The SUN HK

HK Police urge people to stay off streets as ‘rioting’ continues

Posted on 01 October 2019 No comments

By The SUN

Petrol bombs thrown inside Tai Wai MTR station tonight cause pockets of fire (RTHK photo)

The police are appealing to everyone to remain indoors, saying there has been rioting across Hong Kong, with “many people” getting injured as the rioters set fires at various places and damaged property.

The warning, issued just after 7pm today, Oct. 1, came about an hour after police apologized for firing live bullets at protesters, critically injuring an 18-year-old student in Tsuen Wan.

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Various reports said the Form Five student was with a group that was using rods and sticks to beat an officer on the ground when another policeman approached and fired at the group with his pistol at point-blank range.

The injured youth was rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital where he was operated on, and will reportedly be transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for further examination.

TV screen grab of the boy who was shot in the chest (RTHK photo)

The biggest anti-government protests to date was held on the 70^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The traditional early-morning celebration of the event was held at the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wanchai without incident.

Leading the Hong Kong celebration was acting Chief Executive Mathew Cheung. Chief Executive Carrie Lam joined the national celebration in Beijing, led by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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The anticipated city-wide demonstrations shut down many malls and key stations of the MTR, starting with Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and Admiralty, and as the protests spread, included the entire Tsuen Wan and Ma On Shan lines.

By this evening, 50 of the 91 stations of the MTR had been closed. Many road routes were also blocked, forcing many buses and taxis off the streets.

Throughout the day, protesters armed with molotov cocktails, metal poles and even corrosive liquid, engaged police in pitched battles, who in turn used tear gas, rubber or bean-bag bullets, colored water from fire trucks and now, live rounds of ammunition.

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As of 6pm, the Hospital Authority said at least 31 people have been injured in protest-related incidents, with two in critical condition.

The massive protests led thousands of people stranded in several areas, particularly in Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun.

Image may contain: sky, tree, ocean, outdoor and nature

Many people spent the day relaxing on the beach,
seemingly unmindful of the tension brewing across the city

But for others who chose to stay in relatively peaceful areas like Quarry Bay and further down South, life went on as usual, with many frolicking on the beach and dining in restaurants.

But for the first time in so many years, the throngs of visitors from the Mainland who used to spend the “Golden Weekend” encompassing China’s National Day were nowhere to be seen.

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Prisoner-activist Mario delos Reyes to be freed after 26 years

Posted on 30 September 2019 No comments

Mario Delos Reyes is flanked by Consul General Bernie Catalla and Fr. Rodolfo Jacobe after receiving his certificate for finishing a Master's degree in Business English. ATN staff Hermogenes Cayabyab Jr. is leftmost.

By Daisy CL Mandap

For more than a quarter of a century and a third of his life, Mario delos Reyes languished in Stanley Prison for a murder he has always claimed he did not commit. He fought for years to get a fixed sentence so he would know for sure when he could leave the maximum-security jail, but now that this has happened, he confesses to being suddenly confused.

Delos Reyes, who is now 62, is set for release on Oct. 5 after being in jail for more than 26 years. He shared the good news with The SUN in a letter he sent recently.

“I was given a fixed sentence of 39 years last June subject to the approval of the Chief Executive and it was signed and confirmed at the end of July. I will only serve a third of the nominal sentence due to good behavior and a spotless prison record so I will just serve 26 years and my release date will be this coming October 6 but (as that) falls on a Sunday, then I will released on a Saturday, (a) one day further reduction,” he says in his letter.

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While happy that he will soon be a free man again, Delos Reyes is also understandably confused. After all, a lot of things have happened since he got locked away, most notably the advent of the internet and all the new technology that came with it. It will not be easy, either, getting used to not having a fixed daily routine, and having his movements monitored throughout the day.

After 26 long years, he will also have to move back to the Philippines and pick up the pieces of his life together with his wife, Gigi and their three children who are now all adults.

“Since I got my sentence for almost two months now, I’ve felt very confused and cannot think rationally as if my mind is a blank. Hahaha! Maybe I am just eager to go out,” he said.

A young Mario visiting HK before coming here to work as driver/tour guide in 1989

Delos Reyes’ prodigious writing, keen interest on current issues, and relentless campaign for the enforcement of the Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners Agreement between Hong Kong and the Philippines have made him probably the best known Filipino inmate in Hong Kong.

But being sentenced to an indeterminate term weighed heavily on him, especially after he reached his 20th year behind bars, when he knew he could already ask for a fixed term. Twice he tried, but was rejected each time. The last time this happened, the Long Term Prison Sentence Review Board merely said he had served an “insufficient” period of time.

This was despite his spotless record in prison, his completion of numerous academic courses, the last of which was a Master’s in Business English, and the help and encouragement he’s given to fellow prisoners, especially Filipinas who were caught acting as drug mules for syndicates.

Delos Reyes, who was then working as a driver and tourist guide in Hong Kong, was arrested in April 1993, two months after he was put on the wanted list for the death of Eduardo Vera Cruz in a gang attack in Sai Kung.

Charged with him were his fellow members in the “Utol” gang, Orlando Pagatpatan, and his friend referred to in the case records only as Marlon, who managed to flee to the Philippines to avoid arrest.

Two others originally charged with them, Naty Palenia and her 21-year-old son Reynaldo, were eventually discharged and became prosecution witnesses.

During trial, it emerged that it was Marlon who delivered the fatal blows on Cruz, but the knife that was used to stab him belonged to Delos Reyes. To this day, Delos Reyes claims he did not know Marlon had his knife, and that he did not take part in assaulting the victim before he was stabbed.

Making it more tragic for Delos Reyes was the fact that did not even know the victim, but was only asked by Palenia to act as their driver in confronting Cruz, who had allegedly accused her son Reynaldo of being a drug addict.

Both Delos Reyes and Pagatpatan were found guilty on a unanimous verdict by the jury on Feb. 24, 1994 of a charge of conspiracy to murder. Judge Stuart Moore immediately sentenced the two to life imprisonment after condemning them for their “cowardly attack” on Cruz.

But a year later, Judge Moore wrote a letter to the governor in support of future sentence reviews for the two, saying the outcome of the case “might have easily gone either way” and that a “merciful jury” may have decided on a verdict of manslaughter.

Despite having such a compelling endorsement from the trial judge, it would take a quarter of a century before Delos Reyes could see the light at the end of the tunnel again.

Delos Reyes, a native of Laoag, Ilocos Norte, is the eldest of four children. Through the dint of hard work he managed to graduate from Wesleyan University, before deciding to become a soldier. He came to Hong Kong on an employment visa in 1989.

In his letter, Delos Reyes expressed confusion as to whether he will be allowed to remain in Hong Kong after his release, saying he had a HKID and a working visa when he was arrested.

Police rehabilitation officers have also reportedly told him they would monitor his activities for 24 months after his release, should he choose to remain in Hong Kong. But NGO workers are reportedly advising him to just return to the Philippines to enjoy the company of his family as he is already past 60 years old and the standard of living in Hong Kong is very high.

But Consul Paul Saret, head of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section, says Delos Reyes would most definitely be put on a plane back to the Philippines as soon as he is released from Stanley Prison.

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Pinoy arrested in Mong Kok protest 'could face more charges'

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Pioquinto being tackled by police before his arrest during the Mong Kok protest on Aug 3

By Vir B. Lumicao

Prosecutors say more charges may be filed against a Filipino performer at Disneyland who was arrested during a police dispersal operation against anti-government protesters in Mong Kok on Aug. 3.

Jetro Pioquinto faces a charge of illegal assembly and is out on $10,000 bail.

The prosecutor told Kowloon City Court on Sept 30 that investigators are planning to add more charges against Pioquinto based on his alleged contacts with other protesters.

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He made the disclosure after opposing an application by Pioquinto to be allowed to fly home to the Philippines for a December reunion with his family.

Pioquinto and his co-accused, Lee Wing-ho, appeared before Magistrate Ada Yim for a review of the conditions imposed when they were granted bail on Aug 5.

The volunteer defense counsel said Pioquinto wanted to apply for leave to go home in December, saying he had complied with all his bail conditions and had shown good behavior.

The defense lawyer also applied to have the curfew time imposed on the two adjusted to 1am until 6am, instead of the previous midnight to 6am. Pioquinto is said to leave his work at Disneyland at 11pm and risks arrest if he doesn’t reach his address in Mong Kok by midnight.

Magistrate Yim said at first that she was inclined to allow the defendant to leave Hong Kong for the family reunion due to his compliance with the bail conditions and good behavior.

But she will double his bail to $20,000 and require him to report to the police one day before his departure and after his arrival.

When the prosecutor objected, saying there was a risk Pioquinto would abscond, the magistrate brushed this aside, saying it made sense to grant the request, especially since the prosecution had not yet finalized its case against him.

“Letting him visit his family is more practical than letting them come over to visit him,” she said. “He came here to work and will return to that work.”

But the prosecutor argued the case would be ready for plea by the end of November, after investigators decide on whether additional charges would be filed.

Magistrate Yim told the prosecution to complete its case against Pioquinto by Oct 28 so the trial could be set immediately.

But when she said she wanted to fix a January trial date, the defense lawyer said she might not be available during that month.

Yim set the next hearing on Nov 26, and extended the bail of Pioquinto and Lee. She also adjusted their curfew to start at 1am and last until 6am.

But she warned them to comply with the bail conditions or risk arrest and confiscation of their bail money.

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Teachers' licensure test held without hitch despite protests

Posted on 29 September 2019 No comments

By Vir B. Lumicao

Image may contain: 2 people, including Rodelia Pedro Villar, people smiling, people standing and outdoor

Three early finishers pose in front of the venue of the exam

A total of 470 Filipina domestic workers took the Licensure Examination for Teachers administered on Sunday, Sept 29, at the Delia Memorial School in Kwun Tong by a team from the Professional Regulation Commission

The examination was held amid a tense atmosphere as anti-government protesters in Hong Kong scheduled a big rally in Admiralty and other parts of the SAR.

But, despite their review sessions being curtailed by the often violent protests that are now on their 17^th week, the examinees said the test appeared to be easier this time than previously.

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The exam began sharply at 8am, with 237 signed up to take the exam in the secondary level and 263 in the elementary level. Three of the 473 who registered did not show up.

Armond Englis, an officer from the Cebu PRC regional office which led the team that administered the test, said everything went smoothly, from the assembly of the examinees early in the morning to the conduct of the exams.

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office booked 23 classrooms for the exams at Delia, the venue of the test for the past three years, and enlisted 46 volunteers to act as proctors and watchers.

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At 1pm, Polo Office-in-Charge Antonio Villafuerte and Assistant Labor Attaché Angelica Suñga paid a visit to Delia and toured the upper floors of the school where the examinees were answering their test papers.

The PRC said the target release date of results of the Sept 29 LET will be on Nov 29, or 44 working days after the board exams, but the results may also be out earlier or later without prior notice.

Englis said those who took the elementary-level exam finished early, with some examinees already done by 9:30 am. He expected the high school-level exam to finish at around 5pm or 6pm due to its different components for the majors.

But, apparently indicative of the ease with which they completed their test, the first few finishers of the secondary-level exam finished by mid-afternoon.

Among the early finishers was Pema Tepan, who first studied in Tacloban City. She completed the test at around 3pm. She said she expected her major, Biology, to be difficult but found it easier this time around than the first time she took the exam in 2015.

“Hindi naman mahirap, natapos ko yung Biology in 30 minutes,” Tepan said. She attributed the ease to her giving the subject more attention during the review.

“Mas marami akong ni-review sa Biology ngayon at yung mga na-review ay nasa exam. Mahirap ngayon ang Professional Education, puro situational halos.”

Tepan said she could not join review classes offered by a well-known review center because her day off is Saturday, so she had to do it online by hooking up to a similar service offered by a reviewer in Tacloban.

The expected protests for the day prompted both examinees and volunteers from the National Organization of Professional Teachers in Hong Kong to finish and go home early.

Those who volunteered for the elementary-level exam left by 2:30pm, including NOPT president Gemma Lauraya and her vice president Edna Liboon.

Only those helping administer the high school-level exam stayed behind until the last examinee had finished.

Most of them said they wanted to make sure they could return to their employers’ homes early in case MTR stations were shut down.

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