INTRODUCTION
Magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat na mga kababayang naririto sa Hong Kong. Maligaya ako at tayong lahat ay nagkasama-sama ngayong umaga. Ikinagagalak ko kayong makatagpo sa ikahuling araw ng aking paglalakbay sa tsina na malaking papel ang gagampanan sa mga susunod na taon sa ating rehiyon.
THE FILIPINO OVERSEAS WORKERS
Our people are sought out as skilled workers by foreign countries. All over the world, Filipino workers are preferred for their skill and discipline in the workplace, as well as for their good manners and unusually quick and good-natured integration into their host communities.

The Filipino overseas worker has become one of the true heroes of economic recovery and national development. Your contributions help lift our troubled economy and lay the foundation for future growth.

It is fitting that I am with you just a day before Labor Day — a day which proudly highlights the achievements, recognizes the sacrifices and upholds the rights, of working people around the world.

My being here with you on this day before Labor Day (May 1st) is intended to send a powerful message to our countrymen and to the rest of the world: the Filipino overseas worker is absolutely critical to Philippine development. Because you are a most valuable national resource, we shall go to all lengths to protect your rights and advance your interests. Our government will stand by you. This is my pledge to our over one million overseas workers.
FILIPINO WORKERS IN HONG KONG
During my brief meeting with the senior officials of the Hong Kong government, I heard nothing but praise for the almost 100,000 Filipino workers in this city. The Hong Kong government expressed its satisfaction with your civility, decorum and law-abidingness. As a whole, you have caused no problems for the Hong Kong authorities. Keep this up. Let us behave with the dignity and grace of true Filipinos.

Hong Kong officials also expressed their appreciation for your contribution to the city’s economy and culture. The high skills — both professional and social — of Filipinos are well-suited to Hong Kong’s cosmopolitan character, and the growing dynamism and sophistication of its economy.

The over-all consensus is that Filipino workers — particularly with the good command of the English language — bring into the Hong Kong labor market a unique blend of occidental sophistication and oriental industry. This profitable mix of east and west, the product of history and culture, allows us to straddle both worlds — a big advantage in this Asian city with a large foreign population.

Tumataba ang puso ko kapag naririnig ko ang mga bagay na ito. At patawarin sana ninyo ako, yumayabang ako kapag pinupuri ang mga Pilipino. Sabi nga nila, ang Pilipino, kung ukol sa trabaho, ibibigay ang lahat — ultimong kanyang buhay — nang walang alinlangan.

This was proven last March 10 at Happy Valley, when our kababayan Mrs. Pascuala Dastas of Nasugbu, Batangas gave up her life to rescue her ward from a run-away bus.

Waling’s courage springs from genuine love and self-sacrifice — the kind of which Christ himself said: “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).”

I will be awarding Mrs. Dastas the order of the grieving heart posthumously, in behalf of our government and people, in honor of her bravery and dedication. Let this be a fitting reminder to the world that the Filipino laborer’s dedication and commitment to work extends beyond his or her self-interest.
SOLIDARITY WITH COUNTRYMEN
Let me also acknowledge and thank the Hong Kong Filipino community’s assistance to their less fortunate countrymen back home.

After the devastating earthquake of 1990, your community donated US$ 56,000 in cash, and more than 250 balikbayan boxes of food, blankets and used clothing.

When Typhoon Thelma hit the island of Mindoro, your community donated US$ 5,000.

When Mt. Pinatubo spewed out lahar that devastated vast areas of Central Luzon, your group again donated US$ 36,000.

You contributed not only unstintingly, but also solicited donations from employers, friends and sympathizers.

Filipinos in Hong Kong are known for conscientiousness in paying taxes. In this sense, they are worthy of emulation back home. I am told that, since April, Filipinos here have queued up daily at our consulate to pay taxes. Our tax collections for Hong Kong have reached HK$ 2 million. Many of you have even queued for busy friends and relatives to help them fulfill their tax obligations.

I could not ask more from you. You have practiced discipline, honesty and hard work in a foreign land to help your nation. I know how great a sacrifice it is to be away from your families and loved ones — and still find it in you to call up the selflessness and patriotism to remain good citizens of your country.

For those of you with apprehensions about Hong Kong after 1997, when it reverts to China, let me assure you that I inquired about your status at the highest levels. I was informed that Filipino workers are considered an asset of the Hong Kong economy, and that the present arrangement would continue.

Come 1997, when some of you might then want to come home, there should be more than 200,000 jobs waiting for you. Our government will spare no effort to guarantee you employment in your own country — which is a God-given right.
YOUR PROBLEMS ARE MY PROBLEMS
In the meantime, it is one of my highest priorities to address the concerns of Filipino overseas workers. One such concern is the illegal recruitment activities of Filipinos who do not hesitate to victimize their own people, and who, moreover, prey on innocent and trusting Filipino workers. I am outraged by this practice and i am declaring war on it. I hereby warn all illegal recruiters that this is another war which I intend to win. Illegal recruitment will be eliminated.

We are not only cracking down on illegal recruiters, but we have also made their punishments harsher and more onerous. One illegal recruiter has already been sentenced to fifty years in jail. More such convictions will be forthcoming. When it comes to illegal recruiters, we will walk softly and carry a big stick. They will never know what hit them.

Finally, on the issue of mandatory insurance for overseas contract workers, I am seriously considering recommendations to entrust the collecting and handling of the insurance fees to government agencies like the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) instead of private insurance companies. This should expedite insurance coverage for overseas workers, and make it more comprehensive.

In closing, allow me to say once again how happy I am to be here with all of you. This has been the perfect event to cap off our successful state visit to China.

Maraming maraming salamat sa inyong lahat, sa lahat ng inyong mga tulong at pagdamay sa ating mga kababayan. Keep up the good work, and a happy Labor Day to all of you.

Mabuhay ang mga Pilipino sa Hong Kong!

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Mabuhay tayong lahat!