Filipina teacher dies from injuries in North Point fire

 

Firemen at the scene of the fire on Wednesday (Photo from TheStandard)

A 32-year-old Filipina who was taken to the hospital unconscious on Wednesday, Sept. 27, after a pre-dawn fire broke out in a subdivided flat in North Point succumbed to her injuries yesterday at about 3:27pm.

The teacher, said to be a teacher on employment visa, lived alone in one unit of the flat at Ying Wong House (also known as Emperor House) at 153 King’s Road. 

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She was taken unconscious to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai where she was was listed in critical condition until she passed on.

According to Consul Paul Saret, head of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section, some family members of the victim are already in Hong Kong and have been briefed about the procedure for repatriating her remains.

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However, a date has yet to be set for the repatriation.

No information was readily available, either, as to the immediate cause of her death although her relatives have reported seeing her body unscathed or with no visible injuries. 

One of the unconscious victims being rushed to hospital (TheStandard)

Another woman, a 22-year-old local Chinese resident surnamed Chan who also lived in the flat, passed away on Thursday at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

A third resident, a 22-year-old local man surnamed Lam, remains in critical condition also at Eastern Hospital.

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Only one resident has escaped from the fire with only minor injuries. The 35-year-old man said he escaped through a window and ended up on a ledge where he shouted for help. He was plucked to safety and regained consciousness before being taken to Ruttonjee.

All the three victims were unconscious when rushed to hospital, where they were listed in critical condition.

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The incident occurred shortly after 2am in the only vacant room in the flat.

Police said they did not find anything suspicious despite the presence of combustible materials in the unoccupied room, but they are still investigating the exact cause of the fire.

“At this stage, there is no evidence that the case involves criminal elements. The police and relevant departments will continue to investigate the cause of the fire,” the police said earlier.

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Reports said firefighters managed to extinguish the fire at 3:19am, or about 30 minutes after the alarm was sounded.

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2 Pilipinang overstay, pinayagang magpyansa

 

Parehong kinasuhan ng overstaying ang 2 Pilipina

Dalawang Pilipina ang humarap sa magkaibang korte nitong Biyernes (Sept. 29) upang sagutin ang akusasyong namalagi sila sa Hong Kong nang lampas sa panahon na itinakda sa kanilang visa.

Ang kaso sa Eastern Court ni Emelita Arista, 62 taong gulang at asylum seeker, na overstaying o paglabag sa Section 41 ng Immigration Ordinance ay isinampa noon pang 2017, matapos siyang mahuling nag shoplifting.

Nakita sa record niya na 13 taon na siyang overstay noon.

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Ayon sa asunto, dumating si Arista noong 2004 bilang turista at hindi na umalis kahit binigyan siya ng taning na Oct. 4, 2004.

Nahuli siya ng mga pulis pagkalipas ng 13 taon, o noong Feb. 19, 2017 dahil sa shoplifting.

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Matapos siyang mahatulan noong March 11, 2017 dahil sa pagnanakaw, nagalit ang mahistradong humawak sa kaso niya na si Bina Chianrai nang malamang hindi magalaw ang kanyang kasong overstaying dahil nag-apply siya ng non-refoulement pagkatapos syang maaresto dahil sa pagnanakaw. 

Ang dahilan niya ay papatayin siya ng kanyang pamangkin, ayon sa report ng The SUN noong Sept. 26, 2022.

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“After the defendant was arrested in 2017 only did she become an asylum-seeker?” tanong ni Chianrai. (Pagkatapos maaresto ang nasasakdal noong 2017 ay saka lang siya naging asylum seeker?)

“In this situation, the prosecution must revisit her case. If somebody overstays for 13 years and applies for asylum after being arrested, it is an abuse of the system, especially when there are so many others with more valid reasons,” dagdag niya. 

(Sa ganitong sitwasyon, dapat balikan ng taga-usig ang kaso niya. Kung ang isang tao ay nag-overstay ng 13 taon at nag-apply ng asylum pagkatapos siyang maaresto, ito ay abuso sa sistema, lalo na't maraming iba na may mas katanggap-tanggap na dahilan." 

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Pero hindi lang ito ang problema sa kaso niya. Nauna na ring naibalita sa The SUN na wala siyang pasaporte kaya nahirapan ang taga-usig na matukoy ang kanyang tunay na pagkatao.

Sa pagdinig nitong Biyernes, pinag-piyansa siya ng $1,000 upang makalaya hanggang sa susunod na pagdinig ng kanyang kaso, na itinakda sa Dec. 22.

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Sa Fan Ling Court naman, si Irene Sebastian, 38 taong gulang, ay inakusahang nag overstay ng dalawa't kalahating taon.

Ayon sa record ng immigration, dapat ay umalis na siya sa Hong Kong noon pang Feb. 7, 2021, ang huling araw ng kanyang visa bilang domestic helper, o dalawang linggo matapos siyang ma-terminate.

Pero namalagi pa siya hanggang mahuli siya ng pulis na nagpapatrulya sa Po Yick Street sa Tai Po noong Sept. 7.

Isinampa ang kaso noong Sept. 26, at tinawag siya sa korte sa ikatlong araw.

Matapos siyang payagan na magpiyansa ng $5,000 upang makalaya nang pansamantala, inutusan siyang bumalik sa susunod na pagdinig sa Nov. 29.

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Pilipina, mananatiling kulong dahil sa 3 kaso ng pagsinungaling sa Immigration

Itutuloy ang kaso sa Shatin Court

Isang Pilipina ang ibinalik sa kulungan nitong Biyernes matapos tanggihan ang hiling niyang makapag-piyansa sa kasong pagsisinungaling sa Immigration at pagtulong sa dalawa pa na magsinungaling din upang makakuha ng working visa bilang domestic helper.

Ayon sa kasong isinampa ng Immigration Department laban kay Russel Eco, 33 taong gulang, nagsimula ang tatlong kaso ng pagsisinungaling noong April 26 nang turuan at tulungan niya ang kapwa niya Pilipinang si Agnes Lovely Villanueva na sabihin sa isang Immigration officer na magtatrabaho siya bilang domestic helper sa isang Chan Hong Tak, kahit alam niyang hindi ito totoo.

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Ganito rin ang alegasyon sa ikalawang kaso, kung saan tinuruan at tinulungan niya diumano noong June 6 ang kapwa Pilipinang si Elvira Caburnay, na magsinungaling sa isang Immigration officer nang sabihin nitong magtatrabaho siya bilang DH kay Ko Chi-ik.

Sa dalawang kasong ito, kinasuhan si Eco sa Shatin Court ng paglabag hindi lang sa Immigration Ordinance, kundi maging sa Criminal Procedure Ordinance.

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Ayon sa Section 42 (1) (a) ng Immigration Ordinance, ang pagsisinungaling sa Immigration ay may kaparusahang aabot sa dalawang taong kulong at multang aabot sa $100,000 kung ang kaso ay hindi umabot sa paglilitis, hanggang pagkakakulong ng 14 na taon at multang $150,000 kapag nilitis.

Ayon naman sa Section 89 ng Criminal Procedure Ordinance, ang pagtuturo at pagtulong sa mga tao upang magsinungaling sa isang kawani ng gobyerno ay itinuturing na gumawa ng kaparehong pagkakasala at may parusang aabot sa dalawang taon at multang $5,000 para sa maliliit na kaso.

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Sa ikatlong kaso ay inakusahan si Eco ng paglabag ng Immigration Ordinance, dahil siya na mismo ang nagsinungaling nang sabihin niya sa isang Immigration assistant noong Aug. 12 na siya ay magtatrabaho bilang DH kay Wong Lut-ki Nikki George.

Itinakda ang susunod na pagdinig sa Dec. 22.

 

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Oldest migrant support group calls for ‘just pay’ for FDWs

 

The Mission 's booth at St John's where people were invited to write letters of thanks to migrants

Migrant domestic workers should be justly compensated.

This was the reaction issued today, Sept. 30, by the Mission for Migrant Workers to yesterday’s announcement by the Hong Kong government that the minimum allowable wage for foreign domestic workers will be raised by a mere $140, to $4870.

The church-based non-government organization that has served migrant workers in Hong Kong for nearly five decades said the “small” 3 percent increase in FDW wages are “not gifts that they should grovel in gratitude.”

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It went on to quote St Paul in Romans 4:4 – “to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.” 

For the past 10 years, FDW salary adjustments traditionally announced in September has risen “a meager $810 over the past decade from 2012 to 2022,” said the Mission.

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It added that FDWs contribute to the progress of Hong Kong by freeing employers from household chores and attain gainful employment, so it is just right for them to be paid well.

“Migrant domestic workers, and all workers for that matter, deserve respect for dignity and decent income,” said the Mission.

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“One need not be a Christian to feel for the dignity of workers, including foreign domestic workers,” it added.

The support group also questioned how the government arrives at the amount of wages that is due FDWs, saying the process “remains a mystery.”

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Meanwhile, the Mission joined the Sunday outreach of St. John’s Cathedral on Sept. 24. The NGO’s representatives led by its general manager Cynthia Tellez, shared their work in the church services and gave an overview of the domestic workers’ life in Hong Kong.

The Mission said that as the longest existing migrant service provider in Hong Kong and Asia, it handles 150 to 200 new cases monthly, of which 70% are labour and employment-related problems.

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As part of its service, the NGO has supported workers abandoned by their employers during the Covid pandemic, sheltered those fired and not taken for treatment after getting sick, supported those scammed by rogue agencies, and we assisted the family of a worker who fell to her death while cleaning windows at her employer’s flat.

As part of its advocacy of creating harmonious relations between migrants and the community, the Mission set up a booth with the theme “Give Thanks, Give Care” and invited people to write down “words of appreciation” to the migrant worker community.

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FDW minimum wage raised by $140 to $4870

FDWs want the minimum wage raised to $6016

The minimum allowable wage for foreign domestic workers has gone up by $140 to $4,870, a far cry from the more than $6,000 demanded by various FDW groups. 

The optional food allowance was raised by a dismal $40 to $1,236 a month. 

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The new wage shall take effect for all contracts signed from tomorrow, Sept.30. 

All contracts signed until today may still bear the old MAW of $4,730 provided they reach the Immigration Department by Oct. 27 (Friday).

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The wage increase was immediately assailed by the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body, a group made up of FDWs from different countries, which called it “slave wage.”

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“The 3% increase is still abysmally short of the living wage ($6,016) and therefore is still slave wage,” said the AMCB in a statement.

  

The “small increase” shows that the government sees FDWs as mere modern-day slaves, added the statement. 

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The Hong Kong government has always said that it takes into consideration various factors in coming up with the MAW, including the city’s general and labour market condition in the past year, and the outlook for the coming year. 

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Last year, the MAW was raised by 2.2% to $4,730, in the wake of the economic downturn from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

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2 DH, kinasuhan dahil nagamit ang ATM card nila sa money laundering

 

Dinidinig ang kaso sa Eastern Court

Dalawa na namang Pilipinang domestic helper ang humarap sa Eastern Court nitong Huwebes matapos silang kasuhan ng money laundering dahil nagamit ang kanilang ATM (automatic teller machine) card sa pag-deposito at pag-withdraw ng malalaking halaga na galing sa krimen, na tinaguriang money laundering.

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Hindi agad hiningi ang panig nina Leonida Manlunas, 40 taong gulang, at Nora Reymundo, 47 taong gulang, sa akusasyong hinawakan nila ang perang galing sa krimen, na paglabag sa Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

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Sa halip ay hiningi ng taga-usig ang pagpapaliban ng pagdinig.

Itinakda ni Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui ang kanilang pagbabalik sa korte sa Nov. 1.

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Ayon sa asunto, idineposito at ini-withdraw ng mga hindi kilalang tao ang kabuuang $387,600 sa ATM account ni Manlunas sa Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. mula Dec. 18, 2020 hanggang Jan. 8, 2021.

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Mas malaking halaga naman ang idinaan ng mga hindi nakilalang tao sa bank account ni Reymundo.

Ayon sa asunto, may nag-deposito at nag-withdraw ng kabuuang $903,600 sa kanyang HSBC account mula Feb. 10 hanggang March 4, 2021.

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Dahil ang mga ATM account ay nasa pangalan nila, itinuturing na hinawakan nila mismo ang nasabing salapi na alam nila ay galing sa krimen, ayon sa asunto.

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