Filipina charged with assault on cop, another with intimidation

 

Area where alleged assault on cop happened (Google Map)

Two Filipinas with foreign-sounding names have found themselves in court, one charged with assaulting a police officer and another with threatening to injure a man.

Robina Abina Chow, 45 years old, was charged with “assaulting a police officer in due execution of his duty,” in violation of the Police Force Ordinance, when she appeared at the Tuen Mun Court on Thursday (April 11).

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Chow, who works as a doctor’s assistant, is accused of assaulting Senior Police Constable Cheung Siu-kei on Dec. 8 last year in Siu Mei, Pat Heung, Yuen Long.

Acting Principal Magistrate Daniel Tang adjourned the case to May 23.

Chow was released on bail iof $1,000.

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On the other hand, Annabelle Galang Chavanne, 39, appeared at West Kowloon Court on Friday (April 12), charged with criminal intimidation for allegedly threatening Cassius Crowther at Cherish Court in Discovery Bay in Lantau last Jan. 6.

It was alleged that Chavanne threatened Crowther “with injury to his person, with intent to alarm him.”

She is charged under Section 24 (a) (i) of the Crimes Ordinance.

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Principal Magustrate Don So adjourned the case to May 17 for legal advice and plea.

He ordered Chavanne released on $1,000 bail. 

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No single-use plastic in restaurants from Apr 22

 

These cutlery pieces will disappear from restaurants and stores

Stating on  Apr 22, Monday, all restaurants and merchants will be banned from selling and using single-use plastic products, including tableware, toothpicks, straws and stirrers, and even plastic-stemmed cotton buds.

But with just nine days to go before the big shift, about 80 % of small and medium-sized restaurants have yet to start using alternatives to plastic, said the Environmental Protection Department.

This is despite intense information dissemination and public education campaign by the EPD for the past six to nine months, said EPD Director Samuel Chui.

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“We have been continuously discussing with the trade and to introduce different types of non-plastic cutlery and also the materials so that the trade can use. In fact, we also have a six-month period so that they can learn how to use it and to adapt to the situation," said Chui.

During the six-month adaptation period, no enforcement action will be taken, or penalties imposed on violators.

Instead, officials will focus on education and dealing with problems that arise rather than enforcement.

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Chui said the department has reached out to 20,000 eateries and would continue to help those who struggle to find affordable alternatives.

There will also be promotional posters and videos at border crossings to educate tourists not familiar with the new policy, which will also ban hotels from providing complimentary amenities such as toothbrush, shampoo and soap to guests.

The EPD said it has advised hotels to remind their customers of the new measure so tourists will be able to decide on time if they want to bring their own toiletries, or buy supplies from the hotel.

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The ban on single-use plastics in restaurants takes effect four months before a more stringent measure is taken to regulate waste disposal in Hong Kong.

From August this year, all household waste can only be disposed of in designated plastic bags which must be bought from convenience stores. For oversized garbage that does not fit into the designated bags, waste labels must be bought and attached to each item.

For so-called private waste collectors, fees will be charged based on the weight being disposed of at landfills or refuse transfer stations.

A six-month phasing-in period will also be implemented when the waste charging fee plan takes effect. After this, a fixed penalty tickets of $1,500 each will be issued to offenders on the spot, while serious and repeat offenders could be issued court summons.

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Filipino who gave wrong date for Phl national election loses bid to oppose deportation

 

The cour pointed out glaring lies in the applicant's torture claim

A Filipino torture claimant lost his application for a judicial review of the decision by the Immigration Department and the Torture Claims Adjudication rejecting his claim for non-refoulement (or against his forced return to the Philippines), because of his glaring lies.

For example, applicant Rael C. Asuncion gave the date of the national election in the Philippines as October 2010, but the Immigration Director said that based on country of origin information, it was held on May 10, 2010.

His claim that he was persecuted by a powerful political clan in Cagayan because he had led protests against a mining project they supported was also found without basis, as was his supposed fear of the New People’s Army because he refused to join the rebel group.

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Asuncion entered Hong Kong as a visitor on Feb 15, 2015 and travelled to various nearby places, like Macau and Mainland China before re-entering on Apr 18, 2015. He was allowed to stay until May 16, 2015 but did not leave and was arrested by the police for overstaying on Jul 25, 2015 for overstaying.

He filed a non-refoulement claim on Sept 21, 2015 on the basis that he would be harmed or killed by the following groups: (1) the powerful Vargas family due to his dispute with them; and 2) members of the NPA because he refused to join them.

According to Asuncion, his problem with the Vargas family started around 2001 when he opposed a mining operation that Cong. Florencio L. Vargas was supporting. The lawmaker supposedly told him that the project would proceed regardless of his objection.

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In November 2009 Asuncion said he was accused of killing two security guards at the mining site, and he was arrested, beaten and starved by the police. He believed Congressman Vargas was behind this.

He continued his protest actions against the mining project, as a result of which Congressman Vargas supposedly sent a death threat to him in March 2010.

In the run-up to the national election which he erroneously said was held in October 2010 he said he received another death threat, this time from the daughter of the congressman.

When Congressman Vargas won the election, Asuncion said he fled his hometown. But after the legislator died in September 2011, his family allegedly blamed him for causing his death.

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(A simple Google search will show that Vargas was indeed re-elected as representative of the 2nd district of Cagayan in the May 2010 election, but died on July 22, 2010 due to leukemia).

As for his supposed ties with the NPA, Asuncion claimed he had recruited people into the group in 2009 but did not join them. He claimed he stopped helping them when he was informed by a neighbour that the police were looking for him.

Again citing the lack of credibility in Asuncion’ claim, the Director said there was no sign that the NPA “persistently had any interest in him.”

Even if true, the Director said he could have applied for state protection or moved elsewhere as “internal relocation alternatives were available and reasonable” in the Philippines.

The TCAB upheld the Director’s findings and added that Asuncion’s claim of torture by the police and the supposed campaigning he made against Cong Vargas had never occurred, and that his intention in coming to Hong Kong was not to seek non-refoulement protection.

In dismissing the application for judicial review, Ms MO Wong for the Registrar said the applicant raised no valid ground to challenge the Board’s decision. He also failed to show that he had any realistic prospect of success in his judicial review.

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3 of 5 fatalities in Jordan fire still unidentified, FDH among those injured

 

Several fire engines battled the blaze at the New Lucky House in Jordan (FB photo by HKEye)

Police have yet to identify three of the five people who died in the fire that broke out at New Lucky House in Jordan on Wednesday morning.

The two who have been identified are both elderly Chinese males surnamed Lai and Tsang.

Two of them, a man and a woman, are reported to be non-ethnic Chinese and possibly South Asian, while the other one is  believed to be a Chinese woman, but the information has yet to be verified.

One of those killed was suspected to have jumped off the 16-storey building to escape the fire, and was found on the first-floor podium.

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Three of the victims were found in the second-floor corridor, while the fifth was discovered on a staircase between the seventh and eighth floors.

Chief Executive John Lee extended his condolences to the families of those killed, and later visited some of the injured at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He said an investigation of the cause of the fire is top priority.

Among the 23 who were injured and are still in hospital, eight are in critical condition, three are listed as serious, while the rest, including an infant girl, are stable.

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At least one foreign domestic helper was reported to be among those seriously injured in the fire. Reports say she suffered from smoke inhalation and sustained burns on her abdomen and waist, but was conscious when taken to hospital.  

The FDH whose nationality was not identified, remains under observation at the intensive care unit of Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Another helper was shown on video wailing on the pavement outside the building, saying she feared for her employer's safety. An accompanying report said the helper, who is apparently Indonesian, had just stepped out to buy breakfast when  the fire broke out.

(Watch this video from HOY business channel: https://fb.watch/rmJU3-MMJ_/)

Forty people were initially taken to hospital for injuries, but 17 have already been discharged.

Those still under treatment are at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, and Queen Mary Hospital.

One of  those  injured is rushed to safety (HK Eye photo)

The fire broke out at 7:53am on Wednesday at units 13 to 15 of the building’s first floor, and was escalated to no 3 alarm about 10 minutes later. A number of residents were trapped or injured, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.

About 250 people had to be rescued, while another 50 managed to move to safety on their own. Fire services volunteers went door-to-door to check if there were residents that needed to be rescued.

By 8:54 am the fire was contained, and by 10:30am was already completely extinguished. Its exact cause is still being investigated.

About 35 of the units in the building have been converted into guest houses frequented by Asian travellers.

Residents were advised not to return to their units while an investigation is being carried out, and to wait for further arrangements. 

The Home Affairs Department has set up temporary shelters at the Nam Cheong Community Centre and the Leung Hin Square Yau Ma Tei Community Centre for those in need.

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Woman tells court of how she lost $1.85 M in love scam

 

4 women are accused of complicity in the love scam-money laundering case

A local woman who works as a corporate secretary told Eastern Court today about how she lost a total of $1,850,265 over five months in 2020 after she befriended and fell in love with someone called “Zhang” she met on a dating site.

J. Wong, who appeared to be in her 30s and is pretty and soft-spoken, took the stand as the first prosecution witness in the trial of four people – a Chinese woman working as a waitress and three Filipino domestic helpers – each accused of money laundering.

Wong recalled how she became a victim of a love scam which started at about 11am on June 25, 2020 when she started chatting with Zhang, who introduced himself as engineer working in Cyprus.

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Soon, Wong said she and Zhang became an “internet couple.” 

On July 6, or less than two weeks after befriending her, Zhang told Wong via WhatsApp that he was sending her a package containing an iPhone and some small gifts.

Although she initially declined the gift, Wong ended up transferring a total of $1,680,655 of her own money to 15 bank accounts of unknown people, after someone claiming to be from courier company ACE Express told her she needed to pay “clearance fees” for the package.

Later, she was charged for “interest payments” as well, as the package also supposedly contained a big amount of cash.

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On Aug. 20, 2020, after she had made 22 bank transactions to obtain the parcel, the person claiming to be from the courier company, demanded an additional payment of $16,400. Wong told the court she decided to block the person on WhatsApp then, as he did not fulfill his promise to deliver the parcel and send her money back.

However, she then proceeded to complain to Zhang about what had happened, and her internet boyfriend immediately assured her that he would repay her shortly, as he was planning to visit her in Hong Kong after finishing a project.

“At this stage I wanted to believe him because I needed to get back my money,” Wong said.

But what happened instead was that she lost more money, as Zhang then asked for her help in paying for his tools and other matters he needed to sort out so he could immediately fly to Hong Kong.

From September 25 to October 20, 2020, she made four more bank transfers in Euros and pound sterling to two different persons, for a total sum of $169,600.

On Oct. 30, Zhang contacted her again, saying he had an accident and needed more money so he could fly to Hong Kong, but Wong declined.

After their last conversation on Nov. 19, 2020, Wong could no longer contact Zhang, so she decided to confide in friends. They convinced her to immediately file a report with the police as she had been scammed.

Wong said that after reporting the matter to the North Point Police station, she was told that  it would be impossible to recover her losses.

Only one of the defense lawyers decided to cross-examine Wong, and it was to ask about her educational background. Wong said she was educated up to tertiary level.

North Point police investigators told the victim it would be impossible to get her money back

Earlier, the prosecutor read out admitted facts in the case, which showed that part of Wong’s money had passed through the bank accounts of the four accused, which altogether showed a total of more than $2.4 million in deposits and withdrawals in just three months.

About 10 other Filipinos were named as recipients of the $1.85 million that Wong transferred to local banks, but it appears they have escaped detection by the police.

The four defendants all denied a charge each of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” but did not dispute that their bank accounts were used as funnels for illicit funds.

First defendant Wong Siu-kuen, 53, was the owner of a Hang Seng bank account through which a total of $776,460 passed between June 15, 2020 and Aug. 20, 2020.

Second defendant Marife A. Dionson, 43, and a North Point resident, owned the HSBC account in which $358,300 was deposited and withdrawn within 24 hours, between July 8 and July 9, 2020.

Third defendant Geraldine G. Tolentino, 38, of Shatin, is accused of working with a person known only as “Wai” in laundering a total of $566,438 in her HSBC account, between July 15 and July 20, 2020.

Fourth defendant  Ires S. Caliwanagan, 40, from Sai Kung, owned the HSBC account used to launder the biggest sum of $714,406 between July 10 and July 23, 2020.

A fifth defendant, Maila U. Samson, was originally charged with the four, but pleaded guilty in October last year to money laundering, and was sentenced to eight months in jail.

She admitted knowing that a total of $607,000 in crime proceeds (part of which had come from Joanne Wong’s account) had passed through her HSBC account between July 15 and Aug 7, 2020.

Magistrate Minnie Wat extended the defendants’ bail until today, when the trial resumes.

Wong is on $2,000 bail while the three Filipinas are out on $1,000 bail each.

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Police confirm arrest of man for assault in viral WorldWide video

 

The video shows the alleged victim checking the extent of her injury with her phone

The police have confirmed the arrest of a Chinese man for suspected assault occasioning bodily harm after a video taken on Sunday, Apr 7, inside WorldWide Plaza in Central showing a bloodied Filipina went viral.

A police spokeswoman said the arrest was made after the 40-year-old Filipina filed a complaint over the alleged assault at about 10:52 am that day.

The Filipina, who is shown in the video with blood dripping down her face and the front of her blouse and skirt soaked in blood, was reportedly injured in the eye and was taken to Queen Mary Hospital for treatment.

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She reported being punched in the face by the man after they had an argument.

The spokeswoman said there was no indication of what the two had argued about.

There also was no record of the man being charged after his arrest.

According to the one video uploader named Mary Anne, the man hit and punched the Filipina while they were still arguing.

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“Grabe ang pagkasuntok, tuklap kilay ni ate,” said Mary Anne. (The punch was so strong it peeled off sister's eyebrow).

She also zoomed in for a few seconds on a man wearing a black shirt who was the alleged assailant, who was shown nonchalantly checking his phone while a woman companion, also Chinese, stood beside him.

Security officers at the mall could be heard calling the police as they stood near the woman while holding the alleged assailant at bay. 

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8 months' jail for DH who stole because of debts

 

The helper was sentenced at Kowloon court

A domestic helper was sentenced today to eight months in prison after she pleaded guilty to stealing from her employer $81,100 in cash and jewelry, much of which could no longer be retrieved.

Juliet Away, 39 years old, stood silently in the dock at Kowloon City Court No. 1 as Magistrate Peter Yu gave her an initial sentence of 11 months but granted her a three-month discount for her guilty plea.

“It’s a classic breach of trust case,” he said, as he referred to a similar case in the past, which he used as guide for the sentence. “You worked as a domestic helper but on various occasions, you stole from your employer.”

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According to the police complaint, the employer received calls from debt collectors shortly before the thefts began on May 13, 2023, when $3,100 in cash went missing from her flat on Broadcast Drive, Kowloon Tong.

When she confronted Away, the latter admitted stealing the money and signed a promissory note saying she would repay the amount on installment.

However, over the following nine months until Feb 3 this year, the employer noticed that some of her jewelry went missing: two platinum rings, one diamond ring, one diamond necklace, one pair of diamond earrings and one diamond bracelet.

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When confronted, Away yielded pawnshop receipts for some of the items.

Of the total $81,100 stolen, $61,100 could no longer be retrieved. This amount was made up of the $3,100 cash which remained unpaid, plus $58,000 worth of jewelry that could no longer be retrieved because their receipts were lost or their terms had expired and were thus sold on auction, the complaint said.

Away’s defense lawyer said she had no means to pay them back.

In mitigation, the lawyer said Away was remorseful and wanted to apologize to her employer.

She said the Filipina fell deep in debt after her house in the Philippine burned down and she had it rebuilt with borrowed money.

She soon failed to repay her loans on time, resulting in even her employer receiving calls from collectors.

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DMW confirms it has filed illegal recruitment, estafa charges against Mabatid

 

Dollete's letter to Labatt Mel Dizon confirming filing of charges against Mabatid

An official of the Department of Migrant Workers has confirmed to Labor Attache Melchor Dizon that various cases of illegal recruitment and estafa have been filed against PinoyCare Visa Center, its chief executive officer Prisca Nina Mabatid and “her cohorts.”

In a letter dated March 22 and forwarded to 13 overseas Filipino workers who were the first to file complaints against Mabatid, Atty. Eric D. Dollete of the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau said the cases filed all covered complaints filed within the Philippines.

In the case of the Hong Kong complainants, Dollete said the matter has been referred to the National Bureau of Investigation “for case build-up and investigation.”

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Despite this, Dollete suggested that the cases be pursued in Hong Kong as well, as the crimes alleged transpired in this jurisdiction.

Edwina Antonio, case officer of the Mission for Migrant Workers which is assisting the Hong Kong complainants, recently said that the Hong Kong Police is still actively pursuing the case of fraud against Mabatid, her partner Russ Mark Gamallo and OFW blogger Bryan Calagui.

The Immigration Department is said to be looking as well into the complaint of illegal work against Mabatid and her group as they came to Hong Kong to sell their student visa scheme to Canada while on a tourist visa.

In the case of Calagui, Immigration has twice summoned him on suspicion of violating his visa conditions as he actively promoted Mabatid’s recruitment sessions twice last year- first, in February and the second, in November 2022.

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As a foreign domestic helper, he is precluded under the law from taking up any work, paid or unpaid, without permission from the Immigration Director.

At least 26 Filipinos have stepped forward to accuse Mabatid and her group of illegally collecting about P132,000 from each of them, in the guise of offering them student visas  to Canada which she claimed, would allow the applicants to work five times a week and attend classes only twice a week.

Videos taken of the orientation sessions show Mabatid promising them a processing time of only three months, and assuring them that she would lend them P1 million each as “settlement fund” which they could present to Canadian authorities during the visa application process.

It was only after they had paid the processing fee in full that the complainants said they realized they had been duped after they were given the run-around by people working for Mabatid and two companies she controlled, PCVC and Opportunities Abroad.

The Senate Committee for Migrant Workers headed by Senator Raffy Tulfo has initiated an inquiry into the complaints, after more than 150 other Filipinos claiming to have been similarly duped by Mabatid and her group, have sought help from Migrante International, which in turn referred the cases to the DMW and the NBI.

An NBI agent told the Senate committee that they had already filed a number of cases of large-scale illegal recruitment and syndicated estafa against Mabatid, but has yet to provide an update on this.

The Committee secretariat said it will  resume its investigation of the case against Mabatid and PCVC after the plenary break.

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Pinay, 71, avoids jail for submitting fake job contract to get visa

Case was heard at Shatin court

A 71-year-old Filipina domestic worker avoided jail today, Monday, after being convicted in Shatin Court of conspiracy to defraud the Immigration Director for entering into two fake employment contracts that enabled her to get an employment visa.

Acting Principal Magistrate Amy Chan acknowledged the appeal of Virginia Jovilla’s lawyer for a lenient sentence in recognition of a clean record in her 40 years’ service to a number of families and her contributions to Hong Kong society.

Magistrate Chan, after consulting the prosecution about the punishment in a similar case in the past, chose a starting point of six months in prison for each of the two charges, which became four months after deducting the one-third discount because of her guilty plea.

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Not only did Chan make the two jail terms run at the same time, she also suspended them for three years. 

“You will not go to jail today,” she told Jovilla, “but if you reoffend during the next three years, you will have to serve the three months.”

Earlier, Magistrate Chan was also assured by the prosecutor that Jovilla will be deported upon conviction.

The case arose after Jovilla presented to the Immigration Department two fake employment contracts during the two times she applied for her working visa, with the help of agents Liu Chung Hang and Kathleen Emily Vizcarra.

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The first fake contract, with a certain Kung Yue Che and processed between January 2022 and March 4, 2022, “induced the said Director and his officers to act contrary to their public duty… under circumstances which they would not otherwise have granted,” the charge said.

The second fake contract, with a certain Lee Wai Kong, was processed between March 2022 and Jan. 31, 2023, and also resulted in a visa being issued to her.

Jovilla’s lawyer, in mitigation, said what she did was out of character.

Her last legitimate employer, for example, let her go after she worked for them for 10 years, because they were emigrating from Hong Kong.

Jovilla entered into the fake contracts because at her age, it was difficult to get a proper employer, and she was desperate to remain in Hong Kong because she had to support four older siblings in the Philippines who all had health problems, the lawyer added.

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Senate to resume inquiry into student visa ‘scam’ as support groups vow to keep up fight

 

'Justice for the victims' was the vow of advocates against Mabatid and her co-horts

The Senate inquiry into the alleged fraud and illegal recruitment of some 150 Filipinos for student visas to Canada, will resume after the plenary sessions.

This was the assurance given by staff of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers headed by Senator Raffy Tulfo, to complainants against former Cebu City Councillor Prisca Nina Mabatid and two companies associated with her, PinoyCare Visa Center and Opportunities Abroad.

The staff also said the Committee is taking note of recent posts made by Mabatid on social media, castigating Senator Tulfo for supposedly ditching their friendship and her support of him during the election, in pursuit of the complaints against her.

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“We take note of the post and rest assured that we will tackle this when the committee hearings will resume, after the plenary break. We shall keep you posted,” said the staff.

Mabatid has been issued with a show-cause order to explain her absence in the two past hearings of the case conducted by the Senate committee, or she will be held in contempt.

The Immigration Department hals also told the committee they have put Mabatid in their watchlist for people departing the country.

Meanwhile, supporters of the complainants from the Mission for Migrant Workers, United Filipinos – Migrante Hong Kong and Migrante International, have vowed to keep up their efforts to pursue the cases against Mabatid and company until justice is served to her alleged victims.

TAWAG NA!

MFMW case officer Edwina Antonio said there are now a total of 26 complainants against Mabatid, PCVC and Opportunies, as well as her partner Russ Mark Gamallo and OFW blogger Bryan Calagui, who stood as their promoter in Hong Kong.

Each paid at least HK$18,731 (about Php132,000) on the promise, recorded extensively on video, that they could get their student visas to Canada in three months, and should not worry about expenses as they would be able to work for five days and attend classes for only two days each week.

Including the 150 complainants across the Philippines and overseas, the amount involved in the so-called scam should be no less than P15 million.

Migrante affiliates are set to hold more protest actions urging national govt to take action

Speaking at a live broadcast of The SUN on Friday, April 6, Antonio said the Hong Kong Police is taking the case seriously, and has called the complainants one by one to ask them to go to their North Point station to make a statement.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department is also looking into allegations that  Mabatid and Gamallo who came here as tourists in February and June last year had violated their visa conditions by organizing recruitment seminars for some 1,000 Filipino migrants here.

Calagui, who works as a domestic helper with driving duties, has also been invited by Immigration for an investigation twice, into whether he took up illegal work when he actively promoted Mabatid’s recruitment operations in Hong Kong, said Antonio.

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“We are also continuing to liaise with the Police and the Philippine Consulate General on the case,” said Antonio, who added that during a meeting held last month, Consul General Germinia Aguilar-Usudan assured them of her full support.

Antonio paid tribute to the Hong Kong migrant workers who have stepped forward to complain about the alleged scam, despite their limited free time, and the threats they received from a lawyer and staff of the two visa consulting companies.

“So hindi tayo titigil kasi ang mga  biktima ay nandyan lagi at kasama natin sa labang ito,” said Antonio. (So we will keep this up because the victims are standing by and are with us in this fight).

Dolores Balladares, chair of Unifil-Migrante Hong Kong, said protest actions that focus on the illegal recruitment and human trafficking of migrant workers will continue, with a big one being set for Labor Day, May 1.

“Isasama natin sa protesta ang kaso laban kay Mabatid,” said Balladares (We will include in the protest the case against Mabatid).

Before this major rally, she said her group will take other actions during the weekend to sustain the demand that all the concerned agencies and even the national government itself, should take immediate action on the case.

MFMW’s general manager Cynthia Tellez also called on the victims not to lose interest in the case to ensure their victory.

“Huwag maiiinip, huwag tatahimik, kasi kapag tayo ay tumahimik ay gagalaw na naman sila,” said Tellez. (Don’t lose your patience, don’t keep quiet, because if you keep quiet they will start moving on us again).

“Ang titiyakin namin ay hindi kami titigil,” she added (We assure you that we will not stop fighting, either).

Tellez also warned the public against disinformation and victim blaming, saying these are being done by the other side to sow discord among the complainants.

All the advocates expressed gratitude to Senator Tulfo for stepping in and bringing the apparently massive scam to public notice, but said they were disappointed by the other government department’s failure to take immediate action.

“Kung nakita mo na parang may itinatagong impormasyon,  dapat ang gobyerno na ang makialam,” said Tellez, referring to the unclear messages being relayed to the complainants on the status of their case by the Department of Migrant Workers and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Mabatid promised them work despite offering student visas, said the complainants

One of the complainants who testified in the Senate committee hearing, Cherryl Genobebe, recalled that despite being thrown off by a long list of requirements that Mabatid’s group emailed to her after she had paid the $18,731 fee, she persisted, thinking that what she was being offered was genuine.

But after completing the requirements she was told she needed to pay another P100,000 to a school she did not have direct contact with. When she asked whether she could charge this against the P1 million loan that Mabatid promised them during the orientation, she was thrown another wrench, that she needed to provide an “alibi” as to why such a big amount of money had suddenly popped up in her bank account.

That was when she realized she had been taken for a ride, said Genobebe.

In Hong Kong, protest actions such as this will continue

Another complainant, Jackie, said she had taken the initiative of emailing the Presidential Action Center to follow up on the case, and an NBI agent with the anti-human trafficking division sent her a reply, asking for relevant documents to be forwarded to them.

Jackie said she responded by saying all the information about the case had already been sent to DMW, which then forwarded them to the NBI, along with a recommendation for the filing of charges.

The NBI agent reportedly told Jackie she would look into their office files and get back to her. 

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