Iba’t ibang mukha ng flight ban

Ni Leo A. Deocadiz 

Flight crew na naghihintay ng kanilang assignment sa airport.

Ang pagsuspinde ng mga flight mula sa Pilipinas simula noong Jan. 8 dahil sa pagtaas ng kaso ng Covid-19 ay isang matinding dagok sa mga matagal nang naghihintay na makalipad papuntang Hong Kong.

Kung noon ay naging problema nila ang pagbo-book ng hotel para sa quarantine, ngayon ay wala naman silang masakyang eroplano. Kung kailan lang ay napasaya sila ng balitang nagpaplano ang gobyerno ng Hong Kong na dagdagan ang quarantine hotel na matitirhan ng mga bagong saltang foreign domestic helper, ngayon ay ni walang kasiguruhan na dalawang linggo lang talaga ang tigil-biyahe at aalisin na ito sa Jan 22.

Ang Pilipinas ay isa sa walong bansa na pinagsarhan ng pinto ng Hong Kong dahil sa pagkalat ng bagong variant ng Covid-19, ang Omicron. Ang pito pang bansang kasama rito ay Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, United Kingdom at United States.

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Ang pinakamatinding dagok mula sa flight ban ay tinamo ng ilang OFW na paalis na sana papunta ng Hong Kong. Hindi lang sila naantala, nagbabanta pang masayang ang kanilang pinagdinaanang hirap habang naghihintay sa Pilipinas na umabot na ng taon.

Ito ay sa harap ng lumulobong utang na pinasukan nila upang matustusan ang kanilang pagluwas-luwas sa Maynila, pagkuha ng mga papeles na kailangan sa pagtatrabaho sa ibang bansa at mga pagsasanay na kinailangan nilang pagdaanan.

Inimbita namin ang ilang mambabasa ng The SUN upang iIahad ang kanilang pinag-daanan, at ilan sa aming natanggap ay narito.

Mercedita: Stranded pagkatapos ng bakasyon

Tatlong linggo lang sana ang bakasyon ni Mercedita G. Cuaresma nang umalis siya ng Hong Kong noong Apr 7, 2021. Nakaayos na lahat sa pagbalik niya noong May 2:  naka-book na siya sa Ramada hotel para sa quarantine, at may ticket na siya sa eroplano.

Pero nag-ban ang Hong Kong ng mga flight galing sa Pilipinas noong April 20. Simula noon ay hindi pa siya nakababalik. Dahil nabakunahan siya sa Pilipinas, hindi siya pwedeng mag-book sa hotel gaya ng mga pabalik sa Hong Kong at dito na rin nabakunahan. Kaya ang malaking balakid sa kanya ay ang kakaunting kwarto sa mga tinaguriang designated quarantine hotel para sa mga bagong saltang FDH.

Ito ang kanyang kwento:

“Simula noong April 20, hirap si amo ko na mag-book ng hotel. Lagi daw failed, try again dahil every Monday lang pwedeng mag-book. Try lagi si amo, pero ganun pa rin. Gusto na niya akong makabalik dahil ang tatay niya na alaga ko ay 92 yrs old na.

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“Dahil ang sabi nila ay sa mga agency lahat napupunta ang slot ng hotel, sinabi ko kay amo. Kahit hindi pa na-refund ang bayad niya sa Ramada hotel, pumayag siya na agency ang mag book. Agad naman akong nai-book ng agency matapos ng ilang buwan kong pag-aantay. Ang flight ko sana ay sa January 13. Kaso nag-ban ulit ang Hong Kong.

“Sana ay hindi na lumawig pa ang flight ban para makabalik na rin ako. Kawawa na ang alaga kong matanda. Inaantay pa rin niya ako. Siyam na buwan na ako dito sa Pilipinas.

Mailyn: Pagtupad sa pangarap

Para naman kay Mailyn Lugan ng General Santos City, isang single mom na may dalawang anak, noon pa man ay pangarap na niyang makapagtrabaho sa Hong Kong. Kaya nang umuwi siya mula sa Saudi Arabia noong 2020, agad siyang nag-apply papuntang Hong Kong.  At dito siya nasuong sa matinding pagsubok.

“Nag apply ako sa Kings Manpower Services Gensan Branch noong Sept 30, 2020 pero ayaw tanggapin ang NCII (o National Certificate II for Domestic Work) ko kahit ex-abroad ako. Pinilit akong mag-training muli kasi daw, iba ang culture ng mga Chinese.

“Ako naman na walang alam sa kalakaran tinanggap yong offer ng agency na training center, Philworks Training Center sa Malate, Manila. Wala akong kapera-pera na din pero pinilit ako ng agency kasi rush daw ako, sabi ng employer ko. Php32,000 ang full payment sa training center, Php10k downpayment para makasali ka sa online class.

“Humiram ako sa ate ko para lang makasali sa online class. Noong Feb. 15, 2021, need na daw namin lahat mag face-to-face at maghanda na ng pambayad. Hirap man dahil sarili naming gastos ang tiket sa airlines at allowance, kampante naman ako kasi sabi ng agency 3 to 4 days lang daw kami mag-stay sa Manila pagkatapos ng 12 days sa training center.

“Dahil kampanteng makakaalis after training, umutang ako sa isang coop sa lugar namin ng Php40,000 kasama na allowance ko at ticket. May tubo itong 12 percent.

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“Dumating ako ng Feb 13, 2021 sa Manila para sa face to face pero biglang na-cancel kasi kailangan daw mag-disinfect ng training center kaya naging Feb 20 ang simula. Nakikitira lang ako noon sa malayong kamag-anak.

“Mula Feb 20, ipinakita sa amin kung paano mag-linis, mag-mop, magluto ng Chinese foods para makakuha ng NCII domestic work certificate mula sa Tesda (Technical Education And Skills Development Authority). Nang matatapos na kami sa training noong  March,  bigla na lang nag-lockdown sa NCR at nagsara ang Tesda.

“Agad naman may nag-offer na kung gusto namin, may isa daw taga-Tesda na tutulong. Bayad lang daw kami ng P4,000 para makakuha ng NCII. Kami naman, umutang kami ulit. Desperado nang makaalis dahil din sa utang naming lumulobo.

“Siningil niya kami ng Php4,000 plus Php1,000 para sa antigen test para makapag-assessment kami in 2 to 3 days daw sa Pampanga. Month of May noon, wala pa rin nangyare. Pina-stay nya kami sa training center niya hanggang dinala kami sa bahay niya sa Taguig City. Isang buwan na wala pa rin nangyari, tagalinis kami ng bahay nya, pinalinis kami ng tindahan nya at lagi syang wala at panay sabi na maghintay lang.

“Nag-offer na naman siya ng Php2,000 sa amin para pang gas at bayad sa van papuntang Baguio para doon makahanap ng Tesda na bukas. Umayaw na kami at umalis sa poder nya. Sa Php5,000 na ibinayad namin sa knya, Php2,000 lang ang ibinalik sa amin dahil nag-stay daw kami sa bahay niya at dapat magbayad sa  tubig at kuryente .

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Ako at mga kasamahan ko ay pumunta sa Cebu City para makakuha ng assessment at magkaron ng NCII. Doon na namin nalaman na pinagloloko lang kami ng agency namin. Ang mga taga-Tesda na mismo ang nagsabi na kapag ex-abroad, hindi na kailangan ng training. Ipakita lang ang passport na may visa.

Ang sakit isipin na Php32,000 ang nasayang namin sa training center para mkakuha ng NCII. 

End of May, nakakuha na kami ng NCII domestic work certificate at bumalik na ng Manila para ipasa sa agency ang original copy at makapag-OWWA na rin. Ako at aking mga kasama ay kumuha ng apartment.

Sad to say, nag-ban ang Hong Kong noong June. Noong August naman, nag announce ang HK na kailangan ng vaccination card (yellow card) kaya pumila kami ng madaling araw para magpabakuna kahit puyat, may ulan at baha hanggang tuhod. Sa huli, naubusan kami ng bakuna dahil sa haba ng pila. Kaya pumila ulit kami kinabukasan.

Positive thoughts na lang meron kami at lakas ng loob na in the end, makakaalis din kami.

Wala na kaming pambayad ng apartment namin, nagkakasakit na kami -- ubo, trangkaso, pero awa ni God hindi kami nagka-Covid.

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Sinasadya naming gumising ng tanghali para late ang almusal, kaya sa 1pm ay kape’t tinapay. Pagdating ng 5pm, bibili kami ng kanin para hapunan. Kung hindi kami manginig sa gutom hindi kami bibili ng pagkain para lang makatipid. Wala kaming lutuan at gamit. Hindi na kami bumili kasi akala namin makakaalis din kami agad-agad.

Ang ilan sa kasamahan ko ay umalis na ng apartment. Wala na daw budget.  Kahit ako din, kaya naghiwa-hiwalay na kami. Nakikituloy ako ngayon sa malayong kamag-anak ko sa Taguig. Dito na ako nakakuha ng vaccine at yellow card na tanggap sa Hong Kong. Dahil pahirapan kumuha ng kwarto sa quarantine hotel, nag-expire ang visa ko na hindi nakakaalis.

Nakakaiyak , nakakadepress , nakakawala ng pag asa ang hirap na dinanas namin, at ngayon may ban ulit ang Hong Kong, kaya hindi pa rin kami nakaalis.

Wala na akong pamasahe pauwing probinsya. Kung uuwi man ako, natatakot akong humarap sa mga taong pinagkakautangan ko. Iyong utang kong Php40,000, naging PhpP139,000 na. Saan ako kukuha ng lakas ng loob na mag-explain sa kanila?

Ngayon ay 6 pesos na lang ang pera ko. Kahit ang pamilya ko, ang kapatid ko, wala daw silang pera para ipadala sa akin dito. Nahihiya ako dito sa tinutuluyan ko wala akong naiambag, wala akong naibigay 2 months na, pabigat na ako sa buhay. Wala din akong maibigay sa mga anak ko 

Sana bigyan pansin ng gobyerno iyong mga agency sa Pilipinas na doble-doble kung makasingil sa amin. At sana hindi na muna sila mag-hiring ulit ng panibagong FDW habang hindi pa nakakaalis iyong mga na-stranded.

Wennie: Todo suporta ang employer

Isa sa matagal nang naghihintay ay si Wennie Chavez ng Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, na noong November 2019 pa nag-apply bilang FDH sa Hong Kong. Tumagal ang proseso dahil anim na oras ang biyahe papuntang Bacolod, kung saan kinukuha ang mga kailangan nyang papeles. Inabutan din siya ng lockdown dulot ng Covid-19 sa kanilang lugar, kaya naging mahirap lumuwas at nadoble pa ang pamasahe kung payagan mang makaalis.

Ang ipinagpapasalamat ni Wennie ay nakakuha siya ng employer sa Hong Kong na hindi bumibitaw simula pa noong 2020, at suportado siya hanggang ngayon. Noong nanalanta ang bagyong Odette at nagiba ang kanilang bahay, nagpadala pa ito ng ayuda. “Kahit hindi pa kami nagkikita nang personal, nasalba na niya ang aking pamilya,” ika ni Wennie.

Magkatuwang silang mag-amo sa pagbo-book ng quarantine hotel, pero hindi sila pinalad hanggang isinara sa mga FDH ang Penny’s Bay.

“Nang mag-open ang bagong hotel nitong January, na nai-post ng The Sun Hong Kong, ang saya ko. Ini-screen shot ko, sabay send kay madam at sa awa ng Diyos, nai-book ako at may flight schedule pa,” dagdag niya. Nakatakda pa siyang mag-birthday sa quarantine sa February 14.

 “Pero nang mabasa ko ang flight ban, halos maupos ako na kandila at sabay chat kay madam. Pasalamat ako sa mga amo ko kasi, kung pinanghihinaan ako ng loob, lagi nilang sinasabi na huwag akong mag-alala kasi hinihintay nila ako,” ika ni Wennie. “Ang panalangin ko na lang, at lagi kong iniiyak, ay alisin na ang flight ban bago ang lipad ko sa February 7 kasi lubog na lubog na ako sa utang at interest.”

Charloth: Kahihiyan dahil hindi makaalis

Inilahad naman ni Charloth Alexis Andal Averion, 33, ng Alaminos, Laguna, ang kahihiyang inabot niya, dahil sa gastos -- na ipinangutang niya -- simula nang mag-apply siya papuntang Hong Kong noong January 2021.

“Sa first medical ko, ang binayaran ko ay Php5,800. Nakapasa naman ako sa medical at na hire noong January 18. Agad ako nag-training sa Tesda ng 14 days, na nagkakahalaga ng Php28,500. Mahirap ang pinagdaanan ko sa training pero madami naman akong natutunan.

“Lumabas ang unang visa ko nung March. Kailangan ng rapid test para gamitin sa pag-OWWA, pero ako ay reactive kaya pinaulit ko noong araw din na iyon sa halagang Php1,700. Nang nakapasa ako sa OWWA, nag final medical naman ako, another P5,800 ulit.

“Aalis na dapat ako noong April 13, pero nagka-ban (sa flights papuntang Hong kong). Tinawagan ako ng agency, aalis na daw ako ng June, pero banned pa rin. Tinawagan ulit ako para magpa-medical noong September, aalis na daw, wala naman.

“Hangang sa ngayon, yung pinaka-aantay kong hotel at tiket para makaalis ng Jan. 7, 2022 ay inabutan ng bagong flight ban.

“Alam ko na hindi madali ang mag-abroad kasi napakalaki ng mga gastos ko at napakalaki ng mga pagkakautang ko sa sobrang dami ng pagpapa-medical test na ginawa sa akin. Kailangan na naman gumastos sa medical test bago makapag-trabaho.

“Nabubuhay na lang ako sa pa-extra-extra. Depression ang dinadanas ko ngayon dahil sa mga pinagkakautangan ko, at sa mga salita na natatanggap ko sa ibang tao na peke ang agency ko at hindi naman tunay na aalis pa Hong Kong. Parang ayaw ko na umuwi sa amin dahil sa kahihiyan.

Naiisipan ko na lang na mag-apply sa iba na walang gastos gaya sa Saudi. Naglalaro naman sa isip ko ang paano naman ang mga nagastos ko, paano kung biglang magka-flight.

Puro pambu-bully ang inaabot ko sa mga kamag-anak at kapitbahay ko dahil sa mga nangyari.

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Philippines posts new daily high of 33,169 Covid-19 cases

 By The SUN 

Soldiers check vaccination records of bus passengers as Covid-19 cases continue to spike

The Philippines has reported 33,169 new coronavirus infections on Monday, Jan. 10, the highest since the country recorded its first case in March 2021.

It topped Sunday’s record figure of 28,707 cases. Before this, the highest daily tally was recorded on Sept 9, 2021, when 27,887 cases were logged.

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Testing results from ten other laboratories were not submitted on time and were thus not included in the latest daily report.

Officials say they assume the surge is being fueled by the new and highly transmissible coronavirus variant, Omicron.

The new cases took the country’s total Covid-19 tally to 2,998,530. Of these, 5.3% or 157,526 remain active or are currently sick.

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Meanwhile, recoveries rose by 3,725 for a total of 2,788,711.

The positivity rate also rose to 46%, meaning nearly five people in 10 can be infected by every person who has the virus. The figure was based on data from 73,234 people who were tested on Saturday, according to the Department of Health.

But according to pandemic monitoring group OCTA, the positivity rate in the National Capital Region where the bulk of new cases were reported, rose to a record high of 50.5% on Jan. 7.

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This was more than 10x higher than the 5% that the World Health Organization considers as safe.

Demand for medical oxygen is on the rise as more infected people choose to isolate at home

Some good news may be in store, however. Octa’s research fellow Dr. Guido David said on Twitter that DOH figures showed the rate of increase could be slowing down.

“If the increase in positivity rate is slowing down, then the peak in the NCR might occur within the week. Let us hope that is the case,” he said.

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DOH figures showed 18,535 or 56 percent of the new infections were recorded in Metro Manila. Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Central Luzon also reported spikes in the number of new cases.

Officials at One Hospital Command Hospital, which takes care of referring sick people to hospitals in Metro Manila, said they have been swamped with more than 1,000 calls per day.

Last month, before the Omicron-fueled surge began, an average of 150 to 200 calls were made to the referral hotline.

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Some experts have called for increased restrictions amid the mounting number of cases which have afflicted even hospital and other health workers.

But officials said Monday that there is still no need to raise the alert to the fourth level, the second highest in the five-step alert system.

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Walk-in jabs now exclusive to those 60 and above

By The SUN 

Elderly people are now the only ones allowed to walk in for a vaccine jab 

Only people 60 years old above will be allowed to walk in for Covid-19 vaccines starting tomorrow, Civil Service Secretary Patrick Nip said today, Jan. 10.

Nip, who runs the vaccination campaign of the government, told a radio program that he was glad to see more people getting jabbed, but the government has to make the change to make things easier for the elderly, according to RTHK.

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"Due to the recent situation, we want to make it convenient for elderly people, because some of them don't know how to make a booking [online] and they need to walk in," he added.

All others who are eligible to get a Covid-19 vaccine will now be required to book their places in Community Vaccination Centers (CVCs) through the vaccination website: https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/.

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Anyone who wanted to get a vaccine was earlier allowed to line up for same-day tickets in a bid to boost the city’s vaccination rate.

Nip said more vaccination centers will be put up and more staff will be hired to enable them to handle the increase in people seeking the jabs.

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He said the government was returning to the old booking system because of the long lines that have built up at the vaccination centers in the wake of a rise in local cases of the Omicron variant, and a new policy requiring people to have had at least one vaccine shot to be able to enter restaurants starting Feb. 24.

Hong Kong’s vaccination program has been going on for 319 days and so far, 10.3 million doses have been administered, according to figures posted by the government.

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At least 5.03 million of these vaccinations were first dose, which represents 74.7% of Hong Kong residents qualified to take the vaccine.

 

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HK shortens quarantine of local close contacts to 14 days

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Quarantine for local cases is being shortened because Penny's Bay is running out of space

Health officials have announced that from today, Jan. 10, the quarantine period for close contacts of locally acquired cases of Covid-19 will be shortened to 14 days, from the previous 21 days.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said in today’s press briefing that the decision was reached after experts noticed that the Omicron has a much shorter incubation period than previously identified variants, particularly Delta.

Omicron infections show up within days, and rarely, if ever, take 14 days before being detected, said Chuang.

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Another factor was that because of a recent surge in the number of people testing positive within the community, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of close contacts that need to be moved to quarantine centers.

Among this was the cluster of cases detected from the birthday party on Jan 3 of Whitman Hung, a delegate to the National People’s Congress. Chuang said it is now known that at least 214 people had been to the gathering, and 104 of those identified as close contacts have been sent to Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre, including top government officials.

As of this morning about 900 units were shown to be available at Penny’s Bay, but Chuang said that some 800 people were waiting to enter the quarantine facility. This means there may not soon be enough space for all those who need to be moved there.

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But she said in response to queries that the government has no similar plans to reduce the quarantine period for those coming from overseas, most of whom are required to spend 21 days in isolation.

Currently local close contacts of cases with mutant strains are required to spend 21 days in quarantine, counting from the last day of exposure.

While this has been cut to 14 days from today, the close contacts will continue to be tested frequently while in quarantine, and after release, must still observe seven days of self-monitoring. They should also submit themselves to compulsory testing on day 19 after their last day of exposure to the local case.

Chuang also reported 24 newly confirmed cases of Covid-19, of which 19 were imported and five are locally acquired, with one of them untraceable.

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She mentioned seven preliminary linked positive cases, including two relatives of a 3-year-old who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 which he acquired from a dance cluster in the Causeway Bay area.

The two preliminary cases, a 36-year-old female and a 38-year-old male, went strawberry picking on Jan 2. Chuang said the woman apparently caught the virus during this activity, but she developed a fever only on Jan.9

Chuang said one of the preliminary cases caught the virus while picking strawberries on Jan 2

The man went to play football with friends on Jan 4 in Aberdeen, and tested negative on Jan 4 and 5.

Another case is that of the father of a 36-year-old woman who worked parttime at SOGO department store but spent much of her time at a family-owned pharmacy at Hands Shopping Centre in Tuen Mun.

Chuang said she believes the man caught the virus before his daughter as he started feeling unwell on Jan 1 but did not seek medical attention.

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After further investigation, she said a “breakthrough” was reached as it turned out that a Cathay pilot who previously tested positive, had visited the family’s pharmacy on Dec 27. Thus, the cases of both father and daughter are now classified as import-related.

Another preliminary case pertains to the 32-year-old female employer of one of the four Indonesian domestic workers linked to the dance cluster in Causeway Bay. The employer works as a sales person at the Dior store at the Landmark in Central and had been at Penny’s Bay since Jan 6.

Other cases include a 33-year-old woman who works in a design firm in Kwun Tong and shared a flat with two confirmed cases, a 52-year-old unvaccinated man who was moved to Penny’s Bay on Jan 8 and started running a fever and coughing the next day; and a 16-year-old female student at Canossa College who attended a singing class in Tin Hau and dined at a food hall on Wharf Road before being moved to PBQC on Jan 8.

Confirmed positive cases on the other hand include a 66-year-old female suspected of having caught the virus from three infected neighbors who live five floors below her in Mei Sun building in Tai Po.

A second overnight lockdown of their residential building did not yield any new case. About 40 environmental samples were taken, and all came back negative except for four which had inconclusive testing results.

Also confirmed was an 88-year-old woman whose relative gave a foot massage to the index patient in the dance cluster. The masseuse tested positive earlier, so the elderly woman who is unvaccinated and  lives in Shau Kei Wan, was sent to PBQC as a close contact.

The last notable case is that of 43-year-old woman who accompanied her friend Celia Wong to Hung’s birthday party in Wanchai on Jan 3. 

The woman who works at iCable TV building in Tsuen Wan joined three other friends in a restaurant for food and drinks before going to the party at 9:30pm.

She and her friends who crashed the party were not on the guest list. Chuang fears they were more like them who have yet to be identified. She urged them to step forward so they could be tested.

Meanwhile, the Omicron count in Hong Kong rose to 265 today, after 18 more cases were identified following full genome sequencing analysis.

The CHP also imposed a two-week suspension on two passenger flights that arrived in Hong Kong on Jan 7:

       Flight SQ007 operated by Singapore Airlines carried eight passengers from San Francisco, USA who tested positive on arrival; and 

       Flight NH811 operated by All Nippon Airways which came with six passengers who were found infected on arrival from Tokyo, Japan.

Both passenger flights will be banned from landing in Hong Kong until Jan 24.

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Filipina cleared of handling $4.8million worth of stolen goods

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Biala hides her face outiside District Court after an earlier hearing 

A Filipina domestic worker walked free from the District Court today, Jan 10, after prosecutors withdrew a charge of handling stolen goods against her.

Marina Galay Biala, 49, was accused of keeping $4.81 million worth of jewelry that her younger sister, Carmelita D. Nones, also a domestic worker, had entrusted to her, knowing or believing the same to be stolen goods. The jewelry was part of a $14.6 million loot that Nones subsequently admitted to stealing from her employers.

Biala pleaded not guilty to the charge on Jun 24 last year, and at a subsequent hearing on Oct 7, Judge Anthony Kwok Wai-kin scheduled a two-day trial starting today.

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But after the prosecutor informed the court that the charge was being withdrawn, the judge ordered the accused to be released immediately.

Barrister Frederic C. Whitehouse, who represented Biala through Legal Aid, told The SUN the defendant was very relieved to have been set free, and was looking forward to returning to work.

Whitehouse said Biala had spent eight months in custody before being allowed bail of $10,000 cash and $10,000 surety which her very supportive employer had posted for her.

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He said the prosecution withdrew the case because there was not enough evidence to prove dishonest intent on Biala’s part, or that she even knew what the bag that her sister had entrusted to her, contained.

Nones was picked up on Sept 4, 2019 after police officers doing random checks on pawnshops found a couple of expensive jewelry items that she had pawned.

She was subsequently charged with stealing more than 200 items of jewelry and gold nuggets worth $14.6 million from her employers, David Liang and wife Helen Frances Liang, between May 2018 nd September 2019.

Biala's sister, Nones, was sentenced to 4 years, 11 months for the $14.6m theft

Nones pleaded guilty to the charges and on Sept. 7 last year, was sentenced at the High Court to four years and 11 months in jail.

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Her niece, Maricris G. Nones and cousin Cristina G. Alagna who helped pawn the stolen jewelry, also pleaded guilty to four and six counts, respectively, of handling stolen goods, and were each jailed one year and four months.

Some of the jewelry pieces that Nones took was kept in a bag that she entrusted to Biala on an unknown day between July and September 2019. A day after her arrest, Biala was escorted by her employer to the Liangs’ house in Deepwater Bay to turn over the bag.

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Inside were 18 necklaces, five bracelets, five bangles, 17 pairs of earrings, four other earrings, one brooch, two pendants, 10 necklaces with pendants, seven rings, four watches, one key chain, one gold coin and three charms, worth a total of $4.81 million, all belonging to Mrs Liang.

Some of the pricey jewelry items Nones admitted to stealing

Four red packets were also found inside, but the $4,000 cash that they should have contained was missing.

A few days later, Biala was also arrested. When she appeared in court on Jun 24, she said she never looked inside the bag and was thus not aware of what it held.

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2 Pinay kinasuhan ng pananakit sa alaga

Ni Leo A. Deocadiz 

Ang Kowloon City Magistrate Court.

Dalawang Pilipina ang humarap sa Kowloon City Magistrate Court kaninang umaga upang magkahiwalay na harapin ang akusasyong sinaktan nila ang kanilang mga alaga.

 “Guilty,” sagot ni Myra Novicio Villanueva nang tanungin siya kung sinaktan ba niya ang alagang limang buwang sanggol sa bahay ng amo niya sa Kowloon City.

Agad siyang sinentensyahan ng dalawang buwang pagkabilanggo ngunit dahil nabilanggo na magmula nang maaresto noong Oktubre ay agad ding pinalaya.

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“Not guilty” naman ang sagot ni Rachel Sevilla Lopez nang tanunguin kung sinaktan niya ang alagang 16 na taong gulang sa San Po Kong.

Inamin ni Villanueva, 40, ang paratang matapos itong basahin sa kanya ng interpreter.

Ayon sa salaysay ng taga-usig, mga hatinggabi noong Oct. 19, 2021 ay nagising ang amo ni Villanueva nang marinig ang anak niyang umiiyak. Ayon sa salaysay nito, nakita niya na pinapalo ni Villanueva ang sanggol.

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Nang panoorin nila ang CCTV (closed circuit television) video sa kuwartong kinalalagyan ni Villanueva at ng bata, nakita ring inuuyog ng Pilipina ang bata at pagkatapos ay inihagis sa kama. Dinala nila ang sanggol sa isang pribadong clinic pero wala namang nakitang pinsala dito.

Tumawag ng pulis ang amo at kinumpronta si Villanueva, na idinahilang ayaw matulog ng bata kaya nya sinaktan. Dinala siya sa presinto at simula noon ay hindi na siya nakalabas.

Humingi ang tagapagtanggol ni Villanueva sa korte ng pang-unawa dahil malinis naman daw ang record niya.

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Pero ayon kay Magistrate Frances Leung Nga-yan, malubha ang mga nangyari sa bata at hindi maiiwasan ang sentensiyang pagkakakulong.

Ayon sa kanya, ang krimen ay may parusang tatlong buwan. Pero dahil umamin agad si Villanueva, binigyan niya ito ng isang buwan na nadiskwento.

Dahil noong Oktubre pa nakapiit si Villanueva, napagsibihan na niya ang hatol na dalawang kaya agad siyang papalayain.

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Si Lopez, 32, na inakusahang sinaktan ang alagang 16 na anyos, ay itinanggi na ginawa niya ang krimen.

Sinabi ng taga-usig na may dalawang testigo silang ipiprisinta, kasama ang isang CCTV video na may habang isang minuto at 20 segundo.

Sinabi ng depensa na wala silang ihaharap na testigo at hindi nila sasalungatin ang pagpapakita ng video.

Itinakda ni Magistrate Leung ang paglilitis sa kaso sa Marso 22. 

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150 more rooms set aside for FDHs at Rambler Garden Hotel

By The SUN 

From Feb 1, Rambler Garden will take in a total of 650 FDHs for quarantine 

The Labour Department announced today, Jan. 10, that the Rambler Garden Hotel in Tsing Yi will provide an additional 150 rooms for quarantine of foreign domestic helpers arriving from abroad starting on Feb 1.

This would increase the number of rooms available at this designated quarantine facility for FDHs to 650.

However, the daily fee per room per night will increase to $700 from the current $650. This includes the cost of three meals a day and all charges.

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Labour said in its statement that employers and employment agencies can start booking a room at the hotel with the increased capacity from Jan 11, using the online booking system of the hotel. Please click here to enter the booking system.

The statement said the hotel will adjust the number of rooms open for reservation each day depending on availability.

Two other hotels currently serve as DQF for FDHs – Courtyard by Marriott in Shatin and Regala Skycity in Lantau. Together, the three hotels provide about 2,300 rooms to newly arrived or returning FDHs who did not get vaccinated in Hong Kong.

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Agencies lament that the current intake is way below the market demand, as thousands of FDHs are still stuck in their home countries, unable to secure one of the highly coveted quarantine places.

The two-week ban imposed starting on Saturday on all passenger flights coming from the Philippines and seven other countries has made the situation worse, with many Filipina helpers scrambling to book flights and quarantine rooms as a result.

Hong Kong officials said the ban would be reassessed on or before Jan 21, and could be lifted if the Covid-19 situation in each particular country has improved.

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Earlier, Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong said in a blog that the government was in talks with another hotel on the possibility of providing more rooms for incoming FDHs, as there had been a significant drop in the number of migrant workers here.

Labour’s statement today said the government “understands the need of local families for FDHs.”

However, it said this will have to be balance with the worsening epidemic situation in Hong Kong, and the need to prevent more imported cases from coming in.

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“The government will consider whether more DQFs can be provided having regard to the global and local epidemic situation,” said the statement.

Regala Skycity has allotted the bigest number of roms for FDH quarantine, with more than 1,130 

As a reminder to those planning a book a room at Rambler Garden Hotel, Labour said employers and agencies must register the real name of the worker as shown in her passport as the room bookings are not transferable.

When making a booking, the FDH’s passport copy, valid employment visa and  recognized vaccination record must be made available online. Registration is completed upon the issuance of a booking confirmation by the hotel.

On arrival at the hotel, the FDH under whom a booking was made must present the same identity and visa status before being allowed to check in.

Employers and agencies are also reminded to check the worker’s flight information and allow sufficient time to prepare the required documents and complete the procedure for booking a room.

If a change has been made to the person’s reservation, as when the flight is cancelled or the FDHs has tested positive for Covid-19 before arriving in Hong Kong, the payment will be refunded to the person who made the reservation.

An FDH who does not have a booking confirmation by a DQF will not be allowed to board a flight for Hong Kong, or denied entry upon arrival here.

The above arrangement for quarantine at DQFs is applicable to FDHs who have been fully vaccinated in regions where Hong Kong has reached a recognition agreement arrangement on their vaccination records.

This currently applies to those vaccinated in countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

For the full list of applicable regions, please visit: www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/places_of_issuance_recognised_vaccination_records.pdf.

As for FDHs who were vaccinated in Hong Kong and places of stringent regulatory authorities designated by the World Health Organisation (including Thailand), they may undergo compulsory quarantine at any designated quarantine hotel or DQF.

Labour’s dedicated FDH portal (www.fdh.labour.gov.hk) provides information and useful links relating to the quarantine arrangements of FDHs.

For enquiries, please contact the LD through its 24-hour hotline at 2717 1771 (manned by 1823) or by email to fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk.

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