TALISAY CITY, Cebu — Despite being thousands of miles away from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong, Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, Feb. 24, assured that she is in close contact with organizations and private partners there to ensure no one gets left behind.
She had reached out to Filipino groups there when reports started to come out that thousands have been afflicted by the COVID-19 virus.
“Actually, we are in close contact with several Filipino organizations in Hong Kong,” she said on the sidelines of her campaign sortie here.
Robredo shared that many Filipinos have tested positive and are forced to stay in non-hospital facilities and makeshift stations.
“Kausap na natin ang iba’t ibang leaders ng iba’t ibang grupo dun and ito may mga ginagawa ang mga organizations natin dun to make sure na walang maiiwan dun sa mga nagkakasakit (We are in talks to different leaders of different groups there and the organizations are doing something to make sure that no one who is sick gets left behind),” she said.
The number of cases in Hong Kong ballooned in the past weeks.
Filipinos, 90 percent of the 200,000 there are domestic helpers, have been thrown out of their employers’ homes after testing positive.
READ: OFWs in Hong Kong sacked after testing positive for COVID-19, forced to sleep on streets
On Wednesday, Feb. 23, health authorities reported more than 8,600 COVID-19 cases.
A group of OFWs there said that some Filipinos are staying in parks because hospitals refuse to admit them, too.
They appealed to the government for immediate assistance.
Robredo said her office has already reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and they were assured that they are “doing all they can” to make sure that Filipinos there are getting help.
This is aside from the aid being given through private efforts by the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) private partners there.