Pangyao Magazine: A New Voice for Hong Kong's Forgotten Migrant Community

Released on Oct. 1, 2021, Pangyao Magazine is Hong Kong’s first publication for the migrant community of Hong Kong, telling the stories of the often forgotten people who support the city from below.

Pangyao (an English transliteration for friend in Chinese) is a “one-stop social and information resource for migrant workers in Hong Kong.” Published bimonthly, each issuetakes readers through the stories with big figures in the Filipino, Indonesian, and South Asian communities, spotlights of NGOs and charities, and user-submitted poetry, blogs, recipes, and media.

The project is spearheaded by Filipino-Hong Kong born-and-raised Aileen Alonzo-Hayward and Hong Kong-based Brit Martin Turner, who saw a gap in the market for a creation of a magazine for migrant workers to seek the resources they need and create a voice for their community.

“It is arguably more important than ever for overseas workers to have access to reliable information [for legal, health, and mental matters] and a solid support network,” wrote editors Aileen and Martin in their first edition.

“If you’re an expat, there’s so many different resources available to you,” Martin told The Beat Asia in a Zoom interview, “but if you think about what is available for migrants, there’s not much at all.” The inspiration for the magazine was borne out of a distinct lack in resources in Hong Kong.

With features in English, Filipino, and Indonesian, the October/November edition features a blog and poetry corner, interviews with “inspiring pangyaos” in the migrant community, directories for important migrant services, and multi-media content supported by readers.

The first edition broke with an exclusive interview with the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, Raly Tejada, exploring the road ahead working with the government to secure a fair future for foreign domestic helper (FDHs), amidst rising cases in the Philippines and restrictive laws in Hong Kong.

Another feature came from Pangyao columnist and RTHK Pinoy Life presenter Ron R. Lacson on how to start a conversation. Ron has worked with Aileen for nine years as co-producer and presenter for Pinoy Life.

Poems are published by Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers about their double lives in the city, a spotlight about NGO Pathfinders , who support migrant mothers and children , is featured, a recipe for homemade Indian biryani is included, as well as heartfelt stories in Filipino and Indonesian by domestic helpers.

“We wanted to create this magazine as a means to raise awareness for the migrant community in general and promote community groups in Hong Kong that offer great services to migrant workers, but that aren’t well known.”

Pangyao originally began as a website in November 2019. The site was created as a directory-cum-social platform for blogs, events, support information for migrants, and directories for migrant-led YouTube channels, community groups, initiatives, and fan clubs.

Contact information and a space for advertising enables Hong Kong’s migrant support groups to raise funds, assist domestic helpers and other migrant workers in tricky situations, and attract members.

Groups include the Union of Nepalese Domestic Workers in Hong Kong; Pinoy Life Fan Club, friends and listeners to RTHK’s dedicated-Filipino chat show Pinoy Life; Bakrami, a mixed -Hong Kong and Filipino martial arts group in Admiralty; Gabriela Hong Kong, a women’s charity for Pinay and non-Pinay domestic helpers; and Horizons, a Facebook group for poetry and writing by migrant workers in Hong Kong.

“There were no plans for a magazine at the beginning, just a website that we could pull everything together, and creating a central space for information and resources for all sides of the migrant community.”

“The enormity of the task [of creating a magazine] made us park it a bit; the magazine idea took a backseat” whilst they focused on jumpstarting the website and Facebook group in November 2019.

Aileen and Martin write and compile the magazine out of the Lamma Art Collective coworking space in Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island. Both are Lamma-natives and have lived on the island for 11 and 8 years, respectively.

First meeting in an indie band on Lamma Island, Aileen and Martin enjoyed a friendship for years before working on this business venture.

Aileen’s heart is close to Pangyao and the aims for the migrant magazine. Her parents came from the Philippines in the 1980s to emigrate to Hong Kong, with her mother working as a domestic worker, giving birth to and raising Aileen alongside her father, first in Causeway Bay, then in Aberdeen, Sheung Wan, and now in Lamma.

Aileen became a Hong Kong resident through now-outdated laws that allowed the children of migrant Filipino domestic workers to become naturalized citizens. Today, the many children born to Filipino domestic worker-mothers are not afforded the same luxury as Aileen had, and can only receive a Philippines passport.

In the summer of 2019, the pair discussed the idea of creating Pangyao, then a website, forum and directory for mental health, charity, and group services for Hong Kong’s migrants. Martin’s sabbatical from his day job in 2019 allowed him to study web development on the side to create the website from scratch.

“I was looking for ideas to use the skills I had learnt in my course to apply to a real-life world project. The idea of merging my expertise and Aileen’s passion for her community met in the middle with the creation of the Pangyao website in November 2019.”

Martin knew that “he won’t get too far” in working on the project solo. “Her (Aileen) experience in radio, expertise, and background made me reach out to her to pitch this project.”

A big part of what pushed the effort to publish Pangyao magazine was Aileen’s and Martin’s friend, Steve Ellul, creative director at Cedar Hong Kong, the publishing house for magazines for Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

A few months ago, Steve discussed with his team on working on a pro bono project. They found Aileen’s and Martin’s idea and wanted to pursue the publication of Pangyao, a “brilliant idea at the time.” Steve’s technical expertise and experience helped the pair translate the work they had collected over two years on the website and create a physical record of the personal stories of migrants and the information they need.

The pair printed 5,000 free copies for the maiden edition, passing to businesses featured in the first issue. On the magazine’s launch on Oct. 1, Aileen and Martin stood outside World-Wide House in Central handing out free copies to domestic helpers passing by. With a banner made and special T-shirts worn, the pair pushed out more than 1,000 copies in one hour.

Aileen and Martin commented in our interview that previous resources for FDHs focused mainly on vocation and work. “With Pangyao, we wanted to focus on the livelihood and social side about being a migrant in Hong Kong. A friendly and fun place where migrants can seek out the information they need.” The cooking, the Sunday activities, the artistic side of Hong Kong’s migrants.

Future issues will spotlight stories from LGTBQ migrants, NGOs that serve South Asian refugees and migrants in Hong Kong, and staff in Hong Kong’s SEA consulates. “More language content in Filipino and Indonesian is the aim [for 2022 editions]”, says Aileen.

For the December and January edition, the magazine will feature a story on the cultural hotspot of Chungking Mansions, as well as guest contributions in Filipino and Indonesian. The pair hopes that they will be able to cover more figures from the South Asian and African communities, supplementing the dominance of Filipino stories coming out of Hong Kong.

The first edition of Pangyao is free of charge. Readers can pick up a copy at the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, NGO Pathfinders for Migrant Workers, Filipino-owned tattoo parlor Don.jaytattoo, Chungking Mansions’ Moti Palace Indian Restaurant, and karaoke restaurant bar Kimberly’s Lounge, amongst other charities and shops stocking.