HK-bound workers despair as flight ban strands them in Manila

Vir B. Lumicao 

HK estimates about 1K FDHs have been affected by the flight suspensions

Filipino domestic workers who were due to fly to Hong Kong today or in the next few days have been taken by surprise by the government’s total ban on all flights from Manila for two weeks.

The affected workers said the ban was so unfair, especially for those who came from faraway provinces and had to stay in boarding houses in Manila while waiting for their flights.

It was not known how many Hong Kong-bound domestic helpers are stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport due to the ban, which was announced by the SAR government before midnight Sunday. 

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However, Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong had said in an interview earlier htat about one thousand FDHs would be affected by any flight ban.

This time, there are no OFWs stranded at Hong Kong International Airport due to the flight ban, Consul General Raly Tejada said. But he said the Consulate is trying to find ways to bring home those who were unable to fly home.

“Rest assured that we are working on other ways of bringing our stranded people home,” ConGen Tejada said in a message. “Stranded passengers are advised to visit OWWA while those embarking on non-essential travel should reconsider their plans by canceling or postponing their flights home.”

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The PCG issued an advisory Monday evening informing Filipinos here about Hong Kong’s decision and urged the public to adjust their travel plans.

The PCG advisory telling travelers to adjust their flight plan in light of the ban

The Filipino community is hereby informed of the Hong Kong government’s decision to designate the Philippines as an extremely high-risk place under the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599H).

As a result, all flights from the Philippines are prohibited from landing in Hong Kong for 14 days from midnight of Apr 20, the advisory read.

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 “The Consulate therefore urges the public to make the necessary adjustment to their travel plans including cancellation or postponement of non-essential travel to the Philippines at this time,” the advisory said.

In Manila, a domestic helper posted a comment on The SUN’s Facebook page about how unfair the ban was on her and others who were just waiting to fly out to Hong Kong.

“The flight ban is too unfair for us domestic helpers who are just waiting for our flight schedule this week, then we read this news. It’s so disappointing,” the worker said.

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“We had been in a lockdown here in Manila for more than a month, we were unable to submit our visa and contract at POEA due to the lockdown here, the as soon as it has been downgraded to MGCQ, it’s you in Hong Kong who suspend out flight,” she said.

The worker said OFWs should be vaccinated before they leave because they go through a lot of hardships waiting for their documents before their departure date.

“They should have made the flight ban just for a week, two week is too much as our brains would be too depressed. We almost don’t know where to get money for our budget for daily food,” she said.

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She said many OFWs like her who came from neighboring provinces have no money to pay for their boarding houses.

She said during their pre-departure orientation seminar arranged by different agencies, everyone was hopeful they could leave soon because their families rely on the money they would send home, and they have to repay the loans they used to pay the agencies.

The worker, a single mother, said her greatest fear now is that her employer might back out because the woman is expecting her baby sometime next month.

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Another worker said she was in the same situation, as her employer is due to give birth in June. She said she applied for the FDH job as early as last year but until now she was unable to leave for Hong Kong.

The workers said even their recruitment agencies in Manila were very eager to see them fly out. One said her agency helped her buy lots of ginger to prepare herself for the pre-departure swab test, and vitamin C to boost her immune system.

Ong says her travel business would be hit hard by the flight suspension

Cora Ong, manager of Tri-D Travel, said her air ticketing business had been affected by suspension of flights from Manila since the Covid-19 crisis began. She expects zero income now because of the flight ban.

“We’re also affected but what can we do? It’s a government policy,” Ong said.

She said ticketing orders by employment agencies have softened to about 20 to 30 a month because processing has slowed.

She said most of the ticket purchases are Hong Kong-bound, meant for new hires and those who had been terminated, gone home and are coming back to join new employers.

“Very few of the workers who are already here don’t want to go home for a vacation because the hotel quarantine is a big burden that the employer certainly doesn’t like,” Ong said.

She said her cargo company, Asian Dragon, still has modest income from the door-to-door business, but, from the ticketing operation it’s minimal. “If it’s a total ban, then we’ll have zero income from ticketing,” she said.

Ong said her company’s current worry is that Hong Kong might follow Macau in implementing a 28-day quarantine. “If they make the quarantine period 28 days, then the helpers won’t be able to go home for a vacation,” she said.

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Prosecutors drop rape case vs African man in alley video scandal

By Vir B. Lumicao 

The incident happened in the staircase of this building in the alleys

A rape case filed by a Filipina domestic helper against an African man who allegedly assaulted her sexually on a staircase in one of Central’s alleys has been dropped by the prosecution.

This has been confirmed by the Department of Justice, which said it could not continue pursuing the rape complaint against the suspect, Obi Collins, due to insufficient evidence.

“Having thoroughly considered the evidence in the case, the applicable law and the Prosecution Code, the Department of Justice considered that there was insufficient evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction, and thus decided to discontinue the prosecution,” a DOJ spokesman said in reply to a query from The SUN Hong Kong.

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The complainant, who had initially sought help from The SUN, said she did not wish to pursue the case as she feared losing her job. She also said she was disappointed that some of her friends who were with her that day did not want to speak up.

Collins was charged with rape in Eastern Court on July 15 last year for allegedly waylaying the helper on the fifth floor staircase of Fai Man Building on 13 Li Yuen St West, one of the two narrow passages that Filipinos call “alley-alley”.

CG Tejada says Filipinos should go to the Consulate if they get into trouble

The case was last slated for mention at Eastern Court 1 on Dec 21, 2020, but nothing was heard about it since. The police did not want to comment when contacted for a follow-up, and referred the inquiry to the DOJ.

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Consul General Raly Tejada said that when Filipinos find themselves in situations such as this, they should assert their rights, call the police right away and go to a medical check-up for evidence to be collected and preserved for trial, and seek help from the Consulate.

“My message to our Kababayans is to assert their rights at all times. The Consulate is here to assist and provide necessary guidance to all Filipinos in Hong Kong who will face a similar situation,” ConGen Tejada said when asked to comment on the dismissal of the case.

"Sa mga susuong sa ganitong pagsubok, magpakatatag lang po and maghain ng reklamo at the earliest possible opportunity,” he said. (To those who go through this kind of ordeal, just stay strong and file a complaint at the earliest possible opportunity.)

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“Make sure to go to a doctor to undergo forensic examination so that any evidence collected can be properly preserved and presented at trial. Rest assured that PCG will be assisting you all the way,” ConGen Tejada said.

Two weeks ago, the leader of an African community group in Hong Kong bragged about the acquittal of the suspect in his weekly online video program, saying that the innocent African boy was vindicated.

The program host, who calls himself Capo Daniel, added that Hong Kong police are quick to arrest Africans for crimes that they have not committed.

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He said that the rape charge was dropped after the Philippine Consulate talked to the woman and asked her to withdraw the case.

Consul Paul Saret, head of the assistance to nationals section, denied this. “I wasn’t even aware that a rape case was filed until you asked me about it because the alleged rape victim did not come to us to ask for help,” Saret said.

The case stemmed from a video that went viral online showing a burly black man and a Filipina who appeared to be having sexual intercourse in the dimly lit staircase of Fai Man Building. The building had no security guards and no CCTV cameras on the staircase.

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Somebody who filmed the episode from the top of the stairs with a phone camera posted the footage online, calling it the “Alley-alley Scandal”. Since then, it had been shared many times over and viewed by thousands of individuals.

Street sign on the alley where it happened

The Filipina woman in the video complained to the police accompanied by her employer, who was reportedly appalled by what happened. That was the reason she did not go to the Consulate anymore, she said.

She said the assault happened after she and some female friends went to celebrate a birthday in a pub operated by Filipinos on the fifth floor of the building. They had been drinking alcohol. There was a group of black men including the suspect sitting at a table nearby.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong 

She said the men were trying to chat with her group but the Filipinas ignored them and continued their celebration. Around 7pm, the alleged victim stood up and bade her friends goodbye because she had had enough drinks and her curfew was early.

The woman walked groggily to the lift but it was in use, so she took the stairs. She said she didn’t notice when Collins followed her and grabbed her while she going down the staircase, and started raping her. She said she was too drunk to resist.

In previous videos on the Afri Kong group’s Facebook page, who claims to be the defense chief of the Ambazonia Defense Force, had also boasted that African men are being chased and fought over by Filipinas in Hong Kong.

He accompanied his claim with a video showing two Filipina helpers fighting fiercely on Chater Road in Central over what the man said was an African man.

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12 new Covid-19 cases reported, including 2 Filipina DHs with variant

By The SUN

The 2 Filipina DHs with the variant had flown in via CX 906

Twelve additional cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) were reported today, Apr 19, all but one of them imported.

The only local case was linked to an earlier cluster of infections detected at Oi Fai House in Tuen Mun.

Of the 11 imported cases, three were also found to carry the highly infectious N501Y variant, including two foreign domestic helpers from the Philippines, aged 35 and 36; and a year-old baby boy from India.

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The two Filipina DHs triggered a two-week suspension of Cathay Pacific flight CX 906 starting today as it carried at least two passengers who tested positive on arrival on two different flights from Manila. The flights arrived on Apr 14 and 17.

Since the FDHs were also the 4^th and 5^th passengers from the Philippines found to be carrying the variant on arrival, a total flight ban on the Philippines would have taken effect.

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But this was superseded by last night’s decision by the Department of Health to impose the two-week flight suspension on all flights not just from the Philippines, but also from India and Pakistan.

This was prompted by fears that the mutated virus had spread within the community after an Indian man who had flown in from Dubai was found to have the variant  10 days after being released from his 21-day hotel quarantine.

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His girlfriend with whom he had stayed in a flat in Jordan after his quarantine was also found to carry the variant, the second local case detected.

This prompted health officials to clamp down on the three countries from where the most number of imported cases with the variant had come from recently, relegating them to the “extremely high risk” category, and imposing a flight ban on them for 14 days.

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Aside from the two FDHs, one other passenger from the Philippines was found infected on arrival on Apr 18. The 44-year-old female resident came in via Cebu Pacific flight 5J 272.

There were also six other passengers from India who were found infected, apart from the baby who tested positive for the mutated form of coronavirus on his 12^th day sample.

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Three of them all took Vistara’s flight UK 6397 which arrived yesterday, comprising two females aged 22 and 53, and a 32-year old male.

Another passenger from India, a 27-year-old man, arrived on Apr 17 via flight QR818, and tested positive at the airport. The two remaining ones both tested positive on their second sample taken on the 12^th day of their hotel quarantine, a 45-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man.

More residents have been evacuated from Oi Fai House after a new infection was found

Today’s sole local case prompted the evacuation of  all remaining asymptomatic residents on the 8^th floor of block 2 of Oi Fai House, Yau Oi Estate, who will all be sent to quarantine centers. Those found with symptoms will be sent to hospital for treatment.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong 

One preliminary case was reported today, involving a 31-year-old woman who works at a clinic in The Centrium on Wyndham Street in Central. She is linked to the woman living on Parkes Building who was reported positive yesterday.

All her close contacts, including fellow staff and patients, have been sent to quarantine, while the building was put under compulsory testing notice.

Meanwhile, the government said a 21-year-old female kindergarten teacher who was listed as a preliminary case on Apr 17 by the Centre for Health Protection has not been confirmed to have the virus.

A sample taken from yielded an indeterminate result after being tested by the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the Department of Health. Further tests on her at a hospital showed she was negative for Covid-19 and did not have antibodies.

“As such, the case will not be classified as a confirmed case at the moment,” said the government statement.

CHP had earlier said that about 100 people deemed to be close contacts of the kindergarten teacher had been sent to quarantine, including fellow guests at a wedding banquet where about 200 guests had gathered.

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HK suspends flights from Philippines, India and Pakistan

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The flight ban was imposed after the 3 countries were designated 'extremely high risk'

Hong Kong announced late Sunday, Apr 18, that it will stop flights from the Philippines, India and Pakistan for 14 days starting Monday midnight, in line with its “circuit breaker mechanism” under tightened travel restrictions.

At the same time, all three countries have been moved to the “extremely high risk” category, which means anyone who had stayed in these places for more than two hours in the past 21 days are prohibited from boarding a flight to Hong Kong. This is to prevent people from these countries from entering Hong Kong via transit from another place.

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On top of this, travelers from “extremely high risk” places should, after completing 21 days of hotel quarantine, undergo self-monitoring for seven days, and take a fourth Covid-19 test on the 26^th day after arrival in Hong Kong.

As of now, three other countries are in this category: the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, where the first mutated strains of the coronavirus were first detected.

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The government statement said the decision to add the three Asian countries to this list was triggered by the case of a man who was found Saturday to have the coronavirus variant 10 days after completing his 21-day quarantine.

The Indian man who had flown in from Dubai, appeared to have infected his Hong Kong-based girlfriend who was also found to carry the variant Sunday.

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As a result of the case, and “for the sake of prudence,” the government said it reviewed imported cases from the past 14 days and decided to implement the “circuit breaker” it put in place recently to stop the spread of the highly infectious variant in the community.

The study reportedly showed the N501Y variant was found in the prescribed number among new arrivals from India, Pakistan and the Philippines in the past two weeks.

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Under the new restrictions that took effect on Apr 14, a total flight ban was supposed to be imposed on any place only when (1) a cumulative number of five passengers (2) are found to have the variant on arrival in Hong Kong (3) within a seven-day-period.

Since it took effect, however, the Philippines is the only place where the prescribed criteria have been met. Two arrivals from Manila were found to have the variant on arrival on Friday, another one on Saturday, and two more Sunday.

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However, far more passengers from India and Pakistan have been testing positive for Covid-19 on arrival, and a big number have been found to have both the virus and the variant while under quarantine.

Of the 29 imported cases recorded Monday, 22 had flown in from India.

More than 100,000 new Covid cases have been recorded in India in a single day

The domestic infection rate in all three countries has been surging as well, with India posting more than 100,000 cases on a single day lately. The surge has also been happening in the Philippines, where the total number of Covid-19 cases is now nearing the one-million mark.

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Earlier, the government announced it was suspending Cathay Pacific Airways from flying from Manila to Hong Kong from tomorrow until May 2, after two of its flights had each carried two passengers confirmed to have Covid-19 on arrival at the airport.

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The flights that carried the infected passengers arrived on Apr 14 and 17.

Similary banned for the same period was Vistara Airlines flight from Mumbai, India. According to a government press release, Vistara’s flight UK6397 which arrived Sunday had three passengers confirmed to have Covid-19 on their arrival test at the airport.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong 

Both CX 906 and UK6397 had been banned previously for the same infraction. 

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HK confirms 30 mostly imported cases including Filipina DH with variant

By Vir B. Lumicao 

A record 29 imported cases were reported today

Hong Kong had only one local coronavirus case today, April 18, but its caseload for the day rose to 30 as the rest who tested positive were new arrivals from abroad, including one Filipina and four Indonesian domestic helpers. A record number of 22 infected travelers from India was also reported.

Today’s imported cases were the most recorded in a single day since Mar 15 and took the total tally to 11,684.

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The Centre for Health Protection announced the jump in cases as Health Secretary Sophia Chan said today the government is looking at further tightening hotel quarantine measures and flight restrictions, and banning more flights from high-risk countries.

Chan said in a radio show officials need to assess the situation and discuss with experts before deciding whether stricter measures were warranted.

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She spoke after a 29-year-old Indian man who returned from Dubai and completed 21 days of quarantine tested positive for Covid-19.

The man’s 31-year-old girlfriend, with whom he lives in Parkes Building in Jordan, is today’s only local case. Like her boyfriend, she was found to have the N501Y variant.

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Among today’s imported cases, only the 35-year-old Filipina DH who flew in aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR 300 on Apr 16 and tested positive at the airport, was found to carry the mutated virus.

She brought to three the number of new arrivals from Manila found with the variant since yesterday. Only two more such cases in the next five days would trigger a two-week suspension of all flights from Manila under Hong Kong’s enhanced entry restrictions that took effect on Wednesday, Apr 14.

Today's variant carrier from Manila is the 3rd in 2 days

Chan said Hong Kong strengthened its suspension of flights mechanism as more passengers who arrived recently from India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan and other places testing positive with some carrying the highly infectious  N501Y variant.

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“If we look at the past data, from March to now, we have already suspended seven flights for 14 days from different countries. And therefore, with this new mechanism, we envisage that we will be suspending more flights,” she added.

Two of today’s four Indonesian patients arrived on Apr 16 via Cathay Pacific Flight CX798 from Jakarta while the third arrived on CX798 on Apr 17.

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The fourth was asymptomatic upon arrival on Mar 31 and was quarantined at Ramada Hong Kong Harbourview in Sai Ying Pun. Her sample collected on Day 19 tested positive.

All 22 imported cases who arrived from India on April 4 via Vistara Flight UK6395 from New Delhi tested positive after their 12^th day of hotel quarantine, the CHP said.

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Ten of them stayed at Ramada Hong Kong Grandview in North Point, six at Ramada Hong Kong Harbourview at Sai Ying Pun, four at Regal Airport Hotel Chek Lap Kok, and two at Dorsett Wanchai Hong Kong.

Two other foreign cases were a man, 19, who arrived from Egypt on a Qatar Air Flight 818 from Doha and developed symptoms upon his arrival on Apr 16, and a woman from Canada aged 22 who arrived on an unknown day this month and tested positive after her 12^th day of quarantine at Ramada Hong Kong Grandview in North Point.

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A total of 152 cases have been recorded in the past 14 days from Apr 4 to 17, including 36 local cases of which 12 are from unknown sources.

The Hospital Authority said as of 9am today, a total of 144 confirmed patients were neing treated in 18 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong 

Four patients of the patients are in critical condition, three are serious and the remaining 137 patients stable.

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