DFA to bring home Filipinos in HK reportedly fired amid Covid-19

As of posting, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has yet to release details on the order. (File Photo By Patrick Roque, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday recommended the repatriation of Filipino workers reportedly fired in Hong Kong amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak.

“We’ll prepare for their repatriation pronto. Deeply disgusted with Hong Kong, which begged us to let domestic workers return to work. I extracted promise from Chinese ambassador (Huang Xilian) that they’d be given same protection from Covid-19 as Hong Kong residents,” Locsin wrote in a tweet.

According to a South China Morning Post report, a Filipino was among the dozens of domestic workers sacked due to Covid-19 fears in the territory.

In an earlier tweet, Locsin expressed disappointment over the news, citing the Philippine government’s effort to partially lift the travel ban imposed on Hong Kong and Macau.

“Very sad to read this. We’ve done good by you, Hong Kong. We expect you to do good by our people,” he said.

As of posting, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has yet to release details on the order.

Meanwhile, it confirmed reports that some Filipinos abroad have been subjected to discrimination over the outbreak.

“There have been reports of discrimination and violence against those appearing from where the virus is found ever since Covid-19 became a global concern,” DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Menez told reporters on Tuesday night.

Although these “reprehensible acts” have been observed, Menez said the phenomenon among Filipinos is not prevalent.

Recently, a man who insisted that he is a Filipino was involved in a scuffle in Italy after being mistaken as a Chinese.

Italy, which had been struggling to tackle the outbreak, has yet to record a Covid-positive Filipino national as of Tuesday.