Mission & Bethune House: Beacons of hope for migrants amid pandemic

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

A Covid-positive worker gets a care pack from the Mission/Bethune team

Stuck in your quarantine hotel with your phone battery about to die and your charger does not fit into the socket provided?

Find yourself positive for Covid-19 but you’re home alone because your employers are away?

Have no fear, for the Mission for Migrant Workers (MFMW or Mission) and Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge (Bethune House or Bethune), along with their kindhearted volunteers, are always on standby to help.

This was experienced by one Filipina domestic worker who upon returning to Hong Kong on Sunday from her vacation in the Philippines, found out that she could not plug in her mobile phone because she did not have the right charger.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Lian (not her real name) said she immediately called the front desk at Rambler Garden Hotel in Tsing Yi where she is spending her mandatory three days’ quarantine to try and borrow the right charger, but was told they were not allowed to do as she requested.

No amount of pleading worked so she sent out a message of appeal to The SUN late yesterday, saying there was only 9 percent charge remaining in her phone’s battery.

“Good day, pakisuyo naman po. Pa-post po at baka po may malapit dito sa aking quarantine hotel, ang Rambler Garden Hotel. Baka may extra charger po kayo, pwede kong mahiram? Soli ko na lang sa Sunday. Nanakaw kasi ang isang cp (cell phone) ko sa Pilipinas, kasama doon ang charger,” said her message.

(May I ask a favor? Could you please help post this message, in case there is someone near my quarantine hotel, Rambler Garden. If you have an extra charger, may I please borrow it? I will just give it back on Sunday. My other phone was stolen in the Philippines, and with it was the charger).

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Lian showed a two-prong charger that she had also brought along, but which did not fit the hotel socket.

Her message was forwarded to Bethune House executive director Edwina Antonio who promptly responded with, “Sige” and just asked for more details about the worker, including her room and phone number.

At about noon today, Lian was pleasantly surprised to receive not just a phone charger but also a “Covid care pack” from the Mission and Bethune House, which contained food, drink and other quarantine essentials.

Press for details

“Salamat po ng marami. Sobrang saya ko, higit pa sa need ko ang dumating. May pagkain at maiinom pa, salamat po,” said Lian.

(Thank you so much. I am so happy because what arrived was more than what I needed. There was food and drink, thank you).

Express delivery to Lian at her hotel in far-off Tsing Yi

What Lian did not know was that the two NGOs, which have been helping migrants for the past four decades, have been hard at work the past few months in extending help to migrants affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

From providing shelter and legal advice and support to distressed migrants, they partnered with groups like Asian Migrants Coordinating Body in delivering food, masks and medicines to foreign domestic workers who were either in quarantine or isolation, wherever they may be in Hong Kong.

This task became extremely important during the Omicron surge early this year, when dozens of MDWs were thrown out of their employers’ flats once they were found infected, were shunned by fellow migrants in boarding houses, or were driven away from the airport when their pre-boarding PCR tests turned out positive.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

To this day, the two support groups continue to cook, pack and provide support migrant workers affected by the coronavirus contagion.

“Tuloy ang assistance namin sa mga naka quarantine na newly arrived at iyong mga Covid positive na need ng care packs at isolated sa bahay ng mga amo,” said Antonio.

(We continue to assist newly arrived workers who are in quarantine and those who test positive for Covid and need care packs because they are self-isolating in their employers’ houses).

According to Antonio, among those that they are currently helping are two Filipinas who tested positive on Saturday while their employers were on an overseas trip. They reported their infection to the government but were told to self-isolate.

Another was a Filipina worker who was also at her employer’s home, alone, when she tested positive.

Since all of them are forbidden from going out until they receive word from the Centre for Health Protection that they are already Covid-free, they can only rely on outside help for their daily sustenance and other needs.

Another recent beneficiary of the Mission-Bethune project was an Indonesian domestic worker who tested positive on Monday night and at her request, was moved to a shelter where she can undergo self-isolation.

Antonio (right) receives much-needed donation from Seeds of Hope of Yew Chung Foundation

Apart from those with Covid-related concerns, Bethune House is providing accommodation, food and other needs to 18 “clients” in its two shelters – in Jordan and Sheung Wan.

Some of these clients help in the preparation and delivery of the care packs, along with 10 other volunteers from migrant organizations. There is also a local Chinese staff of the Mission who helps ease any language-related problems that may arise.

On the care packs, the two NGOs also explicitly give thanks to  the Fu Tak Lam Foundation Limited for its donation “for emergency relief for the Migrant Domestic Workers in Hong Kong.”

Volunteer-driven but inspired by love and charity, the Mission and Bethune House have proven time and again that they will stand by all migrant workers “anytime, anywhere” for as long as they are around.

Migrant workers who need help may contact the Mission’s office no, 2522 8264 or its hotline, 9529 2326. Bethune’s hotline is 9338 0035. They can also be reached through their respective Facebook accounts.

Donations are also welcome. Please click this link for details: https://donorbox.org/urgent-emergency-appeal-to-support-hong-kong-s-migrant-domestic-workers?fbclid=IwAR3LTqV80P1qadAtSav18pIynbMaSbmQPfMUUuZQiH6Y56bBwSfEnXx15h8

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Over 5,000 Covid cases logged, plus 10 deaths

By The SUN

 

Long queue for those put under compulsory testing in Shatin today indicates the rise in infections

Health authorities reported 5,162 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, 272 of them imported.

There were also 10 deaths, involving patients aged 60 to 97, of whom seven did not complete vaccination.

A 27-month-old boy who was under intensive care at Princess Margaret Hospital after testing positive could now breathe on his own without a respirator, and his condition is listed as stable.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

However, a five-year-old girl who has been in intensive care at Tuen Mun Hospital after catching Covid-19 remains in critical condition. Her 11-year-old sister who was also found infected, is in stable condition.

According to Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection the rise in the number of cases was caused by the BA.5 variant, which together with the BA.4 strain, now account for 24.5 percent of the total caseload.

In comparison, the previously dominant strain, BA.2.12.1, has 8.9 percent share of the daily tally. The rest of the infections are still linked to the BA.2 variant of the Omicron.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Au said according to the World Health Organization, about 60 to 70 percent of all Omicron cases across the globe were BA.5 variant infections.

Meanwhile, the Hospital Authority reported an outbreak at the oncology ward of Tuen Mun Hospital, where nine patients and four staff have so far tested positive. The source is believed to be a patients’ assistant who was found infected on Aug. 11.

All the patients in the cluster are now in isolation. One 53-year-old patient is critical condition while two others, one 76 and the other, 84, are in serious condition.

Press for details

A separate outbreak was also recorded at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan, where five patients aged 67 to 95, were found infected; as well as one staff member.

The apparent index case involved a male patient who tested positive on Aug 13.

Both the affected wards have been closed for cleansing and no new patients are being admitted there for now.

The CHP said it received reports of 92 positive cases from schools, involving 71 students and 21 teachers and staff.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Saint Paul's Catholic Day Nursery has been asked to suspend a class after two students caught Covid.

Seven residential care homes for the elderly and four for the disabled also reported nine new infections. 

As of the latest tally, 1,813 Covid patients are now receiving treatment in public hospitals. They include 27 who are in critical condition and 26 in serious condition.

HA chief manager Lau Ka-hin said more than 200 patients are now being admitted to hospitals per day, and there is fear that if the trend continues, additional hospital beds and manpower may be necessary, while more non-emergency services may be affected.

But he added the HA could free up between 2,500 to 5,000 more beds if the situation deteriorates.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Depensa ng Pinay na kinasuhan dahil daw nagtitinda sa bangketa: ako ang bumibili

 

Pinababalik ang Pilipina para sa hatol sa kasong paglabag sa mga kondisyon ng kanyang visa 

Isang Pilipinang domestic helper ang humarap sa Shatin Courts ngayon (Aug. 16) sa kasong paglabag sa mga kondisyon ng kanyang visa, dahil nahuli daw siyang nagtitinda ng t-shirt noong Oct. 31, 2021 sa harap ng General Post Office sa Central.

Ang depensa ni Marilyn Bulan, 50 taong gulang: Hindi siya nagtitinda, kundi bumibili.

Mahalaga sa kanyang mapatunayan na siya ang bumibili, dahil ang pagtitinda ay paglabag sa Section 41 ng Immigration Ordinance, na ang pinakamabigat na parusa ay multang aabot sa $50,000 at pagkakulong ng dalawang taon.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Iprinisinta ng taga-usig ang babaeng pulis na humuli kay Bulan, na nagsabing nakita niya ang transaksyon sa pagitan nito at isa pang babae --  na inabutan niya ito ng apat na t-shirt,  tapos ay tinanggap niya ang ibinalik nitong tatlong t-shirt. Bandang huli ay tinanggap niya ang bayad mula sa bumibili at isinilid niya sa kanyang sling bag.

Sinabi rin ng testigo na noong papalapit na siya upang sitahin si Bulan, nakita niya itong tumakbo, dala ang nylon bag na may lamang t-shirt, hanggang masukol nya ito sa tulong ng dalawa pang pulis.

Sa imbestigasyon ay nakita sa bag ang 31 pirasong t-shirt, na iprinisinta kay Deputy Magistrate Fung Lim-wai bilang ebidensiya.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Sinabi ng taga-usig na ang pagtakbo ni Bulan ay tanda ng pagkakasala.

Nang tanungin ng abugado ni Bulan ang testigong pulis, lumabas na nakita niya ang transaksyon mula sa layong walong metro, na hindi niya napakinggan ang usapan ng dalawang Pilipina, at kung marinig man niya ay hindi rin niya maiintindihan dahil ito ay Tagalog.

Tinanong niya ang pulis kung binuksan niya ang bag ng akusado noong iniimbestigahan nya ang kaso.

Nang sumagot ito ng hindi, sinabi ng abogado na kung binuksan niya ang bag, makikita niya ang apat na $100, na isinukli ng babae kay Bulan.

Press for details

Nang tawagin si Bulan bilang testigo, ipinaliwanag niya na bumili siya sa babae ng 30 t-shirt na tig-$20, o may kabuuang $600, para iregalo sa kanyang mga anak, kapatid at pinsan sa darating na Pasko. Dinagdagan ito ng isa pang t-shirt na ibinigay na libre ng babae dahil may sira.

Ang ibinayad niya ay dalawang piraso ng $500, kaya binigyan siya ng sukling $400, o apat na tig-$100.

Pagkatanggap sa sukli ay may narinig siyang sumigaw at nagtakbuhan ang mga tao sa paligi niya.

Sinabi ng babae kay Bulan, “Ate, takbo na!” habang mabilis na sinisinop ang sariling paninda at umalis, kaya tumakbo siya dahil sa nerbiyos at pagkabigla.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

“Gusto ko lang naman isalba ang nabili ko,” paliwanag ni Bulan.

Pero bigla daw siyang tumigil sa pagtakbo nang maalala niya ang naiwanang trolley na may lamang mga pinamili mula sa grocery sa ale-ale sa halagang $2,500 upang ipadala sa Pilipinas, at dahil mabigat ang dala niyang bag ng t-shirt. Doon na siya inabutan ng tatlong pulis.

Sinabi niya na kinuha sa kanya ang kanyang HKID at isinakay siya sa isang police van, bago dinala sa presinto kasama ang isa pang babae na nahuli rin. Hindi na rin niya nakita ang naiwanang trolley, kahit binalikan niya ito noong gabi ring iyon sa pinaghulihan sa kanya.

Sinabi ng abugado ni Bulan na kung tama man ang nakita ng pulis, ito ay ilang segundo lamang ng buong pangyayari at dahil dito, nagkamali ito sa paghuli sa kanya.

Idinagdag niya na hindi rin kataka-taka na tumakbo si Bulan, dahil noon lang nangyari sa kanya ito at malinis ang kanyang rekord sa Hong Kong sa pitong taon niyang paninilbihan sa kanyang amo sa Sai Wan Ho, kung saan nag-aalaga siya ng isang dalagang may kapansanan sa pag-iisip.

Samantala, dagdag ng abogado, ang totoong nagbenta ng t-shirt kay Bulan ay tuloy pa rin sa gawain. Ipinakita niya ito sa mga larawan ng babae na kinunan ni Bulan sa iba’t ibang lugar sa Central ilang araw pagkatapos siyang mahuli.

Pinabalik ni Magistrate Fung si Bulan, na pansamantalang nakakalaya sa piyansang $1,000, sa Biyernes (Aug. 19) upang dinggin ang kanyang hatol.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Filipina DH set to face employer who allegedly smacked her face with lunchbox

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Arro says her swollen lips were caused by the lunchbox that her employer smacked on her face

A Filipina domestic worker is set to confront her former employer at the Labour Department on Sept. 2, after she decided to quit her job without notice, alleging physical abuse.

Emerald L. Arro said in her termination letter dated Aug. 7 that she decided to quit because her employer, S.Y. Chan, had hit her three times without provocation since she was hired on May 17 this year.

The last time happened on the night of Aug. 6 in the employer’s  house in Shatin.  Chan allegedly slammed a lunchbox containing food on Arro’s face, as she lay on her bed, about to sleep.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The first two incidents allegedly happened separately in June this year.

On Jun 18, Arro said her employer slapped her hard on the back, in a bid to check if she was lying about a backache for which a doctor had given her a day’s sick leave.

The second one is said to have happened on Jun 20, after Arro opened their main door and failed to let the employer go in first. Arro claimed Chan pushed her aside, causing her to crash on the door, and said she was being impolite.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Arro said the final incident was triggered when she complained to Chan and her husband earlier about how she was not given her food on time.

The Filipina said she was forbidden from getting her share from the food she had cooked for the family, and had to wait for her employer to put a portion in the lunchbox before she could eat, often long after everyone else had their fill.

She also complained to the couple about how she was often paid her salary days after it was due.

Press for details

The couple reportedly got angry and asked the helper to sit down and talk further about her complaints, but she told them she was tired and went into the bedroom she shared with her ward, then lay down on her bed.

Shortly afterwards, Chan followed and slammed the lunchbox on her face, saying it held the food she was meant to eat. 

Arro said that was the last straw, and called the police. She showed them her swollen upper lip, but after talking with her employers, the officers refused to record the incident, and left.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

As the next day was a Sunday, Arro managed to meet up with a friend, and after consulting several groups, decided to cut short her employment contract. 

But before this, she went to Prince of Wales hospital to seek treatment and get a medical certificate for her lip bruise, which by then had almost disappeared.

Before leaving the house, she said Chan gave her salary, which was again delayed for a week. Arro said her employer must have realized that it was the last day for her to pay the salary without a fine.

Arro felt the couple could have also anticipated her deciding to quit, in which case they would ask for the money back as payment in lieu of one month’s notice.

But she decided to just leave after accepting her pay  

But that same day, Arro went back to Chan’s house along with staff of the employment agency that recruited her, saying she wanted to pick up all her stuff as she had decided to leave.

Chan and her husband did not allow the helper and the agency staff to enter, saying Arro must pay them one month’s salary first as she was leaving without serving notice.

When neither side agreed to budge, police were called. At first the officers were inclined to side with the employers, but after being shown a copy of Arro’s medical certificate and being assured that she would not run away before the conflict with her employers had been sorted out, they allowed her to take her stuff.

Arro sent out this video to ask for help after the alleged third assault 

With help from the Mission for Migrant Workers, Arro has since filed a notice of termination to Immigration, citing “suffered ill-treatment from employer” as reason. 

At the same time, she received advice from the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section on whether “constructive termination,” which allowed her to leave her employment without giving prior notice to her employer, applied in her case.

But her employer did not waste time, either, filing a claim against her at the Labour Department, for a month’s salary in lieu of notice. 

With help from the Mission, Arro is filing a counter-claim, using the alleged ill-treatment that she got from her employer as ground and reason for leaving without notice.

Arro is hopeful that she would win her claim, and along with this, her right to remain in Hong Kong and process a new employment contract.

In the more than five years that she had worked in Hong Kong, she said she never had problems with her employers. She finished two contracts and the last was cut with only six months remaining because her employers decided they no longer needed a helper.

This last incident she considers as a glitch – she is confident there are still a lot of kind-hearted employers out there who would treat her right, if not better.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Nearly 1 out of 5 Filipinos now live in poverty: gov't statistics

More Filipinos have become poor in the past 3 years, government statistics show (File)

Almost one of every five Filipinos is mired in poverty, according to the Preliminary Results of the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) released today by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

PSA also reported that poverty has spread to more people, increasing from 16.7 per cent of the population in 2018 to 18.1 per cent in 2021.

Poverty -- defined by PSA as earning an income below the minimum of PhP12,030 monthly required to meet the food and non-food needs of a family of five -- engulfed the equivalent to 19.99 million people in 2021, the latest statistics show

Those living in subsistence, or earning less than the  PhP8,379 per month needed to meet just their basic food requirements, increased from 5.2 percent to 5.9 percent.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Poverty incidence among families stood at around 3.50 million families or 13.2 per cent in 2021, the PSA reported. 

On the other hand, the subsistence incidence among families was observed at 3.9 percent, which is equivalent to 1.04 million poor families below the food poverty line.

The incidence of poverty among families was lowest in Metro Manila at 2.2 per cent and highest in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao/Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM/BARMM) at 29.8 per cent.

In terms of specific places, the first district of National Capital Region (which is Manila) had the lowest family poverty incidence at 1.1 per cent, while Sulu in ARMM had the highest at 51 per cent.

Press for details

PSA also reported that the average income of Filipino families from January to December 2021 was estimated at PhP307,190, lower by -2.0 percent from the PhP313,350 in the same period of 2018. 

On the average, the Filipino families spent PhP228,800 in 2021, a decrease of 4.1 percent compared to the PhP 238,640 in 2018. 

The declines were even bigger when measured at constant 2018 prices, which is obtained by adjusting the estimates with the 2018 inflation rate; the average annual family income in 2021 stood at PhP282,080 while expenditures stood at  PhP210,100.

Again, the biggest earners were those in the National Capital Region (NCR), where annual family income in 2021 averaged at PhP417,850. 

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Four of the country’s 17 regions posted higher average annual family income compared to the national average of PhP 307.19 thousand: NCR (PhP417,850), Region IV-A (PhP 361,030), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) (PhP 350,430), and Region III (PhP 328,540). 

Again, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) registered the lowest average annual family income of PhP184,940. 

Among provinces and Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs), Makati City registered the highest average annual family income of PhP 579,570 in 2021. On the other hand, the lowest average annual family income in 2021 was noted in Sulu at PhP 159,300.  In terms of the growth in the average annual family income from 2018 to 2021, Lanao del Sur posted the highest growth rate of 42.9 per cent, followed by Camarines Norte (27.6%), Apayao (22.7%), Batanes (22.2%), and Eastern Samar (21.9%).

Comparing the average annual family income in 2018 and 2021, the top five provinces and HUCs that posted the highest negative growth rate were, Mandaluyong City (-28.5%), Cebu City (-20.4%), Las Piñas City (-19.5%), Pateros (-17.7%), and Bohol (-15.7%). 

In terms of the average annual family expenditure, the top five provinces with the highest growth rate in average annual family expenditure from 2018 to 2021 were Lanao del Sur (63.6%), Batanes (29.6%), Kalinga (21.8%), Misamis Occidental (19.0%), and Zamboanga del Sur excluding Zamboanga City (18.3%). 

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Another toddler in ICU after catching Covid; 4,896 new cases reported

By The SUN 

The government has stepped up the campaign to get more kids inoculated  

Health officials have again called on parents to get their children vaccinated against Covid-19 as another infected toddler was put under intensive care Monday after developing croup, a respiratory infection.

Dr Lau Ka-hin of the Hospital Authority said during the daily press brieifing that the two-year-old boy developed a fever and flu-like symptoms on Friday. Earlier today, he started having shortness of breath so he was rushed to hospital.

His condition was initially classified as critical but he is now said to be stable. However, he still had to undergo tracheal intubation and remains under observation in the intensive care unit.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Separately, government expert Prof Lau Yu-lung said that the boy did not get jabs, and some of his family members have confirmed cases. The side-effect is common among young children.

“The airways of toddlers are more narrow than adults,’ which can easily lead the patients to coma due to lack of oxygen if they get an infection in the airway and suffer with its swelling,” Prof Lau said.

Croup killed a 22-month-old girl on Aug 1, just days after she was airlifted from Lamma Island and rushed to Eastern Hospital.

Press for details

On Saturday, a girl aged eight years and nine months was also rushed to hospital after contracting Covid, and is suspected of also having croup. Her condition is still listed as critical.

The doctors said there has been an increase in the number of infected children developing croup lately, so early diagnosis plus vaccination is crucial.

The expert said around 2.6 percent of children aged between six months and three years have had a Covid jab since it was made available to this age group on Aug 4, which he said was “a tiny number.”

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said children make up a big number of those who needed hospitalization after testing positive for the virus.

“The ratio of toddlers under three years old who were confirmed with Covid take up 1.8 percent of the whole cases,” Chuang said, “and the percentage of children between three to nine years old is 5.5%.”

Meanwhile, a total of 4,896 cases were reported today, of which 197 were imported.  There were four related deaths.

The latest fatalities were aged 63 to 91, with the youngest of them not getting vaccinated or receiving any treatment for Covid despite testing positive.

The man tested positive on Aug7 and did not receive treatment until he tested negative on Aug 13. But his condition turned for the worse yesterday and he was certified dead at the hospital.

Lau it is important for the elderly to go for medical consultation as soon as they test positive for Covid.

“People aged above 60 should seek treatment as soon as possible no matter if any symptom appears,” Lau stressed, “and encouraged to take Covid oral drugs.”

A total of 1,783 patients are now receiving treatment in public hospitals, after 230 more patients were admitted over the past 24 hours.

Among them, 29 are in critical condition and 12 of these patients are in intensive care.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Workers on amber code must be allowed to work & get full pay, says labor chief

By The SUN

 

Sun says workers on amber health code should be allowed to work and get paid (RTHK photo)

In a statement that should apply even to newly arrived foreign domestic workers, Secretary for Labour Chris Sun said Sunday that employers should not prevent people with an amber health code on their LeaveHomeSafe app from working – and if they are unable to do so, their salary should still be paid.

Speaking on TV, Sun said: "People with the amber code should be allowed to go to work because the conditions exist for them to do so. Of course they need to observe certain Covid rules at work, such as wearing masks at all times, and eating alone. If these rules are followed, employers should allow them to go to work.”

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

"But if for some reason they are not able to go to work, employers should still pay them."

He added that the worker must not be required to take a sick leave during this period.

Those who are currently put under an amber or yellow health code are inbound travelers who are required to undergo medical surveillance for four days after spending three days in a designated quarantine hotel.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

During this time, they are not allowed to enter certain premises which are deemed high-risk, or where they are allowed to take off their masks, such as restaurants. But they are allowed to go to work or attend school, and even take public transport.

Last week, the Labour Department issued a statement saying newly arrived foreign domestic workers, like everyone else, should stay for only three days in a quarantine hotel.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

If employers choose to keep their FDWs away from their homes for a longer time, they must move them to a non-designated quarantine hotel, hostel or flat of their choice.

Implicit in this is that the employer must pay the FDW during the medical surveillance period – a rule that the labour chief just made clearer.

Meanwhile, local health authorities reported 4,979 additional Covid-19 cases Saturday, 215 of them imported.

PRESS FOR DETAILS!

Three related deaths were also reported, involving two men and one woman aged 80 to 89. The overall death tally of the fifth wave now stands at 9,352.

They also said that a five-year-old girl remains in critical condition, a day after she was rushed to Tuen Mun Hospital.

She tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday and her condition deteriorated quickly. The girl is unvaccinated.

Her 11-year-old sister also tested positive yesterday and is stable condition. She has received full vaccination.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Government doctors say they have yet to determine the source of transmission in the girls’ cases, or the kind of Omicron sub-variant they have been infected with.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said they have observed a further rise in the number of suspected BA.4 or BA.5 cases.

Chuang said the two variants now make up 23.1 percent of the local cases, while the previously dominant strain, BA.2.12.1, now accounts for just 7.3 percent.

A total of 1,690 Covid patients are now receiving treatment in various public hospitals. Among them, 31 are in critical condition, including 10 who are in intensive care, while 22 are seriously ill.

HK loses appeal to migrant workers

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Many Filipino DHs have left for good because of HK's strict entry and contract processing rules

Hong Kong is fast losing its sheen for foreign domestic helpers - a likely outcome of various factors, from Covid-related restrictions, the mass exodus of local residents, and the much-feared policy against job hopping.

Statistics from the Immigration Department show that the number of FDHs in Hong Kong has continued its downward trend since last year, despite the lifting of the travel ban on the Philippines and Indonesia, the biggest sources of migrant workers in the city, at the start of April.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The decline year-on-year, or between July 2021 and July this year, amounted to 12,717 for Filipino DHs, or 6.3%, over the 12-month period.

In July 2021, the total number of Filipino DHs was 201,425. The number fell progressively over the next 12 months, so that by the end of last month, it had gone down to just 188,708.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Significantly, while the Hong Kong ban on incoming passenger flights from the Philippines was enforced between Jan 8 to Mar 31 this year, a huge drop in the total number of Filipino DHs was recorded, indicating thousands were taking the one-way trip home  

From a total of 189,889 at end of January, the Filipino DH population shrank to just 184,685 by end of March, or a difference of 5,202.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

That would have meant many Filipino DHs opting to go home for good, likely due to Covid fatigue or worries about the massive, out-of-control surge in local infections.

But as expected, the lifting of the flight ban led to a boost in FDH figures, albeit temporarily. By the end of April the number was up 1,981, to 186,666. This went up further by a massive 4,729 in end-May, when the population swelled to 189,414.

PRESS FOR DETAILS!

Since then, the number started dipping again, dropping by 238 in June, and 944 in July. This left the current overall figure at 188,708 – lower than that for January this year, and wiping all the gains that were made in the first half of the year.

The figures were nearly the same for Indonesians, who lost a total of 11,943 of their workers in the past year, and 588 in the past month. (see data below).

Overall, the FDH population across all ethnic groups also fell by more than 20,000 for the past year. The total figure as of July 2022 is 334,584, compared with 354,776 for the same month last year.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

A similar drop was recorded in the number of FDH whose visa applications were denied by Immigration on suspicion of job hopping, or those who supposedly switch employers on a whim.

Last year, a total of 2,833 visa applications were rejected for this reason, or an average of 236 a month, according to Immigration figures. Between January to July this year, the number was down to 1,163 or an average of 166.

More significantly, the attrition rate for FDHs (6.3%) is much higher than that for residents who are leaving Hong Kong. According to government statistics, a total of 133,000 residents left the city last year, for a 1.69% drop.

Not too long ago, many overseas-bound Filipino workers would have gladly chosen Hong Kong as their destination place, instead of far-off countries where the salary is lower and the working conditions are much tougher.

But with the city holding fast to its policy of requiring inbound travelers to undergo home quarantine and upholding the two-week rule for most FDHs whose contracts get terminated, it is likely that the downward trend will continue.

The pandemic, which continues to keep the world in its grip, could cause additional problems.

Given a choice, however, Filipino workers would still gladly come, quarantine and all, not least because the exchange rate between the USD and the Philippine currency is now at a 15-year-high.

FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPER POPULATION IN HONG KONG