Migrant rights advocates pay homage to ‘Buhay’

 

Buhay spent more than half of her life fighting for migrants rights

Some of the biggest migrant support organizations in Hong Kong have heaped thanks and praises to Esther “Buhay” Bangcawayan, a case worker for the Mission for Migrant Workers and Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, who passed on from colon cancer on Wednesday, Oct 14.

Buhay, as she was known in the Filipino community in Hong Kong, is remembered for her lifelong commitment to fighting for the rights and welfare of migrant workers, not just in Hong Kong, but in other parts of the world.

Below are some of the published tributes to Buhay from various organizations and Filipino community leaders, extolling her for her service and dedication to advancing the cause of migrant workers.

(Details of the funeral rites for Buhay have yet to be announced.)

  

A proud activist

From Eman Villanueva, chairperson of Bayan Hong Kong and Macau:

We give our highest salute to Esther "Buhay" Bangcawayan, our dearest comrade, fellow activist, and dedicated servant of the people and of the migrant workers in Hong Kong. She passed away today after a long battle with colon cancer at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Buhay spent more than four decades of her life organizing and helping distressed migrants, mostly women. She was a founding member and leader of the Asian Domestic Workers Union (ADWU), composed of Filipino, Indonesian, Thai, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, and Indian domestic workers.

As a Cordilleran herself, she was deeply immersed in the Cordilleran migrants’ community in Hong Kong. She is known to her peers in BIBAK Hong Kong, Cordillera Consultative Council (CCC) and later with Cordillera Alliance (CORALL). Buhay was a key figure in organising the first ever Cordillera Day in Hong Kong which became an annual commemoration of the bravery and heroism of Macli-ing Dulag and to carry forward the struggle for land, life and resources of the Cordilleran people.

Speaking at a Cordillera event

Years later, she helped organize migrant workers in Korea and Macau as part of her work with the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM). Buhay was also instrumental in setting up the Filipino Migrant Workers' Union (FMWU) chapter on Chater Road, Hong Kong.

Between her organizing work, Buhay served as a regular volunteer case officer at the Mission For Migrant Workers (MFMW) and as a full-time staff member of the Bethune House Migrant Women's Refuge.

Known for her fierce and relentless pursuit of justice for victims of abuse and exploitation, Buhay has personally accompanied and empowered countless distressed migrants in engaging with officials of the Philippine, Indonesian and Hong Kong governments.

At a dialogue with Consulate officials and victims of illegal recruitment

As one of the senior case officers, she not only assisted migrant workers in their legal battles, but also trained migrant domestic workers to become welfare officers of their own organizations and mentored student interns at the MFMW to become volunteer case officers like herself.

Buhay happy to dance with fellow women and migant rights activists
Daisy Mandap, Cynthia Tellez and Edwina Antonio 

For many of us, Buhay was a migrant leader, an organizer, a case officer, and a trainer all rolled into one — a true migrant activist and internationalist who dedicated most of her life to the service of others, irrespective of nationality.

As we bid goodbye to you, our dear Buhay, let us honor your legacy by following your example and committing ourselves to serve the people until our very last breath.

Farewell, kasama… rest in power. You will stay forever in our hearts. You will be missed but will never be forgotten.

Long live the memory of Buhay! 

 

With her APMM family (Eman is at rightmost, with clenched fist)

From the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants:

You have led a life of service, dedication and love for grassroots migrants and this is proven by the flooding of beautiful, heartfelt messages for you from so many migrants and friends whose lives you have touched.

We would like to add to these messages for you because long before you joined the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) in the late 1990s, you have always been there organising, building solidarity and standing side by side migrants.

In the early 1990s, you were one of the founding members and leaders of the Asian Domestic Workers Union (ADWU), a Hong Kong-based union of Filipino, Indonesian, Thai, Sri Lankan, Nepalese and Indian domestic workers. A few years after, you helped in forming the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body, also a Hong Kong-based network of migrant worker organisations of different nationalities (Filipinos, Indonesians, Thais, Sri Lankans, Nepalese, and Indians).

Buhay (leftmost) celebrates a court victory with victims of illegal recruitment

When you joined the APMM, you became our Welfare Program and Women’s Program Officer. During this time, you supported Filipino migrant workers in South Korea in forming KASAMMAKO, one of the largest, longest-existing alliances of Filipino migrant worker organisations there. When you became Coordinator of APMM’s programs in Macau, you supported the formation of migrant workers organisations there.

Buhay and other Bethune House case workers get service award from MFMW Board

After your stint with APMM, you did not stop in organising and supporting migrants’ causes. You went on to serve migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong as part of the Mission For Migrant Workers and the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge.

You never wavered in your dedication. You never for once declined to assist a migrant in distress. You were always there for them, offering a hand to help, breaking a smile to brighten their day, and shedding a tear with them.

Your name, Buhay, is Tagalog for life. And your name indeed describes you and your life – committed to serving migrants and the people, working towards achieving justice, and making this world a better place for all.

In support for Mary Jane Veloso, an OFW originally sentenced to life for drug trafficking

You will be missed, Buhay. Your name is etched not only in our hearts, but in the history of APMM and in the migrant movement.

Highest honor and salute, Buhay, our sister in struggle!

 From Unifil-Migrante Hong Kong:

 

As panelist in campaign to stop violence against MDWs like Kartika from Indonesia

PASASALAMAT at PAGPUPUGAY

KAY ESTHER "BUHAY" BANGCAWAYAN

Mula sa United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE), ang aming taus-pusong pakikiramay sa mga naulilang pamilya, kamag-anak, kaibigan at mga kasama ni Esther “Buhay” Bangcawayan!

Buong-puso at pinakamataas na paggalang at pagpupugay ang ipinapaabot ng buong kasapian ng UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK kay “Buhay” sa apat na dekada ng kanyang walang pag-iimbot na paglilingkod sa mga migranteng manggagawa di lamang sa mga Pilipino kundi maging sa ibang lahi sa Hong Kong.

Sa loob ng mahigit apat na dekada, pinatunayan niya ang kahulugan ng kaniyang pangalan—isang buhay na inialay para sa kapakanan ng iba. Bilang case officer ng Mission for Migrant Workers, marami siyang hinawakan na mga kaso ng mga migrante at sa kabila ng mga limitasyon hindi ito naging sagabal kay Buhay para tiyakin na mabigyan ng hustisya ang mga biktima ng pang-aabuso, pagsasamantala at diskriminasyon na kinaharap ng mga migrante. Nanatili siyang matatag na takbuhan at nagsilbing inspirasyon at lakas ng paglaban.

Celebrating her birthday in 2024 with her MFMW and Bethune House sisters

Gumampan din si Buhay ng gawaing solidarity sa ilalim ng Asian Domestic Wokers Union at Asian Migrants Coordinating Body. Nagsilbi bilang haligi sa union at alyansa upang ipaglaban ang pagtaas ng sahod, two-week rule, regulasyon sa oras ng trabaho, malalang dikriminasyon at makataong pagtrato sa mga dayuhang manggagawa sa Hong Kong hanggang sa antas polisya at batas.

Nag-iwan si Buhay ng ehemplo ng walang katulad na tapang laban sa mapang-aping sistema, kaalinsabay ng isang mapagkalingang puso para sa mga nangungulila at nasasaktan. Ang kaniyang laging sinasambit na "Sulong, Padayon!" ay patuloy na umaalingawngaw sa puso ng bawat migranteng natuto sa kaniyang prinsipyo.

Ang kaniyang pisikal na paglisan ay nag-iiwan ng malaking puwang, ngunit ang kaniyang dakilang legasiya ay mananatiling buhay.

MABUHAY KA, BUHAY! Rest in Power and Peace!

 

Grateful MFMW clients visit her in hospital

From Joanna Concepcion, Migrante International Chairperson

Ate Bu Esther C Bangcawayan

Ito na ang huling litrato natin. Nag aayos kami ni Ate Carnay Janette ng mga ayuda para sa mga Taipo fire victims at napadaan ka. Ang taas ng energy mo nung araw na yun, hindi ako makahabol Ang dami pa nating mga biruan at tuwang tuwa ako na makita kang masigla sa gitna ng paglaban mo sa kanser. Ikaw ang nagsabing magpapicture tayo, at ng pinakita ko sayo, laking ngiti mong sinabi "ang ganda ganda ko dito!". Tama ka te, you were truly a beautiful soul. Ayun, sa huli pinaalala ko sayo mga pagkain na dapat iwasan mo pero dahil stubborn ka nga, nag give in na ako haha alam kong munting kasiyahan mo yun.

Joanna (left) and Buhay share a happy moment with Bethune's Janette Carnay

Marami pa akong kwento pero mabigat pa magsulat. Isang karangalan na nagkaroon ng pagkakataon makasama ka sa mga kampanya para ipaglaban ang karapatan ng mga OFWs.

Maraming maraming salamat at nakilala ka, for our friendship and for your unwavering committment to serve migrants in Hong Kong. Kulitin mo kami nina Vicky Casia Sunny Winter Flowers Nida sa panaginip namin.

Paalam Ate Bu.

Mahal kita. Mahal ka namin

 

 

 

 

Overstayer , asylum seeker among 15 arrested in anti-illegal work raids

File footage of an anti-illegal work operation

A total of 15 people were arrested in the latest anti-illegal work sweep led by officers of the Immigration Department, from October 9 to 15.

Twelve of those arrested were suspected illegal workers, including an asylum seeker; one was found to have overstayed his visa, one was a suspected employer and the other, an aider and abettor.

They were rounded up in multiple raids across the city that targeted restaurants, retail stores, industrial buildings and other known hotspots for illegal work.

The suspected illegal workers comprised eight men and four women, aged 20 to 54. One of the men held a recognizance paper which prohibits him from taking up work, paid or unpaid.

The arrested overtayer was a man aged 43. One woman aged 47 was identified as an employer, while another woman aged 28 is suspected to be an aider and abettor.

Immigration warns that illegal work is a serious offence in Hong Kong, which carries the maximum penalty of two years in jail and HK$50,000 fine.

Overstayers and asylum seekers found engaged in illegal work face the higher penalty of up to three years in jail and HK$50,000 fine.

Aiders and abettors are held equally liable, while employers could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined a maximum of HK$500,000.

Immigration said an investigation into the suspected illegal employment is continuing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.

To report illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 185 185, fax at 2824 1166, email anti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit the "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences" form at www.immd.gov.hk.

 

Pinay admits conspiracy to defraud Immigration, sentencing postponed

Shatin Magistrates Court

A Filipina pleaded guilty today at Shatin Court to conspiring with persons unknown to defraud the Immigration director into giving her an employment visa by submitting a fake contract, but her sentencing was postponed to December 8.

Josephine Soberano, 38 years old, was thus freed on bail of $1,000  by Magistrate Raymond Wong, with conditions such as not leaving Hong Kong until the next hearing.

DETAILS HERE

Soberano was charged with conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law and sections 2(3) and 4(2) of the Criminal Jurisdiction Ordinance  and punishable under section 159C(6) of the Crimes Ordinance.

The conspiracy took place between an unknown day in April 2022 and May 21, 2023.

She allegedly conspired, with other persons unknown, to defraud the Director of Immigration and his officers by making it appear that she would work for Li Sin Ting as a domestic helper.

Basahin ang detalye!

She allegedly did this by “dishonestly and falsely representing to the Director and his officers that your entries to and remaining in Hong Kong were for the purpose of working as a domestic helper of Li Sin Ting and thereby to induce the said Director and his officers to act contrary to their public duty, namely to grant permission to enter and remain in Hong Kong under circumstances which they would not otherwise have granted.”

 

 

DMW reports taking down 250k online recruitment scam posts

 

DMW USec Darlene Pajarito (in blue) presented the Phl initiatives at the forum

The Department of Migrant Workers said it has helped take down about 250,000 online posts of recruitment scams over the past six years, through partnerships with social media platforms Meta (for Facebook) and TikTok Philippines.

The Department made the announcement at the 19^th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML) held from Oct. 14 to 15 in Pasay City.

A statement issued by the DMW said that during the summit, countries from Southeast Asia pushed for stronger cooperation against online recruitment scams and other fraudulent scheme targeting migrant workers.

Basahin ang detalye!

Online recruitment has become the bane of most countries sending their workers abroad, with the opening of new overseas markets and the proliferation of unlicensed recruiters offering fake juicy posts while hiding beneath glossy posters and layers of murky identities.

The scam is even more prevalent in places where there are migrant workers who have better means to pay the hefty fees charged by recruiters, and are easily lured to go cross-country with promises of better pay and working conditions. The ease of transferring money across territories has compounded the problem.

A DMW warning against immigration consultancies that falsely offer jobs online

Presenting the Philippines initiatives was DMW Undersecretary Darlene Pajarito, who said the government, social media platforms and other stakeholders must work together to protect jobseekers.

“We cannot work in silos. That’s why we also forged many memoranda of agreement with concerned agencies, published materials for public awareness, and took down fraudulent job posts through our partnership with Meta and TikTok Philippines,” Pajarito said.

The session, moderated by Souksakhone Siharaj, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Lao PDR, examined fraudulent job offers, online recruitment platforms and how they can be regulated to prevent scams.

The forum also tackled migrant workers’ access to protection, support and legal remedies when they fall victim to recruitment fraud and other forms of exploitation.

One of the participants, Kongseng Piengpanya of Village Focus International, urged ASEAN stakeholders to turn their discussions into concrete measures to protect vulnerable migrant workers.

“I hope that this 19th AFML will find the good rules, the constructive recommendations, and then lead to actions in the future to provide appropriate protection for migrant workers, who may also be vulnerable to scams,” Piengpanya said.

Participants also reviewed regional efforts to promote safe migration and decent work, and called for sustained cooperation among governments, employers, workers’ organizations and civil society.

 

 

Hgh Court cuts Pinay’s sentence in drug case

 

The High Court, where the Court of Appeal holds sessions

The Court of Appeal has reduced the sentence of a Filipina asylum seeker who appealed after being convicted in 2022 of attempted drug trafficking for claiming a shipment of 4,924 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride (ice  or shabu) worth $2.7 million during a controlled delivery watched by Customs officers.

The sentence of Nellie Pangosban, 40 years old, was reduced by one year and five months to 16 years and five months, in a decision handed down Tuesday (Oct. 13) by acting Chief Justice Andrew Macrae and Justice of Appeals Kevin Zervos.

The new sentence was in accordance with new sentencing guidelines set in March 2025. “As has been repeatedly made clear, if the revised guidelines are found to be applicable to an appellant, the Court is required to sentence afresh…,’ the decision said.

Pangosban pleaded guilty before a magistrate on August 1, 2022 to a charge of attempted trafficking in a dangerous drug involving 4.960 kilos of a crystalline solid containing 4.924 kilos of ice, contrary to section 4(1)(a) and (3) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance and section 159G of the Crimes Ordinance.

Basahin ang detalye!

She confirmed her plea on August 1, 2023 before Deputy High Court Judge Douglas Yau and was sentenced to 17 years and 10 months’ imprisonment, consisting of a starting point of 26 to 30 years’ imprisonment, enhanced by 6 months for the aggravating factor of the appellant’s status as a Form 8 recognizance holder, and was reduced by one-third for the appellant’s guilty plea.

After her appeal, her sentence was reduced to 16 years and 5 months’ imprisonment, consisting of a starting point of 23 years and 11 months’ imprisonment, which was enhanced by 9 months and reduced by one-third for her guilty plea.

Explaining the longer enhancement, the two justices explained that committing “a serious criminal offence while permitted to remain in Hong Kong on recognizance constitutes, in a general sense, a breach of trust, involving a grave abuse of the city’s hospitality and a breach of conditional liberty attaching to the status of a claimant while awaiting the outcome of his or her immigration or torture claim.”

Filipina charged with stealing HK$400k worth of jewelry, cash

 

The alleged theft is said to have happened in this estate

A Filipina domestic worker arrested on Monday on suspicion of stealing jewelry and cash reportedly worth around HK$400,000 was charged with one count of theft when she appeared at Eastern Court today, Wednesday.

Rona Jean N. Lagat, 33, was informed of the charges against her but was not asked to enter a plea.

According to the charge, Lagat stole a number of jewelry and cash from her employer’s flat at Fullview Court, Fortress Garden, between June 15 and October 12 this year.

Basahin ang detalye!

She is accused of stealing JPY80,000 (around HK$4,000), two gold bracelets, one green gemstone ring, one sapphire necklace, one Cartier watch, one pair of diamond earrings and one gold necklace, the property of Irene Wong Shin-ling.

The prosecution asked the case to be adjourned to December 9 for further investigation, and said any bail application would be opposed.

The defense lawyer said they had no instruction to apply for bail for Lagat.

Eastern Chief Magistrate So Wai-tak ordered Lagat to be remanded in jail until the next hearing of the case, but set down a bail review on October 22.

In the same court, a Filipina asylum seeker was charged with two counts of stealing Octopus cards, but no mention was made of her using the cards to the detriment of another person.

Aurora B. Delfin, 39, was charged of stealing the two Octopus cards between June 15 and October 12 this year, “somewhere” in North Point. One of the cards was said to be owned by a local female resident, but the owner of the second card was not identified.

The prosecution said it would oppose any bail application, as Delfin still had an outstanding commitment to repay someone, which she had yet to comply with.

Magistrate So noted that the amount involved was HK$934.40, which Delfin was ordered to repay last year. He gave Delfin 14 days to settle this obligation, or she would have to spend time in jail in lieu.

The magistrate ordered Delfin remanded in jail until the next hearing date of December 12.

 

 

 

HK labor chief rules out trial period for FDHs

 

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun (source: Dotdot News)

The Hong Kong government does not intend to amend laws or policies regarding foreign domestic helpers, particularly on imposing a trial or probation period, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun told the Legislative Council today.

Secretary Sun was answering a question by Legislator Tommy Chung regarding the lack of flexibility in the existing Standard Employment Contract (SEC) and supporting policies, which he said causes problems for employers of FDHs.

Sun said, “The Government attaches great importance to the reasonable rights and interests of both foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) and employers, and is committed to balancing the concerns and interests of both parties, while maintaining Hong Kong as an attractive work destination for a sufficient number of FDHs, so as to meet the community's increasing domestic care needs."

Chung had asked whether the government will study introducing a statutory probation period (two to three months) in FDH employment contracts, during which employers will provide free transportation but FDHs will pay for their airfares in proportion to their length of service, and agency fees for re-hiring will be limited.

Basahin ang detalye!

Sun replied that under present rules, employers may terminate contracts in accordance with the Employment Ordinance and the terms of the Standard Employment Contract (SEC). “The Government considers that there is no need to introduce into the SEC an additional provision prescribing a probationary period,” he said.

Chung also asked whether it will formulate, in collaboration with the Equal Opportunities Commission, guidelines on contract termination where FDHs are unable to perform duties due to serious illness or other reasons.

But Sun said that under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against or dismiss an employee on the ground of disability.

“Nevertheless,” he added, “an exception may apply if the employer can present objective evidence to prove that the employee concerned is unable to perform the inherent requirements of the job due to the employee's disability.”

Finally, Chung asked whether government will amend the legislation to stipulate that FDHs who are dismissed upon conviction for criminal offences will immediately forfeit their eligibility to any statutory compensation, payment in lieu of notice and passage allowance, while the Immigration Department will also prohibit them from coming to Hong Kong to work again.

Sun said that is already allowed under current laws.

For example, if an FDH is guilty of fraud or dishonesty, where he/she is convicted by the court of stealing property from the employer's home, “the EO currently already provides that the employer may summarily dismiss the FDH without notice or payment in lieu of notice,” he said.  

However, he added that the employer is still required to provide the FDH with return passage to his/her place of origin. “This arrangement is one of the necessary conditions for allowing employers to recruit domestic helpers from overseas to work in Hong Kong, and is intended to ensure that FDHs who come to Hong Kong will not be left stranded in Hong Kong due to a lack of means for travel,” he said.

If an FDH has any adverse record or has committed any breach, the Immigration Department will normally refuse his/her application, he added.

Remains of ex-OFW sent home after community fundraising

 

Lina emerges from court in 2023 after testifying against her employer who had locked her out 

The remains of a former overseas Filipino worker whose recent death sparked appeals for help on social media, are now in her hometown of Tayug, Pangasinan, after her friends and the Muslim community in Hong Kong raised the needed funds for repatriation.

Lina Realiza Doculan, 52 and a single mother of three adult children, died of cardiac arrest triggered by pulmonary embolism on September 22 at Tuen Mun Hospital.

Her daughter, Rolyn Grace, said that by then, her mother had long been jobless due to her pending application for asylum, so their family struggled to raise the HK$42,000 needed to cover the cost of sending the remains back to the Philippines.

Basahin ang detalye!

Grace said her mother first arrived in Hong Kong in 2014. She had an uneventful employment history until her last contract was terminated in 2023, after she testified in court against the prominent daughter of her employer who had locked her out of the house, and had thrown her things out in a fit of rage.

Failing to secure another job and to claim compensation for her wrongful termination, Lina ended up overstaying her visa, but was eventually caught and detained. She fainted while in detention, and it was then that she was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.

Grace said her mother had indicated her desire to go home to recover, but again fainted on the street shortly after leaving Tuen Mun Hospital on September 4. She was re-admitted in a comatose state, and never regained consciousness until she died a few days later.

As Lina had no employer and no insurance that would have paid for repatriating her remains, her friends turned to social media to appeal for help from fellow OFWs.

The money raised from this, plus a substantial contribution from the Muslims friends of her Pakistani partner, enabled them to raise enough for the repatriation.

Grace said she and another sibling decided to fly to Hong Kong to seek help from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration but were told that securing funding from Manila would take some time, so her mother’s friends decided to just cover the expenses themselves.

Lina never regained consciousness after being admitted to hospital on Sept. 4

Because of this setback, Grace, along with some of her mother’s friends, bewailed on social media the apparent inaction by the Philippine government on their appeal for help.

As a result, OWWA HK reached out to Grace and informed her that her mother’s body would be accompanied by their staff from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila to their hometown in Pangasinan.

Grace said her family had asked OWWA if it could help pay for the funeral expenses for her mother, but the welfare agency reportedly told them that the most that they could get was Php20,000 in burial assistance. Sadly, even this could not be released to them in time for Lina’s funeral tomorrow.

 (Anyone who wishes to extend help to Lina’s family may send money through these numbers: 64836577  on Alipay or 09563900623 on GCash. Name is Rolyn Grace Ramirez).

 

 

2 Pinoys told to get lawyers before entering plea in DC

 

The District Court in Wanchai 

Two Filipinos, one charged with high-value theft and breach of deportation order; and another, for trafficking more than 15 kilos of marijuana, failed to enter their plea at the District Court today, after the judge noted that they had no lawyers to represent them.

Judge Clement Lee adjourned the cases of Cezar Raiz and Ma. Cristina Fernandez to January 12 next year.

Lee said he has received letters from the Legal Aid that they were still processing the two defendants’ applications for lawyers’ services.

Basahin ang detalye!

Raiz (also known as Rodrigo C. Balajadia, Mario Macaspac and Gregorio Nolasco) is charged with theft, contrary to section 9 of the Theft Ordinance, after he allegedly stole 22 pendants from Chow Tai Fook Jewellery on Nathan Road, Mong Kok, on December 14, 2025.

His second charge, breach of deportation order, contrary to section 43(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, arose after investigators matched his fingerprints with another man who was deported on February 14, 2015.

Fernandez, on the other hand, was charged with violating section 4(1)(a) and (3) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, after her arrest on October 18, 2025 at Customs Arrival Hall B, Passenger Terminal 1, Hong Kong International Airport.

She was charged with trafficking in 15,437 gram of cannabis in herbal form.

Pinay accused of getting loan by deception denied bail

Eastern Court

A Filipina arrested at the airport for suspected loan fraud before she could board her flight to Manila, was returned to jail after she was refused bail today at Eastern Court.

Gladys Guillermo, 34 years old, was held for allegedly taking out a $19,900 loan despite losing her job, which was supposed to guarantee her repayment.  

She was charged with obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, contrary to section 18(1) of the Theft Ordinance.

Magistrate Edward Wong rejected her offer of $500 cash bail, saying the case is serious, that she was intercepted at the airport so the risk of her not returning to court to answer the charges is high, and that she had no local ties.

Basahin ang detalye!

Magistrate Edward Wong said Guillermo can appeal his decision to the High Court, but set a bail review hearing on October 20. He also scheduled the resumption of the case for November 23.

Guillermo allegedly claimed to be employed to prove income in order to induce Prime Credit, a finance company, to approve a loan principal of $19,900 plus 12 months' interest, totaling $22,627.

She allegedly made the claim last March 13, at Prime Credit, 8/F, Euro Trade Centre, 21-23 Des Voeux Road Central, Central.

Guillermo arrived in Hong Kong last year. 

Indonesian helper arrested for murder after death of 93-year-old ward

 

Entrance to Tak Long Estate (Google photo)

Hong Kong police have arrested an Indonesian domestic helper suspected of killing her 93-year-old employer after video footage emerged of the helper repeatedly assaulting the elderly woman minutes before her death.

Police said in a press briefing that the elderly woman who was widowed and childless, was found unconscious Sunday morning in her one-room flat in Long Yiu House at Tak Long Estate in Ngau Tau Kok.

The 52-year-old helper hired more than three years ago to provide round-the-clock care to the woman had sought help from the building security staff at about 8:20am that day, saying her employer was unresponsive.

Basahin ang detalye!

Paramedics who were called to the flat performed emergency treatment on the woman at the scene, before rushing her to the hospital where she was pronounced dead at 9:12am.

The death initially did not raise an alarm as no obvious fatal injuries were found on the woman, and there were no signs of a struggle or ransacking of the flat.

But police said that a random check by the woman’s relatives of the CCTV installed in the flat showed the helper repeatedly assaulting the woman between 8:03am and 8:10am on Sunday.

The suspect allegedly hit the woman by hand about 20 times on the head, face and neck. She was also seen stepping on the woman’s abdomen while handling her body in a rough and violent manner.

Shortly after the last assault, the woman was seen lying motionless on her bed.

Police arrested the helper at about 3:50am earlier today, Monday, on suspicion of murder.

A preliminary examination by a forensic pathologist reportedly showed bruises on the woman’s chest, lower and right side of the abdomen and right jaw, as well as cuts on the left side of her neck.

The exact cause of death is expected to be established following an autopsy and further forensic tests.

Older footage from the security camera reportedly showed the helper assaulting the woman daily over the past two weeks.

“Footage gathered by police shows that there were intermittent minor assaults daily in the past half a month or so,” said a police officer at the briefing.

The police said a friction had developed between the helper and her bedridden employer over time due to overwork.

The Social Welfare Department reportedly made regular visits to the deceased, and individual relatives visited about once a month.

According to the police the woman’s husband died more than three decades ago due to an illness. She was herself diagnosed with colorectal cancer 17 years ago, and about two years ago, suffered a stroke.

In addition, she had a history of chronic illnesses, including hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, requiring long-term medication and regular medical check-ups.

Relatives arranged to hire the helper to care for her starting in January 2023.

The District Crime Squad of Sau Mau Ping District is investigating the case. Anyone who has any information to offer in relation the incident is urged to contact the investigating officers at telephone number 3661 6236.