
I hate how you see me! "A hell of my own" By Ryan Fernandez
Read this very interesting piece written by a Filipino who visited Hong Kong for medical reasons and saw an advertisement on the TV portraying Filipinos as primitives who could be transformed through training into the perfect maid. The writer, at first, admired Hong Kong, but after seeing this advertisement, went away hating Hong Kong. We never see our own prejudice and bigotry, but it exists nevertheless.
A hell of my own - INQUIRER.net
FRIENDS in Cebu never fail to remind me that everything over there is just fifteen minutes away by car. Whether it’s the harbor, the town square, or the monument to Lapu-Lapu with his perfectly sculpted calf muscles, each destination is easily within reach in the same amount of time that one takes a shower or smokes a few cigarettes.To this, I proudly reply that in Metro Manila, traffic is the great equalizer, and that everything is just about two hours away.
I say this the same way the Soviets might praise the unforgiving Russian winter that drove out the Nazis from their homeland, but also wracked the country with famine and blight. Read between the lines. What I’m saying is, sure it’s hell here, but at least it’s a hell we can call our own.
It really amazes me then that with the same amount of time it takes to go to work, I can actually hop on a plane and fly to Hong Kong. This is exactly what I did several months ago, when I went there with my dad for my PET scan.Special attention
Having pulled a muscle while playing badminton the weekend before the trip, he limped around with a stainless steel cane—a fact he did not hide, but rather exaggerated in order to get attention and special care. One of the airport staff spotted him hobbling from afar and immediately directed us to the customs lane reserved for the likes of government officials and foreign diplomats.
“Thanks!” my father said, raising his cane in salute before quickly remembering he should still be playing the part of an invalid.
The airport is connected to the rest of the city by an express train. At most, it’s a half-hour ride that cruises through Kowloon and Hong Kong proper, displaying to passengers the rolling hills and glittering skyscrapers iconic to the landscape.
On a map, we found the Adventist Hospital in a section of town called Happy Valley, a name that made me think of gleeful Chinese children, arms linked together and skipping to school, and toothless old men, waving with one hand and dangling a butchered piglet in the other.The Cancer Center itself had all the accoutrements of a hotel lobby: soft carpeting, cozy lounge chairs, and a magazine rack with a generous selection of fashion, business, and show biz weeklies. In between raiding the secretary’s counter for Mentos and catching up on the misadventures of “Posh and Beck,” my father and I sat back and watched whatever was showing on the giant plasma screen.
There were several commercials, all of which were in Mandarin, so I had to be content with dubbing them in my mind.
“Gee!” exclaimed a handsome man who was admiring a woman’s glossy, black hair. “If looking sexy is this easy, I definitely don’t need that sex-change operation anymore!”
For a dog food commercial, I eagerly translated the tag line at the end to “Better food for your dog, better dog for your food.”
What seemed to be a news alert showed masked health workers herding gaggles of geese into sacks and then whacking the sacks with truncheons. A few escapee birds were promptly kicked, but I assumed this was all part of a highly convoluted advertisement about the dependable quality of some company’s line of sacks or truncheons or both.
It was the following commercial, however, that won my heart.A well-to-do modern Chinese family sat in the living room, laughing merrily (perhaps they lived in Happy Valley) when the doorbell rang. The daughter—a pig-tailed toddler—climbed a stool and looked through the peephole. There stood a Thai woman dressed in a bright purple sash and long fingernail attachments. She put her palms together as if in prayer, and said a greeting.
Surprised, the little girl turned to her family, and they shook their heads. The same happened with the next visitor, a Malay woman sporting a colorful hijab, but she too was turned away. As if this was not enough, the doorbell rang again. This time the child found an exotic woman poised on the doorstep. She had feathers in her hair, animal teeth around her neck, and wore what looked like a fur loincloth.
“Ako’y nagmula sa Pilipinas!” she proudly said with a curtsy, bone jewelry jingling as she bended over. For a moment I was delighted. Perhaps I had stumbled into a new portion of an international beauty pageant wherein contestants proved their worth by trying to charm their way into someone’s household.
But delight shortly gave way to confusion, and then to shock. For the first time in my life, I finally saw how foreigners imagined Filipinos.
Back in New York, I had scoffed at acquaintances who had asked me if my countrymen lived in trees, washed their clothes by the river, and feasted on strays.“Oh come on!” I’d say, “Honestly, does it look like I grew up living in a tree?” But I do walk around in a fur loincloth. At least that’s what the commercial confirmed.
Just like the other women, her foreignness was met with disapproving stares by the rest of the family. That was until a neon blurb burst into the screen accompanied by dazzling glitter effects, and in the next shot, the Filipina was transformed into a properly dressed housemaid with a matching pink apron and a pink feather duster.
She lifted the giggling little girl in her arms, looked straight at the camera, and addressed viewers in fluent Mandarin. In hindsight, the commercial probably made sense as a domestic helper training service. But since I didn’t know what she said, it was the perfect reason to get offended. Up until that point, I had admired Hong Kong as any wide-eyed tourist would, humbled by its working traffic lights and neatly paved streets as compared to Manila.
Pedestrian crossings were clearly marked, and even with single lanes, traffic kept on moving. But with that one commercial, my envy flared into downright contempt.
It was unfair for me to hate Hong Kong, especially since it was all made up in my mind, but someone still had to pay for humiliating that woman even if she was simply acting.Would that family be just as cocky had they found themselves on the bad side of my town? Would anyone understand their pleas to escape the gridlock of Cubao at rush hour, rugby boys knocking on their windows?
Elsewhere, the Russian winter raged with full force, bearing down on both the invader and the innocent. Sure it’s hell back home, but at least it’s a hell I could call my own.
But back then, there wasn’t enough time yet to gather ire at the family and the city that turned down this Filipina. All there was was an unsettling feeling in my gut: pangs of lukewarm dread mixed with embarrassment and curiosity.
Outside the hospital, the rest of Hong Kong still glittered, its skyscrapers still soared as high as the mountains. On television, commercials still streamed one after another with messages propped up by blocky Chinese characters, and local celebrities spouting alien words.
The Filipina maid, still in a bright pink apron, looked straight at me. I followed the movement of her lips, but let my imagination fly:
My loincloth was too warm and itchy. Thank you, this apron makes me feel pretty now.
I welcome peanuts as a form of payment for my services.
You won’t regret hiring me. Just wait until you try my roasted poodle surprise.
菲律賓海外勞工匯款增一成三 -
《菲律賓星報》十六日報道，菲中央銀行說，菲海外勞工人數近年繼續增加。去年菲海外就業管理局派往國外工作的人數達一百零七萬。目前在海外工作的菲律賓人達八百多萬，約等於菲律賓總人口的十分之一。他們分佈在全球一百多個國家和地區，從事海員、女傭、護士、建築師和軟件工程師等多種工作。海外勞工增加﹐向國內匯款的金額也增加。去年菲海外勞工匯款總額相當於該國名義國內生產總值的一成左右。海外匯款大大刺激了菲國內消費的增長，是促進該國經濟迅速增長的重要原因之一。
What's New?
Arrow Family Album
Show off your kids! I've started an Arrow Family Photo album. My problem is: "I don't have any pictures. If you have an Arrow helper, please send me a picture of your helper with your kids, the whole family, whatever. We'd love to post them on our website.
Help with 7 year old boys
My grandson is 7 years old and attends a local Chinese school. Sometimes the pressure of helping him/forcing him to do his homework is enough to drive us crazy. Of all our customers, it seems that those with 6,7 & 8 year old boys are under the greatest stress. If you know of any good parent forums for children this age, please let me know. I found one in English (http://www.conductdisorders.com/), but would love to find one in Chinese. Hong Kong Character City 香港有品 also has some great resources for families. Check it out! Thanks for your help.
Jubilee Center Grand Opening March 23, 2008
Easter Sunday, 2008: Jubilee Center in Lek Yuen Estate will celebrate its grand opening! Rev. Reynaldo Avante, his wife and a delegation from Capital City Baptist Church will be joining us as our Chinese and Filipino congregations together celebrate our new beginning.
Jubilee Center will be open 7 days a week to serve both Hong Kong youth and Filipino domestic helpers. Facilities will include a coffee bar, Internet access, quiet areas for reading and study, as well as places to relax and rest.
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Allan & Ione Smith
New POEA rules rejected by groups representing migrant workers
Migrant groups reject new rules - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos
MANILA, Philippines -- Despite the amendments announced by the labor department, the new direct hiring guidelines for overseas Filipino workers should still be rejected, OFW groups said Wednesday.
This is because the main beneficiary of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s Memorandum Circular 04 was the government and not the OFW sector, said the Center for Migrant Advocacy.
The MC-04 benefits the government by shifting the burden of attending to OFWs in distress to the private recruiting agencies or employers, “subject to various payments borne by the OFWs in the migration process,” said CMA executive director Ellene Sana in a letter to Labor Secretary Arturo Brion.
MC-04, which took effect on January 15, requires foreign employers to secure a performance bond equivalent to three months’ salary (about $3,000) and a $5,000 repatriation bond, for each OFW that they hire directly.
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