FDH wins $100,000 in vaccination lucky draw

By Vir B. Lumicao 

The FDH was among 20 second-prize winners in the lottery drawn Wednesday 

Foreign domestic helpers may not have qualified for the $10.8 million flat grand prize in Hong Kong’s biggest vaccination campaign promotion, but one of them did get lucky enough to win a $100,000 bonanza.

The helper is easily identified by the first two letters of her HKID card, WX11**** which are exclusively allocated to FDHs in Hong Kong. The second set of identifiers,  ****0687,” represent the last four digits of her phone number.

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The unidentified helper was the fifth winner of 20 secondary prizes of $100,000 each in pre-paid credit cards and cash vouchers which were drawn yesterday.

The top prize in the draw was a 449-square-foot flat at Grand Central in Kwun Tong which went to a Hong Kong permanent resident with HKID card number that starts with Z710. The last four digits of his telephone number are 0215. 

The internet was immediately abuzz with speculations as to who the lucky winner might be. The ID numbers indicate the winner should be between 32 and 41 years old, but with not much clue to get by the identity of the lucky person would remain a mystery to many.

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The lucky draw was jointly sponsored by Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation Ltd, the philanthropic arm of Sino Group and Chinese Estates Holdings Ltd.

The raffle kicked off a handful of other lucky draws sponsored by private businesses that were intended to encourage Hong Kong residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

The flat raffle alone attracted more than 2.5 million permanent residents of Hong Kong who were vaccinated in the city, the only ones qualified to join.

The grand prize, a 1-bedroom flat in this development, was won by a young Hongkonger

For the other prizes on offer, non-permanent residents aged 18 and above who received their vaccination in Hong Kong were qualified to join.

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The 20 winners of pre-paid cards and credit cards with a value of HK$100,000 each have the following HKID and telephone numbers combinations: 

1. D514****    ****1345
2. Z234****    ****6997
3. R073****    ****1361
4. M356****    ****8960
5. WX111****    ****0687
6. V100****    ****0532
7. R603****    ****5556
8. K527****    ****0576
9. E810****    ****8466
10. Z661****    ****9104
11. P082****    ****2171
12. G637****    ****9172
13. D482****    ****2209
14. Z167****    ****9076
15. F050****    ****8560
16. Y137****    ****5403
17. Z456****    ****4585
18. Z258****    ****2988
19.Y351****    ****8099
20. C320****    ****8586

The Phase 2 Lucky Draw is now open for online registration. The organizers said Hong Kong residents who received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in Hong Kong on or before Sept 30 can register between 9am on Sept 2 and 5.30pm on Sept 30.

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Eligible permanent residents who have registered for the Phase 1 Lucky Draw but did not win the grand prize will automatically be enrolled in Phase 2.

For the Phase 2 Lucky Draw, organizers said they will offer one more residential flat at Grand Central, Kwun Tong worth about $12 million if five million or more of the population get at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Hong Kong by Sept 30.

As of today, Sept. 9, the number of people who have received the first dose of a vaccine here is 4.2 million, which means that the daily vaccination rate until the end of the month should average about 38,000 before this target is reached.

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Given that the daily rate has now sunk to just about 10,000, it is not likely that this promised prize would make it to the next lottery.

The top draws in the second phase are 20 scholarships in the form of pre-paid cards or credit cards with a value of $200,000 each. Thus this draw is open only to vaccinated Hong Kong residents aged 12 to 18 years old.

Registration details of the next lucky draw are available here.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said it will announce the winners of its “Free Tours Lucky Draw” tomorrow. A total of 10,044 winners were drawn.

The board rolled out the giveaway in August as part of the campaign to boost the city’s vaccination rate, offering some 20,000 quotas in designated local tours, totaling about $10 million.

The results will be announced on the board’s designated website and winners will also receive SMS confirmation. Departure dates are set from late September to mid-November.

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Filipina helper who came via CX is one of 2 new Covid-19 cases

By The SUN 

The 2 travelers tested positive for the coronavirus variant on arrival at HK Airport

A Filipina domestic helper who came from Manila and a local man who returned from a trip to the United States via South Korea were confirmed today, Sept 9, as the city’s latest coronavirus cases.

Both are fully vaccinated and carried the L452R mutant strain of the coronavirus,  the Centre for Health Protection said. They took Hong Kong’s infection tally to 12,139.

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The Filipina, aged 33, arrived in Hong Kong at around 8pm on Tuesday, Sept. 7, aboard Cathay Pacific flight CX918 while the 56-year-old man flew in on Korean Air flight KE607 on the same evening.

Though asymptomatic, both tested positive for the variant strain on their arrival test.

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CHP’s press release shows the Filipina received two BioNTech doses in the Philippines on Jul 1 and Jul 22.

The male patient who traveled to the US on Aug 18 received two BioNTech jabs in Hong Kong on Apr 10 and May 1. He tested positive for antibodies on Jul 24.

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As he was in Hong Kong during part of the virus’ incubation period, the building where he lived at Amber Garden, 110 Blue Pool Road, Happy Valley and his workplace at Tesbury Centre, 28 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai have been put under a compulsory testing notice.

Everyone who was at these two places at specified periods must undergo compulsory testing on or before tomorrow, Sept 10.

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Separately, the CHP reminded those who had stayed at Block 1, Bo Shek Mansion on Sha Tsui Road in Tsuen Wan to undergo compulsory testing by tomorrow, saying this was in connection with an earlier case with the L452R strain.

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A total of 50 patients are still being treated in eight public hospitals and the infection control centre in North Lantau. All are in stable condition, said the Hospital Authority. 

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CVCs to remain open until Dec but will scale down operation

By Daisy CL Mandap 

One of the first CVCs to close down is the one at Central Library in Causeway Bay

Most of Hong Kong’s community vaccination centres will remain open until December, but first-time doses will be given only until the end of November.

In a press statement issued today, Sept 9, the government said that 21 CVCs will remain in operation until December, while five will be closed from November.

"We have endeavoured to maintain as much as possible the operation of the CVCs with the more popular time slots to facilitate the vaccination of members of the public,” said the statement.

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“Starting from November, the number of CVCs will be decreased by eight to 21 from the peak of 29.”

Those that will close from November are the CVCs at St Paul’s Hospital, HK Sanatorium, HKSH Eastern Medical Centre, and the sports centres in Tai Po Hui and Tsuen King Circuit.

Those that will remain open will have shorter opening hours from November, except during the weekends, when they will remain open from 8am to 8pm. They will operate from 10am to 6pm on all weekdays, except on Wednesday when they will be closed.

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The same lunchtime break of 1:30pm to 2:30pm will be observed on the days that they operate.

The government said the adjustments are being made, having regard for the number of vaccines still in supply, and the slowdown in the pace of vaccination.

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Yesterday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam expressed alarm at the “alarming” drop in the number of people getting the Covid-19 vaccines.

CE Lam (in white top) says only about 10,000 get vaccinated on a daily basis now

She said that recently, only about 10,000 people had taken the jabs on a daily basis. This is a far cry from the 60,000 or more people who got themselves vaccinated daily a month or so ago, when various groups dangled incentives like lucky draws to boost the inoculation rate.

If people want to help speed up the reopening of Hong Kong’s borders they should get vaccinated, the top official said.

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“I said previously that if we want to achieve a 70 percent vaccination rate by the end of this month, more than 22,000 people need to take the first dose of the vaccine every day,” Lam said.

She added the government will continue to encourage more Hong Kong people to receive jabs “and use other means to boost the vaccination rate.”

The latter could refer to a further tightening of the screws on government employees and frontline workers who refuse to get vaccinated.

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Civil servants, whether fulltime or parttime, have already been told that they would have to pay for their regular Covid-19 tests and have these done outside office hours if they insist on not getting jabs without any medical reason.

Some companies like Cathay have taken the vaccination drive a step further, announcing yesterday that it had sacked “a small number” of flight crew who weren’t vaccinated and could not produce proof of medical exemption.

An airline staff union called the dismissals unreasonable and urged Cathay to just move the affected crew to other jobs.

But the airline is not likely to receive sanctions for the order, as many other air companies around the world have imposed the same policy.

Cathay says it has fired flight crew who refused to get vaccinated without medical reason

CVCs were originally meant to close at the end of September, after operating continuously for the past seven months.

But the tepid response to the vaccination plus the abundance of vaccine supply in Hong Kong prompted the government to move the closing date, first to October, and now, December.

From November, the CVCs will have a quota of 27,000 vaccination slots per day during weekdays, comprising 21,000 people being given the BioNTech vaccine and 6,000 others getting jabbed with Sinovac.

“On weekends, the CVCs will provide daily vaccination quotas of 32,000 and 9,000 for the BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines respectively. Together with the vaccination services of the Sinovac vaccine provided by over 1 000 private doctor clinics, we believe the demand of the public can be met,” said the government.

The 21 CVCs that will provide first-dose vaccination services in October and November are as follows:
 
CVCs providing Sinovac vaccine:
-----------------------------------------
Java Road Sports Centre
Kwun Chung Sports Centre
Kowloon Bay Sports Centre
Yuen Wo Road Sports Centre
Tin Fai Road Sports Centre
 
CVCs providing BioNTech vaccine:
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Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre
Sai Wan Ho Sports Centre
Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong
Hiu Kwong Street Sports Centre
Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre
Ho Man Tin Sports Centre
Lai Chi Kok Park Sports Centre
Boundary Street Sports Centre
Choi Hung Road Badminton Centre
Lung Sum Avenue Sports Centre
CUHK Medical Centre
Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre
Osman Ramju Sadick Memorial Sports Centre
Yau Oi Sports Centre
Yuen Long Sports Centre
Tung Chung Community Hall
 
More details about the government’s vaccination program may be viewed on this dedicated website: www.covidvaccine.gov.hk

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Filipina’s video-link testimony in $85k claim disrupted by ex-employer

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Mallorca's video testimony was repeatedly disrupted by her unruly ex-employer

A Filipina pursuing a labor claim for $85,000 against her former employer in Hong Kong gave testimony via video link from the Philippines on Wednesday, in a retrial that was repeatedly disrupted  by the combative defendant.

Joenalyn Mallorca gave her version of what happened nearly five years ago when her former employer, Ng Mie-shuen, accused her of molesting her then seven-year-old daughter.

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Her testimony was interrupted several times by Ng, who also accused Presiding Officer Timon Shum and a group of volunteers who showed up to support Mallorca, of ganging up on her.

After the Filipina’s testimony, Shum said he will render judgment in November. In the meantime, Mallorca was told to send her final submissions to the Tribunal by Sept 29, and Ng by Oct 20.

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The retrial which opened Monday was ordered by Court of Appeal Justice Beb Pui Ying Chu in April last year, after overturning a judgment by Presiding Officer Ho Wai-yin that Ng’s dismissal of Mallorca was valid.

On Tuesday, Ng testified that she fired the claimant for molesting her 7-year-old daughter, causing her pain in her genitalia, and lacing her shampoo with a substance that caused itching in the scalps of both mother and child.

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Mallorca denied both allegations when she gave evidence on Wednesday before a video camera watched by two men from the Philippine Justice Department in an unidentified office room in Metro Manila.

Her testimony was repeatedly interrupted by her former employer who took advantage of the absence of security staff in the courtroom in haranguing the helper, the judge as well as the claimant’s supporters.

The employer complained of being ganged up on

Cross-examining Ng was an officer of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions who was allowed by the tribunal to represent Mallorca whose questions were mostly vetted for clarity by Shum.

Ng, replying to the questions, said the helper inserted her finger in her daughter’s genitalia on three occasions while bathing her. But she said she did not actually see the assaults and could not remember the dates.

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Ng said she learned about the sexual assaults only when her daughter complained about painful urination.

She was irritated when the union representative asked her why she didn’t dismiss the helper when the child first complained about the touching of her private part.

“How could I? I had to work. If I terminated her, who would take care of my daughter,” Ng replied angrily. She said she would have sued the helper but Mallorca had gone home.

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Ng said she took the girl to two private doctors and a public doctor. There were no medical certificates because the private doctors had left the mall where they had clinics, while the public doctor didn’t issue a certificate, according to her.

Further, she said the inflammation had not gone away and her daughter had visited the doctor 3-4 times over the past two years as the pain recurred.

The day earlier, Ng repeatedly interrupted the testimony of her daughter, identified in court only as X, as Shum asked her about the shampoo-lacing and “hurting” incidents.

Ng tried to silence X or drown her replies with loud rants against Shum, saying it was her girl who was harmed yet it was they who were being tried. She told the judge he was under pressure from the helper’s supporters to put her on trial.

Talking behind a screen, X said the first time that the touching took place, “there was a piece of soap in her hand and when she washed me, she hurt me.”  

She said she did not tell her mother about the pain. “The first time, I said I felt uncomfortable in that part but I did not say it hurt me.” When Shum asked X in which part, Ng interrupted him again.

When it was Mallorca’s turn to be cross examined, Shum asked who called the police on Sept 22, 2016, when she and Ng had argued over the shampoo.

Mallorca said that on her sister’s advice, she dialed 999 after Ng slapped her. But the employer grabbed her phone, took off its SIM card then gave it back to her. She said it was X who called the police eventually.

To this, Ng yelled, ignoring Shum’s order to stop, “How could she call the police, she was only a few years old?”

The presiding officer suggested to Mallorca that on three occasions that she bathed the girl, her fingernail hurt the girl’s urinary tract, but she disagreed, saying it was X who soaped herself.

Mallorca said she always stood outside the shower to avoid getting splashed with water.

At this point, Ng ranted again. “If she had not done that, why did she return to the Philippines, why is she hiding?”, she shouted, as Shum said, “Stop it, stop it.”    

"If you interrupt me again, I will stop the trial and postpone it to a distant date,” he warned Ng, then called for a 10-munute break.

When he returned to the courtroom, Shum said that despite the defendant’s unruly behavior the court would try to finish the hearing within the day.

The helper is being supported in her claim by the CFTU, Justice Without Borders and migrant workers groups.

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3 FDWs with visas that expire during quarantine bumped off CX flight

By Daisy CL Mandap 

3 of the HK-bound workers were not allowed to board their CX flight despite having valid visas

The lack of clear and comprehensive guidelines covering foreign domestic workers bound for Hong Kong have caused three Filipina migrant workers to be bumped off their Cathay Pacific flight yesterday, Sept 7.

Airline staff told them they could not board the flight because their employment visas would expire while they were in quarantine.

Despite repeated pleas and last-minute attempts to convince the ground staff that they had been told by no less than the Immigration Department that they could enter Hong Kong because their visas are still valid, the workers were turned away.

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One of the desperate workers even showed an email from the Immigration Department that verified that she could still land in Hong Kong, to no avail.

G.N.O., another of the three, was particularly upset because she had been stuck in the Philippines since she went there with her employer early this year, and was hit by Hong Kong’s flight ban imposed on Apr 20.

As the expiration of her contract got closer, she and her employer began looking into the possibility of having it renewed online. But a post on Immigration’s website was clear: online renewal of contracts could only be done if the worker is physically present in Hong Kong, and could pick up the visa in person when it’s released.

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With her spirits dampened by the clear advisory, G.N.O could only hope that the flight ban would be lifted before her visa expired, or she would have to face re-applying for contract processing from the Philippines.

Then the unexpected happened. Hong Kong announced that beginning Aug 30, all workers vaccinated in the Philippines could enter.

However, with it came another blow. G.N.O. learned her booking at a hotel that would have ensured her a more comfortable stay had to be canceled because Hong Kong decreed that all workers who were vaccinated in the Philippines, new or returning, must only stay at Silka Tsuen Wan hotel.

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Undaunted, she got her employer to book her a place in Silka, then continued to prepare well for her departure, even signing up with the prestigious St Luke’s Hospital in Taguig City for her RT-PCR test to make sure her result was accurate and credible.

Not leaving anything to chance, her employer also got their company secretary to inquire directly with HK Immigration to confirm her right to enter despite her visa expiring on Sept. 16, and was assured that there would be no problem.

Imagine her dismay when the Cathay check-in crew told her Immigration could not override very clear quarantine rules drawn up by another government body. To pacify them, the crew called some number in Hong Kong but still came back with the same answer.

No amount of pleading, begging, or angry outbursts helped any of the OFWs to convince the airline staff to change their minds.

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Given that two airlines plying the Manila to Hong Kong route have both been meted two-week suspensions for flying in a number of infected passengers, it appeared obvious to them the Cathay crew would rather err on the side of caution.

Cathay might have been over-cautious because of HK's strict pre-boarding rules

The only positive outcome from their harrowing ordeal at Ninoy Aquino International Airport was that Silka Hotel allowed them to rebook their stay, which costs all of $16,800 for the 21-day quarantine.

“Marami din daw nagpa rebook dahil nagkaproblema katulad ko,” said G. “Nag-suggest pa nga ang hotel na sa Cebu ako manggaling dahil hindi daw masyadong mahigpit doon.” (They said a lot of people have asked to be rebooked because they encountered problems during check-in like me. They even suggested I fly out from Cebu because the airline staff there are not as strict).

Tired, angry and despondent, the three decided to spend the night together, thanks to the generosity of G’s employer who allowed them to stay in her place, as upset as she was about how the workers were treated.

Today, they contacted various groups that could help them, including the recruitment agencies helping the two. G’s employer, on the other hand, got Immigration to put in writing that the worker, as resident, should be allowed entry because her visa is valid until Sept 16.

They all plan to rebook flights to Hong Kong within the next few days, knowing full well that being stuck in the Philippines with an expired visa would give them a bigger headache.

Unknown to them, Immigration has given assurance to a group of employment agencies in Hong Kong that all expired or expiring visas of incoming workers would be extended within just a week.

Part of a letter sent to Thomas Chan, chair of the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies reads:  “For those FDHs whose entry visa is expired or going to expire prior to their intended arrival in Hong Kong, Immigration Department will apply due flexibility in processing applications for re-issuance of visas to facilitate their timely arrival in Hong Kong.”

Chan said Immigration has been true to its promise, after being told that about 30% of all stranded workers in the Philippines and Indonesia have visas that will expire days before their 21-day hotel stay ends.

"Before Immigration didn't want to accept applications for extension if the visa is still valid, but now they have accepted my suggestion to renew visas one month before they expire," said Chan.

Had Immigration communicated this as clearly to all affected workers and employers, Filipinos who have struggled for months to clear all hurdles in coming or returning to their jobs in Hong Kong would have been spared further despair.

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Employer who falsely accused DH of theft files counter-claim

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Narcelles was jailed a year ago for a crime she did not commit it   

The employer who failed to make a theft charge stick against her former domestic worker has told the Labour Tribunal that she will fight the remaining $6,000 labour claim against her by the helper, representing a month’s salary in lieu of notice.

Appearing before the tribunal Tuesday, Chua Eh-fong insisted that she did not dismiss Filipina domestic worker Liverty Narcelles, so she should not be ordered to pay the claim.

After Chua said she was ready to go to trial for the disputed amount, Presiding Officer Eleanor Yeung said she should first pay Narcelles $3,377.79, representing the settled items in her claim within 14 days.

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Narcelles was left jobless on Sept 9 last year after Chua called the police and accused the helper of stealing a ring she valued at $120,000. The helper was acquitted of the theft charge in January this year, but only after she had spent more than four months in jail.

Since then, Narcelles has remained unemployed while she pursues a labor claim against her wealthy former employer, who is a well-known Hong Kong socialite.

Despite getting the helper arrested, Chua insisted she did not cause the termination of their contract, so she was filing a $6,000 counterclaim for salary in lieu.

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“I’m not here for the $6,000. I’m here to fight for all employers of domestic helpers. I’m not doing it for money but for the benefit of all the employers of domestic helpers,” she declared.

Chua upped the ante by accusing Narcelles of receiving a commission from the employment agent out of the money the accuser had paid the agency to hire the helper.

Presiding officer Eleanor Yeung replied it must be the other way around, that it’s the worker who pays commission to the agency. But Chua insisted Narcelles got a commission from the agent.

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The presiding officer said “it’s miracle” and ordered Chua to produce evidence to back her accusation.

The defendant submitted additional evidence, including an exchange of SMS messages with a man named “Michael”. But this backfired as she said in one message that she was worried the helper would steal from her so she would ask her to leave immediately.

On questioning by Yeung, Chua replied it was just a “typo” and was not meant to let Narcelles leave immediately.

“There is a great difference between a typo and an allegation,” the officer said, before asking what the helper had stolen.

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Chua replied that the helper stole a diamond ring worth $100,000. She said instead of calling the police, she called the agency, which called the police.

Yeung said she was aware there was a trial in the magistracy and the helper was acquitted. She scolded Chua for bringing up the case again when Narcelles was already cleared after trial.

The presiding officer said Chua seemed to be making a lot of allegations against the helper and wasting court time. She said the case was simply about whether Chua fired the claimant without notice, or whether Narcelles left without a month’s notice.

Chua still insists it was Narcelles who terminated their contract

Yeung said if the two parties could settle the remaining item out of court, they would save a lot of time without going to trial.

But Chua insisted she was prepared for a trial, and would call two witnesses, her friend Michael and a chef in her house who can prove Narcelles had stopped working and was just tinkering with her cellphone to provoke her to fire her.   

Yeung set the trial for May 10-12 and told Chua to make a supplementary statement and a witness statement and send these to the tribunal and Narcelles via registered post by Oct 5. She said Chua must ask her witnesses to do the same by Oct 5.

The presiding officer also instructed Narcelles to reply to the supplementary statements and send it to the tribunal and to Chua by Nov 2.

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