Filipina household helper bags Spirit of Hong Kong award

MANILA – A Filipina domestic helper who set up a group to help her colleagues was among the individuals who won in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.

Rodelia Pedro Villar received the Lion Rock People’s Choice Award for her work with Domestic Workers Corner, a group she started to help colleagues who are in need.

The 42-year-old Villar, who hails from Western Visayas, has lived in Hong Kong for more than 17 years.

She founded the Domestic Workers Corner in 2017, and used her knowledge and network to help fellow domestic helpers who are in need.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post in July, Villar said she wants to “help the members of the group to avoid getting into trouble.”

“She represents a can-do and go-getter Hong Kong Spirit which we all admire and aspire to,” Desmond So, the host of the ceremony, said about Villar.

Villar is the first Filipina to be nominated and win the award.

Aside from Villar, five other individuals and a group took home awards in different categories.

The respective winners were chosen by a panel, while the winner of the Lion Rock People’s Choice Award was chosen by SCMP readers through online voting.

The Spirit of Hong Kong Awards, organized by South China Morning Post and Sino Group, recognize the achievements of community achievers.