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| Most HK-bound OFWs are unable to fly out because there are still no domestic flights in the Philippines |
Filipino domestic workers have started arriving in Hong Kong in trickles after the Philippine Overseas
Employment Administration started processing contracts and overseas employment
certificates (OECs) again.
According to Alfredo Palmiery, president of the Society of
Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters in the Philippines
He said his own agency, Concorde International, has managed
to release 39 OECs for Hong Kong-bound workers, and four have already been
deployed.
Palmiery's Hong Kong counterpart, Fair Employment Agency, is one of the biggest players in the recruitment industry in the city.
But these are just a tiny fraction of the number of Hong
Kong–bound domestic workers who have been stranded in the Philippines
Palmiery said, “In my estimate,
about 15,000 (workers) are in the pipeline – 5,000 agency hires and 10,000
balik-manggagawa (returning FDWs).”
The number includes those already
contracted by employers but are still waiting for visa approvals in Hong Kong , he added.
His estimate could be a bit on the
high side, however, as Hong Kong Immigration figures show a drop of only about
7,000 in the Filipino domestic workers population between February and May this
year.
Even adding the progressive
increase in their numbers year-on-year during normal times, the number could be
closer to 10,000 – which, however, is still considerable.
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| Palmiery (in black jacket) estimates 15,000 OFWs bound for HK are stranded in the Philippines |
Palmiery said many more are still
waiting for the chance to depart for Hong Kong .
“Others are just renewing their expired medicals
(clearances). Some could not depart because there are no available flights or
transportation from the provinces,” he said.
The latter could be the bigger reason for the failure of
most Hong Kong – bound OFWs to take up, or resume
their jobs.
Much of the Philippines
Starting Jun 1, the metropolis been put under a more relaxed
community quarantine, but domestic flights are still not being allowed,
reportedly because of resistance from local government units, which fear the
spread of the coronavirus.
Another big stumbling block is the mandatory 14-day
quarantine imposed on those arriving in Hong Kong
from overseas.
According to some Hong Kong
employment agencies, many employers are hesitant to take newly arrived domestic
workers into their homes, even if they tested negative on arrival at the
airport.
If they choose to put them in hotel or a quarantine
facility, employers could face considerable cost as Hong
Kong labor laws require them to pay for the worker’s accommodation
and food.
But even if employers are desperate enough to agree to the
added costs, many agencies say there are still only a few OFWs able to fly into Hong Kong from Manila
One reason is the apparent inability of the POEA to return
to full operations despite Metro Manila’s move to the less restrictive general
community quarantine (GCQ).
In an advisory dated Jun 1, POEA said that despite the
relaxation of distancing rules, its offices in Metro Manila will continue to
work at reduced capacity “until such time that the 50% manpower complement
required under GCQ set-up is achieved.
This is despite an announcement from the Department of Labor
and Employment that it was stepping up its Balik Abroad program for stranded
OFWs, along with its Hatid OFW program for those who were on their way back
home after losing their jobs abroad.
In line with the Dole move, the Labor Attache in Hong Kong , Melchor Dizon, announced on May 26 that his
office would start processing all work contracts again, including those for
terminated OFWs whose visas have been extended by Immigration.
