The SUN HK

Agencies call on Duterte to lift travel ban

Posted on 08 February 2020 No comments

By The SUN

The agencies plan to talk to President Duterte to recall the ban on OFWS flying out to Hong Kong

A group of employment agencies is planning to go directly to President Rodrigo Duterte next week to appeal for reconsideration of the travel ban that has resulted in thousands of Filipinos being barred from returning to Hong Kong to work, study, or be with their families.

Francis So, who operates an employment agency named after him, said the agencies have been meeting to assess the situation in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and have suggested that he call on the president or send him an email to relay their concern, as their representative.

CHECK WHERE YOUR BOX IS!

But the ban also prevents So, who said he has been a friend of Duterte for more than 20 years, from flying to the Philippines.

“I want to talk to Duterte personally, but the problem is (even) if I want to go to the Philippines, I cannot go,” he said, citing the Feb. 2 ban on non-Philippine passport holders coming from Hong Kong, Macau or China from entering the Philippines.

So is now considering settling for a phone call or an email to the president and his close advisers.

So (middle, standing up) with fellow agency owners attend dinner hosted by President Duterte in HK

“I want to explain everything clearly to (Sen.) Bong Go, Duterte and (Labor Secretary Silvestre) Bello, for them to reconsider, to let them consider lifting the ban on helpers.”

After all, he said, the situation in Hong Kong is “not so serious, especially if you don’t go out to a crowded area.”

CALL OUR HOTLINE

He said domestic helpers, who were either caught by the ban while vacationing during the Chinese New Year or are newly-hired, are suffering. “They can’t afford to wait two months, three months, without earning (money),” he said.

The new hires are in worse situation. “They resigned from their jobs in order to come to Hong Kong to work, and their visa expires in three months and then they will have nothing,” he added.

The Philippine government appears well aware of the impact of the travel ban as it has directed the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to distribute Php10,000 each to the stranded workers destined for Hong Kong, Macau and China.

OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac told The SUN that Php300 million was set aside “kasi we are expecting 20,000 claimants in a span of two weeks.”

About 1,500 stranded OFWs received the cash handout in the first two days of distribution alone, which began on Feb. 4. (read full story: http://www.sunwebhk.com/2020/02/owwa-says-p300m-set-aside-for-ofws.html).

Victims of travel ban flock to OWWA's makeshift counters to claim the financial aid

So warned employers are worried about the uncertainty and may look elsewhere for help if the Filipino maids don’t arrive soon. “They may employ local maids, they may put their parents under local maids’ care for the meantime, or they may back out,” he added.

But he claimed that he was concerned more for the helpers and their employers, not so much the agencies.

“The agents I don’t mind. While both parties suffer, the agencies suffer only less business and no loss because we already collected money from them. They don’t have to refund. It’s not them that did not let you go. It’s the government,” he added.

The approach may test So’s friendship with Duterte. So said he has been a friend of Duterte since he was still the mayor of Davao City, and has hosted the president during his visits to Hong Kong.

The agencies’ call echoes an earlier appeal by the Hong Kong government to the Philippines to allow its nationals to return to the city.

Labour Secretary Law Chi-Kwong formally relayed Hong Kong’s concern to Philippine Consul General Raly Tejada during a meeting at the Legislative Council on Feb. 4. Tejada said Secretary Law “made strong representations for the Philippine government to allow Filipinos to return to HK.” (read full story:http://www.sunwebhk.com/2020/02/allow-filipinos-to-return-hk-asks-phl.html).

I-try mo ito, Kabayan: Kung interesado kang ma-contact ang mga advertiser namin dito, pindutin lang ang kanilang ad, at lalabas ang auto-dialer. Pindutin ulit upang tumawag. Hindi na kailangang pindutin ang mga numero.

Call us!

MORE INFO

CALL US NOW!

Call us!

Sick seaman is first Filipino coronavirus case

Posted on No comments

By The SUN

At least 61 people aboard Diamond Princess have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, including the Filipino

A male crew of the cruise ship Diamond Princess that is quarantined off Yokohama Port in Japan has become the first Filipino to be confirmed as having the deadly novel coronavirus.

The Japanese Ministry of Health said the Filipino was among the first batch of 10 people who were found to have been infected. A second batch of 10 also tested positive for the coronavirus.

By Friday, Feb 7, the authorities said 41 new cases were found, bringing the total number to 61. So far, 273 of the 3,700 people aboard have been tested.

CALL NOW!

Diamond Princess was quarantined as it docked at Yokohama port Monday, Feb. 3, after a former passenger, an 80-year-old Chinese man who disembarked in Hong Kong last month, was diagnosed with the virus.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said the sick seafarer was the only Filipino who tested positive for the virus out of the 538 Filipinos aboard the vessel.

The DFA said the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo has been working with Japanese authorities in providing assistance to the Filipinos on the cruise ship, including providing food, medicine, masks and other supplies..

CALL OUR HOTLINE

The sick passengers also included three Hongkongers, three Americans, two Australians, seven Japanese, one Taiwanese, two Canadians and one New Zealander.

Meanwhile, another cruise ship, World Dream, with 3,600 on board, has also been quarantined at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong amid suspicions of a coronavirus infection.

Initial reports said 33 people working on the ship developed symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. Three who had fever were sent to the hospital for isolation and management.

Call us!

There has been no reports yet of anyone being found to be sick from the coronavirus which was first found in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

The spread of the epidemic to cruise ships has prompted a manning and management service firm in Manila to require all seafarers disembarking from vessels they manage to undergo a 14- day soft quarantine.

The coronavirus outbreak has killed at least 565 people and infected over 28,000, mostly in China. It has spread to over 25 countries and territories and killed two people outside China.

Earlier on Thursday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III reported that a Filipina domestic helper in Dubai had died of the coronavirus, but this was immediately disputed by the UAE government, saying she died from a respiratory infection.

The World Health Organization also denied Bello’s report, saying the Filipina died of pneumonia.

Call us!

MORE INFO

CALL US NOW!

Call us!

Employers group urges members not to fire stranded helpers

Posted on 07 February 2020 No comments

By Vir B. Lumicao

Thousands of stranded OFWs applying for Php10k financial aid from OWWA

(UPDATED)

The leader of an employers’ group has reportedly called on her members not to fire their domestic workers who are stranded in the Philippines due to a travel ban imposed on Feb. 2, ostensibly to stem the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.

Assistant Labor Attaché Tony Villafuerte said Hong Kong Employers of Domestic Helpers Association chairperson Betty Yung Ma Sha-yee called him up to say she had explained the workers’ situation to employers.

“Tumawag po sa akin ang chairperson ng HK employers association at sinabi niya na pinakiusapan ang employers na huwag naman basta-bastang mag terminate and to explain the present situation,” the officer-in-charge of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office said.

At the same time, he warned against relying too much on the call. “Alam po natin na hindi nila kontrolado ang pag-iisip ng lahat ng employer,” he said.

Already, several Filipina domestic helpers stranded in the Philippines have been posting concerns about them being fired by their employers. Not a few said their employers did not believe that they were being stopped by their own government from leaving.

Some have even sent queries about having their employers blacklisted in case they were fired for not being able to take up their jobs as scheduled.

Call us!

Dianarose O. sent a message to The SUN, saying, “Isa po ako sa na cancel ang flight noong Feb 2. Nasa Pilipinas ako ngayon at nangangamba na baka i-terminate ako kaya gusto ko sana sila ipa watchlist.”

Another, Jean M., said “Flight ko supposedly ngayon pabalik ng Hong Kong pero cancelled. Ang problema is, si amo hindi nya daw ako maantay, so labas ko terminate.”

“What to do in case i-terminate nya ako if hindi pa ako makabalik ng March 1? Pwede ko ba siya ipa watchlist sa Polo para hindi ma approve yung bagong contract in case i-terminate ako?”

To these queries, Villafuerte says the best thing to do is to appeal to one’s employer not to resort to termination. There is not much that one can do, given that Hong Kong law allows contract termination for as long as the worker is properly compensated.

“Just come to us if you need help talking to your employers,” he said. But if termination does occur, he said Polo could help the worker seek proper compensation from the employer.

Filipino migrant workers were stranded in both HK and the Phl because of the travel ban

The travel ban which took immediate effect on Feb 2 barred Filipinos from departing for China, Hong Kong and Macau. The ban also ordered Filipino travelers arriving from the three places, including vacationing OFWs, to be quarantined for 14 days.

The ban was later expanded to cover Taiwan. A spokesman for the government said this was because the Philippines had a one-China policy, meaning it considered Taiwan part of the mainland.

The sudden ban left tens of thousands of Filipinos stranded in international airports across the Philippines, mostly OFWs due to work abroad for the first time, or were on home leave.

Hong Kong has tried to intercede by asking the Philippine government to reconsider the ban and allow foreign domestic workers and residents to return to the city, but has yet to receive a reply.

It has also announced that all expiring contracts until Mar 31 can be extended up to May 31, as long as both the employer and the worker agree, as a stop-gap measure to address the problem with replacement helpers failing to leave the Philippines.

CALL NOW!

ALA Villafuerte said homebound workers who are stranded in Hong Kong and whose work visa is about to expire can go to the Immigration Department to apply for an extension.

He said Immigration had promised to be “reasonable” when considering the application, and could waive the visa fee for those applying for short-term extensions of between two and three days.

However, one terminated employer whose flight was cancelled on Feb 6 said she was charged a visa extension fee when she went to Immigration straight from the airport, as she had only until that day to remain in Hong Kong.

Said her friend, Cyndie B: “Kawawa naman ang friend ko, na –terminate na nga, ngayon pababayarin pa para sa visa. Wala na ngang pera. Di sana, pinaalis na lang. Ay grabe, payag pala ang Immigration pero may bayad din pala. Nakakalungkot naman.”

CALL OUR HOTLINE

Home-bound Filipinos whose flights are cancelled are advised to ask a refund of their air fare. Most, if not all, the airlines have promised full refund to affected passengers.

As of now, only Hong Kong Airlines regularly flies this route. All the major airlines, Philippine Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Cebu Pacific, have announced they will resume flights to and from Manila only on Mar 28.

Call us!

MORE INFO

CALL US NOW!

Call us!

Lights out in Macau amid coronavirus outbreak

Posted on No comments

By Daisy CL Mandap

The area around the ruins of St. Paul, which used to teem with people, is now eerily deserted

In the 15 years that she has been in Macau, this is the first time she has seen its flagship hotel and casino, Lisboa, without its lights on, says Filipino community leader Lulu Portuguez.

But then, these are hard times not only for Macau and the whole of China, all because a novel coronavirus that was first seen in the central city of Wuhan, has crossed boundaries rapidly, contaminating people in several places around the world.

Macau has so far recorded a relatively small number of 10 coronavirus cases and no death, despite its porous borders with China and Hong Kong, but is taking no chances.

CALL NOW!

When a worker at Galaxy casino was confirmed to have the disease on Feb. 4, all 40 or so casinos in the former Portuguese enclave were ordered shut for two weeks, dimming the city for the first time since it became the gambling capital of the world in the early 2000s.

The sight makes Portuguez, a restaurant owner who heads the Filipino Community Alliance in Macau, a bit sad, though still upbeat about the city. “Kikinang ka rin ulit,” she said of Lisboa, echoing a friend’s sentiment.

It's the first time the glittering Grand Lisboa has been shut down

Portuguez relates that much of the city has been quiet since the casinos, along with schools and government offices, have been closed to prevent the spread of the pneumonia-like disease.

Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng took the preventive measures further today. Feb 7, by extending the closure of all government offices, except the “essential departments,” for a second consecutive week, until Feb. 16.

CALL OUR HOTLINE

The near-shutdown has reportedly left Macau’s streets nearly empty, with residents just venturing out to buy food and other essentials. Many restaurants have closed and small food outlets like hers are often asked for takeaways by customers who prefer to eat at home.

There is no panic-buying as in Hong Kong. “Napakatahimik ng mga citizen,” Portuguez said.

If there is a rush to stock up on food and other goods, she said it is only because everyone tries to limit the number of times that they have to go out, in line with the government’s directive about avoiding crowded places.

Call us!

Also, unlike Hong Kong, Macau does not have a big problem about the availability of face masks, said Portuguez, because the government has a centralized distribution system that ensures locals of a regular supply.

Under this system, Macau residents and non-resident workers are entitled to buy a pack of 10 facemasks at the fixed price of 8 patacas, every 10 days, from designated pharmacies, health centers and stations run by the Health Bureau.

“Hindi ka pwedeng bumili ulit kung hindi pa tapos ang 10 days kasi they can check,” she said.

Unfortunately, tourists and others who don’t have the required Macau ID and the “blue cards” of documented migrant workers, can’t avail of the government-priced face masks, and have to buy them at highly inflated prices from commercial shops.

Not having a mask is a big problem in Macau because no one is allowed to board public buses or enter banks without wearing them
.

Portuguez is appealing for face masks for Filipino tourists in Macau

“Kaya kami we’re sharing our masks with tourists,” said Portuguez. “Yung para sa mga anak ko na hindi naman kailangang lumabas ay binibigay na lamang sa kanila.”

But the spare masks won’t go a long way, given the number of Filipino tourists stranded in Macau now, since all flights going to Manila and back have been cancelled in the wake of a travel ban imposed by the Philippine government on Feb. 2.

Even before the coronavirus outbreak, Macau has been a magnet for Filipino tourists, especially those hoping to get a job in the city’s gaming industry, as they can fly in visa-free, and are allowed to extend their visas for up to a month, again for free.

Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong often also cross the border to Macau to wait for a new working visa there, instead of going back to the Philippines where they can be subjected to additional fees and restrictions.

For Filipino community leaders like Portuguez, that’s just half of the problem, because an equally big concern is the thousands of overseas Filipino workers stranded in the Philippines now because the travel ban prohibits them from flying back to Macau.

She is unable to say how many Macau OFWs are stuck in the Philippines because of the ban, but presumes the number is bigger than usual because many workers were allowed to fly home for a vacation because of the recent Lunar New Year holiday.

“Personally, ang gusto ko sana ay mag charter na lang ang gobyerno natin ng eroplano para makalipad sila pabalik ng Macau dahil baka mawalan sila ng trabaho,” she said.

Her group is due to meet with other Filipino community organization in hopes of finding a solution to the problem.