PH to bring home fired Filipino workers in Hong Kong amid COVID-19 rash

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government will arrange “pronto” the return of Overseas Filipino Workers who were fired in Hong Kong due to fears of COVID-19 spread.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said this in a tweet on Tuesday even as he registered displeasure over Hong Kong employer’s termination of Filipino domestic staff there.

“We’ll prepare for their repatriation pronto. Deeply disgusted with HK [which] begged us to let domestic workers return to work,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. wrote.

We'll prepare for their repatriation pronto. Deeply disgusted with HK wch begged us to let domestic workers return to work. I extracted promise from Chinese ambassador that they'd be given same protection from COVID-19 as HK residents. I shoulda specified "from Hongkongers." https://t.co/3Ly1CHCfCm

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) March 3, 2020

A South China Morning Post (SCMP) report showed that domestic workers are being dismissed by employers due to arguments over letting them spend days-off outside the house despite mounting qualms about increasing cases of COVID-19.

SCMP said there are around 400,000 foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia.

Previously, the government eased the ban on travel to and from Hong Kong and let Filipino workers return to China’s Special Administrative Regions – Hong Kong and Macau.

Locsin previously said Filipino migrant workers will return to their employers in Hong Kong as the cosmopolitan city could “better take care of the workers.”

KGA