Rescue work continues after 7.8 quake rocks Mindanao

 

This Jollibee outlet in GenSan was filmed as it began collapsing due to the tremor

Search and rescue operations are continuing after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Mindanao early on Monday, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 100 others as of the latest count.

The massive quake struck off the coast of struck Maasim, Sarangani, at 7:37 am, triggering tsunami warnings, damaging dozens of buildings, disrupting power, communication and transportation services across several parts of Mindanao.

Video footages posted online showed a number of collapsed buildings in neighboring General Santos City, including one taken as a Jollibee outlet in the heart of the city began toppling in the wake of the tremor.

A statement issued subsequently by the fastfood giant said that all the staff in the outlet were safe, including three who were initially reported as trapped in the rubble. (see video of damage in GenSan as posted by netizen Ryan JayQuizon: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1759717438800440

Another video showed part of a high school in Davao del Sur collapsing, as students and teachers gathered outside.

Various rescue teams led by the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other government agencies have worked throughout the day to look for survivors, but aftershocks are hampering their operations.

As of this afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology has recorded more than 180 aftershocks since the killer tremor struck. PhilVocs warned that aftershocks may continue for more than a month, prompting authorities to advise residents to remain alert and avoid damaged structures.

Tsunami waves reported in six areas, with the highest recorded reaching 1.4 meters above normal tide levels. However, the tsunami was lifted Monday afternoon.

Authorities warn the death toll may continue to rise as rescue operations continue.

According to the Office of Civil Defense, most of the fatalities were hit by falling debris or trapped in landslides.

Ten thousand families were reportedly evacuated in Saranggani and Sultan Kudarat, while there were reports of a landslide in South Cotabato. The OCD said it is still verifying if there were casualties in that landslide.

Meanwhile, the Department of Migrant Workers extended condolences to all those affected by the quake.

It added that it has stepped up monitoring to determine if families of overseas Filipino workers were affected so it could extend help. It is also on standby to assist OFWs who might have been stranded because of the closure of the airport in GenSan City.

OFWs who want to ask for help for their affected families may approach the nearest DMW of OWWA regional offices in their hometown, or call the 24-hour DMW-OWWA hotline: 1348.

Pinay DH jailed 10 months for taking intimate photo of ward

 

The offense was committed in one of the units in this development (Google Maps photo)

Never take and, worse, transmit intimate photos of the child in your care for whatever reason.

Filipina domestic helper, Wendelyn Alberto, 33 years old, admitted doing just that and she is now in jail, serving a 10-month sentence handed down to her today at Kwun Tong Court.

Alberto was charged with publication of intimate images without consent, contrary to section 159AAE(1) and (5) of the Crimes Ordinance.

Basahin ang detalye!

The offense took place in a flat at 1 Lohas Park Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories on Sept. 29 last year.

Acting Principal Magistrate May Chung acknowledged that Alberto took the photo of herself cleaning the genitals of her six-year old ward to show to a friend one of her daily chores over Messenger. This was confirmed by CCTV footage, she added.

This is serious, especially since the victim is very young, was using her hand to cover herself and was highly humiliated, Magistrate Chung said.

It is a “serious breach of trust,” she added.

“You intended the publication to cause humiliation, alarm or distress to the said girl X,” the charge sheet filed by police said.

She “knew or was reckless as to whether the publication would or was likely to cause humiliation, alarm or distress to the said girl X, and no consent was given by the said girl X to the publication,” it added.

Magistrate Chung said the law prescribes a penalty of 5 years’ jail, but she set a starting point of 15 weeks.  With the one-third discount, the final sentence is 10 weeks.

14-year-old Filipina raises HK$76,000 for Bethune House

 

Bella, Roslyn and Blums Pineda present proceeds to Bethune's Edwina Antonio

A Filipino teenager moved by stories of abuse and injustice faced by migrant workers in Hong Kong successfully staged a musical concert which raised HK$76,485 for Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge,  a shelter for distressed domestic workers.

Fourteen-year-old Bella Pineda chose to do the BringIt4Bethune concert at Dara Filipino Restaurant on May 31 as her service project for her Humanities in Action course at HK International School.

She pulled off the heartfelt fundraiser with help from her parents Blums and Roslyn Pineda, a host of talented Filipino musicians who performed for free, some generous sponsors, and a vibrant crowd that eagerly supported the worthy cause.

Bella sings 'Pare Ko'

In her message of thanks for Bella’s inspiring initiative, Bethune House executive director Edwina Antonio said: "We are gathered here today because of one remarkable young girl — Bella, a 14-year-old freshman from HKIS — who decided that compassion should not wait for adulthood. She launched BringIt4Bethune with a simple but powerful idea: that each of us can make a difference, no matter our age."

Antonio emphasized the importance of Bethune House, which has been a safe haven for migrant women in crisis since 1986.

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"It offers free shelter provisions, medical and emergency support, and hope for those whose contracts are terminated and become homeless and jobless. Behind every service, every meal, and every bed, there is a story of resilience — and a need for support."

Among the notable performances were from Bella herself who sang "Pare Ko," Monica Linden who performed "Ikaw," Felix Rivera with his "Ugoy Ng Duyan," and Crisel Consunji who concluded the show on a triumphant note with "Tagumpay Nating Lahat."

BringIt4Bethune performers and organizers

The other talented performers included Eugene and Ann Tan, Franz Arcilla, Ariel Reonal, Jen Bautista, and Mike Inot, the renowned saxophonist who added a special touch to the event.

The concert also included testimonials from current residents of Bethune House including Liezel Bautista, a survivor of the Tai Po fire, who shared how Bethune House extended her vital support during her time of crisis. Bing Merano, a Stage 2 breast cancer warrior, also spoke about her journey and how the community support helped her regain hope.

Bella concluded the concert by giving thanks to the sponsors, Huawei, First Pacific, and TinBo powered by PLDT Global, as well as to all the guests who came. She said that their contributions would help ensure Bethune House remains a vital resource for women in need.

For more information about Bethune House and to learn how you can support their mission, please visit https://bethunehouse.org/

 

DMW padlocks two Cebu firms for alleged illegal recruitment

 

Sec Cacdac and USec Olalia post closure notices at the 2 establishments

Officials of the Department of Migrant Workers led by Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Undersecretary Bernard Olalia personally locked down two business establishments in Cebu early on Friday, June 5, for alleged illegal recruitment.

Ordered closed were the JLPT/JFT Training and Assessment Center in Mandaue City and Anaya USA Visa Consultancy in Cebu City, after they were found to have offered jobs abroad to Filipinos without the required licenses and authority.

A statement posted on the DMW Anti-Illegal Recruitment and Trafficking in Persons Program said the raids were in line with the government’s intensified crackdown on unauthorized overseas employment schemes and human trafficking.

Basahin ang detalye!

The said laws apply to businesses that present themselves as visa consultancy firms or language training centers but offer jobs abroad to sweeten the deal.

No mention was made, however, of who were behind the operation of the two establishments. But the DMW assured that criminal complaints for illegal recruitment will be filed against the individuals behind the operations and that they will be recommended for inclusion in the agency’s list of persons and entities with derogatory records.

First to be closed was the JLPT/JFT Training and Assessment Center, located in Amanah & Sons Marketing Building along AS Fortuna Street in Mandaue City.

DMW investigators reportedly found that the center offered Japanese language training to jobseekers and charged them a training fee of Php28,500 while promising them jobs as dairy farmers, caregivers and cleaners in Japan, with monthly salaries of between Php50,000 and Php100,000.

Anaya which is based at Meridian by Avenir in Mabolo, Cebu City, was supposed to operate as a visa consultancy firm. However, it allegedly lured job applicants with promises of seasonal agricultural jobs in the United States, including fruit and vegetable pickers, poultry farming, dairy and livestock production, greenhouse work, and produce processing.

Olalia speaks with an Anaya official during the raid

The applicants were told they could earn from USD14 to USD18 per hour, and their fee included air fare, accommodation, insurance, legal assistance and meals.

In exchange, each jobseeker was charged processing fees ranging from Php150,000 to Php300,000 excluding medical examination fees.

According to DMW, investigators also found out that Anaya had been conducting orientations in Cebu and Bohol in coordination with local government units and the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) partners.

The same modus was employed by another Cebu-based visa consultancy company, Opportunities Abroad, which enticed applicants to apply for student visas in Canada, but assured them they would be admitted there on a work-study program, and could bring family members along.

Opportunities Abroad and its affiliate company, Pinoy Care Visa Center, were among a number of visa consultancies cited by the DMW in 2024 for alleged illegal recruitment, and warned the public against transacting with them.

The latest operations carried out under DMW Closure Orders Nos. 13 and 14, Series of 2026, were launched after authorities confirmed that both establishments lacked the necessary permit and licence to recruit Filipinos for overseas work.

Victims or applicants of either company are urged to coordinate with DMW Region VII or the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau for legal assistance and documentation support.

The DMW also urged job-seekers to first verify any overseas job offers, and to deal only with licensed recruitment agencies and other official government channels.

 

 

 

Trial set for Pinay, Indon DH accused of illegal work

 

Shek O Store (Photo by Alex SL Lee, Google Maps photo)

A Filipina and her Indonesian fellow domestic helper today denied working illegally, setting in motion a two-day trial of their case at Shatin Court. 

Bambi Gabriel, 44 years old, and Wakinah, 48 years old,  are charged with breach of condition of stay contrary to section 41 of the Immigration Ordinance, Cap. 115, Laws of Hong Kong, and by virtue of Regulation 2 of the Immigration Regulations.

Magistrate Pang Leung-ting set the pre-trial review on Aug. 19 and the trial on Aug.28 and 31. He granted them bail of $1,000 each.

Basahin ang detalye!

“Keep in contact with your counsel” to prepare for the trial, Magistrate Pang advised them .

The two are accused of performing odd jobs between May 4, 2023 and August 25, 2023 at Yeung Kee Store, in Shek O Village, violating their condition of stay which bans them from doing any work other than as a domestic helper

The condition was imposed by an Immigration assistant on Gabriel on Dec. 28, 2022 and on Wakinah on March 26, 2023 when they were permitted to remain in Hong Kong for employment as a domestic helper for Tang, Pui Chun.

The prosecutor said they will present three prosecution witnesses, including officers who arrested them, and 19 videos allegedly showing them performing illegal work.

 

13 people arrested in crackdown on illegal renovation workers

 

Some of those found working illegally at renovation sites are led away for questioning

A total of 12 suspected illegal workers and one employer were arrested in a two-day sweep mounted by the Immigration Department to target those working illegally at premises undergoing renovation.

The operation was launched after immigration officers trawled social media sites where renovation services by illegal workers are being offered. After an intensive investigation, officers pretended to be customers to enquire and book the services.

Four illegal workers, all men aged 33 to 53, were subsequently arrested after they replied to the enquiries.

Separately, multiple raids were carried out on various premises under renovation, including industrial buildings and residential flats.

Basahin ang detalye!

Eight suspected illegal workers comprising six men and two women, aged 28 to 54, were arrested. Another woman, aged 45, was also detained on suspicion of hiring the workers.

A statement from Immigration Department said an investigation into the suspected employers is continuing.

The statement also reminded the public that illegal work is a serious offence in Hong Kong, for which the prescribed maximum sentence is between two and three years in jail and a fine of up to HK$50,000.

Aiders and abettors are liable to be charged and sentenced accordingly.

Employers face the more serious sentence of up to HK$500,000 in fine and imprisonment for up to 10 years.

To report suspected 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 gets 1-year probation with warning

 

Eastern Magistrate's Court

A 16-year-old unemployed Filipino got off with a one-year probation for his weapons and assault charges at Eastern Court today but got a warning.

“I am giving you a chance,” Principal Magistrate David Cheung told R.S. San Jose. “If the progress is negative I will sentence you.”

His progress report, to be made to the court, is due on Oct. 5.

Basahin ang detalye!

San Jose’s first charge is possession of prohibited weapons, contrary to section 4 of the Weapons Ordinance.

He allegedly had in his possession a prohibited weapon, a metal knuckleduster when arrested on April 7, 2025 at Lockhart Road at the Junction of Cannon Street, Wan Chai.

He is also charged, along with 18-year-old Kouarouvi Ohiniko Kokou Clement, a recognizance holder from Togo, with conspiracy to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contrary to Common Law, section 39 of the Offences Against the Person Ordinance, Cap. 212, and sections 159A and 1590 of the Crimes Ordinance.

Kouakouvi is also charged with possession a dangerous drug, namely one grinder containing 0.04 grammes of cannabis in herbal form, at the same place and time.

His case has been adjourned for progress report on June 24.

Pinoy jailed for using Octopus card he found to buy $59 worth of goods

Temple Road Peak

When you find an Octopus card, never pick it up. If you do, and worse, use it for purchases, it could land you in jail.

Roel Galanza, 43 and unemployed, found an Octopus card at a public toilet and used it to purchase $59 worth of goods. He was charged with theft on two counts as Eastern Court, pleaded guilty and sentenced to jail for two months.

Galanza was charged with violating section 9 of the Theft Ordinance for which he pleaded guilty.

Basahin ang detalye!

The first charge arose after Galanza found and kept one Anonymous Elder Octopus Card and one JoyYou card, the property of Tow Peraya, outside public toilets of Tin Hau Temple Road Garden, Tin Hau Temple Road, North Point last April 6.

The next day, he made a HK$59 purchase, an amount owed by Octopus Cards Limited to the cards’ owner.

After he pleaded guilty to both charges, Principal Magistrate David Cheung sentenced him to four weeks imprisonment for stealing the cards, and two months imprisonment for using them, both sentences to run at the same time.

He was also made to pay compensation of $59.

In his court appearance today, it was also found that he had 20 previous convictions. 

Deadline for 2026 ‘Likha’ business competition for OFWs set for Jun 15

 

All wannabe entrepreneurs among overseas Filipino workers for at least five years have until June 15 to take part in the 2026 Likha Global business plan contest where top prizes are at stake. 

The Linangin ang Kakayahan sa Kabuhayan Award or Likha Global Business Plan Competition is organized annually by the Department of Migrant Workers as part of its reintegration program for OFWs. It aims to help OFWs set up businesses that could provide them a stable income on their return home to the Philippines.

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An announcement just published in the Facebook page of the Migrant Workers Office in Hong Kong says the competition which opened last month, offers a top prize of Php500,000 as seed capital for the national winner.

Last year, an OFW from Qatar, Marisol Amihan, won the top prize of Php700,000 for her sustainable farm development proposal. First runner-up Catherine Espiriti, a domestic worker in Kuwait, received Php500,000 for her business plan for goat raising while second runner-up Jimmy Chavez, Jr. won Php400,000 for his nipa palm wine project.

Thirty-eight finalists, including three domestic workers from Hong Kong, each took home Php100,000 for their respective business plans.

The awardees in the 2025 Likha Global Business Plan Competition

To qualify, one has to be currently working abroad, has at least five years’ experience as an OFW, is documented in the latest deployment, an active member of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and is not yet operating a business in the Philippines.

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All they need to present is a business idea, and if they pass the initial screening they will receive free mentoring and coaching on how they can make their dream business turn to reality.

Those interested to join may register online through this link:  https://bit.ly/likha-ofw

 

Pinoy’s drug trafficking case elevated to DC

 

HK International Airport (Google Maps photo)

A Filipino bartender charged at West Kowloon Court with drug trafficking after his luggage allegedly yielded eight kilos of marijuana when searched at the airport, returned to jail today after his case was elevated to the District Court.

Principal Magistrate  Don So adjourned the case to June 18,

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Aaron Jared de Guzman, 26 years old, faces two charges:

• Trafficking in a dangerous drug, contrary to section 4(1)(a) and (3) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.
• Possession of a poison included in Part 1 of the Poisons List, contrary to sections 23(1), 33(1) and 34 of the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance.

Basahin ang detalye!

De Guzman was arrested on Aug. 30 last year minutes after arrival, when Customs officers checked his luggage at the Customs Arrival Hall B at the Passenger Terminal 1 of the Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok.

Found in his luggage were 8,076 grams of cannabis in herbal form.

He was also found to have in his possession a poison included in Part 1 of the Poisons List, namely 5.42 grams of a liquid containing nicotine.

Filipino wanted for human trafficking arrested after repatriation from Cambodia

 

The suspect was among 7 Filipinos repatriated from Cambodia

A man who was among seven Filipinos repatriated from Cambodia on Sunday was arrested by an inter-government team shortly arriving at Manila international airport after he was found to have an existing warrant of arrest for qualified human trafficking. 

John Lerry Amit came with six victims of human trafficking to Cambodia at around 5:15am on Sunday. The group was immediately assessed individually for whatever services they could avail of from various government agencies.

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It was during the processing that Amit was found to have an outstanding arrest warrant for qualified human trafficking, the details of which were not disclosed in a press statement issued by the Department of Migrant Workers.

The offence is non-bailable under Philippine law, and the prescribed maximum sentence for those found guilty of the crime is life imprisonment, and fine of up to Php5 million.

Details here

Human trafficking is classified as “qualified” in the presence of such aggravating factors as having been committed by a syndicate, where at least one victim was a minor or under 18 years old, if the victim dies or becomes insane, suffers mutilation or is infected with HIV/AIDS.

Amit was immediately read out his rights as an accused under Philippine law, and afterwards was transferred to the custody of airport police ahead of his detention and court appearance.

Basahin ang detalye!

The DMW said it continues to work with various government agencies in the campaign against illegal recruitment, human trafficking and other forms of exploitation of Filipinos abroad.

The rescue, protection and provision of legal assistance to victims is a top priority, alongside efforts to immediately arrest and hold accountable those behind illegal recruitment and human trafficking offences.

 

 

Open cutter found inside HK bus

 

The partially exposed cutter was wedged between seats on 37A Citybus (TheStandard photo)

A cutter with part of its blade exposed was found wedged between seats on a Citybus as it was travelling toward Pacific Place in Admiralty Wednesday afternoon.

Reports said it was the second incident of a sharp object being found on a bus in Central in four days.

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A passenger on a 37A Citybus bound for Chi Fu Fa Yuen reported finding the blade around 5pm after getting aboard on Queen’s Road East.

A 13 cm cutter with about 1cm of the blade exposed was found inside the gap between two seats located near the rear of the bus.

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The driver drove the bus to a bus terminus in Admiralty where police boarded to check on the report.

No injuries were reported and no one was arrested. But the case has been classified as attempted wounding with intent and is being investigated by the Central crime unit of the HK Police.

Press for details

On Saturday, a 43-year-old woman was pricked by a 5cm sewing needle stuck on the back of a seat on a 15C Citybus on Garden Road.

Basahin ang detalye!

The woman was taken to hospital after feeling a sharp pain in her back.

No arrests have been made.