HONG KONG (SE): “The spirit of Hong Kong is not limited by nationalities. I have the same notion as other Hong Kong citizens to help others,” said Rodelia Pedro Villar, who won a Spirit of Hong Kong Award this year. The award is co-sponsored by property developer, Sino Group, and the South China Morning Post. It recognises the unsung heroes of society who have dedicated their lives to helping the needy and bringing change to society.
The first Filipino to receive this award, Villar is a regular contributor to the Sunday Examiner and an active parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, Tai Po. She said a good volunteer will treat people in need with the same considerations, no matter whether they are friends or not.
Villar was the winner of the Lion Rock People’s Choice Award, which was decided by online public voting in September, while the recipients of the other six awards were selected by a panel. Selected from around 100 nominations, the winners were announced at the end of November.
Villar said she was speechless and delighted to win the prize as it could help to promote her group and enable her to help more people. She founded the Domestic Workers Corner in 2017 and has handled many inquiries from foreign domestic workers regarding visa or passport renewals, termination of contracts, sexual harassment, romance scams and so on.
In a video interview with the South China Morning Post, Villar said she never expected to be nominated or to win the award. She added that it is an honour to be the first Filipino to be nominated and then to receive the award. She thanked Pathfinders, an organisation helping foreign domestic workers and their children in Hong Kong, for the nomination. She is also grateful for the support of her employers, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Tai Po, and all others.
She told the Sunday Examiner that the Tai Po parish gave her opportunity to learn about the legal rights of foreign domestic workers and how to help those in need as she was allowed to set up a help desk there in 2007. She teaches Sunday school and has been the person-in-charge of the parish newsletter for the past 16 years in. She is also a recipient of a 10-year service award from the parish.
She also thanked parish priest, Father Jean Sylvére Mbuela Pfuti, for allowing the South China Morning Post to film her interview inside the church even though it took three hours!
The first Filipino to receive this award, Villar is a regular contributor to the Sunday Examiner and an active parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, Tai Po. She said a good volunteer will treat people in need with the same considerations, no matter whether they are friends or not.
At present, the Domestic Workers’ Corner has 70,000 followers on Facebook. She has 20 volunteers helping her in the group, which is divided into five smaller teams dealing with family and work problems, emotional problems, workshops on cooking and other skills and Saturday activities.
She believes the team dealing with emotional problems needs professional support as it may drag volunteers into depression as well if they are not careful. Cases are referred to Help For Domestic Workers, a non-government organisation at St. John’s Cathedral, Garden Road.
Every day the group receives around 50 inquiries. Over the past four years, it has handled many cases and referred them to the consulate, professionals or non-government organisations.
Managing the large number of members, Villar said it is important to be open-minded and accept opinions. She learned her leadership skills in an eight-month training programme of the Resolve Foundation Hong Kong.
Moreover, Villar was a member of the Are you OK? Campaign run by the Equal Opportunities Commission together with other groups, which addresses the needs of migrant domestic workers who may be victims of exploitation.
She expressed her gratitude to Daisy Mandap, the editor of The Sun, a newspaper for Filipinos in Hong Kong, who provides guidance to her group.
A video message from Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, was played at the awarding ceremony.
Lam said she saw generosity and benevolence in the work of the award winners and she believes the winners show the true spirit of Hong Kong which can take the city through difficult times.
The two hotlines of the Domestic Workers Corner are 9161 3074 and 6345 4758.
