Elderly Fil-Am charged with trafficking 2kg of cocaine

By Vir B. Lumicao 

The cocaine found in a suitcase allegedly belonging to Purugganan

A 78-year-old Filipino-American man pleaded not guilty on Friday, Jul 2, at the High Court to a charge of trafficking in dangerous drugs for allegedly bringing to Hong Kong around 2 kilograms of cocaine two years ago.

Rogelo G. Purugganan appeared before Judge Audrey Patricia Campbell-Moffat on the first day of a scheduled 14-day jury trial in the Court of First Instance.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The trial itself, however, did not begin as Moffat, prosecutor Anthony Sherry and defense counsel Michael Arthur discussed issues that needed to be resolved before the jury was selected.

Call now!

Purugganan was arrested on his arrival at Hong Kong International Airport from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Jul 12, 2019 after Customs officers allegedly found 2.08 kilograms of suspected cocaine in his luggage.

Following a laboratory test, the drug was found to contain 1.54kg of pure cocaine.

Purugganan, who reportedly immigrated with his family to the United States from the Philippines in the 1970s, was charged with one count of drug trafficking in West Kowloon Court on Jul 15, 2019.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Following his arrest, officers of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section asked him if he needed help but he reportedly said he was a US citizen.

The hearing continues Monday.

One of the defendants in the burglary case also pleaded guilty to stealing 40 packs of chocolates 

Meanwhile, two Filipino permanent residents in Hong Kong, one of them a self-confessed chocolate lover, were charged in Eastern Court on Friday, Jul 2 with burglary, for breaking into a private office in Causeway Bay last weekend and stealing $60,600 worth of property. 

CONTACT US!

The two defendants, Manuel Sy Jr and Cloyd de Vera, both 37, appeared before Magistrate Peter Law but did not enter a plea. Their case has been adjourned to Aug 7 were not asked to enter their plea.

De Vera was convicted minutes earlier for stealing chocolates. 

The prosecution requested for an adjournment of the case until Aug 27 for further police investigation and legal advice.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

The prosecution said Sy and De Vera trespassed into the premises of Propice Human Resources Company on Jun 26 and carted away one safe valued at $1,600, cash of $58,000 and three cellphones valued at $1,000.

The office was at shop 42, G/F, Haven Court at 128-138 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay.

The prosecutor said De Vera, an unemployed construction worker, was seen on CCTV as accompanying Sy, a delivery man, in entering the Propice office last Saturday.

She said Sy had two previous convictions for theft and a pending burglary case in District Court.  De Vera had four previous convictions, including another one in West Kowloon Court for theft.

The two defendants applied for bail, offering $1,000 each, but Law refused their request due to their being flight risks and their previous record.

The magistrate ordered them remanded in custody until Aug 27. 

Before the burglary case, De Vera pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing 40 packs of chocolate worth $1,138 in a Wellcome supermarket on the ground floor of Pearl City Mansion, Great George St, Causeway Bay, on May 22.

During an interview by police following his arrest, De Vera reportedly said he took the candies because he loves chocolates. His duty lawyer cited this and his client’s guilty plea in mitigation. 

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!

10 imported, 1 local case with unknown source reported

By The SUN

No new infection was found after the building where the local patient lives was locked down (RTHK)

Ten imported cases, nine of whom were confirmed to have the L452R strain of the coronavirus, were detected in Hong Kong on Friday, Jul 2. Test results on the last one are still pending.

One local case with the same mutant strain commonly linked to the Delta variant was also confirmed.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

However, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said that the local patient who worked at a quarantine hotel in Yau Ma Tei, had repeatedly tested negative for the virus at a hospital where she was taken after her infection was confirmed.

Chuang said the 41-year-old woman tested preliminary positive on Wednesday, and this was confirmed the next day. But since then, she has twice tested negative for the virus. She has also tested negative for antibodies.

Call now!

No one in her family had tested positive for the virus, and a lockdown ordered for the building where she lives in Aberdeen did not yield any new infection.

The health official said the woman had cleaned a room on Wednesday at the Bridal Tea House Hotel in Yau Ma Tei which was previously occupied by an Indonesian woman confirmed to carry the mutated virus.

She then went to get herself tested at nearby community testing center, where her sample tested positive. She has not received any Covid-19 vaccine.

Chuang says investigation is still being carried out on the local patient's infection

Chuang said investigations into the case are continuing, so it was too early to say that this was a false-positive result. At least two previous cases were re-classified as such.

“We find it strange the patient tested positive and then repeatedly negative with a negative serology,” she said. “Of course there may be an explanation, such as she’s at a very early stage after (infection) and she’s still incubating the virus.”

Pindutin para sa detalye

Another possibility is that she did not catch a live virus but carried remnants of it in her nasal passageway, and that was detected during the swab after a few minutes. But for the meantime, officials are treating it as a positive case.

Another expert, University of Hong Kong microbiologist Prof. Yuen Kwok-kwung said after the CHP briefing that it was possible the patient had caught the virus from cleaning the infected hotel room.

CONTACT US!

He said a contractor had disinfected the room previously but did not use a product recommended by CHP and only stayed inside for 10 minutes, which was unacceptable.

Yuen urged cleaners who work at designated hotels to get vaccinated, and for contractors to strictly adhere to CHP guidelines.

Yuen made his remarks after visiting Bridal Tea House hotel (RTHK)

Meanwhile, eight newly arrived travelers from the UK were among the 10 imported cases. One each flew in from Indonesia and the other, from Russia.

The UK returnees, aged 17 to 20, all tested on arrival at Hong Kong airport though they flew in aboard three different airlines. Seven were confirmed to have the L452R mutation, while the test result on one was still being confirmed.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Both those who had come from Indonesia, and the other from Russia through Turkey, also had the mutant virus.

Chuang said that so far, 160 people in Hong Kong have been found to have the L452R mutation, and 59 of them were confirmed to have the Delta variant.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!

 

83-year-old retired British doctor guilty of indecent assault on Filipina helper

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The verdict against the octogenarian doctor was announced at Eastern Court

Stooped but still sprightly and mobile, 83-year-old retired British doctor Brian Drew Apthorp was taken into custody earlier today, Jul 2, after an Eastern Court magistrate found him guilty of two counts of indecent assault against her former Filipina domestic worker, identified in court as X.

The two charges which involved a slew of sordid sexual assaults, happened while X was under Apthorp’s employ, from September 2018 to April 2019.

The defendant, said to be a multi-awarded doctor as well as book author, was led away by police on orders of Magistrate Daniel Tang, who set the sentencing on Jul 15, pending the submission of background and psychological reports on Apthorp.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Defense counsel Jonathan Midgely tried to stop Apthorp being remanded in custody, saying he would be at risk if he was put in jail because of his age and heart condition, but the magistrate was not dissuaded.

Magistrate Tang said that first, the case should have been tried in “a different court”, indicating that it was actually too serious to have been brought before the magistracy; and second, he was looking at a sentence of more than a year.

But at Midgley’s request, the magistrate ordered that the Correctional Services Department make special arrangements for the defendant, “given his age and health condition.”

The defense counsel said he would apply for bail pending appeal once the sentence is handed down.

One of the books written by Dr Apthorp, known as a pioneer in primary health care 

Interviewed over the telephone, X said she was happy that she was vindicated, especially since some of the Filipina workers who had worked for Apthorp before her, had viciously accused her on social media of being after the employer’s money.

“Natutuwa po ako na naipaglaban ko hindi lang ang aking sarili, kundi pati na rin ang ibang nauna sa akin na nagdusa din. Sana hindi na siya (Apthorp) payagang makakuha muli ng domestic helper,” she said.

Call now!

(I am happy that I was able to fight, not just for myself, but for all the ones who came before me and suffered as well. I hope he would not be allowed to hire another domestic helper).

On being told how shocked Apthorp had looked while being led away by the police, X, who has a partner and a child back in Laguna province, said it could just be play-acting.

However, she added: “Naaawa din ako ng bahagya dahil ikukulong siya kahit matanda na siya, pero dapat niyang papanagutan ang mga kasalanang ginawa niya.”

Pindutin para sa detalye

(I feel a bit sorry for him because he will go to jail despite his advanced age, but he should pay for all the sins that he committed).

Human rights lawyers helping X have filed an application for judicial review to question the police’s decision not to treat the sexual assaults as a human trafficking case.

In the first charge, Apthorp was convicted of indecently assaulting X in September 2018 in a bedroom in his house at 35 Shouson Hill Road, in the guise of conducting a body check-up on her prior to her being employed.

CONTACT US!

The employer told X to lay on a bed, then pushed up her shirt and squeezed her breasts. He then pulled down the helper’s shorts and while pretending to conduct a pap smear, inserted his fingers into her genitals.

X fled the room after that. But when she told a co-worker, Janice, about what happened, the other helper assured X that it was a routine check-up which Athorp, a doctor, conducts on all his would-be employees.

The second charge covered several acts of indecent assaults stretched over a five-month period, from November 2018 to April 2019. During this time, X was ordered to give Apthorp daily body massages, front and back, while he was stark naked.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

During these massage sessions the octogenarian would order X to pinch his nipples while squeezing his genitals so he could get sexually aroused.

In her two-day testimony in court last Mar 4 and 5, X also spoke of a “whipping Thursday,” when the elderly employer would order her to use different kinds of whips on various parts of his body, including a riding crop which he wanted used on his nipples and genitals.

In his verdict, Magistrate Tang said he found X to be a credible and honest witness. Since Apthorp chose not to give evidence to defend himself, there was no way to gauge his credibility in the same way.

As for the supposed body check-up, Tang said “it was obvious that X did not give consent. She was misled by the defendant.”

On the other hand, Apthorp, being a doctor, should have known that what he did was not a proper examination as there was no one else inside the room with them and he did not get her prior consent. The body check was also not part of their employment contract.

Any right-minded person would have come to the same conclusion, said the magistrate.

Shouson Hill Road, where Apthorp lives 

As for the series of assaults that happened in the last six months of X’s stay in Apthorp’s house, Tang said the helper was able to substantiate her allegation with a video recording she took of one of the massage sessions where the doctor appeared to have grabbed her hand and put it into his groin.

Though the video did not contain the alleged masturbation she had spoken about, the magistrate said it was enough to support her claim. Tang accepted that the video was inadvertently cut short when X sent it to a friend for safekeeping before deleting it from her own phone.

Tang also said it was understandable why X did not immediately seek help when Apthorp started the sexual assaults. She was suffering from mental stress because she did not want to lose her job and cut off her family financially.

“I find it logical and reasonable in her condition at the time. Being a mother, she had to work in Hong Kong to support her family. She also trusted Janice,” said the magistrate.

Finally, he dismissed suggestions that X was out to extort money from her rich elderly employer. Tam said the $69,039.06 claim in the Equal Opportunities Commission case that she filed against Apthorp was reasonable.

Further, her demand for an apology in the case showed she was not just after the money, said Tang.

“If it was only money she was after, she would not have asked for an apology,” he said. 

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!

MAGREGISTER AS VIP BARKADAHAN MAY AYUDA AT BIRTHDAY GIFTS PA!

 

Patuloy pa rin ang pag celebrate ng 20 years ng Barkadahan sa SmarTone. 

At dahil nga Number 1 Most Used Network ng mga OFW sa Hong Kong, may bagong pamigay na naman para sa lahat ng Barkadahan users.

Kapag nag Register ka na as VIP, may mga Freebies ayuda kang makukuha over $268 worth agad PLUS Birthday Gift yearly! Ang unang regalo mo ay Clip Lens 3-1 at sunod naman ay SKY100 Ticket para makapunta ka sa tallest building sa HK at makita ang buong view sa 100^th floor. 

At pag Birthday mo naman, may surprise gift ka! Madaming mga regalo ang inihanda para sa mga subscribers. 

Kaya dapat tuluy tuloy ang gamit ng SIM para tuluy tuloy din ang mga Freebies at regalo. Ito ang kagandahan kapag stick to one ka lang sa SIM network. May mga bonggang regalo o mga pa ayuda lalo na sa panahon ngayon ng pandemya. 

Paano ba mag VIP sa Barkadahan at makuha mga Freebies at ayuda? 

Madali lang! Mag install ng My SIM Account App para masa madali niyong i-manage ang inyong SIM card. Kung wala pa kayong app, magdownload at install muna o i-press ang https://wap.smartone.com/bssapp/. 

I-open My SIM Account App, i-press yung 3 lines (menu) sa upper left corner ng app, i-select ang Profile at mag register para maging VIP. Sundan lang mga steps hanggat umabot ka sa Congratulations at registered ka na. Simula na yan para ikaw ay makatanggap ng mga regalo. 

Masarap maging VIP, pramis! 

Para naman malaman iba pang mga offers sa Barkadahan, tingnan ang aming leaflets o press https://bit.ly/2Uy81zi. 

Kung kailangan mo ng tulong kung paano mag install at gamitin ang My SIM Account App, pwede kang bumisita sa mga Barkadahan shops: 

• World-Wide House Central: Shop 159, 1/F World Wide House, 19 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong​; 
• Lik Sang Plaza Tsuen Wan: Shop 07, G/F, Lik Sang Plaza, Tsuen Wan, New Territories. 

Mas bongga talaga sa Barkadahan, pramis! 

Barkadahan sa SmarTone for the OFW, with the OFW!

FDHs warned overstaying, intentional or not, is a crime

By Vir B. Lumicao

FDHs are told they should apply for an extension at least 8 weeks before their visa expires

Migrant domestic workers who overstay because of oversight are lucky if they get away with nothing more than a reprimand, a source at the Immigration Department said.

The information came after a number of migrant workers admitted to having overstayed unwittingly because they relied on their contract expiry instead of the date stamped on their employment visas.

The workers claimed they were only asked to write a letter explaining why they forgot to renew their visa or apply for extension before it expired.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

At least one worker admitted to having already overstayed for a year before she realized her oversight. Others said they had been without valid visas from one month to six months before they went to Immigration to ask for an extension.

They said they waited for hours for the results of their applications, longer than others who had not overstayed their visa. But that was all the inconvenience they suffered.

But the Immigration source said that not all who overstay out of their own neglect can expect lenient treatment.

Call now!

“It’s an offense under Immigration rules to overstay your visa,” he emphasized. Thus, a penalty could be imposed on an offender, depending on how officers assess each case.

He advised workers to always check the visa expiry date and apply for renewal or extension at least eight weeks beforehand.

Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, general manager of the Mission for Migrant Workers, said no one should be complacent on this matter as it is always the officer at the counter who makes decisions, unless he brings it to his immediate superior.

Pindutin para sa detalye

“An expired visa amounts to overstaying, a crime in the Immigration’s eyes,” said Abdon-Tellez, a long-time community leader in Hong Kong.

“Best to inspect the visa validity date as soon as it is issued and note it in your diary or calendar to have something to remind you in due time,” she said. 

On Monday, two Filipinas who were at Immigration Tower in Wan Chai as early as 8am said they were there to get their visas extended after failing to realize they had overstayed.

CONTACT US!

Ellise said she had fixed her attention on the Jul 6 expiry of her second employment contract and not on the validity of her employment visa which was sometime in January.

She said that the Immigration officer who interviewed her asked a lot of questions before telling her to write a letter explaining what happened. He asked her employer to do the same.

Rose, who was with Ellise, said she had a similar story: her visa also expired five months previously without her noticing it, so she was also there waiting for the result of her application for an extension.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

"I think they’re punishing us for filing so late,” she said.

Several members of Facebook group Domestic Helpers Corner said they also overstayed accidentally because they didn’t pay attention to their visa expiry date.

One member said the Immigration officer who interviewed her became cranky when he found out she had overstayed for more than a month.

“Did you know that overstaying is illegal!? You can go to jail,” she quoted the officer as saying. But he approved her visa renewal just the same.

Lynn Pejoto said she dropped in her application for visa extension even after she had already overstayed for a month. When an officer saw the lapse, he rang up Pejoto’s employer and told her to make her helper return to Immigration next day with the required documents so the new visa could be stamped immediately on her passport. She had a year left in her contract.

FelDom T. Frogoso said when she renewed her contract last year, she didn’t notice that her visa attached to her old passport had been expired for a year.

“Pero awa ng Diyos wala naman naging problema sa Immigration kasi same employer din naman ako,” she said. (By God’s mercy I had no problem at Immigration because I remained with the same employer.)

She said the officer asked for her salary record but, as she had nothing to show, she was asked to write down the salary she received for the past two years.

Angelica A Cantor asked fellow workers what to expect as her visa had already expired and she was finishing her contract in October.

A visa consultant’s reply may not sound comforting. “Immigration takes visa overstayers very seriously indeed, and long-term overstayers could find themselves jailed for a period before being removed from Hong Kong,” the consultant said.

It’s a fair warning for everyone.

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Call us!

Local woman found with mutant strain of the coronavirus

By The SUN

 

The woman with the variant works at Bridal Tea House, a quarantine hotel

The Centre for Health Protection has announced that it is investigating a preliminary positive local case of Covid-19 from an unknown source involving the L452R mutant strain, commonly associated with the Delta variant.

The 41-year-old female patient who lives at Port Centre in Aberdeen works at Bridal Tea House, a designated quarantine hotel in Yau Ma Tei. She last went to work on Thursday, Jul 1.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

She was asymptomatic and her infection was detected during a regular testing for hotel staff members on June 30.

Apart from her regular work at the hotel, she also worked part-time as a cleaner at Bluejay Residences in Ap Lei Chau and House 2, 12A South Bay Road in Repulse Bay, where she last went to work on June 27 and 29 respectively.

Call now!

The CHP said her specimen carried the L452R mutant strain but is negative to the N501Y and E484K strains.

She is the second local case of a variant infection. Last week, a 27-year-old male ground crew at Hong Kong Airport was found to carry the Delta variant, but genetic sequencing showed his infection was linked to three women who had just arrived from Indonesia.

CONTACT US!

The news came after four new imported cases were reported, bringing Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally to 11,927.

The patients, aged between 19 and 54, arrived from the United Kingdom, Russia and Indonesia. All were asymptomatic.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Meanwhile Port Centre was put under overnight lockdown following the cleaning woman’s positive test result, and all residents there were ordered to get tested. They will be subject to further compulsory testing on Days 3, 7, 12 and 19, from the day on which the case is confirmed.

The woman’s workplaces and the places she had visited during the incubation and infectious period will be included in a compulsory testing notice. People who had been present at the relevant venues at specified periods need to undergo compulsory testing on or before the specified date.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

CHP’s investigation showed she has not received Covid-19 vaccination.

Members of the public are encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Details of the government’s vaccination program can be found at the designated website: www.covidvaccine.gov.hk

 

CALL US!

Call us!