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‘Hypnotized’ shop thief irks magistrate, gets suspended sentence

Posted on 24 July 2020 No comments
By Vir B. Lumicao

The Kwun Tong magistrate rejected Asong's claim that she took the goods while under a hypnotic spell

A 48-year-old Filipina domestic helper accused of shop theft was threatened with having her guilty plea thrown out today, Jul 24, after she annoyed a magistrate in Kwun Tong Court with her offhand, inconsistent replies.

But after she apologized to the court, Sarah Mary Grace Asong was sentenced to 14 days in jail, suspended for two years.
Asong had pleaded to one charge of theft when she appeared before Magistrate Ivy Chui without a lawyer, but with her employer around to lend her support.

She was accused of stealing seven bottles of hazelnut bread spread and 17 bars of chocolate worth a total of nearly $500 in a Fusion supermarket in Saikung on Jun 14.
The prosecution said Asong entered the supermarket, took the bottles of hazelnut spread and chocolate bars and put them in her bag. Then she left the store without paying.

A guard intercepted her outside the shop and checked the contents of her bag. When he did not find a receipt for the goods he called the police.


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Investigators said the defendant had $1,300 in her wallet at the time of the offense.

When Chui asked if she committed the offense out of need or greed, Asong simply stared at her. When the magistrate asked again, Asong nodded and mumbled “uhm-uhm”.
Then she said she pleaded guilty but did not remember stealing the goods because at the time she was “hypnotized” by her medication.

Chui asked her to clarify her answer and Asong replied she only pleaded guilty because she wanted to get over with the case.
The annoyed magistrate told Asong she would reject her guilty plea if she thought she could just go there and waste the court’s time. Chui then sent her to the Duty Lawyer Service for advice.

After half an hour, Asong returned and said sorry to Chui. She asked if she could just pay a fine, but the magistrate imposed the suspended sentence, which means she cannot re-offend in two years, or she will immediately go to jail for 14 days.

Outside the courtroom, the maid asked the Duty Lawyer Service’s representative if she would be jailed. When he said no, she asked if Immigration would renew her work visa. The lawyer replied: “I can’t answer that, ask Immigration.”

Asong’s female employer sighed with relief after learning what suspended sentence was and told her maid to respect Hong Kong law. 






People again urged to stay home as HK posts new daily record of 123 Covid-19 cases

Posted on No comments
By Daisy CL Mandap


Chuang and Yu at today's press briefing: Stay home for the next week or two

Hong Kong health officials have again asked people to stay at home for the next one or two weeks, while the new gathering restrictions take effect, as a new daily record of 123 Covid-19 cases was posted today, Jul 24.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said about 100 preliminary positive cases have also been recorded since after midnight last night. But right now, the total confirmed cases number 2,373, with 16 deaths.
One elderly patient who died at United Christian Hospita this afternoon became the 16th to die from the coronavirus disease. The 74-year-old male patient with renal problems passed away at 12:48 pm. He was a resident at a virus-plagued elderly care home in Tsz Wan Shan.

Among the new cases were eight recent arrivals from abroad, including three seafarers from the Philippines and another from India.
The others included an air crew who flew in from India, a returning resident, also from India, and another from Pakistan. The eighth came from Ethiopia, and was a close contact of an air cargo pilot who earlier tested positive.

Of the 115 local cases, 64 were linked to previous cases, and 53 are of unknown origin.


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As in the recent days, many of the cases involve family members and friends having meals together, or had links to elderly homes and wet markets.

This prompted a renewed warning from Dr Chuang for people to remain indoors, particularly the elderly. She also advised housewives to avoid going to wet markets, but if they must, they should always observe proper health hygiene, including the wearing of masks, and frequent hand cleansing.
She said that the continuing rise in infections reflect the situation about one or two weeks before, which is the incubation period for the virus. But the situation right now is worrying, she said, because the infected people engaged in various activities, making contract tracing more difficult.

“If this trend continues, it will be very difficult for us to handle the situation,” Chuang said.
Dr Linda Yu of the Hospital Authority disclosed that the number of critically or seriously ill patients has continued to rise. Of the 779 patients currently admitted in 14 hospitals, 44 are in critical condition and 16 are seriously ill.

Many are elderly people who did not seek medical attention immediately, or had underlying chronic illnesses.





Filipino seafarers among those quarantined in six ships off Lamma

Posted on 23 July 2020 No comments
By Daisy CL Mandap

Some infected Filipino seafarers are among those quarantined in the 6 container ships moored off Lamma

Six container ships with about 140 sailors on board have been put under quarantine off Lamma island after some of their crew members tested positive on arrival at Hong Kong airport, before boarding their respective vessels.

According to Hong Kong health officials who gave a press briefing today, Jul 23, on the latest Covid-19 situation in the city, the seafarers who tested positive were from the Philippines, India, Russia and Montenegro.

The officials said the non-infected crew members couldn’t be sent to quarantine camps because there should be people on board to man the ships.
No mention was made as to how many of the seafarers had tested positive.

Their quarantine period will end on Aug. 3.

Hong Kong had exempted airline and shipping staff from mandatory virus tests and a 14-day quarantine starting on June 8. Both conditions are imposed on all other travelers entering the city.

But with the recent surge in local infections, the government imposed a mandatory saliva test on the air and sea crew from Jul 8. Since then, Hong Kong’s daily Covid-19 tally has included at least two sea or air cargo crew on average.
Some health experts have criticized this as a loophole in the government’s otherwise strict effort to contain the pandemic.
 
Leung says the new wave of infections appears to have been brought in by people exempted from quarantine

Among them was Dr Gabriel Leung, dean of the faculty medicine at Hong Kong University, who blamed the current wave of infections on people who brought the virus from outside, most likely by people exempted from mandatory quarantine.

Leung said samples taken from recent Covid-19 patients showed little resemblance to earlier strains of the coronavirus that affected Hong Kong earlier this year.

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“The current third wave seemed to have had multiple, new introductions that are unlinked to the previous local clusters,” he said in an interview with RTHK.

Asked about this statement, undersecretary for food and health Chui Tak-yi said a balance must be struck between reducing imported cases and maintaining essential services like food supply that is shipped in.

Under the concessions made by Hong Kong last month, all seafarers can enter the city to either get home or board their vessel without being subjected to quarantine or special permits.
However, seafarers who have completed their service are required to stay onboard the vessel during their stay in Hong Kong, and travel directly to the airport for repatriation to their home countries so as to minimise contact with the local community.


Incoming crewmembers should only fly in when their vessels are berthed in Hong Kong and should get onboard immediately upon arrival. If this is not possible, their shipping agent should put them in a hotel where they should self-isolate until they can get onboard, and arrange direct transfer to their vessel.

Hong Kong made the concession after unions called on shipping companies to stop seafarers working beyond the duration of their contracts.

Strict travel restrictions across the globe because of Covid-19 resulted in more than 200,000 seafarers working way beyond their contract period, some for more than a year, resulting in many cases of severe mental breakdowns among the crew.

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Two DHs seek lenient sentence after alleged leader of fake documents ring acquitted

Posted on No comments
By Vir B. Lumicao

 
The District Court judge did not believe the Filipinas' testimony against the alleged mastermind of the scam

Two Filipina domestic helpers who admitted conspiring to use fake documents to apply for British work visa have pleaded leniency ahead of their sentencing in Shatin court.

Criselda Bantasan, 31, and Cristy Par, 47, were originally scheduled for sentencing today, Jul 23, at the District Court but Judge Li Chi-ho decided to postpone their sentencing until Aug 4, and move it to the Shatin magistracy.

The Filipinas testified in the District Court against the alleged mastermind of the scam, who was, however acquitted, after the judge expressed doubts about their evidence.

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Defense lawyer Teddy Lam, for Bantasan, pleaded for a lenient sentence for his client, saying she had already suffered she had been unable to work for the past 18 months. If she were not granted bail, she would have served her sentence by now.

Lam pointed out that his client was a victim who lost $3,000 when she applied for a job in Britain for which the Manila-based syndicate had produced the fake documents.

He said Bantasan has been staying in a shelter in Kennedy Town for the past 18 months, and lives off the monthly donation of $120 she receives from fellow domestic workers and friends.
Lam said Bantasan needs to return to her family in the Philippines at the earliest possible time to take care of her mother. He said Bantasan’s father died last year but she could not attend the funeral because of the pending case.

Lawyer Vivian Chan, representing Par, also asked for “the most lenient sentence” for her client, who she said was also a victim of the syndicate and whom her employers described as “the best domestic helper” they ever had.
Chan said the defendant continued to live in her employers’ home but cannot work for pay because although her permit to stay was extended, her employment visa was not.

She said the employers like Par very much that all members of the household were at today’s hearing.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Bantasan and Par were charged with “conspiracy to use copies of false instruments” on Feb 22, 2018 after their arrests for submitting forged employers’ documents at the UK Visa Application Centre at Leighton Centre in Causeway Bay in April and May 2016.

The two women were applying for jobs as domestic helpers in Britain at an agency operated by a certain Mrs Chan. 

HK’s Covid-19 tally hits a new daily high of 118 cases, with 1 more death

Posted on No comments
By The SUN
 
Clean-up operations are being carried out in many parts of HK as the Covid-19 cases continue to surge
Hong Kong reported today, Jul 23, an additional 118 Covid-19 cases, the biggest number to have been recorded since the outbreak began in January this year.

Of the new cases, 111 were locally acquired, another record high. On top of the confirmed cases, around 80 other people have tested preliminary positive from midnight last night.

One more death was recorded this afternoon, raising the fatality toll to 15. The deceased was a 63-year-old man with chronic illnesses who died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.


Of the seven imported cases, three were foreign domestic helpers who had just arrived from the Philippines, three were returnees from India, and one an air cargo crew who flew in from Japan.

In addition, 140 seafarers, some of them Filipinos, have been quarantined in six different ships anchored off Lamma island, after an undetermined number among their crew tested positive on arrival at Hong Kong airport.

But a bigger concern is still the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the community.
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said that among today’s local cases, more than 60 are linked to previous infections, most of them among family members and co-workers, while the rest are of unknown origin.

A big number are linked to Tsz Wan Shan, the epicenter of the latest outbreak. They include several more diners at restaurants in the area, and another vegetable vendor in the wet market.

But there were new cases involving various eateries, including a staff at McDonald’s in Telford Plaza in Kowloon Bay, another in a Thai restaurant in Tai Kok Tsui, a third in  Tsui Hing Garden in Tuen Mun, plus a dishwasher at a Japanese restaurant in Pacific Place.

In addition, there was an inventory staff at a Market Place outlet in Taipo.
 
HK's health officials have repeated an appeal for people to stay at home, especially the elderly

Dr Chuang said some of the new cases had been to a banquet at the Tao Heung restaurant in Mong Kok, where other guests had tested positive earlier. Tao Heung said all its restaurants will be closed for 10 days from Sunday for cleansing.
But restaurants weren’t the only source of infections. Today’s cases also included a police officer at the Wanchai station, a secondary school teacher, a truck driver who works at the Tsing Ma container port, staff at an elderly home in Tai Wai, a health worker at Queen Elizabeth hospital, and staff at a Chinese medical clinic in Kwai Chung.

The number of critically ill patients also rose to an all-time high of 33 today, with 14  in serious condition, according to the Hospital Authority’s Dr Linda Yu. The 566 others who are in 14 public hospitals are in stable condition.

According to Chuang, the high number of critically or seriously patients is mainly because many of the new patients are elderly people with chronic ailments, “who came to the hospital rather late.”

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

This has led Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi to appeal to the public, particularly the elderly, to avoid going out, and for everyone not to gather for meals including with family members living in another flat.

He said that between Jul 16 to Jul 22, a total of 543 confirmed cases recorded, and 481 of them were locally acquired. This was more than twice as many as the number in the previous week.

That was the reason, according to him, for the government’s stringent new measures, including a requirement for everyone to wear a mask when going to indoor public places like a supermarket and wet market, apart from public transportation.

From Saturday, all new arrivals from seven countries identified as high-risk, including the Philippines, will have to present proof of testing negative in a swab test for Covid-19, and a confirmed booking for at least 14 days in a Hong Kong hotel, for the mandatory quarantine.

On Jul 28, the requirements will be extended to those flying in from the United States and Kazakshtan.



Makati Med, Chinese Gen offer Covid-19 test result in 1-2 days

Posted on 22 July 2020 No comments
By Daisy CL Mandap

Makati Med offers the fastest result of between 1-2 days

A list currently circulating in the Philippines shows that among the top hospitals in Metro Manila, only Makati Medical Center and Chinese General Hospital meet the requirement for a quick test result for those intending to fly to Hong Kong from this Saturday, Jul 25.

Hong Kong’s new travel restrictions for people arriving from “high risk” countries such as the Philippines require a negative Covid-19 swab test result issued within 72 hours, or 3 days, before the passenger’s flight schedule.

The list shows MMC guarantees the test result to come out between 1-2 days, at a cost of Php8,150 per test.
Chinese General promises a result within 48 hours (2 days), for a lower cost of Php5,500. The swab test is done through a drive-thru, and the result will be sent through text messaging, or by email.

All the other hospitals offer to release the test result no earlier than 3 days, which will be of no use for Hong Kong-bound travelers keen to ensure they get to board their flight as scheduled; otherwise the cost would be too great.

Apart from the Philippines, Hong Kong’s new travel restrictions will apply to six other countries with effect from Jul 25: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal and South Africa.



From Jul 29, the same requirements will be imposed on new arrivals from the United States and Kazakhstan.

The arriving passengers from these countries will have to present the original test result, a certificate showing that the traveler tested negative, and another certificate showing the laboratory that did the test is accredited with the government of the country of origin.

In addition, they should show proof of a confirmed booking in a Hong Kong hotel for no less than 14 days for their mandatory quarantine.
The list being passed around was, however, not drawn up for those flying to Hong Kong, but for those who either want to have the swab test done because they have symptoms, or newly arrived Filipinos who want to get out of quarantine quickly.
 
Chinese General promises the test result in 48 hours (2 days)
A Filipina who flew to Manila from Hong Kong on Jul 12 was among those in the second category. Anxious to make sure she wouldn’t stay in a hotel for her quarantine longer than necessary, she arranged to have a second swab test done on her in her hotel.

The first one, according to her, was done by the Philippine Coast Guard at the airport for free, and a result was promised between 3-5 days. But as she didn’t want to risk being locked down in her hotel room for a long time, she opted to have another test with MMC.

According to her, only Discovery Primea in Makati allows MMC staff to come in and administer the swab test right in your hotel room, but at a hefty price tag of Php9,800 (about USD200), so she chose to check in there.
But MMC delivered as promised. The Filipina Hong Kong resident got her test result within the day, although she opted to stay in the hotel for another day. Her two-day stay cost Php20,000, inclusive of three meals.

“I still got to save because I didn’t have to stay in the hotel for an indefinite period,” said the Filipina.

As soon as she got her printed test result, she was able to check out of her hotel, and go home directly to her Makati residence, with no need for additional quarantine. That, to her, was the best part.

For those living in places outside of Metro Manila, the story might be different, as many local government officials strictly implement the 14-day quarantine, often requiring the returning resident to stay in poorly equipped isolation facilities.

Here is the list of hospitals with the cost of the test and expected release time:

ASIAN HOSPITAL (BGC)
Cost: Php 8,150
Maximum of 3 days
Tel No: 632 87719000

CARDINAL SANTOS MEDICAL CENTER (San Juan)
PHP 7,500 (Online Booking)
PHP 8,000 (Walk-In)
3-5 days
Tel No: 632 87270001

CHINESE GENERAL HOSPITAL (Manila)
Php5,500 (drive-thru)
48 hours
will text result/ send to email

MAKATI MEDICAL CENTER (Makati)
Php8,150
1-2 days
Tel No: 632 88888999

PHILIPPINE RED CROSS (Mandaluyong)
Php1,158 - Php4,000 
approx. 1 week

ST LUKE’S GLOBAL CITY
Php 6500 drive-thru, Php 4,300 Out-patient
2-3 days
Tel No: 632 87897700

ST LUKE’S QUEZON CITY
Php 4,300
2-3 days
Tel No: 632 87230101

ST MARTIN DE PORRES CHARITY HOSPITAL (San Juan)
Php 4,000
3 days
Tel No: 632  8723 0743

THE MEDICAL CITY PASIG
Php8,150
3 days
Tel No 632 89881000

VRP MEDICAL CENTER (Mandaluyong)
Php7,000 – Php10,000 through ER
3 working days

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