<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>
Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Pinay wants to get PR and settle in SG</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF noWrap align=right width="1%">From: </TD><TD class=msgFname noWrap width="68%">kojakbt22 <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">Feb-28 9:57 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 23) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>8200.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>She's from the Philippines, but aims to be a PR
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
</TD><TD vAlign=bottom>
Ms Biacora, a Filipina, has been in Singapore for more than 21/2 years. She plans to get her permanent residency and settle down here. She is one of 12 S-Pass holders employed by Meritus Mandarin. They form a small contingent - just 5.5per cent - of the hotel's foreign workforce. -- ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
AS AN assistant guest relations manager, Ms Melissa Cabral Biacora supervises a team of 11, handles VIPs and is the face of Meritus Mandarin hotel to many of its important clients.
She works six days a week, from 11am to 9pm most days. Ms Biacora does all of that and more to earn a monthly wage of $2,000, of which half goes back to her family in the Philippines.
She shares a four-room flat in Toa Payoh with four others. They each contribute $350 a month to the rent. The five of them share two bedrooms and take turns doing the laundry every weekend.
'We spend our days off watching DVDs, cooking Filipino food and doing the laundry. On Sundays, I go to church,' she says. 'I don't do much shopping because I send most of my money back to the Philippines.'
About three years ago, Ms Biacora started looking for work overseas as she felt her job prospects as a career consultant in the Philippines were not bright.
'I heard a lot about Singapore and how exciting it was, and I wanted to do something different,' she says.
She chanced upon an advertisement by an agency for a job in hotel guest relations in Singapore and decided to go for it - even though she has never been in the service line.
'I like it here. It's safe, clean and the work is good,' says Ms Biacora, 30, who has been here for more than 21/2 years. 'I hope to work here as long as I can. In fact, I plan to get my permanent residency and settle down here.'
She is one of 12 S-Pass holders that the Meritus Mandarin employs. They form a small contingent - just 5.5per cent - of the hotel's foreign workforce.
Hence, the hotel is not unduly worried about the S-Pass tweaks, says Ms Lim Ee Jin, the hotel's assistant vice-president for marketing communications and public relations.
In fact, it has no difficulty attracting both Singaporeans and foreigners to jobs.
But it has noticed that Singaporeans tend to avoid doing shift work, jobs that are more physically demanding, positions that involve direct contact with guests, and service-related work. Says Ms Lim: 'However, with the Government's strong commitment towards boosting the tourism industry, coupled with the integrated resorts coming on stream, we have noticed an increasing interest in the hospitality industry.'
[email protected]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Ms Biacora, a Filipina, has been in Singapore for more than 21/2 years. She plans to get her permanent residency and settle down here. She is one of 12 S-Pass holders employed by Meritus Mandarin. They form a small contingent - just 5.5per cent - of the hotel's foreign workforce. -- ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
AS AN assistant guest relations manager, Ms Melissa Cabral Biacora supervises a team of 11, handles VIPs and is the face of Meritus Mandarin hotel to many of its important clients.
She works six days a week, from 11am to 9pm most days. Ms Biacora does all of that and more to earn a monthly wage of $2,000, of which half goes back to her family in the Philippines.
She shares a four-room flat in Toa Payoh with four others. They each contribute $350 a month to the rent. The five of them share two bedrooms and take turns doing the laundry every weekend.
'We spend our days off watching DVDs, cooking Filipino food and doing the laundry. On Sundays, I go to church,' she says. 'I don't do much shopping because I send most of my money back to the Philippines.'
About three years ago, Ms Biacora started looking for work overseas as she felt her job prospects as a career consultant in the Philippines were not bright.
'I heard a lot about Singapore and how exciting it was, and I wanted to do something different,' she says.
She chanced upon an advertisement by an agency for a job in hotel guest relations in Singapore and decided to go for it - even though she has never been in the service line.
'I like it here. It's safe, clean and the work is good,' says Ms Biacora, 30, who has been here for more than 21/2 years. 'I hope to work here as long as I can. In fact, I plan to get my permanent residency and settle down here.'
She is one of 12 S-Pass holders that the Meritus Mandarin employs. They form a small contingent - just 5.5per cent - of the hotel's foreign workforce.
Hence, the hotel is not unduly worried about the S-Pass tweaks, says Ms Lim Ee Jin, the hotel's assistant vice-president for marketing communications and public relations.
In fact, it has no difficulty attracting both Singaporeans and foreigners to jobs.
But it has noticed that Singaporeans tend to avoid doing shift work, jobs that are more physically demanding, positions that involve direct contact with guests, and service-related work. Says Ms Lim: 'However, with the Government's strong commitment towards boosting the tourism industry, coupled with the integrated resorts coming on stream, we have noticed an increasing interest in the hospitality industry.'
[email protected]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
