The SUN HK

Online petition for lifting travel ban on HK-bound Filipinos gains ground

Posted on 10 February 2020 No comments

By Daisy CL Mandap

Some of the estimated 25,000 OFWs stranded because of the travel ban to HK

A petition to get the Philippine government to lift a ban on Filipinos traveling to Hong Kong has gained widespread support after it was posted today, Feb 10, on the social media platform, change.org. (https://www.change.org/p/president-duterte-allow-filipino-hk-residents-ofws-to-return-to-hong-kong)

The petition titled “Allow Filipino residents and OFWs to return to Hong Kong” already had more than 1,500 signatories, less than a day after it was put up online and shared through social media

The petition was addressed to President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Health Secretary Francisco Duque, Foreign Affairs Secretary Tedoro Locsin, Jr., Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

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Although he was not included in the list of recipients, Consul General Raly Tejada said he would send it on to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

He also assured that the DFA continues to push for the lifting of the ban, imposed at the recommendation of the Department of Health.

Cited as reasons for the petition were:

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(1) Hong Kong provides adequate health care to all HK ID card holders, whatever the profession. In addition, some professional and skilled workers are covered by private health insurance, which they cannot access if they were in the Philippines

(2) The ban has endangered the job security of many Filipinos, residents and OFWs alike

(3) Forcing HK residents and workers to remain in the Philippines deprives them of their income, which they badly need to pay for expenses, including rent and bills, even if they’re not in Hong Kong

(4) “Beyond money, life for us is in Hong Kong”, said the petition. Here is where their family lives, and where they have to be present to attend to important commitments like going for medical treatments and taking care of kids

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Screenshot of the online petition

The petition was posted just as several Filipino community organizations in Hong Kong began talking of making a unity statement to drive home the message that the ban has hurt so many people unnecessarily.

Another plan of action raised by United Filipinos in Hong Kong is to hold a press conference in Manila where some of those stranded will be gathered so they can personally explain how the ban has thrown their lives in disarray.

Among those unable to fly back to Hong Kong as a result of the ban that was imposed without a warning on Feb 2 are Katherine de Guzman, chair of the Philippine Association of Hong Kong; Saturnino Tiamzon of the UP Alumni Association in Hong Kong; and thousand of overseas Filipino workers, many of them new hires.

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According to the Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (Sharp), the biggest group of recruitment agencies in Manila, around 25,000 overseas Filipino workers have been affected by the travel ban. More than half, or 15,000 are newly hired.

The number of residents, skilled workers and students stuck in the Philippines is not known, but it is likely higher than usual because the ban came during the long Chinese New Year holiday in Hong Kong.

Many of those who signed the change.org petition said it made no sense because they have already made Hong Kong their home, and have their jobs and family here. Further, they prefer to be in the city at the time of the contagion because of its superior health care system.

Others pointed out that in Hong Kong, they are assured of free medical care while they worry about the cost of getting sick and hospitalized in the Philippines as they have no medical insurance there.

A few said they are willing to sign a waiver that will release the Philippine government of any liability should they fall ill on their return to Hong Kong.

Among those who immediately signed the petition were leaders of Filcom organizations like the Global Ministers Association, Hong Kong Musicians Union and Unifil-Migrante Hong Kong who all pledged to circulate it among their members for signatures.

Below are some of the replies posted on the site when prompted to complete the following sentence: “I am signing this petition because…”

JOMS ORTEGA

Because my life is in HK and not here. I feel safer there despite the higher confirmed cases because of the better health care system.

MA THERESA MAILIM

Pag dating sa health care mas safe ang Pinoy dito (SA) Hong Kong kumpara sa Pinas

CHARI SEVILLA

Our HK employers have controls in place to ensure the spread of the virus is mitigated and the healthy and safety of its employees are made top priority (providing comprehensive health insurance, access to protective gear and supplies, making available flexible working arrangements within HK, to name a few benefits offerred).

Not allowing us to go back has put our jobs, livelihood and personal reputation at risk which the Philippine government so far has not demonstrated how they can help manage.

The uncertainty of the situation posed by the travel ban negatively impacts our mental and emotional wellbeing. We would be happy to work with the PH Consulate in HK and relevant agencies to ensure PH workers and residents are accounted and cared for in HK!

We hope the authorities would listen and work with us in coming up with a more appropriate solution because we also want to help fight 2019-nCoV!

PAM CASEQUIN-SMITH

This travel ban has put our lives on hold. Give us a chance to sign a waiver. We need to go back to our jobs, families and life in Hong Kong.

EDISON BAUTISTA

Let us go home! We don't belong here. Our livelihood is in hk our true home!

ANTONIO SERRANO, JR.

My wife and son are stranded. We live in HK.

VIOCARLO NIKKO BANGUD

I'm a permanent resident in Hong Kong and currently unable to go home due to the travel ban.
I'm afraid i might lose my full time job due to this travel ban

SOPHIE CARAAN

It makes absolutely no sense barring HK PRs and migrant workers from returning to their families and livelihoods. Most if not all of us have healthcare in Hong Kong and not in the PH, meaning if we get sick while we're stranded, we will have to pay the full costs — and we know hospitalization in the PH is not cheap. Moreover, the government will not provide us with enough monetary compensation for the No Work, No Pay days we are taking due to the ban (10,000 pesos is only a day and a half's worth of work) nor will it provide us with new jobs in the event that we get fired. We love to visit family and friends in the PH but this administration needs to understand that our lives are in Hong Kong and NOT in the PH.

BELLA GARCIA

Help the Stranded OFWs. Help them to get (to) their destinations.

JUANITA BULAON

They need to be back here to continue to work to support their families..thank you..

Aquino: Ban makes no sense

ALEX AQUINO

The ban makes no sense

ERLINDA PALACIO

If we want to stay/ leave HK, it’s our choice. The Phil. govt. cannot decide for us.

ERICKSON DIZON

May mas maiging paraan pa bukod sa ganitong travel ban!

CRIS FLORES

They have the right to come back to work.

DENISE HABANA

My family needs to get back to HK where they live.

CHERRY MAE NATIVIDAD

I am a Filipino and HK resident myself. What if this happens to me. How about my job, no pay leave vacations leave, and I still got bills to pay. My colleagues and friends are in this situation right now and I truly understand what they are going through.

ANA RAQUEL ALTRES

Because I'm one of those OFWs affected by the travel ban to hk. And I need job to support my children.

LETECIA MATECYENG

Because I'm one of them stranded here in the Phil. My Job is in HK.and because of this ban I can't see my ward leaving HK and it’s really crazy and makes me crazy too. Pls. lift this ban. Thank you

JENNIFER LOPEZ

Dahil hndi makapunta dito kapalit ko

Bultron: Don't deprive us
of right to travel

RAMON BULTRON

Lift the travel ban!
Do not deprive us of our right to travel!

GILBERT CASELIS

My wife, daughter, and niece are stranded in the Philippines. Wife and niece have their respected work and daughter has school.

FAE MUELLER

They might lose their jobs if they won’t come back to HK soon.

NORA CRUZ

So people can go back to work. Their employment is their source of income.

JOSELINE TANGUID

Allow OFWs to return to Hong Kong & Macau

KAREN DOGUIL

Be a little bit considerate. Not all of them had any contact on a person who have ncov.. Check their health status and allow those who are well enough to work.

NOEMI ALOS

What if employers can't wait for their helper until the ban is over? Can the Phil. gov't give them jobs when they cant come back?

LEE ANN SAMPING

Pls allow those OFWs who want to go back, let us sign a waiver if needed

DIVINA LIM

Travel ban for ground zero (China) not for Hongkong please, Mr President!

VICKY MACARAIG

It’s their right to come back to their jobs, for goodness!

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OFWs pack PCG, Polo despite ‘stay home’ call

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By The SUN

People pack the Consulate, which has been operating at shortened service hours since Feb 3

Many foreign domestic workers have defied the Hong Kong government’s call for them to stay at home on their rest day, to attend to urgent matters at the Consulate in Admiralty and at the labor office in Wanchai.

But at their usual haunts in Central, their numbers visibly thinned on Sunday, Feb 9, suggesting the migrant workers are at least heeding the call to avoid large gatherings.

Rare shot of Chater Road without the crowds

Over at the Consulate, about 200 people lined up at the service counters, mostly holding copies of job contracts. One OFW said she was there to have her contract notarized for renewal. Others said they were attending to their Social Security membership.

The Consulate has shortened its working hours from 10am to 3pm starting Feb 3, saying it does not want people who transact business with them to get caught in the rush hours, which could possibly expose them to the new coronavirus.

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At the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Wanchai, the community hall was opened to accommodate the big crowd of workers processing their contract renewal documents.

“Nagulat kami sa dami ng tao ngayon, mga contract renewals iyan,” said Assistant Labor Attaché Tony Villafuerte.

That could be because of the difficulty of hiring new workers from the Philippines, where about 15,000 new hires bound for Hong Kong are stranded because of a travel ban imposed on all Filipinos by the Manila government effective Feb 2.

Polo had to use the adjoining community hall to contain the overflow crowd

Throughout the day, only a few groups of helpers gathered around Statue Square and Chater Road, the favorite haunts in Central of Filipino migrant workers.

One group that decided to hold a get-together for members who recently celebrated their birthdays was Card Hong Kong Foundation. About 20 members and a few guests had lunch in a secluded corner of Pacific Place in Admiralty, but broke up the party shortly afterwards.

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Lead trainor Victoria Munar said her group just wanted a break from being confined at home along with their employers who mostly work from home now. The group which recently held its latest financial literacy seminar, also wanted to catch up on events happening around them, particularly on how each responds to the coronavirus outbreak.

Card HK holds a quick get-together to allow members to unwind and catch up

At World-Wide House, the three-level commercial center where most Filipinos go to for anything they need from home was packed with people. The crowd was not as dense as on Sundays before the “stay at home” call.

Nowadays, many Filipinos go there also to look for face masks, alcohol rubs and sanitizers which they think will help them fight off the coronavirus outbreak.

Hong Kong’s Labour Department issued an advisory on Jan 31, asking foreign domestic workers to stay at home on their days off to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

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The call immediately drew flak from migrant groups, who called it illegal as it violated the workers’ rights under the law, and discriminatory for singling out FDWs.

Asked about the criticism afterwards, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the advisory was meant to protect FDWs as they tend to congregate during their once-a-week holiday.

WorldWide Plaza teems with people despite the stay-home advice

But many migrant workers said the call would expose them to more exploitation by their employers who already make them do house chores before they leave, and on their return home, on their day off.

Many also complained about being singled out when their employers send them out to the market every day, potentially exposing them more to viruses.

Consul General Raly Tejada has said he understands the reason for the HK Labour Department’s advisory, but that it was up to the migrant domestic workers if they wanted to heed the call or not.

If the worker agrees to stay at home, he said employers should not make them do chores as that will be illegal.

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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.

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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.”

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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).