Judge gets impatient on 2 Pinays’ online pimping case

The illicit operation was said to have been run from
a luxury flat in Tregunter Path, Mid-Levels

By Vir B. Lumicao

For the second time, an Eastern Court magistrate has expressed displeasure at the delay in prosecuting the case against two Filipina domestic workers allegedly involved in an online pimping service operated by their employer.

Magistrate Peter Law made his comment as the prosecution said an investigation into the bank accounts of the company owned by the Filipinas’ employers showed it had made as much as $20 million from the illicit operation.

The prosecution asked for an adjournment for two more months but Law denied the request. He set the next hearing to Monday, Jan. 7, and remanded the two Filipinas in custody.

Law reminded the prosecution that defendants Jo-an Palpal-latoc and Jeanette Gallego had already spent eight months in detention with their case still stuck in court. Last August, he also chided the prosecution for the lack of movement in the case.

Palpal-latoc, 40, and Gallego, 47, both face a charge of living on the earnings of prostitution of others.

They were arrested for allegedly manning a number of dating websites offering sex to foreign tourists run by the company owned by their 69-year-old employer identified only as Ms. Wong, from her luxury flat in Tregunter Path, Mid-Levels.

Wong, her 72-year-old sister, and a male person were also arrested but were released on police bail while a separate investigation of their illicit business was under way.

The judge reiterated his concern over the Filipinas’ extended detention after the prosecution requested that the case be adjourned for two more months for further enquiry and legal advice.

The prosecutor said that since the previous hearing on Sept 7, investigators had looked for bank accounts of the two defendants, but found just one belonging to Papal-latoc. Gallego has no bank account.

Previously, she said the prosecution was planning to file an additional charge of money laundering against the two Filipinas for allegedly getting a tiny percentage of the money paid by foreign clients for the pimping services by Wong’s company.


Suportahan po natin ang ating mga sponsor:

Paninindigan ang kailangan

Dalawang buwan pa lang si Marilyn sa Hong Kong. Wala sana siyang problema kahit may dalawang aso na inaalagan dahil mabait naman ang kanyang amo.

Ang problema lang ay sobrang higpit nito pagdating sa paglilinis, lalo na ng kanilang mga bintana.

Walang grilles ang mga bintana kaya hirap na hirap si Marilyn sa paglilinis ng mga ito.

Ginagamitan niya ng glass wiper at spray ang mga ito pero hindi pa rin kuntento ang kanyang amo.

Minsan ay uuwi ito at inabutan si Marilyn ng safety belt at rope na ginagamit ng mga naglilinis ng salamin sa mga matataas na building, at inutusan ang Pilipina na gamitin ito para linisin ang labas ng mga bintana.



Nagulat man ay sinabi pa rin ni Marilyn na hindi niya puwedeng sundin ang utos ng amo dahil bawal sa mga domestic worker ang maglinis ng labas ng bintana kung walang tutuntungang sahig o balkonahe.

Gayunpaman, takot pa rin si Marilyn na ma-terminate dahil hindi niya sinundan ang utos ng amo. Kinausap niya ang isang kaibigan na maalam sa mga karapatan ng mga migranteng manggagawa at sinabihan siya nito na ipakita ang page 4, item no 6 sa kanilang kontrata kung saan malinaw na nakasaad na hindi siya dapat pinapaglinis ng labas na parte ng bintana.



Ayon sa kontrata:
“When requiring the Helper to clean the outside of any window which is not located on the ground level or adjacent to a balcony (on which it must be reasonably safe for the helper to work) or common corridor (“exterior window cleaning”), the exterior window cleaning must be performed under the following conditions:
1.    The window being cleaned is fitted with a grille which is locked or secured in a manner that prevents the grille from being opened; and
2.    No part of the FDH’s body extends beyond the window ledge except the arms.



Pinayuhan din si Marilyn na ipaalam sa Philippine Overseas Labor Office ang kanyang sitwasyon at magdala ng patunay, katulad ng litrato ng mga bintana na pinapalinis sa kanya.



Sinunod naman ni Marilyn ang mga payo. Ipinakita niya sa amo ang pagbabawal na nakaaloob sa kontrata, at agad naman daw itong tumawag sa kanilang employment agency para itanong ang tungkol dito.

Sinang-ayunan naman ng ahensiya ang kanyang sinasabi, kaya hindi na nagpumilit ang amo.



Laking pasasalamat ni Marilyn dahil hindi na delikado ang kanyang sitwasyon at hindi rin siya napilit na labagin ang itinakdang panuntunan sa kanyang kontrata.

Si Marilyn ay 38 taong gulang, may tatlong anak at tubong Bulacan. - Rodelia Villar


Suportahan po natin ang ating mga sponsor:

Sinanla kasi ang pasaporte

Balisa ngayon si Lara dahil hindi alam kung makakakuha siya ng bagong pasaporte para makabalik sa kanyang trabaho sa Hong Kong.

Umuwi siya sa Pilipinas noong ika-15 ng Disyembre para magbakasyon gamit ang travel document na may tatak na visa sa likod.

Wala siyang pasaporte dahil nakasama ito sa mga sinamsam noong Hulyo mula sa isang Intsik na “loan shark” na nambibiktima ng mga Pilipinang kasambahay. (http://www.sunwebhk.com/2018/07/hundreds-of-ofws-left-without-passports.html). 

Nang ipinaalam naman niya sa amo ang nangyari, pinauwi siya nito para makakuha ng bagong pasaporte sa Pilipinas.



Alinsunod sa patakaran kasi ay hindi siya puwedeng mag-aplay para dito sa Hong Kong, kaya binigyan lang siya ng Konsulado ng “one-way travel document” para makauwi ngayong Pasko.



Sa kanyang pagtatanong nakampante si Lara na makakakuha siya ng bagong pasaporte bago ang kanyang takdang pagbalik sa ika-2 ng Enero, pero hindi pala ito ganoon kadali.

Nang magpunta siya sa Department of Foreign Affairs ay sinabi sa kanya doon na walang approval ang Konsulado para bigyan siya ng panibagong dokumento.



Tulirong tinawagan niya agad ang isang kakilala sa Hong Kong para ipakiusap na tulungan siyang idulog ang kanyang kaso sa assistance to nationals section ng Konsulado para hindi na mabalam pa ang kanyang pagkuha ng bagong pasaporte at nang makabalik siya ng matiwasay sa kanyang amo.

Kahit ipinaalam naman niya sa kanyang amo ang nangyari ay natatakot pa rin siyang mawalan ng trabaho kapag hindi makabalik sa takdang araw.



Bukod sa pasaporte, kailangan din niyang kumuha ng OEC para hindi maharang sa airport pabalik sa Hong Kong.

Ilang buwan na ding iniinda ni Lara ang sakit ng ulo na dala ng pagsasanla niya ng pasaporte, kaya payo niya sa mga kapwa OFW ay huwag na huwag nilang isasanla ang kanilang pasaporte para makapangutang.



Si Lara ay tubong Aklan, 42 taong gulang at may dalawang anak. Ang kanyang amo ay taga North Point. - Rodelia Villar

Labatt pushes for regular medical tests for OFWs in Hong Kong

One of those who availed of free health tests gets advice. Those who showed abnormal readings of protein, blood glucose, pH, and ascetic acid have reportedly been put on a “watchlist” for further monitoring and education.

By Daisy CL Mandap

Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre has called on the Hong Kong government to require medical checkups for migrant workers who get signed up for new contracts by local employers.

The call comes in the wake of what Labatt dela Torre calls as the “scary” results from Project HealthWise, the free basic medical checkup for overseas Filipino workers which he introduced in early November in response to a worrying spike in the number of Filipino migrant workers contracting cancer or other serious ailments while at work in Hong Kong.

De la Torre revealed that statistics compiled by his office show that of the 1,441 Filipino migrants who underwent blood glucose testing, 14% were found to be pre-diabetic, while 7.63% were confirmed diabetics. This, he said was higher than the Philippine prevalence rate among adults of 6.2%.

“On the other hand, out of the 1,645 who underwent blood pressure measurement, 11.24% had elevated blood pressure levels, 17% were hypertensive and 2.5% had critical blood pressure levels, who were advised to immediately seek treatment or proceed to the hospital,”  he said.



Those who showed abnormal readings of protein, blood glucose, pH, and ascetic acid have reportedly been put on a “watchlist” for further monitoring and education.

On top of this initiative, Labatt dela Torre would like the Hong Kong government to make medical check-up a requirement for all migrants about to take up domestic employment here, whether as first-timers,  returning workers, or re-contracts.



However, he said there is no concrete plan yet on how this could be enforced, or who should bear the cost, or whether it will be on a per-contract of per-two –year basis. “We are still pushing this agenda to the Hong Kong government,” he said.

While the long-term effects of a periodic health examination for migrant workers could benefit both the employer and the worker in the long run, the mechanics of enforcing such a plan could be problematic. The standard employment contract for foreign domestic helpers might have to be revised again, less than two years after it was amended to include a ban on dangerous window cleaning by workers.  Or, a law could be passed to make this happen, but this could take an even longer time.



Still, the idea is not so far-fetched, as the Singapore government has been enforcing such a rule for its imported labor for years. Also, the need to get migrant workers in Hong Kong tested for possible health issues seem greater now than ever before.

Welfare officer Virsie Tamayao noted in an earlier interview that the number of Filipino domestic workers getting sick here of cancer appears to be on the rise, and that they appear to be more concentrated in Hong Kong than in more stress-filled destinations like the Middle East,  where she used to be posted.



In many of the cases, the disease was diagnosed at a late stage, making it more difficult to treat.

This was the phenomenon that prompted Labatt dela Torre to come up with Project HealthWise.

“Most of the time, it is preventable,” he said in an interview ahead of the project launch.. “That’s why it is important that our workers get regular check-ups so they can avoid getting sick.”



All bona fide OFWs can avail of the free health checks daily except Friday at the Polo offices on the 18th floor of Mass Mutual Tower at 33 Lockhart Road, Wanchai.

The check-ups offered consist of vital signs, blood glucose, urine, uric acid, HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis checks. Volunteer nurses also provide breast self-examination tips.

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