9th support centre for ethnic minorities opens in Kowloon City

 

A lion dance greeted guests at the DREAM Centre's opening

The first of two new support service centres for ethnic minorities in Hong Kong opened in Kowloon City yesterday, Dec. 3.

Officiating at the opening of the DREAM Centre on the fifth floor of Kowloon City Plaza was Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki and the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Alice Mak.

In his speech, Chan said the government has always attached great importance to providing support for ethnic minorities to help them integrate into the local community.

He mentioned that the Chief Executive had announced in his 2023 Policy Address that two new support centres for EMs will be set up, on top of the eight already existing. DREAM Centre is one of those, while the tenth will open in Shatin soon.

In this year’s Policy Address the Chief Executive said that in addition, a new support centre that will augment the translation and interpretation services provided by CHEER Centre will be set up by next year.

Chan expressed hope that the new initiatives will further promote the EMs’ integration into the community.

Chan says the centres are tasked with helping ethnic minorities integrate into HK society

DREAM Centre, which is operated by International Social Service Hong Kong, provides a number of support service for EMs, including language classes, special interest classes, after-school tutorial classes, youth activities, as well as counselling and referral services.

The Centre will also provide help in accessing public services, including provision of workstations for accessing the Internet and distribution of multilingual guides to services provided by the Government and non-profit-making organisations.

An EM Care Team set up by the DREAM Centre has also started providing service.

The existing eight support service centres for ethnic minorities are located in Wan Chai, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Tung Chung and Kwai Tsing.

DREAM offers tutorial, counselling and special interest classes, among others

DREAM Centre is open everyday except during public holidays. Its operating hours are from 9am to 6:30pm on Mondays and 9am to 9pm from Tuesdays to Sundays.

For more information about its services, call the Centre’s hotline at 3104 4044.

Trial begins for Filipino tourist charged with trafficking $3.5M worth of cocaine

 

9 packets of cocaine were found inside the 2 bags that Leybag carried

A Filipino tourist who flew into Hong Kong from Dubai with nearly 4 kilos of cocaine in his bags more than two years ago, was put on trial for drug trafficking starting today at the Court of First Instance.

Antonio S. Leybag, Jr., 66,  does not deny that his briefcase and carry-on bag yielded 3.95 kilos of a substance that was nearly pure cocaine, when he was stopped on arrival at Hong Kong International Airport at the height of the Covid pandemic in May, 2022.

However, he pleaded not guilty to the charge of drug trafficking, saying he was unaware of what the bags contained.

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Prosecution, however, is insisting Leybag knew exactly what was inside his bags, and in fact, had admitted to the arresting officer that he was paid US$1,000 by a man in Brazil to transport the cocaine.

He was also said to have “voluntarily” signed a cautioned statement admitting the offence.

According to the prosecution, the street value of the drugs found in Leybag’s possession was $3.588 million.

High Court Judge Amanda Woodcock is presiding over the trial where a jury composed of six men and one woman will decide on the verdict.

Under Hong Kong laws, drug trafficking is a capital offense for which the maximum sentence is life imprisonment and a $5 million fine.

According to the prosecution, Leybag, who was assisted in court by an Ilocano interpreter, arrived on board a Qatar Airways flight from Doha at about 5pm on May 23, 2022.

He had flown out originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and passed Doha on the way to Hong Kong.

Leybag, who was wearing dark-colored hoodie and a windbreaker, passed through the “green lane,” which is reserved for travelers who do not have dutiable goods to declare to customs.

A customs officer conducting random spot checks on arriving passengers stopped him and asked if he did not have anything to declare and he said “no.”

One of the three customs officers who testified on the first day of the trial said that Leybag’s bags were then put through a secondary inspection.

After their apparent contents had all been taken out, he said the bags still felt heavier than normal, so he put them through an x-ray machine, and saw that they contained other things that were not readily apparent.

The officer said he also noticed that the cloth flaps inside the suitcase had glue marks around them. After a hole was drilled into the suitcase, some “white matter” spilled out, so Leybag was held on suspicion of drug trafficking.

At the direction of Judge Woodcock, the officer showed the court where he found the glue marks inside the suitcase, and the hole that was punched to check if there was something hidden underneath the exposed compartment.

Further checks showed that Leybag’s briefcase and suitcase contained a substance weighing a total of 3,951 grams, of which 3,410 grams was pure cocaine.

However, a fingerprint analysis conducted on Aug16, 2022 yielded fingerprints that did not belong to anyone, said the prosecution.

Leybag was cautioned that he had the right to remain silent, and anything he said during the investigation would be put in writing and used against him. 

But according to the officer, the defendant chose to give a statement, assisted by an Ilocano interpreter, during which he said he was given a US$1,000 reward for transporting the drugs from Brazil.

The trial continues, and is expected to last until Monday, Dec. 9.

 

Filipina in theft-robbery case to be heard next year

 

Quarry Bay street where theft from a car happened (Google Maps photo) 

A theft case that dates back to 2022 involving a Filipina and two fellow asylum seekers, has been consolidated with a newer case where both her co-accused are facing a robbery charge, and scheduled for trial at the District Court in September next year.

Cheryl de Vera, 40 years old, has pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing, together with Sidhu Brar Gurmuk Singh, 30 years old, an Octopus card and $600 cash from a car parked in front of Showboat Mansion in Quarry Bay on Aug. 28, 2022.Another man, Gursewak Singh, 30 years old, was added in the consolidated case.

The robbery charge, on the other hand, names both men as having stripped 74-year-old Tsui Tai-on of a waist bag with a HKID, senior ID, a house key, Octopus card, mobile phone and $16,000 in cash in the early hours of the same day in Kowloon City.

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District Judge W.K. Kwok scheduled a pre-trial review for May 8 next year, and a seven-day trial starting on Sept. 8.

He ordered de Vera and Sidhu freed on bail of $2,000 and remanded Gursewak in jail custody.

Newspaper reports at the time said two men approached the elderly cardboard collector as she sat at about 3am on a flight of stairs outside Kowloon City Plaza at the junction of Lion Rock Road and Carpenter Road in Kowloon City, and was sorting used carton boxes she had collected.

One of them reportedly sat next to the victim and talked to her before stealing her waist bag while the other approached from behind and covered her mouth to prevent her from shouting.

Reports later said one suspect was arrested in connection with the case on Sept. 2.

A theft charge was filed against de Vera and Sidhu while Gursewak was still at large. After Gursewak was arrested, a separate case of robbery was filed against him and Sidhu.

This is not the first time that a trial was scheduled when this was originally a theft case. 

Last Jan. 30, District Judge CP Pang set a five-day trial from Jan. 13 next year, with a pre-trial review scheduled for Dec. 5, 2024. These court dates have since been cancelled.

Filipina, Dominican charged for fighting in public

 

Wanchai corner where fight occurred (Google Maps photo) 

A Filipina charged with fighting in public, pleaded not guilty today at Eastern Court while her alleged opponent did not show up, resulting in an arrest warrant being issued against her.

M. Caballero, 30 years old, denied fighting in public with L. Manana, also aged 30 and a Dominican Republic national, on the corner of Lockhart and Luard roads in Wanchai last Oct. 6.

Both were charged with violating section 25 of the Public Order Ordinance, which prescribes a maximum fine at level 2 ($5,000) and imprisonment for 12 months..

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Both were listed as unemployed.

With Caballero’s denial, Principal Magistrate Don So scheduled a pre-trial for Feb. 17 next year and released her on $500 bail. When signing the yellow document informing her of the new court date, she showed her Philippine passport as identification.

Because she was absent, Manana was ordered arrested and her police bail reserved. Magistrate So also set a new bail of $10,000 for her temporary liberty while the case is ongoing.

 

HK welcomes millionth visitor from Philippines this year

 

Disneyland is a favorite destination

Hong Kong recorded last Saturday, Nov.30, the arrival of its millionth visitor from the Philippines, marking an all-time high.

The number far surpassed the previous record of 930,000 Filipino visitors set for the entire 2018, just before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The millionth Filipino visitor was identified as Miguel Linao, who arrived in Hong Kong last Friday with his wife and children.

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Linao said in an interview that their milestone visit was unexpected although it was not their first time to visit Hong Kong, which is just 2.5 hours away by plane. 

They  came this time to accompany their daughter to a gymnastics competition and do some sightseeing.

The Linao family being welcomed by HKTB officials

Leading the welcome for the Linao family was the the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) which announced  yesterday that it recorded a remarkable 36.67 million visitor arrivals in the first 10 ten months of 20214, a 37% increase compared to the previous year.

Avenue of the Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui is also a favorite among Filipino tourists

The Board is targeting a total arrival of some 46 million tourists by the end of the year.

Travellers from Southeast Asia made up a big chunk of this number, with their numbers exceeding 2.3 million, about 95% of pre-pandemic levels.

And around half of these were Filipinos.

By the end of October,  a total of 920,000 Filipino tourists had come, marking a 127 per cent increase compared to pre-Covid levels.

“The increase in international visitor arrivals in the first 10 months of 2024 has been encouraging, especially from Southeast Asia,” HKTB executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat said.

“We are thrilled that Hong Kong has become the top travel destination for Filipino travelers.”

A typical Southeast Asian tourist spends about $7k when in HK

Tourists from the region said their preferred destinations include  the theme parks, the Ladies’ Market in Mong Kok, Avenue of the Stars and the vicinity of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.

According to HKTB’s Departing Visitor Survey, the typical visitors from Southeast Asia stayed for 3.4 night, spending about $7,100 per person.

Pinay helping prosecute agent gets sentence put off anew

 

The Shatin Court has put off for the second time the sentencing of a Filipina who earlier admitted that she paid $12,000 to an agent to find her a fake employer willing to sign her up as a domestic helper.

The prosecution asked for another six weeks’ adjournment on Friday (Nov. 29) to allow M. David, 32 years old, to cooperate further with Immigration officers in the investigation to bring that agent to justice.

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Magistrate David Chum set the next hearing on Jan. 10 next year and freed David on $1,000 bail.

Last Nov. 1, David pleaded guilty to “making a false representation to an Immigration officer lawfully acting or in the execution of Part III of the Immigration Ordinance” by presenting on Oct. 2, 2022 a fake contract that resulted in her being granted a DH visa extension on Oct. 27, 2023.

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She also admitted that she never met or worked for her supposed employer, Wu Cheuk-ti, who was paired with her by the agent, who processed her papers.

David found herself in this arrangement after she was terminated by her previous employer and she found her way to an agent in May 2023 who offered her a fake work contract that could be used to process her visa, for a $12,000 fee.

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In the Nov. 1 hearing, her lawyer requested Magistrate Andrew Mok to withhold her sentence and asked for a four-week adjournment to give the Immigration Department time to assess her offer to help investigate the agent, which could affect the sentence.

 

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Mabatid, Gamallo & 4 others charged with large-scale illegal recruitment

 

Mabatid (in white) is confronted by OFW-applicants in HK 
who asked  for police help to demand a refund

The Philippine Justice Department has filed large-scale illegal recruitment and estafa charges against Cebu-based recruiters led by former Cebu City councilor Prisca Nina Mabatid, for allegedly offering   jobs to Canada in the guise of student visas, to 11 complainants.

Named as Mabatid’s co-accused in the case were her partner, lawyer Russ Mark T. Gamallo, Clark M. Jueco, Vincent Adam Hechanova, Clint Victor A. Caingles and Noverna “Bernie” S. Uy.

They were all indicted for allegedly using Opportunities Abroad Visa Processing Services Inc., a company not licensed with the Department of Migrant Workers, to promise jobs in Canada to the complainants in the guise of student visas.

After being told to pay at least Php104,000 (US$1,700) each, the complainants were made to sign a  memorandum of agreement (MOA) which stipulated that they could not claim a refund for whatever happened to their applications.

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Mabatid and Gamallo are also accused of about 20 overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong of having duped them into applying for student visas in Canada, saying they were to go there on a "study-work program." The recruitment activity on Feb. 19, 2023 is fully recorded on video by some of the applicants.

Also named in the complaints filed with the Hong Kong Police and the Philippine Consulate General is former overseas Filipino worker and known blogger Bryan Calagui.

The DOJ complainants are shown at a rally against Mabatid organized
by Migrante International, which helped them pursue thier case

Large-scale illegal recruitment is a non-bailable offence punished with life imprisonment under Sec 6 of RA 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, as amended by R.A. No 110022.

Estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code is punishable with imprisonment ranging from a few months to several years, depending on the gravity of the offence and the amount involved.

In Mabatid’s case, the DOJ recommended that she be indicted for four counts of syndicated illegal recruitment and four counts of estafa, for her "active participation" in four orientations, either as speaker, moderator, designated contact person or recipient of the payments.

Gamallo, along with Hechanova, Caingles, Uy and Jueco were deemed liable for the illegal recruitment of seven applicants.

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"They admitted to being aware of their company's advertisement campaigns/orientations and have actively participated therein either as speakers, signatory to the MOAs and MOUs, (memorandum of understanding) or recipients of the payments of the complaints," said the Resolution.

Gamallo is indicted for seven counts of syndicated illegal recruitment and seven counts of estafa.

Hechanova is charged with seven counts of illegal recruitment, one count of simple illegal recruitment, and eight counts of estafa.

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Uy faces the most number of charges: eight counts of syndicated illegal recruitment  and one count of simple illegal recruitment, plus nine counts of estafa. 

Finally, Jueco was indicted for eight counts each of syndicated illegal recruitment  and estafa as he admitted  signing the MOAs that the complainants were made to sign.

The indictment

The case arose from the complaints filed by Adolfo P. Taol, Amihan R. Alvarez, Lara Mae M Tamio, Timothy Paul Prudente, Ronel G. Robles, Vianca A. Doce, Eduardo F. Corpuz, Jr., Marlon C. Aloc, Freia Gin B. Jardencio, Jelene Mhay Raqueno, and Nerceilen D. Cotillon.

They claimed to have been enticed to apply for the study-work scheme by the accused using  OAVPSI, during recruitment seminars held in various parts of the country, including Cavite, Batangas, Laguna and Ilocos Sur.

Ten of the complainants were found to have provided sufficient ground for the filing of charges against the accused. However, Raqueno’s complaint was dismissed because she made no mention in her complaint-affidavit and during the clarificatory hearing that she was promised a job in Canada.

The successful claimants who said they learned about the recruitment through Facebook and other social media, claimed they were assured by the respondents that they could work in Canada to support their studies and living expenses.

In addition, they were allegedly promised they could get student visas in just three months, and that they would be granted a loan of Php1 million each as “show money” to support their application for the visa.

After being forced to sign the MOA, they said the respondents made no genuine effort to help them secure the promised visa. They were also denied their requests for a refund.

Mabatid's flyer for her recruitment session in HK clearly promises visa in 3 months

The complainants said they were enticed to enlist because the group was supported in its recruitment drive by local government units and some Public Service Employment Office (PESO) branches.

Mabatid and her co-accused also told the applicants they had the support of powerful politicians like President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Senator Raffy Tulfo and entertainment personality Willie Revillame in their recruitment activities.

In their defense, the respondents said they were not engaged in any recruitment activity as they only offered student visas and not employment. As proof, the complainants should have presented employment contracts detailing the alleged job offer, in line with Philippine laws, according to them.

Mabatid also denied any affiliation with OAVPSI, but said she assisted in setting up the company whose president and CEO is Gamallo, and not Jueco as alleged by the complainants. She also claimed that the reason the complainants' applications did not prosper was because they chose not to pursue them.

However, the DOJ said, “The mere denial of the respondents that they are not engaged in any recruitment activity cannot prevail over the complainants’ positive identification of the respondents as the persons who made representations to them to have the capability of sending them to Canada for schooling and employment.”

Further, it said that the illegal recruitment in this case is deemed committed by a syndicate as it was sufficiently established that more than three persons in this particular instance, acted together in the illegal recruitment of the complainants.

The respondents were also deemed to have committed estafa for having made fraudulent representation to entice the applicants to part with their money.

The resolution was made by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Susan B. Azarcon and approved by Prosecutor General Richard Anthony D. Fadullon.

After the Resolution is submitted in court, the judge may immediately issue warrants of arrest against the accused. But they may hold it off by submitting a motion for reconsideration to Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla within 15 days after receipt.

 

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Tuen Mun court jails 2 Filipinas for money laundering

The Filipinas were convicted in Tuen Mun court

Two more Filipinas who allowed their bank accounts to be used for laundering of crime money that totalled some $2.3 million and $468,388, respectively, have been jailed by the Tuen Mun Court.

Fe Ello, 43 years old and a Hong Kong ID card holder who has no fixed address, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by Acting Principal Magistrate Daniel Tang Siu-hung after she pleaded guilty last Monday (Nov. 25).

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She was charged by Yuen Long Police last Oct. 7 with dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence, in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The charge arose from $2,286,680.65 having been deposited into and withdrawn from her Standard Bank account between the 20^th and 30^th of June, 2023.

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Yesterday (Nov. 29), Febeelyn Tabangcura, 46 years old, was jailed for six months by Magistrate Tang after pleading guilty to the money laundering charge filed last Oct. 3 by Yuen Long Police.

The charge arose from the inflow and outflow of $468,388 from her Bank of China account from June 12 to Sept. 30, 2019.

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Tabangcura, a domestic helper, was charged with dealing with property “in whole and in part directly and indiretly represented any person’s proceeds of an indictble offense.”

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HK unveils plan to put cap on helper loans

 by Daisy CL Mandap

The plan is to base the loan on the helper's monthly income 

The Hong Kong government said it plans to open a public consultation early next year on limiting the amount of money that foreign domestic helpers are allowed to borrow.

The plan is to base the amount on the monthly income of loan applicants, said Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Chan, in a written response to legislator Chan Han-pan on Tuesday.

“To step up efforts in addressing the over-borrowing issue of certain groups such as FDHs and young people, the Government is reviewing the existing regulations on money lenders, including exploring to set a borrowing cap on unsecured personal loans based on the monthly income of intending borrowers, alongside enhancing publicity and education,” said Chan.

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The government is now formulating measures in line with this plan, and will announce the details of the public consultation “in due course,” he added.

His statement came on the day the police disclose the raids on two mobile phone companies and a money lender suspected of  illegal lending activities and money laundering targeting migrant workers. The rates of interest reportedly ranged from 400% to 3,000%.

In the past, Sun said the government would remind helpers through publicity and other promotion efforts to “exercise financial prudence and avoid borrowing from finance companies.”

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At the same time, it has been continuously taking and enhancing measures to regulate the business practices of money lenders.

But the effort does not seem to be having much impact lately, when even employers have been subjected to harassment by collectors for lending companies.

From a total of four such cases reported in 2023 and none in 2022, there have been 9 in the first 10 months of the year already, according to statistics he provided to legislators.

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The outstanding debt in these cases was mostly not provided, but those that were, reportedly  ranged between $1,000 and $16,800.

Previous media reports indicated that in some of these cases, the employers were the ones harassed by debt collectors, threatening to shame them on social media if they did not pay up. At least one employer reported having red paint splashed in front of his office by the collectors.

On the question of whether FDHs should be stopped from using their employers’ addresses when applying for loans, Sun said an employer who finds out that his/her residential address was used improperly should contact the money lender concerned and demand that the improper debt collection be stopped.

As to individuals used as loan referees, Sun said their written consent should be provided along with the loan agreement. If no such written consent is provided, the money lender should refrain from contacting the referee.

But even if consent is acquired, that role as a referee ends when the loan is granted, said Sun. In other words, the referee should not be harassed or contacted even if the debtor reneged on the promise to repay on time.

On the so-called issue of job-hopping, Sun said there has been a significant decline in the number of FDHs found to have engaged in the practice of changing employers on a whim.

Of the 1,557 FDH applications referred to Immigration’s special duties team for follow-up due to suspected “job hopping” in 2023, 502 were eventually rejected.

The resulting number of just over 1,000 “job hoppers” was notably lower than the 5,844 recorded in 2020 and 2,833 in 2021, he added  

Sun said the situation has significantly improved after the passing of the revised Code of Practice for Employment Agencies in May.

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