Hong Kong Filipino leaders' forum hears AKSYON Fund aid update and warning on blogging and live selling

At the 2nd Filipino Community Leaders' Forum in Hong Kong on 4 October, the Migrant Workers Office said it had released $4.3 million of AKSYON Fund aid to 661 beneficiaries, and officials warned helpers that blogging, endorsements or live selling could breach their conditions of stay.

The Consulate General of the Philippines in Hong Kong and its partner agencies held the 2nd Filipino Community Leaders' Forum on 4 October 2026 at the Filipino Workers Development Social Center, 18/F United Centre, Admiralty, bringing together hundreds of Filipino community leaders, Journal News Online reported on 13 October.

Consul General Romulo Victor M. Israel Jr. opened the forum by calling on community leaders to encourage their members to register and take part in the 2028 national elections. Agencies including the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre, the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) and OWWA presented their accomplishments from January to September 2026 and their plans for the rest of 2026 and 2027.

AKSYON Fund and contract figures

Labor Attache Cesar Chavez Jr. told the forum that the MWO had released $4.3 million of AKSYON Fund to 661 beneficiaries in Hong Kong in the last nine months, most of them receiving money within an hour of applying, The SUN Hong Kong reported. The fund is designed to provide immediate legal, medical and emergency financial assistance to distressed or displaced OFWs.

When you ask for help and your supporting documents are complete, the money will be released immediately.

Chavez said the MWO had verified 75,552 individual employment contracts during the first nine months of 2026, 75,214 of them for domestic workers. He said the MWO planned to resume accreditation of foreign recruitment agencies on 23 October, four months after suspending it, but only for applicants who will also hire skilled workers. Part of the MWO's assistance is providing lawyers for OFWs facing court charges.

Caution on blogging and live selling

Asked at the forum whether blogging or vlogging is prohibited under helper contracts, several officers of the consulate and its attached agencies said that taking up jobs outside the scope of the standard foreign domestic helper contract, including blogging or endorsing products and services online, may be considered illegal, even if unpaid, The SUN reported.

Trade Attache Eric Elnar said that to be safe, OFWs in Hong Kong should not use social media to engage in any employment or sales activity, especially live selling on Facebook. Chavez said that while blogging in itself may not be considered illegal work, authorities may take a second look if the online activity interferes with a domestic worker's duties. Deputy Consul General Von Ryan Ferrera said OFWs must be doubly cautious as the Immigration Department has been cracking down hard on illegal work.

Under Hong Kong law, helpers who breach their condition of stay face a maximum jail term of two years and a fine of up to HK$50,000, The SUN reported.

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