Probe on situation of COVID-hit OFWs in Hong Kong sought

People queue up for COVID-19 tests in the pouring rain in Hong Kong on February 22, 2022, as the city faces its worst coronavirus wave to date. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — Alarms were raised over the reported situation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong who have fallen ill due to COVID-19.

One senatorial candidate has called for an investigation into the matter while another one sought the blacklisting of employers who would. be found to have “abandoned” the OFWs.

Filipino workers in Hong Kong who contracted COVID-19 earlier appealed for the assistance of the Philippine government after some of them were allegedly fired by their employers and forced to stay in parks as some were supposedly denied admission to hospitals for having terminated contracts and no employment visa.

“Nananawagan ako sa administrasyon na ilagay sa blacklist ang mga employer na mapapatunayang inabandona ang mga Pilipinong kasambahay na nagka-COVID,” reelectionist Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Maaari ring magsampa ng mga kaso laban sa mga employer na ‘yan. We cannot allow them to hire again,” she added.

READ: OFWs in Hong Kong seek help amid COVID surge

Former Quezon City Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista, meanwhile, called for an investigation into reports that sick OFWs have allegedly been driven out of their employers’ homes and left to fend for themselves on the streets of Hong Kong.

“This is alarming for many of the families of our countrymen in Hong Kong…The worst thing is the agony of their families back home,” said Bautista, who is running for senator in the May elections.

But Bautista also noted that reports about the situation of OFWs in Hong Kong seem to be “conflicting.”

According to him, some groups and officials said there was nothing to worry about the situation of OFWs in Hong Kong while other reports said employers have severed their ties with their Filipino domestic workers and have ejected them out of their houses.

READ: HK foreign domestic workers being abandoned in crisis

“The point is who really knows the real situation?” he asked. “Hundreds of families of those working in Hong Kong are worried for sure.”

Former senator and now Sorsogon Gov. Francis Escudero also  joined calls for the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) in Hong Kong to prepare to assist more OFWs as the territory struggles with a rise in coronavirus cases.

“Hong Kong is overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases and we expect their government to prioritize locals. The POLO and the Philippine consulate, therefore, must be proactive in checking in on our Filipino workers and immediately provide shelter and medical assistance to those who are sick, ostracized, and abandoned,” said Escudero, who is seeking a return to the Senate via the May 9 polls.

The Polo Hong Kong should ensure that government-run shelters for Filipino workers are equipped for isolation, with a sufficient supply of medicines, oxygen, and trained health personnel who can attend to emergency cases when there is no access to a hospital, according to Escudero.

“Not only that, we must ensure that employers of Filipino domestics in Hong Kong recognize and respect the rights of their helpers to free medical treatment and paid sick leaves,” he added.

There are more or less 220,000 OFWs in Hong Kong, most of whom are domestic workers. On Tuesday, Polo Hong Kong reported that 60 OFWs so far in China’s special administrative region have contracted COVID-19.

“We cannot accept this kind of treatment for our OFWs, not just in Hong Kong but anywhere in the world. We have to make official representations to ensure that migrants are given proper medical care and compensation while they are sick,” Escudero said, referring to reports on the situation of OFWs in Hong Kong.

Philippine officials earlier said assistance has been extended to OFWs affected by the surge in COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong.

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