Hong Kong wakes up again to cold morning

Hong Kong's skyline tonight

Hong Kong wakes up to a cold morning tomorrow, with the temperature falling to 12 degrees Celsius at 6 to 8am as cold winds from the north descend on Guangdong’s coastal areas.

According to the Hong Kong Kong Observatory, the cold mornings will continue until weekend, when the temperature rises to 17 degrees on Saturday, and up to 18 degrees on Sunday and Monday as the clouds give way to the sun.

The forecast has prompted the Home Affairs Department to open 18 temporary shelters in various districts today (February 14) for people in need of the service. The temporary shelters will remain open when the Cold Weather Warning is in force.

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 “To ensure that cold shelter users can rest in a quiet and undisturbed environment, members of the public or agencies wishing to make donations to shelter users are requested to register with the staff of the shelter first,” it said. “Donors will then be directed to place the donated items at a specified indoor location. The staff will help notify the shelter users to collect the items on their own.”

For its part, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) reminded the public, particularly the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, to adopt appropriate measures to protect their health in view of the cold weather.

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CHP said cold weather can easily trigger or worsen diseases, especially among the elderly and persons suffering from heart disease, respiratory illness or other chronic illnesses.

It reminded the public to adopt the following preventive measures:

• Take note of the weather forecast. Wear warm clothing, including hats, scarves, gloves and socks accordingly;

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• Consume sufficient food to ensure adequate calorie intake;

• Perform regular physical activity to facilitate blood circulation and heat production;

• Stay in a warm environment and avoid prolonged outdoor exposure;

• Use heaters with care, and maintain adequate indoor ventilation; and

• Seek medical advice if feeling unwell.

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In addition, the public should avoid drinking alcohol because it cannot keep them warm. “Alcohol accelerates the loss of body heat through dilated blood vessels, resulting in chilling instead," the CHP said.

Parents and those taking care of babies and children should observe the following safety measures when putting them to bed:

• Keep the room well ventilated and at a comfortable temperature;

• Always place babies on their back to sleep. Leave their head, face and arms uncovered during sleep;

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• Babies do not need pillows. Place babies on a firm and well-fitted mattress to sleep. Avoid soft objects, pillows and loose bedding;

• Let babies sleep in a cot placed in the parents' room and near their bed; and

• Maintain a smoke-free environment.

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In addition, CHP warned against seasonal influenza and recommended vaccination is for all persons aged 6 months or above except those with known contraindications.

Details of the vaccination schemes can be found in the CHP's website

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Filipinas decribe how their ATM cards got linked to money laundering

 

The trial at Eastern Court resumes on March 14

The trial of two Filipinas charged with money laundering at Eastern Court described today how their ATM (automated teller machine) cards ended up being used to deposit “dirty” money derived from a scam, and from which “clean” money was then withdrawn.

Marissa Mesa, 46, testified that a long-time friend whom she recommended to her employer’s brother to work as domestic helper, Elsa Razon, convinced her to open an account with the HSBC.

Asked why she did it, Mesa said said, “because I treated Elsa as family and I trusted her.”

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This was the first time she ever opened a bank account, she said.

After she got her ATM card from HSBC, in which she deposited $100, Mesa gave it to Elsa when they met at Statue Square in Central. Later, Mesa said, Elsa told her to come with her to a beauty parlor. When she balked because she had no money, Elsa lent her $1,000.

In the days that followed, deposits of various amounts totalling $1,073,781 entered the account and almost all was withdrawn the same day the deposits were made.

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Asked where Elsa is now, Mesa said she had no idea.

Her co-accused, Hazel Gepulani, testified that she left her employer’s house earlier than usual to shop at the Wanchai Public Market, so she could open an account with a nearby branch of HSBC.

After two hours, she got the ATM Card, a piece of paper containing the password and some other bank documents. She rolled the documents together with the ATM card, put them in her sling bag and went about buying food for her employer’s household.

Gepulgani said she noticed that the ATM card was missing the next day, and suspected that it must have fallen from her bag while she was busy in the market.

She said she did not notice the loss immediately because she was loaded with a bag of rice in one hand and other food items in the other.

She did not report the loss because she thought it was not needed since there was no money in the account anyway, and she did not report to the police for the same reason.

The ATM account saw deposits and withdrawals amounting to $282,400.

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The prosecutor told Gepulgani that she did not actually lose the ATM card, that she had control over it, and she did the transactions herself. She said she did not agree.

The testimonies came after Mesa’s lawyer asked Magistrate Vivian Ho to strike out the video recorded interview of Mesa.

The lawyer explained that before the interview, the officer who interrogated her induced her to say that she did not know Elsa, when in fact they were friends since Mesa was 25 years old.

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She was also arrested at 10 am at her employer’s house and the interview only started only at 1:30pm. During that period, she had no lunch, he asserted, “and we say this was oppressive to Mesa.”

Magistrate Ho declared  a 15-minute break; when she returned, she ruled that the video recording will remain as evidence.

She adjourned the trial to March 14.

Mesa is out on bail of $20,000 while Gepulgani posted a $1,600 bail.

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Pilipino, umamin sa pagdadala ng marijuana, pero hindi ng panloloob

 

Nangyari ang diumanong panloloob sa isang gusali sa Peel Street sa Central

Isang 28 taong gulang na Pilipinong residente ang humarap sa District Court kanina sa sakdal na panloloob sa isang gusali sa Central, at pagdadala ng cannabis o marijuana, mahigit apat na taon na ang nakakaraan.

Inamin ni Melvin Adrian F. Zuniga sa harap ni Judge Daniel Tang ang pangalawang sakdal, na noong ika-27 ng Setyembre, 2018, ay nakitaan siya ng 7.88 gramo ng damo ng cannabis at 0.83 gramo ng cannabis resin, nang patigilin siya ng pulis sa may Arbuthnot Road sa Central.

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Pero itinanggi niya ang unang paratang, na nilooban niya ang isang gusali sa ground floor ng no 53 Peel Street sa Central noong ika-24 ng Setyembre ng parehong taon, at tinangay ang may $3,000 cash.

Ang burglary o sapilitang panloloob ay may kaparusahang pagkakakulong ng hanggang 14 taon sa ilalim ng Theft Ordinance ng Hong Kong. Ang possession o pagdadala naman ng droga ay maaring parusahan ng hanggang pitong taong pagkakakulong at multa ng hanggang $1 million.

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Ayon sa kanyang abugado, napilitan lang daw aminin ni Zuniga sa isang video interview sa istasyon ng pulisya ang paratang na nanloob siya dahil natakot siya sa mga pulis at wala siya sa sarili niya noong panahon na iyon. Sinabihan din siya na papayagan siyang magpiyansa kapag inamin niya ang paratang sa kanya.

Dahil sa pagtanggi niya sa akusasyon ay inutos ni Judge Tang na litisin siya ayon sa sakdal.

Unang tinawag na testigo ng tagausig ang pulis na humuli kay Zuniga sa may Arbuthnot Road Sabi ni Police Constable Wong, pinatigil niya sa daan ang akusado dahil sa kahina-hinala nitong galaw.

Ayon daw sa akusado ay sa Hong Kong ito ipinanganak kaya English ang gamit nitong salita.

Sinabi din nito na nagtatrabaho siya sa isang bar na ang pangalan ay dragon –i, pero isang buwan pa lang daw siya doon. Dati daw itong nagtatrabaho sa Chi Chi Cham, isang restaurant sa Peel Street, at alam nitong hindi nila-lock ang pintuan sa likod nito.

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Noong nagdaang Linggo ay pinuntahan daw niya ang restaurant at pumasok siya mula sa bukas na pinto sa likod at kumuha ng $3,000 sa lagayan ng pera, at lumabas sa parehong lagusan.

Dagdag pa ni PC Wong, sinabi daw na akusado na gumamit siya ng napkin na pantakip sa mukha para hindi siya makilala.

Noon na daw sinabi ng pulis na inaaresto niya si Zuniga, bago dinala niya ito sa istasyon

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Sabi ni PC Wong, bago nila kinuhanan ng pahayag ang akusado sa pamamagitan ng video recording ay pinayuhan muna ito tungkol sa kanyang karapatan na manatiling tahimik dahil anuman ang sasabihin niya ay maaaring gamitin laban sa kanya.

Isinulat din daw niya ang lahat ng mga pangyayari sa isang notebook, na naging tampulan ng pagtatalo sa magkabilang panig kung dapat ba itong tanggapin na ebidensya sa kaso.

Nakatakdang magpatuloy ang paglilitis hanggang sa Miyerkules.

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Pinahigpit ng pulis ang kampanya laban sa online scam

 

Iba-ibang paraan ng pagkilala sa scam ang ipinakita sa katatapos na exhibition 

Nagsanib-pwersa ang Hong Kong Police, Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) at mga kumpanya ng mobile phone para sugpuin ang lumalalang problema sa scam sa pamamagitan ng telepono at internet.

Bilang bahagi ng pinaigting na kampanya para tulungan ang publiko na makaiwas sa scam ay nagdaos ng roving exhibition ang OFCA sa Lohas Park nitong nakalipas na dalawang araw, kung saan hinikayat ang publiko na maging mas mapanuri sa mga ginagamit na paraan ng pakipagtalastasan sa ibang tao.

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Nagtayo sila ng mga panel display, nagpalabas ng video at nagpalaro para mas maintindihan ng mga dumalo ang kahalagahan ng kanilang mensahe.

Nakilahok ang mga opisyal ng Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) at CyberDefender ng HK Police para ipaliwanag ang mga klase ng panlilinlang na ginagawa ng mga kriminal gamit ang telepono at online apps katulad ng messenger at WhatsApp.

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Sinamantala ng mga opisyal ng pulis ang pagkakataon para palaganapin ang kaalaman tungkol sa 24-hour “Anti-Scam Helpline 18222” na pinapatakbo ng ADCC at kung paano gamitin ang “Scameter” sa website ng CyberDefender para malaman kung ang isang kausap online ay isang scammer.

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Pinapaalalahan nila ang lahat na kapag nakatanggap sila ng nakakadudang tawag, mensahe o imbitasyon para pumasok sa isang website ay maari nilang ilagay sa Scameter ang pangalan na binigay  sa kanila o kaya ang account number sa pagbabayad, numero ng telepono, email address, o URL, para agad malaman kung manloloko ang kausap nila. 

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Maari din nilang tawagan ang “Anti-Scam Helpline 18222” para magtanong. 

Ang grupo na itinayo para pagtulungang itigil ang lumalalang problema sa scam ay nabuo pagkatapos na magpulong-pulong noong Setyembre ng nakaraang taon ang mga pulis, kasama ang pinuno ng iba’t ibang ahensiya ng gobyerno na kasangga nila.

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Independence Day preparations begin; volunteers sought

 

Vice Consul Manuel briefs community leaders on Independence Day preparations. 

Consulate and community leaders have called on Filipinos in Hong Kong to participate in the celebration of the 125^th anniversary of the Philippine independence, to be held on Chater Road in Central on June 11, a Sunday.

At least 900 people will be needed as dancers, marshalls and volunteers in the Kapangyawan Friendship Festival, a pageantry that will showcase the Filipino culture, Vice Consul Jose Angelo Manuel said in a meeting today at the consulate.

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Manuel, who oversees the organization of the day-long celebration, said individuals or groups that want to participate can obtain registration forms at the Cultural Office of the Consulate.

The forms allow participants to choose which activity they want to join.

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Deadline for submitting the forms is Feb. 26.

The plans, drawn up with select community leaders in previous private meetings, are similar to the Independence Day programs of previous years, including the use of Kapangyawan (the Filipinized Cantonese word for “friend”) in the title.

Leaders of various organizations attend the meeting at the Consulate

Consul General Raly Tejada said the celebration will be the Filipino community’s contribution to the normalization of life in Hong Kong after more than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I would like this to be a very inclusive activity, na lahat sana ng ating leaders sa organisasyon (that, if possible, all organization leaders) will be able to participate,” he added.

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The festivities will begin as before, with inter-denominational prayers and a Catholic Mass.

A march of flags will then feature the various versions of the Filipino flag as it evolved into the national flag that now symbolizes the country. When the flags are installed on stage, the National Anthem will be sung, accompanied by the Drum and Lyre group of the Mindanao Federation.

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The Hong Kong Police Marching band will render martial music as guest performer.

Philippine dances such as Ragragsakan, T’Boli, Waray-Waray and Singkil will be staged by costumed groups in a one-hour show dubbed as Balik ang Saya ng Indakan sa Festa (bring back the joy of dancing in the fiesta).

Chater Road itself will become the stage when Street Dancing begins, with more than 200 volunteers dancing to the tune of Pamulinawen, and the music of Filipino festivities such as Pahiyas, Pintados, Manggahan, Lami-lami and Tuna festivals.

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Another 500 volunteers will be needed for Kulay Pinoy segment, to dance to Original Pilipino Music hits while dressed in clothes worn by OFWs in various places where they work.

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“We are still open to suggestions,” Manuel said.

One of  such suggestions is for recognition be given to individuals and organizations who provided help to their fellow Filipinos who got sick with Covid-19, some of whom were kicked out of the homes of their employers and had to be given temporary accommodations until they recovered.

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