By Daisy CL Mandap
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| PCG officers and staff show support for Hong Kong's vaccination program |
The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong has pitched vaccination for Filipinos in Hong Kong as a way to help the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.
The same call was
issued today, Mar 18, by the Mission for Migrant Workers, the longest serving
support organization for overseas Filipino workers.
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In a Facebook post, Consul
Bob Quintin said all staff at the Consulate had their first dose of a vaccine
under the Hong Kong government’s vaccination program.
Consul General Raly
Tejada said he welcomed the Hong Kong government’s move to include foreign
domestic workers in the priority list for the vaccine.
“I am heartened that
the opportunity has been made available to one of the more vulnerable sectors
of Hong Kong’s society,” he said.
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“Vaccination is a good
option when one is healthy and has no underlying medical condition. However,
for those with underlying conditions, it is best to first consult a doctor and
seek professional advice.”
Cynthia Tellez, general
manager of the Mission, echoed the call, especially amid widespread fear among
migrant workers that the vaccine would cause them harm, even death.
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Some FDWs have even commented
on social media that they would rather be terminated than be forced by their
employers to take the jab. This appears to have already happened, with one
employer saying in a post on a newspaper site, “I just had to fire one of my helpers
as she refused to get vaccinated.”
When asked if employers
have the right to terminate a helper who refuse to abide by their order to get
inoculated, Tellez said that problem should not even arise because everyone
must do their part to help contain the spread of the virus in the community.
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“Ang lagi kong sinasabi, alam ninyo, samantalahin ninyo ang pagkakataon
na ito. Libre na ang bakuna, magiging mas ligtas ka pa,” she said. (You
know, you should take advantage of this chance. The vaccine is free, and gives
you better protection).
To those who fear that
getting the vaccine could have serious medical consequences, she said she
reminds the doubter about how they were vaccinated when they were young against
many other illnesses which are not even as deadly as Covid-19, like polio,
tuberculosis, mumps and rubella.
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“Ang sabi ko, noong mga sanggol o bata sila ay binakunahan din sila, at
walang namang naging masamang epekto. Sa halip, nakatulong iyon para makaiwas
sila sa mga malalang sakit.” (I tell them, when they were babies or small
kids they also had vaccines, and did not suffer any adverse consequences. In
fact, that helped them avoid acquiring any serious illnesses).
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| Tellez says migrant workers should decide on their own to get the vaccine |
If, on the other hand, it is their employer that does not want them vaccinated, Tellez said the worker should just make the appointment herself, and get the jab on her day off.
What everyone should
bear in mind, she said, is that the vaccine protects not only the individual, but
everyone around her or him. “The employer should be thankful that the migrant
worker is doing the right thing in protecting everyone in their household," she said.
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Quintin echoes the
advice. “Wala pong dapat ikatakot dito.
Kung mayroon kayong mga agam-agam hinggil sa bakuna, maigi pong sumangguni sa
inyong doktor upang mabigyan ng tamang payo,” he said. (You have no reason
to fear. If you have concerns about the vaccine, you should consult your doctor
so you can be given proper advice).
“Sa pangkalahatan, hinihikayat ko po kayong magpabakuna laban sa
COVID-19, alang-alang sa inyong kalusugan at sa kaligtasan ng pamayanan. Sa
ganitong paraan, makakatulong po tayo sa muling pagbabalik ng normal na pamumuhay
nating lahat.”
(Overall, I appeal to
you to get vaccinated against Covid-19, for your own well-being, and the safety
of everyone. In this manner, we would be able to help get our lives back to
normal).
Still, Filipinos were
reminded that vaccination remains voluntary. Thus, neither the Hong Kong nor the Philippine government is attaching any
special privilege just yet to anyone who willingly gets the jab.
ConGen Tejada said this
means that the apparently growing concern among Filipino migrants that they
will not be able to be allowed into the Philippines, or re-enter Hong Kong if
they haven’t been vaccinated, is far from true.
“It is status quo,” he
said, adding that vaccination will not give anyone any special privilege, like
skipping Hong Kong’s rigid 21-day hotel quarantine for all new arrivals.
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| Two recent arrivals from the Philippines are included in today's Covid-19 cases |
The statements of assurance came as Hong Kong reported 10 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, four of them imported, including two Filipina domestic workers.
One of the Filipinas is
26 years old and arrived on Mar 16 via Philippine Airlines flight PR300. She
tested positive at the airport. The other is 35 years old and tested positive
on her 12th day in hotel quarantine. Both are asymptomatic.
The third case is a
44-year-old Indonesian domestic helper who was found infected at the airport.
The fourth is a 26-year-old male resident who arrived in Pakistan, and tested
positive on his second sample while in quarantine.
Of the six local cases,
three had unknown sources, while the other three were linked to previous
infections.
Among the untraceable
cases is one involving a 15-year-old school boy, a 35-year-old female marketing
manager and a 36-year-old male engineer. They all went for testing after
developing symptoms like cough and cold, sore throat and loss of sense of
smell.
