RPT-Filipino maids' dragon boat team makes splash in Hong Kong

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By Michelle Hennessy
HONG KONG, June 3 (Reuters) - Filipino women are paddling
for gold in this year's dragon boat races in Hong Kong, with one
thing separating them from the competition - they are all maids,
often taken for granted in the rich Chinese-ruled city, who no
longer want to feel left out.
To the beat of a drum, the 29 members of the Filipino
Dynamos train or compete every Sunday - their only day off each
week - in the paddling ritual that has roots dating back more
than 2,000 years.
The tradition brings together people from all walks of life
to compete each year in colourful, long, narrow boats across the
Asian financial hub's busy waterways.
"I want to integrate the Filipino helper community and
represent the domestic helper as part of Hong Kong, part of the
community, and we don't want to feel excluded," said Liza
Avelino, who founded the team last year.
"When we're racing, there's no employer, there's no helper.
Everyone is equal."
Hong Kong's more than 300,000 domestic workers come mostly
from the Philippines and Indonesia and many are the main
breadwinners for their families back home.
Dynamos teammate Geraldine Inabiohan, who moved to Hong Kong
in 2012 to pay for her siblings' education in the Philippines,
said the group wanted to encourage women to push the boundaries.
"The objective of our team is to empower women. We want to
push women like us, helpers, that we do something more," she
said.
"I think, as the season goes, we see ourselves as
champions."
This year, the Dynamos are doubling the number of races
they're competing in to six, thanks in part to funding from two
sponsors.
Inabiohan credits her employer for encouraging her to try
different sports two years ago. Now her room is adorned with
photos of the team - and a trophy from their race last year.
"We are proud and happy that we're representing the whole
Philippines as we're here in Hong Kong," said Inabiohan. "We're
still giving back and proud of our country."