Overseas Filipino Workers In Hong Kong On Weekend

30th November 2022

Hello ASEAN Hiveans!

It's been a while since I last posted in this community. For some reason, which I guess @justinparke is aware of, I took a long break just to let things pass. But here I am back again, in a place where I believe I belong too.

As many of you here know about me, I'm a Filipino Caregiver working in Hong Kong for five years now. I'm just one of the Filipinos who ventured out to the other side of the fence to look for greener pastures. The beginning of my journey was so tough. Who wouldn't have thought that I would last this long? This wasn't my initial plan either. But here I am enjoying my stay in this foreign land.

Life here isn't easy. A lot of challenges are being faced alone as we are miles away from our real homes. Homesickness, toxic job, strict bosses, and lack of rest, even maltreatment are just some of the problems, many workers are facing here. And based on data.gov.hk, as of 2021, 56% from the total number of the foreign workers are from the Philippines. Most of them are Helpers, some are Caregivers, Private Nurses, and Drivers. While others were lucky enough to become permanent residents here and eligible for working in other fields and establishments.

If you happen to visit Hong Kong someday, don't be surprised to see a lot of Filipinos in all parts of this country, especially during holidays. Workers here are working 6 times a week. Some are even unfortunate to get inconsiderate bosses who mandate them to work even on holidays. Some don't even have a day off for the whole month. And I am just lucky to have bosses who allow me to enjoy my holidays.

Some are even not allowed to rest in their rooms on their holidays, so many opt to stay outdoors, roam around the city, go hiking, day camping, or simply stay at the urban parks, overpasses, and underpasses.

(Groups of Filipinos gathering and having fun, with their food cooked and prepared at their bosses' houses. Some are allowed to cook even on holidays)

It is so normal here to see a lot of tents in some city areas during the weekend. Many of them are Filipino and Indonesian workers. At least, the government of HK permitted workers to do such things anywhere during their holidays. They are considerate in that part. As long as they won't do bad things that could ruin government properties, make the place dirty, or make humiliation in public areas.

(Filipinos and Indonesians set up tents on the overpass of Admiralty station just so they could rest.)

Below are some Filipinos taking group photoshoots and at the back are Indonesians.

The Tamar Park along Central Harborfront is just one of the urban parks where foreign workers, including OFWs gather every holiday.

I happened to pass through the park last Sunday when going to Central from Admiralty. It has a wide green platform great for picnics, parties, and different events and gatherings.

The park isn't just perfect for weekend unwinding and gathering, but there are a lot of attractions along the harborfront and different outdoor installations which serve as photo backdrops. Every Christmas and New Year, thousands of foreign workers and residents gather in this park.

Working abroad is so distressing and workers are finding ways to unwind on weekends. Most holidays of the workers are scheduled on Sundays, which allows them to freely do whatever they want, except for those who are restricted by their bosses. Some ways that many workers are doing to entertain themselves are group dancing and singing, joining some events, filming for TikTok and YouTube vlogs, hiking, beaching, visiting tourist attractions, and others.

Some take that opportunity to do side hustles, helping some merchants to sell their products in WorldWide Plaza where a lot of Filipino stores are located, in return for some commission. While some are selling products online, or in some places in the cities where a lot of workers are gathering. That is actually prohibited here, so sellers are too vigilant not to be caught by police officers roaming around. And some are selling Filipino foods at different parks.

Workers here only have one day off each week, so many make sure to take it just so they could rest and take a break from exhausting jobs before starting the new week again. But we are free as well during statutory holidays, which are 14 different holidays currently. While some prefer to work on holidays so they could save money, most prefer to unwind and visit tourist attractions which is an opportunity for them to make travel vlogs and earn through monetization on their social media accounts. That's another opportunity and source of extra income for their families abroad.

They are the modern heroes of today's society. They are risking their lives abroad just to give their families decent food and safe houses, support their children's education and achieve their dreams and goals, not just for themselves, but for their families.

I am one of them. And I am proud to be Filipino Overseas Worker (OFW). No matter how hard life abroad is, we are resilient, so we just keep going.

You can play the video above to see what Filipinos and Indonesians are doing at Tamar Park on weekends.

Gracias!

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