PCG to close on Apr 9, 17-20

 

PCG advisory about the closures

The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong has announced that it will close on the following dates: Apr 9 for Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), Apr 17 for Maundy Thursday, and Apr 20 for Easter Sunday.

However, since the PCG is closed regularly on Fridays and Saturdays, the Easter break will effectively run for four days at least, from Apr 17 to 20.

It could even extend to Easter Monday, Apr 21, which has always been in the list of public holidays in Hong Kong.  However, it is not included in the official list of dates when the PCG will be closed.

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Thus, migrant workers and all other people who need to transact business with the PCG will need to take this long break into account, and plan their visit there in advance.

The advisory also does not mention the Ching Ming holiday on Friday, Apr 4, as it is one of the two days when the PCG is closed as part of its regular schedule.

The PCG is given authority, in line with guidelines from the Department of Foreign Affairs, to close on certain public holidays in both the Philippines and Hong Kong.

For 2025, the DFA list has 20 days in the year when the PCG in Hong Kong will be closed, apart from its regular days off on Fridays and Saturdays. To see the dates, please check this link: https://hongkongpcg.dfa.gov.ph/89-holidays

 

Sentencing of DH over laundering of $533K put off

  

A Filipina domestic helper pleaded guilty today at Eastern Court to allowing her two bank accounts to be used for laundering a total of $533,000, but her sentencing was put off to April 15 pending a background report.

In the meantime, Susana Echevaria, 57 years old, will remain in jail.

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Principal Magistrate Don So ordered the background check after Echevaria pleaded guilty to both counts of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable crime,” in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The first charge arose from the total of $413,000.21 that flowed in and out of her Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. account between the 16^th and 29^th of August 2019.

The second charge involved her Hang Seng Bank account which had deposits and withdrawals totalling  $120,000 between the 4^th and 13^th of September 2019.

Filipino driver on trial for murder of FDH girlfriend

The accused assaulted the victim in a subdivided flat on this street in Wan Chai

A Filipino driver who is accused of killing his domestic worker-girlfriend more than three years ago is on trial at the High Court for murder.

On the first day of his trial on Friday, Bernie Macatangay Valencia, 45, admitted repeatedly punching Filipina Ivy Villaluz Quiabang, then 37, in the head on Dec. 22, 2021, but said he did not intend to kill her.

“I plead not guilty to murder, but I plead guilty to manslaughter,” Valencia said when asked for his plea.

His lawyers said Valencia did not intend to kill or inflict serious bodily harm on the deceased, with what they described as a “dangerous act.”

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But the prosecutor alleged it was Valencia’s assault on Ivy, and subsequent failure to take her to the hospital, that led to her death.

In her opening statement, the prosecutor told the jury that a fight between Valencia and Quiabang after a Christmas party had turned violent on their return to their subdivided unit on Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai.

Valencia, who was at the time applying for a new visa as FDH with driving duties, threw several punches on Quiabang, leaving her badly bruised and unable to get up or eat properly.

The prosecutor said that although he could see that Ivy was in bad shape Valencia did not call 999 for help. He waited until the next day to ask fellow tenants at the subdivided flat to check his girlfriend.

Her friends later said the domestic worker had become incontinent that they became alarmed and called the police.

Quiabang was already in a coma when she was rushed to Ruttonjee Hospital, and larter moved to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital after she was found to have suffered a brain hemorrhage. She was immediately operated on but never regained consciousness.

The single mother of two passed on at 7:52 am on Jan. 2, 2023, the day she was supposed to move in with a new employer.

The prosecutor said Valencia did not tell paramedics and the police about the assault, but only said his girlfriend was “sleeping.”

The prosecution will rely on the testimonies of 18 witnesses, a surveillance camera footage, social media messages retrieved from the defendant’s digital devices and an hour-long interview he had with investigators, to prove its case.

The trial before Judge William Tam is set for 12 days.

 

7 months jail for conspiracy to defraud Immigration Department

 

Immigration Department

A Filipina was jailed for seven months today after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud by lying to an Immigration officer that she would work as a domestic helper for a person named in the employment contract that she submitted when she applied for a work visa.

Chonalyn Talipnao, 46 years old, was handed her sentence at Shatin Court by Acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong after she admitted violating section 159C(6) of the Crimes Ordinance, which prescribes a maximum jail term of 14 years.

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The complaint by the Immigration Department said Talipnao conspired with a person known as James to defraud the director of Immigration and his officers “by dishonestly and falsely representing” to them that she had been employed by a certain Tang See-lan as a domestic helper.

Such falsehood induced the officers to “act contrary to their public duty, namely to grant (Talipnao) permission to enter and remain in Hong Kong in circumstances which they would not otherwise have granted.”

The offense was committed between Oct. 3, 2022 and April 2023, the complaint added.

HK has new Philippine Consul-General

One of the rare public photos of incoming Consul General Romulo Israel, Jr 

The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong is set to welcome its new consul general, Romulo Victor Manzano Israel, Jr.

ConGen Israel will be taking up the top post in the city after serving as consul general in South Korea, which is now headed by Ambassador Tess Dizon De Vega.

Ambassador De Vega, who once served as deputy consul general in Hong Kong and was widely popular in the Filipino community here, describes her deputy as a “good guy, very patient and malumanay.”

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“Personally I was hoping he would stay on longer in Korea but this is a good opportunity for him to head a post, and one of the most important ones at that,” she said.

Congen Israel will replace Germinia Aguilar-Usudan, who has returned to the head office of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila after nearly seven years of active leadership in the PCG in Hong Kong, first as deputy consul general, then as consul general in January 2024.

Congen Israel is 54 years old, married to Catherine Joy Pineda Israel with whom he has two children, Mathew Vincent and Aleithea Clare.

He comes to Hong Kong after 25 years of being with the foreign service, a big part of which he spent dealing with migrant workers’ concerns.

Congen Israel worked as deputy to Ambassador Tess de Vega (center) in Korea

On joining the DFA in 2000 he served at the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs handling the Middle East and Africa Desk.

He was then assigned as Officer in Charge of DFA Regional Office II from 2002 to 2003.

In 2003, he was assigned to the Phil. Embassy Riyadh where he was named assistant head of the Assistance to Nationals Section, particularly dealing with women cases.

Three years later he was promoted as consul, and assumed the role of head of the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

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In 2013, after serving at the Head Office, he was posted as consul at the Philippine Consulate in Chicago, and after only four months, became deputy consul general.

He was then recalled for the mandatory service at the DFA head office in October 2019, when he became executive director and deputy assistant secretary at the Office of American Affairs.

In January 2022 he was sent abroad again, to serve as consul general at the Embassy in Seoul.

Congen Israel took up AB Pre-Divinity, and Masters in Degree Theology major in pastoral ministry, both at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City.

Before joining the foreign service he volunteered in church groups involved in promoting free and honest elections, and also served in religious missions helping urban and rural poor communities.

One of the things that would surely make him feel right at home in Hong Kong is the presence of a local chapter of the Knights of Rizal. He is, after all, the Regional Commander for Asia of the Order of Knights of Rizal, and concurrent commander for the Korea chapter.

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HK sends search & rescue team to quake-hit Myanmar

The quake reduced a building under contruction in Bangkok into a heap of rubble (AFP photo)

The Hong Kong government sent a 51-strong search and rescue team to earthquake-stricken Myanmar this Saturday afternoon. The group was sent off by top government officials led by Chief Executive John Lee.

More than 1,000 people are reported to have been killed in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar and was felt all the way in Thailand on Friday afternoon.

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In the Thai capital Bangkok, at least six people have been found dead, 26 injuired and 47 missing, mostly from a construction site near the capital’s popular Chatuchak market. Meanw

hile, the Philippine government has said no Filipino has been hurt in the tremor, contrary to unverified reports that circulated earlier.

But the Philippine Embasses in Thailand and Myanmar have advised Filipinos in the two countries “to remain calm and vigilant” and monitor updates on the situation only from credible sources.

A building in Mandalay was left leaning on one side (Reuters photo)

In Myanmar, the military-led government said in a statement Saturday that 1,002 people have already been found dead and another 2,376 injured, with 30 others missing.

The numbers are expected to still rise, with the government saying “detailed figures are still being collected.”

The earthquake, said to be one of the strongest to ever hit Myanmar, was centered near the capital Mandalay. It was followed by several strong aftershocks, with one measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale.

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Across many areas in the country, buildings were toppled, roads damaged, bridges collapsed, and at least one dam burst its banks.

In neighboring Thailand, hardest hit was Bangkok, where many people live in high-rise buildings.

The massive building that was left in rubbles was a 33-storey high-rise being built by a Chinese firm for the Thai government. Witnesses said the building wobbled, then crashed to the ground in a massive plume of dust that sent people screaming and scurrying away.

HK top officials send off the city's Myanmar-bound rescue team 

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government has expressed sympathy to the people of Myanmar in the wake of tragedy, particularly the families of the victims.

In addition, it immediately set aside $30 million from the Disaster Relief Fund to help the emergency relief operation in Myanmar.

Hong Kong’s rescue and relief team that flew to Myanmar was led by the Deputy Chief Fire Officer of the Fire Services Department (FSD), Cheu Yu-kok. It comprised 40 members of the FSD which include firemen, ambulancemen and fire services workshops personnel, as well as officers from the Security Bureau, the Immigration Department and the HA.

The team brought along two search and rescue dogs, as well as about nine tons of equipment which includes life detectors and masonry cutting machines, an automatic satellite tracking antenna system, and relief supplies.

They will join local rescue teams in Myanmar in the search and relief operations.

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3 Pinays jailed 12 months each for laundering $2m

 

Three Filipina domestic helpers were each jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty at Eastern Court to letting their bank accounts be used to launder money from crime in sums ranging from $200,000 to $1.4 million.

Noemi Pellerin, 47 years old, Melanie Lizardo, 35, and Irene Castro, 36, were charged together as the use of their bank accounts to launder a total of a little over $2 million happened almost simultaneously.

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Principal Magistrate Don So handed down the sentences to them on Friday (March 28) after they admitted their part in dealing with proceeds of a crime, which is punishable under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The charge against Pellerin arose from the deposits and withdawals fom her Standard Chartered Bank account, that totalled $400,400.49 between Apil 3 and July 31 in 2023.

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Lizardo’s case arose from the $200,394.46 that flowed in and out of her Standard Chartered Bank account between March 28 and July 31, 2023.

Castro had the biggest amount, at $1,400, 239.32, that passed through her Standard Chartered Bank account between April 3 and July 31, 2023.

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Pinoy gets 4 months’ jail in $147K money laundering case

 

 

A Filipino construction worker was jailed yesterday for four months for letting criminals use his bank account to launder their earnings totalling $147,394.

Marlon Cayambas, 48, had earlier pleaded guilty to dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable crime, in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

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Acting Principal Magistrate Leung Ka-kie Leung gave Cayambas a starting point of six months in jail and gave him a one third discount.

The case arose from the inflow and outflow of money totalling $147,394 in his HSBC account between 15th and 21st  of September, 2021.

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Pinay resident jailed 18 days for 4 assaults on Filipina DH

Building where assault happened (Google Maps photo)

A Filipina resident who pleaded guilty at Kwun Tong court two weeks ago to four counts of assault on her domestic helper, also a Filipina, was jailed today for 18 days.

May Esplana, a 37-year-old customer service officer, received discounts on her sentence from Acting Principal Magistrate Leung Ka-kie for pleading guilty last March 13.

Magistrate Leung initially sentenced her to six days in jail for each of the first three counts of assault on her DH, Justine Melendres, but only took two days from each and added these to the 12 days’ jail for the fourth charge.

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Since she had been in jail for more than two weeks, she would be released shortly.

The assaults were committed in Esplana’s flat on Ting Yip St. in Sau Mau Ping, Kowloon.

The first two charges of common assault were committed by Esplana on the helper on two separate occasions on Oct. 29 last year. She again assaulted Melendres two days later, on Oct. 31.

The assault was repeated the next day, Nov. 1, but leaving “actual bodily harm” on Melendres, resulting in the fourth charge.

The maximum penalty for assault occasioning bodily harm is three years' imprisonment while for common assault it is a year in jail.

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Non-urgent hospital visits to cost more from next year

 

Non-urgent patients will be charged more than 2x the current rate from Jan 1

Starting Jan 1, 2026, patients who go to public hospitals’ accident and emergency departments for non-urgent or non-emergency cases will be charged $400 instead of the current $180.

But patients who are in critical condition or need emergency services will not be charged.

The move is part of the government’s plan to revamp health care charges, with the higher fees taking effect over three phases from next year.

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Also as part of the new scheme is the adjustment of charges for other services, such as hospital stays and consultations at specialist and outpatient clinics.

To ease the effect on less financially able patients, the government plans to cap charges at $10,000 per patient per year, and help eligible people to apply for a total fee waiver when needed.

Health minister Lo Chung-mau said that what the government intends is to offer more help to indigent patients and those who are seriously ill.

The estimated $3 billion that will be generated from the initial phase of the scheme will go toward improving public health services, Lo said.

As part of the plan, a “co-payment model” will be introduced, in which patients will be charged between $50 and $500 for advanced and highly complicated pathology and non-urgent imaging tests.

But basic check-ups will remain free.

The scheme will also see patients being prescribed no more than four weeks' worth of drugs each time they go to public hospitals or clinics for a consultation.

Despite all these adjustments, the government is still expected to subsidize about 90% of the patients’ treatment in public hospitals, slightly down from 97.6 percent at present.

Hospital Authority chief executive Tony Ko said that from past experience, a number of patients would rather try alternative methods of care once a new fee structure is put in place.

"This enables us to have more capability to reserve our manpower resources to take care of the patients who really need emergency and accidents, and urgent care,” he said.

About 1.4 million residents are expected to benefit from the government’s plan to relax the income and asset requirements to qualify for a fee waiver, up from the current 300,000.

The HK$10,000 annual fee cap, on the other hand, is expected to benefit around 70,000 chronic or severely-ill patients who need to visit hospitals frequently.

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Pinay faces theft, obtaining property by deception charges

 

Kowloon City Court

An unemployed Filipina has been detained after appearing at Kowloon City Court, charged with stealing several items from a hostel guest, including five credit cards which she then allegedly used to purchase goods.

Mylene Navarro, 48, is accused of one charge of theft and four counts of obtaining property by deception. Acting Principal Magistrate Ko Wai-hung ordered her to remain in custody until the next hearing on May 21.

In a hearing on Mar.19, Navarro was alleged to have taken one mobile phone, one Rolex watch, and one wallet containing  HK identity card, one-way travel permit to the Mainland, $2,000 cash as well as five credit cards, with a total value of $96,095.50.

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The Police complaint alleged that the theft was committed on Nov. 23 in one of the rooms of Rainbow City Inn on Pitt Street in Yau Ma Tei.

The four counts of obtaining property by deception arose from Navarro allegedly using the credit cards for the following purchases later that day:

• $1,204 worth of goods from the Circle K store on Jordan Road, using a stolen Standard Chartered credit card.
• $2,292.50 worth of goods from the 7-Eleven store on Bowring Road, using a stolen Standard Chartered credit card.
• $227 worth of goods from the 7-Eleven store In the MTR Prince Edward station using a stolen HSBC credit cad.
• $204 worth of goods from the 7-Eleven store on Jordan Road, using a stolen HSBC credit card.  

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Filipina DH jailed 10 months in $834K money laundering case

 

A Filipina domestic helper was jailed for 10 months today after she pleaded guilty at the Kowloon City Court to two money laundering charges involving $833,935.01.

Jocel Pajela, 43 years old, was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment for the first charge of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable crime,” and six months for the second.

However, Acting Principal Magistrate Ko Wai-hung, made the first four months of the second sentence run at the same time as the first, leaving two months’ additional jail term.

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The first charge arose from the deposits and withdrawals of $478,503 in crime money in Pajela’s Hang Seng Bank account between July 12, 2023 and Sept. 6, 2023.

The second charge was for the $355,432.01 that went in and out of her Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. account on April 18 to 29, 2023.

Both acts violated the Serious and Organized Crime Ordinance.

Meanwhile, another DH walked free on bail of $2,000 from the Kwun Tong Court today despite the addition of two more money laundering charges against her, in which a total of $2.2 million in crime money allegedly passed though her three bank accounts.

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Eva Rose Tacda, 47 years old, initially faced one charge of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable crime,” according to the information filed by police on July 26, 2024.

The charge arose from deposits and withdrawals totaling $256,510.1 in her MOX Bank Ltd. account within two days, on Feb. 22-23, 2023.

The first of the two additional charges was for her alleged handling of $940,356 though deposits and withdrawals in her Standard Chartered Bank account on February 22-27, 2023.

Her third charge arose from the inflow and outflow of $983,839 in her HSBC account also on February 22-27, 2023, the police complaint added.

All of the alleged offences are  in violation of the Organized and Serious Crime Ordinance,

Acting Principal Magistrate Leung Ka-kie adjourned the case to May 20.

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