Coronavirus crisis could spark 'massive' new migration: Red Cross

The devastating economic toll the coronavirus crisis is taking around the world could spark huge waves of fresh migration once borders reopen, the head of the Red Cross warned in an interview.

Jagan Chapagain, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told AFP he was deeply concerned about the secondary effects of the pandemic.

"Increasingly we are seeing in many countries the impacts on the livelihoods and the food situation," he said in an interview at IFRC's headquarters in Geneva late on Wednesday.

The pandemic and the lockdowns and border closures imposed to halt the spread of the virus have been destroying livelihoods around the planet and are expected to drive many millions more into poverty.

Many people are already faced with the choice of risking exposure to the novel coronavirus or going hungry, Chapagain said, warning that the desperation being generated could have far-reaching consequences.

"What we hear is that many people who are losing livelihoods, once the borders start opening, will feel compelled to move," he said.

"We should not be surprised if there is a massive impact on migration in the coming months and years."

More migration forced on people by desperate circumstances, he said, will result in numerous "tragedies along the way", including more deaths at sea, human trafficking and exploitation.

Chapagain called for urgent support to help "relieve that desperation", stressing that in addition to a moral imperative to help people in need, there is a clear economic argument for helping avoid forced migration.

"The cost of supporting the migrants, during the transit and of course when they reach the country of destination, is much more than supporting people in their livelihoods, education, health needs in their own country," he said.

- Migrating for vaccines -

Chapagain, a Nepali humanitarian who took over as IFRC Secretary-General in February, also voiced concern that perceived health inequalities in the face of the pandemic might also provoke a rise in migration.

"People could feel that there is a better chance of survival on the other side of the sea," he said, adding that another major factor would be "the availability of vaccines".

The World Health Organization is spearheading a push to try to ensure that any coronavirus vaccine developed be deemed a "global public good", to be made available in an equitable manner across the globe.

But the United States and others are racing to secure stocks of promising vaccine candidates, and many fear that wealthy nations and groups might gain access to the jabs first.

"If people see that the vaccine is say, for example, available in Europe but not in Africa, what happens? People want to go to a place where vaccines are available," Chapagain said.

The pandemic has seen an unprecedented mobilisation of funding and research to rush through a vaccine that can protect billions of people worldwide.

More than 20 candidate vaccines are currently being tested on humans.

But even though there is hope that one or more safe and effective vaccines could be found by the end of the year, it will take time to scale up production to make enough for everyone.

Chapagain condemned efforts in some countries to secure vaccines for their own people first.

"The virus crosses the border, so it is pretty short-sighted to think that I vaccinate my people but leave everybody else without vaccination, and we will still be safe," he said.

"It simply doesn't make sense."

- Nina Larson, Agence France-Presse -

New Quebec law stresses migrants' skills, thousands must reapply

MONTREAL - The Quebec provincial legislature on Sunday approved a controversial immigration bill that will replace a first-come, first-served standard for accepting migrants with one tied to an applicants' skills.

The law is similar to a proposed plan from US President Donald Trump that would shift his country's visa system from family-based immigration towards bringing in more skilled workers.

The law will attempt to more closely match the skills offered by would-be immigrants with the needs of the labor market in Quebec, Canada's second most-populous province.

Under the new law, some 18,000 applications now on file will be shredded, affecting as many as 50,000 people, many of whom already live in the province.

The 18,000 existing applicants will have to restart the immigration process.

The provincial government promised to expedite processing of their new applications, saying qualified workers would have answers within six months rather than the current 36 months.

The 62-to-42 vote on the bill took place around 4 am (0800 GMT) at the end of a marathon session convened by the governing center-right Coalition Avenir Quebec, immigration minister Simon Jolin-Barrette announced on Twitter.

"We are modifying the immigration system in the public interest because we have to ensure we have a system which meets the needs of the labor market," Jolin-Barrette told the National Assembly.

All three opposition parties opposed the measure, calling it "inhuman" and saying the government did not justify dropping the 18,000 pending applications.

"Honestly, I don't think this bill will be seen positively in history," Liberal Party MP Dominique Anglade said, according to the Montreal Gazette. "It's the image of Quebec which gets tarnished."

Premier Francois Legault's government resorted to a special parliamentary procedure to limit debate over the proposal.

His party won power in October with a promise to slash by more than 20 percent the number of immigrants and refugees arriving each year in Quebec.

The assembly reconvened on Sunday and after sometimes-acrimonious debate passed a bill banning the wearing of religious symbols by public servants including police officers, judges, lawyers, prison guards and teachers.

However the new law will only apply to new recruits, with existing employees unaffected.

The proposal, also backed by Legault, puts the premier at odds with the multiculturalism advocated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

jbe-et/elm/bbk/cs/sah

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hepatitis: the sleeper virus that changes lives

MANILA, Philippines - Aldrich Talledo and his family were all set to migrate to New Zealand last year. A nurse by profession, Talledo, like others who seek greener pastures abroad, felt this was the best way he could provide for his wife and children. Until he was diagnosed with hepatitis B and everything changed.

Hepatitis B, an endemic disease but mostly undiagnosed in the Philippines, affects one in eight adult Filipinos, according to the Hepatology Society of the Philippines. This means that an estimated 14 million adult Filipinos are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus, said Dr. Diana Payawal, HSP president, at a press briefing for World Hepatitis Day which will be marked on July 28.

Of the number of chronically infected Filipinos, between 1.1 million and 1.9 million are expected to die prematurely of liver cancer.

Around the world, between 350 million and 400 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B, with Asia accounting for most, or an estimated 300 million of the cases, according to Payawal.

Hepatitis B is an asymptomatic disease with patients normally not knowing they have it until it develops to liver cirrhosis that causes liver cancer.

“Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer in the Philippines,” said Payawal adding that diagnosis for hepatitis B is low due to little awareness and because carriers do not feel symptoms.

Hepatitis B and C are called “silent” viruses and a person could infect someone without knowing it. If left untreated, both could lead to liver scarring and life-threatening complications and death.

There are no national data on the prevalence of hepatitis C in the Philippines, but a study done among prisoners and drug users shows that 35 percent of drug users and 50 percent of inmates in the country are suffering from the disease. The virus is transferred through infected blood.

Dr. Eternity Labio, HPS secretary, said 90 percent of hepatitis B cases come from perinatal transmission or from mother to child. Ten percent come from high risk behaviors such as those who have themselves tattooed or those using illegal drugs.

She clarified that the study on the prevalence of hepatitis B only involves adult Filipinos and may actually go up if children are included. It is a lifetime ailment although the virus could be “suppressed” through medication, Labio told InterAksyon.com.

Doctors urge the public to have themselves tested for hepatitis B and C and go for vaccination. It was only in 2006 when the Philippines made a commitment to provide 100-percent funding for hepatitis B immunization--allowing vaccination within 24 hours of birth rather than at six weeks of age of an infant, according to the website of the World Health Organization.

source: interaksyon.com

Fans bid Cynthia Alexander good luck and farewell

Fans crammed into Conspiracy Bar in Quezon City on Saturday to hear and witness the final set of Cynthia Alexander. The songwriter—whose intense prose-poetry set in unusual melodies has earned followers from the music, art, and literary communities—is set to leave the Philippines this Wednesday, and to migrate to Seattle, USA, with her family.

But it’s not farewell she insists.

“Its not goodbye, goodbye Philippines; Pilipino tayo,” she said. “We are such a sentimental lot. And like I’ve been telling my audience, I’ll be back next year. Because this is my home.”

This is not the first time she’ll be living in Seattle. Two years ago, she stayed there for a six months; to her memory, nobody noticed. But last week, after a Yahoo article headlined that she’s leaving the country due to lack of support, followers of the Filipino music scene were abuzz with concern for the state of OPM.

Alexander agrees that the climate for the local music scene is becoming more discouraging. Piracy is rampant and remains the No. 1 enemy of the music industry. And yet, but the watchdogs set up to protect local artists hardly seem to be putting up a fight.

Worse yet, unthinking policies are actually keeping independent artists like Cynthia from promoting herself.

“You know the OMB, the optical media board – it’s a government office, right? I myself can’t even print my own CDs. I have to get a license to print myself. So when I go to the CD duplicator ‘I’m sorry ma’am I can’t print you anymore dahil hinahabol kami ng OMB dahil wala ka raw license. License to what? Ma’am wala kang license to print your own music.’ I think there’s something wrong there. The OMB was created to combat piracy. But you think we pirate ourselves? We’re just small fish trying to survive.”

At first she tried her luck with a major music label she opts not to name. She brought 30 songs for their first meeting and while she was told they sounded fresh, she was instructed to come back the week after with something that sounded like Alanis Morisette.

“I was heartbroken,” she recalls. “It’s just the way it is. I suppose that opened my eyes.”

To prove that she can be original and marketable, she managed to sign with another label. But after the release of her first album, Insomnia and Other Lullabyes, in 1996, she felt she was not getting the support needed to get her music out. After six months she signed a release from them and was told her she’ll never have a second album.

And so Alexander decided to just do it herself.

“I’ve written without anyone’s dictation. I didn’t study music. But I did the best with the tools that I have and I think that’s the message. I make do with what I have, which is a very Filipino thing. In the most difficult situation, to build something out of very meager tools, resources and you’re able to come up with something.”

The result was Rippingyarns. Released in 2000, it won the nine major awards including Best Album and Best Producer in the Katha Music Awards. She has released two albums since then, Comet’s Tail (2005) and Walk Down the Road (2009), and has gained a solid and loyal fan base.

She believes if Filipino independent music got the same attention as the Pinoy indie films, then maybe it would have a fighting chance again.

“You know, it’s hard. You think about artistry: is it just the production of work. Because we are people! We have to eat. When it becomes sustainable—that which you produce is giving you enough back so you can eat and raise your family then I think maybe somehow there is progress.”

Until then she will explore other options for the time being. Alexander acquired an artist visa to the US.

“I write music here and I write music there. So when the album comes out, of course I’ll release it here. I can’t rip the Philippines off my heart. Taga-dito ako.” —With interview by Juan Carlo Gotinga.

source: interaksyon.com