Father, son escape jail term for breaching Immigration rules

By Vir B. Lumicao

A “lazy” son who failed to renew his dependant visa for more than three years and nearly dragged his elderly father to jail as a result, had come out lucky after a magistrate in Shatin Court decided to suspend their sentences.

Jerykson de Leon, 27, pleaded guilty on Nov 21 to a charge of breach of condition of stay and his Taiwanese father, Li Chi-hung, 67, to aiding and abetting the breach.

After convicting the two, magistrate Wong Sze-lai scolded the son for his laziness.

“You overstayed in Hong Kong. You are lazy. You are a young person, you have to work and you must not just lie idle inside the house,” Wong said, noting that De Leon had three previous criminal records.

The magistrate sentenced De Leon to 16 days, suspended for a year, for overstaying in Hong Kong for more than three years.

Li was sentenced to two months in jail, suspended for 18 months, for aiding and abetting his son’s failure to renew his visa.

In mitigation, the defense lawyer said De Leon is Li’s child with a Filipina who decided to bring the boy back to the Philippines at a young age.

In 2010, De Leon came to Hong Kong to join his father. His visa was due for renewal in February 2016 but he lost his passport and Hong Kong ID card and did not bother to get them replaced.

It was Li who went to the Philippine Consulate early this year to apply for a new passport for De Leon.

Li’s counsel said the father, a night-duty security guard, was aware of his son’s visa expiry and reminded him about it when it was time to apply for an extension.

Li reportedly gave his son $1,000 to renew his visa but the latter failed to do so because he had lost his passport and ID.

De Leon’s new passport was granted in late January this year and Li accompanied him to Immigration to surrender for having overstayed.

But Li himself was also arrested on a charge of aiding and abetting his son’s breach of his condition of stay. 

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Filipina wins $19k from fake employer who tried to send her to China

By Vir B. Lumicao

Labatt dela Torre ordered the payment after being asked for help by the OFW

A Filipina has been awarded more than $19,000 compensation from a Hong Kong woman who pretended to be the employer who hired her four months ago, then tried to send her to China to work for another person.

The compensation order was made by Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre who met with the worker and the fake employer on Nov. 19

During the meeting, Dela Torre said he discovered that the domestic worker’s contract did not bear the name of the poseur and that the address given was different from where she was taken to work.  

Also, the chop on her contract was that of a sub-agent, and not by her Hong Kong employment agency.

Dela Torre said he told the local woman that what she was trying to do was in breach of Immigration rules.

He ordered the woman to pay the Filipina three months salary, or $13,320; plus a full refund of the Php40,000 ($5,960) that she paid her agency in the Philippines for training and other charges.

The woman reportedly agreed to do as she was told immediately.

According to the worker, she broke her contract after learning that she was to be sent to China to work.

She was reportedly told by the local woman that her “real employer” had already secured a China visitor visa for her, so she would be taken there to work.

The helper, a first-timer in Hong Kong, is using her 14-day visa extension to look for a new employer.

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Dinale ng dengue

Matindi ang pag-aalala at kaba ni Dory, 42, at Kapampangan, matapos ma-dengue ang kanyang anak, at pati ang kanyang pamangkin, kapatid at tiyahin.

Ganoon na lamang ang kanyang panalangin na sana ay hindi lumala ang kalagayan ng kanyang mga ito.

Nitong katatapos na buwan ng Oktubre ay lagi na lang dengue ang paksa ng kanyang pakikipag-usap sa mga kamag-anak.



Unang dinapuan ang kanyang kuya na 44 taong gulang, sumunod ang kanyang pamangkin na edad 10, pagkatapos ang kanyang tiya na 65 taong gulang, at nitong huli ay ang kanyang 15-taong anak naman.

Sa kanyang pakikipag-usap sa mga ka grupo sa Hong Kong ay isinawalat niya ang kanyang agam-agam, lalo na ang takot na baka walang gamot sa dengue na mabibili sa kanilang bayan, dahil nagkatakutan nang lumabas ang isyu tungkol sa dengvaxia.



“Ewan ko nga at bakit kung ano-anong mga sakit ang lumalabas ngayon sa atin,” sabi niya. Ni hindi daw niya sigurado kung kagat ng lamok lang ang talagang dahilan nito, at kung saan ito nakuha ng mga tao sa kanilang bahay.



Basta na lang daw nilagnat ang kanyang mga kaanak, at pabalik-balik pa ito. Lahat sila ay kinailangang manatili sa ospital ng tig-isang linggo para maobserbahan, dahil kung lumala ang dengue ay nakamamatay.



Mabuti naman at nang makalipas ang isang linggo ay gumaling na sila kaya pinauwi na sila isa-isa. – George Manalansan

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Nahiyang mag-advance ng sahod

Kasama ang pamilya ni Lyn na tubong Benguet sa naperhuwisyo nang manalasa ang bagyong Ompong sa Pilipinas. Nawarak ang kanilang bubong, nabasag ang salamin ng mga bintana at nabasa ang kanilang mga gamit.

Pasalamat na lang siya dahil hindi nasaktan ang kanyang ina na mag-isang naninirahan sa kanilang bahay.

May mga kapatid siya na nakatira lang sa malapit, pero nang magkaroon sila ng pagkakataon na puntahan ang kanilang ina ay basang-basa na ito at nanlalamig. Mabuti na lang at naisipan ng matanda na protektahan ang sarili sa pamamagitan ng pagpulupot ng kutson sa sarili.



Nasira ang bahay ng lahat ng kanyang mga kaanak kaya kinailangang tumira sa shelter.

Ipinadala ni Lyn ang lahat ng pera niya para makatulong pero hindi ito naging sapat dahil maraming anak ang kanyang mga kapatid.



Tinawagan si Lyn ng isa sa kanyang mga kapatid para muling magpasaklolo nguni’t wala na siyang maibigay.

Tinanong ng kanyang kapatid kung puwede ba siyang mag-advance muna ng suweldo sa amo, ngunit sinabi ni Lyn na hindi niya masabi dito ang tungkol sa kanilang pangangailangan dahil sa siya ay nahihiya.



Ayaw naman niyang mangutang dahil isa yun sa mga ipinagbabawal ng kanyang amo.

Tatlong araw na siyang balisa tungkol dito pero hindi pa rin siya mangahas na magsabi sa amo, kahit ito na lang ang natitira niyang pag-asa.



Ngunit kinagabihan habang nagluluto siya ay ito na mismo ang nagbukas ng usapan. Tinanong nito si Lyn kung kumusta ang pamilya nito.

Habang naghahalo ng ulam na niluluto ay naiyak na si Lyn sa harap ng amo, sabay sabi ng, “Maam sorry but I need your help. Would you mind if I can ask for a salary advance?”

Sumagot naman ang kanyang amo ng, “No problem, I will give you two months’ advance salary.”

Tinapik pa nito ang balikat ni Lyn at sinabing “Dont cry its okay. You have been good to us so I will give you your money.”

Wala nang nasabi pa si Lyn kundi ang, “Thank you, maam, and God bless your family.”

Laking pasasalamat niya dahil naramdaman niya ang bait sa puso ng amo niya.

Agad niyang tinawagan kinagabihan ang kapatid at sinabi na makakapagpadala na siya ng pera dahil bibigyan siya ng amo ng katumbas ng dalawang buwang suweldo niya para pantulong sa kanyang pamilya.

Galak na galak ang nanay niya dahil dito, at pinayuhan pa si Lyn na magpakabait sa amo at pagbutihin ang trabaho niya.

Pinaalala na lang ni Lyn na yun ay utang na kailangan niyang bunuin ng dalawang buwan. Kaya ihanda nila ang mga sarili na maghigpit ng sinturon dahil dalawang buwan din siyang walang maipapadala sa kanila.

Si Lyn ay 36 na taon, dalaga, at pampito sa 10 magkakapatid. Magdadalawang taon pa lamang sa mga among Intsik na taga Shatin sa New Territories. – Ellen Asis

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Elderly Pinay in fake US$50 million check case to stand trial

By Vir B. Lumicao

The elderly Filipina tourist accused of trying to cash a fake US$50 million check at Hang Seng Bank two years ago will face trial, after all.

This was after District Court Judge Ernest Lee decided on Nov. 20 to ignore an application to stay the trial on the ground that 76-year-old defendant Maria Ilao Gosilatar is in poor health.

Judge Lee set the trial for Jan 28 –Feb 1, adding an extra day to the original three-day hearing to allow the defense to make a stay application then.

Gosilatar, who is said to be suffering from a growing tumor in her brain, has been in police custody since Dec 9, 2016. 

She was arrested along with a local accountant while trying to cash the check at the Hang Seng Bank headquarters in Central, then charged with using a false instrument.

In the previous hearing on Nov 8, defense lawyers said they wanted the prosecution to consider halting the case against Gosilatar because of her poor health.

The trial was originally set for Oct 26-30, but had been postponed because the defense wanted to present a second medical report.

Shaun Kelly, for the defense, said at the latest hearing that his team had received the second medical report on Gosilatar from a Dr Mohamad.

Kelly asked for a break so he could confer with the prosecution about halting the trial, but Judge Lee said this could be done during the trial.

Gosilatar, who claimed to be the chairwoman of a Bulacan-based charity called Mama Mary 2000 International Foundation, had told the court that the check was donated to her charity by unidentified people.

Later on, she told the court she had received a report from Philippine police saying she was a victim of scammers. She did not elaborate.


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