Bethune House urgently needs help to raise $600k for expenses

By Vir B. Lumicao

Bethune House does not get government support in providing for the needs of migrant workers in distress

Bethune House, a refuge for distressed migrant women workers, is urgently trying to raise $600,000 until the end of this year to cover its operational expenses.

The shelter operated by the Mission for Migrant Workers, a church-based charity, is again in dire straits because of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has made fund-raising difficult for nongovernmental organizations.

Bethune’s two shelters, one in Sheung Wan and the other in Jordan, are now full with 17 distressed domestic workers who have either been fired, are pursuing labor claims against their bosses, have pending cases in court, or are ill and undergoing medication.

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The charity is also supporting five other terminated helpers who are chasing their employers but are staying in hostels because there is no more space in the shelter.

“Hirap kaming mag-fund raising dahil limited ang opportunity sa mga fund-raising activities dahil sa pandemic. Kaya may emergency appeal kami ngayon,” said Edwina Antonio, executive director of Bethune House.

The emergency appeal started in August and received a boost from Bethune House’s inclusion in the #BridgeTheGap HK campaign, a fund-raising endeavor by a group of charitable foundations and private entities to address the funding shortfall.

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#BridgeTheGap was launched after a May 2020 survey by Hong Kong Council of Social Service of 110 non-subvented NGOs showed 89% of them have funding shortfalls of $100,000 or more from April to September 2020. Of those who need immediate help,  half said they have six months or less of cash reserves.

Antonio explained that every $1 donation to a chosen charity, say, Bethune House, will be doubled or matched by the participating foundations.

 

Antonio (with glasses) juggles raising funds for the shelter with ensuring the safety and comfort of her wards 

She said the economic impact of Covid-19 has forced others in the NGO sector to streamline. But streamlining is difficult for Bethune because its beneficiaries are people, including cancer patients and those with court cases.

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Antonio said her wards who can’t work while their cases are unresolved or are too weak to do so, need to be fed and assisted in their various problems.

She said Bethune is still reaching out to big-hearted donors to achieve the shelter’s fund-raising target by December.

With both its shelters full, Antonio said Bethune has stopped admitting new wards in the meantime due to the government’s social distancing protocol to help halt the contagion.

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She said the shelter continues to appeal for food, masks and toiletries, while it allows its wards go out, especially if they need to follow up their cases, as well as to pick up goods at the groceries and markets.

Bethune has also resumed its collection of daily meal donations from sandwich shop Pret ả Manger, a regular donor to the charity for the past several years.

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“Mahalaga na sa pagbalik ng bawat isa ay naliligo agad at inilalagay sa plastic ang maruming damit kung di muna malalabhan dahil walang sampayan,” Antonio said.

Other safety measures in the house include requiring everyone to wear a mask all the time and to maintain cleanliness, especially in the toilet and kitchen, she said.

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‘Silent carriers’ continue to spook as HK records 21 new Covid-19 cases

By The Sun

HK health experts warn the silent carriers are everywhere, and could only be detected through universal testing

Hong Kong health authorities have warned anew about silent transmissions in the community as they reported 21 new Covid-19 cases today, Aug. 27.

Of these, three were imported and 18 were locally acquired. The imported ones are a returnee from the United Kingdom and another from Pakistan, while the third is a cabin crew from Ethiopia.

While the number of the so-called silent carriers dwindled to just four today, Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi said they still make up a big number.

He noted that in the past few days, the percentage was from 30 to 40% of the total.

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“We appeal to the public to keep up their guard to prevent a rebound of the cases,” said Chui.

But because the number of new infections has been dropping, he said the government decided to ease some of the gathering restrictions.

From tomorrow, dine-in will be allowed in restaurants between 5am until 9pm, although only two people could sit together at each table. The dining places, along with cinemas and venues for non-contact sports that will be allowed to reopen, should only be half-full.

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Beauty parlors will also be allowed to reopen, but can only serve customers with appointments, and no more than two people should stay in each partitioned area. Parlor staff should wear masks and other protective gear.

As for the relaxation of the mask-wearing among people doing strenuous exercises, the health official said this could dealt with on a case-to-case basis. "They can explain to officers why they are not wearing masks," he said of those who might be stopped while exercising.

Chui said that the government will continue to monitor the situation, and could ease or restrict the preventive measures whenever necessary in the interest of the public.

The mask requirement will only be relaxed for those doing strenuous exercises 

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said the new cases with unknown source of infection again cut across various sectors and areas.

They include a day-shift taxi driver, a police officer at West Kowloon Headquarters, a cashier at a Park N Shop outlet in Prince Edward, and a retiree.

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It is because of these silent transmissions that the Universal Community Testing for the city’s residents, which kicks off Tuesday next week, is being held, said the health officials.

Chui said trained medical personnel will take samples from participants in testing centres to be set up across the city. The exact location of these testing centres will be known closer to time.

Chuang said that of the 14 linked cases today, all but one involved family clusters.

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The only non-family related case is a social worker at a hostel for mentally disabled people in Lei Muk Shue Estate in Kwai Chung. One resident at the facility also tested preliminary positive. So far, 11 positive cases have been detected from the hostel.

The city’s overall tally now stands at 4,756. However, only 429 remain confined at 18 public hospitals and at the treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo. Of these, 26 are  in critical condition, 35 are in serious condition, and the remaining 368 are stable.

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Between 9am yesterday and this afternoon, three elderly patients passed away, raising the death toll to 81.

One patient who was diagnosed preliminary positive at Tseung Kwan O Hospital, died before samples could be taken from him.

According to Dr Sara Ho, the 59-year-old male patient was taken to the hospital’s accident and emergency section yesterday afternoon in critical condition. He lost consciousness but was resuscitated, then intubated. He died at 3:45pm yesterday.

Samples taken from him initially tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

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2 Filipina sisters, 1 other in court for shop theft

By Vir B. Lumicao

One of the defendants pleaded guilty in Kowloon City court to stealing goods worth $2.5k from H&M

A Filipina teenager has pleaded guilty at Kowloon City court to stealing merchandise worth $2,500 from an H&M store outlet in Tsim Sha Tsui, while her two co-accused who are sisters, have been allowed to get a lawyer before responding to the charges.

M. A., 18, who was assisted by counsel, admitted one charge of theft today, Aug 27, before Magistrate Ada Yim.

M.A. and her two accused, J.D, 18; and T.D. 21, were arrested at around 3:45pm on May 23 after allegedly taking various clothes and accessories from the H&M shop at Silvercord Shopping Centre on Canton Road, then leaving without paying.

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The prosecution said the three had earlier admitted committing the theft out of greed.

But in court, the sisters requested to postpone their plea-taking so they could engage a lawyer.

Magistrate Yim granted the request, and told them to go to the Duty Lawyer Service and return to court on Oct 8 to enter their plea.

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Only M.A. proceeded with the plea-taking because she had a court-provided lawyer. She pleaded guilty after being read the charge.

The magistrate put off sentencing until Oct 5 pending a probation report, and extended the defendant’s bail.

The prosecutor said M.A. had a clear record. She described the three as students.

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A prosecution report said that a guard at the H&M shop had noticed three acting suspiciously and decided to keep an eye on them.

After a while, the guard allegedly saw the sisters put different clothing, accessories and cosmetic items into two shopping bags while their friend followed them.

 

The alleged theft took place in an H&M store in Tsim Sha Tsui

The younger sibling and M.A. then allegedly entered the changing room with the shopping bags and came out around 4pm with just the rucksacks on their backs. The three then fled the shop towards Canton Road without paying for the goods.

The guard chased and intercepted them. The three allegedly refused to have their rucksacks inspected, so the police were called.

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Allegedly stolen apart from the rucksacks were a black waist bag, white handbag, a bracelet, 3 necklaces, 3 rings, 4 pairs of earrings, 7 hair clips, a bottle of cologne, 2 lip glosses, 2 eye shadow pencils, a box of nail tips, 3 boxes of facial cream, 8 surgical masks, brown belt, black dress, black tank top, a pink T-shirt, 2 white T-shirts and a pair of sunglasses.

The three were arrested on the spot but were later released on bail after investigation.

Meanwhile, a Filipino youth who was charged with two others of robbing a Tsim Sha Tsui watch shop owner of a timepiece worth $1.4 million early this month was refused his third bail application by Yim.

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Denzel Ray Banaag, who is charged with a fellow Filipino and a Pakistani, failed to convince Yim to allow him to post bail for $25,000.

The magistrate said the alleged offense was serious, and there was a big chance the accused might abscond, as he had done in previous police cases.

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No imported Covid-19 case among 24 new infections today

The stricter rules for some new arrivals seem to have cut the number of travelers coming in with Covid-19

By The SUN

For the first time in several months, no imported case of Covid-19 was reported in Hong Kong today, Aug. 26. All the 24 new positive cases were locally acquired, with 10 of them from unknown source.

The development comes a month since the government required all passengers coming from high-risk countries like India, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United States, to submit a negative test result for Covid-19 before boarding their flights to Hong Kong.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said at today’s press briefing that as in the past several days, the untraceable cases made up about 30-40% of all cases. Those infected again came from all sectors, including a retiree, family driver, construction worker and security guard.

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These so-called silent transmissions in the community brought on by asymptomatic carriers, is the reason given by the government and health experts in urging all residents to join the universal testing which will kick off on Sept 1, with about 5,000 civil servants helping out.

Of the 14 linked cases today, six are residents and one, a staff member of a care home for people with intellectual disabilities in Lei Muk Shue Estate, Kwai Chung. Dr Chuang said they are among 10 cases detected at the care home so far.

About 50 staff of the care home have been put under quarantine while the 40 or so residents were moved to the treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo where they are being cared for.

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There were also two new cases with unknown origin among staff at Princess Margaret Hospital, as well as one from the Victoria Harbour restaurant in Mong Kok.

But a 19-month-old baby boy and his mother who were found to have developed antibodies, suggesting a prior infection, tested negative in the PCR tests yesterday, so they were discharged from hospital.

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Chuang said that despite the smaller number of cases, which dipped to just nine on Monday, it is still too early to say that the third wave of infections has been put under control, specially since there are still a lot of silent carriers around.

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“The daily numbers go up and down,” said Chuang. “From what we have seen in the past few weeks, sometimes the figures are higher, and sometimes the numbers are lower. We’re seeing a downward trend, even though it’s still not at a very low level yet.”

Asked if the government is right in relaxing some of the gathering restrictions from Friday, Chuang said, “We can’t impose social distancing measures forever.”

 

The key to keeping the number of cases down is self-discipline, says Chuang

She called on residents to continue taking precautionary measures on their own, despite the slight relaxation in the gathering rules.

From Friday, all dine-ins will be allowed until 9pm, and those exercising outside or are in country parks will be allowed to take off their masks. Several specified establishments like beauty parlors and facilities for no-contact sports like golf and tennis will also be opened up.

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Dr. Sara Ho from the Hospital Authority announced that as of today, a total of 4,161 patients have been discharged. One patient passed away in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 78.

As of 9am today, 455 confirmed patients were being treated in 19 public hospitals and the AWE community treatment facilities. Among them, 27 are in critical condition, 34 are in serious condition, and 384 are in stable condition.

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Filcom volunteer among first FDHs to enlist for free Covid-19 test

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Inside the testing room at the Harbour Sports Centre in Wanchai (photo by Baby Jean de Leon)

The voluntary testing for Covid-19 of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong who are about to move in with their new employers started today, Aug 25,  at the Harbour Sports Centre in Wanchai, with about 50 participants initially taking part.

The offer was extended by the Labour Department to all qualified FDHs on Sunday, after a series of coronavirus outbreaks in dormitories and boarding houses where helpers in-between jobs were staying.

Among those who queued up for the deep-throat and nasal swab tests was Baby Jean de Leon, one of the administrators of the online group, Domestic Workers Corner.

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De Leon, 49, who is about to move in with her new employers in Fanling, was among the 15 FDHs given the 2pm time slot for today’s testing. She booked her appointment yesterday, on the first day that the phone-in registration for the tests was made available.

She said there was another group of 15 before them, and at least one other after them, with the testing of each group being done at 30-minute intervals.

Asked how it was like, De Leon said with a laugh: “Masakit, lalo na yung nose swab kasi ang haba ng pinapasok, tapos iniikot pa sa dulo.” (It hurt, especially the nose swab because the probe was long, and was even made to turn right at the end)

 

Baby Jean says she welcomed the free test for her own peace of mind, and that of her employer

She said her new employer had requested that she get herself tested, which was apparently the same reason why there were many others in the queue with her.

“Pero ok din naman kasi frontliner din ako, at gusto ko ding masiguro na safe ako,” said De Leon, who has spent many weekends distributing food donations and free masks to Filipino DHs stranded in Hong Kong because of the pandemic.

(But it’s ok, because I am also a frontliner, and I also want to make sure I am safe).

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The donations, sourced from members and supporters of DWC, are distributed to FDHs who ask for help because of their dwindling resources, and inability to return home because of flight cancellations and travel restrictions.

De Leon is in the best position to understand their plight, as she has been stuck in Hong Kong for the past three months, while waiting for her new employment visa to be approved by Hong Kong Immigration.

Though she has worked as an OFW for the past 23 years in both the Middle East and Hong Kong, De Leon said that after spending only four months with her previous employers in Tai Wai, she already wanted to quit.

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But she lasted another three months at the request of her employer, who, in turn, agreed to state in his release letter that the termination of their contract was by mutual agreement.

In truth, De Leon said she suffered through those seven months from verbal abuse, insufficient food and inhumane living conditions.

“Yung tinutulugan ko parang nitso, talagang kasya ka lang humiga,” she recalls. “May siyam na camera din sa bahay.”

(I slept in a tomb-like space. It was just enough for you to squeeze your body in…There were also nine video cameras inside the house).

For much of the seven months that she had worked for her employer, his wife and their baby, De Leon said she subsisted only on bread and coffee, as the couple was very frugal.

Although she was willing to buy her own food, she said she was discouraged from bringing any from outside, much less store it in their refrigerator, so she was forced to live on the scraps given her.

But what was worse, De Leon said, was the constant shouting that went on in the household. Although much of the shouting was between the couple, she said she often got caught in the middle that she almost had a nervous breakdown because of it.

It came as a relief then, when she was finally able to leave them on May 24 this year.

Since then, De Leon has been living in a boarding house in Sai Ying Pun where she splits the rent for a tiny room with a friend who goes there only during the weekends.

She has kept herself busy with the volunteer work that she does for DWC. Apart from distributing food aid and masks, she has also helped pick up FDHs who were either sent packing by their employers at odd hours, or left on their own accord because they had been stopped from taking a day-off for months.

Many of the FDHs in distress are newcomers, and De Leon and her fellow DWC admins have taken it upon themselves to form a “rescue team” that either picks up the worker, or directs her to a place where she could be easily fetched.

But after three months of not earning any salary, she is just too glad to start work anew with her new employer who lives with just her mother and a couple of pets.

Knowing she is virus-free when she begins this new chapter in her life would help put her mind at ease, De Leon said.

(FDHs about to move in with their new employer may apply for the free Covid-19 test by calling the registration hotline: 1836 1333, from 9am to 9pm.

FDHs who are currently employed may also avail of the free Universal Community Testing Programme along with their employers, starting on Sept 1.)

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Filipina helper jailed 20 months for $543k jewelry theft

By Vir B. Lumicao

Only 5 of the 11 expensive jewelry pieces stolen were recovered from various pawnshops (Piaget photo)

A Filipina domestic helper who stole 11 jewelry pieces worth a total of $543,000 from her female employer of 11 years was sentenced to 20 months in jail today, Aug 25, by an Eastern Court magistrate.

Margie Tagulao, 41, pleaded guilty on Aug 11 before Magistrate Bina Chainrai to 11 counts of theft that corresponded to the number of stolen jewelry pieces.

The thefts took place in the house of Tagulao’s female employer, Yuen Lai-ka, on Big Wave Bay Rd between Jan 1, 2019 and June 9 this year. Of the 11 stolen items, five were recovered by the employer from four pawnshops.

Through her lawyer, the Filipina begged for a lenient sentence so she could go home sooner. But Chainrai only gave her the usual one-third discount for her guilty plea.

Despite this, Tagulao could have escaped a stiffer sentence, as the magistrate rejected the prosecution’s earlier bid to move the sentencing to a higher court because of the big amount involved.

The magistrate sentenced the helper to 16 months for the first charge, the theft of a $250,000 Piaget necklace, which was recovered from a pawnshop in Wanchai.

For charges 2, 3, 5, and 7 that corresponded to a diamond brooch worth $20,000, a pair of pearl earrings valued at $30,000; a sapphire necklace valued at $10,000; and a pair of rose pattern earrings worth $3,000, Chainrai imposed a two-month sentence each.

 

The Eastern magistrate rejected prosecution's application to transfer the case to a higher court

The magistrate imposed a 4-month sentence for charge 6 (a Bulgari necklace worth $10,000 that was recovered); 8 (a necklace with diamond cross pendant worth $3,000, recovered), 9 (a pair of diamond and pearl earrings worth $4,000), and 10 (an 18-karat gold necklace worth $3,000, recovered).

For charge 11 involving a black watch worth $150,000 that was recovered, the magistrate imposed a 7-month sentence.

She then ordered the sentences for charges 1, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 to run concurrently and charges 2, 3, 5 and 7 to run consecutively, for a total of 20 months.         

A background report that Chainrai had sought from Tagulao’s court-appointed counsel concluded the defendant committed the offenses out of greed. She had earlier told the court that she used the money from the pawnshops to pay for the repair of her typhoon-damaged home and farm.

The report also stated that the defendant had been distressed by her “unsatisfactory relationship” with her farmer-husband.

Tagulao, who had a clear record, was very repentant, said her lawyer. He added that she wanted to go back home because she had many problems.

When asked by Chainrai if the defendant could offer compensation to her victim, the lawyer said her client had no more money.

Court records show Yuen found her jewelry missing at about 10:30pm on June 9, and immediately called the police. Tagulao was arrested and during investigation she admitted stealing the jewelry from unlocked drawers, and then pawned them.

Dine-in until 9pm to resume Friday, but gathering ban still in effect

By The SUN

Nighttime dine-in is back, but only until 9pm, and still with  only 2 to a table 

Hong Kong’s health officials have announced that residents may now eat at restaurants until 9pm, but the ban on more than two people going out together in public will remain in place.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan made the announcement this morning, a few hours before the Centre for Health Protection announced that the city recorded 19 new cases today, Aug 25. This is more than twice as many as the nine reported yesterday, the lowest daily tally since Jul 3.

Speaking ahead of the Executive Council meeting, Dr Chan said the number of daily cases has been declining, giving reason for the strictest restrictions ever imposed in the city to be relaxed a bit.

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“Under the new normal, it is almost not possible for us to wait until there are no more local cases before relaxing the social-distancing measures,” Chan said.

Explaining why a dine-in ban after 9pm is still considered necessary, she said the government wants to limit the time when people are allowed not to wear masks in public, “but then balancing it with the need.”

This is the same reason why the gathering ban will remain in force, the health minister said.

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“The two-person limit will remain for the same reason (that) we do not want to have too many people gathering together while they have their masks off,” she said.

To give people more breathing space, those who exercise outdoors and stroll in country parks will also be allowed to take off their masks. But she said everybody should still bear in mind that the virus is still around, so they must continue to take care.

At the same time, she announced that certain venues will reopen from Friday, including cinemas, beauty parlors and some venues for non-contact sports like golf and tennis.

 

Beauty parlors will be back in business starting Friday

Meanwhile, Centre for Health Protection’s Dr Chuang Shuk-wan reported that today’s new cases included three new arrivals from overseas.

One was a seaman who arrived from Egypt, while the two others were on board the Air India flight that flew in on Aug 14, which has prompted a two-week ban on the airline.

Today’s confirmed cases are the 20^th and 21^st from that flight alone.

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 Of the 16 local cases, eight were linked to previous cases, while the other half was of unknown source. They altogether brought the city’s total tally to 4,710, with 77 related deaths.

All the linked cases came from family clusters, meaning relatives who dined or gathered together, while the untraceable cases involved people from all walks of life – retirees, housewives, unemployed, engineers, and so forth.

About 20 other people tested preliminary positive. Among them is a boy aged a year and a half, who was found infected as he was about to undergo surgery at Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. He has since been moved to an isolation room at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

According to Dr Chuang, the boy was found to have antibodies, which could indicate that he had been infected earlier, but showed no signs. His mother also had antibodies, which could indicate they were infected at the same time.

The boy’s father and sister have been identified as close contacts, and will be put under quarantine.

Dr Chuang said the boy’s case underlined the importance of the universal testing set to start on Sept. 1, as its primary objective is to flush out the asymptomatic carriers responsible for the silent transmission in the community.

“For universal testing, we are carrying out a lot of tests, our objective is to identify as many silent carriers as possible,” she said.

Health officials are also concerned about the outbreak at the Hong Chi Association care home for the mentally disabled which is in Lei Muk Shue in Kwai Chung.

Dr Chuang said give residents and a carer at the facility tested preliminary positive today, after three staff were found infected yesterday.

All the 50 staff at the care home have been moved to a quarantine centre, while the 40 residents were sent to the AsiaWorld-Expo isolation facility where they are being looked after by carers.

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