The SUN HK

Stroke/aneurysm kills 3rd OFW in a week

Posted on 09 December 2019 No comments

By Daisy CL Mandap

OFWs are advised to go for regular medical check-ups to avoid getting seriously ill

Another Filipina domestic worker has succumbed to stroke, two days after lying comatose in hospital.

The worker identified only as Ruth A., reportedly died at United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong on Dec. 4 due to massive bleeding in her brain.

She was given only a slim chance of surviving when she was rushed there unconscious on Dec. 2.

Ruth was said to be 55 years old, and had worked for the same employer in Hong Kong for 21 years.

She was the third Filipino worker to die from brain and cardio-related illnesses in just a week.

There could be a fourth, according to Welfare Officer Marivic Clarin, if the autopsy on a Filipino domestic worker who fell into Victoria Harbour on Nov. 23 shows he also suffered a stroke.

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The worker named Edgar fell into the sea off Ngau Tau Kok while windsurfing with a friend. His friend and other people aboard passing boats tried to rescue him, but he was already unconscious when pulled out of the water.

Edgar was declared dead on arrival at Ruttonjee Hospital. He was 48.

On Nov. 27, two Filipina domestic workers, both relatively young, died within hours of each other due to aneurysm.

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The first, Alma, who was 48 years old, was declared dead on arrival at Ruttonjee Hospital in Wanchai.

The second, Rachel, was just 41. She fell unconscious on Nov 26 after suffering a massive hemorrhagic stroke or brain aneurysm and was rushed to Tuen Mun Hospital where she died the next day.

Doctors reportedly told her employer that the bleeding in her brain was so severe there was no chance that she would survive.

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Clarin said the employers of both workers have been cooperating with OWWA in arranging for the repatriation of the remains.

Both workers also have relatives in Hong Kong who are coordinating the repatriation. Alma’s daughter and Rachel’s sister-in-law both work here as domestic helpers.

However, no date has yet been set for the repatriation of all three Filipina workers.

Edgar’s remains, on the other hand, are set to be flown home on Dec. 15.

Statistics compiled by OWWA's Clarin (center, in brown) show that
brain and heart-related diseases afflict HK OFWs the most

Clarin has advised all OFWs to always look after their health as Hong Kong tends to have a high rate of illnesses among Filipino migrants compared with other host countries abroad.

A tally Clarin has made of cases reported to OWWA Hong Kong between last year and this year shows that a total of 465 Filipino workers have sought help after getting sick or injured.

Of this number, the biggest number involved cardio and brain-related illnesses (mostly stroke and aneurysm) which had a total of 116 cases.

But the biggest spike in the number of illnesses pertained to breast cancer, which more than doubled over the past year, from 5 in 2018 to 14 so far this year, for a 180% increase.

A total of 36 of gynecological-related cancer cases, such as ovarian and cervical, were recorded over the same period. However, there was a drop in the number of cases year-on-year, from 21 to 15.

Other cancer cases, such as that occurring in the blood or colon, also went up significantly, from 16 to 33, for a 106% increase.

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Stroke suspected in death of Pinoy who fell off boat while windsurfing

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By The SUN

The Filipino was windsurfing like these three people when he fell off a boat and drowned

A Filipino domestic helper who drowned while windsurfing in Victoria Harbour may have suffered a stroke which caused him to fall off the boat, according to sources at the Consulate.

Edgar, 46, fell into the sea off the cruise terminal in Ngau Tau Kok at about 3:45pm on Nov. 27.

A police spokeswoman said the Filipino fell into the harbor while windsurfing with a friend, a 48-year-old local man named Wein.

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Wein and another informant, also a local named Yim, 51, as well as people on passing boats tried to help the victim but he was already unconscious when pulled out of the water, the spokeswoman said.

He was taken to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wanchai where he was certified dead at 4:55pm.

According to Welfare Officer Marivic C. Clarin, stroke is seen as the likely cause of Edgar’s death as he appeared to have died shortly after falling into the water, and despite efforts of several people to rescue him.

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A postmortem has already been carried out, but the results won’t be known until after three months.

Edgar’s remains are set to be flown home to the

Philippines

on Dec. 15.

A few hours before he died, Edgar had reportedly prepared food for his young son’s birthday party on that fateful day, before going off to work for his employer of more than four years.

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The employer and his son had reportedly taken Edgar with them to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in Causeway Bay for windsurfing.

Edgar, who was single, reportedly had a partner in Hong Kong, a fellow OFW who bore him a son who is now about 8 years old. The boy’s birthday party had to be cancelled in the wake of his father’s death.

Sources said Edgar’s OFW siblings who are here are helping his partner attend to the processing of his repatriation papers.

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Filipina who hocked employer’s earrings says she found them in rubbish bin

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Defendant says she didn't know that the diamond earrings she pawned
were her employer's (photo for illustration only)

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina maid accused of stealing a pair of diamond earrings from her female employer in 2018 has said during trial in Eastern Court that she found the jewelry in a rubbish bin.

The two-day trial was wrapped on Dec 9 by Magistrate Vivian Ho, who reserved her verdict for Dec 30.

Agnes Cocjin told the court that she found the earrings wrapped in tissue paper when she threw away garbage in the common rubbish bin outside the backdoor of her employer’s flat on Nov 7 last year.

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She denied the accusation that she took the earrings two days earlier while helping another maid pack the luggage of their employer, Ms. Liu, who was leaving for a trip abroad the next day.

Cocjin said she kept the earrings after finding them because she did not know at the time who owned them, and was not aware of their value.

She said that one time she saw a neighbor’s Indonesian maid dump refuse that included similar ornaments.

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On Nov 14, Cocjin went to a pawnshop and showed the earrings to a staff, who told her she could pawn the jewelry for up to $3,000, and she did.

Liu, who gave evidence earlier, said she discovered during her trip that the earrings were missing from her jewelry box that the other maid, Melanie, had packed for her on the eve of her departure.

Returning to Hong Kong a week later, the employer told Melanie about her missing earrings. She dismissed the helper on Nov 27 when the jewelry was not found in the house to let her take responsibility for the loss.

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Cocjin confessed to Liu later that she had found a pair of earrings in the rubbish bin outside the backdoor and, not knowing that it was hers, hocked them for $3,000.

Liu said she was shocked and disappointed because she had found Cocjin to be an honest employee who did not touch money lying around in the flat.

The employer reported the case to the police and Cocjin was arrested on Nov 30 last year.

In her testimony, the Filipina said her plan was to redeem the pawned earrings when she received her salary and would show them to Melanie to find out if they were Liu’s missing jewelry.

When asked why she didn’t tell the employer immediately about the pawned earrings, Cocjin said she was confused.

In summing up the case, the defense lawyer said the prosecution was not able to prove the alleged theft as it could not show when, where, and how Cocjin stole the earrings. He said it was an “opportunity” case.

The lawyer said that granting that the defendant had picked up the jewelry in the rubbish bin, that would be theft by finding.

Magistrate Ho adjourned the case until Dec 30 and extended Cocjin’s bail until then.

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OFWs suffering from depression alarm online OFW group

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By The SUN

OFWs suffering from depression may message DWC's Facebook page to get help

It’s SAD season again, meaning there is an increase in the number of people, particularly overseas Filipino workers, who are getting depressed.

SAD, which means “seasonal affective disorder,” is a phenomenon that often occurs at the onset of autumn and lasts through the winter, before dissipating around springtime.

It occurs repetitively, and has been seen by officers at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration over the years as the time when cases of Filipino migrant domestic workers getting mentally ill or suicidal show a noticeable spike.

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This year is no different. Last September, two OFWs jumped to their deaths just two days apart. Last month, two others hanged themselves in a span of 10 days.

The causes may differ in each case, with money and relationship problems cited as the main reasons, but what is true for all is that a worker gets to a point when she sees killing herself as the only way out.

DWC's Rodelia Villar started a group for OFWs suffering depression

In all the suicide cases reported this year, not one is known to have sought help from a doctor, counselor, non-government organization or the Consulate. At least two showed no signs of being depressed, and were known to be sociable.

But that could just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of Filipino migrant workers suffering from mental health problems.

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Latest OWWA statistics show that for the first three quarters of the year, 14 psychiatric cases have already been reported to their office. For the entire 2018, there were 22 similar cases.

The number of unreported cases could be even more.

Alarmed by the recent suicides, in which family members of the victims in at least two of the cases had sought their help, administrators of the online group, Domestic Workers Corner, decided to form a secret group for those suffering from depression.

Within a day, 20 Filipino migrant workers had already asked to be included, with many of them reportedly on the verge of snapping.

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“Twenty pa lang ang members pero ang mga stories, grabe. Madami ang gustong wakasan na ang kanilang buhay,” said DWC founder and co-administrator Rodelia P. Villar.

She said DWC does not hold itself out as an expert in solving the workers’ problems, but its administrators are always ready to lend an ear to anyone who just wants to unburden or share her grief with someone.

Welfare attache Beth Dy
gives counseling at the Consulate

If the case sounds serious, or the worker starts talking of suicide, DWC immediately refers the case to Social Welfare Attache Elizabeth Dy who, along with another trained counselor, provides counseling service at the Consulate.

Another officer the group passes cases on to is Welfare Officer Marivic C. Clarin of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, which can immediately refer the worker to a local hospital, and extend help in contacting her family members.

Villar said that when she hears from someone who is suicidal, she immediately gets her complete name and mobile phone number and passes them on to OWWA or the Department of Social Welfare and Development office so help is extended without delay.

If the worker just needs to vent, Villar said her group would still ask what was causing her anxiety so it would be easier to determine if she needs to be referred to a trained specialist, and which agency is best suited to give help.

Welfare officer Clarin

Luckily, she said help is also extended by some workers who have themselves gone through a depressive phase, and are eager to guide a fellow worker on how to get over a hump.

But Villar realizes chatting online can only do so much in helping a distressed migrant. Also, not being trained counselor themselves, they are anxious to know how best to respond to workers who reach out to them, and show signs of needing immediate help.

So starting in September this year, Villar started discussing the possibility of holding a workshop for her group’s administrators and other Filipino community leaders on how to extend help to fellow migrant workers who are going through depression.

“Kaya lang hindi pa matuloy dahil sa patuloy na protesta sa Hong Kong ngayon. Mahirap mag-schedule ng araw na makakapunta ang marami” she said. But she hopes that by the first quarter of next year at the latest, the workshop that she is pushing for, would finally happen.

In the meantime, she advises those suffering from anxiety, depression, sleepless nights or are having suicidal thoughts to seek help directly. They can either go to the DSWD office at the Consulate in Admiralty, or the OWWA office at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Wanchai.

Other groups that can also extend professional help immediately are non-government organizations like the Mission for Migrant Workers or Help for Domestic Workers, which both refer patients to the St. John’s Counseling Service.

For emergency cases, or when depression sets in during the night, the patient may call The Samaritans, which runs a 24-hour multilingual suicide prevention hotline at 2896 0000. Emails can also be sent to jo@samaritans.org.hk.

What are the signs that you may be suffering from SAD or depression? Here are some of them:

a persistent low mood
a loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities
feeling irritable
feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness
low self-esteem
tearfulness
feeling stressed or anxious
reduced sex drive
becoming less sociable
inability to concentrate on tasks
feeling lethargic or lazy
lack of appetite, or conversely, an inordinate increase in appetite
inability to sleep.

In some cases, the sufferer will experience these symptoms on and off, and in between, could have so called “manic” periods when they feel happy, energetic and much more sociable.

The nature and severity of depression varies from person to person. In severe cases, it is best to seek help from a psychiatric doctor or counselor immediately.

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