Filipino held for Chanel bag theft and two other charges

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Castrillo is accused of stealing a Chanel bag, using counterfeit money, and illegal gambling 

A Filipino man with a history of absconding was charged in Eastern Court today, Dec 15, for allegedly stealing a signature handbag in a shop in Causeway Bay in July, and with three counts of passing counterfeit notes and coins.

C. Castrillo, 38, appeared before Magistrate Bina Chainrai this afternoon after failing to show up in the morning session. His co-accused, Chiu Chun-ling, 44, who waited in the courtroom until the lunch break, did not return after the break.

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In the first charge, the prosecution said Castrillo went to the Heart of Luxe shop in a building on Great George St and stole a dark blue Chanel ladies handbag. The value of the bag was not disclosed, but it should cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The prosecution opposed bail for the defendant, citing strong evidence against him and the likelihood of him jumping bail again. The prosecutor said the accused had committed a similar offense in 2019.

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Chainrai agreed, and rejected Castrillo’s bail application, before ordering him to pay $1,000 for failing to show up in a previous hearing and $200 in court costs, to be taken from his bail money.

The court ordered the accused detained after he jumped bail, and did not show up in time for his hearing

Castrillo also faces a bogus currency charge, allegedly committed while he was on bail for illegal gambling. No details of the two incidents were disclosed in court.

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On May 13, Chainrai ordered him arrested along with three of his six co-accused in the illegal gambling case for being absent from a hearing on May 13.

At that time, he was on police bail following his arrest on Mar 12 along with the other defendants in the gambling den in a building on Hennessy Road, Wanchai. Three other defendants in that case pleaded guilty and were fined $500 each.

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He was later arrested and his police bail of $1,000 was seized when he skipped a hearing of his case on Sept 11. When asked why he did not show up, he said he forgot about it.

He figured in the bogus currency case with R.N. Maristela, 25, his Filipina co-accused in the gambling case. He was granted a $1,500 bail. He also missed the Oct 14 hearing.

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Asked by Chainrai why he failed to attend the October hearing, the defendant said: “I was absent because of Covid (the coronavirus contagion).”

“What has Covid-19 got to do with your absence?” the magistrate asked, and the defendant said he was staying with his girlfriend in Peng Chau.

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Chainrai ordered Castrillo to return on Jan 4 for the transfer of his case to the District Court. The magistrate adjourned the theft case until Jan 28.

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Tai Po boarding house yields 10 more Covid-19 cases; all visitors must now get tested

By Daisy CL Mandap 

There are now 12 Covid-19 cases linked to Flat 1C of Fung Nin Building in Tai Po

Hong Kong health officials have reported six new infections from a Tai Po boarding house where two Filipina domestic workers tested positive yesterday, making a total of eight confirmed cases. Five of the new cases are Filipinas, and the other is Indonesian.  

Four family members from the household where one of the first two infected Filipinas worked have also tested positive, making a total of 12 infections from the cluster.

The new cases prompted a mandatory testing order to be issued on everyone who visited Flat 1C of Fung Nin Building, 28-32 Tai Wing Lane, Tai Po,  for at least two hours from Nov 15. Anyone who does not comply with the order is liable to pay a fixed penalty of $5,000.

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Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said help would be sought from the Philippine and Indonesian consulates in disseminating the information among their nationals to ensure the mandatory testing order is complied with.

Consul General Raly Tejada said the Consulate is already liasing with the CHP on the matter, and has called for calm.

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“Your Consulate General is currently coordinating with Hong Kong authorities in order to address the reported outbreak in a dormitory involving some of our nationals. In this regard, I am appealing to everyone to remain calm, exercise vigilance and strictly observe social distancing rules,” he said in a statement sent a few minutes ago.

“We have assurances from Hong Kong authorities that those who got infected will receive the best treatment and medical care. However, in order to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being I strongly urge anyone exposed to the said dormitory cluster to come forward and get tested. It is the responsible thing to do.

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“We will get through this together. Take care and stay safe, mga Kababayan.”

Chuang says 33 close contacts of the confirmed patients have been put in a quarantine center

Chuang said 33 close contacts of the 12 confirmed cases have been identified and placed under quarantine. They include some employers and their family members.

She also said many of the confirmed FDHs live with their employers, raising concern of the virus spreading in their homes, but there was one or two who was living in the dormitory. All the rest either went there at night, or during the weekends.

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"We do have information on those who visited and they have been sent to the quarantine center but we are afraid we might have missed some," she said.

She added it was difficult to determine when the virus might have spread in the boarding house as there were some asymptomatic patients. That was the reason the mandatory testing order was expanded to include those who had been to the premises from a month ago, Chuang added.

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The 10 new cases linked to the boarding house cluster were among 98 new infections reported today, Dec 15, by the Centre for Health Protection. Nine of the new cases are imported while 89 were locally acquired. Among these, 59 were linked to previous cases while 30 were of unknown sources.

Two new deaths were also reported, raising the fatality toll in public hospitals to 119. They are a 79-year-old man who passed away at Queen Elizabeth Hospital at 1am today, and a 64-year-old woman who succumbed to the illness at 12:22pm at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

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The nine imported cases include two newly arrived foreign domestic workers from Indonesia, one aged 44, and the other, 33.

The others were four returnees from the United Kingdom, three males and one female aged between 15 to 17; a 61-year-old man from the United States; an 18-year-old male from Pakistan, and a 61-year-old female from Nepal.

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The Hospital Authority says there are 1,126 confirmed patients still being treated in 23 public hospitals and the AsiaWorld-Expo treatment facility. Among these, 50 are in critical condition, 75 are seriously ill, and the 1,001 others are in stable condition.

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2 infected Filipina DHs from Taipo boarding house spark fear of coronavirus outbreak

By Vir B. Lumicao 

The two infected Filipinas gathered over the weekend in a Tai Po boarding house

Hong Kong health officials have sought police help in tracking down some Filipina foreign domestic helpers who might have gathered in a Tai Po boarding house over the weekend amid fears the coronavirus had spread among them.

This was after two Filipina DHs who had been to the boarding house in Fung Nin Building, were included in the 82 new coronavirus cases reported today, Dec 14.

The total number of cases rose to 7,624 today while more than 60 preliminary positive cases were reported.

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Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said in the daily press briefing that the two domestic workers, one aged 36 and the other, 54, had sought medical consultation in a public hospital, where they subsequently tested positive for the virus.

Chuang said she was concerned about reports that there were other FDHs in the Taipo boarding house who may have contracted the disease.

“The two foreign domestic helpers who stayed in the boarding house at the weekend, we are worried that there may be an outbreak there. We found two confirmed cases and we learned there may be a few preliminary positive cases, but I don’t have the details yet,” said Chuang in reply to a reporter’s query.

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“But I understand they are also foreign domestic helpers. So, we are tracing the other possible contacts so we can put them under quarantine,” she said.

She said the authorities are trying to find their employers. The CHP, which confirmed later tonight that both patients are Filipinas, said the younger one lives in Shan Tseng, Taipo and the other in Hung Hom, Kowloon. 

Another Filipina DH tested positive at HK Airport

The cases were apart from two newly arrived FDHs who were also reported infected today. One is a 39-year-old Filipina who arrived on Saturday from Manila, and the other is a 43-year-old Indonesian who flew in from Jakarta. 

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Three other imported cases were reported, an 8-year-old boy from Canada, a 2-year-old boy from Bangladesh, and a 22-year-old man from Nepal.

Three more Covid-19 related deaths were also reported, the highest daily figure since four infected patients died in one day in early September.

The three male patients, aged 49, 69 and 73, all suffered from chronic illnesses. They brought the death toll to 120.

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Chuang said of the new cases today, 39 were male and 44 were female with ages ranging from 2 to 90 years old. Of the 77 local cases, 37 were untraceable and the rest were linked to existing cases including two from the dance club cluster, which now has 720 cases.

She said there was a new case at Prince Edward West Nursing Home. The patient was asymptomatic and lived in an isolated unit in the building. About 30 to 40 residents of the building were given sample bottles for testing, Chuang said.

There were two more new cases at Cheung Chow Estate Kwai Chung House, raising the overall tally to six or seven patients living in six different units.

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Another case was also reported from the Lohas Park construction cluster, bringing the total to 62; the Shatin Yata Department Store with one more case, taking the total in that cluster to 15; two from the AWE quarantine halls, for a total of 23; and one from the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin tunnel works, raising the total to 12.

Dr Linda Yu, chief manager of the Hospital Authority, said that as of 9am today, 64 confirmed Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospital, bringing the total recoveries to 6,266.

A total of 1,126 confirmed patients are being treated in 23 public hospitals and the AWE treatment facility. Of these, 46 patients are in critical condition, 71 are in serious condition and the remaining 1,009 patients are in stable condition.

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Dr Wu Tak-chiu, also from the HA, said in the press briefing that a look at 300 cases in ICUs in public hospital in the past 11 months revealed that about half of them were under 70 years old.

“You might think that only people who are over 70 would be in a serious condition, but actually half of the patients were under 70,” Wu said.

He said patients in the ICU may not have known they had contracted Covid-19 at an early stage. He said when symptoms appear, one should see a doctor immediately as one could be in a serious condition in just a week.

He also advised people to follow the safety rules during the upcoming holidays.

“We have to be extra careful, especially for the Winter Solstice, Christmas and New Year. I suggest we should avoid social gatherings or probably should not take off the mask except for a meal. If we wear a mask everyday, at least we would be safe,” he said.

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Pinoy seafarers stranded in HK set to go home in time for Christmas

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The 6 remaining crew of M/V Angelic Glory hope to be home for Christmas

“To be finally home with your family this Christmas....priceless!”

This Facebook post of Consul General Raly Tejada best captures the situation of a group of Filipino seafarers who are due to fly home tomorrow, Dec 15, after being stuck at sea off Hong Kong for nearly three months.

According to Congen Tejada, the Filipino crew of M/V Angelic Glory were stranded after their ship became the subject of a legal proceeding.

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He reported about the impending departure of the six crew members, along with a letter from the elated Filipinos profusely thanking him, Consul Paul Saret and Welfare Officer Virsie Tamayao, for working on their return home.

“(Mula) sa mga bumubuo ng mga tripulanteng Filipino ng barkong M/V Angelic Glory na naka ankla mula pa noong 13 September 2020 sa baybaying teritoryo ng Hong Kong (nagpapasalamat kami) lalo na kay Mr Raly Tejada, Mr Paul Saret at Miss Virsie Tamayao sa kanilang pagpupursige at malugod nilang adhikain na matulungan kaming makauwi sa ating Inang Bayan 15 December 2020.

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(From all the Filipino crew of the M/V Angelic Glory that has been moored since Sept 13, 2020 off the shore of Hong Kong, we would like to thank Mr Raly Tejada, Mr Paul Saret and Miss Virsie Tamayao for their relentless effort and determined effort to help us return to our homeland on Dec 15, 2020)

 “Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon. Mabuhay po kayo PCG Hong Kong. Dumadagundong na pasasalamat po mula sa aming kaibuturan. (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Long live PCG Hong Kong. An avalanche of thanks from the bottom of our hearts).

Letter sent by the grateful sea crew to PCG officials shared by Congen Tejada

The letter was signed by all the six crew members, including the vessel’s chief engineer.

According to Consul Saret, there were originally 16 Filipino crew members, along with a couple of Greek ones.

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“Two went home early last month due to medical reasons, then followed  by eight last month whose positions were not too vital for the basic maintenance of the ship, then the six tomorrow,” he explained.

Congen Tejada said the seafarers were well provided for the entire duration of their stay aboard the vessel.

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 “May supply na dumarating lagi kaya lang di sila makaalis dahil kelangan tauhan ang barko at may collectibles din sila,” he said. (The supplies kept coming, but they couldn’t leave because someone had to man the ship, and also because they had collectibles from management)

“Pero of course, gusto na din nila makauwi dahil matagal na din sila sa laot at syempre, Pasko.” (But of course they wanted to go home already because they had been at sea for a long time, and it’s Christmas).

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Acting on the crew’s request, the Consulate spoke with their manning agency in Hong Kong and relayed the message that the stranded men were desperate to be home, so the agent should start getting replacements for them.

In July this year, six container ships with about 120 sailors on board were put under quarantine off Lamma island after some of their crew members tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong, prior to boarding their respective vessels.

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Hong Kong health officials said then that among the seafarers who tested positive were Filipinos.

However, the M/V Angelic Glory was apparently not one of those ships. According to Congen Tejada, no one among its crew was infected with the virus, and all the quarantined ships had long left.

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Warning as 42-year-old woman dies from Covid-19

By The SUN

The woman was already seriously ill when taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital 

Hong Kong health officials have warned younger people not to be complacent about the coronavirus spread, after a 42-year-old woman died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Saturday night.

Dr Sara Ho, a general manager from the Hospital Authority, said in a press briefing on Sunday that everyone should see a doctor as soon as they feel unwell because the current virus strain does not distinguish between young and old.

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“We always emphasize that it doesn’t always follow that if you’re young you will not develop complications,” she said.

She said the latest casualty developed fever, cough and shortness of breath on Dec 4 but did not seek medical help until two days later when her condition had already turned very serious, and she had to be put on a ventilator immediately. 

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Ho said young people should not presume that they will only develop mild symptoms if they were infected with the virus.

The woman became the 114^th patient to die from Covid-related complications in public hospitals. Last week, a 38-year-old man succumbed to Covid-19, the youngest fatality of the epidemic in Hong Kong.

Ho says young people shouldn't assume that they will only have mild symptoms

Meanwhile, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection warned that the fourth wave of the contagion spreads faster due to environmental contamination as she reported 95 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, 41 of them from untraceable sources.

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Chuang said this was the highest proportion of unlinked cases so far.

More than 70 preliminary positive cases had also been detected.

The CHP official said mandatory testing for residents of two more infected blocks in Kwai Shing West and Richland Gardens public housing estates will be conducted before Christmas, as new patients were confirmed today.

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These included one new case from the 5th floor of Block 8, Kwai Shing West Estate, where there are now nine infected units with 15 patients, Chuang said.

She said four more patients were reported from the Block 6, Richland Gardens cluster, one of them a family member of a previous patient.

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“After the first round of testing, we will give another round of test for all residents of Kwai Shing West Estate and Richland Gardens,” Chuang said.

“On the 17^th, we will issue a notice to make it mandatory for all residents of Block 8 Kwai Shing West Estate to get tested between Dec 18 and Dec 22 to identify ;possible patients,” Chuang said.

For residents of Richland Gardens Block 6, a notice will be issued on Dec 19 for mandatory testing of all residents on Dec 20 and 24, she said.

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Chuang also reported that four new cases were linked to Ming Lai House in Choi Wan Estate. She said the CHP will distribute sample bottles to residents of the building to find out other infected persons.

Of the day’s total tally, 92 were local cases while three were imported. The new cases brought the city’s overall tally to 7,542.

The imported cases were a 23-year-old Indonesian domestic worker who arrived on Dec 12 in Hong Kong, a 17-year-old woman from the United States and a 38-year-old man from Hungary who both arrived on Dec 11, CHP staff said.

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Among the other new cases was a female medical staff at QG Medical Centre in Tseung Kwan O who last worked on Nov 15 and developed a cough on Dec 7. CHP will investigate the situation in the clinic and trace the patients who visited it.

Ho said that as of 9am Sunday, 88 confirmed patients were discharged from hospital, pushing up the number of recovered cases to 6,202.

She added 1,097 patients were being treated in 23 public hospitals and at AsiaWorld-Expo treatment facility. Among them, 46 are in critical condition, 64 are in serious condition, and 987 are in stable condition.

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