Filipina DH ‘shocked’ when rings found in her backpack

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina domestic helper has claimed in court of being shocked when her employer pulled out a diamond ring from the pocket of her backpack on Apr. 24.

Jeambreth Algura made the statement during her trial in Kwun Tong court on Jul 10 on a charge of theft for allegedly stealing two diamond rings owned by her employer, Lau Yi-ki.

Kwun Tong court 

Magistrate Chu Chung-keung reserved judgment on the case to Jul 23.

Algura who took the witness stand on the second day of her trial, told the court that Lau, who had been suffering from stress, sent her on an errand on Apr 24. When she came back, she noticed that her umbrella, which she usually put in the pocket of her backpack, was in the wrong place.

She also saw two police officers in the flat, and they told her she was being investigated for the loss of her employer’s two rings. Algura said she was not told by her employer that some rings were missing.

The maid then said she saw Lau opening her luggage and spilling all her personal belongings onto the living room floor, while her husband and the officers watched.

The employer then opened her backpack and also spilled its contents on the floor, Algura said.

Then the woman knelt, took something from underneath and lifted her left hand, saying: “This one! This one!” Algura said she saw one ring.

When one of the officers took the ring and went over to the employer’s husband, she said she noticed there were two rings. The officer approached Algura and asked her how the rings got into her backpack.

She said she did not know what to say because she was wondering how the rings got into the backpack.

“I was shocked,” she said when she was asked how she felt being suspected of stealing.

Upon cross-examination by the prosecution lawyer, Algura mentioned she was told once by the elder son of Lau, who lived in a separate unit,  that his mother wanted to take revenge on her because his younger brother was closer to the maid than their mother.

On Jul 10, the younger son, Ching-chun, gave evidence for the defense.  When asked about Algura’s performance, he said: “She is very helpful. In fact, she is very honest, even if she broke something, she would communicate with me immediately.”

He said Algura has been with serving the family 6-7 years. “She was very honest and a nice person,” he said, adding he was very close to her. The 16-year-old was only 8 when Algura took up her employment with the family in Yau Tong.

The young Lau said when the officers arrested Algura, he was very concerned about her. Asked by the prosecutor if he showed his concern for Algura to his parents, he said yes.

Algura was remanded in custody after the hearing. Chu had previously refused her bail application and so has the Court of First Instance. She has been in detention since Apr 24.

Filipinos in US$5 billion bank draft case press bail bid

The US$5 billion bank draf was presented to the HSBC headquarters in HK
(photo by J del Torre)

By Vir B. Lumicao

Eastern Court Magistrate Peter Law has adjourned a new bail application by two Filipino tourists arrested for allegedly presenting a fake US$5 billion bank draft to HSBC in June, while waiting for them to submit a Hong Kong address.

The counsel for Elmer P. Soliman, 57, and Eric Jude P. Soliman, 31, who claimed to be a secretary and engineer, respectively, applied for bail for his clients on Jul 13, saying their relatives were in court with bail money.  But Law demanded a local address from their lawyer.

“If I consider their bail application, where will they stay? They must give me an address,” Law told the lawyer.

He cited court records showing, third defendant, lawyer Eliseo L. Martinez , 46, had already provided an address in Saikung. His bail application, however, was still rejected.

The two Solimans also tried to apply for bail earlier, but the prosecution opposed their application.

The defense lawyer said the Solimans’ kin, tourists who were due to leave on Jul 19, would comply with the address requirement before they return home.

Magistrate Law adjourned the hearing until Jul 19 and told the defendants and their relatives to return on that date.

The three suspects were arrested on Jun 25 while transacting business at the HSBC main office in Central. The prosecution said the three defendants went that day to the bank with two other unidentified persons.

At the bank, Soliman reportedly talked to a female staff and opened an account, presenting a government bank draft for US$5 billion that was handed to him by Martinez. Suspicious staff called the police and the three were arrested.

A subsequent raid on their room in a Tsimshatsui hotel led to the seizure of a suitcase with documents.

The case is the latest in a series of failed attempts by Filipino tourists since December 2016 to cash allegedly spurious bank instruments involving billions of US dollars in Hong Kong financial institutions.

A Consulate officer monitoring the cases says money scams by people claiming access to Marcos-era hidden wealth in the form of bank instruments seem to be resurging. Those involved have reportedly been showing the fake documents to “investors” and have apparently lured Filipinos, many of them professionals, to come to Hong Kong to get them encashed.

This has been corroborated by informants in the Philippines who said some people are going around offering vouchers that entitle investors to a hefty profit once the bank instruments are exchanged for cash in Hong Kong.

      

Among recent cases was the one involving 75-year-old tourist Maria Ilao O. Gosilatar who was arrested by police, along with a local accountant, on Dec. 9, 2016, after they tried to cash a check for US$50 million at the Hang Seng Bank headquarters in Central.

The case is pending in the District Court for trial as Gosilatar waited more than a year before she could obtain the services of a lawyer assigned by Legal Aid.

Gosilatar, allegedly the chairwoman of a Bulacan-based charity group Mama Mary 2000 International Foundation, said Philippine police had told her she had been conned.

On Oct 18 last year, Elena S. Orosa walked into a Hang Seng Bank branch on Hankow St, Kowloon, to cash US$2 billion in bank drafts. She and a fellow Filipina were arrested after police were called. Orosa’s case is awaiting trial in District court.

The frequency of the apparent scams increased around the Lunar New Year this year, when visitor Noel Rambuyon presented a wad of Thomas Cooke traveler’s checks worth US$50,000 at a money shop in Central.

He was arrested and charged with “using a false instrument” in Eastern Court, but his case has been moved to the District Court.

The biggest of these allegedly false bank instrument cases involves Brudencio J. Bolaños, an elderly Filipino who allegedly tried to update his account at HSBC on Apr 9 using a US$943 billion deposit slip ostensibly issued by the bank on Jul 25, 1983.

His allegedly tried to convince staff that the document was genuine. He was nabbed and charged with “using a false instrument”. His case will be heard in District Court this July.

3 more suspects linked to online sex ring operating from luxury flat

 By Vir B. Lumicao

Investigators have linked three more persons to an online sex-for-sale business operating out of a luxury residential tower in Mid-Levels that police busted in a raid in May. 

Hearing is at Eastern Court

The involvement of the additional suspects was discovered during examination of a new set of accounting ledgers as well as credit cards that police found in the flat, the prosecution told Eastern Court Magistrate Peter Law on Jul 13.

The prosecutor did not say whether new arrests had been made.

The revelation came at the hearing of the case of Filipina domestic helpers Joan E. Palpal-latoc and Jeanette V. Gallego, who were arrested on May 15 for allegedly manning a number of dating websites that offered sex to foreign tourists.

The prosecution had said previously the two Filipinas admitted their roles in the online sex business during video-recorded police interviews. However the defense lawyer says he will challenge those interviews as they were held in the absence of counsel.

Palpal-latoc, 40, and Gallego, 47, are facing one charge each of “living on the earnings of prostitution of others” since 2009, when they were hired as domestic workers of a 69-year-old Hong Kong woman identified only as Ms Wong.

Wong, her 72-year-old sister, and a male person were arrested when officers raided the flat on the 43rd floor of Tavistock II residential block on Tregunter Path in Mid-Levels. They were released on police bail.

The prosecutor said later that the online sex ring was operated by a duly registered company that was based in the raided address.

Updating the magistrate on the progress of the investigation, the prosecutor said on Jul 13 that “most of the inquiries had been completed, a few were still outstanding, and all of the mobile phones seized had been inspected”.

He applied for a six-week adjournment, saying further investigation was needed following the discovery of the new set of ledgers and credit cards.

But the magistrate said that was too long as the case had been in court since May 18, and set down the next hearing on Aug 10.

No bail was sought for Palpal-latoc and Gallego, who were remanded in custody.

The two defendants had applied to post bail of $10,000 each after their arrest on May 15 and later increased their offer to $25,000 each, but the prosecution opposed the application, citing their lack of local ties and the risk of destroying evidence and absconding.

Labatt Jolly set to return to HK post next month

Labatt dela Torre in surprise visit to Filcom leaders at Bayanihan Centre
(photo by Resty Suareza)

By Daisy CL Mandap

Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre is set to retake his Hong Kong post on Aug. 1 -  assuming he secures an exemption from the ban on the transfer of government personnel ahead of national elections in May next year, and gets all the paper work done.

The order was in a memo issued on Jun 27 by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who recalled dela Torre on Mar 23 for still unknown reasons, sparking two angry protests by big community organizations in Hong Kong.

One of the protests held in March against Dela Torre's recall 

The reference to the election ban is, however, strange, as a resolution issued by the Commission on Elections in December 2015 imposed a freeze on the transfer of government officials and staff only from Jan. 10 to June 8 of the election year, a clear six months from now.

In the meantime, dela Torre’s designated successor, Leonida Romulo, is expected to arrive in Hong Kong by this Sunday, Jul 15, after her appointment was approved by the Hong Kong government.

But if dela Torre gets to return as scheduled on Aug. 1, Romulo, who only has a year to go before her compulsory retirement, would end up serving as labor attaché for just 15 days, unless both are somehow retained.

Dela Torre, who surprised many when he appeared unannounced at an event hosted by the Surigaonon Association yesterday, Jul 8, at the Bayanihan Centre, said he was not sure, either, of what to expect if Romulo was still in Hong Kong when he gets cleared to return.

He said he just came for a few days to attend to some matters and check his flat, which is still being paid for by funds from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

Dela Torre who was recalled with no formal charges being made against him, is set to finish only the remaining period of his original three-year appointment to the post, which is March 14, 2019.

New appointments to the same post are now for five-year periods.

In several interviews, Bello had accused him of several misdeeds, from favoritism in giving accreditation to employment agencies, to issuing overseas employment certificates to Filipino workers in China, to outright corruption.

But those in the know say the real reason the labor attache Torre got into hot water was his decision to reject a second job order for "entertainers" in Wanchai, after a surprise inspection he ordered showed the women were working clad only in skimpy outfits.

Dela Torre returned to Manila in mid-April, shortly after a visit by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, during which two top officials expressed support for his reinstatement: Special Adviser to the President Bong Go, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.

But despite the top-level endorsements, Bello stood by his decision until late last month, when he suddenly asked dela Torre to report to the DOLE head office, and reportedly told him to apologize and admit organizing the spontaneous protests in his favor.

On hearing about this, several Filipino community leaders who co-organized the popular protests all volunteered to step forward to mollify Bello over the perceived slight.

“Sige, aamin na ako,” said one leader who was half-amused by the reported order. “Sa totoo lang, ang dami naming dapat sisihin kung kasalanan talaga yan. Basta ibalik lang si labatt.”

Among the organizations that took active part in the protests were Unifil-Migrante HK, Global Alliance, National Organization of Professional Teachers, Mindanao Federation, Domestic Workers Corner, and many others.

Napakabait ng amo

Kamakailan ay natuklasan ng mga doktor na nasa stage 3 na ang cancer na dumapo kay Bella.

Dahil dito, inakala ng Pilipina na papauwiin na siya, katulad ng ginagawa ng ibang mga amo kapag nalamang malala na ang sakit ng kasambahay.

Ngunit kakaiba ang pagkabusilak ng puso ng kanyang mga amo. Hindi siya pinauwi, bagkus ay dinala pa sa isang pribadong ospital para doon magpa chemotherapy. Kung maari nga lang daw na dalhin siya sa Amerika upang ipagamot dahil may kapatid na doktor doon ang kanyang amo ay gagawin nila.

Nag-uumapaw ang pasasalamat ni Bella sa mga amo dahil wala na daw siyang mahihiling pa at napakabuti nila.

Dahil sa kanilang suporta at palaging pagsasabi na gagaling pa siya ay hindi nawawalan ng pag-asa si Bella. Uuwi lang daw siya kapag magaling na siya. Si Bella ay dalaga at kasalukuyang naninilbihan sa mga among Intsik sa New Territories. – Marites Palma

Hinaing ng inang OFW

Hindi sinasadya ay napakinggan ni Marie ang pakikipag-usap sa telepono ng isang kababayan na naluluha. Ang asawa ang kausap nito, at sinusumbungan dahil hindi daw sinasagot ng kanilang mga anak ang kanyang mga tawag, kahit umabot na ito sa 10 ring.

Hindi naglaon ay pati ang asawa ay sinita dahil hindi din daw ito sumasagot sa kanyang mga tawag. “Kaya nga binigyan ko kayo ng tag-iisang cellphone para kahit anong oras kung may pagkakataon ay makakausap ko kayo. Pero bakit ganun, parang balewala ako sa inyo?”

Kahit yung mga pm ko ay “seen” lang, pero walang sagot, sabi pa nito. Pero kapag pera daw ang pina-uusapan ay napakabilis nila lahat sumagot, at kapag nakuha na ay balik dedma na sila sa mga pm niya.

Sa sama ng loob ay nasabi ni kabayan na parang mga mukhang pera ang pamilya niya dahil hindi man lang siya mabigyan ng kaunting kunswelo sa gitna ng kanyang paghihirap na mabigyan sila ng magandang kinabukasan. Nakinig lang si Marie sa pakikipag-usap ng katabi pero nung pababa na siya ay tinapik niya ito sa balikat, sabay tanong ng “Ok ka lang ba, ate? Napangiti ang kausap at hinawakan nang mahigpit ang ang kanyang kamay, tanda ng pasasalamat. Gusto pa sana itong kausapin ni Marie ngunit kailangan na niyang bumaba.

Dahil nalungkot nang husto sa narinig na pakikipag-usap ng kapwa niya OFW, agad na nag-post si Marie ng paalala sa Facebook. Aniya, “Kayong mga anak ng OFW na nasa Pilipinas, bigyan niyo ring panahon na makausap ninyo ang inyong nga magulang kapag tumatawag sila sa inyo at mag reply kung nag p-pm sila sa inyo, dahil ang inyong mga  boses ay gamot sa homesickness naming magulang. Sa boses pa lang ninyo ay napapawi na ang pagod, lungkot at ano mang hirap na nararamdaman. Boses niyo pa lang lumalakas na ang aming kalooban na magtrabaho pa ng ilang taon para sa inyong kinabukasan. Sana mahalin niyo din ang inyong magulang kahit na wala sila sa inyong tabi.”

Laking pasasalamat na lamang ni Marie dahil ang kanyang nag-iisang anak ay napakaresponsableng bata. Lagi silang nag-uusap, kaya kahit malayo sila sa isa’t isa ay nararamdaman nila ang pagmamahal ng bawat isa. Si Marie ay tubong Isabela, may anak at kasalukuyang naninilbihan sa mga Briton na amo sa New Territories. – Marites Palma

Away: ang buong kuwento

Noong ilabas ng The SUN ang balita tungkol sa mga nag-rambulang Pilipino sa Central kamakailan, lumabas ang ilang detalye na wala sa mga naunang report sa ibang  media.

Sa pagmamadali kasi ng ibang kabaro namin sa industriya, isang panig lang – iyong naunang nagsumbong sa kakilalang tagapag-balita – ang lumabas sa mga naunang report, kaya ang kabilang panig lang ang binuhusan ng galit ng mga netizen. Makakita ka nga naman ng wasak ang mukha, na binugbog daw ng isang professional boxer, ano pa ang mararamdaman mo?

Pero dahil lumabas ang panig ng itinurong nambugbog – halimbawa, na isa sa kanila ay napukpok muna ng bote ng beer at pumutok ang ulo at labi, at ang itinuturong nambugbog ay hindi kasama sa kinasuhan ng pulis – nag-iba ang ihip ng opinyon.

Karamihan sa mga nagbilin ng reaksiyon sa balita sa The SUN ay, gaya ng sa nauna, galit pa rin sa isang panig at may nagbanta pang gaganti.

Pero alisin mo ang bangayan ng kakampi ng magkabilang panig sa Facebook page ng The SUN, may madidiskubre tayong mga mensahe na para sa lahat.

Gaya ni Gina Piago, na nagsabing: “Ilagay kc ang alak sa tiyan hindi sa utak.”

Sa tonong may pagtuya, sinabi ni Cristina Salinas Garcia: “antatapang tlga ng pinoy,mbuhay.

Sinag-ayunan siya ni  Samantha Ejudo Sulatra: “Tagay p more.”

Dagdag ni Anie Rivera: “Mayayabang kasi Ang mga pinoy pag lasing. Nagwowork ako sa bar sa wan chai Pero ni minsan wala pa akong nakitang mga lasing na mga Puti na nagrarambulan.”

Si Baby Jean De Leon naman ay nag-sermon: “Kayo din naman naperwesyo kong kayo nagpapahinga na laang sa kwarto niyo, at ngayon broadcast pa kayo may involved na Babae yari kayo ngayon sa asawa niyo sa pinas.”

Dagdag ni Agairdam Gnajac Reysally: “Ang alak nilalagay sa tyan hndi sa ulo. lalo na kng dayuhang manggagawa lamang tayo.”

Ipinakikita lang nito ang importansiya ng pagkuha ng buong kuwento, na walang bahid ng pagkampi kanino man. Ito ay isang tradisyon namin sa The SUN simula nang itayo ito 23 taon na ang nakararaan. 

Maniniwala ka pa ba sa iba?

Transparency and inclusiveness

For the first time in so many years, the Filipino community was not called to a meeting this year to discuss preparations for the annual Philippine Independence Day celebration.

As a result, only one Filcom organization took the lion’s share in co-organizing with the Consulate what had been bruited as a month-long celebration of the community’s biggest event of the year. And to be blunt about it, the festivities bombed.

For as long as I can remember, the annual celebration, which used to bring together as many Filcom organizations as could take part in the programme, always attracted a huge crowd.

This was true even when heavy rains threatened to ruin the whole-day merriment as what happened in 2010 when performers had to trudge through mud in Victoria Park, or earlier, when a 7-foot high backdrop collapsed onto a mercifully still empty stage in Chater Garden.

Fifteen years ago when I co-organized the event twice in one year as chair of the Philippine Association of Hong Kong, Chater was chock-full of people you could hardly see beyond the tops of their heads.

The first of these two was even held in the wake of SARS, when Hong Kong became a virtual ghost town. People, mostly Pinoys, turned out by the thousands even when there was no celebrity guest, and the entertainment was provided by various Filcom organizations which showcased the best they could offer from their region. The finale was a rousing dance number led by then Consul General Victoria Bataclan and several Filcom leaders she called on stage.

The same atmosphere of camaraderie and nationalistic fervor prevailed in so many other such celebrations up until last year.

So what could have gone wrong?

Leaders we have spoken with lamented the failure by the Consulate to skip the time-honored tradition of calling for a meeting to lay down the plans for the celebration, and open the participation to all Filcom organizations.

The PAHK, which for decades was the lead organizer for the Independence Day celebrations, was also jostled out of the picture when Air Asia was let in as the biggest sponsor of the main Chater event. That meant that PAHK and its traditional partner Philippine Airlines, had to take up the first Sunday slot because of the exclusivity provision in their sponsorship contract.

That also meant that Global Alliance, a relatively young organization which gained fame in the hit movie Sunday Beauty Queen because of its focus on organizing beauty contests, was left to coordinate preparations for all four Sundays of the celebration with the Consulate.

With related events stretched to four Sundays, and two of the Chater shows dominated by time-consuming beauty contests, it was no wonder many people chose to stay away. Add to that the fact that all but two or three Filcom groups were shut out of the celebrations and you get to see the full picture of why it was no longer the fun occasion it used to be.

There is also the touchy question of finances. The reason the PAHK had always led the celebration was as much tradition as it was transparency. As a licensed limited company the association is subjected to a strict audit, and is bound to issue a financial report to members during the annual general meeting.

In addition, its donations to charitable causes are open to scrutiny by everyone, and its choice of beneficiaries often goes through a vetting by the entire board. Its aims and objectives, including raising funds for charity, are also clearly set out in its Articles of Incorporation.

In comparison, the Consulate as a government entity, is prohibited by law from accepting private donations. When it works with organizations on projects that require the raising of funds it should also be wary lest it be seen as going around the prohibition that is rooted on a possible conflict of interest.

Associations formed by foreign domestic workers should, given the visa restrictions on the listed office bearers, also be careful about accepting money from big corporate sponsors as this could be equated with doing illegal work. This apart, there is also the question of how the money they received on behalf of the community should be accounted for.

Going against established practices is not bad in itself as it could lead to innovation, greater efficiency and new knowledge. But those who reinvent the wheel should be careful not to wreck a system that works simply because of a desire for change; or worse, create a problem when there was none.

There is strength in numbers, wisdom in consultation, and value in honoring traditions.

There is no reason to rock the boat just to make a difference.

Helper accused of indecent assault, threats on ward

By Vir B. Lumicao

A Filipina domestic worker has denied charges in Kwun Tong Court that she had indecently assaulted her nine-year-old female ward in Tseung Kwan O in March and hurt, or threatened to hurt her, on various occasions.

Chery C. Gano, who is in her 30s, pleaded not guilty to one count of indecent assault, two counts of common assault, and three counts of threatening to hurt the victim, who was identified only as “X”.

All the alleged assaults and threats on the victim took place between Feb 13 and Mar 5, according to the charges that were read to the defendant by an Ilocano interpreter in court. No further details of the cases were disclosed.

Gano, who is on bail, is represented by Mohammed Shah, who was appointed under the Duty Lawyers scheme.

The prosecution applied to Magistrate Bina Chainrai for a transfer of the case to the Kowloon City Court on Jul 27 for trial.

The prosecutor said the victim, who is in Primary 3, could not give evidence while she was still attending school, so the trial would have to wait until the school year is over.

Chainrai granted the application and extended Gano’s bail.

‘Costly’ birth documents hinder return of OFW mothers and children, NGO says

PathFinders provides support to vulnerable pregnant women and their children

By Vir B. Lumicao

Filipino migrant women with babies born out of wedlock in Hong Kong are sometimes deterred from going home by the high cost of obtaining birth certificates at the Consulate, says PathFinders, an NGO helping pregnant women in need.

The problem has become urgent as Immigration authorities have sped up hearing asylum and torture claims in the past year.

In some cases, migrant mothers would rather see their babies become undocumented or give them up for adoption because of the prohibitive fees, a PathFinders officer said.

As a result, the NGO, which helps migrant mothers obtain proper documentation for the children before they go home, is hoping the Consulate would waive some of the fees.

Jessica Chow

“Registering babies for birth certificates in the Consulate costs only $200, but for those born out of wedlock, it costs $800 to $1,000. It’s very expensive for the mothers,” said Jessica Chow, co-director of services, social work and healthcare at PathFinders.

The additional cost is said to cover the extra documents required before an illegitimate child can be issued a birth certificate.

These include fees for amending the personal details of a mother who came to Hong Kong bearing her husband's surname, which she can't give to her child sired by another man.

Chow told The SUN in an interview on Jul 4 that there had been instances where mothers would cancel or delay their planned repatriation because they couldn't pay for their children’s documentation. Under Hong Kong law, the mothers cannot work while their claims are being processed.

When that happens, she said, the NGO would try to find partners who would shoulder the cost of documentation and repatriation of both mother and child.

The Immigration Department has been speeding up its screening of asylum and torture claims and sending back home those who fail the process, in line with the Security Bureau chief’s call last year for faster reduction of the backlog.

As of the end of March, there were 255 Filipinos among the 4,420 claimants for non-refoulement, or against being sent back home, according to Immigration data. This is nearly half the peak of 483 Filipino applicants at the end of September 2016.

Carmen Lam

Carmen Lam, director of community education and outreach at PathFinders, told The SUN that the NGO is also adjusting to the new situation.   

“We have heard a lot of recent cases… facing deportation who were being repatriated quickly. Therefore, we have further developed our Home Country Integration Programme initiatives and strengthened our partnership with our community partners in assisting our migrant mothers and children to reintegrate in their home country,” Lam said. 

Lam said that in early September, a PathFinders team will visit the Philippines to evaluate the impact of the reintegration program and see what improvements need to be made, if any.

In a meeting in May with officials from the Consulate and other community partners, PathFinders obtained key contacts in the country who could help the returning mothers and children ease their way into Philippine society.