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The President was complementary about the way in which we have tried to provide decently for the Filipino community in Hong Kong. He knows the efforts that we have made to provide activity centres for Filipino domestic helpers. He knew about the service centre that we recently opened in Kennedy Town, and the further service centre that we intend to open in Mong Kok. And I told him about the Methodist Centre for those Filipino domestic helpers who get into difficulties during their contracts, that my wife and I opened a few months ago in Stanley. So obviously, he and his wife are very well briefed about the position of Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong.
As for the future, I noted that the Special Administrative Region Government would have autonomy in labour issues, including matters affecting Filipino domestic helpers: that the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law made that clear, as they equally made clear the continuance of Hong Kong's economic and social lifestyle after 1997. And while I could give no guarantees as to what the SAR Government would do after 1997, I saw no reason at the moment why anybody should wish to change a situation which plainly is to the advantage of Hong Kong and to the Philippines.
Question: Mr Patten. did President Ramos raise any concerns about the existing ...?
Governor: No. The President expressed gratitude for the arrangements made in Hong Kong for the employment of Filipino domestic helpers. I think that there is general recognition, frankly, that Filipino domestic helpers are probably treated better, more decently, in a more civilised way in Hong Kong than pretty well anywhere else in the region. But that is not a reason for us being complacent about the way we treat any of our workers, imported or those who have always lived in Hong Kong.
There are problems from time to time. There are abuses from time to time. One of the things that the Ombudsman has urged us to do is to try to check on bad employers more accurately from time to time, so that we can stop them abusing the situation.
and from the Question: Mr Patten, did President Ramos ever agree to ... how confident are you that you might ...such powers for LegCo?
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