Grieving DHs unable to fly home despite deaths in family

By Vir B. Lumicao  

On arriving in Manila, all OFWs are taken to a quarantine facility where they must stay for 14 days

It's a story heard quite often nowadays - that of Filipinos overseas who are unable to go home to pay last respects to a family member who just died because of travel restrictions that are in place in many parts of the world because of the coronavirus contagion.

This was exactly what two Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong experienced on Wednesday, Apr 29. Both their fathers died, but all they could do was post their grief on Facebook because there was no way they could fly home without risking their jobs - if they could even make it on time for the funeral.

Jam, from Isabela, posted on the DWC Help Group page that she could not go home due to the compulsory 14-day stay in a quarantine facility upon arrival in Manila, and another 14-day quarantine in her hometown.

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Then she would have to go into another 14-day quarantine on her return to Hong Kong before returning to her employer.

“Mahirap magpaalam sa aking tatay [dahil] sa sitwasyon ko ngayon. Ang hirap pala,” Jam said. She said it would be pointless because her father would be buried in two days.

Another worker, Ann from Iloilo City, comforted Jam. She said they were in the same situation because she also lost her father on the same day. Like Jam, she is resigned to not seeing him for the last time.

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Since the Philippine government imposed a travel ban to Hong Kong on Feb 2, followed by a lockdown in Luzon to help stem the spread of Covid-19, several migrant workers whose families have been visited by death could not fly home because of the travel constraints.

It’s not just the compulsory quarantine that prevents the two Filipinas from going home. Jam is from Cauayan City in the north, while Ann is from the Visayas, but the two major carriers that fly to their cities are still grounded.

Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have both stopped flying to and from Hong Kong since the travel ban in February, and have now cancelled all their international and domestic flights until May 15 due to the lockdown or “enhanced community quarantine” of Luzon.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

“We intend to resume operations by May 16 if warranted by Philippine and international authorities, global public health conditions and the travel environment,” PAL said. 

Cebu Pacific announced a similar extension of its suspension of all international and domestic flights until May 15 “in line with the extension of ECQ imposed over much of Luzon, and implementation of general community quarantine over other provinces.”

The airline also cited restrictions being implemented by local governments across the country. Only all-cargo flights are operated to move vital goods, including medicines and protective gear for frontliners in the fight against Covid-19, CebuPac said.

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HK remains virus-free for 4th straight day as protest plans loom

By The SUN

Last year's May Day rally: organizers say they can maintain social distancing even while marching

Hongkongers might be getting a respite from the spread of the coronavirus, but they are in for another kind of worry in the coming days, as rights activists clash with police on whether rallies could be held in line with social distancing rules.

An independent appeal board rejected today, Apr 29, a proposal by the Confederation of Trade Unions to hold the usual May Day rally this Friday, May 1.

Appeal board head Christopher Chan said the march could pose a “serious threat” to public health and safety.

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This was despite an assurance from the organizer, the Confederation of Trade Union, that they will ask marchers to keep a safe distance of between 2 or 3 meters, or even to wear protective goggles.

CTU chairwoman Carol Ng said a ban on protests would deprive workers of their rights to express how the virus has hit them hard.

But government counsel Louie Chan said the police had the responsibility to ensure that protesters and citizens were not at risk.

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“The 3,000 to 3,500 marchers have to assemble at a location for a certain period of time before starting the march,” he said. “Solid evidence shows that the virus can easily spread in crowded places.”

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

After losing the appeal, the CTU said it would set up more than 50 booths, each manned by no more than 4 persons, to disseminate anti-epidemic information and express support for the anti-government movement.

Supporters of the union say the appeal board’s decision set a dangerous precedent, in that police can now stop rallies on the excuse of protecting public health.

The pro-democracy camp is now planning several mass actions ahead of the June 4^th anniversary of the crackdown on Tienanmen Square, and the 23^rd year since Hong Kong’s handover to China on Jul 1, 1997.

Since last week, several small protests have been held on Hong Kong island, in the wake of the arrests of several prominent pro-democracy leaders.

At noon today, a handful of people resumed their so-called “Lunch With You” protest in Central, after a break of about 4 months. Police dispersed the crowd without making any arrest.

Lunchtime protests are usually held in this part of Central

Meanwhile, today marked the fourth day in a row that no new Covid-19 case was detected in Hong Kong, prompting health authorities to cancel their daily press briefing again.

The total tally stands at 1,037, with the number of confined patients dropping to just 204, after 20 were discharged today after recovering in public hospitals. The death toll remains at 4.

Elsewhere in the world, the virus has continued to spread, with the total global tally of cases now at well over 3 million, with a third of them being recorded in the United States.

However, the daily rate of infection is highest in Russia, with more than 5,000 cases; and Spain with over 4,000.

The death rate, however, has gone down considerably in the past week across most of Europe and the US.

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UP alumni in HK present tribute booklet on Amba Bernie to PCG

By The SUN

Representatives of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association – Hong Kong presented a commemorative booklet on the late Ambassador Bernardita Catalla today, Apr 29, to Consul General Raly Tejada.

UPAA president Sherina Erno-Manimtim and former board member Jeko Abila handed over the booklet to Congen Tejada, who in turn, has undertaken to display it in a place accessible to the public for a time before it is added to their book collection.

“It is very well made and a fitting tribute to a fallen hero,” said Congen Tejada.

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The booklet contains pictures and remembrances of Amba Bernie, as she was fondly called by many in the Filipino community in Hong Kong, where she served as consul general from 2014 to 2017. 

Catalla, who was 62, then moved on to take up the post as ambassador to Lebanon, where she died on Apr 2 due to complications from Covid-19.

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Earlier, UPAA-HK members also donated around Php210,000 in Amba Bernie’s memory to the UP-Philippine General Hospital in Manila, to be used for buying protective gear for its medical personnel who are at the frontline in the fight against Covid-19.

Congen Tejada said he also conveyed his gratitude to UPAA-HK for its “kind gesture to donate to UP-PGH in the name of Amba Bernie."

Erno and Abila presented the tribute booklet to Congen Tejada, who is also from UP

The late ambassador, who was a UP alumna herself, endeared herself to UPAA-HK because of her active participation in the group’s various activities, and for her friendly and easygoing nature.

Part of the tribute read: “During her time in Hong Kong, ConGen Bernie showed much dedication to tackle the challenging demands of her job, while becoming a caring sister and loving friend to many in the Filipino community.”

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

The booklet also includes a eulogy from The SUN, which cited Amba Bernie as the prime mover of the ban on dangerous window-cleaning, which now forms part of the employment contracts of foreign domestic workers.

Former UPAA-HK chair Rex Aguado summed up what the late diplomat meant to the community by saying, “It’s hard to capture in words a life well lived, even though that life seemed to have been unjustly snuffed out.”

Amba Bernie’s remains were received with full honors on arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on Apr 15, with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. leading the mourners.

A brief ceremony was held to pay tribute to the late ambassador’s 27 years of service to the country, before her remains were brought to a crematorium in Pasay City.

The Department of Foreign Affairs ordered flags at all its offices in the Philippines and overseas to be flown at half-mast for three days in her honor.

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Pinay DH forgives worker in accidental burning of her bangs

By Vir B. Lumicao

Inog with her wispy fringe that got scorched in the incident

This Filipina will make you proud. After an incident that could have seriously hurt her, 42-year-old Susan Inog ignored suggestions from most of those who heard about her harrowing experience to claim for compensation.

Inog was the talk of the Filipino community after she posted her tale about an elderly restaurant worker in Central who, while trying to check her body temperature, accidentally used a stove lighter instead of a thermal gun on her, setting her fringe on fire.

The accidental hair-burning on Apr 26 caused a fuss, with hundreds of netizens telling Inog to report to the police and ask for money from the culprit or the restaurant that employed her.

But, in a meeting the next day with the woman and the restaurant manager to thresh out the issue, the Filipina forgave the offender without asking for anything in return.

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“Pinatawad ko na lang siya. Naawa ako sa kanya. Parang siya ang nanay ko,” Inog said during a phone interview today, Apr 29.

Inog said her female employer accompanied her to the meeting in the office of the manager at the restaurant on Connaught Road. The 60-year-old woman who caused the incident attended the meeting, and was very apologetic and nervous, her hands shaking.

“Halos lumuhod siya sa akin, takot na takot at sorry nang sorry. Parang nakita ko ang nanay ko, kasintanda niya at nanginginig din ang mga kamay,” said Inog, who is single and supports her parents and her nephews and nieces.

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She said that in her mother’s case, her hands shake because of her advanced age and the hard work that she used to do while raising her children.

So, it was not hard for Inog to forgive the reckless restaurant worker who rushed after her to check her temperature as she was about to enter the toilet to relieve herself.

“Nakita ko naman na talagang sincere siya sa paghingi ng tawad. Tinatanong ako ng manager kung ano ang desisyon ko. Kung gusto ko raw magreport sa pulis at humingi ng danyos ay pamemedikal niya ako sa ospital,” she said.

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“Sinabi ko patawarin ko na lang siya,” Inog said.

The domestic helper saw how grateful the woman was afterwards. Through an interpreter, the woman said she was working alone as both server and temperature checker that evening because she had no reliever.

Inog noticed that the woman’s back was already bent, an indication of how hard she must have worked all her life.

Earlier, on their way to the meeting, Inog’s employer asked her what to do. The employer reportedly said that if the helper would decide to report the incident, then she would accompany her to the police after the meeting.

The employer briefed her about her rights as a victim, that she could claim compensation against the worker or the restaurant company. It was the employer who called up the manager on Sunday night and demanded the meeting.

The employer also encouraged her to post the incident on social media so everybody would be warned.

Inog recalled that the incident happened at around 7:45pm, when the restaurant was busy. The server had just set up a hot pot dinner for some customers when Inog entered in haste as she needed to go to the bathroom.

The server ran after her, then absentmindedly grabbed the lighter which she had just used for the hotpot dinner to check the Filipina’s temperature.

Inog said that being a worker herself, she understood the woman’s situation.

She also said that she was not looking for compensation as she was not seriously injured. “Kung nasunog ang mata ko, yun pa, hihingi ako ng danyos,” she said.

“May pulis noon sa labas nang nangyari iyon pero hindi na ako nagsumbong. Tinawagan ko na lang ang aking dalawang kaibigan at sinamahan nila ako sa manager para magsumbong. Galit na galit lang ako noon dahil nasunog ang buhok ko,” she said.

After making up with the woman, Inog said she felt better. She said the manager offered her three booklets of meal coupons but she declined.

“Tutubo pa naman ang buhok ko,” she said.

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