Pinay cook, unemployed American accuse each other of assault

ÉA 40-year old Filipina and a 29-year old American have traded charges of hurting each other, resulting in their case ending up at Eastern Court.

Divina Manning  and David Paulsrude appeared briefly Friday (May 22) before Principal Magistrate David Cheung. They were granted bail of $1,000 each.

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Manning, a cook, and unemployed Paulsrude had a dispute last Jan. 28 in a flat at 8 Square Street in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.

The dispute resulted in police filing against the Filipina a charge of wounding, contrary to section 19 of the Offences Against the Person Ordinance.

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”… you did unlawfully and maliciously wound Paulsrude David Martin,” the charge sheet said.

Details here

A charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contrary to Common Law and punishable under section 39 of the Offences against the Person Ordinance, was in turn filed against Paulsrude.

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The police accused him of assaulting Manning, “thereby occasioning actual bodily harm to the said Manning Divina Imperial.”

ICC rejects Duterte’s bid to stop his prosecution

 

Duterte in his first appearance at the ICC in March last year

The International Criminal Court’s pre-trial chamber has denied former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bid to appeal the confirmation of crimes against humanity charges against him.

In a 12-page decision issued Thursday night from The Hague, the three pre-trial judges ruled that the two issues raised on Duterte’s behalf by his former lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman were not “appealable issues” that can be elevated to the ICC Appeals Chamber.

Kaufman had argued that the pre-trial chamber erred in law when it adopted a “flexible approach” in the formulation of the charges against Duterte.

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He also said the judges failed “to articulate a reasoned evidentiary basis for confirming the charges.”

The chamber said in its ruling that the first issue raised by the defense was based on a merging of two questions which the court had already said were clearly separate.

 “Despite the defense’s statement to the contrary, the First Proposed Issue is based on a conflation of two questions that are clearly distinct, as already clarified by the Chamber in the Confirmation Decision,” the court said.

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On the second issue, the court said it was a “ a mere disagreement with the manner in which the Chamber articulated its assessment of the evidence.”

The decision removes all avenues for Duterte to stop the trial of the three charges of crimes against humanity for murder and attempted murder that were confirmed by the chamber earlier.

A trial chamber has already been constituted to handle Duterte’s upcoming trial, and is scheduled to do its first status conference on May 27.

Senator dela Rosa appeared at the Senate on May 13 before fleeing early the next day

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation says it is leaving no stone unturned in tracking down Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa who is named co-conspirator in the ICC charges against Duterte, and who has gone into hiding again after attending a Senate session on May 13.

He went underground for six months earlier amid reports that the ICC had already issued a warrant of arrest against him.

Details here

NBI’s  statement came one day after the Department of Justice declared that the ICC arrest warrant issued against dela Rosa is already enforceable after the Supreme Court denied the senator’s request for a temporary restraining order.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said at a press briefing Thursday, “If we see him (dela Rosa), we’ll arrest him,” Matibag said at a press briefing. “We’re looking for him now.”

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Matibag said if NBI agents manage to capture the senator, he would be turned over to the DOJ, which will decide if he should be flown to the ICC in The Hague.

Last year, Duterte was flown straight to The Hague after being arrested on arrival at the Manila airport from Hong Kong, on the basis of an ICC arrest warrant.

Renovation workers targeted in latest anti-illegal work operation

Six women were among those arrested for illegal work

Five people working illegally as renovation workers were among 14 suspects arrested in the latest anti-illegal work operation by the Immigration Department, the police and other relevant government agencies.

According to a press statement by Immigration, the five were among renovation workers whose services were recently advertised on social media. Officers conducted an investigation and after  identifying the suspects, pretended to be customers.

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“The illegal workers were subsequently arrested while providing services in Hong Kong,” said the statement.

The five were three men and two women aged 28 to43. They were among 11 workers and three employers arrested during the latest weekly operation of combined forces aimed at flushing out illegal workers.

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The other premises that were targeted were restaurants, warehouses and retail stores located in various locations.

The  six additional workers who were arrested comprised two men and four women, aged 23 to 59. The two men were asylum seekers holding recognizance papers that prohibit them from taking up work. One woman was found in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card.

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Two men and one woman, aged 36 to 39, were arrested on suspicion of employing the illegal workers. Immigration said its investigation into the employers is ongoing, and further arrests could not be ruled out.

Working illegally or without express permission from the Immigration Director is a serious offence in Hong Kong, for which custodial sentence is prescribed.

The maximum jail term for illegal workers is two years, but it rises to three years if another offence is committed, like when the worker is an overstayer, illegal immigrant or asylum seeker. The fine in either case is HK$50,000.

An employer faces the more severe penalty of imprisonment for up to 10 years, and a fine of HK$500,000.

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.

Pinoy student set for sentence on weapons, assault charges

 

Wanchai corner where the teenagers were arrested (Google Maps photo)

A Filipino student is awaiting his sentence after pleading guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon and conspiracy to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. His fate would be determined by reports to be submitted to the Eastern Court by a probation officer and a communty service officer.

Roldan S. San Jose, 16 years old, was granted bail of $2,000 but is required to attend his sentencing on June 4 by Principal Magistrate David Cheung, who made the order in a hearing on Thursday (May 21).

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His co-accused, Ohiniko Kokou Kouakouvi, an 18 year-old Togolese student and asylum seeker, had his case adjourned on June 26 to await the progress report on his alleged drug problem.

San Jose was accused in a police complaint of violating  section 4 of the Weapons Ordinance, Cap. 217, Laws of Hong Kong after he was found to have in his possession a prohibited weapon -- one metal knuckleduster, a metal fist reinforcement meant to leave serious injuries on opponents in fisticuffs..

His arrest took place on April 7 last year at Lockhart Road at the Junction of Cannon Street, Wan Chai.

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San Jose and Kouarouvi were then jointly charged with conspiring “together and with other persons unknown to assault a person unknown, with intent to cause the said person actual bodily harm,” the police complaint said.

The offense -- a violation of Common Law, section 39 of the Offences Against the Person Ordinance and sections 159A and 1590 of the Crimes Ordinance -- took place on or about April 7, in Hong Kong,

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For his part, Kouakouvi faces the charge of possession of a dangerous drug, contrary to sections 8(1)(a) and (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, after he was found your possession of a dangerous drug, namely one grinder containing 0.04 gram of cannabis in herbal form.

He was arrested on April 7 last year at Lockhart Road at the Junction of Cannon Street, Wan Chai, along with San Jose.

2 recruiters arrested for offering fake jobs in Dubai

 

The arrested recruiters offered fake nanny jobs in Dubai

Two Filipinos who allegedly offered non-existent jobs in Dubai, United Arab Emirates were arrested on Wednesday by operatives from the Department of Migrant Workers and the Philippine National Police.

The two who were identified as Elmina Hajiruk Jawad alias “Mau” and Angelina Paridjal Abduhasan alias “Josh” were arrested in General Trias, Cavite after three people complained that the jobs they promised in Dubai did not materialize.

According to the complaint,  the two suspects offered them jobs as nanny in Dubai, with a salary of 1,600 dirhams (Php26,850) each month. To convince them, “Mau” and “Josh” allegedly showed them a number of applicants who were supposedly about to leave for Dubai to take up the promised job.

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But upon checking, the DMW found that the recruitment agency used by the two suspects to lure victims did not have approved job orders for Dubai

Because of this, the DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB) decided to raid the agency’s office. But before the operation, the DMW also learned that there were other applicants inside the premises, so they mounted a rescue operation at the same time.

Investigators are now preparing to file a case of illegal recruitment against the two.

The MWPB is also appealing to other victims of “Mau” and “Josh” to reach out to them through https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip so they can be provided with legal help.

State 101visa consultancy has offices all over the country

Earlier, DMW agents also shut down a visa consultancy company for offering fake caregiver and nurse jobs in the United States and Canada and coached applicants to create fake documents to secure visas.

State 101 Travel Visa Consultancy with offices in Pasig and other places across the country, allegedly offered applicants USD1,800 monthly salaries with free meals and housing via tourist or short-term training visas. They were not given contracts, and were promised immediate deployment.

Victims who were estimated to be in the hundreds, reported that after paying processing and reservation fees, agency staff gave false promises and blocked them on social media.

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DMW said State 101 was not licensed to recruit Filipinos for overseas jobs. However, it has yet to say whether those behind the apparent recruitment scam have been arrested and charged.

Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said there were several "red flags" in the way State 101 operated: victims: (1) it was offering the jobs through social media; (2) it provided no work contracts despite charging applicants heft fees; (3) it promised immediate deployment without going through DMW; (4) it was not licensed to recruit Filipinos for work abroad.

Pinoy avoids jail for criminal damage

 

The building's front door was damaged (Google Maps hoto)

A Filipino who holds a Macau identity card avoided being detained in jail when he received a suspended sentence for deliberately damaging the glass front door of a building in Fortress Hill.

Neil Dennis Baniwas, 25 years old and unemployed, was sentenced by Eastern Court Principal Magistrate David Cheung on Tuesday (May 19) to two months imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

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But he was ordered to pay $77,000 as compensation to the owner of the building, Savills Property Management Limited.

With the sentence, Baniwas does not need to spend a day in jail as long as he does not commit any criminal offense in the next 18 months.

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The case arose after he damaged an entrance glass door, door pillar and a floor tile, “intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged,” the police complaint said.

The offense took place last April 30,  2026 at the ground floor of  Lee & Man Commercial Center, on 169 Electric Road, Fortress Hill.

Baniwas was charged with criminal damage, contrary to section 60 (1) and 63 (2) of the Crimes Ordinance,

Statue Square partially closed off for redevelopment

 

Will this be the end for 'Blackman', a favorite meeting place for FDWs in Central?
(photo from Threads@deviantplus)

An iconic landmark in Central fondly dubbed “Blackman” by many foreign domestic workers may soon be gone, or moved from its present location in Statue Square,  as construction gets underway to link the Central MTR station to the new Harbourfront.

The bronze statue of Sir Thomas Jackson along with the fountain , park benches and shelters in the square where many FDWs often meet on Sundays, have been fenced off until 2031 as part of the redevelopment plan.

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The statue of the first Chief Manager of HSBC was first unveiled in the square in 1906 but was removed by Japanese forces during the Second World War to be melted down for metal but fortunately survived.

It was moved to its present place in May 1966, when the square underwent major reconstruction as part of Hong Kong’s greening campaign.

'Blackman' has been in this spot in Statue Square since 1966

Photos posted online show the raised platform where the statue stands has been boarded up, and is already being demolished.

However, more than 70% of the garden’s remaining area including most leisure spaces and walkways have been kept open.

But there will be major disruptions, with the first two phases of the project requiring excavation and tunnel construction over 45 months, or nearly four years.  

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Chater Road, where many Filipinos gather on Sundays and holidays, will be used for hauling construction materials, and the existing bus stop there will be relocated about 10 meters to the east.

The third phase which will take another 12 months, will restore parts of Statue Square once the tunnel is completed.

However, nothing is mentioned in the plans as to whether “Blackman” will be returned to where it has lorded over for the past 120 years.

 

DHs targeted in latest Immigration crackdown on illegal work

 

One of the FDHs arrested during the territory-wide operations

A series of anti-illegal work operations that specifically targeted foreign domestic helpers who breached their conditions of stay resulted in the arrest of 17 persons from May 17 to 19 (yesterday).

Those arrested included nine suspected illegal workers and eight employers.

The suspected illegal workers comprised two who are currently employed as FDHs, three former FDHs who had overstayed their visas, three holders of non-recognizance documents (asylum seekers) and one imported worker.m  

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They were found working in food and beverage shops, groceries, hairdressers, and as cleaners.

The eight suspected employers, comprising two men and six women aged 26 to 76, were owners of the companies or restaurants involved, or were the contractual employers of the arrested FDHs.

Items seized during 'Operation Swordfish'

In a press briefing, Immigration officers said they found at least two FDHs moonlighting at businesses owned by their employers.

One worked one to two hours as a waitress and kitchen assistant during the busy times at a restaurant owned by her employer.

Another was found doing multi-tasking at a grocery store operated by her employer’s family, from opening the shop to working as bookkeeper and cashier.

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Separately, a Pakistani man was arrested for providing cheap haircuts and dye jobs to fellow countrymen in a salon in Wan Chai which he plastered with posters to escape detection.

Immigration says its investigation into the cases is continuing, and more arrests are possible.

In addition, it has released a new video reminding employers not to hire FDHs employed by other people, or arrange for them to engage in illegal work. The publicity video will be released on the official social media platforms of the Immigration Department.

Immigration officers give a press briefing on the arrests

Immigration said in a statement, “A helper should only perform domestic duties for the employer as listed in the 'Schedule of Accommodation and Domestic Duties' attached to the Contract. The helper should not take up any other employment, including part-time domestic duties, with any other person. The employer should not require or allow the helper to carry out any work for any other person.”

Employers who hire illegal workers can be fined up to HK$500,000 and jailed a maximum of 10 years.

The illegal workers themselves can be imprisoned for up to two years and fined a maximum of HK$50,000.

If they are found to have overstayed or have pending applications for non-refoulement or are illegal immigrants, the maximum penalty is three years in jail and a HK$50,000 fine.

Apart from this, they can be deported on orders by the Chief Executive and prevented from returning to Hong Kong if they have been found guilty of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years.

 

Pinay gets 12 months in jail for $172K jewelry theft

 

Illustrative photo created with deevid.ai

A Filipina domestic helper was sentenced to 12 months in jail today after she pleaded guilty at Kwun Tong Court to stealing jewelry worth $172,100 from her employer.

Amieluz Cenas, 31 years old, admitted stealing one Rolex watch, one Hamilton watch, four gold pendants, K-gold necklace with pendant, two gold medals, one gold bangle, one gold ring, one gold necklace, two K-gold jewelry, with a grand total value of $172,100, the property of Zhou Yimeng.

The theft, which is contrary to section 9 of the Theft Ordinance, took place between the Dec. 15, 2025 and Feb. 27 this year at the employer’s flat in Telford Gardens, 33 Wai Yip Street, Ngau Tau Kok, Kowloon.

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Acting Principal Magistrate May Chung cited the Cenas’ breach of her employer’s confidence in setting the sentence’s starting point at 18 months, which was cut by the usual one third discount for her guilty plea.

Also accused of theft in another case today in Kwun Tong Court was Lizabeth Untalan, 52 years old, who was remanded in jail by Magistrate Chung after adjourning the case to July 6 for mention.

Untalan was charged with stealing last May 9 four watches and some jewelry with a grand total value of $410,000, the property of female Lee Shiu Yin Catherine, at their house in Tai Tan, Pak Tam Road, Sai Kung, New Territories.

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Over at Eastern Court, Liezel Tan, 42 years old, was accused of stealing one yellow gold bangle (brand: Tiffany), one 18k bracelet (brand: Fred), one gold necklace (brand: Chaumet), one gold ring (brand: Chaumet), one yellow gold pendant (brand: Tiffany), and one 18K rose gold diamond ring (brand: Bvlgari), with a total value of $188,400, the property of Lin Xinyue.

She allegedly committed the offense between Jan. 1 and May 8 this year, at their flat in Larvotto at 8 Ap Lei Chau Praya Road, Aberdeen.

Tan, who had no permanent address in Hong Kong after being terminated from her job as domestic helper, was also returned to jail after Principal Magistrate David Cheung adjourned the case to June 23 for mention.

Qualifying exam in 13 Phl professions to be held in HK

 

Schedule of the evaluation of applicants' documents

Filipinos who wish to get qualified in 13 different professions in the Philippines will have the chance to do this in the first-ever simultaneous Special Professional Licensure Examination (SPLE) to be held later this month in Hong Kong.

The SPLE will be administered by the Professional Regulation Commission and will cover graduates of aeronautical engineering, agriculture, architecture, civil engineering, customs brokerage, midwifery, nursing, education, psychometrics, respiratory therapy, social work, veterinary medicine and X-ray technology.

The examinations will be given on varying days for each profession, from May 26 to May 31.\

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Those taking the aero engineering, agriculture, social work and vet-med exams will have to do this over three days while it will be two days for the architecture, civil engineering, customs brokerage, midwifery, nursing, psychometrics, respiratory therapists and X-ray technology qualifiers.

For those aspiring to be licensed teachers, the examination will only be held on Day One.

Before they can get approval to take the examination in their respective fields, applicants should get their documents checked and validated from May 25-27.

All would-be examinees are required to personally appear at the OFW Global Center on the 18^th floor of United Centre in Admiralty and bring the following: original copy of the application form, all documentary requirements, valid Philippine passport, and four pieces of passport-size photos with name tags.

For a hassle-free approval, examinees are encouraged to check the additional requirements for their Board exam through the PRC official website: ℎ𝑡𝑡𝑝𝑠://𝑝𝑟𝑐.𝑔𝑜𝑣.𝑝ℎ/𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥.𝑝ℎ𝑝/𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡-𝑜𝑓-𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡.

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Failure to fully comply with the application rules could result in the rejection of the application.

All the examinations and the pre-approval process will take place at the OFW Global Center on the designated dates.

For more information, check out the Facebook page of the Migrant Workers Office in Hong Kong: https://www.facebook.com/MWOHONGKONG

Pinay jailed 27 months for theft, use of stolen credit cards

 

General area where theft was committed (Google Maps photo) 

An unemployed Filipina was sentenced to 27 months in jail today, after pleading guilty at District Court to theft of a mobile phone, a Rolex watch and a wallet, and six counts of fraud for using the credit cards she found in the wallet to go on a shopping spree, spending a total of $6,279.50 in one day.

Judge Ada Yim handed the sentence to Mylene Navarro, 48 years old, after the prosecution presented evidence against her, including a water bottle found inside the hotel room which bore her fingerprints, CCTV footages which showed her using the stolen credit cards to make purchases and her admission to police that she used the cards.

Navarro’s case began when she took a drunk Chinese man named Lau to Rainbow City Inn on Pitt St. in Yau Ma Tei in the early hours of  Nov. 23 last year and took his mobile phone, watch and wallet containing personal documents and cash of $2,000. Yau Ma Tei Police said the stolen items amounted to $96,095.50.

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The wallet contained, among other things, five credit cards that would enable her to commit the six fraud offenses.

The police complaint said Navarro first went to a Seven-11 store on Bowring Street and ran up a bill for $2,292.50 which she paid by using a credit card issued by the Standard Chartered bank to Lau.

She then used Lau’s credit card issued by Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. in buying $204 worth of products at a Seven-11 store on Jordan Road.

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Navarro then went to a Circle K store on Jordan Road and charged $1,204 worth of products to Lau’s Standard Chartered Bank Mastercard.

She again used the credit card in paying $138 for a meal at a McDonald’s restaurant on Yen Chow St. in Sham Shui Po.

Navarro used Lau’s HSBC Mastercard a fifth time when she bought $227 worth of items at another Seven-11 shop at the MTR Prince Edward station.

Finally she bought groceries at a Wellcome Store on Lai Chi Kok Road in Mong Kok, running up a bill for $2,214 which she charged to Lau’s American Express card.

World Hypertension Day marked

 

Adults who are overweight are more likely to suffer from hypertension

Nearly 30% of people aged 15 to 84 in Hong Kong has been found to have hypertension, according to a Population Health Survey conducted by the Department of Health between 2020 to 2022.

Worse, more than 40% of those with hypertension were unaware of their condition until they underwent the PHS health examination arranged by the DH.

Given these, the DH through the Centre for Health Protection again urged the public to pay closer to their blood pressure levels and adopt a healthy lifestyle, as World Hypertension Day was celebrated on Sunday, May 17.

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The CDC also called on everyone to take part in the Chronic Disease Co-Care Scheme mplemented by the Primary Health Care Commission “to achieve early prevention, early identification early treatment” of hypertension through screening and personalised management.

World Hypertension Day is marked to increase worldwide awareness of high blood pressure known as the “silent killer” because many patients do not show or experience any symptoms or severe discomfort.

The occasion is also meant to promote more accurate blood pressure measurements.

If left unchecked, uncontrolled or not properly treated, hypertension can lead to serious health problems such as stroke, heart attack, kidney failure or even death.

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In 2024 a total of 1,217 recorded deaths in Hong Kong were attributed to hypertensive heart disease, 45 to hypertensive renal disease and 28 to hypertensive heart and renal disease.

Adults are considered to be hypertensive if their systolic blood pressure is persistently higher than or equal to 140 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and/or their diastolic blood pressure is persistently higher than or equal to 90 mmHg.

Everyone aged 18 and above is urged to measure their blood pressure at least once every two years. But some may require more frequent blood pressure testing depending on their blood pressure levels, age, overall cardiovascular risk profile and doctor's recommendation.

To prevent and control hypertension adults should reduce their salt intake (no more than 5 grams per day according to World Health recommendations), avoid drinking alcohol and smoking, and stay away from secondhand smoke as far as possible.

They should also engage in physical activities of moderate intensity for at least 150 to 300 minutes per week.