By POWA Founding President Lindy Paclibar

History ng POWA 

Panay Overseas Workers Association Hong Kong was founded on August 19th, 2015. Founding Chairman Leo V. Selomenio (current Chairman of Global Alliance)and I were talking one day at naisipan namin na bumuo ng grupo para sa mga kababayan ko mula sa Panay Island, Western Visayas. Nagsimula kami sa 15 members, ngayon ay nasa mahigit 800 na kami at magcecelebrate kami ng aming 11th anniversary ngayong August 2026. 

What POWA does

We started by joining as a dance performance at community events and through those, POWA’s name became known. Before the pandemic, we used to volunteer and visit inmates at the Lo Wu Correctional facility every Chinese New Year to bring joy and perform our dances.

We also have a feeding programme and a gift-giving drive at remote places in the Philippines. At Sitio Hinayak, Barotac Viejo and Dumarao, Capiz, we handed out school supplies to children bought with funds we got from our sponsors from our last POWA anniversary. We raised money from our performances in Hong Kong, which we then used to host a feeding programme and gave away walking canes with flashlights donated by Ms. Estelle Cada and t-shirts from Ms. Anna Payawal for senior citizens at San Juan, Traciano, and Taslan, Dumarao Capiz.  

For our members in Hong Kong, we host an annual Bongga Ka ‘Nay – isang empowering pageant para sa mga nanay. We also celebrate our members birthdays every two months, para tipid at isahan na ang gastos. We attend various events hosted by OWWA and the Philippine Consulate, and we often volunteer for outdoor events like the Philippine Independence Day and Migrant’s Day celebrations every year.

We also support our members who are experiencing loneliness or homesickness. I thank God that by being there for each other, spiritually, or sometimes even financially, we overcome any struggles together.

A POWAful future 

Gusto naming maging halimbawa sa mga kababayan natin na magmahalan na parang kapamilya. Kahit minsan may tampuhan, nagkakaayusan din. Lagi kong ipinapayo sa aking mga members magsumikap magkaroon ng savings habang nasa abroad at may trabaho pa tayo para sa ating sariling kinabukasan dahil hindi tayo habang buhay nandito sa Hong Kong.

Welcome po ang lahat sumali sa POWA, kahit saan ka galing sa Pinas o kahit ano pa ang relihiyon. Sa mga gustong magperform as dancers, very welcome din po, ating aalagaan ang iyong talents para maishare ninyo sa ating community hindi lang para makapagbigay tayo ng saya sa iba, pero para din sa ating sarili. 

Lindy Paclibar is from Dumarao, Capiz, the Seafood Capital of the Philippines. She has worked in Hong Kong for more than 29 years. She spends her Sundays with the Filipino community, going seminars or events and attending church. You can find the POWA community every Sunday by the Bus 13 stop near City Hall in Central.