Ulysses kills 7, causes one of worst flooding in Metro Manila in years

By The SUN 

Rescue operation in Montalban, one of the worst hit areas in Rizal province

Strong winds and heavy rains from typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco) left many parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, under water Wednesday and Thursday, causing around 350,000 to flee their homes.

One of the worst hit areas was Marikina, where the water level in the river bearing the city’s name rose to 21.8 meters, higher than the 21.5 meters recorded during Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.

Latest data from the Philippine National Police show at least seven people have been killed and 22 others injured. Among the dead were several people who drowned, a man who was hit by a falling tree, and three workers crushed by a warehouse that collapsed.

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As of  5pm, power was still out for more than one million households, mostly in Metro Manila, said Meralco, the country’s main power company.

At the height of Ulysses’ onslaught, more than 3.8 million people, or 56 percent of Meralco’s customer base, experience power outage. Electricity supply has been restored to 1.763 million households since.

An overflow from Marikina River left many houses in San Mateo, Rizal underwater

In a recorded message aired on national TV at about 1pm Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered government agencies to hasten relief efforts for the typhoon victims.

“Rest assured, the government will not leave anybody behind,” Duterte said in his address, pledging shelter, relief goods, financial aid and counseling.

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He also took a helicopter to inspect the damage from the typhoon, minutes after addressing fellow Southeast Asian leaders, urging them to urgently combat the effects of climate change.

The typhoon also devastated the Bicol region, which is still reeling from the havoc wreaked less than two weeks ago by Super Typhoon Rolly, the most powerful typhoon in the world this year.

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Government reports indicate nearly 200,000 people were evacuated before Ulysses slammed into the main island of Luzon late on Wednesday, packing winds of 155 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 255 kph.

Residents are led to safety in Camarines Sur, which is still reeling from Rolly's onslaught on Nov 1

At 8pm today, the eye of the typhoon was about 300km west of Iba, Zambales outside Philippine territory, plodding westward at 25km per hour.

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Weathermen said strong breeze to near gale conditions may prevail in areas under typhoon signal No 1 while the northeast monsoon would bring strong breeze to gale-force winds over Northern Luzon.

Heavy rainfall is expected tonight over Cordillera Administrative Region, the eastern portions of Cagayan and Isabela, Zambales, Bataan, Aurora, Cavite, the western portion of Batangas, and Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island.

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The typhoon, now referred to by its international name Vamco, is forecast to move west across central South China Sea tomorrow and Saturday in the general direction of central Vietnam and Hainan Island 

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Experts warn 4th coronavirus wave has begun, as 23 new cases reported

By The SUN 

Health officials say the 4th wave of infections could have been brought in by new arrivals from Nepal

Hong Kong health officials have warned that the dreaded fourth wave of infections has begun, as 23 new coronavirus cases were reported today, Nov. 12, the biggest number in nearly three months.

Responding to a question at today’s press briefing, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said the fourth wave forecast to occur at the onset of winter, appears to have already started.

“Is it the fourth wave? It is likely because the trajectory is on the rise,” Dr Chuang said, adding that people should step up personal hand hygiene and submit themselves to tests should they feel unwell or show symptoms of Covid-19.

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She noted that the weather has become cooler, allowing the coronavirus to stay alive longer.

She also acknowledged the findings of other health experts that the new wave of infections appears to have come from a virus strain similar to the one in Nepal.

The experts say the new virus strain could have been spread in the community by local people who stayed in quarantine hotels for staycations.

Dr Chuang says the rise in the number of local cases with unknown source is worrying

Of today’s cases, 16 are imported, including a 33-year-old Filipino man who arrived on Nov 10 via Cathay Pacific flight CX 903 from Manila.

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The cases brought in from abroad also included two seafarers from Indonesia, six returnees from Nepal and two from India. There were also three pilots – one each from Turkey, United States and Germany. The rest were returnees from the United Kingdom, Sweden and Turkey.

Of the seven locally acquired transmission, only one case, a 7-year-old boy, was linked to a previous infection.

All the remaining six could not be traced, and were spread out in various places in the city, sparking concern that a silent community transmission has already started.

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Of these, five are drivers, aged 47, 63, 68, 69 and 77. Four drove taxis, and the other, a rehabilitation bus. All except one had no symptoms.

The surge in their number raised more concern, as the third and so far, deadliest coronavirus wave in the city, also started with a number of taxi drivers getting infected.

The last local case, a 42-year-old man who works in Kowloon Bay International Exhibition Centre and lives in Tsuen Wan, is also causing worries, as he went to various places to eat and whose close contacts are connected to at least four schools.

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On Oct 26, he attended a wedding banquet in a restaurant at The One in Tsim Sha Tsui, where there were more than 200 guests who reportedly sat four to a table. Dr Chuang said all the guests at the party will be offered specimen bottles for Covid-19 tests.

Dr Sara Ho of the Hospital Authority said that of the 5,431 confirmed cases in the city, 104 remain in 20 public hospitals. Among them, six are in critical condition, six are serious, and the remaining 92 are stable.

Meanwhile, all kindergarten and daycare schools will be shut for two weeks from Saturday, amid an outbreak of respiratory track infections.

Health Secretary Dr Sophia Chan said earlier today that there were around 170 outbreaks involving about 1,900 people, more than half of them occurring in kindergartens and daycare centres.

She said the closure could be extended if the situation does not improve. 

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Latest victim of online iPhone scam loses $3k

By Vir B. Lumicao

The scammers used the logo and a real store of the famous US electronics store, Best Buy

A mother eager to give her daughter a mobile phone on her birthday fell for a “buy two-get one free” iPhone 7 offer online on Nov 10 and ended up losing $3,100 to a con.

Ma. Nova Paciente, a domestic helper, sought help on how to recover her money and how to trace the scammer shortly after realizing she had been duped.

Her story echoes similar scams involving Apple’s iconic iPhone that netted several victims in the past.

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Paciente said she saw the online advertisement on Facebook of a special offer of iPhone 7 for just $1,300 on Nov 7. But when she clicked the ad, it led her to a juicier 2+1 offer. For just $2,600 for three phones, who won’t be tempted to buy?

The deal was purportedly offered by the “Original Best Buy istore Mobile,” which the vendor claimed was a partner of Apple Inc to market its products in Hong Kong. The fake online store used the actual logo of Best Buy electronic store in the United States in an obvious ploy to deceive.  

Paciente was a cautious buyer, as indicated by the many questions she raised during an exchange of messages with the nameless seller, before she finally decided to part with her money.

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She went as far as warning the vendor her employer was a police officer so, “don’t scam me.”

To assure her the transaction was genuine, the seller posted on the store’s supposed Facebook page photos of a masked Filipino man and a mask-less woman showing off the iPhone 7s that the vendor supposedly delivered to them in Central.

Paciente was shown these pictures of a supposedly happy customer

The victim said the photos looked so convincing she was hooked.

When Paciente asked how she could pay for her order, the vendor told her to buy App Store and iTune cards at 7-11 for the amount they agreed upon. At the last minute, the vendor told her to add $500 for tax, so $3,100 in all.

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After buying the card/s in the corresponding amount, she was asked to scratch the back to show the dedicated number code, plus the receipt from 7-11 “for verification and confirmation.” This would have allowed the scammer to claim the payment as his/her own.

The vendor then instructed Paciente to send front and back photos of her Hong Kong ID card, saying the company wanted to ascertain the identity of the buyer.

That was a neat trick that would have further compromised the victim as in previous scams of this kind, HK ID cards were used by the people behind the syndicate to introduce themselves and allay suspicions of their intended prey.

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After making the payment as agreed, Paciente agreed to meet the unseen seller at the LRT stop in Tai Tong, Yuen Long, at 1pm Tuesday.

At 12:06 pm that day, after Paciente sent photos of her HKID card, the seller texted, “Alright, ma’am, I’m on my way.” That was the last message she got from the other end of the line.

When Paciente arrived at the meeting place shortly after 1pm, she immediately sent a text message to the seller asking where he/she was, but received no reply. She sent several more messages, warning of making a complaint, but never got a reply.

At 2:23pm, realizing that she had been conned, Paciente sent a one-word message to the seller: “Scammer.”

Paciente said she would report to the police this Sunday and show them all her evidence.

Similar sob stories about OFWs victims of iPhone 7 online scams abound on Facebook pages of workers’ groups such as DWC Help Group. The supposed online sites used by scammers  come in various names, too, indicating they could be new operators out to make a fast buck, or old ones who changed their names after their scam was exposed.

As early as Jan 12 this year, DWC member Lhyn Alama Crusis posted a warning against another online iPhone seller calling itself “Himeji Apple Store”.

She said a friend of hers ordered an iPhone 11 handset for $5,000 and paid for it using Google Play cards. When the payment was done, the friend’s order didn’t arrive. The scam site does not appear on Google now.

Another victim, Dayen Mayordomo, said she lost $1,400 in another iPhone online scam.

On Nov 19 last year, another helper named Lhyn Pey-ag Yumang warned about a similar iPhone scam in which she and a friend were conned by an online vendor with the same modus as Paciente’s scammer.

Yumang said the scammer even used her friend’s HK ID card to lure other people to cough up money to pay for the inexistent iphones.

She named the online site used by the scammer as “iphone for you.” As in Paciente’s case, the seller offered rock-bottom prices for various iPhone editions starting from iPhone 6 Plus 128GB at $700 and iPhone 7 Plus 256GB at $1,000, to the top of the line iPhone sxmax 256GB at just $3,000.

Yumang backed up her allegation with photos of the App Store cards and 7-11 receipts of card top-ups when she paid for her would-be iPhone 7 that was never delivered.

“Huwag po kayong maniwala sa mga website na online seller ng iPhone gamit ang Google Play or App Store Itunes na tina-top up sa 7-11 tapos papa-send lang yong receipt. Scammer po ang mga iyon,” she warned.

The same story was relayed to The SUN by another Filipino worker who also sent two HK ID cards used by the sellers to show their purported sincerity to their victim. One belonged to a permanent resident, and the other, to a domestic worker, as indicated by the letters used in the identity cards.

Reacting to their stories, at least one fellow FDW said the obvious fact: “Saan kayo nakakita ng brand-new iPhone na mura? Kahit nga mga second-hand mahal pa rin, plus ang payment method (nakakaduda).”

She added, “Gusto (mo) ng mura pero mapapamura ka kasi na-scam kayo.”

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PCG to ensure employers provide food, other needs of quarantined OFWs

 By Vir B. Lumicao 

PCG meets with Filcom leaders on how to respond to the needs of quarantined workers

Newly arrived Filipino domestic workers who are under quarantine will no longer have to appeal for food, water and services from well-meaning compatriots, under an agreement struck today, Nov 11, at the Consulate.

Consul General Raly Tejada, his key officials and several community leaders all agreed to create a mechanism that will ensure newly arrived FDWs who are under the compulsory 14-day hotel quarantine are given enough provisions by their employers.

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This involves creating a chat group where distress calls from FDWs who are in quarantine can be reported for quick action.

Congen Tejada called the meeting at the request of Filipino community leaders who complained that employers and employment agencies have been shirking their responsibility of looking after the needs of the workers.

CG Tejada, center, is flanked by Consul Saret and Labatt Dizon

As a consequence, several groups, notably the Social Justice for Migrant Workers and the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, and private individuals like Gail Hills of Pintura Circle, have been taking on the task of providing food to quarantined workers.

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This was despite a categorical advisory from the Hong Kong Labour Department that employers should bear the cost of the food and accommodation of their FDWs during the compulsory quarantine.

A separate memorandum issued by Labor Attache Mel Dizon in March obliged employment agencies to advise employers to ensure that all the needs of the quarantined workers were met. This includes not only food, but also masks and disinfectants.

A volunteer presents each food pack to the hotel staff for checking

“Minsan hindi nakikita ng mga agency at employers ang pinagdadaanan ng mga nasa quarantine. They’re eating only noodles,” ConGen Tejada said as he cited the efforts of charitable community members who have been delivering provisions to the workers.

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He directed Consul Paulo Saret, head of the assistance to nationals section, to form a  chat group where the community leaders can report urgent cases.

Aside from ConGen Tejada and Saret, the meeting was attended by Labatt Dizon,  Assistant Labor Attaché Angelica Suñga, and Welfare Officer Virsie Tamayao from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

The community leaders present included Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, general manager of Mission for Migrant Workers; Edwina Antonio, executive director of Bethune House; Dolores Balladares, chair of United Filipinos in Hong Kong; Gail Hills, president of Pintura Circle; and Baby Jean de Leon, administrator of Domestic Workers Corner.

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Also present were Daisy Mandap and Leo Deocadiz, editor and publisher, respectively, of The SUN

The leaders brought up their concern about the urgent needs of the workers, many of whom reportedly get only 14 small bottles of water and the same number of cup noodles and soft drinks for their two-week quarantine.

A message sent by SJMW founder Marites Palma, who couldn’t attend the meeting, said her group has assisted about 500 quarantined workers since compulsory quarantine for new arrivals was imposed in early March.

Each lunch pack comes with a 1 litre of bottled water

Bethune House has also been getting its share of the burden, despite its own needs to look after distressed workers in its shelter.

Lately, Hills has, on her own, been responding to the calls for help. She has so far made five food runs, delivering around 20 food packs each time to hotels located in as far away as Tsuen Wan and Yau Ma Tei.

But despite such efforts, many more newcomers are not reached nor heard of, since they presumably don’t know who to ask for help.

Mandap cited Immigration statistics showing that from Sept 1 to Oct 31 alone, more than 3,000 FDWs have arrived in Hong Kong, and should have gone through the mandatory quarantine.

In time, she said the limited resources of the volunteers would have been exhausted, when it is the employers who should be doing the task of feeding the workers.

“Bakit sa community napupunta ang burden?” said Mandap, who also asked why the Philippine Overseas Labor Office is not following up on its own directive to agencies to ensure the employers assume their contractual responsibility.

In reply, Labatt Dizon said he would seek advice, and then issue a directive to the agencies to respond to the problem, or face sanction.

“Basically, we are one in making sure na ang ating mga kababayan are protected and their welfares are upheld,” said ConGen Tejada.

He said the Consulate shared the community’s concern about the quarantined workers’ situation but the matter had not been reported to him on time, otherwise, immediate action would have been taken.

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Freight firms see boom times this Christmas despite pandemic

By Vir B. Lumicao 

OFWs unable to go home for Christmas are sending goods instead

Despite an overall downturn in the economy, Filipino freight forwarders in Hong Kong are seeing good business this Christmas season as more migrant workers are sending door-to-door boxes to their loved ones, likely because of their inability to go home for the holidays.

At least two key industry players say business has improved considerably in recent months, despite the slowdown in February to June, when Hong Kong was gripped by coronavirus-related fears.

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AFreight, widely regarded as the foremost Filipino freight forwarding company in Hong Kong, said that this peak season, which began in October, it has managed to fill five 40-foot containers boxes on Sundays.

This volume is double the two to three container boxes that it managed to ship home on Sundays in the first half of the year, said Rosabelle Woolf, AFreight’s country manager in Hong Kong.

Woolf says business volume has doubled since last month

Another veteran forwarding company, Asian Dragon, also noted an increase in the number of boxes it has so far shipped out this season.

Owner and manager Cora Ong said the company, which is located at City Garden in North Point, was able to fill one container box last Sunday, and between two to three containers in one week during this high season.

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“Ordinarily, it would take us one week to fill a container,” Ong told The SUN today, Nov 10. “But the high season is nearly over.”

The business growth was visible last Sunday when a large section of Chater Road and areas under the footbridges connecting World-Wide House to other buildings in Central were used by door-to-door companies and OFWs to pack balikbayan boxes.

Woolf says AFreight has been telling its customers to pack their boxes at any of their 15 outlets nearest their locations so as to avoid the congestion in Central, especially now that strict health protocols are being enforced to fight the pandemic.  

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“This year, we encouraged early packing so the door-to-door boxes will reach the workers’ families before Christmas and avoid the seasonal port congestion in Manila,” Woolf said in a telephone conversation.

“We have an early cut-off date of Nov 22 for shipments to the regions and Dec 1 for Metro Manila,” Woolf said, adding that late shipments won’t reach the recipients on time.

AFreight gave additional price discounts in October so that its customers would be enticed to pack and send their boxes early.

Woolf said this time of the year, the Port of Manila gets congested because Customs personnel are overwhelmed by the sheer number of containers with shipments that need to be cleared before they get sent to warehouses of freight companies.

Her concern about port congestion in Manila was shared by Ong, who said the usually two-day Customs clearance would take 3 to 4 days when the port clogs.

Ong said the delay at Customs would cause a delay down the line, as vessels that transship the containers to regional ports would have also to line up for slots at the berths to load.

Ong says port congestion could  hold up boxes meant to be sent before Christmas

Asian Dragon has no cut-off dates and no promotional prices for its customers, Ong said, adding that the freight forwarder just continues accepting packages at usual prices.

But at this time, she said that her company can no longer assure that boxes sent outside of Metro Manila could reach their destination before Christmas because of the port congestion.

She said her customers are mostly “suki,” or habitual clients, who she maintains through direct contact and good relationship. “As long as you deliver their boxes and treat them well, they stay with you,” she said.  

As for AFreight, which began serving the Filipino community in Hong Kong 35 years ago, Woolf said its principal advantage has always been its satisfied customers.

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Filcom groups send relief aid to Bicol typhoon victims

By The SUN

 

BMA's Leonardo (3rd from left) with fellow Bicolanas who packed 7 boxes with relief goods

Three Filipino community organizations packed a total of 10 door-to-door boxes full of relief goods last Sunday, Nov. 8, for the victims of super typhoon Roly which slammed across the Philippines' Bicol and Southern Luzon regions a week earlier.

In addition, the groups said they raised more than $22,000 in all, which they sent directly to victims in the stricken areas.

Bebs Leonardo, president of Bicol Migrants Association, said her group filled seven big boxes with donations from various individuals, mostly clothes, although one box contained mostly grocery items. Their boxes were donated by cargo companies AFreight, Alin, Asian Dragon and USend.

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All the boxes were packed on Chater Road in Central, and dispatched to the hardest hit areas in the Bicol region: 3 to Catanduanes, 3 to Albay (Tabako and Bacacay), and 1 to Camarines Sur.

Leonardo said they expect to fill four more boxes this coming Sunday, Nov 15. She appealed to donors to open their purses further, and should they wish to give in kind, to avoid giving clothes as her group has received more than enough of these.

She said she personally received a total of $2,635 cash so far, some of which has already been spent buying groceries that went into the boxes.

Unifil-Migrante's poster for its ongoing relief operation

Another group, United Filipinos in Hong Kong, said it raised just over $10,000 in cash, which was sent to three different recipients in the Philippines.

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Unifil chair Dolores Balladares-Pelaez said they also managed to fill one jumbo box donated by AFreight Cargo with relief goods, and this will be sent to the Migrante office in the Philippines which is in charge of distributing donations to the typhoon victims.

Migrante and Bayan HK will continue the relief drive this week and next, she said. A cargo box donated by GenEx Cargo will be placed on Chater Road for those who would like to donate food and other necessities.

Global Alliance officers pack two boxes of relief goods for Albay and Mindoro

The third group, Global Alliance Hong Kong, packed two boxes donated by AFreight, one of which went to Albay, and another to Calapan, Mindoro.

In addition, said Global chair Leo Selomenio, the group donated cash to the typhoon victims in Virac, Catanduanes, where “Rolly”, which packed winds of up to 225 kph, first made a landfall.

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Nearly one million Filipinos were reported to have been displaced by what has been described as the world’s strongest typhoon this year, which also killed at least 20 people and injured 165 others.

More than 44,000 houses were wrecked, and damage to infrastructure was estimated at Php8.4 billion.

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