Three cheers for Dean Teodoro!
I just finished writing a review of a new book that was published by a Canadian NGO here in Hong Kong. They sent me a copy through the mail, requesting that I review it for Hong Kong News.
That’s what I did, and gladly.
The book is titled Take Your Rights Seriously (a manual on the legal rights of migrant workers in Hong Kong and the politics involved). It was written by Tim Rice, a lawyer and assistant professor in philosophy in Lingnan University. He does pro bono work for refugees and migrant workers.
Primarily the book is all about the specific laws that affect foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong and govern their lives and rights. In his preface, Mr. Rice says it’s an issue of social justice that migrant workers be given all the opportunities to know and understand their rights; and that Hong Kong (just like any other society) can and should be judged mainly on how it treats its most vulnerable members.
The format is mostly Q&A, and the questions and the answers are written in plain, no-nonsense language. The tone, while sympathetic, is also frank.
There is the recognition that sometimes, migrant workers get into trouble because of their own doing (such as in the cases of falsification of identity documents; or incurring thousands of dollars in debts); but for the most part, the book bends over backwards for FDHs and analyzes the situation as one of forced labor migration an the failure of the governments in the countries of origin of the FDHs to provide adequate employment and living wages to their constituencies.
The book doesn’t drown the reader with legal jargon; what it does is give a comprehensive but comprehensible overview of Hong Kong law when it comes to migrant workers; and gives advice to readers (targetted to be domestic helpers) on how to react and act under circumstances wherein their employment and criminal civil rights are under threat.
There are case scenarios, and the solutions are pretty much step-by-step; like for instance what to do from the moment the police arrives and hauls one off to the police station for interrogation and possible criminal offense charging? (1) Don’t say anything and take advantage of the right to remain silent; (2) Say that you need to consult a lawyer (or get a duty lawyer, in most cases of FDHs ); and (3) Do not sign anything.
Needless to say, a lot of FDHs, Filipinos in particular, get arrested on an almost daily basis for one infraction or another (mistaken, invented, or actual). The Philippine Consulate here does not have a single lawyer, and OFWs are pretty much left on their own when it comes to settling legal disputes (even over employment rights and benefits).
Most FDHs (the Indonesians are worse off, but Filipinos are not having a field day everyday at work, either) don’t know their rights; and most unfortunately, like back home in the Philippines and private sector workers who are unorganized in unions, most are not part of associations or organizations who can at least give them some basic information on their employment rights. They don’t have the immediate means to contact help and to recieve immediate assistance when they get into legal or criminal trouble.
Atty. Rice published the book on his own, with the support of Christine Houston of the Executive Search Group International (ESGI), an education foundation.
It’s the small but serious and sincere efforts like this that give me back my hope in humanity. Ordinary people making extraordinary measures and gestures with the intent of doing a measure of good for other people.
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This Thursday, August 24 will be the birthday of one of my favorite teachers (and long-time crushes, ehem) Prof. Luis Teodoro.
He was my teacher in newswriting and editorial writing back in college, as well as my thesis adviser. Silly me, I used to comb my hair and make sure my glasses were on straight before I went to my weekly consultations with him over my thesis (the impact of the political and ideological errors in the trade union movement in the Philippines); and it was all I could do to not be flustered whenever he asked me a question ("Are you sure you’ve gotten your names and dates right?" or "Up to what period in the labor movement are you thinking of tracing your topic’s history?).
If I ever I do finish a book, I want him to write the introduction for me (yes, I have ambitions), nevermind that he never pronounces my name right (he says "Eeena’ and not ‘Ayna’).
Anyways. The following is a birthday greeting to him by a friend and colleague of his. It’s funny, sincere and heartfelt. Notice the title, though — it reads like a manifesto, but this is the style of the birthday greeter all his own.
Warmest Greetings to Prof. Luis V. Teodoro on the Occasion of His 65th Birth Anniversary
From Jose Maria Sison
I am delighted to join the close comrades, colleagues and friends of Louie in conveying to him warmest greetings on the occasion of his 65th birth anniversary (August 24). This is a time to salute him for all his achievements and wish him to enjoy many more years of good health and productive life.
At the age of 65, one may be assailed at times by intimations of mortality. But there are more than enough inspiring examples of greater creativity and even virility beyond that age, even for those less accomplished. In the case of Louie, he has a great stock of accomplishments to further build on. I do not think that soon he will turn to full time gardening.
I presume that a number of us can try to present in a structured way his best qualities as a progressive, as a teacher, as an administrator, as a journalist, as a creative writer, as a man of honor and possibly as a lover. I prefer to play the role of the slightly older man who initiates reminiscences in order to draw some chuckles from him.
It was Joe Burgos who popularized through Malaya the nick name "Joma" in the early 80s. But it was Louie in the early 60s who had originally baptized me as "Joema" in the same way that he called Jose Nadal Carreon "Joecar". I do not know if Louie still remembers this creative act of his. But I cannot forget it and I always remember it as a term of endearment.
I became close to Louie in the course of discussion groups of the Student Cultural Association of the U.P., weekly press work when he became editor-in-chief of the Philippine Collegian, informal get-togethers of campus writers and frequent conspiracies with Pete Daroy in the early 60s.
I became so close to Louie that I knew when he had an upset stomach just because a certain pre-med student whom he fancied seemed to ignore him (in the first place he was only "ligaw tingin") or because he was having serious trouble with the faculty adviser of the Collegian.
He was only a bit worried when there seemed to be no contribution for the features section of the Collegian. But he could always tell me to pull out an article from my "baul".
So much for the anecdotes. It was during the consecutive terms of Reynato Puno, Leonardo Quisumbing and Louie as editors-in-chief that the Philippine Collegian became an outstanding and consistent vehicle of the ideas of the national democratic movement against US imperialism and the local exploiting classes. Since then, most of the time the editors of the Collegian and the student council leaders have been staunchly patriotic and progressive.
After his Collegian editorship, Louie was with me in the editorial board of Progressive Review. He was an active supporter of Kabataang Makabayan and the Movement for the Advancement of Nationalism. He edited the book, Struggle for National Democracy. At the same time, he was editor of a national commercial weekly. He did much more for the national democratic movement than I can mention here. Suffice it for me to say that unwittingly the Marcos fascist regime honored him when it arrested and detained him.
When I myself was under detention, he was active in the committee to seek my freedom and helped edit the publications of the committee. I was happy and thankful to meet him again after my release from detention in 1986. Since then, I have watched and admired from abroad his successes as a teacher and dean of mass communications and as a practicing journalist in the patriotic and progressive tradition of Marcelo H. del Pilar.#
