Fr Efren Ojeda, 65

 

Fr Efren, OFM, was known for his ever-present smile

Father Efren Ojeda of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), who was well-loved by many Filipino Catholics in Hong Kong, passed away on Saturday, November 22.

His death was announced by the OFM in Hong Kong, which also asked for prayers for his repose, and said details of his funeral would be announced at a later date.

Overseas Filipino worker Lydia Dolera, who is a regular volunteer for masses held at the Philippine Consulate, said Fr. Efren was found collapsed on Saturday, but had no information on the cause of his death.

Lydia said Fr Efren was set to say mass on Sunday at the OFW Global Centre, in celebration of the feast of the Christ the King, and she had thought of going to him for confession. 

His death made her recall an incident showing Fr Efren's humorous side. As she was about to make her confession to him one time, Fr. Efren said in jest that God already knew what she was going to say.

Fr Efren was known to many other Filipino Catholics in Hong Kong as he had said mass for years at various churches with big Filipino congregations, like St Jude’s in North Point, the Catholic Centre as well as St. Joseph’s church in Central, and many others.

He was also known to readily agree to give final blessings to Filipinos who passed away in Hong Kong, particularly the migrant workers.

Fr Efren blesses young cathechists at St Jude's church in North Point

One OFW church volunteer posted on Facebook that Fr Efren was supposed to be with her group to preside over the Solemnity of Christ the King mass, followed by an afternoon procession and the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament – something he used to do with them every year.

“We are saddened …that you are gone on the eve of the celebration,” said the OFW. “You may not be with us today physically but in our hearts, our prayers and celebrations, you will always be with us..."

She added that Fr Efren’s inspirational homilies, personal guidance as well as the jokes he often made would be in the hearts of her church group.

To many other churchgoers, Fr Efren’s passing meant they would no longer hear his trademark after-mass blessing which he would always sing in a distinct way: “May the blessing of the Lord, the blessing of the Lord, be with you all the way…”

Fr. Efren was 65.

 

 

 

Belen-making contest for orgs launched

 

The Consulate General has launched PaSTARan 2025, this year’s contest for Belen-making for all organizations in the Filipino community, with the theme: Holy Family, Light of Happiness and Love.

Organized in collaboration with LBC Hong Kong, St. Joseph’s Church and the Philippine Association of Hong Kong, the annual contest provides an opportunity for members of the Filipino community to showcase their creativity, craftsmanship, and devotion through the art of Belen-making.

DETAILS HERE

Those who wish to join this contest may submit their filled-out Entry Registration Form (Form No. HKPCG-CS-PRN-2025-1) to the Consulate's Cultural Section OR accomplish the Google form from 20 to 30 November. The form can be opened by clicking this: bit.ly/4oXTCIT

The announcement and awarding of winners will be held immediately after the Simbang Gabi on Dec. 21 (Sunday) at 10:00 pm, at the St. Joseph's Church in Central. The evening party on Dec. 21 starts at 9:00pm.

PINDUTIN DITO

According to the guidelines for the contest, all Belen entries must:

• Only feature the Holy Family (St. Joseph, Mama Mary, Baby Jesus and the Star of Bethlehem);
• Be made up of at least 70% recycled and repurposed materials (used items meant for disposal); and
• Be 1.5 ft tall and 2 ft wide. Any measurement in excess of the allowable size will incur point deductions.
• Lighting-enabled entries must use battery-operated lights.
• Only one (1) entry will be allowed for each Filipino Community organization.

Basahin ang detalye!

Criteria for judging are the following:

• Relevance to the theme 30%
• Originality 30%
• Overall presentation 20%
• Creativity 10%
• Use of recycled materials 10%

The prizes are:

Grand Winner: HKD 4,000 and 2 medium-sized door-to-door boxes

1st Runner Up: HKD 2,500 and 1 medium-sized box

2nd Runner Up{ HKD 1,500 and 1 medium-sized box

People's Choice Award: HKD 500 and 1 medium-sized box

For inquiries and additional information, please send an email at cultural.pcg@gmail.com or call 2823-8535.

Fight with Pinay lands Dominican in jail

 

Bar strip where fight took place (Google Maps photo)

A Dominican woman has found herself in jail after a fight in a bar with an unidentified woman, said to be a Filipina, who disappeared when police officers arrived, leaving her alone to answer questions during investigation.

Worse, Lisandra Manana Moya, 31 years old, also turned out to have been arrested two months earlier for drug possession.

When she appeared at Eastern Court on Nov. 17 (last Monday), the two cases were heard together by Magistrate Ko Wai-hung, who subsequently ordered that she be remanded until the next hearing on Jan. 5 next year.

DETAILS HERE

But Magistrate Ko scheduled a bail review for Nov. 25, to see if circumstances have changed to allow her bail. He also reminded her that she had the right to appeal his decision at the High Court.

Manana, who is unemployed, was charged with fighting in a public place, contrary to section 25 of the Public Order Ordinance, after fighting with an “unknown Philippines female”last Nov. 1 at Bar. 109, on Lockhart Road, Wan Chai..

It was not clear how the police found out the other woman was a Filipina

Basahin ang detalye!

Her second charge, possession of a dangerous drug, contrary to sections 8(1)(a) and (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, arose from her being arrested last Sept. 10 near the junction of Lockhart and Luard Road in Wan Chai.

Found in her possession, acording to a charge, was a plastic bag with “traces of a white solid containing cocaine”.

Pinoy jailed 4 months for drug and apparatus possession, resisting arrest

 

Area where Filipino was arrested (Google Maps photo by Kit Tsin)

A Filipino asylum seeker who earlier pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine hydrochloride (known to Filipinos as shabu) and apparatus to inhale it, and then resisting when four police officers arrested him, was jailed today for four months.

Aldrian Maloles, 37 years old and holder of a recognizance form to serve as identification document, had pleaded guilty in a hearing last Nov. 5 at Kwun Tong Court and Magistrate Lau Suk-han put off his sentencing to today pending a drug abuse report by the Drug Addiction Treatment Center.

The three offenses took place on Nov. 17 last year at the sitting out area outside 15 Sai Kung Hoi Pong Street, in Sai Kung, according to a police complaint dated May 16 this year.

DETAILS HERE

Maloles was sentenced to three months in jail for violating sections 8(1)(a) and (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance by having in his possession three plastic bags containing a total of 1.01 grams of a crystalline solid containing 0.99 gram of meth and one plastic bag containing 0.20 gram of crystalline meth.

He was jailed for two months for violating sections 36(1) and (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance by having in his possession one glass tube with one end shaped as a bulb containing 0.02 gram of crystalline solid meth and one glass bottle with two openings containing 0.01 gram of meth.

He received another six weeks for resistng when three police constables and one police sergeant arrested him, thus violating section 63 of the Police Force Ordinance.

Basahin ang detalye!

Magistrate Lau ruled that the sentences for possession of drugs and apparatus run at the same time for a total of three months, followed by four weeks of the sentence for resisting arrest, for a final sentence of four months.

Ancient Egyptian treasures on display in HK from tomorrow

 

This huge statue of the pharaoh Tutankhamun is the centerpiece of the exhibit

An extraordinary collection of 250 precious artefacts from Egypt, including statues of pharaohs and deities, gold ornaments, large coffins and animal mummies, will go on display in Hong Kong starting tomorrow, Nov 20, at the Hong Kong Palace Museum.

The exhibit, Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums features the largest, most comprehensive and longest-running display of ancient Egyptian treasures in Hong Kong.

DETAILS HERE

Its centerpiece is a towering statue of Tutankhamun, the 13^th pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, who became famous in modern times after his nearly intact tomb containing an extraordinary collection of over 5,000 artifacts including his mummy and funeral mask, was discovered in 2022.

The exhibition opening is a prelude to the 70^th anniversary next year of the start of diplomatic ties between China and Egypt.

Mummified animals are part of the exhibit

The objects on display come from seven prominent museums in Egypt, including the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Luxor Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art, as well as recent archaeological discoveries from Saqqara.

All artefacts are displayed in Hong Kong for the first time, and many are exhibited outside Egypt for the first time, making the exhibition especially significant.

Basahin ang detalye!

As part of the unveiling of the exhibition, the Hong Kong Palace Museum will host a special Egyptian dance performance on Nov. 22, as part of the HKPM Showtime!

The museum will also support the 8^th Hong Kong International Egyptian Dance Festival, which will also feature dance workshops, performances, competitions and presentations on global dance research.

A regular adult ticket to the Ancient Egypt exhibit costs $190 each and concessions at $95 each.

Below are the details of the exhibition, including dates and times:

Exhibition Date

20 November 2025 – 31 August 2026

Opening hours:

10am to 6pm, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday;
10am to 8pm, Friday, Saturday & Public Holiday;
Closed on Tuesday (except public holiday) and the first two days of the Lunar New Year

Venue: Gallery 9, Hong Kong Palace Museum at West Kowloon Cultural District

Enquiry:  +852 2200 0217

Website: www.hkpm.org.hk/en/exhibition/ancient-egypt-unveiled-treasures-from-egyptian-museums

Immigration holds info seminar for Indonesian DHs

 

More than 180 newly arrived Indonesian DHs took part in the immigration seminar

More than 180 foreign domestic helpers who just arrived from Indonesia took part in a seminar conducted by the Hong Kong Immigration Department at the invitation of the Indonesian Consulate General earlier today, November 18.

Participants at the seminar were informed about issues relating to human trafficking so their awareness about the prevalent but often overlooked offence is enhanced.

DETAILS HERE

Officers from Immigration’s Enforcement Branch also told them about the restrictions attached to their visas as domestic workers, the most important of which is that they should only perform domestic duties for the employer named in their employment contract and for no one else.

The officers appealed to them not to take up any unapproved employment, or to overstay.

Basahin ang detalye!

The participants were also briefed on other key matters to note while working in Hong Kong.

Officers and staff of the Indonesian Consulate were on hand to listen to the briefing, and expressed gratitude to the Immigration Department for its support.

In turn, the Consulate promised to work closely with authorities to further promote publicity and enhance the education of newly arrived FDHs in Hong Kong.

 

Pinay DH gets 24 months in jail for $2.5m money laundering

 

File photo

A Filipina domestic  helper was jailed today for 24 months after she pleaded guilty fo three counts of money laundering, in which her three bank accounts were used as depositories of a total of almost $2.5 million derived from crime.

Reamae Davila, 40 years old, was meted the sentence by Acting Principal Magistrate Daniel Tang in a hearing at Tuen Mun Court. It's normally the highest prison term that a magistrate can impose for a single offence.

Her penalty is actually a summary of three sentences: 12 months imprisonment for the first charge, 24 months for the second and six months for the third. Since Magistrate Tang ordered that the three sentences run at the same time, the longest term of 24 months became the final sentence.

DETAILS HERE

In all three cases, Davila  was charged with dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence, which is contrary to sections 25 (1) and 25 (3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

In the first charge, Davila was accused of dealing wth $934,596.60 in her account with Bank Of China between 13 and 28 of May 2024 “… knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that property.., in whole or in part, directly or indirectly represented any person's proceeds of an indictable offence,” accordng to the complaint filed by the Police Technology and Financial Crime Squad 1.

In the second charge, she was accused of dealing with $1,487,144.73 in her account with Mox Bank Limited between April 8 and June 29,2024.

Basahin ang detalye!

In the third case, Davila was charged with dealing in $73,429 between 13and 16 of May 2024 through her account with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.

 

PCG HK undergoes major facelift; temporary offices set

 

Renovation work at the PCG is expected to last for a year

The Philippine Consulate General office on the 14^th floor of United Centre building in Admiralty will be shut temporarily to the general public until an unspecified date, to pave way for much-needed renovation.

It will be the first time that the office occupying the entire floor of the building will undergo a facelift since the PCG began occupying it in the early 2000s, after entering into a lease-purchase agreement with the vendor-landlord.

DETAILS HERE

Starting today, Nov. 16, the PCG will transfer all its offices providing consular services to either the OFW Global Centre on the 18^th floor of United Centre, or the 26^th or the 29^th floor of the same building, which currently houses the Migrant Workers Office.

According to one officer, the much-needed renovation is expected to last an entire year, leaving the offices under the PCG scattered on different floors of the building.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The move-out actually began last October 26, when the assistance to nationals and the overseas voting registration offices were moved to the 26^th floor.

From this Sunday, the following offices will also be moved to the 26^th floor: Visa Services and the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre (PTIC) Hong Kong.

To be moved to the OFW Global Center on the 18^th floor are the civil registry, notarial and passport services.

Basahin ang detalye!

Sharing the MWO office on the 29^th floor starting today are PAG-Ibig Hong Kong and the Social Security Services (SSS) Hong Kong.

For details, contact the PCG main line at 2823 8500/ 8501 or its hotline: 9155 4023. 

20 suspected illegal workers and 6 employers arrested

 

A suspected illegal worker is taken away along with his bicycle

A total of 26 people have been arrested in a week-long operation to flush out illegal workers carried out jointly by operatives of the Immigration Department, along with the HK Police, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. 

Those arrested comprised 20 suspected illegal workers and six employers, who were rounded up in a series of raids carried out from November 7 to 13.

DETAILS HERE

Targeted during the operation were restaurants, flats being renovated, warehouses and massage parlours among others.

The suspected illegal workers comprised 12 men and eight women, aged 29 to 62. Among them, a man and a woman were found in possession of Hong Kong identity cards which they are suspected to have used to gain employment.

PINDUTIN DITO

Four men and two women, aged 38 to 57, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested.

Immigration said in a statement that an investigation into the suspected employers is continuing, and have not ruled out further arrests.

8 women were among those arrested in the latest raids

Anyone found to have worked without permission from Immigration such as tourists, domestic helpers and imported workers are liable to prosecution and imprisonment. They will be charged with violating their visa conditions and could be jailed for up to two years and fined a maximum of $50,000.

The maximum jail term rises to three years if the offender is an overstayer, an illegal immigrant, or subject to a removal or deportation order.

Basahin ang detalye!

Employers of illegal workers could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined a maximum of $500,000.

To report illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 3861 5000, by fax at 2824 1166, email to anti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit the "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences" form at www.immd.gov.hk.

Biggest 'Lamma Fun Day' set for Saturday

 

Nearly 50 bands will play at four different locations

Hong Kong’s longest-running, free music festival, Lamma Fun Day returns for its 22^nd year this coming Saturday, Nov. 15.

The day-long festival includes a charity bazaar, fun run, live music across four locations and tasty food from top Yung Shue Wan restaurant.

DETAILS HERE

Through these various activities, Lamma Fun Day aims to raise money for notable charities. In 2024, the festival raised $250,000 for CWS projects in Nepal, including anti-human trafficking initiatives such as prevention and rehabilitation targeting children and young women.

Organizers say this year’s even is their biggest ever, with almost 50 musical acts from all over Hong Kong keeping partygoers entertained from four different states.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The famous Lamma Fun Day charity auction is back this year, with a wide selection of items including dining vouchers, festival passes, holidays and hotel stays and original artworks from Lamma’s resident artists Harry Harrison and Liz Fry Design. Visit the charity auction page for full details on all the lots and how and when to bid for them.

The bazaar is a good place for Christmas gift-hunting 

Those who are looking for some unique items to give away this Christmas season should check out the market stalls at the famous Lamma Fun Day bazaar. Shopping has always been an essential part of making the event a success.

Basahin ang detalye!

Also on this day, the Lamma8 charity run is making a comeback, with two races, one for 8km and another for 14 km. Those who are interested to join may sign up through this link.

The charity run is alwasy something to look forward to 

For more details, visit: https://pangyao.org/lamma-fun-day/

 

 

OFWs take to stage for Talent Showcase

 

After attending lectures by seasoned theater artists from Bootstrap Theatre Hong Kong and taking part in a workshop that lasted five weeks, the first batch of overseas Filipino workers who trained with "Teatro Bayanihan Tayo" is ready to take to the stage to show off their talent.

DETAILS HERE

The free showcase will happen this coming Sunday, November 16, at the Grand Assembly Hall on the 4^th floor of the YMCA on Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Audience registration will start at 1:30 pm while the show itself will start at 2pm. 

Bootstrap founder and playwright-director William Elvin Manzano said the OFWs will do more than just act in the show.

William Elvin lectures on acting to the OFW-talents

“We focused on rehearsing their original monologues, some of which were written by the workshoppers themselves. They memorized their chosen monologues and rehearsed them for five weeks after our acting lectures,” said Manzano

The result is something that makes Bootstrap happy and proud of the workshoppers, he added.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

“Happy to have shared the art of theatre and storytelling to them, and excited with what more we can do moving forward.”

Future plans include featuring the OFW talents in the video segments that will be shown alongside the live performance of Bootstrap’s next production, “JOB: Fateful Fever Dream” which will be staged in July next year.

A film project that will feature the new OFW performers along with veteran actors is also in the offing.

Basahin ang detalye!

“We aim to further hone their craft by letting them work with professional actors,” said Manzano.

Those who want to watch the free show should send a message to Teatro Bayanihan Tayo at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578706853112 or by downloading the app of

to Prime Gems by Prime Credit and ConnecTies at (https://pgems.info/app).

 The free workshop and talent show is sponsored by Prime Gems by Prime Credit and ConnecTies.

 

Pinay denies possession of someone else’s HKID

 

Kowloon City Court

A Filipina who holds a recognizance form to serve as her identity document, denied on Wednesday a charge at Kowloon City Court that she unlawfully had in her possession a Hong Kong identity card that was in someone elses’ name.

With Irealle Gay Salazar, 38 years old, pleading not guilty, Magistrate Tsang Chung-yiu, scheduled a trial for Christmas eve -- on Dec. 24. He also placed her in jail custody while the case is pending.

DETAILS HERE

Police had said Salazar was arrested on July 28, 2025, outside 59 Woosung Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, for possession “without lawful authority or reasonable excuse” of a HKID in the name of Thapa Magar. Kamal.

The police complaint accused Salazar, who has a pending non-refoulement claim seeking to prevent Hong Kong from forcibly sending her back to the Philippines,  of violating section 7A(1A) of the Registration of Persons Ordinance, which states:

Basahin ang detalye!

 “Any person who without lawful authority or reasonable excuse uses or has in his custody or possession an identity card or other document issued under this Ordinance which relates to another person commits an offence and is liable—

“(a) on conviction on indictment to a fine at level 6 ($100,000) and to imprisonment for 10 years; and

“(b) on summary conviction to a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and to imprisonment for 2 years. (Added 56 of 1989 s. 4).”