HONG KONG: As dusk fell on a Hong Kong beach, around a dozen Filipino migrant workers turned on their phone flashlights and placed them around the image of a clenched fist, a symbol of support for Rodrigo Duterte.
The group bowed their heads and said a prayer for the former Philippines president, who is being tried at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity over his war on drugs.
“Please touch the hearts of President Marcos and the judges of the ICC,” one of them said during the Sunday beach event, referring to current leader Ferdinand Marcos.
“Whatever (Duterte) needs to be held accountable for, we don’t forget the victims, but bring him home.”
ICC prosecutors allege that “potentially tens of thousands of killings were perpetrated” as part of a “widespread and systematic attack” on civilians from Duterte’s years-long campaign against drug users and dealers.
But he still has pockets of strong support.
Just about a week ago Duterte was in Hong Kong, greeted by cheering fans who packed a 2,000-seat stadium and the streets outside.
His dramatic arrest upon returning to Manila stunned Philippine communities around the world, including the financial hub’s 200,000 domestic workers.
His supporters did not necessarily defend his track record.
But they objected to the way he was spirited off to The Hague on the same day as his arrest – with some believing that his extradition was inextricably linked to the spectacular fall-out between the Duterte dynasty and the ruling Marcos family.
“I’m enraged,” said 43-year-old Mary Grace Dolores, who on Sunday was at Central, Hong Kong’s glitzy finance district which is also a popular spot for domestic workers on their day off.
“Duterte should be tried first in the place where he was arrested... the Philippines,” said Dolores, as other Filipinos around her snapped pictures with a pro-Duterte banner.
Jean Laroza, 46, put it more simply: “(The Marcos government) betrayed their fellow Filipino.”
In his 2016 landslide victory, Duterte took more than 70 percent of absentee ballots – only a small fraction of his total votes, but a testament to his popularity among his compatriots abroad.
“He understood the everyday life of overseas Filipinos,” said Jean Franco, a political scientist at the University of Philippines Diliman.
During his term, Duterte doubled passport validity to 10 years and created the Department of Migrant Workers to streamline bureaucratic tasks.
The former president framed his bloody campaign against drug dealers as a “gift” to overseas workers worried about the safety of their loved ones back home, according to Franco.
“He said, ‘I can protect your children,’” she added.
Marilou Mepieza, 47, declared herself “in favor of the war on drugs,” saying it had struck at underlying corruption.
Mattie, who joined the beach prayer event, said Duterte was a leader who dared to take responsibility.
If his rivals want to “bring him to justice,” they should do so at home, he said, declining to provide a last name.
The Philippines is gearing up for midterm elections in two months, with 83,330 registered voters in Hong Kong – the largest overseas voter base in the Asia Pacific.
“It will become an emotional vote this May,” said Jeremaiah Opiniano from the Institute for Migration and Development Issues.
‘Bring him home’: Philippines migrant workers grapple with Duterte fallout
https://arab.news/8t94a
‘Bring him home’: Philippines migrant workers grapple with Duterte fallout
- ‘Whatever (Duterte) needs to be held accountable for, we don’t forget the victims, but bring him home’
- OFW in Hong Kong: ‘(The Marcos government) betrayed their fellow Filipino’
New ‘superfood’ transforms livelihoods in India’s rural east
- Known as fox nut or lotus seed, makhana is rich in protein, dietary fiber, minerals
- Most of the world’s makhana production is in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states
BIHAR: Wading through knee-deep, stagnant water, Mahesh Mukhia plunges his hands into the mud, pulling up handfuls of sludge that he and others toss into a large, partially submerged basket.
After a while, they shake the basket to drain away the water and debris. What remains is makhana — round black seeds that have lately gained popularity as India’s new superfood.
A regional Indian snack, also known as fox nut or lotus seed, makhana is the edible seed of the prickly waterlily. The plant grows in freshwater ponds and wetlands in southern and eastern Asia.
After makhana seeds are handpicked from pond beds, cleaned, and sun-dried, they are roasted at high heat so their hard black shells crack open and release the white, popcorn-like puffed kernels, which are eaten as snacks or used in dishes.
It has long been known for its nutritional value — high in plant-based protein and dietary fiber, the seeds are also rich in minerals and gluten-free — which over the past few years have helped it gain global attention and are transforming farmlands in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states.
“Earlier, people were not researching it but now, after research, makhana’s nutritional values have been highlighted. Now this is a superfood. That’s why demand is growing everywhere,” said Mahesh Mukhia, a farmer in Kapchhahi village in Bihar’s Darbhanga district, whose family has been harvesting the seeds for generations.
“The difference is that my forefathers did farming in a traditional way, but we’ve learnt to do it in a scientific way,” Mukhia told Arab News.
“There is Bhola Paswan Shastri Agricultural College in the neighboring Purnea district. I went there for training. After I started practicing farming the way I learnt, the yield increased by more than 30 percent.”
Makhana farming is highly labor-intensive, starting with the cultivation of water lilies in shallow ponds. The plants require constant monitoring as they are sensitive to water levels and pests.
Harvesting takes place between August and October. Workers pluck the seeds by hand and then dry them under the sun for several days before they can be processed.
The processing and roasting of makhana also require significant effort. The dried seeds are first de-shelled by manually cracking them, followed by multiple rounds of roasting to make them crisp.
Whole families are involved in the production, which has been expanding since 2020, when the state government introduced the Makhana Development Scheme.
Besides training in farming and processing, growers who cultivate fox nut receive $820 per hectare.
“The rate has also gone up. The makhana that we used to sell at 200-300 ($2-$3) rupees per kg is now selling at 1,000 ($12) or 1,500 rupees per kg,” Mukhia said.
“Makhana farmers are now making a profit. Those who are growing makhana are earning well, those who are popping it are also doing well, and those involved in trading are making profits too. We are getting good demand from everywhere. I just received an order for 25 tonnes recently.”
Bihar currently produces over 85 percent of India’s makhana and accounts for most of the world’s production, according to Ministry of Commerce and Industry estimates.
According to reports by the Indian Brand Equity Foundation and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, India accounts for roughly 85 to 90 percent of the world’s production.
Farmland where the crop is grown has increased many times over the past decade and can now be compared to the area covering half of New York City.
More than 600,000 people are involved in the makhana industry in Bihar, according to Niraj Kumar Jha, Darbhanga district’s horticulture officer.
“Earlier, we were cultivating 5,000 hectares in the Kosi and Mithlanchal regions. But now it has expanded to 35,000 hectares, and with many supportive schemes, farmers are increasingly encouraged to grow makhana,” he said.
“We are strengthening our marketing channels. We’ll reach the metro cities as well as world markets ... We can see that makhana is growing very popular, not only in India.”
