‘Hug your family tight’, CG tells Filipinos going home for Christmas

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Congen Tejada says personal sacrifices have to be made for loved ones

“To those going home, have a happy holiday and hug your families tighter because it’s been a long time…”

This message came from Consul General Raly Tejada, who expressed a personal sadness that he hasn’t seen his family in the Philippines for about two years because of disruptions from the anti-government protests, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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“So lahat tayo, sacrifice for our loved ones, ganoon talaga,” he added. (So all of us must sacrifice for our loved ones, it’s how it should be).

Congen Tejada gave his message at the annual general meeting of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association – Hong Kong on Saturday, Dec 4, where he was guest of honor, and was asked to administer the oath to the group’s new officers.

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He said it was unfortunate that because of the emergence of the new Omicron variant, all those going home to the Philippines this month will have to spend some time in hotel quarantine.

Previously, all fully vaccinated travelers from Hong Kong could skip facility-based quarantine if they presented a negative result for a RT-PCR test for Covid-19 taken within 72 hours before departure.

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Congen Tejada said he hoped people would understand that these were all necessary measures taken by both the Hong Kong and Philippine governments to protect their people and prepare for when the world opens up again once the pandemic eases.

On a lighter note, he made fun of how his fellow alumni from UP had tricked him into going to the Causeway Bay venue which looked dodgy from the outside, and had the address scrawled only in pen on top of a very narrow entrance.

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He shared a hearty laugh with everyone in the group when they teased him about falling for “budol” (scam) as he was not warned beforehand that he had to climb several flights of stairs in the crumbling building to get to the venue.

Outgoing officers led by Manimtim-Erno (with antler headband) hand over $5k donation to Antonio 

Another highlight of the evening was the surprise turnover of a $5,000 donation by UPAA HK to Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, whose executive director and fellow alumna, Edwina Antonio, was among the guests.

Outgoing UPAA HK president Sherina Manimtim-Erno presented the cheque donation to Antonio, along with Congen Tejada.

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Antonio thanked her fellow alumni, and said the donation came at the right time because both Bethune House and its parent organization, Mission for Migrant Workers, are  struggling with massive budget shortfalls this year amid a spike in requests for help from migrant workers.

The UPAA HK officers for 2022 are: Jay A. Villafuerte, president; Charo Logarta Lagamon,, vice-president; Joane R. Mata, secretary; Chad de Guzman, treasurer; Lucky Gil Bunao, auditor; and Maritess C. Turingan, press relations officer. 

CG administering the oath to Villafuerte, Lagamon, Mata, De Guzman, Bunao and Turingan

The evening ended with an exchange of gifts and the awarding of prizes for the "ugliest jumpers" (sweater) worn by alumni.

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Triple-jabbed woman among 5 new Covid-19 cases today

By The SUN 

The woman had her 3rd dose of BioNTech vaccine a week before flying out to HK from the US

A 28-year-old woman who had three doses of the BioNTech in the United States before flying into Hong Kong on Sunday is one of five new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, Dec 7.

The woman who tested positive on her arrival test at HK International Airport had her vaccine jabs on Apr 29, May 23 and Nov 29. She flew in via CX845 and was asymptomatic.

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She and three other patients carried the L452R mutant strain of the coronavirus, while the test result of the remaining case is still pending.

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Four of the new cases tested positive on arrival while the fifth, a 62-year-old man who came from Spain via Qatar, was at Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre, where he was moved  after being tagged as a close contact of another patient found infected earlier.

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The man flew via QR818 on Nov 29, which means he tested positive on Day 7 of his quarantine.

The lone patient whose test result for any mutant strain is still pending is a 44-year-old woman who came from Nepal thru India on Dec 5, and took flight AI314.

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The two others are a 28-year-old man who flew in from Switzerland via Finland aboard AY101, and a 44-year-old man from Pakistan via Turkey aboard TK083, who was the only who had symptoms when he arrived in Hong Kong.

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They took Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally to 12,471 confirmed cases.

The Centre for Health Protection reminded persons who had stayed at Way Man Court at 50-52 Village Road in Happy Valley at specified times to undergo compulsory testing again tomorrow, Dec. 8.

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Filipina asylum-seeker jailed one year for keeping man’s ID and ATM cards

By Vir B. Lumicao 

HKID card ng isang local na lalaki ang nakita sa pitaka ng akusado

A 44-year-old Filipina asylum-seeker was sentenced to a year in jail today, Dec 7, in West Kowloon Court after she admitted keeping in her wallet a Hong Kong identity card and a bank ATM card belonging to a local man.

The defendant, Julie E. Jabonero, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Peter Law to one count of possession of an identity card belonging to another person and one count of theft for keeping an ATM card issued by Bank of China to Tsoi Chak-ming.

Magistrate Law sentenced Jabonero to 12 months in prison for each of the charges, but ordered them to run concurrently. He said keeping someone else’s cards was a serious offense.

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Jabonero readily said “guilty” after the Tagalog interpreter read the charges to her.

Court records show that the police were called to a residential block on Kam Fong St., Mong Kok, at 2:01am on Jul 12, 2019, because Jabonero was quarelling with a neighbor.

When police arrived, they arrested Jabonero for quarrelling with her neighbor and later charged her for common assault.

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During a body search of the Filipina, officers found inside her wallet the Hong Kong ID card of Tsoi as well as his BOC ATM card.

The police asked Jabonero why she had the two cards in her possession, but she could not give a reasonable explanation, the prosecution said.

At the police station, she was again asked in the presence of an interpreter about the cards and she said she found them on the floor of her room, adding that someone might have left them on the night before the incident.

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During their investigation, police found that the loss of the HKID and ATM cards had already been reported to the Mong Kok Police Station on Jun 22. The owner, however, could not be located.

Jabonero was arrested but was allowed to post bail, then failed to report back to the police as instructed.

She eventually surrendered to the Mong Kok Police Station, saying she did not know what was happening.

The court was told the Filipina had 3 previous convictions

The prosecutor said the defendant had three previous convictions, including the one for common assault.

In mitigation, the defense counsel said Jabonero had been jobless since 2012 and that she and her son aged two years and six months had been subsisting only on their allowance from the International Social Service.

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He said the child is in the custody of the Social Welfare Department

The lawyer said his client admitted finding the HKID and ATM cards near the mailbox of the building where she lived. She reportedly said she did not intend to use them but only kept them.

Under Immigration laws, possessing a forged HKID card or one belonging to another person is a serious offence, for which offenders face a maximum penalty of $100,000 fine and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

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The law requires any person who finds an identity card that does not belong to him or to a member of his family, or who after applying for a replacement HKID card, then finds the missing card, should turn over the found card to any registration office or police station.

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Use of LeaveHomeSafe app a must from Thursday

By The SUN 

All restaurants must require guests to use the LeaveHomeSafe app from Thursday

Starting on Thursday, everyone who visits regulated premises such as restaurants, cinemas, beauty parlors, gyms, hotels, massage parlors, cruise ships and other entertainment venues, must use the LeaveHomeSafe app before they can enter.

But the age exemption has been raised slightly to 15 years old and below for the young, and 65 years old and above for the elderly. Those who are disabled or destitute and have difficulties in using the app may also receive exemptions, subject to proof.

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The modified rules were released today, Dec 6, by the government, which also said that there will be no more “type A” restaurants which do not require LeaveHomeSafe use, and admit only two guests to a table.

All restaurants will have to comply with rules for type B, C or D eateries, which require all guests to use the app, and whose staff must either be vaccinated, or tested regularly.

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Previously, the mandatory use of the app was required only in government-owned premises, including offices and indoor wet markets.

After some welfare groups relayed their concern about some residents not having the means to buy smart phones and thus cannot use the app, the government said it will grant exemption to certain groups, including the homeless. However, they are expected to get proof of their situation from non-government organizations.

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"These measures are conducive to tackling the public health threat posed by the mutant strains. We appeal to the trades and the public to co-operate and comply with the relevant requirements in order to further enhance the anti-epidemic capacity of Hong Kong," the government said in its statement.

5 imported cases were reported today, including a flight crew

Meanwhile, five new imported Covid-19 infections were reported today, taking Hong Kong’s total tally to 12,466 confirmed and one probable case.

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All new cases carry the highly contagious L452R mutant strain, and all are fully vaccinated.

The new cases include a female air crew member from Finland who tested positive while in quarantine in Penny’s Bay where she was taken after being identified as a close contact of a previously diagnosed patient.

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The four others came from Pakistan via Turkey, Korea, Pakistan, and Russia via Germany. The first one tested positive on his arrival test while the rest were in hotel quarantine.

The Centre for Health Protection also announced that as a preventive measure against the new variant, Omicron, three more places have been added to Group A or  high-risk list.

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The new additions are Maldives, Senegal and Tunisia, which have all detected Omicron cases.

All Hong Kong residents who had been to these places in the past 21 days will have to undergo compulsory quarantine in designated hotels for 21 days, during which they will have to undergo six Covid-19 tests, followed by another test on the 26^th day after their arrival.

Non-residents coming from these places will not be allowed entry.

For the complete list of countries and their group designations, please check: www.coronavirus.gov.hk

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Erwiana’s $806k claim derailed as court declares her abusive employer bankrupt

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Five years on, Erwiana's fight for justice against Law continues

Law Wan-tung, the local employer who was jailed six years in 2015 for her horrific abuse of former Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, was declared bankrupt by the High Court today, Dec 6.

The order was issued by Master Reuden Lai Tat-cheung in a bankruptcy petition hearing attended by Law.

The order could again delay Law’s compliance with an order issued by the District Court on Dec 20, 2017 to pay Sulistyaningsih $809,430 for the “inhumane, degrading and abhorrent” treatment she suffered from the employer.

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Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, general manager of Mission for Migrants which helped Sulistyaningsih pursue a civil claim for damages against Law, expressed shock about the bankruptcy declaration.

“It’s a pity for Erwiana. It’s justice delayed, justice denied for her,” said Tellez when asked for her reaction to the court order.

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Tellez said she’ll wait for what Sulistyaningsih’s lawyer will say about the decision. She said the order does not put an end to the battered domestic helper’s pursuit of justice, but it would take another long process.

Once a person is declared bankrupt the Official Receiver will have the right to determine how that person’s assets should be distributed to creditors.

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Also among those set to pursue a claim against Law is another Indonesian domestic worker, Tutik Lestari Ningsih, who was hired and similarly assaulted by Law earlier. The District Court sentenced Law to pay Tutik $170,000 in compensation in February 2018.

Tellez and Erwiana after the District Court granted their $800k damages claim

Law was convicted of 22 charges relating to her abuse and non-payment of the Sulistyaningsih's wages from December 2014 to Feb 10, 2015.

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Eighteen of those charges involved multiple assaults against Sulistyaningsih. The rest were for her not paying the helper’s wages or not giving her rest days in the nearly seven months that the victim served her.

Judge Amanda Woodcock had Law jailed for a total of six years, but she was given early release in 2018 for reasons that were unclear.

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While Law was in jail, Sulistyaningsih won her compensation claim against the employer in the District Court. The judge ruled that the money would come from Law’s share in a $7-million flat in Beverly Garden in Tseung Kwan O that she owned with estranged husband Barry Tsui.

Law had tried to avoid payment by claiming in July 2015 that she had transferred her half-share in the Tseung Kwan O flat to her husband. But after a lengthy hearing, the High Court ruled in December 2017 that the purported transfer of Law’s share in the flat was invalid.

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Before the ruling, Law’s husband applied for a charging order on his estranged wife’s share in the flat, claiming that she owed him more than $3million which she used to defend herself in litigations involving Sulistyaningsih.

The High Court initially allowed the charging order but Sulistyaningsih, as a creditor, intervened and applied to have it revoked. The court allowed her application in December 2019 and revoked the charging order.

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