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CS says HK will keep ‘0+3’ scheme for now

Posted on 09 October 2022 No comments

By The SUN

 

The Chief Secretary says the 3-day health monitoring of inbound travelers will remain 

Chief Secretary Eric Chan said Sunday that the three-day medical surveillance rule for inbound travelers will have to stay for now to prevent a possible rebound in cases.

In a social media post, Chan said he was aware of persistent calls from the business sector to drop the so-called “0+3” arrangement, under which new arrivals no longer have to undergo hotel quarantine but will be prevented from entering high-risk places such as restaurants and bars for three days.

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Chan said this scheme is still the best arrangement for Hong Kong as it maintains the city’s competitiveness while keeping imported cases of Covid-19 at bay.

“We must balance the risk in our anti-epidemic efforts, otherwise the loss will outweigh the gain if there’s a rebound,” said Chan.

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But through the new arrangement, he said those in business are now able to interact with clients and local counterparts, and even join big exhibitions and conferences as soon as they land in Hong Kong.

Thus, different international tournaments, activities and concerts can now be held, allowing Hong Kong to regain its “international reputation as a vibrant city and enhance its competitiveness.”

Chan added the government will not slacken in its fight to keep the coronavirus under control.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Protection reported 4,890 new Covid-19 cases, including 328 imported infections.

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The daily tally was slightly down from the 4,900 reported on Saturday.

Three more Covid-19 patients had died.

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As of the latest count, more than 1,600 Covid-19 patients are receiving treatment in various public hospitals.

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‘I was wrong and I am sorry,’ says Filipina DH who sent SOS through window

Posted on No comments

 By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Reguyal posted her apology on several Facebook group accounts 

Taos puso akong nanghihingi ng paumanhin at kapatawaran sa aking amo at kanyang pamilya sa pagkakasalang pagkuha ng picture ng kanilang personal documents ng walang pahintulot. Ngayon ko nauunawaan na malaking paglabag sa kanilang privacy ang naging pagkakamali ko.”

(I would like to sincerely apologize and ask for forgiveness from my employer and her family  for my mistake in taking pictures of their personal documents without their permission. I now realize that I had seriously violated their privacy because of my mistake).

This was what Mary Jane Reguyal had posted on several social media sites today, Sunday, to admit her mistake in shoving a handwritten note through a window in her employer’s high-rise flat yesterday afternoon asking people to contact her sister, Maria Gracia – which sparked widespread concern.

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Reguyal, who has worked in Hong Kong for more than three years, said she only wanted her sister to know that she did not have her phone with her, in case their family got worried after she lost touch with them for two days.

She was also worried because her employer had given her a warning after seeing pictures of their family’s personal documents in her phone, and had taken it away to prevent her from sharing them online.

She admitted that she had taken photos not only of her employers’ HKID cards, but also their passports, travel itineraries, and even their children’s tuition fee payments.

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Asked why she did all these when they were unnecessary for taking out a loan which was the excuse she had given her employer, she said, “Parang natuwa lang po ako.” (I just took a fancy to them).

But all the other allegations made by kibitzers against her employers, like she was being starved and had been locked up, were not true, she said.

She also said it was not her intention to cause the widespread alarm that followed the sharing of her photo online, saying she just wanted someone to contact her sister so she could share her concern that she would be punished for her misdeed.

Little did she know that someone who had seen her seemingly desperate appeal would take a photo and upload it online, and that it would get out of hand from thereon.

Saret warns migrant workers against taking photos of their employer's properties 

This afternoon, Reguyal and her sister went to the Consulate and personally apologized to the employer before Consul Paul Saret, head of the assistance to nationals section. The sisters told the employer that Reguyal needed to keep her job badly.

Consul Saret said the employer was adamant at first about taking action against Reguyal, saying her family was put in a bad light because of what the helper had done.

“Everyone now thinks we are bad,” the employer reportedly said.

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Saret said the employer had talked about consulting a lawyer over the matter not only because Reguyal had violated her family’s privacy but also because she had cast doubts on their reputation.

But after being assured that the helper would issue a public apology and own up to her mistakes, the employer was appeased and agreed to take her back as a show of good faith.

During the conciliation meeting, Saret said he also learned that there was a landline in the employer’s house which the helper could have used anytime except that she had not memorized her sister’s telephone number.

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She also could leave the house anytime, and had actually gone down to the lobby to speak with police officers who had responded to calls for help on her behalf from concerned netizens.

Police had been to the employer's house twice in response to calls for help made by people who saw Reguyal's photo on Facebook, but left after brief inquiries, classifying the case as "misunderstanding" the first time, and "dispute" the second time.

Saret said this incident should serve as a reminder to all Filipino domestic workers the importance of protecting the privacy of the family they work with.

“They should never take pictures of their employers’ personal documents and worse, upload these or use them for such transactions as taking out a loan,” he said. “Violation of someone else’s privacy is a serious offence in Hong Kong.”

Reguyal said she learned this lesson the hard way. Not only was her sister dragged into a mess she had created, but it also got their father in the Philippines worried, she said.

Kasalanan ko naman po talaga ito. Ako ang nagkamali, at kailangan kong linisin ang pangalan ng employer ko,” she said. (This is really my fault. I made a mistake, and I have to clear up my employer’s name).

Her final appeal is for people who posted and shared her viral photo to delete it so she could start afresh.

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Pulis umapela para makita ang nawawalang Pilipina

Posted on 08 October 2022 No comments

 

Ang nawawalang si Leticia M. Wong

Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin nakikita ang isang Pilipinang inireport sa pulis ng kanyang pamilya na nawawala.

Huling nakita si Leticia M. Wong, 76 taong gulang, sa tabi ng Cable Car Terminal sa Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung, noong Huwebes, Oct. 6.

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Ang Pilipina ay may taas na 1.5 metro (4 feet 11 inches), may bigat na 45 kilo (99.2 labs.), at payat ang pangangatawan.

Ayon sa report ng pulis, siya ay tsinita, may mahabang mukha at itim na buhok.

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Ang suot niya noong huli siyang nakita ay orange-red short-sleeved shirt, dark-colored skirt at itim na sapatos. May dala siyang puting handbag.

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Kung sino man ang nakakita sa kanya ay tumawag lang sa Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon West sa numerong 3661 8038 o 9020 6542 o mag-email sa rmpu-kw@police.gov.hk, o kumontak sa kahit saang police station.

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SOS from window said to be mere ‘misunderstanding’

Posted on No comments

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Mary Jane's hand sticking out her employer's flat

In the end, it all boiled down to a “misunderstanding” and a “dispute.”

These were the words used by the police in describing an incident this afternoon which was sparked by a photo of a hand sticking out a window in some high-rise, holding a message written on a piece of paper appealing for help.

According to various people who posted and reposted the photo, the one holding the piece of paper was a Filipina domestic worker who lives in Festival City in Tai Wai. She had asked people to contact her sister whose name was written on the piece of paper so she could be rescued.

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As the photo quickly went viral, various stories and speculations were floated. The one that kept getting repeated was that the Filipina was being held against her will, that she was not given enough food, and that her employer had taken away her mobile phone so she could not get help.

At least two reports were made to the police. According to a police spokeswoman, the first call was made at 5:36 pm, but after officers went to investigate, the incident was classified as a mere “misunderstanding.”

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A second call was made at 7:09pm, during which several people also reported the incident to various officers of the Philippine Consulate, including Consul General Raly Tejada. This time, officers who went to check on the Filipina, Mary Jane, recorded the case as a “dispute.”

No one was arrested, and no one asked to be rescued, said the police spokeswoman.

Among those who quickly took action was Marites Palma, founder of Social Justice for Migrant Workers. She contacted Mary Jane’s sister, Maria Gracia, who told Palma that she had been contacted by her sister’s employer for the past year and a half, who assured her that everything was ok.

Maria Gracia said the phone was passed on Mary Jane, but she could not understand what her distraught younger sister was saying. This sparked another flurry of speculations.

Palma then reached out to both Congen Tejada and officials of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

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In a message, Congen Tejada said, “the Consulate is currently trying to reach out to her as well as our contacts in HK Police.”

Eventually, Palma learned what had sparked it all. Mary Jane’s employer reportedly told OWWA’s welfare officer Virsie Tamayao that the helper had taken photos of the employer's personal documents so she could take out a loan. That was why her phone was confiscated last Wednesday.

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One could only speculate what had happened since – why Mary Jane was not even allowed to contact her sister or friends, and why the employer waited until all that drama had taken place to explain her side.

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Bagong paraan para maiwasang ma-scam

Posted on 07 October 2022 No comments

 

Ang Scameter na matatagpuan sa website na CyberDefender

Libo-libong mensahe ang ipinakakalat ng mga scammer upang mambitag ng biktima: may post sa Facebook na naglalako ng bago at madaling paraan para kumita ng pera, may text sa telepono na nagsasabing may problema sa iyong account sa bangko, may mensahe sa email na nagsasabing mapuputulan ka ng serbisyo at marami pang iba.

Karamihan sa nakatatanggap nito ay hindi pumapatol, pero marami ang nabibiktima --  gaya ng isang napabalitang taga-Hong Kong na nawalan kamakailan ng $16.6 million nang mabiktima siya ng isang cryptocurrency investment scam.

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Ayon sa report, naniwala siya sa isang pekeng eksperto na nagpayo sa kanya na maglagay ng pera sa isang investment scheme dahil malaki at sigurado daw ang kikitain. Nabaon siya sa utang sa kakasunod sa payong maglipat siya ng pera sa walong e-wallet account, hanggang mapagtanto niya na naloko siya at tumawag ng pulis.

Papaano ba makakaiwas sa mga ganitong scam?

May paraan ang HK Police: isang website https://cyberdefender.hk/en-us/.

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Ang CyberDefender ay inilunsad kamakailan ng Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau ng Hong Kong Police.

Ang layunin nito ay maimulat ang mga tao sa panganib na banta ng cybercrime sa lahat ng tao, at paano ito maiiwasan.  Ang pangunahing feature nito ay ang “Scameter”.

Sa Scameter ay malalaman kung ang pinanggalingan ng mensaheng natatanggap mo – numero ng telepono, email address, web address at iba pa – ay mayroon nang record na nai-report na sa pulisya bilang scam, at kung gaano kapanganib ang pakikitungo sa kanila.

Kapag inilagay mo sa Scameter ang pangalan ng nag-aalok sa iyo ng pagkakakitaan o relasyon at nasa record na ito ng pulisya ay aandar ang metro at tatama sa isang kulay na magbabadya kung ito ay low risk (purple), low to medium (yellow), medium to high (orange) o high risk (red). Ikaw na ang didiskarte pagkatapos kung dapat ka nang umatras, o mag-isip munang maigi. 

Maliban dito ay marami ring mababasang mga artikulo ang website, na nagtuturo kung paano maiwasang ma-scam, at mga teknolohya na maaaring magbigay daan sa mga scam na ganito.

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Tinatalakay ang iba’t ibang uri ng scam gaya ng WhatsApp hijacking, romance scam, naked chat blackmail, compensated dating scam, online shopping fraud, business email compromise, credit card fraud at online investment fraud.

Sa isang press statement, nagpahayag ng suporta sa proyekto ang Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB), at mga kumpanyang may stored value facility (SVF) dahil makakatulong ito sa kanilang pagsisikap na mabawasan ang panloloko na gamit ng kanilang serbisyo.

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Ang datos na nakalap ng website at makakatulong din sa sector ng pinansiyal sa kanilang pagsugpo sa panloloko na gamit ang kanilang serbisyo, ayon sa HKMA.

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Health officials say outbreak of both Covid and flu likely this winter

Posted on No comments

By The SUN

 

POLO will give free flu jabs to qualified persons every Sunday and Tuesday starting on Oct 9

Health officials again issued calls on Friday for people to get vaccinated against the flu ahead of the onset of winter, saying people who come down with it and Covid-19 at the same time, could suffer severe symptoms.

The call came at a press conference, during which the Centre for Health Protection also reported 4,369 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, including 386 imported cases.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, in coordination with private clinic Shoebill Health Care, will start giving free flu vaccinations to people aged 50 and above this coming Sunday, Oct. 9, and all Sundays thereafter, until Nov 27.

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There will also be vaccination sessions on Tuesdays starting on Oct 11, and all the way to Nov. 29.

Booking is required. For additional information, check out the poster above or call POLO at 5529 1880.

Dr Thomas Tsang, honorary consultant at the Department of Health, said the time might be ripe for a flu outbreak this winter, as the Covid vaccinations and the mask-wearing in the past two years have kept the seasonal ailment at bay.

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“We want to get as many people as possible to have SIV (seasonal influenza vaccine). The reason is we have an outbreak it will be serious as we were not exposed to it in the past two years,” Tsang said.

He also said the vaccination figure for flu for the same period had been low, adding to the worry.

"We have never been hit by surges of both flu and Covid-19 at the same time, but it may happen this year. You can imagine it will bring significant pressure to our hospitals," he said.

A serious flu outbreak in the past could cause between 300 and 400 deaths, he said, so one could only imagine how bad it could get if patients get infected with Covid-19 at the same time.

The same call was made by Chief Executive John Lee yesterday, as he and several of his top officials had SIV to emphasize its importance.

A government program to provide free flu shots to people aged 50 and above, children between six months and 12 years, pregnant women as well as the disabled, was launched at the same time.

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Tsang said people should not be wary about getting the flu vaccine as it has been proven safe for most people, including the elderly and children as young as six months.

Tsang says the flu jab is safe for most people

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection backed Tsang’s warning of a more serious flu season this year.

"There's scientific evidence showing that if a person is co-infected with both Covid and influenza, there will be increased risk in death and hospitalization requiring ventilation support," he said.

At the same time, Au noted that the number of local infections and hospitalizations had reached a plateau in recent days, with no significant further drop in cases.

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He said this indicates that the immunity that most people received from vaccinations or previous infection is beginning to wane, which should put them on guard for a possible rebound in cases in the coming months.

Dr Larry Lee of the Hospital Authority said the drop in the caseload has allowed hospitals to resume 80% of their outpatient services, and more beds are now being allocated for non-Covid patients.

However, he said the hospitals are not relaxing their guard.

“Even if we get hit by both Covid-19 and seasonal flu we should be able to cope,” he said.

The doctors showed through graphs how Covid cases are on the upswing again in some places, particularly the United Kingdom and Singapore, where a new variant, BA.2.75, has caused the daily tally to double in recent days.

The CHP said it is closely monitoring the situation, but believes the current measures are enough to prevent the new variants from entering the community.

However, Au admitted that the number of imported cases has risen in the past month. From around 1.5 percent of the total infections in September, the imported cases now make up around 3 percent of the total.

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