Pregnant overstayer given suspended 7-week sentence

By Vir B. Lumicao

A pregnant Filipina former domestic helper who overstayed her visa for five months was sentenced by a Shatin magistrate on Nov 19 to seven weeks in jail, suspended for two years.

That meant that the defendant, Viola, who is seven months pregnant, was free to return home to the Philippines so she can deliver her baby there.

Shatin court

Viola, 32, appeared before Magistrate Wong Sze-lai and pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching her condition of stay.

She had surrendered herself to the Immigration Department in Kowloon Bay on Nov 7.

Outside the courtroom, the Filipina was overjoyed. “Sa wakas, makakauwi na rin ako,” she said.



She told The SUN that her baby’s father was a Filipino worker who she met in Hong Kong and had gone back home. She said the man was waiting for her and their baby. 



The court heard that the Filipina came to Hong Kong on a domestic worker visa on Nov 10 last year, but her contract ended prematurely and she was allowed to stay until June 7. She stayed here illegally after her visa expired.



In mitigation, Viola’s court-appointed lawyer said the Filipina’s employer terminated their contract because the family was moving to another country.                                                             


Viola tried but failed to find a new employer until her visa expired.

The lawyer pleaded for a lenient sentence, citing Viola’s surrender, and the fact that she’s already seven months pregnant.

Wong said that in consideration of the offender’s condition, she was imposing a suspended, instead of a custodial, sentence. 

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Fate of sick ‘lola’ in US$50M fake check case known soon

Prosecutors have indicated that there is a 50-50 chance that the case against a 76-year-old Filipina tourist who tried to cash a fake US$50 million check at Hang Seng Bank nearly two years ago will be dropped.

But the case may still go the other way for defendant Maria Ilao Gosilatar, who is being tried at the District Court, and has been in custody since Dec 9, 2016.

District Court.

Lawyers for Gosilatar who is on legal aid, told Judge C.P. Pang on Nov 8 they had been informed by the prosecution that it needs more time to consider whether to pursue the case because of the defendant’s poor health.

As a result, Pang adjourned the hearing until Nov 20, and ordered Gosilatar to remain in custody.



Gosilatar is suffering from a growing brain tumor, according to a medical report the defense presented to the court at the previous hearing on Oct 11.  Doctors who examined her reportedly said she has only two years to live.



But on application of the prosecution, Pang ordered a second medical examination of Pang. The defense was supposed to tell the court about the result of this second medical check, but nothing was mentioned about this at the hearing.



Gosilatar was arrested two years ago at the Hang Seng Bank headquarters on Des Voeux Road Central when she went there with a local accountant allegedly to try and cash the check.



The trial of Gosilatar was originally set for Oct 26, but was postponed to Jan 28-30 pending the second medical report. The upcoming hearing will determine whether she walks out free from prison, or tried on a charge of using a false instrument.

Gosilatar, allegedly the chairwoman of a Bulacan-based charity group named Mama Mary 2000 International Foundation, has told the court that she received a Philippine police report saying she was a victim of scammers. 

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New fake US$100 billion check caper

By Vir B. Lumicao

Another Filipino tourist is facing trial in District Court in Wanchai for allegedly presenting a fake check for US$100 billion in a Kowloon branch of Bank of China in November last year.

District Court in Wanchai.

Celerino L. Tinana appeared before Judge Eddie Yip on Nov 14 for the supposed start of his three-day trial for allegedly “using a false instrument” but the case was adjourned to Jan. 16 next year at the request of the prosecution.

The judge overruled the defence objection to the postponement, and extended Tinana’s bail.



Tinana, an elderly Ilocano, was arrested after he presented the check to a staff at the bank. Unknown to him, the police were alerted while he was waiting for the check to be verified.



Tinana became the latest in a growing number of Filipino tourists, many of them elderly, who have been arrested over the past two years on similar charges. Several have been convicted, three were acquitted, while the rest are still awaiting trial.



It is not clear whether the fake checks and other instruments came from the same source, or whether some or all of the accused, had known each other.



Just two days earlier, on Nov 12, Filipino-American woman Elena S. Orosa was sentenced to 30 months in jail by District Court Judge Charles Chan for trying to deposit a fake US$200 billion in a Hang Seng Bank branch in Tsimshatsui on Oct 18 last year.

Orosa was found guilty of a charge of “using a false instrument” after a three-day trial that began on Oct 10.

Another elderly tourist, Maria Ilao Gosilatar, will learn her fate at the next hearing of her case on Nov. 20 after prosecutors have indicated that there is a 50-50 chance that the case against her will be dropped.

Gosilatar, 76, has been in custody for nearly two years after she allegedly tried to cash  a fake US$50 million check at Hang Seng Bank.

Yet another elderly Filipino tourist, Brudencio Bolaños, will be tried on Jan 28-29 on a charge of “using a false instrument” for allegedly presenting a 35-year-old deposit slip for US$943 billion to HSBC headquarters in Central to update his account. He has been denied bail and is being held in Stanley Prison.

On Mar 4-6, Noel Rambuyon, 39, will be tried for allegedly attempting to cash US$50,000 worth of fake traveler’s checks at a money exchange in Central around the Lunar New Year this year.

He remains in custody and has not applied for bail.

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Binabarat kaya mahina ang kita

Dismayado si Lily 34, at isang Ilokana dahil halos tabla lang ang naging resulta ng kanyang pamumuhunan sa palayan. 

Dangan kasi, pilit na binabarat ng mga mayayamang negosyante na kung tutuusin ay mga middleman lang, ang palay na inaani ng kanyang ama, na siya naman ang namumuhunan.

Sa katatapos na anihan noong buwan ng Oktubre, halimbawa, ang dating presyo na P25 bawat kilo ay pilit binabarat ng P16 na lang bawat kilo, gayong sobrang mahal ng bigas sa pamilihan.

“Ano ito? Lokohan? May mali sa sistema”, sambit ni Lily sa sarili, habang nagngingitngit. Bakit daw ba ang pilit pinapayaman ng gobyerno ay iyong mga ganid na negosyante na halos wala namang hirap, imbes na ang magsasaka na hirap na hirap na sa pagtatrabaho, tapos ay pilit pang ginigipit?

Maganda pa naman ang ani ng kanyang ama, kaya walang dahilan para ito ibenta ng palugi.



Sinabi niya sa ama na ibilad muna ang palay at itambak sa kanilang bahay habang naghihintay ng pagtaas muli ng halaga nito. Kasi, kung papayag sila sa presyong alok ay hindi na niya halos mababawi ang kanyang puhunan.



Masuwerte pa nga sina Lily dahil may trabaho siya sa Hong Kong kaya mayroon silang pantawid-gutom.



Ayon sa kanyang ama, naawa siya sa mga kasamahang magsasaka dahil inutang lang nila ng patubuan ang puhunan sa pagtatanim, kaya napipilitan silang magbenta ng palay sa murang halaga.



Dahil dito, talagang halos isang kahig, isang tuka sila. Kung nagkataong nasira sa ulan ang kanilang ani, malamang na lugi pa ang kalalabasan nila.

Tanong ni Lily sa ama, kailan daw kaya maayos o makokontrol ang ganitong sistema na laging ang magsasaka ang talunan.? – George Manansala 

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Pagkamatay ng Pilipina, inuusisa ng HK Labour Department

Welfare Officer Nini Clarin

Iniimbestigahan ng Hong Kong Labour Department ang biglaang pagkamatay ng isang Pilipina sa bahay ng amo niya noong nakaraang Agosto

Ayon kay welfare officer Nini Clarin, mismong ang Employees' Compensation Division ng Labour Department ang tumawag sa isang kaanak ni Luzviminda Simon Pedronan, 54, para itanong kung gusto nitong magsampa ng kaso para makuha ang benepisyong nararapat sa kanilang pamilya.

Tseung Kwan O Hospital

Natagpuang patay si Pedronan, na mula sa Claveria, Cagayan, sa palikuran ng bahay ng amo. Dinala siya sa Tseung Kwan O Hospital, kung saan idineklara siyang patay noong ika-2 ng Agosto.

Ayon sa death certificate, si Pedronan ay namatay sa “spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage” o pagdudugo sa loob ng utak, na karaniwan ay sanhi ng pagputok ng ugat. Hindi malinaw kung ang sanhi nito ay aksidente o isang sakit.

Ayon kay Clarin, naiuwi na ang bangkay ng OFW sa Pilipinas bago nila natanggap ang tawag tungkol sa pag-iimbestiga ng Labour Department sa kaso.

Ayon sa batas ng Hong Kong, ang isang manggagawa na namatay dahil sa aksidente o sa isang sakit na nagmula sa kanyang pagtatrabaho ay maaring humingi ng bayad-pinsala sa kanyang employer. Ang minimum o pinakamababa na maaring matanggap bilang bayad-pinsala sa pagkamatay ng dahil sa aksidente o sakit na nagmula sa trabaho ay $408,960. Ang pambayad dito ay karaniwan nang nanggagaling sa insurance na dapat kunin ng employer, ayon sa batas.



Bukod dito, dapat panagutan ng employer ang pagpapalibing at gastos sa ospital ng isang namatay na manggagawa sa kabuuang halaga na hindi lalampas sa $83,700.

Makakatanggap din ang pamilya ng nasawi mula sa Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration ng Pilipinas ng P20,000 para sa pagpapalibing, at karagdagang P200,000 kung aksidente ang sanhi ng pagkamatay, o P100,000 kung hindi.

Ayon kay Clasin, isang kaibigan ng pamilya, si Judelyn Cabasoy, ang umaasikaso ngayon sa mga papeles na kailangan ng Employees' Compensation Division ng Labour Department, upang makuha ang mga benepisyong itinakda ng batas ng Hong Kong para sa mga naiwan niya.

Siya ay nakikipagtulungan sa OWWA sa Hong Kong upang makalap ang mga papeles na kakailanganin para sa hinihinging danyos ng pamilya, lalo na iyong mga mula pa sa Pilipinas.

Ang benepisyong ito ay mapupunta sa pamilyang naiwan ng nasawi kapag naisumite na ang lahat ng dokumentong kailangan ng Labour Department, gaya ng mga patunay ng relasyon niya sa mga miyembro ng kanyang pamilya sa Pilipinas. 

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