jencabanez - Tumblr blog

[jencabanez]

A year and half has passed that tested our survival against the current COVID-19 pandemic. And the least thing that we wanted to have is another seed of discrimination and racism.

[jencabanez]

The implementation of the National Security Law in Hongkong is like a fire that is about to explode, the same with Anti-Terror Bill in the Philippines. What do they have in common?

Taken May, 2020

[jencabanez]

The attacks on progressive organizations nationwide and even outside is increasing in alarming rate. The crackdown only shows that the state is guilty of its negligence to the people and instead of facing the problem at hand, they tend to divert. This picture was taken last UNIFIL's anniversary in Hongkong. Despite of redtagging and ridiculous accusations to the progressive organizations, we continuesly give service, go forth to struggle and aim for victories. For the people, to the people.

From : UNIFIL'S 34th Anniversary, September 2019

#photographyeveryday

#photographyislife

#photojournalism

#documentaryphotography

#documentary

#reportage

#streetscene

#photodocumentary

#photostory

#wheninhk

#fujifilm_street

#explorehk

#momentlens

#JiniStyle

@everydayeverywhere @everydayasia

@thecwhpto

[jencabanez]

AMCB statement on the current MAW increase and food allowance.

Press Release

For reference: SringAtin

Tel No.69920878

Dolores

Tel No. 97472986

Wage Increase HK$110 is still slave wage

Hong Kong government continues to degrade and discredit MDWs’ value in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Government has announced today an increase of the Minimum Allowable Wage (MAW) for migrant domestic workers (MDWs) from HK$4,520 to HK$4,630 per month (2.4% =$110) and HK$1,121 from previous HK$1,075 food allowance, which is an increase of 4.3% only. This is HK$1,264 less than the living wage (HK$5,894) we need to be able to sustain our needs, and HK$1,479 less than the food allowance we are campaigning for.

Asian Migrants Coordinating Body thinks the increase continues to degrade and discredit the value and contribution of migrant domestic workers in the economic realm of the city. The rates of the increase do not even cover the rate of the inflation, which according to the August 2019 report is 3.4%.

As recalled, the Hong Kong government has always claimed that the significance of MDWs in economic growth, yet this year’s increase (and every previous year’s) is ironic, as the HK government is actually saying that we do not have much economic needs so as to require a living wage.

The Hong Kong government should be embarrassed and shameful. Despite being a high-valued and luxurious city, the government has continued to treat MDWs as slaves and neglected to improve the living conditions of MDWs.

We thank our members and supporters who unfailingly support our struggle for living wage, regulated working hours, and workers’ rights. Due to our collective action, we were able to pressure the HK government to give us an increase, no matter if the increase is but a sliver.

However, we will continue our campaign. We will continue to lobby with different sectors from regional to international to expose the Hong Kong Government’s treatment of MDWs. We will continue to organize more migrants for what we justly deserve.

[jencabanez]

Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) from Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Philippines gather today at the Department of Labour in Sheung Wan to assert their call for just and decent living wage in Hong Kong in the wake of the annual government review of the Minimum Allowable Wage (MAW).

While it is true that the Labour Department & Welfare Bureau calls for a consultation with migrants' organizations and non-government service providers every year, the concerns raised by these groups particularly on rightful increase in wages as well as improved policies for their rights and welfare are ignored, evidence was clear in last year's HK$110 MAW increase and HK$22 food allowance.

Despite the significant contribution of the MDWs, the current MAW of $5420 clearly falls to slave wage level. The Hong Kong government remains apathetic to the MDWs basic needs who have difficulty in coping up with inflation, goods, utilities and services in Hongkong at the same time struggling to provide for the needs of their families way back home.

It's about time to recognize the dignity and value of domestic work as MDWs and demand a humane living wage. Based on Oxfam's December 2018 study on living wage level in Hongkong which they pegged at HK$54.70/hour, the MAW level should be no less than HK$5894/month. This should be applied to local and migrant live-in domestic workers.

We believe that "with a living wage, workers and their families should be able to afford a basic, but descent life style that is considered acceptable by the society at its current level of economic development. Workers and family should be able to live above the poverty level, and be able to participate on social and cultural life. "

Thus we demand the Hong Kong government to:

1. Raise the MAW to HK$5894 to meet the living wage in Hong Kong;

2. Implement an 11-hour uninterrupted rest plus meal breaks stipulated in the standard employment contract (SEC);

3. Ensure descent accommodation for MDWs and stipulate in the SEC the unsuitable accommodations such as toilet, kitchen, hallway, cupboard, warehouse, living room and other unsafe and unhealthy forms of accommodation.

We vow to continue the struggle for a living wage and rights of workers. At the same time, we shall continue to build our unity and strength in the migrant domestic worker's movement and work with the exploited workers in Hong Kong and all over the world in pushing changes that will establish a structure and system that serves the majority and not only the capitalists and exploiting classes.

- From Press Release of Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body (AMCB)

[jencabanez]

Despite different diversities, migrant domestic workers from different organizations gather today at the Department of Labour in Sheung Wan to assert our call for just and decent living wage in Hong Kong in the wake of the annual government review of the Minimum Allowable Wage (MAW).

[jencabanez]

Yesterday, I was in HKU to get myself vaccinated with MMR. It's been like a year the last time I set my foot in the university so when I saw their Lennon wall, I just cannot ignore it and gave a piece of my fire to them. Serve the people, always for the people. All this chaos that's been going for almost weeks that I lost count already. The fight is worth fighting for. Question is,

For whom?

[jencabanez]

It's been weeks and the protest are still on going. Who knows when it will stop but everyone knows that this is taking a lot of toll on Hong Kong's economy. No one knows.

#photographyeveryday

#photographyislife

#photojournalism

#documentaryphotography

#documentary

#reportage

#streetscene

#photodocumentary

#photostory

#womenstreetphotographers

#wheninhk

#fujifilm_street

#explorehk

#momentlens

#JiniStyle

@everydayeverywhere @everydayasia

@thecwhpto

[jencabanez]

Organised by the HK Campaign for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCAHRPP) under the banner of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) - friends from different mass organizations marched to Philippine General Consulate yesterday, June 30 2019.

Carrying the calls to:

Stop the killings in the Philippines.

End impunity.

Stop the attacks on our farmers, human rights defenders, our activists, our press freedom.

Stop the red tagging on our church and Church leaders.

We are all united to stop the attacks! Resist and raged fist high up!

[jencabanez]

Organised by the HK Campaign for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCAHRPP) under the banner of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) - friends from different mass organizations marched to Philippine General Consulate yesterday, June 30 2019.

Carrying the calls to:

Stop the killings in the Philippines.

End impunity.

Stop the attacks on our farmers, human rights defenders, our activists, our press freedom.

Stop the red tagging on our church and Church leaders.

We are all united to stop the attacks! Resist and raged fist high up!

[jencabanez]

June 16, 2019

- A group of priests and youths from Iglesia Filipina Independiente from Ilocos, Philippines came to visit Hongkong to have understanding on how our migrant domestic workers are living here. They are trying to figure out ways on how to organize our overseas Filipino worker's family that the life abroad is not easy as it seems to. With limited time given, I hope it is still became an opening gate to connect families' together.

[jencabanez]

June 16, 2019

The streets of hongkong has been turned into a black sea when hundreds of thousands of hongkong people went out again to march against this proposed extradition law. Approximate count of 2 million wore black clothes and went out. I managed to catch beholding sights you can see on the second phase of people power. Until the proposed law is totally scrap and the threat to their rule of law is gone, people will continuesly join the march this next few days. Do you hear the people sing? Yes! Otherwise, clean your ears.

[jencabanez]

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[jencabanez]

Fight for a living wage and the rights of migrant workers

End exploitation of all workers

Statement of the AMCB-IMA-HK on Labour Day 2019

01 May 2019

Migrant workers, under the banner of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) – member of the global formation International Migrants Alliance (IMA) – are with all the working people in Hong Kong and the world in marking the continuing struggles of workers against exploitation and oppression in the name of profit-making and taking by the few.

Hong Kong workers, both migrants and locals, are no strangers to capitalist greed for profits. Enabled by policies that are oriented and servile to business interests, wages of workers are nailed to a floor level that is not enough to live by in the face of rising prices of goods, real estate and constricting social services that drives workers to private services.

A living wage is a fight of all workers in Hong Kong who endure slave wage level.

For migrants who are mostly domestic workers, the struggle to pull up the minimum allowable wage to a living wage is a constant struggle.

Based on the computations of the AMCB-IMA-HK drawn from the definition, studies and standards of living wage, the minimum wage of migrant domestic workers should be HK$5,894 per month. The current MAW at HK$4,520 per month only translates from HK$9 per hour (for 16-hour work day) to HK$12 per hour (for 12-hour work day) which is only 16-21 per cent of the estimated HK$54.7 hourly rate estimated by a study of Oxfam to have a living wage.

Local workers face an essentially similar situation where their wage of HK$34.50 per hour remains a far cry from the estimated living wage level.

Instead of taking decisive actions to increase the wage of all workers, particularly the minimum wage earners, the Hong Kong government occasionally increases the MAW for migrants by approximately HK$2 to HK$4 per month. For local workers, even the reported plan to have an increase of HK$3 to the per hour minimum wage will definitely not be enough to approach the living wage standard.

Meanwhile, the slave wage situation of migrants is even compounded by the refusal of the Hong Kong government to improve the living and working condition of migrant domestic workers. Despite studies and concrete proof of the dire situation of MDWs pertaining to accommodation and working hours, the government has kept on disregarding demands to have more defined rules on decent accommodation of MDWs as well as regulation of working hours.

When it comes to workers, including migrants, the Hong Kong government persists in maintaining the “business as usual” situation.

For this Labor Day 2019, MDWs under AMCB-IMA-HK are marching with our local working brothers and sisters to fight for a living wage and various labor rights that are sacrificed to the altar of capitalist profit-making and taking.

Migrant workers demand for the Hong Kong government to:

1. Raise the MAW to HK$5,894 to meet the living wage in HK;

2. Implement an 11-hour uninterrupted rest plus meal breaks stipulated in the standard employment contract (SEC);

3. Ensure decent accommodation for MDWs and stipulate in the SEC the unsuitable accommodations such as toilet, kitchen, hallway, cupboard, warehouse, living room and other unsafe and unhealthy forms of accommodation;

4. End illegal collection and overcharging;

5. Legislate a comprehensive anti-trafficking law, and;

6. Abolish all discriminatory immigration policies such as the “two-week rule”, mandatory live-in policy, denial of visa to suspected “job-hoppers” and ban on Nepalese workers

We deplore continuing efforts, fanned by government inaction, to drive a wedge between migrants and local workers under false analyses of the roots of deteriorating situation of workers. Capitalist crisis is fueled by its own greed and, in the end, all working people suffer from worsening exploitation, diminishing services, and eroding rights.

Today, we fight for a living wage and the rights of workers. Beyond, we shall continue to build our unity and strengthen the worker’s movement in Hong Kong that is one with the workers of the world in pushing for changes that will establish a structure and system that serves the majority and not only the capitalists and exploiting classes.

Long live worker’s unity!

Long live international solidarity!

#LaborDay2019

#LabourDayHK2019

#EndSlaveryHK

[jencabanez]

Every time I am clicking, I am thankful to my mom and dad's genes of giants. Having long legs and long arms makes you squeezed everyone inside the pictures and captured those lovely smiles!

The thing is, because I effortlessly do this, they just have to look up and probably suffer from stiff neck the next day onwards. Well, haha. It's better than not being in the picture right?

Ending this post, I am thankful for the year I spent with these people; being part of the Migrants community, asserting our rights, organizing and proactively being part of the movement, building solidarity with every ethnicity to attain the thing that we all wanted for and that is a true, long lasting social change. I look forward for another year with you people! I look forward for the new experiences that we will face together and will learn together! I look forward to the day that we won't be here anymore; outside of our country and away from our family. I look forward to our collective strength that one day, the countries that we all came from will not be able to resort to labor export policy just to sustain economy thus lessening the effects of forced migration to families. Let's hold each other hands and face 2019 with new hope!

Long live international solidarity!

[jencabanez]

How do we celebrate Christmas when we're far away from home? When homesickness, loneliness and the feeling of sadness is constantly attacking us here in Hongkong?

Taken at the Christmas party organized by Mission for Migrant Workers and Bethune House for friends, supporters, clients, former clients, groups and organizations last evening of December 24th. For the questions above, it is probably sharing smiles, laughter, good food and drinks, stories and extending solidarity to each other as we face the struggles.

[jencabanez]

Overflowing of different varieties of food! Vegetarians, meat lovers and even the sweets! This is heaven! I tell you guys, a party without lumpia in Filipino culture will make it a lesser party. Haha!