5th Filipina migrant worker in HK tests positive for Covid-19

By The SUN

The latest case also involves a migrant worker being infected by her employer

A Filipina domestic worker is among three new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Hong Kong, the Philippine Consulate confirmed late on Mar. 10. She and two others brought the day's official tally to 118.

The 48-year-old Filipina is the fifth migrant worker to have acquired the coronavirus disease from her employer.

One of them has already been released in good condition after repeated testing in hospital showed she was already virus-free. The three others are also in healthy condition and had already turned negative results, but are still being kept in hospital for further tests.

The Consulate said four other Filipinos are said to be currently in quarantine for being close contacts of Covid-19 patients.

According to Hong Kong health authorities, the latest Filipina to test positive for Covid-19  lives with her 52-year-old employer in Block 28, Lower Baguio Villa in Pokfulam. She is said to have an underlying illness.

Both employer and helper were found to have fever on Mar 9 while being checked in preparation for a quarantine. The employer’s mother who joined a 21-member tour group in India during the incubation period, was earlier found to have the disease.

But both the helper and her employer did not travel outside Hong Kong recently.

The helper was reported to have developed cough with sputum and runny nose since Mar 4. Both she and her employer are now said to be in stable condition. 

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The first Filipina to get the disease lives with her employer in Mt Parker Lodge in Quarry Bay, while the third infected patient is from Redhill Peninsula in Hong Kong East, whose employer is among the 17 who acquired it from a Buddhist Temple in North Point.

The two others are both domestic helpers of socialite Yvonne Chow, who appears to have also passed on the virus to her brother, sister-in-law, and a pet Pomeranian. They live in Swiss Towers in Tai Hang.

The fifth worker’s employer is also among the new cases. She appears to have acquired it from her mother who joined a 21-member tour group in India during the incubation period. Their residential address has not been revealed.

The third new case involves a 59-year-old employee of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department who works at a wet market in Tai Po. The source of infection has not been disclosed.

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Chuang said the worker joined a tour organised by Sunflower Travel to Egypt between February 27 and March 7.

Also today, a 31-year-old evacuee from the virus-plagued Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama has again tested positive for the virus after being cleared by a hospital in Japan.

She was first infected on Feb. 18, but tested negative on Mar 4 and 6 in the Japanese hospital before returning to Hong Kong. Yesterday Mar 9, a tests at Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam showed she still had the disease.

HK Chief Executive Carrie Lam announcing the new travel restrictions today, Mar 10

According to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable diseases branch under the Centre for Health Protection, the patient was not included in Hong Kong’s tally because she had already been recorded in Japan’s head count.

Dr Chuang said the woman had a chronic illness with a weak immune system, and could have been carrying the virus for a prolonged period.

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Meanwhile, Chief Executive Carrie Lam has announced new restrictions for travelers entering Hong Kong. Those coming from Italy and parts of France, Germany, and Japan, will be put under forced quarantine for 14 days to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Covered by the new restrictions is the whole of Italy, which has already imposed a country-wide lockdown; as well as the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est regions of France, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, and Hokkaido in Japan.

The Hong Kong government is also said to be monitoring the situation in Spain and India, though travelers from these countries will not have to undergo quarantine at the moment.

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The same mandatory quarantine was imposed on all arrivals from Iran starting on Mar. 1.

Starting from 6am on Feb 25, all Hong Kong residents returning from Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk in South Korea were also ordered to undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Those coming from other parts of South Korea will be put under medical surveillance for the same period.

Earlier, on Feb. 8, all people entering Hong Kong from the mainland were also ordered to be put in the quarantine centers.

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COVID-19 and its impact on OFWs

By Cynthia Tellez

The novel coronavirus that started in Wuhan, China in December last year has spread fast, and contaminated many people across the globe. The number of affected persons within China alone has now gone up to more than 60,000 with more than 1,000 dead.

There are several advisories from the Centre for Health Protection of Hong Kong’s Health Department in their website about the deadly virus, now known officially as Covid-19. The Immigration and Labour Departments have also published relevant advisories on how to handle the contagion, thus, I will not deal with that in this column.

It is the reaction of several countries implementing stricter immigration controls, banning the entry of people coming from China, Hong Kong and Macau that is our concern. So far, the country that has imposed the most stringent travel requirements for Hong Kong is the Philippines. From Feb. 2, foreigners from any country were barred from entering the Philippines from any of these places. Lately, even Taiwan was added to the list. Only Philippine passport holders can enter but they will be subjected to 14 days’ self-quarantine.

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But what is more worrying was the complete travel ban imposed by the Philippine government on its constituents. This means that no Filipinos touring, working or residing overseas will be allowed to leave the country if their destination is China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan. This is puzzling because not one of these destinations has a policy preventing the entry of Filipinos, or in particular, overseas contract workers coming from sending countries like the Philippines.

As a result, tens of thousands of Filipino overseas workers who are on vacation or emergency leave, or are about to leave the Philippines for the first time, have been left stranded in several countries across the country.

We strongly suggest that those affected by the Philippine travel ban should communicate with their employers immediately and ask them for compassion and understanding so they will not terminate your contracts with them, this situation being not your fault – or theirs.

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 Some employers may not terminate the contract but may impose unpaid leave. You should not agree to this because, again, it is not your fault. Encourage your employer to check the insurance policy they were required to take for you because it might just allow them to collect compensation to cover your salary. Some of these insurance policies allow an employer to temporarily hire domestic worker locally (anyone with permanent residency in Hong Kong) for up to three months, and the insurance company will shoulder a substantial portion of the temporary worker’s monthly salary.

 There are those who are encouraged to resign: DO NOT RESIGN! This is but a temporary situation.

 Those who are asked to take a vacation should also think twice because it will be difficult for you to book a flight home, plus you will not be able to return to Hong Kong while the travel ban is in force. You might just end up worrying about your job if the ban lasts far longer than expected.

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 Recently, the HK Labour Department also gave an unsolicited advice to migrant workers, that they should avoid going out on their rest day to prevent being contaminated by the deadly virus. Do not heed the call if you feel you must go out because that is your right. Stay home only because you want to, but remember that you are not supposed to work during this day.

The Mission has received reports that some employers have taken this advice to mean that they can prevent their domestic workers from taking a day off. This is not right. Let us remember that this is just an advisory – an advice- by the Labour Department. It has not changed the Labour Ordinance provision that allows you to have a rest day once every week, or during a statutory holiday.

As a matter of law, there should be a definite rest day for all domestic workers: one day in a week, a continuous 24-hour day-off. This cannot be taken back by the employer without the consent of the domestic worker. And even if there is, there should be a clear agreement, and the unspent rest day must be replaced by another day within 30 days.


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If your employer offers to pay you for that unspent rest day, you should not accept it because that is unfortunately illegal. The rest day cannot be replaced with monetary pay as it is the worker’s right to rest and replenish spent energy.

In some instances, when out of fear of termination of contract, a worker accedes to employer’s instruction not to go out during a rest day. Document this. Keep a diary and write the circumstances in detail.

To many domestic workers, the problem is beyond what is legal or not. Many have problems with their accommodation. They have no room of their own. They sleep in the living room or anywhere in the flat without privacy. It is difficult for them to rest even during rest days. How much more in this particular time when almost all members of the family are around?  They cannot just sit in the living room the whole day and watch their employer do everything “because it is their rest day”.

In this situation, it is understandable that domestic workers will find it strenuous to stay in the house twith their employers. The awkward feeling of seeing the employer does the chores while the domestic worker is “just sitting” is so uncomfortable that it creates more stress than real rest. The natural thing to do is to assist. But before you know it, you are already working even without being asked by the employer.

It is entirely different if you have your own room where you can really rest - an ideal situation in times like this.

In the event that your employer terminates your contract because you refused to work on your rest day, they will be liable to breach of the Employment Ordinance and you can file for compensation with the Labour Department.

For those who are stranded in the Philippines due to the travel ban, it is indeed horrifying to imagine yourself unemployed with the rest of your family depending on you. The Php10,000 in financial aid that you could get from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, while appreciated, will not be enough to pay for your lost job and the bills that you need to pay, especially if you remain unemployed for months.

There are many more unfortunate situations created by the current condition, complaints that were not covered in this article. Should you wish to consult for more information and suggestions, do not hesitate to contact the Mission for Migrant Workers at this number – 2522-8264 or call Ester at 9711 1673 or Cynthia at 9740 9406 or Edwina at 9488 9044.


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This is the monthly column from the Mission for Migrant Workers, an institution that has been serving the needs of migrant workers in Hong Kong for over 31 years. The Mission, headed by its general manager, Cynthia Tellez, assists migrant workers who are in distress, and  focuses its efforts on crisis intervention and prevention through migrant empowerment. Mission has its offices at St John’s Cathedral on Garden Road, Central, and may be reached through tel. 2522 8264.

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Covid-19 cases in Phl surge to 24, after doubling in one day

By The SUN

Duterte has declared a public health emergency, but says there's no need to lock down Metro Manila

Within just a day, the total number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease, Covid-19, in the Philippines, doubled from 10 to 20. Then, just hours afterwards, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that four more cases had been confirmed, rounding up the total tally for today, Mar 9,  to 24.

President Duterte also announced that all schools in Metro Manila will be closed from tomorrow, Mar. 10 to Saturday, Mar. 14.

“Tingnan natin incubation period,” he said, referring to the time the virus is expected to latch on to a person, either from a contaminated place, or another individual.

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Earlier, the President declared a public health emergency across the country as the number of confirmed cases surged.

With the proclamation, the Department of Health is empowered to call on the police and other law enforcement agencies to provide assistance in addressing the threat of the virus.

All government agencies and local government units are enjoined to render all needed assistance while citizens and tourists are urged to comply with lawful directives.

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But he rejected a call for Metro Manila to be locked down amid the contagion.

“We haven’t reached that kind of contamination. There will be a time I suppose, I hope not. I hope God will have mercy on the Filipino people. It’s too early for that,” Duterte said.

The new cases are all Filipinos, eight males and two females, some with recent travels to virus-hit areas like Japan,  Australia and Taiwan. At least two were exposed to other infected patients.

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However, the cause of infection for most could not be traced, further raising fears that the virus is now being spread from person to person.

The first locally transmitted case was reported as case no 5 on Saturday. He is a 62-year-old Filipino male with hypertension and diabetes who was admitted to Medical City in Pasig on Mar 1 with severe pneumonia. He was confirmed as having Covid-19 three days later.

He had no known travel history, and frequented a mosque in Greenhills, San Juan City, before being taken ill.

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For an entire month, the number of confirmed cases remained at three, with one death, all of them Chinese nationals who had entered the Philippines as tourists.

The number climbed up to six on Saturday, then 10 on Sunday. By Monday noon, the cases doubled to 20. A few hours later, four more were announced by President Duterte.

He cited the location of the new cases as West Crame in San Juan, Project 6 in Quezon City and Sta. Maria in Bulacan, but failed to give information on the fourth.

Earlier, Assistant Health Secretary Ma Rosario Vergeire said that information about the residence and whereabouts of the 10 new cases was still being gathered.

But she said the Department of Health had already started tracing all close contacts of the new cases.

WHO graph shows data on the 10 cases confirmed earlier Monday

A report from the World Health Organization subsequently showed four are confined in Makati Medical Center, two in Tricity Medical Center in Pasig City, two in UniHealth Paranaque Hospital, one in Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and one in The Medical City, also in Pasig.

According to Vergeire, the sudden increase in the number of confirmed cases was due to the Department of Health’s “intensified surveillance” on suspected cases of the disease.

Despite the sudden spike in the number of cases, she said no lockdown would be necessary unless sustained community transmission in a particular area is recorded.

That means, if the cases being recorded are no longer linked to each other.

If this happens, she said the DOH will raise the alert status on Covid-19 to Code Red Sub-level 2. Code Red Sub-level 1 was raised on Saturday after the health agency confirmed local transmission of the disease on the 5th case.

Late Sunday night, DOH released a statement confirming four Covid-19 cases that brought the total number of infections in the country to 10, including the first case of local transmission.

The four patients were separately admitted to the Makati Medical Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City, The Medical City in Ortigas, and St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

Four countries have so far imposed a travel ban or restrictions on travelers from the Philippines: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Cook Islands and Qatar. Israel has also issued an advisory canceling all scheduled pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

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Use of passports for loans down to trickles since OFC raid

By Vir B. Lumicao

Consul Saret inspects the 1,400 passports seized from Cheers-OFC lending company (file photo)

Many Filipinos who are in the habit of using their passports as collateral for loans appear to have learned their lesson since the police raid on the lending company, OFC, on Jun 5  last year.

According to Consul Paulo Saret, head of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section, there has been a noticeable drop in such cases since the police seized 1,400 Philippine passports from the Sheung Wan-based financing company.

“Medyo after nung 1,400 natin, paisa-isa na lang, mga ‘privateers’ na lang,” said Consul Saret in an interview on Monday, Mar 3.

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He was referring to small, unlicensed operators who lend cash at no less than 10% interest per month to mostly domestic workers, and collect their passports as guarantee of repayment.

“Kung Pilipino rin yung accomplice (lender), sinasabihan namin ng ‘If you will not stop it, we’ll be constrained to report to the Hong Kong authorities and apektado ang lahat ng kabuhayan nyo’,” Saret said.

Consul Saret says only small unlicensed money lenders still collect passports as security for loan

The raid on OFC had put hundreds of Filipino borrowers at risk of losing their jobs, after the Consulate stood firm in its decision not to allow them to get a replacement passport easily.

But because of the big number of Filipino workers involved, the Consulate obtained permission from the Department of Foreign Affairs to waive its previous requirement of making the borrower apply for a new document in Manila.

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Instead, the borrowers were made to sign an undertaking that they would not hock their passports again, or they would not be issued another one in future.

But those who needed their passports immediately, as in the case of those who had to renew their working visas, were forced to secure travel documents for the meantime, adding up to the cost. They also had to go to the police to explain how they lost their passports before being cleared to apply for visa renewal.

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At least two of the borrowers who were fired by their employers for pawning their passports were also issued one-way travel documents so they could return home.

“Parang malaking bagay po yung OFC case na decided by the court, after that wala nang legal lending entity na naireklamo sa atin,” the consul said.

“Yung mga privateers naman, in the first place, hindi naman sila talaga allowed to engage in that business, so puwede silang ireklamo anytime kasi wala silang license eh,” he added.

Cheers Holding Company, which operated OFC, was fined $10,000 after admitting a violation of a hardly-known Hong Kong law that prohibits money lending companies from collecting passports and employment contracts as securities for a loan.


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Cheers admitted a count of “accepting security for a loan in a prohibited form” in Eastern Court on Nov. 22. The maximum penalty for the offence is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment of up to two years.

Its sole owner and director, Wong King Yiu Wilson, was bound over for two years as part of a plea bargain, according to prosecutors.

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