The SUN HK

Pinoy who jumped bail for theft to be kept in custody until trial

Posted on 06 July 2019 No comments

Pinoy theft suspect told he cannot be allowed bail again

A Filipino who jumped bail on a theft charge will face trial in West Kowloon Court after his reappearance in court on Jul 3.

Raymund Ayson, who is in police custody, was told by Magistrate Ada Yim that he will have to stand trial on Jul 29.

The magistrate asked Ayson if he wanted to be represented by a lawyer from the Duty Lawyer System and he agreed.

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But in the meantime, he will be kept in custody because he jumped bail.

The prosecutor said the defendant did no show up in his scheduled hearing on May 3. As a result, the court ordered his arrest and confiscated his bail money.

When Yim asked why Ayson did not show up at the last hearing, he said he had been busy with family matters. As a result, he forgot about the hearing, he said.

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“I had no idea that I was to have a hearing on that date,” the defendant said.

Ayson said he wanted to post a $500 bail to be able to be with his family, but the magistrate refused, saying there is now a high risk that he won’t show up for the trial. – Vir B. Lumicao

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Pawned passports turned over by police to PCG nears 1,000

Posted on 04 July 2019 No comments

By Vir B. Lumicao

Nearly a thousand Philippine passports seized from money lender OFC on Jun 5 have now been turned over by the Hong Kong police to the Consulate.

This is according to Consul Paulo Saret, head of the assistance to nationals section.

That leaves only about 400 still being documented by the police as evidence if they pursue a case against the OFC owner who was arrested during the raid but is out on police bail.

The Consulate released a statement on Jul 3 confirming the seizure of 1,400 passports from what it called "an illegal money lender." It was the third such case in three years, said the statement.

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Filipinos were again warned that the passports issued in their name remain as property of the Philippine government, and pawning them violates the law,

"Pawning passports is a violation of the Philippine Passport Act. In fact, a Philippine passport reportedly held as guarantee or collateral for loans or debts is automatically cancelled upon notice by the passport holder that the said document was lost,” the statement quoted Consul General Antonio A. Morales as saying

Saret said the latest batch of about 400 passports was handed over by the police to the ATN on Jun 27.

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News that the police have returned some of the confiscated passports had sent an avalanche of OFC borrowers to the Consulate, hoping to recover their passports.

But they've been told that in line with existing policy aimed at preventing the use of passports as collateral for loans, their documents were deemed cancelled and would not be returned to them.

Saret said that as of Jul 3, the Consulate had received 75 applications for passport renewal from the OFC customers and 12 applications for replacement of lost passports.

Renewal is allowed for those whose passports have already been turned over by the police, and replacement for those whose documents remain unaccounted for.

Renewal costs $480 plus $200 for an Affidavit of Undertaking. Replacement fee costs $200 more, for a total of $880.

Saret says the affidavit binds the passport holders to an undertaking that they will be placed on a DFA Watchlist the first time they are caught pawning the travel document, and that they will no longer be issued a passport if they are caught a second time.

Those whose passports are still being held by the police but are in a hurry to get a new one have been told that they will have to apply for a replacement.

Saret says the punitive fee would hopefully deter Filipinos from engaging in the illicit practice.

“Diyan pa lang ay halos doble na ang presyo,” he said.

Due to the price difference, there were some replacement applicants who wanted to change their applications to renewal.

“Pero simabi namin sa kanila na naipadala na naming sa Maynila ang kanilang mga dokumento,” he said.

The Consulate said it had requested the DFA to authorize the outpost to process the OFC customers’ passport applications in Hong Kong rather than send them back to Manila as what was done in the past.

That could save many of the workers from being fired by their employers who would most likely not allow them to wait long in Manila for their new passports.

Some also fear being sacked once their employers learn they had taken out loans, and even used their passports as security to boot.

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Wala kang magawa?

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Hindi natin masisisi ang ilang kapwa natin OFW na sa tuwing Linggo ay naglalatag ng karton sa mga tabi-tabi sa Central upang maghapong humilata. Hindi natin alam, baka kulang sila sa tulog sa nakaraang anim na araw. Hindi natin alam na baka sa anim na araw na iyon ay wala silang ginawa kundi salagin ang masasakit na salita ng kanilang amo, o tiisin ang masamang pakikisama sa kanila ng sarili nilang pamilya sa Pilipinas.

Bakit nga ba natin ipagkakait ang isang araw na ang pahinga mula sa kanilang dinadala, mula sa kanilang kalungkutan?

Pero hindi naman lahat ay ganito.

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Karamihan ay masaya sa pagtatrabaho sa Hong Kong. Sa kaunti nilang kinikita (kung ikukumpara mo sa kita ng mga taga rito), nakapag-pupundar sila ng bahay o bagong kabuhayan, o unti-unti nilang nailalapit ang sarili sa kanilang mga pangarap.

Para sa kanila, sayang ang oras kung gugugulin lang na nakahilata.

Mapapansin mo sila tuwing mga espesyal na araw sa Central, gaya ng selebrasyon ng ating paglaya bilang bansa. Sa Chater Road, halimbawa, may nagbibigay ng libreng masahe. Ilang mga nag-aral ng nursing ay nagbibigay ng first aid, libreng blood pressure check o kahit mga payo sa mga kapwa Pilipinong alam nilang nanganganib na magkasakit. Alam mo ba, halimbawa, na halos kalahati ng mga OFW sa Hong Kong ay may alta presyon at nanganganib na magkaroon ng sakit sa puso?

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Marami sa makakasalubong mo ay may layunin, kahit ba ang papel nila ay magbibigay lang ng isang dance number. Bago sila i-rampa, ika nga, makikita silang seryosong nag-eensayo.

Dagdag pawis sa araw ng pahinga?

“Nabubuhay kasi ang dugo ko kung nakakapag-silbi,” sabi ng isang volunteer sa nakaraang Kapagyawan. “Ang mas mabuti, nalilimutan ko ang mga problema.”

May iba rin na hindi na naghihintay ng espesyal ng araw upang mag silbi, gaya ng mga admin at kasapi sa isang Facebook group, ang Domestic Workers’ Corner. Araw-araw, oras oras, handa silang magbigay ng tulong sa nangailangan, payo sa naguguluhan, at gabay sa naliligaw ng landas.

Para sa kanila, masarap ang pakiramdam kung nagsisilbi sa kapwa. Sana madiskubre mo rin ang kaligayahang kanilang nadaama.

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Maid jailed for 4 months for ill-treating baby

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By Vir B. Lumicao

Velasquez pleaded guilty to the ill-treatment
at West Kowloon court

A Filipina helper has been sentenced to four months in jail for ill-treating her 10-month-old male ward after her employer reneged on a promise to let her go on holiday in the Philippines.

Joan F. Velasquez, 34, was ordered jailed by West Kowloon Magistrate Ada Yim on Jul 2. The Filipina got a discounted sentence after pleading guilty to the charge and for having clear record.

She admitted swinging the baby fiercely for several seconds on Feb 2 this year out of anger at her employer for taking back a promise to let her go on a holiday.

Her lawyer said Velasquez, who was hired by Lai Shuk-fan in December 2017, had booked her Feb 13 flight as early as last November in anticipation of the promised vacation.

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The offense was discovered when Lai reviewed the CCTV recording at her house at The Bellagio in Tsuen Wan two days after the incident.

The maid was seen swinging the baby from right to left and up and down for several seconds in an apparent fit of anger. The baby was cradled in her arm with his head unsupported and bent backward.

Lai immediately confronted Velasquez, who denied abusing the child, saying she was merely playing with him.

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The baby was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where Dr Lam Cheuk-san, a pediatrician, said in a medical report the child was admitted to the emergency department for repeated vomiting and suspected shaken baby syndrome.

His examination showed no sign of wound or damage, and x-rays showed the baby’s abdomen and chest, as well as head, sustained no injury.

But a pathologist, Dr Foo Ka-chun, said the baby’s neck muscles were very weak and could have sustained damage from the violent shaking or swinging.

In mitigation, the defense lawyer said Velasquez, who has two sons aged 10 and 2 and a daughter aged 8, had worked as domestic helper for two years in Kuwait, and just over a year with Lai. She said her client was remorseful.

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Pinay maid drowns in Tuen Mun beach

Posted on 03 July 2019 No comments

Police speedboat searching for the Filipina at Butterfly beach in Tuen Mun

By The SUN

A 25-year-old Filipina domestic helper drowned on Monday afternoon, July 1, at Butterfly Beach in Tuen Mun while swimming with a group of friends.

The victim, Jenny Gonong Lacson, was found unconscious at 3:37pm near the shark net that protects the beach, according to a spokeswoman for the Police Public Relations Branch.

Lacson, whose identity was confirmed by the officer, was taken to the Tuen Mun Hospital but was certified dead on arrival. The officer said the exact cause of her death is still being investigated.

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A search and rescue operation involving two police helicopters, pump boats and officers on the ground was launched after Lacson’s property was found on the beach shortly before 11am.

The search was widely reported on social media but some confusion arose because of initial reports that the missing Filipina was found asleep and drunk in a toilet at the beach. But police said they have no record of such an incident.

Another confusion was due to the victim having nearly the same name as her sister, who had left for the Philippines only the day before.

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Jennelyn or Jen Lacson is reportedly the name of the victim’s sister. The victim, on the other hand, was reportedly more known by her nickname Aiza, although her real name was Jenny.

According to Jennifer Debaja who was among the first to report on the case, Jen the sister, had informed her that the victim knew how to swim. Thus the family was shocked to hear about the drowning.

Various social media posts said the Lacsons were from Koronadal, South Cotabato.

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