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Filipina downs bleach in attempted suicide

Posted on 28 March 2024 No comments

 

The Filipina was found by her employer at his Villa Monte Rosa flat (Wikimedia)

Hong Kong Police have confirmed reports that a Filipina domestic helper had tried to take her own life two days ago by drinking bleach, but was half-conscious when rushed to hospital.

There has been no immediate update on her condition, and the police have classified the case as attempted suicide.

Police said the 39-year-old Filipina was found inside her bedroom at her employer’s flat at Villa Monte Rosa estate at 41-A Stubbs Road at about 11pm on Tuesday.

Her male employer surnamed Wong immediately called 999, and the helper was rushed by rescuers to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wanchai  in a semi-conscious state, and was breathing. She had reportedly vomited some of the bleach that she ingested when found.

Police said their investigation revealed that the Filipina “had been in a dispute and was having relationship problems” when she tried to take her life.

Consulate officers said they were not aware of the incident, and would make their own inquiries.

Anyone with information can call the Migrant Workers Office hotline at 6345 9324 or the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration office, 5529 1880.

Those having suicidal thoughts can call the same numbers, or the Samaritans' 24-hour hotline, 2896 0000. Their volunteers answer calls in English, but some are able to speak other languages, including Tagalog.


 

 

All MWO senior officers due for recall, Filcom told

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Labatt Mel Dizon and his two deputies are long overdue for recall

For the past several months, all three senior officers of the Migrant Workers Officers have been waiting for their recall order to the Philippines after serving in Hong Kong for longer than the mandatory five years, but have been told to remain until their replacements are found.

This emerged during the “Meet and Greet” session between Consulate officials and leaders of the Filipino community held last Sunday, Mar. 24.

Labor Attache Melchor Dizon and his two deputies, Antonio Villafuerte and Angelica Sunga who both served in Hong Kong earlier than him, all said they are on holdover status until their replacements are sent by the Department of Migrant Workers in the Philippines.

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This did not happen as expected because of the sudden death of DMW Secretary Susan Ople in August last year. While Undersecretary Hans Cacdac was subsequently named by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as officer-in-charge, he has yet to make any new overseas deployments.

Dizon told the Filcom leaders that he is already 64 and is just a year short of mandatory retirement, so Hong Kong is likely to be his last overseas posting.

Villafuerte said he should have left early this year, while Sunga, who arrived in 2018, making her the longest holdover at MWO, said she is just waiting for her marching orders.

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Philippine labour officers who are sent abroad are traditionally allowed to stay at their posts for a maximum of five years, before being recalled. Over at the Department of Foreign Affairs, foreign service officers are recalled after six years, which can be split into two three-year terms if they are assigned to two different posts.

One DFA officer who is also due for recall is Consul Sheila Monedero-Arnesto, who was previously posted in Kuwait, and now heads the political and economic section as well as the gender development sections of the Consulate. Consul Arnesto said she is preparing to leave now, just months after giving birth to her third child here.

Congen Germie Usudan has only 8 months left to complete her tour of duty

Even Consul General Germinia Aguilar-Usudan who had served as Deputy Congen in Hong Kong for more than five years, is also preparing to leave, as her six-year tour of duty will expire in November this year. She took over the top post only at the end of December last year.

But along with the so-called “old faces” were the new officers who were formally introduced to the Filcom for the first time.

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They include Vice Consul George Mariano A. Soriano, a civil engineer and lawyer, who has been appointed as head of the assistance to nationals section.  Vice Consul Gino who has been in Hong Kong for just over a month, said he has an affinity to Hong Kong as his wife was born and raised here.

Another relative newbie is Vice Consul Allan G. Revote, another lawyer who came late last year, and now heads the cultural, as well as the civil registry and legal sections.

He has taken over from Vice Consul, Angelo DG Manuel, who was posted in Hong Kong to replace Consul Bob Quintin, who went back home in 2022, after overseeing the last overseas voting.

Another new arrival is Marilou Sumalinog, the supervising welfare officer at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, an attached agency of the DMW.  She is assisted by fellow welfare officer Dina Daquigan, who has worked with Filipino migrant workers even before the pandemic.

The other officers who joined the familiarization session were relatively old hands at the Consulate, including Vice Consul and Trade Attache Roberto Mabalot, Jr., Social Welfare Officer Remilene Marcelino, SSS Regional Head Lester Paul Mata, and PAG-IBIG officer Raymond Francis Ramos. 

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2 male DHs illegally doing renovation work avoid jail

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Shatin Law Courts building

Two Filipinos avoided jail Wednesday, Mar 27, after they pleaded guilty to illegal work-- doing house renovation in Discovery Bay, which is prohibited under their condition of stay as holders of the foreign domestic helper visa.

Magistrate David Chum convicted Zaldy Materum and Bruce Oliver Vitaliano of breach of condition of stay, a violation of the Immigration Ordinance, and sentenced each of them to two months imprisonment, but suspended for 24 months.

With the suspended term, the two will not need to serve their sentences if they do not reoffend within the next two years. However, Magistrate Chum warned that if they commit an offense within the period, they will have to serve the jail term in addition to the penalty for the new offense.

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The two were charged after they were arrested while doing renovation work in a flat in Woodlands Court of Discovery Bay  last Feb. 7.

They pleaded guilty, but their defense lawyer asked Chum to consider the special circumstances which would make a custodial sentence too harsh in their one-off case.

For one, the lawyer said, the owner of the flat they were working on is a son of Materum’s employer, who lived nearby. “You can see the dynamics involved. You can’t say no,” the lawyer said.

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Vitaliano, on the other hnd, was working on the flat only to help his friend and was not paid anything, he added.

Despite the case, he said, the employers of both were willing to take them back in.

Chum said that what the two did was serious. “Your doing renovation work deprives others of work,” he said.

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But he noted that Materum and Vitaliano had been in Hong Kong for eight and 12 years, respectively, and their records had been clean.

He chose a starting point of three months’ jail, discounted it by a third because of the guilty pleas, and suspended imprisonment for two years.

Meanwhile, in another case, the prosecutor withdrew its case against asylum seeker Jerrybell Panganiban for overstaying her visa for one year on June 1, 2022, to give way to her request for a judicial review by the High Court of the government's decision rejecting her torture claim.

Her claim for non-refoulement or against being sent back home was earlier denied by both the Imigration Department and the Torture Claims Adjudication Board.

Magistrate Chum also cancelled the arrest warrant issued earlier against Panganiban for failing to show up in a prevous hearing.

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70-year-old Filipina surrenders after being OS for 28 years

Posted on 27 March 2024 No comments

 

Aida (in white blouse) is interviewed by Mission volunteer Rain

A 70-year-old Filipina former domestic helper has surrendered to Immigration authorities with help from the Philippine Consulate, after overstaying her visa for 28 years.

Aida, who is also getting help from the Mission for Migrant Workers for her board and lodging and case, was allowed to post $500 bail on Tuesday, Mar 26, when she reported back to the Immigration Department’s office at Skyline building in Mong Kok.

Both the Consulate and the Mission are asking Immigration to allow her to just go back to the Philippines, given her age and frail condition.

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Under Hong Kong laws, overstaying is a serious offence, which could merit a sentence of up to two years in jail and a fine of $50,000, depending on the length of the overstay. It is only very rarely that an overstayer, especially one who has been underground for a considerable period, is allowed to skip detention before being deported.

The penalty may be higher if the offender is found to have committed another offense, like doing illegal work.

In Aida’s case, she said she mainly survived after going underground through the help of friends. She admitted falling for a Western man who took pity on her and supported her for a time, but he left Hong Kong several years ago.

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At some point, two of her adult children came to Hong Kong to also do domestic work, and they sustained her financial needs. However, they have since returned home and started their own families.

Despite being repeatedly advised by people around her, including her children, to surrender so she could go back to the Philippines and live a normal life, Aida resisted, citing her mortal fear of her abusive husband.

Hindi naman niya ako sinasaktan, pero ang sakit magsalita. Laging pinapamukha sa akin na sinusuportahan niya ang mga pangangailangan ko at ng pamilya naming kaya ako napilitang magtrabaho sa Hong Kong,” said Aida. (He did not hurt me physically, but he always used hurtful words with me. He always reminded me that he was providing for my and our family’s needs so I was forced to work in Hong Kong).

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The tremor in her voice and the visible shaking of her hands suggested the kind of fear, even if unfounded, that drove her to live underground in Hong Kong for nearly three decades.

Despite this, Aida admits it was wrong for her to have spent the best part of her years hiding in the shadows, and said it is not the kind of life other people should have.

“I would say po na huwag na silang mag OS (they should not turn OS). It’s hard to be in that situation,” she said.

Just before the pandemic, her husband died in the Philippines and their children began urging Aida again to go home, but she hesitated, thinking that it would be dangerous for her to be locked up with a lot of people, as she was unvaccinated.

Because of her visa status, Aida has never been to a doctor for the past 28 years but she said she has remained healthy as she seldom ventured outdoors.

But more than a year since all travel restrictions were lifted in Hong Kong, Aida decided to finally go home, no matter how bleak the future that awaits her in her hometown of Dasmarinas, Cavite.

Her three children who have tried their best to send her money in Hong Kong despite their meager resources, are not in a position to help much as they have their own families to look after. Providing for an elderly parent who chose to stay away for so long is something they couldn’t sustain for long.

But Aida is not even looking that long into the future, and would just like to appeal for help from kind-hearted people so she could pay for her day-to-day needs, at least until Immigration decides on what to do with her case, and she could fly back home.

Any donation will be greatly appreciated. Please send your help to Aida through her friend, Leoncia Bonaobra, with Alipay account number 68962585.

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Everyone aged 6 months up can now receive latest Covid-19 vaccine

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The XBB vaccine will now be available to everyone qualified to get vaccinated against Covid-19

From today, March 27, everyone aged 6 months or above who are still not vaccinated against Covid-19 or have not yet completed initial doses, may receive the XBB vaccine which replaces the previous ancestral strain and bivalent vaccines.

In a press statement on Monday, the government also said that it procured 14,000 doses of XBB toddler and paediatric formulation which will be given as initial doses or booster doses to relevant children starting today.

Previously,  the XBB vaccine was made available only to high-risk priority groups which included persons aged 50 and above and those living in residential care homes, adults aged 18 to 49 with underlying comorbidities, persons aged 6 months or above with immunocompromising conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers.

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Such groups may receive the XBB vaccine as a choice for initial and booster shots.

However, according to a scientific committee formed by the Centre for Health Protection,  a booster dose for this group is recommended to be given at least six months after the last dose or COVID-19 infection (whichever is later), regardless of the number of doses received previously.

The committee later recommended that the vaccination with XBB be extended to non high-risk priority groups. However, people in this group are only required to receive initial vaccination and should no longer get a booster shot.

The Government online booking system (booking.covidvaccine.gov.hk/forms/index.jsp) will be updated at 9am on March 27 to facilitate XBB vaccination for eligible members of the public to receive XBB vaccine.

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For the list of venues providing XBB vaccination, please visit (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/xbb_venues_dec2023_eng.pdf).

For people who have made an online booking to receive other vaccines, XBB vaccines will be provided to complete their initial vaccination in venues offering XBB vaccination services.

Experts say that XBB vaccines could provide enhanced protection against JN.1, which has become the predominant COVID-19 variant in Hong Kong.

In line with this, the government launched the XBB vaccination arrangement on Dec 14 last year, and has procured about 200,000 doses of the new vaccine. As of Mar 24, about 126,000 doses have been administered.

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Meanwhile, government experts agreed that all available Covid-19 vaccines in Hong Kong,  including inactivated virus and mRNA vaccines, remain effective in reducing death and severe COVID-19 infection. Residents may still choose to receive any of these vaccines based on personal choice.

The CHP said that local Covid-19 infection is still high. Data surveillance revealed that the positive detection rate from Mar 3 to 16 has exceeded the level recorded in the past six months.

The 50 cases classified as severe during this period also exceeded the level of about 30 cases weekly earlier this year.

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DH denies doing “odd jobs” in her employer’s restaurant

Posted on 26 March 2024 No comments

 

Some of those arrested on Feb. 19-22 (Immigration Department photo)

A domestic helper arrested in a restaurant in Central during an anti-illegal worker operation by the Immigration Department last Feb. 19, pleaded not guilty today in Shatin Court to violating her condition of stay, which requires her to work only for her employer.

Irene Allam, 43 years old, maintained that she was in the restaurant, which was owned by her employer, only to collect some items to take back to her employer’s home.

When asked by Acting Principal Magistrate Amy Chan why she was wearing an apron and rubber gloves, Allam’s lawyer said they will question the observation of the arresting officer, who was identified as the lone prosecution witness.

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Allam was accused of violating  Immigration Ordinance and Immigration Regulations by doing “odd jobs at Central”.

Under the condition of stay imposed on her on July 21, 2023, she is allowed to work only as a domestic helper for her employer under a contract approved by Immigration.

With Allam’s not-guilty plea, Magistrate Chan set a trial on May 27. She also extended the term of Allam’s bail which consisted of $2,000 in cash and $5,000 in surety.

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Chan required both prosecution and defense to submit the necessary documents and other evidence by April 30.

Allam was one of 12 suspected illegal workers and two suspected employers arrested in Immigration operations codenamed "Twilight" and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed "Champion" and "Windsand" last Feb. 19 to 22.

A government statement said that during the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 15 target locations including bars, a guest house, premises under renovation, restaurants and retail shops, arresting nine workers and two employers.

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The workers comprised nine women, aged 28 to 54. Among them, seven women were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. In addition, one woman was suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card.

Three other workers were arrested in the joint operations with police.

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Filipina admits signing on as fake employer for DH, for a fee

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A Filipina who was arrested in her house and accused of signing as the employer in a fake work contract with another Filipina, pleaded guilty today at Shatin Court to the charge of conspiracy to defraud.

But Almira Chow, 51 years old, did not immediately learn of her punishment as Acting Principal Magistrate Amy Chan adjourned the case for sentencing on May 21.

In the meantime, Magistrate Chan extended the terms of Chow’s $1,000 bail.

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The police complaint presented by the prosecution alleged that Chow, who worked as a cleaner earning $11,000 a month, signed the fake contract on a promise she would be paid $7,000.

But Chow said she received only $2,000 from the transaction, paid to her by a certain Gina Villareal, who arranged for the processing of the employment visa of another Filipina, Aprilyn Tupas, after she signed the contract.

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Villareal and another Filipino, Homer Herrera, had promised that she would be paid an additional $5,000 once the visa was approved. But both accused co-conspirators did not reappear, and Tupas never worked for her.

The complaint alleged that between 2021 and Sept. 8, 2023, Chow and the other three conspired to “defraud the Director of Immigration … and his officers by dishonetly and falely representing… that Tupas, Aprilyn Tario’s remaining in Hong Kong was for the purpose of taking up employment…”

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It said their action induced the officers “to act contrary to their public duty” to grant Tupas permission to remain in Hong Kong, “which they would not otherwise have granted.”

Under the Crimes Ordinance, the maximum penalty for this offense is imprisonment for 14 years.

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Internet voting by Filipinos overseas almost done deal, says Comelec

Posted on 25 March 2024 No comments
Lines like this will be a thing of the past once overseas voting via internet is allowed next year

The Commission on Elections has taken a step closer to allowing millions of Filipinos abroad to cast their ballots through the internet for next year’s mid-term election in the Philippines, with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with various agencies to boost voter registration and turnout.

Comelec Chairman George M. Garcia said he signed the MOA Monday, along with representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa), Rotary International District 3810, and the Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (Amosup).

Part of the agreement is based on the expectation that internet voting, which was approved by the Comelec en banc last year, will not be opposed by lawmakers who may have reservations about a system that could lead to massive fraud, and endanger the sanctity of the ballot

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Comelec maintains that it has the power to implement internet voting under Republic Act (RA) 9369 or the Automated Election System Act, but some Senators have argued that an enabling act is necessary to get it done.

Garcia said they agreed to implement internet voting next year as the third mode of overseas voting, apart from in-person or by mail, to make it more convenient for Filipinos abroad, especially the seafarers, to cast their votes.

Under the plan, registered Filipino voters may register their digital devices such as their mobile phones, tablet, or laptops so they can cast their votes through a Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) or touch screen scheme.

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This was also announced by Undersecretary Jesus Gary Domingo during his recent briefing to the Filipino community in Hong Kong on Mar. 17, as head of the Overseas Voting Secretariat at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“We’re almost there,” said USec Domingo, but cautioned that the measure could still face opposition from lawmakers.

He said OFW Party List Rep. Marissa del Mar-Magsino who authored the bill expanding the modes of voting for overseas Filipinos, has assured them of her support, but overseas Filipinos could help by urging their local leaders to also give it a push.

“Our target is to have it in place by the 2025 election,” said Domingo, who added that internet voting will make things a lot easier and more convenient for overseas voters.

“Internet voting will make whatever limitations you have a thing of  the past,” he added.

USec Domingo (in black barong) with Filcom leaders during the OV briefing on Mar 17

In Hong Kong, that includes waiting in line for hours to get to the voting precincts at Bayanihan Centre, especially during Sundays, when about 4,000 people cast their votes.

Domingo also said that the technology that will allow internet voting is still being developed, but the ultimate goal is to allow voters to use not just computer laptops and tablets, but also their mobile phones.

Meanwhile, Garcia said that with the landmark shift to internet voting, they hope to boost the number of Filipino voters abroad to three million, which is still just a fraction of the number of those eligible to vote.

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“There are about 10 to 15 million Filipinos abroad, but we are sad that only 1.697 million of them have registered to vote for the 2022 elections,” Garcia said.

Of the registered voters abroad, 600,000 have already been deactivated, and only another 600,000 or 40.5 percent of the remaining active voters have cast their ballots.

“Now that we announced the internet voting with your help, we hope to increase the number of voters abroad,” he said.

Comelec plans to step up its information campaign to get more overseas Filipinos to register and vote before the Sept 30, 2024 deadline for voter registration.

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