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As Macau strives to find quality workers to staff its casinos and hotels, Filipinos say they are receiving better salaries and encountering less discrimination than in Hong Kong.

'Here, people don't assume you are a domestic helper just because you're Filipino,' said Nerie Ferrera, a 10-year resident of Macau who works in the health club of a five-star hotel. 'Speaking fluent English gives us an advantage landing jobs at hotels and restaurants.'

Ms Ferrera is among 6,800 Filipinos living in Macau.

Although about 70 per cent of Filipinos in Macau are domestic workers, the Philippine labour extension office in the city is noticing a rising number of professionals.

The Sands casino is the single largest employer of Filipinos in Macau, with 400 working at managerial and supervisory levels, nearly 10 per cent of the casino's workforce.

Carlos Santa Ana, head of the extension office, said: 'Another 200 Filipinos are being recruited for the Venetian.'

Employment contracts for hundreds of Filipinos are also in the pipeline for the Galaxy and Wynn resorts, Mr Santa Ana said.

Filipinos occupy positions such as University of Macau professors, Air Macau pilots, doctors at the Conde de Sao Januario Hospital and secondary school teachers.

Filipinos working in Macau as domestic helpers enjoy a better life than their Hong Kong counterparts because the cost of living is lower, said Filipino businessman Jamelito Escote, who organises an annual religious festival.

'The maids can afford their own apartments so they don't need to live with their employers,' said Mr Escote, the owner of New Allied Cleaning Services.

Many families who employ Filipino domestic helpers allow their maids to work part-time. One such worker said she earns 2,500 patacas a month and another 1,000 patacas doing part-time cleaning.

'Because they have their own living space, they don't need to gather on the streets or in the parks on Sundays,'  Mr Escote said.

Many Filipinos join the congregation at St Lawrence Church on Sundays, where a Filipino priest, Father Carlos Saligumba, preaches in English and Tagalog.

Father Saligumba said even illegal Filipino residents are treated leniently in Macau, recalling an incident he witnessed where police caught some Filipinos who had overstayed.

'It was a late afternoon, and the police just released them with a warning, saying they should go to lunch,' Father Saligumba said. 'That is unthinkable in Hong Kong. Their attitude here is that they see the human side of the law. They see the human side of things.'



Filipinos discover rich opportunities