Nearly 5k FDHs lose jobs in wake of 21-day quarantine, 14-day rule

By Vir B. Lumicao 

2,621 Filipino DHs lost their jobs in January

Hong Kong’s foreign domestic helper population fell by about 4,800 in the first month of the year, obviously due to the extension of the quarantine period for arriving travelers to 21 days, and a return to the 14-day rule for terminated workers.

Immigration statistics show that Filipinos, who make up the biggest group of FDHs, lost a total of 2,621 of their members in January. Their numbers dipped from 207,402 by the end of December last year to 204,781 by end-January 

Pindutin para sa detalye!

Indonesian helpers saw their headcount drop by 2,098 to 155,704 last month, from 157,802 as of Dec 31 last year.

The population count for each ethnic group has dropped by about 15,000 since January last year.

The Philippines and Indonesia are the two largest suppliers of FDH to Hong Kong and the visa tightening by Immigration accounted for a combined drop of 4,769 in the number of their workers in the city by the end of last month.

Call now!

A Filipino community leader expressed concern over the drop and its likely impact on the affected workers’ families, especially for those who have spent much to come here but are not deployed because of pandemic-related reasons like Hong Kong’s 21-day quarantine.

“The drop in the number of arriving workers is worrying in a sense that more families in the Philippines will suffer from poverty because the workers have lost their chance of working here to earn for their families,” said Dolores Balladares, chair of United Filipinos in Hong Kong, or Unifil.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

She said that is the result of the 21-day Hong Kong quarantine and the Philippines’ indecisiveness in resolving issues such as how to provide jobs to OFWs who have been displaced by the pandemic.

Balladares said Hong Kong’s return to the 14-day rule due to the “job-hopping myth” is also a blow to the workers who are forced to look for new employers because they are fired or maltreated by their current employers.

CLICK FOR DETAILS

She said Hong Kong labor law allows either party to terminate the work contract, but the government is now saying if a worker terminates her contract, she must go home. But it does not penalize an employer who fires a worker at will, Balladares said.

Hundreds of stranded Filipino DHs were sent off at HK Airport by Consulate staff

Immigration relaxed its 14-day rule for FDHs in March last year when travel restrictions to contain the pandemic left tens of thousands of helpers unable to return to Hong Kong, leaving employers desperate for their services.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The relaxation enabled thousands of stranded or terminated workers to remain in the city to look for employers on one-month visa extension each time.

But the government announced on Dec 30 it was reverting to the 14-day rule to prevent overcrowding in boarding houses by migrant workers who are waiting to move in with their new employers, or are looking for new ones.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The policy reversal also appears to be in response to pressure from a few legislators who are ranting against migrants packing boarding houses and lolling about on closed streets, sidewalks, bridges and parks on Sundays, saying they are potential virus carriers.

Thomas Chan, a Hong Kong employment agency sector leader, said the 21-day quarantine period is discouraging the deployment of workers because employers are burdened by the high cost of putting up arriving workers in a hotel during the period.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies, said agencies in the

Philippines, meanwhile, are gradually shifting the cost of training helpers to Hong Kong, thus raising employers’ cost of hiring workers overseas and forcing them to focus on the local market.

He said Immigration’s restriction on visa extension added to the decline in FDH numbers.

Chan also cited the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s bureaucratic controls over the issuance of OEC and other deployment documents as discouraging employers from hiring workers from the Philippines.

“In some cases, even if Hong Kong already issued the visa 3 months ago, the deployment paper in Manila is not yet ready,” he said.

Foreign Domestic Helpers Population in Hong Kong, 2020
At end of Month/Year	Philippines	Indonesia	India	Other nationalities	Total -- all nationalities
Jan-20	219,728	170,898	4,838	4,657	400,121
Feb-20	217,654	171,291	4,857	4,619	398,421
Mar-20	218,002	170,318	4,818	4,594	397,732
Apr-20	215,061	167,747	4,723	4,493	392,024
May-20	212,855	165,377	4,664	4,446	387,342
Jun-20	211,426	164,528		9,052	385,006
Jul-20	209 512	161 762	4 522	4 379	380 175
Aug-20	204 023	157 337	4 360	4 245	369 965
Sep-20	206,395	157,873	4,353	4,248	372,869
Oct-20	208,143	158,551	4,392	4,290	375,376
Nov-20	208,677	158,614	4,418	4,279	375,988
Dec-20	207,402	157,802	4,406	4,274	373,884
Foreign Domestic Helpers Population in Hong Kong, 2021
At end of Month/Year	Philippines	Indonesia	India	Other nationalities	Total -- all nationalities
Jan-21	204,781	155,704	4,393	4,237	369,115

 

Call us!

Call us!

PADALA NA!

Meet but don’t eat, says official, as more areas put under lockdown

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Don't gather and eat together over Lunar New Year, Chui tells the public

With the Lunar New Year just about a week away, members of the public are being encouraged to settle on greeting each other on the phone or online, or if they still prefer face-to-face greeting, to avoid gathering for meals.

This was the advice given by Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi, when he spoke today, Feb 4, at the daily briefing on the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

“In light of the epidemic, we strongly appeal to the public to avoid cross family gatherings and be considerate to prevent a rebound of the epidemic,” said Chui.

“Greetings can be exchanged via telephone calls or video calls, or if face-to-face meetings are needed, the times should be shorter as much as possible, the mask should be kept on at all times, and there should be no meals.”

Call now!

Chui, however, would not be drawn into saying private gatherings should be banned during the longest holiday in the city, saying what is important is education and public awareness.

He also said everyone has a duty to ensure their own safety and that of the community.

Chui says everyone must help ensure the virus does not spread some more 

He made his statement as more ambush-style lockdowns were enforced across the city, and 22 new coronavirus infections were reported, 10 of them from unknown sources.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Sealed off starting at 7pm tonight are a section of Yau Ma Tei, which was locked down only nine days ago; and Mandarin Court, a residential building on Shanghai Street in Mong Kok, where residents were earlier ordered to undergo testing.

Among the new cases, 19 were locally acquired, including a housewife who tested positive during the overnight lockdown of Tower 1 of Goodview Garden in Tuen Mun.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Dr Albert Au from the Centre for Health Protection said the patient lives directly above a construction worker who contracted the virus at the third runway project for the new airport.

Also among the new cases was a customer service officer at the Harbourfront Horizon hotel in Hung Hom, whose infection came after a repairman there tested positive for the virus.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

However, Au said the two had not come into close contact.

More than 200 staff at the hotel will have to undergo testing, but since they all wore masks during work, hotel guests are not being given the same order for now.

Au said that when six guards at the hotel tested positive 10 days ago, specimen bottles were given to all residents, but none was found infected.

CALL US!

The three imported cases included an air crew from Russia and a returning resident from Nepal who both tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival at the airport on Feb 2. The third was a returnee from Brazil who was found infected on his second test, 12 days after flying in.

One confirmed patient passed away at Tuen Mun Hospital at 6:08 am today, raising the death toll in public hospitals to 180. The 67-year-old male patient was initially admitted for fever and asthma in November last year, before found infected with the virus.

A total of 630 patients are being treated in 23 public hospitals and the treatment facility at AsiaWorld Expo. Among them, 26 are in critical condition, another 26 in serious condition, and the remaining 578 are in stable condition.

Call us!

Call us!

'Job hopping’ a myth, say migrant support groups

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Leung wants employers helped to ensure their helper goes home after termination

Migrant support organizations have lashed back at recent allegations by pro-Beijing legislators of “job-hopping” among foreign domestic workers, calling the accusation a myth and discriminatory.

Their statements issued today, Feb 4, were made in the wake of the legislators’ calls for further restrictions on FDWs, ostensibly to prevent them from changing employers at will.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

In yesterday’s question and answer session at the Legislative Council, Priscilla Leung who represents Kowloon West, suggested setting up a mechanism whereby employers could monitor whether their former FDW had actually returned to her place of origin after termination.

Leung also suggested amending the law to allow employers to demand reimbursements from employment agencies if the FDW they hired left without completing their two-year contract.

Call now!

Legislator Starry Lee, who heads the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), meanwhile, alleged in a previous Legco session on Jan 27 that agencies were giving cash incentives to entice FDWs to shift employers.

Lee said “some media have uncovered” that FDWs who finished their contracts were being offered $2,000 while those whose contracts were prematurely terminated could get $1,000.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

She did not, however, submit any proof to back up her claim. Nor did she explain why FDWs who managed to finish their two-year contracts should be considered as job hoppers who could be enticed to accept rewards for moving to another employer.

Lee also ignored another factor that could prevent so-called job hopping by FDWs, although she cited it in the first part of her question. This was Immigration’s decision since Dec 30 last year to revert to its policy of requiring all terminated FDWs to leave Hong Kong within 14 days after termination.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The DAB head started her question by saying employers are forced to pay a high price for employing FDWs.

“At present, employers have to bear high expenses for employing foreign domestic helpers (FDHs), which include the board and lodging expenses for 21-day compulsory quarantine in a hotel upon FDHs' arrival in Hong Kong. In the event that FDHs prematurely terminate their employment contracts or deliberately perform badly to force their employers to fire them so as to change employers (commonly known as "job-hopping"), the employers concerned will suffer great financial losses. Moreover, for the purpose of cutting expenses and reducing the risk of being infected with epidemic diseases, quite a number of prospective employers do not hesitate to pay higher salaries for employing those FDHs already in Hong Kong, thereby aggravating the situation of job-hopping,” Lee said.

Starry Lee claims agents offer $1k-$2k to FDWs to entice them to change employers

In separate statements, the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body and the Mission for Migrant Workers both pointed out that allegations of job hopping violate the worker’s right under the standard employment contract.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

They said that the worker, like the employer, is given the right to terminate the contract by giving one month’s notice, or paying a month’s salary in lieu of notice.

“This clearly states that we legally have a right to terminate our contracts. The continuation of the myth of 'job-hopping' narrative shows how the HK government continues to want to treat us like slaves, denying MDWs (migrant domestic workers) ..basic rights that are clearly outlined in our employment contract,” said the AMCB.

CALL US!

Separately, the Mission said: “The current idea of “job-hopping” is an unfair accusation and discrimination on MDWs who prematurely terminate their employment contracts for changing employers.”

Because of that unfair labeling, migrant workers are discouraged from taking steps to protect themselves from bad or even abusive employers for fear of having “bad records,” said the Mission.

It added that Immigration does not have a clear-cut definition of what constitutes “job hopping,” so the discretion to decide which cases fall under this category is left to individual immigration officers.

Both groups lamented that all other workers in Hong Kong who face problems in their workplaces are not subjected to the same restrictions.

“Local workers can just give one-week notice before they quit their jobs. Yet MDWs must give one-month notice and do so with the worry of being accused of job-hopping,” said the AMCB. “This double standard is yet another example of the Hong Kong government’s discrimination against MDWs”

In his replies to both legislators, Secretary for Security John Lee noted the government’s 14-day policy. He said employment visa applications of terminated FDWs who have not returned to their home countries will not normally be approved except under exceptional circumstances as the employer’s relocation, death, or financial incapacity.

He also said that the relaxation of this policy from March to December last year “was to respond to demands of employers who need to employ FDHs and to reduce FDHs’ risk of Covid-19 infection due to traveling to and from their places of origin.”

But he agreed that job-hopping was unfair to employers, so Immigration has, since June 2013, been scrutinizing FDH employment applications to check on the number and reasons of their premature terminations.

Lee cited statistics showing the number of employment visa applications made by FDWs over the past three years.

In 2018, the number of applications were 103,014 and of these, 1,184 were scrutinized for job hopping. But ultimately, only 165 were rejected. Another 200 were withdrawn or not followed up.

In 2019, the numbers were 102,495 applications and 1,709 job-hopping suspects. After investigation, 267 applications were rejected and another 132 were withdrawn.

In 2020, the total number dipped to 74,253, and 1,776 of these examined for job-hopping. Ultimately, only 319 applications were denied, with a further 217 withdrawn.

The numbers did not include applications for renewal of employment contract with the same employer, or for change of employer after completion of contract, which would have amounted to about the same number.

“Compared to 2018, the number of applications rejected by the special duties team in 2020 increased by 93 per cent,” said Secretary Lee.

AMCB only a tiny fraction of all FDWs have been found to be 'job hoppers'

But AMCB had a different take on the figures. It pointed out that since 2013, “only 14,721 applications were referred to the (job-hopping) team while only 6% of those were denied by HK immigration. Compare this to the hundreds of thousands domestic workers currently in Hong Kong,” said the group.

The all-migrant organization also heaped scorn on legislator Lee's claim that they would terminate their contracts to get the $1,000 and $2,000 supposedly offered by agencies to entice them to shift employers. 

"This is ridiculous as MDWs come to Hong Kong to work to support our families back home. We would not give up a job to have to pay more to our employment agencies," said the AMCB statement.

The group called on FDWs not to let the anti job-hopping campaign deter them from speaking out and taking action when they find themselves in abusive situations.

Call us!

Call us!

 

 

.

CHP reports 19 new infections, but warns rebound still likely

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Not a single positive case was found after locking down 17 buildings in Sham Shui Po

Nineteen persons were today found positive for the coronavirus, the lowest daily number of new patients since Jan 1 this year, but Hong Kong health officials said it did not suggest the epidemic was already under control.

Of the nine women and 10 men aged 14 to 72 who tested positive, seven were found to have no links with previous cases, said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

Chuang said seven patients were found in the community testing centers. She said there were about 20 preliminary positive cases.

Today’s tally was a big slide from the 107 new cases on Jan 18 following crowd gatherings and family get-togethers during the Christmas and New Year holidays. It was the third decline in as many days and brought Hong Kong’s total tally to 10,531.

Call now!

“Although the number is only 19 today, but there are still seven unlinked cases… These cases live in various districts in the territory, and each case can spread to other cases, so they are also sources of infection,” said Chuang said in the daily press briefing.

“So, I don’t think the current situation is completely under control,” she said.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

No new Covid-19 cases were found in parts of Tin Shui Wai and Shamshuipo that were  sealed off overnight by the government in so-called ambush lockdowns. One person living in Jordan had unclear test results so he was sent to hospital for further testing, Chuang said.

Two women were found infected in this luxury residential block in North Point

Two women aged 41 and 34, were confirmed positive on a block at Sky Scraper on Braemar Hill, North Point. The asymptomatic older patient was epidemiologically linked to the other case, who developed symptoms on Feb 1.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

A sales staff at Uniqlo fashion store at Langham Place in Mongkok also tested positive, bringing to four the number of infected salespersons in the shop. Two of their friends with whom they dined on Jan 28 were also found infected.

The cases today included a 66-year-old man from Po Sheung Tsuen, Sheung Shui, who was found dead following a visit to the Chen Wu Ho Outpatient Clinic. Chuang said he visited an infected family member on Jan 16 and did not inform the CHP.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Dr Linda Yu, a chief manager at the Hospital Authority, said the man submitted a saliva specimen bottle but since the bottle had leaked, the man had to be retested. Yu said on Jan 28, the family could not contact him so they called the police.

Officers broke into the unit and found the man dead. After a test of his specimen in the mortuary, he was confirmed positive.

CALL US!

Yu said also among today’s cases was a nurse who worked in a clinic on the 16^th floor of a commercial building on 122 Queen’s Road Central. She complained of a sore throat when she last reported for work on Jan 29.

As a result, five of the nurse’s close contacts on the same floor were sent to a 14-day quarantine.

Call us!

Call us!

Ring leader in ATM money laundering scam a Pinay, says arrested FDW

By Daisy CL Mandap 

A self-confessed cog in the laundering scam shows money supposedly paid her for her role 

A former domestic worker who has confessed to flying back to the Philippines after being arrested by Hong Kong police for suspected money laundering has pointed to a fellow Filipina as one of the major operators of the syndicate.

In an online message sent to The SUN, E.M. named the alleged ringleader as Juliet G.E., a resident of Jordan in Kowloon, and is married to a “black man” with whom she has a baby.

E.M. alleged that Juliet is the one who holds all the ATM cards of Filipinas lured into the illicit operation, withdraws money paid into their dummy accounts, and dispenses payment to them each time a deposit is made into their account.

Call now!

 

It would appear that Juliet, who is shown in pictures supplied by E.M. as dusky, long-haired and quite chubby, is indeed quite high in the syndicate’s pecking order as she reportedly offered a cut of up to 10% for every deposit made into a conduit account.

“Ang sabi nila sa amin, ganito. ‘Mag open kayo ng ATM (linked account), tapos ibigay ninyo sa akin ang card. Kung lagyan ng pera ang ATM ninyo ng $50,000 meron kayong $5,000,” said E.M.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

(This was what they told us. Open an ATM account, then give us your card. Each time  $50,000 is transferred to your account you will get $5,000).

Unlike other Filipina migrant workers lured into the scheme, E.M. does not profess not knowing anything about the illegal transactions she was made part of. She said a total of $1.2 million was laundered through her account, for which she was paid $12,000. Not quite the cut she was promised, but still substantial.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

 

“Dapat mahuli yan sa Hong Kong kasi siya yung may hawak ng lahat ng mga ATM dyan. Isa na akong biktima dyan,” said E.M. (She should be arrested in Hong Kong because she holds the ATM cards. I was one of her victims).

But when E.M. was arrested by the police on Nov. 24, she claimed not knowing anything about the scam because she lost her ATM.

In truth, “tinapon ko agad ang ATM ko,” said E.M.

To gain temporary freedom, she posted $5,000 police bail, then went back to her employer, who promptly terminated her, and told her to fly back home.

“Hindi na ako nakapunta sa Konsulado kasi pinauwi ako agad ng amo ko,” E.M. said. “Bago lang ako sa Hong Kong.”

CLICK FOR DETAILS

She said she was one of three in Juliet's ring that were arrested, and all of them jumped bail. Her next reporting day to the police was supposed to be on Nov 29.

“Hindi ako umamin sa pulis na may inilapit po ako, na wala akong dinalang ibang tao kasi baka hahaba pa ang kaso ko. Nagbayad na lang ako ng $5,000 tapos pinauwi ako on the spot ng amo ko.”

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

(I did not admit that I recruited other people, that I brought them to the syndicate, otherwise it would just prolong my case. I just paid $5,000, then my employer sent me home on the spot).

Because she fled, she knows her chances of coming back to Hong Kong are nil.

Juliet's home is reportedly just a short walk from the Jordan MTR station

It would appear the two women became quite close because Juliet reportedly asked E.M., who did not live with her employer, to accompany her at dawn each time she withdrew money using the ATM cards supplied by her Filipina recruits.

E.M. said she also helped Juliet pack some five cargo boxes the alleged scammer would send each month to an address in Novaliches, Quezon City.

“Ang yaman na niya sa Manila. Halos isang taon ko din siyang kasama sa Hong Kong kasi ako lagi ang tinatawag niya,” said E.M.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

(She has become very rich in Manila. I was with her for nearly a year in Hong Kong because she used to call me all the time).

The alleged victim also said Juliet and her husband used to go to Macau every six months to lure Filipinos there into their illicit trap. It is not clear, though, who else were working with the couple in moving millions of dollars in dirty money, using gullible and greedy migrant workers as their conduits.

E.M. said she decided to point to Juliet as a key figure in the scam so she could be arrested, and stopped from victimizing other Filipinas.

“Kapag hindi mahuli yan, ma’am, ang dami pang Pilipinang makukulong,” E.M. said.

(Until she’s arrested, more Filipinas would end up in jail).

At least four other Filipina domestic workers have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the money laundering operation so far. Unlike E.M., however, all that the women claimed to have received from the scammers was a measly $400 to $900.

They all pointed to another Filipina named Gemmalyn as their handler.

CALL ME!

Call us!

Call us!