Food poisoning

Since last week, in PinoyITdotSG (a yahoo group of Filipino IT professionals here), there has been a series of intense posts about a recent food poisoning. A member reported an incident related to the party he held on May 2 for his child's birthday. According to him, almost 25 of his guests, allegedly, needed medical attention after consuming food that were prepared/cooked by a Filipina caterer. He posted the message to ask for anyone who knows the caterer's address.

This is the fist post (names and emails have been concealed):

"We celebrate our baby's 1st birthday party last May 2 from 2-11pm, and we ordered a catering service from ____, she was recommended by our friend and we tried her food before its good, so we decided choose her service. The menus ordered are Chicken Afritada, Pork Adobo, Pork Menudo, Beef Kare-Kare, Beef Brocolli, Lumpiang Shanghai, Pancit Bihon, Spaghetti, Chopsuey, Rellenong Bangus, Leche Flan a total to accomodate our 70 visitors. On May 3 around 2PM my wife experience a stomach cramps we just thought shes just bloated but suddenly she experience vomiting, diarrhea and fever. We didnt suspect yet if its the food that we ordered until some of our visitors sms us that it could be the food then a lot of messages came to us with the same issue that they experience, I investigated and found our that visitors who didnt ate Rellenong Bangus were not affected. I called ____ (caterer) and told about the issue

she said it is the first time happened, damn bakit pa sa amin tumama at naging napaka-memorable ng Birthday ng anak ko!. I called her once again and she said she will call back, then after that shes not answering our call anymore.

I already reported the incident to MOH and NEA but what we only got is her name and mobile number, thay said they need the address, thay did tried to call her but shes dropping the call, we got her account number but DBS cannot provide the caterers address for privacy matters. About 25+ of our guests were badly affected, went to the hospital and some are confined, Drs findings is Food Poisoning. If anyone can provide us her address will be great appreciated and reason why im posting this is I don't want this to happen again to anyone."

Lessons to be learned from this incident?

A. If you're planning to engage or already in F&B, register your business

A permit adds to your business image that you're reputable and accountable. This is not to immediately judge that one is not reputable/accountable if he/she has no business permit. Notice that the word "adds" was used. Having a license is a tangible proof that you are willing to face any consequence of doing your business. No matter if the consequence is an appraisal of superb service or product, or a complain from polite or disgruntled customers. Registering your business means you are documented.

The phrase "kind or angry customers" was used because a business person must attend to complaints no matter how unpleasant they are. We all expect the restaurant's manager to listen to our complaints if the soup has a fly in it.

B. For consumers: Only avail of products/services (especially if it concerns F&B) from registered businesses

Whether we want simple breakfast like tapsilog, meryenda, longganisa, or food for party, patronize products from licensed businesses.

Also, always:
1. Obtain a proof that you availed of the product/service (e.g. receipt or contract)
2. Ask for their contact number, business address and permit number

This is not the first case of food poisoning in Pinoy community in SG. Unfortunately, food poisoning also happens in legit establishments like the recent news about a rojak stall in Geylang Serai or the contaminated Prima Deli cakes happened on 2007 December. At least if it's legit, the matter can be addressed to by the government.

Business permit is a protection for consumer. We can also assume that the business owner is aware of the proper food preparation and handling imposed by the government because he/she will not be granted a permit if otherwise.

Street food in Manila

Father Angel Luciano

Rev. Fr Angel Luciano, affectionately known as Father Angel, is the one and only Filipino priest in Singapore. His dedication, kindness and guidance gives us hope especially during this uncertain times. He is the usual "takbuhan" if we face loneliness and hopelessness. His humor especially during homily makes us feel at home again, as if we are back in the Philippines with our family and loved ones. Our Simbang Gabi will not be possible if not for Father. Thanks po! :)

Father Angel Luciano (middle)
Father Angel hold his office at the Church of St. Michael and he is also the Spirtual Director of ACMI (Archdiocesan Commision for the Pastoral Care of Migrants & Itinerant People). He was mentioned in the book "Inhuman Conditions", published on 2006 by author Pheng Cheah.

Attend Father Angel's masses at these times:

Every 1st Saturday

• 7.30 pm: Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea --> 10 Yishun St 22 Singapore 768579

Every 2nd Saturday

• 7.30 pm: Church of the Holy Trinity --> 20 Tampines St 11 Singapore 529455
  

Every 2nd Sunday

• 10.15 am: Church of St. Alphonsus (Novena Church) --> 300 Thomson Road, Singapore 307653
• 1:00 pm: Church of St. Bernadette --> 12 Zion Road, Singapore 247731

Every 3rd Sunday

• 1.30 pm: Church of St Michael --> 17 St Michael Road Singapore 327976
• 4.00 pm: Church of the Holy Cross --> 450 Clementi Ave 1 Singapore 129955
  

Every 4th Sunday

• 10.15 am: Church of St. Alphonsus (Novena Church) --> 300 Thomson Road, Singapore 307653
• 11.15 am: Cathedral of the Good Shepherd --> Queen St. Singapore 188533
• 2.00 pm: Church of St. Anthony --> 25 Woodlands Avenue 1 Singapore 739064
  

Barrage of endless fun

There has never been a better time to soak up Singapore's waterfront experience - and the latest attraction there, the Marina Barrage, takes this to a whole new level.

Sure, a ride in a glass-fronted capsule on the nearby Singapore Flyer will give you a quick high, but the panoramic views at the $226-million barrage are something you can take in at your leisure, with nothing between you and the seabreeze cooling your face and it is free.

The barrage, located at Marina Channel where the Singapore and Kallang rivers meet before flowing into the sea, opened to the public last week. It separates sea water from fresh water, boosts Singapore's water supply by 10 per cent and controls floods in low-lying areas such as Chinatown by keeping out tidal waves.

But aside from those practical benefits, it is also set to be a lifestyle hot spot in the heart of the city.

Whether you want a day out with the family, a fun evening with friends or a lunch break away from the office, there is something for everyone at the barrage's dam, promenade bridge and its distinctive, building housing pumps, galleries and eateries.

For example, you can picnic on top of the spiralling building on its eye-catching 'Green Roof', which has grassy lawns to act as an insulation layer to reduce the need for air-conditioning.

The rooftop spot - the size of four football fields - offers 360-degree unblocked views of the central business district, Singapore Flyer, Benjamin Sheares Bridge and the South China Sea.

It slopes downwards in two interlocking spirals to a courtyard, which has fountains, a water play area for children and water-related art pieces.

In time, visitors can expect to attend concerts or organise private parties up on the roof, said Mr Yap Kheng Guan, director of the Public Utilities Board's 3P (people, public and private sectors) network.

Or you can dine alfresco at the building's Gallery Cafe, facing the South China Sea.

From the middle of next month, you can also enjoy a steamboat meal by the sea at the 7th Storey restaurant, which is actually on the ground floor.


Hit the roof for picnics

Pack a picnic and laze around the grassy lawns of the barrage's Green Roof, which is bound to become a red-hot destination for visitors.

You are spoilt for a backdrop - take your pick of the Singapore Flyer, city skyline or open sea: The Benjamin Sheares Bridge and Kallang River are on your right, if you are facing the Flyer, and on clear days you can also see as far as Golden Mile Complex.

The rooftop lawn sits 13m above ground, giving unblocked views of Marina Bay, and is likely to be the next hot spot for people to watch the National Day Parade fireworks.

Views to your left are obscured at the moment by the heavy construction for the upcoming Marina Bay integrated resort. But come 2010, visitors to the barrage at night will be treated to the twinkling lights of the new IR and, by 2011, by the lush gardens of Gardens by the Bay.

But be sure to slap on some sunblock if you plan to go there in the afternoon - there is no shade to take cover from the sun.


Location and how to get there

Free shuttle bus (40-seater) service from Marina Bay MRT Station to Marina Barrage at 30-minute interval.
Mondays to Fridays 8.30am to 6.30pm
Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 9.30am to 8.30pm
For enquiry, call 6514-5959

Filipina cheated by a landlord

Source: The New Paper, 10th October 2008

It looked like a happy gathering of friends of different nationalities.

Countries like Nepal, China, Myanmar, the Philippines, India and Sri Lanka - they were all well-represented:

• Adelfa Abregana of the Philippines
• Mr Zaw Bo from Myanmar
• China national Michael Lu
• and Mr Thaw Lin Tun of Myanmar

Except that the atmosphere was tense and far from pleasant.

These eight groups of people from six countries had united for a common cause - to find some form of redress against a rogue landlord.

Some were individuals while others were families or friends who had arranged to rent a place together.

The New Paper met some of these tenants on Monday night, after hearing about their encounters with the same landlord. Each had paid $1,800 to $3,600 to rent a five-room flat in Eunos last month.

The landlord had put his place up for rent in a newspaper advertisement over several days last month.

After accepting the prospective tenants' rents and deposits, he then turns off his handphone and vanishes.

He has four different handphone numbers, and all four were not in use when The New Paper tried to call him yesterday.

In all, this landlord has pocketed over $15,000 in rents for his flat.

He has since changed the padlocks to his flat, which has been left empty.

Electronic engineer Zaw Bo, who is from Myanmar, said he paid $3,400 to the landlord last month. He said the landlord disappeared almost immediately after getting the money.

Mr Bo had rented the whole flat together with his wife, brother and sister-in-law.

He said: 'I was in the flat with the landlord and he passed me a bunch of keys. Then he left after taking my money. I tried all the keys and realised that one of the rooms' door couldn't be unlocked.

'I called him (the landlord) and his handphone was already switched off. And that was just 10 minutes after I saw him.'

On the same day, he met Chinese national Michael Lu outside the unit.

Mr Lu had also gone there hoping to find the landlord. He said that he, too, had been cheated of his money.

More 'victims'

Mr Bo, 51, returned the next day - and found four groups of tenants waiting outside the unit, all with similar stories to tell.

All said they had been told by the landlord to move in that day. Most of them had their luggage with them.

Mr Bo said: 'I was shocked to see more people caught in the same situation. Some of the girls were crying because it was their hard-earned money and they lost their savings. And they had no place to sleep.'

Mr Bo, who has worked here since 2002, said he has not found a replacement unit yet. The lease on his current place will expire at the end of this month.

He added: 'This is not the first time I've been cheated this way. I lost about $1,000 three years ago to another landlord who disappeared on me. It's just my luck.'

He posted a notice outside the flat, warning other tenants to contact him. Three more groups of people did so.

Mr Bo said he made a police report about the situation. The police confirmed the report and said that investigations are ongoing.

Mr Lu felt certain he had done due checks before paying the $1,800 deposit for the flat last month.

He said, fuming: 'I wanted to make doubly sure that I won't be taken for a ride. I am an auditor. It's my job to be careful and I was. Even with all my checks, I still got cheated!'

Mr Lu, 27, had asked the landlord for a photocopy of his identity card (IC) and he also saw a HDB letter which proved that he owns the unit.

After paying the deposit, Mr Yu went one step further and asked his friend to call the landlord to check if the unit was still up for rent after he paid the deposit.

The landlord then told his friend that the unit was already taken. That reassured Mr Yu somewhat, until he tried calling the landlord a few days later, but could not contact him.

'That was when I knew that I had been cheated,' he said.

Mr Yu, who has worked here for about a year, is still looking for a replacement unit.

He said: 'I am very thorough and I expected things to run smoothly. It's disappointing considering Singapore's reputation. I thought all Singaporeans are very law-abiding.

'It's not a big amount of money and I didn't think anyone here will risk going to jail for this kind of money. I was wrong.'


Related links:
The New Paper

He collects rent, then says flat not available

Over the years, I've been hearing stories from local and pinoy friends about dubious landlords. Just recently, I've spoken to a fellow pinoy who was having a problem collecting his deposit from the landlord. The following story surely tops my list, hands down.

Source: The New Paper, 8th Oct 2008

Ten angry groups confront current tenant, claiming they were cheated by landlord

Pasted on the door of a Housing Board (HDB) flat in Circuit Road were two handwritten notes.

One was by a loan shark demanding repayment of money lent.

The other, strangely enough, was written by the flat’s tenant, Ms Fong Ying.

Written in red, bold Chinese characters, her note tells prospective tenants that the landlord does not live there and that she has been renting the flat for more than a year.

What drove the Malaysian housewife to this was because, in the last three months, more than 10 groups of people had knocked on her door demanding to see her landlord, she said.

Their stories are invariably the same: They had given him money to him to rent the three-room flat. The rental rate was about $1,300.

After taking their money, he would then claim the flat was being foreclosed, or repossessed, by a bank, so he could not rent it out.

What is worse - the landlord gave some of these tenants keys to the flat, despite it being already occupied by Ms Fong.

The New Paper learnt of her situation when we visited the flat two weeks ago with one prospective tenant, Mr Surendra Utti, who claimed to have paid two months worth of rent, about $2,600, to the landlord.

We opened the main door with a key that the landlord had given Mr Surendra, only to hear a startled Ms Fong shouting that she was taking a shower.

After her shower and after regaining her composure somewhat, Ms Fong, 37, listened as Mr Surendra, 27, related his experience.

She shook her head and said in Mandarin: ‘The landlord regularly took people here to view the flat with a housing agent.

‘His excuse to me was that he was selling the place. After a while, I realised that he was trying to rent out the flat even though I am living here.

‘And every time I asked him, he would brush me aside and deny that he was renting out the place.’

She said she has changed the lock on her metal grille gate twice.

Ms Fong said that about three months ago, people visited the flat, asking for the landlord, and were surprised when she told them she had been renting the flat for about a year, and had paid more than $10,000 to extend it for another year.

Ms Fong and her husband, an engineer, pay $1,100 a month for the unit.

She said: ‘I just have to put up with this nuisance for another year because the rent is quite cheap and my husband had extended the lease. I just hope the landlord stops cheating people.’

She put up the warning note on the front door about a month ago.

She said: ‘I can’t stop him from showing tenants around. It’s his flat, after all. I have tried to speak to the potential tenants and even pass them notes to warn them.

‘Some took my warnings, but for those who don’t believe me, what can I do?’

Ms Fong claimed that about three weeks ago, her landlord was attacked by a few people outside the flat.

‘He was beaten up so badly he bled. He even tried to jump over the corridor parapet, but was dragged back. I have not seen him around since,’ she said.

She said she had told the landlord, who is divorced with a son and a daughter, to stop cheating people, but he denied doing so.

As for Mr Surendra, he thinks there is little he can do to recover his money.

The business analyst from India found the unit for rent online. He viewed the next day, signed the tenancy agreement and paid $2,600, which included a one-month deposit.

A week’s notice

Mr Surendra then left for India to get married - only to get a call from his housing agent that the unit would be foreclosed by the bank.

This happened a week before he was to move in.

Mr Surendra said: ‘It came as a rude shock because I was expecting to move into the flat with my wife when I returned from India. The agent said her hands were tied.’

He stayed with some friends and has since managed to rent another three-room HDB flat in Yishun.

Mr Surendra said the agent returned her $650 commission to him and said the landlord had promised to return the money before September.

But Mr Surendra said that he has not received any money from the landlord.

A machine operator, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tan, claimed the landlord owes him about $1,200 in rent deposit that he paid in May.

Mr Tan, who is in his 50s, said he was recommended by an agent, but decided not to take the flat at first because the rent was too high.

‘But the landlord offered to rent it for $1,200 when the agent left. I paid him the money and was supposed to move in a few weeks later.

‘Later, he said he couldn’t rent out the place as he was not eligible to do so. I asked for my money back but he said he didn’t have it,’ Mr Tan recounted.

He said he confronted the landlord once about the money, but his family told him to forget about it .

Mr Tan said: ‘It seems that he has his own family problems. But he can’t go around cheating people like this.’

Landlord in debt

When contacted, the landlord said he is working as a storeman to save money to pay his creditors.

He admitted having rented the flat to Mr Surendra and said he would return his money, but would not say when.

He claimed he owed loan sharks more than $10,000.

He said he also owed two groups of people money, but would gradually pay them back.

‘I already told him (Mr Surendra) I would return his money. The bank is going to repossess my flat, so I can’t rent it out anymore,’ he said.

‘I didn’t know my flat was going to be repossessed when I tried to rent it out.’

He claimed he did not know when his flat would be foreclosed by the bank.

HDB said that it received a complaint about the landlord last month and had advised the complainant to lodge a police report.


From Red Dot Pinoys:
If you have one, always use cheque for paying deposit or reservation. Don't be afraid to insist this to the agent or landlord.


According to SGHousing.com:

HDB ADVISES TENANTS:

Subletting is private matter

The Housing Board (HDB) said it had received occasional complaints from sublet tenants.

Its advice to these tenants: Lodge a police report if they feel they have been cheated.

Alternatively, these tenants could also claim against the owner for breach of contract in the courts or the Small Claims Tribunal, depending on the quantum of the claim, HDB said.

A HDB spokesman added: ‘As the subletting of flats or rooms is a private arrangement between the flat owners and tenants, the two parties will have to settle their differences and disputes.

‘The parties involved may wish to consult their own solicitors on their rights and liabilities under the subletting agreement with each other.’

HDB advised flat owners and tenants to check, understand and agree on the terms and conditions of the rental agreement before signing it.

Tips to potential tenants:

Ask flat owner to show you a copy of HDB’s in-principle approval letter or approval letter to sublet the flat.

Ask flat owner to show documentary proof, such as Agreement for Lease, Service & Conservancy Charges or mortgage loan instalment payment booklet/annual loan statements to further verify ownership.

Include condition in tenancy agreement stating that validity of agreement is subject to HDB’s approval.


Related links:
The New Paper
SGHousing.com