Penny’s Bay out, Regala hotel in, for FDH quarantine

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Penny's Bay will stop taking in FDHs for quarantine starting Monday

From Monday, the Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre will no longer accommodate foreign domestic helpers coming to Hong Kong from overseas.

Instead, the Regala Skycity Hotel on Lantau will be added to the list of quarantine facilities for FDHs from next month. Booking for the 1,138 rooms at the hotel will open this coming Friday, Dec 31.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The two other designated quarantine hotels for helpers are Rambler Garden Hotel in Tsing Yi and Courtyard by Marriott in Shatin.

According to a government statement, the rooms at Penny’s Bay will be reserved for its response to the rapidly increasing number of Omicron cases coming from abroad.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Currently, travelers arriving from countries where Omicron has been detected, including most countries in Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom, must spend the first four days of their 21-day quarantine at Penny’s Bay before they are moved to a hotel of their choice.

All helpers who are due to remain in quarantine at Penny's Bay on or after Jan 5 will be transferred to the Regala in phases starting Jan 1 , the government said.

Pindutin para sa latest Winners!

Those who have already booked places at Penny's Bay and are due to check in before Jan 1 will be moved to Regala in phases. Those who are due to move into Penny's Bay after Jan 1 will be taken directly to Regala on arrival in Hong Kong.

Officials added that they were in discussions with a fourth hotel for it to be designated as a quarantine facility for helpers.

Press for details

Earlier, Secretary for Health Sophia Chan visited Penny’s Bay to check on preparations being made there in tackling the emerging threat from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

She received a briefing from various government departments on the current operation of the facility, including the number of available units, latest occupancy rate, and the enhancement of cleaning operations so as to increase the turnover rate of the rooms.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Chan said the number of Omicron cases in Hong Kong has been on the rise, citing figures from the Centre for Health Protection showing that over 90 percent of confirmed patients recorded on Dec 26 and 27 carried the highly transmissible variant.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!

Filipino DH charged with wounding after punch left his girlfriend comatose

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The Filipina remains in coma at Eastern Hospital a week after the alleged assault

A Filipina domestic helper has been fighting for her life in hospital for the past week, after she was allegedly punched by her boyfriend who is also a Filipino, at a boarding house on Stone Nullah Lane in Wanchai on Dec 22.

According to the police, the 37-year-old Filipina was taken to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wanchai in the evening of Dec 23, nearly 24 hours after she was assaulted by her 42-year-old Filipino boyfriend who is also a domestic helper.

Police said the alleged assailant, identified by the couple’s mutual friends as “Bernie”, was arrested at 9:16pm of Dec 23 after he took his unconscious girlfriend to hospital.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

He was reportedly detained before being taken to Eastern Magistracy on Dec 25 where he was charged with wounding. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Feb 7.

The alleged victim, meanwhile, was transferred to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital after she was diagnosed with brain hemorrhage, and was operated on. But she has yet to regain consciousness.

Friends and family members are seeking justice for the Filipina, said to hail from Isabela, who they said was at the boarding house while waiting for her new employment visa to be released.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

They also want to get more information about the incident, especially as to the reason why it took the boyfriend a full day after the assault (which he has reportedly confessed to) before deciding to take the woman to the hospital.

They initially contacted their provincemate, Marites Palma of Social Justice for Migrant Workers, to seek help in relaying their concern to the Consulate.

According to a Filipina domestic worker who introduced herself to The SUN as the victim’s best friend, Bernie had called her up on Wednesday night to say sorry as he had hurt her friend.

Pindutin para sa latest Winners!

The informant also shared a photo showing the victim with a bruised face as she lay motionless on a bed in the boarding house. She recalled being told that her friend had lost consciousness after the alleged assault.

Victim's friend shared this photo showing the victim with a bruised face 

“Sa pagkakaalam ko po pangatlong beses na away nila yan, pero yan ang pinaka grabe. Yung boardmates pa ang nagsabi sa lalaki na itakbo na sa hospital ang kaibigan ko kasi nga hindi na nagigising at nakaihi na sa higaan,” she said.

(As far as I know that was the third time the couple had quarreled, but that was the worst incident. The boardmates had to tell the man to rush my friend to hospital as she remained unconscious even after peeing on the bed).

Press for details

She is asking for help to make sure the police get to hear the full story of what had happened, and for the authorities to give her friend justice.

Meanwhile, a sister of the victim who is in the Philippines, is asking if it’s possible for someone in her family to come to Hong Kong and check on the condition of the victim. 

She is also asking for help in retrieving her sister’s belongings from the boarding house, particularly her HKID, as the hospital reportedly wants to verify her personal details.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The Consulate, through the assistance to nationals section, has promised to extend help. 

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!

PCG seeks official confirmation of reports that missing Filipina flew to Poland

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Hinaloc (left) with a friend in photo taken last year

A Filipina domestic helper who was reported by police as missing a week ago is likely to have gone to work in Poland, unconfirmed information from her friends indicate.

Police said that so far they have no update on the whereabouts of the worker, Gemma Baflor Hinaloc, who went missing after leaving the home of her employer on Lyttleton Road, Mid-Levels on Dec 19.

Two days after the police appealed for information on the woman, some people posted on social media that Hinaloc was already in Poland. At least one Filipina worker said they were spending quarantine together in Poland.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Another worker, a long-time acquaintance, said the missing woman reportedly treated one of her friends to a farewell lunch before slipping away.

Consulate officers have reportedly sought Immigration’s confirmation of reports that the woman had left Hong Kong, but were told that the official answer would be coursed through the police.

“It was the Hong Kong police who issued the appeal for information on the missing person, so, if the Immigration confirms she has indeed left Hong Kong, then it will be the police who will issue another statement saying she has already left,” a PCG officer said. 

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

One of Hinaloc’s acquaintances, the founder of a Guardians chapter in Yuen Long where the missing Filipina used to be a member, told The SUN the worker could now be in Poland. She said this was what she was told by a chapter member who was with the helper on Dec 19.

“Isa sa mga member ko ang nagsabi na kasama nya ang dating chapter treasurer ko noong Sunday at kumain pa raw cla na parang farewell lunch, at sinabi rin ng treasurer ko sa member ko na nasa Poland na nga po raw si Gemma,” said the informant.

(One of my members said that she was with my former chapter treasurer last Sunday [Dec 19] and that they had what was like a farewell lunch, and my treasurer told my member that Gemma is now in Poland.)

Pindutin para sa latest Winners!

The informant said Hinaloc had been telling her friends she was applying for a job either in Canada or Malta.

But her disappearance, which was reported by her employer to the police, surprised many of her friends and acquaintances. Some said she should have informed the employer, so as not to place other Filipino workers in a bad light.

Welfare Officer Virsie Tamayao said she tried to call the worker’s relatives in Bohol after reading the appeal for information on Hinaloc’s whereabouts issued by the police, but they were not answering the phone. She said she also left a text message, but got no reply.

Press for details

Tamayao said according to information that she had gathered, the helper had served the employer since 2015 and that she had already received her long service pay.

People at the Consulate said it’s rather strange that in this case a person was reported missing and none from her relatives or friends has come forward to express concern about what might have happened to her.

Pindutin para sa detalye

As of now, it seems only Immigration could say for sure whether Hinaloc has left Hong Kong. Alternatively, the runaway Filipina herself could announce wherever she may be now to spare people from wondering or worrying about her condition.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!

6 new Covid-19 cases reported, including 2 air crew

By The SUN 

Air crew staff are allowed to go home if they test negative on arrival at HK airport (file)

Health officials have reported six additional confirmed cases of Covid-19, including two Cathay Pacific air cargo staff who were allowed to skip quarantine after testing negative on arrival at Hong Kong airport.

Another air crew staff who had been in contact with one of the confirmed patients, tested preliminary positive for the coronavirus today, Dec 28.

The new infections prompted the Centre for Health Protection to announce that air cargo crew will now be required to undergo three days of hotel quarantine when they fly into Hong Kong.

Five of today’s confirmed cases carried the N501Y mutant strain, indicating they are likely carriers of the Omicron variant, while the test result of one is still pending.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Including today’s cases, Hong Kong’s Covid-19 tally has reached 12,605, including one probable case.

The two male air crew who both tested positive for Covid-19 arrived from the United States via Cathay Pacific flights.

Case 12609, who is 45 years old, left Hong Kong for the US on Dec 21 and arrived on Dec 24 via CX841. He tested negative on arrival, so was allowed to go home to Discovery Bay. He developed symptoms on Dec 26 and tested positive for Covid-19 on the same day.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Case 12610 who is 46, left Hong Kong for the US on Dec 23. On his return to Hong Kong on Dec 25 by flight CX843, he tested negative on his arrival test, and proceeded to go home to Shek Tong Shui. He remained asymptomatic, but his specimen collected at a community testing centre on Dec 27 tested positive for Covid-19.

Another air crew member with links to Case 12609 has tested preliminary positive for coronavirus with the mutant strain, according to CHP.

The 44-year-old male patient who lives at Tower 1 of The SeaCrest in Tuen Mun, left Hong Kong for the US on Dec 22. He returned on Dec 25 aboard flight CX2807, and his specimen collected at the airport tested negative.

Tower 1 of The SeaCrest wil be put under compulsory testing notice

While remaining asymptomatic, his sample collected at a CTC yesterday tested preliminary positive for Covid-19 with the N501Y and T478K mutant strains. Investigations revealed he and 12609 had met at his residence on Dec 25.

Pindutin para sa latest Winners!

As all three patients tested positive for mutant strains, their places of residence and the places they had visited will be put under compulsory testing notice.

According to current regulations, all persons under a CTN will be subject to further Covid-19 tests at designated dates and are required to undergo self-monitoring until the 21st day (see the details of the buildings and dates of testing at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/CTN_Specified_premises_and_Dates_of_Testing.pdf

Meanwhile, two other patients today tested positive on arrival at the airport. The two who are both males aged 39 and 16, took the same CX881 flight from the US and arrived on Dec 26.

Press for details

Two others were both in quarantine at Penny’s Bay when they tested positive.

One is a 51-year-old man who came from Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates and was moved to PBQC after being tagged as close contact of a previously confirmed patient.

The second is a 61-year-old man who flew in from the UK aboard CX216 on Dec 25 and went straight to PBQC in line with regulations.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The CHP also reminded everyone covered by a CTN on the following places that they must undergo testing by tomorrow, Dec 29:

Tower 2, Wing Fai Centre, 2-10 Luen Chit Street, Fanling

36B Tai Mei Tuk Village (except G/F), Tai Po

Tower 3, The Visionary, 1 Ying Hong Street, Tung Chung

Tower 7, Park Avenue, 18 Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kok Tsui

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!

Arrest order issued for overstaying Filipina DH convicted of money laundering

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Vargas is said to have posted this photo to taunt bashers before she was arrested for money laundering 

A magistrate in Eastern Court ordered today, Dec 28, the arrest of a Filipina domestic helper who did not show up for the continuation of the hearing of her overstaying case.

Kris Hope Vargas, 32, had just ended serving a six-month jail term for money laundering when she was allowed to post bail for the overstaying case.

Magistrate Jason Wan ordered the cancellation Vof argas’ bail and told the prosecution to summon her for the next hearing on Jan 18 in the same court.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Vargas was arrested on Nov 20 last year outside Chung King Mansion in Tsim Sha Tsui  and was charged with money laundering. She remained in custody until she pleaded guilty to the charge on Jun 7.

The court began hearing Vargas’ overstaying case on Jul 9. She returned to the court in mid-October for another mention of her case, during which she was allowed bail. But the prosecution sought an adjournment until today for legal advice and further investigation.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

After her arrest, Vargas was found to have stayed illegally in Hong Kong after she was prematurely dismissed by her employer in March 2020. She went underground after failing to find a new employer.

But far from being distressed by her situation, Vargas appeared to have made several posts on Facebook to taunt her bashers. In one post which was shared by her Facebook friends, she posted a copy of her passport and called herself a “certified overstayer.”

In a post accompanying this photo, Vargas supposedly called herself 'certified overstayer'

She also teased her haters by showing thousands of dollars that she had just withdrawn from her bank account.

Pindutin para sa latest Winners!

During her trial for the money laundering charge, prosecution said Vargas had used her Hang Seng Bank account for multiple deposits and withdrawals totaling $694,056 between Apr 15, 2019 and August 2020.

The money was said to have been conned from romance scam victims by unknown people and was traced to her Hang Seng account.

Press for details

At first, Vargas said through her court-designated lawyer that she had lost her ATN card and didn’t realize it had been used by scammers to launder money.

But she decided to plead guilty just before her trial was due to begin and was sentenced to six months in jail by Magistrate Edward Wong.

Pindutin para sa detalye

At the time, Vargas was not asked to enter her plea to the second charge, overstaying, as the defense lawyer said Immigration has yet to complete its investigation.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!

HK allows further extension of FDH contracts

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Expiring FDH contracts may be extended for 6 months, and home leaves may be cancelled anew

The government has again granted a six-month extension to all foreign domestic helper contracts that are expiring on or before Mar 31, 2022, suggesting that travel restrictions imposed due to the continuing threat from the coronavirus are not likely to ease soon.

This is the second time that the government has allowed a six-month extension to all expiring FDH contracts. On Sept. 28, it allowed the same length of extension to all contracts ending on Dec 31, 2021. But on Jun 28, the extension given was only for three months.

As before, the new rule announced today was hinged on the condition that both the employer and the worker agree to the extension.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The government also warned that no further extension will be allowed after the six-month period has been used up.

“If arrangements cannot be made for a newly hired FDH to come to Hong Kong within the above-mentioned six-month extended period and the employer needs to continue to employ his/her FDH beyond the six-month extended period, the employer should consider applying for contract renewal with the existing FDH.”

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Today’s announcement also reinforced a departure from the previous policy of requiring FDHs to return to their place of origin after finishing a two-year contract, with an extension being allowed for a maximum of one year.

In the press release, the government again said that subject to the agreement of both parties, FDHs who are still unable to return to their place of origin within the one-year extension may apply to further extend the limit of stay until the end of their contracts.

Pindutin para sa latest Winners!

Implicit is the consequence of the contract being terminated by either party if they cannot agree on whether the worker should serve out the remaining period without leaving Hong Kong, or return home.

Other issues remain unresolved, including whether employers are obliged to pay for the worker’s unused annual leave and air fare for the home leave they wouldn’t be taking, at the end of each contract.

Contract or visa extension applications may be made at Imm Dept within 8 weeks before expiry 

For both the six-month extension or contract renewal with the same employer, applications may be made with the Immigration Department within eight weeks before the expiration of the existing contract, said the government.

In the past year, thousands of Hong Kong-bound FDHs, especially those coming from the Philippines, have been stranded by tightened travel restrictions made worse by a complete ban on passenger flights from Manila between April and August.

Press for details

Even after the lifting of the ban, most FDHs are still struggling to come to Hong Kong because of the limited number of places allocated for them at government-designated quarantine facilities.

The government said in its statement today that the new measures are being taken to assist FDHs and their employers to cope with the pandemic.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Those who wish to enquire about employment rights and benefits of FDHs may call Labour’s hotline at 2157 9537 (manned by 1823) or by email to fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk. The dedicated FDH Portal (www.fdh.labour.gov.hk) set up by the LD also provides information and useful links relating to the employment of FDHs.

For enquiries on FDH visa applications, contact the Immigration Department’s enquiry hotline at 2824 6111 or by sending an email to enquiry@immd.gov.hk.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!