Filipinos in Hong Kong
Encyclopedia : F : FI : FIL : Filipinos in Hong Kong
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| This article is part of the Demographics of Hong Kong series
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On Sundays and on public holidays, thousands of feiyungs gather in Central, Victoria Park and around Hong Kong Cultural Centre to socialise.
Professionals and residents
Although Filipino domestic helpers vastly outnumber other Filipinos in other professions, there are a notable number of Filipino professionals in Hong Kong. Many are architects and civil engineers, working on some of the most prominent buildings in Hong Kong. Some are information technology professionals, and many are in professional services (accounting, law, finance).Filipinos are also nearly ubiquitous as singers and musicians in bars and hotels. Many Filipinos work in the recently opened Hong Kong Disneyland.
There are also many Filipinos who have married locals and have settled down in Hong Kong.
Language
Most Filipinos in Hong Kong communicate with the local population in English (usually a second language for both parties). However, they communicate with their own friends and community in Tagalog or in another Filipino dialect. Most of them also have picked up a few Chinese (Cantonese) phrases in everyday life. A few are adept at Cantonese usage.Filipinos haven't settled long enough in Hong Kong to have a large number who know Cantonese fluently, unlike some of the other ethnic minorities such as the Pakistanis and the Indians who often know Cantonese like locals. Typically, the 140,000 Filipinos are transients -- each year, a large number of these leave Hong Kong permanently, to be replaced by a different set of Filipinos who have to learn Cantonese from the beginning.
Community life
Entertainment
On Sundays, one can usually encounter a large number of Filipino maids gathered at various spots in Central, including the ground floor of the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building. Many maids in Hong Kong have Sunday as their fixed once-a-week working day off, during which they socialize, eat self-prepared food, sing, and even sell various items. This is such a long-standing practice that the "No littering"-signs in the vicinity are written in three languages: Chinese, English and Tagalog.Religion
Most Filipinos in Hong Kong are Christians, the majority of whom are Catholic. A notable number identify themselves with the various Protestant and non-denominational churches. A minority are Muslims. Many spend at least a part of their Sunday mornings attending Mass and various church services. Numerous Catholic parishes in Hong Kong offer masses in Tagalog or English geared towards the Filipinos, who make up a large part of the membership of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong (2005: 353,000, but it is unclear whether Church statistics have added in those faithful with only temporary resident status).
Living conditions
Sanitation is generally good in Hong Kong, and the associated health risk for most Filipino domestic helpers working in the territory is generally minimal. The most usual adverse conditions they encounter (which may be detrimental to their health - physical or psychological) include lack of sleep/rest (and potentially insomnia), loneliness or anxiety, and the small space in which they live (most Hong Kong families live in small apartments, and they often house their domestic helpers in even smaller rooms, sometimes no larger than the size of a closet). A number also have to wait until the rest of the family has retired and then sleep on a mat or the sofa.Scandals involving domestic helpers
Scandals involving Filipino maids and their employers are not unheard of in Hong Kong, though the relationship between the two parties are usually harmonious for the most part. Some unlucky maids have been sexually assaulted by their male employers; on the other hand, a few domestic helpers have stolen the property of their employers. A case in 2005 involved the famous Hong Kong writer Eunice Lam and her maid. [link] There have also been cases where the domestic helpers abuse the children of their employer. In 2005, a domestic helper forced a five-year-old girl to eat stool [link]; and in March 2006, a domestic helper fractured the skull of a four-month-old baby and broke her left arm and right leg.[link]The indispensable helper The present proper name for Filipino a domestic helper is "Ka Yung" meaning family helper. The original name was "Fei Yung" meaning "Phil helper". Hong Kong people have a strange habit of not referring to people by proper names. With the arrival of Filipino helpers in the 1970s they devised an alternative slang name. The name Bun mui came into use. The word "Bun" was taken from the word Fei-Lut-Bun (Phillippines). The word "Mui" means a insignificant girl or servant. The word "Bun mui" is offensive. Detailed explanation can be found at the Bun mui article.
Government policy towards foreign domestic helpers
Several members of the Hong Kong government have proposed that the pay of foreign maids be reduced by 20 percent to share the pain of the economic downturn. A possible compromise would be to link a reduction in the minimum wage with better protections for maids, but one version of the better protections includes allowing employers to require maids to be on duty for 16 hours a day. The minimum wage in Hong Kong is HK$3,320 (US$450) a month, as from May 2005. In comparison it is around HK$1,970 (US$255) in Singapore. In addition, employers are required to pay an "Employees Retraining Levy" of HK$400 per month for each maid. It has been said that this was put into place to offset the cost of the HKSAR government in cleaning up the tonnes of rubbish off the streets of Hong Kong which is left by the maids after their Sunday rest days.
Guidelines for the hiring of a foreign domestic helper is set out in a "Guidebook for the Employment of Domestic Helpers from Abroad" (Code ID(E) 969), issued by the HKSAR Immigration Department.
Most foreigners who work in Hong Kong are entitled to acquire permanent residency after living in the territory for 7 years. Foreign domestic helpers are explicitly excluded from this policy. Many Filipino maids have worked in Hong Kong for 20 years or more without any chance of acquiring permanent residency.
The Hong Kong government has cracked down on the practice of some foreign maids who advertise their availability for part-time work in supermarket bulletin boards. The government notes that such part-time work violates the condition of their visa, which mandates that a foreign domestic helper is permitted to work only for one employer. As of August 2003, maids are also required to live with their employers in the same residence, instead of being allowed to live outside. Some 718 foreign domestic workers were apprehended in 1997 working illegally, as were 342 in the first nine months of 1998. Employers who illegally hire foreign domestic helpers face fines of HK$ 350,000 and up to three years in jail.
External links
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