Second imported case with Omicron sub-variant found

By The SUN

 

Health officials have reported 413 new Covid cases on Thursday, a slight drop from the previous day.

At the same time, they reported that a 40-year-old man who arrived in Hong Kong on Apr 23 via flight QR 818 from South Africa via Qatar had been found to carry the Omicron BA.5 sub-variant, the second such case in the city.

According to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection, the man was asymptomatic and tested positive on arrival. He received two doses of the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong.

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He was transferred to a hotel designated as community isolation facility from the airport. His case is still being investigated.

Chuang said that the Omicron sub-variant has not been found in the local community so far, but CHP will continue to monitor cases.

The Omicron BA.5  sub-variant was first detected in a male traveler from South Africa who arrived in Hong Kong via Ethiopia and Thailand on Apr. 6.

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The World Health Organization has been monitoring the new Omicron mutation, but has yet to determine whether it is more transmissible or causes more severe symptoms.

Meanwhile, 24 imported cases were among those reported today.

Seven of them tested positive on arrival, including three who flew in aboard flight AC007 from Vancouver, Canada. The flight has been suspended from flying to Hong Kong as a result.

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Of the latest cases, 206 were confirmed by PCR tests and 207 were reported by people who self-tested using rapid antigen tests.

Another five Covid patients have died. But they did not include 87-year-old actor Kenneth Tsang, who was found dead in his quarantine hotel yesterday, two days after arriving from Singapore. 

Authorities say Tsang tested negative for the coronavirus.

Chuang said the actor did not make any calls seeking medical help.

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“For those who have special needs under quarantine, they can apply to have family members to accompany them during the quarantine period and to take care of them," she said.

Hospital Authority’s Dr Lau Ka-hin said the death toll in the fifth wave of outbreaks has now risen to 9,074.

Lau said yesterday’s fatalities involved four men and one woman aged between 60 and 95.

Among them, three were residents of elderly homes, four had no vaccination record, and only one was aged below 65.

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Filipina DH jailed 4 months for forging employer’s termination notice

By The SUN

 

Immigration says the Filipina forged the notice of termination so she could continue working in HK

A Filipina domestic helper was sentenced to four months in jail at Shatin Magistrates’ Court this morning (Apr 28) for falsifying the notice of termination of her former employer and then using it to apply for a new employment visa.

Lorjean A Mabborang, 27, had pleaded guilty to one count of forgery, another of  using a copy of a false instrument and a third, or making false representation to an Immigration officer.

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According to court records, the Filipina submitted a foreign domestic helper visa application to the Immigration Department in March 2022 and attached a copy of the notice of termination by her previous employer as a supporting document.

A check of the FDH’s records showed that the original notice sent by the previous employer in January 2022 was different from that submitted by the helper in applying for a new employment visa.

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This raised the suspicion of an Immigration officer and the case was investigated.

When questioned, Mabborang admitted that she had altered the reason for her termination by her former employer and had used this to make false representation with Immigration to have her visa approved so she could continue working in Hong Kong.

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Investigators subsequently found the original copy of the altered notification in the helper’s place of residence.

Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung sentenced the defendant to four months in jail for each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently.

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Anyone who makes, uses, or is in possession of a false instrument can be sentenced to a maximum of 14 years in prison.

Making false representation to an Immigration officer, meanwhile, is punishable by imprisonment for up to 14 years, and a maximum fine of $150,000.

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Pag-IBIG contribution not yet mandatory in HK: Congen

 By Leo A. Deocadiz

Members qualify for a Pag-IBIG housing loan after 24 monthly contributions

The Consulate today allayed concern OFWs will be required to pay Pag-IBIG Fund contributions to be able to get their Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) , a document needed for travel to the Philippines so they can be allowed to return to their place of work with airport fee and travel tax exemptions.

Consul General Raly Tejada told a chat group of Filipino community leaders that the present procedures at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) do not require the Pag-IBIG membership when OFWs apply for the OEC.

“Just had a meeting with our POLO and PAG-IBIG heads,” he told the group. “Currently, hindi naman hinahanap ng POLO ang Pag-Ibig Membership ID sa mga aplikante para makapag issue ng OEC.” (Currently, POLO does not ask for the Pag-Ibig Membership ID from applicants of OEC)

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His statement was confirmed by Pag-IBIG Fund representative Raymond Francis L. Ramos, who told The SUN that they are still waiting for instructions from Manila.

The online OEC system, which is controlled in Manila, still does not require OFWs to enter their Pag-IBIG ID number when they apply for an OEC, he said.

How long this situation will last, nobody can tell.

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The community leaders had raised concern that OFWs will not be issued OECs starting April 26 if they did not pay their Pag-IBIG contributions.

Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, general manager of the Mission for Migrant Workers, urged Congen Tejada to call a community meeting so that this new requirement could be explained.

The controversy began after the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) posted on its Facebook page on April 20 photos of a two-page joint advisory signed by POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia and Pag-IBIG Fund President Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti.

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The post said that effective April 26, the POEA will require all OFWs and applicants for overseas jobs to encode their Pag-IBIG membership ID numbers in their e-Registration System accounts. POEA will then collect their Pag-IBIG contributions before issuing their OECs.

The advisory raised a howl of protest.

Bayan Muna-Hong Kong described the fee as "another form of state exaction."

For its part, Migrante International said: "OFWs have always been the piggy bank of various government agencies through mandatory collections through POEA and OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) membership, travel insurance, SSS (Social Security System), and PhilHealth, not to mention, medical, training and other processing requirements during the COVID pandemic."

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Controversy about the mandatory collection of Pag-IBIG contributions from OFWs dates back to 2009 when Republic Act 9679 became law to further strengthen the Pag-IBIG Fund.

The Pag-IBIG Fund is a savings system that provides financing to Filipino workers who want to buy a house. Monthly contributions to the Fund earn annual dividends which are tax-free and government guaranteed. Members can qualify for a Pag-IBIG housing loan after making 24 monthly contributions.

The first step to make collection of the contributions mandatory was taken on Oct. 20, 2020 when POEA and Pag-IBIG Fund signed a memorandum of agreement to collect them through POEA’s Electronic Payment and Collection System.

The arrangement has remained unimplemented until this new push last week. 

If the new scheme pushes through, OFWs would be made to pay their P100 monthly contribution as a lump sum of P2,400 for every two-year contract, by making it a requirement for the issuance of the OEC.

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Keep an eye on your children, new social welfare attaché tells OFWs

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Marcelino is most concerned about the children OFW mums left behind

If there is one thing that the newly posted social welfare attaché from the Philippines would like to tell overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong, it is this: “Please always look after your children.”

Remilene Marcelino, who has worked at the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Philippines since 2014, has just been posted in Hong Kong to replace Lucita Villanueva, who was reposted to Antique province in August last year.

Marcelino went straight to work after finishing her mandatory seven-day hotel quarantine in Hong Kong and has already been busy familiarizing herself with the concerns of OFWs here.

Though she is single herself, Marcelino has taken a keen interest in children’s welfare, especially since her work has exposed her to a lot of problems affecting them.

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One thing that has struck her in particular was the realization that 40% of all the teenage mothers she had come into contact with during her previous work with the Bantay Bata program of the ABS-CBN Foundation were children of OFWs.

These young mothers were mostly raped or abused by people their OFW mothers had entrusted them with, including their own fathers.

“Siguro na experience nila yung rape dahil ang parents nila nasa abroad,” she said (Most likely they were raped because their parents were abroad).

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What she found even more disconcerting was that at least one of the young mothers in that group had developed an “accommodation syndrome,” or that which forced her to accept her situation, thinking there was no way out.

Given this, Marcelino advises OFW mothers to always keep an open line with their children.

“Dapat laging may communication. Kapag hindi na nagse share sa nanay o hindi na masaya, malamang may problema na hindi masabi.” (There should be constant communication. If the child stops sharing with the mother or no longer sounds happy, most likely there is already a problem that the child does not want the mother to know).

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Mothers should also listen more to the child than to the spouse in cases like this, she said, because there have been cases where the OFW mother had taken her husband’s word more than that of her abused child.

She hopes the constant communication between mother and child would lead to abuse cases being detected at the earliest stage so intervention could be made and the victim saved from further harm. 

Marcelino, who graduated with a degree in social work from St Louis University in Baguio City where she hails from, also worked briefly as a hospital social worker before joining the DSWD as an executive assistant of Assistant Secretary Glenda dela Rama Relova.

Though this is her first posting abroad, Marcelino hopes her experience of working indirectly with OFW mothers through their children will serve her in good stead when she starts dealing directly with the mostly women migrants in Hong Kong.

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She says the extensive briefing she got from previous social welfare attaches plus the pre-departure training she got from the department will also be a big help.

The new attache pays a courtesy visit to Consul General Raly Tejada after leaving quarantine

As for now, she aims to get to know more members of the Filipino community with help from the various government departments under the Consulate, and learn how to work with them in helping protect fellow OFWs who are distressed.

Apart from providing counseling, she says the DSWD is also able to provide a “small financial assistance” to distressed workers. If necessary, she can refer them to the DWSD office nearest their place in the Philippines so they can be helped.

Told about how some OFWs hesitate to go home after working for a long time abroad, she says she will try to tap relevant government departments to make them part of the senior citizens’ program so they will be more encouraged to go home for good.

But for now, those who need immediate help may call or send a message to the DSWD’s newly installed hotline, 52956952.

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Veteran local actor dies in quarantine, cause of death still being probed

By The SUN 

The lifeless body of the actor was found in a room at Kowloon Hotel where he is spending his quarantine

Veteran local actor Kenneth Tsang was found dead at around noon today in his hotel room where he was spending his quarantine, various media reports say.

The 87-year-old actor reportedly arrived from Singapore on Monday and tested negative on his arrival test at Hong Kong airport and also on a rapid test yesterday.

But he didn’t answer the door at his room at The Kowloon Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui when health officials tried to check on him at about 12:15pm. Hotel staff were called and they found him unconscious on the floor.

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Paramedics who responded to a call for help declared the actor dead at the scene. The exact cause of his death is still being investigated.

Tsang was a popular actor in the 50s and 60s and won an award for best supporting actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015.

Meanwhile, health officials reported 430 new coronavirus cases today, 83 more than yesterday.

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Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said a rebound in cases was within expectations, especially since many people had gathered over the Easter holiday.

“Even if there’s a rebound in cases, it’s expected. We will monitor whether the rebound will be big,” she said.

Among the new cases, 222 were confirmed by PCR tests and the rest through rapid self-tests that were reported to the government platform.

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Chuang also said a total of 15 imported cases were recorded, including four passengers who tested positive on arrival – three aboard JL029 from Japan and one on AI316 from India. One of the passengers from Japan was suspected to be a re-positive case.

The eleven other patients were found infected on their third and fifth day in hotel quarantine, and they flew in from places such as the United States, Singapore, United Kingdom and Taiwan.

Chuang and Lau at the daily Covid press briefing

Dr Lau Ka-hin from the Hospital Authority said eight deaths were recorded yesterday, involving five males and three females aged between 49 and 95 years old.

Among these, seven did not complete their vaccination while one had three jabs.

Only one among the patients was not over 65 years old, and it involved a 49-year-old female cancer patient who fainted at home on Apr 21.

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She tested positive for Covid-19 on admission to hospital where a scan also showed her cancer had spread to other parts of her body. She passed away yesterday.

Lau also said 1,716 patients are still receiving treatment at public hospitals and various infection control facilities. Among them, 16 are in intensive care with their condition classified as critical, while one is seriously ill.

The recoveries over the past 24 hours totaled 256 but only 175 have been discharged from hospitals so far.

More than 1.19million are officially listed as having contracted the coronavirus in the fifth wave of infection, although some experts say up to four million may have already been infected.

The related death toll now stands at 9,069.

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Pinay na nagnakaw ng $433k halaga ng alahas sa amo, kulong ng halos 1 taon

 By The SUN

Sinentensiyahan ang Pilipina sa Eastern Magistracy

Isang Pilipinang domestic helper ang sinentensyahan kanina ng siyam na buwan at 11 linggong pagkabilanggo (o dagdag na dalawang buwan at tatlong linggo) matapos umamin sa pitong kaso ng pagnanakaw ng alahas at relo ng among nakatira sa Conduit Road, Mid-Levels.

Binigyang diin ni Magistrate Leung Ka Kie na maliban sa $433,000 na halaga ng ninakaw, ang krimen ay isang paglabag sa tiwalang ibinibigay sa helper ng isang amo.

Nang iharap siya sa Eastern Magistracy noong April 12, isa-isang namin ni Emalyn Florentino ang pitong paratang na inihain ng pulis laban sa kanya. 

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Kanina, luhaang tinanggap ni Florentino ang hatol matapos hilingin ng kanyang abugado ang mas magaan na parusa para sa kanya. 

Sinabi ng abugado na malinis ang record ni Florentino sa buong pamamalagi niya sa Hong Kong.

Sinabi rin niya na ang mismong amo ni Florentno ay nagpadala ng sulat na humihingi ng pang-unawa sa kanyang katulong na napilitan lang daw magnakaw dahil nagipit.

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Ang lahat ng ninakaw ni Florentino ay natunton sa mga sanglaan, at $24,500 lang ang nakuha niya mula sa pagprenda sa mga ito. Nakikipag-usap diumano ngayon ang amo sa mga sanglaan kung magkano ang dapat niyang bayaran para mabawi ang kanyang mga alahas. 

Ang bawa’t kaso ng pagnanakaw ay binigyan ni Magistrate Leung ng kaukulang parusa, na may diskwentong 1/3.

1. Sa pagnanakaw ng isang pares ng kwintas na gawa sa ginto at perlas noong Aug. 15, 2021 -- tatlong linggo, na ginawang dalawang linggo. 

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2. Sa pagnanakaw ng isang relong Franck Muller noong Sept. 5, 2021 – tatlong buwan, na ginawang dalawang buwan. 

3. Sa pagnanakaw ng dalawang palawit sa kwintas o pendant na kulay ginto noong Oct. 14, 2021 -- tatlong linggo, na ginawang dalawang linggo.

4. Sa pagnanakaw ng isang ½ ounce na gold coin noong Oct. 14, 2021 – anim na linggo, na ginawang apat na linggo.

5. Sa pagnanakaw ng dalawang ½ ounce na gold coin noong Oct. 15, 2021 – anim na linggo, na ginawang apat na linggo.

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6. Sa pagnanakaw ng kwintas na silver noong Nov. 21, 2021 – anim na linggo, na ginawang apat na linggo.

7. Sa pagnanakaw ng isang relong Rolex noong Dec. 5, 2021 – 12 buwan, na ginawang walong buwan.

Ipinag-utos din ni Magistrate Leung na ang parusa sa ika-7 kaso ay kasabay na tatakbo ng isang buwan sa kasong ika 2, at isang linggo sa limang natirang kaso.

Kaya ang suma, 11 buwan at isang linggo ang ilalagi ni Florentino sa kulungan.

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