Mystery surrounds disappearance of Filipina DH during day off

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Anybody seen this Filipina? 

A 38-year-old Filipina domestic helper remains missing three days after mysteriously disappearing since she left her employer’s home on Lyttelton Road in Mid-Levels on Sunday morning for her day off.

An officer of the Consulate said Wednesday, Dec 22, that she tried to reach the missing woman, Gemma Baflor Hinaloc, by phone but with no success.

Welfare Officer Virsie Tamayao from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said she tried to call the woman’s phone number after reading a report about Hinaloc’s disappearance, but no one was answering.

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Tamayao said Hinaloc had been serving the same employer for the past 7 years and had already claimed her long service pay.

None of her relatives and friends has contacted the Consulate to enquire about Hinaloc, a native of Bohol, said Tamayao.

The Hong Kong Police also said that it had not received any call from the public since it issued an appeal on Tuesday for information on the woman.

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A police spokeswoman said Hinaloc was reported by her employer as missing on Monday, after she failed to return from her holiday on the evening of Dec 19. She’s believed to have gone missing in Central.

The OWWA Hong Kong head said she had sent the woman’s family a message about the incident.

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Hinaloc was described by the police in a press release Tuesday as about 5-feet-4 tall, 60 kilograms in weight and chubby. She has a round face with yellow complexion and long black hair, according to the statement.

The helper was last seen wearing a black jacket, grey trousers, black sandals and a black cap, and was carrying a white rucksack.

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Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Hong Kong Island on 2860 1040 or 9886 0034.

Informants can also email to rmpu-hki@police.gov.hk or contact any police station.

HK tightens hotel quarantine rules as 8 more Omicron cases detected

By The SUN 

Hotel occupants of a room beside or across the one used by an Omicron patient will be tested daily

The Centre for Health Protection has tightened anti-epidemic measures in designated quarantine hotels after eight new Omicron cases were found today, comprising nearly all new arrivals in Hong Kong whose infections were reported on Dec 19 and 20.

Because of the increasing risk posed by Omicron, the CHP said today, Dec 21, that it will further tighten contact tracing and inbound control measures in the city.

The new measures will include requiring daily testing for those who have stayed in rooms adjacent to or opposite the one occupied by an Omicron case in designated quarantine hotels.

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Those who had already completed their compulsory quarantine at the hotel will be asked to undergo additional testing as soon as possible and to avoid group gathering until they complete seven days of medical surveillance.

In addition, the CHP will ensure that staff at the DQHs, who are all required to be fully vaccinated, to have received regular testing. The hotels will also be reminded to step up  ventilation and infection control measures.

Yesterday, the CHP ordered that all inbound travelers must get a negative result for a Covid-19 test conducted 48 hours before departure, instead of the previous 72 hours.

It also tightened the flight suspension mechanism with immediate effect, by mandating that if four or more passengers are confirmed with Covid-19 upon arrival in Hong Kong from the same flight within seven days, that route will be suspended for 14 days.

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The United Kingdom was also added to the Group A+ countries because of the high number of travelers from there who have tested positive for Omicron after arriving in Hong Kong.

But at the same time, all new arrivals from countries in this category will only need to stay for four days at Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre before being allowed to move to their hotels for the remaining 17 days of compulsory isolation.

While at Penny’s Bay, all travelers will be tested daily.

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The new Omicron cases were mostly new arrivals from the UK and other countries in Europe and Africa, while the rest came from the United States and India. They comprised six males and two females aged between 20 and 68. They were all fully vaccinated.

Five tested positive for the new variant of concern while staying at quarantine hotels, and two on their arrival at the airport.

They raised to 27 the total number of Omicron cases in Hong Kong.

7 of 8 new Covid-19 cases carry the mutant strain linked to Omicron

The number is likely to rise, as seven of the eight new coronavirus cases reported today also carried the N501Y mutant strain linked to the highly contagious Omicron variant.

Only one of the imported cases was found to carry the L452R strain commonly linked to the Delta variant.

They comprise seven males and one female aged 11 to 61.

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Three of the new patients arrived in Hong Kong from the United Kingdom and United States, two Group A specified places (high-risk) with enhanced surveillance.

A man aged 29 and a woman aged 54 arrived via CX252 from London and CX881 from Los Angeles, respectively, on Dec 19 and tested positive on arrival at the airport.

The CHP said the woman, who lives in Block 18A, Serenity Villa in Tai Po, tested negative in Hong Kong on Dec 15 and traveled to the US the next day. She returned to Hong Kong on Dec 19 via flight CX881 and tested positive on arrival.

The patient is asymptomatic and with a Ct value below 30. The places where she lived and visited in Hong Kong during the incubation period were included in a compulsory testing notice on Dec 19.

Four of today’s new patients flew into Hong Kong from Ghana, the United Kingdom and Germany on Dec 15, 17 and 19 via Qatar Airways flight Q818 originating in Doha.

Including a man who arrived via flight Q818 on Dec 14, they triggered a government ban on all Qatar Airways flights from Doha effective Dec 22 until Jan 4, 2022.

Another man aged 61 arrived from London on Dec 15 via Doha on QR818 and tested positive during quarantine at Regal Oriental Hotel in Kowloon City.

The other cases included two 44-year-old men from Ghana who arrived via Doha on QR818 on Dec 19 and Dec 17; a male air crew aged 37 who arrived from Austria via London and Dubai on EK384 on Dec 19; a boy of 11 who flew in from Germany via QR818 on the same day, and a 23-year-old man who came from Pakistan on flight EK384 via Dubai on Dec 8.

Five patients tested positive upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport and the remaining three were found positive during quarantine.

A total of 67 cases have been reported in the past 14 days to Dec 20. All of them are imported cases.

The Hospital Authority said that as of 9am today, a total of 101 confirmed patients were confined in the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre and the HA Infectious Disease Centre.

Among those patients, one is in serious condition while the rest are in stable condition.

​Epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing, the CHP said. For case details and contact tracing information, please see the Annex or the “COVID-19 Thematic Website” (www.coronavirus.gov.hk).

Distressed Filipina charged with infanticide for dumping baby in bin

By Vir B. Lumicao 

The baby was found in the 12th floor refuse room of StarCrest Tower 2

A 31-year-old jobless Filipino mother suffering from post-partum depression was charged with infanticide today, Dec 21, in Eastern Court for allegedly wrapping her months-old baby in a plastic bag and leaving it to die in a rubbish bin a week ago.

The defendant, M.A. Atienza, was arrested shortly after the baby’s body was discovered in the 12^th floor refuse room of StarCrest Tower 2 at 9 Star St, Wanchai on Dec 14.

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The woman, whose visa status was not mentioned in court, appeared on a wheelchair as she was read the charge before Magistrate Ada Yim.

According to the prosecution, the defendant willfully placed her child, who was under 12 months old, in a white plastic bag which she then dumped in a rubbish bin.

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As a result of her action, Atienza caused the baby to suffocate, the prosecution said.

But the prosecution said the defendant was at the time of the offense not in her right frame of mind due to post-partum depression.

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“…But at the time of the act, the balance of your mind was disturbed by reason of your not having fully recovered from the effect of giving birth to such child,” the charge read.

No further details of the case were mentioned and no plea was taken.

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The prosecution requested a eight-week adjournment for further investigation and legal advice. It opposed bail for the defendant.

Magistrate Yim adjourned the case until Feb 15 next year and ordered the defendant returned to custody. But she told Atienza to return on Dec 29 for a bail review.

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Agency owner denies knowing 2 Filipina staffers recruited for bogus jobs

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Ebrahim denies knowing her 2 Filipina staff were offering fake jobs

An employment agency owner said she didn’t fire her two Filipina staff after discovering they were recruiting people for non-existent jobs in Hong Kong and Macau in 2019, because she wanted them to refund the applicants’ money first.

Lennis Ebrahim took the witness stand today, Dec 20, in the District Court, accused of using false trade descriptions and money laundering along with Marijane Biscocho. The trial is being held at West Kowloon Court before Judge Kathie Cheung.

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Ebrahim also denied going into hiding after the job applicants began chasing WHT Consulting in Kwun Tong in 2019, which renamed itself Remy Consulting and moved to To Kwa Wan, for the promised jobs.

She said she was not aware Biscocho and another Filipina staff, Nympha Lumatac, had recruited for those jobs because she mostly stayed at home and went to the office only on Sundays and holidays.

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Ebrahim, 55, who said she was just a consultant of WHT and Remy, said she first heard about the activities of full-time employee Lumatac and part-time staff Biscocho when the applicants became restive.

Ebrahim and Biscocho are being tried in the District Court on a charge each of accepting illegal payment for the bogus jobs and laundering some $700,000 of the collected money in Hong Kong banks.

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Biscocho faces 20 charges including violation of the Trade Description Ordinance by wrongly accepting payment for a product, and money laundering.

Her co-employee Lumatac evaded arrest by fleeing to the Philippines via Macau when the alleged victims demanded a refund of their money.

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Eleven applicants accused Biscocho and Ebrahim of charging at least $12,000 each for such jobs as gardeners, welders, drivers, printers and field workers in Hong Kong and Macau that offered $7,000 to $13,000. They applied for relatives and friends.

Only seven of them, Rosalina Agcalis, Jocelyn Domingo, Nena Castro, Maria Aurora Lagura, Jovelyn Villaflor, Mary Joy Liggayu and Preciosa Abellera testified for the prosecution.

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Ebrahim took over the witness stand from Biscocho, 44, who finished giving evidence last Friday after several days of testimony.

At the witness stand, Biscocho answered every question by her Legal Aid lawyer Phil Chau, SC, simply with “yes” or “know” and by saying she only followed orders from Ebrahim.

She used the same strategy in replying to the prosecutor, who said in frustration that as the manager of the shop she should have been familiar with the standard employment contract for domestic helpers, but used the same document for the supposedly skilled applicants.

Ebrahim hides her face as she steps out of the courtroom after her testimony

At her turn to testify, the tall and slim Ebrahim spoke Cantonese as she fielded questions by Legal Aid-provided lawyer Shaun Kelly about her role in the alleged job scam.

Under questioning by Kelly, the defendant denied it was her handwriting that was on the documents submitted by the alleged victims as evidence.

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“That’s not my handwriting. I usually put my initials next to the chop,” she replied when Kelly showed her a job application by Philippines-based Mario Liggayu.

One time, Ebrahim said she received a call from Biscocho about the visa applications of some applicants for welder and field worker jobs being rejected by Immigration.

“She gave me a couple of names and I wrote them down. I told her we need to refund these people,” she said.

Then she reportedly told Biscocho to tell the applicants to wait three to four weeks as she used her savings and borrowed money from a friend to refund $31,000.

The trial continues.

Filipino migrants join huge crowds on free-ride Sunday

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Queues were long for buses bound for Repulse Bay, Stanley and the Peak

Yesterday was unlike most Sundays in Hong Kong, as thousands of people turned out to enjoy the free rides offered by most public transportation companies, as part of the government’s  bid to encourage more people to vote in the Legislative Council election.

As Sunday happens to be the day-off of most foreign domestic workers in the city, they also joined the mad dash for the free rides on the MTR, LRT, buses and trams.

Many took the opportunity to go to far-off places they’d normally pay a huge fare to visit, such as the Tai Tong Sweet Gum Woods in Yuen Long and the Strawberry Farm in Fanling.

Many migrants took the chance to travel to the Tai Tong Sweet Gum Woods for free

One Filipino couple posted a video on Facebook showing them taking the MTR all the way to Lo Wu and back, joking in the process that they almost got into Shenzhen, which, however, remains closed to most people in Hong Kong due to Covid restrictions.

Some migrant workers opted to take shorter visits to places like the Sham Shui Po market or the products expo at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, but almost quit when they saw the huge throng of people trying to get into the subways.

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“Muntik ko nang hindi kinaya ang siksikan sa MTR,” said Cherry Anne, who went to Sham Shui Po from Central after lunch. (I almost quit seeing the packed trains of the MTR).

She said her friend had tried to take a video of the crowds inside the station, but was unable to do so amid the jostling and the pushing.

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Due to the number of people who took the MTR, the most expensive but quickest mode of transportation, passengers were told they need not tap their Octopus cards or buy tickets when entering.

This caused a bit of confusion as some buses had signs saying passengers had to tap their Octopus cards before getting in, even if no amount was debited from their accounts.

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To cope with the expected deluge, the MTR management deployed 600 additional staff to help with crowd control. Some stations had passageways reserved only for people who were getting out, but not for those getting in.

MTR trains were this packed during peak hours for the free rides

Among the favorite destinations of the free riders was Repulse Bay and Stanley, or the Peak. Hundreds of people lined up at the bus stop beside United Centre in Admiralty to get to either destination, but were quickly given relief when buses were sent out every few minutes to pick them up.

There was a longer wait, however, for the regular buses that did not pass by popular sites, such as Bus No 10 that goes from Kennedy Town to North Point pier. The bus that normally involved a waiting time of only 10 to 15 minutes took as long as 30 minutes as some of the buses on the fleet were apparently deployed to other routes.

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Long queues were also reported at bus stops by the Hung Hom cross-harbor tunnel, where passengers could get on most routes provided by KMB, Citybus and New World First Bus.

Also providing free service for the day were Long Win Bus and New Lantao Bus, as well as the tram.

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Many opted to go to Disneyland from Central, where the adult fare could set you back $29.50 each way. Even if they didn’t get into the park itself, many migrant workers said it was worth the visit as the big crowds contributed to the festive spirit.

But the unprecedented treat did not sit well with some, especially those who live in the outlying islands as boat trips, including those on the Star Ferry, were not free.

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The government said it didn’t spend a cent on the free rides, which were all shouldered by participating transport companies.

7 new Covid-19 and 5 Omicron cases reported

By The SUN 

Omicron is now the dominant variant seen among arriving passengers in Hong Kong

Hong Kong health authorities have reported seven new confirmed cases of Covid-19, five of whom tested positive for the N501Y mutant strain commonly linked to the highly infectious Omicron variant.

The Centre for Health Protection also announced today, Dec 20, that after complete genome sequencing, five new Omicron cases were detected among travelers who arrived here on Dec 17 and 18. Hong Kong now has a total of 14 Omicron cases.

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One of the newly confirmed patients, a 33-year-old man who had flown from the United Kingdom, had insufficient viral load to test for the strain while a 78-year-old man who came from the United States had the L452R strain linked to the Delta variant.

Of the seven new cases, three had booster shots in the US between Nov 17 and Dec 15. The four others each had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

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CHP also said that as three passengers who arrived aboard flight CX845 from New York on Dec 19 tested positive on at Hong Kong Airport, the flight has been suspended for two weeks, from Dec 20 to Jan 2.

A spokesman for the CHP said one of the three passengers was confirmed as positive in the US, so was not added to Hong Kong’s list of confirmed cases anymore.

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The two others who took the CX 845 flight were an 18-year-old female who carried the N501Y strain and a 78-year-old man who had the L452R strain.

The other patients who tested positive for the N501Y variant are a 28-year-old woman who came from the United Kingdom on Dec 18 aboard VS206, a 22-year-old male who also came from the UK on the same day but aboard CX216, another 22-year-old male who traveled from Poland, Germany and Qatar and took QR818 on Dec 18; and a 68-year-old man who flew in from the United States and Japan on Dec 17 and was quarantined at Penny’s Bay.

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They took Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally to 12,533 confirmed cases and one probable case.

Meanwhile, of the five newly reported Omicron cases, three were confirmed to have the N501Y mutant strain when they arrived on Dec 17. The other two were among five patients who arrived on Dec 18, and all had the N501Y strain as well.

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Three of the patients had arrived from the UK, one from Nigeria and another from Italy.

Among today’s cases, the man who came from Poland and German and took QR818 had lived in Hong Kong during the 21-day incubation period prescribed by local experts. Thus, Block 1 of Rambler Crest in Tsing Yi where he had stayed and other places he visited, will be put under compulsory testing notice.

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The patient left Hong Kong on Dec 7 and returned on Dec 18 where his specimen taken at the airport proved positive for coronavirus with the N501Y mutant strain.

Filipinos pick up pieces as Odette exits, leaving 140 people dead

 By The SUN 

The country's surfing capital, Siargao, bore the full impact of Odette's fury (photo from OVP)

People in parts of the Visayas and Mindanao have begun to salvage whatever was left of their belongings after Super Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) claimed more than 140 lives as it cut a path of death and destruction across the region on Thursday and Friday.

As of the evening of Sunday, Dec 19, reports reaching Manila said at least 72 people died in Bohol alone in the wake of the typhoon.

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The National Disaster Coordinating Council reported 31 other casualties after Odette blew its way out into the South China Sea.

But Negros Occidental’s provincial government said the death toll in the province rose to 34 today, with the latest fatalities recorded in Sipalay and Kabankalan, among the hardest-hit cities in the province.

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At least 15 other people died in Siargao Island, said Surigao del Norte Governor Francisco Matugas on Sunday, who added that the death toll could climb.

The local government of Dinagat Islands in the province reported 10 more deaths, mostly due to fallen trees and drowning, as the typhoon flattened the province.

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Odette, which at one point was a Category 5 storm, made nine destructive landfalls in the provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Leyte and Surigao del Norte, where the popular surfing destination, Siargao, being the first to bear to brunt of its 270km-per-hour wind.

Bohol Governor Arthur Yap appealed for donations of hundreds of generators to help the province deal with a critical shortage in drinking water.

The super typhoon also left a trail of destruction in Bohol province

Yap also asked the Philippine Ports Authority to open its facilities to help local government units get access to power and communications.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development said 74,680 families or 279,623 persons are staying in 2,060 evacuation centers after the onslaught of Odette.

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Meanwhile, 7,427 families or 28,982 persons were also displaced, but are staying outside evacuation centers.

The DSWD added that as of 6am on Sunday, Php3.57 million worth of assistance from the agency, local government units, and nongovernmental organizations has been provided to affected residents.

Photos shared on social media showed wrecked homes and toppled power and communication lines. The widespread destruction has made it difficult for authorities to provide a clear picture of the extent of damage.

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Relief operations were ramped up on Sunday after Odette, the strongest tropical storm to hit the Philippines this year, pummeled the region as it made nine landfalls and displaced more than 400,000 people in seven provinces.

The national government has committed P2 billion to aid the Visayas and Mindanao residents displaced by Odette, acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said Sunday.

He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development already has Php1 billion worth of pre-positioned goods in affected areas while the Department of Public Works and Highways is clearing roads to speed up relief transportation,.

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Vice President Leni Robredo has conducted her own relief effort by visiting Bohol and Siargao and Dinagat islands in Surigao where she distributed food and supply packages mainly sourced from private donations.

She also met with local officials to help with the coordination of relief and rebuilding efforts.

Residents of Dumaguete City line up to get drinking water after their supply lines were cut

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, or PAGASA, said Odette had exited the country’s territory and was already about 430 km northwest of Pag-asa Island, Kalayaan, at 11am.

The typhoon maintained its strength as it plodded towards Hainan. At 2pm Sunday, Severe Typhoon Rai was within 200 kilometres of the coast of southern Vietnam from where it’s expected to turn north and northeast towards Hainan and the coast of Guangdong.

The Hong Kong Observatory has said it may issue a tropical cyclone warning signal on Monday as Rai moves towards the city.

However, based on its current track the typhoon is not expected to come within 800 kilometers of Hong Kong as it turns in a more easterly direction. Forecasters also expect Rai to weaken, though it will still bring rain to Hong Kong in the next couple of days.