Business people are starting to realise that the Filipinos of Hong Kong are a significant financial factor.
Today there are four publications vying for their dollars, and those of businesses wanting to advertise to them: Tinig Filipino, Bagwis, Diwaliwan and Kayumanggi.
The magazines reveal much about this group's attitudes and interests. Filipina reader Renata Ramos translated a couple of news items from the latest Bagwis for the edification of Lai See readers.
'A Filipino baby was found in a rubbish container last month. It is believed this was the child of a woman who had sinned or done wrong, and who probably did not want her job in Hong Kong to be affected.' 'Sinning' and 'doing wrong' are popular Pinoy euphemisms for having sex, reflecting their strong religious values.
Filipinos object to racism when it is aimed at them, but tend to use slang labels for races anyway.
A Chinese person is an inchik, a black person is a negro (the Spanish word for black is used instead of the Tagalog itim), and every Indian is a bombay.