Pinay DH leader is Spirit of Hong Kong People’s Choice awardee

November 26, 2020

Rodelia Pedro Villar, founder of online migrant workers help group, Domestic Workers' Corner. (FILE PHOTO)

A Filipina domestic helper and community organiser bagged the People’s Choice award at the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards 2020 on Thursday.

Rodelia Pedro Villar, founder of online group Domestic Workers’ Corner, won the Lion’s Rock People’s Choice award through public online voting in September. Her win was announced in a virtual ceremony.

Villar thanked non-government organization PathFinders Hong Kong which nominated her, her employer, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, and everyone who supported her.

She was selected among 19 nominees who have made significant contributions to the Hong Kong community. She is the first Filipina to be nominated for the award.

An Antique native, Villar has worked in Hong Kong as a domestic worker for over 17 years.

In 2017, the 42-year-old Filipina set up the Domestic Worker’s Corner to help fellow domestic workers who face several issues in Hong Kong, particularly the newcomers.

The DWC online community is composed of several administrators who provide assistance to distressed nationals in the city, addressing woes ranging from labour issues and COVID-19 quarantine concerns to love scams and mental health woes.

Villar also does volunteer work at the Philippine Overseas Labour Office.

Her initiatives have been felt not only in Hong Kong but also in the Philippines after the DWC’s fundraising drive for victims of the strong typhoons battering the Philippines in November collected over HK$68,000 in cash donations.

The Spirit of Hong Kong is organised by the English-language Hong Kong paper South China Morning Post (SCMP) and property developer Sino Group.