I have a friend who went home for her father’s funeral in February last year and was not able to come back. Her employer for more than 25 years decided to release her as they could not wait anymore. My sister-in-law was also stuck in the Philippines for almost a year and did not receive any assistance from the government. Then my eldest son who is a seafarer had difficulties too as he was not able to go home after his contract finished in November. There were months when he just moved from one port to another as the ship stopped operation. When he finally booked his ticket to go home, the quarantine was not easy. It took place in different countries. First days were spent in Surabaya then in Jakarta in Indonesia. They flew to Japan afterwards to take their flight to the Philippines. More days in a hotel in Manila. After getting a negative result of the swab test, he was assisted by Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration to our city. Luckily, he was provided with everything he needed throughout the quarantine period and received a daily allowance of 1,000 pesos ($162) during the quarantine in other countries.
— Jeanie Castillo
I feel sad and miserable as I cannot go home under the travel restrictions and flight suspensions in the pandemic. I have been far from my family for more than three years. My family is eagerly awaiting the day of my return. They are worried about my plight being alone in Hong Kong. There is nothing we can do except to keep in touch with each other via social media to update our situations. The process of going home is a huge challenge logistically, for there are limited flights and surely I would not want to experience being quarantined.
— Maria Fe Fotit
Taking holiday this covid pandemic is not my priority. It is okay if I do not take my vacation. Safety first. It is risky to take a vacation in this present situation. With my family it is alright for them if I do not go home and they understand that it is because of the pandemic. There are many confirmed cases in our place and they know the difficulties of travelling now. To remedy my homesickness , I make a video call to my family to check on them and also to let them know how I am doing. We need to be strong and positive in this pandemic.
— Gemma Mission
I feel so stressful because my flight got cancelled twice already.My working visa is already expired and I now live here as a tourist. I am now staying in the boarding house because my employer cannot let me stay in their house any more. My family is so worried about me now. They want me to go home as soon as possible but because of the present situation I can’t go home immediately.
— Divina Molina
I usually take my home leave every year during Christmas up to New Year. I felt sad that things had changed since the pandemic. My kids and my family were sad too but knowing the situation we were able to adjust. Some friends who had gone home said it is so frustrating because of the various quarantine procedures that they needed to undergo: 14 days in Manila and another 14 days in their province. They spent more days in the quarantine than staying with their family.
— Remelie Pascua
Due to the pandemic the world suffered from all kinds of problems like stress, hunger, sickness, depression and anxiety to name a few. Going for vacation nowadays is really hard and a hassle. Everyone should follow the strict protocol for the safety of all. We need to be careful ourselves because getting infected is not a joke. We need also to consider the safety of our employers. Planning to go home for Christmas is impossible now. It’s really sad. We can’t go home as we may also bring this virus to our family. Sad though it is, the good thing is that we can connect with our family virtually through Internet and video calls to keep updated of their situation back home and to let them have peace of mind knowing that I am okay here in Hong Kong.
— Nemie Orcajo
