Phil health chief recommends flight ban on HK over Omicron

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Duque wants a travel ban on HK imposed immediately

Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has said in a TV interview Saturday that he has recommended a ban on travelers from Hong Kong after two imported cases of the new coronavirus variant, B.1.1529 or Omicron, were detected in the city.

Duque said in the Dobol B News TV interview that he has sent a letter to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea asking for a quick response to his request to make sure the Omicron, which has just been declared a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, does not enter the Philippines.

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He said there is an urgent need to impose a ban as many overseas Filipino workers traditionally go home for Christmas.

The country’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid has already approved the suspension of flights from South Africa and Botswana and neighboring countries Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe to prevent the mutant strain entering the Philippines.

Hong Kong, meanwhile, has put all of the said countries under Category A or high-risk countries, which means only residents may enter from these places, and they have to spend 21 days in quarantine.

On Saturday, the city’s government tightened the measures further by stipulating that from today, all new arrivals from the eight South African countries will have to spend their first seven days at a quarantine center, during which they will be tested every day and their health conditions monitored.

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After completing the seven-day quarantine at the government-run facility, “they will be allowed to finish the rest of the compulsory quarantine requirement at the designated quarantine hotel which they have reserved,” said the statement.

“They are also required to undergo testing on the 9th, 12th, 16th and 19th day and another compulsory testing in a community testing centre on the 26th day of arrival at Hong Kong.”

All arrivals from the 8 South African states will have to spend
their first 7 days of quarantine in a govt facility

The government statement said the WHO named the mutant strain Omicron after declaring it a variant of concern.  

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“The mutant strain possesses a large number of mutations and it was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on Nov. 24” said the government.

“In addition, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, this mutant strain is the most divergent variant during the COVID-19 pandemic so far. This raises concerns that it may be associated with increased transmissibility, reduction in vaccine effectiveness and increased risk for reinfections.”

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Apart from the two imported cases found in HK, the Omicron variant is said to have been detected in several other places including Botswana, South Africa, Israel and Belgium.

The government said it has contacted the health authorities in Israel and Belgium for details about the imported cases there.

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Further, the government said that no new cases have been found so far among people who stayed on the same floor of Regal Airport Hotel as the returnee from South Africa and the man from Canada he infected. 

Twelve other guests who stayed in adjacent rooms on the same floor between Nov 11 and 14 were sent to Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre but all have tested negative so far for Covid-19.

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However, the government says it has been closely monitoring the latest data on mutant strains as well as the epidemic situation in various places and will adjust the boarding, quarantine and testing requirements for persons arriving in Hong Kong from high risk places as the situation warrants.

In the meantime, surveillance at designated quarantine hotels has been stepped to ensure compliance with infection control measures. People undergoing quarantine are reminded that they must keep the windows in their hotel room closed and to wear a surgical mask when they open the room door.

Meanwhile, three new imported Covid-19 infections were reported today, involving travelers from the United Kingdom, India and Russia. All carried the L452R mutant strain.

Two of them, a 47-year-old female resident from the UK and a 58-year-old male air crew from Russia, tested positive on their arrival test. The third, a 72-year-old woman who came from India via the United Arab Emirates, tested positive on her third day of stay at Regal Airport Hotel.

 

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Newly arrived Filipina says fellow DH is pressing her to pay $15k ‘placement fee’

 By Daisy CL Mandap 

Complainant says the DH in HK is forcing many other new arrivals to pay her 'placement fee'

A newly arrived Filipina has sought help, saying a fellow domestic helper is charging her a total of $15,000 as ‘placement fee’, claiming she had paid money to an employment agency that placed the new helper in Hong Kong.

According to the complainant who asked not to be named, she was referred by a relative to the recruiter, M. Cordero, a longtime DH in Hong Kong, who hails from Talisay (ed: corrected), Negros Occidental.

The recruiter reportedly linked up the complainant with an employment agency in Hong Kong, which worked on her application starting in April this year.

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In exchange for introducing her to the agency, Cordero  reportedly said the complainant should pay her a total of $9,000, payable in three monthly installments of $3,000 each.

But since she could only leave after a few months, the complainant said the DH-recruiter told her, “Gawin daw niyang five months ang babayaran ko sa kanya dahil po matagal akong naakalis at tumataas ang interes ng pera.”(She said I need to pay her for five months because I was not able to leave early and the interest on what I owe her has gone up)

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That would mean her paying a total of $15,000 to someone who did nothing more than introduce her to a legitimate agency in Hong Kong, said the complainant.

But “I was the one who paid for my medical exam that cost P3,500 (and for) OWWA, pre-employment orientation seminar and others worth Php800, and I also paid Php6,000 for my Tesda training,” she added.

Despite this, the complainant felt she was obliged to pay the fixer what she was claiming, saying she thought this was how it was really like to get a job in Hong Kong.

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“Ang alam ko po talaga may placement fee ang Hong Kong. Nito ko lang nalaman talaga na bawal na iyan,” she said. (I really thought there is placement fee for Hong Kong. It is only now that I learned that it is now illegal).

But on her flight to Hong Kong, she said she sat next to a fellow helper who told her of the "strictly no placement fee policy” mandated by the Philippines for all domestic workers bound abroad.

Then, on her arrival at Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre, she was given a copy of the “Practical Guide to Working in Hong Kong” which spelled out clearly that it is the employer who should pay for all the expenses incurred in recruiting a domestic worker from overseas. 

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“Iniisip ko lang po kung ano ang tama. Iniisip ko kasi baka hindi ako makapunta ng Polo o OWWA agad,” she said. (I just want to know what is right as I may not be able to go to Polo or OWWA immediately).

But after having heard enough of Hong Kong’s policy on FDH recruitment, she was no longer surprised when told that what the DH-fixer was charging her was illegal. First, because the worker is not supposed to pay any processing fee and second, it is illegal for a FDH like her to engage in parttime work.

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The affirmation just made her remember that there are other workers who have gone through the illegal recruiter, who is said to have claimed to having shelled out money to get them to Hong Kong.

While still in her hometown, she said she met at least two other applicants for Hong Kong who were forced to pay Cordero. One paid Php20,000 while the other gave Php25,000. They were supposed to pay her a total of Php40,000. However, when they got to Hong Kong, they were reportedly told they still owed her Php40,000.”

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“May mga kasama pa ako na nasa Pilipinas pa at naghihintay ng booking sa hotel,” she said. (There are other recruits who are still in the Philippines and are just waiting to get booked in a <quarantine> hotel).

It took her a few more minutes to get over her feeling that she can be harmed by the recruiter if she did not pay up. She even asked that nothing be written that would lead to her identity.

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But after being assured that Hong Kong is safe, and in fact, looks sternly at agents that fleece money off migrant workers, she said she would work with the other complainants on getting the illegal recruiter held to account for her misdeed.

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Stressed Filipina drops claim vs employer who falsely accused her of ring theft

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Narcelles made the decision to move on with her life on her birthday

A Filipina domestic helper closed a dark chapter in her two years of stay in Hong Kong on Friday by deciding to drop a claim for a month’s salary in lieu of notice against her socialite former employer, saying she just wanted to move on.

The employer, in turn, dropped the same claim against the helper.

The agreement ended a 14-month stalemate in which the Filipina could not work despite being acquitted earlier this year by the Eastern Court of a charge of stealing a tourmaline ring which the employer said cost $120,000.

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“I feel relieved, I feel a heavy load was taken off my chest,” said Liverty Narcelles as she wiped off tears from her eyes after the hearing of her claims against former employer, Chua Eh-fong, at the Labour Tribunal in Yau Ma Tei.

“This is my best birthday gift,” said Narcelles, who turned 38 on the same day.

For all her nearly 14 and a half months of struggle in two courts against a wealthy and mean adversary, the domestic helper from La Union received only $3,337 from two weeks of working for Chua.

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The amount represents items that Chua earlier agreed to settle, including arrears in wages, one-way air ticket and travel allowance.

Friday’s hearing by Presiding Officer Vivian Lee was meant to be a pre-trial review of the case set to be heard next year. The only amount in contention is the $6,000 monthly wage in lieu of notice which both parties tried to claim against each other.

Narcelles worked for only 2 weeks in Chua's posh house in Stanley

Chua rejected Narcelles’ claim that she was fired summarily on the evening of Sept 9, 2020, after she gave a one-month notice to quit her job.

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The employer countered with a similar claim, saying the helper was the one who wanted to leave that evening after being given a termination notice.

The deadlock led another presiding officer, Eleanor Yeung, to set the trial for May 10-12 next year.

Chua figured in another controversy in June this year, after her four Filipino domestic workers resigned en masse, claiming to have been overworked. The workers had to call the Consulate for help, saying Chua had abandoned them in her Stanley home after two of them paid her a month's salary in lieu of notice.

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In court Friday, Lee briefly reviewed the facts of the case with the two protagonists, including the theft case and acquittal of Narcelles that led to the claim and counterclaim.

Chua, who identified herself as “boss” of a jewelry design company, tried to rehash the alleged ring theft, but Lee cut her down, saying the criminal case was not relevant to the claim.

Then, when it came to the $6,000 claim for wages in lieu of notice, the employer said it was just a small amount but she wanted to fight for the protection of employers against helpers who move from employer to employer. 

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Lee explained the consequences if the dispute went to a trial, saying the losing party would bear the court costs as well as the costs of the other party.

When Lee asked Narcelles if she would like to withdraw her claim and avoid going to a trial, the helper said she was willing to drop her claim if Chua did the same.

The employer said she would withdraw her claim if the tribunal can assure her that the worker won’t mount another case against her in other courts here or in the Philippines.

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Lee said both parties will sign an agreement stating they won’t file any more cases in any venue against the other party.

After both parties agreed to withdraw their opposing claims, Lee put it on record that the case had already been settled.    

Narcelles said after the hearing that she was relieved the issue was over so that she could turn to other important things to do, such as returning to her family and trying to find another job again elsewhere.

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She thanked those who helped her in her case, including Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, and Esther Bangcawayan of the Mission for Migrant Workers, and her former employer, Portia Cheung, who took her in as she pursued her case against Chua.

Bangcawayan, a case officer at the Mission, kept cheering her up, saying she was victorious because she stood up to the employer. 

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HK classifies 7 more African countries as high risk amid new variant scare

By The SUN 

Only Hong Kong residents from the 8 African countries will be allowed to enter

From midnight today, Nov 27, non-Hong Kong residents who have stayed in South Africa and seven other African countries within 21 days will be barred from entering the SAR to guard against the importation of a newly discovered coronavirus variant.

This is after Hong Kong relegated Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe to category A, or high-risk countries. South Africa is already in this category.

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A government statement released late Friday said the variant B.1.1.529 has been detected in South Africa and Botswana.

The statement said that although scientists are not fully certain of the impact mutant variant on the epidemic situation or whether the relevant mutations would affect the efficacies of vaccines, Hong Kong needs to remain vigilant.

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The variant sparked concern in the city after a returning resident from South Africa was detected with the variant, which he then passed on to a man from Canada who had stayed in a room opposite to his in Regal Airport Hotel in Chek Lap Kok.

However, 12 other people who had stayed on the same floor of the hotel and were transferred to Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre have so far tested negative for the mutated virus.

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With the eight southern African countries specified as Group A specified places, non-Hong Kong residents including visitors who have stayed there within 21 days are not allowed to enter Hong Kong.

For Hong Kong residents, they can only board a flight for the SAR if they have been fully vaccinated and hold a recognized vaccination record, and have confirmed booking for their 21-day quarantine in a designated quarantine hotel.

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The control and prevention measures applicable to these places under the prevailing mechanism are more stringent than the measures announced recently by the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Israel, the government said.

Details on the relevant boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements for respective specified places can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/inbound-travel.html.
 
The government will gazette the relevant updated specifications under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travelers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to effect the above measures.

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The SUN is 10th among Top 15 HK news websites

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The SUN marks its 26th year next month

The SUN has notched another achievement, placing 10^th in the list of the Top 15 Hong Kong News Websites selected by independent website content reader, Feedspot.

The SUN placed above much bigger media news organizations like Ming Pao, Al Jazeera Hong Kong and BBC News Hong Kong.

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The SUN is also the lone online publication in the list with a niche following, as it mainly targets Filipino migrants, particularly those who are in Hong Kong.

“We welcome this unsolicited ranking which pays tribute to the kind of news stories that we have been putting out in the past 26 years. Unbiased, fearless, well-researched and well- written,” said The SUN Publisher Leo A. Deocadiz.

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The SUN, which was founded in December 1995, started out as a printed publication, with its monthly print run reaching a high of 55,000 copies up until 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the company to go fully online.

The SUN newspaper had a peak print run of 55,000 copies a month

Its Facebook page, The SUN Hong Kong, now has 154,000 followers, with nearly all of its articles being shared by dozens of readers on a daily basis.

Its most popular Facebook Live show, The SUN Interviews, reaches between 40,000 to 50,000 people when it broadcasts every other Wednesday night.

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In his email to The SUN, Feedspot founder Anuj Agarwal said, “I would like to personally congratulate you as your website The SUN Hong Kong has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 15 Hong Kong News Websites on the web.”

“I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 15 Hong Kong News Websites on the internet and I'm honored to have you as part of this!”

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Here is the list of those who made it to the Top 15:

1.)   Headline Daily

2.)   HK Free Press

3.)   The Standard

4.)   South China Morning Post

5.)   HK Economic Times

6.)   Fintech Hong Kong

7.)   Metro Daily

8.)   Sing Pao Daily News

9.)   HK Commercial Daily News

10) The SUN

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11) Ming Pao News

12) Al-Jazeera HK

13) Gong Jiao Bao

14) BBC News HK

15) The Star HK

For the complete list, including a description of each news website, click this link; Top 15 Hong Kong News Websites 

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