4 die, 12 others hurt as runaway school bus plows into pedestrians

Emergency crew at work. The SUN Photo.

A school bus that had just been parked by its driver rolled down Cheung Hong street in North Point this afternoon (Dec. 10), sped across King’s Road and plowed through 16 pedestrians, killing four of them, police said.

Media accounts of the accident indicated that none of those who died were Filipinos. The names of the fatalities, who were aged 70 to 83, were Chinese. It is not yet sure, however, if there were Filipinos among the 10 persons injured, eight of them seriously.

What used to be goods peddled on the corner litter the path left by the school bus.

Mimie Alma Barrientos, in a comment in The SUN’s Facebook post on the incident, said: “Nakita ko yan, yong mga nadisgrasya nagtitinda yan sa gilid.”

Emergency crew briefs the press.

One officer told The SUN that when the accident happened at around 1:45 pm, the bus had no one on board.

Its driver had just gotten off when the school bus rolled down the steep hillside road. He used his body to try to stop the bus, but was run over. 

Police, fire and ambulance service officers who came to the rescue of the victims could not immediately tell the nationalities of the casualties.

The sidewalk stall smashed by the school bus usually had Filipino buyers on any given day. But Joel Oronan of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section said police could not yet tell by evening if there were Filipinos among the casualties. 

A dashboard video footage posted on several news pages showed the driver getting off the school bus on Cheung Hong St. while holding his phone, and ran in front to stop it when he noticed that it had moved downhill. He was knocked under the vehicle as the school bus sideswiped a taxi coming from Fort St. and then accelerated towards the junction with King’s Road. Watch a dashboard camera video of the incident: http://tv.on.cc/hk/index.html?i=OBK181210-14537-28-M&d=1544426910)

In a briefing, an investigator said the vehicle was parked about 50 meters on the left side of Cheung Hong St. when the vehicle rolled forward, mounted the pavement after hitting a taxicab, and was deflected back on to the street by the wall of a  restaurant and hit another taxicab. 

The runaway school bus then crossed King’s Road, mounted the left pavement of Hei Wo St. and plowed into several people and a sidewalk stall. Collision with the first building it hit deflected the bus, which then crashed into the entrance of a shop on the other side of the narrow street.

The shop next to that is AGL Mobile Express which caters to Filipino clients. Its owner, Simon Hui, said he heard a loud crash outside. When he checked, he saw the school bus in front of his front door.

He said police told them to stay inside while investigation was going on.

In its wake, the school bus left a trail of bodies, blood and crushed goods that were being sold earlier at the sidewalk stall it hit. Three persons were seen trapped under the bus.

As the crowd of onlookers grew, emergency crews arrived, and took the 14 casualties to waiting ambulances. By 3:15 pm, after the last of the victims had been evacuated, rescue personnel packed up their gear, leaving police investigators to determine what caused the accident. The swarm of uniformed personnel had also thinned. 

As the emergency unfolded, King’s Road and nearby streets were closed, and vehicles were rerouted to nearby streets.                                                                                                                                                                                                               

In the media briefing at 5pm, an investigator said the driver—who suffered serious injuries in the neck, head and other parts of the body – may have forgotten to deploy the handbrake, allowing the school bus to move.

Initial investigation on the vehicle showed the handbrake was not deployed properly. This, he said, would be the center of investigation to determine if the driver would be held criminally liable.

A woman, who looked and sounded like a Filipina OFW, was heard on video posted by Chinese news website hk.on.cc tearfully reporting to her employer. “I don’t know Ma’am,” she cried on the phone. But she did not appear injured. Watch: (https://tv.on.cc/hk/index.html?i=ONS181210-14495-32-M&d=1544435603)

OFWs' comments on two Facebook posts of The SUN, some recounting their experiences, illustrate the Filipino community's proximity to major events in Hong Kong.

“Buti na lang nakatawid na ako diyan bago nangyari. Kawawa naman yung mga namatayan at nadisgrasya,” recounted Mye Balsomo.

Cherry Dasalla, on the other hand, said she used to pass by that spot coming from the market, but had to meet a friend at another street corner when the accident happened. “Kaya na-shock ako nang tawagan ako ni Amo because she’s worried about the accident. God is good talaga,” Dasalla said.

Nhelz Canong Castillon posted the most detailed of these stories: "Jan ako bumibili ng tinapay balak ko dadaan doon bago magsundo sa school sa alaga ko...Ng akmang tatawid na ako papunta doon tumawag s ma'am na hintayin ko nlng sila sa north point mtr huwag daw ako bibili ng pangbreakfast for tomorrow kasi nakabili na siya. .. Pagbaba ko lng ng cp kasi lakad nlng ako Punta north point mtr mga Tao nagsisigawan na sa likod ko may mga tumatakbo at kumukuha ng video ... Grabi kaba ko call talaga n ma'am nagsave sa akin.. Nong nagkita na Kami sa mtr pinakita niya ang video sa akin at sabi niya thank you God my auntie is ok....
Hanggang dumating na kami sa bahay kinakabahan ako at s ma'am naman salita ng salita na kailangan mag ingat ako lalo na sa araw araw na paglalakad namin ng alaga ko."

Julie T. Dela Cruz declared: "Ito yung school bus ng alaga ko buti na lang hindi pa sila nakakalabas sa school kanina. So sad. Kawawa naman si mamang driver."

“Kita nga dito sa kwarto ko. Lagi kami diyan nababa,” said Yehlen Jayjoyce .

“Mabuti na lang di ako nag-market today dahil malamig sabi ng mga amo ko,” said Wenelyn Cabantac.

“Sana walang Pinay,” Rosalia Goloyugo wished.

Vermudo Florentine had a final advice: “Ingat sa mga nalabas ng bahay at pray lagi.”

Police probe of money laundering case vs Ylagan, Lai almost done, says Labatt

By The SUN

Hong Kong police are close to wrapping up their investigation into the money laundering case filed against former employment agency owner Ester P. Ylagan and suspended barrister Ody Lai Puy-yim relating to a massive job scam two years ago.

Labor Attaché Jalilo dela Torre disclosed this in an interview with The SUN on Nov 28.

 Ester P. Ylagan and suspended barrister Ody Lai Puy-yim during happier times.

“Malapit na nilang matapos yung money laundering investigation. Kailangan lang nila ang proof na na-receive yung remittances by all those fictitious-sounding people sa iba’t ibang countries,” Labatt Dela Torre said.

He said he was updated on the progress of the investigation during a meeting with the head of the Regional Crime Unit of Hong Kong Island on Nov 23. The meeting was also attended by Consul Paulo Saret, head of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section.



After the investigation, the police are expected to forward the case to the Justice Department which will determine whether the case should be filed in court.

Ylagan, owner of the now defunct Mike’s Secretarial Services, was arrested on June 7 in Western District for “conspiracy to defraud” and “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence (also known as money laundering).”



Lai, her one-time friend and alleged adviser, was arrested on Aug 30 at the Hong Kong International Airport on her arrival from the Philippines. She is also being investigated for the same allegations.

Ylagan and Lai have been released on police bail but were required by investigators to report back on a regular basis.



The cases stemmed from complaints filed by 210 Filipinos, mostly migrant workers, alleging they had been deceived by Ylagan into paying between $10,000 and $15,000 for fake jobs in Britain and Canada.

The total number of Filipino job applicants allegedly lured into applying for the non-existent jobs were estimated to have been more, with the total amount involved reaching as much as $5million. The victims came from Hong Kong, Macau and the Philippines.



Lawyers for the complainants subsequently reported uncovering documents showing Ylagan and several other people close to her had sent a total of around $10 million to several countries as far apart as Malaysia and Burkina Faso.

The documents were turned over to the police, along with the names of the others involved in the apparent money laundering scam.



With help from the Mission for Migrant Workers, the complainants succeeded in getting legal aid to pursue their claims.

Ylagan slipped out of Hong Kong in mid-July 2016 in an apparent bid to head off a possible arrest. Before she fled, she filed a complaint with the Central Police station against a London-based business partner who reportedly duped her of $4.19 million.



She said the partner, a certain “William Clinton James,” had made her send the money to unknown people in Burkina Faso on the promise that he had jobs waiting for her recruits. In return, she was promised a British passport, 15 plane tickets to London, and a chance to explore business opportunities in the United Kingdom.

LET results out, HK teachers ‘shocked’ at low pass rate

Happy faces at the LET 2018 review in Bayanihan Centre. Lauraya is in front, with glasses 

By Vir B. Lumicao

The results of last September’s Licensure Examination for Teachers have already been released by the Professional Regulation Commission, and the low pass rate is bringing a sense of foreboding to the teachers’ group that helps administer the test in Hong Kong.

“Kaka-shock, kokonti pa lang nag-message sa akin,” Gemma Aquino Lauraya, president of the National Organization of Teachers said in a chat message. “Meron naman nag-message sa akin, iilan lang sila. Dati andami na pag ganito.”

The PRC said that out of the 90,750 who took the LET in the elementary level overall, only 18,409 or 20.29% passed the board exam. The result is comparatively much better in the secondary level, where 60,803 takers, or 48.03% of the total 126,582 takers, passed the exam.

No separate results for Hong Kong have yet been posted.

Lauraya attributed the poor results to various factors, such as the high passing mark of 75% set by the exam administrator, and the inadequate preparation by the examinees because, she said, the test required more academic brush-up.

The NOPT HK head also pointed to the high standard of competency that the Licensure Board has set, especially for generalist teachers, those aspiring to teach in the country’s public elementary schools.

“Malaking factor din po yong takers mismo, lalo dito sa Hong Kong. Andun po ang taker's educational background din, lalo na ngayong 21st century na ang standard.”

She said the poor results also boiled down to the examinees’ preparedness and attitude.

“Concentration, determination and strong will po kasi yan, eh, hindi lang naman sa review center o mentor nila,” Lauraya said.

She also said that the examinees possibly were not equipped with the desired learning competencies that they should have.

Still, she said, those who passed from Hong Kong deserved a big congratulations, considering the comparative difficulty they face in preparing for the exam. Most, if not all, are employed as domestic helpers.

“Congratulations to all passers, and to those who failed, better luck next time! Make sure to review or study hard before taking the exams,” she said.

A total of 608 examinees took the Special Board Licensure Board Examination for teachers held at the Delia Memorial School Hip Wo in Kwun Tong on Sept 30.

For the first time, an OFW working in mainland China joined the 319 elementary and 289 secondary school examinees who took the annual test. Two traveled from Macau the night before to make sure they were at the venue before 6am, when the exam started.

Cold spell to hit HK over weekend

Newly arrived migrant workers get free warm clothes from  the Domestic Workers Corner ahead of the cold snap

The SUN HK

The BRRRR days are here again in Hong Kong, with temperatures expected to plunge this weekend, and will remain low until the rest of the week.

The forecast is for a low of 12 to 13 degrees starting tomorrow, Saturday. Sunday will be even cooler, with temperatures in the range of 13 to 16 degrees. On Monday, the mercury will dip even more, to between 12 and 16 degrees.

Rainy weather over the past several days have contributed to the onset of the cold weather.

“The northeast monsoon associated with the cold front is bringing appreciably cooler and rainy weather to Guangdong,” said the HK Observatory.

At noon today, the temperatures around most parts of the territory were reportedly four degrees lower that yesterday.

The Observatory said the day will remain cloudy with a few rain patches, but will become “significantly” cooler by tomorrow, until the middle of next week.

Temperatures will rise again by the weekend of Dec 15 and 16, hitting a maximum of 21 degrees on Saturday, and 23 on Sunday.

But for now, it’s time to bring out those thick jackets again.