OFW group gets $30k grant to aid stranded and quarantined HK migrants

By The SUN

Social Justice and Soap Cycling members pack hygiene kits for stranded migrant workers 

HER Fund, a community women’s organization, has approved a $29,800 grant to finance Social Justice for Migrant Workers’ program to provide food, cash aid and workshops for quarantined and stranded foreign domestic workers.

SJMW founder and The SUN contributor Marites Palma said the funding group approved the grant after studying her proposal to help needy migrant workers.

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Palma submitted her project proposal titled “Support for FDH in Hong Kong who are quarantined and stranded during the pandemic” after seeing that hundreds of domestic workers who lost their jobs because of the pandemic were left stranded in the city.

 

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HER Fund found Palma’s proposal in accord with its job of promoting marginal and grassroots women’s rights and improving their living conditions through funding, ability training and resource linkage.

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Palma said the grant covers aid distribution starting on Aug 15 and ending on May 14 next year. It will be carried out in collaboration with Share Hong Kong and United Filipinos in Hong Kong.

 

Palma speaks at a women empowerment forum organized by the Equal Opportunities Commission

Since February this year, thousands of displaced helpers had been left stranded in Hong Kong because of frequent flight cancellations to and from Manila, apart from the strict lockdowns that halted domestic flights around the country.

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SJWM began extending help when it was made aware of the problems faced by dozens of helpers who needed to undergo quarantine after returning from vacation in the Philippines.

Many of the workers appealed for food, as their employers did not provide them enough sustenance during their 14-day quarantine. Hong Kong’s labour laws oblige employers to pay a food allowance, but it’s hardly enough to cover all their meals during the quarantine, not to mention that they are not allowed to go out even just to buy food.

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Together with other migrant workers organizations such as Global Alliance HK, La Union Federation, Panay Overseas Workers Association, Taipo Domestic Workers Group, Guardians Republican Int'l Inc., Filipino Nurses Association HK, SJWM decided to take action.

Later, non-government organizations such as the Mission for Migrant Workers, Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants and Soap Cycling, along with some Hong Kong residents, joined the endeavor.

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Many donated cash, which totaled nearly $10,000, and some contributed food packs, home-cooked meals and groceries that were given to the needy domestic workers.

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Philippines plunges into recession, overtakes Indonesia as country with most infections in SEA

By The SUN

The Philippines now has more coronavirus infections than Indonesia, whose population is twice as big

The Philippine economy fell into recession for the first time in 39 years after shrinking 16.5% year-on-year in the second quarter due to the prolonged and strict coronavirus lockdown.

The April-June contraction was unveiled by the Philippine Statistics Authority today, Aug 6, as the Department of Health reported 3,561 new coronavirus cases, two days after registering the all-time daily high of 6,352  on Tuesday. 

The overall tally of 119,460 has made the Philippines overtake Indonesia as the country with the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Southeasr Asia.

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Of the country’s total cases, 50,473 are active, according to the latest DOH data.

Metro Manila registered the most number of new cases at 2,041, followed by Laguna with 222, Cebu with 221, Cavite with 100, and Rizal with 81.

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There were an additional 569 recoveries, bringing the total to 66,837. But the country’s Covid-19 death toll rose to 2,150 after the DOH added 28 new fatalities.

The country’s gross domestic product, the final value of goods and services it produced during the past three months, fell way below the 9% contraction forecast in a Reuters poll, and was far worse than the 0.7% slump in the first quarter.

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Seasonally adjusted GDP fell 15.2% in the second quarter from the January-March level.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and other Malacañang officials acknowledged the adverse economic impact of the lockdowns, but said the government took the difficult move to save lives and protect communities.

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“The government did not shirk from the equally important responsibility of providing much-needed relief to the most vulnerable, maintaining fundamental services, and carrying out measures to keep the economy afloat,” Dominguez said.

He said that without continued and increased public-sector spending, especially on infrastructure, public health, and social protection, the economy would have fared much worse.

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Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the economic contraction of was expected by the country’s economic managers.

But he said the lockdown and community quarantine was necessary to prevent the collapse of the healthcare system and assist frontline healthcare workers.

Two doctors at the Philippine General Hospital fell asleep on the lobby floor from sheer exhaustion

The economic hit from the pandemic could worsen with the government reimposing a virtual lockdown in Metro Manila and nearby provinces for two weeks from Tuesday, amid record increases in Covid-19 cases.

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Frontline medical workers had asked for a time-out, saying they were made to bear the brunt of the surge in cases, while the government failed to provide a clear policy direction on how it intends to curb the contagion.

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Four locals arrested in loan shark ring targeting Filipino helpers

.By The SUN

 

More than 100 OFWs were made to sign up  for loans with the syndicate at 195% interest rate

Hong Kong police say they have released on bail two local men and two local women who were arrested in a crackdown yesterday, Aug 5, on a loan shark syndicate that preyed on Filipino domestic helpers coming to this city.

A police spokeswoman said charges have not yet been filed against the four as investigations into their money laundering and loan sharking operations are ongoing.

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The four, aged 52 to 74, were arrested in a police swoop in North Point, Wong Tai Sin and Western. They were instructed to report to the police in early September, she said.

But the police did not give the names of the arrested persons, the lending companies they represented in Hong Kong, and their partner agencies in the Philippines.

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The syndicate’s partner finance companies in the Philippines reportedly lent money totaling $23 million to more than 100 successful job applicants to pay for their agency fee and related services such as medical and training costs.

The workers paid back the loans to the Hong Kong syndicate in monthly installments at excessive interest rates as high as 195% a year, more than triple the 60% legal ceiling.

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Under Hong Kong laws, lending firms that charge more than a 60% are liable to a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail and a $5 million fine if convicted. Employment agencies are also prohibited from charging their recruits more than 10% of their first monthly salary.

In the Philippines it is illegal for employment agencies to charge placement fees from job applicants. But some agencies force the workers to go to lending companies and take out loans to pay for their services, masked as training and other fees.

  

Police started investigating after 17 OFWs complained about being charged up to $14k a month as repayment

Police began investigating this particular case when 17 workers who were made to pay $6,000 to $14,000 monthly within three to six months of their arrival reported the illegal operation.

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“The syndicate signed contracts with the helpers through finance companies in the Philippines. They borrowed between $4,000 and $8,000 in pesos,” local media reports quoted Chief Inspector Tang Hoi-ting of the narcotics bureau’s financial investigation team as saying.

Tang said the syndicate did not inform the workers they would be paying such a high interest rate when lending the money.

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Officers seized computers, cash and receipts during the raids and froze $5 million that the syndicate held in a bank account.

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Smart HKID card replacement suspended as anti-Covid-19 precaution

Here’s a reminder to foreign domestic helpers and other residents born in 1962 or 1963 who are scheduled to replace their Hong Kong identity cards during the call-up period July 28-Sept 22.

Replacement of their HKID with the new smart identity cards has been suspended by the Immigration Department tstarting July 20 to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus in the community.

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The Department said in an advisory those who are unable to replace their HK ID cards during the call-up period should wait for the resumption of services.

Those who have already made an appointment to replace their ID cards may proceed to the Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre nearest their district when services resume. 

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This also applies to those born between 1957 to 1961 who were not able to meet their call-up time until July 27. They should go directly to the Replacement Centres to apply for replacing their HK IDs,  in line wtih Immigration's flexibility arrangement due to the spread of the virus.

The territory-wide identity card replacement exercise covers all Hong Kong residents, whether they are permanent residents or non-permanent residents taking up employment, investment, residence or study in Hong Kong. They include foreign domestic helpers.

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Before the Covid-19 crisis worsened in Hong Kong in February-March this year, the SIDCCs were open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, except public holidays.

When services resume, eligible applicants may book their appointment via the Internet (www.gov.hk/newicbooking), the Immigration Department mobile application or the 24-hour telephone booking hotline 2121 1234.

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To book an appointment via the Internet or to download the mobile application, applicants should scan the QR codes. 

Applicants are advised to pre-fill the application form when booking an appointment through the Internet or mobile application. They need to bring along their old smart identity card.

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The Immigration Department said each eligible applicant for ID card replacement may bring along up to two persons with disabilities, in addition to two family members or friends aged 65 or above, when going to an SIDCC.

Eligible residents who are absent from Hong Kong during their call-up period can apply within 30 days of their return to the city.

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For details of the Hong Kong-wide ID card replacement exercise, visit www.smartid.gov.hk or call the enquiry hotline 2824 6111.

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Beirut blast kills 100 people, including 2 OFWs

By The SUN

 

The Beirut blast that flattened many buildings and killed about 100 people 

Two overseas Filipino workers are among an estimated 100 people killed in an explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday, and left eight other Filipinos wounded and 11 missing, Malacañang reported today, Aug 5.

The massive blast at the Lebanese capital’s port area left some 4,000 people wounded

and devastated a large part of the district, state-run media reported, citing the Red Cross.

Georges Kettaneh, the secretary-general of the Lebanese Red Cross, told Lebanon’s National News Agency on Wednesday that the disaster is “unprecedented and very large.”

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Lebanese Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi told a local TV station it appeared the blast was caused by more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that detonated in a warehouse where it had been stored ever since it was confiscated from a cargo ship in 2014.

Video footage of the explosion showed thick gray smoke billowing from a low-rise building next to the port. Within seconds, the smoke turned brick red and orange as the ground exploded, sending up a mushroom cloud several hundred feet into the air like a nuclear explosion.

The explosion flattened a wide swath of buildings and wrecked the front side of a skyscraper on the waterfront. 

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In Manila, the Philippine government extended condolences to the families of the two OFWs who died in the blast, and expressed sadness that eight others were wounded, and 11 are still missing. 

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar also promised government assistance to those who were wounded.

“We condole with the families of the two Filipino workers who perished in the tragic accident in Beirut, and pray for the fast recovery of those eight injured, some of them seriously, and still under treatment at various hospitals in that part of Lebanon,” Bello said in a statement.

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“We also note with sadness that 11 others of our OFWs, all sea-based workers docked at the port of Beirut, are still unaccounted for,” Bello said.

He added that the labor department is coordinating closely with Beirut authorities to locate them and work for their safe return to the Philippines if they decide to do so.

Andanar issued a separate statement that assured help from the government for all the victims of the tragedy.

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“We assure everyone that our government is ensuring the safety of our OFWs there through the Philippine Embassy in Beirut and that concerned government agencies are providing the assistance their families need,” Andanar said.

 

Sacular showing off her injured head and hands in a Facebook post 

One of those injured was OFW Melda Sacular, who said she was in her room when the explosion happened. She said part of her scalp was sliced by a shard from the glass door in her employer’s house. Both her hands were also injured.

Even her employer was injured in the head, Sacular said.

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She said she had just finished wiping the door when she saw the explosion in the port area and ran for cover. Suddenly, their door was blown out.

“Naliligo ako sa dugo pagkatapos lumipad ang salamin na pinto,” she said in a live selfie video she posted on Facebook.

Rescuers came to the house after awhile and took the maid and her employer to the hospital. She thanked her rescuers who also assisted many other people who also needed help.

Jehanie Silva Macuro said her cousin Bheng Arguelles was badly shaken during the blast.

“My whole body is still shaking until now,” Arguelles said in a message to friends.

“Lahat ng front glass door (and) window basag.”

Macuro said Argeuelles has been working in Beirut for more than two years.

As of Dec 31 last year, there were 34,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, the fourth biggest migrant community behind Ethiopians, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans.

The late Ambassador Bernardita Catalla, who had been consul general in Hong Kong for three years, served as the country’s top envoy to Lebanon until her death from Covid-19 early this year.

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