OFWs decry lack of preparation, information on overseas voting

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Migrant leaders around the world hold a zoom press conference on overseas voting concerns

With just five days to go before overseas voting for the Philippines’ national elections kicks off, Filipino leaders in various overseas posts have decried what they said was the apparent lack of interest on the part of the government to boost voter turnout.

In a press conference held Tuesday, Filipino community leaders in Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Canada and the United States all complained of delays in preparation and information dissemination by officials at various Philippine consulates and embassies.

Migrante International chairperson Joanna Concepcion who acted as moderator, said this seeming unpreparedness has sparked fears of massive disenfranchisement of Filipino overseas voters.

The month-long overseas voters will be held from Apr Apr 10 to May 9.

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 “Marami po ang nag-uulat sa ating mga kababayan sa labas ng bansa na may mga isyu po silang hinaharap. At mukhang hindi pa handa ang ilang mga embahada at konsulado natin sa ibang bansa para makaboto ang ating kababayan,” she said.

(Many overseas Filipinos have reported issues that they’re facing. It seems some of our embassies and consulates are not prepared to let our countrymen to vote). 

Shiela Tebia-Bonifacio of United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Unifil-Migrante) said that because of the delay in preparations and the lack of timely information, “bulag na bulag ang community” (the community is totally blind) as to what would happen when the overseas voting rolls out.

Bonifacio says HK OFWs have ben kept in the dark about OV preparations

Bonifacio said the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong held a briefing on the upcoming elections only last Sunday, Apr 3, long after Filcom groups had pressed for a meeting so they could be updated on what preparations, if any, were being made for the vote.

Her sentiment was echoed by Egay Bonzon, coordinator of 1Sambayan Italy who complained of a seemingly deliberate effort by the Philippine embassy in Rome to consult with Filcom leaders on the election.

“Ang komunikasyon namin dito sa embahada sa Roma, halos hindi namin maramdaman,” Bonzon said. (We hardly feel any communication between us and the embassy in Rome).

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“Kulang na kulang sa impormasyon sa mga kababayan natin para tugunan ang tungkulin nila na maging mas maayos ang takbo ng eleksyon.

(There is hardly any communication with our fellow Filipinos here, something they should be doing as part of their job to ensure that the election runs smoothly).

As an example, he said a letter his group sent to the embassy awhile back asking for the time and date for the testing and sealing of vote counting machines was answered only yesterday, and the date set is this coming Thursday, giving them little time to prepare.

Bonzon said the lack of enthusiasm in getting overseas Filipinos to take part in elections started only during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, making him think that there is a deliberate effort now to exclude those abroad from voting.

Bonzon in Italy asks if there is deliberate attempt to exclude Filipinos abroad from the vote

Meanwhile, Migrante Saudi Arabia chairperson Marlon Gatdula said Filipinos who live far from the three polling areas in the region – Jeddah, Riyadh and Al-Khobar – may be deterred from voting.

He called for more mobile outreach teams to help Filipinos in far-flung areas in Saudi Arabia to cast their votes, and for more information to be disseminated on the electoral process.

Of the 1.67 million registered Filipino overseas voters, the big bulk are in the Middle East, which has more than 785,000 of them.

Gatdula also brought up the so-called “red tagging” of groups deemed antagonistic to the government as having a terrorizing effect on some voters.

Nerissa Allegretti of 1Sambayan USA said Filipinos there are also groping for information on voting procedures because consulates, with the exception of the one in San Francisco, had yet to issue guidelines.

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Alegretti also raised an alert over the long delay in mailing ballots to voters across the United States, saying they used to be sent out as early as March in previous elections.

“Ngayon, mag April 5 na dito, wala pa ding natatanggap, tapos ilang araw na lang mag start na ang eleksyon,” she said. (Now, it is almost April 5 here and we haven’t received them when there are only a few more days left before the start of the election).

Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite who also spoke at the press conference said the problems raised by the migrant leaders was due to the government’s lack of concern for the interests of overseas Filipino workers and effort to make them take part in national affairs.

As a result, only a small percentage of Filipinos abroad have enlisted for the chance to choose their  national leaders, he said. Of about 7-8 million Filipinos abroad, only 1.68 million are registered to vote and of this figure, only 336,549 or about 20%, voted in 2019.

Gaite said he will bring up the concerns raised by overseas leaders when the House of Representatives’ committee on suffrage holds its next hearing.

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HK people urged to do 3 rapid tests from Friday, as infection tally remains steady

By The SUN 

People are urged to use the rapid test kits given to them by the government for self-testing

The daily Covid-19 tally rose slightly to 3,254 on Tuesday, an increase of 116 from the previous day.

Of the new cases, 1,658 were confirmed through PCR tests, while 1,596 were reported by people who tested positive on rapid tests.

There were 16 imported cases reported from the PCR tests, involving travelers who flew in from places like the United Kingdom, Thailand, Turkey, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Spain and France.

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In line with pandemic restrictions, the government has suspended Qatar Airways from operating flights from Doha to Hong Kong, as well as Cathay Pacific flights from Manchester to Hong Kong for a week, after they brought in three or more passengers who tested positive for Covid on arrival tests.

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection urged everyone to use the rapid test kits given by the government to self-test from Friday until Sunday, to help authorities catch silent carriers and prevent the virus from spreading in the community.

“We want to do it as soon as possible to guide us in coming up with future social distancing measures,” said Au at the daily press briefing on the Covid situation.

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He also said that while the infection tally has fallen in recent days, 3, 000 or so cases is still relatively high, indicating that there is still a lot of silent transmission going on in the city.

Au also urged people to avoid social gatherings during the upcoming Easter Holidays to keep the cases down.

Asked about recent studies showing the immense psychological toll wrought by the most severe Covid outbreak on the local population, Au expressed regret.

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He said patients and their families can get emotional support from government clinical psychologists through a hotline set up by the CHP.

Meanwhile, Dr Lau Ka-hin of the Hospital Authorities said there were 87 more people with Covid-19 who passed away, including 81 who died at public hospitals yesterday, and six on previous days.

The new cases took Hong Kong’s Covid-related deaths in the fifth wave to 8,136 and pushed the death rate at 0.7 percent of the more than 1.16 million people who were infected.

As of the latest tally, 9,965 patients were receiving treatment at public hospitals and different government treatment centres.

Among these, 71 are in intensive care, including 12 classified as critical yesterday, while 24 others are in serious condition. 

The number of patients who were discharged as of the cut-off period was 1447.

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Infection and death tallies dip ahead of holiday

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Infections dropped further ahead of the Ching Ming holiday

Hong Kong’s infection tally has eased slightly, with the confirmed number of Covid-19 cases dropping to 3,138 for the day, 571 fewer than yesterday.

And for the first time since the Omicron surge in early March, the death toll fell below 100. The number of patients who passed away in public hospitals in the past 24 hours dropped to 77, while the late-reported cases fell to 13.

Despite the drop in infection numbers, officials have advised residents to avoid gathering during tomorrow’s Ching Ming holiday to prevent a rebound in cases.

Of today’s newly confirmed cases, 12 were imported from overseas, including 10 who tested positive on arrival.

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Korean Air flight KE607 which arrived from Seoul late on Apr 2 has been suspended from flying to Hong Kong for a week after three of its passengers tested positive on arrival. One of them was an air crew while the two others were passengers.

The seven others who were found infected on arrival on Apr 3 included passengers from the Philippines, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Spain and Ireland; and a crew member from Germany.

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Two other passengers from Germany and Singapore tested positive for the virus in their quarantine hotels.

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said that the easing of infections is also seen in the decline in positive cases from locked-down residential blocks.

Recent tests conducted at buildings that had been sealed off showed that the infection rate has now fallen to between 2 and 3%, compared with more than 10% from three weeks ago.

He appealed to resident to heed the government’s advice to do self-testing for Covid-19 for three consecutive days starting on Friday, to help authorities identify silent carriers and stop the transmission of the virus in the community.

Residents are advised to self-test from Friday using the test kits distributed by officials

Au said that with the additional 90 deaths recorded today, the death toll from the fifth wave has risen to 8,049. The death rate remains steady at 0.69 percent.

Dr Lau Ka-hin of the Hospital Authority said that the 77 deaths recorded yesterday included 47 men and 30 women aged between 41 and 99.

The youngest fatality had diabetes, hypertension and was obese. He had an abscess on his buttock that had to be operated on to remove pus. When he was taken to hospital he complained of breathing difficulty, before being tested positive for Covid-19.

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After surgery his blood pressure dropped and his condition deteriorated. He died yesterday.

Another notable case involved a 51-year-old patient who was admitted to hospital on Mar 8 because of kidney failure. He was also coughing but tested negative on rapid test. On admission, however, a PCR test showed he was infected.

He was discharged on Mar 15 after recovery. However, he fainted at home yesterday, and attempts to resuscitate him failed. His case has been referred to the coroner for further investigation.

Among the latest fatalities, 26 were residents of care home, 65 were aged 65 and above, and 62 were not fully vaccinated. 

Lau also reported eight other people with Covid-19, aged 73 to 101, who died between Mar 2 and Apr 3 and whose deaths were not reported on time. Five other patients tested positive at the morgue.

A total of 1,069 patients are being treated in public hospitals and community treatment facilities. Among them, 75 are critical and are in intensive care, while 19 are in serious condition.

Yesterday a total of 382 patients who had recovered were discharged from various hospitals and treatment facilities.

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Filipino who tried to get into Consulate with steel bar no show in court again

By The SUN 

The accused was arrested after allegedly trying to get into Consulate armed with a metal bar

A Filipino resident who was arrested after trying to gain entry into the Consulate on Mar 28 while in possession of a metal bar failed to attend court again today, Apr 4.

R. B. Bondoc, 41 years old, a resident of Sai Ying Pun whose occupation is listed as architectural designer, was said to be still in hospital where he was taken after complaining of feeling unwell after his arrest.

He was first set to appear at Eastern Court last Wednesday, Mar 30, charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

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But he failed to show up and the prosecution said the defendant had been admitted to Queen Mary Hospital and “was not fit to attend court”.

Magistrate Jacky Ip granted the prosecution’s application to extend police bail to the defendant and reset the hearing of his case to 9:30am today.

In court today, lawyers for both parties along with a Tagalog interpreter waited until about 11am before being told that the accused was not going to show up as he was still in hospital.

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Earlier, a police spokeswoman told The SUN Bondoc had become agitated at the station following his arrest, then complained of feeling sick, so he was brought to a hospital.

The charge sheet says Bondoc was in possession of a 60 cm metal angle bar wrapped in tape when he was arrested in the morning of Mar 28 in the lift lobby outside the Philippine Consulate at United Centre in Admiralty.

Sources at the Consulate said Bondoc had tried to gain entry, saying he wanted to get a copy of their CCTV recording of a previous incident where he had wielded a golf club in the public area.

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After repeated attempts to get him to back off failed, Consulate staff noticed the steel bar he had brought along and called the police.  Five officers responded and tried to calm down Bondoc before leading him away.

In the earlier incident which happened in the morning of Jan. 24, Bondoc was arrested after he allegedly threatened staff and pushed one of them to the ground as he was being subdued while brandishing a golf club.

He was arrested on suspicion of committing common assault and possessing an offensive weapon but was released on police bail. Police told The SUN at the time that no charges had been filed against Bondoc as investigations were continuing.

But they confirmed the man had with him a golf club that measured 77 cm in length and that officers were called when the suspect began using it to threaten staff.

Consulate sources said Bondoc had previously been told to stay away after throwing a  monobloc chair at the glass window of former social welfare attaché Elizabeth Dy, and throwing soft drink cans at the locked side entrance of the premises.

He had also reportedly made threatening phone calls to staff and warned of setting fire to the Consulate.

Bondoc was said to have become agitated after his estranged wife failed to file a petition for the annulment of their marriage after returning to the Philippines, citing a lack of funds.

The man reportedly vented his ire over this at the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section, claiming that they did not do their part in ensuring his estranged wife kept her supposed promise.

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Over 93,000 Filipinos registered for 2022 overseas voting in HK

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Consul Quintin and CongenTejada say it's all systems go for the 2022 overseas voting in HK

The Philippine Consulate says more than 93,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong are registered to vote in the upcoming overseas presidential election which starts on Sunday, Apr 10, amid the most stringent pandemic restrictions in the city.

Speaking at a town hall meeting with Filipino community leaders on Sunday, Consul General Raly Tejada said it took the Consulate some time to get the necessary permits from the Chinese government and various local offices to ensure that the overseas voting in Bayanihan Centre could be conducted as before.

But now that everything has been set, he said, “I now have the honor to proclaim that it’s all systems go for the 2022 overseas voting in Hong Kong.”

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Congen Tejada said voting at Bayanihan Centre will be held continuously from Apr 10 to May 9, including all holidays. Voting will be held from 8am to 5pm each day, except on the last day when it will continue until 7pm.

He urged everyone to “vote early and vote on weekdays” to help avoid overcrowding inside Bayanihan, and ensure that there is no late surge in voting as what happened in previous elections.

As in the past, the Consulate will ask employers to allow their helpers to vote on weekdays when only a few people cast their ballots.

Reminder to those who will vote, especially first-timers

Tejada said he wanted to reaffirm the Consulate’s commitment to hold the election in a fair, impartial and honest manner” to ensure the integrity of the 2022 election.

Despite this pledge, domestic worker Bryan Calagui who heads the BBM HK Global asked during the open forum that an assurance be given that no cheating would happen in the upcoming vote, claiming that “marami ang nababahala na magkakaroon ng dayaan.” (a lot of people are concerned that cheating would take place).

To this, Consul Bob Quintin who oversees the overseas voting process said, “You can simply ask the old timers in Hong Kong. Walang nangyaring dayaan dito.” (No cheating has taken place here].

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“In the past, merong gumagawa ng kwento na walang basehan. Uulitin ko po, hindi kami Comelec (Commission on Elections] kami po ay Department of Foreign Affairs at iba pang ahensya ng pamahalaan kaya wala kaming investment to be partial to any candidate.”

(In the past some people would make up stories that had no basis. I repeat, we are not the Comelec, we are from the Department of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies so we are not invested in any candidate.)

Consul Quintin says people made up false stories about cheating

Surprisingly, the recurring claims about cheating in the overseas election had come from the supporters of candidates that won overwhelmingly in Hong Kong, like presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr and incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte.

As regards voter registration, Consul Quintin said that despite the challenges posed by the pandemic during the past year, there are 14, 000 more voters this year than during the mid-term election in 2019.

In that election, more than 36,000 Filipinos out of the 87,441 who registered cast their votes, for a 42% turnout.

“Realistically, if we are able to replicate this turnout under this condition, masasabi namin na successful na yun,” (we could already claim success) he said.

However, that would be a far cry from the record 46,396 people who voted out of more than 93,000 registered voters in the last presidential election in 2016, for a 49% turnout.

Tips to voters: Shade the oval fully, take your time and do not overvote

This time around, poll officials will have to contend with a lot of restrictions, including ensuring that people in a queue observe social distancing, that no more than two individuals gather in public, and that everyone who enters the venue is wearing a mask and undergoes a temperature check.

Quintin said that because of these protocols it is not likely that the previous practice of soliciting votes or conducting exit polls outside Bayanihan could continue. He was also not sure if political groups would be allowed to hang campaign posters nearby, as was the practice in the past.

But he assured media representatives and poll watchers from the different political groups that they will continue to be given access during the voting process.

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“Ang mahalaga ay tuloy ang eleksyon. Bukas kami ng 30 araw. Relax lang po, huwag mag-alala. (What's important is that we will have the election. We will open for 30 days. Just relax, don't worry.

"We will do all we can to make the election as normal and as familiar as possible,” Quintin said.

He also clarified that wearing colors identified with particular candidates is not prohibited inside Bayanihan, but they should not bear any marks or logos that identify the political party or candidate that they support.

People should vote alone, and in secret

Voters must also not use any campaign leaflets to guide them while voting, but could copy off a list of their chosen candidates written on unmarked paper.

Quintin was joined by most of the Filcom leaders at the meeting in saying that the only thing that could derail the smooth conduct of the election is when a person who had been to Bayanihan tests positive for Covid-19 subsequently.

He supported a suggestion that would-be voters take a rapid test for the virus before going to Bayanihan, but also advised those who feel unwell to postpone going there until they are sure that they are not infected.

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HK’s Covid-19 cases fall to 3,709

By The SUN 

The continuing drop in cases sparks hopes of a relaxation of gathering rules 

Hong Kong’s infection figures have continued to fall, with 3,709 cases being reported on Sunday, the ninth consecutive day that the number has fallen to four digits.

The new cases included 1,832 that were confirmed through PCR tests while 1,877 were reported by people who took rapid tests.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said Hong Kong’s infection tally from the fifth wave stands at 1,158,791. 

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Among the new cases, 10 were imported from overseas, including six that tested positive on arrival yesterday. They came in aboard flight KE607 from South Korea, TG600 from France, QR818 from the Netherlands and Switzerland, SQ894 from Singapore, and EK384 from Thailand.

The number of deaths reported for the day totaled 111. These included 96 patients who passed away on Saturday while the remaining 15 deaths were not reported on time.

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Dr Sara Ho of the Hospital Authority said the patients were aged between 38 and 109.

Ho said the 38-year-old patient had suffered from cardiovascular disease and hyperthyroidism. She went into a coma at home and attempts to resuscitate her failed. Her case has been referred to the coroner for further investigation.

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Among the fatalities, 51 lived in residential care homes, 90 were aged 65 and above, and 59 were unvaccinated.

A total of 7,959 patients have died in the fifth wave, with the death rate now at 0.69 percent. Ninety-six percent of the fatalities were aged over 60 while the mortality rate for the unvaccinated patients reached 3.19%.

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Ho said 10,009 patients are receiving treatment at public hospitals and the community isolation facility at AsiaWorld-Expo. Among them, nine patients are in critical condition, and they are among 78 now in intensive care units; while 17 are in serious condition.

There were 871 patients who recovered and were discharged in the past 24-hour reporting period.

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Filipina appeals for return of lost bag with $5k

By The SUN

 

Elsa shows an eco bag that looks exactly like the one she left behind on a bus

The sudden weather change has inadvertently led to one Filipina domestic helper forgetting her black eco bag on a bus, and along with it, her wallet containing about $5,000 of her salary, a cellphone, ear pod and HK ID card.

According to Elsa T., she was aboard bus no 73 which was on its way from Stanley to Cyberport when she started feeling warm, so she decided to take off her sweater. But to do this, she had to take the bag off her shoulder and put it on the seat beside her.

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She then hurried to get off at the next stop, without realizing that she had unslung the cloth bag from her shoulder and had left it on the bus.

Elsa said she decided to seek The SUN’s help as the one seated nearest to her was a fellow Filipina, and she was hoping that her fellow bus rider had somehow picked up her bag and turned it over to the authorities.

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“Baka lang po may magandang loob na nakakuha at hindi lang alam kung paano ako ma kontak,” she said, adding along with a crying emoji: “pauwi na ako ngayong June.”

(Just in case some kindhearted soul found it and just does not know how to contact me…I will be going home for good in June].

Elsa said she has already contacted the bus company, but was told that no one had turned over any bag that matched her description. She has also reported the loss to the police.

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The money, said Elsa, was part of her salary that she received on Saturday.

“Kakasahod ko kasi kahapon, tapos nagpadala na ako sa family ko. May naiwan na $5k na i deposit ko sana sa account ko, at pambayad sa box ko,” she said

(I just received my salary yesterday and I had already sent money to my family in the Philippines. I had about $5,000 left which I was planning to deposit into my bank account and pay for my door-to-door box]

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After working in Hong Kong for 10 years, Elsa said she is set to go home this coming June. The money that she just lost was meant to go into a nest-egg for her resettlement back in the Philippines.

Anyone with information about the lost bag may contact Elsa at telephone number 98455386.

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