At least 4,000 OFWs bound for Hong Kong stranded due to Omicron surge

At least 4,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for Hong Kong were not able to leave the country due to the Omicron surge, according to Mark Salazar’s “24 Oras” report on Thursday. “Mayroon na silang mga exit pass na prinoseso na ng POEA, ‘yung mga may ticket na at mayroon na ring mga naka-book na quarantine rooms. May mga OFW tayo na dapat ay lilipad na ay inabutan na ng expiration ng kanilang mga visa,” Dolly Uanang, president of Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (SHARP), said. (They already have exit passes already processed by Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), those who already have tickets and also have quarantine rooms booked. We have OFWs who are supposed to go to Hong Kong but their visas expired.) “’Yung mga OEC nila o exit pass nila galing sa POEA ay hindi naman apektado ‘yun dahil kahit three months ang validity noon pwede pa naman nila gamitin ‘yun. Ang problema, ‘yung mga visa nila doon sa Hong Kong ay nagsisimula nang mag-expire,” Uanang said. (Their Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs) or exit passes from POEA are not affected because even if it is only valid for three months, they can still use them. The problem is their visas in Hong Kong are starting to expire.) Over 200,000 Filipinos are currently staying in Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Immigration website. Uanang said so far there are no reported OFWs in Hong Kong infected with Omicron COVID-19 variant. “So far, wala pa naman tayong mga kababayan na affected, I mean sa hanay namin sa SHARP. ‘Yung aming mga pinaalis na OFW, wala pa naman kaming feedback na nakukuha na nagkaroon ng Omicron COVID infection. So far, wala naman. Pinag-iingat parin namin sila,” she said. (So far, there were no Filipinos affected, among the members of our organization. Those OFWs who leave, we have not yet received any feedback that they are infected with the Omicron variant. So far, no infection. We advised them to take care of themselves.) Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said there is no decision yet if there will be travel restrictions imposed for those travelers coming from Hong Kong. “Well, depende ‘yan sa gobyerno ng Hong Kong kung sila mismo tingin nila ay dapat magsara sila or mag-adopt sila ng protocols nila rerespetuhin natin yon. So far, wala pa sa usapan iyan,” Duque said. (Well, it depends on the Hong Kong government if they think they should shut down or they adopt protocols we will respect. So far, it has not been discussed.) Hong Kong's coronavirus battle intensified on Thursday as authorities reported new cases had multiplied by 60 times so far this month and media reported that testing would become compulsory for everyone in the global financial hub from March. Hospitals are overwhelmed with some patients, including elderly, left lying on beds outside amid chilly, sometimes rainy weather, in shocking scenes that prompted an apology from authorities in the Chinese controlled city.—Richa Noriega/LDF, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

UP Diliman Professors Share Scientists’ Procurement Struggles at Senate Hearing

By Harvey Sapigao Senate hearing of the revised procurement law (Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines) College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists. Marine Science Institute (MSI) Deputy Director Dr. Irene Rodriguez explained that the small device is a resin that filters metals in water. “May budget tayo,” she said, “pero ang problema ko ay ‘yung resin na ito.” This and other bottlenecks brought about by the procurement law, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), slow down research and development in the country. UPD leaders were invited to the Senate he
Read more

Gaza war rages into fourth month as Blinken tours Middle East Adel Zaanoun with Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, --- Agence France-Presse

The Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza entered its fourth month on Sunday as the army again pounded the besieged Palestinian territory and US top diplomat Antony Blinken was back in the region seeking to avoid a wider escalation. Israeli airstrikes overnight and early Sunday killed at least 64 people in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory, said its health ministry. It said two journalists were killed when their car was struck. The ministry, medics, and witnesses identified them as Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for Agence France-Presse, and Hamza Wael Dahdouh, the son of Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza who earlier lost his wife and two other children in an Israeli strike. Israeli bombardment also claimed other civilian lives in the southern city of Khan Yunis and in the Rafah area near the Egyptian border, where many of the territory's displaced people have sought refuge, AFP correspondents reported. Relatives were mourning the dead at Khan Yunis' European Hospital, am
Read more