Metro Manila to remain under lockdown until May 31

By The SUN

Under the modified ECQ approved by Duterte, some businesses will be allowed to resume operations,
but residents will remain mostly indoors (File photo)

The movement of people in Metro Manila (or National Capital Region), Laguna province and Cebu City will continue to be severely restricted with the extension of the enhanced community quarantine in these places until May 31.

President Rodrigo Duterte today, May 12, approved the proposal to extend the ECQ in the said places as part of the country’s effort to contain the spread of Covid-19, but with modifications.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the announcement in a televised press briefing at noon Tuesday.

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Roque  said under modified ECQ, some industries will be allowed to resume limited operations, but added that the government is still drawing up the list of businesses allowed to operate.

A few hours later, Duterte himself went on air to explain that the decision to extend the ECQ with a few industries being exempted, is meant to prevent a new surge in infections.

"We will (ease the restrictions) gradually so we won't fall...Because we cannot afford a second or third wave. This would happen if people many people catch the virus because there are rules that were not followed," he said in his televised address.

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He also reminded the public to observe social distancing and to always wear a mask when they leave the house.

"Do not go out of your house without a mask. That is a must. Must comply. The police will remind you. 'My friend, step aside. You do not have mask. Where is your mask?' If you do not have a mask, you would endanger the person in front of you," Duterte said.

 

Despite the lockdown, hundreds of people came out last week to line up for government financial aid

Under the modified ECQ, people living in the so called “high risk” areas will continue to be kept largely indoors, with only a few being allowed to go out to buy food and other basic necessities, and in cases of emergency.

The new modified ECQ order will take effect on Sunday, May 16.

Many people in Metro Manila, the country’s economic and political hub, had hoped that the lockdown would end on May 15.

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But the metropolis remains a high risk area during the pandemic as it accounts for a huge chunk of the country’s total of 11,086 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease. So far, 999 patients have recovered, while 726 died.

Department of Health figures show 7,123 or over 62% of all cases were recorded in the NCR. Cebu City has 1,400 cases while Laguna has 384.

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Duterte first placed Metro Manila under community quarantine on March 15, but upgraded this the next day to ECQ, and extended the order to cover the entire Luzon island until April 12.

The Luzon ECQ was later extended until Apr 30. A week before the deadline, the ECQ in Metro Manila and other high-risk areas in Luzon was extended further, to May 15.

Those deemed “low-risk areas” were placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) where some movement restrictions are relaxed.

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Only 1 infected Filipino still in hospital says Congen

By Daisy CL Mandap

Worst is over for the Filipino community in HK, as only 1 Filipino still in hospital, says Consulate 

Only one Filipino infected with Covid-19 is still in hospital in Hong Kong as of today, May 11, according to Consul General Raly Tejada.

“Isa na lang talaga,” Congen Tejada said.  That means that 18 other infected Filipinos reported by Hong Kong’s Health Department to the Consulate up until Mar 27 have been discharged after recovering.

The Consulate first relayed the news on its Facebook page on May 8.

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Congen Tejada made his statement as no new case was again reported in Hong Kong, leaving the total tally for confirmed cases at 1,048, with one suspected case. Of these, 982 have been discharged from hospitals, leaving only 56 patients still confined.

Yesterday, three cases were recorded, all involving newly arrived residents. Two flew in from Pakistan, and the other from the United Kingdom.

There has been no local case for the 22^nd straight day, raising hopes that there will be a further relaxation of social distancing rules.

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However, the Centre for Health Protection said in a statement today that it is investigating the case of a 70-year-old female resident who returned to Hong Kong on Sunday.

The patient’s saliva sample turned a positive result so she was taken directly to hospital from Hong Kong International Airport.

When asked, the patient said she had already tested positive in Britain, which means her case would have been recorded there so Hong Kong need not include her in its list. The CHP said it has contacted the British health authority to get more information about the case.

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Meanwhile, CHP’s records show at least two other Filipinas who recently returned from abroad, one from London and the other, from Manila, have also been discharged.

The first, a 32-year-old domestic helper, flew in from London with her employers on Apr 7, and tested positive four days into her home quarantine.

The other arrived from Manila on Apr 8, and tested positive on Apr 10 while under home quarantine. Her case caused some concern in the community as she reportedly went straight to a bank in World-Wide House from the airport, before starting her home quarantine.

Another confirmed case, a 29-year-old male student in the Philippines who tested positive on Apr 18, one day after arriving from Manila, has also been discharged. The patient is reportedly an ethnic Filipino with a HKSAR passport.

 

Some patients in the 'bar cluster', including Filipino musicians and family members, are still in hospital

However, the records also at least three other  Filipinos, mostly musicians included in the so-called bar cluster are still in hospital, where they have been confined for more than a month. They are all males, aged 33, 39 and 44, and were admitted to hospital on Apr 3, 5, and 6, respectively.

Also still confined is the 16-year-old son of a Filipina waitress at Insomnia bar, who was moved from a quarantine center to the hospital after testing positive on Apr 7.

Asked why the Consulate appears not to have been alerted about their cases, Congen Tejada said, "We just rely on what are reported to us are Filipinos. The others are probably Hong Kong passport holders."

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The CHP has been testing mostly newly arrived residents at the airport and are made to wait for their results before being allowed to leave. If they test positive, they are taken straight to a hospital; otherwise they are sent home to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The rules have been changed recently with residents returning in large numbers from “areas of unknown epidemic situation” like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and South Africa.

The Health Department has ordered that said returnees be taken straight to quarantine centers for a 14-day compulsory quarantine period after collecting their deep throat saliva samples at AsiaWorld-Expo testing center.

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HK OFWs stuck in quarantine centers appeal for help

By Virgilio B. Lumicao

An OWWA van takes OFWs to a resort for the start of their supposed 14-day quarantine 

 Overseas Filipino workers from Hong Kong who are being quarantined in various hotels and resorts outside Metro Manila are getting impatient as they are still unable to go home more than 14 days after their mandatory quarantine.

The returnees, mostly female domestic workers who either lost their jobs or have gone home for a vacation, are stuck in assigned lodges awaiting two swabbing sessions to check if they are clear of the coronavirus before they are certified safe to go.

The mandatory quarantines, including in their own barangays, have put the jobs of some vacationing workers in jeopardy. One vacationing worker has already been told by her Hong Kong employer that will be fired if she fails to return by the first week of June.

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One group got too impatient that it sent out a distress call on Thursday to the Consulate through a friend who was in Hong Kong.

Consul General Raly Tejada said he had relayed the message to Administrator Hans Cacdac of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, who in turn contacted the workers.

“Yes, na-convey na sa OWWA iyon, kay Hans Cacdac mismo,” ConGen Raly replied to an online query.

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Last Thursday, OWWA appealed for understanding from OFWs who are still in the quarantine facilities.

“OWWA wishes you can go home to your families soon, but we have rules to follow to ensure the pain caused by [Covid-19] will not get into your homes,” it said in a statement.

OFWs are separated from other arriving passengers at Manila airport before being bused to their quarantine centers

Another Hong Kong-based OFW billeted in one of the 110 quarantine facilities monitored by OWWA said she and her fellow helpers had been in seclusion a few days longer than the prescribed quarantine period.

The worker said they are still being made to wait for the two swab tests, whose results will be known only two or three days after each test. That means another wait of about another week at least, if the second test is given promptly after the first result is out.

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“Kailangan Covid-negative result lang ang dalawang swab test saka kami puwedeng i-release at pauuwiin sa kanya-kanyang probinsya,” the OFW source said. 

She added that Coast Guard personnel keeping watch on them had informed them a team of medics would visit their quarantine site this week to conduct the tests.

Swabbing involves inserting a 6-inch-long swab into the left and right nasopharyngeal cavities between the nose and mouth for 15 seconds and rotating the swab several times to collect enough specimen. The swab is then sent to a laboratory for testing.

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The delay seems to be due to the lack of medical staff to conduct the tests in the spread-out quarantine sites. In fact, Coast Guard personnel are the ones doing the daily temperature checks on the workers. 

The source said her fellow workers were excited at first, as the resort was spacious and each member of her group was given a big room. They were also given free meals.

They had to follow a set of strict rules like trainees in a boot camp, including a ban on interviews with media. The source said to fight boredom, they did zumba and Tik-Tok dancing and communicated in a chat group that they formed.

They were also allowed two hours of sunning and fresh air each day.

 

Not even a free stay in a fancy resort such as this could ease the homesickness of the quarantined OFWs

But, as days passed, some members of the batch have reportedly become irritable as they missed their families but still have to travel hundreds of kilometers north or south to the Visayas and Mindanao, where another 14-day quarantine awaits them.

The OFW said onward journeys home are being arranged by OWWA with the Coast Guard and Department of Transportation, as domestic air, land and marine transports are grounded.

As a result of their prolonged stay in the quarantine sites, OWWA’s expenses have mounted, leading it to appeal to Congress for Php2.5 billion in additional funding today.

Cacdac told a House committee OWWA has already spent more than Php381 million to support 26,737 OFWs displaced by the pandemic and needs the new fund for about 50,000 more returning home in the next few weeks.

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OFWs make noise anew to get mandatory PhilHealth payments scrapped

By Vir B. Lumicao

Protesters say the law must be amended to make the contribution truly voluntary 

The fight against mandatory and excessive increase in PhilHealth premium continues.

Thus declared migrant leaders on Sunday, May 10, when they staged another noise barrage or “kalampagan” on Chater Road to call for the scrapping of the premium increase. They staged the first one on May 1, Labor Day.

They also demanded amending certain provisions of Republic Act 11223, or Universal Health-Care Law, to make PhilHealth membership voluntary.

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They spoke as some 300 migrants, spacing themselves out on Chater Road in line with Hong Kong’s social distancing protocol, banged steel pans, basins, ladles, plastic bottles and blowing whistles to send their message across to President Rodrigo Duterte.

Those who called for the scrapping of the mandatory membership and premium increase were leaders belonging to the Rise Against Government Exactions (Rage), a coalition formed to oppose mandatory government fees levied on Filipino migrant workers.

They included Dolores Balladares of United Filipinos in Hong Kong, Sheila Tebia Bonifacio of Gabriela Hong Kong and Alan Cayosa Mas of Federation of Active Luzon Groups (Flag).

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“Nagsalita si Duterte at sinabi na gagawin daw na voluntary ang membership sa PhilHealth at sinabi mismo … ni Health Secretary Francisco Duque na isususpinde ang ating pagbabayad sa PhilHealth,” Balladares said.

But she said these assurances cannot be relied upon because the law cannot be changed by a mere verbal order.

“Hindi po porke’t sinabi na boluntaryo ang membership sa PhilHealth ay magkakaroon po iyan ng  katuparan o kaganapan. Hindi po kapag sinabi na isususpinde ang ating pagbabayad sa PhilHealth ay magaganap na nang tuluyan iyan,” Balladares said.

She said OFWs must continue to fight the premium hike because, unless the law is amended, membership in PhilHealth won’t be voluntary.

 

OFWs are making their voices heard through a noise barrage

Under PhilHealth’s schedule of premium increase, OFWs are made to pay both the employer’s and the employee’s share, which for 2020 amounts to 3% of the annual income of those earning between P10,000 and Php60,000 a month.

The rate increases by half a percentage point per year until it reaches 5% in 2024, with the income ceiling raised to Php100,000.

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From Php2,400 a year previously, a Filipino helper earning the minimum wage in Hong Kong is now required to pay a premium of Php10,800. Those who make the ceiling income of Php60,000 will pay twice that amount, or Php21,600.

When Balladares signaled the start of the noise barrage, Chater Road echoed with the noise of various objects and yelling and howling of protesters.

Cayosa said Rage submitted through the Consulate a petition addressed to the Philippine government signed by 10,000 OFWs against the mandatory PhilHealth coverage in November last year. But he said the issue remains unresolved.

“Mukhang hindi tayo pinapakinggan ng gobyerno,”Cayosa said, eliciting howls of approval. “Kung hindi tayo manghihinaing, manahimik na lang at bayad nang bayad, ang kawawa ay ang pamilya natin sa Pilipinas.”  

 

Mas says HK OFWs have been opposing mandatory PhilHealth membership since last year

Tebia echoed the workers’ sentiment on PhilHealth but also slammed Duterte’s supporters, in particular the Emilio Aguinaldo group, which hung posters condemning groups allegedly aligned with the communist New People’s Army at the rally site.

The posters which were tied on railings right behind the Chater spot where the leaders spoke, displayed the names of Unifil, Migrante, Bayan, Gabriela and other Filipino militant groups insinuating they are part of the NPA.

Tebia angrily said that the DDS had used the event to push government black propaganda against their groups.

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“Bakit, may NPA ba dito sa Hong Kong?” (Why, are there NPAs here in Hong Kong?) she asked and the crowd shouted “wala!” (none!) When she asked the crowd what those people are called, they shouted “taksil!” (traitors).

Eman Villanueva, Bayan HK and Macau chairman said at the sidelines of the rally that the workers’ response to the protest against the PhilHealth levy was heartening.

“Ang tawag namin sa ganitong isyu ay dikit-bituka eh. Hindi ito kayang pasubalian. Sa totoo lang, maraming dating tagasuporta ni Duterte ang galit na galit sa polisiyang ito,” Villanueva said when asked for comment.

(We regard this issue as gut-linked. It cannot be ignored. In truth, many of Duterte’s former supporters are very angry at this policy).

“Kaya ang tingin namin, yung isyu mismo ay nagbibigay ng batayan para magsama-sama talaga yung mga OFW dito sa Hong Kong para sama-samang tutulan yung polisiya.

(So we think this issue serves as a basis for OFWs in Hong Kong to link up to oppose the policy).

He said the noise barrage showed OFWs’ rejection of Duterte’s assurance that PhilHealth  membership will be made voluntary because in truth, only an amendment of the law will ensure that they won’t be forced to pay the jacked-up premiums.

“Ang puwede lang namang gawin nila, i-delay o i-defer. Ibig sabihin, yung implementing rules and regulations ay hindi muna ilalabas o ipapatupad, ilang provisions aalisin, pero temporary lang iyan eh,” Villanueva said.

(All they can do is delay or defer (its implementation). Meaning, the IRR won’t be released or implemented yet, or they will take out some provisions, but that’s just temporary).

“Ibig sabihin, baka hinihintay lang nila na mawala o humupa ang galit at saka nila itutuloy,” he said.

(It means, they are probably just waiting for the workers’ anger to dissipate or disappear before implementing the law).

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Mother’s Day musings from prison

Christine's letter came with this card she hand-made and illustrated

From Christine, Inmate No 395450

Lo Wu Correctional Institute

(This article was sent by post by one of our correspondents from the Lo Wu correctional facility for women. The author is serving a long prison sentence for trafficking nearly 2 kilos of cocaine into Hong Kong - drugs she said, she did not know were hidden inside a suitcase she was asked to carry by a friend. Christine does not live on regrets, though, and now makes the most of her time in prison by pursuing courses,  writing, sketching (the illustrations in the attached photos were all done by her) and focusing on getting an early release so she can be with her three children again).

When I was a kid my only dream was to travel around the world, have my own family and be a mother.

I’ve always known that being a mother is a tough job. You work 24/7 without a salary, and what you get as compensation is the love and care of your children – but that’s priceless.

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I was on my way to fulfilling my dreams, until one day a bad thing happened, something I never expected. There’s nothing to be proud of, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of, either. I believe that everything in our life happens for a reason. My incarceration does not lessen my dignity as a person because all human beings make mistakes. But it takes a strong woman to admit that she has made a mistake.

Although what I have done cannot be undone, I strongly believe that there’s still a way to correct it. Now, I keep trying to do what is the right thing to do. I learned from my failures and I  have used that knowledge to make me a better person.

 

Every page of her letter was decorated with a sunflower Christine had so painstakingly painted

I am grateful for all the people who have joined the roller coaster that is my life. Because of their love and support I have overcome all of life’s difficulties and trials.

I also thank the people who dropped me from their lives after what happened. Because of them I have become much stronger and brave enough to endure all kinds of pain so that I am now able to stand on my own and step forward again. The scars from my pain will always remind of life’s valuable lessons.

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As a mother we always want to give the best to our children for they are the most important people in our life. It is for them that we keep on striving so that they may have a better future. We try to give them everything that they need – even the impossible, if we can afford it – just to make them feel better.

A mother will always try to do everything for her children. I should know. I still have my mother, and I am a mother, too.

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Salute to all mothers on this special occasion. Happy Mother’s Day.

 

Christine ended her letter on an upbeat tone

PS. “This prison situation is so much more than just prison. It is a journey that will eventually enable us to find out who we are and we are living for. I am here in prison not just to live a live but to build a life…”

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Recovered Filipina Covid patient wants to give back to society

By Vir B. Lumicao

Jinkie looking good in a picture she shared on Facebook, where she chronicled her struggle with Covid-19

After her painful struggle with the deadly coronavirus disease, Filipina domestic helper Jinkie Alhambra wants to recover fully soon, so that she can give back to society.

Her immediate concern is to donate blood plasma, especially to serious Covid-19 patients in Hong Kong, so they could also recover from the deadly disease.

Alhambra was nursed back to health 23 days after being hospitalized in Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam after she tested positive for the disease.

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The 48-year-old Alhambra said in an online interview on May 6, after her latest follow-up check-up at Queen Mary, that as a Covid-19 victim, she received a US$200 financial aid from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

With that amount, she remotely mounted on Apr 22 with help from her husband and friends, a relief operation for poor families affected by the anti-Covid lockdown in her neighborhood in Dasmarinas City, Cavite.

“Malaking tulong naman din po yung Php10,000, yung US$200. Kung baga, may maitutulong sa akin kung anuman, pero I chose to start a relief drive, idinonate ko po iyon,” said Alhambra.

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Her friends from Kid Muay Thai martial arts group in Hong Kong pitched in to raise funds for the relief drive, which distributed 5 kilos of rice each to 100 families in Barangay Sto. Cristo, Dasmariñas.

She still gets cash donations until now but she says she is saving that for another relief mission in the future.

Results of Alhambra’s previous follow-up check-up on Apr 8, the first since she was declared Covid-free and discharged on Apr 1, showed her antibodies count has improved, meaning she has built up immunity against Covid.

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During her May 6 check-up, she underwent a blood test, electrocardiogram and echogram to listen to her heartbeat.

“I’m really hoping na magiging maganda ang antibodies count ko dahil it is something na makapag-donate ako ng blood plasma para makatulong sa mga may Covid-19,” she said.

Blood plasma is the yellowish part of the blood that takes protein and other nutrients throughout the body. Various studies have shown that people who have recovered fully from Covid-19 have antibodies in their plasma that can attack the virus.

Jinkie shared photos of even the painful swabs for tests she had to go through  while being treated

Alhambra said the check-ups and its series of laboratory tests have been taking a lot of her time as she needs to go to the hospital frequently for follow-up examinations. Fortunately for her, the hospital in Pokfulam is not far from her employer’s flat in Lower Baguio Villa.

It also helps that her 52-year-old employer is a recovered Covid-19 patient herself, having tested positive for the disease before her, and so understands that her helper needs to go for frequent check-ups as she does.

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Alhambra said she has managed to balance her time well between work and her hospital visits. Her main main job is cooking and her employer is the only person she needs to serve.

“Kailangan ko lang mag-adjust na makapagluto on time. Kahit ire-reheat ko na lang, basta ang importante ay nagawa ko yung pagluluto,” she said.

On May 7, she went to the Aberdeen Out-patient Clinic for her hypertension and blood pressure check-up. The day before, she had to go through a series of tests at Queen Mary that kept her there until 8pm.

“Sabi ko nga po, time management lang para hindi siya maka-interfere sa gawain ko dito sa bahay,” said Alhambra.

Her employer knows it is for everybody’s sake that the maid’s health has to be monitored and be certified as infection-free. “It’s really OK for her that I’m OK,” the maid said.

Alhambra recounted that the only time she and her employer had a little argument was when the boss learned of the maid’s media interviews about her Covid episode. The irony is that the employer read an article in Apple Daily that Alhambra said was published without her permission.

“Pero we’re OK now,” she said. “Nagkakaintindihan na kami at sinabi kong ang lahat ng information na sinulat ng Apple Daily ay galing sa CHP (Centre for Health Protection)at sa DOH (Department of Health).”

She said she has completed only six months in her second contract with her employer and so it’s too early to talk about whether she should sign up for another one.

Alhambra has been away from her family for 15 years and she thinks it might also be time to be with them. After all, her financial obligation has eased considerably after her two sons graduated from university.

Her boys both obtained their degrees from De La Salle University Dasmariñas and are now working. The older one is a graphic artist and the younger, a radiology technician.

Still, she is undecided. “Let’s cross the bridge when we get there,” she said.

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