Filipino who allegedly threatened to burn down Consulate arrested

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Security has been tightened at the Consulate after the man's arrest

A Filipino male resident had to spend the night at the Central Police station on Monday, Jan 24, after he was arrested for threatening staff at the Philippine Consulate and pushing one of them to the ground as he was being subdued after brandishing a golf club.

Hong Kong Police said the man is 41 years old and a resident. He was arrested on suspicion of committing common assault and possessing an offensive weapon but was released on police bail.

A spokesman said no charges have been filed yet as investigations are continuing.

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According to an officer of the Consulate who asked not to be named for security reasons, part of the bail conditions imposed on the arrested person is that he should not approach any of their staff and should not enter the Consulate premises.

The officer also said more charges could be laid against the accused as they had filed a separate complaint against him after he allegedly threatened to burn down the Consulate and kill staff during calls he made to their listed number.

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He said the Consulate has already turned over to the police the CCTV footage taken during the alleged assault and the audio recordings of his threatening phone calls.  

In his calls, the man reportedly said “papatayin ko kayo” (I will kill all of you), after saying he would burn down the Consulate.

The ATN section used to be accesible to the public (file)

Police say the accused arrived at the Consulate at about 10:30am on Jan 24, brandishing a golf club which measured 77 cm in length. They received a phone call from one of the staff after the man allegedly started wielding the club and threatening staff.

Consulate insiders said the man arrived with not just a golf club but also his baby. After handing the baby to one of the people inside the premises, he started swinging the golf club while making threats. 

Several male staff managed to subdue him, but only after one of them was pushed to the ground by the suspect.

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According to the officer, the man had been agitated because of a long-running dispute with his wife who has already gone home to the Philippines.

After the Consulate was asked to intervene, the wife reportedly promised to file a petition for annulment in the Philippines but failed to do so because of a lack of funds.

The man reportedly vented his ire over this at the Consulate’s ATN section, saying they should have made sure his estranged wife kept her promise.

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“We told him repeatedly that we did not have the power nor the right to compel his wife to file for annulment,” said the officer. “All we could do is advise them on how they could resolve their marital dispute.”

“Hindi niya maintindihan o ayaw intindihin ang ganoong paliwanag. Pinilipit niya na dapat sabihan namin ang asawa niya na ituloy ang pag file ng annulment.”

(He couldn’t, or wouldn’t understand what we kept telling him. He kept insisting that we should tell his wife to pursue the filing of an application for annulment).

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As a result of the incident, security has been tightened at the Consulate, with all visitors to the closed-off ATN section being barred entry unless they have provided their personal details and the purpose of their visit at one of the windows in the public area.

“We have to protect not only the Consulate and our staff but also members of our community who come to us for services and assistance,” said the officer. 

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2 more hotels designated for FDH quarantine

iclub Ma Tau Wai Hotel (Google Maps photo0

Two more hotels have been named as designated quarantine facilities (DQFs) for  incoming foreign domestic helpers (FDHs)  who were not vaccinated in Hong Kong, the Labour Department (LD) announced today.

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O'Hotel (www.ohotel.hk/en-hk) and iclub Ma Tau Wai Hotel (www.regalhotel.com/regal-hotels-international/en/promotions/DQF-foreign-domestic-helpers.html) will start accepting bookings through their websites from February 6 and March 1, at daily rates of $650 and $750, which include three meals a day.

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Their 491 rooms will bring to 2,779 the number of rooms available for FDH quarantine. The other hotels that accept new FDHs are Courtyard by Marriott Hong Kong in Shatin, Regala SkyCity Hotel in Tung Chung, and Rambler Garden Hotel in Tsing Yi. 

Only FDHs who have confirmed bookings in a DQF will be allowed to board a flight for Hong Kong and enter Hong Kong upon arrival, it added.

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Under the rules, payment will be refunded to the person who made the booking if an FDH tested positive for COVID-19 before arrival in Hong Kong, if the flight is cancelled by the airline, or a lockdown is ordered in the place of origin, provided that supporting documents are submitted in advance.

The Department also said more hotels may be designated as quarantine facilities for FDHs, depending on the need.

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"The Government understands the need of local families for FDHs. However, the local epidemic situation is evolving rapidly, and the Government must vigilantly uphold the policy of guarding against importation of cases," said the announcement.

"The Government will consider whether more DQFs can be provided having regard to the global and local epidemic situation. The hotels will adjust the number of rooms open for reservation each day having regard to the overall booking situation."

The dedicated FDH Portal (www.fdh.labour.gov.hk) set up by the LD provides information and useful links relating to the quarantine arrangements of FDHs. For enquiries, please contact the LD through its 24-hour hotline at 2717 1771 (manned by 1823) or by email to fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk.

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The news, however, is of little use for FDHs from the Philippines which was included among eight countries from where passenger flights have been banned. The flight ban was initially set for Jan 8 to 21, but has since been extended twice. 

Today, in a press conference, Lam again extended the flight ban another two weeks, to Feb. 18.

Also still banned are passenger flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, Britain, and the United States. 

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Penny’s Bay week-long quarantine slots closed within minutes again

By Daisy CL Mandap

CE Carrie Lam inspecting Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre shortly after it opened (File)

The 350 slots that opened today, Oct 11, at Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre for foreign domestic helpers were again filled within minutes of the booking being opened. The bookings accepted today were for check-ins from Oct 29 to Nov 4.

Shortly after 9:00am when the booking opened, many Filipina DHs sent messages to The SUN to ask whether there was a problem with the online system, or whether it did not open as promised, as they could not get in.

As before, a few asked what the reference number on the dedicated booking website was. It turned out they had pressed “enquiry” because they could not activate the “start booking” button.

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But the window linked to the Department of Labour website is clear. “When the booking quotas have been filled, applicants cannot enter the page of ‘start booking’ of the booking system,” says an advisory posted on website.

In short, the booking was again closed because there were no more rooms available at Penny’s Bay. The booking will resume on next Monday, Oct 18.

The difficulty of securing quarantine space has dealt another blow to many Filipino helpers who have been waiting for months to enter Hong Kong.

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One of them is Carlos Frondozo, who said in a comment on The SUN’s Facebook page that he had been stuck in the Philippines for nine months because he couldn’t get a quarantine booking.

Not a few, including Mhai Bautista, Ayona Boter and Cheng Hai repeated a call for more rooms being allotted to stranded workers, saying they are already “baon na baon na sa utang” (heavily in debt).

Another called Rosa Lee said she was hoping to book a quarantine room soon, as she was getting stressed because her medical certificate and employment visa were about to expire again.

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Today was the third Monday in a row when the weekly slots of 50 a day for the designated quarantine facility for FDHs were filled within minutes of the booking system’s opening.

Silka Tsuen Wan hotel, which has also been designated as a quarantine facility for incoming helpers, has long been booked until the end of this month, so getting a room there is even more difficult, as well as pricier.

A room at Penny’s Bay costs $480 a day for FDHs who need to stay there for 21 days, while at Silka, the daily rate is $800.

Silka costs nearly twice as much as Penny's Bay

Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong has said that Hong Kong is allotting a maximum of 50 rooms a day for the FDHs arriving from high-risk countries, so as to minimize the risk of imported cases entering the city.

He cited the positivity rate among newly arrived FDHs of more than 4 percent between September and October as a basis for limiting their entry, even while acknowledging the huge demand for them from local families.

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Between 4,000 and 6,000 FDHs are reported to have been stranded in both the Philippines and India after Hong Kong designated them as high risk, and tightened restrictions on passenger arrivals from both places.

The flight ban took longer in the Philippines, which was classified as high risk on Apr 20, while Indonesia was added to the list on Jun 25.

While the designation remains, FDHs from both places were allowed to start coming back on Aug 30, although in very limited numbers.

On top of this, all FDHs who were vaccinated outside of Hong Kong are required to spend their 21-day quarantine either at Penny’s Bay or Silka Tsuen Wan hotel.

Those who wish to book a room at Penny's Bay may log on to: www.fdh.labour.gov.hk

For Silka, the booking link is here: https://www.guestreservations.com/silka-tsuen-wan-hotel/booking

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Phl sets new daily record of 26,303 new Covid-19 infections

By The SUN 

Of the total number of infected people, 185,706 are still battling the disease

The Philippines posted 26,303 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday, the highest daily tally ever recorded since the first coronavirus case was first detected in the country in January 2020.

The new all-time high figure beats the 22,820 cases recorded just two days  ago.

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According to the Department of Health, the new infections raised the country’s overall tally to 2,206,021 cases, of which 8.4%, or 185,706 patients are still battling the disease.

Of the active cases, 85.3% have mild symptoms, 10.2% are asymptomatic, 2.56% are moderately ill, 1.3% are in severe condition, and 0.6% are critical.

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An additional 79 patients succumbed to the disease, raising the death toll to 34,978 or 1.59% of all the cases logged so far.

The number of recoveries went up to 1,985,337 or 90% of all cases, after 16,013 patients were reported to have recovered.

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The total excludes data from two laboratories that failed to submit their reports on time, says the DOH. These laboratories accounted for about 0.8% of tested samples and 1.1% of positive cases in the last 14 days.

The positivity rate - or percentage of tested people with positive results - dropped from 28.8% on Sept 8 to 27.6% on Sept. 9, based on 75,688 tests reported.

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The rate remains way higher than the prescribed critical level of 20%, which indicates more testing are urgently needed.

The World Health Organization says infection in an area can be deemed to have been controlled if the positivity rate is below 5%.

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Meanwhile, the price of Covid testing, which is already out of reach of the country’s poor, could become even more costly after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to end all government transactions with the Philippine Red Cross, which provides the cheapest testing service.

President Duterte is insisting on a government audit of the Red Cross, which enjoys charitable organization status.

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His threat comes as Red Cross chair, Senator Dick Gordon, leads an investigation into the government’s massive spending on pandemic supplies, a deal brokered by one of  Duterte’s close advisers.

Metro Manila mayors want clear guidelines on imposing granular lockdowns 

Meanwhile, Metro Manila mayors have called on the national government to include them when deciding on the shift in the country’s pandemic response, noting that the unclear guidelines on so-called “granular lockdowns” have led to confusion.

On Tuesday, the national government suspended the implementation of granular lockdowns in specified areas across the national capital region, and instead extended the modified enhanced community quarantine until Sept 15.

The national task force against Covid-19 said the suspension was due to unfinished guidelines.

The mayors said there should be a framework under which they are allowed to impose the sectional lockdowns before such an intricate policy is implemented.

They also shirk at having to shoulder in full the costs needed for mass testing and quarantine, and contact tracing.

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Philippines posts new daily high of 19,441 Covid-19 cases

By The SUN 

Metro Manila will remain under MECQ because of the record spike in cases

The Philippines has posted its highest ever daily tally of Covid-19 cases, with 19,441 new infections recorded on Saturday.

It’s the third time this month that the country has posted a record daily tally. The last time was only five days ago, when over 18,000 cases were recorded.

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The record spike in cases prompted the national government to extend the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila until Sept 7.

Like Metro Manila, the provinces of Bataan and Laguna will be under MECQ with additional restrictions on dining, personal care services and religious activities for the next 10 days.

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Under regular MECQ are Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Bulacan, Cavite, Lucena City, Rizal, Aklan, Iloilo Province, Iloilo City, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Cagayan de Oro City.

The newly confirmed cases pushed up the country’s total tally to 1,935,700, with 7.4% of them or 142,679 active cases.

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The daily count did not include results from three laboratories which failed to make the cut-off time for reporting.

An overwhelming number, or 95.5% of the patients have mild symptoms, 1.8% are asymptomatic, 1.1% have severe symptoms, 0.99 are moderately ill, while 0.6% are in critical condition.

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The death toll climbed up to 33,008 after 167 more people succumbed to the disease within the past 24 hours.

But the total recoveries were up, too, with 19,191 patients being declared free of the coronavirus. This raised the total number of recoveries to 1,790,013, or 90.9% of the total infections.

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The so-called positivity rate, or the percentage of people from among those tested who return positive results, also rose to a new record high of 27.5% of the 71,620 who were tested Friday.

This is the 20^th straight day that the rate has been over the indicated critical level of 20% of those tested, highlighting the need to do more testing.

According to the standard set by the World Health Organization, the positivity rate should be below 5% to declare that the infection in a place is under control.

More testing is needed as shown by the country's high positivity rate

With the continuing surge in new cases, almost half of Metro Manila cities have reported over 70% hospital bed utilization rate, according to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

"Dito po sa National Capital Region, ang utilization po ng ating mga ospital, mayroon tayo almost 50% of our cities na iyong bed utilization po nila ay nasa more than 70% na," she said during a press briefing.

(Here in the National Capital Region, for hospital utilization, almost 50% of our cities have more than 70% bed utilization already.)

She added that intensive care units in all but six cities in the NCR have breached the 70% utilization rate.

Vergeire said the government will take measures to expand bed capacity — including setting up tents and modular hospitals in critical areas.

DOH figures as of Aug 27 show that Metro Manila had the highest tally of new infections in the past 14 days with 48,469, followed by Calabarzon with 37,940, and Central Luzon with 22,708.

Cavite was the top province with the most new cases in the same period with 15,355, followed by Laguna with 10,626, and Bulacan with 9,445.

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CE says FDHs will be allowed to enter HK gradually

By The SUN 

CE Lam says FDHs will be allowed in on a controlled and gradual manner

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that Hong Kong will control the number of foreign domestic helpers entering the city so they will not “create pressure” on the government.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Executive Council meeting earlier today, Lam said: "The number of foreign domestic helpers who could come back to Hong Kong through this special arrangement has to be rationed, has to be controlled.”

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She added, "We could not allow thousands of foreign domestic helpers to come in every week, otherwise, the chance of having more confirmed cases either discovered at the airport or during the quarantine periods will overload Hong Kong's public hospital system."

The top official said a designated quarantine hotel for FDHs has already been selected, and it can accommodate up to 400 guests. Another one will be picked out soon. Reports say the first hotel chosen is Silka Far East hotel in Tsuen Wan.

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Given that all FDHs coming in from high-risk countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia are required to spend 21 days in quarantine, only about 1,000 of them can come in each month, even if a second hotel is designated for their use.

The CE said officials should be able to give more details this week on the plan to start allowing helpers from the two countries to travel to Hong Kong for work.

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At least 3,000 FDHs with employment visas are reported to have been stranded in the Philippines alone since a flight ban on the country was imposed on Apr 20 after it was designated as “high risk” for Covid-19.

Indonesia was included in the list on Jun 25.

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The ban on passenger flights from all high-risk countries was officially lifted on Aug 9, but only for those with vaccination records recognized by Hong Kong, eliminating everyone, residents or FDHs, who had their vaccination in the Philippines or Indonesia.

CE Lam says details of scheme to allow FDHs to enter HK will be announced soon

CE Lam confirmed that talks have been ongoing with the consulates of the two countries on vaccination recognition, but did not mention any deal being struck, or whether a date has been set for the start for the workers’ return.

She appealed to employers waiting for helpers to join them in Hong Kong to be patient.

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“They (helpers) will have to come in phases, so I would like to ask employers to be more patient with the system because they will not be able to welcome their foreign domestic helpers within a short period,” she said.

In addition to the 21-day quarantine at a designated hotel, all FDHs flying in will have to present a recognized vaccination record and a negative result for a RT-PCR test done within 72 hours before departing for Hong Kong.

Reports say Silka Hotel in Tsuen Wan is the first designated quarantine place for FDHs

They will also have to undergo six more tests during compulsory quarantine, self-monitor for a further seven days, and do another test on the 26^th day after arrival at a community testing centre in Hong Kong.

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