Sungit ng amo, namayani sa paglilitis ng kasong nakaw laban sa Pinay

Ng The SUN

Ang Kwun Tong Court kung saan nililitis ang kaso

Sinimulan nitong Miyerkules, Mayo 3, ang paglilitis sa Kwun Tong Law Courts ng sakdal na pagnanakaw laban sa isang Pilipinang kasambahay na diumano’y  kumuha ng iba’t-ibang gamit ng kanyang among babae noong pagitan ng Disyembre 22, 2022 at Pebrero 22. 

Nakatakda para sa maghapon ang paglilitis kay S. Bagasina sa hukuman ni Mahistrado Lau Suk-han, ngunit hindi natapos ang madramang pagbibigay-pahayag ng pangunahing testigo, si Chan S.M. na amo ng nasasakdal.

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Lalong tumagal ang proseso nang buong tapang at sungit na sinagot ni Chan nang palihis ang abogado ng Pilipina na si Mr Lo, na buong hinahon naman ang pagtatanong sa kanya bilang pangunahing saksi ng tagausig.

Tahimik lamang ang mahistrado bagama’t paminsan-minsan ay sinasaway din ang nagngangalit at walang paggalang sa korte na si Chan, na ayon sa tagausig ay isang solong magulang at nakatira sa Lohas Park.

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Nang itinigil ang pagdinig dahil oras na ng pananghalian ay minura ng amo ang nasasakdal, ang case officer ng Mission for Migrant Workers na si Edwina Antonio, at ang Pilipinang tagapagsalin habang papalabas sa korte.

Sa labas ay nagsisigaw pa ito nang buong lakas habang may kausap sa telepono, at napapailing na lang ang mga pulis.

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Ayon sa tagausig, dinakip ng mga pulis si Bagasina noong Pebrero 22 matapos tumawag sa 999 si Chan, isang dating make-up artist, dahil umano nakita niya sa Facebook na suot ng Pilipina ang mga gamit niya.

Noon pa man daw ay nahalata na niyang nawawala ang mga gamit sa taguan niya sa loob ng silid na tinutulugan ng katulong at ng kanyang alagang sanggol na lalaki.

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Sa talaan ng tagausig, ang mga gamit ni Chan na natagpuan sa maleta at drawer ng Pilipina ay: anim na  damit-pang-itaas, isang pares na pantalon, isang kulay berdeng pantalong panlalaki na pag-aari ng boyfriend ni Chan, isang pares na sapatos, isang puting sombrero, tatlong bestida, isang bra at isang itim na shorts.

Ang pinakamahal sa mga ninakaw diumano na gamit ay isang gown na nagkakahalaga ng $800, pero ang karamihan ay prinesyuhan ng mula $150 hanggang $300, at ang pinakamura ay ang shorts na nabili ng $30.

Sinabi ni Chan na 14 sa mga bagay na kinuha diumano ng Pilipina ay mga damit na isinilid niya sa isang plastic bag at ibinilin sa kasambahay na iabot sa anak ng isa niyang kaibigan. Nagulat na lang daw siya nang makita sa mga larawan ni Bagasina sa Facebook na suot-suot niya ang mga ito.

Sa cross-examination, ilang ulit na tinanong ni Lo si Chan kung ibinigay niya sa katulong ang mga gamit at hindi nito ninakaw, pero iginiit ng amo na matagal nang nawawala ang mga iyon. Hindi na lang daw siya kumikibo kapag napapansin niyang wala sa drawer sa kuwarto ng katulong ng mga gamit niya.

“Just answer yes or no,” sabi ni Lo sa testigo.

“Unfortunately, No! And please stop asking such questions?” sigaw niya.

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Paano humingi ng tulong laban sa manlolokong tindero, online man o hindi

 

Mga operatiba ng HK Customs sa isang raid

Dumarami ang namimili  ng iba’t ibang bagay sa mga online seller. Pero marami rin ang naloloko -- hindi dumating ang binili kahit nabayaran na, kung dumating man ay iba, o kaya ay peke ang produktong natanggap.

Kung karaniwan ay walang pumapansin sa mga reklamong ganito, isang sangay ng gobyerno ang nagpapakita ng kahandaang tumulong sa mga biktima ng panloloko, gumagamit man sila ng internet o hindi.

Noong April 20, isang lalaki ang inaresto ng mga ahente ng  Customs and Excise Department (Hong Kong Customs) dahil sa hindi nai-deliver na mga laruang inorder sa shop na kanyang pinatatakbo, at hindi niya pag-sauli ng perang ibinayad sa kanya.

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Nauna rito, nakatanggap ang Customs ng reklamo tungkol sa shop, na nagtitinda ng isang kilalang laruan na hugis-bear at binubuo ng pinag-kabi-kabit na tipak ng plastic.

Ang lalaki ay kinasuhan ng paglabag sa Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

Ang TDO ay isang batas na nagbabawal sa kahit kanino na tumanggap ng bayad para sa isang produkto kung sa oras ng pagtanggap ng bayad ay wala siyang intensiyong ibigay ang produkto o ibigay ang ibang produkto.

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Sakop din ng TDO ang kabiguang i-deliver ang produkto sa loob ng napag-usapang panahon.

Umaaksiyon din ang HK Customs sa mga reklamo laban sa mga nagtitinda ng pekeng produkto, na sakop din ng TDO.

Noong April 19, nagsagawa sila ng special operation sa Lam Tin, Sham Shui Po, Kwai Chung, Tsuen Wan, Sha at Cheung Sha Wan at nakasamsam ng 2,000 piraso ng mga pekeng pabango, pampaganda at fashion accessories na nagkakahalaga ng $240,000.

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Sampu katao ang inaresto sa mga raid, kasama ang dalawang nagpapatakbo  ng negosyo at walong nagtitinda.

Ayon sa HK Customs, ang mga may reklamo tungkol sa panlolokong sakop ng TDO ay puwedeng tumawag sa kanilang 24-oras na hotline ( 2545 6182), o magpadala ng mensahe sa kanilang email: crimereport@customs.gov.hk.

Ang payo nila upang mapabilis ang imbestigasyon ay itabi ang mga dokumentong nagpapatunay sa transksiyong nangyari, gaya ng palitan ng text, resibo at iba pa. Makatutulong ang mga ito sa pagsasampa ng kaso laban sa nagkasala.

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Filipina loses $700k in a day to phone scammers

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Four of the recipients of the money lost in the scam appear to be Filipinos

It all started with a seemingly innocent request sent through WhatsApp to a Filipina resident: Could she answer a simple questionnaire on how Hong Kong people regard local tourist spots, for which she would be paid a small fee?

Chit (not her real name) who is a director in a media company did not see anything unusual with the request as she had often taken part in surveys in her line of work. The fact that the person who texted her knew her by name helped put her at ease.

Little did she know that by acceding to that request, which was sent to her at 10:12pm on March 13, she would end up losing $698,000 to scammers - all in just over 24 hours.

On March 14, having set her up for the sting by sending her small amounts of money through FPS (Faster Payment Service) for seemingly innocuous tasks as survey form-filling or following certain Instagram accounts, the scammers made a move on Chit.

The fake survey form sent to Chit in exchange for a token fee

They asked her if she wanted to earn more money through crypto currency trading and she said yes.

That led her being dragged quickly into the scammers’ net, with five people using the Telegram app all trying to put her under their control and crowding her mind with suggestions, criticisms and rebuke so she could not think clearly, and was forced to keep sending money to atone for her “mistakes.”

Chit, who holds a master’s degree, was also taught to be subservient and to follow the “teachers” in the group so she would learn how to open a trading account and earn money quickly by making investments through a crypto website, ramaraxholdgopro.com.

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At 5:26pm that same day, Chit made her first big “investment” of $1,500 by transferring money through FPS to one Chu Wing Cheong.

The amounts she was told to send to people then began growing bigger by the minute, with the “teachers” in the group always telling her off for supposedly making mistakes, failing to complete a task on time, or that a teammate had chosen a chore that would result in a bigger yield.

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The biggest transfers of money amounting to a total of $340,000 were both made to one named Leung Chui-fan or Liang Cui-fen, who had an account at China CITIC Bank and Standard Chartered. 

The first $170,000 was sent at 9:51pm on March 14, the next $20,000 at 12:12am on March 15,and the last $150,000 at 5:04pm on the same day.

Scammers often use job offers to rope in victims

On hindsight, there were clues that should have set off alarm bells in Chit’s mind. First, the one who contacted her initially and introduced herself as “Alice” had used a number with an area code for Indonesia, while purportedly doing a survey on Hong Kong people.

Second, she was asked to send money to private individuals using several bank accounts, when she was supposed to be dealing with officers of the crypto company, “Ramarax”. (The website she had logged on to, www.ramaraxholdgopro.com is no longer accessible).

“I was manipulated and controlled somehow into a behavior so not me,” said Chit, after she reported the swindling to her bank and the police.

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At the police’s suggestion, she also informed the Consulate through Consul Paul Saret, head of the assistance to nationals section, “as there may be Filipinos involved in the scam.”

Among those she sent money to had Filipino sounding names, including a certain Arlene Tumamao Aguinaldo, whose accounts at Standard Chartered Bank and online bank Mox, were used to receive a total of $246,500 from Chit in four separate transactions.

The money that went into Aguinaldo's accounts were all sent between 5:45pm and 7:17pm on March 14.

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Another account at Mox in the name of one Michelle Besa Batayan was used to receive a single transfer of $110,000 from Chit. This was the last she managed to send, at 6:45pm on March 15, as she had run out of money.

Just before Chit sought police assistance, she was given another name, that of Angelie Colgado Garcia, whose Mox account was given so she could transfer an additional $150,000.

But by this time, Chit’s bank account was already depleted, and she was deeply in debt to two friends who did not hesitate sending her money, as soon as she asked them for a loan.

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“I have to pay back two people I borrowed money from so I have to borrow again and liquidate some investments,” a distraught Chit told The SUN.

Luckily, her family in the Philippines did not hesitate to help, making Chit even more angry at herself for having missed the signs of a scam.

Despite this, she remained alert enough to have screen-captured several of her exchanges with the scammers on the Telegram app, even though they had set them to disappear shortly after they were sent.

She also managed to take down the names of the recipients, the time and date of each money transfer, the account numbers she sent money to, as well as the names of the account holders – all of which goes to show that getting snared in a scam could happen, even to the most astute among us.

With the detailed and substantial information she had turned over to the police, apart from her timely reporting of the incident, Chit is hopeful that some, if not all, of the money fleeced from her could be recovered.

At the very least, she hopes that by sharing her story, even in anonymity, she can help warn others not to engage unknown people on social media, and avoid falling into the same trap.

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HK women artists hold photo exhibit to raise funds for Bethune House

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Three Bethune clients all glammed up for the photo shoot

“Out,” a charity photo exhibition held on March 29 and 30 at Soho House in Sheung Wan and organized by prominent local stylist Denise Ho and her company, KitDo, was a resounding success for a number of reasons.

First, all but two of the photos on exhibit were sold, raising much-needed funds for Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge. A neat feat, considering that the preparations, the shoots and the exhibit itself, were wrapped up in just a month and a half.

Second, it allowed all seven exhibiting photographers and Bethune’s clients – all women – to get out of their comfort zones and do something unusual.

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For the photographers, who are either models or office workers, it was a time to let go of their creative juices and do something for a cause they truly believed in. For Bethune’s clients, it was a time to cast away their problems even for just a few hours, and take the once-in-a lifetime chance to dress up, put on makeup and pose for professional photographers.

Third and most importantly, the project left everyone involved with a deeper understanding of the travails faced by the mostly women migrant workers in Hong Kong, especially when they encounter problems and find themselves turning to charity groups like Bethune House for help.

Bethune officers, clients and supporters at the succesful photo exhibit launch

Ho said among her realizations was that migrant domestic workers are the “hidden heroes of Hong Kong.”

She added, “I feel like people should be reminded of that. And working with them, I learned so much. I find them even more interesting than a lot of models I have worked with, like real models. I think they have experienced a lot – they are very strong women with a lot of stories to tell.”

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After learning about the challenges faced by some of the workers, she said, “I imagine myself in that situation. I wouldn’t be able to handle that, you know. So I just find them so much more interesting as subjects for the photos.”

Ho is also happy that her photographers grabbed the chance to do something offbeat and help make a difference in the lives of Bethune’s clients.

Ho (left) and Antonio at the launch

For example, the youngest of them, Elizabeth Keisha, is just 21 years old and is a software engineer by profession. She works fulltime in this field, so she was able to shoot only at night, which, however, did not stop her from turning in outstanding works.

Kezia, who is Indonesian, said she is herself an immigrant, so she understood how difficult it must have been for their subjects to navigate through life in Hong Kong, even without the added burden of a labour or criminal case hanging over their heads.

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Even if she could only shoot at night, she said it was no bother, as the outing with them gave her the outlet to know their stories.

Natalie Dunn, who primarily works as a model, said being female must have also contributed to the burden of the migrant workers.

“All of us are female photographers. We know how tough it is in the world to be a female

So for me if it’s a cause supporting females I am 100% in,” said Dunn.

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In fact, when Ho first broach the idea of doing the exhibit to her, Dunn said it was elated as she found it “super meaningful.”

“The women are such a backbone of HK, and most of the time we don’t show them enough attention, we don’t give them enough awareness,” she said. “I want to help them (Bethune House). More people should be aware of them.”

Like the other Hong Kong residents in the group, Dunn said that until they got involved in the charity exhibition, they never even heard of Bethune House.

Emily, Kezia and Natalie say they never heard of Bethune until they joined the project

“There is not a lot of awareness for NGOs like this. So most of my friends who came said, “Oh I didn’t know there were such NGOs like that helping these women. It was like an eye opener. So even if they did not buy paintings, they wanted to donate,” she added.

Edwina Antonio, Bethune’s executive director, was understandably grateful that Ho decided to organize the project, after just one conversation with Filipina model and actress Xyza Cada, who has herself co-organized a fund-raiser for the shelter some years back.

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In her speech at the exhibit launch, Antonio said, “This is a first time for the residents to be made up, dressed up and photographed by seven well-known local photographers for a fund raising exhibition. I knew the results would be amazing, seeing their happy faces that exuded self-confidence and self- worth.”

“Congratulations Denise and KitDo, your team did a great job in transforming these women beyond their imagination. We need more of Kitdo, we need more of Denise, we need more women working for women's welfare.”

One other photographer tapped to help in the project chose to see the fun side of the project, and her professional name, emilydrinkschocolate, speaks well enough of her quirky works.

Emily chose to veer away from the serious side of her models, and instead dressed them in thick and luxurious fur coats, wearing colorful sunglasses and elaborate make-up.

“When Denise told me about it (the project) I thought it was fun,” she said.

And she was right, because her subjects felt the same way. “The whole day they were laughing a lot. They enjoyed having their face made up,” Emily said, her face beaming.

Bethune’s clients could not thank Ho and the photographers enough, not only for raising funds for them, but also making them an important part of a project that they will always remember.

Maria Rosa said it was a privilege to have been part of the project, which she described as “once-in-a-lifetime journey in photography.”

She added: “Thank you for teaching us to think about others, to help one another, and to feel good about giving.”

Another, Flordeluna Martin said: “This activity really boosted our confidence, (and) taught us to keep going. It made us realize that in spite of our hopelessness and loneliness amid our struggles, there are so many people out there who are more than willing to give us courage and support.”

She thanked the organizers “for making (us) Bethune Ladies the stars in this exhibit.”

The other photographers who took part in the charity exhibit were Nikola Lines, Ruby Law, Nejama and Tung.

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Study concludes: Covid-19 vaccines are safe

 

Vaccination against Covid-19 is safe, says independent study.

If there is still any doubt that the Covid-19 vaccines administered I Hong Kong is safe, the final report of the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following Immunisation (AEFIs) agaijnst COVID-19 should lay it to rest.

The3 committee has found that of the 20.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered to 6.9 million people in Hong Kong, not one could be linked to the 120 deaths reported within 14 days after vaccnation.

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The committee, set up under the Department of Health (DH) to independently assess the potential causal link between Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFIs) and COVID-19 vaccination in Hong Kong, revealed its findings in a meeting convened today (Feb. 27).

The World Health Organization defines AEFI as any medical occurrence that follows immunization and that does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the usage of the vaccine.

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The DH has put in place a pharmacovigilance system for COVID-19 immunisation, and is partnering with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to conduct an active surveillance program for Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESI) under the COVID-19 Vaccines Adverse Events Response and Evaluation Programme (CARE Programme). The main purpose of the pharmacovigilance system is to detect potential signals of possible side effects of the vaccines.

 The committee reported that as of February 26, about 20.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Hong Kong. Around 6.9 million people had received at least one vaccine dose, it added.

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In the same period, the DH received 8,102 reports of adverse events (0.04 per cent of total vaccine doses administered), including 120 deaths within 14 days after vaccination (0.0006 per cent of total doses).

 In its report, the Expert Committee found that of these 120 death cases, 117 death cases had no causal relationship with vaccination, two cases had causal relationship with vaccination that could not be established, and one case preliminarily considered as not associated with vaccination.

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The committee cited the case of an 83-year-old man who died five days after receiving the first dose of CoronaVac vaccine in May 2022. Preliminary autopsy revealed ischaemic heart disease. In the final autopsy report, the cause of death appears to be acute myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart tissue called myocardium which affects the heart's electrical system and leads to irregular heart beats.

Investigations could not identify the cause of the myocarditis. Research has not found any evidence that the vaccination could cause acute myocarditis. Studies conducted by HKU under the CARE Program also did not find any association between CoronaVac vaccination and myocarditis.

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 The Committee has also reviewed available clinical data and information for conducting causality assessment of other serious or unexpected AEFIs and AESIs. The results will be included in the updated safety monitoring report (as at February 28) to be published at the Government's designated website on March 3.

In addition, information related to AEFIs of COVID-19 vaccines and relevant statistics will also be released in the "Update on monitoring COVID-19 vaccination" press release and the Government's website regularly, it added.

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Philippine culture showcased in HK Flower Show

 

Tinikling Group in one of their previous presentations.

Philippine culture will return to center stage in the Hong Kong Flower Show, a yearly event organized by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, which will be held on March 10 to 19.

On permanent display during the 10-day event will be the Philippine pavilion, with a theme that recreates the Pahiyas Festival, a thanksgiving by the farmers of Lucban, Quezon, for their bountiful harvest.

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The pavilion, mounted by the Consulate as its first major project for the year, is expected to display unique Philippine plants, along with other agricultural products and laced with the colorful pahiyas decorations.

In addition, a group of OFWs will also be on the main stage to present 10 native dances in a 30-minute choreography that will include the challenging and crowd-pleasing “Blindfolded Tinikling”, at 10:30 am on March 12.

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This participation by OFW volunteers is a result of efforts by Marie Velarde, president of Tinikling Group since 2007 and vice president of administration of Philippine Alliance HK, to bring back the Filipino dancers after the previous organizer stopped participating in the Flower Show.

 “In 2017, I contacted the LCSD via email asking them to include the Philippines again in the cultural show. (I received) no response from them until 2018, when they called me and asked if we could perform in the HK Flower Show for 2019,” Velarde said.

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That presentation was not in the main stage but in the Central Lawn area on the opposite side of Victoria Park. “I never lost hope that we would get to perform on the main stage. They called me last January that they had a change of plans and moved us there,” she added.

An added bonus is that Tinikling Group Of Migrants HK, which Velarde heads, will receive an appreciation award for being a cultural organiser of the Flower Show.

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Aside from the Tinikling Group, the other participants in the Philippine presentation are the Migrant Ilonggo Cultural Dance Troupe, Global Alliance HK,  Ilagan City Migrants Alliance HK and Star Pinoy HK, all of which supplied costumes to their own dancers.

For this year, the Hong Kong Flower Show will have hydrangea as the theme flower and "Bliss in Bloom" as the main theme.

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One of its features is the plant exhibit competition, which will be divided into 15 categories, including orchid, Chinese cymbidium, potted plant, cactus and succulent, foliage and carnivorous plant, African violet, bonsai-type plant, floral arrangement in Western style and Oriental style, floral art by school children, primary and secondary school potted plant growing/nursing, and the school garden plot competition.

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