NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Consulate General announced that all Filipinos in need of emergency assistance in Hong Kong had been helped, as the Chinese special administrative region battles its fifth coronavirus epidemic wave of 2019 (Covid-19).

Several Filipino employees who caught Covid-19 were reportedly sacked by their employers over the weekend, leaving them unable to get admitted to hospitals owing to a lack of employment visas, and some were even forced to sleep outside.

“The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong wishes to reassure the Filipino community in Hong Kong that all Filipinos in need of emergency assistance as a result of the recent surge of Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong have been accounted for and assisted,” the Consulate said in a statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday.

At least 23 Filipinos have sought assistance from the consulate, requesting hospital admission after testing positive on their way to the airport, in boarding houses, or with their jobs.

“They are currently secure and staying in an isolation facility thanks to the PCG’s involvement and collaboration with non-government organization allies and the Hong Kong Labor Department,” it stated.

Consul General Raly Tejada promised to go after the employers in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel on Monday, claiming that their justification for terminating these OFWs’ contracts is unconstitutional.

“Iyong mga walang pusong employer na nagka-sakit na nga ating mga kababayan tinerminate pa, pananagutin natin sila sapagkat labag sa batas ng Hong Kong iyong mag-terminate ng maysakit na empleyado. Sa madaling salita hahabulin natin sila at pananagutin (We will hold those cruel employers accountable who fired our OFWs simply because they became unwell, because terminating sick personnel is prohibited.) In a nutshell, we’ll go after them and hold them accountable), “he stated

According to the latest data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), at least 41 overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong were infected with Covid-19, with eight of them recovering, three returning to their employers, two returning to their boarding house, and three ready to return to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government has taken specific measures to meet the rapid increase in cases, including the building of a 20,000-capacity isolation facility, among other things, according to the embassy.

“The Labor Department has also informed the PCG that foreign domestic servants who require medical attention and isolation will be accommodated,” the report stated.

The number of OFWs infected has risen to 60.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced on Tuesday that the number of overseas Filipino employees who have infected coronavirus in Hong Kong has risen to 60 as of Monday.

According to the agency’s most recent data, 49 people are asymptomatic and in isolation, nine are symptomatic and in hospitals, and two have recovered.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Hong Kong, initially offered US$200 (approximately PHP10,000) to qualified OFWs through its after-care financial assistance program, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

He further stated that OFWs expressing reservations about quarantine facilities were awarded an additional US$200.

In conjunction with the Hong Kong Center for Health Protection and non-government organizations, the POLO is also assisting in transporting infected OFWs to quarantine/isolation facilities and, if necessary, hospitals due to the current shortage of available ambulances.

It is working closely with employers to reassure employees that they can return to work once they have recovered, as Covid-19 infection is not a legal reason for dismissal.

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