Floral art from Phl wins in HK Flower Show

 

World Council Philippines' entry won the Grand Prize for Design Excellence

Among the entries from abroad that won a prize at the Hong Kong Flower Show 2024 that ended Sunday night was an entry from the World Flower Council Philippines Chapter that was handed the “Grand Award” for Design Excellence, in the Open Competition Section.

This was the same award that the group won last year, and was shared by another entry from the Philippines, the Blue Grass Project, which again took part this year, but failed to get the nod of judges.

There was no display from the Philippine Consulate this year, unlike last year when its “Pahiyas” booth was awarded a “Merit Award for Unique Feature.”

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But the major awards at the yearly display of exotic floral arrangements and horticultural works at Victoria Park were handed out to the different District Offices of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) that competed in the Garden Plot and Environmental Award divisions.

Taking the top award for the Oriental Style Garden Plot Competition was Kwai Tsing District’s “Joy in Nature” while Yau Tsim Mong District’s “Birdsong” was the winner of the Environmental Award for an Oriental Style Garden.

Kwai Tsing won the top prize in Oriental Garden Plot Competition

Wan Chai District copped the two major awards: Its "Vitality from Recycle" was adjudged the best in the Western Style Garden Plot Competition, as well as the Environmental Award for its Western Style Garden.

All entries in the Garden Plot Competitions were meticulously designed by LCSD staff at the District Leisure Services Offices.

Kwai Tsing’s design was inspired by rural villages in the highland areas of Northern Thailand. Inside the plot was a Thai-style hut and garden planted with an array of dazzling flowers and trees.

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Adhering to the principle of recycling, the design included a stairway built from felled trees and adorned with environmentally friendly materials.

Yau Tsim Mong’s entry also had a Thai garden but focused on bird conservation and the need to impart to visitors the joy of connecting with nature.

Wan Chai's Western Style garden was Best in Garden Plot and Environmental Design

Wan Chai’s back-to-back winner was a garden plot that integrated ideas for greening with gardening aesthetics. The footpaths in the plot were paved with wood pieces from felled trees, while a little bridge was built with logs. The pavilion was made of recycled materials while a small greenhouse was built using plastic bottles, and a small water pool with oyster shells.

As of press time, the winners of the online voting contest called “My Most Favourite Garden Plot” has yet to be announced. Voters were asked to choose their favourites from the garden plot entries of the 18 districts, for the chance to win free air tickets.

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This year’s show dubbed “Floral Joy Around Town” with angelonia as the theme flower is organised by the LCSD, with the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust providing major support for the 12th consecutive year.

It is one of the events under Art March of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.

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HK Customs warns against unsafe nail polish

 

Photo from HK Customs

If you paint your nails regularly, you should not use three brands of nail polish because they may cause cancer, Hong Kong Customs has advised.

Customs said it had earlier received referrals from a related organization about the three suspected unsafe nail polish products (see photo above) being sold in Hong Kong.

Customs officers subseqeuntly conducted inspections at different districts and test-purchased the three products for safety tests by the laboratory.

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The test results showed that they all contained naphthalene which was a prohibited ingredient as stipulated in safety and technical standards for cosmetics, so the products are suspected of failing to comply with the general safety requirements of the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance (CGSO).

Customs also found that one of these products only bore warnings or cautions in Korean without any English and Chinese translations, which is in contravention of the Consumer Goods Safety Regulation (CGSR), a subsidiary legislation of the CGSO.

In subsequent operations, Customs officers seized 58 pieces of two of the products from a retailer and importer in Causeway Bay, and a wholesaler and importer in Sheung Wan.

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Customs officers also conducted spot checks and inspections in various districts. None of the three models has been found on sale for the time being.

An investigation is ongoing, Customs said.

Customs reminds members of the public to observe the following safety tips when purchasing and using nail polish products:

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     • Read in detail the instructions for safe use of the products;

     • To avoid inhalation of harmful substances, keep windows open to ensure adequate ventilation when using the products;

     • Stop using the products and seek medical attention immediately if feeling unwell after use;

     • Do not buy or use products from doubtful sources; and

     • Purchase products at reputable retail shops.

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Members of the public with information relating to unsafe or law-breaking consumer goods may make a report via Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or by filling in an online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).

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DH awaits sentence for money laundering

 

Eliponga will be sentenced at Kwun Tong Court

A Filipina domestic helper has been declared guilty of two counts of money laundering after trial and will be read her sentence at Kwun Tong Court on April 5.

Roselyn Eliponga, 30 years old, was remanded in jail custody after Magistrate Edward Wing announced his verdict last Friday, March 22.

She pleaded not guilty to the charges when she first appeared in court in November last year, and a trial was held for two days last month.

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Eliponga was charged with two counts of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence, otherwise known as money laundering and a violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The first charge arose from the deposits and withdrawals of a total of $132,030 in her account with Bank of China from Oct.  5 to 2020 to March 11, 2021.

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The money she dealt with “represented any person’s proceeds from an indictable offense,” the complaint filed by the Tseung Kwan O Police said.

The second charge referred to the inflow and outflow of $30,835.18 in her account with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. on Oct. 6, 2020.

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Filipina DH avoids jail after pleading guilty to working illegally

 

Cases of illegal work are often heard at Shatin court

A Filipina domestic helper avoided jail yesterday (March 22) after she pleaded guilty at Shatin Court to working illegally outside of her employer’s house.

Instead, Rizalina Cezar, 58 years old, was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment, suspended for 24 months.

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Magistrate David Chum explained to her that she need not serve her jail sentence as long as she does not reoffend within the next two years.

If she does, she will have to serve her sentence, plus the penalty for the new offense.

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Cezar was charged with breach of condition of stay, a violation of the Immigration Ordinance.

The charge arose after she was caught doing “odd job duties” in Wanchai during a raid conducted by the Immigration Department last Jan. 6.

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The complaint filed by Immigration three days later did not specify what work Cezar was actually doing when caught, but described it as not approved by the Director of Immigration.

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When Cezar arrived in Hong Kong on Dec. 14, 2023, she was given a condition for her stay -- that she can only work as a domestic helper at the address specified in her employment contract, which was in Mid-levels. 

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2 OS among 13 persons arrested in anti-illegal work raids

 

Those arrested included 8 suspected illegal workers and 3 employers

Two overstayers were among 13 people arrested in the latest anti-illegal work operations carried out jointly by Immigration Department agents and police officers over four days, from March 18 to 21.

Those detained also included eight suspected illegal workers and their three employers.

In operations that targeted nine locations including restaurants and premises under renovation, three suspected illegal workers, two men and one woman aged 36 to 47, were arrested. The woman was also found to be in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card.

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Arrested with them were two suspected employers, a man aged 48 and a woman aged 53.

In separate raids by Immigration officers on 80 locations in Hung Hom, Kowloon City and Western Districts, five suspected illegal workers, one employer and two overstayers were arrested.

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The workers comprised three men and two women, aged 42 to 57. One of the men held a recognizance form which prohibited him from taking employment, while the two others possessed forged HK ID cards.

A woman aged 46 was also arrested on suspicion that she hired the illegal workers.

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The two overstayers, aged 27 and 28, were arrested at the same time.

Illegal work is an offence punishable by up to two years in jail and a maximum fine of $50,000. If the suspect is also found to be an overstayer, an illegal immigrant, recognizance form holder, or was refused permission to land, the maximum jail term is extended to three years.

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If the additional offence involves the use or possession of a forged HK ID card, or one belonging to another person, the maximum penalty is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years.

Employers are punished even more severely, with immediate imprisonment prescribed under the sentencing guidelines. The maximum fine is $500,000 and the jail term can be up to 10 years.

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2 Pinays arrested at airport for money laundering appear in court together

 

Two Filipina domestic helpers who were both arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport as they were preparing to fly to Manila, had their money laundering cases heard together at the Eastern Court today, even if the charges against them were filed separately.

Both Rochel Fuentes, 35 years old, and Marcela Awingan, 38, face a charge each of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offense, a violation of the Organized and Serious Crime Ordinance.

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The prosecutor said the two cases would be consolidated as the money involved was part of a bigger case of fraud.

She also asked Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui to adjourn the case as prosecutors needed additional legal advice from the Justice Department.'

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Magistrate Chui scheduled the next hearing for both cases for May 17.

As they had no bail application, they were returned to jail custody.

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Fuentes was accused of money laundering because of the $666,300 deposited into her account  in the Standard Chartered Bank from April 4, 2023 to April 6, 2023, and then withdrawn.

She dealt with the money, “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 offense,” the police complaint stated.

Fuentes was arrested at Hong Kong International Airport before she could board her flight to Manila on Jan. 26 this year.  She has been detained since.

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Awingan, on the other hand, was similarly charged, this time accused of dealing with a total of $357,000 that passed through her Standard Chartered Bank account as deposits and withdrawals within one day, April 11.

She was seven months pregnant when she was arrested at HK Airport on Jan. 28. Her counsel said she was leaving for the Philippines to give birth there.

Her initial offer to post $1,000 bail was rejected.

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Ex-HK, Macau OFW dies in China after overstaying visa

 

Katherine who is shown here, had no known ailment, says her sister Geraldine

The perils faced by undocumented workers abroad could not be as poignantly illustrated as when they suddenly pass on, their exact location unknown, and no family members or friends close by to give them comfort.

This was what happened to 47-year-old Katherine Marquez Aguinaldo, who reportedly succumbed to a heart attack Thursday night in Shanghai, but the exact whereabouts of her remains are still unknown as of this writing.

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According to her younger sister Geraldine, who works as a migrant worker in Hong Kong, the employer only sent her a message in Chinese saying Katherine was “in a funeral home” and for her to contact the Philippine Consulate in Shanghai for more information.

The employer, who might be wary given Katherine’s undocumented status, briefly informed Geraldine that her mother was the one who found her sister unconscious in bed.

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“She die in the evening and my mother find her, call the emergency but the doctor say die, (sic)” said the employer in a text message to Geraldine.

The news of her death was announced on Facebook by Letty, another Hong Kong-based domestic worker who said Katherine’s employer for whom she used to work, called her up at 1am today to inform her about what happened, and to ask that she relays the news to the deceased’s relatives.

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“Sino po nakakakilala sa kanya, nasa China po sya, namatay po sya kagabi, 1am tumawag si amo sa kin kagabi. Kasama niya sa room yung dalawang bata, na heart attack daw po sya. Pakisabi sa mga relatives nya,” said Letty in her post, which was accompanied by a copy of Katherine’s passport details.

(Anyone who happens to know her (Katherine), she is in China, she died last night, her employer called me at 1am. She was with the two kids inside the room, she reportedly had a heart attack. Please inform her relatives).

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Letty also shared in an exchange with a commenter that Katherine was her replacement, and when asked why the passport she shared had already expired, she said it was because the deceased was already “tnt” or “tago nang tago,” meaning she no longer had a valid visa.

Katherine’s passport shows it was issued on Jan 30, 2017, and expired on Jan 20, 2022.

She further shared that Katherine’s employer only learned of her death when one of the children who was in same room started crying, and her mother decided to check on them.

One of those who promptly took action was Marites Palma, founder of Social Justice for Migrant Workers, who happens to be in Isabela waiting for the release of her employment visa. On learning the whereabouts of Katherine’s family, Palma immediately took the deceased’s 24-year-old son to the Department of Migrant Workers in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, to file a report.

Palma also managed to contact Geraldine, but got no further lead initially, apart from confirming that the deceased had indeed, been overstaying in China for years.

Geraldine told The SUN her sister had no known disease and they were in fact, messaging each other shortly before she reportedly died. Geraldine said she had no clue as to where in Shanghai her sister was working, and where her remains were taken.

Before she went underground in China, Katherine reportedly worked in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia, then decided to go home. When she went abroad again, she went to Macau but for unknown reason, headed on to China.

Geraldine is asking anyone with information on Katherine's  previous employment and knows where her remains are, to contact the Migrant Workers Office in Hong Kong immediately so the information could be relayed to them. 

She is also asking for help from the Consulate to ensure the speedy repatriation of her sister's body.'

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