JUNE 12 — There is a sexy superhero going around handing out money to the poor.

Unlike Robin Hood or the 1960s movie icon, the Black Rose (left, played by Connie Chan Po Chu), she does not steal from the rich; like most hardworking Hong Kongers, she uses her own hard-earned money to fund her nightly exploits in cage-house dwellings.

In an interview with the Sunday Morning Post (May 29), the woman described herself as a businesswoman in her 30s who earned hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.

Dressed in tights and a basque with long filmy sleeves, the blue-masked crusader who calls herself Bauhinia Heroine, has made it her mission to help the poor. Bauhinia is the flower that appears on the Hong Kong flag.

Bauhinia Heroine is particularly upset with the government’s HKD6,000 (RM2,280) cash handout to HK permanent residents, which she says is unfair as the poor should receive more than the rich.

So by night, when her identity is less likely to be revealed, she roams the streets of some of the most destitute areas in this glitzy city.

The YouTube phenomenon has so far given away HKD8,000 in cash during two visits to Jordan and Sham Shui Po. The handouts were given in the form of HKD100 cash per person and rice, oil, cup noodles, burgers and biscuits.

The blood-sniffing paparazzi seem to be giving her leeway to retain the secrecy surrounding her identity. After all, Bauhinia Heroine did ask nicely to give her this allowance so she could carry on her work.

She has posted photographs of herself in costume on her Facebook page posing superhero-style, crouching on the ground with one leg stretched out ala Spider Man. In another image she holds out a fan of HKD100-dollar bills to the camera and in yet another she is giving cash and cup noodles to a resident.

While there are rumours flying around about who she may be with a fair number matching her ample cleavage to famous faces, Bauhinia Heroine wrote on her Facebook page that she was educated in England and the US, is from a well-known family and lives in the affluent Mid-Levels.

Is she doing it for the attention? Yes, says Bauhinia Heroine. She hopes that the media spotlight will encourage other well-to-do Hong Kongers who are fed up with the growing income disparity between the rich and the poor to join her.

The plan succeeded, to an extent. Bauhinia Heroine’s generous escapades have captured the attention of the man behind 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy.

Filmmaker Steven Shiu is planning his next project, a superhero action movie featuring pseudo-model (a.k.a. “lang mo”, wannabe models with shapely figures but lacking in height and training; popular for promotional work at book fairs) Chrissy Chau in the lead role. Filming is expected to begin late this year.

Bauhinia Heroine is not the only modern-day hero. Her Bangladeshi counterpart, Baidul Haq Nasir, 45, had been giving generously to orphanages and mosques for two decades when it was finally revealed that he was a burglar who had been stealing from the rich. Many in the city of Chittagong thought him to be an affluent businessman. Baidul was arrested on Wednesday.

It is still early days for the Bauhinia Heroine and her mission to ease poverty in Hong Kong. I would certainly love to hear from the folks who were graced by her presence and generosity.

Bauhinia Heroine is no stranger to the poor. She is said to be a regular volunteer who spends her time helping people. I think it is great that she has chosen a fun way (for readers and viewers) to highlight a growing problem in this city.

She chose mainly residents living in cage-houses, which are really larger versions of dog cages. One can only sit up or lie down in these cages which are sometimes stacked three-high. While HKD100 won’t go a long way (rent is an estimated HKD1,500 a month), it has got to be a nice feeling to know that someone cares.