10 March 2016 - The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong SAR, in partnership with Noble Life, Inc. and Enrich Hong Kong, conducted the first quarterly session of Magtanong kay Doc and Money-Wise Public Forum on February 21 and 28, respectively, at the Consulate’s Conference Room. Both events featured resource persons who conducted one-on-one consultations with client-OFWs (from 2:00 to 4:30 P.M.), followed by a brief lecture and an open forum (from 4:30 to 6:00 P.M.) on the given topic.

For the health session on February 21, Dr. Romeo V. Orteza, a neuro-trauma surgeon and complementary and alternative medicine practitioner flew in from St. Luke’s Global Medical Center in Taguig City, Philippines. A total of 38 OFWs availed of the free consultation with Dr. Orteza and 72 OFWs attended the ensuing lecture and open forum. Dr. Orteza discussed two of the leading causes of death among Filipinos -- diabetes and hypertension. Most of the questions raised during the forum centered on prevention and management of the said diseases through natural means.

For the Money-Wise Public Forum held on February 28, Ms. Lenlen Mesina and Mr. Raul Puentespina, Executive Director and Financial Education Head, respectively, of Enrich-HK were the resource persons. Because of the limited time, only 9 of 30 OFWs who signed up for the one-on-one consultations received financial counseling. Others    were advised to attend the public forum or to attend the next session in June.

The Money-Wise Public Forum attracted 42 participants. The common concerns raised during the consultations and public forum were budget planning, building savings, debt management, and family finances.

The next session for the Magtanong Kay Doc Series will be on May 22; and for the Money-Wise Public Forum, on June 05. END