Govt must pay for repatriating remains of undocumented OFWs, says Bayan HK chair

 

Lina Realiza was finally brought home on Oct 10, 18 days after she succumbed to heart attack

Philippine laws explicitly provide that the government must shoulder the cost of repatriating the remains of undocumented overseas Filipino workers, according to Bayan Hong Kong and Macau chairperson Eman Villanueva.

Villanueva made the statement in a Facebook post on Friday, Oct 16, in the wake of a controversy that erupted after The SUN reported that it took a community of friends to raise the HK$42,000 needed to repatriate the remains of Lina Doculan Realiza, who died a few weeks after losing a bid to overturn Hong Kong Immigration’s rejection of her asylum application.

DETAILS HERE

According to Lina’s daughter Grace, she personally appealed to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration office in Hong Kong for help, but was told that they could not cover the cost of repatriation. The most they could expect to get was Php20,000 in burial assistance, but even that would take time.

Lina’s body was flown home on October 10, more than a month after a cardiac arrest left her comatose in hospital. She never regained consciousness until she passed away on September 22, aged 52.

PINDUTIN ITO PARA SA DETALYE

By then, she had spent more than 23 years working as a domestic helper in Lebanon and Hong Kong. A failed claim against her employer who terminated her contract resulted in Lina overstaying her visa in 2023, then filing for non-refoulement or asylum in September 2024.

Meanwhile, a few hours before Lina was to be laid to rest in her hometown of Sta. Maria, Pangasinan on Thursday, representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration visited her wake and presented two cheques totaling Php50,000 to her family.

2 OWWA checks amounting to Php50,000 in total were handed to Lina's family on day of her burial 

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac has also reached out personally to the deceased’s daughter, Grace, but it is unclear as of this writing whether further financial help would be extended.

But Villanueva and his fellow migrant rights advocates said this is not enough, as several laws, including the so-called Magna Carta of Labor Law (Republic Act No. 8042 (as amended by R.A. No. 10022) specifically provide that “if an OFW becomes undocumented (irregular), the Philippine government will fully shoulder the cost of repatriating their remains.”

Basahin ang detalye!

Even the more recent Department Order 02/2025 of the DMW which specifies the use of its Aksyon (Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFWs na Nangangailangan) Fund provides that the burial or cremation and/or shipment of remains of an undocumented OFW can be funded from the Fund.

Dolores Balladares, chairperson of Unifil-Migrante, also released a statement criticizing the failure of the Philippine Consulate, the DMW and OWWA to help Lina, despite boasting of the millions of pesos they have handed out to distressed migrants through the Aksyon Fund, and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on events at Chater Road.

DMW photo shows how much was distributed to 42 OFWs from the Aksyon Fund

“Hindi usapin kung may dokumento o wala ang ating kababayan, may Assistance to Nationals, may Migrant Workers Office, nasaan ang DMW & OWWA Combined Budget: ₱11.745 billion, ang OWWA Allocation funds na ₱4.2 billion (supporting emergency repatriation, welfare programs like Alagang OWWA, at worker caravans) meron pang AKSYON Fund & Emergency Repatriation,” said Balladares.

(It does not matter if our fellow Filipino is documented or not. There is Assistance to Nationals, Migrant Workers Office…where is the combined budget of DMW & OWWA of Php11.745 billion? The OWWA Allocation Fund worth Php4.2 billion? There is also the AKSYON Fund and emergency repatriation).

Both Villanueva and Balladares took exception to their being clapped back by fellow OFWs argued that  OWWA benefits only accrue to those with updated OWWA membership, meaning, they must be documented OFWs. They also said OWWA is not the agency tasked with repatriation.

Eman says the Phl govt has full responsibility to cover repatriation costs of undocumented OFWs

Villanueva said this is not entirely true. "The family of an OFW who was not an OWWA member at the time of death “is still fully covered for the free repatriation of the remains back to their home province, but they may not be entitled to the standard OWWA financial death benefits (Php100,000 in case of natural deaths and Php200,000 in case of death due to an accident) and burial grants (Php20,000),” he said.

Under the Emergency Repatriation Fund granted to OWWA under Republic Act No 8042 (as amended by RA 10022), OWWA is also obliged to advance the costs of repatriation if the employer or local manning or recruitment agency fail to perform their primary oblication of bringing home a deceased worker’s remains.

If the deceased OFW is undocumented, the Philippine government should fully shoulder the cost of repatriating their remains, said Villanueva. This can be done through the DMW’s Aksyon Fund or the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Assistance to Nationals Fund.

But while funding is covered by either Department, OWWA is mandated to work with DMW personnel to meet the remains upon arrival in the Philippines, and transport the same to the OFW’s hometown.

In any case, said Villanueva,  it is clear that the grieving family of an undocumented OFW who dies in the workplace should not be burdened further with having to scrounge around, or beg for help, in bringing home the remains of their loved one.

 

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.

DETAILS HERE

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.

Basahin ang detalye!

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 migrant 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 of 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

 

 

 

 

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.

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.

 

Filipina DH accused of forging air ticket receipt

 

Kowloon City Court

A Filipina domestic helper appeared in Kowloon City Court on Thursday, charged with forging a flight ticket receipt with intent to defraud a local resident, Li Ka Yee Carri.

Reschel Ann A. Ojano, 37 years old, has been detained after the alleged offence on Sept 23, 2026.

DETAILS HERE

Ojano is charged with taking a screen capture of the ticket receipt, and then presenting it to Li, with the intention of inducing her to accept it as a genuine.

In the process, Ojano was said to have caused prejudice to Li.

Basahin ang detalye!

No details were revealed in court, but Ojano was asked if she intended to apply for bail. When she said no, Deputy Principal Magistrate ordered her returned to custody until the next hearing of the case on November 11 for mention.

Pinay who mistakenly texted employer about theft jailed 10 months

 

The theft took place in one of the flats in Laguna Verde (Google Maps photo)

A domestic helper who mistakenly sent a text message to her employer confessing that she stole $110,500 worth of the latter’s jewelry and cash, was jailed for 10 months on Thursday after she pleaded guilty to theft at Kowloon City Court.

According to the case brief read out in court, 37-year-old Ciavy Jean Daniega had meant to send the text message to a friend, but instead passed it on her employer, who called the police.

In sentencing, Acting Principal Magistrate Cheng Lim-chi told Deniega that what she had done was serious as it involved a breach of trust, and the amount involved was substantial. He set a starting point of one year and three months' jail in sentencing, but reduced it by one third because of the  guilty plea.

Deniega was charged with violating section 9 of the Theft Ordinance by stealing five gold pellets, two gold bracelets, four necklaces, one gold necklace, one gold ring, and cash of $10,200, with a total value of $110,500, from her employer, Shelby Lily Yu. 

DETAILS HERE

The theft took place between April 4 and June 3, 2026, in the employer’s flat at Tower 11, Laguna Verde, 8 Laguna Verde Avenue, Hung Hom, Kowloon. Deniega had been working for the employer for just over a year at the time.

According to the case brief, the jewels were kept inside a drawer and a bookshelf which were both unlocked, inside the flat's master bedroom.

After her employer called the police, four pawnshop receipts and the boxes that held the jewelry were found inside the helper's room.

The employer, through her lawyer, asked the court for a return of the HK$10,200 cash that was stolen along with the jewelry, but the defense lawyer said Deniega did not have the money to pay.

Basahin ang detalye!

In mitigation, her lawyer said financial pressures, such as finding money for medical expenses for her sick elderly mother and a son who has urinary tract infection, forced her to steal. Paying off loans meant she could send only half her salary each month to her family.

The lawyer asked for a lenient sentence, saying Deniega wants to go back home as soon as possible to reunite with her ailing mother and son.

Deniega arrived in Hong Kong in 2015.

Filipina in Cheung Sha Wan raid charged with drug trafficking

 

Police lead the suspect away from the Cheung Sha Wan flat (Photo by The Standard)

A 38-year-old Filipina appeared in Kowloon City court today, charged with drug trafficking, after suspected methamphetamine (or ice) and heroin weighing more than 2 kilos were reportedly found in her handbag and in a flat she was renting in Cheung Sha Wan.

Wilma P. Hubid, who holds a Hong Kong ID card and is unemployed, was arrested on Tuesday night by police who allegedly found drugs in a subdivided flat she was renting at 137 Un Chau Street.

The charge sheet filed in court today did not specify the kind and quantity of the drugs found seized from the defendant.

Basahin ang detalye!

However, news reports earlier said the Filipina was stopped outside the flat by police officers, who then found about 60 grams of suspected cocaine and 267 grams of ice in her handbag.

A search of the flat which police suspect was used as a drug packaging hub reportedly yielded an additional 1.17 kilos of suspected ice, 746 grams of suspected cocaine, 176 grams of suspected crack cocaine, and packaging tools including an electronic scale and a large number of resealable plastic bags.

Police estimated the value of the seized drugs at HK$1.42 million.

In court, Hubid was asked if she could understand the proceedings which were being conducted in English as no Tagalog interpreter was around, and she answered in the affirmative.

She also told the court that she will be represented by counsel at her next court appearance.

Magistrate Cheng Lim-chi did not ask her for her plea, and assured her that a Tagalog interpreter will be provided at the next court hearing set for December 31. She was remanded in jail until then.

Drug trafficking is a serious offence in Hong Kong, and carries the maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of HK$5 million.

 

HK gears up for Halloween Fest

 

Perspective drawing of the Halloween installation on Statue Square

Halloween is about to get big in Hong Kong.

Starting on October 17, five tourist spots in the city will be lit up and street parties held, as part of Hong Kong’s bid to become Asia’s premier Halloween destination.

In Central, a giant Halloween-themed installation will be set up on Statue Square starting on October 17, while a music and arts festival will liven up Chater Road from 3pm on October 18. The celebration will culminate with a colourful Halloween party on October 31.

Lan Kwai Fong will always be the go-to place for Halloween

At nearby Lan Kwai Fong, organizers are planning not just one, but three, themed street celebrations with performers, music and photo spots for costumed revellers.

At  Kai Tak Sports Park, there will be three weekends of cosplay activities with Cantopop DJs playing music, and a pet photo area.

Basahin ang detalye!

In Mong Kok, there will be a haunted red minibus installation while Tsim Sha Tsui East will have DJ parties and a Halloween market.

Disneyland and Ocean Park started offering Halloween treats and tricks at the start of the month, and will carry this on until Halloween Day.

Perspective of an open-top bus for Halloween Month

There will also be free night rides to passengers in Halloween costumes on open-top buses and party trams.

The open-top bus rides will start operating at 6pm on October 16-17, October 24-25 and October 30-31 - covering two Saturdays, two Sundays, and Halloween Eve and Halloween Day.

Pick-ups will be every 45 minutes at four boarding points: Statue Square in Central, Langham Place in Mong Kok, Kai Tak Sports Park and Tsim Sha Tsui Centre.

The party trams will also operate on the same dates and time along a designated route between Causeway Bay and Western Market in Sheung Wan.

Free ride tickets will be given to passengers who dress in Halloween costumes and spend the minimum amount set by participating merchants.

The tickets can be redeemed on a first-come, first-served basis at designated malls and venues operated by HKTB partners, including Hongkong Land, Kai Tak Sports Park, Langham Place and Sino Group.

Also part of the festival is HKTB’s social media campaign, which will call on the public to post Halloween photos in Hong Kong on Instagram, Weibo, using designated tags and hashtags. Prizes will be given for photos that will be selected.

The Halloween blitz is part of a new tourism strategy announced in February’s budget that will focus on festivals that are less prominent in mainland China, to attract more visitors in the city.

The Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival at Victoria Park which has been extended until today, October 7, is also part of the new tourism thrust.